Fwooosh! Rumble zaaap!
Aether dodged the lightning bolts, using the momentum to speed forward. And soon, he was face to face with the Soulborne.
"Pesky human." the Soulborne was annoyed that Aether charged at him without a scratch.
Just then,
The maid finished chanting a magic spell. And Aether felt his power grow stronger. And without wasting any time he used his family's sword art.
'Noctvain sword art sixth form'
As Aether used the Noctvain's sixth sword art, his body seemed to vanish.
In the blink of an eye, countless sword slashes appeared and the Soulborne's hands were cut off, hanging by just a small piece of flesh.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa" The soulborne screamed in pain.
The technique's slash had a wide range, so its body was covered in deep black bloody cuts.
And thanks to the maid's spell, Aether was finally able to wound the Soulborne, which he couldn't even scratch before.
The Noctvain sword art was a truly powerful technique. But since Aether was only at the mid-stage of Sword Master, he couldn't completely sever its hands.
Grrrch
However, the Soulborne had a healing factor. So its hands were slowly reattaching.
Soulbornes are made from layers of merged souls and negative emotions, they're like ash condensed in a breast form. Because of their origin, they can heal themselves easily, though not as fast as Aether.
To truly kill a Soulborne, one must destroy its soul core, which is located on the left side of its chest near the heart.
Aether knew this fact, so he kept slashing the Soulborne without stopping.
Although it could heal, its regeneration was slow. The wounds piled up faster than it could recover.
* * *
In the sky, The Left guardian watched Aether fighting the Soulborne alongside the Ravenfall family.
He thought about using his sword technique to strike the sky. If he had done that, the clouds would have cleared, and the Soulborne wouldn't be able to use its thunder.
But since Aether had received help from the Ravenfall family and already resolved the thunder crisis, the Left Guardian didn't need to step in.
" Why are you looking away." The hooded men's leader, Franklin shouted in anger.
From the beginning, the Left Guardian had been toying with him.
Since Franklin could heal his wounds, the Left Guardian deliberately cut him and then let him heal. It was like he was using Franklin as a stress-relief dummy.
"You bastard." Franklin shouted and charged at him with deadly aura.
But as always, his sword couldn't reach the Left Guardian. It was easily blocked and countered, leaving Franklin with minor injuries.
"Do you really think you can defeat me with borrowed powers, powers you got without any effort. I've seen many Apostles who became truly strong because they trained hard after receiving their powers. You, on the other hand, can't even wield your contracted demon's abilities properly. You're nothing but a failure."
The left guardian sneered, mocking him for his incompetence.
"Grrrr" Franklin bit his lips hard. As the left guardians words were true.
Not long ago, he was just a slave. After selling his soul to a demon, he became its Apostle. With his newfound power, he killed the noble count he once served and joined the organization.
" I've lost interest in you" the Left Guardian said, tightening his grip on his sword. "Let me show you a sword technique at the Unrestrained realm."
As they were both in the sky. The Left Guardian descended slightly, just enough to change the angle of his strike. If he aimed downward, it might hit the innocents below.
So instead, he unleashed a powerful sword technique upward, straight at Franklin.
'Dark emperor sword art first form'
A powerful aura surged from his sword. In the blink of an eye, Franklin's hands and legs were severed.
"Aaaaaaaaah" His agonized scream echoed through the air.
Behind him the dark, cloudy sky split into countless fragments, as if heaven itself was being torn apart.
Crash!
Franklin's severed body fell to the ground.
The Left Guardian also landed and looked at his miserable state.
"Cough cough.." Franklin spat out blood.
He could heal small wounds and even severed parts, but his body was so torn apart that healing was no longer possible.
"Cough..You nobles...are the worst. cough...cough... You pretend to be righteous, but you're nothing but hypocrites. Haha....i truly regret….that I won't be able to remove slavery from this wretched world."
Tears filled his eyes as he spoke. His life had been full of misery, and even his death came with regret.
Red tears streamed down his face as he cried in agony.
"...." The Left Guardian stayed silent. He knew all too well how corrupt the nobles were. They're more wicked than demons.
* * *
Clang! Clang! Slice!
Aether and the Soulborne clashed fiercely. Thalia used fire magic to blast its footing, while her maid cast buffs on Aether, enhancing his strength.
Their teamwork overwhelmed the Soulborne. Feeling its life in danger, it unleashed a bolt of lightning, but nothing happened.
The sky had cleared. Its lightning clouds had vanished.
"What...?" The soulborne looked up.
For the first time after awakening, the Soulborne felt fear, genuine fear.
The sky was split into countless fragments, ripped apart like shattered glass. A man stood upon the air itself, radiating an overwhelming aura. It was the Left Guardian, gazing down with an expression of cold dominance.
As the Soulborne was distracted, Aether signaled Thalia to go all out. This was the perfect chance to finish it with a powerful attack.
Without hesitation, Thalia began casting. Her maid stood behind her, channeling buffs into her spell.
'Flame Pillar Explosion'
A torrent of blazing fire erupted around the Soulborne, trapping it inside a towering column of flame that reached high above.
The heat scorched the sky. The intensity was overwhelming.
As the Ravenfall family mainly focused on flame magic. The spell Thalia just cast was a powerful 7-star magic, made even stronger by her maid's help.
Her maid didn't buff her directly but strengthened her spell instead. Because of that, Thalia was able to cast a powerful 7-star magic, even though she's only a 4th circle mage.
Khhhk! Splurt! Thud
As a recoil, blood flowed from her mouth, and she fell to her knees. She had pushed herself beyond her limits, all for her revenge.
"Aaaaaaaggggggh"
The Soulborne let out a guttural roar. Its white hair burned to a crisp, skin blackened and cracked with burned marks. The pain was unimaginable.
And just as the flames faded
Aether appeared right in front of the Soulborne's heart, ready to strike.
His sword aimed precisely at its Soul Core, as the only way to kill a Soulborne was to destroy its core.
Fwoooosh
'The Sunless sword art first form'