A Lot Of Blood

He dashed forward, swiftly slashing the head of the person closest to him. As the lifeless body fell, he muttered, "To live in this world, I have to lose my morals, so please forgive me."

Understanding that wasting stamina on each one was not a feasible option, he remorsefully killed the people in his way, clearing a path towards the castle. However, in the midst of his determined journey, a building unexpectedly rammed into Zenith. Abyss's voice echoed, "You've lost half of your health," after he landed on the ground.

Zenith asked, "What happens to me if I lose all of it?"

'What do you think? You will die,' Abyss stated.

Zenith said, "Guess we can't allow that," and got back up, determined to survive. He fought fiercely, eliminating all the people around him.

'You gained a level,' Abyss announced.

Zenith questioned, "I gained a level? How? I haven't done any quests."

'You gain experience by killing but the amount will usually be much less compared to the quests when you reach higher levels,' Abyss explained.

"Okay, then I've got to kill all of them," Zenith declared, transforming into a madman as he mercilessly slaughtered every single person in his vicinity.

'What happened to your morals? You were so sentimental at the start, and now you're killing them mercilessly,' Abyss remarked, observing Zenith's drastic change.

"That was before I knew that I could gain experience from killing," Zenith explained.

'You sure do have a split personality,' Abyss commented.

Zenith replied, "Okay, okay. What's my level now?"

'Level 4,' Abyss answered.

"Guess it's time to go to the castle," Zenith said, wiping off as much blood as possible on his clothes. With determination, he took a step forward, and a building rushed toward him. However, Zenith was fast enough to dodge it and proceeded forward. On the way, he inquired, "Do you know where Kurogane is?"

'I can track anybody but you,' Abyss replied.

"Okay," Zenith acknowledged while dodging the building rushing to hit.

Zenith pressed on towards the castle. Upon crossing the imposing front gates, a palpable shift in atmosphere enveloped him. Inside, the ambiance intensified. The courtyard unveiled intricate stone pathways, adorned with vibrant gardens that contrasted with the looming stone walls.

'Dodge!' Abyss urgently yelled in his mind.

Zenith instinctively dodged the halberd that was about to stab him in the heart. "Thanks, Abyss, for saving my life."

'Be careful of your surroundings; don't just rely on me. I can only do so much,' Abyss warned him.

Zenith replied, 'I'll keep that in mind. Now, it's time to beat this guy.'

'Don't get stabbed by him; you're likely to die if that happens,' Abyss warned.

Zenith nodded and assumed a fighting posture, mirroring the guard. He dashed in with his katana and initiated with a slash, but the guard deftly blocked it with the halberd, pushing Zenith back. The guard retaliated with a full swing that missed Zenith by just one inch.

"That was close. He doesn't seem like the rest of them. I guess I've got to put in some effort," Zenith remarked with determination in his eyes, returning to his fighting stance.

Once again, he dashed in and executed another slash, intentionally withholding some of his strength, anticipating that the guard would block it with his halberd. Zenith knew he had a faster attack speed than the halberd, but what he didn't anticipate was the forceful pushback from the guard, throwing him off balance.

By the time he regained his balance, the guard had returned to his original fighting posture. Zenith contemplated, "Maybe it doesn't fight unless I attack. Maybe I can just leave."

However, as soon as he turned back, Abyss warned, 'Dodge to the left.'

Zenith acted swiftly on Abyss's advice, dodging just in time to evade the guard's attempt to stab him from behind. He looked at the guard incredulously and remarked, "Aren't you a guard? Don't you have any respect to fight a person face-to-face instead of trying to stab me from behind?"

The guard didn't say anything and rushed at Zenith. Quickly getting back up, Zenith maintained a safe distance from the halberd. He recognized the halberd's weakness in close range, but the guard appeared highly experienced, requiring Zenith to take a risk to end the fight.

As the guard kept running towards him, Zenith continued creating distance. Suddenly, he stopped and dashed forward, catching the guard off guard. Despite the surprise, the guard managed to raise his halberd in time. However, Zenith's intention was never to stab him; instead, he aimed to get behind him. The guard, relying on his experience, kept his halberd up to avoid a potential fatal strike. This allowed Zenith to get behind and deliver a stab, but the guard didn't succumb immediately, taking a few steps to regain composure.

"That was a fatal wound, but he doesn't even seem to show a slight bit of pain. Is he even human?" Zenith pondered.

Approaching the guard, Zenith began a relentless onslaught of slashes. While he managed to land a few hits, most of them were deftly blocked by the halberd. Yet, the guard exhibited no signs of pain, only a gradual slowing of movements.

"He's like a zombie, devoid of emotions or pain. Seems overpowered; guess I have to end this," Zenith remarked, gripping his katana tightly. With determination, he swiftly severed the guard's head.

"It seems that it's over. What a quick battle. Guess it is time to go in," Zenith said as he witnessed the lifeless body fall to the ground.

As Zenith walked towards the castle door, Abyss interjected, 'That's not dead.'

"It's not dead? I literally cut his head off! How is he not dead?" Zenith exclaimed, turning around to witness the headless guard standing up, still holding his halberd.

"How the hell is this guy alive?" Zenith questioned.

"He's dead, but someone is still controlling his body," Abyss explained.

"Even so, how am I supposed to beat it then?" Zenith said, still in shock.

"Cut it into pieces until it won't be move," Abyss suggested.

"You've got a brutal mind," Zenith remarked.

"Just the best solution," Abyss replied.

Zenith took out his katana for the third time and launched a full-on attack because of all the injuries sustained before which made it much slower than before, Zenith sliced the guard into shreds.

"That should be good," Zenith declared after finishing the task.

"I said pieces, but you turned him into shreds," Abyss commented.

"Just in case, I don't want to get stabbed in the back," Zenith justified.

"Okay, let's go inside," Abyss said.

"Yeah," Zenith agreed, and the door flew open by an unknown source.