Treatise Of A Failed Knight

Chapter 1: Prologue: Final Treatise

"Human... you are quite impressive."

My body shudders as I am face-to-face with a horrifying entity beyond comprehension.

His calm, slightly amused voice sends me quaking down to my core, and his cruel gaze defiles my very being. Even while I grip my blade, keeping my stance steady as I regulate my breath, I am well aware this could all be for naught.

The entity before me is simply too powerful.

He may look human.

He may speak the same tongue as me, even possessing a rather charming voice.

But this thing is far from a person.

"Why won’t you just die already?" The humanoid creature asks me, expressing curiosity. "You are on your last breath, your body is in a ruined state, and you have no chance of victory. Yet why do you still stand with that useless Armament in your hand? What do you hope to achieve?"

Silence.

I respond with absolute silence.

"Just admit defeat... and maybe I’ll offer you a quick death. Come on..."

Before I realize it, my lips slowly part and air rushes out.

"Haa... haaa..." I slowly break into shaky breath and try to take in gulps of oxygen despite how hard it is for me to breathe.

One of my eyes is missing—mercilessly plucked out by the one before me.

Hot, stinging sensation courses through my body as several wounds I have incurred are on the verge of reopening. Several cracked ribs ache. Broken bones. Wrenched muscles, sprained tendons, and torn ligaments all send my body into indescribable agony.

I have tried to heal them, but all my Potions are of no use.

Everything has failed me.

My body feels numb. My spirit is fallen. Every fiber of my being is diminished to its limits.

Yet...

"... No." My shaky voice silently lets out my answer.

The ’man’ in front of me tilts his head to the side and stares at me with a confused demeanor.

He doesn’t understand me.

He cannot.

"Why?" He asks with unspoken authority, his word demanding a response.

Left with no choice, I answer.

"Because... I do not want to!" Having a deep glare on my wounded, bleeding face, I tighten my grip on my C Grade Armament and grit my teeth with unfiltered passion.

Overwhelming emotions churn inside my body.

Hatred burns from within.

I let the pain guide me.

I embrace the sorrow that swirls within my soul.

Even though I know my weapon is useless against this horrifying creature, and he possesses terrifying might beyond anything humanly possible, I still point it at him with unshakable resolve.

"You aren’t afraid of death... yet you don’t want to die." He murmurs, perplexed at my answer.

I don’t expect him to understand.

Ever since I regressed to the past and lived a new life, I haven’t had a single person who understood me—not entirely. I do not seek such a thing as that.

All I simply want is to live according to my wishes while staying true to my desires.

And right now... the only thing I desire is to see this ’thing’ die!

Expire!

Perish, never to return!

"Even if I die trying... I will use all of my strength to achieve this goal of mine!"

Despite how impossible my statement seems, I do not back away from it. Nothing is impossible to a man who has chosen to bear hope in his heart.

Hope that I will succeed.

Hope that I will win.

Even against such a being as a Leviathan... I will slay it and emerge victorious!

I spit out blood and let out a crazed grin.

Then, with a shout of triumph, I let out a heaven-piercing cry.

"This... is my final treatise!"