The veteran stood, bracing for the impact. The force of the hobgoblin’s large mace slams against the shield, sending a shockwave in the surrounding area. Facing the full force of the attack, the old man still stood tall.
"Commander, I can’t hold on much longer! Please save yourself." The veteran pleaded; despite facing the brunt of the attack head-on, he still cared for his general.
At this point in time, the herb’s effects also wore out. The crazy goblins regained their consciousness and started making their way towards the main gate.
Running hundreds of calculations in his head, Logan opened his inventory, scrolling past the rows of miscellaneous items until his eyes locked onto a bright golden ticket icon.
[First-Time Summon Token (Guaranteed Tier: 3-Stars or Above!)]
A rush of adrenaline washed away his panic. In The Last Bastion, the first pull on a new account is always designed to give new players a powerhouse carry unit.
"Yes! Use Token!" Logan slammed his hand against the big shiny red button.
The sky above the decaying fortress splits open. A blinding, majestic column of golden light erupted from the clouds. The sheer presence of the summoning aura caused the entire battlefield to come to a halt.
I knew it! Logan was jumping in joy, cheering at the sight of this. "The gacha pity system never lies! Come to me, overpowered hero!"
From the center of the golden pillar, a figure steps forward. Long striking silver-white hair fell past her shoulders. Her expression was cold, and the emotionless gaze seemed to see right past the simple battlefield.
She wore an elegant combat robe that was woven out of the white pearls. Her hands were wrapped with sleek black gloves, her left palm firmly holding the hilt of a beautifully crafted katana with a red and gold pattern.
"A Sword Saint!?" Logan cheered, his fist pumping in the air. "The ultimate versatile class. Bless the heavens, I’m saved!"
Eager to see her exact level and skills. Logan quickly opened her character sheet. The moment he set his gaze on her statblock, the joy drained completely from his face.
──────────────────────────────
[SUMMON SUCCESSFUL ]
• Name: Radiant
• Star Rating: 1★
──────────────────────────────
STATS
• HP: 1 / 1
• MP: 100 / 100
• INT: 10
• AGI: 10
• ATK: 999
• DEF: 0
──────────────────────────────
ACTIVE SKILL
• [Heavenly Cleave]: Requires a 30-second uninterrupted channel animation. Deals 5,000% pure physical damage to all units in a straight line.
PASSIVE SKILL
• [LOCKED]
──────────────────────────────
Logan’s brain short-circuited as he stared at the numbers.
One hit point...? Zero defense...? A THIRTY-SECOND CAST TIME?!
The golden light faded completely, and the reality of her stats hit him like a moving truck. Her attack power was S-Tier, enough to vaporize the entire horde. But she was beyond the definition of a traditional "glass cannon."
A single drop of splash damage or a minor shockwave would instantly delete her from existence. And on top of that, her active skill would render her incapable of moving for 30 seconds.
Below the fortress walls, all hell broke loose.
The hulking hobgoblin roared; its attention was not on the beautiful Sword Saint; its sole focus was on breaking through and marching forward. With a devastating swing, the mace came crashing down, denting the iron-rimmed shield. The force of the blow sent the old man skidding back across the dirt, coughing up a mouthful of thick, dark blood.
Logan’s eye shifted rapidly between the chaotic battlefield and the Sword Saint standing idly behind the line of defense. His veteran gamer instincts, honed through thousands of hours, violently kicked into gear.
I can’t use her like a standard hero. Logan thought, his eyes narrowing as he calculated the enemy paths.
"Flankers! Do not engage the hobgoblin!" Logan’s voice boomed down from the top of the fortress wall. "Shield-bearers, lock arms! Pack yourselves tightly against each other and create a corridor! Create a human barricade!"
The terrified militants hesitated, but the absolute authority in Logan’s voice awoken something deep within them, compelling them to make a move. They scrambled together, locking their arms and pushing back the horde of monsters.
By sealing the left and right sides of the courtyard, Logan closed off the goblins’ route, forcing them to swarm into a tight funnel directly down the center path.
"Old man!" Logan roared, locking eyes with the gray-haired veteran who was struggling to stand on 2 feet. "I need thirty seconds! Stand at the absolute forefront of the bottleneck and anchor the wave! Do not let a single monster pass you!"
The veteran soldier wiped the blood off his chin. He didn’t question the command. Gritting his teeth, he planted his boots into the dirt right at the entrance of the funnel, raising his almost broken iron-trimmed shield high.
"Radiant! Stand behind the old man and begin channeling Heavenly Cleave!" Logan commanded, pointing his fingers towards the center line.
The silver-haired Sword Saint moved with grace; she drew her crimson-gold katana, placing the blade horizontally. A glowing translucent cast bar materializes above her head in the air.
[0%]
"Hold the line!" Logan shouted, his hands gripping the stone railing of the fortress wall. He started counting the channeling time out loud.
The goblin horde crashed into the veteran soldier like a tidal wave. The old man screamed as the small blade sliced between the shield gaps, slicing his thighs.
[25%]
The hulking hobgoblin bellowed, irritated by the old man’s resilience. It swung its giant mace in a horizontal arc. The veteran braced himself, parrying the blow with his chipped blade, but the sheer impact fractured the bone of his forearm. He fell to one knee, gasping for air.
[50%]
Seeing the leader vulnerable, 2 smaller goblins tried to break out of the funnel to leap at the charging Sword Saint from the side.
Logan appeared from seemingly nowhere and stopped the stray goblins dead in their tracks. His clothes were roughed up, and his legs were bleeding from sliding down the fortress walls.
He swung and killed one of the goblins in one quick sword strike while tanking the blade of the other goblin in the knee. Quickly stomping on that goblin with his one good leg.
[75%]
The veteran soldier was completely spent; his sword was broken, his armor was shredded, and he was completely pinned beneath the weight of the hobgoblin’s mace. Before the collapse under the pressure, Logan grabbed onto his arms and shared the burden of the weight pushing down on him.
"Twenty-eight, Twenty-nine..." Logan roared, sweat dripping down his face, his eyes locked onto the snarling hobgoblin. Logan gripped the old man’s collar, pulling him to the floor, barely avoiding the attack.
[100%]
Radiant eyes snapped wide open, glowing with a fierce, blinding light.
There was no sound—only a terrifying, deafening vacuum as a massive crescent-shaped wave of pure energy erupted from her blade.
The blast tore through the courtyard. The giant hobgoblin, along with its iron mace, disintegrated into dust mid-swing; the energy wave didn’t stop tearing through the single-file line of the hundred-strong goblin army. Vaporizing everything in its path.
. . .
Standing amidst the settling ash, Radiant stood perfectly still. She looked perfectly calm; not a single thing was out of place. Her face was entirely devoid of emotion, her health bar sitting at an untouched (HP: 1 / 1).
Logan let out a long, shaky breath. His hands were still trembling; the wound on his kneecap was still bleeding. He looked up at the sky and started laughing maniacally.
The remaining soldiers dropped to their knees, panting, staring at the empty, scorched trench where hundreds of goblins once stood. The gray-haired veteran groaned, his eyes widening, looking at Radiant with utmost respect.
It was a flawless victory against impossible odds.
Radiant turned slightly; her cold, emotionless expression remained.
Screech!
A sharp, incredibly annoying sound broke the silence.
From the edge of the battlefield, a lone small goblin stood. It spent the majority of the time hiding in a nearby bush. Spooked by the massive explosion, the tiny, clumsy creature tripped and accidentally squeezed the trigger of its rusty, oversized crossbow.
Because the bowstring was rotted, the projectile didn’t even fly straight. It wobbled pathetically through the air in an ugly arc.
Logan’s eyes tracked the stray piece of garbage.
"Radiant, dodge!" Logan screamed, his voice cracking.
The Sword Saint, possessing 0 defense and not paying attention to her surroundings, simply tilted her head in confusion at Logan’s sudden shout.
Plop.
The blunt, wooden stick that can barely be considered a crossbow dart gently tapped her shoulder. It carried so little momentum that it didn’t even pierce her white robe; it simply bounced off her clothes and dropped to the dirt.
A tiny, bright red number floated above her head.
[-1]
Radiant eyes widen slightly as she finally reveals a soft, angelic smile on her face. Her shimmering figure fractured and turned into dust.
[HP: 0 / 1]
[Warning: Unit "Radiant" has suffered fatal damage.]
Radiant looked at Logan. An angelic smile glowed on her face as she mouthed something to him. Unfortunately, he was too far away to make sense of anything she said.
Before anyone could even blink, the Sword Saint burst into a shower of bright blue dust, vanishing into thin air, leaving behind nothing.
The lone goblin dropped its rusty crossbow out of fear and bolted into the woods.
Logan stood frozen, his mouth hanging wide open. The manic smile was entirely gone, replaced by the look of sheer horror.
A final, cheerful system chime echoed in his ears.
[Wave 1 Clear!]