Returning to Taro's journey... specifically at the haunted woods, the silver wolves began approaching. Taro prepared his sword, activating his azure shield with his other hand. Though the fog was thick, he could see what lay beyond through their glowing eyes, aided by his senses.
Instantly, a wolf leapt toward Taro. He dodged it, then stabbed its stomach with his blue steel sword across its body. One by one, more wolves lunged at him. He blocked with his shield, slashing the incoming ones from behind.
After a few minutes of fighting, the remaining wolves fled, escaping before they'd end up like the fallen. Taro unequipped his sword, then continued his long walk toward the center of the horrifying forest.
As night approached, he decided to rest. He climbed up a large tree and lay on one of its thick branches. Using his cape as a blanket, he rested his head on his arms as a pillow.
At sunrise, he woke up and noticed a squirrel sleeping beside him. Surprised by how it wasn't afraid of him, he spotted moss on a nearby rock. He climbed down, took the moss, then returned and gently covered the squirrel like a blanket, careful not to wake it.
After hours of walking, he reached a big lake full of alligators. There was no other way forward. Instantly, he raised his hand toward them. The basic azure shields appeared over their heads.
During training, he had mastered his powers, as his shield could now be summoned in various close areas, not just from his sleeves. He jumped across the shields, crossing the lake without touching or harming the alligators. Once he passed, he lowered his hand, and the shields disappeared.
Hours later, he discovered a cave beside a large hill. He could've gone through the cave, as it was easier than climbing. However, for some reason, he chose the hill.
After crossing over, he reached the second territory: the desert. After minutes of walking, he saw an oasis and a date palm. He rested beneath the palm, drinking from the oasis.
Afterward, he grabbed a date from the palm and took a bite. His body immediately felt faster and lighter. It was like Enzo's boost, but less effective.
This date... doesn't seem normal,Taro thought.
He collected more, keeping the seed to plant in his garden. Then, he continued on.
While walking, scorpions burst out of the sand, approaching him in large numbers. They began blasting poison from their tails. Taro blocked with his shield, then began slicing off their tails and stabbing them down.
Suddenly, a huge scorpion emerged. It was black skinned, with a thick tail, large seven red eyes, and two sharp claws. Taro went to slash, but it didn't harm the scorpion. Dodging a claw, he created a staircase of shields, climbing up to reach its tail. He managed to cut it off, but another grew in its place. As he landed, the scorpion spat a massive stream of dark green poison.
Taro blocked with several shield layers. Only two remained by the time poison stopped, however the rest had melted. The one place he hadn't attacked was its eyes. Without hesitation, he rushed in, evading its incoming claws.
He began stabbing its eyes. As soon as he got two, the scorpion started to shake violently. It tried to swat him away with its claws, but Taro blocked with his sword and kept stabbing until it was completely blind. He then jumped down and stabbed deep into its stomach until it collapsed. He jumped away to avoid being crushed, caught his breath for a few minutes, then went on his track again.
Night fell again, but he decided not to rest, feeling uncomfortable in the desert. He walked for miles without stopping. Suddenly, holes opened around him... a sign of the next threat.
Vipers slithered out in large numbers, surrounding him in a circle. Instantly, he summoned glowing illusions of himself. As they were distracted, he slashed at their necks one by one. Minutes later, they were all defeated.
Then, another monster emerged. It was a giant snake, even larger than the scorpion.
A bigger snake? Taro thought. What kind of desert is this?
He slashed in every direction, but it didn't work, as its surface was harder than metal. All he could do was dodge its tail and fangs.
Minutes later, he thought of a plan, however he was unsure if it'd work.
Enzo... this might be selfish, but lend me your boosting magic, he thought.
He began to glow. Then, he summoned a staircase of shields again, and leapt into the snake's open mouth.
Inside its stomach, he spun rapidly, cutting from within. In seconds, the snake was split in half, leaving a puddle of blood and toxic liquid.
Gross, but at least it worked, he thought.
Then, he kept going, cleaning his sword from the liquid by shaking it up and down.
A few days later, he entered the third and final territory: the snowy valley. He was exhausted, having not slept at all. The cold bit at him, and he sneezed.
Should've brought Yukiko's scarf, he thought, wiping his nose. I miss Vincy and the others... but I can't return yet. Not without the Azure Shard.
He continued despite his illness and fatigue. He ate another date, leaving five pieces left. Hours later, he paused to catch his breath.
This is getting worse. I need some rest, he thought.
Suddenly, six ice bears surrounded him, their eyes glowing red. Taro immediately dropped onto his back. One bear stepped close, sniffing him. Instantly, Taro stabbed it straight in the stomach. He wasn't unconscious, as he had played dead. Then he sprang up, stabbing the rest before they could react. All thanks to Enzo's boost again.
After walking for hours, he noticed an icy puddle with fish jumping out. He grabbed two quickly, plus some sticks from nearby snowy trees. Later on, he found an igloo. He went inside and rubbed the sticks together, making a fire. After a few minutes, flames lit up, and he began cooking.
Vincy would light this up in a second... maybe I should carry a lighter next time, he thought, smiling. I wonder how they're doing now.
After eating, he wrapped himself in his cape, put out the fire, and slept. Hours later, he woke up and continued his journey.
While walking, snow leopards ambushed him. They were faster than anything he'd faced during his journey. Two leapt at him. He took down one, but the other scratched him. He knocked it away with his shield. Then, he used Enzo's boost again, taking down most. The rest ran off... just like the silver wolves.
He traveled for days, then stopped at a frozen lake. He tried to look beneath the ice, but a sudden quake cracked the surface. He jumped away to avoid falling. From the lake, a giant glacier python rose. It was larger than anything before.
A giant scorpion, vipers, a giant snake, and now a python?Taro thought. This time, jumping into that thing's mouth is suicide.
Suddenly, It spat freezing liquid from its mouth. Taro dodged for minutes, not using his shield.
I can't let that touch me. I have to be careful, he thought.
He tried stabbing, but its surface was just as sharp as the other snake. Nothing worked for minutes.
A few moments later, he came up with a solution. He summoned more illusions, using them as distraction. Then, he gathered snowballs. Once he had enough, he threw them at the python's eyes one by one.
With its vision blurred, he created another shield staircase and raced up. He stabbed its eyes, slashed its fangs, cut its tongue, and finally slid down, slashing its belly on the way. He jumped away, just before it collapsed into the frozen lake.
I wonder how it'll be against Armageddon himself, he thought, smiling faintly.
On his way forward, he saw a yeti. Taro raised his shield, but later noticed it wasn't hostile. He showed it his map, and the yeti immediately recognized the shard. It led him along another path.
Days later, they reached an ancient cave, with a stone dragon head above it. Without the yeti's help, he would've taken longer. They waved farewell, and the yeti disappeared into the forest.
Inside the cave, after dodging traps, he finally found the Azure Shard. It looked like a crystal, but covered in dust and cobwebs. He cleaned it with his cape, noticing how it felt light and ordinary.
Umm, that's it? He thought.
Suddenly, a massive light burst from the shard. When he opened his eyes, everything around him was blue. Then, something unbelievable appeared:
A dragon flying in front of him!