Chapter 117: Awakened Tournament Crisis (23)

Elio’s expression changed.

Until now, he had been content to test Eden’s strength, gradually revealing enough of his abilities to keep the battle competitive. Even after Eden broke through his defenses and forced him to his knees with Malicious Spirit, Elio had managed to regain control of the fight.

But something had become clear.

Eden wasn’t going to be defeated by ordinary attacks.

And if Elio continued to hold back, the battle would eventually turn against him.

"...Fine."

The word escaped his lips as he tightened his grip on the whipblade.

"Let’s stop playing around."

Purple Essence erupted from his body.

The energy surged outward in a violent wave, flooding the battlefield with an oppressive presence. It poured from his shoulders, coiled around his arms, and spread across the ground like a living tide. The whipblade in his hand trembled, its segmented length extending as more and more Essence gathered around it.

Then the ground beneath him cracked.

One serpent emerged.

Then a second.

Followed by an enormous third.

Enormous serpents made entirely of purple Essence rose from the battlefield, their elongated bodies twisting through the air. Their scales shimmered with violet light, while their jaws opened to reveal rows of fangs formed from condensed energy.

Within seconds, the arena was surrounded by them.

Some coiled around Elio’s body, while others hovered above the ground, their heads turning toward Eden. A few slithered across the ruined battlefield, leaving deep grooves in the reinforced surface wherever their bodies passed.

The audience fell silent.

They had already seen Elio summon a serpent during his earlier exchanges with Eden. But this was on an entirely different scale.

He wasn’t simply strengthening his whipblade anymore.

He was commanding an army.

Elio lifted his weapon.

The serpents moved.

"Come on, Eden."

His purple eyes gleamed.

"Show me what you’ve got."

The first serpent lunged.

Eden smiled.

"Gladly."

Crimson Essence exploded from his body.

[Devour]

The red mass surged outward, splitting into several enormous tendrils that collided with the incoming serpents. Vicious mouths opened along their surfaces, their teeth sinking into the purple Essence as they twisted around their targets.

The impact shook the arena.

Purple and crimson energy collided in a storm of explosions, filling the battlefield with blinding flashes of light.

And through the chaos, Eden charged.

[Burst-Step]

He appeared in front of Elio, his Aura Blade already swinging toward his opponent’s neck.

Elio raised his whipblade.

Their weapons collided.

At the same moment, two purple serpents attacked Eden from opposite directions.

Eden didn’t even look at them.

His Devour reacted independently, a pair of crimson dragons erupting from his back and intercepting the serpents before their jaws could reach him. The dragons wrapped around their targets, their mouths tearing through the purple Essence as both creatures struggled to overpower the other.

Eden pushed forward.

Elio twisted his wrist, redirecting the Aura Blade before snapping his whipblade toward Eden’s ribs.

Eden turned with the movement, allowing the attack to pass close enough to brush his clothing before striking back with a horizontal slash.

Elio blocked.

Another serpent lunged.

Devour intercepted it.

A second attack came from above.

Another crimson mouth swallowed it.

All the while, Eden and Elio continued clashing at close range, their weapons striking again and again as their summoned manifestations fought around them.

For the first time, Eden was doing something he had rarely attempted in a serious battle.

He was using Devour while fighting at close quarters.

Not simply launching crimson Essence toward an enemy or overwhelming a target with a massive attack, but actively controlling its movements while simultaneously exchanging blows with an opponent who could keep up with his physical abilities.

It required concentration.

Timing.

An understanding of how his skill would respond to his intentions without distracting him from the battle itself.

And yet, somehow, it felt natural.

Eden ducked beneath Elio’s whipblade, countered with a thrust toward his stomach, and simultaneously commanded Devour to wrap around a serpent attempting to bite his shoulder.

The crimson mass consumed its target before the serpent could make contact.

Eden twisted his blade upward.

Elio parried.

Their weapons clashed again.

And Eden felt something strange.

A thrill ran down his spine.

’Oh.’

’This feels...’

He couldn’t help grinning.

’I could get used to this!’

There was something exhilarating about it.

The constant pressure of the fight, the need to react to multiple threats simultaneously, and the satisfaction of watching Devour respond precisely when he needed it to. Every movement created another possibility, every exchange taught him something new, and every successful maneuver made him more confident in his ability to control the battlefield.

He had always known Devour was powerful.

But its potential was far greater than simply consuming whatever stood in front of him.

It could defend him while he attacked.

It could attack while he defended.

It could manipulate the battlefield, create openings, and turn an opponent’s own movements into opportunities.

And now, against someone capable of matching his physical abilities, Eden finally had a reason to use all of those advantages at once.

For a brief moment, the silver-haired Awakened glanced at Eden’s face.

’Is he enjoying this?’

Elio’s expression tightened.

The battlefield around them was being torn apart. His serpents were colliding with Eden’s crimson manifestations in an endless series of explosions, and every time he tried to create an opening, another crimson mouth appeared to interfere.

Yet Eden was smiling.

Worse, he seemed to be enjoying himself more as the battle grew increasingly chaotic.

’What the hell is that Skill?’

Elio had fought countless opponents throughout his life. He had faced powerful Awakened, trained against exceptional talents, and pushed himself through battles that should have been beyond his capabilities.

He understood what it meant to face someone stronger.

But Eden’s Devour was different.

Every time one of Elio’s serpents made contact with the crimson Essence, it began to disappear. It was consumed, leaving nothing behind.

And the crimson mass never seemed satisfied.

It continued advancing, its countless mouths snapping at anything within reach.

Something about the skill made Elio’s instincts scream.

’Run.’

The thought surfaced so abruptly that he nearly lost focus.

’Or beg for mercy.’

His grip tightened around his whipblade.

It was ridiculous.

He was an A-Rank Awakened. He had faced opponents who could destroy entire buildings with a single attack, and he possessed a power that allowed him to overwhelm enemies through a combination of attribute manipulation, overwhelming Essence, and relentless pressure.

He had never felt the need to beg anyone for mercy.

Yet, as he watched Eden’s crimson Essence devour another serpent, an inexplicable sense of dread settled deep within him.

It felt as though he were standing before an absolute force.

Something that had no reason to fear him.

Something that would continue consuming everything in its path, regardless of how desperately its prey struggled.

’No.’

Elio forced the thought aside.

He wasn’t going to let instinct dictate the outcome.

He had come this far because he refused to surrender to fear.

If Eden was a monster, then Elio would simply have to become something even more dangerous.