Chapter 130: Awakened Tournament Crisis (36)

The tentacle’s surface was scorched, but the damage was shallow. The flesh beneath the blackened exterior had already begun to regenerate.

Sonne’s eyes narrowed.

Luvian cursed under his breath.

"You’re kidding me."

"Again!" Sonne shouted.

They attacked together a second time, combining ice and flame to concentrate their damage on a single point. The resulting explosion finally tore through the tentacle, severing a massive section of its body.

Even so, the two of them were forced to retreat before the remaining stump could strike back.

Eden watched the exchange.

So even their combined attacks can barely damage these things now.

He didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

The creatures were no longer simply strong. Their durability had increased to the point where even exceptional Awakened struggled to injure them without coordinating their strongest attacks.

And they were still regenerating.

The battlefield was becoming a war of attrition, one that would inevitably favor the creature producing the tentacles.

Unless they found a way to turn the tables.

Eden raised his hand.

Crimson Essence erupted around him, spreading across the ground and climbing the nearest tentacle, biting into the hardened flesh and tearing away chunks that disappeared into the crimson mass.

Unlike ordinary attacks, Devour didn’t need to overpower the tentacles through brute force alone.

It consumed them.

The appendage thrashed violently, smashing into nearby debris as the crimson mass ate deeper into its body. Eden poured more Essence into the skill, forcing the Devour to spread faster than the creature could regenerate.

Within seconds, a massive section of the tentacle vanished.

Eden smiled.

"Now we’re getting somewhere."

Another tentacle came crashing down.

He redirected Devour without hesitation, sending a crimson wave surging upward to intercept it. Teeth tore through the creature’s flesh, consuming it before the attack could reach the group.

But Eden could feel the strain.

The tentacles were more resistant now. Devour still worked, but it required more Essence and more concentration to consume the same amount of flesh.

If this continued, even he would eventually reach his limits.

Beside him, Elio was faring somewhat better.

Purple serpents coiled around his whipblade, striking at the tentacles with astonishing precision. Whenever one of his attacks landed, the serpentine Essence spread across the creature’s surface and began stealing its attributes, weakening its movements while strengthening Elio.

His weapon snapped through the air, extending and retracting as he targeted the same sections repeatedly.

Unlike Sophia’s spear or Sonne’s ice, his attacks continued to penetrate the hardened flesh.

Elio noticed Eden watching him.

"Something wrong?"

"Just wondering how much longer you can keep that up."

"Longer than you can keep consuming them."

Despite the exchange, Elio’s expression remained focused.

He could feel it too.

The tentacles were becoming more difficult to deal with, and the amount of Essence required to maintain his serpents was steadily increasing. His ability to steal their attributes gave him an advantage, but there was a limit to how much he could absorb and use effectively.

If the creature continued to strengthen its attacks, even he would be pushed into a corner.

And Eden...

Elio glanced toward the crimson mass devouring another tentacle.

The young man suddenly lunged forward, holding his essence Blade.

He stepped into the path of an incoming tentacle and swung with all the force he could muster.

The blade struck.

A violent shock traveled up his arm.

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

The tentacle had barely been scratched.

He immediately followed with another slash, then a third, pouring Essence into every movement.

The result was the same.

His Aura Blade simply couldn’t penetrate the creature’s hardened surface anymore.

A tentacle whipped toward him from the side.

Eden used Burst-Step tep to evade, appearing several meters away as the appendage smashed into the ground.

He landed lightly, his sword still in hand.

For a moment, he stared at the weapon.

Then he smiled in defeat.

The kind that appeared when a particularly stubborn problem finally forced him to abandon an approach he had hoped to keep using.

"I guess I don’t have a choice."

Lucy glanced toward him while deflecting another tentacle.

"Eden? What are you talking about?"

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he relaxed his grip on the Aura Blade.

The purple sword dissolved into motes of Essence, scattering into the air around him.

For a brief moment, nothing replaced it.

Then the space around Eden seemed to grow darker.

The light itself seemed to lose its presence around him, as though the world had begun to recoil from something that didn’t belong in it.

Eden lifted his right hand.

A thin strand of black energy emerged from his palm.

It was unlike Essence.

There was no familiar glow, no colorful aura, no sensation of heat or pressure that the Awakened around him could readily identify.

It was black, dense, and strangely absolute.

It gathered along Eden’s hand, twisting into the shape of a blade. The weapon grew longer, its edges sharpening until it resembled a sword forged from the purest darkness. Faint ripples traveled across its surface, and the air around its edge seemed to distort.

Eden closed his fingers around the hilt.

[Dark Matter Manipulation]

The power of a God that most people on Earth didn’t even know existed.

And one of the few things capable of rivaling Essence itself.

Within his mind, Sylvia’s voice grew alert.

[Finally.]

Eden’s lips curved.

’Sylvia. Give me everything.’

There was no hesitation in her response.

[Gladly, Master.]

The moment those words left her mouth, a surge of Dark Matter erupted through Eden’s body.

The black energy coursed through him, gathering around his limbs and spreading across his clothing like a living shadow. His crimson Essence flickered in response, the two powers coexisting in a strange, unsettling harmony.

At the same time, he felt the connection to Obsidian strengthen.

The dormant presence deep within his core stirred.

It was no longer merely waiting.

It was answering his call.

Eden raised his head.

His silver eyes swept across the battlefield, taking in the towering tentacles, the struggling Awakened, and the ruined stadium behind them.

Then he spoke.

"Come forth."

The words were quiet.

Yet something about them carried an authority that made everyone nearby instinctively turn toward him.

The blackness beneath Eden’s feet expanded.

It spread across the broken pavement, swallowing fragments of concrete and casting an unnatural shadow over the ground. The Dark Matter in Eden’s body surged outward, gathering behind him into a towering silhouette.

At first, it was little more than a vague outline.

Then the shape began to solidify.

A pair of armored legs emerged from the darkness, followed by a broad torso clad in blackened armor. Heavy plates formed across its shoulders and chest, their edges sharp and angular, while a horned helmet slowly took shape.

The figure continued to rise until it stood towering behind Eden, its massive frame casting a shadow over the surrounding battlefield.

The Black Knight had arrived.

Obsidian.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Even the nearby Awakened seemed to forget about the tentacles.

The sheer size of the armored figure was intimidating enough, but that wasn’t what made the atmosphere change.

It was the presence.

Obsidian stood completely motionless, his enormous body covered in dark armor that seemed to absorb the light around it. No Essence radiated from him. No familiar energy announced his arrival.

Instead, a suffocating darkness emanated from his body, spreading through the battlefield with an oppressive weight.

It felt ancient.

Cold.

And utterly merciless.

Several Awakened instinctively took a step backward.

Sophia’s fingers tightened around her spear.

"What... is that?"

Sonne stared upward, the frozen crown above her head flickering as her instincts screamed at her to keep her distance.

Luvian’s crimson flames wavered.

For the first time since the attack began, his anger was overshadowed by something else.

Unease.

The thing standing behind Eden didn’t feel like an ordinary Awakened.

It had no characteristics of an Awakened, let alone a Abyss Creature. It was void of essence, but everyone could feel the power radiating off the Black Knight.

It felt like a walking grave.

Like the embodiment of death itself had stepped out of the darkness and decided to take physical form.

Kael’s expression hardened.

His body recognized the threat before his mind could understand it, and every instinct he possessed urged him not to provoke the black-armored figure.

Jax slowly lowered his fists.

"...Eden."

He stared at the Black Knight.

Then at Eden.

Then back at the Black Knight.

"Since when could you do that?"

Eden glanced over his shoulder.

"It’s..."

"A long story."

Lucy hadn’t said a word.

Her bright blue eyes were fixed on the towering knight, and she could feel her own Essence reacting to its presence.

She looked at Eden.

He was standing in front of the knight as though its presence were perfectly ordinary.

As though he hadn’t just summoned something that made even the more experienced Awakened instinctively retreat.

"Eden..." she murmured. "What is that thing?"

’See?’

’This is why I was so reluctant.’

"He’s... a Summon, of sorts."

Behind Eden, Obsidian finally moved.

The Black Knight lowered his head slightly, acknowledging his master. A faint pulse of Dark Matter rippled across his armor before gathering around his right arm.

The black energy condensed.

Lengthened.

And formed a massive blade.

The Black Knight grasped the hilt.

Then he stood at Eden’s back, silent and ready.

Eden felt a surge of satisfaction.

’Yeah, good to have you back.’

Then he turned his attention toward the battlefield.

"All right. Let’s make this quick."

Sylvia’s voice sounded inside his mind.

[One more thing, Master.]

Eden raised an eyebrow internally.

’What now?’

[You asked me to give you everything. I assume you meant the same for Obsidian?]

Eden’s smile widened.

’Obviously.’

Wonderful.

The Dark Matter around Obsidian surged.

Black energy raced across his armor, gathering between the plates and tracing intricate lines along his limbs. His already imposing frame seemed to grow heavier, the oppressive presence around him intensifying until the ground beneath his feet began to crack.

At the same time, Eden shared his Corrupted Surge output with Obsidian.

Crimson Essence erupted from the Knight’s body, spreading outward in a violent wave.

The two energies collided.

For a heartbeat, the crimson Essence seemed to struggle against the Dark Matter.

Then they fused.

The Black Knight’s presence exploded outward.

The pavement beneath him shattered.

A wave of oppressive energy swept across the battlefield, forcing nearby Awakened to brace themselves. Loose debris lifted from the ground before scattering outward, and the tentacles surrounding the group recoiled as though they had sensed the arrival of a predator.

Obsidian slowly raised his sword.

The motion was deliberate.

Almost casual.

Yet the air around the blade seemed to compress beneath its weight.

Eden looked up at the towering knight and grinned.

Obsidian turned his helmet toward him.

Then, without a word, he stepped forward.

The Black Knight moved between Eden and the approaching tentacles, his massive sword held loosely at his side.

One Tentacle descended from above, its sharpened tip aimed directly at Obsidian’s head.

The Black simply raised his sword.

And swung in a way that looked almost effortless.

The blade cut through the tentacle so effortlessly that the attack almost seemed anticlimactic. There was no prolonged struggle, no desperate clash of power.

One moment, the enormous appendage was descending toward him.

The next, it had been severed cleanly in half.

The upper portion crashed into the ruins behind him, while the lower half writhed on the ground, its flesh struggling to regenerate.

Obsidian turned his helmet toward the remaining tentacles.

The crimson aura surrounding his armor flared.

Eden’s grin widened.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."