Chapter 42 Dark Swordsman
Hodrea’s actions sparked imagination in Ig. Why would the opponent deliberately leave the mark of the abyss on him? He didn’t believe it was a random act.
Was it to treat him as a vessel, waiting for the buried mark to mature before devouring him?
“This is the abyss’s choice.”
Hodrea suddenly spoke, raising his gaze indifferently. The greatsword in his hand scraped against the ground, and the viscous abyss seemed to pour out, suddenly slashing towards Ig.
“Bang!”
The pitch-black sword edge was filthy, but what was even more terrifying was the power within it.
The Sacred Sword dagger, condensed to resist, was shattered. Ig raised his End, blocked with a clang, and was sent flying back. The light in his pupils flickered, his eyes stinging from the endless abyss. He raised the edge of his End, the condensed demonic power flowing into the sharpness of the blade, and in the next instant, unleashed a sharp sword that seemed to cut through the world!
“This is the authority of ‘Severance.’ However, you are merely imitating.”
Hodrea’s cold tone came from behind the greatsword. The clashing dark sword edges roared against End. The abyss tide, heavy as a black curtain, was cut by Sword Qi, but infinite dark demonic power surged forward, followed by Hodrea’s terrifying greatsword!
—Roar roar!
The aftermath of the Sword Qi ravaged the surrounding earth. Ig bore the heavy blow that condensed the abyss’s will. The greatsword fell, nearly breaking his body. The opponent’s voice reached his ears, and on End, the Sword Intent condensed by ‘Severance’ was dulled and ground away by the impact of countless layers of heavy Sword Qi.
The Dark Swordsman paused. The greatsword that struck End shifted sideways, a greater power condensing within it, and was suddenly thrust towards Ig’s body!
It was merely a single thrust with the greatsword, but in his vision, it seemed as if all light and darkness it touched had collapsed, leaving only the filthy abyss!
End blocked the path of the dark greatsword’s thrust. With a roar, the heavy force impacted Ig’s body. Even with the blocking of “Eternal Darkness,” the unstoppable power still sent him flying.
The sound of the wind and the pain of being scraped like a blade tore through the ringing in his ears. Ig’s “True Sight” pupils struggled to focus, his palm pressed firmly against End, the sword edge drawing two sword marks in mid-air.
One was a flowing starlight, the other a gray return to nothingness. The two sword marks instantly intertwined and attacked the Dark Swordsman.
A sharp glint flickered in the opponent’s gaze. The pitch-black greatsword was ignited with the fire of the abyss. As Hodrea swung it, he roared and pierced through the intertwining of the two sword lights. The astonishing Sword Qi, sufficient to easily flatten a mountain, was cut and shattered by the dark greatsword. With a slight movement of his black robe, it left only a minuscule scratch on the armor fragments.
Ig crashed into a dilapidated building. He struggled to stand up amidst the ruins of broken bricks and tiles. In the next moment, the heavy footsteps of the Dark Swordsman sounded, shattering bricks and stones into powder. His figure appeared before him, and he brought his greatsword down directly at him.
Kneeling on the ground, Ig propped up End in front of him. His arms trembled, his bones and flesh unable to withstand such power. They collapsed, blood flowing out. He gritted his teeth with effort, lifted his gaze to meet the swordsman’s. The color in those cold pupils far surpassed the dark starry sky he had ever seen.
“Ig, do you suspect that the abyss views you as food?”
A cold voice came, Hodrea resting his hand on the greatsword. A viscous color surged and covered the blade, like the blood of the abyss. He seemed to see the color in the young man’s pupils and couldn’t help but give a mocking smile, “However, you are not qualified now!”
The dark greatsword trembled, and the abyss aura roared around like molten lava. The surrounding land and buildings were instantly crushed into flat ground. Countless collapsing particles were devoured by darkness, annihilating into even more terrifying power.
Ig was slammed into the ground. The wreckage of the buildings was wantonly destroyed. He crawled out of the huge crater, the young man pressing on his long sword. The darkness on his chest enveloped him, counteracting his injuries, but even so, he couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood, bright red stained with a few strands of murky color.
The mere aftermath of the aura had almost severely wounded him, but Ig knew this was also an expression of the opponent holding back.
Otherwise, if even a wisp of the Sword Qi truly containing the abyss’s will descended upon him, Ig would not have been so relaxed.
Whether it was the demonic power as a Saint-level, or combat experience, fifty years ago, Hodrea, who had been the most powerful Sacred Domain and even touched the legendary realm, was far beyond what the current him could compare to.
Not to mention, in the Dark Swordsman’s hands, the Holy Sword Fran, which was once used to resist the abyss, was stained with the blood of darkness in its corrosion—the condensation of the abyss’s will.
Even in sword techniques, as Hodrea, the successor of “Sword Saint” Geon, Ig had been unable to find any flaws in his combat up to this point.
Darkness gathered in mid-air. As the swordsman approached, he gazed coldly like a great abyssal serpent.
Struggling to support himself with his sword and stand up, Ig did not believe that the current Hodrea was enough to disregard the “Severance” authority of a demigod like Oran, or that he had surpassed Verafia’s former sword techniques… As the opponent said, these were not his true self after all.
Even the phantom of the Sacred Sword was merely a reflection that Ig imitated and condensed based on the imprint of that sword.
If the true Oran, or Verafia, were standing here, or truly holding the Sacred Sword, even with the same demonic power as now, they wouldn’t be as embarrassed as him…
After all, Ig was currently only a Star, with less than twenty years of lifespan. It was obviously asking too much of him to compare with such a legend now.
“But, Hodrea, you just want to make me use the power of the abyss…”
Such intention was not difficult to guess. Every attack from the opponent made him unable to cope, yet left a trace of room. That was gradually pushing Ig into a desperate situation.
“But…”
“You too have been chosen by the abyss, but Ig, I don’t mind killing you here.” Hodrea’s calm voice came with a chill.
Ig knelt on the broken ground, his pupils lowered, his palm gripping the long sword tightly. End couldn’t help but ring out, like Rufina’s anxious cry.
Rather than being food, he was less concerned about death. However, besides him, there was also Verafia, who had just hatched from the phoenix egg, his girl.
The sword blade flowed with viscous darkness and vibrant flames.
Ig’s palm merely rested on the hilt of the long sword.
Disappointment flowed again in his cold pupils. Hodrea shook his head slightly, a mocking smile appearing at the corner of his lips. Without any hesitation this time, he raised his greatsword, which roared like a tide, and slashed down at the boy before him.
Darkness instantly enveloped his vision. Ig opened his pupils, but it was as if he saw fragments of the memory of the ancient Dark Dragon Midilna. In the eyes of the immortal dragon that devoured endless darkness, there was also the eternal, boundless abyss!
