Chapter 34 - Dark Knight

Etzel had been home for less than a day when Neris informed him that he had plans. Not asked. Informed.

He was eating breakfast when she dropped the school notice beside his plate. Etzel looked down. Then up.

“No.”

Neris sat across from him. “Yes.”

He read the notice again. Family picnic. Students were permitted to bring one immediate family member. Teacher-supervised. Outdoor activity. Games. Food. Social interaction.

Etzel looked horrified. “This contains every threat category.”

Neris narrowed her eyes. “It’s a picnic.”

“There are people.”

“Yes.”

“Organized activities.”

“Yes.”

“Teachers.”

“Etzel.”

He pointed at the paper. “I fought a Level Thirteen creature yesterday. This feels more dangerous.”

Veydan lowered his cup. “You are going.”

Etzel turned. “Betrayal.”

Ismera placed another plate on the table. “You’ve barely been home.”

“I returned voluntarily.”

“And now you’re voluntarily going with your sister.”

“That doesn’t sound voluntary.”

Neris smiled. Etzel looked at her. “Why me?”

“Mom would talk to everyone.”

Ismera froze. Neris continued.

“Dad would stand around looking serious.”

Veydan looked offended. “I can socialize.”

Three people stared at him. Veydan paused. “Enough.”

Neris pointed toward Etzel. “You’re entertaining.”

Etzel leaned back. “That may be the nicest insult you’ve ever given me.”

“Don’t make me regret it.”

Etzel sighed. “All right.”

Neris smiled. Then Etzel added: “But if someone starts a group song, I’m leaving you there.”

The picnic grounds were outside the city. Far enough to feel like wilderness. Close enough to remain within a monitored recreational zone. The school had chosen the location because it was considered safe. That phrase had become increasingly suspicious to Etzel.

The field sat between low wooded slopes, with several open clearings separated by trees. Tables had been arranged beneath canvas awnings. Teachers moved between students. Parents and siblings talked. Food appeared in unreasonable quantities.

For almost twenty minutes—nothing tried to kill Etzel. He found that deeply unsettling.

Neris caught him looking toward the tree line. “Stop.”

“What?”

“You’re doing the thing.”

“What thing?”

“The dangerous-forest stare.”

Etzel looked at her. “I don’t have a dangerous-forest stare.”

“You absolutely do.”

“I have expressive eyes.”

“You look like you expect the bushes to attack.”

Etzel glanced at a nearby bush. Neris groaned. “Seriously?”

“It moved.”

“The wind.”

“That’s what it wants us to think.”

She walked away. Etzel smiled. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to relax. Mostly.

DK and Saeva remained inside Soul Space. There was no reason to manifest them. That was the plan. A normal day. No dungeon. No anomaly. No monster hunt. No Authority. No mysterious central signature. Just Neris. Food. People.

Etzel sat beneath a tree and checked his communicator. Neris appeared immediately.

“You said normal.”

“I’m reading.”

“You’re checking Hunter news.”

“I contain multitudes.”

She leaned over his shoulder.

The convergence zone remained active. Nineteen confirmed dungeon structures. Seventeen active signatures. No new silence since yesterday. Mass creature movement remained under investigation. Several migration corridors had been closed. Authority teams had reinforced the outer perimeter.

Etzel read the same lines twice. Nothing new. Good. He closed the screen.

Neris stared. “That was fast.”

“I’m trying to become emotionally available.”

“That sounds fake.”

“Extremely.”

Etzel noticed the Hunters among the families quickly. Not because they announced themselves. Because Hunters moved differently. Or maybe Etzel had simply become better at noticing.

A woman near the food tables was E-Rank. One of the older brothers playing ball with the students was D-Rank. Another parent carried himself like someone who had spent too many years expecting violence. C-Rank, probably. And one man—broad shoulders, compact build, no visible weapon but the calm posture of someone who did not need one nearby—was B-Rank.

Etzel relaxed slightly. Good. If something stupid happened, there were capable people here.

The B-Rank man eventually sat beside Etzel. “You Neris’s brother?”

“Unfortunately.”

From across the clearing: “I HEARD THAT.”

Etzel raised his voice. “I SAID FORTUNATELY.”

The man laughed. “Hunter?”

Etzel looked at him. That question had become increasingly complicated. “Technically.”

The man’s eyebrows rose. “What Rank?”

Etzel took a drink. “Socially?”

The man smiled. “Ability?”

“Disappointing.”

Neris passed behind them. “HE’S LYING.”

Etzel closed his eyes. The B-Rank Hunter looked amused. “Family support.”

“It’s powerful.”

Neris called back: “YOU’RE WELCOME.”

Etzel pointed after her. “She was raised badly.”

The man laughed again. For a few minutes—Etzel forgot the world was ending in nineteen suspicious pieces.

The warning came as silence. No System message. No scream. The birds stopped.

Etzel’s head lifted. He remained seated. Listened.

Neris was near one of the student groups. Teachers were organizing some game involving ribbons and far too much enthusiasm.

The B-Rank Hunter beside him noticed Etzel’s expression. “What?”

Etzel did not answer immediately. The forest had changed. Not quiet. Empty.

Then something broke in the trees. Heavy. Fast.

Etzel stood. The B-Rank man stood with him.

A figure stumbled through the brush. Male. Hunter equipment. Blood covering one side of his body. He almost fell.

SURVEY RECORD	DETAILS
Classification	Hunter
Rank	D

Another emerged behind him. Worse injuries. Still moving.

SURVEY RECORD	DETAILS
Classification	Hunter
Rank	C

The C-Rank Hunter turned toward the field. Saw the students. Saw the families. His face changed.

“RUN!”

Everything stopped. One teacher stared. “What?”

The D-Rank Hunter tried to breathe. “Behind—”

A roar swallowed the rest.

The B-Rank man moved immediately. “Hunters forward! Civilians to the vehicles!”

The picnic field exploded into motion. Parents grabbed children. Teachers shouted names. Several Hunters drew weapons from storage devices.

Etzel looked toward Neris. Found her. Good.

Then the System appeared.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION	DETAILS
Alert	Multiple Hostile Signatures Detected (3)

Three. Etzel’s eyes narrowed. Two advanced first. Large quadrupedal predators with blackened hides and long hooked forelimbs.

SURVEY RECORD	SPECIMEN IDENTIFIED
Target	Cindermaw Ravager
Rank	C

Second.

SURVEY RECORD	SPECIMEN IDENTIFIED
Target	Cindermaw Ravager
Rank	C

The B-Rank Hunter exhaled. “We can handle those.”

Etzel almost agreed. Then the trees behind them burned. Not caught fire. Burned. As if something had stepped through them and the forest had decided resistance was pointless.

A massive shape emerged. Three meters. Maybe more. Black natural armor covered most of its body. Not plates worn over flesh. Armor grown from it. Deep cracks ran through the surface. Orange-red light pulsed beneath them. Two horned ridges curved back from its skull. Its eyes burned. And in one hand—a sword. Dark metal. Almost black. Runes burned along the center of the blade like molten writing.

The System hesitated. For half a second. Then—

SYSTEM ALERT	DETAILS
Event	Epic Entity Detected
Name	Infernal Dreadwarden
Rank	A

Silence hit the field harder than the roar had. The B-Rank Hunter’s face drained.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit NovelPhoenix for the authentic version.

Someone whispered: “A-Rank…”

Etzel stared. Not just A-Rank. Epic. The difference mattered.

The B-Rank Hunter stepped forward anyway. “Get everyone out.”

Etzel looked at him. The man knew. He knew he could not win. He was still moving. Good man. Bad situation.

The C-Rank Ravagers struck first. One crashed into a D-Rank parent. Another Hunter intercepted. Weapons flashed. People screamed.

The B-Rank man moved directly toward the Dreadwarden. His Ability activated. The ground around his arms hardened into dark stone-like armor. He drove both fists forward.

The Dreadwarden swung once. Not fast. It did not need to be. The black sword struck the B-Rank Hunter’s guard.

BOOM.

The man flew. He crossed half the clearing. Hit a table. Destroyed it. Rolled. Stopped.

Etzel’s stomach tightened. Alive. Probably. Not standing.

Everyone understood now. The C-Rank monsters were a fight. The A-Rank Epic—was death.

“Neris!”

Etzel turned. She was running toward him. Wrong direction. Of course.

Her teacher shouted. “Neris! Back!”

Neris ignored her. “ETZEL!”

Etzel started moving. Then the Dreadwarden turned. Its burning eyes found movement. Small. Fast. Separated. Neris.

Etzel saw the exact instant the creature noticed her. Its sword lifted.

Everything inside him became very quiet. He had hidden DK from his family. From Authority. From strangers. From anyone who might ask why an eighteen-year-old unregistered Hunter possessed an A-Rank summon. He had delayed. Deflected. Lied.

All of it ended in one second. There was no decision.

“Neris!”

She looked at him. The Dreadwarden swung.

Etzel opened the Soul Space. “DK.”

Silver light detonated.

The sword hit the shield. The sound was not metal. It was thunder. The ground beneath DK fractured. Neris fell backward. Heat exploded around them.

DK stood between her and the Dreadwarden. Silver armor. Shield raised. Sword already drawn. His boots had sunk several centimeters into the earth.

The Dreadwarden pressed. DK did not move.

Etzel reached Neris. Pulled her backward. She stared at the knight. Then at Etzel. Then back.

“What—”

“Later.”

“Etzel—”

“Later.”

DK turned his head slightly. “Etzel.”

Etzel met his gaze. “My sister.”

One beat. DK faced the Dreadwarden again. “Understood.”

The creature pulled its sword free. DK attacked.

The first exchange was too fast for most people to follow. Etzel followed enough. DK thrust toward the neck. The Dreadwarden rotated. Black blade came down. DK caught it. Shield. Sword. Step. Angle. Counter. No wasted motion.

The Dreadwarden fought with force. DK fought with memory.

Their weapons collided. Once. Twice. Three times. Sparks became fire. The Dreadwarden’s sword left burning lines through the air. DK moved around them. Not faster. Better.

The B-Rank Hunter had regained consciousness. He stared from the ground. “Who…”

No one answered. A Cindermaw screamed nearby. Other Hunters were still fighting. Etzel heard them. Could not look.

The Dreadwarden slammed forward. DK blocked. A crack appeared across the shield.

Etzel’s expression tightened. Again.

The creature’s blade came sideways. DK redirected. The impact still forced him back. Another crack.

The Dreadwarden roared. Fire spread through the runes on its sword. Heat rolled across the clearing. Students screamed farther behind them.

DK advanced into it. Etzel saw the armor on his left shoulder darken. Silver metal warped. He kept moving. Sword against sword.

The Dreadwarden punched. DK ducked. Cut across the ribs. The blade struck black armor. A shallow mark. Not enough.

The creature hit him with its elbow. DK flew several meters. Landed. Rolled once. Rose immediately.

Etzel had never seen him pushed this hard. Not once. Something inside Etzel twisted. DK looked calm. Which somehow made it worse.

Witness.

Etzel forced himself to stop watching DK. Watch the enemy.

The Dreadwarden moved. Sword raised. Fire along the runes. Chest cracks glowing. Weak point? No. Too easy. Witness remained silent. Good.

Etzel watched. Heavy strike. Flame surged through the sword. Chest glow—changed. Less?

He narrowed his eyes. Again.

The creature attacked. Runes ignited. Something traveled. Not fire exactly. Energy. From the torso. Shoulder. Arm. Blade.

During the transfer—the chest dimmed.

Etzel stepped sideways. Different angle. DK blocked another blow. The shield cracked wider. Etzel watched the Dreadwarden’s torso. There.

Each time the sword reached maximum ignition, the internal energy concentrated through the weapon. The armor was still hard. But whatever reinforced it from inside—was being redirected.

Etzel needed another test. “DK!”

The knight heard him. Etzel pointed toward the sword. “Make it charge!”

DK did not ask why. He attacked aggressively. Three cuts. The Dreadwarden blocked. DK stepped inside. Shoulder strike.

The creature roared. Pulled back. Its sword began to burn brighter. Chest cracks dimmed.

Etzel understood. Not simply an opening. A transfer state. The defense was not disappearing. It was being sacrificed to empower the strike.

The System appeared.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION	DETAILS
Event	Flaw Witnessed
Status	Recognition Confirmed
Data	Infernal Conduction Shift: During maximum weapon ignition, core reinforcement is temporarily redirected from central armor channels into the active weapon path.

Etzel shouted. “DK! After the full strike—chest!”

DK raised his shield. The Dreadwarden’s blade became fire. Not covered in it. Became it. The black metal vanished beneath orange-white heat. The air distorted.

DK could move. Etzel knew it. Everyone behind him was still evacuating. Neris was only twenty meters away. DK did not move. Etzel understood.

“No…”

The sword fell. DK raised the shield.

CRACK. The first layer broke.

CRACK. The rim exploded.

Then—

BOOM.

The shield shattered. Pieces of silver metal spun across the field. DK’s left arm dropped. The armor from gauntlet to shoulder split open. Blood appeared. He remained standing.

The Dreadwarden’s chest went dark.

Etzel screamed: “NOW!”

DK moved. Fast. His sword drove into the central chest seam. Black armor cracked. The blade entered.

The Dreadwarden caught it. With one hand. Its fingers closed around DK’s sword. The creature roared and pulled. DK pulled back. Neither released. Metal screamed.

Then the Dreadwarden struck him with its free fist. DK’s helmet snapped sideways. Blood sprayed. He held the sword. Another strike.

Etzel took one involuntary step forward. Saeva’s presence stirred inside Soul Space. No. Too fragile. Not here.

DK drove forward. The Dreadwarden twisted. And DK’s sword broke.

The blade snapped halfway down.

For the first time—the entire clearing seemed to freeze.

DK looked at the broken weapon. The Dreadwarden raised its burning sword. Etzel’s heart stopped.

DK changed grip. Both hands. Broken blade forward. And stepped inside.

The Dreadwarden swung. Too late.

DK drove the shattered sword through the cracked chest plate. Into the seam Etzel had identified. Deeper.

The Dreadwarden convulsed. DK kept pushing. The broken blade vanished almost completely inside. Orange light burst from the creature’s back.

The burning sword fell from its hand. The Dreadwarden looked down. At DK. At the broken steel in its chest. The flames inside its body flickered. Once. Twice. Then died.

The giant dropped to its knees. DK pulled the broken sword free. The Dreadwarden collapsed.

Silence. A Cindermaw screamed.

Etzel turned. Reality returned all at once. The other fight.

The B-Rank Hunter was back on his feet. One arm hanging badly. Still fighting. The remaining parents and older siblings had formed two groups. C-Rank and D-Rank Hunters controlled one Ravager. Several lower-Rank Hunters supported.

The second Ravager lunged. The B-Rank Hunter intercepted. A C-Rank woman struck from the flank. Another Hunter drove a spear beneath its ribs. The creature collapsed. The first Ravager followed less than a minute later.

No one had waited for DK to save them. Good. They had done their part.

Then everyone stopped. And looked at him. At DK.

No shield. Broken sword. Damaged silver armor. Blood dripping from one gauntlet. Still standing beside the corpse of an A-Rank Epic.

Neris looked at DK. Then Etzel. Her face went blank.

“Etzel.”

He already knew. “Yeah.”

“You’re a Hunter.”

Etzel looked around. Dozens of witnesses. A dead Epic entity. A giant armored summon. Several phones already raised.

He sighed. “This conversation could be going worse.”

Neris stared at him. Then her eyes widened. “Mom is going to kill you.”

Etzel nodded. “There it is.”

The Dreadwarden’s corpse began to change. Etzel turned. The black armor cracked. Ash lifted from it. Not normal disintegration. System light appeared between the fractures. A message opened.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION	DETAILS
Event	Epic A-Rank Entity Defeated.
Status	Bound Summon Kill Confirmed.
Status	Master Contribution Confirmed.
Status	Exceptional Threat Resolution Registered.

Warm progression entered Etzel. Significant. Very significant. But—no Level increase. Good.

He barely had time to register that before another message appeared.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION	DETAILS
Event	Exceptional Equipment Drop Detected.

Etzel froze.

Black fire gathered above the corpse. Not hot. Not truly physical flame. Shapes formed inside it. Armor. Piece after piece. Black. Deep, matte black with thin red channels beneath the surface. A closed helmet with sharp, restrained contours. Heavy pauldrons. Gauntlets. Greaves. A long dark cape.

Then—a sword.

Etzel forgot to breathe. The weapon was enormous. Not clumsy. Built for DK. Black blade. Dark hilt. A line of runes ran through the center. Dormant. Waiting.

The System identified the set.

SURVEY RECORD	DETAILS
Item Set	Infernal Sovereign Set
Rank	A
Rarity	Epic
Compatible Unit	Dark Knight

Etzel looked at DK. Then at the shattered shield. The broken sword. The damaged silver armor he had been wearing since the first day.

He smiled slowly. “Finally.”

DK looked at the equipment. Etzel opened the details.

EQUIPMENT DETAILS	INFERNAL SOVEREIGN ARMOR
Rank	A-Rank — Epic
Hellforged Body	Significantly increases resistance against physical force and elemental damage. Enhanced resistance to flame, extreme heat, and infernal energy.
Painbound Guard	As the wearer accumulates genuine combat injury, the armor increases structural reinforcement around compromised regions. Effect cannot prevent lethal damage. Scales with Soul.
Sovereign Presence	When the wearer enters active combat, significantly lower-Rank hostile creatures may experience instinctive pressure, hesitation, or fear. Does not control minds. Does not affect disciplined targets reliably.
Soulbound Repair	When returned to Soul Space, damaged set components gradually regenerate by drawing from available Soul energy. Severe destruction requires extended recovery.

Etzel stopped. That one mattered. No more replacing armor every three battles. Assuming DK survived long enough for it to repair.

He opened the weapon.

EQUIPMENT DETAILS	HELLSCRIPT GREATBLADE
Rank	A-Rank — Epic
Runic Ignition	Soul energy may be channeled through the central rune array. While active, penetration, edge stability, and impact transfer increase significantly.
Infernal Edge	Improved effectiveness against heavy armor, reinforced hide, and magically sustained defensive structures.
Last Ember	Once per major combat engagement, when the wielder suffers severe physical damage, the rune core may be forced into temporary overdrive. Short-duration offensive amplification. [Warning: Severe post-activation Soul and physical fatigue.]

Etzel looked at DK. “That seems unhealthy.”

DK looked at his bleeding arm. “I have noticed that many effective things are.”

Etzel smiled. “You’re learning from me.”

“That was not praise.”

He did not hesitate. The set had dropped from DK’s kill. It was compatible with DK. DK’s own equipment had just died saving Neris. There was nothing to think about.

Etzel selected him.

SYSTEM PROMPT	ACTION REQUIRED
Prompt	Assign Infernal Sovereign Set to Dark Knight?

“Yes.”

The System responded.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION	DETAILS
Status	Assignment Confirmed.

Black light moved. The silver armor began to dissolve. Not DK. Only the ruined equipment. Piece by piece.

Then the new set formed. Boots first. Black greaves closing around his legs. Gauntlets. Chest. Layered black plates locked together. Thin crimson seams appeared between them. Shoulder armor settled into place. The cape fell behind him. Long. Dark. Damaged-looking at the edges despite being new.

Finally—the helmet. It closed over DK’s face. Click.

Nothing. For one second. Then two red lights ignited behind the eye slits.

Neris took a step backward. Etzel stared. “Oh.”

DK looked toward him. Etzel pointed. “Now the name works.”

DK said nothing.

The Hellscript Greatblade formed in his hand. Black. Heavy. Beautifully brutal. The runes along its center remained dark.

DK tightened his grip. A pulse of Soul energy entered the weapon. One rune ignited. Then another. Then another. Red-orange light traveled along the blade like fire moving through written language.

Several people stepped back. Etzel smiled. “Dark Knight.”

DK looked at him through burning red eyes. “You named me.”

“Yes.”

Etzel looked at the old broken sword lying in the dirt. Then at the new armor. “And you spent weeks making me regret the aesthetic choice.”

DK stared. “Weeks?”

Etzel paused. “Time has been emotionally complex.”

Neris slowly approached. She looked up at DK. Then at Etzel. “This is your friend?”

Etzel opened his mouth.

DK answered first. “Summon.”

Neris looked at Etzel again. He sighed. “Longer story.”

The first phone was obvious. A student’s older brother. Holding it horizontally. Recording.

Etzel saw the screen. DK stood in the center. Black armor. Red eyes. Runes burning along the sword. The dead A-Rank Epic behind him.

Another person was filming. And another.

The B-Rank Hunter had stopped staring at DK. Now he was staring at Etzel. That was worse.

“You summoned him.” Not a question.

Etzel nodded. “Yes.”

“What Rank?”

Etzel considered lying. Then looked at the corpse. At the cameras. At DK. That ship had not merely sailed. It had exploded in the harbor.

“A.”

The B-Rank Hunter stared. The C-Rank woman beside him turned. “A-Rank summon?”

Etzel scratched his cheek. “When you say it like that, it sounds dramatic.”

Nobody laughed. Neris did. Once. Mostly because she was still in shock.

Etzel looked around. Teachers. Parents. Students. Hunters. His sister. Dozens of witnesses. At least three active recordings. Probably more.

His communicator vibrated. He ignored it. Then again. And again.

Etzel looked down. Unknown messages. Local Hunter emergency channel. An automated incident request. Identity verification. A notification asking registered Hunters in the area to submit combat records.

Etzel stared at the screen. Then at Neris. She followed his gaze toward the phones. Her expression changed.

“Etzel.”

“Yes?”

“Your secret is gone.”

Etzel looked at the crowd. At DK. At the burning runes. Then at the dead Epic creature. He considered the available interpretations.

“Small problem.”

Neris stared at him. “Small?”

“I’m trying to stay optimistic.”

His communicator vibrated again. This time—an Authority identification request.

Etzel closed his eyes. The future had become remarkably clear. Hunter registration. Questions. Reports. His family. His mother. His father. Limited Necromancer. DK. Saeva. All of it. Soon. Probably much sooner than Etzel would have preferred.

He opened his eyes. Neris was still staring at him.

“Mom first,” she said.

Etzel looked genuinely afraid for the first time since the Dreadwarden arrived. “Can we fight another A-Rank instead?”