Chapter 388: The Knight That Refused to Fall

The Stone Grunt Knight Guard was the most traditional kind of leadership knight.

It possessed only a single offensive skill, Cross Hammer Strike, while everything else in its arsenal revolved around support and survival. Buffs strengthened nearby allies, defensive abilities reinforced formations, and recovery skills allowed it to endure battles far longer than most enemies. At a glance, the creature resembled a cleric more than a frontline fighter, yet a knight’s naturally high health and defense turned it into the true core of any battlefield.

Worse still, a knight capable of constantly healing itself was among the most irritating opponents imaginable.

Marcus studied the armored figure standing before him, then glanced down at his own equipment. A faint smile slowly spread across his face.

Knight versus knight. Now this was interesting.

The backlash from the dark stone door had already stripped away half of his health. If the enemy waiting beyond had been a high-damage attacker, the situation might have become dangerous immediately. Fortunately, fate had placed a recovery-type knight in his path instead, a class known for endurance rather than offense. Even without knowing its precise stats, Marcus felt confident. This was a fight he could win.

His two Sea Demon Souls were already fulfilling their roles perfectly, drawing aggro from the mobs that had emerged on both sides of the chamber. At the center, Pebble held the Stone Grunt Knight Guard firmly in place, preventing it from advancing any further.

Which meant it was time.

Standing safely at the rear, Marcus began summoning without hesitation. Goldie appeared first, followed by the Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, the Vixen Queen Camillo, and finally the majestic Seven-Colored Divine Eagle. Magical energy flooded the battlefield as each summon materialized.

"Kill."

At his command, his summoned companions unleashed overwhelming magical attacks. Newly emerged monsters clustered near the stone walls were instantly caught in a storm of spells, explosions flashing across the chamber as damage numbers rose in rapid succession.

Marcus moved at the same moment.

"The Ascendant’s Domain!"

Golden light erupted outward from his body like a spreading tide. The aura expanded across the battlefield, empowering him and his allies while suppressing the enemies within its range. His own attributes surged by ten percent, while every monster suffered an equal reduction. The Stone Grunt Knight Guard alone lost 6,500 health the instant the domain settled into place.

"Nice."

Marcus genuinely loved this skill. Its only flaw was the long cooldown, but he had already prepared for the next step. While summoning his pets, he had quietly switched weapons, now gripping his high-damage two-handed scythe.

"Desperate Strike!"

He hurled the weapon forward. The scythe spun violently through the air, shrieking as it cut through space before crashing into the knight’s heavy chainmail with explosive force.

Two damage numbers burst into view.

-15000.

-15000.

The first came from Marcus himself, amplified by the skill’s fivefold damage multiplier and a critical hit. The second appeared almost simultaneously from Pebble, who had mirrored the attack perfectly.

With Sanctuary Covenant at Level 2, Pebble’s attributes matched Marcus’s exactly. Same attack power. Same critical rate. Same devastating results.

In a single exchange, more than half of the knight’s health vanished.

"Howl!"

The Stone Grunt Knight Guard clearly had not expected such overwhelming burst damage. Letting out a strained cry, it immediately abandoned any attempt at offense and activated Cross Life instead, choosing survival over retaliation.

"Seriously?" Marcus muttered, watching the skill activate.

The knight raised its cross-shaped hammer. Radiant holy light spread outward, enveloping both itself and the surrounding monsters. Green healing numbers began ticking upward as 2,000 health regenerated every second across the entire area.

Marcus only smiled.

"Too late."

The moment his scythe left his hand, he had already switched weapons again. The Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword rested firmly in his grip, its surface pulsing with sinister energy. Another powerful attack was ready. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Time to die!"

Marcus and Pebble raised their identical blades together. Dark energy surged violently as both activated the Corpse Demon set’s exclusive skill.

Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven.

A low, mournful wail filled the chamber. The swords trembled as if alive, black winds spiraling outward like a storm born from nothing. From the blades emerged three corpse demons clad in black armor, their decayed muscles exposed beneath tattered Wraith Cloaks.

Then the sound grew sharper.

Woooo... woooo... woooo...

An ear-piercing lament echoed as the thousand-year Corpse Demon Wraiths surged forward. Each phantom formed a massive black two-handed sword in its grasp while charging directly toward the Stone Grunt Knight Guard.

"ROAR!"

The corpse demons roared in unison. Still suspended in midair, they swung downward, unleashing torrents of dark blade energy that crashed toward the knight with terrifying force.

Even Marcus felt a flicker of surprise at the sheer intensity of the attack. The aura alone looked capable of tearing the enemy apart.

Finally, he was witnessing the true power of the Corpse Demon set.

Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven summoned three thousand-year corpse demon wraiths. Each dealt double damage, totaling six times normal damage. With a critical hit, the output doubled again to twelve times damage. Under ideal conditions, that should inflict around 18,000 damage to the Stone Grunt Knight Guard.

And with Pebble casting the same skill simultaneously, another 18,000 damage would follow.

That should have been enough to erase the knight instantly.

"Come on... critical hit."

Marcus focused intently as the wraiths descended. Black blade energy struck.

Bang. Bang.

Two yellow damage numbers appeared above the knight’s head.

Critical hits.

Marcus’s excitement surged, but the feeling froze almost immediately when he realized the knight was still standing.

"What the hell?"

"How is it still alive?"

Even with critical hits, each wraith had dealt barely over 10,000 damage. Combined with Pebble’s attack, the total loss amounted to only about 20,000 health. After enduring the earlier barrage from Marcus and his summons, the knight remained alive with roughly 4,700 health out of its original 65,000.

For a moment, confusion overtook him.

Had Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven been all spectacle and no substance? His earlier tenfold damage strike had reached 15,000 easily.

Then realization struck.

"Right... Dark attribute resistance."

Marcus watched as the summoned wraiths dissolved into drifting black mist. Insight had revealed earlier that the Stone Grunt Knight Guard possessed high resistance to Dark-attribute attacks. That resistance had drastically reduced the skill’s damage, preventing the one-shot kill he expected.

"Damn. Got worried for nothing."

He urged Blackie forward and raised his sword again.

The knight had only 4,700 health remaining. One Triple Surge would end this cleanly, and finishing it that way would also help increase the skill’s proficiency.

As he advanced, Marcus suddenly noticed something else. Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven was not a single-target skill at all.

The sweeping slashes from the wraiths covered nearly a twenty-meter radius. While the central knight had resisted much of the damage, the Stone Grunt Spearmen and Sorcerers positioned nearby had not been so fortunate. They lacked Dark resistance entirely.

All of them had taken the full twelvefold damage. Every single one had been instantly annihilated.

Only moments earlier, thirty-six mobs and their knight commander had formed an imposing force. Now the entire army had vanished, leaving the battered knight standing alone.

Marcus quickly checked on his Sea Demon Souls. Despite being swarmed by eighteen enemies each, they had lost only about two-thirds of their health.

"Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven... that’s seriously good."

He could not help but admire the skill.

"Triple Surge!"

Closing the distance, Marcus spun forward, his sword rotating like a whirling drill as he launched a relentless chain of thrusts.

"Heh heh..."

He felt no guilt about overwhelming strength. If anything, the knight simply had terrible luck choosing to block his path.

But just as the attack connected, holy light flared again.

"Cross Resurrection."

The knight’s passive skill activated at the final moment. Its cross hammer shone brilliantly, releasing a wave of holy energy that spread across the battlefield.

The fallen mobs began to rise.

One after another, all thirty-six enemies resurrected fully restored, bathed in radiant light as though death itself had merely been an inconvenience.

"Seriously? Can’t even die properly."

Marcus pushed forward without hesitation.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Triple Surge landed completely this time. Every strike critted, and the Stone Grunt Knight Guard finally collapsed. Rider and warhorse crashed onto the cold stone floor together, lifeless at last.

"Howl!"

Its final cry echoed briefly before fading into silence.

Marcus immediately turned back. His Sea Demon Souls were already under assault again, surrounded by the freshly revived mobs.

"Pebble, go!"

"Hundred Phantom Strike!"

They split apart without needing further coordination, Marcus moving left while Pebble swept right. Twin waves of phantom blades erupted outward, colliding with the resurrected enemies just as the Sea Demon Souls’ health dropped below 2,000.

Explosions and impact sounds filled the chamber.

Combined area attacks from Marcus, Pebble, and their summoned companions shredded the remaining monsters in seconds.

When the dust finally settled, both sides of the battlefield were completely cleared.