'No escape, it can't be?'
The Knight was realising how incredible it is that Despan was able to achieve the same thing as the sphere beneath the academy. The reality was that it had felt that it couldn't escape, this somehow felt more hopeless than being in there…
'Kitrino is in here with me, and so is Dsace, the rest of the army should be able to use Dsace's skill, but he probably has strong mental defences – maybe I should try.'
Then Tyun appeared, using [Sense Manipulation], [Horror Mirror], and [Set Grasp].
'Nothing… Despan must have set up a space that nothing could intrude in around himself too. The real problem is that he's pushing the concept of its power as far as he could manage. These are the same heights I used to push. Being so desperate one forgot to care about the future losses, as long as victory was in sight.'
Back in the dungeon, the Knight had slowed down time to a crawl using fear – because in the end powers aren't as simple as skills, which are one directional channels of a repeatable action or event. Powers are more defined because they actually give one authority over a property. And at some point, the Knight had begun using them like skills.
The Knight then pushed as much of its void out, because there was another thing it had neglected. [Daunting] may be able to stop a power, but it was the authority over other powers that it had authority.
Push as it did though, nothing happened. It seemed it had not yet been able to use this power to the extent it was attempting. This place was shrinking and the Knight could survive for much longer, but there was no way Kitrino could handle any more of this, she is just at level 250, Dsace was 271, and the Knight, 315. So, she might be crushed.
The Knight then made a desire for space to not be real. It remained. [Desire] was probably the Knights most powerful power, but there was no point if it could not use it as such – maybe it was because the Knight had not yet become a complete dreaded being just as Avarice said – just like how Kitrino was an incomplete general.
It might have to think about this later, for now it had to make sure that she lived long enough to actually become complete. The Knight then began absorbing the void into the armour – an eventuality it had hoped to avoid.
It could use the item it had crafted earlier in the woods of Elleria, but this did not call for such a devastating tool, so it instead came up with another plan. This plan heavily relied on the Knight depending on others, so it didn't like it, not one bit.
"In the end, Avarice was right – I really aren't a true dreaded being, but at the very least, I am one of the void, one of the few ever spawn to actually be made with such unique composition. Even reality winces in my presence."
It had not wanted to admit Avarice was right through facing another being again whilst using the void armament. As soon as it was on, the Knight punched straight through all the layers of the distorted space. Shattering all of them. Then it threw her out. It seems the Knight was still sure of one thing; it didn't need the void to beat this dark knight.
So, the Knight undid the armament and collapsed, it had only used it for a second. And the space began crushing the Knight even quicker. Then It all glowed red and melted, soon turning into a char on the ground – a red, distorted one.
Then the dark knight collapsed on the floor. Kitrino had killed him using her power over form while he was focused on the Knight. But the Knight had known that even if Despan died, the space would continue shrinking – but it didn't want to use the void for that long, so it had actually summoned red scorch and ordered him to burn all the shrinking space away – for a disaster such as him, who had mastered the power over fire/heat.
***
The Knight woke up a few short days later. It had managed to avoid being knocked out for longer. Now things were different, it had a whole swarm of dragons who couldn't disobey it, and a general – a strange one – to guard it.
It woke up to a quite the scene. A Greenland stretching far and wide. A picnic behind it. It had almost forgotten that this time that there were no palace, no academy to sleep in, they had to sleep outside. It had never seen so much Greenland before, but then it realised, Forg had made it.
Its armour had already recovered from the crushing. Dsace was gone though. It had been crushed; the Knight had survived long enough for Red Scorch to arrive and burn the space all away. It didn't have to ask, it felt the skill was gone, and the vermin that had been using Dsace's body as a vessel was back onto its skin, once again dormant.
The Knight had never wanted to use the armament so early on due to its draw back, it was under a time constraint. So, it had not considered if Dsace would survive. Kitrino was in shambles – still semi-alive though.
Unlike the Knight, she didn't have an entire latinity of vermin on her body constantly repairing her to the state they most remembered. And no-one here knew any healing.
The Knight then turned to whisper.
50 slaughter points consumed. Seems the vermin is failing to recognise the vessel – it is part of the vessel now it is not simply using it. Just like in dungeon – feeding them souls should get a response.
The Knight then tried to feed her a soul – but it couldn't – she truly is an enigma. The Knight didn't know how to communicate with a follower/vermin in this state. They were stranger than usual. So, the Knight looked at her – she had sharp fangs and sharp claws.
The Knight moved it to the hands, to be crushed. She only raised her claws – but didn't consume the soul. The Knight thought back to when she hugged her. It was a result of the vermin in her and herself, finding a common ground.
The Knight then put the soul in her mouth, then she gobbled it up and her body healed itself. This affirmed something to the Knight.
'She is not like me, who had become a true void being. She's more like a being stuck between the two, unable to pass into either. And living there, means she'll grow only if she moves along that fragile line.'
Right now, she had mixed the action of normal eating with the consuming of souls which is just absorbing the soul by turning into oblivion thus it revitalised their soul. So, she would need to discover things that aren't quite either. The Knight was looking at her, murder in its eyes. She might be versatile, but she is more work than a usual follower.
Then it remembered that it had used her to prevent itself from having to use the void armament for any longer, so it just left her there on the grass.
"What happened in there?"
The apprentice asked because she couldn't speak dragon, Kitrino was out, and so was the Knight. Cathina was taking her brother for a walk, and Guilos was just roaming around as one of Red Scorches scales – full dragon by standard size – hovering in the clouds watching her.
It swooped down and brought her back on the Knights orders. It was time to mobilise. It still had to do a lot in these two decades – and that encounter just told it that they were truly as dangerous as the Knights had said – but this just meant, the Knight had to be the dungeon crawler it was to hunt down every single last one of them.
The Knight first took out the book and scratched out the ones it had taken out from that place. It was at least, just one of the few with someone so promising as a knight bachelor. And handling the independent ones was going to be easier.
This was turning more into a hunt each second. Because the Knight wasn't going to face them as is, it was going to absolutely obliterate them, by making sure it sets up the odds wholly in error from the beginning of their fights.
Not like a void being, not like a knight, but as the dungeon clearer it had been for centuries.
The Knight teleported all of them to the next base.
***
A whole five years later. In the southernmost continent, Adon. Lived a group of dark knights, ones designated as highly dangerous, just a level below the second highest honour given to them from the Order of Knights – extremely dangerous.
They were made up of a small squadron, just thirty strong, but each of them had been a Bachelor. And their leader was classified as a disaster. He sat there on the throne. He had taken over an entire city – and crowned himself its king.
He convinced the citizens that they were guarded by true knights, after overthrowing their previous regime. This was an entire city of beast folk, just a normal city.
This place was perfect because all its champions were all adventures. Some had died on quests, and the rest butchered by him and his squadron. This place was also positioned extremely far from any dungeons, so there was no chance of them having to make good on that protection promise, not that they ever would.
Today, however was not particularly good. He had in his hand a holographic report, sent by one of his scouts. The dark hunter – famed across the lands as slayer of darkness in all its forms – whether it be destroyers, or cowardice knights borrowing the title of darkness. They were confirming that he was on his way here.
They knew this because a group of dragons had been spotted in the skies above Auison hills. He wasn't sure because they weren't sure what kind of dragon it was through all that mist. These rumours had made the towns folk rowdy and harder to control.
On the streets, just yesterday, they were singing that a 'hero' is coming for them. This famed hunter was rumoured to be a Knight, but he had strange companions, but no-one ever survived their assaults, and as soon as they appeared they vanished. Even the towns they had liberated had only briefly met their saviour.
Despite the people propaganda they spread, about how there was no defeating the dark knights, the dark knights were having trouble convincing themselves of their own propaganda.
The collective dark knight community didn't work well with each other, but they knew that no mere Knight Errant should be able to clear out dark knights so easily. As varied as dark knights may be, they do share a common commonality, they were experts at fighting knights – let alone a single one.
Then he disposed of the report, because he saw it, that irritating word again – 'hero'.
Then his sister and second in command broke into the makeshift thrown room.
"He's arrived!"
They had become knight bachelor's at the same time, even quitting together. But his sister seemed a bit more troubled than him. Because people only ever heard of his deeds and exploits, no-one knew how he accomplished them. The children tales said that darkness cowers in his presence and even though the dark knights run, none ever escape his far-reaching heroism – as if being a hero was an actual power.
"Such a ridiculous thing. People ought to calm down. Even if a hero has truly been born again, there is no way, he'd spend time on us. And even if he did, it's impossible."
'How does he do it? Why does he do it? And why is it that the people never know anything about how he does it, just that he did? Who are these companions? How is it that the other dark knights even miss the site of the dragons.'
"You say ridiculous brother, but you really don't know how ridiculous it is. Come see."
As he stepped onto the balcony, he saw the dome above. And entire swarm of dragons. Reaching across the whole area, sealing them in.
"No escape brother, like they said."
"This just means we don't have to chase him – he'll come to us. Also, the song also says we cower in his presence, I don't know about you sis, but my legs aren't shaking. Remember, nothing but the darkness can stop us, and we are its agents, preparing all to be a part of it."
Then a growth of massive roots covered the houses. Each in its own mini dome. He looked at the streets, no people were in sight, all in those cocoons – but he could clearly hear their cheers. Clearly…
Then a thick ice dome appeared starting on the base of the city walls. Plunging the whole area in darkness.
"He really wants to make sure no-one escapes."
A circular hole appeared in the sky, then a couple of lifeless bodies dropped into the palace yard. He recognised all of them, they were all those he had sent out. Scouts and those with escape orders. He himself is no fool, he did go to the Knight training, and well he sent off a few to go gather some recruits, even mercenaries. But all of them were here and accounted for. By now, he was fed up with all of it though.
He then activated his power, shattering the entire ice barrier into snowflakes. There was already another one layered above that one. He was about to try and destroy that one too, but then he realised his fingers had turned purple, frozen solid. All that just from touching the ice through his power. He imagined what ouching it directly would do. He tried to break another layer.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
A strange woman's voice came from the railing of the balcony.
'She must be able to use teleport.' He thought, since his senses detected no usual ripples – those made when fast moving object pass.
She was wearing black armour; she even looked the part of a dark Knight more than them. She was a whopping six metres tall though. Size meant nothing though.
So, he aimed his sword at her, then it turned into void, and she absorbed it. "Not that either." – the voice added.
He looked behind to the sounds of more movement. A couple of spirits had bound his sister in chains.
"You guys sure are quick, while you distract me you deal with my men, too bad – we don't fall so easily, and I'll be taking that head off your shoulders, damned Hero!"
Then his sister broke her chains, she then unsheathed her sword. Then she stabbed her brother straight through, then someone else appeared out of nowhere, just as the woman had. A signature black feather on its helmet, but just at a shorter four metres.
"Sorry about that – Hero? That cursed of a tittle, just happens to be mine. In any case, I doubt that taking my head would actually be enough to kill me."