The last knight stood alone. The strongest one.
Its chest glowed faintly with a dull blue light beneath layers of jagged ice.
Vesper stood across from it. His breathing was unsteady. His ribs still ached from earlier, his fingers were going numb from the cold, and the edge of his sword had started to dull.
He wasn't in good shape. And he couldn't afford to let this fight drag on.
I need to end this fast, he thought.
He shifted his weight forward, ready to lunge—
But just as he wanted to lunge, the knight vanished.
He didn't see it move.
Before he could register what had happened, something slammed into his side.
A heavy force sent him flying across the hollow. He crashed into the far wall, knocking the air from his lungs. His vision blurred for a moment.
It took him a few seconds to move. He tried to rise—but the knight was already in front of him.
It was mid-swing by the time he looked up.
He raised his sword and caught the downward strike, just in time. The impact rattled through his body. The ground beneath him cracked from the pressure. His stance broke. He couldn't hold it.
He pushed off to the side, letting the strike carry past him. The greatsword slammed into the ice beside him, bursting it into frozen shards.
Before he could fully rise, the knight vanished from his sight again—and reappeared directly above him.
Another vertical strike came, even faster than before.
He didn't hesitate. I can't block that in time.
He snapped his fingers. And then—
The air distorted slightly. Everything around him slowed.
To him, the world was in slow motion.
He had used his first and only Principle. Law of Time
Only he could move at normal speed.
He sidestepped the incoming blade and stepped in close. With a clean, horizontal slash, he severed the knight's right arm at the joint.
As soon as it was done, time returned to normal.
The knight's severed arm hit the ground and shattered into shards.
Vesper dropped to one knee, coughing up blood.
Damn it… I shouldn't have used it this soon.
The Law of Time was his only Principle. It allowed him to slow the area around him for five seconds while giving himself a slight speed boost in return.
In theory, it was overpowered. But the backlash was heavy.
The Principle required a huge amount of Primal Energy. And at 3rd Cycle, his Essence wasn't vast enough to store more Primal Energy.
Right now, he had nothing left for a second use.
The knight didn't react to the lost arm.
It simply stepped back, lifted its sword with the remaining hand, and resumed its stance.
Vesper stood slowly. His body felt heavier than before. The backlash from using his Principle was unbearable. His limbs were slower. His hands trembled.
He shifted his grip on the sword.
It's using one arm now, he thought, frowning. It still can fight…tsk, I should have ended it with the Law of Time.
The knight blurred again.
He didn't try to follow it with his eyes. The knight was slower than before now that it had lost one arm.
He slid sideways just in time to avoid a sweeping arc that cut through where he had just been standing.
The strike carved into the frozen floor with ease. If he'd been slower by even half a second, it would've broken more than just his sword.
He retaliated with a horizontal slash toward the knight's side.
The knight didn't pause. Its sword swung again with brutal precision.
Vesper ducked under the swing and dropped low, placing a palm against the icy ground.
He didn't have the strength for another direct clash. So he redirected what little energy he had left.
Thin spikes of frost surged upward beneath the knight's feet.
The knight shifted its foot just in time. It still took some of the impact, but not enough to damage it. It was adapting.
…It knows my tricks…
He stepped back, creating distance to catch a breath. But the knight didn't let him.
It charged again.
Vesper raised a wall of ice to defend—but the knight tore through it like paper.
Fuck!
Vesper braced his sword with both hands and blocked.
The impact sent him skidding backwards again, boots digging into the ice.
His shoulders screamed from the force.
I can't keep this up. I need to change the pace. It has somehow memorized my tricks. I need something new and unexpected to catch it off guard.
This time, when the knight moved, he didn't block or dodge.
He met it head-on.
But just before impact, he dropped flat to the ice and slid underneath the swing.
As he passed under the knight's guard, he thrust upward towards its knee.
The blade went in. Not too deep but deep enough.
Frost surged from the blade, locking the leg in place for a half-second.
Vesper twisted and forced the blade sideways. Cracks spread up the knight's thigh and hip.
The knight jerked back and tried to lift its leg—but the cracked knee shattered.
It fell to one side, catching itself on the stump of its other arm.
Now.
Vesper didn't wait.
He pushed off the ground and charged forward, channelling all the ice he could through his blade. His Essence was barely holding, but he forced it.
He drove the sword into the knight's chest, right into the glowing light beneath the ice.
The blade hit something hard.
A core.
The knight froze.
From the point of impact, frost spread outward, creeping along its body like a living thing. The glow dimmed.
And then، the ice cracked.
And the body shattered.
Large chunks hit the floor with a heavy clatter.
Silence followed.
Vesper stood there, panting, his arms trembling. His right arm was completely covered in fresh blood. He couldn't feel his fingers.
Finally, he exhaled deeply.
He let go of the sword, letting it fall with a dull clink. He sat down, running a hand through his blood-soaked hair. "I suppose the trial ends with this. I hope so at least. I can barely stand."
Minutes passed and he just sat on the ground, leaning back on the frozen wall.
Suddenly, a deep, sharp scent filled the air. He turned his head toward it.
On the other side of the hollow, resting quietly on the pedestal, was a small green crystal.
Realizing what it was, Vesper walked toward it cautiously.
The closer he got, the warmer the air seemed to feel. His steps were slow. Every part of his body ached, but he moved forward.
When he reached the pedestal, he stared at the green crystal for a moment. It pulsed faintly with a soft internal glow.
He picked it up. It was surprisingly warm to the touch. Like a flame in his hand.
Without much thought, he brought it to his lips and swallowed it in one go. The moment it passed his throat, a gentle heat spread through his core.
The chill that was in his bones receded. The ache in his joints vanished. He could feel his muscles ease, wounds sealing from within.
His right hand, which had gone nearly numb, flexed with renewed strength.
"As expected, it's a middle-grade healing crystal," he sighed, feeling way better than before. "Despite its harshness, this hollow is quite generous."
He rolled his shoulder once and then again. The soreness wasn't entirely gone, but it was manageable now. He could breathe easier.
He stood a little straighter now. It felt like he was in perfect condition, but he knew he wasn't. The energy inside him was cleaner but not full. His Primal Energy reserve still needed time to recover.
"So…how should I return now—"
As if answering his question, the ground trembled beneath his feet.
Narrowing his eyes, he turned toward the ring of twelve broken swords surrounding the platform. One by one, they began to hum, subtle lights running up their shattered blades.
They rose slowly, hovering in the air. Vesper took a cautious step back.
The swords started to rotate. At first, they moved gently, but the pace picked up with every second. They spun faster and faster, until their forms blurred, melting into one another. In the centre of the spiral, something long took shape.
It was faint at first. But then it began to solidify. It was a sword. Unlike any he had seen before.
It shimmered like it was made of moonlight, its blade long and narrow, its edges impossibly sharp. The silver-white surface glowed faintly. It looked more ethereal than physical.
It floated gently down.
Vesper reached out and took it with both hands. His grip closed around the hilt instinctively.
His breath caught in his throat.
"This…is beautiful."
He held it at his side, then lifted it again, swinging lightly. There was no resistance. It cut through the air like it didn't exist.
"It's too light," he murmured. "It feels as if I'm not holding anything at all. Is this my reward or something?"
Then again, as if answering his question, the mist began to lift slowly.
The dome of fog that surrounded the Hollow peeled back like curtains. The floor beneath him cracked open, lines spreading outward in quiet fractures. It was like the arena was collapsing.
Light came in through the cracks.
Then, without warning, the platform vanished beneath his feet.
"What?"
He didn't have time to react.
He fell.
And his vision turned black.