Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 69: Confronting The Monstrosity

Chapter 69: Confronting The Monstrosity

Seeing the aftermath of destruction, Klaus’s eyes trembled in horror.

The pillar where he had previously crashed had melted like butter. This wasn’t an exaggeration.

Once the Demonic Purgatory spewed that greenish substance from its monstrous maws onto the pillar, the stone sizzled and warped, dissolving into a bubbling mess within seconds. The air immediately reeked of acid and scorched minerals, and the ground where the liquid splattered continued to hiss, eating away at everything in its path.

Klaus’s breath hitched as he staggered back, his muscles screaming in protest. If he had hesitated for even a second longer, he would have shared the same fate as that pillar.

His heartbeat was becoming more chaotic, fueled by the surge of adrenaline coursing through his battered body.

The Demonic Purgatory let out a guttural growl, thick strands of its molten saliva dripping from its jagged maw. Its glowing throat pulsed again, an ominous sign that another wave of destruction was building within.

’Damn it... I can’t keep dodging forever.’

Looking down, his katana was snapped in half due to the earlier clash. Several cracks had spread all over his bodysuit, but it was still holding on nevertheless. Simply put, his defence was collapsing and he had a weapon no longer.

On the other hand, the Awakened Tyrant showed no signs of exhaustion and had no injuries whatsoever. If anything, it looked even more ferocious, as though it was just getting started.

He clenched and unclenched his fist.

Then, the young ascendant took a deep breath and forced himself to think through the haze of pain clouding his mind. Running was useless; the cavern was enclosed, and the beast was faster than him.

The only option in this situation was to fight, but the question was how?

His sword was as good as useful, and his body was barely holding on. By some miracle, he hadn’t collapsed yet, perhaps due to his regenerative effects of his [Adaptation] Mysticism Ability.

No matter how many times he reviewed the situation, his chances of winning against the Awakened Tyrant were next to none.

’Tch, damn fucking Chaos. Why the hell was I teleported into a damn cavern?!’

Cursing the gateway for throwing him into this nightmare, Klaus steadied his stance, shifting his weight in anticipation of the abomination’s next assault. His body screamed in protest, but he ignored the pain. Any sign of hesitation now would mean death.

Then, at that moment, Briar’s mental message echoed from within his unique Soul World:

"Hey, I’m ready. However, there’s a change in plans. Let’s kill that damn monster."

Klaus’s eyes widened.

"What? Are you insane? Were you blind to the fact that I’ve been getting tossed around like a damn ragdoll? What... No, why the hell are you saying we can kill something like that? Didn’t you just say it was impossible before?"

"I did. Under normal circumstances, there’s no way we could win against a Corrupted Tyrant. However, this Hollow is an Awakened Tyrant that has lost two of its Spirit Cores. Do you know what that means?"

"That it was injured and dropped to the Awakened rank. Ah... so that’s it."

His eyes lit up in understanding.

According to the information he had obtained from the academy, there was only one way a Hollow could drop from its original rank to a lower one; the loss of its Spirit Cores. Unlike humans, Hollows stored multiple Spirit Cores within their bodies due to their strong analomy, and those Cores were the very "Source" that determined their strength.

In this case, the monstrosity standing before him was a mighty Tyrant, yet he had identified it as an Awakened Tyrant rather than a Corrupted Tyrant. This meant that somewhere on its body was a devastating injury that had weakened the abomination immensely.

With this in mind, Klaus narrowed his eyes and began to scan the creature’s body more thoroughly, searching for any sign of a critical injury.

At first glance, the Demonic Purgatory appeared unscathed — its obsidian hide was thick, reinforced with rough armor-like plating that pulsed with an eerie, molten glow.

However, upon closer inspection, he noticed something odd.

Multiple scars marred its massive body, where streaks of old wounds crisscrossed its limbs and torso. Some were faint, already healed over, while others were more recent, still raw and slightly discolored against its dark hide. But despite the evidence of past battles, none of these wounds seemed severe enough to justify the loss of two Spirit Cores.

Klaus narrowed his eyes further. if the injury wasn’t visible from the front, then that could only mean...

’It’s on its back.’

It was the only logical conclusion. The beast must have suffered a devastating blow to its spine or core from behind, one so severe that it had crippled its strength and dropped its rank. That also explained why it hadn’t moved as aggressively as a full-powered Tyrant. It was being cautious as if compensating for a vulnerability it didn’t want to expose.

He tightened the firm grip on the broken sword.

’If I can get behind it... I might have a chance.’

But that was easier said than done. The creature wasn’t going to just let him circle around and strike its weakness. He needed a plan, perhaps a distraction that would force it to expose its back.

Luckily for him, he wasn’t alone. His partner, Briar had already noticed the truth of the Awakened Tyrant.

Forming yet another crazy plan, Klaus spoke to Briar mentally:

"You said you have enough energy, right?"

"Yes. Are you thinking about doing something?"

"You could say that but it’s a little crazy, so you’ll have to trust me a bit."

"That’s alright. We can’t be any more dead as we are."

That’s an interesting way to look at our current predicament.

Klaus thought wryly before his expression turned somber. Steeling himself, he met the Awakened Tyrant’s predatory gaze with newfound determination.

Noticing his defiance, the Demonic Purgatory let out a guttural growl, enraged. A few seconds later, the monstrosity finally spewed out the accumulated molten liquid from its gaping maw.

Of course, this was already within Klaus’s calculations.

The moment the molten substance was launched into the air and threatened to fall his way, he summoned Briar from within his Soul World. Without hesitation, the two sprinted in opposite directions, narrowly evading the attack as it splashed onto the cavern floor, melting through stone like boiling acid.

In such a situation where the target suddenly changed from ’one’ to ’two’, the Awakened Tyrant became momentarily confused. This hesitation only lasted for a brief moment. In the next second, the creature chose its target and lunged forward.

Needless to say, the beast chose Briar as its target.

Considering she appeared to be the weaker of the two and subconsciously released aphrodisiac pheromones from her body, the bloodlusted beast instinctively fixated on her, chasing after what it perceived as easy prey.

Unbeknownst to the frenzied monster, Briar was luring it toward a massive pillar, just as she and Klaus had planned. As she neared the designated spot, she abruptly stopped moving and turned to face the oncoming behemoth.

In that instant, she poured the entirety of her Mysticism Ability into invading the Tyrant’s mind.

Mind Control.

The moment Briar’s power surged outwards, an invisible force of a giant’s hand crashed into Demonic Purgatory’s mind like a tidal wave. Her Mysticism Ability twisted and coiled through the creature’s thoughts, seeking to shackle its instincts and bend them to her will.

The Awakened Tyrant’s charge faltered. Its massive form skidded to a halt and a deep, gutteral snarl rumbled from its throat as its venom eyes flickered with an eerie, unstable illuminance before it gradually its original burn.

The mental invasion had worked, only for a split second. However, the main goal has already been completed.

Due to this high momentum the creature used to charge, the Tyrant’s abrupt stop had thrown its massive body off balance. The sheer force of its halted charge caused its weight to shift uncontrollably, making it stagger forward.

For a brief moment, its hulking form wavered, and as its momentum carried it too far, the beast instinctively twisted to regain control, exposing its back.

That was the opening Klaus had been waiting for.

He had already climbed atop a neighboring pillar using his enhanced speed, summoning the Fang of Wrath to amplify his arm strength. Looking below, the exposed back of the abomination came into view. On the back of its neck, there was a deep, gaping fissure. It looked like an old wound, but it was still raw, with its flesh scorched and lined with the remnants of shattered Spirit Cores.

This was it. The beast’s fatal weakness.

Klaus didn’t hesitate. With every ounce of strength left in his battered body, he launched himself off the pillar, descending like a vengeful shadow. The Fang of Wrath gaunlets covering his hands pulsed violently, as if ready to carve through the monstrous hide.

With a fierce cry, he drove the broken sword straight into the heart of the wound.

The moment the broken sword plunged into the gaping fissure, the Demonic Purgatory let out an ear-splitting shriek. The sheer force of Klaus’s landing sent a ripple of agony through the abomination’s body and its molten veins pulsated erratically as its instincts immediately flared into a desperate frenzy.

Naturally, this was nowhere enough to kill a mighty Tyrant.

With a deafening roar, the Awakened Tyrant hurled itself backward and slammed its massive body against the cavern walls in a savage attempt to crush the young ascendant like an insect.

Seconds later, Klaus’s entire world became a blur of motion and searing heat as he tightened his grip on the embedded blade, twisting his body to brace for impact. The moment the beast’s back met stone, a shockwave erupted, cracks spiderwebbing across the cavern as dust and debris rained from above.

Pain exploded through Klaus’s body. He could feel his ribs groan in protest, his lungs struggling for breath under the pressure. But he couldn’t afford to let go, no matter the cost.

Gritting his teeth, he wrenched the broken sword deeper into the wound. The blade ground against fractured scorched back, sending another jolt of agony through the monster.

The Demonic Purgatory convulsed.

Instead of stopping, it twisted violently, slamming its side into another wall in a desperate attempt to dislodge its tormentor. Klaus barely managed to shift his body in time, his battered form scraping against stone as he adjusted his grip. His arms burned, his wounds screamed, his body pleaded, but he forcefully pushed through the agony.

’Like hell I’m going to let go!’

Despite thinking so confidently, the next slam came even harder.

The cavern trembled under the force of the impact, sending loose stalactites crashing from above. Klaus coughed out a handful of blood and almost coughed on his own blood as his vision blurred. Something definitely broke inside him. Perhaps a broken rib had punctuated an organ. Even so, he kept moving.

’Die, you stupid beast!’

With one final push, Klaus channeled the last remnants of his strength into his arms and drove the broken sword deeper into the gaping wound. He didn’t stop there. Clenching his fists, he hammered the hilt rapidly, burying the blade further into the beast’s flesh.

A guttural, agonized roar erupted from the Demonic Purgatory as its body twisted in pure agony. In its frenzied desperation, it slammed itself against the cavern walls with thunderous force and shook the entire chamber. Each impact sent cracks racing across the stone, with debris raining down like a crumbling avalanche.

Briar had taken cover behind one of the towering pillars, watching the brutal exchange unfold with bated breath.

Both combatants understood one thing; only one of them would leave this cavern alive.

The monster thrashed violently, but Nikolaus held firm and clinged to the embedded sword as if his life depended on it; Well, because it did. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the searing pain in his muscles, ignoring the blood dripping from his torn knuckles.

Then, amidst the chaos, a sickening crack echoed through the chamber.

The Demonic Purgatory’s struggles faltered. Its molten veins pulsed erratically, flickering wildly as its menacing maw stretched open in a silent, agonized scream. A violent tremor ran through its hulking form, quivering its legs before finally buckling beneath its weight.

With one final convulsion, the behemoth crashed to the ground. A pool of thick, blackened blood spread from its still-twitching body with the stench of burnt flesh tainting the air.

Its burning eyes, once seething with fury, flickered... then dimmed. The monstrous glow of its molten core faded into nothingness.

And just like that, a mighty Tyrant had fallen — felled by the hands of a mere Aspirant.

[You have slain an awakened tyrant, Demonic Purgatory.]

[You have received the Echo: Purgatory Shroud.]

[You have slain a beast above your level.]

[You have accomplished an incredibly rare feat.]