The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 42: The Blade That Carves the Worthy

The ashes stirred.

They didn't just scatter — they pulled together, like a thousand unseen strings were stitching the corpse pile back into something whole.

Jin clutched the staff, struggling to breathe, his ribs shattered, each movement sending a jolt of agony through his chest.

The pile of corpses twisted, bones snapping into place, slowly forming a towering figure.

The flesh melted away, burned to nothing, leaving behind perfectly smooth bone. The bones stretched and hardened, forming a massive skeleton, with ashen gray armor that looked like it had been forged from war itself.

Gold light pulsed through the bone cracks, like it had a beating heart buried inside its ribs.

The skull formed last.

It had only one face.

And it was calm.

No snarl.

No fury.

Just a cold serenity — like it had already accepted the outcome of the fight before it even began.

Jin's pulse pounded.

The system notification still hovered in the air.

[Phase 3: The Face of Honor]

The plaza fell silent, the only sound the groaning metal of the destroyed buildings and the ragged breathing of the team.

The Face of Honor slowly lifted its head.

And then it spoke.

"Rise."

The word rolled through the air, low and resonant, vibrating through their bones like a command they weren't allowed to ignore.

Jin gritted his teeth and forced himself up.

Because he refused to die lying down.

Jin's legs buckled the second he tried to move.

His body refused him.

His muscles locked up.

But he kept going.

He staggered forward, using the staff like a crutch, dragging himself toward the Face of Honor, who just stood there, watching him like a parent watching a child stumble.

"Seul," Jin rasped, voice barely a whisper.

"We... can't stop here."

Seul was panting on the ground, her arm bent wrong, her knuckles split open, and her face swollen from the last fight.

But she still pushed herself up, her shoulders trembling, her body shaking violently from the weight of her injuries.

She stumbled forward, her gloves flickering with faint gravity pulses, but her knees gave out.

She collapsed again.

"I... I can't," she gasped, trying to crawl back up, her voice breaking.

"I can barely breathe."

Jin's fingers dug into the staff, his vision fading, but he still tried to lift it, still tried to swing.

The Face of Honor just watched.

It didn't attack.

Didn't even move.

It just let them struggle.

Observing.

Judging.

Like it was waiting for something.

Joon tried to raise his blasters, but his arms fell limp, the electricity sputtering out as he dropped to his knees, gasping for air.

They were done.

Their bodies wouldn't listen.

And still, none of them stopped.

They just kept trying.

Until they couldn't anymore.

Jin finally collapsed, his body giving out, the staff clattering to the ground beside him.

He couldn't move.

Couldn't even lift his head.

They were going to die here.

And the Face of Honor...

Just stood over them.

Silent.

Still.

Like a judge at an execution.

Then —

It knelt down.

And placed a hand on the ground.

The golden light bloomed from its fingers, spreading out in waves, and Jin felt his bones snapping back into place.

The pain vanished.

The bruises faded.

His breath steadied.

And when he sat up, the others were already healed, blinking in confusion as they tested their limbs.

Seul flexed her fingers, her injuries gone.

Joon rubbed his shoulder, the ache completely erased.

Jin stared up at the Face of Honor, his voice shaking.

"Why?" he rasped.

"Why heal us?"

The Face of Honor rose to its full height, the light in its veins dimming, and its voice echoed through the empty plaza —

Soft.

Reverent.

Unforgiving.

"I do not stab a man when he's down."

"I only kill those who are worthy of me."

Jin swallowed hard, his fingers curling around the staff.

Because he understood now.

The Face of Honor didn't just want a fight.

It wanted a worthy battle to the death.

And it wasn't going to stop until they gave it one.

The glaive formed in its hand — a massive blade carved from bone, the edge gleaming like it had been polished with blood.

It lowered the weapon, pointing it directly at Jin's chest.

"Stand," it said.

And then it attacked.

The glaive fell like a guillotine.

Jin barely had time to react.

He twisted the staff, raising it to block, but the moment the weapons clashed —

CRACK.

The impact splintered the ground beneath his feet, and the shockwave sent him skidding back, his arms numb from the force.

Jin's muscles screamed, but he didn't stop.

He reset his stance, spinning the staff, and lunged back in.

The Face of Honor flowed forward like liquid death.

It didn't just swing wildly — every attack was precise, the angles perfect, the timing immaculate.

It didn't even waste movement.

Jin ducked, barely avoiding a horizontal slash, the glaive's bone blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

He retaliated.

A low sweep with the staff.

A quick jab toward its skull.

A spinning strike aimed at its ribs.

None of it connected.

The Face of Honor sidestepped effortlessly, its footwork flawless, and when Jin overextended on his last swing —

It punished him immediately.

The butt of the glaive slammed into Jin's chest, lifting him off the ground, and then the creature twisted —

SLAM.

Jin's body hit the concrete, the air ripped from his lungs, the pain exploding through his ribs like he'd been hit by a car.

He tried to breathe, tried to move —

But the glaive was already coming down.

BOOM.

A gravity pulse smashed into the Face of Honor's side, knocking it off course just before the glaive could impale Jin.

Seul rushed in, her gloves glowing, her breathing ragged.

She launched herself forward, twisting her gravity mid-air, making her body light as a feather to close the distance faster —

Then she increased her weight mid-punch, her fist crashing into the creature's jaw like a wrecking ball.

CRUNCH.

Its skull twisted sharply, bone splintering —

But it didn't fall.

It just tilted its head back into place, the fractures knitting together, and it grabbed Seul's arm mid-swing.

Before she could react —

It lifted her by the wrist and slammed her into the ground like she weighed nothing.

BOOM.

Seul bounced off the pavement, coughing up blood, her body spasming from the impact.

She tried to roll away, but the Face of Honor was already on her, the glaive flipping downward in a flawless arc, ready to split her skull open —

BLAM.

A bolt of lightning slammed into the creature's chest, exploding on impact, the arc energy burning through its bone armor.

The Face of Honor staggered, the gold veins flickering —

But it didn't fall.

It just looked up, turning its head toward Joon like it was amused.

Joon gritted his teeth, his hands smoking, sweat pouring down his face.

"I'll wipe that stupid look off your face," he snarled, his blasters crackling, and he fired again.

BLAM. BLAM. BLAM.

Three rapid blasts of electricity streaked through the air, each one stronger than the last —

But the Face of Honor didn't dodge.

It just walked through the attacks, the bolts splashing across its body, the bone searing and cracking, but it kept moving.

Until it was right in front of Joon.

Joon's eyes widened.

The Face of Honor didn't swing.

It just punched him.

BOOM.

The impact caved in Joon's chest, lifting him off the ground, and he hit the wall behind him so hard the concrete split.

He collapsed, barely breathing, his blasters shattered.

"Joon!" Seul choked out, trying to crawl toward him.

But the Face of Honor ignored her.

It just looked down at Joon, tilting its skull, and for the first time —

It spoke.

"A spark."

"But not yet a flame."

The fight kept going.

But it wasn't a fight.

It was a massacre.

The Face of Honor moved like death itself — a perfect fusion of speed, strength, and precision. It outpaced them. Outmaneuvered them.

It didn't even seem to be trying.

Jin swung the staff with flawless technique, each strike a masterpiece of positioning and leverage —

But it didn't matter.

The Face of Honor deflected every hit with minimal effort, the clash of weapons echoing like a funeral bell.

It twisted the glaive, sliding around Jin's defense, and drove a knee into his gut.

CRACK.

Jin gagged as his ribs caved in, and the creature followed through — slamming the blunt end of the glaive into his chest, sending him crashing through a storefront window.

The glass shattered, and Jin hit the ground hard, coughing blood as he tried to get up.

He couldn't.

Seul launched herself forward, her gloves glowing, and she pummeled the Face of Honor with a barrage of gravity-enhanced punches.

Her knuckles blurred, the weight of each strike multiplying as she twisted the gravitational force mid-swing —

But the creature didn't block.

It just stood there and tanked every hit, letting her break herself against its body.

With each punch, the pain shattered her bones, but she kept hitting, her screams of pain blending with her battle cries.

Until her legs buckled.

She collapsed, choking on blood, her arm bent wrong, her lungs heaving.

The Face of Honor tilted its head down at her, like it was observing a wounded animal.

"Your strength destroys you," it said, voice steady.

"Your body breaks faster than your resolve."

It raised its glaive, ready to end her —

BLAM.

A bolt of electricity smashed into the creature's skull, the blast wave splintering the pavement.

The Face of Honor turned, its bones scorched, the golden light in its veins flickering —

But it didn't fall.

It just walked through the lightning, the blasts burning holes through its armor, the sizzle of cooked bone filling the air.

Joon kept firing, his arms shaking, his vision blurry.

"Just die already," he snarled, his voice cracking.

The Face of Honor appeared in front of him in a blur, moving so fast he didn't even have time to react.

It grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, its fingers tightening until his blasters cracked and fell apart.

Joon kicked and thrashed, but he couldn't break free.

The creature just studied him, tilting its skull slightly, as if trying to understand his desperation.

"Your power surges," it whispered.

"But your heart is unsteady."

It threw him into a pillar, and Joon's body crumpled on impact, his breathing shallow as he tried to crawl back up.

He failed.

The Face of Honor slowly approached their broken bodies, each step deliberate, the glaive trailing against the concrete, leaving a thin line carved into the ground.

It stopped in the center of the wreckage, towering over them like an executioner.

"You are weak," it said, voice low but resonant.

"Slow. Fragile. Untrained."

It lowered the glaive, the blade's edge glinting in the faint light.

"There is no honor in this slaughter."

It raised the glaive above Jin, preparing to strike the killing blow.

And Jin, who could barely even breathe, just stared up at it.

Defiant.

Unmoving.

Ready to die.

The creature paused.

Its head tilted slightly, and for the first time, its voice held a hint of curiosity.

"Yet you rise."

It glanced at Seul, who was trying to drag herself forward, her fingers digging into the pavement.

At Joon, who was still clawing at the ground, trying to force himself upright.

"Despite your broken bodies," the creature whispered.

"Despite your imminent death."

It slowly lowered the glaive, letting the blade hover just above Jin's chest, as if giving him the chance to speak.

Jin coughed, spitting blood, and somehow managed a crooked smile.

"We're... stubborn like that," he rasped.

The Face of Honor was silent.

Then it did something unexpected.

It pulled the glaive back.

And laughed.