Chapter 410: Undead (1)
And together they moved.
They appeared on either side of me almost simultaneously, their coordination flawless.
One knight swung its blade upward in a vicious arc while the other brought its sword crashing down, the two attacks perfectly timed to split my attention and leave me with nowhere to dodge.
I reacted instinctively using [Warp].
Space twisted around me, and I vanished just before the blades crossed.
An instant later, I reappeared above them.
The moment my feet touched the ground behind one of the knights, I drove Grave Fang forward with everything I had, aiming straight for the back of its skull.
One down.
At least, that was what I expected. But...
CLANG!
A sharp metallic ring echoed through the clearing.
The undead knight twisted with unbelievable speed, bringing up its blade just in time to intercept mine. The impact sent a violent shock through my arms, and before I could tighten my grip, the force tore Grave Fang from my hand.
The blade spun through the air and landed several meters away.
"The hell..."
A dull ache spread through both of my hands as I instinctively flexed my fingers.
That single exchange told me everything I needed to know.
Their strength was absurd.
To knock Grave Fang out of my hands with a single swing...Yeah...
These things weren’t merely high-level. Every movement carried frightening power behind it.
The knight didn’t give me time to recover.
The moment it deflected my weapon, its sword came crashing down toward my head.
I immediately activated [Warp], disappearing from where I stood.
The attack smashed into the ground, sending fragments of stone and dirt flying.
For a brief instant, I thought I’d escaped. Then my instincts screamed.
I had reappeared directly in front of the second knight. And its blade was halfway through a downward swing.
I immediately used [Warp], disappearing just before the blade could reach me and reappearing beside Grave Fang. But the moment my fingers closed around the hilt, the two undead knights were already upon me again.
I furrowed my brow.
Their speed was relentless.
There wasn’t a single wasted movement between their attacks. The instant one finished striking, the other followed, forcing me to defend against an endless chain of blows that left me no opportunity to counterattack.
I parried one slash, pivoted to avoid another, then swung back, only for my blade to meet another perfectly timed block.
Our weapons collided several more times in rapid succession, each exchange sending vibrations through my arms.
Before long, I found myself being driven backward.
The pressure was simply too much.
I had no choice but to use [Warp] once more, escaping just before they could box me in completely.
I reappeared several meters away.
But the brief respite lasted less than a second, as one of the undead knights closed the distance with another explosive burst of speed, its blade sweeping toward my side.
I raised Grave Fang and deflected the strike; the impact rattling my entire body.
Even though I redirected the attack, the sheer force behind it threw me sideways, my boots carving deep grooves into the ground as I struggled to regain my footing.
Before I could recover, the second knight was already above me.
Its sword descended straight toward my head.
I bent backward just enough for the blade to whistle past my face, then pushed off the ground and lunged away.
The moment I regained my footing, another sword came crashing down.
I had no room to dodge.
Instead, I raised Grave Fang with both hands.
BOOM!
The impact slammed into my blade with overwhelming force.
My arms trembled violently.
My teeth clenched.
One knee crashed into the ground, and my boot dug deep into the earth as I fought to keep the sword from crushing me beneath it. Then I saw the second knight moving.
I didn’t hesitate.
Space distorted around me, and I vanished just before the second blade reached me.
A heartbeat later, I reappeared several dozen meters away, finally putting some distance between us.
I stared at the two undead knights, taking a slow breath as I steadied my grip on Grave Fang.
These creatures were no joke.
The two undead knights stepped forward once again, completely unfazed by everything that had just happened. Then again...Why would they be?
Exhaustion, hesitation, fear—those were things the living struggled with. These creatures felt none of them. Their breathing hadn’t quickened because they didn’t breathe. Their movements hadn’t slowed because they didn’t tire.
If this turned into a battle of endurance...I’d lose.
I dismissed Grave Fang, letting the blade dissolve into particles of light.
There was no point holding back anymore.
I had wanted to gauge their strength without relying on my abilities, but that experiment had already given me its answer.
It wasn’t happening. Not against opponents like these.
I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe I could defeat level seventy-five undead knights through swordsmanship alone. Fortunately...I didn’t have to.
With every ability at my disposal, there weren’t many opponents I couldn’t challenge.
The two undead exchanged another brief glance. Then they charged.
The moment they entered my range, I slammed my palm against the ground creating a frozen domain.
Ice erupted outward in every direction.
A violent wave of frost exploded across the earth, instantly freezing the ground beneath their feet. The sudden loss of footing disrupted their charge, and the expanding ice struck both knights before hurling them away from one another.
The opening was small. But it was enough.
I kicked off the frozen ground and shot toward the knight on my right.
As I closed the distance, I activated [Hellbrand] hot flames igniting around my arm.
My fist glowed a deep orange as heat rapidly gathered around it, the air shimmering from the intense temperature.
And the moment I threw the punch, an ethereal fist forged entirely from flames burst forward, tearing through the air toward the undead knight.
The undead reacted instantly.
It stepped aside with surprising agility, allowing the flaming fist to rush past before crashing into the ground behind it with an explosion of fire and shattered earth.
The undead didn’t even spare the blast a glance.
In the same motion, it swung its sword.
A crescent of eerie purple energy shot from the blade, slicing through the air toward me.
For the briefest moment, I considered taking the hit. Then I immediately dismissed the idea.
I had no idea what that attack did.
It could simply be raw force.
Or it could carry a curse, poison, or some other effect unique to the undead.
There was no reason to gamble.
So I used [Swap].
The world twisted.
And in an instant, I exchanged positions with the undead knight.
The purple crescent continued along its path without slowing.
By the time the knight realized what had happened, it was too late.
Its own attack struck it squarely.
The impact hurled the skeleton backward, its body tumbling across the ground before slamming into the rocky wall at the base of the hill.
A grin spread across my face.
Now was my chance.
I lunged forward, intending to capitalize on the opening before it could recover.
But just as I closed the distance, the second undead knight intercepted me.
Its blade came sweeping across with enough force to cleave straight through my torso.
I used [Swap] once again, exchanging places with the knight an instant before the attack connected.
I reappeared behind it as its blade continued through empty air. Then without even turning around, I thrust out my free hand, and a sphere of condensed flames shot from my palm, striking the knight squarely in the back.
The explosion sent it flying several meters before it crashed heavily onto the frozen ground.
I didn’t waste the opening.
My attention immediately shifted back to the first knight.
It had already recovered from the impact and was rising to its feet.
The moment it saw me approaching, it swung its sword.
I slipped past the blade by the narrowest margin, feeling the rush of air brush against my face.
Closing the remaining distance, I drove my hand into its chest. And then dark tendrils burst from my palm and burrowed into the undead’s body like living vines, rapidly spreading through its skeletal frame as they began consuming it from within.