⚔️ **CHAPTER 79 — The Blade's Temptation**
Mist hung heavy over the ruined battlefield, curling around jagged stones and scorched trees. The Council had returned, their presence a palpable weight in the air—five generals, each deadly, coordinated, relentless. Kael's muscles ached, hunger gnawed at his belly, but Centering held him upright. Iron Mind filtered chaos. And in his grip, the cursed sword pulsed, whispering… always whispering.
*"They will die here, Kael… or you will. Choose. Strike! Tear them apart! Taste the thrill!"*
Kael's teeth clenched. *No… not like that. We survive together, but I decide the strikes—not you.*
*"Ah… clever, resistant, persistent… I like that. But soon… soon, you will learn to enjoy it. Our bond will be… exquisite."*
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The first wave hit like a storm.
**Rhayel** lunged from the shadows, blades whistling. Kael rolled, pivoting mid-step, Centering threading balance through uneven ground. Iron Mind filtered Soryn's psychic push, letting him focus on the immediate strike.
*"Now… cut! Faster! Kill before they see! Blood opens paths!"* the sword hissed, teasing, dark.
Kael dodged Tavric's massive log, then struck with the cursed blade. The weapon pulsed, slicing cleanly through a shadowy attack—but its voice laughed inside his head, sinister and gleeful.
*"Ah… yes… feel that, boy? We could take more… so much more… if you just let go."*
He shook his head, pivoting away from Lysera's lightning strike, threading his steps with Centering. *I control it. Not you.*
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Caelin ignited his flaming sword, arcs of fire forming walls and paths across the ruins. Tavric stumbled into one of the flames, forced off balance. Rhayel misjudged a step, distracted by smoke. Mireya pressed forward, shield blocking collapsing beams, shoving enemies into fire-lit corridors. Tomas struck Soryn's focus points, disrupting psychic attacks, shadows dancing around him.
Kael felt the sword's pulse, its whispered urgings tempting him to strike recklessly, to push beyond safe limits. Each time he resisted, the sword hissed with mild irritation—but a strange satisfaction too.
*"Very well… clever boy. I begin to care… yes, I care enough to guide you… and punish you if you falter. We are… necessary to each other, you see?"*
Kael gritted his teeth. *Necessary, yes—but you obey me. Not the other way around.*
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The Council escalated. Lysera summoned lightning and wind, Tavric hurled massive boulders, Rhayel's blades struck like shadows, Varynn appeared from angles unseen, and Soryn pressed mental attacks with ruthless precision.
Kael pivoted through chaos, threading Centering and Iron Mind through every strike, dodge, and environmental hazard. Flames from Caelin's blade cut paths and protected allies. Mireya held the front, shield deflecting attacks. Tomas flanked and disrupted.
The cursed sword pulsed violently in Kael's grip, whispering:
*"See? You could fail… but you didn't. I approve… this time. Our bond… grows. Soon, we will dance through their destruction… together."*
Kael gritted his teeth, sweat and blood mixing on his face. *Yes… together. But I am still the one standing.*
By nightfall, the Council retreated, wounded and frustrated. The ruins smoldered, scorched paths marking their retreat. Kael sank to one knee, body trembling, blade humming softly in his hand.
*"Alive… clever… persistent… I begin to… like you, Kael,"* the sword whispered. *"Yes… our bond grows… dangerous, delightful… necessary."*
Kael exhaled slowly, gripping the cursed blade tighter. *We will survive. Together. But I am the master. Always.*
The mist shifted, curling around the ruins, the storm of battle past but not forgotten. And in the shadows, the cursed sword hummed, **dark, evil… but now strangely attached.**
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