Chapter 477 - 449: [A Knight Does Not Die Unarmed] and [Dragonification]?

Chapter 477: Chapter 449: [A Knight Does Not Die Unarmed] and [Dragonification]?

Roland pushed aside his suspicions, feeling no urge to back down.

Just as Hom had said, the monster’s Power and speed were not outstanding, and it was alone.

Even if its Combat Skills were exquisite, it surely couldn’t make any waves against his own absolute Power, speed, and the combined advantage of his multiple Professions.

His mind made up, Roland calmed the emotional Hom, clearly promising he would enter Sui Cang Hall to deal with the monster.

But at the same time, he seriously warned him that while he was inside the Divine Hall, all survivors must stay away from the Shell Ship’s docking area to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings from those aboard.

Hearing this, Hom nodded hastily in agreement, not daring to show the slightest hesitation.

He then called to the restless crowd behind him, and like a receding tide, they slowly withdrew into the depths of the ruins, soon disappearing behind the rubble and broken walls.

Although the survivors appeared obedient, Roland didn’t lower his guard completely.

He turned and returned to the Shell Ship, briefly informing Duraga and Bronson of the situation. He specifically instructed Duraga to keep their people in check and maintain the highest level of vigilance against their surroundings and the seemingly weak survivors, remaining on high alert.

After giving his instructions, Roland quickly organized his pack, checked his weapons, and set off alone toward the massive ruins in the distance.

The outline of Sui Cang Hall’s ruins was distinct, standing out starkly against the barren landscape.

In just a few moments, Roland crossed the forecourt littered with rubble and debris, arriving before a massive, long-rotted, and half-collapsed door.

He could feel many pairs of eyes nervously watching his every move from the shadows, but he paid them no mind.

Taking a deep breath, Roland reached out and slowly pushed open the giant door, which groaned heavily.

The scene inside opened up before him.

It was less a sacred hall and more of an incredibly vast, gigantic chamber with a surprisingly high ceiling.

Its structure was somewhat similar to a large greenhouse or warehouse Roland had seen in his previous life. The ceiling, made of a transparent material, was partially collapsed, casting dim, mottled light.

The view was open, not a maze of complex passages like the Seventh Observation Station.

The entire hall was filled with an air of decay and the corrosion of time.

The tall support pillars were covered in cracks, and the once-magnificent decorations on the walls had long since peeled away, leaving only faint traces.

The floor was coated in a thick layer of dust, scattered with all sorts of unidentifiable objects, shattered vessels, and junk.

Several noticeably fresh bloodstains were spattered across the dust. Nearby lay broken wooden sticks, shattered Stone Axes, and clear scrape marks left by weapons on the floor and walls.

All of this silently confirmed Hom’s earlier description of a brutal battle.

Roland’s sharp gaze swept across the entire hall. He then withdrew his sight, his right hand habitually resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist as he focused his attention on the deepest part of the hall.

Several even heavier metal doors stood side by side there, though they were now warped and crooked.

The empty space in front of the doors was littered with familiar dark gray fragments.

They were shards of Rock Core Blocks.

It was obvious that behind those doors lay the objective of his trip.

The core food storage area of Sui Cang Hall.

The hall he was currently in seemed more like a staging or distribution antechamber.

However, blocking the path to those doors was a tall, pale figure.

It was just as Hom had described and Roland remembered.

Its skin had a morbid pallor, completely smooth and hairless, and it clutched a crudely made Stone Axe.

In the dim light filtering down from the broken dome, its pale skin faintly reflected a cold, smooth luster, like that of jade.

But to Roland’s surprise, the pale figure showed no aggression at all. It didn’t even seem to have noticed his intrusion.

It just stood silently before the doors, head bowed, motionless, like a statue lost in eternal slumber, blending in with the silent ruins.

Seeing the pale figure standing still as a statue, Roland raised an eyebrow. His invisible Perception Power extended forward like the most precise of probes, carefully scanning the target.

The information that came back largely matched Hom’s description.

The pure physical Power contained within this pale shell was indeed not that great.

However, Hom’s fearful description still echoed in his ears.

Roland didn’t let his guard down in the slightest. His right hand slowly closed around the hilt at his waist. With a soft *SHING*, the Moonlight Longsword slid from its sheath, its cold edge gleaming faintly in the dim light.

He didn’t rush to attack. Instead, he maintained a steady rhythm, approaching step by step, his footfalls clearly audible in the vast, silent hall.

One step, two steps, three steps...

He cautiously closed the distance, his eyes locked on the motionless pale figure, his muscles tensed and ready to explode into action at any moment.

Just as Roland was about to step into the small open area before the crooked doors, only a few paces away from the pale figure...

The situation changed in an instant!

The figure, which had been like a lifeless object, sprang to life without any warning.

There was no roar, no warning. It didn’t even fully raise its head, but the speed that erupted from its lowered posture was astonishing.

It kicked off the ground, dust exploding in a ring as the pale figure shot forward like a phantom.

The crude Stone Axe in its hand followed a trajectory so refined it seemed completely at odds with the weapon’s material.

It wasn’t a simple chop but a tricky arc aimed straight for the joint of Roland’s sword hand.

Fast, vicious, and with clear intent: to disable his most threatening weapon.

A flash of surprise crossed Roland’s eyes, but his reaction was faster.

With a flick of his wrist, the Moonlight Longsword flowed like moonlight, striking first despite moving second, and precisely blocked the point of impact on the Stone Axe.

*CLANG!*

With a sharp crack, the Stone Axe shattered, sending shards flying.

However, the attack didn’t stop.

The moment the Stone Axe shattered, the pale figure used the momentum to spin, its arm whipping out like a lash. Its pale fingers had already snatched a crude Long Spear from the ground.

It was clearly a weapon left behind by the survivors.

The Long Spear seemed to come alive in its hand, striking at Roland’s throat like a venomous snake with incredible speed.

Roland sidestepped to avoid the spearhead, but the pale figure flicked its wrist, turning the thrust into a sweep aimed at Roland’s legs.

At the same time, it deftly hooked and flicked a short-handled stone hammer from the ground into its left hand. Coordinating with the spear’s sweep, the hammer whistled through the air toward Roland’s side.

The Long Spear controlled the distance while the hammer delivered a close-range strike—a seamless combination.

Roland’s footwork was nimble as he took half a step back.

The tip of the Moonlight Sword tapped lightly, precisely deflecting the Long Spear. At the same time, he brought his elbow down, just barely blocking the hammer’s heavy blow.

He was still at ease, but the surprise in his eyes deepened.

*SWOOSH—*

The Long Spear struck out again like a snake’s tongue, only to be deliberately dropped by the pale figure midway, allowed to fall.

Its hand, as if anticipating this, had already scooped up a stone knife with a jagged edge from the floor.

The stone knife slashed upward at an extremely tricky angle, aiming for Roland’s sword arm.

At the same time, the hand that had held the hammer opened, its five fingers like claws, grabbing a handful of scattered gravel from the ground. From its posture, it was about to scatter them in a wide spray to block Roland’s path of retreat.

Abandoning the spear, grabbing the knife, throwing gravel...

The movements were so fluid they were unsettling.

It was as if every object within a few feet of it, whether a complete weapon or a broken shard, was part of its arsenal—anything it picked up could be lethal.

But this kind of Combat Skills...

...was exceptionally familiar to Roland.

Parrying the stone knife with his sword, Roland drifted back like the wind, evading the spray of gravel.

His brow slowly furrowed.

’It has no preference for a specific weapon, yet it can rely on some indescribable intuition to choose the most suitable "tool" for the situation in the blink of an eye. It uses the traits of each weapon to their fullest potential, its transitions are fluid, its reactions swift... this is clearly...’

[A Knight Does Not Die Unarmed]!

’But... how is that possible?’

Roland suppressed the intense doubt in his heart.

To get a clearer feel for the pale figure’s Combat Skills, he made a conscious decision to deliberately hold back most of his own Power and speed, suppressing his strength to a level close to, or even slightly below, the creature’s physical level.

The Moonlight Longsword in his hand no longer aimed for a one-hit victory. Instead, he focused on exquisite parries, blocks, and tentative counterattacks, like a patient observer guiding his opponent to reveal more of its fighting techniques.

*CLANG! CLANG! BANG!*

The grating sound of metal clashing and stone shattering rose and fell in the empty hall, sparks flying intermittently in the dim light.

In just a few moments, they had exchanged over a hundred blows. The pale figure, using the various crude weapons it picked up from the ground, attacked in a relentless tide. Roland, relying on his deliberately suppressed strength, calmly countered with his refined Sword Skills.

The more they fought, the deeper Roland’s intertwined feelings of understanding and confusion became.

’This fighting style that uses anything and everything... it’s definitely [A Knight Does Not Die Unarmed]!’

’But this is clearly a Trait unique to me, a power granted by my Professional Panel! Why would it appear on an... Ashen Descendant? No... that’s not right!’

Suppressing his shock, Roland parried again with his sword and observed closely.

Only then did he discover that although its movements were fluid and its transitions swift, it...

...lacked a certain flexibility.

This made all of its attacks predictable, far inferior to [A Knight Does Not Die Unarmed]. It was more like...

...a crude imitation.

In the instant Roland was distracted by his thoughts, the pale figure, which had been attacking like a raging tide, suddenly leaped back without warning, disengaging from the fight to stand perfectly still.

It stopped all movement. Its bowed head slowly rose, and in its hollow eye sockets, the faint red glow suddenly blazed as if fed with firewood, emitting an unsettling, sinister light.

Before Roland could react, an even more astonishing transformation occurred...

A low growl, seemingly from the depths of its soul, emanated from its body—not from its mouth, but from the violent vibration of some kind of Energy.

Beneath its pale, smooth skin, something seemed to be squirming. Its flesh began to twist and bulge unnaturally.

*CRACK... CRACK...*

The horrifying crackle of bones dislocating and growing echoed continuously.

Its spine arched violently. Pale bone pierced the skin of its shoulder blades and elbows, dripping a viscous, dark, unknown fluid as it spread and intertwined crazily, in an instant forming horrifying structures resembling twisted dragon wings and claws.

Its body swelled before his very eyes, muscles bulging, expanding its once-slender frame and filling it with a primitive, savage sense of power.

A thick, oppressive pressure spread out from it like a physical tide, instantly enveloping the entire hall.

Roland’s pupils contracted sharply. His sword hand tightened unconsciously, his face etched with utter disbelief.

’This is... Dragonification?’