21 The Guardian of Fury (3)

The moment was now.

Enzo's descent quickened, and his sword began to glow with an intense brilliance. With a mighty roar, he channeled all his strength and unleashed a formidable strike that pierced through the guardian's heart. The chamber erupted into a dazzling display of colors, each hue representing the power of his butterflies and the majesty of the battle he had fought.

The guardian let out a final, earth-shaking cry, its malevolent form dissolving into a whirlwind of petals and energy.

The Dungeon of Fury itself seemed to tremble and vibrate with the force of the defeated guardian's departure.

Enzo landed gracefully on the ground, his wings folding behind him as he stood triumphant before the dispersing energy.

In the aftermath of the epic battle, the chamber fell into silence. The air crackled with residual energy, and Enzo's breaths came in heavy but exhilarated gasps.

His butterflies, bathed in the glow of their victory, surrounded him, their wings shimmering in radiant pride.

The once-dark chamber now gleamed with the brilliance of their triumph. The Dungeon of Fury itself seemed to acknowledge the magnitude of the battle that had taken place within its ancient walls.

"Good thing that it couldn't heal itself." Enzo let out an exhausted sigh before falling on his butt.

He couldn't remember how many weeks he spent in the dungeon, but one thing was evident, he had greatly changed during this time. Be it physically, or mentally. And above anything else, he had become far stronger.

Probably stronger than anyone else in the outside world right now.

[Congratulation, challenger Enzo Vermillion.]

"Oh god give me a break..." Alas, the system wasn't finished yet.

[You have defeated the 'Ancient Guardian of Fury'. While it was old and lost its force in the passing ages, you have proven yourself worthy of its legacy.]

The voice of the system resonated in Enzo's mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle in response, even amidst his exhaustion. "Legacy or not, I'm just glad it's finally over. Oh how tired I am. I just want to sleep."

While Enzo's healing butterflies could mend his wounds, his mental exhaustion was another matter, and he needed to sleep to recover it.

Nevertheless, the system didn't care about what he was saying and carried on.

[You have acquired the 'Ancient Thorn of the Guardian'.]

[Ancient Thorn of the Guardian: An ancient thorn coming from an ancient guardian. This thorn had once been filled with fury but is now as pure as a baby. Once consumed, you will never be clouded by emotions anymore.]

[You have acquired the 'Memory of the Beginning'.]

[Memory of the Beginning: The petals of the Guardian of Fury were once a reminder of a great memory. Once consumed, you will see a part of your class lineage.]

Enzo gulp down as he saw what he obtained. While it wasn't what he expected when the system had stated the 'legacy of the guardian', it was still the greatest loot he had ever obtained.

The ancient Thorn of the Guardian in itself was a really strong consumable. Humans were most of the time clouded by emotions, and Enzo was no exception to this rule. Yet with that, he will be able to change completely. He couldn't help but smirk at not being scared in front of an enemy, which will allow him to fight without hindrance.

It was just the idea of swallowing a thorn that didn't go well with him.

But his butterflies would heal him, right?

Right?

As for the Memory of the Beginning, he didn't really know what to think. While it would be good to understand his class more in-depth, would it really be useful to him? As far as he knew, it didn't give him anything special, did it?

But it wasn't as if he would consume the memory now. After all, his time in the dungeon has come to an end.

[Good luck on your next adventure, Butterfly Prince.]

And just with that, his vision once again turned completely white.

***

"Enzo I swear if I found you somewhere I'll kill you myself."

In a grand gymnasium inside the Louvre University, a beautiful woman with waist-long hair could be seen.

Indeed a few weeks ago, she and Enzo went outside to try and find food and medicines for everyone who took refuge inside of the gymnasium. After she came back, Rose was deeply worried for Enzo.

While they didn't know each other for long, Rose wasn't dumb enough to not know that without him, it would be a lot harder to live. After all, Enzo wasn't alone but was surrounded by deadly butterflies.

Yet even after so many days had passed, there was still no sign of him.

It was as if he died.

At least it was what Ren and Marie - the two who bring a lot of survivors on the first day of the apocalypse - thought. And strangely enough, they were quite happy at the beginning, making Rose second-guess their friendships in the first place.

However, even their expressions turned sour when the government wasn't anywhere to come and rescue them. It was at this moment that they understood that they lost someone strong and precious to their survival.

However, Rose wasn't thinking like this at all.

She knew that Enzo was strong and a lot more resourceful than he seemed. After all, she experienced it first-hand when they went out.

And after a few days passed, Rose decided to go out again. First to collect new food as their resources were scarce, and above anything else, to see if Enzo was anywhere, or at least his dead body.

Yet Rose didn't find anything. No corpses, no blood, no organs, no hair. No, nothing. It was as if Enzo disappeared out of thin air.

And then the days turned into weeks, and Rose's search for Enzo seemed to lead her in circles. Each day, she would venture out into the desolate campus, exploring every nook and cranny, hoping to find a trace of her missing friend. She fought like crazy to not die, and because of that, she became a lot stronger than she initially was.

One evening, as the sun set over the city, Rose returned to the grand gymnasium with heavy footsteps and a heavy heart. The weight of the unknown gnawed at her, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. She entered the gymnasium to find Ren and Marie in a hushed conversation.

"Rose," Ren called out softly, "Any luck today?"

Rose shook her head, her voice tinged with frustration. "No, still nothing. It's like he vanished off Earth."

Marie's expression softened, and she placed a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder. "We'll find him, Rose. Don't worry."

But Rose couldn't shake the worry. She knew Enzo was strong and resourceful, but the world they now lived in was unpredictable and dangerous.

As the days passed, Rose refused to give up hope. She continued her daily excursions, leaving no stone unturned. The city was rife with danger and uncertainty, but Rose's determination was unyielding.

One day, as she explored a derelict building, she stumbled upon a clue. It was a torn corpse of a monster. And the reason why she remembered it was because of the distinct way of killing of the carnivorous butterflies. Her heart raced for a second as she followed the trail of corpses. Some were poisoned, other were crushed, and some died in quicksand. As she continued, she was led deeper into the crumbling structure.

The journey was hard, with debris and obstacles at every turn. But Rose pressed on, driven by the hope that she was finally closing in on Enzo's whereabouts. Finally, she reached a hidden chamber tucked away in the heart of the building.

At that moment, her heart skipped a bit.