Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Might Of The Destruction Sword
The Shadow Panther was already mid-air, its sharp claws extended and aimed for Vahn’s throat. It was too fast for an un-enhanced eye to follow.
Still, Vahn didn’t panic. He held his Silver Saber in a battle ready position.
He didn’t have time to use complex techniques or spells. But he had the skills of Saber Master.
"Come... Today, I will let you have the honour to becoming my first kill."
As he muttered this, his focus narrowed to a pinpoint, eliminating the world until only the rushing shadow and his blade remained.
He didn’t dodge; he met the attack head on.
"Hyaah!"
With a powerful shout that forced air from his lungs, Vahn executed a single, sweeping, horizontal slash. He channeled his internal energy not into any kind of Art, but into the blade itself, focusing it on the edge of the Silver Saber.
Next, instead of stepping back to evade the lethal claws, Vahn took a short, quick step forward and to the side, dropping his shoulder and allowing the Panther’s main body to pass just wide of his chest. This move was suicidal, but it put the Panther on a fixed, predictable trajectory.
The Panther’s attack was meant to pass and then wrap around Vahn. But Vahn’s saber, singing with a faint, dark shimmer, caught the beast in its flank mid-flight.
The goal wasn’t to kill it yet, but to force it to bleed and break its terrifying momentum.
SzzzzK!
The sound of grinding steel and ripping flesh cut the air. The Shadow Panther let out a high-pitched shriek of surprise and pain as the Silver Saber scored a deep gash across its ribs, throwing it off balance and slamming it into the ground a few feet away in a cloud of dust and stirred leaves.
"Bang!"
Vahn stood motionless for a second, his saber already raised and ready for the follow-up. But his breath was coming out in short, harsh gasps.
The Shadow Panther was hurt and enraged, scrambling back to its paws, its shadowy form momentarily broken by the visible crimson stain on its fur.
With her arms cross over her chest, Lilith watched everything unfold with a cold satisfaction. He hadn’t fought like a typical Cultivator. He fought like a predator, who was bold, clinical, and capitalizing on the first mistake.
"Good," Lilith murmured, mostly to herself. "Now finish it, Vahn Necrotis. It won’t wait for your permission to attack again."
Vahn didn’t need to be reminded twice. He already knew that wounded beasts were the most dangerous. When used to live in the Village he used to assist the village hunters.
From those brutal experiences, he had learned long ago that in battle, hesitation meant death.
L
Shouting, he hurriedly activated the first Sword of the Nine Heavens Lightning Swords: Destruction Sword.
As soon as he did, the White long Saber in his right hand immediately started to crackle..
Crackle~~ Crackle~~
Silver lightning danced and hissed across the silver steel. The blade had transformed into a living, crackling Lightning Saber of Destruction.
The ground around him began to emit smoke due to the sheer lightning power.
Not just Vahn, even Lilith stood frozen by Its terryfying ferocity. It looked as though wanted to destroy the whole world.
On the other hand, the Shadow Panther, whimpering and desperate till now, saw the incoming torrent of power and did the only thing it could: it tried to melt away.
Whoosh!
It activated Its innate Shadow form to blend into the surrounding darkness and escape the immediate threat.
But Vahn’s timing was perfect.
"Destroy!"
With a small roar, he plunged the crackling saber down onto the spot where the Panther’s fading shadow lingered.
Against the raw, concentrated power of the Heavenly Lightning, the Shadow Panther’s shadow-based defense was its biggest weakness.
The two elemental energies were diametrically opposed, and the lightning held crushing dominance.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rock the quiet edge of the Starless Forest.
The Saber was plunged into the earth, but the lightning destroyed everything around it. The grass, insects, the shadow panther; nothing remained.
The spirit beast didn’t just die; its shadow form was forcefully broken, and its physical form was instantly blasted into smithereens and ash, leaving behind only a faint, burning smell and a small, smoking crater in the earth.
Vahn stood over the blast site, completely unharmed. He was breathing heavily as the lightning slowly receded from his blade until only the polished white steel remained, intact.
His heart hammered a ferocious rhythm against his ribs.
He had survived his first true test under Lilith’s watchful eyes.
He then looked at Lilith with a faint smile, as if waiting to hear her praise.
But in response, she said indifferently, "Good. But you overdid it a little. It’s always crucial to use your spirit energy efficiently so that you’re ready for the next battle. If you can’t do that, then sooner or later, there will come a day when you’ll face death because of your lack of spirit energy."
Vahn’s wide, expectant smile faded a little after Lilith’s critique, replaced by a helpless sigh.
"I understand what you said, Lilith," he said, stepping closer to her veiled face, his eyes seeking out the hidden contours of her face.
"But can’t you praise this disciple a little?" he asked, trying to warm up to her.
Lilith paused in her stride. She could still feel the lingering heat from the lightning blast and the fresh wave of excitement coming off him. His demand wasn’t arrogant; it was playful, like a small probing to see just how deep her cold façade ran.
She felt the familiar, uncomfortable flutter in her chest. It was a warmth she instinctively wanted to extinguish.
"Praise," she stated flatly, the word devoid of inflection. "Praise is a tool used by trainers to encourage the weak and distract the vain. You are here to become strong enough to change the world, Vahn Necrotis, not to collect gold stars."
She continued walking, forcing him to keep pace beside her.
"You survived. You were effective. That is the only acceptable result. Do you want me to lie and tell you it was perfect when I saw a clear flaw in your resource management? That would be a failure in my duty as your instructor."
Vahn sighed internally. He knew she was right, but he’d expected a little more than clinical analysis. It seemed she wasn’t as open to expressing her emotions like Seraphina. Her cold heart needed to be conquered, little by little.
"Understood, Instructor. The lesson is noted: Conservation Is key," Vahn replied.
He then glanced down at his current sword, the one he’d used for the lightning strike. He could feel the strain. It was the Earth Grade Saber, and while it had served him well, it was slowly breaking down from the inside due to the repeated channeling of the Heavenly Lightning Art’s power. Its lack of craftsmanship was becoming a liability.
He needed the upgrade. He indeed had the Hellbringer Saber waiting, and it seemed it was time to use it.