The Dreadblade of Despair - KuruKaze.
The Dreadblade of Despair - KuruKaze.
A famous evil sword whose origins were unknown and had been sealed in the tower for more than millennia.
It is said that the sword had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere on the peak of the mountain on the 13th floor.
An herb collector from a nearby village was the first to chance upon the sword. Enchanted by its cozy appearance, the herb collector took the sword in the hopes of selling it for a high price for a ranker.
However, he didn't know that the shiny sword was a cursed weapon that had developed its own ego. The Sword consumed the herb collector and took control of his body, from there the bloodthirsty sword started its massacre.
The whole 13th floor was immersed in a blood bath. The more blood the sword drank, the more powerful it grew.
One of the major guilds who could no longer stand the evil sword sent a ranker to deal with it, but the sword was not so easy to dominate. The ranker fell prey to the sword instead and took over the body of that ranker. From then on it started to eye at more powerful beings.
But its greed led to attracting the attention of a myth, when the sword faced him, it was completely defeated and was on the verge of being destroyed. n a desperate bid to survive, the sword turned its malice upon the Tower itself, hungering for a portion of its infinite power. The Tower's response was instantaneous - KuruKaze's essence was seized and imprisoned in the darkest depths, a shadowed oblivion to spend eternity entombed.
Eons passed, the sword languishing in its endless void, until at last a sliver of hope pierced the gloom. The Tower itself offered KuruKaze one final chance at release.
It was pitted to fight against a young man who wished to enter the tower.
Initially, the old sword planned to take over his body by force but then thinking deeply, noticing that the young man was powerful enough to force the tower to release it, it devised a scheme and manipulated the young man to let it enter his soul sea.
{Foolish boy! Once I enter his soulsea, I will take over his body and escape from this prison!}
The old sword thought as it entered Shiva's soul sea. It expected to dominate and control him, but little did it know, Shiva had his own plans.
The moment the sword touched Shiva's consciousness, it found itself plunged into a vast, pitch-black sea.
The expanse of Shiva's soul stretched endlessly before him, devoid of the comforting landscapes or solid ground one might expect. Instead, there lay only a vast void, its darkness so profound that even the malevolent aura emanating from the sword was consumed by its shadows.
{What is this?}
The sword twisted and turned, disoriented by the sheer oppressive weight of the darkness that surrounded it.
Suddenly, a presence made itself known. Invisible tendrils wrapped around the sword, constricting it, and a face materialized above the soul sea - a middle-aged man with completely white hair, one eye red and the other green, a creepy smile playing on his lips.
"I knew you would try something like this, you damned sword," the face spoke, its voice dripping with amusement.
It was Shiva's own soul form materialized, bearing a striking resemblance to his past life.
"Welcome to my soul, the sea of eternal darkness." He regarded the trapped sword with a subtle smirk.
The old sword twisted and struggled against the invisible grip, panic seeping into its tone.
{Impossible! How dare you imprison me within this wretched abyss?}
The face above chuckled, its mismatched eyes gleaming with malice. "This is my domain, KuroKaze. You should know better than to try and usurp the body of the Demonic Emperor."
{You..! You knew who I was!} The old sword stuttered as it stopped moving.
"Of course, I did, the dread-blade of despair, Kurukaze! You think a man once called the Demonic Emperor would be unaware of an evil sword?" Shiva chuckled out aloud.
{Demonic Emperor? What nonsense are you spouting, you insolent boy?} The sword once again tried to shake off the invisible hands only to fail miserably.
"You are in no position to ask questions, Kurukaze!"
Shiva stepped forward, his presence exuding a power that even the ancient sword could not help but feel intimidated by. "You've played your little game. Now, it's time to see if you're worthy of my consideration."
The sword's struggles intensified, but the invisible hands held it fast. {No, unhand me, you wretched-}
Shiva raised a hand, silencing the sword's futile protests. "We shall see if you have the strength to stand alongside me. Prove your worth, or be crushed."
The face above smiled wider, its gaze filled with a twisted anticipation. "Yes, let me see what you are capable of, sword. Entertain me."
The ancient evil sword Kurukaze writhed in agony as Shiva's oppressive power bore down upon it. The invisible tendrils tightened their grip, constricting the blade's essence within the endless sea of darkness that was Shiva's soul.
{Impossible!} Kurukaze cried out in desperation. {How can a mere mortal possess such overwhelming might?}
Shiva's sinister chuckle echoed through the void. "Mere mortal? You underestimate me, old sword."
With a wave of his hand, images began to manifest around them—visions of the future, where Shiva walked as the Demonic Emperor, a ruthless conqueror who subjugated entire realms within the tower with his unparalleled power, ruling as the strongest being of all.
"I ascended the tower once, accumulated strength beyond your wildest imaginings, conquered floors, slaughtered my enemies," Shiva proclaimed. "I had an army by my side, high-rankers playing at my fingertips, and you! You dare call me a mere mortal?"
Kurukaze trembled as it witnessed the visions of Shiva's past exploits, each more terrifying than the last. Entire civilizations crumbled before his might, races destroyed and even gods cowered in his presence, and at last, Kurukaze witnessed his end.
{Impossible! You..! You have turned back the wheel of time!}
Kurukaze said, its form vibrating in Shiva's soul sea.
The invisible tendrils began to tighten further, causing Kurukaze to cry out in agony.
"Surrender your will to me," Shiva demanded, his voice laced with dark promise. "Become an extension of my power, and together, we shall conquer realms beyond even your wildest dreams."
Kurukaze had no choice but to relent, its essence was already slowly merging with Shiva's overwhelming presence. It only had two choices, either to submit or to be destroyed. The evil sword which had withheld years of imprisonment was not willing to be destroyed after all that, so it chose the only option left.
{I..I surrender.}
The sword's malevolent aura began to intermingle with Shiva's soul and Shiva's eyes glowed with an ethereal light, and a twisted smile spread across his lips.
"Excellent," he murmured, flexing his fingers as Kurukaze's power coursed through his veins.
And right then the golden runes materialized in front of him.
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