Chapter 187: Headless Knight

?Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it for now.

?Cassian dismissed the failure prompt and retrieved the navigation unit from his Vault.

?The screen flickered.

?For a brief, jarring second, the crimson tracking arrow vanished entirely before a cascade of corrupt symbols flashed across the glass.

Then, just as abruptly as it occurred, the display stabilized.

?The glowing arrow reappeared, pointing steadily in the direction they had been traveling.

?Cassian’s blue eyes narrowed.

’?What was that?’

?He inspected the casing for a moment before ruling out a hardware malfunction.

The unit had been working flawlessly throughout their journey, and a millisecond glitch wasn’t necessarily cause for alarm.

?He turned to Nyxara. "Let’s keep moving."

?"Understood, my Lord."

?The Undead Champion nodded and fell into step beside him.

?They proceeded deeper into the subterranean network, following the signal vector.

The passage gradually expanded, its stone walls becoming unnaturally smooth as the ambient crystal formations grew increasingly scarce.

?Several minutes ticked by.

?Then a dozen more.

?And eventually, Cassian began to notice a glaring anomaly.

?They hadn’t encountered a single enemy.

?At first, he hadn’t given it much thought. There were bound to be empty sectors within a dimensional rift where fauna was sparse.

However, the longer they walked, the more difficult it became to ignore the absolute silence.

?This was the longest stretch they had traveled without an ambush since stepping onto the rift platform.

?Nyxara was the first to voice her suspicion. "My Lord, I find this sector very strange."

?Cassian glanced sideways at her. "What is it?"

?"We haven’t encountered a single entity for quite some time. Even the beasts earlier became increasingly aggressive as we approached this region. Yet now, there isn’t a single creature in sight."

?Cassian nodded slowly. "I noticed."

?In fact, there were several troubling irregularities regarding their expedition.

?The first was that they hadn’t crossed paths with a single other Lord since entering the rift.

?Of course, that could easily be attributed to the sheer scale of the Orion Rift.

Dimensional spaces were often vast, making it entirely possible for exploration squads to be scattered across light-years without intersecting.

?That alone wasn’t particularly alarming.

?The second issue was their destination.

?The further they traveled along the vector indicated by the navigation device, the further away their target seemed to drift.

?Cassian had caught the discrepancy multiple times now.

?At first, he assumed the subterranean tunnels were merely winding in circles.

However, the exact distance between their current coordinates and the destination signal was fluctuating in a way that defied geometry.

?As for the possibility of the tracker being hacked, Cassian had already ruled it out.

?The unit didn’t connect to any external satellite grid; its sole function was to track a localized, hardcoded signal frequency.

Silas had personally explained its offline operating mechanics before deployment.

?There was zero way for an external party to remotely manipulate its data through a standard connection.

’?Unless something in this environment is warping the signal itself.’

?Cassian looked down at the device in his palm. That was certainly plausible, but he lacked sufficient data to draw a firm conclusion.

?Then came the final issue: the complete absence of monsters.

?This was undoubtedly the longest period they had gone without encountering a single hostiles.

?There were a few logical explanations. Perhaps the local monster population was naturally sparse in this sector, or perhaps they had migrated to another cavern.

?However, one probability stood far above the rest.

’?They’re actively avoiding this area.’

?If that was the case, then something was looming nearby that even the apex predators of the rift refused to cross.

?Something exponentially more dangerous than anything they had fought so far.

?Cassian’s expression turned deeply analytical.

?Just then—

?Clop.

?A faint, crisp sound echoed through the silent corridor.

?Cassian raised his head.

?Clop. Clop.

?The sound grew steadily clearer, carrying the unmistakable, heavy rhythm of hooves striking hollow stone.

?Someone was approaching them down the corridor.

?Nyxara shifted her weight instantly, her fingers curling around the hilt of her scythe.

?A solitary figure emerged from the subterranean darkness.

?It was a knight riding a massive black warhorse.

?Or, more accurately, what remained of one.

?The rider wore ancient, blackened plate armor that had clearly survived countless brutal wars.

Its metallic surface was gouged with deep scratches and battle dents, while a tattered, crimson cloak hung motionless from its shoulders.

?However, the most striking detail was the complete absence of a head.

?There was nothing above its spiked collar.

?The headless knight held a massive broadsword in one gauntleted hand, its tip dragging lightly along the stone floor as the warhorse stepped forward.

Its other hand held the reins with eerie composure.

?The steed was equally terrifying.

?Its frame was encased in dark, weathered barding, with faint veins of violet energy pulsing beneath the iron.

Its eyes burned with a cold, crimson fire, and plumes of black, toxic mist escaped its nostrils with every exhaled breath.

?Together, they cut an imposing, spectral silhouette through the gloom.

?Cassian’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the entity.

?[Headless Knight]

[Rare ★ ★ ★]

?Another Three-Star Rare monster.

?Yet something was distinctly wrong.

?Although its displayed classification was identical to the white wyvern they had just slain, Cassian could feel that this entity was leagues stronger.

?He couldn’t immediately pinpoint why.

?Its mana fluctuations were strangely muffled, and the aura surrounding its frame felt unnaturally compressed, almost as though the creature were concealing the true extent of its power.

?Nyxara immediately dropped into a low combat stance.

?Cassian, however, remained still, studying the rider.

’?Isn’t this basically a Dullahan?’

?Dullahans were traditionally depicted as headless riders mounted on spectral steeds.

Although the monster before him fit the myth perfectly, he couldn’t help wondering whether the horse was merely a cosmetic mount or an independent entity with its own combat mechanics.

?His thoughts were abruptly shattered by a second sound.

?NEIGHHHHH!

?A piercing, unnatural horse shriek suddenly echoed from the pitch-black tunnel behind the Dullahan.

?Cassian’s gaze bypassed the knight, piercing deep into the gloom beyond.

?A faint, sharp smile touched his lips.

?"Of course... You would show up now."