Chapter 102: The Fall of the Ironbound Castellan

BOOOOOOM!

The Ironbound Castellan’s enormous axe collided with Jet’s manifested weapon, sending a violent shockwave across the ruined hall. Cracks spread beneath their feet as the two massive blades remained locked together, their opposing forces grinding against each other.

Jet gritted his teeth behind the Asura Mask.

The difference was immediately noticeable.

With the mask activated, his physical strength and Mana output had increased considerably. His manifested Asura Arm no longer trembled beneath the weight of the enormous axe, and the pressure that had previously forced him backward was becoming manageable.

More importantly, his movements were growing smoother.

The Castellan twisted its wrists, attempting to redirect Jet’s weapon toward the floor.

Jet recognized the technique immediately. Instead of resisting, he loosened his grip slightly and rotated the manifested axe along the same trajectory, allowing the Boss’s momentum to carry both weapons downward.

Then he stepped forward. His Vorpal Blade flashed toward the Castellan’s exposed chest.

CLANG!

The Relic struck one of the cracks running across its breastplate, widening the damaged section.

The Boss staggered backward.

Frey immediately seized the opening.

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

The restraints tightened, preventing the enormous warrior from retreating farther.

Frey rushed forward with both curved swords raised, his body accelerating as a concentrated burst of Calamity Mana erupted beneath his feet.

[Calamity Release]

He appeared beside the Boss and delivered two rapid slashes toward its damaged flank.

BANG! BANG!

Compressed energy exploded against the fractured armor, tearing away several plates and exposing the dark material beneath.

The Castellan roared. Its enormous axe swept toward Frey.

He immediately retreated, but the Boss reversed its grip midway through the swing, changing the weapon’s trajectory with astonishing precision.

Frey’s expression changed.

"Shit!" Frey cursed, hurriedly crossing his swords before his chest.

CLAAAAANG!

The impact threw him backward.

He crashed through a broken wooden bench before rolling across the floor, scattering splinters and dust around his body.

Jet immediately rushed forward. His manifested axe descended toward the Castellan’s exposed shoulder.

The Boss intercepted the attack with its own weapon, but Jet had already anticipated the movement. He twisted his Asura Arm, allowing the two axe blades to slide against each other before abruptly reversing his swing.

The crimson-black axe struck the Castellan’s armored forearm.

CRAAACK!

Another fracture spread across the damaged plating. Jet followed with a horizontal slash of the Vorpal Blade, forcing the Boss to retreat.

His movements were becoming increasingly natural.

[Weapon Master]

[Axe Proficiency: Basic]

[Proficiency Increasing...]

Jet barely glanced at the notification. His attention remained fixed on the Castellan.

Every exchange revealed another detail about the Boss’s techniques, and his Weapon Master trait absorbed those observations with extraordinary efficiency.

The Ironbound Castellan possessed remarkable mastery over its weapon. Its enormous axe wasn’t merely an instrument of destruction. The Boss could use the handle to parry attacks, the hooked edges to control an opponent’s weapon and the tremendous weight of its blades to generate devastating momentum.

Jet had already begun incorporating those principles into his own fighting style. And with Stage II Asura Physique continuously adapting his body to the unfamiliar movements, his improvement was becoming increasingly abnormal.

The Castellan attacked again. Its axe swept horizontally toward Jet’s waist.

Jet lowered his center of gravity and intercepted the attack with the handle of his manifested weapon.

CLANG!

Rather than attempting to overpower the Boss, he rotated his Asura Arm and redirected the enormous blade upward.

The Castellan’s weapon passed harmlessly above his shoulder.

Jet stepped inside its reach. His Vorpal Blade pierced the damaged armor beneath its ribs.

The Boss immediately retaliated with an armored knee.

Jet withdrew his sword and used his free Asura Arm to intercept the strike.

BOOM!

The impact forced him backward several meters, but he remained standing.

Frey, who had recovered from his earlier collision, stared at the exchange with an incredulous expression.

"Bro, you’re seriously learning how to fight with an axe while fighting that thing?!" Frey exclaimed, rushing forward to support him. "What kind of ridiculous talent is that?!"

Jet glanced toward him through the narrow openings of his mask.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Jet replied, immediately turning back toward the approaching Boss.

Frey grinned.

"Yeah, yeah! Don’t get too cocky just because you’ve got a fancy new weapon!" Frey shouted before extending both hands.

Five Vritra Coils materialized around the Castellan.

The translucent serpents wrapped around its arms, legs and torso, tightening simultaneously as Frey poured Mana into the restraints.

The Boss struggled violently. Its enormous muscles bulged beneath the damaged armor, and the stone floor fractured beneath its feet.

However, Frey had learned from their earlier exchanges.

Instead of concentrating all his strength on preventing the Castellan from moving, he adjusted the Coils individually, allowing some to loosen while others tightened.

Whenever the Boss attempted to swing its axe, the restraints around its weapon arm constricted.

Whenever it shifted its weight to break free, the Coils around its legs pulled in the opposite direction. The technique required considerable concentration, but it successfully disrupted the Castellan’s movements.

Jet immediately attacked. His manifested axe descended toward the Boss’s damaged shoulder.

BOOOOM!

The impact shattered another section of armor.

Before the Castellan could retaliate, Jet rotated the weapon and delivered a second strike toward its chest.

CRAAACK!

The already fractured breastplate split apart.

Dark energy erupted from beneath the damaged armor.

The Boss released a furious roar and violently twisted its body, tearing through two Vritra Coils.

Frey staggered as the backlash struck his Mana circulation.

[Calamity Reservoir]

[Stored Calamity Mana: 34%]

He immediately steadied himself.

"Not bad," Frey muttered, examining the notification before raising his swords again. "Let’s see how much more you’ve got."

The Castellan suddenly slammed its enormous axe into the floor.

BOOOOOOM!

A violent shockwave erupted outward, tearing through the remaining restraints and sending broken stone flying across the chamber.

Jet crossed his manifested arms before his body while Frey immediately leaped backward.

The shockwave struck them both.

Jet slid several meters across the floor, his boots carving deep grooves through the dust.

Frey landed near a shattered column, coughing as he absorbed the impact.

The Castellan didn’t give them time to recover.

It charged toward Jet. Its enormous axe rose overhead.

Jet looked up. Through the Asura Mask, his eyes remained fixed on the approaching weapon.

He could see the attack clearly. The angle of the blade. The position of the Boss’s shoulders.

The movement of its feet and the precise moment its weight shifted forward.

Jet stepped sideways.

The Castellan’s axe crashed into the floor beside him.

Before the Boss could recover, Jet hooked the lower blade of his manifested axe around the weapon’s handle and pulled.

The Castellan’s grip shifted.

Jet immediately rotated his Asura Arm and struck the Boss’s wrist with the opposite blade.

CRAAACK!

The damaged gauntlet shattered.

The enormous axe slipped from the Castellan’s hand.

For the first time, the Boss had been disarmed.

Frey’s eyes widened.

"HOLY shit!" Frey shouted, his expression changing into an excited grin. "Jet, you actually did it!"

Jet didn’t respond. He immediately stepped forward and swung his manifested axe toward the Castellan’s exposed chest.

BOOOOOOM!

The enormous weapon struck the shattered breastplate.

Fragments of dark bronze armor exploded outward. The Boss staggered backward, its massive body crashing against the elevated platform behind it.

Jet followed. His Vorpal Blade flashed repeatedly, striking the exposed gaps beneath the remaining armor.

The Castellan attempted to retaliate with its enormous fists, but Jet intercepted one strike with his free Asura Arm while redirecting the other using the handle of his manifested axe.

His movements had changed completely. The awkwardness from earlier had almost disappeared.

Although he still lacked the years of experience possessed by a true master axeman, his understanding of the weapon had improved tremendously.

[Weapon Master]

[Axe Proficiency: Intermediate]

[Proficiency Advancement Confirmed]

Jet’s eyes brightened behind the mask.

But he didn’t have time to celebrate.

The Castellan suddenly released a deafening roar. Dark energy erupted from the cracks covering its armor, gathering around its enormous fists as it prepared another attack.

Jet immediately retreated.

"Frey!" Jet shouted, glancing toward his friend. "It’s preparing something!"

Frey noticed the gathering energy and immediately extended both hands.

"Vritra’s Coil!" Frey roared, manifesting five enormous serpents around the Castellan.

The restraints tightened violently.

The Boss struggled, attempting to raise its fists, but the Coils restricted its movements.

Frey gritted his teeth.

The dark energy gathering around the Castellan continued intensifying.

His restraints began trembling.

"Jet!" Frey shouted, blood trickling from his nose. "I can’t hold this bastard forever!"

Jet immediately understood. He tightened his grip around the Vorpal Blade. His manifested axe rose overhead. Crimson-black Mana surged through both weapons as he rushed forward.

The Castellan attempted to break free.

Frey tightened the Coils with everything he had.

CRAAACK!

One restraint shattered.

[Calamity Reservoir]

[Stored Calamity Mana: 48%]

Frey immediately activated Calamity Release.

The accumulated energy surged through both curved swords.

He crossed the blades before his chest and swung them outward.

BOOOOM!

Two concentrated bursts struck the Castellan’s exposed torso.

The impacts interrupted its gathering energy.

The Boss staggered.

Jet arrived.

His manifested axe descended with tremendous force.

CRAAAAACK!

The weapon smashed through the remaining breastplate, tearing open the Castellan’s chest.

Dark energy erupted from the enormous wound.

Jet immediately transferred the Vorpal Blade into his physical right hand and stepped forward.

The Castellan attempted to raise its damaged arm.

Jet’s free Asura Arm seized the limb and forced it aside.

Then he drove the Vorpal Blade directly into the exposed center of its chest.

SHIIIIING!

The Relic pierced through the dark material beneath the shattered armor.

The Castellan convulsed. Its crimson eyes flickered violently.

Jet gritted his teeth and poured Mana into the weapon.

"Frey!" Jet shouted, twisting the blade deeper. "FINISH it!"

Frey immediately rushed forward. Both curved swords gleamed with compressed Calamity Mana as he accelerated toward the immobilized Boss.

"Wtih pleasure!" Frey roared, swinging both weapons toward the Castellan’s exposed chest.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The combined strike exploded against the enormous warrior.

Dark bronze armor shattered.

The Castellan’s massive body was thrown backward, crashing through the stone seat upon the elevated platform.

The impact shook the entire hall. Dust erupted across the chamber.

Jet withdrew his Vorpal Blade and retreated beside Frey, both watching the collapsing platform through the thick cloud of debris.

For several seconds, nothing moved.

Then a familiar notification appeared before their eyes.

[Dungeon Boss Defeated]

[Ironbound Castellan — Green-Class Dungeon Boss]

[Dungeon Clear Conditions Fulfilled]

Jet slowly lowered his Vorpal Blade.

Beside him, Frey stared at the notification before breaking into an exhausted grin.

The Ironbound Castellan was dead.