Chapter 201: Rejecting the World

The chamber shook violently as the collapsed ceiling buried the area where the Shadow Knight had been standing. Massive chunks of stone crashed against the floor, sending shockwaves through the ancient structure. Dust filled the air, obscuring everything within several meters.

Gray immediately retreated, putting as much distance between himself and the collapsing ceiling as possible.

"HAHA! How about that tin can?! Let’s see you reject an entire ceiling!"

He wasn’t particularly optimistic that the trick would work, but there was no harm in trying.

After all, he had already learned that his opponent was immune to direct attacks. If that immunity only applied to attacks aimed at its existence, perhaps environmental damage could bypass it.

It was a gamble, but he had very few options left.

Gray activated Predator’s Instinct, sharpening his senses as he watched the cloud of dust.

Then a familiar voice emerged from the rubble.

"Interesting."

Gray’s smile twitched.

"Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re still standing!"

A faint violet glow appeared between the fallen rocks.

The enormous chunks of stone began to tremble before slowly rising into the air. One by one, they drifted aside, revealing the Shadow Knight standing beneath them.

Its armor remained completely intact.

Not a single scratch marred its surface.

The knight brushed a handful of dust from its shoulder as though it had merely walked through an untidy corridor.

"Using the environment to attack an opponent whose defenses you cannot penetrate. A reasonable strategy."

It tilted its helmet toward Gray.

"Unfortunately, you seem to have overlooked one small detail."

Gray’s expression turned grim.

"Let me guess. You’re also immune to falling rocks?"

"Not quite."

The Shadow Knight raised one hand.

The floating debris abruptly stopped moving.

"These rocks are not capable of harming me because I have chosen to reject their impact. Their weight, their momentum, even the force they exert upon my body can be denied."

Gray stared at the knight.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

"So you’re telling me that if I drop an entire mountain on you, you’ll just stand there and pretend gravity doesn’t exist?"

"If necessary."

"...tsk, I hate this."

The Shadow Knight chuckled.

"The feeling is not mutual. I find you rather entertaining."

"I’m glad one of us is having a good time."

Gray glanced at his HP.

[HP: 1,087 / 1,880]

[BLEED: -18 HP/SECOND]

His HP had continued to decline during the exchange. Abyssal Regeneration was repairing some of the damage, but the bleeding was still preventing him from recovering properly.

At this rate, he wouldn’t last much longer.

’Okay, forget the ceiling. That was stupid.’

He had hoped to find an easy workaround, but the Shadow Knight’s ability was far more troublesome than he had anticipated.

If even environmental forces could be rejected, then attacking it indirectly wouldn’t necessarily help.

However, Gray had noticed something else.

The knight had raised the fallen rocks without physically touching them. More importantly, it had spoken of choosing to reject their impact.

That suggested it had some degree of control over what its ability affected.

’If it can choose what to reject, then it must be capable of distinguishing between different things.’

Gray’s eyes narrowed.

’And if it can distinguish between them, perhaps I can exploit that distinction.’

He wasn’t sure how but he had an idea.

"Hey, tin can. One more question."

The Shadow Knight slowly tilted its head.

"You ask many questions for someone who intends to kill me."

"Well, you’re the first person I’ve met who can casually tell the universe to piss off. I’m curious."

Gray gestured toward the floating debris.

"Can you reject absolutely anything? Or does your ability have restrictions?"

The Shadow Knight remained silent for a moment.

Then it lowered its hand, allowing the rocks to crash back onto the floor.

"Everything has restrictions, Jellyfish. Even destruction itself."

Gray’s expression tightened with alertness.

"Then what are yours?"

"Wouldn’t you like to know?"

"...."

The knight laughed again.

"Perhaps you should stop asking questions and start finding answers yourself."

It suddenly raised its greatsword.

Gray’s instincts screamed.

He activated Current Dash, but the Shadow Knight moved at the same moment.

The knight crossed the distance between them with terrifying speed, its greatsword sweeping toward Gray’s torso.

Gray barely managed to evade the first strike.

The blade passed within inches of his chest, and he immediately retaliated with Needle Storm.

Dozens of thin, crystalline needles shot toward the knight from multiple angles. Each one carried a potent paralytic toxin capable of incapacitating creatures far stronger than Gray himself.

The Shadow Knight didn’t bother moving.

The needles shattered against an invisible boundary surrounding its armor.

[NEEDLE STORM — 0 DAMAGE]

[ATTACKS NULLIFIED]

"Seriously?!"

Gray dashed backward as the knight swung again.

"Your persistence is admirable," the Shadow Knight remarked. "But you are repeating the same mistake."

It thrust its free hand forward.

The air around Gray distorted.

His body suddenly felt unbearably heavy, and his movements slowed just enough for the knight to close the distance.

Gray gritted his teeth and activated Overcharge.

Electricity exploded from his body in a brilliant flash, spreading throughout the surrounding water and flooding the chamber with blue-white light.

The electrical discharge struck the Shadow Knight from every direction.

For an instant, the entire chamber glowed.

Then the light faded.

The knight remained completely unharmed.

[OVERCHARGE — 0 DAMAGE]

[ATTACK NULLIFIED]

"...You have got to be kidding me."

The Shadow Knight raised its greatsword.

"Your abilities are formidable, but you rely too heavily on them. Tell me, what will you do when every skill you possess proves useless?"

Gray glanced at his hands.

Then he looked at the knight.

"...Punch you in the face?"

"HAHAHAHAHA! You intend to strike me with your bare hands?"

"Well, I was considering biting you, but I’m trying to be polite."

"Wonderful! Then come!"

The Shadow Knight spread its arms, deliberately leaving its chest exposed.

"Show me how a creature such as yourself intends to overcome an existence that can reject the world itself!"

Gray stared at the knight.

He knew better than to believe the invitation was genuine. The creature was practically begging him to attack, and there was probably a reason for that.

Still, Gray couldn’t afford to remain passive.

He needed to test another possibility.

His gaze shifted toward the Shadow Knight’s feet.

’If it can reject the impact of an attack, what about something that isn’t technically an attack?’

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Gray activated Grip Jaw.

The ground beneath the knight suddenly erupted with a mass of spectral tendrils, attempting to wrap around its legs and restrict its movement.

At the same time, Gray activated Tectonic Shift again, causing several stone pillars to rise around the knight.

The tendrils coiled around the Shadow Knight’s ankles.

For a brief moment, they held.

’It worked?!’ He said excitedly.

But before he could celebrate, the knight looked down at the tendrils.

They dissolved into faint particles.

The stone pillars crumbled immediately afterward.

[GRIP JAW — EFFECT NULLIFIED]

[TECTONIC SHIFT — EFFECT NULLIFIED]

Gray’s smile vanished.

"Fuck!"

The Shadow Knight lowered its helmet toward him.

"You are beginning to understand, but you remain far from the answer."

It took a step forward.

"Anything that attempts to impose an effect upon my existence can be rejected. Damage, restraints, interference. Even the effects of certain abilities."

Gray felt a cold sensation creep down his spine.

’So it can reject status effects and restraints, too.’

The knight continued.

"However, there is a difference between rejecting an effect and preventing an event from occurring."

Hearing those words made Gray realize something.

’Wait....those are two different things?’

The Shadow Knight appeared to notice his reaction.

"Ahh. There it is.... you have finally understood something."

Gray ignored the knight’s words, his mind started working.

The knight could reject damage. It could reject restraints and interference. But it had specifically distinguished between rejecting an effect and preventing an event from occurring.

Why make that distinction?

Unless...

’Its ability doesn’t actually stop things from happening. It rejects the consequences.’

Gray glanced at the fallen rocks scattered across the chamber.

The ceiling had collapsed. The rocks had fallen. The knight had simply rejected their impact.

The event had occurred, but the consequences had been negated.

If that was true, then the ability might not be absolute in the way he had first assumed.

Perhaps the Shadow Knight could reject an effect only after recognizing it as something that would affect its existence.

Or perhaps its power had another limitation entirely.

Either way, Gray had finally found a direction worth investigating.

He slowly raised his head.

"Let me guess. You can reject the consequences of an event, but you can’t necessarily stop the event itself."

The Shadow Knight answered only with silence.

Never before had Gray felt that his opponent’s silence was more meaningful than any answer.

A grin spread across his face.

"Oh, you have no idea how happy I’d be if that were true."

The Shadow Knight’s greatsword shifted slightly.

"Be careful, Jellyfish. Understanding a fragment of my ability does not mean you can overcome it."

"Maybe not."

Gray wiped the blood from his mouth.

"But at least now I know where to start."

He glanced toward the ceiling.

Then toward the ancient roots twisting across the chamber walls.

Finally, his gaze settled on the Shadow Knight itself.

’If I can’t damage it directly, and I can’t restrain it with my skills...’

His expression grew serious.

’Then I need to create a situation where rejecting the consequences isn’t enough to save it.’

The Shadow Knight raised its greatsword, its violet aura spreading throughout the chamber.

"Enough speculation."

Its voice echoed like a death knell.

"Show me whether that clever little mind of yours can accomplish anything before your body gives out."

Gray took a deep breath.

"All right, tin can."

Gray raised both hands, and the water around him began to swirl.

"Let’s see if you can reject this."

He directed his power toward the ancient roots surrounding the chamber, forcing them to twist and tear free from the walls.

The entire chamber began to tremble once more.