The silence was almost absolute.
Yuto and Lianne were still sitting on the wooden floor of the cabin, side by side. Outside, dusk had given way to a moonless night, where the stars seemed afraid to shine.
Time slipped away.
Each second was a grain of sand falling to the bottom of the abyss opening up inside Yuto. He could still hear Lianne's words echoing in his head: "Maybe... if you kill me, I'll get enough levels."
He didn't respond immediately. He stood there, silent. Fighting. Against the system. Against the world. Against himself.
His gaze was lost, but his body trembled.
Until a notification appeared, cutting through the silence like a blade.
> [System Notification]
Target Location: Shadow Knight revealed.
Time remaining: 02:34:08.
Proximity: 13km.
Recommendation: Prepare to die.
>
Yuto stood slowly, as if every muscle resisted the movement. Lianne watched him, her face pale and her eyes moist. She knew what was coming next.
"It's time," he said, his voice hoarse. "I have to go."
Lianne stood too, but said nothing. She just hugged him.
And before she could pull away, Yuto cupped her face with one hand-rough, calloused, still with dried blood on her nails-and kissed her.
The kiss was quick. Brutal. A desperate seal on everything that was never said.
Lianne stood still for a moment, her eyes wide... and then, when he pulled away, the tears came hard.
"Please... come back alive..."
Yuto didn't answer. He simply grabbed his sword—the black blade that had once been a grotesque dagger, now imbued with something perverse—and strapped it to his back.
Come back alive...
The idea was absurd. The mission was impossible.
Shadow Knight. Level 50. I'm level 9. What a joke...
As he walked through the shadowy paths, Yuto felt doubt growing in his mind like a tumor:
What if I gave up? What if I run away?
The system mentioned penalties, but never said what.
Dying to the Knight would be quick. Maybe. But the penalty... could be slow. Painful. Infinite.
Or worse... maybe it would involve Lianne. Maybe it would erase her from existence. As if she'd never existed. As if I'd killed her any other way.
The mere possibility made his fists clench.
—Shit...
He quickened his pace.
The world around him seemed denser. The trees bent their branches as if to block his path. Shadows danced among the bushes. Everything seemed... to know.
The system was playing with him. It shaped the path like a theater director preparing the stage for the final act.
And him? He was just the bloodied clown who should die smiling.
Another notification flashed before his eyes:
> [Confrontation Zone]
Approaching Execution Area.
Warning: Enemy level exceeds yours by more than 400%.
Chance of victory: 0.01%.
Good luck, Executioner.
>
He laughed. An empty, insane laugh. The only possible reaction to so much contempt.
The clearing appeared.
In the center of it, standing motionless as a living statue, was the Shadow Knight.
The armor was grotesque, made of black steel fused with flesh. Bones were exposed between the plates. A tattered cloak flapped without wind. And from the helmet's eyes—two glowing circles like embers—emerged a crushing presence.
He saw it. And smiled. Yes, the damned man smiled.
"So you are my executioner..." The voice sounded like metal dragging stone.
Yuto didn't hesitate.
"I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch."
The Executioner drew his sword. The air around him vibrated. The blade seemed to respond to his rage.
The Knight also raised his weapon - a huge, heavy greatsword, covered in faded runes.
Both were about to launch themselves. The clash of fate. Death lurked.
And then...
"GET OUT OF MY FRONT."
The voice came from behind Yuto.
Human. Firm. Authoritative.
Yuto only had time to start to turn his face away.
"Wha?!"
CRACK.
A sharp impact.
A fist covered in a heavy gauntlet black steel with pulsing red veins collided with Yuto's skull with absurd force.
He was thrown like a rag doll.
He flew through the air, spinning out of control, crashing through trees, crushing bushes, until he crashed violently against a rock, cracking it on impact.
The world spun. The pain was total. Blood ran from his ears.
And silence fell.
The Shadow Knight stood still, watching in silence.
Then his eyes those glowing circles turned to the man now walking toward the clearing.
He was tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair tied back in a short ponytail. He wore stylized red and black armor with an ancient symbol on his chest an emblem that resembled a grinning skull engulfed in flames.
And the most disturbing thing?
He was smiling.
A cold smile. Confident. Full of contempt.
The man passed by Yuto slumped, semi-conscious as if he were trash.
"What a joke..." he said, looking directly at the Knight. "Is this what they sent to kill you?"
The Knight didn't answer.
But the tension shifted.