Chapter 68 – The Black Knight, Kalt (1)

“Charlotte!”

Boom!

Charlotte raised her shattered shield, stepping in front of me. Tree roots burst through the ground, supporting my body. A warm energy enveloped me.

My wounds began to heal rapidly.

Rubia’s divine power stirred, while shadows poured out from Kalt’s body.

His target was Yuria.

I kicked off the ground and sprinted. Swinging my greatsword, I aimed for Kalt.

The shadows flowed along my sword. I stretched my leg back, pushing Yuria away.

Crack! The lost shadow twisted my left wrist.

Immediately, the divine power that had gathered in my chest concentrated on my wrist. I tightened my grip on the greatsword I had almost dropped.

Kalt’s gaze turned toward Rubia.

Vines sprouted from the ground and grabbed Kalt’s ankles. A lion’s jaws, emerging from thin air, bit into his shoulder.

Seizing the moment, I charged forward.

From left to right, my greatsword sliced through the air and struck Kalt’s armor.

At the same time, a heavy resistance kicked back.

Shadows surged from beneath Kalt’s feet, latching onto my sword.

I reversed my grip on the greatsword and drove it into the ground.

Rubia’s divine power shot forth.

Charlotte swung her flame-covered sword.

Dozens of beasts charged in all at once.

But the greatsword was blocked by a thin sword.

Kalt twisted his body, dodging Rubia’s divine power.

The flames dissipated into wisps of smoke.

The beasts were crushed into pulp by shadows erupting from Kalt’s back.

“Damn it!”

At Yuria’s shout, hundreds of tree roots burst from the ground and surrounded us.

In that moment.

Crack—

Shadows from the corpses of dozens of beasts broke through the tree roots and approached us.

One root burst, then ten, followed by hundreds of roots exploding.

The shadows that pierced through everything surged toward us.

I stepped in front of Rubia and twisted my greatsword upward.

Clang!

With a sharp sound, dozens of shadows were deflected.

At the same time, Kalt’s sword stabbed toward me.

“Noah!”

Rubia’s divine power gathered around me.

“Don’t you dare!” Charlotte’s shield flared up with fire.

Boom!

The flames fizzled out, and the divine power shattered.

“Huff! Damn it…!”

Thousands of vines coiled around Kalt’s sword.

The shadows rippled over the frozen sword. The swirling smoke converged into a single point, forming a line that etched itself into the air.

Just like in the game.

Kalt’s instant kill move.

Charlotte’s shield was shattered in half. Rubia’s divine power was moving, but it was too late.

Yuria’s plants wouldn’t be able to stop it.

I focused all my senses.

I discarded all other information, drawing only the death that loomed in front of me.

Information was being drawn.

Thousands, tens of thousands of pieces of data entwined together.

The headache felt like it would split my head apart.

My blood surged so much it was hard to breathe.

I held my breath and focused.

The image of the sword vanished.

Death is slowly approaching.

I continued drawing in all the information.

And then.

I found it.

I lifted my greatsword and slashed at the origin of death.

At the tip of the line.

Contrary to the violent swing of my greatsword, the shadows vanished without a sound.

Kalt’s face shifted slightly.

A crack formed in his previously emotionless expression.

Rubia’s divine power enveloped us, revitalizing our bodies. My minor wounds healed, and the headache disappeared.

Flames ignited once again on Charlotte’s shield. The sun-shaped fire pushed back the shadows. The scent of flowers rising from the ground cleared my mind.

“What was that just now?”

Charlotte wiped the sweat off her brow and looked at me.

Was she asking about Kalt’s shadow? Or about my sword cutting through it?

I couldn’t tell, so I stayed silent and adjusted my stance.

There was no time for chatter.

I steadied my breathing and focused on Kalt’s form.

Unlike us, who were covered in wounds, he was still unscathed, not even a scratch marring his clean appearance.

Grinding my teeth, I tightened my grip on the greatsword.

Kalt flicked the blood off his sword and began to move again. His aura had changed.

Kalt’s body melted into the shadows.

I couldn’t sense any killing intent.

The shadows couldn’t be drawn either.

I held my breath and focused on all the surrounding information.

The ground shifted, and leaves rustled.

To the right.

I swung my greatsword.

Clang! I couldn’t see him, but I managed to deflect his sword, which felt lighter than before. The others looked on in shock.

The wind changed direction.

I inhaled deeply. The faint scent of blood wafted in.

Again, to the right.

Clang! I deflected the sword once more.

From then on, I continuously parried and blocked the sword hidden in the shadows, coming at me from every direction.

Small wounds appeared on my body, but Rubia’s divine power healed them.

The fatigue was alleviated by the plants growing at my feet.

And then.

Crack! I finally blocked Kalt’s sword.

I stopped it.

Charlotte’s shield pushed the sword back.

Tree roots sprouted from the ground, binding Kalt’s limbs.

The beasts tore at the shadows, biting down fiercely.

A spear formed by divine power tore through space and shot toward Kalt’s neck.

Kalt’s face twisted in frustration.

“I’ll admit it.”

In that instant.

A shadow fell over the entire Karahan area.

The floating magic in the air turned into shadows.

The blood that soaked the ground turned into shadows.

The blood of the beasts, the roots of the plants, the fragments of the shields.

Even the remnants of the divine power became shadows.

Slowly, the shadows flowed.

Charlotte, who had taken a deep breath, spat out blood and staggered.

The tree roots that had protected Hephaestus crumbled into dust, lacerating her body.

Yuria, shielding Hephaestus, had the skin on her back shredded.

Kalt swung his sword at me.

The wind pressure from the sword sliced my skin open.

And then.

The shadows seeped into the open wound, becoming blades that ripped through my veins.

As if that wasn’t enough, they tore through my muscles and shattered my bones.

The shadows burrowed into my organs, shutting down their functions.

My mind blurred.

An indescribable pain paralyzed my brain.

I could feel my pulse weakening in real-time.

My trembling hand tried to release my greatsword.

My legs buckled under the strain.

“No- ah…!”

Beyond my fading consciousness, I heard a voice.

Instinctively, I raised my arm.

Clang!

A heavy sensation struck me.

The arm I had lifted was immediately slammed into the ground.

My waist twisted, and my knees hit the dirt.

My muscles screamed in agony.

The wounds reopened.

Blood burst from the torn wounds.

Sharp shadows emerged between the droplets of blood.

I could envision everything in my head, but I couldn’t comprehend it.

I heard sounds, but they didn’t make sense.

I felt excruciating pain, yet it didn’t register.

Was I still standing?

Was I still holding my greatsword?

Were my eyes open or closed?

In the first place…

Was I even alive?

Gulp. Blood spilled from my tightly closed lips.

I had no idea where I was injured.

Was it because a broken rib had pierced my lung?

Was it because my organs had ruptured and reversed?

Had my liver melted from the unbearable heat?

I had no idea.

“No… Focus… Stay… awake…”

Again.

A voice spurred my body into motion.

A voice I couldn’t understand reached me.

But.

I moved.

I flipped my hand over.

When it wouldn’t move, I raised my arm.

When it wouldn’t lift, I twisted my shoulder.

There was no response.

I twisted my waist.

Crack!

A grating noise pierced my muffled ears.

At the same time, cold liquid splashed over my body.

“Guh— kack… cough—”

The sound of agony rang in my ears.

Crack!

The rough texture surrounding my body stimulated my sense of touch.

And then.

“No…ah…”

The sound of Rubia calling my name brought me back to my senses.

I felt the pain of my torn wounds.

I tasted the metallic tang of blood clots.

The blurry shapes became clear.

I saw the Black Knight before me.

The shadow at my feet surged up.

I twisted my greatsword upward.

Clang!

With a clear sound, I deflected the shadow.

Kalt’s face twisted in confusion.

I swung my greatsword again without stopping.

Crack! I blocked the invisible sword.

My body, which had been holding on by sheer willpower, began to crumble.

The sword that had been staring me down retreated.

The distance between us widened.

Slowly, I took in my surroundings.

Countless broken glass bottles.

Shards of what used to be shields.

Corpses of beasts.

Shattered tree roots.

Sticky liquid everywhere.

And then.

Rubia, smiling weakly with a hole in her abdomen.

“Tha…nk… goo…dness…”

Splat.

A shadow tore through Rubia’s abdomen.

Warm blood splattered onto my face.

“Indeed, a priestess is a priestess.”

Her guts, mixed with blood spilled out from the split in her skin.

Her smile twisted in pain.

Her slender body collapsed to the ground.

Sticky liquid seeped through her parted lips.

“It’s remarkable how she refuses to die.”

And yet, despite it all…

A warm energy continued to circulate through my body.

Rubia’s mouth moved ever so faintly.

Run away.

“If it were anyone else, they would’ve died five times over by now.”

Crack! Rubia’s arm twisted grotesquely.

“No matter how much I cut, tear, and destroy…”

Snap! Her leg was ripped off.

“She keeps regenerating.”

Crunch! Her ribs shattered into pieces.

“I wonder if she’ll regenerate even if I snap her neck?”

His bloodstained hand reached toward Rubia’s neck.

But Rubia still…

She still mouthed the words as she faced me.

“If I kill the priestess here, then maybe…”

And then.

The warmth began to fade.

“Take your hand off.”

I clenched my jaw tightly.

I bit my tongue.

My torn-out fingernails regrew.

I dug my claws into my skin.

The shredded blood vessels regenerated.

I bit into them.

“…What are you—”

My dislocated joints snapped back into place.

I grabbed a broken branch and stabbed it into my ear.

The faint pulse that had barely been there before began to throb violently.

The sluggish flow of blood surged.

I accepted the pain I had tried to ignore.

I forced myself to hold onto my scattered consciousness.

I awakened my dulled senses.

I reined in my heightened emotions.

Deeply, I suppressed them.

Focusing clearly on Rubia.

I gripped my greatsword and raised my head.

I got up but I fell. Crawling across the ground, I soaked in the blood pouring from Rubia’s body.

I got back up but I collapsed again.

But I stood once more.

My body craved blood so desperately that it convulsed and raged.

I could no longer hear any sounds.

I could no longer smell anything.

I could no longer feel anything.

Consumed by an overwhelming desire for blood.

I surrendered to it.

The bloodlust in my body smiled.

And I, too…

…smiled.