Chapter87

He let out a slow, ragged exhale and planted his feet. The air around his wrist warped, and with a sharp, crystalline chime, a fourth Shard began to form.
Didi staggered back as a wave of pressure hit her, her eyes blurring with tears. 'He had this the whole time?' she thought, staring at the new shard. 'Since when was he this strong?'
The monster's grin widened. "Finally," it rumbled. "You decided to stop playing the humble guard and show your real strength."
Gazel closed his eyes and began to whisper, "By the light of the fallen, carve the path of the righteous."
The air around him tightened, the pressure beginning to ripple outward.
"Through the blood of the sworn, shield the weak and purge the dark. Let the steel remember its purpose, and the spirit break the unbreakable."
The pressure spiked, turning the air heavy enough to make the dirt around his boots crack.
"In the name of the oath, I stand."
The monster flinched, feeling a sudden, sharp prickle across its skin.
'This feeling...' the monster thought, its grin vanishing. 'That spell... could it be?'
'That prayer...' Didi thought, staring at Gazel's back. 'The King only teaches that to a select few in the inner circle. How does Gazel know it?'
Gazel didn't give her time to wonder. He shifted his weight, coiling into a low strike pose before launching himself forward.
His sword burned with a brilliant gold light, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. He brought the blade down in a crushing overhead strike, aiming straight for the monster's head.
The monster tilted its head, the blade missing by a fraction of an inch. The sword slammed into the dirt and sent a geyser of rock into the air.
'It is the Sovereign's Brand,' the monster thought, its eyes narrowing. 'I haven't felt that frequency in centuries.'