Chapter 75: Severed Limbs

Eden summoned the blade again and slashed from the right.

He followed with an elbow strike after his slash was blocked.

The following strike was dodged aswell, though it left an opening for a kick, which sent the guardian flying.

It might have seemed miniscule, but Eden was finally pushing it back.

[Burst-Step]

Eden closed the distance in less than a second, only to find his strikes blocked yet again.

The battle became a blur as both of the B-Rank beasts sped up.

Neither fighter seemed to consciously choose their movements anymore.

They simply happened.

Eden’s previous attack created the opening for his next.

His next movement became the beginning of another.

There was no wasted motion.

No unnecessary energy.

He had finally begun to understand what the guardian had been showing him from the beginning.

Instead of treating combat as a sequence of individual actions, Eden fought, moved, and viewed it as one continuous action.

The fight itself was the movement.

Eden’s eyes sharpened.

’This is fun!’

Eden was finally starting to catch up with the guardian’s movements.

He was moving alongside them, rivaling them in skill, treating the guardian’s entire being as another wall to chew up and surpass.

Boom!

The entire cavern shook.

Another portion of the ceiling collapsed as the battle intensified.

Obsidian looked upward.

His eyes widened slightly.

The falling rock wasn’t just debris anymore.

Each boulder and rock flying surpassed the size of a car.

A chunk of the cavern ceiling nearly the size of a building came crashing downward.

Obsidian immediately stepped in front of Sylvia.

Dark Matter surged across his body and formed a blade.

The enormous stone was cut down by him, though the impact sank Obsidian sank several meters into the floor.

Sylvia’s hair whipped violently in the shockwave.

"Obsidian!"

The Black Knight remained standing.

He slowly pushed the enormous chunk of stone away.

Sylvia stared at him.

"...I suppose that answers whether you can handle falling rocks."

Obsidian looked at her.

Sylvia smiled awkwardly.

"That was a compliment."

He nodded.

Then both looked toward Eden.

Another explosion echoed.

Sylvia’s expression became serious.

"It seems our Master is finally reaching the end of this trial."

Just a few minutes later, Eden Stood across the guardian, breathing heavy.

Eden was bleeding now.

His left shoulder had been cut.

His ribs were fractured.

His right thigh had taken a deep slash.

Blood ran down his arm.

His breathing had become rough.

But his eyes were alive.

He had never felt more focused.

’This is it.’

His mind was quiet.

No unnecessary thoughts.

No distractions.

No fear.

Only movement and focus.

The guardian thrust.

Eden stepped aside.

Its second spear swept toward his neck.

He leaned backward.

The spear passed over his face.

Eden rotated.

His blade moved.

The guardian blocked.

Eden’s wrist twisted.

The blade slid beneath the spear.

He stepped forward.

The guardian attempted to retreat.

Eden didn’t allow it, and instead followed closely behind.

[Burst-Step]

Eden disappeared.

The guardian immediately turned.

But Eden didn’t appear behind it.

He appeared above it.

[Burst-Step.]

Instead of attacking, he chose to vanish again.

The guardian looked upward right as Eden disappeared.

Eden reappeared beneath it.

His blade shot upward.

The guardian barely blocked.

The impact launched it into the air.

Eden followed.

[Burst-Step]

He appeared beside the guardian and slashed sideways.

The guardian blocked.

Eden spun and used the momentum to follow up with a kick.

The guardian blocked with one arm.

Eden used the recoil.

[Burst-Step.]

He appeared behind it.

The guardian turned.

Too late.

Eden’s Dark Matter blade slammed into one of its rear arms.

Crack!

The guardian’s arm split.

Stone-like flesh shattered.

The arm fell away.

The guardian landed.

It had finally suffered a fatal strike.

It had lost a limb.

Eden landed several meters away.

His chest heaved.

He stared.

The guardian looked at the ruined stump.

Then at Eden.

There was no anger in it’s eyes.

Only acknowledgment.

"Good."

Eden smiled.

"One down."

The guardian shifted its stance.

Three arms remained on that side.

Two spears.

Eden raised his blade.

The guardian attacked.

The next exchange was far more brutal than those that came before.

The guardian had somehow suffered no backlash in it’s skill and technique, despite losing one of its Arms.

Maybe it was holding back previously.

Or perhaps Eden had simply forced it to take the battle more seriously.

Either way, the cavern suffered.

A spear tore through the ground.

Eden dodged.

The weapon carved a trench hundreds of meters long.

Eden retaliated.

His Dark Matter blade struck a wall.

The entire wall split.

The guardian kicked him through it.

Eden flew through three layers of stone.

He crashed into a massive underground chamber.

Before he could recover, the guardian appeared.

A spear stabbed toward him.

Eden twisted.

The spear pierced the stone beside his head.

Eden grabbed the shaft.

He pulled.

The guardian came with it.

Eden slammed his forehead into its face.

Crack!

The guardian recoiled.

Eden’s blade appeared in his hand.

He swung.

The guardian blocked.

Eden stepped inside the guard.

His shoulder slammed into its chest.

[Burst-Step]

He reappeared behind it.

The blade cut across another arm.

The guardian twisted away.

Fortunately, it wasn’t fast enough.

The second arm shattered.

It fell to the ground.

The guardian staggered.

One spear slipped from its remaining hand.

It landed among the rubble.

A deep silence followed.

Eden stood there, bloodied and breathing heavily.

His Dark Matter blade remained raised.

The guardian stared at him.

Two arms were gone.

One spear remained.

Eden looked at the discarded weapon.

Then back at the guardian.

The creature slowly bent down.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Then the guardian spoke.

"Now..."

Its remaining hand tightened around the spear.

"...show me what you can truly do."

Eden’s grin widened.

He raised his Dark Matter blade.

"Gladly."

Behind them, another enormous section of the cavern ceiling cracked.

Sylvia looked upward.

Her expression became slightly concerned.

"...This place is not going to survive this fight, is it?"

Obsidian looked at the collapsing ceiling.

Then at Eden.

Then back at Sylvia.

He slowly shook his head.

Sylvia sighed.

"That’s what I thought."