The Ruthless Magic Swordsman

Eastern Border — War-Torn Valley

The battlefield smoldered, the ground fractured by meteors and magic alike.

Achilles stood among ash and wreckage—his vision blurring, limbs trembling.

The System displayed grim statistics:

>>> Mana Reserves: 7%

>>> Magical Exhaustion: Critical

>>> Neural Load: Excessive

>>> High-Tier Spellcasting: Locked

Kael approached, wary:

> "Your hands are shaking."

"Your mana's depleting—this isn't like before."

"You need to rest—"

But rest was impossible.

Because the ground quaked—shadows blotting the horizon as Ascendria's final monstrosity emerged.

---

⚔ Titan of Ruin — The Forbidden Weapon

A colossal figure of obsidian and bone, etched with forgotten runes—The Titan of Ruin, lost to legend, fueled by abyssal rituals.

Each step shook the valley—boulders cracking, trenches caving in.

Ascendria's banners rallied behind it—soldiers roaring as the Titan loomed, towering above siege lines.

Marshal Kaedros' voice echoed:

> "The Titan devoured empires!"

"Aurellia falls today!"

---

🌫 Achilles' Last Option — Sword and Unfamiliar Aura

Achilles clenched his fist—the edges of his vision swimming from magical depletion.

The System pulsed:

>>> Magical Combat Viability: None

>>> Aura Detection: Latent, Unrefined

>>> Recommended Adaptation: Swordsman Protocol

His hand drifted to the blade at his side—a weapon forged for more than magic, yet its true potential locked behind a power Achilles barely understood.

Kael's eyes widened as Achilles unsheathed the sword:

> "You… you're not trained in aura yet."

"Facing that Titan? You'll die before—"

Achilles' voice, ragged but resolute:

> "I adapt."

"With magic, or steel… or both."

"Or I die trying."

---

⚔ The Climb — Raw, Imperfect, Necessary

The Titan waded through defenses—its blows shattering fortifications, soldiers scattering like ants.

Achilles advanced—body sluggish, aura unfamiliar, every movement burning with effort.

He leapt onto the Titan's lower frame, climbing unstable footholds, his sword humming faintly with incomplete aura.

Each strike he delivered lacked the mastery of veteran swordsmen—sloppy, inefficient—but it cut.

The System provided critical guidance:

>>> Target: Cervical Core, Weakest Structural Point

>>> Aura Flow: Inconsistent, 43% Efficiency

>>> Estimated Success: Low, but Climbing

---

⚔ The Struggle at the Summit

Atop the Titan's shoulder, Achilles nearly slipped—his aura faltering under strain.

Kael shouted from below:

> "Your body's not ready—your aura's raw—get down!"

But Achilles pressed on—sweat blinding him, his grip faltering, aura flickering erratically across his blade.

The Titan swatted at him—its movements distorted by abyssal energy—but Achilles ducked, staggered, endured.

His sword struck the runic core at the Titan's neck—not clean, not graceful—but enough.

Cracks splintered the construct—its limbs spasming, runes destabilizing.

With a final, gritted breath, Achilles forced aura into the blade—wild, unrefined—but devastating.

---

💀 The Titan Falls, Achilles Endures

The core ruptured—energy cascading outward—

The Titan collapsed, crumbling in stages, its form shattering into debris.

Achilles tumbled down with the wreckage, landing hard—lungs burning, aura unstable, but alive.

Kael rushed to him, eyes wide:

> "You did it… barely… but you did it."

"Even without refined aura—"

"You rewrote the battlefield with sheer will."

---

🌑 Recovery and Realization

The 3rd Legion roared—the Titan destroyed—the border holding by the thinnest thread.

But Achilles' body screamed in protest—mana depleted, aura chaotic, exhaustion overwhelming.

The System whispered:

>>> Aura Development: Initiated

>>> Physical Recovery Required

>>> Combat Efficiency: Severely Reduced

Achilles exhaled, steadying himself:

> "I need to master this—fast."

"The next escalation… I won't survive like this again."