"The battle later will be very intense. If you feel nervous, afraid, and your limbs are stiff, it's very normal. Recruits are like that.
"When that time comes, you only need to do one thing: repeatedly think about what I'm saying now to focus."
Black Sword charged through countless obstacles and rushed towards the Blood Mystic at an astonishing speed. The shadow of the Northland Military Sword Style could be vaguely seen in his movements.
Thales was held in Black Sword's embrace with one arm. He tried his best to look up as the air whistled past his ears.
He held the strange Blade of Purification tightly in his hand.
Following Black Sword, he charged forward at high speed.
"Those two men, even if they are rare supreme class elites, even if they both have powerful legendary anti-mystic equipment, I still have a feeling that they will lose in the end.
"The Blood Calamity — that seemingly harmless little girl is an extremely terrifying opponent. Over the past twelve years, she is the only existence that can make me feel fear and anxiety at the same time."
In the howling cold wind that was so piercing that he could not open his eyes, the second prince opened his mouth and struggled to suck in the air that drifted past his mouth to maintain his breathing.
He could not help but recall Black Sword's last words before they charged forward.
[Her fearsomeness doesn't lie in her uncanny power or her infinite power. Instead, it lies in the fact that she truly possesses the heart of the strong. Even as powerful as she is, she remains calm, cautious, decisive, and resolute. She seizes every opportunity and never underestimates any opponent. She reacts quickly and adapts in a timely manner.]
"Even if she occasionally shows madness, it does not affect her attitude and instincts towards battle.
"That monster has a deep understanding of battle, a perfect understanding, and rich experience. I've only seen it in a few people."
When Black Sword took the first step forward with Thales in tow, the prince's mind was blank.
It was as if he had returned to the Cliff of the Sky and was rapidly falling to the bottom of the cliff hundreds of meters below.
Until the first hydra's tentacle appeared before his eyes, he heard the terrifying sizzling sound of flesh and blood rubbing against each other.
Black Sword calmly grabbed his hand and swung the Blade of Purification.
* Shick! *
The tentacle turned into ashes flew past his eyes.
Thales finally regained his breath. A variety of emotions instantly surged into his heart.
Nervousness, fear, apprehension, and a little excitement and agitation.
"We need to understand one thing first.
"That monster, the Blood Calamity, has never faced us in her true form."
Thales thought of this and gritted his teeth.
He recalled Black Sword's words over and over again in his mind, digesting the shock and surprise he felt just now.
[The "her" standing before us is a fake body created from flesh and blood.]
[This is the information I obtained after fighting her twice, treading the line between life and death. I exchanged my blood for it.]
"In other words, it is not as you said: the legendary anti-mystic equipment cannot seal that monster.
[It's because the person who tried to seal her was unable to lock onto her true body amid the countless pieces of flesh and blood.]
Thales frowned a little and looked at the gentle girl in front.
'Not her?'
In the distance, Giza raised her head and stared at them with a strange expression.
'This … Giza, who appeared after defeating two legendary anti-mystic equipment, is also a fake?'
So, in the birch tree forest, when Sonia shattered 'her' under the Supreme Shield …
How could she appear unscathed?
* Swoosh! * A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Two medium-sized tentacles, one above and one below, swept towards them.
"When we face her, we must exhaust all possibilities, seize every advantage, and bet all our chips, just for the final victory.
"Let's start by finding her true form."
Thales felt waves of power surge in Black Sword's body. Black Sword's feet trembled, and he stepped lightly on a short stone block.
They rose a foot into the air.
Black Sword turned in the air in disbelief and slid through the middle of the two tentacles.
"First, it's the time to attack. When the two men completely fail and she kills them, it will be the moment we step into the battlefield.
"At that time, whether she hesitates, is bewildered, or is simply distracted, it will be a precious, weak advantage for us. Even if it can only save us half a second to charge and get close to her fake body."
In the air, Thales looked up and watched as one of the tentacles flashed past his eyes.
In the distance, he could vaguely see Nicholas, who had fallen to the ground. The Star Killer fought with all his might, and in the end, he was drowned in the mass of tentacles.
There was a piece of tissue that looked like half a tongue in the tentacle. It brushed past Thales' nose and gave off a nauseating smell of blood and acid.
Thales suppressed the discomfort in his stomach and throat and forced himself not to close his eyes. He wanted to see his enemy clearly.
'All possibilities.
'All advantages.
'All my chips.'
He gritted his teeth and repeated Black Sword's words in his heart.
"Next, it's our offense. Once the battle starts, we will immediately reveal the legendary anti-mystic equipment, which is the natural enemy of Mystics. While intimidating her, we will make her immersed in shock and doubt for even a second, which will expose more flaws.
"We will also attract more of her attention — on me."
Black Sword gripped his sword-wielding hand tightly. The blade of the Blade of Purification danced in the air and slid past the two tentacles, leaving two wounds on them.
The tentacles quickly withered and turned black, as if they were instantly burnt, and finally turned into ashes.
They were only thirty meters away from 'Giza'.
In the distance, the Blood Mystic, who had been paying attention to them, let out a soft "huh?"
'Giza' inhaled slowly. The blood-colored patterns on her face began to tremble slightly.
'That's right.
'Aside from the Soul Slayer Pike and Severing Souls Blade … the third legendary anti-mystic equipment.
'What a night full of surprises.'
The flying ashes stained Thales' face and mixed with the melted snow.
In the next moment, Thales felt his entire body freeze. Black Sword landed on his feet. He supported himself with his left hand and regained his balance.
He did not lose his momentum and continued to press forward.
The oncoming cold wind quickly turned the melted snow on Thales' face into ice crystals. The little prince grimaced and the ice crystals slid down his almost frozen face.
A huge tentacle attacked out of thin air!
In an instant, it split into countless small tentacles and intercepted the black sword from all directions and angles.
It looked as if it wanted to stop them at all costs.
And they could not avoid it.
Thales was already prepared. Black Sword was going to use his Blade of Purification to carve out a path of survival that would be filled with flesh and blood, and ashes.
Then, Black Sword lowered his body and faced the hundreds of terrifying tentacles that resembled snake tongues. The power in his body surged, and he immediately spun around.
In his shock and bewilderment, Thales suddenly felt dizzy.
'"We must also carefully consider the direction of our breakthrough. Find a path filled with ruins and obstacles. It will provide us with the best field of vision and cover for our defense, even if it can only cover an inch of our bodies and block one attack."'
Black Sword chose a rocky road filled with obstacles. Houses that had collapsed due to the fierce battle between the two Mystics could be seen everywhere.
They turned into a low house that had been destroyed. A wall of earth stood between them and the countless small tentacles.
The tentacles attacked in a large area, covering a far larger area than the wall of earth. The tentacles that were scattered all around quickly swept past the wall of earth.
* Bang! *
The tentacles that were concentrated in the center mercilessly exerted force and smashed the wall of earth!
Soil and stones flew towards Thales' face. Black Sword raised his arm and blocked some of them.
However, just as the wall of earth shattered and the momentum of the tentacles that smashed it weakened, Black Sword moved again.
A strange power spread through his legs. With a calm expression, Black Sword instantly sped up!
* Swoosh … *
Black Sword charged head-on and broke through the cracked wall of earth. He squeezed into the weakest gap, allowing the flying soil and stones to graze the other parts of his body, leaving behind countless bloody marks.
Thales shut his eyes tightly, feeling the dust and soil graze his face.
Black Sword held Thales' hand tightly against the flying soil and stones. He swung the Blade of Purification lightly and cut off five to six small tentacles in front of the wall of earth.
The stench of blood and burning filled Thales' nostrils. The ashes of flesh and blood scattered around them.
Black Sword broke through the wall of earth, and they rushed another five meters forward.
"Only by cherishing every opportunity in battle, just like how a traveler in the desert treasures every drop of water, can we accumulate every little bit to make a mickle and build a wall out of sand. Victory and survival are built on the meticulous carving of every detail."
'"Especially when facing the Blood Calamity."'
With the strange and rare Power of Eradication, Black Sword dodged left and right under the hydra's frenzied attack. Occasionally, he would use the Blade of Purification to open a path. The path under their feet stirred up waves of dust. Under the contrast of the flying snow, it became even more hazy.
Thales could only grit his teeth and endure the double torture of extreme speed and cold.
He only felt that Black Sword's right arm, which was holding onto him, was tightening, almost cutting him into two.
However, they were getting closer and closer to 'Giza'.
There were less than twenty meters left.
'"When we reach a certain distance, you will enter her field of vision."'
'Giza' saw the boy in Black Sword's arms clearly.
She then smiled.
"I see. I was wondering why Kilika couldn't find you after searching everywhere …" the Mystic said softly. Her clear voice sounded as if it was right beside his ear.
Thales could vaguely see the Blood Mystic's terrifying expression as he moved, dodged, broke through, and fought with Black Sword in a frenzy.
[My condition is terrible. I can't maintain my charge for too long. Fortunately, we have the Blade of Purification, which can ensure that we are not affected by her ability. At least, we won't be suddenly captured by her bizarre manipulation of flesh.]
"So you found yourself a new bodyguard. What an amazing child …"
'Giza' glanced at the expressionless Black Sword, who had extraordinary skills. She watched as their charging figures closed in.
"Don't worry." The blood-red stripes on Giza's face branched off again, making her smile look even more bizarre. "Everything will be over soon."
Thales shuddered.
[If her target is you, with such a close distance and a weak prey that she is determined to capture, there is a high chance that she will not retreat or evade. She will rely on the advantage of being unable to be sealed as you said to kill me and take you down in the shortest time possible.]
Giza raised her hands abruptly.
"Puchi!"
Behind her, the hydra, Kilika, roared. Six gigantic tentacles grew out of its body.
Amidst the exaggerated tremors and noises, the gigantic tentacles attacked them from the ground, under the ground, and in the air.
[That will be our chance.]
A giant tentacle of flesh and blood blocked their path.
Black Sword gripped Thales' right hand calmly.
At that moment, Black Sword turned his gaze and looked in one direction with a cold expression.
"Hiss …"
The tentacles split open. Countless black monsters with long, narrow, tiny limbs, and hideous spikes instantly sprang out from the flesh formed by the broken limbs. They were the size of a child and were covered in hideous spikes.
The monsters landed on the ground and shuddered one after another. The spikes on their bodies stretched out like blades.
[Her true body should be hidden in those disgusting creatures made of flesh and blood. Underground, in the tentacles, in that huge monster, or in any other possible flesh and blood. Just like how water melts into the sea and trees are hidden in the forest.]
[We need to find her true body among the countless piles of flesh and blood.]
* Hiss … *
Like starving larvae, the monsters opened up an organ in their bodies and let out a terrifying hissing sound.
In the next moment, the pitch-black monsters raised their 'heads' and swung their limbs. Some of them ran, some jumped, some rolled, and some crawled. There were even a few monsters who spread their equally ugly black wings in the air. They swarmed towards Black Sword and Thales, covering the sky and the earth. They surrounded Black Sword and Thales in a densely packed manner!
At that moment, the smiling 'Giza' in front of them was obscured by these terrifying little things.
* Hiss … Hiss … *
Thales shuddered. He looked at the horrifying scene in front of him and felt his skin crawl.
[The Blood Mystic is extremely good at gaining experience in battle and quickly turning it into combat power. When she encounters enemies and methods she has used before, such as myself, for the second time, she will immediately have a corresponding new method to counter them.]
'This means …
'Using the same move a second time is ineffective against the remaining fighters … Bah, bah …'
Thales threw away the unnecessary thoughts and tried his best to focus his mind.
He was in the most dangerous battle.
'I can't be distracted.'
Thales faced the cold wind that blew against his face. He opened his eyes in pain. He felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest as he moved at high speed.
He bit his lip hard and could only focus by recalling Black Sword's words.
[The first time we fought, I used 'Tremor', a move I learned from a supreme class assassin and modified. I slid her tentacles away.
[However, the second time we met in the alley, once I used 'Tremor' again, she immediately changed her strategy and used a new method. She transformed her flesh and used sharp bone spikes to break the move.]
"Did you see that? The monsters with bone spikes … "Black Sword's words traveled into Thales' ears intermittently amidst the sound of the wind." They exist to suppress my 'Tremor'. "
Thales sucked in a deep breath and focused his gaze on the black monsters.
They were hideous in shape, but when they were combined with their shocking numbers … Thales felt a chill run down his spine.
That feeling was like a group of child-sized black locusts, tens of thousands of them, blotting out the sky and covering the earth as they pounced towards him.
Without hesitation, Black Sword rushed towards the group of monsters in front of him, as if the danger before him was not life-threatening, but a beautiful dream.
[So, the second time we fought, I was suppressed by her in just a few seconds.
I almost died in the hands of these little monsters.]
This time, Black Sword did not hold back. He did not use tricks or save energy.
Thales felt Black Sword's body tremble beside him. A pulsation that seemed to have a substance surged from the depths of his body.
He knew that this was the Sin of Hell's River.
It was the Sin of Hell's River that belonged solely to Black Sword, and it was ten thousand times stronger, more skillful, and more effective than Thales' own power.
The chill that surrounded the surface of his body seemed to have a substance that seeped into Thales' heart, causing him to tremble.
Thales felt that the man beside him had become different.
Black Sword's expression became solemn and gloomy.
His faintly discernible aura began to become fierce and violent, and the muscles on his body began to swell.
Black Sword's pupils, which were already firm and fierce, slowly widened as more and more light entered his eyes.
At that moment, Black Sword was like a fierce beast that slowly opened its eyes and bared its claws and teeth.
Finally, the first pitch-black monster attacked from the air. It was only a foot away from Black Sword's head.
The bone spikes on its body trembled slightly and seemed to have become sharper. Behind it were countless ferocious and terrifying monsters of the same species. Amidst their roars, they swarmed towards Black Sword from all directions.
Compared to them, the size of the Blade of Purification seemed insignificant.
[At that time, I had no choice but to use Instant Death in the midst of those monsters. I extinguished all signs of life to avoid her senses and snatched my life back.
[I think, when we meet for the third time later, she will immediately have a way to counter Instant Death.]
* Hiss … *
The spider-like monsters surged towards Black Sword like a huge, pitch-black wave. They wanted to capsize this powerless boat in an instant.
Thales sucked in a sharp breath and held it tightly. He clamped his left arm, which was trembling unconsciously, under his armpit.
No matter who the man beside him was, at this point …
He could only trust Black Sword.
Trust him.
[But at that moment, when she transformed her tentacles into countless bone spikes, I sensed …]
In the next moment, Black Sword let out a low growl as he faced the boundless wave formed by the pitch-black monsters. He pressed Thales into his arms with his four limbs and held the Blade of Purification tightly in front of his chest.
Just before the first monster pierced its bone spikes into Black Sword's head …
Black Sword instantly restrained his entire body. Then, he tilted and fell forward … towards the monsters!
He was like a small boat that was capsized in a huge wave.
In an instant, Thales felt everything around him spin.
The countless pitch-black monsters that belonged to the Mystics also began to spin in his field of vision.
They were getting closer and closer.
Thales was also getting more and more dizzy.
Then, a wave that belonged to him surged into Thales' brain in a timely manner and calmed his dizziness.
[I sensed a vigorous wave coming from a certain direction in the flesh she hid underground …]
Black Sword's body had long since shrunk into the shape of a ball. He rolled towards the aggressive pitch-black monsters with ferocious bone spikes.
They continued to roll forward.
[In my senses, that wave is extremely obvious. It's almost impossible to hide.]
Black Sword's right elbow hit the ground hard!
* Thud! *
It landed on a low stone block.
[I believe … that's her true form.
I'm sure!]
In the next moment, Thales felt Black Sword's right arm, which was wrapped around him, vibrate intensely.
* Bang! *
A muffled cracking sound came from the ground.
It sounded like an explosion in a stew pot.
Then, the stone block shattered in an instant. A huge slab of stone strangely rose from the ground!
The moment the stone slab flew into the air, Black Sword's tumbling body suddenly stopped!
Thales felt nauseous. He saw stars and was about to vomit.
Black Sword then stomped his feet on the ground. Using inertia, he formed a sharp angle with the ground and charged forward at an accelerated angle.
Black Sword used his muscular right arm to block the huge stone slab. In an instant, it was right in front of Black Sword, and he pushed it forward.
This reduced Black Sword's speed.
However, it provided him with protection.
[This is our biggest bargaining chip … the ability to lock onto the monster's true form!]
[However, that momentary sense can only give me a rough direction. If we attack recklessly, she will only notice it in advance and evade it.]
[So, what we need to do next is to endure her attacks and charge a certain distance away …]
[Then, we can force out that abnormal wave of hers for the second time!]
[This way, the place where the two straight lines intersect in two directions will be where her true form is!]
In that second, Black Sword pushed against the thick stone slab and charged into the group of monsters.
Everything around them darkened. The monsters that filled the sky and the ground blocked their entire vision.
* Hiss … * Countless hisses filled Thales' ears, making him agitated and flustered.
'Will they succeed?
'Yes … I guess?'
The first monster's spike went straight for Black Sword's cheek.
Black Sword lowered his head slightly and hid his face behind the stone slab.
* Shing! *
The monster's bone spike pierced the stone slab and created bright sparks. However, it could not even scratch a hair on Black Sword's body. It could only 'watch' as Black Sword rushed past its side.
The second monster extended a barbed bone spike and slashed at Black Sword's abdomen — where Thales was.
Thales watched the bone spike get closer and listened to the hissing in his ears. His mind was blank.
However, Black Sword only moved slightly. The stone slab immediately changed its angle and stuck to his abdomen, blocking the monster's sudden spike.
* Bang! *
With the protection of the stone slab, Black Sword continued to charge forward.
Countless black spider-like monsters swarmed around Black Sword and Thales like a swarm of locusts.
Amidst the sounds of countless stone slabs and bone spikes colliding, scraping, and knocking, Black Sword held Thales, whose face had turned pale and whose lips had turned blue. He lowered his head and pushed against the stone slab as he charged forward wildly.
Occasionally, one or two monsters would slip through the cracks between the stone slabs and leave trails of blood on Black Sword's abdomen, thighs, shoulders, and other areas. However, they were all reduced to ashes by the Blade of Purification that Thales held in his hand, or flung away with extreme speed.
Thales kept his eyes wide open. In his field of vision, countless black bone spikes and appendages flashed past his eyes like flowing water.
'"The second time we forced her to' transform ', force her to release fluctuations, and reveal her true form, is at …"
The protective stone slab shattered inch by inch under the countless impacts in just a few seconds.
Gravel and blood fell from Black Sword's body at the same time.
However, at the same time, Black Sword's body trembled.
'"At …"
* Shing! *
A black monster's spike grazed his shoulder, drawing out a streak of blood.
* Shing! *
Then, the second one pierced his left thigh.
'"The second time I fought her, I used Instant Death!"
However, Black Sword seemed to have lost his sense of smell. His face was ashen. Other than holding Thales tightly in his arms, he did not react to the increasing number of wounds on his body.
It was as if he had lost his senses. He charged forward without feeling anything.
'"A skill that extinguishes the vitality in the body for a short period of time, thus disappearing from the enemy's senses."'
In an instant, Thales felt the man's muscles stiffen.
He continued moving, but the strength in his body seemed to have disappeared in an instant. His breathing stopped, his skin stiffened, his movements slowed, and even his eyes lost their luster.
In an instant, Thales even felt that Black Sword's figure in his field of vision — he did not know if it was an illusion — slowly became blurry.
Thales knew that Black Sword's Instant Death had been activated.
He anxiously stared at the black monsters that were still charging towards them with hissing sounds.
Soon, Thales no longer had to be anxious.
Countless black monsters charged towards them in a frenzy. However, like headless flies, they surged past them.
Amidst the terrifying hissing sounds, the monsters that were originally charging in the same direction like a raging wave suddenly became chaotic, like disturbed lake water.
Almost every monster froze on the spot and trembled madly. Like helpless children, they continuously 'looked' around them.
The monsters started jumping and circling around them, but they did not notice Black Sword, whose movements had slowed down.
Black Sword was like an old man slowly crossing a river, but also like a small boat going against the current. He slowly advanced through the densely packed black monsters on the ground.
It made Thales' skin crawl.
From time to time, Black Sword was tripped by a monster, bumped into his shoulder, and even got scratched. However, he still carried Thales and walked among the monsters, unscathed.
All the way forward.
Thales exhaled slowly. Black Sword, along with himself, had completely disappeared from the monsters' senses.
At the same time, he remembered Black Sword's warning.
'"' She has seen Instant Death before. She will definitely have a new way to counter me, whether it be transformation, rampage, amplification, proliferation, or instigation of that big monster to transform." '
In the distance, 'Giza's' figure paused for a moment. The Mystic's lips twitched slightly.
In the next moment, the hydra Kilika behind her roared again!
At that moment, all the black monsters beside Black Sword transformed simultaneously.
Thales watched in astonishment as one to three bone spikes on the back of these little monsters let out cracking sounds before they turned into soft, straight, and thin limbs …
The limbs became smaller, sharper, and softer.
'Like … antennae?'
The monsters that had transformed into antennae seemed to have suddenly seen light in the dark. They no longer trembled and spun around like headless flies. Instead, they raised their antennae and slowly turned them around.
The monsters' antennae trembled slowly as if they had a life of their own. They swept towards Black Sword and Thales in unison.
Then, they slowly stopped.
They seemed to have sensed Black Sword's location.
It was as if … they were making a final confirmation.
'Sh * t.'
Thales was shocked.
As expected, even though it had only been fifteen minutes since their last fight, Giza had already prepared a way to counter Instant Death.
'And it seems to be quite effective?'
He anxiously looked at Black Sword, who was still holding him and struggling to move through the horde of monsters.
However, the latter only closed his eyes and moved slowly like a dead tree.
Thales was extremely anxious.
'Giza has already moved — shapeshifting or some other method …'
'So, Black Sword, isn't it time for you to wake up?'
'When that time comes, I will be able to sense her true body's location for the second time … and completely lock onto her!'
Thales hugged the Blade of Purification in front of his chest and watched the little monsters gradually aim their antennae at Black Sword. His heart thumped furiously.
In the end, he could not help but extend a finger and poke Black Sword's chest.
But this time, it was as if he had poked a hornet's nest!
In an instant, all the black monsters seemed to have suddenly awakened from their slumber. They carried trembling antennae on their backs and ferocious bone spikes. Once again, they let out a terrifying hiss and stomped their hind legs together!
They pounced towards Black Sword and Thales.
* Hiss … *
At that moment, Thales had goosebumps all over his body!
But it was also at that moment …
Black Sword, who looked like an old man with one foot in the grave, suddenly moved!
As if it was the first breath of air he had taken since he was born, Black Sword took a deep breath. Then, his entire body trembled as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.
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