Sato had never seen a real knight in his life, only in movies. But this… this was no movie. This was real. And the knight's words — calling him weak, pitiful — ignited something hot and angry inside him.
Sato gripped the Asam Sword tighter.
He charged with everything he had.
Single Slash.
The blade flashed — fast, precise.
It cut through empty air.
The knight had vanished.
Before Sato could react, the knight reappeared right beside him — so close Sato could feel the cold radiating from the armor.
Fear gripped him.
He's too fast… I didn't even see him move.
"Attacking whil someone speaking is unwise," the knight said, voice deep and echoing, like thunder inside a tomb.
He swung his sword.
Sato barely raised his sword in time.
The impact was catastrophic.
The force threw Sato backward several meters. He rolled across the grass, tumbling, gasping. His arms shook from the sheer power. His sword felt like it had been struck by a mountain.
That strike… it's too heavy. I can't block it head-on Sato thought.
The knight appeared again — this time in front of him.
"Thinking too much in battle is also unwise," he said calmly.
Sato rolled aside just as the knight's sword came down — carving a deep gash in the ground.
He scrambled to his feet.
The knight tilted his head.
"Why run like a frightened rabbit?" he asked, voice almost amused. "From side to side, never standing your ground."
Sato didn't answer.
The knight disappeared again.
Sato felt the air shift.
He spun — just in time.
The knight reappeared behind him.
"Not answering when questioned is also unwise," the knight said, completing his earlier sentence.
Excalibur came down in a low arc.
Sato blocked — barely.
The force lifted him off the ground. He flew backward, crashing into the grass several meters away.
He rolled to a stop, coughing blood.
Damn it… he's on another level. I can't win this.
The knight stood motionless, the sword resting at his side.
"Hey," he said suddenly.
This time his voice was different — lower, colder, filled with real menace.
"You're not thinking of running away from this place, are you?"
The words felt like a death sentence.
Sato froze.
He didn't know what to say.
After a long silence, he forced the words out.
"Looks like… I can't leave until I beat you," he said, more to convince himself than the knight.
The knight tilted his head.
"Now that's more like it."
He raised his sword.
"I suppose I can draw my sword properly now."
Sato's eye widened.
He wasn't even using his full strength?
The knight slowly drew his sword from its sheath.
The blade was no longer just black — it was a swirling mix of midnight darkness and deep violet energy, crackling like lightning trapped in shadow. The air around it warped, light bending away from it.
"Now," the knight said, voice echoing with finality.
"Let me see your power."
He vanished again.
Sato sensed the freezing chill around him and moved accordingly. He raised his sword. At that moment, the knight appeared and struck. This time Sato barely managed to stay on his feet. But even so, the force of the blow pushed him back one or two steps.
"Not bad," the knight said, and this time he attacked directly.
Sato somehow managed to change the direction of the knight's sword, lifting it and trying to thrust his own blade into the knight's chest. But the knight's other hand struck him. Sato met the blow head-on with his face. He tumbled to the ground.
"Good attempt, but a bit weak and slow," the knight said.
This reminded Sato of the unused bonus stat points he had received when he leveled up earlier. To buy himself a little more breathing room, Sato retreated.
"Hey, are you starting to run away again?" the knight asked.
"No. I'm just thinking about how to teach you a lesson," Sato replied.
He's too fast. I need speed too. +10 Agility. To withstand his strikes: +10 Strength, +5 Endurance. And +5 Willpower. Because every word he says feels like it's urging me to kill myself, Sato thought to himself.
"If you've finished thinking, let's return to the battle," the knight said, attacking again.
This time he did not disappear into thin air like before. He simply moved so quickly that Sato's eyes couldn't follow him. The knight attacked from Sato's left side. Sato blocked the strike, and this time he did not fly back like before. He held his ground, trembling but standing.
"Hm, suddenly you feel stronger?" the knight said. "Let's see if you can block this too."
He began a series of attacks. This time Sato did not block them head-on; instead, he redirected them, changing their direction.
"Oho, not bad. Now things are getting interesting," the knight said.
Now Sato used the skill that sends mana in a wave. The knight dodged the attack and leaped back. Before the knight's feet touched the ground, Sato attacked, aiming straight for his chest. The knight blocked the strike.
"You also want to pierce my heart like one of my old friends?" the knight said.
Sato ignored the words and used the wave attack again. The knight dodged once more. This time Sato combined Mana Blade and Single Slash in his attack.
The knight blocked that strike as well. He looked at Sato's sword and said:
"You're using a fake aura, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sato replied.
"Hm, understandable," the knight said.
This time the knight attacked. Sato dodged and tried to strike from the side. Sato put all his strength into the blow. The knight blocked it, but he slid back a little.
"Oho, this one was the best yet," the knight said.
Sato retreated a little further and said to himself:
"I need to come up with something else."
Then he remembered the stone he had obtained earlier that he hadn't fully understood. He activated the Darkness Rune. He felt his mana increase, the lost mana already replenished, and he felt himself becoming much faster.
"This isn't bad at all," he said to himself. Then he looked at the additional bonus skills he had gained and thought about using them.
Soul Drain. The moment the skill activated, the surrounding grass died. Some kind of invisible wave spread out. But it did nothing to the knight. Then Sato activated Dark Flame. Just as he had sent mana in a wave before, this time he sent black fire in the same way. It touched the knight. Thinking this was an opportunity, Sato used Dark Steps and suddenly appeared beside the knight, attacking him. The knight blocked the strike. As their swords clashed, the knight said:
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Sato," he answered.
"Sato, huh," the knight said, pushing Sato back a little with one strike.
"Sato. You dared to use the power of Darkness? Right in front of the one who was supposed to guard that power."
The knight was burning in that black fire. But it did nothing to him.
"Think of yourself as lucky. Because you are one of the honorable humans who will hear my name."
"I am Arthur Pendragon. King of Camelot. Leader of the Round Table and the last commander of all knights. Hey Sato, I, King Arthur, challenge you to a true duel. Show me what you're capable of!" the knight shouted.
Suddenly the aura around him changed. Sato began to feel an even heavier sensation.
"If that's the case, let's begin," the knight said, disappearing into thin air and reappearing right in front of Sato.
"Too slow," the knight said, grabbing Sato's face with his free hand and slamming him into the ground. Sato sank a little into the earth.