Yu-hyun felt his palm holding the Baekryeon sword getting damp with sweat.
It was not surprising, considering how formidable his enemy was. And more importantly, there was something called human compatibility.
The Death Knight was the one who killed Yu-hyun in his previous life. The memory of the cursed spear that the Knight wielded, which contained all kinds of death, piercing through his abdomen was still vivid.
The pain and sensation that he thought he had forgotten from that time came back to life in his head as soon as he faced the bastard again.
Phantom pain.
It was an illusion that could be called a projection of the past, but it was a pain that could become reality again at any moment he confronted him.
âBut I canât avoid this fight.â
Crack.
He clenched his fist and glared at the Death Knight who looked down at him with an indifferent gaze.
There was no emotion in the blue eyes that flowed from the skull-shaped helmet.
The bastard was literally a personification of death.
Death was merciless, so it did not discriminate against anyone.
âIf only he was weaker than when I saw him in my previous life.â
But Yu-hyun knew better than anyone that it was impossible.
Just standing still, he felt a suffocating pressure and a black aura that swirled around him. It was a curse that had compressed and shaped death itself.
The Death Knight had descended into this world again with the same power as his previous life.
As Yu-hyun acknowledged the Knight as his rival and tensed up, the Knight also did not take his eyes off Yu-hyun. The Knight instinctively sensed that Yu-hyun was the most dangerous existence in this place.
Their eyes collided in the air, and then they moved as if they had made a promise.
Yu-hyun gripped the Baekryeon sword in its harpoon form, and the Knight also aimed his spear and scythe at Yu-hyun with both hands.
âCome on.â
Yu-hyun, who wore aporiaâs mask, provoked the Knight.
As if he had been waiting for those words, the skeleton horse that the Knight rode kicked off the stairs of the altar and jumped high.
Behind the Knightâs back, a black shadow rose like a mist.
The Knight fell vertically toward Yu-hyun and swung both arms. The scythe and spear crossed and stabbed at Yu-hyun.
Yu-hyun immediately thrust his Baekryeon sword into the center of them and repelled the attack.
A large spark flew and four red pupils and two blue pupils stared at each other.
âI wonât be defeated like before.â
No, rather, this time I will bring him down.
âItâs time for revenge.â
***
Haa. Haa.
Kang Hye-rim gasped for breath.
Her surroundings were ruined as if they had been devastated by a disaster. There were traces of burning and melting everywhere, and they were all the result of her Thunder Sword.
But, the one who had received the most of her thunderstorm attack was fine.
The War Knight. He had suffered minor wounds all over his body, but he did not allow any fatal attacks. Even his wounds healed in an instant, and his momentum grew even bigger than before.
âHe doesnât seem to be bothered even though I pushed him so hard.â
Rather, it was Kang Hye-rim who was getting exhausted. She thought that there was nothing she couldnât cut with her sword, but the Knight was such a strong opponent that she couldnât help but struggle.
Soon, the Knight moved. His arm twitched and Kang Hye-rim threw her body to the side.
A huge red slash cut through where Kang Hye-rim had been and passed by.
âFast! And strong!â
A super-fast slash that couldnât be avoided by normal movements without thunder power.
That slash chased after Kang Hye-rimâs trace, which could be called lightning itself, and threatened her life with its power.
The Knight was such a being. He didnât have any special abilities unlike other knights.
He just had an overwhelming force of his own.
Kang Hye-rim couldnât find a gap to break into the Knight. The Knight seemed like a huge mountain just by his existence. He was so high and huge that no matter how much she raised her head, she couldnât see the top of it. A towering mountain.
If it were a person, they would naturally feel overwhelmed as soon as they faced it, and they wouldnât even dare to challenge it.
But Kang Hye-rim was different.
âSo what if itâs a mountain? What does it matter if itâs big and strong?â
She still held her sword. And the thing in front of her was not a mountain. It was just an enemy on a horse.
He had a more massive presence than a mountain? He seemed impossible to kill no matter how much she swung?
Then it was because she was lacking. Being afraid was a sign of incompetence.
If she couldnât cut the mountain with her sword, then she just had to become strong enough to do so.
Cut it. Whatever it was in front of her, she would cut it down.
Cut it. She didnât have the thought of not being able to cut it.
Cut it. She swung her sword with the conviction and will that she could kill the enemy with one slash.
If it was a rock, she would split the rock, and if it was a mountain, she would cut the mountain.
If it was even bigger than that, even if it was the world itself, she would swing her sword.
Would she cut the world?
Would she cut the world?
The answer to this question was always set in her heart as one answer.
âCome on.â
Patsutsu.
Her thunder power, influenced by her will, became calmer. The sparks did not fly out and settled like the surface of a calm lake.
The Knight shuddered without realizing it. Beyond Kang Hye-rimâs appearance that was facing him, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a shadow of something else that he had never seen before.
The momentum that had become much stronger than before. He already thought that she was threatening with her thunder power that pushed the limit, but what kind of harmony did she achieve to become even stronger?
âIf you donât come, Iâll go.â
Kang Hye-rim shot out like an arrow toward the Knight. Her sword tip flashed and in an instant, it multiplied into dozens and stabbed at the Knightâs whole body.
The Knight swung his sword with his right hand. The red energy scattered and collided with the thunder power.
Kwarung. The space vibrated and shockwaves exploded around them.
They had exchanged attacks several times already, but this time was different. The enemy knight quickly turned his head to the side.
Kang Hye-rimâs sword grazed past where his head had been moments ago, leaving a trail behind.
The enemy knight failed to dodge completely and received a large scar on his cheek.
Swish.
The enemy knight touched his cheek. He had been wounded before, but most of those wounds did not inflict much damage on him, and they healed quickly.
But this attack was different.
The wound did not regenerate. Red blood flowed endlessly down his cheek.
The enemy knightâs dull eyes looked at the tip of Kang Hye-rimâs sword. freewebnĎvel.cøm
It was a more refined lightning energy than before. It was compressed to form a lightning spear. But it was different. Unlike before, there was âwillâ in it now.
Kang Hye-rim had realized âwillpowerâ on her own, without anyone teaching her, and knocked on that door.
It was dangerous. The enemy knight felt a sense of crisis for the first time.
If he left Kang Hye-rim alone like this, she would fully awaken her willpower and become much stronger. So he had to kill her before that.
âHah. Hah.â
Fortunately for the enemy knight, Kang Hye-rim was not even aware that she had used willpower. Moreover, she had unintentionally drawn out that power and was in a situation where she could not regain her senses for a moment.
Kang Hye-rim was half in a state of no-mind. She was standing on the edge of something that seemed to be within reach but not quite. Just one more step. If she took that step, she could go to the next level that she had never been able to cross.
The enemy knight noticed that and tried to stop her.
[No way.]
At that moment, he heard a voice and the surroundings of the enemy knight turned pitch black.
The enemy knight did not panic and swung his sword. The darkness that settled around him was torn by his red sword, and the enemy knight returned to reality.
And what he found was a strange being wearing a plague doctor mask standing in front of Kang Hye-rim, who was gasping for breath.
[I canât let you interfere with my lordâs lady trying to cross the wall.]
Descartesâ demon.
The enemy knight frowned as he realized that his opponent was extraordinary. He was in front of him, but he did not exist in reality.
Literally, he stood between fantasy and reality. He was someone who could be seen but not touched directly. And yet, his bizarre magic was enough to hinder this side.
[Miss. Are you awake?]
âWh-who are you?â
[My lordâs servant. I am Descartesâ demon. I came out to help you.]
âI amâŚâ
[You are now in the middle of crossing the next wall. You may not have noticed it yet, but I know. Do you feel something elusive?]
ââŚYes.â
[That is a sign that you can become stronger. So I will help you. I will buy time until you cross the wall completely. Of course, that is all I can do.]
âThatâs enough.â
[Thank you for your consideration.]
Descartesâ power was to break the boundary between reality and fantasy and either trap his opponent in an endless dream or bring fantasy into reality.
But that only worked well on mediocre targets, not on enemies who were as strong as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Besides, this nightmare world itself suppressed their power a lot, as it could be called a fragment. Even if he squeezed out all his power, he could not last more than 10 minutes against the enemy knight.
10 minutes is not a long time. Especially in this urgent situation.
But.
Descartes glanced at Kang Hye-rim. She was diligently following the trace of the next level that she had barely found.
10 minutes would be enough.
Descartes spread his crow wings behind him.
***
Rumble!
Seo Sumin backed away to avoid the intangible energy that fell towards her.
The ground where she had been standing dried up and then turned into sand and scattered.
The power of the black knight was âfamineâ.
And anything that touched this power of the black knight, whether it was alive or not, aged and disappeared.
âHmm. This is interesting. How does he activate such a power? I wonder what the principle is.â
Seo Sumin had not known about the collectorâs world for long while living on Earth. Thatâs why she still found the skills, traits, and other peculiar powers used by collectors very fascinating.
A dreadful energy that was invisible and would decay and disappear with aging as soon as it touched.
The black knight with a scale wrapped it around his body and continued to destroy the surroundings.
âThese sorcerer types are so annoying to deal with.â
This opponent could be crushed with overwhelming power, but their powers were completely opposite.
The strong inner energy that she spewed out vanished in the air as if it melted before it even reached the black knight.
The black knightâs aging did not discriminate between material and immaterial. No matter how powerful the inner energy was, it would age and disappear as soon as it touched that âhungerâ.
âI never thought you had the ability to erase even the energy. The world is indeed vast.â
At this rate, he would never be able to defeat the black knight in his lifetime. The black knight was stronger than just wielding the ability of hunger. He literally used his immense power to crush everything.
Seo Sumin pondered. What and how should he do to counter that power that scattered everything, whether it was inner energy or will?
In his previous life, Yu Hyun, or rather Choi Do-yoonâs party, used a special item to face the black knight of hunger. They dealt with him in one blow by using a weapon with an option that never broke, which Jamila shot from a distance. But Seo Sumin did not have such a weapon.
Seo Sumin easily avoided the ability of hunger and kept thinking and thinking.
As the stalemate continued, Darwin, who had been silently watching the situation, stepped in.
âHuh? Arthur. Heâs not your opponent.â
Seo Sumin tried to stop him, but Darwin silently approached the black knight of hunger.
The black knight changed his target to the giant Darwin who came towards him. The black knight reached out his hand and an intangible energy shot at Darwin. It was the ability of hunger that would make everything decay into dust as soon as it touched.
Darwin did not think of avoiding it. He rather stood still as if to show off.
Before Seo Sumin could shout to dodge.
Hunger devoured Darwinâs body.
âHuh?â
Seo Sumin widened his eyes. Darwin was fine even after being hit by the ability of hunger. The black knight was also surprised by that. He used the ability of hunger again, but Darwin did not budge even after being hit by it.
Seo Sumin finally realized that Darwin was an existence that was unaffected by hunger.
âWhat kind of harmony did you pull off?â
[I. The ultimate life form. Never, age.]
Darwin answered in a clumsy tone.
Darwinâs demon was the ultimate form that all life forms reached.
Not immortal, but ageless. freeweÉnovel.cøm
He had no natural enemies and his lifespan was eternal.
Thatâs why he could be called a âultimateâ life form.
Seo Sumin nodded his head as if he finally understood.
âAre you saying youâll be my shield?â
Nod nod.
âHmm. Well, fine. I want to handle it myself, but I wonât refuse your goodwill.â
Seo Sumin tapped Darwinâs demonâs thigh.
âPlease.â
[Anytime.]
Darwinâs demon clenched his fist and glared at the black knight.