Knigrave was in a gigantic room, separated from any ally who could help him. The chamber was made of white wood, with red symbols engraved into the walls. Standing before him was probably the strongest among the hooded figures. The man wore a black cloak, and a red symbol could be seen on his chest.
"From what I've heard, in terms of power, you're the strongest among Leon's knights."
"Of course I am. Isn't it obvious? Are you stupid or something?"
The response was so quick and confident that the hooded man fell silent for a moment. It was as if Knigrave were speaking to a child who had no idea what power was. With a sigh, the man slowly lowered his hood.
His hair was shaved on the sides, while the same red symbol was marked in the center of his forehead. His eyes were dark, and his expression carried obvious sarcasm.
"You'd better be careful, Black Knight. Too much confidence can get you killed."
"It'll only kill me if I'm not strong enough."
Still wearing a sarcastic smile, the hooded man drew his weapon from his waist. It had a short handle and a cylindrical metal head connected by a chain. Once again, the same symbol appeared, this time engraved into the weapon's handle.
"My name is João—"
"Nice. Since you've introduced yourself, let's get started."
Knigrave was already in front of João, his sword erupting with darkness wrapped in crimson trails. Raising his weapon, João slammed the cylindrical head against Knigrave's blade. A crimson aura reflected the attack, forcing the Black Knight's arms upward.
"Red Lumina Magic: Reflect."
"Red Lumina?"
Before he could move, Knigrave was struck in the head by the weapon's iron spikes. His body was lifted several centimeters into the air by the force João had put into his arms, something only one person had ever managed to do through physical strength alone. That person was Leon.
"The name of this weapon is a flail. It's interesting, don't you think?"
"I prefer swords."
Even while airborne, Knigrave activated his magic once more. The sword exploded with mana, which burst from the tip of the blade. He used that explosion as propulsion by pointing the sword behind him. His body shot behind João, who looked surprised. With a spin in midair, his sword slashed across his opponent's back, and immediately afterward Knigrave kicked him in the neck, hurling him into the nearby wall with tremendous force. The wall João crashed into didn't even receive a scratch.
'Of course this room would have that kind of durability.'
Still in the air, Knigrave let himself fall to the ground with a powerful stomp, causing an earthquake that spread throughout the room. The place's durability was far too great to be destroyed by simple attacks alone. Even the furniture possessed resistance far beyond that of magical defenses.
"Whoever built this place was a genius at making furniture."
"My lady, Solene, built it."
João stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. He was injured, but he didn't seem to care much. That room had been built by Leon's biological mother after dedicating many years to that work.
"So that woman made all this? In that case, I take back my compliment. I don't want to praise someone who tried to pull a scheme against my lord."
"That scheme only proves my lady's genius even more."
"If she's a genius, then why was she discovered so easily?"
"Why are you acting so proud all of a sudden? From what I saw, you were falling right into my lady's words."
With every word exchanged between them, the pressure within the room continued to rise. Mana poured out from both of their bodies, most likely because they were both irritated.
Knigrave took one step forward and vanished for an instant. Behind him, an explosion erupted, and suddenly several gigantic lines of darkness mixed with crimson surrounded João. Once again, he was surprised by what that knight was doing.
'He's using pure magical power to completely surpass my speed? Just as they say, idiots like him are difficult to fight.'
Using his magic on the weapon, the cylindrical head glowed with a brilliant crimson color. Each spike emitted an increasingly intense light with every passing second. His eyes struggled to keep up with Knigrave's speed. As he noticed the movement behind him, João turned and swung the flail.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm already behind you again."
Even though João had managed to perceive that movement, Knigrave increased his speed even further and appeared behind him once more. The sword rose and split his body in half. João's eyes turned backward as his body collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud. Knigrave watched the body fall without much concern. His opponent was undoubtedly physically strong, but in terms of magical power, he was below him.
"Anyway, I need to find those spoiled women."
As he took a step forward, Knigrave noticed that his opponent's weapon was still glowing. He immediately stepped back several times. Even so, an explosion erupted and reached him. It was so powerful that it finally cracked some of the furniture. The damage to the furnishings was minor, but it undoubtedly proved just how powerful that attack had been.
"That's why I always say my lady is a genius."
João had gotten back to his feet without a single scratch. The part of his body that had been cut apart seemed to have rejoined itself, because there were still marks on his clothes proving that none of it had been an illusion.
"Even so, having to waste one is humiliating."
The mark on João's clothing had lost the brilliance it once had. Fortunately, he had managed to defeat his opponent without using much of his own power. Thanks to that, he still had plenty of energy left to help his lady.
As he brushed the dust off his clothes once again, he suddenly felt his shoulder being grabbed. His eyes widened as he saw Knigrave standing behind him, cracking his neck with his left hand. His armor had suffered some damage, but it remained intact.
"Immortality? No... There must be some weakness."
Gripping his opponent's shoulder tightly, Knigrave slammed João into the ground. Spinning his sword in his hand, he aimed for the man's chest. Seeing the Black Knight's movement, João brought the flail in front of his body, managing to block the attack. Knigrave observed his opponent with complete seriousness. The eyes behind his helmet glowed a deep crimson.
"People with some kind of immortality are difficult to deal with. So I'll have to take you seriously."
His strength increased, forcing the flail backward. A dark energy mixed with crimson began to escape from within the armor.
"Activate Title: Black Knight."