Episode 206: Masterclass (2)
The battle with the Weapon Master was grueling.
Even after consuming a rare elixir to temporarily boost his physical abilities, Damian was still far from matching a Masterclass warrior.
He could parry the aura blade with Erebus, but he couldn’t penetrate the Weapon Master’s protective aura.
Every attack was fierce and precise. A moment’s lapse in concentration could mean death. Several times, he narrowly avoided decapitation.
He endured, and endured, and endured again. But even his endurance had its limits.
“This time, I’ll use it ‘properly.’”
The Weapon Master unleashed his second technique. Weapons imbued with aura blades rained down on Damian, aiming to end him.
In that moment, Damian forgot everything else. He swung Erebus with all his might to fend off the attack.
First, second, third…
As the strikes continued, Damian realized something. His hand felt lighter wielding Erebus.
It wasn’t an illusion. His slashes were getting faster, and deflecting the attacks no longer felt burdensome.
He sensed it instinctively.
Just one more step. And that step was completed when he cut through the Weapon Master’s final technique.
The raging power that seemed ready to burst from his body suddenly calmed and spread throughout his being.
His body, pushed to its limits, absorbed the energy. A transformation began.
Every wound healed.
His muscles, organs, and every part of him reached a higher level.
His depleted stamina was fully restored. A vast reservoir of energy filled him.
Damian gripped Erebus with both hands. A blue light radiated in all directions.
The broken blade served as a core, and the blue light formed a shape.
A sword.
An intangible blade of light stretched skyward.
An aura blade.
The symbol of a Masterclass warrior was now in Damian’s hands.
The aura blade forged from dark energy was ominous and foreboding.
But the one forged from pure energy was beautiful and pristine.
“Finally, I’ve reached it.”
Masterclass.
He had stepped into the realm of the transcendent.
The Weapon Master stared at Damian, speechless.
“Who… what are you?”
His voice was strained, as if he had to force the words out.
“A Highclass warrior… not only survived against a Masterclass but also became one… I’ve never seen anyone like you…”
His voice was laced with deep fear.
“No… that’s not what’s important right now.”
His once-dazed eyes regained focus, and a murderous intent surged forth.
“If I let you live… you’ll become a great threat. I must kill you here and now.”
The Weapon Master raised his cursed sword.
“This sword is called Merger. It absorbs the souls of those it kills and connects them to its wielder.”
I know. Thanks to that sword, Joshua Silva could pretend to be a genius.
“I was able to possess Joshua’s body because this sword linked my soul to his. But the abilities I can manifest through Merger are limited.”
The Weapon Master slowly ran his hand along the blade.
“My realm, ‘The Love of All Weapons,’ can enhance a weapon’s potential. Using this, I can increase the abilities I manifest through Merger.”
Thin tendrils sprouted from Merger’s hilt, piercing the Weapon Master’s wrist and burrowing inside.
Veins bulged and pulsed across his body.
“Normally, I can only manifest 30% of my abilities through Merger…”
The Weapon Master’s body began to wither. Muscles shriveled, and skin clung to bone.
“But now it’s different.”
A vast dark energy erupted. The force was incomparable to before.
“Now it’s 50%.”
The Weapon Master’s body vanished.
There was no sound, no presence. Damian was momentarily bewildered.
“Behind you.”
The Weapon Master appeared behind him, swinging the aura blade. The dark slash aimed to cleave Damian in two.
But the Weapon Master’s strike never reached Damian.
Damian had swung Erebus behind him, blocking the attack.
“You…”
The Weapon Master’s face was a mask of disbelief.
Damian hadn’t even turned around, merely extended his arm backward.
Could he really block an attack in such an awkward position?
“What is this?”
Damian turned his head slightly.
“Why does it feel so light?”
The taunt twisted the Weapon Master’s expression.
“I haven’t even started!”
The Weapon Master pushed Damian back with all his might. Damian flew backward but quickly regained his stance.
In that instant, the Weapon Master charged head-on.
He swung his sword repeatedly, intent on killing Damian. Damian responded in kind.
The two aura blades clashed repeatedly in mid-air, each collision echoing with a chilling sound.
But with each clash, the Weapon Master grew more alarmed.
He wasn’t being pushed back.
Damian Haxen stood his ground, absorbing every attack.
“This can’t be… this can’t be happening…”
Damian had just reached Masterclass. Yet he was holding his own against the Weapon Master at 50% power?
“I can’t let you live!”
The Weapon Master swung his sword with all his might. Damian met the attack head-on.
A thunderous crash and shockwave followed. The Weapon Master was forced back.
“It’s not over yet!”
The Weapon Master prepared to charge again. But then he noticed something. His aura blade was damaged.
The point where it had clashed with Damian Haxen’s aura blade was cracked.
Aura blades grow stronger with training. In other words, they should be weakest when one first reaches Masterclass.
So why was my aura blade damaged?
“Are you distracted?”
A voice came from right in front of him. Damian was charging at him.
Damian swung his aura blade. A blue slash cut parallel to the ground.
The Weapon Master quickly raised his cursed sword to block. But the force pushed him back.
“Can’t you hold your stance?”
Damian pressed the attack.
Blue slashes rained down relentlessly. The Weapon Master frantically swung his sword to block them.
“Your side. It’s open.”
Damian brushed past the Weapon Master. Blood spurted from a cut on his side.
“Your thigh. You should guard it.”
Before the words were even finished, his thigh was slashed. The wound was deep.
“You insolent brat…!”
The Weapon Master gritted his teeth and resisted. He tried to regain the upper hand.
“I’ll spare your neck this time.”
But it was futile. There was no opening for a counterattack.
This wasn’t a matter of speed. His swordsmanship was being completely read.
He had wielded a sword for decades. Yet he was being outmatched ‘technically’ by someone who had just become a Masterclass?
“Impossible!”
The Weapon Master desperately tried to follow Damian’s movements. But it was no use.
“Your shoulder. I’ll spare it from being severed.”
“Your fingers. You almost lost one just now.”
His body was covered in wounds. He couldn’t keep up.
“Huff, huff…”
The Weapon Master panted heavily.
His body was riddled with cuts. Blood flowed freely. Fortunately, it wasn’t his real body, so there was no pain.
“Have you already run out of tricks?”
Damian Haxen spoke from a short distance away. His emotionless eyes fixed on the Weapon Master.
Grit.
His teeth ground together. But anger was pointless.
He couldn’t kill Damian Haxen like this. Faced with undeniable truth, the Weapon Master decided to swallow his pride.
“Merger.”
The reason the Weapon Master could rise to such heights was his ability to control cursed swords and use them without consequence.
In other words, wielding a cursed sword revealed the Weapon Master’s true strength.
“I’ll have to sacrifice you.”
The Weapon Master pushed Merger’s potential to its limit.
Cracks spread across the cursed sword’s surface. It shattered, releasing a dark force.
With a monstrous roar, the darkness engulfed the sky, forming a massive creature.
“This is the demon’s power that Merger held.”
Demons were powerful beings beyond human comprehension. Even Damian Haxen would struggle against a demon’s power.
Damian Haxen silently gazed up at the creature. It loomed over him, ready to devour him whole.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never used this with Erebus.”
What?
The Weapon Master wondered as Damian deactivated his aura blade. He gently caressed the sword’s blade.
“Erebus, it’s time to awaken.”
In the next moment, a scream pierced the air.
A bizarre sound reverberated across the world, shaking the heavens and the earth as if they were trembling in fear.
The Weapon Master stared at it, as if possessed by a ghost.
”…A cursed sword?”
At first, that’s what he thought. But as he continued to watch the scene unfold, his mind changed.
“No, this is… what on earth is this?”
In that moment, a dark wave emanated from Erebus.
Everything the wave touched evaporated, leaving not even a trace of dust.
”@#%@#$@!”
The creature writhed in agony as the wave hit it, letting out a tortured scream and recoiling.
“This won’t do. Others will get caught up in this,” Demian muttered, raising Erebus high. The wave began to recede.
A gray storm swirled around Erebus, and the Weapon Master’s instincts screamed a warning.
“Merger! Attack!”
The creature lunged at Demian Haxen, who swung Erebus in response.
The creature and the gray storm collided, and soon the storm engulfed the creature entirely. Its body was utterly annihilated.
“Ah…”
The Weapon Master let out a short sigh at the sight.
Moments later, the gray storm swallowed the Weapon Master whole.