After weeks of recovery and mental preparation, Dinis finally felt he had reached the level of Advanced Guardian Sentinel. His energy flowed with renewed intensity—a deeper and more powerful force than he had ever experienced before. Even so, he knew that the challenge he had previously faced still awaited him. The colossal armored knight, whose strength seemed unparalleled, remained the obstacle he needed to overcome to proceed on his journey.
Determined to confront him again, Dinis returned to the desolate field of their last encounter, his gaze fixed and his posture confident. He knew this fight would be crucial—the last chance to prove that his newly awakened strength would be sufficient. With the wind cutting around him and his muscles still marked by wounds, he prepared himself until the heavy and threatening figure emerged on the horizon.
"Hey! We're not finished yet..." shouted Dinis, his voice firm and defiant.
A few seconds later, the knight appeared, descending forcefully onto the ground. The impact was so intense that the earth shook, and the air around swept up dust and mud. With one injured eye and his imposing armor, he looked even more furious than before, his vision impaired by Dinis's attack in their last encounter. Even so, there was no sign of hesitation in his movements; he advanced with the same brutal confidence.
"I think you kept my knife. I came to get it back," taunted Dinis, trying to provoke his adversary.
Without wasting time, the knight launched himself at him, brandishing his colossal sword. Dinis quickly raised his own blade to block the blow, but the impact nearly threw him off balance, every bone in his arms trembling from the force of the attack. Before he could recover, the knight delivered an iron punch directly at him, aiming for his head. Dinis ducked at the last moment, spinning his body and kicking the knight's helmet toward his blind spot, the side of the injured eye. The kick succeeded, making the knight stagger backward, though only a few meters—his opponent was heavy, like a living wall.
Seizing the brief opening, Dinis leaped into the air and precisely drove his sword into the joint of the knight's armor between the torso and shoulder. The blade pierced through the steel, stabbing the flesh beneath. Feeling the successful strike, Dinis experienced a wave of confidence. But his adversary, even impaled, showed no sign of weakness. Instead, he grabbed Dinis's blade with his gloved hand and, with a brutal motion, flung him upward, sending him several meters away.
Dinis landed heavily, sliding through the mud until he stopped. The knight, even with the blade still embedded in his body, continued to advance, indifferent to the wound. The scene was bleak: he seemed like a tireless monster, immune to pain, as if his body had no limits. Now disarmed, Dinis quickly retreated to position himself near a ruined wall, trying to think of a new strategy. But the knight advanced with a dark ferocity, his thirst for vengeance so palpable that the air around seemed heavy, laden with murderous intent.
The next attack was a horizontal slash, an immense blade intending to cut him in half. Dinis managed to dodge just enough to avoid a fatal blow, but even so, the blade grazed the side of his waist, tearing his flesh and opening a deep wound. Blood flowed in a hot stream, and Dinis felt the intense pain that threatened to break his focus. He spat blood but had no time to lament; the knight's sword was embedded in the wall, and he needed to act.
With a swift movement, Dinis circled around the knight, positioning himself behind him, and kicked the tip of the sword upward with all his might. The impact made the blade cut the opponent's arm, severing it from the torso in a brutal slash. A cry of pain and hatred echoed throughout the area, the knight now enraged and blinded by fury. Blood flowed from the opening in his helmet, and his rage seemed to consume the air around, making the atmosphere almost suffocating.
But even at a disadvantage, the knight did not retreat. In an explosion of energy and desperation, he attacked with his remaining arm, completely ignoring the pain and the blood gushing out. Dinis tried to keep up with the frenetic pace but knew his body was nearing its limit. Both exchanged fierce blows, each more debilitated than the last. Blood covered their armor, and the ground around was marked by cuts and impacts from their strikes. The confrontation had turned into a race against time, where the first to falter would fall.
Dinis felt the weight of his wounds, his body responding more slowly, but he knew he needed to finish it soon. Breathing heavily, he planned one last move. He feigned a direct attack at the knight's head, and, as expected, the opponent raised his guard to defend the blow. At the last moment, Dinis redirected his force and violently stomped on the knight's knee, breaking the joint and causing him to lean forward, off-balance.
Not missing the opportunity, Dinis leaped over the knight, spinning his body in the air. His blade traced a deadly arc, striking the opponent's neck with precision. In a single blow, the helmet was severed from the heavy body, and the colossus of steel finally fell, defeated.