Chapter 3: The Warlord's Fall

The battlefield was filled with the sounds of clashing metal and heavy breathing. The Sentinel fought fiercely against the Warlord soldier, his sword barely keeping up with the monster's powerful axe. 

Hermes stood frozen in fear. His body refused to move. 

The Warlord soldier roared, swinging its axe again. The Sentinel blocked, but the force sent him stumbling back. The monster raised its weapon for another strike— 

Then, out of nowhere, more Sentinels arrived. 

"Reinforcements!" one of them shouted. 

They rushed in, surrounding the Warlord soldier. With their combined strength, they attacked together, blades flashing in the dim light. The fight was brutal. Even with their numbers, the monster was incredibly strong. Every strike from its axe sent a shockwave through the air. 

But the Sentinels refused to back down. Blow after blow, they chipped away at the beast. Finally, after what felt like forever, the Warlord soldier let out a final, painful roar before collapsing to the ground. 

Silence. 

Then, a victorious cheer erupted from the Sentinels. They had done it. The monster was dead. 

But Hermes didn't celebrate. He was still in shock. His legs felt weak, and his breathing was shaky. 

Then— 

SHLKT. 

A wet, sickening sound echoed through the air. 

One of the Sentinels suddenly split in half. 

Blood splattered across the ground as his body collapsed, lifeless. The celebration stopped instantly. 

The Sentinels turned, their faces pale with horror. 

ROOOOAAARRR! 

A deep, monstrous growl came from inside the Hollow. 

The ground trembled. A wave of terror swept through the Sentinels as hundreds of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness. Not ten. Not twenty. 

Hundreds. 

Abyssals. 

The captain's voice broke through the fear. 

"RETREAT! FALL BACK!" 

Panic spread among the Sentinels as they turned to escape. But before they could move— 

BOOM! 

The largest monster stepped out of the Hollow. 

A Warlord leader. 

It towered over them, its body covered in thick, black armor, its piercing red eyes burning with rage. With one powerful roar, a wave of pressure exploded from its body. 

The Sentinels collapsed instantly. 

One by one, they fell unconscious, their bodies unable to handle the overwhelming power. 

All except one. 

Hermes. 

He remained standing. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched the Sentinels drop around him. 

The Warlord leader narrowed its eyes in confusion. 

A weak human… yet he didn't faint? 

Hermes trembled, fear gripping his entire body. His thoughts spiraled out of control. He imagined every possible way he could die. Every possible way the monster could tear him apart. 

The Warlord leader raised its massive axe. 

Hermes couldn't move. He could only watch as death approached. 

Then— 

His vision turned white. 

The moment the axe swung down, Hermes' body moved on its own. 

SWOOSH! 

He dodged. 

Without even thinking, his body shifted, swift as the wind. The Warlord soldiers charged at him, but Hermes—still unconscious—moved like a blur. 

A blade appeared in his hand. 

It wasn't there before. It had materialized from nothing. 

Without hesitation, Hermes attacked. His movements were perfect. Faster than the eye could follow. 

Slash. 

Cut. 

Strike. 

One by one, the Warlord soldiers fell, their massive bodies crashing to the ground. Blood stained the earth as Hermes cut through them effortlessly. 

The Warlord leader watched in shock. 

This human… was this truly the same weakling? 

Rage burned in its eyes. It let out another thunderous roar. But when it looked at Hermes again— 

For the first time in its life, the Warlord leader felt fear. 

Hermes' glowing eyes locked onto the monster like a predator watching its prey. 

Slowly, he stepped forward. 

The Warlord leader took a step back. 

It stumbled. 

The beast that had terrorized countless people… was afraid. 

Then—darkness. 

When the Sentinels woke up, the battle was over. 

Corpses of Warlord soldiers covered the battlefield. 

But what shocked them the most… was the lifeless body of the Warlord leader. 

It had crawled back toward the Hollow, its body torn apart. 

And next to it—Hermes. 

He was kneeling, unconscious, the mysterious blade still in his hand. 

The Sentinels rushed to him. 

"Hermes! Wake up!" 

Hermes' eyes fluttered open. His head pounded, and his vision was blurry. 

"What… happened?" he muttered. 

The Sentinels looked at each other, unsure how to answer. 

Then, reinforcements arrived—along with Sentinel healers and news reporters. 

The reporters swarmed the Sentinels, asking about the battle. 

The captain stepped forward with a proud grin. 

"The Warlord Abyssals? They weren't as strong as we thought. It wasn't too difficult to defeat them." 

Some of the Sentinels nodded in agreement. 

But one of them—the first to help Hermes—remained silent. 

Later, when the crowd had settled, he approached Hermes. 

"I know it was you," he said in a low voice. "You're the one who killed them, aren't you?" 

Hermes hesitated. 

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," he replied. "I was unconscious… just like everyone else." 

The Sentinel studied him for a moment before sighing. 

"If that's what you say." 

He didn't push the subject any further. 

As the hours passed, the battlefield was cleared. The wounded were treated, and the dead were taken away. 

But something had changed. 

And Hermes knew—his life would never be the same again.