Eldritch Assassin: Reincarnated With An SSS-Rank Devouring System
Chapter 91: Trial Of Blind Combat (I)

Chapter 91: Trial Of Blind Combat (I)

The next clash came like thunder in silence.

Kael caught one sword against his dagger, the second against the vambrace on his left arm. The third thrust toward his stomach.

He twisted.

Too slow.

The tip pierced flesh. He grunted—but drove his foot into the attacker’s knee joint. The construct stumbled. Kael used the moment to twist, slash, and end it.

Two left.

His vision pulsed—not with light, but pressure. A faint aura he hadn’t felt before.

Another? No...

The constructs were hesitant. Holding position.

Kael swayed.

[Warning: HP at 1%]

Then—flash. Nothing visible. Just a shift in pressure.

One construct lunged.

Kael didn’t think twice. He reacted instantly.

He dropped flat, then punched upward—fist meeting metal chin. His dagger followed. Crunch!

Aura shattered. One remained.

Kael rose. Legs barely holding. Hands shaking.

Then—

A second pulse.

System Notification: Passive skill [Eldritch Reversal] triggered.

Kael’s aura exploded.

His HP clung to 1%, his Lvl 19 frame a battered husk as he stood in the lightless void of the thirteenth floor, the Eternal Ascension Pagoda’s Trial of Blind Combat raging around him.

The air was cold, heavy, like a grave’s embrace, and his Abyssal Fang Dagger thrummed in his grip, its blade dense with consumed Null Qi, the Essence Latch scraping together faint wisps of stamina.

His Predator’s Instincts flared, a lifeline in the dark, guiding his every move. His silver eyes, hidden beneath the Shadow Veil Mask, burned with defiance despite the void’s smothering silence. "One left, huh? Let’s dance," he rasped, his smirk rough, blood dripping from his lips.

The last Primal Warrior construct, a Lvl 28 aura pulsing like a muted storm, stood motionless, its intent a faint ripple in the void. Kael’s senses were gone—vision black, sound null, touch a distant echo—but his Predator’s Instincts painted its presence, a shadow of killing intent.

His Eldritch Reversal surged, a fleeting burst of clarity and strength flooding his limbs, his HP still at 1%, but his movements sharper, faster. He swayed, boots scraping the unseen floor, his body screaming with every shift, yet his grip on Abyssal Fang never faltered.

"The Pagoda’s pulling no punches," he muttered, his voice raw, his bloodline roaring, hungry for the kill.

The construct lunged, its sword a silent arc aimed for his chest. Kael’s instincts screamed, and he twisted, the blade grazing his Bloodthread Mantle, tearing fabric.

He countered, Abyssal Fang slashing upward, cracking the construct’s helm, sparks flaring in the void. The construct staggered, its aura flickering, but it swung again, its spear thrusting for his ribs.

Kael’s Eclipse Step flickered, his form blurring despite the pain, dodging by a hair’s breadth. He drove his dagger into its chest plate, metal groaning, and yanked it free, ichor spraying.

The construct collapsed, its aura snuffed out, the void trembling as three more auras flared—[Wave Three: Nine Enemies, Lvl 29-30].

Kael staggered, his HP at 0.5%, his Adaptive Regeneration crawling, barely sealing his wounds. His Eldritch Reversal faded, leaving him hollow, his stamina a dying ember.

"Nine? Pagoda’s got jokes," he growled, his smirk grim, his Predator’s Instincts straining to track the new constructs circling like vultures.

Their auras pressed in, heavy and relentless, their weapons slashing silently. Kael moved, his boots finding purchase on the unseen floor, his body weaving through the void on instinct alone.

A sword grazed his shoulder, blood seeping, but he spun, his dagger cracking a construct’s arm, metal splintering.

Two constructs flanked him, their spears thrusting in sync. Kael dropped low, rolling blindly, the spears clanging above his head. He sprang up, his dagger slashing one’s knee joint, the construct stumbling.

The second lunged, its sword aimed for his neck, but Kael’s Predator’s Instincts caught its intent, and he parried, sparks flying, his dagger piercing its chest.

Six remained, their auras tightening like a noose, their attacks faster, more precise. Kael’s breath hitched, his body trembling, but his smirk held, his bloodline pulsing with defiance. "Keep coming," he muttered, his Eclipse Step flickering, his dagger a blur in the dark.

Kael weaved through the void, his Predator’s Instincts a faint pulse against the six remaining constructs, their Lvl 29-30 auras a crushing weight.

A sword slashed from his left, and he ducked, the blade grazing his mask, cracking its edge. He countered, Abyssal Fang piercing a construct’s chest, metal shattering.

Five left, their spears thrusting in unison, but Kael’s Eclipse Step carried him through the void, his dagger slashing a construct’s leg, toppling.

Four constructs circled, their auras relentless, their swords and spears a silent storm. Kael’s HP flickered at 0.1%, his Adaptive Regeneration stalling, his stamina a ghost.

A spear grazed his ribs, blood seeping—but he rolled, his dagger cracking a construct’s helm. Three remained, their attacks tighter, their intent sharper.

Kael’s breath was a ragged gasp, his body trembling, but his smirk held, his bloodline roaring defiance. "You wants me dead, but I’m quite against it," he growled, his Eclipse Step flickering, his dagger a fleeting shadow in the void.

The trial’s pressure mounted, the void’s silence deafening, but Kael moved like a specter, his Predator’s Instincts his only guide. A construct lunged, its sword aimed for his heart, but Kael sidestepped, his dagger slashing its arm, metal groaning.

Two left, their auras a suffocating tide, their spears thrusting for his chest. Kael dropped low, rolling through the void, his dagger piercing a construct’s knee.

One remained, its Lvl 30 aura a storm of intent, its sword slashing silently. Kael’s HP was a whisper, his body a wreck, but his smirk widened, his bloodline screaming for victory.

"One more, pagoda. Let’s finish this," he rasped, his Eclipse Step primed, his dagger ready for the trial’s next brutal wave.

The silence wrapped tighter. The last construct didn’t move. Neither did Kael.

They faced each other in the dark, no light, no sound, just two presences clashing in a world stripped bare.

Kael’s breath came in short, rough bursts. His hands trembled from fatigue, yet his grip on Abyssal Fang was tight, unyielding.

The construct’s aura flared suddenly—silent, but sharp, a spike of killing intent aimed straight at his center.

Kael’s instincts screamed. He moved. But he wasn’t fast enough.

The blade grazed his ribs, slicing into flesh already torn open. He bit back a groan, spinning with the force, letting the momentum carry him around.

His counterattack came from below—his dagger slicing up, a desperate, brutal arc.

The edge cracked into the construct’s side, denting armor. Not enough.

It twisted away, fast. Faster than the others. It wasn’t like the rest.

It adapted.

Kael didn’t have time to think. The construct lunged again, its aura shifting mid-strike—faking a spear thrust only to pivot with a kick.

It smashed into his side.

Kael flew back, body scraping along the unseen floor. The impact cracked something. His jaw tightened. He coughed—blood. His chest burned, every breath shallow.

[Warning: HP at 0.03%]

[Adaptive Regeneration halted due to extreme fatigue]

Kael forced himself to stand. Wobbling. Swaying. But upright.

"Still... standing..." he rasped, blood trailing from his lips.

The construct advanced, one slow step at a time. Its aura no longer pulsed with mindless aggression—it moved with deliberation, awareness.

A test.

Kael’s Predator’s Instincts flickered like a dying candle. He had no tricks left. No energy. No second wind.

Just pure will, resolve.

He dragged Abyssal Fang up, both hands wrapped around the hilt, his body shaking from the effort.

It came.

A blur of metal. An echo of death.

Kael didn’t dodge this time around, instead, he stepped into the strike.

The blade pierced his left shoulder, pushing through flesh and muscle. But Kael moved with it, closing the distance, his right hand driving Abyssal Fang into the construct’s throat seam.

A crack. A screech.

Then—

Silence followed.

The construct collapsed, aura snuffed out.

Kael stood over it, legs trembling, blood soaking his robes.

Then—

[Wave Four Initiated: Twelve Enemies – Lvl 30-31 Primal Constructs]

Kael didn’t cuss out.

He laughed. A weak, broken laugh that wheezed out of his cracked lips like a dying man taunting death.

"You’re kidding... twelve now?"

His knees gave out and he hit the ground hard.

[System Alert: Emergency Protocol – "Trial Pause: Near-Death Threshold" activated]

The void shimmered faintly.

A moment of stillness ensued. A single breath granted by the system. Not enough to rest. Just to... pause.

Kael sat in the dark, eyes unfocused beneath the mask. His dagger rested across his lap.

A whisper of wind brushed past him. Not real. Just memory.

Suddenly, Mira’s voice echoed faintly in his mind—calm, firm, annoying in that comforting way.

"Don’t be reckless. You’re not made of stone."

He chuckled, then coughed out blood, doubling over.

"Stone cracks too, Mira."

[System Alert: Passive regeneration restored to 0.1% capacity]

His wounds began to close—slowly. Not enough to make a difference. But enough to feel something.

He was still alive.

The pause ended.

Twelve auras bloomed like fire with no warning. No build-up. Just—pressure.