Accidental Ascendance



As Cedric and the king rushed through the city, they witnessed a surreal scene of chaos and unconscious civilians strewn across the streets. The once-vibrant city now lay in a state of eerie stillness, its inhabitants mysteriously incapacitated. The king's determined expression didn't waver as he led Cedric through this strange, silent landscape.

"We're here," the king declared, his voice carrying an undertone of grim resolve.

The two men paused in a shadowy alley, their eyes scanning their surroundings. Their arrival hadn't gone unnoticed. On a rooftop above them, a small figure in black attire peered down with a calculating gaze. Flanking her were two cloaked figures, their features obscured by the hoods of their robes.

Cedric squinted up at the girl, his brow furrowing in recognition. "Do I know you?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

The girl shook her head slowly, her dark hair swaying. "No, Montclair runt, but I know you," she replied, her tone holding a hint of bitterness.

Cedric's expression shifted from curiosity to bewilderment. "But..." he began, only to be interrupted by the girl.

"You both have fallen into my hands," she declared, her words laced with conviction. "Once we take care of the king, we will finally be able to begin the rightful conquest of these lands."

Cedric, however, couldn't help but notice something odd. He raised his hand, pointing at the girl. "But you're shorter than me!"

The girl blinked, taken aback by the unexpected comment. "W-what..." she stammered.

Cedric continued, undeterred. "You said I was a runt, but you're shorter than me. It just doesn't make sense."

The king, standing beside Cedric, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it seemed like a weird thing to say to me too, but I wasn't going to say anything."

The girl's impatience grew, and in her frustration, she cast a dark spell. Suddenly, two massive golems emerged on both sides of Cedric and the king. These golems appeared to be composed of the very streets of the city, their massive stone forms towering over the two men, ready to strike.

Cedric and the king faced this new threat with a mixture of determination and bemusement, their unlikely conversation momentarily interrupted by the looming danger before them.

The remnants of a shattered cityscape surrounded Cedric as he found himself face-to-face with an enormous stone golem. It was a colossal creation, an amalgamation of rubble, earth, and ancient magic. The streets beneath him trembled with each of the golem's ponderous steps, yet it made no immediate move to attack.

Cedric, bewildered and perplexed, looked up at the golem and couldn't help himself from blurting out, "Umm, hi."

The golem, its stony visage unmoving, loomed over Cedric, its glowing, arcane eyes peering down at him. It made no response but instead stood still, seemingly observing him.

On either side of the street, two cloaked figures observed the scene with concealed intentions. Their cloaks billowed in the breeze, and their presence exuded an air of mystery and menace. They whispered between themselves in a language unknown to Cedric, their eyes never leaving him.

As Cedric continued to maintain eye contact with the golem, he couldn't shake the feeling that something extraordinary was happening. His heart raced, but he decided to take a chance.

"I don't suppose we can talk this out?" Cedric asked, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and curiosity. He hoped that somehow, this inexplicable situation could be resolved without violence.

Cedric, his eyes wide with surprise, stood his ground as the golem's massive stone fist came crashing down. In a lightning-quick reflex, he dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the earth-shaking blow. The ground trembled as the golem's punch landed directly on one of the cloaked figures lurking behind Cedric. The unfortunate assailant was sent hurtling through the air, like a ragdoll, their body smashing into a nearby building with a thunderous crash. Dust and debris filled the air as bricks and stone fragments rained down.

Cedric, who had found himself sprawled on the unforgiving cobblestone street, quickly scrambled back onto his feet. His unintentional victory over the first cloaked figure appeared to have left the remaining assailant momentarily stunned, a hooded figure whose gender and intentions remained obscured.

In a display of instinctive grace, Cedric, still regaining his balance, executed an unorthodox spinning kick. His foot connected with remarkable precision, striking the second cloaked figure squarely in the head. The figure was sent tumbling forward in an uncontrolled somersault, their dark cloak billowing dramatically as they landed in a heap at Cedric's feet.

From the vantage point of a nearby rooftop, the small girl and her companion watched in astonishment. Their meticulous plan had swiftly unraveled before their eyes, leaving them gaping in disbelief. To them, it appeared as though Cedric was effortlessly conquering their cloaked allies.

Cedric, his heart racing and his mind still trying to process the bizarre turn of events, stood triumphant over the defeated figures. He panted heavily, a mixture of disbelief and bemusement reflected in his eyes. "Well, I guess that's that," he mumbled, the events having unfolded so chaotically that he couldn't quite fathom how he had emerged victorious.

On the rooftop above, the small girl exchanged a bewildered glance with her companion. The elaborate ambush they had meticulously planned had veered wildly off course, leaving them both flabbergasted by the unforeseen outcome.

As the black mana swirled around the small girl, she chanted the incantation for the powerful spell known as "Mana Drain." It was a dark and sinister magic that could siphon away half of the target's mana, but it came at a steep cost, draining much of the caster's own mana reserves in exchange. Her desperation was palpable, and her determination to eliminate Cedric, who had unwittingly thwarted her plans, was evident.

With the incantation on her lips and the spell aimed directly at Cedric, he watched her in confusion. He raised a finger, about to inquire about the impending magic, but before he could utter a word, something unexpected occurred.

The spell faltered, its dark energies sputtering as they reached Cedric. He had an inexplicable aura of resistance about him, and it appeared as though he had somehow disrupted the flow of her spell, preventing it from taking hold. The small girl, equally bewildered and desperate, had no time to process what was happening. The spell's sudden failure caused it to backfire with explosive force. There was a blinding burst of dark energy that erupted from the small girl's outstretched hands, engulfing her in a chaotic maelstrom of magical backlash. The violent explosion sent her hurtling through the air, her body careening into a nearby wall with bone-jarring impact.

King Fell, who had been watching the unfolding events with speechless amazement, could only stare in wonderment at the scene before him. To him, it had appeared as though Cedric had executed some form of instant spell.

The small girl, struggling to rise from the wreckage of the wall, shared the king's astonishment. Gasping for breath and nursing her injuries, she realized that Cedric Montclair was far more formidable and enigmatic than she had ever anticipated.

With a desperate glint in her eyes, she assessed the situation. Facing two formidable S-rank opponents and aware that the magi tech transformation she sought to complete wasn't yet ready, she made a calculated decision. She needed to eliminate the larger threat first, and for now, that meant escaping the clutches of Cedric Montclair.