Human Ancestor

Seven years and six months. That's how long it took to bring us here, to this blood-soaked battlefield where the air reeked of death and the sun itself seemed to shy away. The Calamity had begun six months ago—a beast tide surging from colossal, ancient gates that erupted into existence without warning. The sheer size of those gates still haunted my dreams, their surfaces etched with runes older than time itself.

The so-called prophecy of doom, long dismissed as a madman's rambling, was now reality. Kingdoms collapsed like dominos, each fall accompanied by the screams of the dying and the roars of beasts. Nobles, with their arrogance and superiority complexes as "high humans," refused to unite with the rest of humanity.

Their hubris damned them.

Now, only my kingdom remained. Not because of luck, but because I refused to let petty pride dictate my survival. My kingdom stood because we adapted, we fought, and we bled. Beside me were my generals, the former clan leaders, each one a master-ranked warrior.

And before us stood the monsters.

The battlefield was chaos. Ten master-ranked beasts loomed like nightmares come to life. 

***

My father, the former patriarch of the Long Clan, faced a hulking ice bear, its crystalline fur glinting even in the dim light. He was a blur of motion, each punch a thunderclap as it shattered through the bear's defenses. Frost formed around him, the bear's icy aura slowing his movements, but he fought like a man possessed.

The bear roared, raising itself on its hind legs and slamming down with enough force to fracture the earth beneath their feet. My father darted back just in time, his body twisting midair to avoid the shards of ice that erupted from the impact. He landed with precision, his feet barely touching the ground before he surged forward.

His fist connected with the bear's chest, and a sharp crack echoed across the battlefield as shards of ice flew in every direction. The bear swiped at him with claws like scimitars, but my father ducked low, spinning on his heel to deliver a crushing elbow to the beast's ribs. The bear bellowed, its roar a deafening sound that made the air vibrate, but my father didn't flinch.

"You'll have to try harder than that," he muttered, his voice carrying a mix of defiance and exhaustion.

The bear lunged, its jaws snapping shut where my father had been a split second earlier. He leapt onto the creature's back, gripping its fur for balance as he drove his fists down in a relentless barrage. Each strike left cracks in the bear's icy armor, and steam rose as his fists burned with thundering mana.

The bear thrashed, trying to throw him off, but he clung on with unyielding determination. With a final roar, the bear summoned a freezing wind, its icy breath forming deadly spikes that shot toward him. My father raised an arm, a barrier of pure energy forming just in time to deflect the projectiles.

"Enough," he growled, channeling all his energy into his next attack. His fists ignited with a golden light, and with a deafening shout, he plunged them into the bear's back. The beast let out a final, agonized roar before collapsing, its body shattering into icy fragments. My father stood amidst the debris, his breath heavy but his resolve unshaken.

***

To the left, the Mu Clan leader towered over his battlefield. His summoned wooden statue, a grotesque creation of twisting branches and countless limbs, grappled with a Master ranked water wolf that snarled and snapped, its fur dripping with mana-infused water. The wolf fired hydro cannons, streams of high-pressure water that could shear through steel, but the statue absorbed each attack like a sponge.

"More!" the Mu Clan leader bellowed, his voice carrying over the battlefield. The statue's limbs wrapped around the wolf, squeezing with relentless pressure. I could hear the creak of wood and the wet crack of bone as the wolf's struggles grew weaker.

But the beast wasn't done. With a desperate howl, it summoned a massive wave, crashing it down on the statue. The wooden creation groaned, its limbs splintering under the force.

The Mu Clan leader didn't falter. He slammed his hands together, and the ground beneath the wolf erupted as roots as thick as tree trunks shot up, entangling its legs. The wolf thrashed, its claws tearing through the roots, but more replaced them in an instant.

"You think you're clever?" he sneered, his hands glowing with a verdant light. The statue reformed, its limbs twisting and growing until it resembled a monstrous oak, its branches tipped with razor-sharp thorns. It lunged at the wolf, pinning it to the ground.

The wolf retaliated, its body morphing into a whirlpool that threatened to drown the statue. But the Mu Clan leader was prepared. With a roar, he summoned a barrier of bark and leaves, the shield absorbing the water's impact. The wolf's form faltered, and the statue seized the opportunity, its branches piercing through the beast's core.

With a final, shuddering cry, the wolf dissolved into a puddle, its mana dissipating into the air. The Mu Clan leader stood triumphant, his statue looming behind him like a guardian spirit.

***

The Shui Clan was locked in a defensive battle against a Master ranked Titanoboa, a serpent of immense size whose scales shimmered with earthen hues. Their leader danced around the beast's strikes, his water barriers deflecting its crushing blows. The snake hissed, coiling and striking faster than the eye could follow.

"Stall it," I called out, knowing the Shui Clan leader could hear me. His job wasn't to win but to buy time for the others.

He nodded grimly, creating a series of hydro cannons that fired in quick succession. The Titanoboa hissed in irritation, its massive head weaving through the barrage. But each cannon bought precious seconds, keeping the serpent at bay.

The Shui leader's movements were precise, almost graceful, as he manipulated the water around him. He created a series of floating orbs, each one glowing with an inner light. With a flick of his wrist, the orbs launched toward the Titanoboa, exploding on impact and leaving scorch marks on its scales.

The serpent retaliated, its tail lashing out with enough force to shatter boulders. The Shui leader raised a shield of water, the barrier absorbing most of the impact but still sending him skidding back. He gritted his teeth, his hands weaving intricate patterns as he prepared his next move.

"Come on, you overgrown worm," he muttered, summoning a torrent of water that spiraled around the snake. The Titanoboa thrashed, trying to break free, but the water tightened like a vice, constricting its movements.

The serpent's eyes glowed with an eerie light, and it let out a low hiss. The ground beneath the Shui leader cracked and shifted as spikes of earth shot up, forcing him to leap to safety. He landed with a roll, his hand slamming into the ground as a geyser erupted beneath the Titanoboa, sending it hurtling into the air.

"Now!" he shouted, summoning a massive spear of water. The weapon glinted in the dim light as he hurled it with all his strength. The spear pierced through the Titanoboa's head, and the beast let out a final, pitiful cry before collapsing.

***

To the far right, the Hao Clan leader, a master-ranked fire practitioner, faced off against a fiery drake that radiated heat so intense the ground around it had turned to molten slag. Its crimson scales shimmered like molten steel, and its wings fanned flames that consumed everything in their path.

The Hao Clan leader's crimson robe fluttered as he stood amidst the inferno, his eyes burning with the same intensity as the flames that encircled him. His mana surged, manifesting into fiery whips that lashed out at the drake, striking its armored hide with explosive force.

The drake roared, a column of fire erupting from its maw and hurtling toward the Hao Clan leader. He stood firm, raising both arms as a dome of flames enveloped him, the fiery attack dissipating harmlessly against his barrier.

"You think fire will defeat me?" he taunted, his voice carrying a mix of disdain and exhilaration. He thrust his hand forward, and a massive pillar of fire erupted beneath the drake, engulfing it in a blazing inferno.

The drake screeched, its wings flapping furiously as it rose above the flames. It retaliated with a volley of molten fireballs, each one cratering the ground upon impact. The Hao Clan leader danced through the barrage, his movements precise and fluid as he closed the distance between them.

With a shout, he unleashed a torrent of fire shaped like a serpent, the blazing construct coiling around the drake and constricting its movements. The drake struggled, its tail lashing out and striking the ground with enough force to send shockwaves through the battlefield.

The Hao Clan leader didn't relent. He poured more mana into the fiery serpent, its flames intensifying until the drake's roars turned to desperate screeches. With one final surge of power, the serpent constricted tighter, its flames consuming the drake entirely. The beast's form crumbled to ash, and the Hao Clan leader stood victorious, his breath heavy but his resolve unbroken.

***

At the center of the battlefield, the Jin Clan leader, a master-ranked metal practitioner, and the Tu Clan leader, a master-ranked earth practitioner, faced off against two land dragons, each a monstrous amalgamation of rock and steel. The ground trembled beneath their immense weight, and their roars echoed like thunder.

The Jin Clan leader moved with precision, his mana forming blades of gleaming steel that sliced through the air with lethal intent. Beside him, the Tu Clan leader manipulated the earth itself, raising barriers of stone to shield them from the dragons' relentless onslaught.

One of the dragons charged, its massive claws tearing through the earth as it barreled toward them. The Jin Clan leader stepped forward, his hands weaving intricate patterns as a massive blade of mana-forged steel materialized in his grasp. He swung the blade with a grunt of effort, the weapon cleaving through the dragon's foreleg and eliciting a deafening roar of pain.

The second dragon reared up, its maw glowing with molten light as it prepared to unleash a devastating breath attack. The Tu Clan leader slammed his palms into the ground, and a wall of jagged stone erupted before them, absorbing the fiery blast.

"Hold it off!" the Jin Clan leader shouted, his voice strained as he parried another swipe from the first dragon.

The Tu Clan leader nodded, his hands glowing with earthen mana as he summoned a massive golem from the ground. The towering construct charged at the second dragon, its stone fists slamming into the beast with thunderous force. The dragon retaliated, its tail whipping around and shattering the golem's arm, but the Tu Clan leader was already reinforcing it with fresh stone.

The first dragon lunged at the Jin Clan leader, its jaws snapping shut mere inches from his face. He retaliated with a flurry of strikes, his mana-forged blades cutting deep into the dragon's hide. The beast roared in fury, its tail lashing out and sending him skidding across the battlefield.

"Enough games," he growled, his mana surging as he created a pair of massive gauntlets around his fists. He charged at the dragon, his strikes landing with explosive force that cracked its stony armor.

Meanwhile, the Tu Clan leader's golem grappled with the second dragon, holding it in place as he summoned a series of earthen spikes that erupted from the ground, impaling the beast. The dragon thrashed, its roars echoing across the battlefield, but the Tu Clan leader pressed on, pouring more mana into his assault.

With a final, coordinated effort, the two leaders unleashed their finishing moves. The Jin Clan leader's gauntlets glowed white-hot as he delivered a devastating blow to the first dragon's skull, shattering it in a spray of stone and molten rock. At the same time, the Tu Clan leader's golem drove its fists into the second dragon's chest, its mana-infused core rupturing in a cataclysmic explosion.

The two leaders stood amidst the carnage, their breaths labored but their spirits undeterred.

The battlefield was ours, but at what cost? The once-thriving plains were now a desolate wasteland, littered with the bodies of beasts and humans alike. Yet, there was no time to mourn.

In the distance, the colossal gates still loomed, their runes glowing faintly as if mocking our efforts. The true battle was yet to come.

I was also exhausted as I looked at the 4 master-ranked corpses that I killed before me. 

A shadow descended upon us, swallowing the very light from the heavens. I lifted my eyes, and the air seemed to freeze in my lungs. The Black Dragon. It loomed above us, its massive wings sweeping through the sky, blotting out the sun. The scales on its body shimmered like obsidian blades, each one a gleaming promise of destruction.

The weight of its presence hit us with the force of a tidal wave, crashing over me, threatening to crush my very soul. I staggered, my legs betraying me as if the earth itself conspired to make me fall. I could hardly breathe, the pressure in the air making my chest tighten, my heart racing in my throat. This was no mere beast. This was an entity beyond comprehension.

A creature of Grandmaster rank.

The dragon's gaze swept over us, and I felt its eyes burn through my very being—golden eyes filled with a cruelty that spoke of eons of suffering. Its eyes found mine, and in that moment, I knew the depths of fear. It wasn't just the terror of knowing I could die, but the kind of primal fear that claws at your soul, leaves you hollow, reduced to nothing but instinct. My heart stuttered. I couldn't tear my gaze away from those eyes. I could feel its malice, creeping through every fiber of my being.

"Move," I said, my voice a mere breath, so weak it barely disturbed the air. But no one moved. No one could.

The dragon's lips parted, revealing the hellish glow of black flames swirling within its maw. A deep, guttural sound reverberated from the depths of its chest. I tried to move, to fight back, to scream, anything—but my body refused to obey. It was as if my very limbs had turned to stone, heavy and useless.

The flames erupted in a torrent of darkness. It consumed everything—my generals, my soldiers, their screams swallowed by the inferno. Their voices, once filled with determination and strength, were nothing but echoes, fading into the abyss. But I didn't scream. I refused to. I would not give that creature the satisfaction.

Even as the flames reached me, scorching my skin, eating away at my soul, I saw it. The faint glow of an imaginary screen—so distant, so cold.

{True Name: Chains of Liberation}

{Name: @#$%^! @#$@#}

A bitter laugh bubbled in my throat, the only defiance I had left. My body burned, turned to ash, but my mind—my spirit—remained unbroken. No. I would not succumb to despair. Not yet. Not ever.

I was no longer the Barbarian King. My name, my legend, would die here. But this... This was not the end. I swore it.

The flames roared, but my last thought—my last breath—was not one of surrender. It was of defiance.

Even if the world burned, even if I burned with it, I would rise again.

Not for me.

Not for my kingdom.

But because the story... was far from over.