Chapter 199: Duel in the Dark

The Shadow Knight slowly raised its hand, and the ground beneath them trembled.

The enormous opening in the chamber began to close as countless layers of ancient stone shifted into place. With a deafening rumble, the passage sealed itself off, leaving the entire area completely isolated from the outside world.

The Shadow Knight lowered its hand and turned its attention back to Gray.

"Now, no one will disturb us. You can use your full strength without worrying about your companions."

Gray stared at the sealed entrance for a moment before looking back at the armored figure.

"...How considerate of you. Should I thank you, too? Maybe prepare some tea while we’re at it?"

He let out a dry chuckle, his expression carrying not the slightest trace of gratitude.

"Seriously, what kind of lunatic seals himself inside a room with someone he’s about to fight? And you even make sure your opponent has no reason to hold back. Are you trying to kill me, or are you just that desperate to have a good time?"

The Shadow Knight let out a low, rumbling laugh that echoed throughout the sealed chamber.

"Kill you? Of course. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself first."

He slowly raised his greatsword, its dark blade scraping against the stone floor and leaving a deep scar in its wake.

"I have been waiting for something interesting to happen for a very, very long time. The creatures that wander into this place are either too weak to entertain me or too foolish to understand what they’re facing. They break, they scream, and then they die. The same tiresome outcome, over and over again."

His helmet tilted slightly as he examined Gray from head to toe.

"But you..."

A faint, ominous glow emerged from the cracks in his armor.

"You carry the remnants of a Primordial within you."

The moment he spoke that word, the atmosphere in the chamber seemed to grow heavier. His grip tightened around the hilt of his greatsword, and the killing intent radiating from him became noticeably more intense.

"That wretched existence..."

His voice turned cold, dripping with an ancient hatred that had endured for countless years.

"I despise everything about it. Its power, its presence, even the very essence it leaves behind. And yet, here you stand, carrying a part of it within your body."

The Shadow Knight took a step forward. The stone beneath his foot cracked under the pressure.

"Tell me, little jellyfish. What does it feel like to possess something you have no right to own?"

Gray stared at him for a moment.

’Little jellyfish? Seriously?’

He glanced down at his humanoid body, then back at the towering knight.

"First of all, I’m pretty sure I’ve evolved past the jellyfish stage. Second, if you’re going to hate someone for possessing something, shouldn’t you take it up with the previous owner?"

Gray shrugged.

"Unless you’re planning to file a complaint with the dead, I’m afraid I’m all you’ve got."

The Shadow Knight remained silent for a moment.

Then, to Gray’s surprise, he began to laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

The laughter reverberated through the chamber, rattling loose fragments of stone from the ceiling.

"Good! Very good! You have a tongue sharp enough to match your arrogance. Let’s see if you can keep running that mouth when I start tearing you apart!"

He lifted his greatsword and pointed its tip directly at Gray.

"Come, bearer of the Primordial’s remnants. Show me what makes you worthy of carrying that loathsome essence!"

Gray sighed and rolled his shoulders, his expression settling into a more serious one.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don’t complain if you end up disappointed."

Beneath his calm exterior, however, Gray was already analyzing his opponent.

’Immune to all my attacks, huh? And he seems to know something about the Primordial that I don’t.’

Gray stared at the Shadow Knight for several seconds, his golden eyes tracking every movement of the towering figure.

The knight wasn’t attacking. It was waiting, its greatsword resting against one shoulder as though it had all the time in the world.

Unfortunately, Gray couldn’t afford to enjoy the same luxury.

[WARNING: HP CONTINUES TO DECREASE]

[BLEED: -18 HP/SECOND]

His current HP was already down to 1,394, and that number would continue to fall as long as the wound remained open. His Abyssal Regeneration could help him recover, but the rate was nowhere near enough to compensate for the bleeding.

’Tsk! A walking fortress that can kill me in a few hits, and I can’t even scratch it.’

Gray suppressed a sigh.

’This is exactly why I hate fighting enemies whose abilities I don’t understand.’

He had faced powerful opponents before. But those enemies had all possessed weaknesses he could exploit, whether through careful observation, strategic use of his abilities, or sheer persistence.

The Shadow Knight was different.

It didn’t merely withstand his attacks. It nullified them.

There was a distinction between having an absurdly high defense and being completely immune to damage. The former could be overcome with sufficient power. The latter suggested an entirely different mechanism.

’Is it a passive trait? A defensive skill? Or does its armor have something to do with it?’

Gray glanced at the knight’s chest, where his two Void Reaper’s Lances had shattered moments ago.

’Maybe it’s not the armor itself. My Cavitation Pulse didn’t work on its helmet either, and Tectonic Shift couldn’t even make it stumble.’

That left two possibilities. Either the Shadow Knight possessed an ability that nullified all incoming attacks, or something about its existence made ordinary damage meaningless.

Neither option was particularly encouraging.

"Finished staring?" the Shadow Knight asked.

Gray looked back at its visor.

"Sorry. I was trying to figure out whether there’s actually someone inside that armor or if you’re just an overgrown suit of metal with an attitude problem."

The knight’s shoulders shook with a low chuckle.

"Still joking. Even with your life slipping away."

"Well, crying hasn’t worked for me so far. Thought I’d try something different."

"Then allow me to give you another reason to cry."

The Shadow Knight suddenly disappeared.

Gray’s pupils contracted.

’Again?!’

He activated Current Dash, his body dissolving into a fleeting blur of energy before reappearing ten meters to the left.

The greatsword swept through the space where he had stood, its blade carving a deep groove into the stone floor. Fragments of rock burst into the air as the weapon struck the ground.

Gray retaliated immediately, but before he could launch another attack, the Shadow Knight’s sword changed direction with terrifying precision.

The blade caught Gray across the side.

[-173 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 1,221 / 1,880]

Gray staggered backward, his boots scraping against the uneven ground as he struggled to maintain his balance.

’He can read Current Dash, too?’

Gray immediately activated Phantom Cloak.

His body faded from sight, leaving only a faint distortion in the air.

For a brief moment, he felt a sliver of relief.

Then the Shadow Knight turned its helmet directly toward him.

"There you are."

Gray’s heart sank.

The knight thrust its free hand forward.

A violent pulse of dark energy erupted from its palm, spreading through the chamber in concentric waves. Dust rose from the floor, and the ancient roots embedded in the walls shuddered as the energy swept through the room.

Gray’s invisibility flickered.

[PHANTOM CLOAK — DISRUPTED]

"What the hell?!"

He twisted away as the knight’s sword swept toward him. The blade missed his torso by a narrow margin, but the force of its passage sent him tumbling across the stone floor.

Gray planted one hand against the ground and forced himself to stop.

’It can disrupt stealth, predict my movements, and nullify my attacks. What else can this bastard do?’

The Shadow Knight advanced, apparently amused by Gray’s growing frustration.

"Your abilities are impressive for such a young existence. Unfortunately, most of them rely on manipulating the forces around you."

It raised its free hand again.

"Water. Shadows. Energy. Even the ground beneath your feet."

Its fingers slowly curled into a fist.

"All of them become rather inconvenient when your opponent understands how to interfere with them."

The air around Gray began to vibrate.

He immediately felt an invisible force pressing against his body, as though the entire chamber had suddenly grown heavier.

His movements slowed.

’What the hell is this? Some kind of gravity manipulation?’

He tried to activate Current Dash.

Nothing happened.

[CURRENT DASH — ACTIVATION FAILED]

[EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE DETECTED]

Gray’s expression darkened.

Whatever the Shadow Knight was doing, it wasn’t merely restricting his physical movements. It was interfering with his ability to activate certain skills.

The Shadow Knight approached without hurry.

"Now, then. Shall we continue?"

Gray gritted his teeth.

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Occasionally."

The knight lifted its greatsword.

"Usually after my opponents die."

The blade descended.

Gray threw himself sideways, abandoning any attempt to use Current Dash. The greatsword struck the ground where he had been standing, sending cracks racing through the stone floor.

He barely avoided the impact, but the shockwave caught him and hurled him backward.

[-96 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 1,125 / 1,880]

[WARNING: CRITICAL HEALTH THRESHOLD APPROACHING]

Gray rolled across the ground before catching himself on one knee.

His vision swam.

’At this rate, I’ll be dead before I learn anything useful.’