Chapter 67: Chapter: 67 Vehemoth subjugation.[3]
The moment Vivian pushed the dagger in, it went only halfway through before snapping.
The blade wasn’t strong enough to pierce deep into the Vehemoth’s thick hide.
Even so, the attack managed to wound it slightly, drawing a shallow but burning cut.
Roarr!!
The Vehemoth roared in fury, its four arms swinging wildly as it swatted away the members of the Black Shadows like rag dolls.
One by one, the others were sent flying, crashing into the ground and walls until they fell unconscious.
Only the leader managed to stay on his feet, though he looked completely drained.
The fight before this had already pushed him to his limits, and now facing this monster, this twisted Vehemoth, his breathing became even more laboured.
Vivian, however, didn’t flinch. His expression remained calm, eyes cold and sharp.
With a swift motion, he gestured forward, "follow me."
The Black Shadows’ leader tightened his grip on his dagger, flipping it into a reverse hold, and ran after him without hesitation.
Vivian didn’t bother retrieving his sword.
He rushed in barehanded, mana swirling faintly around his arms, forming sharp, blade-like edges along his hands.
The air cracked from the pressure as he clashed directly with the Vehemoth.
Boom!! Boom!!
Their fists collided again and again, each impact shaking the ground beneath them.
Vivian’s body trembled from the force, his feet sliding back, but he refused to retreat.
With a roar of defiance, he lunged forward once more, determined to strike even harder.
The leader of the Black Shadows joined the fight, darting in from the side with swift, precise movements, aiming for the creature’s joints.
His dagger glimmered faintly under the flickering light, cutting shallow lines across the Vehemoth’s tough skin.
But the monster barely seemed to notice.
Its massive eyes shifted away from the two men, locking instead on Charlotte in the distance, where she had been thrown earlier.
A flicker of instinctive fear ran through it, as if sensing real danger from her direction.
With a low growl, it swung its arm and drove a crushing punch toward Vivian.
Boom!!
Vivian met the blow head-on, throwing his left fist forward.
The clash sent a shockwave through the air, dust and stones scattering.
But the difference in power was too great, his arm twisted unnaturally, bones cracking with a sickening snap.
He was forced back several steps, boots scraping across the ground.
Yet his eyes stayed calm. No scream, no wince, just steady, cold focus.
The pain must have been unbearable, but compared to what he’d endured during his captivity, this was nothing more than a passing sting.
The leader of the Black Shadows froze for a moment, staring in disbelief.
Vivian’s arm hung uselessly at his side, yet his expression didn’t waver in the slightest.
A chill ran down the leader’s spine as he thought, ’How can he stay so calm... even now? Is he the same young lord?’
A bead of cold sweat slid down his temple, but then a faint smile crept across his face.
’Maybe that’s why people say bloodline matters.’
Meanwhile, about fifty feet away from the chaos, Charlotte stood with her cloak fluttering in the wind.
The Vehemoth’s monstrous gaze locked onto her, and she could feel its killing intent even from that distance.
Vivian’s shout echoed faintly across the battlefield, "Are you finished?"
She didn’t answer. Her focus was absolute.
Charlotte gripped her staff tightly, whispering under her breath, "Three elements... Fire, Air, Earth."
Her voice grew steadier with each word. "First element, Earth."
The ground beneath her, trembled as mana surged upward.
A massive sphere of mud rose from the shattered earth, swirling above her head before slowly compressing and hardening into the shape of a giant spear.
"Second element, Fire."
At her command, a blazing flame ignited around the spear, wrapping it in burning light.
The heat distorted the air, and the spear began to glow red-hot, its surface cracking with veins of molten light.
The Vehemoth’s instincts screamed danger.
Roar!!!
It let out a furious roar, shoving aside the leader of the Black Shadows as if he were weightless, and charged toward Charlotte with terrifying speed.
Vivian saw it move. His eyes narrowed. He couldn’t let it reach her.
Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground, dust exploding under his feet as he dashed toward his fallen sword.
His broken arm hung limp, but his other hand was steady as he gripped the hilt and pulled the blade free.
Vivian dashed forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet from the sheer force of his movement.
His figure blurred, leaving faint afterimages as he closed the distance between himself and the Vehemoth.
At that moment, the sword in his hand began to change.
Black shadows, thin, smoke-like tendrils, started coiling around the blade, writhing and twisting as if alive.
They clung to the steel, darkening it until not a glint of metal remained.
The air around it grew cold and heavy.
Vivian’s eyes widened for an instant.
"Intuition...?" he muttered under his breath, but quickly shook his head.
No, this wasn’t that.
The power was faint, unstable, just a fragment of something greater.
Still, right now, it was exactly what he needed.
The Vehemoth, charging straight toward Charlotte, suddenly slowed.
Its predatory gaze flicked toward Vivian, its instincts screaming that something was wrong, something unnatural was coming from that sword.
The shadows pulsing along the blade felt alive, exuding an eerie, oppressive aura that even the Vehemoth couldn’t ignore.
Vivian didn’t stop to think.
He gritted his teeth, adjusted his stance, and shot forward again, his sword trailing black mist as he aimed straight for the monster’s chest.
The Vehemoth hesitated, just for a heartbeat, but that single instant was enough to tilt the flow of battle.
Its gaze flicked between Vivian and Charlotte, uncertainty flashing in its monstrous eyes.
Then, with a furious roar, it made its choice.
Charlotte was the true threat, the one gathering power that could end it.
It lunged toward her, its massive frame tearing through the shattered ground, each step sending tremors through the earth.
But that hesitation, brief as it was, had already doomed it.
Vivian moved like lightning. In a blink, he was there, behind the creature, his presence silent and lethal.
The black shadows around his sword pulsed, whispering like distant voices.
He drove the blade forward, aiming for the side of the Vehemoth’s chest where its hide was slightly less thicker.
The Vehemoth sensed the killing intent a fraction too late.
With no room to dodge, it twisted violently and brought its four hands together, forming two enormous fists that smashed toward Vivian in a crushing counterattack.
Boom!!!
Sword and fist collided, and the world seemed to explode.
The impact sent a deafening shockwave rippling through the air, tearing up the ground and scattering rubble in every direction.
Vivian was thrown down with crushing force, slamming into the cracked earth hard enough to leave a crater.
Blood burst from his mouth, staining the ground beneath him.
His chest throbbed with unbearable pain, half his ribs were shattered, and his right arm hung uselessly at his side, broken from the sheer pressure of the blow.
For a brief moment, his vision blurred.
But he didn’t fall.
Through the pain, he forced himself to stand, dragging in a ragged breath.
His body trembled, but his eyes, those cold, burning eyes, remained fixed on the monster before him.
"Charlotte!!!" he roared.
Far in the distance, Charlotte heard his voice.
She raised her staff, her expression steady as the fiery glow around her reached its peak.
The air hummed with violent energy, the ground beneath her cracking from the pressure.
She exhaled slowly and spoke a single word.
"Astra."
In an instant, the spear of fire, earth, and wind roared to life, spinning violently as it launched forward like a blazing comet.
The air screamed as it tore through the battlefield, leaving a trail of light and heat in its wake, aimed straight for the Vehemoth’s heart.
Roar!!
The Vehemoth bellowed, a sound so deep it seemed to shake the air itself.
For the first time, true panic flickered in its monstrous eyes.
It felt it, death, closing in.
In a blur of motion, it brought all four of its massive arms together, crossing them before its chest to shield itself.
But Astra was already upon it.
In the next instant, the spear of fire, earth, and wind struck.
Boom!
The explosion lit up the battlefield like a miniature sun.
The shockwave tore through the ground, sending rocks, dust, and flames into the sky.
The Vehemoth was blown backward, its body slamming into the dirt with a thunderous crash that left a massive crater in its wake.
Smoke and heat rolled through the air. For a moment, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Vivian, though barely able to stand, forced his broken body to move.
Every step was agony, his ribs screamed, his arm hung limp, but he didn’t stop.
He turned his head toward the leader of the Black Shadows, who stood frozen, staring at the devastation with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Vivian gave a sharp gesture and shouted.
"Move! Now!"
The leader snapped back to his senses and nodded.
Together, they dashed toward the fallen beast.
Vivian snatched his sword from the ground as he ran, the black shadows still swirling around it like restless spirits.
The air around him pulsed with their strange, dark energy.
By the time the Vehemoth’s massive form hit the ground, Vivian was already there.
He leapt, bringing his blade down in a savage arc, the shadowed sword cutting through flesh and stone-like hide.
The leader of the Black Shadows followed in perfect sync, his dagger flashing as he aimed for the monster’s exposed heart.
"Avoid the heart!" Vivian shouted hoarsely, voice raw from blood and pain.
The leader shifted mid-strike, redirecting his attack.
His blade plunged deep into the Vehemoth’s skull, even as Vivian’s sword carved another wound across its chest.
Roar!!
The Vehemoth let out a miserable roar that shook the sky.