Chapter 179

Chapter 179

Swoosh—

The Magic Force Field and the Barrier of Light simultaneously enveloped Ian. But instead of striking directly, the black knight’s sword crashed into the floor beside him.

Boom!

The explosion, like a bomb going off, sent Ian flying. Even though he was protected by dual barriers, he couldn’t completely offset the force of the blast from below.

In an instant, the ceiling rushed toward him. Ian twisted his body mid-air, and his back, covered by the Magic Force Field, slammed into the ceiling. Spiderweb cracks spread under the enormous pressure. Despite this, he could see the entire view of the banquet hall below him.

A trail of black magic slashed across one side of the banquet hall. At the end of the trajectory that tore through the air, the ghostly horse crashed into the wall, shattering the high seat of the podium. The dark red magic spreading from the horse shimmered like mist against the wall.

Charlotte seemed to have barely dodged the trajectory, rolling on the floor. Her armor was torn from one shoulder and arm, and blood was gushing out. However, compared to the other soldiers, her injuries were quite mild. Those unlucky enough to be caught in the path were flung around like they had been hit by a truck, their bodies mangled.

The soldier in Mev's arms appeared to be among them.

She wasn't holding a sword.

Clearly, she had left the ghostly horse to Charlotte and was now moving the soldiers who could no longer fight. Glimpses of soldiers strewn across the hallway in the corner of the banquet hall could be seen.

The soldier’s lips moved as if saying something. Ian’s heightened perception instantly read the incomplete words formed by the soldier's lips: "Please, I beg of you."

There was no need to guess what Mev had said or what she was asking for. The presence exuded by her back, as she held the dying soldier, was entirely different from before.

Just as Ian began to fall, his gaze shifted directly below him. An ominous intuition struck him. Sure enough, the black knight was already preparing to leap. The knight aimed to cut Ian down in mid-air, a very wise decision since Ian couldn't evade as easily in the air as he could on the ground. Of course, that would be true under normal circumstances.

Whoosh—

As soon as Ian thought of casting Whirlwind, a lower-tier gray magic, he completed it almost simultaneously and swung his left arm to the side. The wind, amplified with a hint of chaos power, blew his body sideways.

Crash! Thud!

Ian broke one pillar with his back and was slammed into the wall beyond it. He winced and rolled to the floor. It was the very corridor they had passed before entering the banquet hall.

Swoosh.

Through the dust and debris of the broken pillar, the black knight followed, soaring up.

Even as he raised his sword upward, his helmet quickly turned toward the corridor where Ian lay sprawled. Immediately after, he steadied himself by extending his left arm upward. In that brief moment of hovering in the air, his entire figure, gripping the outstretched sword with both hands, ignited with black and red magic.

Boom, boom, boom—

He then surged into the corridor. The black and red trail cut through the hallway ceiling like tofu, pouring down.

“...!”

Swoosh—

Ian raised his dagger above his head, and around him, a veil of holy power and a field of blue magic erupted almost spasmodically.

Crackle—

A dark red trajectory tore through the ceiling, the hallway walls, and then the shimmering barrier of holy power and the flickering blue force field beneath it. The black sword finally stopped when it met the center of a dagger glistening with Blessing of Light.

From behind his visor, the black knight's eyes flickered as if he were smiling.

"Yes... now I understand for sure..."

He did not immediately finish the situation by driving his sword further down. Instead, he watched the falling debris and the thick cloud of dust rising like a fog, pressing down slowly as if savoring the feel of his grip.

"So, that little trick is indeed your full power... There's a reason the ruler who submitted to the false gods cherishes you. You both are like a little rat."

Rumble—

The blade of the black sword gradually pushed down the dagger's blade that blocked it. The black knight growled softly.

"I'll grant you a very slow death. The more painful your death, the more glorious my ritual of becoming a grand warrior will be...?"

His voice rose at the end. The dagger that had been steadily descending suddenly stopped. No matter how much force the black knight applied, he couldn't push the dagger down any further.

Underneath, a red light began to spread, outlining a human silhouette.

A low voice followed, "... I just opened my status window. What a pleasant surprise.”

The black knight's eyes narrowed as if he were frowning.

"What are you talking about...?"

"Roar!" With a battle cry, the black knight swung his fist with full force.

Ian was ultimately thrown back, crashing into a half-collapsed pillar and breaking it with his body. His vision briefly widened as he slowly spun through the air.

Looks like I'll be bedridden for a few days again, Ian thought.

The pain wasn't severe. His whole body just ached slightly. But once the Blessing of Battle wore off, parts of him he hadn't even known existed would surely start hurting. It didn't really matter, though. He had been in a similar state even before receiving the blessing. Thinking about the future was something he had to resign himself to and accept.

As the black knight had said, the balance was breaking, and the cracks were starting to spread in earnest.

... It seems like it is time to level up my skills, Ian thought as he watched the black knight emerging from the rubble of the broken pillar. In the slow flow of time, Ian and the black knight’s gazes met.

Boom!

A red flash erupted from the side. Both Ian and the black knight instinctively turned their heads. The chaotic scene of the banquet hall came into view. In one corner, Mev, now covered in sticky holy power like blood, was thrusting her High Fairy's Rapier with all her might.

The red holy power emitted from the tip of her sword pierced through the ghost horse's head and tore through the back of its armor from the inside.

...It looks like they might finish first.

Ian's brow furrowed slightly. In the game, the ghost horse and the black knight had formed a pair, making the fight significantly more challenging than it was now. The rewards were correspondingly excellent, with additional bonuses possible depending on choices made.

That ghost horse might be the additional reward.

If the condition to obtain it is to kill the black knight first...?

An undead mount was a tempting prize. However, Ian didn’t feel compelled to obtain it. He couldn't ask his companions to wait while he confirmed his hypothesis.

Additionally, the ghost horse was too noticeable and was clearly cursed. It couldn’t be ridden during the day, and riding it with holy power would cause it to have constant pain. Like the Swamp's Resentment, which drained his blood every time he received the Blessing of Battle, then fell into a deep sleep without moving.

But it seemed Ian was the only one who had given up on the idea.

“Roaaarrrr!” The black knight let out a resounding roar. The near-desperate cry made Ian turn to him abruptly.

With the visor torn away, the black knight's face was fully exposed from the jaw up. His skin was covered in dark red scales, and instead of hair, half-formed horns protruded jaggedly along the edges of his head. His bright yellow pupils, vertically slit within his red eyes, were fixated on the ghost horse, which was rearing and screaming.

A slight smirk formed on the corner of Ian’s lips.

If the attack continued as it was, they would inevitably crash down together. But this gave him the opportunity to complete his spell.

"Are you two dating?"

"....?!"

At Ian's remark, the black knight's head snapped around urgently. But Ian had already extended his hand, seemingly oblivious to the ground that was rapidly approaching his back.

It was only natural.

Boom!

The chaos-imbued, amplified barrier swept away both Ian and the black knight. The ghost horse, which was about to kick Mev, and the other two companions were also caught in the whirlwind and thrown aside.

Crash—

Regaining his stance mid-air, Ian landed against one of the banquet hall walls, as if it were flat ground, and looked up.

His gaze was fixed on the black knight, who was slowly rising. Thanks to his size, the black knight had only been lifted off the ground rather than thrown back like Ian.

Crackle.

Ian's feet dug into the wall, and he extended his right arm to the pocket dimension. His hand, now free of the Ancient Meteoric Dagger, grasped a familiar, thick hilt.

A broad, long-bladed greatsword with a slightly curved end emerged above the wall.

It seems a bit cramped to swing it freely.

Contrary to his thoughts, Ian pushed off the wall with all his strength.

Boom—

The weakened wall crumbled under his powerful leap. The spreading cracks reached the banquet hall ceiling, and the stones making up the ceiling began to fall. Ian surged through the falling debris, raising the greatsword above his head.

“...?!”

The black knight’s eyes widened in shock as he spun in mid-air.

"Roaaarrr!"

With a battle cry that reverberated through the air, a massive arc of yellow and red holy power surged forward.