Chapter 57: Common Rank

Deep within the northern section of Grauwald, the ground trembled as two enormous Demonic Beasts charged through a forest clearing.

The first was a six-meter-tall creature resembling a black bear, with four muscular arms, thick armor covering its shoulders, and a pair of curved tusks protruding from its lower jaw. Its enormous paws ended in claws nearly half a meter long, while dark Vis circulated beneath its hide, strengthening its already monstrous physique.

Beside it prowled a considerably smaller beast resembling a wolf, although its body was covered in overlapping silver scales rather than fur. Three sharp horns extended backward from its skull, and its long tail ended in a curved blade capable of slicing through stone.

Both were Common Rank Demonic Beasts.

And both were hunting the same opponent.

Sigurd Di Grandel stood between several shattered trees, holding his sword in his right hand as he watched the two creatures approach.

His ash-white hair stirred in the mountain breeze, and his iron-grey eyes followed their movements with practiced concentration.

He had deliberately tracked the beasts after discovering their territories overlapped near a rocky valley. Ordinarily, hunting two Demonic Beasts simultaneously would have been an unnecessary risk, particularly during an examination where injuries could cost him several days of progress.

However, Sigurd had a reason for choosing this particular confrontation.

Using his gravity ability. After experimenting with the authority during his previous battle, he wanted to discover how effectively it could be incorporated into his swordsmanship against multiple opponents.

The four-armed bear attacked first. Its enormous body surged forward, shaking the ground beneath its weight as two massive claws descended toward Sigurd. At the same moment, the silver-scaled wolf accelerated around his left flank, attempting to strike while his attention was occupied.

Sigurd noticed both movements. He stepped forward.

The bear’s claws descended.

Sigurd raised his left hand slightly, directing gravitational pressure toward the creature’s front legs.

The effect was immediate. Its enormous body suddenly became heavier, causing its shoulders to dip and disrupting the timing of its attack. Both claws struck the ground several feet short of their intended target, shattering the rocky surface.

Sigurd moved through the opening.

His sword flashed.

SHNK!

A deep wound appeared across the bear’s chest, dark blood spraying from the cut as Sigurd slipped beneath its enormous arms.

The wolf attacked from behind. Its bladed tail swept toward his neck.

Sigurd twisted sideways and altered the gravitational pull acting upon the approaching weapon. The tail’s trajectory shifted just enough for its curved blade to miss his throat, slicing through the air beside his shoulder instead.

He immediately counterattacked.

BANG!

His sword struck the wolf’s armored flank, reinforced by a sudden burst of gravitational force.

The enormous creature was launched backward like a cannonball, crashing through two trees before smashing into a rocky outcrop. Stone exploded around its body as the impact sent cracks spreading across the surrounding cliff.

Sigurd landed lightly and turned toward the bear.

The creature roared, furious at the wound across its chest, and attacked with all four arms.

Its claws descended from different directions, creating a violent barrage that tore apart the surrounding terrain. Sigurd moved between the attacks, stepping through narrow openings while using small gravitational disturbances to disrupt the creature’s balance.

Whenever one claw approached too closely, he altered its weight.

Whenever the beast attempted to reposition, he increased the pressure beneath one of its feet.

The interference was brief, sometimes lasting less than a heartbeat, but the results were devastating.

The bear’s enormous strength became a disadvantage.

Its attacks required precise coordination between its four arms, and even the slightest disturbance caused one movement to interfere with another.

Sigurd slipped beneath a horizontal swipe and drove his sword toward the creature’s abdomen.

CRACK!

The blade penetrated its armored hide.

The bear roared and attempted to crush him between its lower arms, but Sigurd had already withdrawn his weapon and retreated.

A silver blur suddenly emerged from the shattered rocks behind him.

The wolf had recovered.

Its three horns glowed faintly as Vis surged through its body, increasing its speed considerably. Within an instant, it crossed the clearing and lunged toward Sigurd’s exposed back.

Sigurd sensed the approaching attack.

He reduced the gravitational force acting upon his own body and pushed against the ground.

His figure accelerated upward.

The wolf passed beneath him, its jaws snapping shut around empty air.

Sigurd twisted in midair and increased his weight.

He descended like a falling boulder.

BOOM!

His foot struck the wolf’s spine, driving the enormous creature into the earth with enough force to create a crater beneath its body.

The beast screamed.

Sigurd raised his sword, preparing to finish it, but the four-armed bear charged toward him with an enraged roar.

He immediately leaped backward. Four enormous claws smashed into the crater, narrowly missing the wolf as the bear attempted to strike him.

Sigurd landed several meters away. His eyes narrowed slightly. The two creatures were beginning to interfere with one another.

An opportunity.

He had encountered a Silvervein Direwolf before, during an earlier battle that had forced him to rely heavily on his swordsmanship and physical abilities. Back then, every exchange had required careful judgment, and a single mistake could have resulted in serious injury.

That experience had taught him the importance of reading an opponent’s movements.

But his current abilities had changed the nature of combat entirely. He no longer needed to merely anticipate an attack.

He could influence it.

The bear roared and charged again, its four arms raised.

Sigurd waited until the creature committed its weight forward before increasing the gravitational pressure around its right hind leg.

The limb suddenly became several times heavier.

Its balance collapsed. The enormous beast stumbled sideways, directly into the path of the silver-scaled wolf, which had just recovered and was preparing another charge.

BOOM!

The two Demonic Beasts collided. Their enormous bodies crashed together, sending a violent shockwave through the clearing.

Sigurd moved immediately. Vis surged through his sword as gravitational force gathered along its blade. He accelerated toward the entangled creatures and delivered a powerful horizontal slash.

BOOOOM!

The reinforced strike smashed into the bear’s exposed shoulder. Its enormous body was launched sideways, tearing through the surrounding trees before crashing into the base of a mountain slope. The impact shattered several layers of rock, burying half its body beneath falling debris.

Sigurd didn’t pursue. He turned toward the wolf.

The creature had already recovered its footing, although several silver scales had been torn away during the collision. Blood streamed down its flank, and its movements had become noticeably more cautious.

Sigurd advanced.

The wolf snarled and lowered its head. Its three horns began glowing.

A moment later, several crescent-shaped blades of compressed Vis erupted from the horns, slicing through the air toward him.

Sigurd watched their trajectories. He shifted sideways to avoid the first, ducked beneath the second and redirected the third with a small gravitational disturbance.

The energy blade veered away from its intended path and struck a nearby tree.

SHNK!

The trunk was severed cleanly.

Sigurd continued forward.

The wolf launched another barrage, but he accelerated between the approaching attacks, adjusting his movements with short bursts of gravitational control.

Within seconds, he reached the creature.

Its jaws opened.

Sigurd increased the gravitational pressure around its skull.

The wolf’s head dropped unexpectedly, causing its bite to close several inches below his chest.

His sword descended.

SHNK!

The blade carved through the creature’s neck.

Blood erupted from the wound as the wolf staggered backward, desperately attempting to maintain its balance.

Sigurd stepped forward and swung again. This time, gravity reinforced the entire strike.

BOOM!

The sword passed through the damaged neck, severing the creature’s head completely.

Its enormous body collapsed.

Sigurd withdrew his weapon and turned toward the mountain slope.

The four-armed bear was emerging from the rubble.

Blood covered its shoulders, and one of its arms hung uselessly beside its body. Nevertheless, the creature remained alive, its remaining three arms trembling with fury as it dragged itself free.

Sigurd approached calmly.

The bear roared and charged.

He watched its movements. Its injured body was slower now, but its enormous strength remained dangerous. Even a single clean strike from those claws could inflict serious damage upon someone of his current rank.

Sigurd tightened his grip.The beast swung its upper arms toward him. He stepped between them, increasing the gravitational pressure around its injured shoulder.

The creature staggered.

Sigurd accelerated.

His sword flashed upward, cutting through the exposed flesh beneath its jaw.

The bear attempted to retreat.

Sigurd altered the gravitational force around its front legs.

Its enormous body lurched forward instead.

He stepped into the opening and delivered one final strike.

BOOOOM!

The gravitationally reinforced sword smashed through the creature’s neck, severing its spine and sending its enormous body crashing backward.

The impact shook the clearing. For several seconds, dust drifted through the air as the beast’s massive limbs twitched against the shattered ground.

Then everything became still.

Sigurd lowered his sword.

Two Common Rank Demonic Beasts, which means he have gotten twenty points. He glanced between the corpses, considering the battle.

Against the Silvervein Direwolf, he had relied on predicting his opponent’s movements and exploiting openings.

Now, with gravity, he could create those openings himself. Combined with his existing swordsmanship, even the simplest applications could completely overturn an exchange.

And he had barely begun exploring the authority. Sigurd cleaned his blade and approached the first corpse.

Twenty additional points would bring him considerably closer to the Crown. But more importantly, the battle had shown him something far more valuable.

His swordsmanship was evolving.