The Immortal Pride

The Glitch Fortress, the heart of the Desolate Continent, was a battlefield where technology and magic collided in a spectacle of chaos and power. The blood-red sky pulsed with glitched lightning, casting distorted shadows over ash dunes swirling in furious whirlwinds. The air crackled with the metallic ozone of technological runes glowing on obsidian walls, mixed with the demonic stench of sulfur. Ancient elven ruins trembled around, while artificial green fields within the fortress wilted under the invaders’ corrupting aura. The fortress’s people—remnant elves of Eryndor, hacked humans, and technological constructs—watched with a mix of hope and fear, their voices echoing: “Athos will save us!” as Prideon’s vampiric hordes were massacred by allies in the field. But the true clash, the one that would decide the realm’s fate, unfolded at the fortress’s summit, where Athos faced the demon.Athos, the Hero of the Desolate Continent, stood on the central obsidian platform, his glitched blue armor pulsing like a digital heart. The Tear of Eryndor at his neck glowed with cosmic energy, and his eyes shone with digital codes, his interface displaying: Combat Analysis: Prideon — Critical Threat. In ATHOMIS, Athos was a master strategist, turning battles with system manipulation, and here, with the Tear’s power, he was a technological god, moving with lethal precision. Prideon was a figure of overwhelming power: tall, with marble-pale skin, golden eyes overflowing with arrogance, and black bone armor pulsing with corrupt runes. His vampiric wings spread like a dark mantle, and his voice thundered: “You’re a speck of dust before the Corruptor’s pride, hero!” Athos replied with a cynical smirk, his interface flashing: Defenses: 100% Operational. “Talk less, Prideon. Let’s test that pride of yours.”The clash erupted with Prideon unleashing Fury of Absolute Pride, a golden energy wave distorting reality, creating illusions of supreme glory to bend Athos’s mind, instilling doubts about his strength. Athos defended effortlessly, evoking Primordial Glitch Wall, a blue data barrier absorbing the wave, converting it into energy for his interface, which displayed: Energy Absorbed: 87%. “Pathetic,” Athos taunted, advancing with Disintegrating Data Blades, a series of glitched slashes tearing Prideon’s armor, leaving gashes leaking black energy. Prideon roared, retaliating with Claws of Eternal Supremacy, swift black claw strikes unleashing corrupt energy bursts that cracked the obsidian platform and made the air sizzle with infernal heat. Athos dodged with Code Leap, teleporting in a blue data flash, reappearing beside Prideon and unleashing Digital Corrosion Pulse, a glitched burst corroding the demon’s vampiric wings, forcing him to recoil with a furious cry.Prideon was strong, his powerful attacks shaking the ground and making the fortress’s runes flicker unstably, but Athos blocked each assault with almost supernatural ease, his interface recalculating the demon’s moves in milliseconds. Why is he so calm? Athos thought, noting Prideon’s arrogant smile, even under pressure. He’s hiding something. A Corruptor’s plan? An ace up his sleeve? His interface flashed: Unknown Threat Detected. Determined to uncover the secret, Athos escalated his attack. “Time to end this facade,” he muttered, activating Tear Overload, channeling the Tear of Eryndor’s energy into a devastating strike: Final Glitch Tempest. A blue data vortex exploded on the platform, enveloping Prideon in a storm of glitches that corroded his armor, shredded his wings, and exposed a pulsing core of corrupt energy in his chest. Prideon faced the attack head-on, roaring: “My pride is unbreakable!” But the impact was overwhelming, and the demon collapsed, his body fragmenting into black bone pieces that dissipated into ash, falling like black snow over the platform.Meanwhile, on the fortress’s flanks, Athos’s allies obliterated the vampiric hordes with brutal efficiency. Lirien, the elven archer, led the remnant elves in the east, firing Stellar Rain, incinerating demons with silver meteors. Sylvara, with her Living Blade Dance, slashed hordes in the north, while Thalyn used Natural Glitch Pulse to turn demons into brittle statues in the west. Drakonath, the black dragon, dominated the field’s center, his Glitched Igneous Breath reducing hordes to ash, and his Draconic Impact crushing demons into smoking craters. The vampiric demons, with pale skin, pulsing black veins, and venomous fangs, tried resisting with Pride Drain, but were massacred. Inside the fortress, Vorian, Korvyn, Zyrath, and Elyssa watched from the ramparts, their voices echoing relief: “The hordes are falling!” The fortress’s people—hacked humans firing Code Rays, elves casting light spells, and constructs activating Data Barriers—cheered, shouting: “Victory for Athos!”But what seemed the end was only the beginning. Prideon, defeated and fragmented, began to laugh, a guttural, sinister sound echoing across the platform: “Kekeke... I knew exactly as he foretold.” A flashback flooded his mind, transporting him to a cosmic void where the Corruptor, an entity of absolute darkness with abyssal eyes, spoke: “You will face the glitched hero, Prideon. I grant you the Authority of the Corrupted Moon, a power defying death.” A black seal with lunar runes etched into Prideon’s chest, pulsing with immortal energy, as the Corruptor’s voice resounded: “Destroy him, or the pride of all realms will fall.”Back in the present, Prideon regenerated, his fragments recombining into a more terrifying form: his armor now glowed with black-and-silver lunar runes, his vampiric wings reformed larger, and his golden eyes burned with supernatural confidence. He smiled, his voice cutting: “You didn’t think it was over, hero. With the Moon’s blessing, I am immortal!” The revelation shocked Athos, his interface flashing frantically: Error: Unexpected Regeneration Detected. Simultaneously, the vampiric demons defeated by the allies began to rise, their pale skins reforming, black veins pulsing with lunar runes, and red eyes glowing with renewed fury. Lirien, Sylvara, Thalyn, and Drakonath recoiled, their voices echoing alarm: “They’re coming back!” The fortress’s people, celebrating moments before, screamed in panic as the vampiric hordes advanced again, stronger, their fangs gleaming with arcane venom.The battle, which seemed to have an end, had a new beginning. Athos gripped the Tear of Eryndor, his interface recalculating strategies: New Threat: Immortal Authority Detected. He faced Prideon, his cynical smirk returning. “Immortal, huh? Let’s see how many times I need to dismantle you.” The Glitch Fortress trembled as the battle reignited with even greater intensity, the fate of the Desolate Continent hanging in the balance.