As for the Black Knight, Sturlhoute (Stout), aside from his immortal body cursed by time, he possessed no other unique abilities. His sole strengths were his consummate swordsmanship and the demonic sword in his hand!
Sturlhoute, wielding the Vlov sword, emanated a sinister black aura that seemed to coalesce into ferocious beasts. With each swing, they transformed into ancient dragons, baring fangs and claws as they lunged at Ryougi Raku.
Ryougi Raku showed no fear, his longsword radiating boundless, murderous intent. This chilling aura was like permafrost, freezing everything in its path!
The demonic dragons and the frigid cold finally collided. The endless killing intent gradually tore through the black aura, while the black miasma gnawed at its prey!
Ryougi Raku felt that the black aura had no fixed form yet was viscous and heavy like tar, hindering his advance. After several clashes, he realized he hadn't even truly touched the physical blade of Vlov!
Moreover, with each impact, the black aura would splatter outward. Even after detaching from the demonic sword, it seemed alive, crawling up Ryougi Raku's wrist. Where it touched, his flesh began to rot as if poisoned!
Before him, Sturlhoute remained composed and steady, his calm demeanor inspiring dread.
Brad, too, held no chivalry. Seizing an opening in their duel, he charged into the fray. Ryougi Raku was momentarily flustered; the Black Knight's longsword demanded his full attention. He didn't fully understand the sword's nature, and this unknown bred fear.
When truly cornered, he would rather take a few cuts from the White Knight Brad at minimal cost than be struck by Vlov!
Watching the handsome young man before him accumulate wound after wound, Brad's sickly smile widened, a perverse satisfaction welling within him.
Gradually, the rhythm fell completely under the control of the Black and White Knights. Ryougi Raku found himself increasingly able only to parry, and no matter how careful he was, much of that strange black miasma still corroded his arms.
'I can't go on like this!' Ryougi Raku grew secretly anxious. He had planned to escape! Yet he had fallen into such a deadlock!
Gritting his teeth, he completely abandoned his defensive stance, allowing the two longswords opposite him to pierce his body—though he shifted slightly to avoid vital points, ensuring his subsequent actions wouldn't be hindered.
Changing his grip on the longsword, Ryougi Raku unleashed an ultimate technique!
"Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!" Nine different slashes, transcending space and time, struck simultaneously! Though Ryougi Raku still couldn't achieve absolute perfection, the interval between these nine strikes was already infinitesimally small!
"!!!" Brad was startled, never expecting his prey to counterattack at such a critical moment!
But Sturlhoute remained unhurried, calmly parrying with his sword. Though he still took a hit, he seemed utterly unfazed by the wound!
Seizing this opening, Ryougi Raku swiftly leaped out of the encirclement.
Just then! A white figure suddenly appeared, moving so fast that even Ryougi Raku couldn't react! From the corner of his eye, a bolt of white lightning whistled in, followed by a sharp pain in his waist and abdomen—a portion of his body vanished.
After landing, he stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance. Ryougi Raku looked down at his waist; a section of his organs was missing, a bloody, rotten mess. Countless gashes covered his body, blood gushing out, and the eerie black miasma seemed to gain momentum, swirling around his wrists, attempting to climb further up!
At this moment, Ryougi Raku clearly saw the white entity.
It was indeed the Primate Murder!
Ryougi Raku's current appearance was utterly wretched; to the two men and one beast before him, he was already a trapped bird.
"What a grand spectacle! First Ancestor, Sixth Ancestor, Eighth Ancestor! The combined assault of three Ancestors—what an honor!" Ryougi Raku gasped for breath, giving the illusion of exhaustion... "Young man, surely you'll surrender now?" The White Knight Brad said with a sunny, grinning smile.
Sturlhoute said nothing, merely stepping toward Ryougi Raku one stride at a time, his actions speaking for themselves.
After striking, Bremet sat motionless on the ground, licking the blood from her right paw—the very paw that had wounded Ryougi Raku... Brad followed closely behind Sturlhoute, walking as he spoke, "Still not going to tell us your name? If not, you won't get another chance..." Brad's words were laced with malicious intimidation.
Imagining capturing him and being able to do this and that, Brad's face flushed with excitement... Ryougi Raku propped himself up with his sword, head bowed, seemingly resigned to his fate, but no one could see the cold sneer on his face!
"Feel... the pain..." A low, dark voice emerged from Ryougi Raku's mouth.
"What did you say?" Not hearing clearly, Brad asked in surprise.
Suddenly, Sturlhoute grabbed Brad by the collar.
"Watch out!" The usually composed Sturlhoute's voice held urgency. Simultaneously, he yanked Brad rapidly backward!
Deep purple flames, as if from hell, erupted from the void. Upon closer inspection, they coalesced into a blurry, terrifying figure. In the next instant, the phantom fully materialized into a colossal, grotesque, and horrifying monster!
"Origin of Pain!" A sneer played on Ryougi Raku's lips as he slowly uttered four words. The Origin of Pain responded to his call, opening its massive maw as if grinning, and spewed forth a dark, profound, eerily mysterious flame. The flames, profound and cold, surged toward the Black and White Knights with overwhelming momentum!
Bremet, seeing this monster, instantly stood and assumed a battle stance. However, the monster seemed to anticipate her movements; its sunken pupils turned to gaze at her... Their eyes met, and Bremet's body shuddered as if entering a dream!
"Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh!" Brad suddenly cried out in pain, his limbs flailing somewhat comically.
"Hmph..." The Black Knight also grunted; even he found this pain somewhat unbearable!
This was still thanks to Sturlhoute's swift action—using Vlov to summon a mysterious mist that blocked most of the purple flames. Yet, a tiny portion still breached their defenses and struck them.
Even such a minuscule amount caused this agony; if fully engulfed by those flames, the consequences would be unimaginable!
After unleashing the Origin of Pain, Ryougi Raku turned and darted in one direction. Treading on air, his speed was astonishing, and he vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye!
'This power is truly annoying...' As he moved swiftly, Ryougi Raku grew secretly irritated by the eerie black miasma.
External injuries, even the wounds inflicted by Bremet, Ryougi Raku could recover from quickly and completely. It was the Black Knight's miasma that proved most troublesome!
Now he finally understood what it was! This strange mist wasn't poison at all—it was a curse of time!
Just like Sturlhoute's own immortal body, but this substance used the curse of time to attack!
Of course, Ryougi Raku knew Sturlhoute couldn't truly master time's power; he could only apply it to a limited extent. Yet even so, it still posed a significant problem for Ryougi Raku... 'It will take some time to fully analyze and resolve this...' Fortunately, his initial choice had been to flee. These opponents were no simpletons; though they had fought fiercely earlier, in reality, none had yet revealed their true trump cards!
Seeing Ryougi Raku suddenly flee, and in that direction, Sturlhoute was instantly enraged!
Because that direction was precisely where Arcueid was!
At this, the usually composed Black Knight could no longer restrain himself, completely forgetting his earlier advice to Brad. His magical energy surged, its terror even exceeding Brad's earlier display, radiating waves of decay!
"Hey, hey..." Brad beside him looked at his good friend with a rather helpless expression. 'You just advised me not to use big moves, and now you're using one yourself!'
Magical energy gathered upon the demonic sword, and the black aura grew dense and vast, trembling and pulsating as if it had found the most delicious sustenance.
"Truth—Vlov!" A low roar sounded as he uttered the true name of the demonic sword. Vlov unleashed a black, dead, lightless darkness, like a shroud enveloping the sky, sweeping across the land, the vegetation, and the Origin of Pain under Ryougi Raku's control... By now, Bremet had long broken free from the illusion and, witnessing the Black Knight's move, silently retreated several steps... Stones decayed, vegetation corroded, and the Origin of Pain vanished into nothingness within this silence, without any resistance... This black radiance, surpassing Ryougi Raku's speed, pursued him relentlessly. However, due to Ryougi Raku's head start, it gradually dissipated over the excessive distance... Feeling the terrifying, all-corrupting magical energy behind him, Ryougi Raku broke into a cold sweat...
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TL: SANTA ISNT REAL; IT'S A CONSPIRACY, I TELL YOU!!!, BUT ANYWAYS, HAPPY~CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!,
PS: IM TIRED OF EATING PLUM CAKES T_T