The Ghost Knight I met again had changed quite a bit from before.
The only thing that remained the same was the longsword it gripped. Its once green eyes now glowed with an eerie blue light, burning like flames, and its tattered armor had transformed into a full-body black suit of armor, seemingly forged from darkness.
Its aura was also on a completely different level than before.
[Hmm. Not a bad opponent to enjoy. It was worth wasting a few days to come here.]
‘Right. If I hadn’t come, things would’ve been dangerous.’
Back then, it was a monster that could easily take on a few masters, but now, it seemed even stronger than before. Just the aura it exuded was enough to send shivers down my spine.
Somewhere above Ryu-rik but below the Arm of the Evil God, I suppose. If I had left it to the Empire Knights or Paladins, they would’ve suffered massive losses.
“Is that guy the ‘Knight of Ruins’…? Definitely an impressive sight.”
Leonor, too, seemed to feel the overwhelming aura, as sweat soaked through her shirt, staining it dark.
“I don’t know why it’s just standing there. It’s not attacking, not walking towards us… Is it wary of us?”
Well, it must be because its target has arrived. Clearly, this guy was walking towards the capital to find me. Destroying a few castles just because I wrecked its house? What a petty and persistent bastard.
It’s not like I’m some house-poor guy who poured all my wealth into one house. Houses can always be rebuilt.
“Leonor, take Rana and fall back.”
“I kinda want to fight too… but I’d probably die, right? Got it.”
“Be careful, sis…!”
With Leonor retreating with Rana on her back, I lightly tapped Cascador’s side and approached the Knight of Ruins, my right hand resting on Durandal’s hilt.
Soon, the monster, which had been quietly staring at me, pulled out its longsword embedded in the ruins.
“Þú þjófur (Thief).”
It spoke. Its voice was like a knife scraping against glass. I wasn’t surprised it could talk, as I already knew that.
“Hálfguð (A demigod)…? Nei, Er of veik (No, too weak). Skrítið (Strange)….”
“What are you saying? Speak Imperial Language if you have something to say. Or Eastern Language.”
Though its pronunciation had improved, I still couldn’t understand a word. What language is that? Some ancient Dane language Lacey mentioned?
I dismounted Cascador, keeping my guard up, and drew Durandal. The area was full of broken rocks, so fighting on foot seemed better than on horseback.
“Hrrrrrrrr….”
The monster tilted its head as if pondering something, then suddenly pointed its sword at me, its blue eyes flashing. A black aura swirled around the longsword, and the ‘ᚻ’-shaped rune engraved on the blade glowed ominously.
“Want to talk with swords? Fine by me, I prefer that too.”
Yeah, what’s the point of talking to someone I can’t understand? It seems like it’s here to collect a debt, so I’ll just pay it back with interest.
With my sword.
—
“I’ll bury you again!”
I awakened the Power of Feats, infused it into Durandal, and charged at the monster, my crimson tentacles billowing like a cape.
“Graaaaaaaa!”
The Knight of Ruins, sensing clear hostility, roared fiercely and charged at me with its Sword of Ruin in both hands.
A blue arc and a black whirlwind clashed violently, scattering shards of light in all directions.
“That’s it! This is worth the trip!”
I laughed as the specter’s strength matched mine, not budging even when I blocked its sword head-on.
It had been a while since I faced a hero-level fight. My heart, weary from fighting weak opponents, pounded fiercely. A thrilling excitement coursed through my nerves, sending waves of pleasure throughout my body.
Maybe I’ve become addicted to adrenaline. At some point, I started enjoying battles against strong opponents.
Though it might be a bit petty to only enjoy fights I can win… but it’s not a bad thing, and since it’s my job, I might as well enjoy it.
With a roar, I swung my left arm, wreathed in crimson lightning and ice. The Knight of Ruins twisted its body, deflecting my left hand and countering with a slash.
Its reaction was as sharp as a beast’s, its speed like lightning. Good. That’s more like it. I bent my waist to dodge the sword, a few strands of hair cut off and scattered.
“Grrrrr!”
Not giving me a chance to recover, it unleashed a flurry of dark magical slashes.
I flipped backward, using my hands to pivot and dodge its sword. The blade, swirling with dark energy, grazed my side, but thanks to Rotholandus’s blessing, it was just a shallow cut.
I counterattacked. The Life Force Technique’s tentacles shot out, aiming to pierce its limbs. The monster’s sword blurred, and a dozen slashes erupted simultaneously, shattering the tentacles. It was like crimson glass shards raining down from above.
[Not bad!]
‘Right!’
The black slashes flowed seamlessly. I swung Durandal, infused with the power of Reversed Heaven, towards the sword tip aimed at my forehead. The blade, compressed in time, struck the monster’s sword with impossible speed, creating a fierce explosion.
“Ha…gal….”
“Shut your mouth!”
Without hesitation, I kicked the monster away as it tried to activate the Rune of Collapse. Even with the blessing, taking that hit up close would’ve been dangerous.
“Graaaak-!”
A clear footprint was left on its breastplate, scattering fragments of dark energy.
The Knight of Ruins, bent in an L-shape, cut through the air. Its body smashed through the ruins of the city wall, scattering broken bricks like a house hit by a cannonball. Even as it was kicked, it slashed back, leaving a cut on my thigh.
I licked my lips in excitement and infused Durandal with the Power of Feats.
“Don’t lie down already! It’s too early to sleep!”
The blue blade cut through the air repeatedly. Five vacuum blades sliced through the floating debris, heading towards the fallen monster.
“Hagalaz-!”
The Knight of Ruins shouted the activation word for the rune and swung the Sword of Ruin towards the sky.
The surrounding dark energy was sucked into the blade, then exploded outward, scattering destructive power. My vacuum blades were caught in the dark energy and dispersed. The shockwave shook the air.
The next moment, our swords clashed again. The touching blades creaked, scattering sparks like fireworks.
It was a fight that cleared my stifled heart.
—
The Knight of Ruins, swinging its sword relentlessly, was also filled with a sense of confusion it hadn’t felt in thousands of years.
The successor who had destroyed the Rune of Twilight, stolen the Rune of Fire, and fled. The culprit who had ruined the Twilight Plan by destroying the Runes of War and God.
Even as a specter who had walked here to meet her, it couldn’t comprehend her existence.
Her mixed Eastern blood wasn’t unusual. Even in its time, Eastern warriors were common. Fen■■, for example, was of mixed Eastern blood.
Her familiar aura and unusual physical abilities suggested she might be a descendant of Fen■■. Though it was hard to believe a fallen demigod could have descendants.
What confused the specter wasn’t her lineage but her very being.
‘At least three mysterious divine blessings. Are they newly ascended gods?’
One of the blessings was so intense it was almost like she was a Proxy of the Gods.
That wasn’t all. Though faint, like a winter sigh, a clear Aura of Divinity emanated from the thief before it. The mark of those who had begun to transcend the Limits of Mortality and tread the path of a demigod.
This was a power akin to the mark of an Absolute Being, not easily obtained. Only one in hundreds of millions could reach divinity through their own enlightenment.
Most demigods had stolen divinity from others, either by luckily finding unclaimed divinity or by killing other demigods and plundering theirs.
Either way, it was nearly impossible without reaching the Limits of Mortality.
And it was hard to believe the woman before it had reached that level. Through their battle, that thought gradually turned into certainty.
She was strong, no doubt. The humans it had met since emerging from the ruins were all at the level of peasants, with only one worthy of being called a knight…
But this woman had the skill to be a Direct Imperial Guard Knight even in its time. In terms of pure skill, she might even surpass the specter, who had grown stronger through its contract.
However, she was far from being a demigod. She didn’t even seem to know she possessed divine power, let alone how to use it.
If they could communicate, it might have asked her identity, but the language she used was completely foreign to the specter.
In the end, the Knight of Ruins gave up trying to understand her. Regardless, she was undoubtedly a suitable successor for the Rune of Fire.
