Chapter 103: Golden Fortune CIty IX
The strike connected. Rhys’s blade tore across the figure’s chest, leaving a long crack in the black armor. Purple light leaked out like fire through broken stone, and the massive warrior staggered a step back.
But it didn’t fall.
The figure straightened, the glow in its eyes burning hotter. The giant Ruinous Darkness Blade lifted again, and with a single swing it unleashed a wave of shadow that ripped through the field.
Rhys braced himself, planting his sword into the ground. The shadow edge around his weapon expanded, splitting the wave as it crashed against him. The impact shook his arms to the bone, forcing him back across the cracked earth.
He spat dust from his mouth. If I block too many of those, I won’t last long.
The figure charged this time. Its speed was insane for its size, each step slamming into the ground like a hammer. It swung down in a heavy arc. Rhys twisted aside, the blade missing by inches, but the shadow edge cut across the ground where he’d been standing, leaving a bottomless trench.
Rhys countered. He slashed toward the figure’s exposed side. The shadow edge from his sword extended further than before, cutting into the giant’s arm. The armor split, and the figure roared in silence—the soundless kind that shook the air.
It retaliated instantly, backhanding the sword across the field. Rhys raised his blade to block, but the sheer force threw him into the cracked earth. His back slammed against stone, the breath knocked out of him.
[ Health -1200 ]
"Damn..." He staggered up, vision shaking. The figure was already moving again, blade raised high.
Rhys’s eyes narrowed. I can’t just defend. It’s testing if I can wield it, not hide from it.
He gripped the sword tighter, channeling everything into it. Mana surged, and the shadow edge doubled in size, curling like smoke around the steel. The mist seemed alive, syncing with his heartbeat.
The figure brought its blade down in a killing strike. Rhys didn’t retreat. He charged forward, meeting it head-on again.
The clash split the fog apart, shockwaves blasting outward. Rhys’s knees almost buckled under the pressure, but this time he didn’t yield. He pushed, teeth gritted, until the blades locked.
The figure pressed harder, purple fire burning through its cracks. Rhys shouted, forcing more mana into the sword. The shadow edge thickened until it matched the giant’s own.
"Not enough to crush me!" Rhys roared.
With one final surge, he twisted and slashed upward, his sword cutting through the giant’s weapon. The shadow edge shattered in a burst of black mist.
The figure staggered, chest wide open. Rhys didn’t hesitate. He leapt forward and drove his blade straight through its core.
The crack in the armor split all the way down. Black mist burst out, and the giant froze, eyes dimming.
The ground trembled as the figure slowly collapsed, breaking into pieces of armor that dissolved into fog.
The giant blade above the field flickered, its overwhelming weight fading.
[ Second Phase Complete ][ Final Phase: Claim the Blade ]
In front of Rhys, the mist twisted together, forming a smaller version of the Ruinous Darkness Blade. It hovered in the air, pulsing with purple light.
The system message appeared again.
[ Step forward and take control. ]
Rhys stood still, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his brow. The hardest part wasn’t the fight—it was this moment. If he reached out and failed to control it, the blade would destroy him.
He slowly stepped forward, every sound in the fog falling silent. The sword floated before him, waiting.
"...This is the real test."
He reached out his hand toward the blade.
Rhys’s fingers brushed the hilt—cold as the grave, heavier than stone. For a heartbeat, it let him hold it. The Ruinous Darkness Blade trembled in his grip, the purple veins crawling like lightning along its edge.
Then the world convulsed.
The sword’s aura exploded outward, blasting him back. He skidded across the cracked earth, boots carving trenches, the force rattling his bones.
The floating blade shivered, then split open like an egg. From its core, shadow poured out in torrents, twisting into form.
The figure returned. Not the armored warrior from before—this time it was larger, sharper, monstrous. A being forged entirely of shadow and burning purple flame, its body sculpted like a knight but with cracks through which abyssal mist bled endlessly. In its hands, a perfected Ruinous Darkness Blade—longer, thicker, edged in a black so deep it seemed to devour the field around it.
The system’s voice echoed like a tolling bell.
[ Final Trial: Will of the Ruinous Darkness Blade ][ Overcome or be consumed. ]
The monster raised its blade, and the world shut
.All light vanished. Rhys blinked—there was nothing. Not fog, not stars, not the dead field. Only black. And yet he could feel it. The aura of the blade, drowning everything.
So this is its true power. The absolute darkness domain.
His heart hammered. He couldn’t see even his own hand. But then—his sword pulsed. The shard inside glowed faint purple, faint but steady. It gave him sight—not of the world, but of the enemy. He could see the burning cracks of the shadow giant, moving closer, step by crushing step.
"Then it’s a battle of will," Rhys muttered. "My shadow against yours."
The giant moved. No warning, no sound, just a slash. The Ruinous Darkness Blade tore through the dark—its edge an erasure, untraceable.
Rhys barely raised his weapon in time. The impact roared in silence, pressure like a mountain collapsing. His arms screamed under the weight. The ground under him shattered, and he was sent flying again, spinning in the endless dark.
[ Health -1800 ]
He landed hard, rolling across unseen stone. The purple glow of his blade sputtered. The giant loomed, each step echoing inside his skull.
Rhys tightened his grip. He knew now—this wasn’t about raw strength. It was dominance. The blade wanted to break him, to make him kneel.
"Not happening." His breath steadied. Mana flooded his veins. He let it surge into the sword, feeding the shard until the purple glow became a burning edge of shadow. The mist curled, growing wilder, forming a twin to the darkness that pressed on him.
The shadow giant roared, silent but deafening, and slashed again. This time Rhys met it head-on, shadows colliding with shadows. The domain itself split—the clash ripping open streaks of violet light in the black void.
The two shadows wrestled, blades grinding. The enemy pressed harder, its form cracking but never faltering. Rhys shouted, forcing his blade upward, carving a wound across the giant’s arm. Mist spilled out, but the wound closed almost instantly.
It retaliated, hammering down. Rhys sidestepped, barely avoiding the obliterating arc, then lunged—his slash cut across its torso, spraying cracks of purple flame.
The darkness shook. The enemy staggered—then struck back, faster.
For minutes—or hours—there was nothing but the ring of blades, the weight of shadows, the endless duel. Each swing could kill. Each breath was war. Rhys’s vision blurred, his body screamed, but his sword never wavered. The shard pulsed harder, syncing with his heartbeat, until his edge matched the enemy’s in weight and hunger.
Finally, the moment came. The giant raised its blade for one last swing—an executioner’s cut that tore the void itself open. Rhys didn’t dodge. He raised his sword, shadows coiling thick around it like wings.
"Mine."
Their blades met—and shattered.
The black void collapsed inward, the giant exploding into streams of shadow mist. Purple fire burst, then snuffed out, leaving only the hilt of the Ruinous Darkness Blade floating in the silence.
The system’s voice echoed.
[ Trial Complete ][ You have conquered the Will of the Ruinous Darkness Blade. ][ Relic Awakened: Ruinous Darkness Blade (Legendary) ][ New Skill Unlocked: Absolute Night Domain ]
Rhys fell to one knee, panting, sweat dripping into the silence. The sword hovered before him once more—but this time, it bent to him. Its shadow edge wrapped gently around his arm, sinking into his grip. The weight was perfect. Not crushing anymore—his.
The void peeled away. The inn room returned, dim and quiet, the world outside still bustling as though nothing had happened.
The blade lay across his knees, fully formed now—its edge blacker than night, veins glowing faint violet.
Rhys stared at it, breathing steady again. A smile tugged at his lips.
"...Now that’s mine."
Rhys didn’t wasted any time and checked its powerful skill, for which this blade is even famous for.
Absolute Night Domain
Type: Active / Domain Skill
Rank: Legendary (Growth-type)
Current Mastery: Rank 2
Lore
Forged in the will of the Ruinous Darkness Blade, this domain embodies the true essence of absolute darkness. It is not merely the absence of light, but the erasure of all perception save for the wielder’s own. Within this space, Rhys alone defines what can be seen, felt, and feared. The stronger his will and mana, the wider and deadlier this night becomes.
Base Effect (Rank 2)
When activated, Rhys creates an Absolute Night Domain around himself.
Radius: 40 meters (scales with Rank & Willpower)
Duration: 30 seconds (can be sustained with mana drain)
Mana Cost: 800 + 50 per second maintained
Effect: All light, sound, and perception vanish within the domain. Enemies cannot see, hear, or sense beyond a few meters. Only Rhys retains perfect awareness.
Suppression: All enemy detection skills below Mythic Rank fail automatically.
Sub-Skills (Rank 2)
Umbral Vision
Rhys sees everything inside the domain in perfect clarity, ignoring obstructions, illusions, or stealth. Reaction speed is increased by 20%. He can track life-force and mana currents as glowing trails, making ambushes impossible.
Night Predator’s Edge
Every strike Rhys makes within the domain is empowered by shadow. Attacks gain a 40% damage boost and produce afterimage slashes (shadow echoes) that trail the real blade, creating phantom cuts. Critical rate is doubled against enemies affected by blindness, fear, or confusion.