Gravekeeper Knight (5)
Head, chest, abdomen, thigh, ankle, and then neck again. A swift six-strike combo rushed at me in an instant.
I ducked my head to dodge the first axe blade aimed at my skull. From that same stance, I countered the follow-up strikes with my own flurry.
—Silver Wolf Sword Style. Flying連.
Clang-clang-clang-clang! My strength was being overpowered, but I leveraged my superior speed. Reading the incoming blade paths in advance, I deflected them all with fluid swordplay.
Then, my counterattack.
—Silver Wolf Sword Style. Flash Pierce.
I thrust my sword straight out, bending my knees before launching my body upward in a single explosive motion. It would've been ideal to pierce its chest, but as expected, the thing reacted with skill. It twisted the spear shaft cleverly, rotating it to deflect my thrust's trajectory.
The blade passed over its shoulder. Before its counter could land, I pulled up my left foot, spinning my body and channeling aura into my leg for a powerful kick.
Thud! The Gravekeeper Knight's massive frame was shoved sideways, shaking the ground.
...My arms are starting to ache.
I steadied my airborne body, landed in a proper stance, and regained my footing. We'd already exchanged hundreds of blows since the fight began. The surrounding area, from the hill to the forest, was a total mess. I wondered how long it would take for nature to recover.
Its attacks were blindingly fast, precise, and powerful. The transitions between moves were seamless, flowing like a single motion without waste. It wielded the axe blade and spear tip with equal mastery, making it feel like I was fighting someone dual-wielding two weapons.
Its base physical abilities from that hulking body are exceptional too. Even its simple mana weapon reinforcement rivals sword aura.
A seasoned Master level. That was my estimate based solely on the power and technique it had shown so far.
[...Impressive. Knight of this era.]
And apparently, I wasn't the only one probing for weaknesses and gauging levels.
[Your skill surpasses even the powerhouses from the era when my lord and kin clashed.]
"Flattery won't make me go easy."
As I fired back casually, a faint chuckle echoed in my mind.
[Hahaha. A body like mine was never meant to feel emotions in the first place. I simply existed without need to express them... but now that I've gained them and can reveal them, it's a novel, wondrous sensation.]
"Weird. Aren't you a being born when that dungeon formed?"
I circled slowly, keeping tension high as I asked.
[No, young knight.]
The Gravekeeper Knight matched me, trudging in a semicircle with heavy footsteps.
[We merely manifested in this world in the form you call a 'dungeon.' My lord's tomb and mine have lain deep below here for ages untold.]
Dungeons like that existed too? I pondered briefly, recalling the dungeon entry from the lore book.
Dungeons accessed via gates rarely recreate fragments of a location's past. And very rarely, they connect to already existing hazardous sites.
I'd assumed this one was the former, but it seemed to be the latter. That meant this Gravekeeper Knight had truly guarded its lord's tomb in silence for centuries.
"Impressive. I doubt I could guard a master's tomb alone for so long without anyone to talk to."
[...So this is what it's like to receive respect for eons of unacknowledged duty. Not bad at all. Even if you're the disciple of the one who slew my lord.]
The Gravekeeper Knight halted, spun its halberd a few times, and leveled the tip at me.
[I acknowledge you. You are strong.]
Its mana erupted explosively.
[Even without that vile dragon-slaying technique.]
A sword-red flame, fierce enough to incinerate all creation, bloomed and coiled around its halberd.
[Out of respect for your prowess, I shall now fight at full power.]
Dragon magic handling attributes. The Dragon Fang Soldiers wielded it adeptly in their own way.
[You must draw it out. The Dragon Extermination Style.]
"I'll say it once more. Make me draw it."
Once again, my weapon clashed with its.
****
The full subjugation team entered the dungeon depths.
The sight that greeted them was a cavern so vast it hardly felt underground.
...Nothing here?
They'd braced for enemies right at the entrance. Despite their perfect formation, the silence felt anticlimactic.
According to the surviving knight's report, the first four floors had been crawling with Dragon Fang Soldiers and skeletons.
Maybe they'd wiped them all out without respawning?
"Everyone! Push deeper inside!"
At Damil's command, the team advanced in tight formation. Mages cast Light spells, floating orbs illuminating the surroundings brightly.
"Nothing in a place this huge?"
"Yeah. It's big enough for a dragon to coil up in..."
The double-headed axe mercenary and adventurer man moved warily, tension unbroken.
"This dungeon has four floors! The core lies at the deepest bottom!"
Damil reminded the team of the intel shared at the start. They passed the first floor, then the second, without incident.
Dungeons demanded vigilance against ambushes and traps the quieter they got. The subjugators knew this well.
They stayed alert, worrying what might lurk deeper.
"Already the third floor..."
"If the core's on four, something should pop up soon."
They descended paths to reach the third floor.
"This is..."
The double-axe mercenary squinted.
Just one floor difference, yet an eerie emptiness prevailed. Like darkness had settled as fog.
"Lantern light dimming?"
"Not just that. The mages' Light spells have lost intensity too."
"Whoa, it's not even half. Barely twenty percent brightness."
The mages seemed baffled too. Only sharp-eyed adventurers caught on.
"Light-devouring magic blankets the whole floor."
"...Meaning."
"Perfect for an ambush."
No major panic. They tightened formation.
"Mages! Flood the front with max light!"
At Damil's signal, mages spread Light orbs everywhere.
The globes expanded outward.
—Crack, crack-crack-crack.
Suddenly, bone clashing against bone echoed from all sides.
—Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack.
Clack, crack-crack-crack—.
It started as one, then two, ricocheting off walls into countless.
The team steadied stances, gripping weapons, eyes on the advancing lights.
The unseen front lit up.
"Hah, fuck..."
The double-axe mercenary cursed.
"So many..."
Innumerable eyeless skulls stared at the subjugators.
"...Dragon Fang Soldiers and skeletons. Types match the report, but..."
Damil raised sword and shield, channeling aura through his body.
"This is way too many."
A horde filling vision, covering every angle. Easily over a thousand by rough count.
Mostly frail skeletons, not Dragon Fang Soldiers, but numbers were violence. Especially armed with metal weapons.
"Everyone! Cut through and advance!"
At Damil's booming cry, subjugators and bone horde collided fiercely.
****
The halberd blazed with sword-red flames.
The whirling axe blade targeted Aren's torso.
She can't block it, so she'll dodge. Knight of this era.
The Gravekeeper Knight rated her highly.
It assumed she'd grasp the flame's nature and respond.
This was Dragonflame. Far beyond human fire magic, infused with draconic power and will.
Dragonflame burned only what it touched, not surroundings. Its contained might was unmatched.
A normal sword would melt, aura and all, on contact.
She'd know. A Dragon Slayer's disciple wouldn't miss it.
She can't even deflect it. How will she evade?
Kick off and leap, or backpedal far. Either, it could counter instantly.
But Aren chose neither.
Just like before, she angled her sword to deflect.
Foolish choice!?
The moment blades met.
The Gravekeeper Knight's eyes flickered.
Just before axe met sword, the cloaking Dragonflame recoiled from strange pressure, scattering backward.
Flames dispersed, unable to affect the sword, and glanced off diagonally in collision.
No fluster at the sudden response. Dozens of exchanges flowed naturally.
That sword?
Only instants before contact did Dragonflame crumple and repel from the blade.
Even the Gravekeeper Knight, fused from resentment of over thirty thousand Dragon Fang Soldiers absorbing their power and knowledge, couldn't grasp it immediately.
I must test it!
It gripped the shaft end, sweeping a wide arc.
Aren ducked and retreated urgently.
In that moment, it gathered Dragonflame from the halberd to its hand.
[Dragonflame Orb.]
It molded a massive sphere and hurled it at Aren.
Too late to dodge. Without counter, she'd vaporize on impact.
"Hah!!!"
But Aren countered.
Gripping firm, she raised and downward-slashed.
That single strike cleaved the indivisible Dragonflame orb cleanly in half, erasing it.
The Gravekeeper Knight understood instantly.
Not a technique. The sword's property.
As expected, a magic-interfering demon sword.
No ordinary one. A sword cleaving draconic flames couldn't be.
[Looking rattled? Ah, thrilling. Watching mages crumble using spells against you is my life's joy now.]
Eseldra's taunt reached Aren, unheard by the knight.
Always grateful. Eseldra.
The demon sword Eseldra. Looted unintentionally from bandits at 14, during cave runs under Cardia's tutelage. Then a decent B-grade.
Over a decade as Aren's main weapon, absorbing countless powerhouses' strength, reinforced endlessly.
Now, a legendary blade rivaling myths.
Its power: magic interference and refraction. Slice unsliceable spells, repel what should connect.
[Heehee. At this rate, no need for Dragon Extermination Style to win?]
Aren ignored the gleeful Eseldra, resuming clashes.
Deflecting endless exchanges.
Glancing, slashing ambush Dragonflame spells.
Rending mana storms.
Through countless bouts, Aren observed the Gravekeeper Knight.
The very next instant. Now.
Aren deliberately deflected the halberd a beat late.
The axe blade grazed her face, drawing blood.
In exchange, a clear opening.
Her sword arced, slicing across the unguarded left arm gripping the shaft.
Swish.
An eerily quiet sound.
[Grraaahhh!!!]
But the Gravekeeper Knight's groan was anything but.
Its left arm flew skyward.
The first cry of pain after a thousand exchanges.