Chapter 53: Acknowledgement

The Black Knight came at him again.

Eden raised Aura Blade.

Clang!

The impact rang through the ruined dungeon.

Eden twisted his wrists, redirecting the knight’s sword and immediately stepping inside its guard.

His blade struck.

The purple edge carved across the knight’s chest.

The black energy covering its body rippled violently.

The knight staggered half a step.

Eden followed.

Another slash.

Then another.

The Paralysis coursing through his Aura Blade was finally making a difference.

The Black Knight’s movements weren’t as fluid as they had been earlier.

Its reactions were still frighteningly fast, but there was a slight delay between its movements now.

A fraction of a second.

A tiny hesitation.

Eden ducked beneath a black blade and drove his elbow into the knight’s ribs.

The knight staggered.

Eden spun and kicked.

The Black Knight was sent crashing through a wall.

Eden immediately chased after it.

The knight emerged from the rubble.

Eden’s Aura Blade descended.

The knight blocked.

The floor beneath them collapsed.

Both dropped several meters.

Eden landed first.

The knight followed.

Eden attacked immediately.

Their blades clashed again.

Eventually, one of Eden’s strikes slipped through.

The knight’s shoulder was cut.

Its dark energy flickered.

Eden grinned.

The knight responded by changing its weapon.

The sword dissolved.

Dark energy condensed into a pair of daggers once more.

Eden’s smile vanished.

"Again?"

The daggers came.

Eden blocked one.

The second scraped across his side.

He hissed.

He retaliated with a horizontal slash.

The knight ducked.

Eden followed with a kick.

The knight caught his leg.

Eden twisted his body and slammed his free foot into its chest.

Boom!

The Black Knight released him.

Eden landed and immediately swung.

The knight blocked.

The battle continued.

But something was changing.

Eden could feel it.

His Essence reserves were shrinking.

He had already been fighting for an absurd amount of time.

The hundreds of Essence Knights.

Aura Blade.

Repeated applications of Paralysis.

Corrupted Surge.

And now this dungeons Boss.

He couldn’t keep doing this.

Eden struck the knight again.

The Paralysis effect rippled through its body.

The Black Knight slowed.

Eden capitalized.

Another cut.

Another.

His onslaught was stopped by a sudden realization.

His Aura Blade flickered.

Eden’s eyes widened.

"...shit."

The purple blade weakened.

The Black Knight’s dagger struck it.

A chunk of the purple Blade shattered.

Eden immediately tried to reinforce it.

Nothing happened.

He frowned.

"Come on."

He pushed more Essence into the skill.

The blade stabilized.

Barely.

Eden gritted his teeth.

His Essence regeneration was helping, but Corrupted Surge was already consuming a massive amount.

And every time he used Paralysis, he was pouring even more Essence into his weapon.

Eden’s next strike connected.

But the Paralysis effect was weaker.

Then weaker still.

Before long, the Black Knight’s movements suddenly returned to their previous speed.

Eden’s eyes widened.

’I ran out of essence to use Paralysis!’

He dismissed Aura Blade for a fraction of a second and recreated it.

But he knew.

He couldn’t keep this up.

The Black Knight attacked.

Eden blocked, but barely.

He was pushed backward.

His boots scraped against the ruined floor.

Without Paralysis, the Black Knight was simply too fast.

Eden tried to counter.

The knight parried.

A black blade cut across his shoulder.

Blood spilled.

Eden gritted his teeth.

"You’re really not giving me a break."

Another attack.

Eden blocked.

His arm went numb.

The next strike sent him flying.

BOOOOOOM!

He crashed through a collapsed wall.

Eden rolled across the rubble.

He tried to stand.

His legs shook.

His breathing was ragged.

His Essence was nearly gone.

He looked at Aura Blade.

Then at his remaining Essence.

He knew the answer.

He couldn’t keep using it.

He had to choose between Corrupted Surge and Aura Blade, and for all he knew, He’s probably die within seconds without his Corrupted Surge skill.

Naturally, Eden chose Corrupted Surge and slowly let the purple blade disappear.

The Black Knight approached.

Eden raised his empty hand.

The knight stopped.

Eden blinked.

"...What?"

The Black Knight tilted it’s head and stared at him.

Its dark sword remained in its hand.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Suddenly, the dark blade dissolved.

’...!’

Eden’s eyes widened.

The dark energy flowed backward along the knight’s arm and spread across its body.

The knight’s fists began to glow.

The black energy around them became denser.

Heavier.

Almost like gauntlets.

Eden stared.

"...Are you for real?"

The Black Knight raised its fists.

Eden slowly smiled as he slowly understood the meaning of this.

It wasn’t mercy.

It wasn’t hesitation.

It wasn’t even an attempt to make the fight easier.

The knight had seen that Eden no longer had a weapon.

So it had chosen to put its own weapon away.

It was acknowledging him.

Eden smiled softly.

"You’re a weird one."

The knight stepped forward.

Eden raised his fists.

"But I respect that."

They charged.

The first punch came from the knight.

Eden blocked.

Boom!

The force nearly knocked him over.

Eden countered.

His fist slammed into the knight’s helmet.

Crack!

The Black Knight’s head snapped backward.

It retaliated.

Eden ducked.

A second punch missed his head by centimeters and destroyed the wall behind him.

Eden drove his knee into the knight’s stomach.

The knight bent slightly.

Eden followed with an elbow.

The knight staggered for the fraction of a second before swinging another attack towards Eden.

A fist struck Eden’s jaw.

His vision flashed white.

He flew backward.

He crashed through a nearby Pillar.

Eden spat blood.

"...Ugh."

He slowly stood.

"That hurt."

The Black Knight charged.

Eden charged too.

Their fists collided.

Boom!

The shockwave ripped through the chamber.

The two separated.

Then rushed back together.

Eden punched.

The knight blocked.

The knight punched.

Eden blocked.

Eden kicked.

The knight caught it.

Eden twisted.

The knight threw him.

Eden landed on one hand and immediately sprang forward.

His fist struck the knight’s chest.

The knight answered with a punch to Eden’s ribs.

Eden heard something break.

His face twisted.

"Ah...!"

He staggered.

’A Rib...?’

’...Probably.’

’Maybe more than one.’

It didn’t matter.

He attacked again.

The knight punched him in the shoulder.

Another crack.

Eden punched its face.

The knight staggered.

Eden laughed.

"That all you’ve got?"

The knight responded with another punch.

Eden took it directly.

Boom!

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

He smiled through it.

"Okay."

He punched back.

The knight’s head snapped sideways.