CHAPTER 68: KNIGHTS FALL.
*SHING*
*SHING*
*SHING*
*SHING*
Draven, Aldric, Orion, and Evander unsheathe their swords, as they prepared to confront the source of the unknown voice.
*STEP*
"Hey, there's no need to draw your swords,"
Scorpion calmly interjected, stepping into the illuminated area, revealing himself.
"Why does this man look familiar? I think I've seen him recently, but I can't recall where."
Draven pondered silently upon seeing Scorpion's face.
As Draven struggled to recall where he had seen Scorpion before. Aldric steps forward from the group wearing an annoyed expression and walks toward Scorpion.
*THUD*
* THUD*
*THUD*
The sound of Aldric's steps reverberated through the tense silence as he approached Scorpion. After closing the distance between them, he raised his sword and points it threateningly at Scorpion's face.
*SWISH*
"Who the hell are you?... Huh?"
Aldric asked, his voice laced with a threatening tone, as the tip of his sword's blade drew nearer to Scorpion's face.
"…"
But Scorpion stood there silently as he watched Aldric with an amused expression.
"You show up out of nowhere at night and then have the audacity to tell us not to draw our swords? Is this some kind of joke?"
Aldric's anger-filled voice boomed as he glared at Scorpion.
"Pffft- Hahahaha…"
As Aldric spoke, Scorpion unexpectedly burst into laughter, interrupting his words.
"!?...."
Aldric flinched at Scorpion's sudden reaction, unable to comprehend what was so amusing to the mysterious man. He glanced back at Draven, Orion, and Evander, only to see their perplexed expressions mirroring his own.
"Y-You damn bastard!"
Aldric yelled in an angry tone as he turned his gaze back to Scorpion. He withdraws his sword and grabs Scorpion by the chest, pulling him closer with a menacing glare.
*WHOOSH*
*GRAB*
*SWOOSH*
"Stop that laughter and start talking before you find yourself in a world of pain, you damn bastard!"
Aldric threatened as he tightens his grip.
*CLENCH*
"Ah… tonight, it seems my sword truly craves the blood of a second-class grandmaster Knight."
Scorpion's chilling voice echoed, slicing through the thick tension, as he emits killing intent.
"What did you say? —"
Aldric's words were abruptly cut short.
*SHING*
*SLICE*
*THUD*
*ROLL*
In the blink of an eye, Aldric's head falls off his body, lands on the ground, and rolls toward Draven, Orion, and Evander, before stopping in front of them.
"…"
The sight of Aldric's severed head sent waves of shock and horror surging through Draven, Orion, and Evander. Paralyzed with fear and disbelief, all they could do was stare at the gruesome spectacle before them. Silence enveloped them as they grappled with the horrifying reality that unfolded in front of their eyes.
*THUD*
Then the sound of Aldric's lifeless body hitting the ground shattered the silence.
"As I said..."
Scorpion paused, his voice dripping with disdain, as he wiped off the part of his clothing that had come into contact with Aldric's blood. He looked at it with an expression of disgust, as if the mere touch of it was repulsive to him.
With one hand occupied in cleaning his attire, Scorpion still gripped his blood-stained sword firmly with the other.
*SWISH*
*SWISH*
"...there was no need to draw your swords because you are all already dead men!"
Scorpion declared with a menacing grin, and in an instant, he dashed toward Draven, Orion, and Evander, wielding his sword with lethal speed and readiness to kill.
*WHOOSH*
*SHING*
"!!!"
As they noticed Scorpion approaching, their instinct kicked in. Draven, Orion, and Evander channeled their mana to their swords as they prepare to defend against Scorpion's impending attack. Despite the overwhelming shock and loss, they were feeling at the moment. They relied on their training and experience to push themselves forward, not allowing their grief to cloud their focus.
"KEUK!!"
Draven, Orion, and Evander grunt, as they felt the killing intent emanating from Scorpion as he closed in. They recognized that only those who had fought in numerous battles or had taken countless lives could exude such an amount of killing intent.
*TREMBLE*
*TREMBLE*
"Am I trembling...?"
Draven questions himself. His voice carried a mixture of surprise and concern. He glanced down at his trembling hands, a clear indication of the fear and adrenaline coursing through his body. The intensity of the situation was taking its toll on him, and he struggled to maintain his composure.
With a quick glance to his left, Draven noticed Orion paralyzed with fear, his once confident demeanor replaced with uncertainty. On the other side, Evander was trying to hold on, but the weight of the tragedy they had just witnessed was visibly wearing him down. Draven understood that their emotional turmoil was as much of a threat as Scorpion's approach, and they needed to overcome it to stand a chance against their formidable foe.
*WHOOSH*
In that moment Draven steps forward with a determined gaze. He raised his sword and cuts his arm.
*SLICE*
Overwhelming the fear, he felt with pain.
"Keuk… you call yourself 'Knights'! Yet when confronted with the murderous intent of the bastard who took the life of our comrade, our friend, you quiver in fear… What would we tell Aldric when we reunite with him in hell? That we perished as cowards, unable to even draw our swords against the bastard that killed him? No! Even if I cannot kill that bastard, I will make sure to leave a scar! Arrrggghhhhhh!!!..."
Draven yelled as he charged at Scorpion with unwavering determination.
*WHOOSH*
"Hahahaha!!… you should Consider yourselves fortunate that I am the one taking your worthless lives,"
Scorpion sneered; his sword raised high as he swung down at Draven with a deadly strike.
"Urghhhhhh!!!…"
Draven grunts as he sees the impending attack. With immense focus, and determination for revenge, he channeled most of his mana onto his sword, enhancing its power.
And as Scorpion's deadly strike descended upon him, Draven met the attack head-on.
*CLANG*
The clash of their swords sent shockwaves through the air, but Draven was far from finished. He uses the momentum of their collision, and an adapt, mastery of parry to deflect Scorpion's sword with force, pushing him back.
*CLANG*
*SWISH*
"Oh?!... A nice parry."
Scorpion remarked, impressed by Draven's counter.
"But how many attacks can you parry?"
With a menacing grin, Scorpion swiftly launched another strike at Draven.
*SLASH*
*CLANG*
"KUEK...!"
Draven grunts, managing to deflect the attack once again, but he began feeling the strain in his hands after each block.
"Impressive. Let's see how much suffering you can withstand. Ha-hahaha,"
Scorpion taunted, unleashing a relentless barrage of sword strikes from different angles toward Draven. The air filled with the sound of metals clashing against each other.
*WHOOSH*
*CLANG*
"AHHHHHHH!!!..."
Draven roared with determination, deflecting all of Scorpion's attacks for the first few seconds. However, as the battle raged on, the speed of Scorpion's strikes increased, eventually overwhelming Draven's ability to keep up.
*WHOOSH*
*CLANG*
*SLASH*
*SLICE*
Despite his best efforts, Scorpion's attacks began to find their mark, leaving multiple deep sword cuts across his body.
*SWISH*
*SLICE*
*SLICE*
"AARRGGHHH!!!..."
Draven cried out in pain as Scorpion's relentless onslaught continued, intensifying the agony with each merciless cut.
*WHOOSH*
In the midst of the onslaught, Draven caught sight of a gust of wind, and a smile formed on his lips. He noticed Orion and Evander had seized the opportunity to sneak up on Scorpion while his attention remained fixed on him.
"What's so amusing?"
Scorpion questioned, noticing Draven's expression.
"Heh... Don't tell me you thought I wouldn't notice two rats scurrying about."
Draven said, his smirk widening, signifying that he had indeed noticed Orion and Evander.
"Damn it! He has noticed you attack now!"
Draven yelled as he attacks Scorpion with his sword trying to hold his attention.
*SWISH*
*SLASH*
"!!"
Hearing Draven's warning Orion and Evander attacked instantly.
*SWISH*
*CLANG*
*CLANG*
However, only the sound of metal clashing is heard, as Scorpion effortlessly deflected the attacks of Draven, Orion, and Evander with minimal movement, not even bothering to glance behind him.
"…"
Draven, Orion, and Evander wore expressions of shock and disbelief as their strikes, infused with their determination and mana, were effortlessly nullified by Scorpion. Then Scorpion seemed like an unbreakable rock in their eyes.
"!!!"
However, they quickly regained their composure, filled with determination for revenge. Without saying a word, the trio shared a knowing look, their unspoken plan clear in their eyes.
And in perfect synchronization, Draven, Orion, and Evander launched a relentless flurry of attacks on Scorpion from three sides.
*WHOOSH*
*CLANG*
*SWISH*
*CLANG*
Despite the combined assault from three sides, Scorpion remained calm, unimpressed. He deftly evaded, parried, and blocked their strikes with apparent ease, though their attacks' increased ferocity and strength forced him to put in a little more effort.
"What?... Why has your calm expression vanished? Seems the fight isn't as easy as you thought!"
Draven taunted with a smirk as he continued his assault.
"Heh... You seem to be mistaken. Since this battle began, I haven't even used my mana."
Scorpion revealed.
"What?!"
Draven, Orion, and Evander gasped in shock, realizing the truth in Scorpion's words. While they had been relying on their mana to augment their physical abilities, Scorpion had fought purely with his physical strength, experience, and skill. Understanding their disadvantage, the three knights regrouped, putting some distance between themselves and Scorpion.
*WHOOSH*
Observing their retreat, Scorpion smiled, raising his sword high in the air, before saying.
"It was time to bring this to an end. There are other knights that require my attention."
Scorpion gathers his mana and channels it into his sword. Causing the air around the sword to crackle with pressure, sending a chill down the spines of Draven, Orion, and Evander.
"Oh no! He's about to use a skill! We need to gather our mana together to defend against it."
Draven urgently warned his companions.
"But it's too late for that now... THIRD CLASS SWORD SKILL – LIGHTNING FLASH SWORD DANCE!"
Scorpion declared; his voice laced with sinister satisfaction.
*WHOOSH*
In an instant, Scorpion transformed into a blur, moving at an unimaginable speed that left Draven, Orion, and Evander bewildered.
*WHOOSH*
*STAB*
Before they could even comprehend what had happened, Scorpion had struck with blinding speed, impaling each of them through their hearts with chilling precision.
*WHOOSH*
"Now that we're done here, let's make our way to the Silverwood Manor... Cobra."
Scorpion calmly stated, appearing behind Draven, Orion, and Evander. He flicked the blood off his blade onto the floor.
*SWIPE*
*SPLAT*
"Keuk!... When did he...?"
Draven, Orion, and Evander's thoughts echoed in their minds as they coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, their life forces ebbing away.
"I thought you'd never finish. Now, can we find that bitch?"
Cobra asked, walking into the illuminated area.
Laying on the ground, Draven struggled to maintain consciousness, as he bled out. His mind raced to understand what had just happened but as he glanced around frantically, he sees Cobra.
"Now... I remember... where I know them from... they are knights of..."
Draven's thoughts trailed off as his vision blurred, and his life slipped away.