Chapter 52: Nerath’s Remnants [8] Dark Knight [7]
In the heart of the Shadow Realm, time froze for a moment.
On one side, the Black Knight.
He gathered the last vestiges of his existence, his hatred, and his darkness into a single sword.
On the other, Cassian in his child form.
He defied the laws of nature, uniting holy light, chaos, and lightning.
And then, that frozen moment shattered.
Both warriors lunged forward at the same instant.
The Black Knight’s sword, cloaked in pitch darkness...
And Cassian’s attack, carrying the power of three different elements...
They met at the very center of the realm.
This was not the clash of swords.
This was the moment two opposite poles, two absolute powers, sought to annihilate each other.
The instant they met, there was no sound.
Only a blinding, all-consuming explosion of pure white light.
What followed was the symphony of apocalypse.
The Shadow Realm began to shake from its very foundations.
The invisible ground beneath their feet rippled, as if at the epicenter of a colossal earthquake.
The shockwave tore through the fabric of reality like a sheet.
Fredrinn was tossed about like a leaf.
He witnessed the most terrifying and magnificent sight of his life.
The Shadow Realm was falling apart.
First, the pitch-black sky cracked like a spiderweb with golden light.
Then, the light seeped through these cracks, invading the entire realm.
The darkness shattered into thousands, millions of pieces, like a mirror.
Each piece scattered like broken glass, returning to the reality beneath.
To the stone walls of the cathedral.
They were finally free from the Shadow Realm.
The dense smoke and dust slowly dissipated.
The final tableau of the battle was revealed.
The cathedral’s altar was completely obliterated.
The floor was pocked with craters.
Two silhouettes could be discerned in this hellish landscape.
On one side was the Black Knight, kneeling.
He had lost both his arms.
His once-indomitable armor was pierced, shattered, and crushed. It was only a step away from complete disintegration.
From its cracks, a black, tar-like fluid slowly oozed instead of blood.
On the other side stood Cassian.
He had paid a heavy price for his victory.
The outer layer of his body was almost entirely shredded.
His muscles and torn skin were clearly visible.
From parts of his weapon-wielding arm, his bare bones could be seen.
But he was still standing tall.
His body, thanks to its unique regenerative ability, was slowly healing.
A visible vapor emitted from him.
He had exhausted all his mana with his last attack.
His only resource was to absorb the limited mana in the air.
Despite his wounded body, Cassian walked slowly but surely toward the Black Knight.
Each step was like the heavy strike of a gavel, declaring the victor.
The Black Knight tried to play his last card.
He wanted to use his ability, to reflect all the damage he had sustained back at his opponent.
But his body refused.
Every moment he tried to gather mana, the golden mana infesting his body sabotaged the process.
His own power backfired, harming him.
Cassian stopped right in front of the Black Knight.
The Black Knight fixed his gaze on Cassian from behind the dark visor of his helmet.
Cassian, in turn, fixed his ember-red eyes on his defeated foe.
There was nothing left to say.
No move left to make.
The battle was over.
The outcome was clear.
The Black Knight knew what was about to happen.
But even in the final moments of his centuries-long existence, he had no intention of showing weakness.
He did not avert his eyes from his executioner for a single moment.
Cassian slowly raised his katana one last time.
The golden mana coating his blade shimmered for an instant in the dim cathedral.
And then, he brought the sword straight down without hesitation.
The Black Knight’s helmet was split in two like paper.
His entire body divided along the same line.
Black fluids flowed from the bisected corpse, forming a small pool on the floor.
In the midst of all this destruction, Cassian stood with a grim expression.
The usual confident, devilish smirk on his face was completely gone.
In his eyes, there was not the satisfaction of victory.
There was pure anger and disappointment.
Suddenly, he kicked a piece of the sundered corpse in fury.
The sound of metal hitting stone echoed through the chamber.
"You damned hunk of metal," he muttered through gritted teeth.
The reason for his anger was clear.
He had killed the Black Knight, yes.
But the notification he expected had not arrived.
No system message.
No new ability.
Cassian had wanted that ability more than anything. His entire plan had been built around it.
He had waited for Fredrinn to weaken the Black Knight.
To force him to exhaust all his trump cards.
He was to deliver the final blow and steal the ability.
In a way, he had even risked Rose’s life for this plan.
But at the end of all that planning, all that risk... he got a big nothing.
"Tch," he hissed through his teeth.
He turned his back on the corpse in anger and approached Fredrinn.
"How much longer are you going to stare blankly like that?"
Fredrinn, in a state of shock and confusion, continued to look.
At this small child.
This monster.
This savior.
Cassian sighed deeply.
"Fool! Stop looking at me like an idiot," he said impatiently.
"It’s me, Cassian. Though... I look a little different now."
"Ahh, whatever. I’ll explain later."
"Immediately transfer the power of that stone in your body back into the stone. I can’t heal you as long as that dark mana flows through your veins."
Fredrinn didn’t know what to do.
His mind refused to process the last hour.
Just then, his eyes caught something in a corner of the room.
Rose.
She was lying propped against a wall.
But... she was alive.
There was no trace of the fatal wound.
She was breathing calmly.
Seeing her well brought a momentary sense of relief to Fredrinn.
The worry had gnawed at him throughout the hellish battle.
Now, this relief was replaced by an overwhelming guilt.
He hated himself for bringing her here.
He should never have allowed it.
Annoyed, Cassian spoke again, his voice harsher.
"If you wish to slowly bleed to death, I can respect that."
"But if you want to be healed, get your head straight and do as I say."
Fredrinn knew Cassian was right.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the stone in his chest.
He felt the purple power in his veins retreat back into the stone.
He was now completely defenseless.
His body was on the verge of collapse. He could barely stand.
Cassian approached and placed his hand on Fredrinn’s uninjured shoulder.
He began to channel holy mana into him.
Fredrinn was startled by a sudden warmth spreading through him.
Not the searing heat of a fire.
It was the warmth of life, of peace, of renewal.
With each passing second, he could feel the countless wounds on his body closing, as if they had never existed.
The most incredible part was his severed arm.
From the stump of his shoulder, a new arm began to grow from scratch at a visible rate.
First bone, then muscles, veins, and finally skin.
It was the first time Fredrinn had been healed by holy mana.
The first time he experienced what it felt like.
It was completely different from the most expensive healing potions or spells.
It was immense. Incomparable.
A divine balm that not only closed wounds but also repaired the soul.
He looked in awe at Cassian, who still looked like a child despite his wounded face and serious expression.
He marveled at this incredible power.
And he realized he knew almost nothing about this man.
He had blindly trusted this mysterious and dangerous person.
When the healing was complete, Fredrinn was fully restored.
It was as if he had never been through that hellish battle.
His mana core was almost empty, but otherwise, he was fine.
He stood up and looked at Cassian. Words were insufficient.
"Thank you," he said in a heartfelt voice.
Cassian just nodded.
Then Fredrinn’s gaze fell to the top of the stairs at the end of the room.
Upon the massive blue stone, glowing in the dim light.
The time had come to fulfill their purpose.