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Chapter 48: 48:The Death Knight Symphony
Darkness spread beneath Kael’s feet from which arms emerged.
The figure raised a hand, and suddenly, the ground beneath Kael shifted. A wave of mist spread out, and ghostly forms started to emerge from the shadows—warriors clad in tattered armor, their hollow eyes burning with spectral flames.
Ghost Skeleton Soldiers..
Kael cracked his knuckles, his grin widening.
"Son of bitch,can’t you all come out at once."
The first ghost lunged at him, sword flashing. Kael twisted his body, barely dodging, and countered with a brutal punch that cracked through the ethereal being’s armor.
But it wasn’t enough.
The ghost reformed instantly, its burning eyes locking onto him again.
Kael clicked his tongue. "Tch. So, I need to do more than just hit them."
From the darkness, more figures emerged six, ten, twenty each one radiating a suffocating, chilling presence.
While ghosts attacked, the Death Knight stood as roadblocks to stop him.
"Oh? Now this is getting interesting."
Kael flexed his fingers, lowering his stance. "Come on, then. Let’s see if I can break this ’curse’ you all talk about."
As the first wave of ghosts charged, Kael dove in, fists swinging, eyes blazing with something new.
The wails of the dead echoed through the chamber as a dozen ghosts surged toward Kael, their translucent forms flickering with spectral flames. Their hollow eyes burned with malice, their hands reaching for him like grasping claws of the damned.
Kael exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Tch. I was hoping for something solid to hit."
As the ghost lunged.
Boom!
Kael’s fist tore through its chest, the sheer force rupturing its form like shattered glass. The ghost screeched, dissolving into scattered wisps of energy.
Another came from behind. Kael didn’t even look, he twisted his body and threw a vicious backhand.
Crack!
The ghost’s skull caved in before its entire existence crumbled into nothingness.
Two more rushed him, howling.
Kael grinned. "Come on, then."
He stepped forward, driving a brutal uppercut into the first one’s jaw. The impact sent its ghostly head flying before its body dispersed into thin air. He followed through immediately, twisting his hips and launching a straight punch into the second ghost’s gut.
Boom!
The thing exploded, its energy scattering like dust in the wind.
As more came,Kael only laughed.
He dashed forward, fists moving like a storm. Each strike landed with bone-shattering force, ghosts bursting apart like brittle ice beneath his blows. One tried to swipe at him—he caught its arm and ripped it off before driving his knee into its chest, erasing it from existence.
Another ghost swung a spectral blade. Kael headbutted straight through it, the force so strong the ghost split apart, its remnants dispersing in the air.
He cracked his knuckles. "You call this a fight?"
The last ghost hesitated. A mistake.
Kael’s fist crashed through its face like a battering ram, wiping it from reality.
Silence followed.
Kael exhaled, rolling his shoulders again. "Fucking finally. Thought that’d never end."
He turned toward the next door, smirking. "Hope the next ones scream louder."
...
Kael stood amidst the swirling darkness, eyes gleaming with pure madness. The battlefield around him was littered with shattered armor and fading embers of death energy. Yet, the Death Knights still loomed, their soulless red eyes locked onto him.
He let out a low chuckle before bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
His voice echoed through the vast chamber. His grin stretched wider, filled with unhinged excitement.
"It seems I really need to be serious now."
Kael clenched both fists, and a violent surge of mana erupted from his body.
"Time to use the real power of Devour!"
With a deep breath, he activated Devour with both hands, and the air around him trembled. Like a starving beast, his mana pulled in the surrounding death energy, consuming it greedily. The sheer force of absorption caused the floor beneath him to crack.
The Death Knights hesitated. For the first time, they seemed to recognize the monster before them.
Kael sneered. "Undead don’t die from regular hits. I need to obliterate them."
His fingers twitched as power surged through his veins.
"Let’s call this storm of the night!"
A technique of the by encapsulating the surrounding mana of darkness and death.
The Death Knight sensing danger, swung their sword but Kael dodged it, and then jumped atop one of the knights and grabbed his skull.
A flawless strike that stripped away all enhancements.
The air itself bent under the pressure as a black whirlwind burst from Kael’s feet, swallowing the Death Knights.
Their death aura, their very source of strength, was instantly wiped away.
Kael’s smile twisted. "Too easy."
The Death Knights staggered, their drained bodies struggling to move. But Kael wasn’t interested in dragging this out.
-You’re... strong.
One of the Death Knights spoke, its hollow voice rasping through the helmet.
Kael’s grin grew wider. "I know."
Thud!
He tightened his right fist, darkness energy spiraling into it. The sheer force made the surrounding space vibrate.
Sensing the danger, the Death Knights moved. Their weapons lashed out from all sides, trying to cut him down in unison.
"Oh? So you still wanna dance?"
Kael moved.
Whoosh!
With a sharp step, he ducked under a sweeping halberd. The blade barely missed his head, slicing through the air like a guillotine. But Kael wasn’t done. He lunged forward, charging straight at the Death Knight that had swung the halberd.
Boom!
The ground behind him shattered as the other Death Knights’ attacks missed, slamming into the stone.
One of them, a veteran in life, abandoned its halberd and pulled a dagger from its belt. The blade shimmered with a ghostly edge, pulsating with the energy of death.
Zing!
The dagger lashed out at Kael’s neck, moving like a viper.
Thwoomp!
Kael met it head-on. His punch struck the blade, deflecting it just enough to graze his skin.
A thin line of red appeared on his neck.
Kael licked his lips. "That actually stung a bit. Impressive."
Then, with a devilish smirk, he clenched his other fist.
Thud!
His darkness-infused fist drove straight into the Death Knight’s chest.
A surge of darkness exploded from his hand, seeping into the undead warrior’s body. The Death Knight twitched violently as the energy inside it was completely devoured.
Thump!
Its red eyes dimmed, and its body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
Before Kael could celebrate, another Death Knight lunged.
Grant me... a glorious... death!
This one was faster, stronger—its greatsword descending like a meteor.
Kael didn’t move.
"I’ll take it."
Instead of dodging, his hand shot forward.
Crack!
The greatsword shattered into fragments upon impact.
The Death Knight barely had time to react before Kael’s hand, now shaped like a jagged spike of darkness, obliterated its head in an instant.
"Oops. Guess I overdid it."
He turned, his eyes locking onto the final Death Knight wielding a spear.
Whoosh!
Kael charged, his body leaving a black trail like a phantom of death.
Thwoomp!
Crack!
The spear thrust forward, but Kael twisted his body, deflecting it effortlessly before landing a single devastating punch.
The Death Knight crumbled like brittle stone.
Silence followed.
Kael exhaled, standing amid the wreckage. He wiped the small trickle of blood from his neck and looked around.
"Is that it?"
He laughed again, this time even louder.
"Hahaha! That was it?!"
The laughter filled the chamber like a mad symphony.
Kael raised his arms, stretching.
"Tch, what a waste of time. If this was supposed to kill me, then those bastards must be real fucking desperate."
His eyes burned with excitement.
"Well, if they’re this scared of me, I might as well give them a reason to be."
Kael turned towards the next set of stairs, and then looked up with an evil grin.
"Gotch You!"
