Chapter 29: Battle Against the Corrupted Knight

The Morbid Knight flashed its sword through the air, cleaving several times as though testing the weight of its blade after centuries of dormancy.

Each swing produced a low whistle that cut through the cavern like a funeral hymn.

When it was finally done, the knight settled into a surprisingly relaxed stance and fixed its verdant demonic glare on Finn.

"I guess I’ll be asking questions later."

Finn lowered his center of gravity and took his own stance, the crimson jagged blade of Admonis trembling faintly in his grasp.

Just like in his earlier fight, he made sure to remain on the defensive, watching the Morbid Knight for any sudden movement.

As if an intelligent Corrupted Beast wasn’t enough trouble already, now he was facing a humanoid one.

Without asking Estes for any further explanation, Finn could already tell.

This encounter would be nothing short of horrific.

"Fuck..."

The word barely escaped his lips before the knight lunged.

Its entire being became a silver blur.

One moment it stood dozens of meters away.

The next—

It was already in front of him.

The ancient sword cleaved toward Finn’s throat with devastating speed.

CLANG!

Finn barely managed to block.

Even then, the force of the collision nearly tore Admonis from his grasp.

The impact surged through his arms like lightning, causing every muscle to scream in protest.

"Argh!"

Finn grunted as he staggered backward.

The verdant flames burning within the knight’s skull surged brighter.

Then it attacked again.

A jagged metallic fist shot toward Finn’s face.

Finn jerked his head to the side.

The punch missed his cheek by less than an inch.

Yet the pressure generated by the strike alone exploded against his ear.

A ringing sound instantly drowned out half the world.

His balance faltered.

His vision swam.

He staggered backward as quickly as he could.

Yet once again—

The knight followed.

Like a predator refusing to let prey escape.

Its ancient blade descended.

Finn blocked.

A slash from the side.

He parried.

A thrust toward his ribs.

He evaded.

A fist aimed at his stomach.

He twisted away.

Again.

And again.

And Again.

The attacks came without pattern.

Without mercy.

Without even a moment of pause.

Each strike flowed seamlessly into the next, transforming the knight into a whirlwind of steel and violence.

Finn could do nothing but struggle to survive.

The creature was fast.

Terrifyingly fast.

And far stronger than anything he had ever fought before.

Its swordsmanship eclipsed everything Finn knew.

It was as though he were a village boy swinging a stick while facing a legendary sword master who had spent centuries perfecting the art of killing.

Within the first few seconds of battle, Finn was already running out of stamina.

His muscles burned.

His lungs screamed.

His hands felt as though they would split apart from gripping Admonis.

With every blocked strike, he grew slower.

And slower.

And slower.

Then—

Finn made a mistake.

Just as he moved to parry another descending strike, his exhausted arms failed him.

He was a second too late.

One second.

That was all it took.

The ancient sword flashed.

A spray of crimson erupted into the air.

And Finn’s arm fell.

The severed limb struck the stone floor with a wet thud.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

His scream echoed throughout the cavern.

Pain exploded through his entire body.

White-hot.

Merciless.

Unbearable.

Finn stumbled backward, clutching the bloody stump where his arm had once been.

Losing an arm hurt far beyond anything he had ever imagined.

It felt as though his very soul had been torn apart.

"You bastard!"

His voice cracked with rage.

Ignoring reason.

Logic.

And survival itself.

Finn charged.

Admonis raised high overhead.

At that moment, there was no strategy.

No planning.

Not even a sense of caution.

Only fury and vengeance that fueled him.

It did not end well.

SPLOOOOSH!

The sickening sound of steel tearing through flesh echoed through the cavern.

Then—

Everything became silent.

The battle came to a standstill.

Finn and the Morbid Knight stood opposite one another.

Motionless.

Frozen.

The knight’s verdant eyes stared directly into Finn’s own.

Neither moved.

Neither breathed.

Finn let out a stifled groan.

The metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth.

His vision faded in and out.

Darkness crept into the edges of his sight.

The loss of blood made it difficult to focus.

Yet he forced himself to look.

His left ear still rang from narrowly evading the knight’s earlier punch.

His body was covered in bruises.

One arm was gone.

But none of those things compared to this.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

Finn’s eyes trailed downward.

And his heart stopped.

A sword protruded from Estes’ stomach.

The ancient blade had pierced clean through her body.

Warm crimson blood flowed down her clothes before dripping onto the stone floor below.

She stood between Finn and the knight.

Between Finn and death.

For a moment, Finn simply stared.

His mind refused to process what he was seeing.

Estes.

The annoying guardian.

The sarcastic eyeball.

The companion who never stopped talking.

She was standing there.

Impaled.

Blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Yet somehow...

She was smiling.

Proudly... Happily, yet Sadly.

All at once.

And that expression shattered something inside Finn.

"You made me break my rule."

Her voice was low.

Playful.

And Weak.

As though she were merely complaining about a minor inconvenience.

At those words, Finn’s face twisted with rage.

His grip around Admonis tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Then he moved.

Like a beast unleashed.

His first thrust, shot toward the knight’s chest.

CLANG!

The knight swatted the attack aside with its gauntlet.

The strike only managing to carve a shallow slash into the armor.

Nowhere near enough.

But Finn wasn’t done.

He summoned another sword.

The weapon materialized instantly within his grasp.

Without hesitation, he slashed toward the knight’s stomach.

CLANG!

The knight parried again.

The impact tore the weapon from Finn’s grip.

Yet Finn did not stop.

Another sword appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

Again and again he charged forward.

Each time a weapon was knocked away, another appeared in his grasp.

His attacks became relentless.

Wild.

Desperate.

Furious.

For the first time since the battle began, the Morbid Knight was forced backward.

One step.

Then another.

The monster raised its sword hastily to defend its midsection where Finn threatened to carve it open.

Then—

Something strange happened.

The knight’s entire world suddenly turned upside down.

No.

That wasn’t the right description.

Its world spun erratically.

The cavern rotated before its eyes.

The ceiling became the floor.

The floor became the ceiling.

Information became impossible to process.

Not until its rotten skull struck the stone ground did the creature finally understand.

Its head was no longer attached to its body.

Finn had decapitated it in a single devastating strike.

The assault on its stomach had been a feint all along.

SLAM!

The Morbid Knight’s body stumbled forward.

One knee struck the ground.

Then the other.

Finally, the ancient warrior collapsed onto its side.

Dark blood erupted from its severed neck before slowly pooling across the stone floor.

Silence returned to the cavern.

Finn stared at the corpse.

Then at his own body and as he did, the adrenaline finally left him.

His legs gave out, then he collapsed to both knees. His head hung low and the world around him began to blur.

His vision rapidly faded.

His thoughts drifted away into darkness.

And with the last of his strength, he whispered—

"I..."

His voice trembled.

"I..."

A weak smile appeared on his blood-covered face.

"I won."