Chapter 242: Aether Realm (3).

{Golden Body} has been deactivated...

The monotone voice of the system was like the omen of his death.

'Crap!'

The {Scale of The Abyssal Flame} was now extremely heavy. Cain could feel the violent ki and devil essence in his body rushing into the blade like a broken dam. At the same time, the crimson runes on the surface of the blade shone even brighter.

Meanwhile, the creature clutched its severed arm and started at Cain with anger and madness brewing in its glowing red eye sockets.

A putrid black fluid flew out of the stump left behind, but the creature didn't seem to be bothered by it. It placed its arm back, and Cain watched grimly as the creature tried to attach its arm back.

Cain took this much-needed period of respite to take a glance at the blade in his hands...

***

{Scale of the Abyssal Flame}: [Weapon]

Description: Standard weapon of the abyssal army created from Fiend Steel treated with the sacred flame of a dying Nightmare dragon. This blade has absorbed a special foreign energy that has greatly mutated its properties. It is of the flame and darkness and can currently only be used by devils.

Skills: Heart of Despair, Wicked Blade.

{Heart of Despair}(active): Despair is the heaviest of burdens, and the despair of a dying celestial even more so. Pouring Ki and devil essence multiplies the weight of the blade.

{Wicked Blade}(passive): Sharper than a razor, a blade wielded by wickedness cuts through even the most holy of beings. The more devil essence and Ki circulates through the blade, the sharper the blade becomes.

Current state: Severely Damaged [0/1000]

***

Cain didn't have any more time to think about the sudden boon, as the wound of the devil seemed to have healed up. He quickly tried his best to slow the circulation of Ki and devil essence into the blade.

The creature didn't lunge at him immediately. Instead, it began weaving a weapon made of countless strands of darkness.

'It's intelligent.'

Cain's eyes narrowed as he stared at the creature. An intelligent creature was many times more dangerous than a rabid one as they were usually capable of using their terrible power with more vicious and cruel methods. Placing the blade vertically before him, Cain waited for the creature to come to him.

Soon, the weapon in the creature's hand was completed. A huge battle axe forged from nothing but pure darkness sat in its grasp. Twisting the weapon, it spun violently, causing a cold sweat to break out on Cain's forehead.

But the creature still wasn't done...

For the first time since the beginning of the battle, the creature opened what Cain could only presume to be its mouth and spoke;

The strings of words coming from its mouth were completely foreign. It was unlike the tongue in which the devils spoke, and unlike it, Cain could not understand a single word it said. As soon as it was done, a baleful aura exploded from its body.

Darkness deeper than the surrounding abyss surrounded the creature, causing Cain's brow to shoot up in panic. It was intangible, yet caused him great discomfort as it washed over him. He suddenly felt an indescribable feeling of weakness wash over him. The blade in his hand felt heavier, and his mind became filled with images of terrible horrors, distracting him from the fight.

The creature descended on him once it noticed this. Gritting his teeth, Cain brought the sword in his hand to defend against the violent attacks of the creature. They clashed again and again, both creating wound after wound on their opponent's body. The main difference was that the creature could regenerate and heal from its wounds, but Cain could not.

To top it off, he also had to deal with the terrible and wicked thoughts that tried to infiltrate his mind. Despair, rage, sadness, disgust, lust, apprehension, fear... All sorts of emotions burrowed into his mind. His mind was slipping, and his body was following suit.

The heavy battle axe of the creature descended again, but this time, he was unable to block in time. The sharp edge of the weapon dug into his side, and the baleful darkness seeped through the wide wound to eat at his flesh and corrupt his blood.

'So tired... I'm so tired...'

The injury was too terrible this time. His lungs were being filled with blood, and his body was growing cold.

'To hell with it. If I'm going down, I'm dragging this bastard down with me!'

In the end, the madness seemed to have won...

The gigantic figure in the distance stirred slightly... Influenced by the {Aura of Madness}, Cain's emotions consumed him completely. Like a cornered rat, Cain exploded with all his potential.

Grabbing the shaft of the battle axe, he exerted all his strength and pulled forward. Since they were still falling, there was no ground for the creature to stand on, and as such, it lacked a lot of balance. The pull sent it careening into him. The pummel of the {Scale of the Abyssal Flame} was waiting for its head.

The creature was stunned momentarily but quickly regained its senses with a snarl. However, Cain was already bringing his sword down. Although devil essence was supposed to be unable to leave his body, the strange sword was able to forcibly drag it from his body to power itself. His Ki rushed into the blade and the runic patterns on the blade lit up once again.

The darkness around the blade boiled and was cleaved open as he swung it forward. Smashing it down onto the creature's shoulder, the blade easily tore through muscle and bone. Cain shuddered as the impact sent violent tremors through his body, but he shrugged it off. In his manned state, his mind was filled with just a single goal;

To murder the opponent before him as quickly and brutally as possible...

Pulling the blade back, Cain reduced its weight and lashed sideways. However, the creature was able to party it with the shaft of the sword. Even with the battle ongoing, Cain suddenly felt the mysterious crushing force on his body increase.

'I-I can't take this anymore!'

Slashing at the creature with all his might, sparks danced at the edge of their weapons as they tried to kill each other again and again...

For a while, Cain was completely soaked in blood. He was unable to breathe properly, and his arms felt heavy. On top of that, the crushing force hadn't let up, although it hadn't increased for some time.

The creature wasn't in a much better shape. The viciousness of the skills attached to the {Scale of The Abyssal Flame} didn't seem like much, but they were, in fact, very insidious in a battle. The cutting power of the blade was unmatched, and with extreme precision, Cain could turn the blade as light as a feather, and as heavy as a heart filled with despair.

Suddenly, Cain felt the crushing force on his body ease up. His eyes widened in shock, but he was unable to dwell on the improvement fit long as the creature continued battering him. A few seconds later, and the force eased up again.

Cain slashed at the creature with renewed vigor. Although his strength wasn't comparable to that of the creature, his skill with the blade was just enough for him to stay afloat. With every second that passed, he could feel his body getting lighter due to the gradually decreasing force.

The creature also seemed to notice this, toning up the intensity of its attacks. Matching its attacks, Cain let himself be consumed by the madness of its aura. He was able to slightly negate the effects of the skill by allowing himself to descend into madness. The physical effects of the skill were otherwise negligible...

Suddenly, a flash of light caught his attention...

Just beneath him and the Realm-Walker, a hole as large as the chasm stretched. Light poured through it, illuminating the parts of the chasm near it to reveal its vady emptiness.

'That's it! That's the exit!' Gritting his teeth, Cain exerted all the strength left in his body. He slashed, hacked, and cut the body of the creature with reckless abandon. With hope in sight, he was able to see through the veil of madness.

As they drew closer and closer to the other end of the chasm, Cain noticed the creature becoming hesitant. Although it fought with the same intensity, it was obvious it didn't want to go near the other rift. An idea immediately popped into his mind...

Soon, they got so close to the rift, only a few more seconds of falling would send them to the other side. Light streamed into his eyes, allowing Cain to see the creature in more detail.

'What an ugly, terrifying being.' There was no trace of beauty in the malevolent creature. Just pure and unadultrated madness and wickedness.

The creature suddenly disengaged from Cain and began controlling the trajectory of its fall to miss the hole.

A mad grin instantly surfaced on Cain's face,

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Before the creature was able to move any further, Cain threw himself at the creature. A yell escaped from his mouth as the creature's claws and weapon dug into his sides and thigh, but he had already accomplished his goal.

His sword flashed forward, and he stabbed it straight into the creature's chest. He immediately emptied his Ki into the blade, turning it as heavy as a mountain.

Blood flowed through his grin as he kept eye contact with the creature. Soon, both of them broke away from the perpetual darkness and shot through the exit it the chasm...