Book 3, Chapter 81 - The Mysterious Blade (1/2)

Three-Eyed Spider’s words were full of confidence, but he didn’t dare miscalculate his foe.

Wolfblade had masterminded every act of the Dark Atom for the last decade. The most capable leader the organization had ever seen. His personal abilities were without question, no mere wastelander. Three-Eyed Spider threw great force behind his opening attack, but perhaps no more than seventy percent of his full strength. He needed to keep something in reserve, leeway in case he needed to back off.

The old scientist came charging toward Wolfblade on the offensive. Meanwhile, the Dark Atom leader seemed hardly concerned.

It was Cloudhawk’s expression that changed. He sensed something coming from Wolfblade’s body, a familiar phenomenon like someone plucking a string.

A relic! It was some sort of artifact he’d never felt before, strong and mysterious!

This peculiar melody was foreign to Cloudhawk. It was strangely isolated, incomplete, and yet incredibly powerful.

A moment later Wolfblade reacted. But he did not move.

A pyre of blue ghostly flames burst from him. Ghostly flames were perhaps not accurate, though – they were more akin to fluorescent smoke. Formless, shapeless, but clinging tightly to his body, the strange emission was alive with light. Sparkling color danced through it like a starry night sky, and for a moment it was like Wolfblade stood in the center of his own galaxy.

Glimmering shards vibrated in the mist. They gathered together until the disparate fragments combined to form a blade.

It was formed like a sword, with a sharp tip and razor edges. Something was inscribed along its surface and the whole thing shone with ethereal azure light. Sparkling impressively, its presence filled the study with an old and imperial air. Both real and illusory, caught somewhere between a dream and reality, it was impossible to determine if the weapon was actually there.

The hiltless sword hovered above Wolfblade’s, divorced from the rules of reality. Energy poured off of it like a mist to diffuse all around its bearer. When Three-Eyed Spider’s fist was about to make contact, the mist pulsed and deflected the concussive force back on the scientist.

Three-Eyed Spider went hurtling across the study. He landed on his feet, crushing the fine marble into powder.

“Y-you… you’re a demonhunter!” He stuttered the revelation. Everyone present was equally stunned by what they saw, Cloudhawk among them.

No one would have thought that the Dark Atom’s illustrious leader, a man who had spent his life battling the elysians, was himself a demonhunter. Dogs would scoff at such a ridiculous assertion.

In their previous meeting Cloudhawk didn’t even get the slightest inkling of a relic on or near the Dark Atom’s leader. No one had ever been able to hide a relic’s harmony from him before. What sort of person was Wolfblade? Certainly no normal wastelander!

The scholarly man stood before his attacker, his expression never changing all through the assault. He stood almost indolently with his arms folded before his chest, perfectly composed. “You all are too rigid in your thinking. That won’t do. Gods and demons both rely on servitors to fight their battles, don’t they? What are demonhunters other than a faction? Not everyone who can use relics is a demonhunter. They could be godslayers.”

Three-Eyed Spider’s arm was badly mangled. The mighty punch not only failed to injure his opponent, it turned out to be far more harmful to himself. The scientist’s face was pale, and sweat was pouring down his brow. “Godslayers? What are you talking about?!”

Wolfblade’s lips turned in a dark smirk. “It’s not a matter that concerns dead men.”

“We’ll see!” Three-Eyed Spider raised his voice to shout, “Now! Kill him!”

His cries shook the traitors for their surprised stupor. Wolfblade was stronger than they they realized but it was too late to back away now. Their faith in Three-Eyed Spider was solid, and besides that they knew Wolfblade would never forgive their treachery. Either he died today, or all of them did.

Hundreds of Dark Atom members charged at each other like tidal waves.

Civil war had erupted within Nucleus.

Wolfblade’s men were at an obvious disadvantage, but their leader was unperturbed. The mystical weapon continued to float around him, encasing him in the cloak of blue mist. This diffused power was drawn back into the sword, infusing it with ever more energy.

Wolfblade extended a single finger toward the crowd. A streak of blue light fired through where he indicated.

A dozen men were summarily butchered as the light passed through them, dead before they hit the ground.

Their bodies did nothing to slow the sword down. They fell away like dry weeds before the scythe, powerless against the indomitable weapon. One after the other Wolfblade’s relic weapon pierced his foes with the only indication that it was weakening being a slight dim in the light around it. After it was done a line of corpses trailed in its wake, and its light was spent.

Thunk!

The sword implanted itself into the floor of the study.

No sound came from the unfortunate men who were in the sword’s path. Their wounds seethed with blue light that spread out like cracks in a window pane. They hit the ground and shattered into pieces. Those pieces continued to crumble into smaller and smaller parts until they wafted away on the wind as tens of thousands of glimmering blue specks.

In the passage of only a few seconds nothing remained, not even a drop of blood. It was as though they never existed at all.

Cloudhawk’s eyes went wide. “That power… amazing!”

In that one display Wolfblade showed he had more ability than many veteran demonhunters. Even Selene might struggle to beat him in a one-on-one fight [1]. Whatever this blade without a handle was, it was definitely a relic of the highest quality. The fact that it just erased a dozen people was proof of that.

Using the sword had robbed Wolfblade of his misty defense. Three-Eyed Spider seized the opportunity and came charging at him with another punch. His henchmen moved in for support. Wolfblade was pushed back several steps, back toward Vulture and the others.

While Three-Eyed Spider pressed the attack, he shouted toward the beak-nosed fighter. “Now’s the moment! Kill him!”

Hellflower and Cloudhawk froze. Had Vulture betrayed his master and joined the scientist?

Although Wolfblade’s relic was immensely powerful, even the strongest tools had their limits. He’d used it to attack and left himself open. Now, under assault from Three-Eyed Spider, if his closest people turned on him then Wolfblade would be caught in a deadly trap. Not even a demonhunter could escape unscathed when surrounded and sneak attacked.

A handful of men went on the offensive.

Vulture wrenched a poison dagger from his belt then attacked like a baneful gale. He swept up behind Wolfblade and raised his hand high.