One Sword, Split in Two! (33)

Ian raised the Deep Abyss Iron Sword once more. The Aether Crystal operated at full force, and bright cyan patterns of light pierced through layer upon layer of armor, bursting from beneath the ice armor to form dazzling inscription patterns.

Yet even acting on instinct, the Nightmare Spawn was immensely powerful. It let out a shriek, and its two relatively intact right wings slashed diagonally toward Ian from the side like two enormous scythes coming down.

Ian had no intention of taking another furious blow from the Nightmare Spawn head-on. He shifted the angle of his longsword and collided directly with the enemy's wing strike.

In an instant, Ian was sent flying again, blood spraying from his chest. But the Nightmare Spawn remained where it was, its entire body trembling.

There were no wounds on the surface of its body, yet something seemed to be writhing inside it. Black spirit-matter mist continuously leaked from the gaps in its carapace and vanished—and at the wound on its left side, where one wing had been severed, great amounts of black spirit-matter mist gushed forth.

The Highly Effective Enchanted Weapon Potion's ability to penetrate spirit-matter defenses had taken effect. Although that strike had been blocked, the power Ian had condensed from the Aether Crystal and Ancient Dragon Core had still entered the Nightmare Spawn's body in the form of hidden force and potion, disrupting its structure.

It was more than mere disruption... the Nightmare Spawn's overall strength had suddenly dropped by a notch. Its ability to draw upon Subspace energy to sustain itself had been weakened, and even its flesh appeared far more illusory.

The surging Origin Matter pouring from the Ancient Dragon Core seemed to have a special effect on Void Spawn like this, its destructive power far beyond even Ian's expectations.