Chapter 43 - The knight

As our journey between me and those skeletons reached its climactic moment, the sky darkened, and the atmosphere grew heavy with anticipation.

Dark clouds swirled ominously overhead, flashing with bolts of lightning that illuminated the landscape. The air crackled with electricity, and gusts of wind howled through the desolate terrain, carrying a sense of foreboding.

And then, through the torrential rain, a monstrous figure emerged. The colossal skeleton stood tall, its bones gleaming with an otherworldly aura. The rain pounded against its bone armor, creating a symphony of drumming sounds, as if nature itself trembled before its presence. Each gust of wind seemed to echo through its ribcage, producing an eerie melody that sent shivers down my spine.

The haunting purple glow emanating from its skull seemed to pierce through the darkness, casting an ethereal light in the stormy gloom. The ominous glow illuminated the skeleton's immense form, casting long shadows that danced across the landscape.

As lightning arced across the sky, its jagged tendrils outlined the giant knight's skeletal frame, momentarily revealing its towering stature. The rainwater cascaded down the knight's armoured bones, etching deep furrows and channels as if the elements themselves were crafting its fearsome figure.

In this apocalyptic weather, the giant knight stood as a monument to both power and decay. It was a sight that stirred feelings of awe and trepidation, a stark reminder of the forces that lurk beyond our understanding.

Now, I understood how and why the other skeleton army disappeared upon encountering this formidable knight. They all must have submitted to him, merging their essence with his being.

This battle marked their final struggle, aware that they could no longer stand against my growing power. My aura as an Ascended-like Commander had developed to such an extent that my mere presence affected them, forcing them to submit.

Thus, they were transformed into mere extensions of this knight, nothing more than fragments of bones fashioned into an imposing suit of armour.

While daunting, it became clear that I could fight him. I had already slain 97,000 skeletons. They were like ants before me, unable to do anything. Furthermore, I developed a heightened danger-sensing ability, allowing me to anticipate upcoming threats.

My thoughts were interrupted as an overwhelming sense of impending danger flooded my senses.

It was the moment the knight's gaze turned towards me, his piercing eyes locking onto mine.

His presence felt akin to gentle sunlight transformed into a destructive force through a magnifying glass. The skeleton, weak as sunlight, had been amplified into a catastrophic threat like this knight, while I, like the unfortunate paper, to defenceless before him.

Boom! His hand darted towards me, and ripples of purple light emanated from its movement. Yet, I remained unfazed, murmuring internally that I could still defeat him.

With unwavering determination, I rushed towards the knight, each step defying the danger that engulfed me. My senses screamed for me to run, warning me that I couldn't possibly fight him. But I disregarded their pleas and pressed on.

"I can do it! I can defeat this giant undead!" With that thought in mind, I ran towards him, disregarding the imminent danger that loomed.

His hand moved once again, altering my perception and allowing me to observe minor details around me. Despite my senses screaming at me to run, I ignored their warning.

I focused my thoughts on gathering mana and made a swift move. His hand was just in front, retreating towards the knight's shoulder. Boom! That was the moment I struggled to evade, but my reflexes kicked in. I jumped, narrowly evading his strike, and as a result, debris and dust scattered around his clenched fist.

As the dust settled, it revealed my standing figure in his hand. Another boom, as I punched his hand, causing cracks to travel through his bones. His hand uplifted, and I took advantage of the situation, running toward his shoulder.

The tactical knowledge I had gained from countless battles with the Skele n army came to mind.

Their weak point was always their skull, particularly the marble-like core. If I could destroy the marble within this knight's skull, victory would be within reach.

I knew I had to detach it; crushing the core would prove difficult. I had to concentrate on detaching his skull, so I ran on his hand, striving to reach his head. His hand moved upward, the other hand threatening to crush me like a mosquito.

With his other hand moving towards me, I found myself at his elbow. Just as his hand was about to strike, I leapt, avoiding his palm decorated with bone spikes. I found myself slipping onto that hand, using it as a stepping stone towards his elbow. In no time, I reached his other elbow and continued running.

Boom! More collisions echoed, yet I evaded his punches, gradually closing the distance between him and my goal.

It felt as if I were in manoeuvre gear, swiftly dodging left and right, attempting to detach this colossal titan's neck. It Wow!

Boom! Another collision and I found myself close to his shoulder. I jumped and ran towards his neck, then jumped again towards his skull.

With unwavering faith in the physical strength honed through countless battles, my body aligned horizontally, aiming to break his neck. My legs moved, slicing through the air and generating a ripple of force.

With a resounding boom, I smashed into his skull, tearing it apart. The remnants of bone scattered in the air as I entered the cavity of his neck, tracing the internal structure.

Time seemed to slow down, altering my perception. Inside, I witnessed countless skeletons arranged like units, forming the structure of a human knight.

I began searching for his core, the place where it was supposed to be. Surprisingly, it wasn't in the location of his skull.

Glancing downwards, I made a shocking discovery. The surrounding skeletons, which made up the knight's structure, were moving towards a giant core in the centre, just where his navel should have been. They were merging with the core.

"Shit!" I exclaimed. Another crashing sound followed, and I found myself outside his neck as it rocked moments after detaching his skull. His skull fell towards the ground.

Without looking back, I sprinted away because I knew... I had successfully failed.