Chapter 279: At the Hospital Again? Don't Tell Me the Armorless Union HQ is in a Hospital?
The purpose of the K.G.C.C clearly wasn't just to infect the Black Hole Knight with Oripathy. That would've been far too simple.
This unstable chunk of originite was dangerously volatile—far more than just a health hazard. Not only did it emit a terrifyingly high concentration of Originium radiation, but even the slightest contact with it could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction. Just being near it was like sitting on a powder keg.
Worse still, for someone like the Black Hole Knight, attempting to use Originium Arts in the middle of this mess was practically impossible. The instability of the originite would interfere with any incantation, disrupting spell formulas and rendering Arts useless—no matter how skilled the caster might be.
Even beings with far superior constitutions than humans would find it hard to move freely in such a toxic environment. For the Black Hole Knight, escape wasn't just difficult—it was next to impossible.
And then there were those Sarkaz Knights.
Unlike the Black Hole Knight, they had undergone brutal modifications, their bodies rebuilt through drugs and liquid Originium infusions. In this kind of environment, they didn't just survive—they thrived. The energy from the unstable Originium fueled them like some twisted stimulant, making them even stronger, even faster. Sure, the price was their lifespan, but since when did the K.G.C.C ever care about that?
To them, these knights were just disposable tools. Use them, break them, throw them away. If they still worked? Recycle and deploy them again. That was the mission of a tool—wasn't it?
Far away from the center of the arena, in the control tower, Czarny stood silently, his eyes fixed on the field below now blanketed in dangerous originite.
This setup hadn't come cheap.
The K.G.C.C had poured a fortune into acquiring these unstable originites—originally meant to deal with a certain "unnecessary nuisance."
He never expected to use them this soon.
But now, with the Black Hole Knight cornered and their enhanced knights in peak form, it was all but guaranteed.
The advantage was overwhelming.
The difference in power was night and day.
Even the legendary Silverlance Pegasi of Kazimierz would've struggled in these conditions—let alone a lone individual.
And the Black Hole Knight strange black-hole-like Arts? They didn't seem to be working at all.
Wasn't this a one-sided fight? How could they possibly lose?
That was what Czarny told himself.
But the gnawing unease in his heart only grew.
It intensified the moment he saw the Black Hole Knight figure standing calmly in the arena—unfazed, unshaken, not even the slightest bit disturbed by the hostile terrain around him.
Czarny's breath hitched.
Why? Why wasn't he panicking?
He tried to shake the feeling off. It was too late to back down now.
The arrow had already been nocked and released from the bow.
He was the one assigned by the K.G.C.C to eliminate the Black Hole Knight, and this operation couldn't—must not—fail.
Forcing himself to regain composure, Czarny grabbed the earpiece beside him and issued the command.
"Notify the Darksteels. Once that bastard shows a moment of vulnerability, kill him on the spot."
He passed the order to one of the Armorless Union assassins standing behind him before turning his eyes back to the Black Hole Knight.
Though... Now that he thought about it, Czarny couldn't help but laugh at his own words.
Was there ever even a single moment… when that man was actually vulnerable?
From the very beginning, his movements, his expression—the Black Hole Knight never once regarded anyone present as worthy of his attention.
With that kind of attitude, if the Darksteels really could act, they would've done so long ago.
After receiving Czarny's order, the Armorless Union assassin swiftly picked up a communicator and contacted their designated party.
Half a minute later, he hung up and delivered the response, voice flat:
"The Darksteels said the planned strike can't be carried out. You'll have to figure something else out yourselves."
"…Huh? What do you mean they can't do it? Now of all times? They're telling me they can't complete the hit?"
Czarny's eyes widened in disbelief.
The entire plan was built around this moment—the Sarkaz knights were meant to keep the Black Hole Knight occupied, and then the Darksteels would deliver the finishing blow.
That was the plan.
For it to fall apart now, right as the trap was set, was unacceptable.
What the hell were those assassins thinking? Did they forget who their employer was? Who fed them?
"The Darksteels said that if you have any complaints, you can go to the hospital and ask them in person. They'll be happy to explain it face-to-face."
The communications officer's voice remained calm and expressionless. He was merely a messenger, and this was the extent of the reply he'd been instructed to deliver.
But that last line struck Czarny like a slap to the face. He slammed his fist on the table, rage flaring in his eyes.
Hospital. Again with the damn hospital.
What, were the Armorless Union holding all their board meetings at the emergency room now?
First it was one Platinum, then two Lazurite—and all of them were shipped off to the hospital one after another. Now you're telling me even the Darksteels are going to lie down and take a hospital bed too?!
As a K.G.C.C spokesperson, Czarny wasn't about to buy this nonsense.
To him, this was nothing more than a power play.
The Armorless Union was clearly trying to use the situation to raise their asking price, to squeeze more influence out of the K.G.C.C while they had the leverage.
Hah. Bunch of brain-dead assassins. Do they really think they can get away with stabbing them in the back at a time like this?
Let them have their little stunt. When the K.G.C.C regains control, we'll see who ends up getting "hospitalized."
His fists clenched tighter, but Czarny said nothing more.
If the Darksteels wouldn't move, then so be it—he had no authority to command them directly.
The price of this betrayal would be paid later.
Right now, the Black Hole Knight still needed to be dealt with.
But without the Armorless Union's support, the cost of victory had just skyrocketed.
The modified knights, already expensive assets, would likely all be lost. And the unstable originite littering the arena? It would have to be completely consumed. Worst case scenario—they might even have to abandon the entire Roar Arena.
The contamination would be too severe. For the next few decades, nothing could be built on this land again.
And all of it—this massive cost—was thanks to those bastards at the Armorless Union turning tail at the last moment.
Czarny could almost feel his heart bleeding at the thought.
Still, their underhanded backstab… it really did fit the K.G.C.C's "profits above all" mantra, didn't it?
As Czarny continued seething with rage and frustration—the battle below had already begun.
The unstable Originium terrain did indeed pose some trouble for Steven.
The radiation continuously refreshed the Oripathy status effect on him, stacking that corrosive Oripathy debuff endlessly.
So long as he remained in the affected area—or unless he found a way to completely clear away the originite—no amount of cleansing, not even milk, would help him shake it off.
But ironically, it was because of this intense situation… that he discovered a hidden advantage—a side effect of his Evol transformation he hadn't noticed before.
He had braced himself for that familiar itch—the crawling sensation of Oripathy creeping in from all the unstable Originium around him.
But then… nothing.
He blinked.
There were no status effects. No ticking debuff. Not even a minor alert flashing in the corner of his vision.
The corrupted, chaotic Originium radiation was being completely blocked—his status bar was squeaky clean, as if he were standing in a neutral zone.
And that's when he remembered:
Right, the Evol Armor does come with full-spectrum radiation shielding.
It's built to survive the vacuum of space, withstand cosmic rays, and endure solar flares, of course something like Originium radiation wouldn't even scratch it.
'So what you're telling me is… these guys probably can't even break through my armor?"
Steven wasn't delusional—he knew the Kamen Rider Craft Mod he was using wasn't top-tier. It had some jank, and he was definitely working with a slightly "scuffed" version.
Still, the system had given him a full kit of features. And if he followed the base stats from the original setting…?
Then this armor?
Easily tankier than full enchanted Diamond or Netherite gear.
It didn't offer percentage-based damage reduction, sure—but for trash mobs like these? It may as well have been absolute immunity. Their attacks would just… bounce off.
Rather than clear the field with a flashy black hole, he decided to test his theory.
He looked at the horde of Sarkaz knights—now even bulkier than before, their muscles grotesquely swollen from forced enhancement.
Then he raised a hand… and beckoned them forward.
A deliberate taunt.
As for Czarny's grand plan of using unstable Originium to scramble his spellcasting?
Utterly pointless.
This wasn't Originium Arts he was using. These weren't bound by the laws of this world.
Even if they stacked every last pebble of unstable Originium from the entire continent at his feet, his ability would still function perfectly.
Trying to interfere with an external modded power source using internal world rules? Please. That kind of logic was childishly naive.
The Sarkaz knights, now fully consumed by berserker rage, took the taunt as an invitation to slaughter.
With roars of fury, they raised weapons nearly as tall as Steven himself—massive, grotesque things that looked like they were made to split tanks—and charged in.
Dozens of blades and bludgeons whistled through the air, each swing carving arcs like fireworks.
The sound of impact was deafening, the kind of low, meaty boom that echoed across the arena and made Czarny jolt at the control console above.
He waited.
Surely that had done something, right?
But the next second…
He witnessed a scene that shattered his worldview.
The Black Hole Knight did not fall.
The Black Hole Knight did not even flinch.
Instead, it was the attackers who collapsed.
One by one, the Sarkaz knights stumbled backward, as if they'd just slammed their weapons into solid steel. Their greatswords and hammers went flying from their hands, clattering to the floor as they reeled in pain, bones shivering from the recoil.
It was as if their strikes had connected not with a human body, but with a wall of unbreakable alloy.
The backlash alone was enough to disrupt their balance and send them sprawling.
And in the center of it all, the Black Hole Knight, completely unscathed, simply brushed some invisible dust off his shoulder plate and shook his hand in mild irritation.
"Wow~ You guys can't even crack my armor. Guess I was giving you guys too much credit."
He said it casually. Almost pityingly.
To Czarny, watching from above, it was nothing short of a nightmare.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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