Panic surged.
The pig tried to vanish—
But Max moved first.
No warning. No hesitation. The blade rose and fell in a single, flawless motion. For a brief moment, there was no blood—only silence. Then the guardian's world tilted.
Then, ultimately, his vision dropped.
He understood, too late, that the famed Blade of Aethel had already reached him.
Max exhaled, as if it were nothing. With a quiet motion, he sheathed the sword and turned around, casting one last glance at the silent petals across the mountain.
"It's ironic. Such a beautiful place."
"Yet to us, it's a nightmare."
And then he left.
The petals began to move again. Time resumed its pace the instant he was gone.
***
Just as the guardian of the 80th level—the keeper of the gate to the Realm of Stillness—fell, a loud warning signal flashed through the core of the Battle Royale, shocking the main system and many other higher beings who had been watching the Battle Royale.
