< 73. Rest in peace. >
*
Raindrops danced. The once straight, vertical raindrops scattered in this deep abyss, following the movements of the two knights.
-Splash!
-Clang!
Fernandez moved, cooling his heated head with the rainwater, dazed by the repeated deaths. Even if he didn’t die, how could there be no survival instinct? His heart pounded fiercely with every sword strike, every moment of exchange.
-Thud, thud, thud.
-Clang!
He swung his sword in a wide arc, only for it to be deflected and sent upward by another blade. It was meaningless to distinguish whose sword was clashing with whose.
Their movements were eerily similar.
-Crash!
The difference in their weapons was becoming more apparent. King Dane’s sword showed no signs of wear from the impact and destruction, while Fernandez’s ceremonial greatsword was being destroyed by the difference in durability and force.
‘It’s going to break.’
Fernandez was so heightened that he could track every raindrop split and scattered by his blade. He stared at the cracks spider-webbing across the sword and thought.
The rough swordplay was too much. But still. The madness in King Dane’s eyes hadn’t faded.
-Crash!
Fernandez’s sword struck King Dane’s armor, already scarred from countless blows. But the same was true for Fernandez. Both were now ignoring defense, focusing solely on attack.
-Stab!
Before Fernandez could retract his sword, King Dane’s blade pierced his body. The ninth death. Fernandez waited calmly for the approaching vision.
King Dane’s experiences and his deeds.
*
The moment he killed the hill giant, sorrow outweighed the thrill of victory and conquest. The bastard child of a god. He felt a kinship with this being, who had spent his childhood unloved by his own kind.
He had lost his home to monsters and demons, wandering through ruined villages and corrupt cities. Until he met the dragon in the lake, his life too had been unwelcomed by his kin.
He had someone who was his mother, teacher, and anchor. But this unfortunate giant did not.
Standing on the giant’s shoulder, he drove his sword into its neck. Feeling the giant’s last, hot breath, he closed his eyes and prayed.
For our kin, my brothers, and my vassals who died by this giant. Like the countless souls before. May this giant rest in peace. I will carry on your burden.
Though I cannot bear all the sorrows of the world, I will ensure no one is left to fall alone.
The knight of the hill, Dane, whose name in the dragon’s tongue means compassion. That day, the young man became a king.
*
Fernandez swung his sword and stepped back, regaining his stance. The gazes of the two knights crossed. King Dane no longer launched attacks so easily.
The stature of a being is determined by their life’s deeds. Faijashi’s groans could be heard.
-As souls divide, so too do their burdens mix.
‘To the king?’
-To you as well.
King Dane silently pointed his sword and stood still. Under the pouring rain, he suddenly spoke.
[You are not Belawyn. Indeed, Belawyn died that day.]
“Are you coming to your senses?”
Fernandez spoke cautiously. Had it worked? If the king regained his sanity and could be returned to his grave, there would be no need to fight further.
[This world is no longer mine.]
“…This fight is meaningless, Your Majesty. The living have their own lives to live. Now, rest.”
[Young knight. Old mage. I have seen your life.]
Just as Fernandez experienced King Dane’s life, the moment their souls mixed, King Dane too could not remain untouched.
The king raised his sword. The upper cut tore through the air, and King Dane’s tattered cloak rose under the rain.
A swordsman at their peak is imbued with magic. Fernandez also took the same stance, slowly closing his eyes. The sound of raindrops grew louder.
-Rumble.
In the distance, the sound of a giant rampaging could be heard. If he focused more, even the screams and cries of people. Fernandez couldn’t tell if the sorrow and pain he felt now were King Dane’s emotions or his own.
He was no longer an independent being. Dividing stature, carrying burdens, mixing souls. Fernandez’s soul was also changing.
[You too have spent difficult times alone, young knight. I do not deny your life. I merely wish to test you.]
Fernandez’s eyes opened. His hair swayed slightly, scattering. Through his black hair, his blue eyes shone. Straight toward the king. ‘Come.’
Though beneath King Dane’s helmet was only a cold skull. Somehow, the wraith’s icy gaze seemed to smile softly.
-Crash!!
The swords of the two knights tore through the air and clashed.
The chain continued.
*
Dead knights had returned and were burning his city. The Knight of the Lion, the Knight of the Sun, the Knight of the Cross. His precious brothers and…
The vassals. The knights of the great Round Table.
King Dane raised his sword against the undead who had not yet perished. Much blood was shed. Soldiers who fell in battle rose again within ten minutes, becoming enemies.
An endless war of attrition ensued. When they were all exhausted, a dragon fell upon the plains. A massive wave erupted from the deepest part of the enemy’s stronghold.
The dragon’s breath scorched the plains, and the knights’ swords pierced its scales. The core members of the Church of the Underground Burial were annihilated in the dragon’s final struggle, but the dragon was not unscathed either.
After a joint attack by the Death Knights, the dragon suffered fatal wounds nearing death. The King Knight, losing his magic, dashed through the fading wraiths towards the dragon.
Blue blood flowed from the dragon’s blue eyes.
“Mother, mother. Mother! You must not leave like this!!”
[Haha, my child. Do not worry. This is nothing to me.]
“…Mother.”
[Child. Do not cry. Your tears should be for your kin.]
The dragon smiled and ruffled the King Knight’s hair, just as she often did when he was young.
[Achieve what I could not. My son. Lead your people, and weep for them. I am glad you have many tears.]
“Mother. Mother!”
The dragon’s closed eyes never opened again. For three days, the King Knight stood guard by the dragon’s side, braving the storm. Gazing at the night sky, he finally rose and took up his sword.
His face reflected on the blade. Dane, compassion in the dragon’s tongue. He caressed his name, crookedly etched on the blade.
“Mother, you said to have compassion for the death of kin, but what of your death?”
*
-Crack!!
The tip of the sword, grinding through space, shattered under the pressure. Skill and experience were lacking. Fernandez stared blankly at his crumbling sword.
He was just one step short.
-Crash!
Then, King Dane’s sword also paused mid-air. The sword, which had been carving a line in the sky, stopped. In that moment, Fernandez’s broken sword struck.
-Crack!
King Dane’s armor shattered, and a deep gash ran from his left shoulder to his chest. Fernandez, with his sword embedded in the king’s chest, was engulfed in confusion.
The king had deliberately taken his attack. Fernandez stared into the blazing eyes of King Dane, inches away.
He was smiling.
[Impressive swordsmanship, young knight. Tell me your name.]
“Fernandez of Sernard, Your Majesty. Forgive me, but I am no knight.”
[Does that matter? Very well.]
-Tap.
King Dane turned the blade and lightly struck Fernandez’s shoulder with the flat of the sword.
[Do not fear your enemies. And always have the courage to do what is right.]
-Tap.
Again, he struck the other shoulder.
[Always be true in all things, and remain composed in the face of death.]
King Dane raised his arm and lightly tapped Fernandez’s head.
[And protect the weak. Whatever your vow, have compassion for those who fall along the way. With this, you are granted authority in my Round Table. Now, Knight of the Round Table Fernandez, fulfill your duty.]
With that, King Dane planted his sword in the ground. As Fernandez looked at it, the king smiled and ruffled his hair. Fernandez silently gripped his sword.
It was heavy. Not a weight Diemonica’s strength couldn’t handle, but the burden of its legacy and the weight of its rank were palpable.
[I am ready. The living have their own lives to lead.]
“Will you pray?”
[Shield, protect this young knight.]
“I will carry on Your Majesty’s legacy. Rest in peace.”
-Slice.
Fernandez swung his sword, beheading King Dane. The helmet split roughly, and the light in the king’s eyes faded.
Fernandez stood for a moment, planting his sword in the ground, closing his eyes, and bowing his head. May the Temple of the Gods protect him. May the great king find peace this time.
-Rumble…
In the distance, the heavy footsteps of a giant could be heard. The vibrations shook the palace. With King Dane’s death, the wraith’s fire he had ignited extinguished, and darkness fell upon the palace once more.
-Flicker.
Behind him, the sound of a torch igniting. Fernandez straightened his back and spoke without turning.
“Kirhas.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Torchbearers, those who follow with torches. Kirhas held a sword stained with the blood of mages in one hand and illuminated Fernandez’s side with a torch.
Fernandez turned his head and looked into her worried eyes.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“As have you, Your Excellency.”
Kirhas looked at Fernandez’s tired eyes. She picked up King Dane’s fallen cloak and draped it over Fernandez.
“The night is cold, Your Excellency.”
“Diemonica does not fall ill to the cold, Kirhas.”
“My heart falls ill to your cold, so please consider the vassal’s concern.”
“Thank you.”
Fernandez caressed the King Knight’s cloak. Though aged and worn, the cloak remained warm due to the care and repairs of descendants. It was a woolen fabric that carried the respect of descendants for the dead king.
Fernandez recalled his birthday spent under the cloak in the rain, homeless. Back then, he was alone.
He stroked Kirhas’s head. Kirhas laid her ears back and let out a small whimper. Her eyes were filled with worry, as if they might overflow.
-Rumble…
The vibrations grew stronger. Fernandez slung the King Knight’s sword over his back and walked towards the tomb’s entrance.
“Let’s finish this. The journey has been long.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Kirhas raised the torch, illuminating their path as she followed him. Around them lay the cold corpses of the Church of the Underground Burial’s mages. Impressive. Fernandez could tell they had all been killed with a single stroke.
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
