Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 101: Structural Flaw

Chapter 101: Structural Flaw

Infront of the monstrous abomination, Seraphim stood alone, holding the silver sword. The blade, engulfed in azure fire, served as a grand illumination for the uncanny battlefield.

A fierce fire erupted within the eyes of the beast commander and became mad with fury.

The terrible ghoul swung its sickles through the air, aiming for her flesh. However, a black silhouette flew from the side and slammed its body into one of the front limbs.

Seraphim seized the opportunity.

Evading the second sickle whose trajectory was altered, she immediately dove under the creature’s body and began slicing its limbs with the flaming sword. It was far from stealthy. One wrong move, and the creature could collapse atop her, crushing her in an instant.

But she had no other option.

During the skirmish, Adrian had reached the rear of the beast. Hoping to draw its attention and buy Sera precious seconds, he raised Wind Breaker and struck. The tip of the spear connected with the joint of one of the monster’s rear legs, drawing greenish blood. However, with a slight delay, the freshly inflicted wound slowly closed in a few seconds.

Slightly baffled, he instinctively stepped back.

Perhaps the young man didn’t realize the beast commander could regenerate. Regardless, the creature didn’t even glance his way.

It was too focused, thrashing with fury as it tried and failed to land a blow on its true target: the Blackmane Stalker, darting about as decoy.

Understanding the situation, Adrian gritted his teeth and shifted his stance.

The Blackmane Stalker weaved between the creature’s limbs like a shadow, narrowly avoiding each wild swing. The wounds hadn’t completely healed but it was enough to it to move and distract the monster for some time.

Meanwhile, under the beast’s towering body, Seraphim pressed on. Every strike of her silver blade sent bursts of brilliant light dancing across the underbelly. The azure flames carved through sinew and muscle, leaving scorched, half-healed gashes behind. Sweat dripped from her brow She couldn’t tell if it was her own heartbeat thundering in her ears or the tremors of the creature’s roars.

Another limb came crashing down.

Seraphim rolled to the side, narrowly escaping the crushing weight. Dust and black ichor sprayed around her. She slid beneath the monster’s bulk and emerged behind its right foreleg, just in time to see Adrian wind up for another devastating thrust.

With a quick pivot, he struck again, driving Wind Breaker deep into the gap between plated bone and muscle. The monster screeched, its massive frame wavering for a brief moment before the wound began to close, sealing shut with unnatural ease.

Just like that, his attack was rendered meaningless.

Undeterred, the two Striders began circling the monstrosity, flanking it while it remained focused elsewhere. As one of the sickles came sweeping low, the Blackmane Stalker evaded, then launched itself into the air. With a thunderous impact, it delivered a devastating punch across the beast’s twisted face.

The ghoul shrieked in outrage, spinning wildly in a frenzy to throw the attacker off.

But that fury came at a cost. It had completely disregarded the two Striders, having deemed them as insignificant threats.

That assumption proved fatal.

While the beast’s focus remained shattered, Adrian activated his ability. In an instant, he became a blur, the tip of his spear slicing across the creature’s limbs in rapid succession. The wounds closed just as quickly as they appeared, but the effect on its footing was undeniable. The monster’s balance faltered with each strike, growing increasingly unstable.

Sensing the opportunity when the creature lowered its body, Seraphim quickly sprang forward. She dove beneath the towering body and drove the flaming sword into the base of the creature’s neck. The azure fire exploded along the blade, flooding corrupted flesh with searing heat. The commander howled in agony and its scream splitted the night.

Much to their misfortune, however, even that seemingly fatal blow proved short-lived.

The beast commander’s regeneration kicked in swiftly, mending torn flesh and restoring its shattered balance. With a guttural snarl, it stabbed its sickles into the ground and began to rise.

As it did, Seraphim was dragged upward with it, still gripping the hilt of her sword buried deep in its flesh.

Still clinging to the creature’s back, Klaus grimaced.

’Damn it. This is going nowhere.’

They had made a serious miscalculation. Every one of them had underestimated the monster’s regenerative abilities. Because of that, finding a decisive weak point that could actually lead to victory, had become nearly impossible.

So far, he hadn’t noticed a single vulnerable spot along its back. The lower body offered no better prospects. The only obvious targets were the eyes, but even if they managed to strike them, it would be pointless if the beast could simply heal them back.

’God damn it.’

Reaching that bitter conclusion, he clicked his tongue.

Was there really nothing they could do in this situation?

’Ah!’

A sudden thought sparked in Klaus’s mind, which was wild and borderline insane. Maybe it was desperation, or maybe it was sheer madness, but he found himself oddly impressed that his mind could even conjure something so ridiculous under immense pressure.

Still, as crazy as it sounded, it held a certain logic.

Every living creature — no matter the species — shared at least two or three inherently vulnerable spots that lacked natural protection. The eyes were the most obvious. The ears, another. And the third... the anus.

Whether the creature had eyes or ears was uncertain, but there was no way it wouldn’t have some form of backside exit to release the unnatural waste building up inside its body.

And if that existed, then yeah, it was a weak point. A nasty little flaw built into every living thing, whether they liked it or not. This was called a "structural flaw."

Targeting that place would definitely send the creature into hell.

Unconventional, absolutely. But right now, it might be their only shot.

’But do I really need to go through that entrance?’

Klaus hesitated, his face twisting with visible discomfort. After all, who in their right mind would willingly dive into the backdoor of a Night Creature?

Still, despite the overwhelming disgust churning in his gut, he swallowed hard and began descending back, towards the creature’s rear.

The stench alone was enough to make his eyes water. A foul, almost physical presence lingered in the air around that part of the beast. Klaus gagged, muttering curses under his breath, with each step feeling more like an act of great war against his own pride.

No turning back now, he told himself.

Carefully, he crouched low, scanning the thick folds of flesh and muscle for anything that resembled an orifice or anything that might give him an opening. And there, nestled between ridged plates and moving veins, he saw it. A writhing, puckered mass that flexed slightly with the monster’s movements.

"Of course it has one," Klaus muttered, both horrified and vindicated.

Clutching his gauntlets-covered fists tighter, he took one steadying breath. Then, gritting his teeth and fighting every instinct to run the other way, he lunged.

Like a fired bullet, the young man dove himself inside through the soft tissue mercilessly.

Following that single action, the effect was immediate.

The beast let out a guttural, high-pitched screech that cut through the battlefield like a siren. Its entire body jerked violently, nearly throwing Seraphim off and sending Adrian stumbling. The monster’s limbs buckled, breaking its balance as raw, incinerating pain coursed through its entire nervous system as a treacherous Fateless with no shame destroyed its insides — courtesy of a treacherous Fateless with no shame, ravaging its insides with his nightmare gauntlets.

Catching her breath, Seraphim yanked her sword free from the beast’s neck and leapt clear. Adrian followed suit, retreating as the monster entered a frenzy.

The two exchanged a quick glance, neither fully understanding what was happening or why the monster had suddenly begun to thrash in such agony. But there was no time to question it. They couldn’t afford to waste this precious opening. If they hesitated here, they would die.

Without exchanging a single word, both of them moved quickly.

Adrian dashed forward with wind breaker and striked, aiming for the joints along the beast’s hind legs. With the monster flailing uncontrollably, its guard was wide open. Every stab was delivered, not to kill, but to cripple, to sever tendons, to shatter bones, to bring the monster crashing down for good.

Meanwhile, Seraphim stood in front of the beast with the flaming sword held in both hand. However, she made no attempt to attack and simply stood still, smiling at it. It was as though she was taunting the abomination.

Narrowing its eyes, the beast commander opened its ugly mouth and let out a deafening, enraged screech.

Fueled by agony and rage, it hurled itself toward Sera with all-consuming hatred burning in its eyes.

But it didn’t get far.

Just as the monster began its charge, the battered Blackmane Stalker hurled itself into its path. Bloodied and bruised, it gave everything in that final burst of strength, crashing into the beast’s side. The impact knocked it off balance, sending them tumbling to the ground in a heap, a short distance away.

The ground quaked beneath them as they landed.

The beast let out a furious roar, thrashing violently in a desperate attempt to dislodge the Stalker clinging to its side.

Eventually, one savage flail struck true. The Stalker took a crushing blow to the chest and was hurled across the battlefield. It was uncertain whether it was dead or alive. Sluggishly, the beast commander drove its limbs into the earth, anchoring itself as it struggled to rise.

Of course, Seraphim was quicker.

Just as the creature began to regain its balance, she dashed forward and swung her sword in a swift, angled arc. The flaming azure blade bit into the arm just below the joint, slicing clean through. The severed, shadowy tendril flew through the air in a spray of greenish blood before erupting into ashes mid-flight.

In the end, the creature lost its balance, staggered, and crashed to the ground. Wasting no time, Sera leapt onto its shoulder and began climbing toward the neck.

Coincidentally, it was the same spot she had struck before.

Immediately, Adrian joined the assault. He rapidly lashed the spear, aiming for the base of the spine where movement was most concentrated, driving the tip in again and again. Each hit sparked bursts of green blood, and now, the wounds weren’t closing as fast.

Meanwhile, Klaus was still inside.

Ever since he had forced his way in through the creature’s disgusting rear, he hadn’t stopped moving.

Through the tunnels of flesh and writhing muscle, he tore a path of destruction. His nightmare gauntlets clawed and shredded everything in reach — veins, nerves, whatever passed for organs. Combined with both the internal and external destruction, the beast’s regeneration couldn’t keep up anymore.

With every second that passed, the monster’s resistance slowed considerably. Its limbs twitched erratically in a desperate manner while it was being beaten, defiled and violated.

Sera reached the base of the skull. Without hesitation, she plunged her silver blade deep once more and this time, twisting it violently.

The beast let out one final, broken scream.

Its body convulsed, trembling for a few moments.

Then it collapsed. And after that, silence followed.

[You have slain an awakened monster, Freshwither.]

The sound that echoed within the mind of a certain slayer was the mechanical voice of Chaos.

[You have acquired a Nightmare: Duskborne Armor.]

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