Because of the fear I had toward the door of the spirit realm after the evil spirit took over my body, my current self is extremely weak and does not possess the confidence to open the door of the spirit realm myself. The looming threat on the other side is actually terrifying. Even though the evil spirit is already dead within me, his aura is hard to conceal.
That leaves Knight Remiar as my offense.
"Can you defeat him?"
The Knight of Remiar gazed at the Weeping Knight in an almost unnoticeable way.
"He appears weak, but his strength feels mysterious."
Observing the shallow movements of the Weeping Knight, Remiar tried to gauge his strength.
"Someone of the Adept rank is a knight who can wield their blade and train to use skills properly, while someone of the Morph rank is a knight who refines these techniques to their own will and emerges as a new being with ability to use skills. In terms of power, they are at the top of the rank any ordinary force could possess. But since the Weeping Knight fought in the great ancient war, he must be at least Champion rank—the rank surpassing the Morph stage."
"If he's at Champion stage, I, in the Morph stage, will face difficulty defeating him. I'll have to admit it."
"But don't forget the fact that he's no longer the knight he was in the past. He might have been at the Champion stage in that age, but now, after all this time, he's at the peak of the Morph stage."
Mordred recalled the information he remembered from the game.
Aside from the Crowned God of Light, there are four elemental gods. The Weeping Knight is someone who belonged to the Sun God's sanctuary. At the time he received his Champion rank, he also received a divine blessing along with the title Divine Knight.
If I tell that to Remiar, his morale would weaken even more. It's just as they say, "Ignorance is bliss"... sometimes.
Although in mindset he's confident, in terms of power and skill, the Weeping Knight is still superior.
A buff should help even the odds.
Mordred opened his item catalog and took out a giant shield. After a moment, the appraisal result appeared.
Item Name: Aegis Shield
Grade: Rare
Description: A shield once wielded by the Divine Knight of a fallen god. It has high magic resistance.
Current Owner: Mordred Vorthian Arclore
If I was in-game, I couldn't wield an item like this because of the class restriction. However even now, I feel some resistance from the this item against me.
Nonetheless, this item is not suitable for me right now.
"A Rare-grade shield," Knight Remiar examined the giant shield after Mordred handed it to him.
"This is an honor for me."
With the shield, Knight Remiar prepared to face the Weeping Knight. In truth, I have more ways to prepare him for the battle, but testing the abilities of Knight Remiar himself is a must for me.
After all, even if he perishes at the hands of the Weeping Knight, I could summon him again.
I think!
"Draw his attention and fall back. Create a diversion for me,"
Leaving Knight Remiar at the edge of the passage, Mordred fell back.
A few moments passed in silence, and the Weeping Knight came closer to the passage, dragging the chains, where Knight Remiar was waiting.
When the distance was sufficient, Knight Remiar moved at once, rushing forward and swinging his sword at the Weeping Knight.
Clang!
A clear and sharp sound of iron colliding resounded through the passage.
The Weeping Knight had caught Remiar's sword with his hand. Despite Remiar's fast-moving attack, the Weeping Knight suffered no damage. It was an incredible reaction speed.
"Hmph!"
Knight Remiar distanced himself and fell back.
"Despite dragging those chains, he's fast to react—definitely faster than me,"
The Weeping Knight reacted like a machine, lifting his head and looking in Knight Remiar's direction as though awakening from a deep slumber.
Kraaa!
A sharp sound came from the joints of his armor as the Weeping Knight turned to face him.
"Uh!"
To Knight Remiar's amazement, the air around the Weeping Knight suddenly burst into flames.
"He's indeed in the Morphing stage,"
A knight in the Initial rank or Adept rank couldn't use skills like that. Only someone who has transformed their body in the Morph stage could use a skill in their expert path, and only someone at the peak of the Morph stage—or who has surpassed it—could fully demonstrate it.
Whoosh!
The burning air gathered together, creating a ball of fire that shot toward Knight Remiar. He resisted it with the assistance of the Aegis Shield.
Boom!
Knight Remiar used his own skill. Resisting the fireballs, he advanced forward, getting closer to the Weeping Knight in a matter of moments and swinging the shield at him.
Bang!
The Weeping Knight staggered a few steps back. However, Knight Remiar grabbed hold of the Weeping Knight's arm, pulling the knight toward him and throwing him to the other side of the passage.
Clank!
The ground broke as the chains shackling the Weeping Knight moved along with him.
"Ah!"
Knight Remiar's own armor burned and melted as a result of touching the Weeping Knight.
"He's not an ordinary knight... neither am I."
With the shield forward, Knight Remiar advanced with rushing steps toward the Weeping Knight. Surrounded by balls of fire akin to miniature suns, the Weeping Knight moved, commanding the flames around him.
Boom!
The two clashed, initiating a devastating battle. Both individuals, at the peak of the Morph stage, fought with such intensity that the vibrations of their clash echoed throughout the underground.
"Nicely done, Remiar,"
Mordred stepped out from the darkness where he had been hiding. Watching the two knights battle fiercely to prove their worth, he advanced deeper into the passage.
Whoa!
At the end of the passage, Mordred discovered ice shard-like crystals scattered along his path. At the end of these ice shards stood a giant crystal blocking the passage.
Standing in front of the crystal, Mordred moved closer, peering into its depths. Sealed within, he saw dark figures, unrecognizable as human.
Come.
Be with us.
Or let us be with you....
Mordred felt like he was drunk. However, he suddenly snapped out of the bewitching and alluring voice he heard in his mind.
A ring on his hand began to glow at that moment.
Even in their sealed state, their influence still reaches me. If not for the mind-resistant ring, I might have fallen to their words.
Looking at the ice crystal, Mordred stood still.
"This is a trick. It's not the real seal. Where is it? I know you crafty old monks wouldn't leave it so easily discovered."
Huh!
While in the midst of searching for a clue, Mordred noticed something resembling a manhole in the center of the ground inside the crystal.
"So that's what you're planning. To open the real seal, I need to get rid of the crystal. But within it are dark beings that would attack anyone they see upon release... such a shallow trick."
Opening his item storage, Mordred searched through the items.
"...."
However, Mordred, while looking through the list, suddenly paused. Glancing at his hand, he noticed... sweat. Sweat on his hand, even among these cold ice crystals, how?
Bulb!
Even on the floor, the river-like flowing blood began to bubble.
"Master, get down!"
Boom!
Suddenly, Knight Remiar appeared in a flash, followed by a massive wave of fire filling the entire passage and burning everything to a crisp.
Holding Mordred protectively, Knight Remiar placed the Aegis Shield in front of them, shielding both himself and Mordred from the blazing fire.
"Mind explaining how the guy with only six balls of fire now breathes it like a dragon?"
"In the battle, with every attack he threw, it was as if his fighting spirit was igniting. As a result, his rank began to rise."
"Oh dear, so the Weeping Knight is at Champion rank now?"
"Afraid so."
"Now that's not good, is it?"
The heat of the fire constantly rose, and Mordred, caught in the middle of it, felt like a chicken in an oven.
"If I rush forward and tackle him, you should be able to escape."
"..."
Knight Remiar prepared to engage in battle with the Weeping Knight once again, but just before he did, Mordred stopped him.
Looking back, Mordred saw that the ice crystal was slowly melting from the heat of the fire.
"Actually, make him angrier and more excited if possible."
"If you say so."
Although confused, Knight Remiar still obeyed, swinging his sword at the Weeping Knight while also shielding Mordred from the heat.
"Could be easier with some assistance."
Come forth at my words...
With a burst of flames, two burning wolves were born. Without a word from Mordred, the two wolves pounced at the Weeping Knight as a result of their synchronized trait.
Chizzz!
The heat of the flames erupted as the Weeping Knight faced more and more difficulty. At the same time, the ice crystal rapidly began to melt, along with the dark beings trapped within.
"Ahhhhhhh....
It burns...."
A little whisper came within the darkness.
Hmm! The Hell Hounds' connection with me disappeared, probably dead.
"How are you holding up, Knight Remiar?"
"Not good."
Once again, Knight Remiar fell back. The Weeping Knight mended the fire around him, creating javelins made of fire.
With a skillful turn, he sent the javelin piercing through the air at Mordred and Remiar.
"Let it pass."
With Mordred's words, Knight Remiar held his shield back and jumped away with Mordred in his hands. With its fast arrival, the javelin pierced right through the ice crystal.
Boom!
Caught the ice crystals in fire and melted it since upon the piercing of the javelin.
"Very familiar skill."
After the ice crystal completely melted, Mordred stood up and walked forward without fear.
"It's not safe."
Knight Remiar came with the shield, looking at the Weeping Knight. The knight's body was unmoving, and large smoke was emitting from him.
"Unnecessary. Things would be easier from here."
"Do you hear me, you knight of the Sun God?" Mordred's voice resounded through the passage, and the Weeping Knight showed some response to it.
"It was you. It's your fault that your comrade died. It was you who was powerless to protect them, and it was your greed that led them down this path to destruction. While the other Divine Knights and their subordinates fly in joy, look at you. You killed your subordinate and left them to rot to death."
With every word of Mordred, the Weeping Knight shook, and from the ground, chains rose and pierced through his iron body.
"You let them die and are still here. What kind of knight are you? Not even accompanying your subordinate to the door of death. Are you waiting for someone to do it for you? If so..."
While talking, Mordred signaled Knight Remiar to move closer to the Weeping Knight. At once, with his order, Remiar swung his sword, sliding across the shallow metallic armor and tearing it apart.
Metallic dust blew away from the inside of the iron armor, and nothing else.
Thud!
With a heavy sound, the Weeping Knight fell to the ground.
"I'd be very glad to do it for you."
Looking at the shallow piece of metal, Mordred said his final words.
"May I know how you did it?"
Knight Remiar gazed at Mordred. He had no suspicion, only curiosity.
"Too much waste of my time, but very well, as a reward for slaying the Weeping Knight...
See those blood flowing in the ground? They're the blood of the Weeping Knight's former comrades. Those who died in the Great War as a result of his wrong judgment. But the Weeping Knight, who became a divine knight with the blessing of the Sun God, became the guardian of the seal after his death, which made him see the cruel result of his own actions.
His comrades' cries and his own sympathy made him the Weeping Knight, and his comrades' silence and his own powerlessness became chains that prevented him from moving forward.
I just had to break the balance. The more he got excited, the more he remembered his glory days, but the more he remembered his mistake, the more he got stuck in one place." After explaining, Mordred took back the Agis shield from Remiar's hand. However, Remiar is still confused.
"Weeping Knight is a divine knight?"
Knight Remiar saw a smile on Mordred's face as he stored the Aegis shield in his inventory. Then he began to examine the remaining iron armor of the Weeping Knight.