Trying every which way
The coffin snapped open with a sickening crack.
From within, the Guardian emerged—now, evolved.
Its grotesque form had swollen into a Tier 1 Grand Guardian.
Layers of blackened armor clung to its massive frame, its muscles like knotted steel. Its glowing eyes burned with hunger, and the Tomb Hearts pulsing in its chest radiated a pressure that made the air heavier.
Sett's mind raced. He couldn't afford to make a single mistake now. The Guardian was much stronger than him, having body that seemed like reinforced steel. And its Axiom of Water made it nearly invulnerable to fire, its only known weakness.
I need a new plan, and fast.
Sett felt the situation settle in. The only way out was to leave this place immediately and get Zarah medical attention, but to leave the Tomb, he would have to kill this creature.
The Guardian charged again, its movements more calculated now. Sett moved in tandem, his own trained moves still far superior. But it was getting better. Fushu was a legendary figure before he died and the instincts he left behind was no joke.
A blob of water appeared out of nowhere and compressed into a tiny droplet.
Sett's stomach dropped.
Tsswzz—
The droplet moved through the air like a sharp blade, leaving a scar on his cheek.
They exchanged a punch again, Sett sliding back with a dented fist.
His eyes darted around the chamber.
Ah, there it is/
He finally found it. A small, almost imperceptible crack in the wall near the coffin. It was faint, but Sett's heightened senses picked up on it immediately.
The crack was too straight, too deliberate to be natural. It was a hidden door.
The Guardian swung its fist again, but this time, Sett didn't dodge. He stepped forward, meeting the blow head-on. The impact was brutal, sending a shockwave through his body, but Sett held his ground. He grabbed the Guardian's arm, his fingers trying to dig into the creature's flesh.
"Warrrgh!!"
With a surge of strength, Sett twisted the Guardian's arm, forcing the creature to its knees. The Guardian roared in fury, its free hand swinging wildly, but Sett was ready. He ducked under the blow and slammed his foot into the crack in the wall
The mechanism activated with a loud click. The wall shuddered, and a hidden door began to slide open. Beyond it, Sett could see a narrow passage, dimly lit in Tomb-light. What was inside it made Sett's eyes light up.
The narrow passage was full of mummies!
Not human mummies but ostrich mummies!
Hundreds of eggs and small ostriches filled the room!
All mummies.
The Guardian's eyes widened. It struggled against Sett's grip, but Sett held firm. With a burst of strength, he hurled the creature away from the passage and ran towards the croaking birds.
"Zainah!" he shouted.
Axiom of Playulness—Song of Playfulness!
The croaking ostriches grew still and Sett pulled out the matchbox in his hand. There was an unlit torchon the walls, but with a simple move with the match stick, the torch lit up with wine green flames.
Sett ran straight through them, torch in hand.
WHOOSH!
The fire spread like a living thing, igniting the passageway in a roaring inferno. The creatures let out horrid shrieks as they burned.
[Limitless Evolution: 81/100] (+60)
[Limitless Evolution: 91/100] (+10)
[Limitless Evolution: 100/100] (+9)
Sett staggered as the evolution notifications slammed into his mind. His body surged, muscles tightening, bones thickening—a new, unknown type of power flooded him. Information streamed into his mind.
His vision blurred. Too much at once.
Fuck, it's not useful for this situation.
It was a super good power but useless in this combat.
"Shit—!"
Dizzy, he nearly fell into the flames himself. No time! He forced himself forward, torch clenched in a white-knuckle grip, and charged back toward the Grand Guardian.
Sett slid underneath the Guardian's legs and ran towards the doorway, picking up Zainah under his arms and then Zarah onto his back as he continued running. The Grand Guardian followed him with even faster speed than himself.
And then—
A silver glint.
Sett jerked sideways as a blade tore through the space where his throat had been.
A surprise attacker?
Was he watching since earlier?
Sett's face changed. But he is slow and weak. Overestimating himself!
"Oh? You dodged me?" A cold, amused voice.
Go die idiot! Sett sneered.
He didn't even have to move himself.
BAM!
The Grand Guardian bulldozed into the newcomer, slamming him into the far wall. The sickening crunch of breaking bones filled the chamber. Sett's eyes flicked to the would-be assassin—a human man, now a twitching, half-dead mess.
His lip curled.
"You are my lucky star!"
He ran upto the dying mess.
"Don't take it personally, but—thanks, man."
He stomped the dying man's skull to death.
[Absorbed 2 Tomb Hearts]
(Progress: 100 Tomb Energy Value)
[Cryptwalker Progress 8/9]
["High" Tier 1 Guardian Mummy evolution requirements have been met!]
[Evolution into "Grand" Tier 1 initiated!]
[Integrating (100) Tomb Energy Value]
Power exploded through Sett's veins. His body reformed, iron-hard muscles knitting together, his gaunt face filling out with newfound strength. His back straightened, his form condensing into something… more.
Sett exhaled, rolling his shoulders. Better. Stronger.
He gently set Zainah and Zarah down.
"It's coming!" Zarah gasped in pain.
Zainah also had a miserable expression.
Inwardly, he gritted his teeth in frustration. The one thing he hated the most in this world was seeing faces that should smile—cry. His women were not allowed to be hurt, especially not Zainah. She was the sort of women who could handle being thrown into a pit of fire, but not watch her loved ones be bitten by ants.
As a man, Sett had failed himself and his women. He had let them be hurt while he was present.
How would they now rely on him? How would they trust him to protect them? How can they now believe they were utterly safe when around him?
Sett knelt before her, ruffling Zarah's hair.
She looked at him with wide, suffering eyes.
"Don't worry, my lady." His voice was calm.
The Guardian lunged.
Sett moved.
In an instant, he swept its legs out from under it—CRASH! The Grand Guardian slammed into the floor.
No hesitation. No mercy.
Sett stomped its head.
STOMP.
STOMP.
Its head dented inward.
It tried to stand up.
Attack the achilles heel to break their balance, keep hitting its vitals to break its defenses, do not let it recover its posture, keep at it till the threat is dead. If it tries something, adapt, overcome—murder.
STOMP.
The Grand Guardian thrashed, its massive form writhing beneath Sett's grip, but it was over.
With a cold, effortless motion, he drove the creature's head into the stone floor. The impact sent a sickening crack rippling through the chamber. The beast's limbs twitched, its armored fingers clawing weakly at the air—reflex, nothing more.
CRACK.
Then—nothing.
When one had equal strength, the one with the superior technique would obviously win.
Yes, Fushu's legendary battle instincts might have given it quite the great technique. Growth through battle would make it reach Fushu's own level at some point.
Fushu had been legendary.
But even if it had that high of a technique, Sett still would not care.
Fushu might have been legendary, but Sett Ramses had been even more legendary.
If Fushu saw him in the past, he would have to hide his face in the mud.