The part about adding more seals as well as frugal usage of the sword were all precautionary measures to avoid the risk of losing one's life. There was one true method to prevent death or possession and that was by taming the soul fragment inside. This was sounded ludicrous since it was a proud soul fragment of an asura that was being put in the discussion. Unless the user was much stronger than it, it wouldn't bow its head to anyone. However, no one stronger than it would want such a 'weak' sword, in this way, the asura soul fragment was completely without worries.
Luckily for Sato, there was still one other measure that could help and that was to strike a deal with the asura. As long as the asura willing offered its services Sato wouldn't need to be bothered about possession but only about the asura recovering its former strength. This was exactly what Sato had done during the trial for the sword but it was just a verbal agreement that didn't count as much so the risk was still there.
'But it's not like I have another option.' Sato thought.
With a swipe of his left thumb over the ring, Sato then summoned the cursed sword just as the Kobold entered the 5 metres radius around him.
One of the greatest advantages of a space ring over a space bag was the ease and efficiency an item could be extracted from the former. A space ring would only require one's thoughts after which the item would instantaneously appear without any delay. As for the space bag, one would have to perform the same actions as they would when extracting an object from an actual bag so it was undeniably much slower than a space ring in terms of extraction. While this didn't sound like much of a useful feature, Sato had turned it into one.
The Kobold King was dashing towards Sato and its focus was only on his right hand which wielded the [Astral Blade]. No matter how one looked at it, this was the only part of Sato that could be a threat to the Kobold King so it was the only place worth focusing on. This wasn't to say that the Kobold King didn't pay any attention to Sato's feet or his stance but compared to these other parts, it was more focused on the sword.
Being a pro player and a high-level martial artist, Sato saw an opportunity to make a clear hit with a little scheming so he only waited till the Kobold King had crossed the Rubicon [1] before he summoned the cursed sword.
that second, the cursed sword had made its very first appearance in the outside world and it did so in a grand manner that wouldn't be forgotten anytime soon.
At that very instant, a terrifying demonic energy wave burst forth from [Cursed Sword Drakken]. It was almost as if one had entered the demon realm and was clouded by evil energy. The sinister brewing force made one feel the extremity of despair while depriving the target of their will to both resist and to live. It was the same feeling one would feel once they were told that they were destined for the 18 layers of hell no matter what good act they perform. That feeling of despair and hopelessness would drown an individual and make them run mad. Though the Kobold King was stronger than Sato, it wasn't completely unaffected by this aura especially since the aura of despair and evil was boosted by the effects of [Astral Might].
If one recalls correctly, [Astral Might] gave off the feeling of being boundless. It was like the sensation one would feel when they were in the middle of the ocean or in space, staring at the depths of the universe. One would realise how tiny and unimportant they were against such a force and that was exactly how [Astral Might] made one feel. As for the passive aura from [Cursed Sword Drakken], this was due to the presence of the asura soul fragment. The energy the asura soul fragment possessed could make one feel despair and fear, reducing, if not eliminating their will to resist. As it was now sealed within the sword, the sword would inevitably be tainted by this energy and take on this aura. Though it wasn't as strong as that of the soul fragment, it was close to it in terms of essence.
The two energies from [Astral Blade] and [Cursed Sword Drakken] focused on two different aspects but due to the boundless effect of [Astral Might], the two were not only able to work smoothly with each other but strengthen the other. As a result, the Kobold King wasn't just facing the aura of [Cursed Sword Drakken] but the strengthened version that had [Astral Might]'s effects superimposed on it.
As the Drakken was just making its first appearance, the aura that had been clustered together was released in full bloom that even the Kobold King couldn't help but pause for one second. However, that one second was more than enough for Sato.
[Black Flame Slash]
A layer of jet black flames appeared on the edge of the cursed sword bringing with it an extreme aura of gloominess with a strange sensation of chilling heat. Sato swung it down at the Kobold King with an imposing momentum.
-257 (9743/10000 Kobold King's HP)
"Grawwr!"
Like a hot knife through butter, the cursed sword made a gaping gash on the Kobold King's body, bringing along with it a trail of black flames and the painful roars of the Kobold King. Once the sword has left the Kobold King's body, the black flames flared up with a whoosh and wrapped the Kobold King like a blanket wrapping a newborn baby.
[Flame Damage]
-7 (9736/10000 Kobold King's HP)
[[ System notification : [Stun] was successful. Target will be unable to move for 2 seconds]]
Just as the black flames swarmed the Kobold King, it became incapable of releasing its throes of pain as the stun effect of the attack had taken effect. Not wanting to waste such a golden opportunity, Sato brought down his [Astral Blade] for a follow-up attack.
-135
-137
-130 (9334/10000 Kobold King's HP)
In that single second, Sato had slashed out 3 times with both swords. He was about to go for the 4th one when he noticed that the [Stun] effect had worn out. The Kobold King had already brandished its bone saber at him and in a seemingly rushed manner, Sato brought Drakken in front of him and blocked the attack though he was sent back like a rejected sack of potatoes.
"Grawwr! Bastard!!!" The Kobold King yelled before it charged at Sato.
"Sato!" Xue Yan and Seiichi yelled at the same time.
While the previous event sounded long, it had only taken place in the space of 2 seconds. It was too small for the duo that was away to make any attack and because they never expected Sato's counter added to the fact that he was quite close to the Kobold King they weren't able to do much then. Xue Yan and Seiichi were greatly surprised when they saw Sato make a counter when they all thought that it was over but the shock then turned to worry as they saw the Kobold King blast Sato away and charge towards him. It all happened so quickly that they weren't able to react to it. From turning a hopeless situation to a favourable counter and then back to a hopeless situation, it would be difficult to find someone who can react to such so quickly.
"Die!"