The Dullahan—a being whose appearance had been recorded only four times in history. And each of those times, the battlefield had been drenched in the blood of thousands of warriors. The last time one was sighted was thirty-five years ago, when it faced the strongest samurai of the East, the mightiest knight of the Iron Kingdom, and the commander of the Elven Royal Guard. They had managed to bring the Dullahan down, but none of them survived the battle.
It was a monster no warrior wished to ever encounter.
When Ian and his group stood before it, their first thought was: This is too much… this can't be part of a mere trial.
But there was no turning back. The only path forward was through the Dullahan.
The air grew heavy as the headless knight raised its great sword, dark energy pulsing from its armored form. Beside Ian, Asha bit her lip nervously, while Ralph clenched his fists and stepped forward.
"I don't care what kind of monster this thing is," Ralph said, his voice sharp with determination. "If killing it is the only way to clear this trial, then I'll smash it to pieces. Standing around won't change anything."
Ian smirked at Ralph's reckless courage.
"He's right. We've spent three months pushing ourselves to the limit. There's no reason to doubt now."
Asha nodded, gripping her spear tightly. "We didn't come this far just to lose here. No matter who our opponent is—we'll win."
The three of them stood side by side, ready to face the nightmare.
Ralph, burning with excitement, was the first to charge. But as he rushed forward, the Dullahan merely glanced at him. With a single motion, it summoned a dark knight—an armored servant born of death itself.
The meaning was clear. To the Dullahan, Ralph wasn't even worth fighting directly.
Ralph's eyes widened, then narrowed in fury. "You think I'm not good enough for you? Fine! I'll crush your little pawn first!"
Channeling his aura and elemental energy into his fist, he struck with devastating force. The death knight met his punch with a clash of steel, blocking him effortlessly. Ralph grinned, blood pumping with exhilaration.
"Not bad… I guess you'll keep me entertained."
Meanwhile, Ian and Asha advanced toward the Dullahan. But before they could get close, a swarm of skeletons and undead soldiers rose from the ground, blocking their path.
"Tch… he doesn't even see us as a threat," Ian muttered, irritation in his eyes. He turned to Asha. "These skeletons aren't much. You can handle them. I'll take the Dullahan myself."
Asha nodded firmly and leapt into battle with the undead, while Ian rushed forward, aura blazing around his sword.
With a powerful swing, Ian struck directly at the Dullahan—only for the monstrous knight to stop his blade with one gauntleted hand. He hadn't even drawn his weapon.
Ian's eyes widened in disbelief. He stopped my full-force strike… with his hand?
The Dullahan's voice echoed hollowly from the darkness of his helm.
"Child… you should have stayed with the skeletons. I am far too much for you."
Ian froze, his blood running cold. It can speak?! What kind of monster is this…?
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