Chapter 181: Trial By Monsters

The dust from the last clash had barely settled when the two monsters lunged at him again. Their eyes red with raw bloodlust, their claws raking against the earth as they came for Arthur again.

Arthur lowered his stance and raised the sword, Chi flooded his meridians, and at the same time, he injected mana into the blade. The runes etched into the weapon came to life, as though drinking in his power eagerly.

The sword spirit’s voice chuckled inside his mind. “Good… let them taste my power, boy!”

Arthur exhaled, “Haa…” lightning crawling across his armor, then he swung his sword with all his strength.

SHHHHK!

The strike tore through the air before him. The combined power of his Chi, his mana, and the dormant energy stored within the sword from the previous attack, all unleashed in a single seamless arc. A crescent of golden light ripped across the battlefield.

The bear-like beast never even had the chance to react. The slash cut straight through its thick hide and neck, severing its head clean from its body. The momentum carried its massive form forward, staggering until it collapsed onto its knees, then slumped heavily to the ground with a thunderous crash in front of Arthur.

THOOOOM.

The shockwave of its fall rattled the ground as dust plumed upward.

The arc of energy didn’t stop, it carved onward toward the horned lizard. The lizard’s jagged crown brightened, mana clustering into a barrier in front of it.

KRRRSSSHHHH!

The attack struck, its defense cracked like glass, shattering entirely. It was able to block the attack as the attack lost most of its power in the previous encounter with the bear. The lizard’s scaled body was thrown backward, tumbling and gouging deep trenches in the ground, but it roared defiantly.

Arthur lowered his sword slightly, his breathing was steady.

The battlefield froze as every monster, the dragons, and even the demon’s eyes locked on him.

The sight before them was absurd. A lone Master rank martial artist had just killed an S-rank beast in a single strike.

A beastkin hiding near the treeline stammered, “T-that… that was an S-rank monster right…? H-he killed it just like that!”

The elf who had almost dropped her bow earlier clutched it so tightly her knuckles turned white. “This is impossible. Even a Grandmaster would struggle against a monster like that… and he…” Her companion, a mage, had a pale face.

Among the dragons, one let out a low growl. “That sword…” He narrowed his eyes on Arthur. “It might be one of the divine artifacts from ancient times.”

The demon’s lips curled into a vicious grin, his yellow eyes flashed with greed. “So, the rumors are true. The Ancient Realm holds relics used by the gods themselves. That explains it…” He raised his voice, snarling across the battlefield. “You little bastard! You only managed that because of the sword! Without it, you’re nothing but an insect!”

Arthur rolled his eyes at the demon, lightning crackling faintly off his armor, and smirked. “Maybe. Wanna test that theory?”

The silence didn’t last long.

ROOOOAAAAARRRR!

The lion monster’s mane flared brighter, flames surging as it barreled forward in rage, its eyes locked on Arthur. The ground cracked beneath its claws with every step, the heat rolling off its body melting the ground it passed.

The other monsters followed suit, and the frenzy renewed. To them, Arthur was the thief who dared to take the artifact they were contending for.

From the distance, a dwarven observer wiped dust off his face and body, as he fell from the tree he was on previously. “…We’re watching a suicide. That boy just painted a target on his back the size of a mountain.”

The elf archer shook her head slowly, her eyes still wide. “I think we should leave this place.”

The dwarf scoffed, “Why is there a need to do that? We are not involved in the fight, and they are going to fight amongst themselves after they kill that lad. We can just reap the benefit after they leave after getting the artifact.”

The elf didn’t say anything, she just looked at her group and after discussing something with them, left the area.

…

Arthur, standing amidst the chaos with the sword in his grip, sighed. “Yep… no sneaky exit now.” He leveled the blade at the incoming lion, as he lowered his stance.

The lion monster’s roar shook the battlefield, its mane blazing so hot the air itself distorted in waves around it. Lava bubbled under its claws as it thundered toward Arthur, like a living inferno of rage.

Arthur tightened his grip on the sword, golden arcs of lightning flickering faintly along the blade. “Guess I’m the main course now…”

The lion leapt at him.

BOOOOOM!

Its claws, wreathed in flame nearly as hot as the surface temperature of the sun, came crashing down on him.

Arthur raised the sword just in time.

KRRRRAAANG!

The impact rattled his bones and sent shockwaves rippling outward. His boots cracked the ground as he slid back several meters. The blade trembled in his grip, taking in nearly half the lion’s destructive force, but the other half still made his arms feel like they’d been struck by a battering ram.

“Tch…” Arthur grimaced. “This thing hits like a damn truck.”

The sword spirit cackled in his mind. “Not bad! But don’t get too comfortable, lad. I can only mitigate half of the force of the attack. You’ve still got to shoulder the rest.”

Arthur shoved back, twisting his body and slashing upward. An arc of fire and lightning carved across the lion’s chest, searing through its fur. The beast staggered, snarling in fury as blood sizzled into steam. The attack wouldn’t have damaged the lion if Arthur had not added his Chi and mana.

Before Arthur could follow up another attack, the ground split beneath him.

KRRSHHHHH!

From the fissure, a burrowing centipede-like monster erupted, its body plated in shiny dark armor, hundreds of legs clattering against the cracked earth. Its mandibles snapped forward, jagged as scythes.

Arthur leapt away and turned around, and slashed his sword. The sword bit into one mandible of the monster, sparks spraying as the sword met chitin armor. The force drove him back again, his heels carving trenches into the soil.

“Persistent bastards, aren’t you?” he muttered.

From the sidelines, the demon chuckled, watching with his arms crossed. “Little thief, show me how long you can last before the monsters devour you.”

The dragons remained still, their eyes keeping track of Arthur and the monsters. The earth dragon muttered, “Let him get exhausted first. Why waste our strength when the monsters will do it for us?”

The light dragon who was also the leader gave a thin smile. “Exactly. We’ll strike when he’s spent.”

The lion roared again, charging back in. At the same time, the centipede’s tail whipped forward, a barbed stinger covered with venomous substance.

Arthur grit his teeth. “Two at once, huh? Fine.”

He ducked under the lion’s swipe, rolling across the charred ground as the centipede’s tail stabbed downward. With a swift slash, he cut across the stinger, severing it halfway. Black blood sprayed everywhere, sizzling holes into the dirt.

The centipede screamed, thrashing violently.

But Arthur had no time to press the advantage, because the third monster struck from his back.

A winged serpent swooped from the air, its scales gleaming like polished obsidian, and eyes glowing in crimson. It spewed a torrent of acidic breath toward Arthur, he swung his sword in a wide arc. Golden slash of energy cleaving the acidic attack in half, the attack scattering on either side of him, and the ground started hissing as it melted.

Arthur vigilantly looked around, sweat beading along his brow.

The ground trembled again.

The fourth monster, a tusked, gorilla-like titan, its body covered in thick fur, slammed its fists together, the sound was like colliding boulders. With a roar, it pounded the ground, sending shockwaves rippling outward.

Arthur leapt, barely avoiding the quake, but mid-air the serpent darted for him, with its jaws  wide open.

KRRRSHHHH!

He brought the sword up, the blade glowing brilliantly as it absorbed half the crushing force. The serpent’s fangs scraped sparks against his armor, but Arthur twisted, driving the sword upward. The blade pierced through the serpent’s jaw, blood spraying as the beast screeched and recoiled into the sky.

Arthur landed hard, rolling to a crouch, just in time to see the fifth monster approaching him.

It was a wolf-like beast, sleek but massive, its fur shimmering with frost. Each step froze the earth beneath it, spreading sheets of ice across the scorched battlefield. Its eyes locked onto Arthur with predatory hunger, as mist curled from its maw.

Arthur hissed through clenched teeth. “…And now the ice mutt joins the party.”

The wolf howled, and the ground erupted into icicles spearing toward him.

Arthur darted forward, sword cleaving through the rising spikes as he sprinted for the beast. He leapt, lightning bursting across his armor, and brought the blade down.

The wolf met him mid-air, its claws colliding with his sword.

KRRRANG!

The impact sent shards of ice and sparks exploding outward. Arthur’s arms rattled, but the sword absorbed in the brunt of it, leaving him just enough window to twist mid-clash. He drove his knee into the wolf’s snout, shoving it back as they both crashed onto the ground.

From the treeline, the dwarf from before was nearly foaming at the mouth. “What in the nine hells are we even watching?! That lad’s a Master! A bloody Master rank martial artist! He shouldn’t even last a second against one of those things, how is he doing it?!”

One of the humans who was also watching the fight unfold before him said in a low voice. “Why haven’t we heard of someone like him before? It’s not just the sword, look at how he moves. It doesn’t look like he is getting exhausted anytime soon.”

His companions also nodded hearing him. They should have heard of someone as powerful as the person in front of them, it was even more unbelievable for a human to be so powerful below the age of thirty.

Back in the fray, Arthur stood surrounded. The lion’s mane flared again, the centipede screeched from the side, the gorilla titan pounded its chest, the serpent circled above, bleeding but still aggressive. And the wolf’s breath fogged the air, ready to strike.

Arthur lifted the sword again, golden lightning and Chi crawling up the blade. He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders.

“Five against one, huh? Fine.” His smirk returned. “Let’s dance.”

The monsters roared, charging in unison.

And the battlefield erupted once more.

***

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