Chapter 14: In the Abyss, the Sword Wields the Person Part 2

Released:

The horn dagger, crafted from the processed horn of a Bicorn, was longer than an ordinary dagger but shorter than the longsword held by the corpse demon.

In most cases, the length of a weapon was a decisive factor in determining the advantage or disadvantage in close combat. Naturally, Kriel who was wielding the shorter weapon found himself at a disadvantage.

But that was in most cases.

Just like the corpse demon had disarmed Kriel’s greatsword with his longsword, this world that was full of mysteries and supernatural powers allowed for phenomena that defied the “ordinary” and the “logical”.

And Kriel too was far from an ordinary being.

A dark knight from beyond the Abyss. A living contradiction. A bizarre phenomenon that bordered on the absurd.

He had no shortage of ways to deal with crises considered “normal”.

Kriel unleashed the suppressed energy of his bloodlust. The horn dagger emitted a strange, resonating sound as it condensed his blood energy.

Unlike the chaotic, web-like tendrils of blood energy that clung to his greatsword, the energy that gathered on the horn dagger was refined and smooth. It resembled a new crimson blade layered over the original edge.

[Kieeeek! Damn it, Kriel, what is this energy?!]

“Shut up and bear with it.”

With the shrill, undignified scream of Orishin serving as a signal, Kriel and the corpse demon charged at each other.

***

The corpse demon was different from Kriel. It didn’t need to worry about any side effects from using its supernatural abilities. After all, its mind that was once tasked with preserving its life had long since withered away.

A magic circle unfolded in the corpse demon’s left hand. The entire Abyss resonated as if trembling. With a crackling, ominous sound, fractures formed in the space around them.

The rupture spread outward like fine cracks in glass, radiating from the corpse demon as its center. From these gaps emerged a blue light, cold as the depths of winter.

A bone-chilling gust of wind swept through the area. In the next moment, the wind began to solidify into glaciers.

An ice wall erupted across the entire path where Kriel advanced. The frost rising from the ground slowed the knight’s steps, and sharp ice spikes sprouting from the walls reached for his wrists to restrain him.

Amidst the maze of blue barriers, the crimson blade danced freely. Where the greatsword had been cumbersome, Kriel now moved with a swiftness that was almost carefree. He leaped gracefully and used the ice spikes as a foothold for a quick charge. The ice branches along the walls could not keep up with his speed.

Even as it prepared for impact, the corpse demon formed another spell with its left hand. From the fracture in the ceiling, a huge ice spike began to form. Its trajectory aimed to strike Kriel from his blind spot.

However, this too was blocked. The right hand holding the horn dagger traced a smooth curve. Following the guidance of the blade, the path of the falling object twisted. The end of its trajectory led straight to the corpse demon.

A chunk of ice the size of a human torso hurtled toward the corpse demon. With an upward slash executed without even taking a proper stance, the demon’s sword chopped the massive block of ice filling its entire field of vision into pieces.

However, behind it stood Kriel. Red blood energy and blue chill collided.

With a thunderous roar, beams of light shattered into thousands of fragments and scattered. The shorter length of the horn dagger, compared to the demon’s weapon, was no longer a disadvantage. They were now locked in close-quarters combat at a range far closer than what the corpse demon had intended. Without giving the demon any space to move, Kriel continued his offensive.

Rather than clinging to its disadvantageous melee battle, the corpse demon actively used magic. Whenever Kriel aimed for the right hand that gripped the demon sword, the ice forming in midair cleverly blocked the attack and bought time.

Orishin, who had crashed into chunks of ice several times, let out a shriek.

[Kkieeeeeeeek!It’s hot and cold! I’m not some dried fish, you know!]

Although it seemed as though he was merely screaming, Orishin was actually fulfilling his role as a spirit in his own way. The chill harnessed by the corpse demon did not simply end with the creation of ice.

A magical cold permeated the entire space. Orishin neutralized the clutch of that severe cold and helped Kriel accelerate.

Kriel counted his remaining blood energy. He had accumulated a considerable amount while slaughtering the monsters near Loran Village to lure out Orishin, but after the battle with Orishin and during the subsequent confrontation with the corpse demon, there had been no further chance to replenish it.

Could I barely keep this going until the end of this fight?

He had enough blood energy left to exchange a few more blows, but beyond that remained uncertain.

A brief regret surfaced. He should have been more diligent in gathering blood energy. But Kriel quickly shook his head.

A diligent Dark Knight is bound to fall faster.

In contrast to Kriel, whose blood energy had limits, the corpse demon, or more precisely, the demon sword controlling that corpse, seemed to have no limit to its dark power. The storm of ice that accompanied each sword strike gradually slowed Kriel’s offensive.

Crunch. One of the ice crystals raining down like droplets dented his shoulder guard. Fortunately, only the plate armor was damaged; the flesh beneath remained untouched.

[Every time I try to cut off its wrist, it immediately blocks me. You must have received a lot of criticism for being so good at fighting!]

Orishin’s grumbling perfectly reflected Kriel’s state of mind. He realized he first had to separate the corpse demon’s body from the demon sword in order to subdue it, but whenever he attempted to cut off its hand, it diverted all the magical power intended for offense into defense.

That instinctive defense was also the reason Kriel could still maintain his offensive despite the onslaught of the blizzard. Whenever the corpse demon threatened to seize the initiative, Kriel would target the hand while risking damage to himself if necessary. That was to reset the tide of battle.

But even that was reaching its limit. Once he used up all of his blood energy, Kriel would be forced either into a defensive posture or into resorting to his resentment.

Neither option is good.

Kriel pondered how to break through this predicament.

It would be great if I suddenly awakened some new skill that doesn’t rely on blood energy or resentment, but I’m a Dark Knight. Even if I did awaken, it’d probably just be another Abyss technique.

Having met his daily quota of contempt for Dark Knights, Kriel considered other possibilities.

Morgina might come to save me. It’s possible, but who knows how long it will take to destroy the Abyss Core? Since I was confident I could buy time, she might try a slower yet safer method of cleansing it rather than just destroying it outright.

Can’t I avoid this?

It was the moment Kriel seriously considered resorting to his resentment. His eyes caught sight of his greatsword, trapped within the Abyss. The sword grasped and rendered immobile lay deep within the Abyss’s grasp.

Upon seeing his blade held captive, Kriel allowed a triumphant smile to spread across his face.

Slowly, Kriel’s offensive began to wane. The precision of his once relentless strikes dulled, and the balance of attack and defense shifted once more. The red glow that had enveloped his horn dagger dimmed, leaving the Abyss shimmering in an eerie blue color.

Now, the horn dagger was no longer being wielded to clash with the enemy’s weapon but was used mainly to guard against magic. The corpse demon seized upon this opening without hesitation.

A blade shrouded in a cold blue energy shot toward Kriel’s heart. It was an attack aimed at a vital spot that would not only end his life in an instant but also absorb his life force most effectively.

Kriel knew exactly where the demon would aim. He quickly twisted his body and swung his horn dagger in defense. But the blades did not collide. The demon dodged Kriel’s weapon and continued his thrust.

The tip of the corpse demon’s blade struck Kriel’s plate armor, which encased his ribcage. At that instant, a bitter cold emanated from the sword’s tip, seeping into the metal. Unable to withstand the sudden shift in temperature, the armor shattered into fragments.

Just as the blade was about to pierce his chest, Kriel twisted his body at an unusual angle.

Craaaaaack!

A sharp sound echoed as the blade scraped against the gaps between his ribs. The corpse demon’s sword failed to reach his heart and became lodged between his ribs instead.

Red blood dripped from the blade’s ashen surface and froze before it could even flow. The demon moved to cut through Kriel’s body, planning to sever it, bones and all, with one swing of the embedded blade.

However, Kriel had already redirected all the blood energy wrapped around his horn dagger to fortify his body instead. By combining his fighting spirit and blood energy at the same time, Kriel’s body became tougher than steel at that moment.

At this closest distance, Orishin’s blessing struck the demon directly. As a manifestation of nature’s authority, the spirits were able to neutralize the influence of the Abyss. The corpse demon’s arm trembled and broke free of the demon’s control.

The corpse demon quickly moved another part of its body, practically throwing itself away from Kriel in an attempt to escape and reorganize its stance.

But then—

Clench. Kriel’s left hand seized the demon’s right arm.

At that moment, the horn dagger swung once more. The demon hastily cast a spell and conjured multiple layers of ice walls between the dagger and its arm.

Even though it had managed to block the first strike, there was no way to free its arm this time. In an instant, Kriel flipped the horn dagger into a reverse grip and stabbed through the ice wall as though tearing it apart. Amid the fragments of shattered ice, the final blow followed.

The horn dagger pierced through the joint between the shoulder and arm. Kriel’s firmly clenched hand twisted the hilt.

The blade that was now embedded in the demon’s shoulder twisted in an arc and carved a semicircle. In less than a second, three-quarters of the demon’s shoulder had been severed by the dagger.

However, the angle wasn’t ideal for completing a full rotation with the hilt. At this rate, the wound would soon regenerate. In that moment, Kriel displayed the improvisation of a skilled warrior.

With a sound like a burst of air, a lightning-fast kick slammed into the corpse demon’s abdomen. The demon’s arm attempted to follow the rest of its body as it was flung away, but Kriel’s grip with his left hand did not allow it.

As a result, the arm remained in place while the demon’s body was violently hurled away into the distance. No blood spattered; the demon’s blood had already frozen solid.

From the torn wound, a few strands of red frost drifted down, melting as they brushed against Kriel’s face. Only then did Kriel finally pull out the demon’s right arm.

The severed arm still held the weapon, but its grip was slowly loosening. At last, when the strength in the fingers gave out, the ashen blade slipped and fell to the ground.

A sharp metallic clang echoed in Kriel’s ears. At the pitiful sight of the fallen weapon, Kriel threw the severed arm far away before collapsing to the ground himself.

[Wow, I thought you were done for! You okay?]

The moment the battle ended, Orishin began chattering away. This was likely an attempt to keep Kriel from passing out. Kriel held his chest and muttered.

“It hurts like hell.”

[Ha! If you’ve got the energy to swear, you must be fine! Honestly, when you went, ‘Let’s catch the blade with my ribs, yep!’ I thought you’d lost your mind!]

Kriel let out a faint chuckle, but the motion sent a fresh wave of pain surging from his wounds. A sound halfway between a groan and a cough escaped his lips.

[Which knight order taught you such crazy techniques?]

“I read it in a novel.”

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