Chapter 204: Stubborn to the End

The sphere above the Shadow Knight’s palm continued to grow.

Violet energy spiraled around its surface, swallowing the light in the chamber. The ancient roots hanging from the ceiling withered as the sphere passed beneath them, turning to dust before they could even touch the ground. Cracks spread across the packed sediment, converging toward the knight’s feet.

Gray stared at the gathering energy.

’Yeah, that’s definitely not something I want to get hit by.’

He forced himself to stand, but his legs nearly gave out. His chest felt as though someone had driven a spear through it, and the divine light beneath his skin had become erratic. Every pulse of the Primordial Essence sent another wave of pain through his body.

The Shadow Knight slowly closed its fingers.

The sphere compressed, becoming smaller and denser until it resembled a miniature violet star. The surrounding space bent toward it, and even the loose stones scattered across the floor began floating into the air.

"Your little trick has already cost you more than you can afford," the knight declared. "You can barely stand, yet you insist on challenging me."

Gray wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound like a terrible idea."

"Then accept your death."

The Shadow Knight thrust its palm forward.

The sphere vanished.

Gray’s pupils contracted.

His Predator’s Instinct screamed at him to move, but Current Dash remained suppressed. Phantom Cloak would be useless against an attack that seemed to distort the very space around him, and he had neither the strength nor the time to cast anything powerful enough to stop it.

He had only one option.

The one thing that had worked.

Gray raised his trembling hand.

"Come on, you useless body..."

He forced the Primordial Essence to surge again.

Pain detonated throughout his body.

[PRIMORDIAL ESSENCE — RESONANCE INTENSIFYING]

[ESSENCE OUTPUT: 58% → 61%]

[SELF-INFLICTED DAMAGE: 48 HP/SECOND]

[WARNING: CRITICAL DAMAGE TO HOST STRUCTURE]

Gray’s crystalline carapace fractured. Pale light burst from the cracks, and his fingers began dissolving into shimmering particles.

The divine light spread around him in a thin, unstable veil.

The violet sphere reached him.

For an instant, everything disappeared beneath a flash of purple.

Then the chamber shook violently.

A deafening explosion tore through the room, blasting apart the surrounding roots and hurling fragments of stone in every direction. The shockwave swept across the floor, leaving a deep crater where Gray had been standing.

The Shadow Knight remained motionless, its arm extended.

Dust and violet mist filled the chamber.

"...Pathetic."

The knight lowered its hand.

"Did you truly believe that a little borrowed power would—"

A faint golden light flickered inside the dust cloud.

The Shadow Knight stopped speaking.

From the center of the crater came a rough, painful cough.

"Kh... kh..."

Gray was still alive.

His body lay half-buried beneath shattered stone. The crystalline armor covering his torso had almost completely broken apart, while one arm hung at an unnatural angle. Pale light seeped from his wounds, flickering like a dying flame.

[HP: 52 / 1,880]

[ABYSSAL REGENERATION: RESTORED]

[CURRENT HP RECOVERY: 0.78 HP/SECOND]

[WARNING: HOST REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITION]

Gray stared at the notifications through blurred vision.

’Fifty-two.’

He swallowed painfully.

’Fifty-two fucking HP.’

His regeneration had returned, but at that rate, he would need an eternity to recover. And he seriously doubted the Shadow Knight would stand around politely while he healed.

Still, the fact that he had survived the attack meant something.

Gray slowly lifted his head.

The divine veil had dispersed, but the place where the sphere struck him was surrounded by lingering golden particles. The violet energy in the crater had been torn apart, unable to maintain its shape where the Primordial Essence had resisted it.

He hadn’t blocked the attack.

He had interfered with it.

The distinction was small, but it might be the only reason he was still breathing.

’So your authority isn’t absolute after all.’

Across the crater, the Shadow Knight stared at him.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Then the knight looked at its own hand.

The violet energy surrounding its fingers was trembling.

"You..." Its voice was barely audible. "You used the essence to disrupt the attack itself."

Gray managed to raise one corner of his mouth.

"Gold star for observation."

The knight’s fingers slowly curled into a fist.

"You cannot sustain that power. Your body is collapsing under its own resonance. Even if you could interfere with my authority, you would die before you could defeat me."

"Yeah, I’ve noticed the whole dying thing."

Gray tried to push himself up.

His arm buckled, and he collapsed with a hiss of pain.

"Little suggestion, though. If you’re going to give me a lecture, could you do it from a little farther away? I’m having trouble concentrating with all the murder in the atmosphere."

The Shadow Knight began walking toward him.

Each step sent a dull tremor through the chamber.

"You have endured far more than I expected," it said. "You adapted, exploited my anger, and even managed to wound me. For a creature of your level, that is an extraordinary accomplishment."

Gray watched it approach.

"But?"

"But it changes nothing."

The knight stopped at the edge of the crater and extended its hand.

Violet energy gathered around Gray’s body.

His limbs lifted from the ground, suspended helplessly in the air. The pressure tightened around his chest, and Gray felt his already damaged ribs begin to creak.

He tried to struggle, but the invisible force only grew stronger.

"You are not the Primordial," the knight continued. "You are merely a vessel carrying a remnant of something that should have been erased."

Gray’s expression hardened.

There it was again.

That hatred.

It wasn’t merely anger toward the Primordial. The Shadow Knight spoke as though the very existence of the essence was an insult it could never tolerate.

And yet, despite all its power, it had been unable to erase that remnant completely.

His gaze shifted toward the violet energy surrounding his body.

A thought began to form.

’The essence disrupts its authority. The knight’s hatred makes that disruption worse. And every time it loses control, its defenses falter.’

Gray’s eyes narrowed.

’So why am I wasting time trying to overpower it?’

He didn’t need to maintain the resonance throughout his entire body. That was what had nearly killed him.

He needed to concentrate it somewhere else.

Somewhere that could carry the essence without forcing his already ruined body to endure the full burden.

His gaze settled on his outstretched hand.

Void Reaper’s Lance.

The skill had always manifested as a concentrated lance of void energy. It wasn’t a physical weapon, but an extension of his own power, shaped and controlled through his skill.

If he could channel the Primordial Essence into that manifestation, perhaps he could combine its disruptive properties with the lance’s ability to penetrate defenses.

He might be able to strike the Shadow Knight before its authority could recover.

There was just one problem.

He had no idea whether the two powers could coexist.

The Primordial Essence was already tearing his body apart. Forcing it into another skill might destabilize the resonance completely, potentially killing him before he could even attack.

’Well, it’s not like I have a lot of options.’

The Shadow Knight tightened its grip.

Gray felt the pressure crushing his chest.

"Your struggle ends here."

Gray coughed, then forced a crooked smile onto his bloodied face.

"Funny. I was just thinking the same thing."

The knight paused.

Gray drew in what might have been his last full breath.

"Hey, tin can."

His eyes gleamed with stubborn defiance.

"Why don’t you come a little closer?"

The Shadow Knight’s visor tilted.

For the first time, it seemed genuinely uncertain whether Gray was stupid, insane, or simply too stubborn to understand the situation.

Gray hoped it would choose the third option.

Because if his next idea failed, he wouldn’t have another one.