CHAPTER 31: The Sword That Devours
The air was dead silent, yet it carried a weight so heavy it made breathing feel wrong.
Kora stood in the middle of it, motionless. Her sword glowed with a dark red hue, the light spreading through the cracks of the floor like veins of a living creature.
Kelvin took a cautious step forward. The light from the sword made her shadow stretch unnaturally across the floor. Her face was pale, almost lifeless. Her eyes were open but empty, staring at nothing. When she moved, it was slow, stiff, like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings.
"Kora…" Kelvin whispered, his voice low.
She did not answer. Her body shifted again, her movements jerky and wrong. It was not her moving. It was the sword. The blade pulsed again, and her body followed. Her limbs dragged forward like she had lost all control over herself.
Kelvin clenched his fist. "The sword… it's controlling her completely."
Her aura had changed too. The calm, steady energy that once flowed around her now twisted in violent patterns. Every breath she took seemed to suck in the light around her.
Kelvin focused. He had already placed ninety percent of his stat points into Perception. Yet he could barely sense the sword's presence properly. It felt blurred, broken, like something was interfering with space itself.
He frowned and closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to see beyond what his eyes could pick up. Then it became clear.
The sword was not just cutting through the air. It was cutting through space itself.
"That's why," he muttered to himself. "It's not moving fast… it's skipping distance. It's learned how to move through the thin layers of space, slicing reality itself to attack from impossible angles. That's why I can't track it even with this much Perception."
He watched the sword twitch in Kora's hand, almost as if it understood that it was being studied.
Kelvin's eyes hardened. "You're alive, aren't you?"
He knew it now. The sword had absorbed so many souls in the past that it had gained consciousness. And it was fighting through Kora's body, feeding on her life force. Worse, it was smart enough to target weak points.
"It attacks in ways no living creature should be able to," Kelvin said quietly. "It knows where to strike, when to strike, and how to strike. Just like a hunter that already knows its prey's fear."
He tightened his stance.
If he didn't stop it soon, Kora would be consumed completely.
The red light around her sword flickered violently as her body twitched again. Her eyes rolled slightly, turning pure white. The weapon was draining her faster now.
Kelvin sprang forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he closed the distance in a single instant. The sword reacted instantly. It sliced the air, and the blade disappeared for a split second.
[(30%)Will power –> Speed]
He raised his arm just in time. The blade appeared again, already swinging for his neck. He caught it with his bare hand.
The moment their energies collided, the air screamed. The ground beneath them shattered.
The sword hummed violently, trying to slip through his grip but couldn't due to his shift in durability.
It didn't swing.
It simply vanished from his hand and reappeared behind him.
Kelvin twisted and blocked with his arm again. The sword sliced through space, but his skin didn't break. The blade grazed him and sparked, unable to cut through.
He looked down at his arm. The skin was intact, only faintly burned from the friction.
He had poured ninety percent of his stat points into Durability earlier, and it was the only reason he was still standing.
Kora's body jerked again. Her mouth opened, but no voice came out.
The sword lifted her arm by force and swung again. Kelvin dodged, moving close enough to grab her shoulder.
"Kora, stop," he said through clenched teeth. "You're not in control."
She didn't respond. Her pupils were gone now.
Kelvin called out loud, his voice echoing through the dungeon. "Lyra!"
Far behind, Lyra flinched. She had been watching from the edge of the field, her arms crossed, her usual smirk gone.
"Connect us mentally," Kelvin ordered. "Now."
Lyra's expression darkened. "Are you insane? You're both stronger than me. I can't handle the link. It'll fry my mind."
"Do it," Kelvin shouted.
She hesitated. The air shook again as the sword swung wildly, almost decapitating him. He caught the edge again, sparks flying as his hand bled slightly from the pressure.
"Lyra, now!"
When she still didn't move, Kelvin looked her dead in the eye. "Nothing will happen to you. I'll handle the strain. Just connect us."
Lyra's lips pressed tight. She moved towards them and raised her hand slowly, muttering under her breath. The air shimmered violet waves faintly around her fingertips.
Kelvin wrapped his arms around Kora, locking her in place. She struggled against him, the sword flaring brighter as if angry. Her body thrashed, but his grip was firm.
Lyra took a deep breath and stepped closer. The closer she got, the heavier the pressure became. She felt the air compressing around them like a living storm.
She placed her hand on both of them. Her psychic energy spread like invisible waves, wrapping their minds together.
Instantly, the world around Kelvin went dark.
He was no longer in the dungeon.
He was inside both Kora's and his mind.
The sky above him was red, filled with floating shards of glass. Every step he took crunched on broken memories. And in the distance, he saw her. Kora. An older version, stood at the edge of a ruined city, her back turned to him. The sword floated beside her, whispering in her ear like a serpent.
Kelvin took a step forward. The voice of the sword filled the air.
"She belongs to me. She chose power. She chose vengeance."
Kelvin ignored it and focused on her. Her body was trembling. The blood that stained her clothes didn't seem real. Her hands were shaking as she gripped the sword tighter.
He could feel it trying to corrupt her mind. The sword was alive here too, fighting him mentally.
This was not a battle of strength anymore. It was a battle of will.
Kelvin opened his status window mentally. He shifted half his remaining stat points.
[(50%) All Stat –> Willpower]
His surroundings immediately changed. The color of the world became sharper. The voice of the sword, once overwhelming, now sounded like a whisper.
He took another step forward, each step sending waves of force through the burning space.
The sword's voice hissed again. "She sacrificed everything for me. You cannot break her bond."
Kelvin stopped. Then the memories came flooding in.
Flashes of Kora's previous life filled his vision.
He saw her in a massive war zone, standing atop piles of destroyed machines. Her armor was cracked, her sword glowing bright. She was an SS-ranker then, one of the strongest warriors of her time. Her team had been wiped out. The sky was burning. And in front of her stood a massive SSS-ranked Titan, its roar shaking the earth.
He saw her stab her own heart and feed her blood to the sword, using it as a last resort to pierce the Titan's core. The explosion that followed had destroyed everything, including her.
She had died that day, but the sword survived, carrying fragments of her will and rage.
Kelvin clenched his teeth. "So that's it. You were born from her past life how."
The sword shone faintly, its voice almost soft. "I got this memories from absorbing your blood, when we last fought.
Now.... you've made me stronger by feeding me these memories. And I only gave her what she desired."
Kelvin stepped closer, his will pressing down on the world around him. "You took her pain and turned it into chains."
He reached out his hand, his aura bursting with light.
The sword roared. The world cracked apart. The mental space shook violently.
For a moment, it seemed like the sword was winning. Its energy coiled around him, slicing through his defenses. But then he heard her voice.
"Kelvin…"
It was faint but real.
He pushed forward, ignoring the cuts on his mind. He reached her, placing his hand on her shoulder even though the cuts were too much like a tornado of winds and slashes.
"You're not alone," he said softly. "You don't have to fight or suffer anymore. You don't need to carry all that pain by yourself. I'll be here. Always."
The sword screamed. Cracks spread across its surface.
Kora turned her head slowly, her eyes clearing for the first time. Tears ran down her cheeks as she dropped the sword.
"I… I didn't want this," she whispered.
"I know," Kelvin said. "That's why you have to let go."
The sword shattered. The red light burst apart like glass breaking underwater.
Kelvin felt his consciousness snap back into reality.
He gasped as the dungeon came back into view. He was still holding Kora tightly, her head resting weakly against his shoulder. The sword lay on the ground beside them, dark and lifeless.
Kora's breathing was shallow, but she was alive.
Kelvin gently lowered her down. "It's over."
Lyra stood nearby, pale from exhaustion. Her psychic energy had drained her completely. She walked closer, wobbling slightly.
When Kelvin looked up, she was suddenly hugging him from behind.
"What are you doing?" he asked, confused.
She leaned closer, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You said you'll protect me. So I'm staying close to you. Very close. Just in case another possessed sword decides to wake up."
Kelvin sighed. "Get off me."
She didn't move.
Then he shoved her away with one hand.
She pouted, then stepped back reluctantly.
Kora stirred weakly, opening her eyes. "Kelvin… I'm sorry…"
He shook his head. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault."
He looked at both of them, his tone calm but firm. "You're both unstable. Your powers are strong, but your control is a mess. If something like this happens again, you won't survive it."
Lyra frowned. "So what do you suggest, Sugar daddy?"
Kelvin stood, his aura faintly glowing blue from the lingering energy. He turned toward the glowing gate that led to the next level.
"What do I suggest?" he said quietly. "Simple."
He looked back at them, a faint smirk forming on his lips.
"Am going to train you all."
The air trembled slightly as he took a step forward, his eyes cold and determined.
"And When am done....." he said, his voice calm, "You won't just survive dungeons. You'll dominate them."