With soft metal creaks, the armoured being lifted his head. He had white fur padding around his neck and his cloak glowed with golden light.

The moment his eyes shone with an eerie red light, a contrast to his golden body, Dax’s tome opened to the first page.

First Page: Gravity Lock!

A golden phantom appeared, its hand above this armoured being. A circle of runes appeared above and below this knight as a massive force slammed him downward.

"Golden Light... grant me your... strength!" A hoarse voice rang out and an even brighter light burst out of the knight. With a grunt, he swung his greatsword upward.

The spell shattered into embers, a golden sword beam swooshed out, heading for Dax, but Mountain placed his shield before the mage.

When the sharp, crescent-shaped golden beam made contact with Mountain’s shield, the damage reflected right back.

The lion knight flew backward and crashed into the wall.

Solstice unleashed fire from outside the door. When he stopped, they saw a golden barrier before the lion knight.

He slowly tilted his head upward. "You... shall... not... take... what... belongs... to... the... Order."

Mountain looked at Tempest, who tried accessing the rune but discovered it was protected by an invisible barrier. It seemed they had no other choice than to defeat this knight.

"You’ve done well, Commander of the Pride Unit." Mountain’s voice resounded as he readied his hammer-axe. He shot forward and, right as he was upon the knight, Toria flashed from his right, thrusting her rapier at the lion knight’s side.

It grabbed the rapier but that was only a distraction as Mountain’s hammer came from above.

The lion knight let go of Toria’s rapier, turned, stepped twice on the wall and somersaulted over Mountain, swinging his massive sword at the noble knight’s back.

But Mountain was swift enough to thrust up his shield, blocking the strike with the top side of the shield. Sparks danced as the knight flew backward and landed.

Another Gravity Lock held him in place as Tempest descended. The floor cracked as the lightning knight’s ironclad boots descended with power, then he burst forward, swinging his double-bladed greatsword.

The lion knight retaliated with an upward swing. Their weapons clashed, the equal force repelling the other.

Tempest’s eyes narrowed. He knew his friend wasn’t behind that helm any longer but his fighting pattern had never changed.

As the sparks of their clash reflected in his eyes, this golden commander suddenly manifested six golden daggers, fourteen inches long, and launched them, not toward Tempest but Dax.

The mage vanished, reappeared mid-air and his tome flipped to the eighth page. Embers burst forth and five lightning bolts crackled like a god’s judgement.

They struck the commander’s golden dome, shattering it like glass. As the shards fell, Toria’s whip shot through like a venomous snake, wrapping around the commander’s sword arm.

The commander’s eyes went to his arm. Once Toria drew her rapier, his arm would be gone. But just as it tightened against his arm and Mountain’s hammer came down from above, he unleashed a golden light so bright, the knights were blinded.

The light didn’t stop, instead its intensity kept growing. Lysander, who had been waiting outside, ran into the room. He had calculated where the golden commander was.

His strength might not be good enough against an existence at the top of the Titled God Tier but not every blow was meant to kill.

His axe gleamed. The golden commander saw him and swung his sword. Lysander slid on the ground, sliding past the huge sword that pierced through the floor.

The elf dug his sharp gauntleted fingers into the floor, using them to reduce his speed drastically. He swung the other hand that held the axe and it struck the golden commander, unleashing a thick amount of ice.

The golden light became dimmer. Considerably, enough for Mountain’s hammer to find its mark, striking the commander’s chest.

As he flew backward, Dax appeared behind him, his hand stretched forward as his tome flipped pages.

It stopped at the third page.

Demolition.

Dax was about to use a spell that could destroy an entire area on a man’s body. Unfortunately, the golden commander phased right through him and slashed at his back.

Dax blinked but when he reappeared at a different location, he felt an oppressive force that made him tilt his head upward.

There, the lion knight was already before him. He had no shadow, no way to know he was coming until he was already there.

Mountain, Tempest and Toria couldn’t stop him because their attacks went right through him. Dax didn’t back off, he used Demolition and it wrecked the space between them. Space tore apart, like a wound in reality caused by pure mana.

That distortion forced the lion knight out of his golden phantom form and Solstice flew into the hall, shoulder-bashing the lion knight and as he flew backward from the impact, Solstice threw one of his swords, impaling the lion knight to the wall.

Mountain spun and slammed his hammer into his head. The impact broke the wall, launching the golden commander through it and into a much smaller hall whose ceiling had fallen.

This smaller hall had water that rose to shin level. It was black. After being abandoned for centuries, whatever purpose this water had served died out.

The golden commander staggered, one knee striking the black water. He reached out for Solstice’s sword and pulled it out with a dull grunt.

"I never thought I would see him." Tempest said.

"It’s not him. The Rune has turned him into a puppet to defend it. The apostles were right about too much exposure to the rune." Mountain replied while Solstice tilted his head. This knight was one of the best, they all knew he would become a general eventually. Unfortunately, the Ruination came and even in death, his corpse still stood guard.

The commander who was protecting a castle’s tomb for four hundred years. His dedication stood like an unbreakable monument even in death.

Before their eyes, the golden commander rose to his feet, lifted up his sword and assumed a stance with the tip of his sword aiming at the sky.

"Let me face him." Tempest said but Mountain shook his head.

"The king is in haste. Let it be his last honour. That he faced six noble knights."

Solstice brandished his swords and walked into the black water. "It was an honor, Commander."