Episode 266: The Weapon Master (1)
“Gah… ugh…”
The Weapon Master struggled to rise, clutching his chest as his body trembled uncontrollably.
It was no wonder. Just moments ago, a devastating attack had caved in his chest and ruptured his heart.
Thanks to the formidable vitality of a Master Class warrior, he was still clinging to life, but death was only a matter of time.
“I… I can’t believe… this is happening…”
As a Master Class fighter, the Weapon Master had shattered countless barriers. He was likely on the verge of becoming a Grandmaster.
He possessed a body of incredible strength and vast dark magic reserves.
Yet, with just a single kick, his heart had burst.
This was proof that Damian’s physical prowess far surpassed that of the Weapon Master.
“Ugh… argh…”
With great effort, the Weapon Master drew a dagger from his belt. Dark magic surged from the blade.
His sunken chest returned to its original form, and his complexion regained its color.
‘The Immortal Blade, D’Artagnan.’
Damian immediately recognized the name of the cursed sword. It was one of the iconic weapons associated with the Weapon Master.
A sword that healed its master by consuming absorbed souls.
Rumor had it that even if only the head remained, the body could be regenerated in an instant.
“Hoo…”
The Weapon Master slowly got to his feet, his face slick with cold sweat.
-You look like you’re struggling.
-Why not use us? We’ll take care of that brat for you!
The cursed swords floating in the air taunted the Weapon Master, who gritted his teeth in response.
“Shut up, all of you. I’ll deal with him myself.”
-Haha, he’s angry! So angry!
-Okay, we’ll just cheer you on from here!
The cursed swords soared high into the sky, their unsettling laughter echoing before abruptly cutting off.
“Damian Haxen… this snot-nosed brat… dares to humiliate me like this…!”
Veins bulged on the Weapon Master’s forehead, his body responding to his intense fury.
“Come forth, Barbaria!”
A suit of gray armor materialized from thin air, enveloping the Weapon Master completely.
The Cursed Armor, Barbaria.
It enhanced the wearer’s movements, allowing for explosive agility.
Like the Immortal Blade, D’Artagnan, it was one of the signature armaments of the Weapon Master.
The moment he donned the armor, the aura he exuded grew even more formidable.
“Isn’t it a bit much for someone of your stature to take a kid so seriously?”
“Silence!”
The Weapon Master charged forward. By the time his foot hit the ground, he was already in front of Damian.
Damian’s eyes widened slightly. Thanks to his recent transformation, his senses were sharper than ever.
Yet, he couldn’t track the Weapon Master’s movements. The cursed armor was augmenting his speed.
“Brat! I’ll kill you right here!”
The Weapon Master swung a massive sword with both hands. Damian blocked it with his own blade, Dawn.
‘Heavy.’
The moment their weapons clashed, Damian realized this was not an attack to be blocked head-on.
In an instant, he deflected the blow. The Weapon Master’s sword missed its mark and embedded itself in the ground with a thunderous crash.
The entire city seemed to split in two.
“Looks like you learned well from that cowardly Sword Saint!”
The Weapon Master immediately drew another weapon. This time, he wielded two at once.
‘Impressive. With that cursed armor, I can’t just parry his attacks.’
Damian made a quick assessment and murmured softly.
“Second Ring.”
A resonant hum emanated from Damian’s body as the Weapon Master launched his next assault.
The Weapon Master was not only adept with dozens of weapons but also skilled in wielding them with both arms independently, mastering a variety of combat techniques.
It was a strategy few could replicate. Truly worthy of the title Weapon Master.
Moreover, with the cursed armor’s support, each swing of his weapon tore through the air and shattered the ground.
‘Impressive, but…’
It was erratic, lacking depth. Meanwhile, Damian was employing the Harmonious Martial Arts.
In an instant, he grasped the full form of the technique. With Dawn, he blocked every one of the Weapon Master’s attacks.
The Weapon Master’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You little brat!”
He roared, intensifying his assault on Damian. His strikes came like a relentless storm.
Yet, despite the overwhelming display, none of the Weapon Master’s attacks reached Damian.
Damian either blocked or deflected them all.
”…”
Kilo watched the scene, utterly entranced.
He had only ever wielded axes and pickaxes, yet even he could see how extraordinary Damian was.
He was effortlessly countering attacks powerful enough to rend the earth.
It was like a small, sharp stone standing firm against a raging current.
“Weapon Master!”
At that moment, Akilo’s voice rang out.
“What are you doing? How can someone called the Weapon Master fail to handle a mere brat?”
Akilo shouted, his face a mix of irritation and anger.
“Have you forgotten what we’re creating here? Will you allow this brat’s existence at such a crucial moment? Kill him now!”
Akilo’s outburst made the Weapon Master grit his teeth.
“That damn dwarf…!”
Just for a moment.
The Weapon Master’s focus wavered.
Damian seized the opportunity, taking a deep breath as he spoke.
“Third Ring.”
The resonant hum intensified. Simultaneously, Damian’s movements became even swifter.
His strikes gained momentum. The two weapons in the Weapon Master’s hands were severed in an instant.
From the destroyed cursed swords, demonic energy erupted. Through the energy, the Weapon Master’s startled face was visible.
“How… how can you move like this…?”
Without hesitation, Damian thrust Dawn forward.
A flash of light, reminiscent of starlight, burst forth. The extended blade pierced the Weapon Master’s shoulder, effortlessly penetrating the cursed armor.
“Argh!”
The Weapon Master screamed in agony, pulling back to remove the sword embedded in his shoulder.
“Don’t get cocky!”
He attempted to press the attack on Damian once more. But the momentum had already shifted in Damian’s favor.
Damian swung Dawn, his strikes coming at bizarre angles.
“Ugh! Argh!”
The Weapon Master struggled to respond. The attacks he failed to block began to inflict wounds all over his body.
As the injuries multiplied, shock and disbelief spread across the Weapon Master’s face.
“This can’t be… this is impossible…!”
How many knights had fallen under the name of the Weapon Master?
Among them were knights representing the empire. Even heirs painstakingly nurtured by the empire’s great nobles.
All had challenged him boldly, only to lose their lives without leaving a scratch on him.
Yet here he was, the Weapon Master, being pushed back by a mere greenhorn.
And it was purely due to skill.
“Why are you so surprised?”
Damian spoke with a mocking smile.
“I told you, you’re mediocre.”
The words made veins bulge on the Weapon Master’s forehead, his fury reaching a boiling point.
“What are you waiting for? Help me now!”
The Weapon Master shouted. At that moment, ten lights flashed in the sky.
Ten weapons descended vertically, aiming to impale Damian.
Damian abandoned his pursuit of the Weapon Master and retreated. As soon as he moved, the weapons embedded themselves in the ground.
-Heh, he finally called for us.
-See, I told you to rely on our power.
-Don’t be too hard on him. What if he gets mad?
The cursed swords chattered incessantly.
They possessed intelligence and the ability to fly freely.
Among the cursed swords the Weapon Master possessed, these were the finest.
The real deal had arrived.
“Shut up, you bastards.”
The Weapon Master snapped irritably. The cursed swords continued their chatter.
-So, we just need to kill that guy?
-Leave it to me!
-We should all work together.
The cursed swords babbled on. The Weapon Master picked up one of them.
Curiously, the blade was curved inward, resembling a cross between a scythe and a longsword.
“He’s no pushover. Let’s take him down together.”
-Wow, did you hear that? Together, he said.
-He must be really scared.
-Well, he’s no ordinary opponent.
The Weapon Master infused the cursed sword with dark magic. In the next moment, his body vanished into the shadows.
Suddenly, a murderous intent was felt from behind. Damian immediately turned around.
The Weapon Master was swinging his sword at Damian. Damian raised Dawn to block the attack.
“Impressive reflexes, to notice this.”
The Weapon Master twisted his lips into a grin.
In truth, Damian already knew the nature of that weapon.
The Dark Blade, ‘Palchetia.’
A weapon that allowed its wielder to move into the enemy’s blind spot in the blink of an eye.
The activation time was short, and there was no cooldown. It could be used consecutively.
“I’ll commend you for blocking my attack, but… your back is wide open!”
Before the Weapon Master even finished speaking, cursed swords flew at him from behind.
“Hehehe! It’s wide open! Your back is wide open!”
“The heart is mine! The heart is mine!”
Just before the cursed swords reached him, the Weapon Master vanished again.
Damian twisted his body immediately, deflecting all the incoming cursed swords.
“Impressive! To fend off our combined attack!”
“Strong! The stronger they are, the more satisfying it is to kill them!”
“The heart! Give me the heart!”
The cursed swords attacked Damian relentlessly, but he remained calm, blocking each strike.
Then, he sensed a murderous intent from the side. Damian turned his head.
The Weapon Master emerged from the shadows, swinging a weapon. Damian instinctively blocked the attack.
But the weapon in the Weapon Master’s hand was different.
It wasn’t a dark sword, but an old wooden sword.
“Could it be…?”
“You recognize it? Then you must know it’s already too late!”
Suddenly, vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around Damian’s legs.
They were so strong it felt like being bound by iron rather than wood.
The Binding Sword, Kitan.
A cursed sword with the power to bind anything it touched.
“Kill him!”
The Weapon Master commanded the cursed swords, which immediately flew at Damian.
With his legs bound, there was no way to fend off the cursed swords coming from all directions.
The Weapon Master was certain of his victory.
“Confuse with the dark sword, bind with the binding sword… I wondered what you were up to, but it’s a rather dull strategy.”
Damian clicked his tongue. Only then did the Weapon Master realize.
For someone in a crisis, Damian’s face was far too emotionless.
“Too mediocre. Just too mediocre.”
Damian lowered his index finger. Suddenly, something fell from the sky.
Swords made of aura blades intercepted the cursed swords. The cursed swords cried out in confusion.
“What is this?!”
“Move aside! We have to kill him!”
The Weapon Master was just as shocked as the cursed swords.
“Is that… the Sword of Mastery?”
The Weapon Master muttered in disbelief.
“How… how is this possible? You haven’t mastered the Sword Saint’s level, have you?”
There was only one level a master class could achieve.
It was a given. A level was the culmination of a knight’s lifelong training.
Yet Damian seemed to mock such common sense by wielding two levels.
“You… what are you…?”
Damian didn’t answer the Weapon Master’s question. Instead, he sheathed his sword, Dawn.
“Dawn has become incomparably stronger!”
Molta’s words echoed in his mind.
“Not to mention its strength! There’s no weapon in this world that can stand against Dawn! If it dares to, it’ll be cut down like a twig!”
Before leaving the order, Molta had passionately explained how Dawn had changed.
“The most amazing thing is its new power! Dawn can store any power to an almost infinite degree! The duration it can hold that power is nearly infinite too!”
At first glance, it seemed like a trivial ability. But Molta had spoken with great confidence.
“And it can release it all at once! It releases the accumulated magic all at once! Can you imagine how powerful that would be?”
While guarding the forge, Damian had periodically stored his excess magic in Dawn. About three days’ worth of magic had accumulated.
Now, Dawn was sheathed. Damian gripped both the hilt and the sheath.
He released the stored magic in Dawn. The magic trapped inside the sheath surged out.
The unleashed magic pushed Dawn out of its sheath.
Damian swung Dawn with that force. As Dawn emerged from the sheath, a blinding light burst forth.
The sudden surge of immense power widened the Weapon Master’s eyes.
“You…!”
As Dawn fully revealed itself, the light exploded.
The burst of light engulfed the Weapon Master.
As the slash of light came at him, the Weapon Master instinctively knew that failing to block it would mean death.
He had to give it his all to survive.
First, he grabbed the shield strapped to his back. He concentrated all his dark magic into the shield.
A thick aura blade enveloped the shield. The Weapon Master braced himself for the attack.
The light clashed with the shield. The Weapon Master gritted his teeth and held on.
But despite his efforts, the shield shattered in an instant.
With no time to evade, the light swallowed the Weapon Master whole.
The enchanted armor he wore was shredded in real-time. Once the armor was gone, the Weapon Master was next.
The light burned the Weapon Master’s entire body. He was swept away by the light, flung far into the distance.
“Ugh… ugh…”
The Weapon Master lay on the ground, groaning in pain.
“What… what happened…?”
He struggled to open his eyes, finally taking in the state of his body.
His skin was completely burned, and his limbs were gone.
“No, no! Aaaah!”
The Weapon Master screamed in agony. But screaming wouldn’t change anything.
“The Immortal Sword! I need the Immortal Sword! Is there no one who can hear me? Bring me the Immortal Sword now!”
The Immortal Sword was a cursed sword without a will. To use it, one had to physically grasp it and give it commands.
But now, the Weapon Master had no limbs.
“The Immortal Sword! Give me the Immortal Sword!”
He could only writhe helplessly, unable to reach the Immortal Sword, even though it was right at his waist.
”…Weapon Master.”
A familiar voice reached him. He turned his head to see Akilo’s face.
It seemed he had been blown all the way to where Akilo was.
“What a pitiful sight. Did you think I allied with you to witness this?”
Akilo sighed deeply, chiding the Weapon Master.
“A… Akilo… help me… there are still… cursed swords… a chance to… counterattack…”
“Yes, I must help. You’re the only one who can defeat that monster.”
Akilo picked up the Weapon Master’s body. With all his limbs gone, he was incredibly light.
“Yes… quickly… plunge the Immortal Sword… into my heart…”
But Akilo didn’t do as the Weapon Master asked. Instead, he approached the furnace.
“What are you… doing…?”
“Weapon Master. Do you remember when I said I needed the final ingredient?”
Only then did the Weapon Master realize the cruel intent in Akilo’s eyes.
“I never mentioned it because it seemed impossible to obtain… but the truth is, that ingredient was you.”
“What are you… planning…?”
“Don’t be afraid. You will now become the cursed sword itself.”
Akilo tossed the Weapon Master into the furnace.