Chapter 192: One Last Breath (1)

—Ethan's POV—

"Night Lord's Aura!!"

I charged forward in a fury, unleashing Night Lord's Aura and allowing it to engulf my entire body. A black radiance burned across my Night Armor before spreading to the Executioner's Sword as well, covering the enormous blade in the same ominous glow.

Night Lord's Aura multiplied my speed and strength several times over, but the price was immediate. My defenses dropped to the equivalent of just 1 HP, leaving me in a state dangerously similar to the Golden Dawn Knight.

The knight quickly pulled his sword from Asterion's back and turned his crimson eyes toward me. Although I had charged at him with everything I had, hoping to exploit the opening created by his attack on the old man, he twisted his body around at a terrifying speed, completely negating the advantage I had gained.

With his armor destroyed, even I was capable of killing him now. No matter how insignificant the damage I could inflict on a High King might be, it would still be enough to eliminate the single remaining point of health keeping him alive.

The problem was that damned divine sword of his.

His attack would reach me as well, which meant that even if I managed to strike him, there was a good chance I would die alongside him.

'Should I throw the Executioner's Sword at him and attack from a distance?'

The thought crossed my mind during the brief moment I had left to decide, but I immediately dismissed it. He could easily dodge the weapon or deflect it with his own sword, and I couldn't afford to waste my only opportunity on something so predictable.

I needed to strike him with my own strength, even if that meant taking a direct hit in return.

I still had Aura Armor, Night Armor, and my Demonic Body, not to mention an endurance stat far higher than that of most hunters at my level. The Golden Dawn Knight had also exhausted his mana reserves, leaving him with almost no aura to reinforce his attacks.

Surely his sword couldn't be as deadly as it had been before.

'I can take it!! And even if I can't, fuck it! I still have Blood of the Ancient Gods, so I'm not going to stay dead anyway!!'

To be perfectly honest, I was about to do something unbelievably stupid, but I no longer had the luxury of thinking rationally.

Seeing the old man fall like that had made my body move almost entirely on instinct. I couldn't control my anger, and no matter how desperately I tried, I couldn't bring myself to calm down.

I was certain I would curse myself for this later, but that was fine.

Right now, all I wanted was to kill the filthy creature controlling the Golden Dawn Knight's body.

Less than a second later, we were directly in front of each other, with nothing separating us except our swords.

I had the advantage in reach, so I immediately thrust the Executioner's Sword toward his chest. At the same time, the knight swung his divine sword, carving a swift golden arc through the air that seemed to split the very space before it.

Wise Raven Insight allowed me to follow the trajectory of his attack.

He was trying to cut me in half, but my Executioner's Sword would reach him first, so I didn't bother defending myself.

'I can kill him! I can actually do this!!'

I screamed those words inside my head, desperately urging myself to keep fighting.

Then the Golden Dawn Knight's voice rang beside my ear like a thunderclap.

"No, Ethan! Don't do it!! no matter how much damage i've taken or how far my strength has fallen, You are still no match for me!!"

Time seemed to slow as his words reached me, but I immediately realized that the change existed only inside my mind. The world itself hadn't slowed down, which was why I could hear his warning before our weapons actually collided.

"Over the years, I've developed a terrible habit through countless battles. I instinctively target my opponents' vital points with perfect accuracy, so you must never allow my sword to touch you, no matter what!"

"Use Your Prosthetic Arm, Or anything else you have left! Just don't let me touch you!!"

There was genuine panic in the Golden Dawn Knight's voice, and hearing him react that way made me realize that my chances of surviving this exchange were far worse than I had imagined.

If what he said was true, then the moment his sword connected with my body, I would die.

Even with his aura exhausted, his armor destroyed, and his health reduced to a single point, he was still stronger than me at my absolute best.

That was how absolute the difference between ranks truly was. It was a gap that could only be overcome through years of hunting and training, not something I could erase simply by throwing everything I had into a single attack.

But you know what?

"FUCK ALL THAT!!"

I hadn't come this far just to back down now.

I was going to win this battle, no matter what it cost me!

My sword was considerably longer than his, allowing me to reach him first. The enormous Executioner's Sword blazed with red and black light simultaneously, its blade empowered by both Night Lord's Aura and telekinetic energy.

The combination made it far stronger and faster than before, and for a brief moment, it seemed as though my attack would break through the Golden Dawn Knight's defense.

For that single instant, I could almost see myself emerging victorious.

Then he shattered that vision and turned it into nothing more than an illusion.

Even with Wise Raven Insight, I could barely follow the sudden acceleration of his sword. Instead of cutting me in half as he had originally intended, the knight changed the direction of his attack at the last possible moment.

His blade struck mine from the side, knocking the Executioner's Sword off course before its tip could touch him.

The impact unleashed the aura stored within his divine sword against my Night Lord's Aura, producing a violent shockwave that completely destroyed my stance. I nearly lost my footing and fell, managing to steady myself only at the very last moment.

Unfortunately, the situation was only getting worse.

Unlike me, the Golden Dawn Knight hadn't been affected by the collision. He immediately launched another attack, this one even faster than the last, his sword already tracing a vertical golden arc toward the top of my head.

Instead of cutting me in half horizontally, he intended to split me vertically this time.

"NOT THAT EASY!!"

I roared with everything I had, throwing a devastating punch toward him with my Legion Arm.

It had already been a long time since our battle against Aldebaran, and the cooldown had finally ended!

"Onslaught Stake!!"

I immediately pulled the trigger, activating my prosthetic arm's second ability.

The metal plates sprang apart to either side, and the mechanism between them unleashed a violent burst of flame that surged forward like a fiery projectile before exploding directly in the Golden Dawn Knight's face.

An enormous amount of fire erupted from the Legion Arm, engulfing both of us in a blazing inferno. The flames were scorching hot, far more powerful than before, most likely because they had been strengthened by Night Lord's Aura.

At this rate, I would suffer from the attack as well.

I might even die because of it.

But I didn't care, as long as I won!

He only had one HP left. Surely this would be enough!!

Yes…

It should have been enough.