Neigh!
Bezerk reared up, lifting both its forelegs into the air with a sharp neigh. Immediately, Asher dashed toward the shores, water splashing as he threw his legs forward.
Sapphira rose up. Her wings trembled at an insane speed, scattering away the water droplets as she shot into the air.
By the time Asher reached the frightened Bezerk, Sapphira was already flying over him.
Asher tanked out her sword, tossed it into the air, then wrapped his hands around Euodias—also strapped to Bezerk—and pulled it out of the scabbard.
Shing!
He mounted Bezerk and rode into the forest. Luckily, the trees here were spaced far apart, with little to no grass—only clinging to the roots of the trees.
The soil beneath was brown and damp.
Holding his sword angled toward the ground, Asher leaned down to evade tree branches.
Then—
‘What in the world is that?!’
His eyes narrowed.
A bit far away from them stood a rider on horseback. But this horse was no ordinary one. It had a long braided mane that gleamed golden, contrasting with a light brown body inscribed with ancient runes stretching from its shoulders to hooves.
This horse had six legs, and from the knees down, they seemed to be made of ethereal light!
The rider atop it looked no different from the horse. It seemed as if they were both carved out of the same source.
The rider’s skin had a similar tone and was donned with a heavy golden breastplate on top of a tattered white garment that barely came down to his thighs.
A metal eye patch covered one eye, while the other pulsed with streaks of lighting. In his right hand, he gripped a halberd that occasionally crackled with golden-white bolts.
Although this being was several meters away, its sheer size, which dwarfed a human, made Asher feel the trembling it caused as it tried to run away from them.
It felt as if a dozen men were riding on their horses!
The rider turned as if glancing at them, his long, braided white hair flowing down to his waist, his braided beard similarly woven into braids.
Then—he roared.
Asher saw the creature’s sharp, black, pointed teeth, and his eyes narrowed further. His grip on his sword tightened.
“A guardian mythical beast!”
He could barely believe it. Even amongst the mythical beasts, guardians were rare—so rare that they might have never been mentioned because no one had ever lived to tell the tale.
Everything on that mythical creature—that appeared like armor and clothing—wasn’t crafted; it was actually made by Tenaria itself.
Guardian mythical beasts were created by the world to protect specific zones and it seemed like the Azure River was one of such places.
If he didn’t kill it, this beast would cause havoc to the people he planned to send to build a settlement here to establish a city ship!
While he pondered his next move…
Whoosh!
A grayish-white crescent sword light sliced through the sky but the golden rider evaded it effortlessly even as it was trying to run away.
Instead, a tree was cut down in its place.
“Gyaa!”
The golden rider let out an enraged roar and then suddenly turned around.
Asher was stunned, but he quickly reached and raised his sword.
The golden rider spun his halberd, his lightning-filled eyes locked on Asher.
Boom!
In an instant, he shot forward.
Asher barely had the time to react before he was sent flying in the air at a crazy speed.
Just as he was about to hit a tree, Sapphira caught him.
She spun him mid-air before throwing him right back at the golden rider.
For the first time, Asher felt like a ragdoll.
But his experience as a warrior kicked in.
Utilising the momentum he was thrown at, he slashed at the rider’s horse mid-flight before tumbling on the ground.
He hit hard, rolled and then quickly sprang to his feet—ready for the next strike.
Turning, he saw the horse bleeding profusely from its throat. It staggered and fell to the ground, but the rider rose up, lightning crackling through his body.
“Gyaa!”
The rider screamed, his hair flying up as if charged with electricity. With a single stomp, the golden rider vanished—only to appear before Asher the next instant and unleash a horizontal cut.
Asher blocked it, groaning softly as the sheer force pushed him back.
Swoosh!
Sapphira dove down, her blade slicing through the golden armor and opening a horrible gash through the rider’s flesh from his neck down to his waist!
As blood gushed out, bolts of lightning shot out, blasting Sapphira backward and sending her crashing through several trees. Each tree blackened, turning into charcoal and crumbling to pieces while Sapphira lay at the end of it all.
Cuts and wounds marred her kneeling frame, but her grip on her sword remained firm. Though wounded, her eyes were still sharp and never wavered.
Clang! Clang!
Asher met the 8-foot-tall golden raider’s heavy strikes head-on, their blades clashing with relentless power. Finally, he twisted his sword, deflecting a strike and forcing the rider to stagger to the side, leaving his torso exposed.
Seizing the moment, Asher drove his sword through the rider’s lower abdomen. Lightning crackled as the sword pierced through its skin, but it couldn’t spread across the blade.
“This sword isn’t made of metal ore alone!” he spat as he pulled Euodias free and unleashed an upward slash. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire
The golden rider roared, thrusting his halberd to unleash a lightning blast, but Asher rolled to the left just in time.
Ice erupted from the ground, piercing the golden rider’s legs, making him let out an agonizing roar that echoed through the forest!
With one final strike, Asher slashed his sword, sending a fan of ice to surge upward. The jagged ice spikes tore through the golden rider, splitting him into two.
Huff! Huff!
Asher turned to Sapphira as she approached, her steps slow but steady. Her radiant smile didn’t match her torn attire and dirt-stained face.
_____
‘Death!’
A golden eye that seemed to be swirling with galaxies closed shut, and when it opened again, it burned with white lightning.
Seated atop a six-legged horse, this creature stared at the white haired man and the black haired woman with wings in the river it was meant to protect.
It had just seen its future.
Masking its aura, the golden rider vanished into the forest.
Asher, Sapphira and Bezerk never knew it was there.
_____
Splash! Splash!
Asher strode towards the shallow waters, carrying Sapphira in his arms. He could feel her soft skin through the wet garment and searched for dry land, afraid that he might not be able to control himself.
His gaze flicked toward the spot where the golden rider once hid, and then he looked away.
The forest ahead was quite thick, its towering trees promising shelter.
“Put me down,” Sapphira murmured.
As he set her on her feet, her face remained flushed and rosy after that kiss. It wasn’t new to Asher, who had come from Earth. But for Sapphira… that had been her first kiss!
“Asher,” she said, her voice much quieter.
“No one has come in contact with this river for over a century. Are you sure beasts don’t lurk in its depths?”
Asher studied the river, his brows furrowed. “I’d like to see what can destroy the city ship.”