Ch-X "THE INVASION OF SEDRYAL CITY" -ONE SHOT-

  [author:Goo]

  -------------x------------------------x-----------

  At high noon, the earlier invasion of the capital had erupted into an all-out war.

  Countless lives were being lost—one after another.

  The Capital city Sedryal of ELDORIA Empire was in utter chaos. Mysterious figures cloaked in bck had unched a sudden assault on the city. Explosions rocked the streets, colpsing buildings into rubble. Children cried. Civilians screamed and scattered. The air reeked of smoke and steel as swords cshed in a desperate struggle between the attackers and the Royal Capital Soldiers.

  Perhaps the entire capital had already descended into chaos.

  Civilians crumbled under the weight of building, smoke rising like ominous shadows in the sky. The air was thick with ash, steel, and sorrow.

  Even amidst the mayhem, the royal soldiers stood their ground. Bloodied, battered, yet unyielding—they fought with everything they had, determined to protect the Kingdom, no matter what… no matter who—or what—was attacking them.

  Because if they didn’t… who else would?

  Amid the chaos, one man stood like a lone wall between the royal castle and utter ruin.

  His name was Julian Vael Crenz—the elegant knight with long flowing purple hair and a pristine white cape that danced with the wind. He looked more like a noble than a warrior, yet he was one of the Lugancina kingdom's finest swordsmen. On any other day, he’d be guarding Petricia as her personal Royal Knight. But today, fate had thrown him into the heart of the capital's destruction.

  And he didn’t turn away.

  “No matter whose war this is,” Julian muttered to himself, drawing his saber—a sleek bde with a bckish hilt and a faintly glowing blue edge, enchanted with frozen magic, “I’ll protect this road!!" He shouted

  The road to the royal castle would not fall. Not while he stood.

  Thirteen figures emerged from the smoke, weapons drawn—mysterious enemies cloaked in bck.

  With a single, sweeping ssh, Julius sent a shockwave of icy magic through the air. A blinding glint followed—and then silence.

  Everything in the path of his bde froze instantly.

  The attackers were frozen in pce, their movements halted by the biting cold of Julius’s spell.

  But just as he steadied his stance, a soft sound reached his ears. "My, my, how wonderful," it whispered pyfully.

  A whisper. A soft breeze of footsteps behind him. He clenched his sword hilt even tighter.

  He spun—only to see nothing.

  Then he heard it again… behind him, once more. Whispers again. "Trying to find me? Ain't ya?". Still in a pyful tone.

  Impossible… I just turned that way so ho—

  A gust of wind bypass him.

  In that instant, pain bloomed across his side. His body lurched, and the world tilted as he colpsed to the ground, his saber falling from his grasp.

  Blood poured out, staining the stone beneath him crimson.

  His vision blurred, but before he was lying on ground completely helpless , he caught sight of the attacker’s back.

  Traditional bck male kimono..Julian saw.

  He could not move but heard

  the man who had just struck me sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "The prophecy? Ha! It’ll never come true in this pitiful nation of weaklings," he mocked, his ughter echoing like a cruel joke, as if he had already written the fate of this nd in his mind.He could not see the face of the attacker.

  But his heart froze more than his bde ever could.

  > He thought: "Sakutyo Empire…? Why are they here…? Is this a decration of war...? Are they behind this Attack?"

  He tried to stand up, but he couldn’t as the cut was very deep...

  Desperate, Julian tried to call out to the soldiers who had been fighting alongside him just moments ago—behind the stone houses fnking the road.

  But when he gnced that way…

  They were gone.

  All of them. Dead.

  With around 30 dead soldiers on the street.

  The mysterious attacker, along with some of the mysterious assassins, now walked calmly down the path toward the royal castle.

  Julius clenched his jaw, his fingers curling weakly into a fist. With his final breath, he whispered:

  > “Lance… you're the only hope left now. Keep Petricia-sama safe and see ya..."

  His eyes faded to dim gray, his breath ceased, and the noble knight fell into the cold embrace of his end. He y coldly on the stone road, covered in blood, motionless....

  Amid the turmoil—just before the royal castle’s grand entrance—stood a man who looked nothing like a typical knight. He wore no armor, only a long white coat. His hair was a striking crimson; his eyes, a pale blue that seemed to command the very wind around him. On his right hip hung a sheathed bde: the fabled Divine Syer.

  He was Lance Von Cedric the legendary Sword Herald of the Empire—hailed as the strongest man in all of the world.

  Behind him stood nine injured soldiers, their bodies broken and battered, yet their spirits clung to hope—hope found in the presence of the Sword Saint.But a loud bang was heard outside possibly an explosion.

  Three shadowed figures burst through the smoke, weapons drawn.

  In a single motion, Lance bent down, picked up a fallen broken sword from the ground, and cleanly cut through all three attackers into two half's . No hesitation. No wasted movement. The other soldiers eyes were no longer scared after witnessing that moment. The other soldiers, who had once been paralyzed with fear, now stood motionless in awe. Their trembling eyes, once wide with terror, softened as they watched the scene unfold before them.

  And in that moment, their fear was repced with respect. Their gazes were no longer filled with terror but with admiration and unwavering loyalty. Lance's victory had not only saved their lives but had also reignited something within them—something they had almost lost in the heat of battle.

  The fear in their eyes was gone. Instead, there was a shared resolve, a collective understanding that, as long as Lance stood with them, they could face any enemy, no matter how strong.

  Lance turned slightly, his voice calm yet firm:

  >“Stand tall. No harm will come to you. As long as I draw breath, this pce will not fall.”

  He shouted( perhaps to encourage the terrified soldiers?)

  Then… silence shattered again.

  A mist surged forward like a Wind breeze—too fast to react. Blood sprayed in an arc. A deep wound opened across Lance’s chest. He stumbled, colpsing onto the marble floor, blood pooling beneath him.

  The nine soldiers gasped—only for their reactions to be cut short. In the blink of an eye, all were sin. One by one. Effortlessly.

  The attacker stepped through the smoke—a boy, who looked no older than sixteen. He wore a bck male kimono, his long white hair flowing behind him. In each hand, he held a katana—one crimson red, the other a deep ocean blue.

  He looked over the corpses and said simply,

  > The attacker sighed. “…Good grief.”

  He turned toward the castle door—until a voice called out.

  > “Stop right there, white hair .”

  Lance stood, somehow still alive. His wound smoldered with healing bright yellowish-blue fmes.

  The boy’s eyes narrowed.

  > The attacker gave a slight smirk. “Blue fmes? The Phoenix curse, huh…”

  > “State your name,” Lance demanded, tightening his grip on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

  > “Ain’t it rude for you to ask someone’s name without telling yours first?” the boy snapped.

  > “Indeed. My apologies,” replied Lance. “I am Lance Von Cedric, Sword Herald of the Eldoria Kingdom.”

  A pause. Then, with a breath, the boy spoke:

  > “Ri.... Rikuya Kurogane.. One of the Four Divine Generals of the Sakutyo Empire.”

  Lance’s eyes widened with concern.

  > “Sakutyo? I thought our nations had signed a peace treaty long ago… Is this a decration of war?”

  He looked at Cecilus with a serious expression.

  Rikuya shook his head slightly.

  > “Nah. I ain’t here for my kingdom. This is personal. I came on behalf of someonthign else . Besides, I’m on a holiday break ya know ?.” (He smiled)

  > “Is that so… Then those swords of yours—katana, right? Cursed bdes. Dangerous and not marked safe for human use , you know.”

  Rikuya smirk vanished

  > “Shut up what ya know about me anyway?!. Also I ain’t in the mood tonight. So don’t bme me for what comes next, you dumbass.” He clenched his teeth

  > “Considering you're a general… but such a rude tone, maybe Sakutyo accent?” Lance’s grip on his hilt tightened, ready to draw his sword.

  The moment grew still.

  Lance unsheathed the Divine Syer Sword. It gleamed under the moonlight—pure and white, reflecting the light like a mirror.

  > “BRING IT ON, YOU STUPID SWORD MASTER OR WHATEVER!!!” Rikuya roared.

  And then—they vanished.

  The csh of steel echoed as their bdes danced midair. Afterimages flickered like ghosts. Neither warrior gave an inch.

  He’s fast… Lance thought, gritting his teeth. Even faster than me?

  Rikuya swung both swords—Lance dodged, but the attack sliced through the eleven-foot iron doors behind him like paper.

  Lance countered with a precise thrust, narrowly missing. Rikuya answered with a brutal upward ssh—also dodged. But Lance found his moment—he struck, slicing toward Cecilus’s left arm in an upward motion and severed it.

  He aimed for the neck with another swing, but Rikuya's ’s right hand—holding the red bde—blocked it just in time.

  The bdes cshed with a sharp spark.

  Rikuya growled, blood spttering across the marble. But with a fierce grip on his red sword, he thrust forward. Lance misread the angle—and took a shallow cut to the neck.

  This bde… Lance’s eyes widened. It’s real. The curse—can it cut through divine Healing huh? Even my fmes can’t fully close this wound…

  > “Let’s see how far you can go, Sword Saint!” Cecilus roared.

  Their pace only intensified. Faster. Sharper. Bdes danced like lightning bolts.

  Lance was cut on the thigh. His arm. The floor around them cracked with every swing. Yet he endured.

  Then—his moment came.

  With Rikuya missing an arm, Lance aimed low, sshing upward. The blow grazed Rikuya's left cheek, deep enough to blind the eye.

  Blood spilled. Rikuya now fought with one eye… and one arm.

  > “You really live up to your name, you stupid Sword Saint!!!” he yelled.

  He swung wildly from all humanly possible as well as inhumanly possible angles . Lance dodged and dodged and dodged—but still caught a deep cut to the hand. Then a kick smashed into Lance’s guard, sending him sliding backward.

  Rikuya steadied himself—preparing one final attack.

  But Lance read it. He shifted sideways, bde angled perfectly—and snapped the crimson katana in half.

  Rikuya froze, eyes wide.

  Lance brought his sword down, crashing into his chest. Cecilus colpsed.

  Lance knelt, unable to stand. Blood poured freely.

  He ughed—broken, raspy.

  > “Haha… haha…”

  Tears rolled down his cheeks. He coughed—more blood.

  Lance stood, exhausted, his bde glowing faintly at his side.

  > “Why are you crying?” he asked coldly. “Trying to make me pity you? If so… save it.”

  Lance slowly sheathed his sword. His stamina was restored by the Phoenix Fmes—but mentally, he was drained.

  Rikuya shook his head.

  > “No… not pity… you stupid saint…” he whispered again. “I’m crying ‘cause… I’m happy.”

  Lance’s eyes narrowed at the boy again.

  Cecilus continued, his voice barely a whisper.

  > “Back home… in Taku Vilge… in my kingdom, Sakutyo... a prophecy was made. Said I’d meet someone stronger than me… in a foreign nd. I never believed it. But… it was true. It was you…that Old hag's prophecy came true...”

  Lance: .....

  He id back, looking up at the empty sky. His grip on the broken bde slipped. It cttered softly against the ground.

  Lance: "You.. You were a formidable opponent, Rikuya.."

  Rikuya with a smile, whispered, "Is that so, Lance..."

  Rikuya met his end with eyes half-closed.

  Here’s your scene transformed into light novel style:

  Rikuya slowly became aware of his surroundings. He knew, without a doubt, that he was dead.He found himslrf in a dark endless void, there was something else—an oppressive stillness, as if the very air itself was waiting for something.

  Then, a voice, soft and warm, pierced the silence, calling his name. His head snapped around, searching the void for its source.

  And there she was.

  A woman, dressed in a flowing kimono of deep green with intricate floral patterns, stood before him. Her presence was like a calming breeze, as if the void itself had softened in her wake. Rikuya’s breath caught in his throat.

  Before he could react, his legs gave way, and he colpsed to his knees, overcome with emotion. Tears began to fall, unbidden, as his heart ached with an overwhelming sorrow.

  The woman approached, her gentle hands reaching out to him. She pulled him into a warm embrace, her voice breaking through his sobs. "I'm so sorry for leaving you behind… back then."

  The weight of her words hit him like a storm. Rikuya cried harder, his chest heaving with guilt and grief. Through his broken sobs, he whispered, "I’m sorry… for not being strong enough… to protect you… back then mom."

  She only held him tighter, the warmth of her touch offering him a quiet soce. "Both of us were at fault … but now, let’s go together."

  And as their hands intertwined, they began to walk together, side by side, through the dark void, knowing that whatever y ahead, they would face it as one.

  Meanwhile in the entrance hall.

  Lance stepped closer. Gently, he reached down and fully closed Cecilus’s eyes with his hand.

  Lance stood up once more, looking down at the lifeless body of the samurai. His expression remained cold, but his thoughts were conflicted.

  Lance (to himself): "Do I have to sympathize for you?"

  He looked at Rikuya, who now y still in the blood-soaked ground.

  Lance : "In the end, you took so many innocent lives today... Even I shall not sympathize with a criminal like you..."

  Lance's voice softened as he gave a small, almost unnoticeable smile.

  Lance (with a soft sigh...): "But I know the pain of being the strongest. We are not so different, after all."

  His gaze lingered on the fallen samurai, a fleeting moment of understanding crossing his eyes.

  Lance with a calm tone said : "I hope you find peace in your eternal life."

  Lance turned away, his back straightening as he made his way toward the battle raging outside the entrance hall of the capital. As he walked, he muttered a final farewell to the dead warrior.

  Lance whispered: "Goodbye, Samurai of the Sakutyo Empire."

  He pushed forward, ready to aid the others. The battle was far from over, but for now, a moment of closure had been found.