The nightmarish apparition towering before me sent a chill through my soul, cold enough to freeze the marrow in my bones. It wasn't just the sheer scale of the thing—it was the profound wrongness radiating from it. Yet, the heavy warmth of Otis’s hand on my shoulder reminded me that I wasn't facing this darkness alone. That small, flickering spark of companionship was all I had left to cling to.

  With my monochromatic vision, the layout of the chamber was clear, but our disadvantage remained a heavy weight. I held a piece of steel I barely knew how to use. I had no magic.

  My biggest worry, however, was Corbin. The man was a powerhouse, a master of destructive elements, but right now, he was just a middle-aged man with no weapon and no way to call upon the mana that usually answered his every whim. Otis, at least, was a seasoned adventurer; he understood the weight of a shield and the reach of a blade. But would even his veteran skills be enough for the monstrosity in front of us?

  I looked from Otis’s determined face back to the goblin abomination. It was as tall as Otis, though leaner, its limbs long and corded with unnatural muscle. It bore little resemblance to the pathetic creatures we had slaughtered earlier. Only the long, pointed ears and the grotesque, flattened features betrayed its lineage.

  I had seconds to decide. Do I explain the invisible world I'm seeing, or do I just point them at the target?

  “Listen to me, and don't ask questions!” I barked, my voice cracking under the strain of the void's pressure. “There’s a heart suspended in the center of this room. It’s sucking up all the mana. And that… thing in front of it is a guardian. Brace yourselves for the worst.”

  A low, grating sound echoed through the chamber—a sound that might have been a laugh if it weren't so metallic and hollow.

  “Hahaha… Mutant? You wound me, boy…”

  The creature’s voice felt like rusted blades scraping together. It didn't chitter like a goblin; it spoke with a terrifying, ancient malice. The dark silhouette slowly raised a massive, leathery hand, performing a mocking, fluid gesture through the air.

  From the empty space, a weapon materialized.

  A gargantuan black greataxe appeared, which the creature caught in an iron grip. The weapon looked as if it had been forged from congealed black blood, frozen in a moment of absolute violence. It was covered in asymmetrical spikes, bizarre protrusions, and edges so sharp they seemed to cut the very air. It reminded me of molten lead that had cooled into a shape intended only for slaughter.

  The weapon was just as unnatural as the creature wielding it. My hand shook as I gripped the hilt of my own sword—it felt like a child’s toy in comparison.

  “I-it has a massive greataxe…” I stammered, my heart leaping into my throat.

  Otis’s hand gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. “Stay steady, Grim. Panic is the first thing that kills an adventurer. As long as we can see it, we can fight it.”

  We had exactly one chance to survive this. And looking at the odds, they weren't in our favor.

  I swallowed hard, trying to force down the bile. My fingers white-knuckled the leather-wrapped grip as heavy, earthquake-like thumps echoed through the chamber. The mutant began to move. It approached with long, powerful strides, each step vibrating through the stone floor. Suddenly, it coiled its torso back, the massive black axe swinging in a wide, lethal arc.

  My mind raced. What can I do?!

  Physically, I was no match for this titan. And the moment mana left my body, the Heart would devour it.

  Wait.

  Internal magic. The mana inside my cells.

  Panic gave way to a desperate plan. I flooded my system with Augmentation Magic, saturating every muscle fiber and bone until I felt like a dense core of living iron. I felt my biceps swell against my sleeves; I felt my skeleton harden into something closer to metal than bone.

  I dropped into a low crouch, coiling my legs like massive springs. The power built until it was almost painful. The mutant was less than two meters away, the axe already descending in a vertical cleave that would have split a boulder.

  Now!

  I launched myself. Instead of running, I exploded forward, flying through the air with every ounce of augmented force I could muster. I slammed shoulder-first into the creature’s chest.

  The impact was like hitting a brick wall, but the momentum was enough. The mutant stumbled, its footing betrayed by the sudden force. The greataxe whistled through the air, burying its jagged head into the stone floor and missing us by inches.

  I hit the ground hard, rolling and gasping for breath, my head spinning from the collision. As I scrambled to get my feet under me, I saw the creature recovering with terrifying speed. It wrenched the axe from the stone, preparing for a follow-up swing that would end me.

  Then, a guttural roar filled the cavern.

  Otis’s massive frame came hurtling through the dark. He tackled the mutant with a shoulder-charge identical to mine, but with three times the weight behind it.

  The goblin mutant was ripped from its feet, crashing into the dirt with a snarl of pure fury. Suddenly, a large, calloused hand appeared in my field of vision. Otis was grinning at me—a wild, battle-hungry look.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I had no idea for what, but I was just glad I wasn't the only one fighting. I grabbed his hand, matching his grin with a nervous one of my own. “Ready!”

  Otis didn't just pull me up. He wrenched me upward, used my momentum to spin himself in a full 360-degree circle, and launched me like a projectile toward the struggling creature.

  Flinging through the air, my heart hammering against my ribs, I saw the mutant pushing itself up. I didn't waste the flight. I pushed more mana into my legs, further augmenting the impact. I brought both feet forward in a brutal dropkick, connecting squarely with the mutant’s disfigured head.

  The blow sent it tumbling backward once more.

  I landed awkwardly on my knees, but I pushed through the sharp pain and lunged, swinging my sword at the bastard’s back.

  Clang.

  It felt like hitting a sack of wet sand with a wooden stick. My blade bit in, and a thick, dark fluid—more like oil than blood—oozed from the shallow wound. It didn't slow him down; it just made him angry.

  Just as the creature began to rise, Otis was there. He slammed his lit torch into the mutant’s face. The beast shrieked in pain, clawing at its eyes as the embers scorched its skin. Otis followed up with a crushing shield-bash to the jaw before switching the torch to his shield hand and drawing his own blade.

  But the mutant was smarter than we gave it credit for. With a sudden, lightning-fast sweep of its leg, it knocked Otis’s feet out from under him. The giant man stumbled, falling directly onto me and pinning me to the floor.

  The air was driven from my lungs in a painful whoosh. I lay there, gasping, looking up as the creature rose to its knees and took a deep, rattling breath.

  A shockwave erupted from the mutant’s chest.

  It wasn't magic—it was pure, raw pressure. Otis and I were blasted back, sliding several meters across the uneven floor. The chamber groaned. Dust and small stones rained from the ceiling. I prayed the mountain wouldn't collapse on us.

  The beast seemed to share my concern. Its eyes flicked toward the black heart, which continued to beat unperturbed. Due to the monster's outburst, the heart suddenly seemed to leak, a shimmering blue mist spraying from its surface like a ruptured pipe before it hummed and sucked the energy back in.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Are they connected—?!

  The thought was cut short as the mutant turned its full, murderous attention back to us. It bared its jagged, yellow teeth and leaped. It was a powerful, gravity-defying jump. The greataxe was held high, ready to cleave both of us in two.

  Otis rolled off me, his movements dazed and sluggish. It was over. The creature was directly above us, its shadow swallowing us whole. We had nowhere to go.

  In that final moment, a memory flashed through my mind—Pip, jumping through high grass, chasing butterflies in the sun. Tears pricked my eyes. I cursed my weakness. I cursed this world.

  I looked up at the creature with one last look of pure hatred.

  Then, something bright and red streaked through the darkness.

  CRASH.

  The sound of shattering glass echoed as the object struck the mutant squarely in its face.

  A sudden explosion of liquid red fire engulfed the creature mid-air. It wasn't like any magic I had seen; it looked like a viscous, burning oil that clung to the creature's skin, refusing to be extinguished. The beast crashed to the ground, shrieking in agony as it rolled desperately in the dirt.

  I looked back, bewildered.

  Corbin stood there, the light of his own torch dancing across his features. His face was a mask of cold, lethal conviction.

  “You might be able to suppress mana, you miserable bastard,” he spat, “but you can't suppress alchemy. Rot in hell.”

  Alchemy! Of course! That’s why Corbin hadn't panicked. He had an ace up his sleeve that didn't require a drop of ambient mana.

  “DON'T JUST STARE AT ME!” Corbin bellowed, his voice cracking like a whip. “BEAT THE DAMN THING UP!”

  I snapped out of my stupor. I scrambled to my feet and hauled Otis up with me. The mutant was still rolling, its screams filling the chamber with a sound like grinding stone.

  Otis nodded his thanks and charged, with me a step behind him. The mutant was slowly rising now, its skin charred and peeling, its breath coming in ragged, smoking gasps. It raised its axe, snarling.

  Otis raised his shield, throwing his entire weight into the strike as the black axe came down.

  CRACK.

  The greataxe buried itself inches deep into the wooden shield. The force of the impact nearly took Otis’s arm off, and he was forced to let go of the shield as he stumbled back.

  The shield remained stuck to the axe, blood dripping from the black blade where it had grazed Otis’s shoulder. He didn't hesitate. Despite the injury to his left arm, he lunged with his shortsword. The mutant parried with the handle of its axe or dodged with serpentine grace, eventually landing a brutal kick to Otis’s chest that sent him sprawling.

  I didn't wait for the follow-up. I circled around the monster, my movements a blur of augmented speed, and aimed for the tendons.

  Slash.

  I opened a deep, wide cut in the back of its knee. The beast roared, stumbling forward and dropping to one knee.

  I prepared for a finishing blow, but then I saw it. A cloud of blue mana mist flowed from the Heart, streaming into the mutant’s back. Right before my eyes, the charred skin knitted together. The wound in its knee closed instantly.

  What the hell?! It can heal him?!

  The mutant surged back to its feet, the axe swinging toward my head. I ducked, the wind of the blade ruffling my hair. I looked up and saw the monster’s head suddenly snap forward as if he had been struck from behind.

  Tink.

  A heavy stone hit the mutant in the back of the skull.

  “Hey! Shit-face! Eyes up here!” Corbin growled.

  He was standing twenty meters away, casually tossing another heavy stone into the air and catching it. The mutant turned, snorting like a bull, and let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the mine.

  Corbin just let the stone drop, looking profoundly unimpressed. He wagged a finger in a scolding "uh-uh-uh" motion as he pulled another glowing red flask from his pocket.

  “I wouldn't push your luck, shit-face. Unless you want a second helping of 'fried goblin bastard' for dinner.”

  This was my chance. I turned and sprinted toward the pulsing black Heart. I drew my sword back, ready to plunge it into the core, but my body suddenly locked up.

  Cold fear—no, it wasn't fear. It was the monster.

  It was standing next to me in an instant. I didn't even see it move. I saw its arm swinging toward me with the speed of a falling tree. I threw my arms up in a desperate guard.

  The impact felt like being hit by a runaway sledgehammer. I was launched across the room, my body skipping across the jagged stone floor like a flat stone on a pond.

  I came to a halt against the far wall, the world spinning. Nausea surged through me, and I tasted copper and gall. My vision flickered.

  “I’m taking you with me, shit-face…” I heard Corbin spit.

  I forced my head up. The mutant was holding Corbin by the throat, hoisting him into the air like a doll. Corbin looked like a child in its grip, but his hand was raised, his flask poised to strike. If he broke it now, they would both burn—but the heart would just heal the monster again. Corbin was going to sacrifice himself for nothing.

  Fists clenched, I fought my way to my feet despite my screaming ribs. I gripped my sword with both hands, took a shaky breath, and hurled it with every ounce of strength and augmentation I had left.

  The steel howled through the air.

  The mutant’s void-like eyes went wide. For the first time, I saw it—underneath the rage and the arrogance, there was fear. It let go of Corbin, who fell heavily to the ground. The creature lunged with inhuman speed to intercept the blade.

  It was too slow.

  The sword plunged deep into the center of the pulsing, black Heart.

  The organ jerked spastically. Then, it stopped.

  A massive wave of brilliant blue light exploded from the core, drenching my vision. Mana flooded back into the chamber in a torrential rush.

  The mutant fell to one knee, letting out a shriek of genuine, agonizing pain as its connection to its power source was severed.

  Corbin wheezed, gasping for air on the floor, before shouting at the top of his lungs: “NOW!”

  I didn't need to be told twice. I reached out toward the heart and focused.

  Gravity: Pull.

  The sword tore free from the dead organ, spinning through the air back into my hand. The blade hummed as I caught it. I channeled a massive surge of mana—everything I had regained from the atmosphere—back into my body.

  Augmentation. Air Magic. Gravity.

  The energy vibrated within me, a choir of power. With a guttural, primal scream, I banished my fear and charged the mutant, who was struggling to stand.

  It let out one last, desperate roar and swung its axe.

  I didn't dodge. I let my momentum carry me low, sliding beneath the blade. The black steel whistled just centimeters above my face. The mutant, overbalanced by the force of its own swing, stumbled.

  I surged upward, delivering a brutal, augmented kick to its side that swept its legs out from under it. It fell. My sword came down, slicing through its leathery ear and burying itself deep in its shoulder. I danced around the beast, leaving two more jagged gashes across its back.

  Then, something struck my ribs. Hard.

  The mutant had driven the pommel of its axe backward, catching me off guard. I stumbled, the air leaving me again.

  It pressed the advantage. A backhand strike sent me spinning to the floor. Before I could recover, the goblin loomed over me, the black axe raised in a brutal overhead strike.

  I raised my sword with both hands, bracing for the impact.

  GROAN.

  The steel groaned under the impossible weight. The blade bent dangerously, nearly touching my nose, but it held. Still, the wooden handle of the axe slammed into my forehead through the gap.

  White light exploded in my vision. Warm blood began to pour down my face, stinging my eyes. I felt the world tilting toward unconsciousness.

  No. Not yet.

  I boosted my legs and kicked the mutant in the chest, sending it staggering back several meters.

  I dragged myself up, leaning against a support beam. My sword was a twisted, useless piece of scrap. I threw it aside and wiped the blood from my eyes. I coughed, and my mouth filled with the metallic taste of my own blood.

  “Let’s finish this,” I growled, beckoning the beast forward.

  The mutant stared at me, confused by my defiance. A sickening, jagged grin spread across its face. It laughed—a hollow, dry sound—and charged, its nightmare axe ready to end me.

  I had other plans. I pumped Augmentation and Gravity Magic into my core. My heart felt like a failing pump, rattling in my chest, but I pushed it.

  I coiled my muscles and burst forward.

  In an instant, I was in the air, inside its guard. Before it could swing, I grabbed the shaft of the axe and concentrated everything into my forehead.

  Augmentation. Gravity: Increase.

  I delivered a headbutt that hit like a falling anvil. Its skull cracked under the impact. It didn't die, but it reeled. It stumbled back and delivered a desperate kick to my ribs—the same ones it had hit before.

  The bone snapped. I spat a mouthful of blood. I couldn't breathe. My lungs felt like they were filling with water.

  I ground my teeth. One more. I only had enough for one more.

  “CORBIN… NOW!” I wheezed.

  The mutant’s head snapped toward Corbin in a panic. The mage simply grinned and shrugged.

  That was the only opening I needed.

  I spat out a glob of blood and gathered every shard of strength left in my soul. I lunged. My left foot planted deep into the stone, anchoring me. My right arm wound back. The goblin turned back to me, its eyes wide with shock as it looked down at the child it had underestimated.

  My fist moved in a blurry arc. A brutal, mana-saturated uppercut slammed into the mutant’s chest.

  “RAGING VOID!”

  A shockwave thundered through the chamber. The force was so immense that the mutant’s torso was nearly ripped from its hips, its upper body slamming into the stone ceiling above with a wet, final crunch.

  The twilight in the creature’s void-eyes began to dim.

  I looked into its fading gaze and spat out one last breath: “Tell Drathul… to go fuck himself.”

  The creature's eyes flew wide in pure, unadulterated shock at my words. Then, it dissolved. It turned into a thousand shimmering black particles that drifted away into nothingness. The black heart disintegrated with it.

  Suddenly, a single, flickering particle—glowing with an eerie, twilight light—flew through the air. It struck me in the chest and vanished.

  I had won.

  But there was no victory lap. I fell to my knees, coughing violently, vomiting a terrifying amount of dark blood onto the stone.

  What a pathetic end, I thought. Drowning in my own blood.

  I collapsed forward, my face hitting the cold, hard stone. My heartbeat grew faint, a distant, rhythmic tapping. My last thought was a silent prayer that I’d see Pip again in whatever heaven existed for cats and failures.

  Darkness took me. And the last thing I saw was a flicker of text behind my eyelids.

  < Divine Fragment obtained: Spark of the Filthborn >