Chapter 202: Rejecting the World

The ancient roots tore free from the chamber walls, their thick, twisted bodies whipping through the water as Gray manipulated them with Tectonic Shift. Stone fragments scattered across the floor, and several enormous roots converged on the Shadow Knight from different directions.

Gray clenched his teeth, directing every ounce of control he could muster toward trapping his opponent.

’Come on! If you can reject individual attacks, let’s see how you handle an entire battlefield turning against you!’

The roots slammed into the Shadow Knight, coiling around its arms, legs, and torso. More roots followed, piling on top of the first layer until the knight was almost completely buried beneath the tangled mass.

For a brief moment, everything went silent.

Gray stared at the enormous bundle of roots, barely daring to breathe.

Then he heard a metallic creak.

"...Is that it?"

Gray’s expression twitched.

A violet glow emerged from within the tangled roots.

The entire mass suddenly stopped moving. The roots began to wither, turning black before crumbling into countless particles that dispersed into the water. The remaining stone fragments followed, disintegrating as though an invisible force had erased their very existence.

The Shadow Knight stepped out of the fading debris, its armor untouched.

Not a single scratch.

Gray’s shoulders slumped.

"You’re kidding me."

The knight brushed a few remaining particles from its breastplate.

"Your resourcefulness is commendable. You have attempted to exploit the environment, restrict my movements, and overwhelm me with multiple effects. For a creature that has existed for such a short time, your ability to adapt is impressive."

It raised its greatsword and rested the blade against its shoulder.

"But you have made one mistake."

Gray swallowed.

"And what’s that?"

The pale lights in the knight’s visor burned brighter.

"You still believe I am obligated to play by the rules you understand."

The atmosphere changed.

The knight’s violet aura, which had previously spread through the chamber like a thin mist, suddenly contracted around its armor. The surrounding water trembled violently, and the stone floor beneath its feet began to crack.

Gray’s Predator’s Instinct activated instinctively.

Every nerve in his body screamed.

The Shadow Knight slowly lifted its greatsword.

"Enough."

One word.

Yet the moment it spoke, the entire chamber seemed to fall silent.

"I have indulged your curiosity. I have allowed you to experiment with your abilities. I have even answered some of your questions."

Its helmet tilted slightly.

"But you have mistaken my patience for weakness."

Gray’s golden eyes narrowed.

"...Oh, shit."

The Shadow Knight disappeared.

Gray barely had time to activate Current Dash before a deafening impact erupted beside him.

The greatsword struck the ground, and the resulting shockwave tore through the chamber. Gray was caught in the blast and hurled sideways, his body tumbling through the water before smashing into a stone pillar.

[-142 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 945 / 1,880]

His vision blurred.

"Urgh!"

He barely managed to regain his balance before the Shadow Knight appeared in front of him.

The greatsword swept horizontally.

Gray ducked, but the blade changed direction halfway through its swing, catching him across the shoulder.

[-126 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 819 / 1,880]

The impact sent him spinning.

Before he could recover, the knight drove its armored fist into his abdomen.

The blow folded Gray’s body around the impact and launched him backward. He crashed into the chamber floor, his breath escaping in a painful gasp.

[-108 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 711 / 1,880]

[WARNING: CRITICAL HP]

For several seconds, Gray couldn’t move.

His body felt as though it had been dismantled and put back together incorrectly. His carapace had already been cracked by the earlier attacks, and now even more fractures spread across its surface.

His regeneration struggled to keep up with the damage.

Worse, the bleeding hadn’t stopped.

[BLEED — 18 DAMAGE PER SECOND]

’Shit... shit... SHIT!’

Gray forced himself to roll aside just as the greatsword came down.

The blade struck the floor, leaving a deep fissure that extended several meters.

Gray scrambled to his feet and activated Phantom Cloak.

His body vanished.

He immediately dashed toward the far side of the chamber, hoping to buy himself a few precious seconds.

"Did you truly believe that would work again?"

The Shadow Knight’s voice came from directly behind him.

Gray’s eyes widened.

He tried to activate Current Dash, but the knight’s hand closed around his throat before he could disappear.

The next moment, Gray was lifted off the ground.

His hands instinctively grabbed the armored wrist, but his fingers couldn’t find anything resembling a weakness.

The Shadow Knight held him effortlessly.

"Look at you."

It spoke almost as if making conversation.

"You have devoured powerful creatures, absorbed the remnants of a Primordial, and evolved beyond the limitations of your original species. Yet, when faced with something you cannot immediately understand, you resort to the same desperate tricks as every other creature."

Gray struggled against its grip.

The pressure around his throat made it difficult to breathe, and his HP continued to decline.

[-18 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 693 / 1,880]

The knight tilted its helmet.

"Tell me, Jellyfish. Is this the extent of your potential?"

Gray’s vision darkened at the edges.

He wanted to answer with another sarcastic remark. Something insulting enough to wipe that smug attitude off the knight’s face.

But he couldn’t even draw a proper breath.

The Shadow Knight suddenly released him.

Gray fell to the floor and coughed violently, clutching his throat.

Before he could recover, the knight kicked him across the chamber.

[-117 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 576 / 1,880]

Gray slammed into the wall.

His body slid down the stone surface, leaving a faint trail of blood behind him.

For a moment, he simply lay there.

His fingers trembled.

His breathing was ragged.

Every attempt to move sent pain coursing through his body.

He had faced powerful enemies before. He had fought creatures several levels above him, survived encounters that should have ended in his death, and overcome opponents by exploiting weaknesses they never expected him to notice.

But this...

This was different.

The Shadow Knight wasn’t merely stronger than him. It possessed an ability that rendered nearly everything Gray had learned throughout his evolution irrelevant.

His skills were useless.

His tactics were useless.

Even his ability to adapt seemed meaningless against an opponent that could simply reject the consequences of his actions.

For the first time in a long while, Gray felt the familiar sensation of helplessness creeping into his heart.

The same helplessness he had felt in his previous life, when he was nothing more than an ordinary man with no family, no friends, and no power to change his circumstances.

The realization that he was going to die without ever accomplishing anything meaningful.

His fingers curled against the stone.

’No.’

His golden eyes slowly opened.

’I’m not going to die in this hole.’

Gray planted his palm against the floor and forced himself upright.

His legs shook beneath him, and his chest wound continued to bleed, but he remained standing.

The Shadow Knight watched him in silence.

"...Remarkable."

Gray spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Yeah, yeah. Put it on my tombstone."

He tried to summon another Void Reaper’s Lance.

The familiar weapon materialized in his hand, its dark edge flickering with unstable energy.

Gray stared at it for a moment.

Then he looked at the Shadow Knight.

He already knew what would happen if he attacked directly.

The lance would shatter.

The knight would laugh and he would lose another portion of his HP.

So why bother?

’There has to be something.’

His eyes darted across the chamber.

He had tried using all of them against the knight, and none of his attempts had worked.

But perhaps the problem wasn’t the environment.

Perhaps it wasn’t even his skills.

’I’ve been trying to find a way around its ability without understanding why it hates the Primordial so much.’

Gray’s gaze slowly returned to the Shadow Knight.

The armored figure had mentioned its hatred several times. Every time it spoke about the Primordial, its demeanor changed. Its killing intent intensified, and the violet light within its armor became more unstable.

Gray remembered the knight’s words.

That wretched existence...

I despise everything about it.

It destroyed me.

His eyes narrowed.

’Wait a minute.’

A thought began to form in his mind.

The Shadow Knight had ignored every attack he had launched. It had rejected physical force, energy, restraints, and even environmental interference.

But throughout the entire battle, there was one thing it had reacted to differently.

The Primordial.

And Gray was carrying that essence inside his body.

’Could it be...’

His heart began to beat faster.

’Is its hatred so strong that it might affect its ability?’

It was a dangerous assumption. The knight’s power might have nothing to do with its emotions, and provoking it could easily get him killed.

But Gray was already on the verge of death.

He had no luxury of waiting for a better opportunity.

The Shadow Knight began walking toward him again.

"Have you finally accepted your fate?"

Gray slowly raised his head.

"No."

The knight stopped.

Gray wiped the blood from his mouth, then forced a crooked smile onto his face.

"But I’ve figured something out."

"Hoh?"

The Shadow Knight’s voice carried a trace of curiosity.

"And what might that be?"

Gray pointed his Void Reaper’s Lance at the knight, although he had no intention of using it.

"You don’t actually hate me."

Gray continued before it could respond.

"You hate the Primordial. Everything about it. Its power, its existence, and even the essence it leaves behind."

His golden eyes burned.

"And because I happen to carry a piece of that power, you decided that I deserve to die."

The Shadow Knight’s grip tightened around its greatsword.

"Get to the point."

Gray’s smile widened.

"You’re not fighting me because I’m dangerous."

He tilted his head.

"You’re fighting me because I remind you of something you can’t stand."

For several seconds, the Shadow Knight didn’t move.

Then the violet glow beneath its armor intensified.

"You know nothing about what I endured."

Its voice had changed.

The calm, almost amused tone was gone.

In its place was a deep, distorted growl that made the chamber tremble.

Gray felt a chill run down his spine.

’There we go.’

He had struck a nerve.

Now he needed to push harder.

"Then enlighten me."

Gray spread his arms, deliberately exposing his battered body.

"Come on. You’ve spent centuries down here, waiting for someone interesting to show up. You claim you want to understand me, yet you haven’t bothered to explain why the Primordial’s essence matters so much to you."

He leaned forward.

"Or are you afraid that if you talk about it too much, you’ll remember how helpless you were when it destroyed everything you cared about?"

The chamber fell completely silent.

For a fraction of a second, the Shadow Knight appeared frozen.

Then the stone beneath its feet shattered.

"YOU DARE!"

The roar erupted through the chamber like a thunderclap.

Gray’s body was thrown backward by the sheer force of the knight’s killing intent. His back struck the wall, and fresh pain exploded across his chest.

[-54 HP]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 522 / 1,880]

He barely managed to remain conscious.

’Damn! That was a little too effective!’

The Shadow Knight advanced, its entire body radiating violet light.

"You presumptuous little creature!"

Its greatsword scraped across the floor, carving a deep trench through the stone.

"You think you understand my hatred? You think you can judge me after existing for barely a fraction of the time I have endured?"

Gray swallowed, forcing himself to stand straight despite the pain.

"No."

He met the knight’s blazing visor.

"But I know what it’s like to lose everything."

"I know what it’s like to be powerless. To have everything taken away from you while you can do nothing but watch."

His fingers tightened around the lance.

"And I know what it’s like to hate the world for it."

The Shadow Knight stopped.

Gray’s expression hardened.

"But here’s the difference between us."

He slowly lifted his chin.

"I don’t let that hatred decide who deserves to live."

The violet light within the knight’s visor flared violently.

For a moment, Gray thought the creature would attack immediately.

Instead, the Shadow Knight stood motionless, its greatsword trembling in its grasp.

Then it spoke.

"You dare compare your insignificant suffering to mine?"

Gray shook his head.

"I’m not comparing anything. I’m telling you that whatever happened in your past, it doesn’t give you the right to slaughter everyone who reminds you of it."

He took a painful step forward.

"And if you’re so convinced that the Primordial was nothing but an evil monster, then why are you taking your revenge on someone who merely carries its remnants?"

The knight’s aura surged again.

Gray’s instincts screamed at him to stop.

But he had finally found something that could make the Shadow Knight hesitate, and he couldn’t afford to waste the opportunity.

"You said the Primordial judged entire civilizations. You said it erased everything it considered unworthy."

Gray’s eyes narrowed.

"But what if it judged you, too?"

The knight went completely still.

Gray watched it carefully.

"What if it destroyed everything you cared about because you gave it a reason to?"

The response was immediate.

"ENOUGH!"

The Shadow Knight’s roar shook the chamber.

Its greatsword rose, and the violet energy surrounding its armor erupted outward in a violent wave.

Gray felt the pressure slam into him.

His knees nearly buckled.

But beneath the overwhelming killing intent, he noticed something else.

The knight’s movements had become less controlled.

Its aura flickered erratically, and the violet light within its armor pulsed in uneven bursts.

For the first time, its power seemed unstable.

Gray’s eyes widened.

’There!’

He didn’t know whether it was anger, pain, or the resurfacing of some ancient memory.

But the Shadow Knight was no longer as composed as before.

And if its ability required even the slightest degree of control, then perhaps...

Perhaps he had finally found his opening.

Gray drew a ragged breath, his HP continuing to fall.

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 504 / 1,880]

He had one chance.

He slowly raised his hand, and the faint remnants of the Primordial’s essence stirred within his body.

A pale, divine light began to emerge beneath his skin.

The Shadow Knight’s visor snapped toward him.

For the first time, its voice carried something other than amusement or contempt.

"...That light."

Gray’s expression hardened.

"Yeah."

The divine light spread across his arm, intertwining with the dark energy of his Void Reaper’s Lance.

"I was wondering how much you would hate seeing this."

The Shadow Knight’s armor began to tremble.

"Stop."

Gray took another step forward.

"Why? Afraid of it?"

"STOP!"

The chamber shook violently.

The knight’s greatsword rose, but its movements faltered for a fraction of a second.

Gray saw it.

And that fraction of a second was all he needed.

’Got you.’

He poured more of his Primordial essence into his arm, allowing the divine light to grow brighter.

The pale light reflected across the knight’s armor.

And beneath that light, the violet aura surrounding its body began to fracture.

[WARNING: PRIMORDIAL ESSENCE — FORCIBLY ACTIVATED]

[Host’s resolve has triggered an involuntary resonance]

[Essence output: 12% → 27% → 41%...]

[WARNING: Host body is not designed to channel this level of Primordial energy]

[DAMAGE TO HOST: 48 HP/SECOND]

Gray gritted his teeth as the strain threatened to tear through his already damaged body.

’Come on... just a little more.’

The Shadow Knight let out a roar of pure fury.

"You...!"

Its greatsword swung downward.

But this time, Gray didn’t retreat.

He stared directly into the blazing visor, his golden eyes reflecting the divine light of the Primordial.

"What’s wrong?"

A crooked smile appeared on his bloodied face.

"You said you wanted to see what makes me special."

The blade descended.

Gray raised his glowing hand.

"Then look closely."