Chapter 15: Weight of the Blade
Kael moved before his thoughts could catch up.
One moment, Reya was faltering—her spear knocked from her hand, blood trailing down her temple—and the next, the Warlord's obsidian war-club was descending on her like a falling star.
Kael blinked forward.
> [Phantom Draw – Activated]
[Draw Cut Sync: 26.7%]
[Perfect Guard – Triggered]
Kureha met the war-club with a sharp, echoing crack. The impact nearly drove Kael to his knees. The ground buckled under his boots, fractured like glass under pressure. Pain lanced through his arms, his ribs, even his vision, but he held the line.
Reya was still alive.
The Warlord pulled back with a roar. It was huge—easily four meters tall, plated in bone, covered in tribal war paint that still shimmered under the flames of the arena. Its eyes were molten. Its muscles pulsed with corrupted mana.
And it was angry now.
"Reya, move!" Kael shouted through clenched teeth.
She rolled away with a grunt, clutching her dislocated shoulder, but she didn't run far. "Not without you."
Then came Darius.
The Juggernaut charged from behind, halberd gleaming with faint-blue energy—his class ability winding tighter with every step. He roared as he leapt, bringing the barbed blade down between the Warlord's shoulder blades.
> [Backstab Bonus – Triggered]
[Weak Point – Hit: Spinal Joint]
[Boss HP: 21% → 9%]
The Warlord stumbled. Bellowed. Its skin cracked from the impact, leaking black, steaming ichor.
It wasn't dead.
It evolved.
> [Boss Phase Shift: CORRUPTED SURGE ENGAGED]
Corruption Level: MAX
State: BERSERK
Attack Speed: +40%
Damage Output: +60%
Defense: -30%
Duration: Until Death
A tremor rippled through the arena.
The Warlord's horns shattered, replaced by glowing antler-like growths. Its club disintegrated into burning ash—and from the remains, a blade of bone and fire emerged in its hand.
It screamed.
Then attacked.
---
Kael barely ducked as the blade swept over him, trailing flame. A second later, the swing exploded into a shockwave that sent Reya flying into a support pillar.
Darius tried to counter again—but this time, the Warlord was faster.
A backhand caught him full in the chest.
Kael watched, helpless, as Darius was launched like a broken doll across the field, armor sparking as he collided with stone.
> [Player DARIUS VALE – Status: Critical]
[HP: 12 / 260]
"Darius!"
Kael blinked forward again, trying to draw aggro, but the Warlord wasn't fooled. Its corrupted AI had adapted. It moved erratically now, untethered by patterns or restraint.
Reya reappeared, bloodied but resolute. She hurled her spear from a blind spot—it struck the Warlord's neck but didn't pierce. It did, however, buy Kael the moment he needed.
The Ronin exhaled.
Then moved.
He slid behind the beast's leg, dropped low, and sheathed Kureha.
> [Draw Cut – Sync: 28.4%]
[Technique Chain: Blade Memory – Activated]
[Finisher Attempt: Critical Point – Base of Skull]
Time slowed.
Kael's fingers gripped the sheath.
He drew.
The blade hummed as it tore through wind, muscle, and madness in a single upward arc. It severed tendons, spine, nerve cluster—and it wasn't alone. Reya blinked in again, using her backup spear, and stabbed up into the Warlord's exposed throat.
> [Dual Hit – Coordinated Execution]
[Boss HP: 6% → 1%]
But it wouldn't die.
The Warlord roared—spitting blood and flame—and lifted its new blade high above Reya's head.
Kael's heart stopped.
Then Darius, broken ribs and all, surged up behind it.
He didn't speak.
He just rammed his halberd into the creature's chest with every last ounce of fury he had left.
The Warlord froze.
Cracks splintered through its chest, its shoulders, its skull.
Then—
> [Boss Defeated – Ogre Warlord Eliminated]
[EXP Gained: +900]
[Unique Drop Unlocked: Core of the Black Flame]
[Hidden Objective Completed – Unbreakable Trio]
Reward: Skill Link Sigil (1x) + Permanent +2 to Mental Clarity for All Survivors Present
Kael collapsed to one knee as the creature exploded in red light.
The battlefield was quiet again.
Except for their breathing.
---
> [Kael Draven – Level Up: Lv. 9 → Lv. 10]
[EXP: 90 / 1400]
[Mental Clarity: +2 → 9]
[New Passive Unlocked – "Instinct: Edge of Death"]
Effect: Temporarily boosts draw speed and reflex on fatal HP triggers. 10s duration. 60s cooldown.
---
Kael sat there for a long time, staring at the hilt of his sword. Blood clung to the metal. The arena stank of ash and smoke. He could still feel the tremors in his legs.
Darius stumbled over and fell beside him, laughing with a wheeze.
"Thought we were goners," he said, coughing blood into his hand. "Damn… You swing like the world owes you something."
Kael didn't answer at first.
Then: "It does."
A beat.
Reya approached from the shadows, her eyes dark, her steps slow. She dropped next to them and nodded once.
"That was insane," she whispered. "We shouldn't have won that."
Kael looked at both of them.
"Then let's make sure it meant something."
They sat in silence as the system displayed the updated kill count.
> [Global Ogre Kill Total: 878 / 1,000]
[Time Remaining: 11:03:41]
Not much time left.
But enough.
---
📊 Kael Draven – Status (End of Chapter 15)
> Level: 10
Class: Ronin (Unique)
Checkpoint: Sector 14 – Warlord Arena
Wounds: Major (Bruised Ribs, Muscle Tear)
Mental Clarity: 9
Ash Memory: 10%
Reputation: 4
CP: 177
EXP: 90 / 1400
World Rank: #8,701
---
Skills & Techniques
Draw Cut Lv. 1 (Sync: 28.4%)
Iaido Step Lv. 1
Phantom Draw Lv. 1
Reflex Trace Lv. 1
---
Perks & Passives
Edge Memory
Swarmbane
Keen Edge
Nest-Culler (Title)
Instinct: Edge of Death (New)
---
Team
Darius Vale – Juggernaut (Injured)
Reya Vance – Spear Valkyrie (Stable)
---
Status
Weary, but alive.
The Warlord is dead.
The end of the Trial is near.