Chapter 25: A Curse Upon the Candy Kingdom

Chapter 25: A Curse Upon the Candy Kingdom

What the...." the princess gasped, her breath hitching as a cold dread settled deep in her chest. Her heart pounded wildly, convulsing in horror at the scene unfolding before her. Her beloved kingdom—her life's work, meticulously constructed piece by piece over countless years—now lay in a miserable and dire state. Buildings crumbled, streets cracked open, and the scent of burning sugar filled the air. Every fiber of her being burned with anguish.

Before a second could pass, twin titanic figures surged into action, their massive glass heads reflecting the flickering flames consuming parts of the city. They stood like monolithic sentinels, their slender red bodies gleaming under the shattered glow of the once-vibrant kingdom. They were the eternal and unwavering guardians of the Candy Kingdom, bound to defend it with every ounce of their existence.

"Severe threat... Severe threat..." they intoned in unison, their voices reverberating like the ominous toll of a great bell.

Without hesitation, both guardians parted their gumball-filled jaws and unleashed searing pink laser beams, the energy pulsating with lethal intensity as it tore through the sky toward the shadowy intruder that loomed like a malevolent mist above the kingdom.

The dark figure moved impossibly fast, twisting and contorting midair, narrowly avoiding the twin blasts with eerie precision. Its fluid, smoke-like form weaved through the air before coiling in on itself. Then, in an instant, it surged forward—an ominous blur of darkness hurling toward one of the guardians' glass heads.

Despite its size—minuscule compared to the towering giants—it had already demonstrated its devastating power. The guardian hesitated for just a moment, but that was all the shadow needed.

With a sudden burst of speed, it slammed into the guardian’s helmet-like head with a resounding impact. Cracks splintered across the transparent surface as the giant staggered back, struggling to maintain its footing. The other guardian quickly adjusted, shifting its stance and preparing another devastating shot, but the shadow was relentless.

PB watched, her fingers curling into trembling fists as her massive guardians struggled against an enemy they couldn’t even land a solid hit on. Every attack they fired was met with agile dodges, as if the entity moved between the fabric of space itself. Even with their immense size and precision targeting, they were overly cautious—fearful of direct contact with it.

Grinding her teeth, she whirled on her heels, dashing through the corridors of her castle before hurling herself through an arched window. The glass shattered behind her as she landed gracefully on the back of her warrior swan, the sleek white bird spreading its wings wide as it carried her swiftly toward the battlefield.

As she soared higher, something blurred past her, a dark streak that moved with frightening velocity. A heartbeat later, the ground below erupted as an earth-shaking impact sent a shockwave across the battlefield, hurling debris and candy citizens into the air. She turned just in time to see one of her guardians standing tall, fist clenched in a victorious pose, his body still glowing from the **** of the strike.

"The threat will be eliminated, Your Majesty," the guardians declared in eerie synchronization. Without wasting a moment, they charged another volley of pink laser fire, unleashing a relentless barrage toward the crater below.

The princess's jaw tightened as she maneuvered her swan, her steed responding instantly. A barrage of rapid-fire shots erupted from the bird’s mouth, the projectiles trailing light as they rained down on the impact site. A dense cloud of smoke billowed outward, obscuring the battlefield in a thick, eerie fog. The guardians exhaled in relief, their glowing visors flickering as they scanned for any remaining movement.

For a moment, there was only silence. The air hung heavy with uncertainty, the weight of battle pressing against the princess’s shoulders.

Then—a low rumble.

"My lady..." a trembling voice called out, barely above a whisper. One of the candy citizens pointed toward the crater, his face pale with terror.

The princess followed his gaze just as something moved at the edge of the pit. A vivid, molten glow seeped from the cracks in the earth, an unnatural orange hue that pulsed like living fire. The very ground seemed to writhe in protest as the molten substance slithered and coalesced, reforming at the center of the impact zone.

She narrowed her eyes, her breath hitching as she watched the bizarre transformation unfold. The glowing mass twisted and shifted, its form stabilizing, until finally, a humanoid figure emerged from the heat.

Standing tall amidst the swirling embers, a boy took shape. Blue pants, a yellow jacket, and a hood pulled over his head. A black cloth masked his mouth and nose, obscuring his expression—but his eyes remained visible. Sharp, unwavering, and filled with an indomitable fire.

PB’s chest rose sharply, her pulse spiking in astonishment. The battlefield fell into an eerie, suffocating silence. The candy citizens, once cowering, now stood frozen in place, not daring to breathe too loudly.

All eyes locked onto the lone figure in the crater, the one who had survived an **** that should have obliterated anything in its path.

The air remained unchanged until the boy suddenly pressed against the ground and propelled himself forward with a burst of raw power. The ground beneath him cracked and shattered, sending dust and debris flying in every direction. His body became a blur, a streak of yellow and orange shooting toward PB like a lightning bolt.

Her mind reeled, struggling to comprehend the sheer impossibility of what she was witnessing. This boy had just exploded, yet now he moved with unyielding ****, unfazed by the devastation that should have vaporized him. She, more than anyone, understood the destructive capability of her guardians’ lasers—blasts hot enough to incinerate metal, capable of melting the hardest of rock in an instant—yet he emerged unscathed.

Her heart pounded, but before she could react, his fist was already closing in. His strike was direct, fierce, aimed straight at her with the **** of a cannon.

A shadow loomed between them. A towering figure. One of the candy guardians lunged, moving faster than its massive frame should have allowed, interposing itself in front of its princess. Its mouth parted, unleashing another devastating beam of searing pink energy at point-blank range.

But the boy was ready.

In a blur of motion, he twisted mid-air, narrowly dodging the oncoming beam as it scorched past his side, leaving a burning vapor trail in its wake. His feet barely touched the ground before he launched himself upward, ascending in a spiraling arc, using the guardian’s own massive frame as a foothold. He raced up its body with breathtaking speed, his movements precise and untouchable.

The guardian attempted to swat him away, its colossal arm swinging through the air, but the boy was already gone. An instant later, his fist collided with the guardian’s glass helmet.

A violent crack split the air.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze as a web of fractures spread across the massive dome. Then—the entire helmet exploded outward, sending jagged shards in all directions as an avalanche of multicolored gumballs cascaded from within. The guardian staggered, its towering form trembling, before collapsing to its knees with a thunderous crash.

The second guardian stood frozen in shock, its glowing pink eyes dimming in horror as the broken remnants of its partner lay crumbling beneath it. A silence fell over the battlefield—heavy, suffocating.

The princess, still airborne, gritted her teeth, knowing she had mere seconds to react. She yanked at the reins of her warrior swan, commanding it into a sharp ascent as she made a **** retreat. She needed a plan—immediately.

A sudden, guttural sound shattered the quiet.

It was not grief.

It was rage.

The remaining guardian lifted its head, its once-calm visage twisting into a mask of pure fury. A shuddering tremor ran through its massive body as an unnatural glow pulsed beneath its skin. Its pink hue deepened, its body swelling, muscles expanding in unnatural ways.

Its soul burned with uncontainable wrath.

It had lost more than a comrade.

It had lost its other half.

Its glowing red eyes locked onto the boy, no longer seeing him as an enemy.

But as an execution target.

"You will pay the price!" The guardian’s voice roared like a crack of thunder, no longer mechanical—no longer bound by logic. It was raw, vengeful fury given form.

The air shuddered as the guardian’s transformation completed. What once was a towering sentinel of the kingdom had now become something far more terrifying. A **** of destruction.

A vortex of energy spiraled around it, splitting the ground beneath its feet, sending shockwaves rolling outward.

The princess’s eyes widened. She had seen this before.

"No..." she whispered as her breath caught in her throat.

[True World, Level Nine.]

Her guardian had entered its Final State—a form that could not be undone.

Sika's voice echoed ominously in Finn’s mind, sending a chill down his spine. His muscles tensed instinctively, his breath coming out in short, controlled bursts. He cursed under his breath just as the monstrous guardian launched himself high into the air, his massive body soaring like a meteor tearing through the sky. The sheer **** of his ascent cracked the ground below, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.

Finn barely reacted in time, propelling himself backward with a burst of speed. But he wasn’t fast enough.

The guardian came crashing down like a divine hammer of destruction. The moment his titanic body made contact with the ground, the kingdom trembled as though the entire land had been struck by a falling star. A cataclysmic blast wave expanded outward, obliterating everything in its path. Entire structures collapsed, roads split apart, and the very air quivered from the sheer impact. Finn was caught in the edge of the explosion, hurled through the sky like a ragdoll.

He twisted midair, forcing himself to regain control, gritting his teeth through the pain lancing across his body. Below him, the princess watched with grim determination, her hands clenched into fists as she whispered, "Final State..."

She had seen this transformation before.

When she created her guardians, she had built within them the ability to assume this ultimate form, an emergency countermeasure for situations that threatened the very existence of the Candy Kingdom. But this power came at a cost.

Once triggered, there was no going back. The guardian would burn through every ounce of his being, a self-destructive **** fueled by unquenchable rage. His body was no longer a protector of the kingdom—he had become an instrument of pure vengeance, his sole purpose now to eradicate Finn.

His attacks no longer held restraint. His rage had blinded him.

In his relentless pursuit of his enemy, he had already reduced parts of the kingdom to rubble, crushed homes, and injured citizens. Yet none of that mattered to him anymore. His world had narrowed to a singular purpose—Finn had to die.

Gritting her teeth, PB urged her swan to accelerate toward the castle. She needed a vantage point, needed to act before her entire kingdom was lost to the chaos unfolding before her.

Below, the guardian rose from the ruins like an unstoppable ****. The glow of his body intensified, and his burning red eyes locked onto Finn once more.

Then, he raised both of his gargantuan hands.

Two colossal orbs of pure, condensed energy materialized in his grasp, crackling with violent, unrelenting power. They pulsed with a blinding glow, illuminating the battlefield like twin suns of devastation.

Finn could feel the energy within them—the sheer magnitude of their destructive ****. The orbs didn’t just radiate power; they carried the unfiltered hatred, grief, and wrath of the guardian’s very being. He was forging weapons of vengeance itself.

Finn had no time to think.

With a deafening roar, the guardian hurled one of the orbs forward. It tore through the sky like a falling comet, leaving a wake of distorted air in its path. The sheer pressure of its movement alone sent Finn’s instincts into overdrive.

He dove to the side, barely escaping the projectile as it screamed past him.

The moment it struck the land below, the world erupted.

A blinding explosion swallowed the battlefield. The very earth caved inward, and a mushroom cloud of pink-hued energy surged upward like a violent supernova. The shockwave alone sent Finn spinning out of control, his ears ringing from the detonation.

By the time he stabilized himself, a chilling realization settled in. A second orb was already descending toward him.

His heart pounded. Fifty meters away.

No time to evade. No time to escape.

"Why does the sky hate me?" he muttered dryly, already bracing for impact.

Before the attack could reach him, something shifted on the battlefield below.

A figure moved—a blur of motion—raising a hand toward the incoming sphere. Blue flames ignited at their fingertips, spreading outward in a cascading wave of fire. With a single fluid motion, they unleashed a concentrated blast, aiming directly at the descending sphere.

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