Chapter 453: The Kirithon's Resolve
Northern's grip tightened on the Soul Taker as the Kirithon's onslaught escalated. The sea itself seemed to rise up with a life of its own, as if driven by the beast's unyielding malice.
Aerisyles twisted through the air, dodging the tentacles that lashed with increased speed and precision.
Northern's mind raced, seeking a strategy as he fought to maintain balance on his monster's back. The sky above darkened further; roiling clouds mirrored the chaos below, lightning flashing in jagged streaks that lit up the scene in stark relief.
Another tentacle, sleek and glistening, whipped towards him with blinding speed. Northern's response was instantaneous.
He slashed with the Soul Taker, the blade cutting through the air with a resonant hum that sang of the souls trapped within.
The tentacle split in two, the cleaved halves crashing back into the ocean with an immense splash. But even as they fell, new ones were already rising from the depths, relentless and undeterred.
Northern frowned, feeling the weight of the sword grow heavier in his hand.
The malice of the absorbed souls that pulsed through the weapon continued to grow with each attack.
It was like a chorus of desperate cries that urged him on, yet threatened to overwhelm him. He shook off the creeping unease, his gaze locking onto the form of something below the sea-a shadowy mass writhing beneath the surface.
Northern narrowed his eyes in suspicion, the thought flaring in his mind: *No, no, no, no.*
He knew that the Kirithon would most likely use everything available within its reach to get him. In his mind, he wished it would be harder and more complicated for the monster to begin to utilize the creatures dwelling in the depths of the ocean.
*Looks like our old friend has no chills. I definitely have underestimated its grudge.*
"Aerisyles, up!" Northern commanded, and the monster responded with a powerful beat of its wings, propelling them higher into the storm-laden sky. The creature's muscles strained as it evaded another sweeping strike, the sea tentacle missing by a hair's breadth.
Northern's eyes blazed with a cold fire, his mind still running to and fro, searching for a way to end this once and for all, while his eyes monitored every stroke of the tentacles to understand the pattern.
Even if he figured it out, it would not matter much, because now other monsters were beginning to join the fray. Northern could see more shadowy masses running beneath the water's surface, following the larger one.
A plan formed in his mind as he stared down-reckless and fraught with danger, but the only way to turn the tide.
Northern channeled more of his void essence into the Soul Taker, feeling the blade shiver with barely contained power.
The weapon seemed to respond to his essence in an especially intense manner, its glow intensifying as the souls within raged and clamored.
It was like the void essence was a force of evil that was fueling their malicious intent with power, and that was placing a heavy burden on Northern.
He grit his teeth, forcing his will over the cacophony, and aimed the sword downward.
"Let's see if you can handle this," he muttered before plunging the Soul Taker directly into the air itself.
The blade cut through the fabric of reality, opening a narrow, pulsing rift that seemed to devour the light around it. Void energy surged out, dark tendrils snaking from the tear like the hungry maws of a great beast, drawn toward the sea itself.
The effect was immediate.
The tentacles of the sea recoiled as the rift's void energy lashed out, ensnaring them in a grip of pure nothingness.
They writhed and twisted, trying to break free, but the void was unyielding, its hunger insatiable. The souls themselves had been given an almost physical body.
Northern felt that the more he channeled his void energy into the sword, the more power they gained.
With his authority over the void, he was now able to materialize their will. But there was a much more concerning thing at the same time: the fact that the sword itself was beginning to feel so heavy, like it would break apart.
The souls within the blade were already brimming with too much power. He had to end this before they broke free from the sword.
At the same time, he couldn't help but be marveled at the level of effect and significance the void had. He couldn't wait to explore what would happen to other weapons with this primordial form of void that he had.
He saw the entire water shatter like a nuclear bomb had been dropped into that part of the sea.
Northern's heart pounded as he rode the wave of his own power.
The connection between him and the Soul Taker felt more potent than ever, a shared determination that transcended the weapon's sinister origins, but that did not mean it was any easier to bear.
"Aerisyles, dive!" Northern's voice was sharp, commanding.
The monster folded its wings and plummeted like a spear towards the thrashing sea, the wind whipping past them in a deafening roar.
Northern held the Soul Taker before him, its edge gleaming with a deadly promise as the rift's void tendrils continued to lash at the tentacles of the sea that kept stubbornly regenerating. Just as they were about to breach the surface, Northern swung the sword in a wide arc, releasing a concentrated burst of void energy that cut through the water with the force of a tidal wave.
All the monsters, caught in the explosion of void and sea, shuddered violently. Their forms began to disintegrate, the tentacles losing their cohesion, fraying like threads pulled too taut. The sea itself seemed to scream, a deafening wail that reverberated through the air as the Kirithon's hold on it weakened.
The once-majestic waves began to calm, the churning maelstrom easing into a subdued ripple as the creature's power ebbed.
Northern's breath came in ragged gasps as the creature glided up, sweat glistening on his brow, but his eyes were sharp and unyielding. The Soul Taker still thrummed in his hand.
"Not done yet," Northern muttered under his breath, scanning the ocean below.
Though the Kirithon had been momentarily subdued, he knew it wasn't vanquished. After all, it had not even revealed its true form.