Finally, she had located the silent pond…

  With her sword ready, Luna took the first steps toward the water as she resisted the pressure coming from it.

  While she walked, Luna endeavored to keep her steps as silent as possible because she was aware that this place had a guardian watching over it.

  A few more slow steps later, all the hairs on her body raised, and her eyes flashed open when she was possessed by the feeling of being watched. The grip on the Sun’s Ember got stronger as she continued moving forward. Remember, this place had no essence, so sensing it was still out of the picture.

  When she was close to the pond, the feeling of being watched got stronger and she stopped right away.

  She looked over her shoulder after sensing another being standing behind a single silver tree, “Who goes there?” she asked using a tough voice.

  Her eyes rushed to scan her surroundings, expecting something to attack after breaking the silence.

  But, to her disappointment or luck, nothing did.

  She took the silence as a response and approached the edge of the small pond. She stared at the still black water.

  There was no reflection. As expected, this was no normal pond. The black water looked very similar to the void she saw when she was close to her death.

  Maybe she was close to her death again.

  Each instinct in her body was telling her to run away. But she stayed and took more steps without hesitation.

  Her desperate need for answers was more powerful than fear at the moment.

  She then crouched down and dipped one hand into the silent water. It was neither cold nor hot—it felt like an illusion.

  The pond’s surface rippled for a moment and her reflection suddenly appeared on the surface. It was as though the pond had recognized and acknowledged her presence.

  “You shouldn’t do that, mortal girl.”

  She was interrupted by a sudden, powerful voice that made her body shiver. It seemed to be coming from all directions.

  However, despite the warning, Luna remained stubborn and left her hand in the pond because she felt something pulling her in.

  Crunch, crunch, crunch

  The sound of dry white leaves and silver twigs breaking surprised her. The crunching sound got louder and louder. And her heart started to beat faster as though in rhythm with the crunching noise.

  The pressure got heavier, and the air grew more tense than what she had gotten used to so quickly.

  Crunch!

  The final crunch was the loudest because it was the nearest.

  “You shouldn’t do that, MORTAL.”

  When Luna heard those words again, her body couldn’t help but force her hand out of the water. It felt like a reflex action with how fast it happened.

  ‘Are you the guardian of this pond?’ That is what she wanted to ask. But when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She was gasping for air as this divine being remained standing behind her.

  He didn’t need an introduction for her to know what he was. His entire presence said that about him.

  “Ah…so that’s why the River Lord didn’t sense you. You wield a relic, one descended directly from the sun god. I thought they destroyed them all.”

  The being standing behind her spoke. He sounded human. But Luna knew that he was far more than that. Just because he could speak her language didn’t mean that he was like her in any way.

  Her blood turned cold as her grip on the jian grew tighter. “Are…are…are you the guardian of this pond?” she finally asked when she found her strength and battled the pressure.

  Was she capable of surviving such an encounter?

  The being responded, his voice both cold and distant. “Yes, I am. I was the one tasked with keeping this prisoner. I’ve been trying so hard to find the reason for your stupidity, but I can’t access your thoughts.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  ‘I guess Oblivion’s gift was useful in the end.’ Luna almost smiled. The situation didn’t call for it.“I am sorry if I am causing any inconvenience. I was unaware that a being as powerful as yourself was guarding this place.”

  “What is it that you want with the prisoner?”

  “I want the Truth,” Luna answered immediately, afraid of what the being might do to her after her response. She could've lied, but what good would that have done for her?

  Once she felt used to the pressure, she stood up and turned around to face the guardian of this place. However, when he entered her field of vision, she instantly reeled and vomited out some blood as the qi in her body helped her adjust to the situation.

  Mortals were not meant to look at anything divine!

  He scoffed, “You haven’t exploded at first sight. Intriguing.”

  ‘He’s beautiful.’

  The first thought caught Luna off guard. But who could blame her? The floor guardian had taken on a beautiful male form. He had short silver hair, a bleached white face with a chiseled chin, and a rectangular face.

  The most striking part about him, though, was his three green eyes that were staring at Luna with zero emotion.

  The third eye was just below his hairline, oval-shaped, and located on his forehead. He was about seven feet tall, clad in silver and gold armor with the breastplate scarred with scratches from his previous battles. He held a majestic long spear with a leaf-shaped head and a silver tassel just below it.

  His battle aura was insane!

  ‘Can I even hold him off?’ As she questioned herself, she let all the essence in her body dissolve into her muscles and sword. This guy wasn't going to hear her out.

  “The Truth?” he laughed, “You mortals keep on coming for the truth as though the person there will give it to you. Although you’re the first to make it here, they usually die once they see the rivers. Are you willing to die for something this small, mouse?” he asked as though he was going to let her live.

  Luna swallowed her saliva and sighed. She calmed herself down and faked a smirk, “Who said I am dying here?” she shrugged. “You haven’t fought me yet to call me weak. What if I can get out of this place with both the truth and my life?”

  The pantheon narrowed his two eyes, suddenly intrigued by this mortal’s words. “You’re confident for someone with no gate. The mortals the river lord, and I have killed in the past have all been gifted. You don’t even have the first gate, you’re not even worth my skills. You’re just a mouse.”

  Luna put both her trembling hands on her sword. By balancing her breathing, she felt her muscles tense as she unleashed all her true strength along with her battle aura. It clashed with the guardian's and it was immediately swallowed like it was nothing--proving just how weak she was in comparison to him.

  As expected, Luna wasn’t strong enough to win this fight. But she was strong enough to buy some time before Storm Rider got here. This was her fight, after all.

  “Foolish.”

  After his comment, the Pantheon took the first step, and the ground beneath split when he burst into motion.

  Luna didn’t see his spear, but she dodged the super-fast thrust out of luck and instinct. What came next was a powerful kick that struck at the side of her abdomen.

  He was too fast for her to track or block his strikes. The impact shattered one of her ribs before she was sent flying through a few dead trees and out of the pond’s vicinity.

  She stopped at one more tree as soon as she ran out of momentum.

  Cough…cough. She was already coughing out a lot of blood after the broken rib pierced something in her body.

  Whoosh!

  “One strike and you’re coughing blood?” The pantheon appeared a second later to watch Luna whiz in pain. He was intrigued that she had survived a direct blow from. “I had forgotten how fragile mortals are.”

  Luna gritted her teeth as the qi in her body tried to heal as much as it could in the little time possible. It stopped the internal bleeding, and the pain she felt subsided.

  She stood up and revealed her red teeth in a smile. Thanks to the moonlight, the essence in her body was being replaced each time she suffered an injury. She lifted her head and looked at the floating Pantheon and pointed her jian it at him.

  “It's not right to hit women like that you asshole!”

  With that, he vanished out of the sky and appeared in front of her. This time, Luna tracked his movement and raised her sword in time. When their weapons clashed, sparks flew, and a shockwave rippled through the forest.

  The trees shook when their blades met for the first time, announcing the start of their deadly clash.

  The Pantheon was slightly shocked by her sudden feat. He had never thought a human was strong enough to parry a weapon like his…even with a god relic. This mouse was tough. How exciting.

  Luna tried to push back, but the pantheon saw an opening and struck her leg with the bottom end of the spear.

  Crack!

  Her bones cracked from just the force of getting hit. Luna winced in pain and leaped back before he could hit her again.

  'Wind slash!' Luna whispered out of fear and swung her sword. The beautiful Jian transformed into a blur. The air split as the wind attack struck the enemy with incredible accuracy. But to her shock, the attack did no damage. It struck his armor and faded away like it was nothing.

  ‘No.’ All the hope in her eyes faded just like the attack. The wind slash was supposed to be one of her strongest attacks. Against someone like this, at least it should’ve done some damage.

  The Pantheon let out a mocking laugh. “Pathetic….” he said in a haunting tone. “You’re not even worthy of using a god relic as powerful as that one.”

  While she was still thinking of what to do next, the pantheon proceeded to ram his fist into her stomach.

  The qi barely provided her with any protection. Luna spat more blood before her body was catapulted into a large tree. Its body shattered right away and collapsed onto her body--sending a loud noise across Artemis’s garden.

  She hadn’t died, but this pain made her wish she had. A direct blow from a lesser deity was ten times more powerful than a blow from the Kraken. The pain made her body convulse, but she did not pass out.

  Luna stayed aware because she was strong. And because she was strong, she stood up once again and reached for her sword. Her balance was shaky but her spirit remained as firm as a wall.

  It would take more than just pain to break it.

  “Still alive, little mouse?” Two of his eyes narrowed with curiosity.

  “The only one that’s pathetic here is you.” Luna coughed. “Do you know how much we’re fighting to survive? Do you know how long we’ve endured the shit you deities caused?”

  Luna didn’t know what 100% of her true strength looked like or what it would do to her body. Storm had warned her that she should only go that far after opening her First Soul Gate.

  But Hey...What did she have to lose at the moment?

  ‘I can handle a little backlash.’ She grinned like a psychopath, and her entire presence changed. The backlash from going all out wasn't going to be little. But if she didn't go all out, she would die in this fight.

  On sensing her presence change, the Pantheon suddenly gripped onto his spear even more. As a seasoned warrior from Heaven, he had seen what mice were capable of. The mortals from the divine realm were considered strong. But beyond that, they remained mice…small, weak, pathetic, and fragile.

  This mouse, however, was different from the mice he had killed in the past. They had come here to search for answers, for meaning. But as always, most of them gave up or died easily after he got serious.

  But…

  This mouse had blocked his spear. Something a mortal has never done!

  ‘What an interesting mouse.’ He thought as he witnessed Luna’s Battle Aura grow. He had swallowed her presence before but it was now fighting back like a ferocious beast that's been suppressed for too long.

  “I will show you weak!” Luna let out a pained scream as she let go of all the limitations she had placed on herself. She quickly dismissed her forged weapon and pounced at him with eyes burning with endless rage and determination.

  When she was close, she kicked the ground, and dirt splashed in his face. As expected, the deity didn’t even flinch. That's what she wanted, she wanted him to underestimate her.

  She leaped, twisting midair. Her fingers curled into a fist, tightening like a coiled spring before she swung with all her might. When her fist connected with his armor, there was a loud crack! Noise from the armor. At that moment, Luna felt a great flow of power explode from the center of her right fist.

  The sheer force of her attack caused a shockwave that shook Artemis’s garden.

  The Pantheon deity was pushed back by this blow—something that has never happened. His three shocked eyes moved from the depression in his divine armor, to the flimsy mortal mouse that had caused it.

  ‘How?’ he was shocked.

  Luna, on the other hand, stared at the deity with a serious look and crazed smile on her face. The pain in her right hand was nothing compared to the rush she felt right now.

  ‘I have survived.’ Her strength had shocked her.

  All the trees around had been reduced to nothing. The shockwave of her blow had cleared away most of the vegetation.

  She was marveled by her strength. The essence that was holding her body together was almost burning her at this point. Just how long could her soul endure all of this?

  ‘Gods...I feel like a heroine. I don't like this.’