Fantasy System

The sudden rumble and thundering of the skies took the people of the world by surprise. Before they knew it, all of them had their eyes fixated at the strange glass-like film covering the blue vast endlessness above them; a glass so fragile it broke faster than the speed of sound. The thundering noise soon died down and the film finished breaking apart, and not a second later, darkness spread over the plains, mountains, rivers...and the cities of men. ｆ𝓇𝘦ℯ𝙬𝑒𝐛n𝐨νe𝙡.c𝑜𝗺

Those who always carried vigilance next to their hearts were quick to react, hundreds of Qi spheres blazed around the populace of men, illuminating the world in place of the sun that had disappeared. Only then did the normal people notice what was happening. Everything happened so fast that they were unable to keep up with it, but once the realization sunk in, terror and fear consumed them. The sun was gone, the blue sky had turned dark, and the wailing and screams of the weak hearted were not much help.

People flocked around the strong cultivators, seeking the warmth of their Qi, and the reassurance of having strength by their side. However, no one was prepared for what was yet to come. An ear-splitting shriek came from all directions. The shriek intensified until everyone got a clear look at its source.

Deep inside the darkness, from the swirling smoky vortex far above their heads, a 'bird' emerged. Its body had no feathers, as it looked like a dead chicken. Yet, it was able to fly all too well, and its size was big enough to cover the nearest mountain from sight.

The people started to flee in all sorts of directions, seeking shelter somewhere far from the featherless flying chicken. After all, how could they not? They could see it clearly in its, its intent to attack the people holding the Qi spheres. It was targeting the cultivators.

The same thing was happening over all the major cities of the world, and everyone had to bear the full brunt of the attack. Avalon was no different. The disciples and sect Elders of Glory and Sword sect moved as though they'd been training for the attack all of their lives.

"Disciple, help the people evacuate. Elders, we're after the chickens!" Edmund pointed his black spear at the closest naked chicken, and after giving his orders, he flew towards it.

The chicken noticed him and retaliated, purple smoke burst out of its peak and spread down towards the surface. However, Edmund did not dodge the attack; instead, he focused Qi on his spear and thrust towards the smoke, dispersing it in an instant. He knew that the attack would hurt the citizens if here to let it hit the ground, and his attack allowed him to gauge the enemy's strength. After all, he couldn't read its Qi at all.

Edmund gripped his spear with confidence and flew towards the chicken at his maximum speed. Like a black glow, he swept through the space separating them and beheaded the oversized chick without any effort at all. Although he couldn't read its Qi, he could tell that its abilities were comparable with a monster of Immortal level 1. Not much of a threat for him.

Noticing his triumph, the other Elders followed suit and started to kill the chickens descending from above. The deceased bodies kept piling up on the ground, but there were always more enemies in the air, waiting to be slain.

After what seemed like hours, the chickens were all finally slain. But, the darkness was not ending. Instead, the skies thundered and crashed, as lightning surged through the heavens above them. An instant later, the smoky vortex swished and swooshed into one mass.

A humanoid being emerged. Its size was not large, as it was barely two meters tall. It was covered in dark bluish scales from head to toe, which made it resemble a dragon. In its right hand was a black spear, almost as tall as it was. And in its left hand, it gripped a pitch black ball. Its presence was terrifying, but its Qi could not be read at all!

It looked down on the thousands of bodies on the ground and smirked. Edmund and the others clearly knew that the chickens and the Dragonoid came from the same place, but they knew not why it laughed. However, the next instant they could tell that it was not smiling out of air.

The Dragonoid threw the black ball faster than anyone could react. As it smashed into the ground, black smoke gushed out and spread the whole city in an instant.

Edmund had a bad feeling in his heart and soon started to notice changes on the ground. The dead bodies of the chickens started to wriggle around until popping sounds were heard. Small, tadpole-like creatures emerged from under the skin of the naked chickens.

The tadpoles grew at an alarming rate, turning into full-fledged monsters in less than two seconds. Black spiders, two-headed hounds, zombies, ghouls, black serpents...dark creatures of all kinds swarmed the city. They had numbered in the thousand.

The Dragonoid's laughter could soon be heard throughout the whole city of Avalon, while the disciples and Elders who were stunned could do nothing but watch as the bulk of the monsters started to head towards the castle.

"Everyone...go, protect the king, the queen, and the people. Leave this place to me," Edmund said as he started to breathe slowly.

"Don't even think about it, that thing is not something you can beat alone," Audun warned.

"I know, but we can't do much about this situation. We can't let that thing leave this place, and we can't leave the horde alone," Edmund explained. "We can at least do one thing right, and that is protecting the castle. I'll stay back and watch that monster's movement. If push comes to shove, I have Edward's special pieces of jewelry to protect me."

Bard, Audun, and the others could do nothing but give up under the power of Edmund's smiling, reassuring face. They also knew that his words were true. They could not repeat their mistake and leave their king to die.

"Now then," Edmund looked down at the monsters and as he raised his spear high. Qi continued to concentrate in its tip until it was released in one go, turning into hundreds of light attack that targeted the monsters beneath. "Time to let loose."