A thick red aura erupted around its body, warping the air. The throne cracked behind it as it stood to full height, towering, monstrous, ancient.

Its sword dragged along the ground with a deafening scrape. Sparks flew where metal met stone.

Raito could barely breathe. Every instinct screamed at him to run.

The Death Knight pointed its sword toward him.

"Come, successor of the living," it said, its voice like iron and flame. "Show me the worth of your soul."

Raito steadied his breathing. Sweat slid down his temple. Then he raised his dagger.

"Fine," he said quietly. "If you want to test me… I'll show you what I've learned."

"Now, I have to use Holy Burst… and this time, I'll sacrifice 3,000 AP," Raito said.

"Status box open."

A glowing blue panel appeared before him, flickering with data streams. Raito scrolled until he found Holy Burst.

[Input the amount of AP to sacrifice]

He tapped the box and entered 3,000.

Instantly, holy energy surged through his body, wild, divine, and violent. The light grew brighter and brighter, wrapping him completely in a raging storm of sanctified power.

The ground beneath him cracked. Wind roared outward, scattering ash and bones across the chamber.

"Now this is it," Raito muttered, gripping both daggers tightly. Holy flames burned along their edges. His entire form glowed—his eyes, his weapons, even the air around him shimmered with divine heat.

"I'll stand my ground. I don't care who or what you are," he said. "This time, I won't lose."

Raito charged forward, the burst of light exploding from under his feet.

The Death Knight didn't move. Its ancient armor gleamed faintly red as it raised its massive blade, an ancient sword inscribed with dark runes, pulsing with crimson magic.

"Very well," the Death Knight said in a deep, echoing voice. "Since you've chosen to challenge me, show me your worth."

Raito's daggers flashed. He leapt high, spinning mid-air, both blades slashing downward.

A clean hit.

The Death Knight's form split in two.

But the halves dissolved, fading into smoke.

An afterimage.

"What?" Raito spun sharply, instinct screaming. He barely caught the killing intent behind him.

He dodged, but too late. The Death Knight's blade grazed his back.

Blood splattered across the floor.

He landed in a crouch, sliding backward, a sharp line of pain slicing across his shoulder.

"It can use afterimages?" Raito hissed, eyes narrowing. "It moved through the air itself, got behind me instantly."

He clenched his teeth and straightened. "System heal. No matter the LP cost."

A crimson notification appeared.

[Command Denied]

[Command Denied]

[Command Denied]

"What?" Raito said in disbelief. "Status box, open!"

The window blinked back to life.

[Healing Function Disabled]

Reason: Wound inflicted by 'Sword of the Death Knight'

Effect: Any injury from this weapon cannot be healed until the Death Knight is defeated.

"What does that mean?" Raito muttered. "I can't heal myself, unless I kill him first?"

He looked down. The wound was shallow, but the corruption was spreading. A dark mist crawled from the cut, eating slowly into his flesh.

"This is bad. Really bad."

The Death Knight began to move forward, its every step echoing across the hall.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

Its red eyes burned brighter, the sword dragging slightly against the ground.

"Your light won't save you here," the Death Knight growled.

Raito's holy energy surged, the air around him distorting under the pressure.

He tightened his grip on both daggers. "Then I'll just have to finish this fast."

"Does that mean Holy Magic isn't affecting it?" Raito muttered, disbelief flashing across his face. "Even just the aura of Holy Magic should burn the undead without touching them, and yet this one stands unaffected."

His grip tightened on both daggers as his divine aura flared brighter, burning like green wildfire.

Raito darted forward. The Death Knight moved at the same instant. The two blurs met in the center of the hall.

Steel clashed. Sparks erupted.

The Death Knight swung its massive blade downward with terrifying precision. Raito crossed both daggers, blocking the blow. The impact roared through the entire hall, shattering tiles beneath their feet.

Their blades collided again and again. Every strike was heavy enough to crush stone.

Raito gritted his teeth. "He's faster than me. I'm barely keeping up."

He ducked under a sweeping strike, twisting his body to counter, but the Death Knight's blade was already there, deflecting him with monstrous force.

Each clash rang through the dark chamber, echoing like thunder.

Raito's eyes darted, calculating every motion. "All strength has been activated already. Physical and Minotaur strength are at full capacity. But even with everything, his power still surpasses mine."

The Death Knight pushed him back with one heavy swing, its sword tearing through the holy light like it was air.

Raito slid across the ground, leaving a glowing trail of holy energy. His daggers trembled in his hands.

"This can't be normal undead resistance," he thought. "Even the mere pressure of Holy Magic should have been enough to burn it, but it's not just resisting, it's overpowering it."

The Death Knight's eyes burned crimson beneath the helm as it raised its sword once more.

"You cannot purify what has already transcended death," it said in a hollow, commanding voice.

Raito exhaled sharply, raising both daggers again. "Then I'll find a way to erase you anyway."

The light around him blazed once more as he charged forward, clashing again in a storm of fire and shadow.

"System," Raito said under his breath, eyes narrowing. "Shadow Phase activate."

A notification instantly flashed before him.

[Shadow Phase Activated]

User: Now Invisible.

A surge of black mist enveloped his body. Within seconds, his figure completely vanished, leaving only faint ripples in the air.

Raito smirked. "Good. The undead can't sense mana. This should give me an opening."

"Now I have to put everything I've got into speed to match up with him. I'm sure he can barely sense my mana since shadow phase also reduces mana presence," Raito muttered. "The only way I can move faster than I want to is through flight."

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