Aiden stood amidst the shattered remains of the massive crystal golem, his breath heavy, body sore, and hands trembling slightly around the golden-hilted sword.
He looked down at the weapon. It glinted faintly in the low light, humming with residual power from the strike that ended the monster.
"Hey… I might actually keep this sword," Aiden said, grinning despite the pain in his legs and knuckles. "If I train enough with it… I could probably merge it with my Taekwondo kicks."
He imagined it—spinning mid-air, blade slicing through the wind while his heel followed through like a twin storm.
But his daydream ended in an instant.
His eyes lifted to the horizon… and froze.
Dozens—no, scores—of crystal golems stood ahead. Each one towering, unfeeling, glittering in eerie moonlight like statues ready to crush his soul.
Aiden's smile faded.
"…This day's gonna be a big one," he muttered.
Nightfall.
Aiden lay sprawled across a mountain of defeated golems, the sword resting loosely in his hand. He was beyond exhausted—breathing hard, body aching, but victorious.
The massive stone door in front of him creaked open with a low, grinding sound.
From the shadows stepped a new figure—a tall voodoo warrior, mask engraved with tribal symbols, eyes sharp behind it.
"Hey, lazyhead," the masked warrior said, voice cold and commanding. "What are you doing lying around? Get up and drag these golems to the gate."
Aiden groaned and propped himself up on one elbow. "Or what?"
"Obey me. You're just a slave."
Aiden stood slowly, brushing dust from his shoulder. "I swear, I'm gonna throw this fist into your nose and break it forever."
The mask tilted slightly, almost like a sneer. "BRING IT ON."
Aiden jumped down from the pile of rubble, still clearly worn out—but his posture held firm. He wasn't backing down.
The voodoo warrior charged at him with a blade aimed straight for his chest.
Aiden twisted, dodging cleanly, then countered with a sharp slash at the warrior's side. It was blocked—but the voodoo retaliated fast with a diagonal cut that grazed Aiden's cheek.
"HEY!" Aiden snapped, stepping back. "You ruined my beautiful face!"
"Screw your face," the voodoo growled. "You're not walking out of here."
"Dude," Aiden said, annoyed, "do you not know how to take a joke?"
Then he burst forward, feinting a sword thrust.
The warrior stepped into a defensive stance, preparing to block—but at the last second, Aiden changed direction and launched a powerful uppercut straight into the mask.
CRACK!
The mask split slightly, revealing a glimpse of the warrior's jaw and chin.
Aiden grinned. "Oh? You've got a great double chin there."
The voodoo mask tightened his grip on his weapon, but Aiden raised his sword again and said calmly, "You weren't even gonna stand a chance against one of those golems."
The voodoo mask tried to retaliate with his words.
But aiden took his chance, not letting him finish his words and drove his sword into him.
"hey if this guy is this strong, then how am i going to kill almost a hundred of them" aiden said worried