■ Black Knight □
Dullahan originally plays the role of a d*ath deity.
They herald the deaths of humans whose lives are nearly at an end and collect the wrongfully wandering spirits from the netherworld, having been close to humanity since ancient times as the spirits of d*ath.
Now, although they have been branded as undead due to the atrocities of the Order of Courage, they are not fundamentally harmful to people.
But—
When such a Dullahan draws their sword, there are almost none who can stand against them.
Just like now.
“Krrk! What kind of power is this!”
The commander of the Royal Guard, Helios—the only Swordmaster in the Oz Kingdom, and a man with a slender build unimaginable for someone wielding such monstrous strength—was shocked by the force.
They had only exchanged three blows.
But even that was enough for him to realize that his opponent possessed skills far surpassing his own.
‘Where did this monster spring from?!’
His muscles screamed in protest.
Yet Helios gritted his teeth and deflected the longsword wielded by his opponent.
This created some distance between the two.
Huuuuh—Huuuuh—Huuuuh—
Inside the helmet of his opponent, nothing could be seen, as if it had been painted over in black ink.
Only the eerie blue glow of their eyes shone through.
‘For now, I just need to buy time until the others can help.’
Apart from himself, there was no one within the Royal Guard capable of restraining this foe.
Even though he had reached the rank of Swordmaster in his late thirties and devoted every single day to relentless training, the gap between them was immense.
It was impossible to even imagine how profound his opponent’s mastery of swordsmanship truly was.
Had they met under different circumstances, he might have asked this superior swordsman to teach him a thing or two.
“Haaaaaaa!”
He charged forward once more, infusing his entire body with spirit.
The clash of their blades sent shockwaves through his grip, causing pain.
Suddenly, the mysterious black knight who had appeared out of nowhere began charging headfirst.
“Krrrk!”
Helios narrowly avoided the attack, but a slight graze caused bl**d to trickle from his nose.
There was no time to stop the bleeding.
He was already struggling to evade the relentless strikes raining down upon him.
Bang!
As he stumbled backward, he realized he had been cornered.
The sensation of the wall pressing against his back.
Seemingly believing that Helios could no longer escape, a blue aura enveloped his opponent’s sword.
Helios hastily surrounded his own blade with a similar blue aura.
Clang!!
The two swords, wreathed in aura, collided mid-air with a deafening sound.
For a moment, the attention of other soldiers and knights engaged in battle turned toward them, but with d*ath Knights rampaging around—creatures that could not d*e without magical or auric attacks—they had no leisure to watch.
While his subordinates were being cut down one by one by the d*ath Knights, Helios stubbornly held his ground, gradually feeling his stamina reaching its limit.
‘At this point… I’ll strike a fatal blow while I still have some mana left!’
He rolled out from the swirling dust.
Due to the helmet obscuring his opponent’s face, he couldn’t discern their thoughts.
However, the fact that they hadn’t killed him yet despite their overwhelming skill suggested two possibilities:
‘Either they’re complacent, or they’re deliberately letting me live.’
Both scenarios were humiliating, but he preferred the former, as it allowed him to hold onto a sliver of hope that he might win.
Helios focused his mind.
He steadied his breathing and began circulating the remaining mana within his body to its maximum potential.
A state where the sword becomes oneself, and oneself becomes the sword.
With the principle of “Sword-Spirit Unity,” he would sever his enemy’s life in an instant.
The previously blue aura surrounding his sword shifted to an orange hue, following the color of his mana.
The blade shimmered like a fiery flame.
As Helios prepared for his final strike, the longsword of the black knight opposing him began to turn pitch black.
A sword that seemed to absorb all light.
The atmosphere around them felt altered.
‘d*mn it! d*mn it! d*mn it! d*mn it!’
This won’t work.
He couldn’t picture a scenario where he would win.
But if he fled here, all the soldiers and subordinates around him would be slaughtered.
As a knight, Helios, who prided himself on his integrity, could not retreat cowardly.
Thus, he clenched his teeth.
And burned his ‘fighting spirit.’
He directed all the remaining mana in his body into his sword.
Burning his life force, he resolved to k*ll the black knight before him at any cost.
Even if it meant sacrificing his own life, achieving mutual destruction would count as his victory.
He gripped the hilt of his sword even tighter.
His radiant blade gleamed brilliantly.
In contrast, the sword held by the black knight began to tremble ominously.
An absurd amount of mana, dense beyond comprehension, was infused into the blade, straining it.
Before the knight known as the “Knight of the Sun” could react, the black knight moved first.
Boom!!
The overwhelming pressure of mana caused the ground beneath his feet to crater.
The distance between him and the black knight closed in an instant.
As the sensation of muffled ears overwhelmed him, he swung his sword with all his weight behind it.
Whooshhh!
Like a dazzling sun, his blade pierced the black knight’s neck.
Whether it was due to carelessness or sheer coincidence, Helios rejoiced as he saw the knight’s head, complete with helmet, cleanly severed.
But immediately after, something felt off.
There had been absolutely no resistance when he sliced through the neck.
The flying helmet contained the same cold, blue gaze that continued to stare down at him from above.
At that moment, Helios realized.
His opponent wasn’t human—it was a Dullahan. And instead of targeting the neck, he should have aimed for the heart.
Regret washed over him too late.
Having exhausted all his mana, there was nothing left for him but d*ath.
The black knight’s sword began to move slowly.
It was as if in slow motion, yet he could not evade.
Unlike Helios’ Sunblade, this sword was entirely pitch black.
But within it, something sparkled like stars.
At that moment, he understood.
That pitch-black sword encapsulated the universe itself.
Dark Nebula Sword
“Rift”
It was as if heaven and earth were splitting apart.
The result of a single swing was astonishing.
Not only did it slice through every house and tall building in its path, but it also left a deep scar on the famous impregnable Constantinople Wall.
“Come challenge me again next time.”
Those were the words left by the Dullahan as they gently caught their floating head.
Realizing his head was still attached, Helios collapsed onto the ground, merely able to watch the retreating back of the black knight.[[#]]”Eeeh! Eeeh!”
I headed toward the northern city gate while continuously whipping Goldrun.
Already, two out of the four capital gates were in shambles.
Now, with all the soldiers’ attention diverted, it was the perfect opportunity to escape the royal capital unnoticed.
While racing down the road masked, I spotted a group of soldiers running from afar.
Though I flinched momentarily, I didn’t think they knew my identity, so I continued past them.
The northern city gate was drawing nearer.
Ideally, I wanted to take Goldrun with me, but getting caught at another checkpoint would be troublesome.
“Next time, find a better master than me.”
So, after patting Goldrun’s head in gratitude for bringing me this far, I leaped off the horse.
“What, what is that?!”
“Everybody, move aside!”
I extended both hands forward.
A sixth-tier magic that creates a low-pressure zone inside a sphere of wind, artificially generating massive energy.
It was time for “Majestic Wind” to make its appearance.
Initially, it was just a small orb, but like inflating a balloon, it rapidly expanded. By the time I started feeling the strain of adding more mana, I released the delayed activation.
Kwa-a-a-a-a-ang!!
Being a sixth-tier spell used by the great mage Lord Lewis to counteract the powerful “Wrath of the Ocean,” its destructive power was unmatched.
Even from dozens of meters away, the towering city gate shattered with a single strike.
Well, considering that the orb contained the energy equivalent to a mini-tornado, it was normal for it to possess such power.
By leaping over the scattered remnants of the gate, I successfully escaped the capital of Oz after assassinating King Oscar.
The Royal Seal tucked in my arms was just a bonus.
