Chapter 249
The Imperial Palace was mostly empty. After Joshua left, the thousand-strong Imperial Knights vanished as well, not to mention the Emperor and the other nobles.
Only Knight Commander Rod, Valmont, and a few Imperial Knights were left to collect Galahad’s corpse.
Knight Commander Rod looked around and said in a low voice, “Valmont.”
“Yes, Knight Commander, sir?”
“Can you believe it?”
Valmont trembled at Knight Commander Rod’s ambiguous words.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that he’s a Superhuman, just like me. I thought it was just some silly story. I thought that the Mercenary King simply let his guard down, or that brat worked with the Wilhelm Knights to put himself on a pedestal. I was so sure that the rumors were fake… Knight Commander Rod revealed a despondent look as he said, “However, I was wrong. I discovered that I couldn’t be further from the truth when I fought him.”
“He’s only going to be sixteen this year, but he’s already at least as good as me. I was trying my best to maintain my reputation as the strongest Knight Commander until I resigned, but it seems that he would be a better Knight Commander than me.”
“Knight Commander, sir…” Valmont muttered blankly.
“Haaah. He might actually become one of the Nine Stars before he turns twenty,” said Knight Commander Rod. He laughed bitterly at the words that emerged from his mouth.
Valmont simply looked at him quietly.
.
“Valmont,” said Knight Commander Rod.
“I’m here, Knight Commander, sir.” Valmont saluted.
“Are you really an A-Class knight already?” asked Knight Commander Rod.
Valmont didn’t bother with words; he drew his sword and injected it with mana. A blue mist swirled around the blade—indisputably an Aura Blade.
“Avalon is very much blessed to have so many young A-Class Knights...” Knight Commander Rod laughed while inspecting Valmont’s sword. “Joshua Sanders is an inspiration for many people.”
“I admit it.”
“If his suspicions are correct…” Knight Commander Rod turned to regard Valmont with distant eyes. “I will take full responsibility and resign from my position as the Knight Commander of the Imperial Knights Order.”
Valmont’s eyes widened.
“As for the next Knight Commander…” Knight Commander Rod examined Galahad’s corpse once again and said, “I want you to be the next Knight Commander, Valmont.”
“Knight Commander, sir…”
“Are you willing?” asked Knight Commander Rod.
Valmont closed his eyes and nodded.
Whenever the Knight Commander of the Imperial Knights Order was about to retire, he would recommend one of the Battalion Commanders beneath him as his successor.
It was just a mere suggestion, but those who didn’t agree with the Knight Commander’s choice could argue through the Knights’ code.
Berche’s Bloody Battle. They could argue their case by defeating every Battalion Commander of the Imperial Knights Order’s battalions.
Knight Commander Rod was basically asking Valmont if he was willing to accept all of that on top of taking charge of the Imperial Family’s security.
“I wouldn’t criticize you for saying no. I’d know better than anyone else that you’re not ready yet—you don’t have to say anything.”
“I…” Valmont opened his eyes as his words trailed off.
‘I promised him. No, I have a new dream now, even if it’s not for the sake of the promise.’
At the end of the day, the choice was for him to make.
And it was an opportunity for him to take a great leap forward…
Valmont finally opened his eyes, and a glint flashed through them.
“Yes. I can do it. I will take on the responsibility of being a Knight Commander.”
Knight Commander Rod gazed into Valmont's resolute eyes.
“Valmont dun Brown.”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
“I acknowledge you as the next Knight Commander of the Great Avalon’s Imperial Knights Order,” Knight Commander Rod said solemnly. “I think you’re going to do well.”
Valmont slammed his fist against his chest in salute.
“I accept your will,” Valmont firmly replied, “And I will live up to it.”
Joshua’s actions of killing Galahad changed someone else’s life.
***
The masked figures surrounding Joshua and Cain shivered.
Two figures had appeared amidst the throng.
One was a knight covered in what seemed like darkness itself—and the most cursory glance showed that there was something wrong with his movement. His enormous sawtooth blade seemed like it was excited to tear into the masked figures’ flesh.
Cain hiccuped and exclaimed. “The Dark Knight of Dennis River…!”
However, the familiar figure wasn’t actually the problem here.
Cain had to take a deep breath when he clapped his eyes on the other figure.
Cain was frightened by the figure’s sheer size. The figure was about three meters tall, and his body was broad and thick.
He was wearing the same black armor as the Dark Knight of Dennis River.
However, the most terrifying part of it all was the fact that…
“H-Headless…!”
He was astonished. There was no head between the figure’s shoulders.
“An undead…?”
“A dullahan!”
The masked assailants broke their customary silence.
An unnatural monster had appeared. And a dullahan was considered a high-level undead. Dark mages and their undead creatures were hated, no matter their origin and where they were.
It turned out that the new Superhuman had been harboring a dark secret, and if this information got out, then Joshua’s outcome could be easily deduced.
It was shocking, but they had no idea that the Dark Knight of Dennis River was a legendary death knight.
“Master.”
“Do you know why I told you to live your own life instead of following my orders? If I told you that I want to summon the Demon King and bathe the entire continent in blood, what would you do?”
“This mad man…” One of the masked figures jerked and backed away warily. They knew that even if they didn’t manage to eliminate their target today, they simply had to inform the world that Joshua was a dark mage, and the world would eliminate Joshua for them.
Having made a decision, the masked figure started to retreat.
“What are you—” He paused doubtfully upon hearing a strange sound. The sound sounded like something had been cut, and it came from nearby.
He turned to look at Joshua, but Joshua was still standing there without moving…
“Huh?”
The masked man’s eyes widened.
He opened his mouth, but no sound would come out.
However, that wasn’t the end of it.
His vision started to tilt like his eyes were getting closer to the floor, and a few moments later, his eyes captured the stupefied looks of his comrades.
Even more shocking was that they were looking down at him.
Seeing that, the masked figure finally understood.
The strange sound earlier was produced when one of the undead decapitated him.
The masked figure’s headless body collapsed to the floor. The masked assailants were even more terrified at the sight of that than when they first saw the towering Dullahan.
Sure enough, it was a quick and painless death.
“And that is how you should move through the shadows.”
The masked figures were filled with an inexplicable sense of wonder and shock.
“But how…!”
“You don’t have to worry about it.” Joshua swept his gaze across them and smiled before saying, “All of you will die here today, so it’ll be a waste of my time to explain things to those who are going to die anytime soon.”
Once Joshua’s words fell, the masked men collapsed in a chorus of screams. Duke Altsma’s blade danced in the hands of the death knight like a wolf among sheep. It was harsh and vicious, befitting of a movement known as the Wolf’s Roar.
“Aaaah!”
Terrifying screams emerged one after another as the colossal blade literally tore them apart. Even the best stealth techniques were useless in front of Duke Altsma’s rage. He cut down dozens of them in the proverbial blink of an eye.
“Not coming out yet?” said Joshua while observing the ongoing slaughter.
However, he received no response.
‘Just because you’re far away doesn’t mean that you won’t be noticed…!”
“How arrogant.” Joshua’s grin widened. It was just like in his past life. They were so sure that they could kill anyone on the continent, even a Star, if they tried. Their pride was higher than the heavens up above.
They were a part of Dark Sunset.
“Are you not going to make a move? In that case, I’ll make my move,” said Joshua.
He waited for a while, but upon receiving no response, he decided to make a move.
However, before he could take a step forward, the Dullahan Lord suddenly raised his sword, which came as a surprise to Joshua.
“Ugh!”
“What is this?”
The demonic power within a fifty-meter radius around them coalesced. The Dullahan Lord had opened his demonic realm, the 8th Lesser Demon Realm, Infinite Hell.
From that bottomless abyss, hundreds upon hundreds of dark hands reached out, grasping at the soulless husks of the masked men and dragging them into the chasm in the ground.
When they emerged from the rift, they were no longer the same.
“An army of dullahans…” Joshua stared at the vile, headless figures. They all resembled dullahans, and their abilities were similar to dullahans as well. It seemed that the Dullahan Lord was a one-man army.
“Dullahan Lord…”
- What do you think of the power of the Infinite Hell? It’s great, right?
Joshua’s eyes widened at the voice that echoed in his head. His beloved weapon seemed to have awakened after a long slumber.
“You…”
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