ONLINE: Blades of Eternity-Chapter 305: TURAN’S DOWNFALL

The moment Kaelen and Kelvin lunged toward Turan, the air exploded.

Steel clashed with abyss. Sparks and shadows danced in violent harmony as Kaelen's Blade of Eternity, now pulsing with the energy of the Magic Pandora, collided with Turan's abyss-forged claws. Kelvin moved in unison, his corrupted scythe trailing behind him like a crescent moon of destruction, its edges leaking ominous dark flame with every strike.

Kaelen's speed had increased exponentially due to the help of the Magic Pandora—his movements now laced with a rhythm that made it seem as though space itself bent to accommodate his attacks. Each swing of his blade carved clean lines of glowing royal blue into the battlefield, holy mana humming with divine resonance. The Magic Pandora had altered his weapon's core, giving it a more crystalline, radiant glow, as if it was reforged in the crucible of stars.

Kelvin, on the other hand, had become a reaper. His scythe extended unnaturally when needed, bending and slashing with unnatural angles, catching Turan off guard more than once. His eyes burned with a new darkness—controlled, focused—and he used it to weave death between each of Kaelen's devastating blows.

Turan gritted his teeth, blocked a horizontal slash from Kaelen, only to be forced back by Kelvin's downward sweep. The corrupted pumakin was strong, impossibly so, but he was faltering. Every block came slower. Every parry, sloppier. His abyssal armor cracked, leaking the essence of whatever void spawned him.

"How…?" Turan growled, forming a ring of abyssal glyphs around himself before launching them outward like serrated discs.

But Kaelen raised his blade high.

"Eternal Step: Celestial Dissonance."

In a blink, he vanished—appearing behind Turan, severing the glyphs mid-flight with a single graceful slash. The shards of broken abyssal mana dissolved in his presence.

Kelvin followed up. "Grim Crescent: Dusk's Reaping."

His scythe expanded and curved like a wave crashing over a cliff, breaking through Turan's remaining guard and leaving a gash across his chest that leaked black ichor.

Turan stumbled, rage flashing in his hollow eyes. "ENOUGH!"

He slammed his claws into the ground, sending a corrupted pulse that summoned a horde of abyssal creatures—dozens of spiked, malformed beasts with too many limbs and mouths, crawling and leaping forward with shrieks.

"KAELEN!" Kelvin barked.

But Kaelen didn't flinch.

Instead, he held his sword in front of him, the edge glowing brighter, brighter—until the ground itself began to tremble.

A ripple of divine energy burst from the sword as Kaelen called, "Answer my will—Guardian of the Eternal Flame!"

From behind him, a pillar of royal blue light erupted into the sky. Within that radiant beam, a massive figure began to form—an armored titan, standing twenty feet tall, its body composed of shimmering crystal-like blue flame and golden engravings. Its helm bore the insignia of infinity, and from its back unfurled six glowing wings made of pure, sacred mana.

With a thunderous stomp, the Eternal Guardian emerged fully, and in a single sweeping motion of its greatsword, it unleashed a blinding wave of sacred light.

The abyssal creatures didn't even have time to scream.

They were vaporized instantly, their very essence purified and unmade in the face of such holy might.

The battlefield fell into a hushed silence—apart from the crackling remains of the Guardian's light. Even the corrupted wind stilled, recoiling.

Turan stood frozen, his body half-raised, as if to give another command. But his face…

It was twisted in disbelief since he caught sight of Kaelen and Kelvin's appearance through their disguise.

"You… you guys are humans. That power—no human should…"

Kaelen stepped forward, expression cold, as the Guardian faded behind him like mist returning to the heavens.

"That shouldn't be your concern," he said.

Kelvin twirled his scythe once, letting the residual black flame die out along the edge. "And you… made the wrong god your master."

"No…" Turan hissed, stumbling backward, trying to summon the abyss again—but his claws refused to move. "I still… Endless will—"

Kaelen's blade flashed, slicing the air.

Kelvin's scythe cut across the other side.

Both attacks met in the middle—through Turan.

He didn't scream.

He simply stood, his corrupted form split in two perfect halves, eyes wide with regret and disbelief. A final whisper escaped his lips.

"…Endless… forgive…"

The wind carried his voice away, and then his body collapsed, turning into ash that melted into the corrupted earth.

Kaelen exhaled slowly. Kelvin stepped beside him.

The crescent courtyard, once a battlefield, now lay quiet beneath the ruins of sacred stone and shattered corruption. The elders, injured but alive, watched the two young warriors with stunned silence.

The chaos had ended—for now.

But the road ahead was only just beginning.

As under the blood-stained sky which is

slowly clearing into a calm dusk, the battle-ravaged Crescent Paw Town began to regain its breath.

The abyssal creatures that once clawed through the walls and streets were gone—vanished without a trace, their corrupted presence dissolving the moment Turan's shattered form hit the ground. The eerie silence that followed was not one of peace, but the type that descended after a storm—heavy, uncertain, and filled with unspoken tension.

Kaelen stood still, the Blade of Eternity humming faintly in his hand, its royal blue edge beginning to dim as if satisfied with its duty. Kelvin stepped to his side, his dark scythe now smaller and slung over his back, its flame-like darkness curling inward as though hiding itself once more.

From the ruined gates and rooftops, Beastkin soldiers and townsfolk emerged cautiously, weapons still drawn, their eyes wide with fear and awe. Whispers quickly turned to murmurs… then sharp exclamations. All of them had heard what Turan had screamed in his last moments—"You're just humans."

In the middle of the ruined square, the three elders of the town—the wolfkin, the eaglekin, and the one who walked forward first, the tigerkin elder—approached, their presence commanding.

The tigerkin, broad-shouldered and dressed in ceremonial, battle-worn armor, stared hard at the two young men before him. His striped fur was matted with blood, and one eye had swollen shut from the earlier battle.

"…Is it true?" he asked, voice like a low growl echoing across the courtyard. "Are you really… humans?"

A tense silence fell across the town.

Kaelen and Kelvin looked at each other. There was a brief moment—fleeting but loaded—where neither spoke.

Then Kaelen nodded solemnly.

"Yes," he said, his voice calm but unwavering. "We're from the Human Territory."

And without hesitation, both of them reached for the edges of their cloaks and pulled them back, letting their hoods fall.

Gasps erupted instantly.

Shouts of outrage followed.

"Humans! I knew it!"

"They should be executed on the spot!"

"Who cares what they did—they're invaders!"

"Don't forget what the humans did to the border tribes!"

The crowd of beastkin roared with emotion. Soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons. Parents pulled their children closer. Anger, fear, and deep-rooted hatred flared to life like dry tinder.

But amidst the chaos, the foxkin girl, the one who had sold them the ever-changing map just days ago, stood frozen. Her eyes widened in disbelief, but unlike the others, her gaze was laced with confusion and worry rather than hatred.

"They… saved us," she murmured under her breath. Her fists clenched, tail twitching nervously.

The tigerkin elder raised a hand—and the courtyard went silent.

He stared at the boys again. "Do you know what this town has endured because of humans? We lost half our warriors ten years ago when human nobles tried to seize our mana vein. Do you know how many kin we buried because of your people?"

Kaelen didn't look away. "We know… what the Human Territory has done. But we're not them. We didn't come here to conquer, or to take. We came here by accident—through a storm of corruption. And we chose to fight for your town. Because it was right."

Kelvin stepped forward, voice firmer. "We could've let that thing destroy everything. But we didn't. We bled for this town. We risked everything."

Another wave of murmurs began—this time uncertain. Some beastkin looked between each other with conflicted expressions.

The tigerkin turned to his fellow elders. The wolfkin grunted but said nothing. The eaglekin simply closed her eyes in deep thought.

Moments passed.

Then, the tigerkin looked back at the boys and spoke again—his tone quiet, solemn, but resolute.

"…We owe you a debt. And though our hatred of humans burns deep, we are not without honor."

He raised his hand, and a soldier stepped forward with a leather pouch—heavy with Sharard shards, the currency of this region.

"You are to leave this town. Immediately. Take this as a token of our gratitude. But if you step out of line, even once, we will not hesitate to act. Understand?"

Kaelen bowed slightly. "We understand."

Kelvin gave a short nod. "And we're grateful."

As they turned to leave, the foxkin girl ran forward a few steps but stopped herself. Her eyes met Kaelen's briefly—conflicted, curious, worried.

She said nothing.

But in her gaze, there was no hatred. Only the beginnings of something… more complicated.

Kaelen and Kelvin walked into the falling dusk, cloaks brushing behind them, leaving behind the Crescent Paw Town that they had saved… but could never call home. Not yet.