Chapter 100: Absolute Aura

BOOOOM!

The Ironbound Castellan’s enormous double-headed axe smashed into the stone floor, sending cracks spreading several meters in every direction.

Jet twisted his body at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the descending weapon before driving his Vorpal Blade toward the exposed joint beneath the Boss’s armored elbow.

CLANG!

The blade struck the reinforced plating surrounding the joint, producing a shower of sparks.

Before Jet could follow up, the Castellan rotated its wrists and dragged the axe upward in a vicious diagonal swing. The movement was surprisingly fluid for a creature wearing such enormous armor, forcing Jet to retreat as the weapon passed dangerously close to his chest.

Frey immediately attacked from behind.

Three translucent Vritra Coils materialized around the Castellan’s legs, tightening against its armored greaves while Frey rushed toward its exposed flank.

"Let’s see how you like being tied down, you oversized tin can!" Frey shouted, swinging both curved swords toward the narrow gaps between the Boss’s armor plates.

The Castellan responded without hesitation.

It planted one enormous foot against the floor, twisted its torso and reversed its grip on the axe. Rather than attempting to break the Coils through brute strength, it used the weapon’s long handle to intercept Frey’s swords before driving the lower end toward his abdomen.

Frey’s expression changed.

He crossed his blades just in time.

BANG!

The impact sent him sliding backward across the chamber, his boots carving shallow grooves through the dust covering the stone floor.

"Motherfucker!" Frey cursed, shaking his aching wrists. "Since when do Dungeon Bosses know martial arts?!"

Jet didn’t answer. His attention remained fixed on the Castellan. Something about the monster’s movements had caught his interest.

During their previous battle, the Ironmaw Devastator had relied almost entirely on overwhelming physical strength, thick armor and violent charges. Its attacks had been powerful but relatively straightforward once Jet understood its patterns.

The Ironbound Castellan was different. Every movement of its axe appeared deliberate.

When it attacked, the weapon’s enormous weight never seemed to interfere with its balance. Each swing naturally transitioned into another, allowing the Boss to maintain offensive pressure without leaving obvious openings.

Even its defensive movements were carefully controlled.

The Castellan wasn’t simply swinging an enormous weapon around.

It was an exceptionally skilled axeman.

Jet narrowed his eyes. And deep within his body, something began responding.

[Innate Trait: Weapon Master]

A faint sensation spread through his consciousness as he watched the Castellan adjust its stance. The monster shifted its left foot backward, lowered its center of gravity and positioned the axe diagonally across its chest.

Jet recognized the preparation for another attack.

The Boss lunged. Its axe swept horizontally toward his waist before abruptly changing direction midway through the swing.

Jet barely managed to raise his Vorpal Blade.

CLAAANG!

The collision forced him backward, but instead of immediately retreating farther, he watched the Castellan’s hands.

The monster had used the momentum of its first swing to reverse the weapon’s trajectory.

There had been no wasted movement.

Jet’s eyes brightened.

"So that’s how you do it," Jet murmured, adjusting his grip around the Vorpal Blade.

The Castellan attacked again.

This time, Jet paid closer attention. He watched the position of its shoulders, the rotation of its hips and the subtle changes in its grip whenever the enormous axe shifted direction.

His Weapon Master trait accelerated the process, allowing him to recognize principles that would ordinarily require extensive training to understand.

The distribution of weight. The relationship between reach and momentum.

The importance of controlling the weapon’s center of gravity.

Each exchange revealed something new.

Of course, recognizing those principles didn’t mean Jet could immediately reproduce them perfectly. Understanding a technique and executing it under pressure were entirely different matters.

Nevertheless, his body was already beginning to adapt.

The Castellan raised its axe overhead.

Jet stepped forward instead of retreating. One Asura Arm seized the weapon’s handle near the lower end, while another struck the Castellan’s armored wrist.

The Boss immediately twisted its grip.

Jet felt the movement through his manifested arm and released the handle before the weapon could drag him off balance.

The axe crashed into the floor beside him.

BOOOM!

Jet used the opening to slash across the Castellan’s exposed thigh, leaving a shallow cut between two armor plates.

The Boss retaliated with a powerful backhand.

Jet crossed his additional arms before his chest and absorbed part of the impact, but the remaining force still sent him stumbling backward.

Frey rushed forward to intercept.

"Vritra’s Coil!" Frey shouted, extending his hand as two translucent serpents wrapped around the Castellan’s weapon arm.

The restraints tightened, temporarily preventing the Boss from following Jet.

Frey immediately attacked its opposite side, his curved swords flashing toward the gaps beneath its shoulder armor.

The Castellan twisted its torso and intercepted one blade with its armored forearm.

The second struck its ribs.

Sparks erupted.

Frey clicked his tongue and retreated before the Boss could retaliate.

"Jet, this bastard’s armor is ridiculous!" Frey complained, glancing toward his friend. "And I’m pretty sure it’s getting better at countering us!"

Jet nodded, breathing heavily as he watched the Castellan free its arm from the remaining Coil.

"Don’t rush it," Jet replied, tightening his grip around the Vorpal Blade. "Keep pressuring it. I want to understand something."

Frey glanced at him suspiciously.

Then he noticed the unusual concentration in Jet’s eyes.

"Bro, don’t tell me you’re trying to learn something from that thing while it’s beating the shit out of us," Frey said, his expression becoming incredulous.

Jet smiled faintly.

"Something like that," Jet answered before rushing forward again.

Frey stared after him for a moment.

"You’re actually insane," Frey muttered, shaking his head before following.

The battle intensified.

The Castellan swung its axe in a devastating downward strike, but Jet anticipated the movement and stepped outside its range.

He counterattacked with his Vorpal Blade.

The Boss immediately reversed its grip and swept the axe toward his chest.

Jet blocked with both Asura Arms.

BANG!

The impact sent a painful shock through his shoulders. However, he had already understood something important. The Castellan’s movements followed a consistent structure.

Its attacks weren’t isolated techniques. They were connected through carefully controlled transitions that allowed the weapon’s momentum to flow continuously from one movement into the next.

Jet began experimenting. He transferred the Vorpal Blade into his right Asura Arm and attempted to imitate the Castellan’s rotational movements.

The first attempt was clumsy. His manifested arm swung too widely, disrupting his balance and forcing him to retreat when the Boss counterattacked.

The second attempt was better. By the third, he had begun understanding how to coordinate his physical body with the additional limb.

[Weapon Master activated]

[Analyzing observed weapon techniques...]

[Weapon Category: Axe]

[Proficiency Acquisition Initiated]

The notification appeared briefly before Jet’s eyes.

His expression sharpened.

It was working.

The Castellan charged again, its enormous axe cutting through the air with terrifying speed.

Jet ducked beneath the first swing and watched the monster transition into a reverse strike.

This time, he recognized the movement before it was completed.

He shifted his weight, rotated his shoulders and used one Asura Arm to redirect the weapon’s handle while his Vorpal Blade struck the Castellan’s exposed wrist.

CLANG!

The Boss staggered half a step.

Jet immediately followed with another attack, but the Castellan recovered and slammed its armored knee toward his abdomen.

He barely managed to block.

BOOM!

The impact threw him backward.

Jet crashed into a broken wooden bench, splintering it beneath his weight before rolling across the dusty floor.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Jet!" Frey shouted, immediately rushing toward the Boss to prevent it from pursuing.

Three Vritra Coils materialized around the Castellan’s torso and weapon arm, forcing the enormous creature to turn its attention toward him.

Jet slowly pushed himself upright.

His entire body ached. Maintaining the Asura Arms while fighting a 2-Star Dungeon Boss was placing considerable strain on his Mana reserves, and repeatedly attempting unfamiliar techniques had only increased that burden.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t suppress the excitement growing within him. His Weapon Master trait was revealing possibilities he hadn’t fully appreciated before.

And the Asura Arms were responding. As Jet watched the Castellan exchange blows with Frey, the crimson-black Mana surrounding his additional limbs began circulating differently.

The right Asura Arm flexed.

Then its fingers slowly curled around empty air.

Jet frowned. A strange pressure gathered within the manifested palm. He could feel the outline of something forming, although the energy dispersed before taking a recognizable shape.

The sensation surprised him. His Asura Arms had always been capable of striking, grabbing and wielding physical weapons, but this felt different.

The Mana wasn’t merely reinforcing the limb.

It was attempting to manifest a weapon.

Jet looked toward the Castellan’s enormous double-headed axe.

His eyes narrowed.

Could he actually reproduce it?

Before he could investigate further, Frey came flying backward.

BANG!

Frey struck a stone column and stumbled forward, coughing as he struggled to regain his balance.

"Bro!" Frey shouted, wiping blood from his mouth. "Whatever you’re figuring out, figure it out faster! This bastard’s seriously pissing me off!"

Jet immediately rushed forward.

The Castellan raised its axe.

Jet met the attack with his Vorpal Blade while both Asura Arms moved independently, one intercepting the weapon’s handle while the other struck the Boss’s armored shoulder.

The impact forced him backward.

However, the strange pressure within his right Asura Arm intensified.

[Weapon Master]

[Axe Proficiency: Basic]

[Asura Arms: Weapon Manifestation]

[Manifestation Requirements Satisfied]

Jet’s eyes widened.

The Castellan attacked again.

He stepped aside, allowing the enormous axe to smash into the floor before driving his Vorpal Blade against the Boss’s armored chest.

CLANG!

The strike barely damaged the armor.

The Castellan immediately retaliated. Its massive fist struck Jet’s crossed Asura Arms, sending him sliding backward across the chamber.

Jet dug his boots into the stone floor.

His breathing became ragged. Blood trickled from his mouth as he slowly straightened.

Then a tremendous surge of crimson-black Mana erupted from his body.

BOOOOOOM!

The energy swept across the chamber, scattering dust and broken furniture while forcing Frey to raise an arm before his face.

"What the hell?!" Frey exclaimed, staring toward his friend.

Jet remained standing amid the swirling Mana, his Vorpal Blade gripped firmly in his physical right hand.

Behind him, one enormous Asura Arm extended outward.

Crimson-black energy gathered around its fingers, twisting and compressing until the outline of a massive weapon began taking shape.

A long handle appeared first. Then an enormous double-headed axe materialized, its broad blades formed entirely from condensed crimson-black Mana.

The weapon was almost identical in size to the Castellan’s enormous axe. Its weight struck the stone floor with a thunderous impact.

BOOOOM!

Cracks spread beneath the manifested weapon as the Asura Arm tightened its grip around the handle.

Jet slowly raised his head.

Blood continued trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his expression remained calm as he stood with the Vorpal Blade in one hand and the gigantic spectral axe held by his manifested arm.

An overwhelming aura radiated from his body.