Chapter 384: That Sword Is You, Riven Claymore!

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"This Sword is you, Riven. It is the embodiment of what you are when everything else is stripped away. In the complete absence of Skills, Spells, Stats, System, you’re your physical body. There is only you, your memories, and the will that shaped them!" the Divine King of the Cold Star said.

"?!" Riven still did not understand why that mattered. To him, the weapon had always been another extension of his power, but the Divine King spoke as if it were something far more important. The man noticed his confusion and smiled.

"They’re here," he warned, turning his attention back toward the warped space behind them.

"?!"

Riven looked into the distance and saw the five entities rapidly closing in on them. Desire and Chatterer led the pursuit, while Crow and Slob followed from either side.

And Nihil...

He had already restored himself as if the Divine King’s slash had never touched him. The two halves of his body had joined perfectly, leaving no wound or mark behind.

"He’s back?!" Riven exclaimed, unable to hide his shock.

"They are the greatest manifestations within this Zone," the Divine King explained. "As her shadows, they are supported directly by the Cloud of Darkness. As long as they remain here, it will continue restoring their bodies and replenishing their strength. Their power within this Plane is infinite."

"I-Infinite?!" Riven asked in disbelief, glancing back at Nihil’s restored form. "Then how can anyone defeat them?!"

"You must force them into a world where their power is finite," the Divine King replied. His blue eyes narrowed as a massive black guillotine appeared above them and dropped toward the crystalline stallion. He raised Riven’s sword to meet it.

CLAAASH!

The Divine King slashed the guillotine apart, but dozens of new traps immediately appeared in front of them. The empty space transformed into a long Dungeon corridor with walls, a ceiling, and no visible end. Mechanical sounds echoed from every direction as the next wave of traps activated.

"Huhuh, let’s play a game or two, shall we?" Chatterer laughed as he flew around the galloping Divine King and raised both hands. "Here, and there! And that one too! Come on now! Is that all you’ve got?!" Each movement of his fingers created another obstacle in their path.

All kinds of traps surged toward them at once. Spikes burst from the ground, massive guillotine blades dropped from the ceiling, and poisoned arrows shot from openings in the walls. Toxic gases filled the corridor while oil poured across the floor and ignited beneath the stallion’s hooves. The Divine King continued swinging Riven’s sword, destroying every trap before it could reach them.

CLASH! SLASH! CLASH! SLASH!

The Divine King of the Cold Star expanded his Aura, shaping it into a Psychic Domain of pure frost. Ice spread beneath their feet as frozen soldiers rose around them, standing shoulder to shoulder like a living wall. They defended the King and Riven without hesitation, taking every strike meant for them. One after another, they shattered and died, only for more to form from the swirling frost and replace them.

Chatterer clicked his tongue and controlled the surroundings, summoning monstrous abominations resembling the worst nightmares from humanity given form, attacking Riven and the Divine King of the Cold Star, but both swung their swords, cutting through them as quickly as they could while running away from the entities.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Seeing this scene, the member of the Hand of Inevitability seemed incredibly bored and irritated.

"Ah, that’s so boring!" Chatterer laughed, watching the soldiers break apart. "Come on now, give me a better show! Heheh...! Oh? Slob, wait! It’s still my turn!"

"I’M HUNGRYYYYYYY!"

Slob expanded his body and revealed his true form. He became a massive, crazed beast of swollen flesh, with an endless maw that spiraled inward like a black hole. Rows of teeth twisted along its depths, grinding together as he dragged himself toward them.

As he roared, countless famines and diseases surged from his flesh and blood. They spread in every direction, crawling over the frozen soldiers and consuming the barrier, Aura, and Domain of the Divine King of the Cold Star. The ice blackened wherever the corruption touched it, then crumbled into foul-smelling dust.

Slob forced his way through and came dangerously close. Riven clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on the Sword of Memories, pouring his memories into its blade. Faces, voices, and countless painful moments flashed through his mind as the weapon began to shine.

"FUCK OFF!"

SLAAAASH!

A blinding arc of light erupted from the sword and tore across the distance between them. Slob opened his enormous maw and swallowed the attack whole. For a moment, nothing happened. Then cracks of white light spread across his bloated body before it burst apart, scattering pieces of flesh in every direction.

BOOOOMMM!!!

"Ah! I did it?!" Riven stared in shock, his arms trembling from the attack. The Divine King of the Cold Star glanced at the scattered remains and shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

The pieces of Slob’s body twitched across the ground. Veins stretched between them, pulling the remains together until he slowly reformed into his original appearance. He staggered once he stood, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

"Oof...! I’m still too young...! Damn it, I need to eat more!!!"

As Slob roared in frustration, Chatterer and Desire rushed closer from opposite sides. The King kept them at bay with swift swings of his sword, sending trails of frost across their path, while Riven supported him whenever either enemy slipped through his guard.

At the same time, they continued moving toward the portal. Its light grew larger with every step. They were almost there. Just a little farther, and they could escape!

However...

FLASH!

A black flash shot past the others and appeared directly before them. It was the one who had kept to himself this entire time, the one who had done nothing and said nothing while the others attacked.

He was the most mysterious member of the Hand of Inevitability. Silent and strangely composed, he was not monstrous like the rest. He resembled nothing more than a human clad from head to toe in black armor, yet his sudden presence made Riven stop in his tracks.

Crow.

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