The First Movement of the Ancient Sword

The spiked rock behemoth, seeing that the sword-wielding human could no longer pose a serious threat, immediately became arrogant. With a sudden turn, it sought to pin Huan Luo beneath its massive body and crush her outright. Exhausted and drained of strength, Huan Luo was unable to dodge the beast’s rapid movement; her legs gave way, and she fell toward the ground.

There was a tremendous crash as the spiked rock behemoth hurled itself down with all its might. Everyone held their breath, watching that spot, as the beautiful female general was swallowed by clouds of dust in an instant.

No one could say whose weapon slipped from their grasp first, but it hit the ground with a sharp clang.

As the dust gradually cleared, Huan Luo, who had been flung to the side by the powerful impact, stared wide-eyed, nearly forgetting to breathe. Her bloodstained hand trembled as she reached toward the space beneath the behemoth. Familiar armor lay shattered nearby, and crimson blood slowly seeped into the earth. Fresh memories of fighting side by side with him only moments before still lingered in her mind.

“Andy!” The commanders who had just arrived to reinforce the troops witnessed that very scene as they stepped onto the battlefield. Their leader, Andy—the one who had fought, trained, and laughed with them—had, in that critical moment, sacrificed himself to push Huan Luo out of harm’s way. He had no time to escape himself and was crushed beneath the spiked rock behemoth. Even his tough brown armor was pulverized, fragments scattered all around.

The crowd surged forward in a frenzy toward Huan Luo and Andy, but the beasts moved faster than any human. Stepping over the bodies of their kind just felled by the “Railgun,” the frenzied monsters rushed in from all sides, determined to tear the two detested intruders to shreds.

Layer upon layer, the crazed beasts swarmed Huan Luo and Andy, as if scrambling for bargains at a one-percent-off liquidation sale, their howls and gnashing teeth filling the air. The human army, heedless of their own safety, charged forward as well—how could they allow their general and leader to be devoured by monsters? Even if they died, they would bring back Andy’s and Huan Luo’s bodies intact!

Suddenly, from the writhing mountain of beasts, a dazzling, sinister red light burst forth. It started at the peak and spread outward in all directions, slender cracks slicing evenly through the monsters, accompanied by the crisp sound of splitting and shattering. When the fissures reached the base, the entire mound exploded from its center, sending monster corpses flying and drenching the field in a rain of blood.

At the heart of the blood-red sunset, a figure slowly rose. Her long hair fell loose about her shoulders, and her silhouette, backlit by the dying light, seemed shrouded in darkness. Yet, her battered armor and the human form slung over her shoulder were unmistakable. In her hand, the ancient sword gleamed with an eerie red glow, as if newly awakened and sated with blood. The blade and hilt were smeared with scarlet, exuding a chilling aura of slaughter.

“What…” Someone tried to step forward but was yanked back by the beautiful youth, who, for once, wore a grave expression and shook his head.

The frenzied beasts circled Huan Luo, none daring to attack first. Even in their madness, they sensed that the woman before them, wild and violent as any of them, was not to be trifled with—and the brutal sword she carried, even less so.

But Huan Luo, in her berserk state, was no strategist—she was pure action. Raising her sword skyward, she swept the beasts with a dangerous gaze. Her face remained expressionless, but her lips moved slightly. The movement was brief, the sound soft, yet every monster present felt a chill colder than the dead of winter.

“Die.”

Even carrying the weight of a grown man, Huan Luo moved with astonishing speed and steadiness. She rushed forward, and with a single stroke, her sword sliced clean through a beast before her. In her berserk state, their armored hides offered no protection; they were butchered like cattle, their bodies falling in two neat heaps.

Before her, behind her, left and right—wherever monsters appeared, Huan Luo became an inexhaustible machine of death. Her armor was in tatters, but she paid no heed to injury. Except for the instinctive protection she gave the man on her shoulder, every movement had but one purpose: kill.

Much, much later, the history books of White Tower Kingdom would record: On the Xth of X, XXXX, at the border battle of Akasia, the kingdom was aided by three legendary mages and gained a future war god. History tells us that all great war gods are forged in oceans of blood.

But now, this future war god had no thought of glory—she moved mechanically, swinging her ancient sword again and again, as if dancing a dirge of death with the sunset for a backdrop and corpses at her feet.

No one knew how long it took for the monsters to scatter. Those that remained were slain by the human army and Huan Luo. Yet, hard-won as it was, this victory inspired no cheers. Every gaze was still fixed on Huan Luo. With no more monsters to fight, her sword drooped toward the ground, but she remained on high alert, ready to react violently to any approach.

No one dared step forward; no one wanted to become a target and die in vain.

Suddenly, a dark figure crashed to the ground before Huan Luo. She moved instantly, her bloodied sword flashing toward the figure’s neck.

“Wait!” The person had barely raised their head when they saw the blade at their face. “Do you want the guy on your shoulder to die for good?”

As if she had heard, Huan Luo’s motion froze, the sword only grazing the figure’s cheek and neck.

Sensing hope, the person hurried to persuade her: “Andy’s still alive. We can save him.”

“Really?” After a long pause, Huan Luo managed to force out the words. The strange ancient sword seemed to flicker, then its glow faded.

“I swear on the honor of my future husband—he’s still breathing! Back in the day, I watched countless epic films, and whether I was worshipping the stars or heckling the mistakes, I could always tell who was acting and who was really alive. Look, if you don’t believe me, you can check yourself; the guy under the corpse of the ashen-faced demon spider, three steps from you, is breathing too…”

Stardust Chronicles 033_033: The First Movement of the Ancient Sword—End of update!