Sword God in a World of Magic

A harsh wind blew.

On top of a hill was a broken castle.

Mere moments ago, this castle had been whole.

Now, the back of the castle was missing.

What had once been a room was now a ruin.

Half-broken walls were behind Shang as the bright sun shone down on him.

The bright sun didn't reflect Shang's feelings, but the weather didn't care about the feelings of living beings.

Shang's body had become a husk. Nearly all his muscles had shrunk to a sickly degree, making him look like a skeleton with merely some skin on it.

The two empty eye-sockets only strengthened this perception.

About 140 years ago, Shang sacrificed his left eye.

Today, he had sacrificed his right eye.

Shang couldn't possibly sacrifice his arms or legs since that would severely weaken his Battle-Strength.

Organs couldn't be sacrificed because that would reduce Shang's maximum life energy tremendously.

The ears or the nose weren't enough to achieve any kind of significant power with Entropy.

Shang had decided to go with the eye.

Due to his Spirit Sense, he wasn't reliant on vision anymore.

However, all of this was actually only of secondary importance.

In fact, Shang didn't even really think about what to sacrifice.

His mind had been someplace else.

Jerald.

His friend.

His only friend.

His closest companion.

Shang's life had always been surrounded by a cloud of darkness.

His Affinity made it impossible for him to have friends or companions.

His goal made it impossible for him to have friends or companions.

He was alone.

The world was dark.

His life was dark.

willing to walk through

fact, Shang had walked into this

stopped searching for power, he wouldn't need to be surrounded by this darkness

But he couldn't.

needed to

the only

more purposes

but ever since Shang had stepped onto this dark path, all

the end of the path, no matter

The consequences didn't matter.

The sacrifices didn't matter.

The price didn't matter.

wanted to reach

to reach

had always believed that he had already made

believed that he had already come to

the true weight of his

dark and lonely journey, Jerald had been

A ray of light.

place

wasn't actually that hard

hand lying in front

on it, and Shang had avoided

he destroyed the Communication Crystal that Relon had given Jerald, Relon would know

several seconds, Shang's empty eye-sockets only

He didn't move.

across the now

bright sun mercilessly shone down

world was so

Shang only

of the hand without

Step.

of the still-standing part of the castle behind Shang, and her eyes widened in horror at what she

of the castle

What about King Storm?!

of the True Mages responsible for organizing everything

Shang's husk and the solitary hand on the ground, she took a

world around

the world around

could say or do anything, her

Shang didn't move.

eye-sockets

Mages arrived shortly, but they died

was moving was that he

Sylvia was returning.

her face

and scooped