Death Knight
by Afuhfuihgs
After each slash, one step.
After each slash, one step.
One step.
Two steps.
Slash,
Slash,
Cut.
[Slash]
Before long, no one remained between Amel and the [Bishop].
Their eyes met.
She slowly approached.
Casually slinging the [Mithril Sword] over her shoulder, she stared blankly at the [Bishop].
“Is that it?”
“(Y-you…)”
“There should be one more, right?”
She gave him time, but
───he raises his staff.
Before he could even lift it fully, the [Mithril Sword] passed through the [Bishop]’s neck.
As she passed, she pondered.
‘So, there’s no Death Knight.’
If there was, he wouldn’t have hesitated to summon it.
Roll, roll.
The [Bishop]’s head rolled.
“(This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening!! A little bitch who hasn’t even lived for 100 years…!!!!)”
She infused [Bless] into her foot and kicked.
The [Bishop]’s head flew to the wall.
She could see Dark Mana scattering.
…Clang.
…Clang clang.
She could still hear the [Death Knight] exchanging blows with Chocolat.
Neither of them used [Sword Aura], and they deliberately avoided destructive actions.
They ran along the cave’s inner walls, reaching the high ceiling, leaping between the walls, their attacks and defenses exchanged.
The interior of the Dungeon resembled a space between cliffs, as if it had been cleaved by a giant sword.
And Chocolat and the [Death Knight] ran between those two walls.
Clang.
Clang clang.
“….”
Amel quietly looked up.
The Dungeon’s interior was lit by blue torches placed on the left and right walls.
The ceiling was very high, but the blue light didn’t reach it, leaving only a thick darkness. From within that darkness, only the sounds of clashing swords descended.
Still,
She could see.
The Electrical Ability she was spreading widely around her detected the [Death Knight]’s armor.
Chocolat had a slight advantage.
The [Death Knight] was also very aggressive, trying to break through Chocolat’s defense with wild attacks, much like Chocolat had been when they first met.
However, Chocolat’s defense remained unbroken, and she used small openings to thrust the [Dark Sword], accumulating scratches on the [Death Knight]’s armor.
…Looks like I don’t need to help.
Chocolat seems to be having fun, I’m a little jealous.
Leaving her be,
She entered.
‘(The Death Knight…)’
Win marvels.
‘(What was that Golem guarding that even allows them to possess a Death Knight? A knight serving the King of Death! I’m so, so curious!)’
‘It’s a Great Devil.’
She raises her left arm.
A bronze-colored arm.
It looked like she was wearing long gloves, so no one paid attention, but
The Bronze Arm was a Sealed Artifact. The fingers on the arm were demonic.
‘(Since it’s the left arm, could it be?)’
‘I don’t think so?’
For reference, the one sealed in the [Altar of Blood] seemed to be the right arm.
But it was different from this left arm.
She had that feeling.
Even the colors are different, right?
This one is bronze.
That one is red.
Anyway,
‘(What exactly are Great Devils?)’
Since there’s more than one,
Win put her curiosity and fear into words, and
A presence approached from deeper within the Dungeon.
Black armor.
[Death Knight]
Ominous black letters.
The [Death Knight] blocked the door further inside the Dungeon, behind it.
The Dungeon had been a straight path since entering, and at the end of that path, there was finally something that could be called a structure.
The fact that the [Death Knight] was blocking it meant there was something important there.
‘(Since even the Bishop wasn’t guarding it, there must be something to undo the Seal.)’
“….”
“….”
The [Death Knight] drew the [Dark Sword].
[Mithril… no, the [Black Sword].
The calm demeanor conveyed a feeling like facing Chocolat during their sparring match, but with an even stronger power.
The amount of Magical Power felt on the skin.
More than Chocolat’s.
But,
‘Just because you have a lot of Magical Power doesn’t necessarily mean you’re strong.’
Hero is an example.
I don’t remember, but there are also people who rely on power without technique.
Even if you have a lot of Magical Power, if you don’t have the ability to use it,
‘It’s like pearls on a pig.’
The reason for her suspicion was that the [Death Knight]’s posture, raising the [Dark Sword] and taking stance, gave off a somewhat low-quality impression.
Should I use [Spoiler]?
[Spoiler], which seemed like a downgrade in naming compared to [Divulging Secrets of Heaven], included the function of [Divulging Secrets of Heaven] to read system messages.
I’ll know what’s been added once I use it.
Using [Spoiler].
[The King of Death desires CoffeeAddict’s death.]
[The King of Death exerts power.]
[The aura of death is enhanced.]
[The Death Knight grows stronger.]
‘He was cheering her on at some point.’
Was Chocolat being hated?
She examined the added features of [Spoiler].
The Magical Power invested in [Spoiler] felt something prominent within the Skill.
Pouring Magical Power into that prominent thing, like pressing a switch, she used the second function of [Spoiler].
That function was literally a [Spoiler].
Ha…
What a letdown.
‘(Can you win?)’
‘Weaker than Chocolat.’
She aimed the [Mithril Sword].
‘Then I’ll win.’
The [Death Knight] rushed forward, and
Amel jumped upwards.
She climbed the wall.
She ascended the wall.
The [Death Knight] chased after her.
Fighting on the wall was a new experience, and her sense of balance felt strange.
The force that usually pointed downwards was now acting at a 90-degree angle, and she didn’t know what to make of it.
But fighting on the ground was too cramped, so she climbed the wall, and the [Death Knight] quickly caught up.
She had no intention of shaking him off, so
Amel blocked with the [Black Sword].
[Dark Sword] and [Black Sword] clashed.
As her speed decreased from stepping on the wall, gravity gradually pulled her downwards.
She kicked off the floor, barely maintaining her balance with inertia, and
Flipping her body,
Facing the wall,
She raised the [Black Sword].
[Cheoheo…
Got it.
Too bad.
That thought flashed through her mind for a moment.
Releasing Anti-Magic Power, she swung the [Dark Sword] down with a normal downward Slash.
Collision.
After the collision.
Landing on the floor.
She couldn’t stick to the wall and fight like Chocolat in the unfamiliar combat environment of the wall, so she fell.
‘Fighting on the wall requires more skill than I thought.’
Hmm…
Electrical Signal.
[Death Knight].
He slashes as he lands.
She backstepped to avoid it.
“(Strange.)”
He speaks.
Huh. He could talk?
“(You don’t give the impression of being as strong as I heard. Did you really defeat Eighteen?)”
“Eighteen?”
Ah, he’s talking about Chocolat?
Since Chocolat is the only [Death Knight] she’s ever defeated.
Interesting.
“Do Death Knights have a community too?”
“(If you don’t give it your all, you will die.)”
He aims the [Dark Sword].
Just as she was about to move,
She asked, defenseless.
The [Death Knight] seemed taken aback and couldn’t bring himself to attack.
“Wait.”
“(What is it?)”
“I have one question. If Chocolat is Eighteen, what are you called?”
“(….)”
So, it’s not the order they were created in.
She could see the damage to the [Death Knight]’s pride in his trembling body.
But he stopped.
“(I am Twenty-one. I will defeat you and be recognized as having more skill than that one. Give it your all. Become my reward.)”
The [Death Knight] released Magical Power.
He approached with an even faster rush.
Fast.
He raised the [Black Sword] to defend. The [Dark Sword] collided, pushing Amel along the path.
She slid back a long way, and
The [Dark Sword] gradually applied more force downwards.
He slashes down.
He intends to win with brute force.
The [Black Sword] is pushed back.
She hardened her body with Electricity, but he forcefully penetrated the repulsive field.
But,
‘Even if you beat me in this state, can you really say you’re stronger than Chocolat?’
“(Right now, I am overflowing with more power than ever before!!!)”
Ah, he doesn’t know.
He received power from the King of Death.
The [Death Knight] didn’t know that.
That was the nuance.
‘How can he not know?’
Well, not that it matters.
She brushed the [Dark Sword] aside and extended her leg.
[Destroying Heaven Kick]
Pow!
An explosive sound erupted, and the [Death Knight] was pushed back.
“As expected.”
She lifted the knee of the leg she had kicked with and wiggled her foot, but there wasn’t a single scratch on her leg.
If it had been Chocolat, she would have slashed at that timing, so she was going to be wary and avoid it, but that [Death Knight] didn’t even think about slashing and flew away.
Her interest waned.
A little waned.
He was an opponent who would have required her to put in some effort, if not to “give it her all,” at least to “fight!”
That being said,
‘Why don’t I feel any sense of crisis?’
Amel’s eyes turned to the [Dark Sword].
She watched the trajectory of its swing.
Without realizing it, she followed the [Death Knight]’s sword with her eyes.
By combining the prediction of movements, Electrical Ability, and the functions of the [Black Sword], Amel, who had barely kept up with Chocolat’s sword speed, had more leeway in her wary mind as she followed the [Death Knight]’s sword with her eyes.
As much as she could see, she could see.
She could respond.
The [Dark Sword] was powerful, but
Even if each strike was overflowing with power, the most effective technique was when it was used with the amount of power that the technique allowed.
Even if the [Black Sword] felt like it would break when she blocked with it, she could just deflect or avoid it.
In one-on-one combat, large movements become openings.
Well,
“(You’re like a rat!)”
He was as fast as he was strong, so she was currently just busy dodging.
But it wasn’t like she didn’t have any leeway.
She was gradually adapting to the sword speed, and the direction, habits, and form of the [Death Knight]’s favorite sword swings became familiar to her.
The [Death Knight] seemed to like cutting.
“….”
Chocolat is Eighteen (18).
The [Death Knight] is Twenty-one (21).
Judging from the [Death Knight]’s reaction, it seems like a ranking, but seeing how big the difference is with only a 3-step difference, it doesn’t seem like a ranking of strength.
Even if it’s real, there are 17 stronger than Chocolat. I look forward to the day I meet them.
But this guy is a bit disappointing.
There’s no sense of urgency.
Should I test something out while I’m at it?
‘Win.’
‘(Finally, it’s my turn!)’
Death Knight Twenty-one.
His name in life is unknown.
But he was a knight in life.
A knight born in an era of war.
At the end of it, he was revered as a Sword Master.
He lived as a wanderer in war, traversing all battlefields, and luckily surviving and surviving, the skills he had cultivated on the battlefield were revered in a world that had become peaceful.
He spent his days being called a Sword Master and being praised by others.
He had fought for peace, but
As much as the honor he gained from fighting,
The days of not using his sword were just boring.
He didn’t think so, but the lingering attachments that accumulated as time passed were as empty as if he had left his soul on the battlefield.
In the end, he left for the remote regions, craving battle, and
The depths of the magic realm that others couldn’t even see.
He breathed his last in the deep magic realm of the Southern Continent.
But he didn’t know why the dead were given funerals.
At the moment of his death, someone asked.
‘Come.’
‘Come.’
‘Until the day your lingering attachments are resolved.’
Death Knight.
Twenty-one.
He was granted a second life in that way.
He doesn’t know what his lingering attachments are.
What did he make a contract with?
Whispers that he occasionally hears.
What do they want?
But,
Such things,
Don’t matter.
In the newly acquired second life, he was granted the battle he had craved in life, and
In the process of fighting, he continued the undying battle in order to gain something.
He swings the [Dark Sword].
The woman retreats and dodges.
When it’s about to lead to the next strike.
The woman stretches out her hand. A ball of fire grows vividly in that hand.
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