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Chapter 81: Threat

The eerie flames in the eye sockets of the Undead Knight flickered slightly.

He didn’t change his attack; he simply pressed down harder with one hand.

With a screeching grind, the two blades clashed, sending sparks flying.

The Dragon Tooth Blade slowly sank, but it resolutely held off the downward force of the Bone Sword.

“Mr. Sword Demon!” Hex exclaimed, both surprised and delighted, “What should I do…”

“You can’t help,” Roy sighed heavily.

“But can you really do this alone…”

“Get lost!”

Roy almost shouted. Dude, you should have some awareness! You think it’s fun trying to outmuscle a Sequence 6? Enough chatter or I won’t save you!

Hex finally realized he was just in the way and quickly backed off.

Seeing him run away, the Undead Knight’s eerie fire solidified, and Roy felt like a mountain had just landed on his sword, his strength vanishing in an instant.

But there was no way he would let the opponent have the upper hand!

Vitality Convergence!

Blood surged, solidifying into a mass that exploded outward from the dark golden blade with a loud bang.

Roy suddenly thrust upward, forcing the Undead Knight back!

This scene left all the survivors, except for Lux, in shock, only to quickly regain hope.

If it were him, there might actually be a chance!

Hex smiled wryly. As fellow A-Rank Adventurers, the gap was huge, and he felt both grateful and utterly ashamed for asking for help earlier.

Meanwhile, Roy stared at the pallid knight as if facing a dire threat.

Unlike the cultist priest who temporarily gained strength from an evil god’s power, the Undead Knight was a bona fide Sequence 6 Extraordinary Being!

Without clear counter abilities, Extraordinary Beings were usually stronger than Extraordinary Individuals, and Demon Races were even tougher than regular Extraordinary Beings!

Roy couldn’t help but lament, “I thought this time would be a bit easier.”

The pale knight spoke in a deep, echoing voice, using clumsy human tongue, “Don’t worry. You’ll be liberated soon.”

No sooner had he finished speaking when the bone blade lunged forward at high speed!

Roy gripped his sword with both hands just barely managing to deflect the vicious thrust, but the Undead Knight’s attacks rained down like a storm, offering him not a moment’s respite.

In an instant, the two men engaged in a storm of blades, sparks flying on and off. The gusts from their sword strikes sliced through walls, floors, and even the table holding the wine, leaving a domain that felt utterly inaccessible to outsiders.

And indeed, it was just that.

The Extraordinary Individuals didn’t even have room to intervene, at a total loss for how to assist, only able to watch anxiously.

In terms of both power and speed, Roy was on the losing end. Even while continuously blocking, he was forced back against the onslaught of the Undead Knight.

Before long, he found himself cornered with no escape route.

With a heavy downward slash, the Undead Knight knocked the sword from Roy’s hands, leaving him wide open.

The Extraordinary Individuals were on the edge of their seats, nearly forgetting to breathe.

“It’s over.”

The Undead Knight announced coldly, raising his sword, but at that moment, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the deadly light in Roy’s hand, and he hesitated!

From Roy’s now-empty hand emerged a fearsome giant scythe, returning with a swift slash.

But what truly set the Undead Knight‘s heart racing wasn’t the strike itself, but the horrifying power that accompanied it, burning bright red amidst the darkness!

Blade met blade, flames erupting.

The Undead Knight, who should have had an advantage thanks to his bloodline tier, was the first to retreat!

Cheers erupted from the audience—although it was a bit odd for a melee Extraordinary Individual to suddenly wield flame, no one cared about that right now.

On the other hand, Ivan’s face went sour.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and kill him! A mere bit of flame can’t possibly harm him…”

“Shut up!”

The Undead Knight coldly huffed, leaving Ivan speechless.

He had already sacrificed himself and several followers’ vitality to summon this conscious mid-tier undead creature, reaching his limit, but he couldn’t forcibly control it like he did with mindless skeletons.

Just then, the knight’s helmet suddenly fell off, causing him to crack his skull slightly.

Ivan’s eyes widened in shock.

The Undead Knight clutched his head, his gaze turning ever colder.

“Dragon Flame?”

“I admit I underestimated you.”

“You’re qualified to be my opponent.”

The Undead Knight gripped his sword, merely switching to a different stance, yet his aura shifted drastically, emanating a chilling murderous intent.

Under this pressure, Roy’s breathing became labored.

The opponent had already witnessed Flame of Life and Weapon Projection, so it wouldn’t be so easy moving forward.

The clash resumed.

The Undead Knight attacked first, his thrust hitting Roy like a raging bull, almost sending him airborne.

But Roy wasn’t backing down either; the weapon in his hands transformed into a Dragon Tooth spear, igniting with fierce fire as he counter-thrust back at him.

The Undead Knight, with a single hand raised to block, disregarded the shield’s shattering, and followed up with another slash, the fearsome blade emitting a piercing shriek.

In that critical moment, Roy changed the spear into a round shield, absorbing the blow but being forced back a step, the wall behind him nearly collapsing due to the sword’s residual force.

It was evident to anyone that Roy was at a disadvantage in bloodline tier.

But even with less power and speed, Roy disrupted his rhythm with an arsenal of diverse weapons and retaliated with Dragon Flame, creating a fierce back-and-forth.

The dazzling exchange of attacks and defenses continued, both Extraordinary Individuals and Cultists sweating nervously, frightened to make a sound lest they disturb the duel.

Finally, after countless clashes, Roy spotted an opening and delivered a heavy slash, narrowly pushing back the knight’s sword.

That bone long sword finally suffered a noticeable dent from the Dragon Tooth.

Seeing the Undead Knight reveal a flaw, Roy knew he couldn’t let this chance slip by, rapidly gathering Flame of Life to unleash a full-power strike.

But just as he was about to take that step, he noticed the knight suddenly raise his hand.

That action made the young boy’s pupils shrink, hair on end, as he hurriedly halted his attack.

Getting hit by that would be the end!

“Touch of the Dead!”

From the Undead Knight’s hand, a tendril made of bone formed, wrapped in terrifying pale flames, rushing toward Roy.

But just then, Roy saw the opponent throw a bottle.

The tendril smashed the bottle, showering countless transparent holy water droplets, utterly incinerating the tendril, and even splashing the Undead Knight, making him grunt in pain and retreat once more.

The Extraordinary Individuals breathed a sigh of relief.

The cultist Ivan cursed aloud, “Despicable! Using that filthy church water!”

Roy warily eyed his opponent, secretly relieved.

That Touch of the Dead was one of the most troublesome abilities of mid-tier undead beings, possessing the power to ignore physical defenses and strike the soul directly.

If he hadn’t seen it in Roland’s notes or had backup holy water, things could have turned dangerous!

And the flames in the Undead Knight’s eye sockets swayed as well.

He was sure the other party wasn’t a Sequence 6; otherwise, that Dragon Flame wouldn’t have been so easily dealt with.

So this puzzled him.

The weapon changes, the dragon flames, and the previously unseen threatening liquid—all of this made it apparent that the opponent had seen through his magic!

Even against a Sequence 6 opponent, few could dissolve that attack.

This was the first time he had been pushed to the point of using magic by a low-tier Extraordinary Individual, and also the first time feeling such a grave threat before a low-tier Extraordinary Being.

Thinking of this, the Undead Knight’s expression grew solemn.

 

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