Episode 191: Death Knight (3)
Perpetuo shouted with bravado.
But all Damian could do was stare at him, utterly bewildered.
“Great, just what I needed—another nuisance.”
The memories came flooding back. It was the same in his past life. Perpetuo was a paladin so rigid in his beliefs that he seemed almost lacking in common sense.
“Thinking back, all the ‘Bound Winds’ I met were like that.”
Not that it was entirely a bad thing.
This unwavering nature was why the ‘Bound Winds’ had the full trust of the church.
That’s why they were always assigned to critical missions.
“What am I supposed to do with this guy?”
As annoying as it was, killing him wasn’t an option.
Perpetuo’s talents were too valuable, and killing a church paladin over a misunderstanding would be disastrous.
“The plan was to stall until the church arrived and then make my escape.”
But Perpetuo’s late arrival had thrown a wrench in the works, forcing Damian to tap into his past life’s powers.
“Well, since it’s come to this, I might as well finish it myself.”
He’d take care of Hedoniac. As for Perpetuo…
“I’ll just have to knock some sense into him.”
Simply knocking him out didn’t sit right with Damian.
He clenched his fists, eyeing Perpetuo.
Perpetuo burst into laughter at the sight.
“Haha! Bold for a heretic! You dare challenge me?”
“Didn’t you tell me to come at you first?”
“Even as an enemy, I must admire your courage!”
Perpetuo seemed uninterested in listening to Damian.
“Brave heretic! In return, I’ll show you everything I’ve got!”
Perpetuo raised his greatsword high, and a wind began to stir.
At first, it was just a gentle breeze, barely enough to ruffle hair.
But it quickly grew stronger, shaking the distant trees.
“Impressive.”
This wasn’t a natural wind. It was Perpetuo’s doing.
The paladins of the ‘Bound Winds’ sect had the power to transform divine energy into wind.
As a master-class paladin, Perpetuo could unleash a storm with just his presence.
“Now then… let’s see you handle this!”
Perpetuo swung his twin greatswords.
A vortex formed where the swords cut through the air, snaking forward like a serpent, tearing up the ground as it surged toward Damian.
Damian stomped the ground, raising a barrier of earth.
The vortex clashed with the barrier, scattering as the earth was torn apart.
In that instant, Perpetuo appeared behind Damian.
No sound, no movement—he seemed to have teleported.
“He’s using that tricky footwork with ease.”
Despite Perpetuo’s sudden appearance, Damian wasn’t surprised.
The ‘Bound Winds’ paladins could transform their bodies into wind, allowing them to move with incredible speed.
It was a highly effective technique, but difficult to master.
Only high-class paladins could manage it, and even then, only in a straight line.
But as a master-class, Perpetuo could move behind Damian with ease.
“Hyah!”
Perpetuo swung both swords at Damian.
Damian twisted his body, dodging the blades. Perpetuo continued his relentless assault.
Despite wielding greatswords, Perpetuo’s attacks were not heavy-handed.
They were smooth, flowing like water, which made them all the more terrifying.
The fluidity allowed him to change the trajectory at will.
He could switch from a downward slash to a horizontal cut, or from a diagonal strike to an upward slice.
“Truly worthy of the ‘Bound Winds.’”
The paladins of the ‘Bound Winds’ were all swordsmen.
From the sect’s inception to the present, they wielded no other weapon.
Their swordsmanship was so exceptional it was recognized beyond the church, even within the empire.
But now, Perpetuo faced Damian.
Damian could learn any technique he saw and make it his own, even improve upon it.
And he had already encountered Perpetuo in his past life.
He knew Perpetuo’s swordsmanship inside out.
Damian gradually retreated, Perpetuo’s attacks grazing him but never landing.
Perpetuo’s face twisted with frustration.
“A heretic dares evade this holy judgment!”
Perpetuo’s attacks grew faster, more frequent, slashing at Damian from all sides.
But the result was the same. None of the attacks reached Damian.
“How can you dodge even this…?”
Perpetuo’s face was a mask of shock.
“So, you’re not a dark sorcerer but a master-class!”
If Damian had been in a high-class state, he wouldn’t have been able to dodge, even knowing Perpetuo’s techniques.
A master-class was beyond human, able to perceive and react to things a high-class couldn’t.
But now, by harnessing dark magic, Damian had reclaimed his master-class prowess.
It wasn’t permanent. Once he expelled the dark magic, he’d revert to high-class.
But even temporarily, a master-class was a master-class.
At the same level, Damian wouldn’t lose to any knight.
“Surprised? Now it’s my turn.”
“You dare deceive me! You’ll pay for this… Ugh!”
Perpetuo’s cry was cut short as Damian’s fist slammed into his side.
“You… you scoundrel!”
Perpetuo swung his greatsword at Damian’s head.
Damian deflected it with the back of his hand, sending the sword flying.
Perpetuo’s torso was left exposed. Damian lunged forward.
“Ugh!”
His punch landed squarely on Perpetuo’s solar plexus.
Perpetuo doubled over, struggling to breathe.
Just as Damian was about to deliver the finishing blow, a surge of magical energy erupted nearby.
A massive wave of dark magic swept over them.
Damian turned, startled, toward the source of the power.
Even Perpetuo, momentarily forgetting his pain, looked in the same direction.
A geyser of black magic was erupting, so dense it seemed like black oil.
A strange figure laughed from within.
It resembled a human but was covered in fur.
Thick horns like a bull’s sprouted from its head, and a snake-like tail swayed behind it.
In its hands were two familiar faces.
Sukle and Wingstone.
Both were dead, their necks twisted.
The creature tossed their bodies aside and grinned widely.
“Huff, huff…”
While Damian and Perpetuo fought, Wingstone managed to regain his senses.
Moments ago, he had been paralyzed by the murderous aura emanating from Damian Haxen.
“Huff… huff…”
Wingstone gasped for air. Even as a master-class, he had been overwhelmed by sheer killing intent.
“A monster… it’s a monster… I have to run… I have to escape…”
But his legs refused to move.
He instinctively knew it was futile. Like an ant trying to flee from a human’s gaze.
He couldn’t escape. But he couldn’t just surrender his life, either.
Wingstone still had so much he wanted to do, so many desires left unfulfilled.
“Sukle… Sukle!”
He searched for Sukle, who was still in a daze.
“My little kitten… now’s not the time to play dead…!”
Wingstone pulled a large needle from his pocket.
It was a solidified stimulant. Once injected, it would dissolve and take effect immediately.
“Forgive me for this, little kitten.”
He plunged the needle into Sukle’s neck.
As soon as it pierced, Sukle’s body convulsed like a fish out of water.
“Aaah!”
Sukle screamed, eyes darting around in panic.
“Th-the wolf? The monster? I… I…”
“Sukle, get a grip. You’re fine. For now, at least.”
“For now…?”
Wingstone grabbed Sukle’s head, forcing him to look toward Damian.
“Our little kitten, do you see that? If we stay here, that monster will kill us both.”
Sukle’s eyes trembled with fear. She had narrowly escaped death at the hands of Damian just moments ago.
“What if… what if we run? We could just run away.”
“Even if we try, we’ll be caught in no time.”
“Then… what should we do?”
“Now’s the time to use that item.”
Sukle’s face turned pale. She shook her head vehemently.
“No, I can’t… I took it without my master’s permission. If I use it recklessly, he might kill me!”
“You silly kitten… if we don’t use it, we’re dead. Do you think that monster will spare us?”
Conflicted emotions flashed across Sukle’s face. Then, suddenly, she opened a pocket of space.
From it, she pulled out a leather-bound book. It was thin and so worn it looked like it might crumble at any moment.
“If I break the seal, you have to get us out of here immediately. Otherwise, we’ll both be killed by the demon…”
Wingstone nodded, his face tense with anxiety.
Sukle drew a dagger and cut her finger, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the book’s pages.
Intricate symbols appeared on the surface, slowly fading from the edges inward.
“Let’s run!” Sukle urged Wingstone. He immediately grabbed her, ready to flee.
-Where do you think you’re going?
A voice echoed in their minds.
Wingstone froze in place, as did Sukle. The only part of their bodies they could move were their eyes, which were wide with terror as they stared at the book.
-Opening a demon’s book without following the proper rituals?
The book flew open, and two hands shot out from within.
The hands stretched like rubber, wrapping around their necks.
-I needed some material to create a new vessel. Thanks for volunteering, you fools.
Crack.
Their necks twisted at unnatural angles.
Their souls, dark magic, and life force were sucked into the book through the hands.
Then, something emerged from the book.
-Sssss.
The demon inhaled deeply.
“It’s been a while since I breathed the air of this world.”
The demon turned to look at Damian and Perpetuo, its eyes slitted like a snake’s.
“I don’t need you. You reek.”
In an instant, the demon vanished.
The next moment, Perpetuo’s face was met with a powerful punch, driving him into the ground.
With a thunderous crash, the earth shattered, and Perpetuo was buried deep.
“You, on the other hand, smell like me.”
The demon said, turning to Damian.
“You’re quite handsome, and you seem capable… Perfect. I was just in need of a servant.”
A sly grin spread across the demon’s face.
“Become my slave, and I’ll spare your life.”
Damian could only stare at the demon, his face blank.
The demon, perhaps thinking Damian was frightened, spoke in a softer tone.
“There’s no need to be afraid. I’m very generous to my slaves. But refuse me, and you’ll face hell…”
“What kind of demon has descended here?” Damian interrupted, his voice filled with disbelief.
“Just a pathetic little imp, it seems.”