Chapter 180
"Insane…"
Even while spewing curses, the black knight instinctively thrust forward the hand holding the black sword. Just as the dark crimson energy surged through his entire body, the greatsword came crashing down.
Boom, bang!
The black knight, crushed by the greatsword, plummeted and slammed into the ruined floor. The deafening roar created by the clash of the swords was hard to believe. A fountain-like eruption occurred as the cracked flagstones and piles of dirt around the black knight. Spider-web-like cracks spread across the entire ballroom floor.
That his arms, gripping the blade and hilt of the black sword, didn’t bend was a testament to his superhuman strength. Of course, he had only withstood the blow. It was impossible to shake off the shock that completely enveloped his entire body.
"Hup...!"
Ian, who had landed with the greatsword in a striking position, lifted the greatsword again as soon as his feet touched the ground. The black knight, who had barely held his breath under the crushing weight like a mountain, exhaled.
Swoosh!
The greatsword drew a large arc and came down again. The black knight hurriedly gathered strength in his arms once more. Another explosive sound followed. The greatsword, now wielded with even more force, struck the black sword again. The black knight’s body sank deeper into the ground, and his extended elbows bent. As a blue light etched ancient characters along the blade of the greatsword, Ian lifted the sword again.
"...No—"Again?!
Before the black knight could utter his last words, the greatsword that had swung back started drawing a massive arc once more.
This time, a trail of pure white frost accompanied the trajectory. The bricks of the ceiling were falling in succession, but Ian, who was swinging the greatsword, showed no intention of dodging. The black knight, unaware that Ian had experienced even greater destruction in the underground of the Labyrinth Mansion, felt an unfamiliar emotion beyond surprise and panic: fear.
Boom—
Amidst it all, the massive trajectory created by the greatsword was already closing in on the black knight’s nose. Raising his arms, the black knight channeled all his dragon’s power. The black sword, wailing as if screaming, surged with energy like a waterfall. The greatsword struck it almost simultaneously.
Clang!
With a shockwave reverberating through his entire body, an explosion of light, born from the mingling of the dragon’s power and divine energy, erupted. A beat later, countless blades of frost poured down.
BOOM-
The ballroom floor caved in, centering on the black knight and Ian. Simultaneously, the black knight’s gauntlets and wrist guards burst apart, unable to withstand the pressure on his arms. The blades of frost that pierced through the explosion of light left lines and scratches all over the black knight’s body as if they had slashed and carved him. Yet, the black knight endured. The bombardment of shockwaves, pressure, and falling Frost Blades subsided.
The black knight, barely able to look at the greatsword blade right in front of his face, saw Ian grit his teeth and lift the greatsword again swiftly.
This insane bastard...?
Realizing that it was to strike down with the greatsword again, the black knight’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart.
This man intends to keep striking with the greatsword until I’m split in half, even if the castle collapses.
Thud.
A falling boulder struck Ian’s head and bounced off, but his expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Maybe he killed the dragon this way, too.
As the black knight’s thoughts reached that point, a sudden blaze of anger surged within him. It was a more intense fury than ever, fueled by the shame of having felt fear.
The dense magic aura surrounding his body boiled in response.
"Get lost! You insane bastard!"
Boom!
With a roar, the boiling magic exploded.
Ian’s eyes widened as he raised the greatsword, and the momentum of his sweeping motion carried him off, causing the stones and dirt from the floor where the black knight had been to scatter in every direction.
Swoosh.
Despite the situation, Ian avoided a fatal injury.
As the blue force field shredded and dissipated simultaneously, the black knight clearly saw Ian stabilizing his stance using the greatsword as a weight. He then slammed the greatsword into the ground.
Crack.
The greatsword’s blade carved a long arc through the air, gradually slowing down. Ian’s feet touched the ground. He drew the greatsword again, now battered and bruised.
His breastplate was completely gone. Only a single shoulder guard and wrist guard remained. His greaves were in tatters, and the chain mail underneath had holes and torn pieces resembling rags.
The padded armor beneath was stained red, with fragments of broken chain mail embedded in it. Blood from his head trickled down one side of his dust-covered face.
Yet, his expression remained calm. His face was devoid of emotion, as if he couldn’t feel pain. The red divine power enveloping his body burned quietly, and his hollow, non-glossy eyes held only one intent.
I will kill you.
"You insane bastard... Now I see, you’re a ragged apostle... You’re the living proof of how hypocritical and shallow those gods are."
The black knight, who staggered to his feet, clenched his trembling arms unconsciously and spat out.
"To grant power to a mage they find so blasphemous... It shows how much they hate the truth being revealed. Does the church know? That the gods and saints they serve have made a sneaky spellcaster their agent? Do the Northerners know? That their Great Warrior–-"
Ian cut him off. "The attempt was good."
In the next moment, with a whoosh of wind, he lowered the greatsword, and his figure enlarged instantly as he charged straight toward the black knight, adding nonchalantly,
"But I don’t have the hobby of stalling by talking."
"Such dishonor—"
The black knight hurriedly lifted the black sword to the side at the sound of the following rush. Not for a counterattack, but for a purely defensive stance. It was an unconscious act that proved his fighting spirit was no longer the same.
But the result wasn’t much different.
Crack.
The greatsword, drawing a long horizontal arc, slid over the black sword’s blade. Sparks flew like fireworks as the black sword’s blade pushed the black knight’s body sideways into the clash.
In the gritting black knight’s eyes, he saw Ian’s eyes turn ash-gray.
Could it be again?
Boom!
As if turning his speculation into reality, a silent explosion burst from the greatsword’s blade. The immense pressure that first sucked in and then pushed out sent the black knight’s body flying to the ballroom wall.
The black sword finally loosened, spun, and flew away, and Ian, who had been watching the black knight crash into the wall, leaped forward once more, raising the outstretched greatsword over his head.
Shriek!
The ghost horse let out a wail like a banshee and exploded with magical energy immediately afterward. As if realizing its master was in a life-or-death situation, it poured out all its magic and charged straight at Ian in a frenzy.
Even so, it couldn’t be faster than the red trail exploding from behind.
Swoosh.
The red trail, drawing a long line in the air, sliced through the body of the ghost horse whose armor had almost entirely fallen apart.
The bisected body of the ghost horse burst apart like a misty mass. Yet, its charging speed didn’t diminish. As if trying to revert to its original form after expelling the divine power, the shape of a horse’s head flickered and rose amid the burning mist.
At that moment, Charlotte, who had been running in the shadows on the ground, leaped up. The end of her ax blade caught onto what appeared to be the horse’s black skull.
Swoosh!
The black mist forming the horse’s bust dissipated like evaporating smoke.
"Don’t stop! Ian!" Charlotte shouted, soaring up with the skull caught on her ax blade.
Of course, Ian was already doing just that. He had never intended to stop.
Swoosh.
Even while embedded in the wall, the black knight, who was glaring at the skull, caught on the ax blade, belatedly raised his arm at the piercing sound.
Crack—
The diagonal line that tore through the ceiling and wall also slashed through the black knight’s dark crimson forearm extended in the middle.
The trajectory created by the greatsword paused only after passing through the black knight’s arm and reaching the center of his chest.
A peculiar calmness briefly settled in the black knight’s eyes as he gazed at Ian, who was holding the greatsword with both hands.
"My soul... to the true lord’s side..."
Crunch!
Before he could finish speaking, Ian applied force to his arms again. The greatsword’s blade sliced through the black knight’s entire upper body.
The black knight’s severed upper body fell diagonally. His lower body, spewing black blood, kneeled powerlessly to the ground.
"...Hah, hah–-"
Staring at the quest completion window that appeared before his eyes, Ian finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.
The dark crimson light surged from the black knight’s corpse, and his black blood spread on the floor right afterward.
Swoosh.
The black knight’s body shone and spewed dark crimson vapor in all directions. Ian, frowning and leaning back, looked up at the dark crimson curtain it formed.
He felt eyes watching from beyond the curtain. The presence alone constricted his heart. Ian, realizing their identity easily, curled his lips, showing no fear.
"So, did this soul go to your side?"
No answer came. Only a low laugh echoed in his mind. Surprisingly, there was no hostility. It felt more like amusement.
The next moment, the magical vapor scattered in all directions. The laughter and presence scratching his mind vanished without a trace.
Sssss....
The corpse of the black knight, charred black like a lump of coal, exhaled faint sparks and acrid smoke.
Simultaneously, the red divine power flickering around Ian’s body evaporated as if it had never been.
All that remained was the deepening darkness and the deafening silence.
Clang.
The Legion Commander’s Greatsword fell to the ground.
With the blessing gone, Ian simply let go of the hilt as he suddenly felt the weight. Ian staggered and collapsed on the spot. All strength drained from his body, and the throbbing pain surged all at once.
At this rate, I might die from exhaustion before the monsters get me...
The faint sound of something breaking reached Ian’s ears, deepening the bitter smile on his lips. He could tell without looking that it was the sound of Charlotte smashing the ghost horse’s skull.
She’s quite thorough, isn’t she? Don’t just do it roughly. You never know.
Adding that to his mind, Ian took in the chaotic view of the ballroom.
The lights created by magic and divine power had vanished, leaving the ballroom shrouded in dim darkness. A few flickering flames remained in the lamps on the still-intact walls, but they only added to the eerie atmosphere.
Debris from the ceiling covered the floor, which appeared overturned and sunken as if a bomb had gone off. The cracked and partially collapsed walls looked precarious, and a gaping hole in the ceiling revealed the stormy clouds above, continuously dropping dust.
It was a miracle that the entire castle hadn’t collapsed. It was likely thanks to the structure being wider rather than taller.
"Ian...!"
Amidst the wreckage, Mev running through the debris and Charlotte gasping for breath while gripping the ax handle came into view.
Charlotte’s upper body, as battered as Ian’s, heaved with every breath. Yet, there was a strange satisfaction gleaming in her bright orange eyes.
"Are you alright...? Can you move?" Mev’s voice, filled with exhaustion, reached him as she stopped in front of him.
When she lifted her visor, she revealed her face, which was covered in sweat and blood. It was only natural. Although he hadn’t seen it all, the battle with the ghost horse couldn’t have been easy. It was as large as a warhorse of northern lineage and went on a rampage, spewing magic like crazy.
Had the two of them not dealt with it, the fight would have been much more difficult.
"...I’m not alright, but I can move. You should sit down too. Let’s rest a bit."
At Ian’s response, Mev sighed with relief and sat down.
As the sound of heavy breathing filled the air, Ian turned his gaze to the black knight’s corpse, which no longer emitted smoke. The black knight’s full plate armor was on the verge of destruction. Only the boots seemed relatively intact, but they were too large for Ian to wear.
Maybe I was too thorough in breaking it.
Ian clicked his tongue briefly.
"Is... is it over?"
"Are you all safe…? Oh, my...."
A few soldiers cautiously peeked out from the half-collapsed passageway, then walked out, sighing in disbelief. Despite being dazed earlier, the ongoing battle must have brought them back to their senses. After all, the continuous explosions and loud noises would wake anyone up.
"Oh, Lu Solar...."
"What a dreadful sight...."
As they took in the ruined banquet hall, they kept sighing in dismay.
"...?"
Ian’s gaze suddenly shifted as he felt the prickle of magical energy. It was as if the magic was announcing its presence to the surrounding humans, but with a hidden, malicious undertone. Ian’s lips curled into a slight smile as he turned to find the source. The black sword, embedded among the debris, lay in one corner of the wrecked ballroom.
"...At least there’s something salvageable," Ian murmured shortly as he stood up.