Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight

186: The Imperial Authority Struggle [3]

Chaeng—! The final strike that should have reached Nox was cleanly deflected. The black petals, unable to fully bloom, slowly withered away. The sight of a flower that bore the arrogant name of death crumbling miserably was enough to bewilder the gathered knights in the desolate village.

“Is that all?”

A voice as cold as frost, piercing to the bone, belonged to his half-younger brother. Along with it came a sharp pain that ran up Garen’s wrist, sending chills down his spine.

This isn’t it. The situation unfolding was far different from what he had anticipated.

He realized it only when Nox’s voice reached him again shortly after.

“You”

Beginning with that preamble, the disgrace of The Reinhaver wore a cold smile.

“That sword, you still don’t know how to wield it properly, do you”

Garen ground his teeth. As if his shameful side had been exposed, he couldn’t suppress the unbearable rage and shouted

“What nonsense! How….. How dare you Nox, Someone like you… dare to climb over me?”

But, naturally, there was no answer from Nox.

His transparent silver hair clung to his blood-soaked clothes. Even the moonlight above his head was absorbed, scattering into a chaotic reflection. Nox’s two pupils were obscured by the strands of fallen hair.

At that moment, why was it? Garen couldn’t help but feel the sensation of goosebumps rising all over his body. His legs wouldn’t move. Cold sweat began to drip, and his body, frozen stiff, kept sending him warnings.

Run. It’s dangerous.

But Garen didn’t run. No, to be precise, he wasn’t even given the luxury to do so.

The moment he closed and opened his eyes, Nox was already right in front of him. Nox’s sword, which had reached close range, glistened pitch-black as if it had absorbed oil.

“What the!”

Light step. First step.

What Nox used was, in truth, nothing more than a simple movement technique.

Without saying a word, Nox raised his mana to its limit. Even for someone like Garen, it was a level of mana hard to fend off. It crawled up to his chin like a living entity.

A light, vertical slash. Ordinarily, one would simply avoid it. It was an attack that didn’t even seem worth blocking.

But.

Shwaat!

Blood splattered. Garen’s pupils shook violently. He couldn’t accept the current situation.

“Don’t make me laugh! You think you can break the sword I’ve honed for years? A ruffian like you….!”

Even as Garen shouted, he was horrified. Hadn’t he just used the third form of Reinhaver’s family? A devastating swordsmanship rivaling even the middle stage in terms of destructive power.

Yet, not only had Nox blocked it entirely, but he had also slashed Garen’s chin purely with the speed of his sword. Garen quickly leaped backward, away from Nox, clenching his fist tightly. A chilling sensation constricted his heart, plunging him into a nightmare.

‘Am I pressed…? Me, Garen von Reinhaver, the eldest son of the Reinhaver family’

But he couldn’t deny it. Nox’s sword was so black it seemed drenched in ink, and the mana within it was overwhelming beyond estimation.

However. What frightened Garen more than anything else lay elsewhere.

It was because….. He felt that Nox seemed to genuinely enjoy this situation.

Even before he could finish his thoughts, Nox’s sword, filled with mana, surged again. As if he couldn’t contain his delight, Nox, wearing an expression almost childlike in its naturalness, unleashed a sword strike.

Black Sword, the first form of the initial stage [Black Blade Flash]

The pitch-black blade flew to sever its opponent’s life.

Chaeng—!

Sparks scattered violently. Garen barely succeeded in deflecting the strike, but he couldn’t shake his astonishment. Combat against an opponent who overwhelmed him?

At least for Garen, it was a rare experience.

But for Nox?

A fight against someone stronger than himself. He had grown weary of such encounters. He had crossed the line of death countless times and clashed with strong foes so frequently they might as well have littered the ground he walked on. That line of death meant perilous crises capable of stealing one’s life. Or threats that could be considered ominous….

Yet, paradoxically, they were also what made a knight grow more than ever.

Garen similarly used [Black Sword Flash] to deflect Nox’s attack, but it was difficult to say he had fully blocked it.

Grazed. To be precise, that would be the right way to describe it. The evidence was clear, his wrist screamed with pain as if it might tear apart, and Nox’s sneering expression showed his ease.

“Weak. No…. this isn’t what I wanted.”

At that moment, Nox murmured something incomprehensible, looking at Garen with a disappointed gaze. It was a look that made the one receiving it feel an almost breath-stopping, shocking pain.

Garen continued using [Black Blade Flash] and [Black Blade Chain Flashes], trying to control the distance between them, while at the same time concentrating his mana to hone the third form to perfection.

‘No matter how talented you are, pulling that off a second time won’t be easy!’

With a confident expression, he raised his sword toward Nox, unleashed his mana to bloom the flower of death once again. The black, rising mana formed into a spiked rose, creating a distinct shape in its center. A shape more defined than before. that was Garen’s characteristic. Growing faster when cornered. It was also a trait of the Reinhaver family.

But.

Even though the absurd technique, [Black Blade Falling Petals]], struck directly once again, Nox von Reinhaver merely observed it calmly, like an absolute powerhouse who had reached the state of a serene and unshaken mind (明鏡止水) Then, as if suddenly deciding to block the sword, he spoke.

“…. I got it”

In a situation where it was already too late to pull the sword back, Nox gathered mana into his grip and caught the enemy’s attack with his bare hand. The grip caused a stream of blood to flow from his palm, but Nox ignored it, his sneering face unchanging. He then guided the tip of Garen’s sword to his own left chest, tuk tuk, tapping it.

“If you’re going to do it, do it properly. For example…..”

Nox laughed, and suddenly, the air around him surged into a vortex, gouging the ground. At the same time, his overwhelming mana exploded instantaneously. This momentary explosive power was possible because he had opened the upper, middle, and finally, the lower dantian. Of course, there was a significant penalty of immense strain on the player’s body, but he seemed completely unbothered by it. Nox, who was enjoying this situation, exuded an almost chilling aura.

With blood dripping from Garen’s sword, Nox grasped it with one hand and began wielding his own sword with the other. Christopher and the other knights are watching this scene.

Even Eleanor was horrified.

“The initial stage of Supreme Black Sword. Third form”

As Nox softly muttered these words, Garen’s pupils narrowed sharply.

“What?”

This was impossible.

It was none other than the third form that was passed down in the Reinhaver family. How could his youngest brother, a mere ruffian, have learned such a profound swordsmanship?

Was it a bluff? But as if to dispel such thoughts, Nox had already begun preparing a sword dance that aligned perfectly with the technique.

A flower imbued with the dark attribute, steeped in the thick scent of blood, bloomed. Even though it could be called beautiful, there was no sense of incongruity, only delicate and refined swordsmanship slowly filling the vision before their eyes. And then, Nox said something that should never have been uttered

“[Black Blade Falling Petals]”

Chwajwajwajwa—!

As the ground split open, the surrounding mana turned into a deep black, forming a clear, tangible shape. It was a flower, a rose that embodied the essence of mana, a few times more beautiful than what Garen had conjured. Its thorns were sharp, but it was beautiful more than anything that it couldn’t be refused A sword that left no choice but to accept it

At that moment, it became clear. Nox von Reinhaver had succeeded in replicating [Black Blade Falling Petals] that he use just by observing it.

The shimmering sword began to break down Garen’s body and mind, bit by bit.

Was there any point in holding on further? Such thoughts arose as the situation became difficult to accept.

As each small wound carved itself into his body, Garen thought. This pain, this torment. Did his youngest brother have endured such an overwhelming disparity?

A disgrace to the Reinhaver family. For years, his younger brother had been called by that name, living a miserable and insignificant life.

And yet, Nox had endured this powerlessness?

“That’s…. impossible!”

Garen’s tightly clenched lips let out a voice mixed with blood, but it did nothing to reverse the situation. Even though numerous vital points on his body had already been slashed, Garen’s face was not one of surrender. But even in that situation, the wounds continued to accumulate. The priests, who had been secretly standing by to assist Garen, continued their healing, but Nox’s [Black Blade Falling Petals] overwhelmed even their speed, stacking damage onto Garen.

Even so, Garen was a man evaluated as one of the vessels worthy of the head of the Reinhaver family. He’s a monster that grows even in such a dire situation. That was the hallmark of those who bore the name Reinhaver Garen burst into wild laughter as he stared at Nox.

Simply enduring such humiliation did not suit his temperament, it was no more than making the other vassals present to waver.

Now was the time to show them.

To prove why he was the one that would surpass even Theo, and had a qualification to claim the position of rightful heir. He, who had desperately longed for it, threw his sword to the ground.

“…I acknowledge you, Nox von Reinhaver. From now on, I will use everything I have to utterly crush you. You have no objections, do you?”

“You’d better make it more entertaining for me. Dying too soon would ruin the fun, wouldn’t it?”

As Garen’s confident expression surfaced, a new and entirely different sensation began to permeate his body. It was the power of a demon. A fragment of power given to Garen by Archduke Amdusias as a contingency plan. Though it could easily corrupt a human’s personality when it didn’t absorb blood, it transformed the user into a state of overwhelming strength.

Chutz! Chutz!

Mana surged. Along with it, the wounds Garen had sustained from Nox’s [Black Blade Falling Petals] began to heal, albeit slightly. It was a shocking sight.

Christopher cried out in alarm.

“Young Master Nox! You must avoid him! Young Master Garen’s condition is not normal!”

When Christopher tried to rush to Nox’s side. Countless knights blocked his path. Among them was a member of the Black Blade Knights who had once fought alongside him. Christopher’s gaze narrowed more than ever.

“So, you’ve become a dog that betrays the head of the family?”

“The fool is the one who supports the petty youngest as the family head, Christopher.”

“When the eldest son fell into ruin by relying on demonic power, what did you do to stop it? You dare speak such nonsense now?”

“Hmph. We don’t care what happens. Come at me, Christopher.”

“…Very well.”

Gripping his sword, Christopher began emanating a chilling frost. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he thought to himself.

‘Please wait a little longer, young master. I will… reach you soon!’

Meanwhile. by then. Garen had already transformed into a monster with pale, purple skin and two horns. His eyes, completely shrouded in darkness, and his blood-red lips gave off an uncanny terror, making him seem no longer human.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“From now on, it will be different.”

“Is that so?”

But Nox’s gaze showed not a hint of fear.

With a smile on his face, the two clashed once again.

Garen von Reinhaver The second phase of the villain boss raid had begun.