A heavy silence blanketed the battlefield. The only sound was the distant crackling of flames and the low hum of unnatural energy in the air.
Then—
A step.
The Dark Crimson Knight moved.
It wasn't a charge. It wasn't a lunge. It was a simple step forward. But the weight behind it sent a shiver down Noah's spine.
A suffocating bloodlust filled the air.
It was nothing like the controlled aggression of skilled players in Aetherborn Battlefront. This was raw, unfiltered killing intent, something no game could simulate.
And it was all directed at him.
"The first and last Archon," the Knight's distorted voice echoed from behind his crimson helmet. "Show me why you deserve that title."
He vanished.
No—he moved. But it was so fast that Noah barely had time to process it.
CLANG!
Noah's instincts screamed as he raised his blade—just in time. Sparks erupted as the Knight's colossal greatsword crashed against Noah's weapon. His arms nearly buckled under the force.
Fast. Powerful. Precise.
Noah gritted his teeth. In the game, he had fought countless warriors. He had memorized attack patterns, cooldowns, and movement speeds to climb the ranks.
But this?
This was different.
The weight of the Knight's attacks, the unpredictable shifts in stance, the sheer malice behind each strike—this wasn't a scripted fight.
This was real.
The Dark Crimson Knight swung again—a horizontal slash aiming to cleave Noah in half. Noah twisted his body, barely dodging by a hair's breadth, his instincts taking over.
"Too slow."
The voice was right next to his ear.
Noah's pupils shrank. The Knight had already repositioned, sword raised for a brutal downward strike.
He's reading my movements—?!
Noah had no time to think.
React. Adapt. Fight.
At the last second, he shifted his footwork, letting the blade graze past his shoulder. Pain exploded across his nerves, but he pushed through, twisting mid-motion to slash at the Knight's exposed side.
His sword found flesh.
A direct hit.
Or at least, it should have been.
Instead of cutting through armor, Noah's blade bounced off as if striking solid steel. A deep, ominous aura pulsed around the Knight's form.
Noah's instincts screamed—Danger.
The atmosphere changed.
A suffocating force filled the air, pressing down on him like a crushing tidal wave. The Knight wasn't fighting seriously before.
This—this was his real power.
SHING—!
In a flash, the greatsword disappeared from Noah's vision.
Then he felt it.
The cold steel of the blade hovering an inch from his throat.
I… lost?
For the first time, Noah felt something unfamiliar. Helplessness.
And then—
The Knight stepped back.
"A decent display." The deep voice rumbled with amusement. "But you are still bound by the habits of a player."
Noah's breath came in ragged gasps. He gripped his sword, sweat dripping down his forehead.
The Knight planted his sword into the ground.
"Understand this, Archon. This is no longer a game."
The stormy sky above rumbled.
Noah felt a chill settle deep in his bones.
This world…
Was real.