As Westheid clashed fiercely with Uther, he recalled the details he knew about his opponent.

Uther, the [Black Knight], was the Knight Lord of Yingxi Castle in the Country of Yonglan. He was famous throughout the nation, a household name, for his consecutive championships in the knightly tournaments.

The knightly tournament was, in essence, more of a performance-oriented competition. It was grand and drew a lot of attention, but its actual prestige... to be honest, wasn’t very high.

Although Legendary Grand Knights did participate in the tournament, they were almost all young people, testing the waters before the expeditions began. Many long-famous Grand Knights wouldn’t take part, preferring to make their name on expeditions of the Knightly Path.

Thus, Uther, who was already one of the top Legends, was able to monopolize the champion’s title. He then launched a massive publicity campaign, building up his own legend, racking his brains to boast about his achievements, and even opening a Knight Academy on a grand scale to recruit and train Apprentices.

Ultimately, he succeeded in cultivating a large following of adoring disciples who revered the [Black Knight]’s accomplishments.

Uther’s motive for doing all this was simple: he just wanted to enjoy the feeling of being worshipped and flattered.

He was incredibly vain, valuing his reputation more than his life. Even among the Yonglan Knights, who were known for their intense sense of honor, he was one of the extreme ones.

Westheid’s assessment of Uther was that he was a total showboat.

But he didn’t dislike him. On the contrary, the [Black Knight] was one of the few Yonglan People Westheid actually looked up to... This obsession with obtaining glory and fame by any means necessary resonated with him.

He was the same kind of person, perhaps even more extreme than Uther.

Clad in black Battle Armor, Uther leaned forward and relentlessly assaulted Westheid. His attacks were continuous, cunning, and deadly. The Dual Swords in his hands weaved and danced lightly, sketching out a web of death.

When one sword blocked, the other could strike. But at times, both swords would attack in unison, making them impossible to defend against.

It was less like combat and more like a dance!

Westheid only had his [Shadow-Born], and even at full effort, he struggled to block all of Uther’s attacks. He was frequently wounded by lightning-fast thrusts and slashes, and before long, his body was covered in wounds.

Although these minor wounds healed in the blink of an eye, the difference in their skill was obvious.

However, it didn’t matter.

Stats were just too cold and unforgiving.

The defining trait of his [Cursed Source Blood] was that he grew stronger the more he fought. The high-intensity battle against Uther and the constant injuries had already caused this bloodthirsty Talent to climb steadily higher.

Judging that it was about time, Westheid let out a low roar and strode forward with a downward slash.

BANG—

As their weapons clashed once more, Westheid no longer defended his vitals. Instead, he allowed Uther to plunge a blade into his chest, focusing solely on applying pressure to his own sword as he brought it down on Uther’s head.

Startled, the Black Knight quickly withdrew his sword to defend, crossing his Dual Swords to block Shadow-Born’s strike.

CREAK—

But the moment he blocked Westheid’s ferocious strike, Uther knew this was bad. The immense force tore the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, and his arms went numb.

If not for the fact that his Dual Swords were indestructible Silver Swords blessed by the Riding God, Uther suspected the weapons in his hands would have shattered in an instant.

Even though his weapons held, the immense pressure transmitted through the Dual Swords made the Black Knight’s bones creak. His knees began to sink uncontrollably as pain spread through his entire body.

"Heh, is this your idea of resistance?"

Westheid laughed maniacally and applied more pressure. Empowered by his [Cursed Source Blood], he could practically ignore Uther’s attacks, fighting by trading blows for wounds and completely shutting down the technique Uther was so proud of.

’All that flashy nonsense... can you even parry a basic swing, bro? Fight skilled opponents with stats, and fight stat-heavy opponents with skill. That’s my path to victory! I’m a goddamn genius!’

Uther’s arms trembled as he desperately resisted Westheid’s pressure, but his shins were already beginning to sink into the ground.

He had been scornful when he saw how decisively Brolyte had been forced to kneel, but only after experiencing it for himself did he understand what kind of Monster this young man truly was.

’I can’t block it. I can’t block it at all. If this keeps up... am I actually going to be forced to my knees? I can’t kneel! I fucking can’t kneel! If I’m beaten to my knees in front of so many people, my life is over, isn’t it?’

An intense sense of shame drove the Black Knight to push back with all his might. However, he hadn’t been seriously injured yet, so his [Blessed Chalice] couldn’t squeeze out much of a boost, leaving him to slide step by step into the abyss of despair.

Just as Uther was reaching his limit, Westheid suddenly lessened the pressure, allowing his groaning bones to relax.

"Hm?"

Uther faltered for a moment and looked at Westheid. The other man didn’t look exhausted in the slightest.

’This is...’

Despite his confusion, the Black Knight’s vast combat experience made him react instinctively. A black flame ignited on his Dual Swords as he rapidly pulled away, deflecting the remaining force and leaping backward.

Westheid immediately pressed forward again. Every slash carried the weight of a mountain, covered in a [Glowing Radiance]. Ring after ring of concussive force sent ripples through the hazy glow, almost seeming to distort space itself.

But Uther, experiencing this continuous assault firsthand, knew that while Westheid’s attacks were aggressive, whenever he was about to break, Westheid would ease up on the power, leaving him room to breathe.

He pulled back right at the threshold where Uther’s [Blessed Chalice] and [Yonglan Blood] would struggle to recover. This precise grasp of Uther’s Status left him increasingly terrified.