[You have encountered a remnant of the past.]
[You have come across the ‘Doom Knight,’ a former knight who once guarded the Overlord closely, the king of all Death Knights, and the trusted commander of the Overlord’s Third Legion. This is a remnant of the ‘Doom Knight.’]
[The ‘Doom Knight’ is currently adrift as a remnant.]
[It has lost its soul and is severely weakened.]
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ perceives you as an enemy.]
[Eliminate the ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant.’]
A remnant of the Doom Knight and what seemed to be a ghostly specter standing alongside it.
Seong ignored the ghost entirely, focusing solely on the knight. In the tense atmosphere, as taut as a stretched bowstring, there was no room to spare for anything else.
The skeletal knight, clad in rusted and corroded armor, slowly drew its blade.
Screeeeeeeech—!
The grating sound of a poorly maintained scabbard scratching against the corroded blade reverberated sharply.
As the sword was unsheathed, a metallic, rusted scent wafted through the air, mingling with a faintly acrid tang reminiscent of blood. It intensified the tension, raising it to a boiling point.
Seong quickly checked his skills’ cooldowns in his mind.
The cooldowns for Blood Venom and Blood Plague had roughly three minutes remaining.
And the other skills?
They were ready to go.
Having assessed his arsenal, Seong unsheathed his own blade.
Sching—!
A sharp, clean metallic sound rang out as his well-maintained sword was drawn.
The skeletal knight watched the blade intently, adjusting its stance in acknowledgment of an adversary.
The moment it recognized him as an enemy, there was no point in delaying.
Taking its first step forward with brittle bones creaking ominously—
Crack-crack-crack—!
A spiderweb of fractures erupted from beneath the knight's feet, spreading outward like ripples on a pond.
Then, defying logic with its speed, the hulking skeleton charged forward.
BOOOOOM!
CRASH!
As it stepped forward, the ground behind it heaved upward as though a hill had suddenly risen, and the air exploded outward like a detonation.
The knight leapt, tearing through the air with incredible velocity, swinging its sword in a horizontal slash that tore apart anything in its path.
Seong, who had carefully observed every movement, slipped forward with nimble footwork, bending his upper body to narrowly evade the slash.
The blade’s trajectory sent a sharp gust of wind brushing past the tip of his nose, carrying with it the acrid scent of rusted steel.
It was an impossibly close dodge, but Seong’s expression remained calm, devoid of tension or relief. He extended his leg and planted his foot lightly on the skeletal knight’s chestplate.
With the knight’s momentum adding to Seong’s strength, the kick slammed into its chestplate.
CRASH—!
BOOOOM!
A sickening crunch of shattering bones resounded as the skeletal knight was sent hurtling backward.
Had its ribcage been crushed? The sound seemed to suggest so.
And yet, Seong wasn’t satisfied.
The reason?
"That critical hit didn’t land."
Despite the satisfying sound of impact, no system message appeared.
Even the feedback through his foot felt too faint.
Sure enough, the skeletal knight adjusted mid-air, using its sword to block the force of the kick and pushing off to land cleanly on its feet.
It slid backward, carving two deep grooves into the ground as it stabilized.
Screeeeech—!
The marks on the ground indicated the force behind the blow, but the knight had managed to close the distance between them compared to before.
This distance now favored Seong.
Conversely, it put the skeletal knight at a disadvantage.
Realizing this, the knight began moving its feet, attempting to adjust its position.
Seong’s eyes flashed as he activated a skill.
The first skill he used was Wailing Souls.
As he clenched his hand, an ethereal, turquoise spear materialized in the air, streaking toward the knight like a bolt of light.
Whoosh—!
The knight twisted its body, narrowly dodging the spear, and continued closing the gap.
Though its initial speed had decreased, it was still fast.
The knight swung its blade toward Seong’s neck in a rapid arc.
But Seong, gripping the spectral spear in one hand, summoned a Dark Orb in his other.
The knight, seeing the incoming projectile, hastily shifted its sword to block the orb, but it was too late.
The dark, orb-shaped projectile slammed into the knight’s abdomen.
BOOM!
At the same moment, the knight unleashed a slash of dark blue energy, which tore through Seong’s shoulder, drawing blood.
Slash—!
BOOOOM!
Blood spattered into the air, mixing with the unpleasant scent of rusted metal and turning the atmosphere even more rancid.
Meanwhile, the dark orb detonated against the knight’s abdomen, scattering fragments of bone and dealing substantial damage.
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]
[Dark damage is applied.]
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ is undead.]
[Dark damage does not disrupt its sight or senses.]
[The dark orb has disabled its regeneration and recovery for 10 seconds.]
Burdened with numerous penalties, the skeletal knight staggered.
Though Seong had also sustained significant damage, he paid it no mind and launched another skill at the knight.
This time, a skill capable of halting entire armies:
The Calamity Legion.
Hoooooo—!
A foreboding, black sun ignited in the sky, its dark flames swallowing the surroundings.
All that the darkness touched erupted in black fire, engulfing the skeletal knight in an inferno.
Fwoooosh—!
Even as it burned, the skeletal knight emerged from the flames, its skeletal form gleaming white amidst the black blaze.
But Seong wasn’t done.
He activated two additional skills: Writhing Darkness, which ensured all dark-attribute attacks would hit their mark, and another—
Shhhkkk! Shhhkkk! Shhhkkk!
Jet-black spikes erupted above the knight, raining down in a concentrated assault.
Unable to evade due to the earlier hit from the dark orb, the knight was impaled by countless spikes, its bones pierced and pinned to the ground.
Though the spikes rendered it immobile, the knight’s appearance remained eerily intact.
[Due to Piercing Resistance, damage is reduced by half.]
The skeletal knight’s bones, resistant to piercing attacks, mitigated much of the damage.
But that didn’t matter.
The spikes began absorbing the surrounding darkness, including the energy from the black sun, growing hotter and more lethal.
As they blazed with dark flames, hundreds of black flowers bloomed atop the spikes, filling the area with an intoxicating, seductive scent that replaced the earlier acrid stench.
Seong snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The black flowers exploded outward, releasing another barrage of spikes in all directions, consuming everything they touched in darkness.
CRRRRRRRACK—!
The sound of tearing and destruction filled the air.
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ suffers severe damage.]
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ transitions to Phase 2.]
BOOOOOM——!
The skeletal knight, emerging from the darkness, began exuding a sinister, deep blue aura.
The surroundings, previously consumed by shadows, were now bathed in the eerie blue glow, which surged skyward and drove back the black sun.
[Due to the aura of the ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant,’ the ‘Black Sun’ has been extinguished.]
Although the transition to Phase 2 was complete, Seong couldn’t help but acknowledge the difficulty of the situation. Tightening his grip on his sword, he prepared for the next exchange.
The knight, now cloaked in the ominous blue aura, adjusted its stance, lowering itself into an offensive posture, ready to charge at Seong.
Seong frowned slightly.
The odds were clearly not in his favor.
Fighting a knight as a dark mage was already an inherently unfair battle.
To bridge that gap, Seong decided to wield his sword as well.
Taking a deep breath, he activated his skill.
“Hoo...”
Rumble——!
The darkness that had dispersed began to gather once more, drawn toward Seong’s blade.
As the dark energy coalesced, it seeped into the sword, dyeing it completely black.
In that instant, the light in the world seemed to vanish.
[You have activated the swordsmanship skill: ‘Darkness.’]
This was the most powerful swordsmanship skill Seong had at his disposal.
Recalling the memories and experiences of countless swordsmen’s spirits, he delved into their collective knowledge.
Among them, the most advanced swordsmanship he had acquired thus far was that of the ancient knight Bendix, whose techniques he had learned in the Crystal Palace.
However, even Bendix’s skills weren’t sufficient against the Doom Knight’s refined swordsmanship.
The knight’s techniques, though seemingly crude, were imbued with profound intricacies that Seong could perceive but hadn’t fully mastered.
Thus, he combined every memory and experience at his disposal, blending them with his own to create a style uniquely his.
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Realizing the shift in Seong’s demeanor, the Doom Knight adjusted its stance as well.
Its lowered posture, initially poised for a direct charge, changed to one that allowed for fluid swordplay.
Recognizing the respect behind the adjustment, Seong raised his sword slightly in acknowledgment.
Flash!
BOOOM!
The Doom Knight’s charge was swift and powerful, its heavy blade slicing through the air with a piercing wail that echoed like the claws of despair.
Seong advanced just as quickly, his movements elegant and fluid as his darkened blade danced through the air.
When the two clashed—
KA-THRUM!
The Doom Knight’s straightforward yet overwhelming strike met Seong’s graceful, intricate arcs of shadow.
The dark energy of Seong’s blade wove through the air like delicate patterns, intercepting and redirecting the knight’s fierce attacks.
CRACK!
BOOOM!
Each collision unleashed rippling shockwaves that pushed both combatants back.
Without hesitation, they resumed their deadly dance, Seong wielding his shadow-infused sword with precision while the Doom Knight countered with its forceful, azure blade.
The knight’s strikes aimed high, targeting Seong’s upper body. Seong deftly diverted the attacks with his blade, smoothly deflecting them like a mother’s gentle embrace before slipping into the knight’s guard and retaliating.
Clang!
The knight parried, using the flat of its blade as a shield. It deliberately staggered backward, stomping the ground to regain its footing before launching another powerful strike.
Countless blows were exchanged. The Doom Knight’s direct, unyielding attacks clashed with Seong’s graceful, flowing counters.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The auras of shadow and azure blue collided again and again, creating an intricate interplay of lines and curves that painted the battlefield.
Every collision sent a cascade of sparks and tremors through the surroundings.
In mere seconds, dozens of strikes had been traded, their pace relentless, neither combatant willing to yield.
The battlefield became divided: one side was enveloped in the ominous, night-like blue aura, while the other was cloaked in pure darkness. Both domains sought to consume each other, vying for dominance.
As the balance between the two reached a precarious equilibrium, a new force emerged.
From the ground beneath the Doom Knight, countless spectral hands, glowing with a greenish-blue hue, clawed their way upward.
Snap!
The ghastly hands, wreathed in deathly energy, latched onto the knight’s ankles, momentarily halting its movements.
Behind it, a ghostly witch appeared, giggling as she placed a finger to her lips.
“Shhh...”
[Due to the Ruler’s Command, all skills are sealed for 5 seconds.]
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ partially resists the effect.]
[Duration reduced to 2 seconds.]
The sealing of its skills caused the sinister azure aura to dissipate.
In its absence, the domain of darkness surged forward, consuming the battlefield.
[You have activated the swordsmanship skill: ‘Darkness.’]
[The overwhelming power of darkness begins to consume even the undead.]
[The darkness has blinded the ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant.’]
[The darkness has deafened the ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant.’]
[The darkness has numbed the ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant.’]
[The darkness has muted the ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant.’]
[The darkness has stripped the ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ of all senses.]
[This effect will persist as long as the sword remains infused with darkness.]
Deprived of all its senses, the Doom Knight was overwhelmed by spectral soldiers that emerged from the ground.
These soldiers, wreathed in deep green mist, detonated in a series of explosions, consuming the knight in a storm of fiery destruction.
BOOOOOM——!
The resulting black cloud, shaped like a giant skull, engulfed the area, devouring everything in its path.
For a moment, it was pure annihilation.
Even through the game’s screen, viewers felt the sheer magnitude of the destruction.
The illusion was so potent that they momentarily questioned whether they themselves might be consumed by the cataclysm.
Was this the hand of death itself?
Despite the apparent end, Seong’s battle stance remained.
Viewers tilted their heads in confusion as the dense black cloud was suddenly torn apart.
Emerging from the carnage was the Doom Knight.
Its equipment, reduced to scraps, clung to its charred bones, and its once-proud sword was shattered, leaving only a jagged half-blade.
Its bones glowed red-hot, warped from the intense heat, yet it took a step forward and spoke.
“De... struc... tion... I... shall... deliver...”
BOOOOOOM——!
With an eruption of blue aura, the Doom Knight restored itself to a semblance of its former glory.
Its armor and weapon reformed, enveloped in the azure glow, as its skeletal frame was wreathed in a celestial aura.
Seong readied himself as the system message appeared:
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ has suffered extreme damage.]
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ has entered Phase 3.]
[The ‘Doom Knight’s Remnant’ has partially regained its former strength.]
[Proceed with caution.]