Chapter 74 — The Blackwater Executioner

The Blackwater Expanse had become silent.

Completely silent.

The river that had been moving only moments ago had stopped.

No ripples.

No insects.

No distant calls.

Even the wind had disappeared.

Kael stood on the riverbank.

His wet clothes clung to his body.

His breathing had finally stabilized.

He looked toward the center of the Blackwater Expanse.

Two crimson eyes were visible through the mist.

They did not blink.

They simply watched him.

Kael slowly tightened his grip around his katana.

The System window remained in front of him.

[Blackwater Executioner]

Level: 47

Grade: Lord

Potential: Overlord

Classification: Territory Lord

Traits:

Execution Authority

Blackwater Dominion

Depth Manipulation

Pressure Field

Blood Sense

Adaptive Scales

Rapid Regeneration

Abyssal Movement

Territory Suppression

Warning:

Target is significantly stronger than current host.

Kael stared at the final line.

Then closed the window.

“Level 47.”

Only twelve levels separated them.

But the difference between them was more complicated than twelve levels.

This creature was a Territory Lord.

It controlled the environment.

It had battlefield authority.

It possessed several abilities Kael hadn't seen before.

And unlike the Abyssal Crocodrake—

this thing was watching him.

Analyzing him.

Waiting.

Kael immediately understood one thing.

The next battle would not begin because the monster charged.

It would begin when the monster decided it had enough information.

Kael looked toward his surroundings.

The terrain was terrible.

The river was too large.

The ground was saturated with water.

His footing was unreliable.

His ranged weapons could be absorbed or redirected.

His Metal Control was less effective underwater.

And the enemy had nearly unlimited movement through the river.

Kael needed to change the battlefield before beginning the fight.

He slowly reached into his Space Ring.

Eight metallic stakes.

Three conductors.

Several ordinary explosive charges.

A coil of reinforced wire.

Mana-disruption rounds.

Physical ammunition.

His notebook.

And—

the territory cores.

Kael looked at them.

He wasn't planning to use the cores directly.

They were too valuable.

Instead, he examined the information stored within them.

Blackwater channels.

Mana circulation.

Submerged paths.

Pressure concentrations.

Territory boundaries.

There.

His eyes narrowed.

The Executioner's territory wasn't centered on the entire river.

It controlled a specific region.

A circular area nearly four hundred meters wide.

At the center was a deep basin.

Extremely deep.

Far deeper than the rest of the river.

Kael traced the lines mentally.

“That's where it lives.”

He looked toward the crimson eyes.

The creature had not moved.

Kael smiled.

“You've been waiting for me to enter.”

No response.

Kael turned away.

The crimson eyes followed him.

Kael began walking along the riverbank.

Not toward the creature.

Away from it.

The eyes remained fixed on him.

That told Kael something.

The Executioner wasn't simply protecting its territory.

It wanted him to enter.

Kael stopped after several hundred meters.

He placed the first metal stake.

Then the second.

Then the third.

He continued moving.

The creature still watched.

Kael began setting traps.

One conductor inside a tree root.

Another beneath a stone.

A third near the river.

He attached reinforced wire between several locations.

Then buried explosive charges beneath loose soil.

He didn't activate anything.

Not yet.

He returned to the riverbank.

The Executioner was still there.

Kael stared.

“You're intelligent.”

The creature slowly opened its mouth.

A low sound emerged.

Not a roar.

A voice.

Distorted.

Deep.

“You came.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

It could speak.

Not perfectly.

But enough.

“You can talk.”

The creature's eyes brightened.

“Enough.”

Kael studied it.

“Why haven't you attacked?”

A pause.

Then—

“You killed the Crocodrake.”

Kael said nothing.

“You entered my territory.”

Still nothing.

“You carry the scent of three territories.”

Kael's expression changed.

The creature had sensed the Territory Lord Cores.

The Executioner continued.

“You changed the flow of this land.”

Kael smiled faintly.

“And you want to know if I can change yours.”

The monster's eyes narrowed.

“Perhaps.”

Kael drew his katana.

“Then come find out.”

For several seconds—

nothing happened.

Then the Executioner disappeared.

Kael's danger sense exploded.

He turned.

Nothing.

Left.

Nothing.

Right—

Nothing.

Above—

nothing.

Kael activated Network Sense.

Still nothing.

Mana Detection.

Nothing.

His eyes narrowed.

“Abyssal Movement.”

The water rippled.

Kael jumped.

A black blade erupted from beneath the river.

CLANG!

His katana blocked it.

The force of the impact nearly tore the weapon from his hand.

Kael was thrown backward.

The creature emerged.

It was vaguely humanoid from the torso upward.

Nearly eight meters tall.

Its lower body dissolved directly into the blackwater.

Dark armor-like scales covered its chest and shoulders.

Four long blades extended from its forearms.

Its head was narrow.

Its crimson eyes glowed beneath a crown of black bone.

It looked less like an animal—

and more like a executioner created from the river itself.

Kael landed.

The Executioner disappeared again.

Kael fired.

BANG!

Physical ammunition.

The bullet passed through empty water.

Nothing.

Another ripple.

Behind him.

Kael twisted.

The creature emerged.

Kael blocked.

CLANG!

A second blade struck.

Kael ducked.

A third.

He stepped sideways.

The fourth came from below.

Kael jumped.

The ground beneath him exploded.

He was launched upward.

The Executioner followed.

Kael's eyes widened.

It wasn't simply attacking from the water.

It could manipulate depth.

The creature appeared above him.

One blade descended.

Kael raised the katana.

BOOM!

He was driven into the ground.

A crack spread beneath him.

Kael rolled away.

A second strike landed.

He barely avoided it.

The third blade followed.

Kael blocked.

His arms shook.

The difference in strength was enormous.

“Too strong.”

The Executioner pushed.

Kael was forced backward.

He disengaged.

Metal Control.

A metal wall formed.

The creature cut through it.

Another.

Cut.

Another.

Cut.

Kael retreated.

The Executioner followed.

It wasn't rushing.

It was testing.

Every defense.

Every reaction.

Every weapon.

Kael suddenly stopped.

He fired PR-02.

BANG!

The bullet struck the creature's shoulder.

A shallow crack appeared.

Then closed.

Kael fired again.

Same result.

The Executioner vanished.

Kael didn't move.

His eyes scanned the water.

There.

A ripple.

He jumped.

The creature emerged directly beneath him.

Kael twisted.

The blade sliced through the air beside him.

He landed behind it.

Katana.

SLASH!

The blade struck its back.

The scales cracked.

Kael immediately followed with a second strike.

SLASH!

Another crack.

The Executioner turned.

Its eyes widened slightly.

Kael saw it.

An emotion.

Surprise.

He smiled.

“The scales are weaker from behind.”

The Executioner raised both blades.

Kael moved.

A blade came down.

He stepped left.

Another came horizontally.

He ducked.

The third came from behind.

Kael used Metal Control to create a platform.

He jumped upward.

The blade missed.

Kael fired PR-02 at the back of the creature's neck.

BANG!

The Executioner staggered.

Kael's smile disappeared.

The creature wasn't actually damaged.

It was adapting.

The scales around the wound thickened.

Kael understood.

“Adaptive Scales.”

His first attack had worked once.

The next would be weaker.

He needed another solution.

The Executioner suddenly raised one hand.

The river behind Kael rose.

A wall of water several meters high appeared.

Kael turned.

The water wasn't moving like a wave.

It was forming a vertical barrier.

The Executioner swung its hand.

The wall collapsed toward him.

Kael activated Metal Control.

Metal platforms formed beneath his feet.

He ran upward.

Water crashed below him.

He jumped from one platform to another.

The Executioner appeared at the top.

Kael blocked.

The impact destroyed the platform beneath them.

Both fell.

Kael twisted in midair.

The Executioner controlled the water below.

It accelerated downward.

Kael landed first.

His feet touched the river surface.

For half a second—

he stood on water.

Then the Executioner struck.

Kael blocked.

The force sent him skidding across the water.

He nearly lost balance.

The Executioner appeared beside him.

Another blade.

Kael ducked.

Another.

He jumped.

Third.

He twisted.

Fourth.

He caught the blade with Metal Control.

Metal wrapped around it.

For the first time—

the Executioner stopped.

Kael pulled.

The monster's arm moved slightly.

Not enough.

But Kael noticed.

It wasn't infinitely strong.

Its movement was more difficult outside deep water.

That was important.

Kael deliberately jumped toward the shore.

The Executioner followed.

Kael landed on dry ground.

The monster emerged behind him.

Its movement slowed.

Barely.

But it did.

Kael smiled.

“So that's it.”

The Executioner stared.

“You noticed.”

“Yes.”

“You learn quickly.”

Kael raised PR-02.

“Then let's see how much you can learn.”

He fired.

BANG!

The bullet struck the monster's leg.

It blocked.

Kael fired again.

Different angle.

The Executioner shifted.

Kael fired again.

Another.

Another.

He wasn't trying to hurt it.

He was mapping its reactions.

High left.

Low right.

Chest.

Knee.

Shoulder.

Head.

The creature adapted to each pattern.

Kael kept changing them.

The Executioner realized what he was doing.

Its eyes narrowed.

“You are testing me.”

Kael smiled.

“Exactly.”

The monster suddenly stopped moving.

Kael froze.

It had changed its strategy.

Instead of reacting—

it attacked unpredictably.

A blade appeared from the right.

Kael blocked.

Another from below.

He jumped.

A third from behind.

He twisted.

The fourth came directly forward.

Kael barely escaped.

The Executioner was using random attack timing.

No pattern.

Kael's advantage disappeared.

The fight accelerated.

Clang.

Clang.

BOOM.

Slash.

Water erupted.

Metal shattered.

Kael moved constantly.

Every exchange pushed him closer to his limit.

He couldn't predict.

He could only react.

The Executioner struck his side.

Kael's body spun.

He landed against a tree.

Before he recovered—

another attack came.

He raised the katana.

CLANG!

The blade stopped centimeters from his chest.

Kael's arms trembled.

The Executioner pushed.

Kael gritted his teeth.

“Strength…”

He released the katana with one hand.

Metal Control shot around the creature's wrist.

A metal spike formed.

The Executioner cut it.

Kael used the opening.

He kicked the monster backward.

It took several steps.

Kael immediately sprinted.

Not toward the monster.

Past it.

The Executioner turned.

Kael was already reaching his first trap.

He slammed his hand downward.

WHUM!

The buried conductors activated.

The riverbank flashed with metallic light.

A circular formation formed around the Executioner.

The creature looked down.

“What is this?”

Kael smiled.

“A battlefield.”

The first explosive charge detonated.

BOOM!

The creature was forced backward.

Second.

BOOM!

Third.

BOOM!

The explosions weren't powerful enough to kill it.

That wasn't the purpose.

They forced it toward the center.

Kael had mapped the area beforehand.

Every retreat route.

Every direction.

Every weak section of ground.

The Executioner tried to move into the river.

Kael activated the conductor.

Metal lines erupted from beneath the water.

They formed a temporary barrier.

The monster was trapped on land.

For the first time—

Kael had forced a Territory Lord to fight on his battlefield.

The Executioner's expression changed.

“You prepared this.”

Kael raised his rifle.

“Yes.”

He fired.

BANG!

The shot struck its left shoulder.

Another.

BANG!

Right knee.

Another.

BANG!

Back.

The Executioner adapted.

Its scales thickened.

Kael changed ammunition.

Mana-Breaker.

BANG!

The round struck the shoulder.

The armor cracked.

The creature roared.

Kael switched to the katana.

He rushed.

The Executioner met him.

CLANG!

Their weapons collided.

Kael was forced back.

He stepped in again.

CLANG!

Second exchange.

The Executioner swung low.

Kael jumped.

He attacked from above.

The monster blocked.

Kael changed direction mid-swing.

The blade scraped the creature's side.

Another crack.

The Executioner retaliated.

Kael ducked.

He attacked the knee.

The monster blocked.

Kael kicked the conductor beneath its foot.

WHUM!

The ground released a burst of compressed mana.

The Executioner's balance shifted.

Kael attacked.

SLASH!

Its chest cracked.

The Executioner roared.

A pressure field exploded outward.

Kael was thrown backward.

He hit the ground hard.

The monster stepped forward.

Kael's vision blurred.

Then—

the System appeared.

[Pressure Field detected.]

[Warning: Host Vitality declining.]

Kael pushed himself upright.

The Executioner approached.

It wasn't rushing.

It knew he was reaching his limit.

Kael smiled.

“So do I.”

He looked at the traps.

Most were destroyed.

The conductor field was failing.

PR-02 had only a limited number of high-grade rounds remaining.

AR-04 was damaged.

His katana remained intact.

His stamina was dropping.

And the Executioner was still standing.

Kael took a deep breath.

He needed one final change.

Not another attack.

A new battlefield.

His eyes moved toward the river.

Then the monster.

Then the massive rock formation behind it.

An idea formed.

Kael slowly lowered his weapon.

The Executioner paused.

“What are you doing?”

Kael smiled.

“Changing the rules.”

He fired one round into the base of the rock formation.

BANG!

The rock cracked.

The Executioner looked upward.

Kael fired again.

BANG!

Another crack.

Then Kael used Metal Control.

The metal fragments buried inside the rock ripped free.

The entire formation began collapsing.

The Executioner looked up.

For the first time—

it moved desperately.

Kael wasn't trying to crush it.

He was collapsing the ground beneath it.

The creature jumped toward the river.

Exactly where Kael wanted it.

He activated the final conductor.

WHUM!

The water erupted.

Metal chains shot upward.

The Executioner's movement stopped.

Kael rushed forward.

Katana in hand.

The creature broke two chains.

Then three.

Kael reached it.

Their weapons collided.

CLANG!

The monster pushed.

Kael pushed back.

His boots dug into the ground.

“Not…”

The Executioner's blades moved.

“…yet!”

Kael twisted.

He redirected one blade.

Then another.

He stepped inside the monster's reach.

His katana struck the damaged portion of its chest.

SLASH!

The armor cracked.

Kael immediately drove a Mana-Breaker round into the same point.

BANG!

The Executioner's body shook.

Its regeneration stopped for a moment.

Kael raised his katana again.

But the creature was ready.

One blade came toward him.

Kael blocked.

Another struck.

He twisted.

The third cut across his armor.

He fell backward.

The Executioner raised all four blades.

Kael's danger sense screamed.

He couldn't block all four.

Then—

something inside Kael changed.

Not a new power.

A realization.

He didn't need to block all four.

He only needed to make the monster choose the wrong one.

Kael intentionally shifted his stance.

The Executioner reacted.

The right blade moved first.

Exactly as Kael expected.

Kael stepped inside.

The second followed.

He ducked.

The third came.

He rotated.

The fourth—

Kael caught with Metal Control.

A metal chain wrapped around the wrist.

The blade stopped.

Kael smiled.

“Got you.”

He drove the katana forward.

SLASH!

The Executioner's chest cracked open.

Not destroyed.

But enough.

Kael saw the core.

He didn't hesitate.

PR-02 appeared in his hand.

One shot.

BANG!

The Mana-Breaker round struck the exposed core.

The Executioner froze.

Its crimson eyes widened.

The blackwater around them stopped moving.

Then—

the creature staggered backward.

It looked down.

A crack spread across its chest.

Kael raised his katana.

The Executioner raised its head.

Their eyes met.

The monster spoke quietly.

“You…”

Kael waited.

“…learned.”

Then the Executioner collapsed into the river.

The entire Blackwater Expanse exploded into waves.

Kael stood motionless.

The System appeared.

[Blackwater Executioner defeated.]

[Territory Lord defeated.]

[High-grade Territory Core obtained.]

[Executioner Core obtained.]

[Experience acquired.]

[Level Up.]

[Level 36 reached.]

Kael's legs finally gave out.

He sat beside the water.

For several minutes—

he simply breathed.

That battle had been different.

The Crocodrake had been strong.

The Executioner had been intelligent.

But more importantly—

the Executioner had adapted.

It had watched Kael's patterns.

Changed its attacks.

Destroyed his traps.

Forced him into close combat.

Kael had survived because he changed faster.

He opened his status.

Five points.

This time he thought longer.

The battle had exposed another weakness.

Against enemies this strong, Agility alone wouldn't save him.

He needed enough Strength to make his close-range attacks meaningful.

He needed Vitality to survive extended fights.

And Intelligence had become increasingly important for tactical processing and Metal Control complexity.

He allocated:

+2 Strength

+1 Agility

+1 Vitality

+1 Intelligence

[Attributes Updated]

Strength: 34

Agility: 43

Vitality: 40

Intelligence: 39

Mana: 40

Kael closed the System.

Then he looked at the Executioner Core.

The moment he touched it—

his vision changed.

He saw the Blackwater Expanse.

Then something beneath it.

A huge underground passage.

An ancient stone door.

And behind that door—

a chamber filled with countless weapon fragments.

Some were swords.

Some were firearms.

Some were completely unfamiliar.

Kael's eyes widened.

The vision disappeared.

A message appeared.

[Ancient armament repository detected.]

[Access condition: Bloodline resonance 20%.]

[Current Bloodline Progress: 15%.]

Kael stared at the message.

Another destination.

Another reason to become stronger.

He looked at the damaged AR-04.

Then at PR-02.

Then at the katana.

“Level 36.”

He stood.

“Fourteen more.”

Far deeper inside the Blackwater Expanse—

the water began moving again.

But this time—

Kael heard something else.

A distant roar.

Then another.

Then three more.

His Network Sense activated.

Five enormous signatures appeared.

All of them were stronger than the monsters he'd just fought.

One was Level 44.

Another Level 45.

Another Level 46.

And the largest—

Level 48.

Kael's expression became serious.

He looked toward the center of the Expanse.

“So this place still has stronger prey.”

His hand tightened around the katana.

Then he smiled.

“Good.”

He had fourteen levels left.

And he intended to earn every single one.

The Blackwater hunt was far from over.