My Life Changed with the Unlimited System

The blood-red claw was almost upon Tanner when a golden light sliced through the air, dazzling and unrelenting. The fiery attack disintegrated instantly, shards of its malevolence scattering harmlessly before vanishing into thin air. A shockwave rippled outward, stirring the dust and quieting the battlefield.

Tanner stumbled mid-flight, his blazing aura flickering as he caught his balance. His gaze darted to the source of the light. There, standing like an unshakable monument, was Captain Cole, his golden aura casting a serene yet commanding glow. The captain's expression was calm but resolute, his mere presence silencing the chaos.

Myria, the crimson-haired demon, blinked in stunned disbelief. For a brief moment, the edges of her confidence frayed. Yet she quickly straightened, brushing the air as though the attack's failure were a mere inconvenience. "Well," she said, her tone carefully measured, "that's unexpected."

The other two demons moved closer, their attention fixed on Captain Cole. Belzarn, the broad-shouldered demon with run armor, let out a low rumble, his molten eyes narrowing. "A golden aura," he muttered. "I've never seen it like before."

Kazrath, the leaner demon clad in glowing green armor, tilted his head, a faint smirk curling at the edge of his lips. "Fascinating," he murmured. "Perhaps Myria's strike wasn't as flawless as she thought."

"Do you enjoy hearing yourself talk, Kazrath?" Myria shot back, her voice sharp but faltering slightly at the edges. "Perhaps you'd like to take the next step and show us your brilliance."

Kazrath chuckled softly, though his gaze never left Captain Cole. "Oh no, I wouldn't dream of stealing your spotlight. You always make such a spectacle of things."

Belzarn held up a hand, silencing the exchange. His deep, resonant voice carried an air of finality. "Enough. The golden light is unusual, yes, but it changes nothing. One human does not alter the inevitable."

His words were confident, but the pause in his step betrayed the tension simmering beneath. The three demons exchanged glances as if silently reassuring one another that this sudden shift was not a threat but a curiosity.

Captain Cole took another step forward, his aura steady and unyielding. The golden light seemed to radiate from his very being, an otherworldly presence that neither wavered nor boasted. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, carrying the weight of absolute authority.

"Step back," he said, directing his gaze at Tanner without looking at the demons. "This isn't your fight."

The silence that followed was almost suffocating. Tanner hesitated, his rage still flickering but tempered by the sheer command in Cole's voice. He dropped to the ground, his fiery aura fading as he clenched his fists. "I—" he began, but he couldn't find the words. He took a step back, his breathing labored but slowing.

Kazrath's smirk returned, though it was tinged with something unreadable. "He listens well for a hothead," he remarked.

Myria's eyes narrowed, flicking between Captain Cole and the retreating Tanner. "What are you?" she asked suddenly, her voice sharp. "This light, this… power—it isn't human."

Captain Cole's gaze finally shifted to her, his golden eyes steady but unreadable. "You'll find out soon enough," he said simply, his tone free of arrogance but filled with an unnerving certainty.

For a brief moment, even the demons hesitated.

The events unfolding before them were not merely a battle; they were something far greater, something that would live on in the memories of everyone who witnessed it.

From their scattered positions, soldiers from every participating nation—those who had managed to survive the carnage thus far—watched with wide eyes and pounding hearts.

Later, they would tell stories of what they saw that night: of demons and destruction, of golden light and an unshakable figure who stood against the tide of darkness.

Tales would spread of Captain Cole, the man who fought with a power that defied explanation, a legend forged in the crucible of a war no one would ever forget.

It was at this moment that Captain Cole moved. Without hesitation, without a weapon, he shot forward toward Myria, his golden aura blazing brighter with every step. The sheer speed of his movement caused the ground beneath him to quake and crack.

Myria's eyes widened as he closed the distance. Instinctively, she tried to sidestep the blow, her confident smirk returning. "Predictable," she began to say, but the words caught in her throat.

Her body wouldn't move.

Her limbs, her core—everything was frozen, locked in place as though held by an unseen force. Her smirk faltered into confusion and then panic as Captain Cole's fist connected with her face.

The impact was deafening like thunder cracking directly overhead. Myria's entire form was hurled backward with incredible force, her crimson armor splintering as she flew through the air.

The golden streak of Cole's aura lingered in the wake of his attack, a blazing trail that seared itself into the memory of all who saw it.

Myria crashed into her comrades, Belzarn and Kazrath, with a resounding impact. The two armored demons stumbled but managed to catch her limp form between them.

Myria groaned, her voice no longer commanding but pained and guttural. The once-gleaming headpiece of her armor had been shattered completely, revealing her disfigured face beneath—grotesque, twisted, and marred beyond recognition.

A guttural, enraged growl escaped her as she pushed herself upright, trembling with humiliation and fury. "Attack!" she screamed, her voice like a raw nerve exposed to the cold air. "All of you—kill him! Now!"

At her command, the swarm of lesser demons that still lingered on the battlefield surged forward with renewed ferocity. Despite Elias, Mara, and Tanner's relentless efforts to thin their ranks, the horde seemed endless, their bloodlust ignited by Myria's rage.

Captain Cole, standing alone at the epicenter of the chaos, did not flinch. His expression remained calm, almost detached, as though he were observing the scene from a distance.

Slowly, he lifted his head, his golden aura intensifying until it seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat.

Then, in a low voice, as if addressing someone only he could hear, he muttered, "Hey… release the full power of mine, will you?"

The golden aura around him flared brighter, its intensity causing the air to shimmer and warp. To Elias, who watched this from a distance, it was as if Captain Cole was speaking to something—or someone—hidden within himself. A silent force that only Cole could command.

The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the air grew heavy, pregnant with the promise of something extraordinary. The soldiers watching from afar whispered among themselves, their voices filled with awe and terror.

And though no one could yet comprehend what was about to happen, one thing was clear: the battlefield was about to witness a power that would forever change the course of this war—and the stories that would follow.

The battlefield erupted into chaos as Captain Cole moved with blinding speed, a streak of golden light weaving through the swarming demons.

Wherever he passed, explosions of ash marked the end of another creature. His strikes were unrelenting, precise, and devastating—each movement more akin to a force of nature than a man.

Demons fell in droves, their forms disintegrating into nothingness the moment his golden aura touched them. The once-confident charge of the horde faltered, their momentum broken as fear spread like wildfire among their ranks.

From their vantage point, Myria, Belzarn, and Kazrath stared in stunned disbelief. The woman demon, now helmetless and visibly shaken, struggled to maintain her composure. Her disfigured face twisted as she muttered, "What… what is this power?"

Belzarn clenched his fists tightly, his massive greatsword trembling in his grip. "This… this isn't possible," he stammered, his deep voice cracking with a tremor of fear. "He's just a human! How can he—?"

Kazrath took an involuntary step back, his twin daggers glinting faintly in his hands. His usual confidence was nowhere to be seen as he muttered under his breath, "Golden light… What kind of human possesses such power? This can't be real…"

The three demons exchanged glances, their earlier arrogance replaced by a palpable unease. For the first time, they felt the faint tendrils of fear creeping into their minds, a foreign sensation for beings of their status.

Despite their attempts to mask their terror, the truth was undeniable: Captain Cole's power was far beyond anything they had anticipated. Though Myria and her companions were ranked as Demon Knights—a respected tier within the demonic hierarchy—plus their noble status as Barons gave them a boost of power over others of their kind.

But even with this advantage, they were hopelessly outclassed.

Captain Cole's movements were not just fast; they were incomprehensible. His golden aura, radiant and overwhelming, exuded a power so immense that it seemed to warp reality itself.

To the demons, it felt as though they were staring into the sun—blinding, unrelenting, and impossible to withstand.

Kazrath's muttering grew more frantic. "No… This isn't possible."

Belzarn gritted his teeth as his gaze swept across the battlefield. Captain Cole moved like an unstoppable force, the golden light leaving destruction in its wake. Belzarn's hands trembled as his grip tightened on his greatsword.

"This isn't a fight we can win," he growled, his voice heavy with reluctant authority. "Fall back! Now!"

Myria and Kazrath hesitated, their pride warring with the cold realization of their helplessness. But Belzarn's tone left no room for argument.

The three demons, Belzarn, Myria, and Kazrath, turned into streaks of blood-red light, their forms dissolving into ominous trails as they shot toward the massive demonic gate.

Their retreat left a void where their overwhelming presence had once loomed. As they disappeared, the gate shimmered faintly, its pulsating crimson glow fading with their departure.

Captain Cole stood amidst the battlefield, surrounded by the charred remains of countless demons, his golden aura still faintly shimmering around him.

The soldiers of the allied nations, who had been locked in desperate combat moments ago, erupted into cheers. Their cries of victory echoed across the war-torn expanse, filling the air with a newfound hope that felt almost surreal.

Tanner, his crimson aura still flickering, approached Captain Cole, his fists clenched. "Captain," he said, his voice edged with frustration. "Are we just going to let them escape like that? After what they've done?"

Captain Cole didn't respond immediately. His gaze lingered on the gate, his expression unreadable. Tanner frowned, glancing back at Elias and Mara for support.

Elias, however, was watching Captain Cole closely. There was something off—subtle but unmistakable. The faint pallor of his skin, the slight tremble in his stance, betrayed a deeper strain than he let on.

Elias stepped forward, his voice low. "Captain… are you alright?"

Still, Captain Cole remained silent, his focus unbroken as if calculating something far beyond the reach of the other's understanding. The golden glow around him dimmed slightly, and Elias felt a flicker of unease.

Meanwhile, on the Feroshian side of the battlefield, chaos erupted.

General Korrik's roar of frustration echoed above the din. "Cowards! They retreated without so much as a word!" His crimson cape billowed behind him as he gestured furiously toward the gate. "This wasn't the plan!"

Colonel Draeven, standing beside him, cursed under his breath. "We sacrificed for nothing!"

Their shouts were cut short as the cultists gathered around them, chanting hurried incantations. One by one, the higher-ranking Feroshian officers began to vanish in flickers of dark energy, teleported away by the cultists' abilities. However, the lower-ranking soldiers and conscripts were left behind, abandoned without orders or escape.

Sensing the shift in power, the allied soldiers saw their chance. With renewed vigor, they surged forward, their battle cries piercing through the night.

The Feroshian forces, disoriented and leaderless, faltered against the onslaught. What had been a chaotic and desperate battle moments ago now turned into a rout, the allied nations' soldiers seizing the moment to eliminate their foes.

Elias stood beside Captain Cole, his eyes flicking between the retreating demons and the unraveling Feroshian army. "Captain," he said quietly, his tone careful. "It's over—for now."

Cole's gaze finally shifted to Elias, his expression unreadable but his voice calm. "No," he said softly, almost to himself. "This is just the beginning."