Chapter 3 : The Coffin Disappears.

The coffin opened fully, and from within emerged the shadow of a female knight. Her dark armor glimmered like obsidian, and the thin sword in her hand radiated a cold, bone-chilling aura. Her glowing red eyes scanned the battlefield coldly, as if evaluating each person present.

"A shadow knight..." Jin Woo muttered through gritted teeth. "Linggis, do you even realize what you've unleashed?"

Linggis gave a small smile, his expression far too relaxed for the situation. "Not really. But she looks magnificent, doesn't she?"

The shadow knight glanced at Linggis briefly, then turned to face the hunters. In a single swift motion, she dashed toward Leon, who was still trying to get up after being thrown by the black knight earlier. Her thin sword flashed, almost imperceptibly.

Clang!

Leon managed to block the attack with his axe, but the impact pushed him back several steps. The shadow knight continued her relentless assault, each strike growing faster and sharper, forcing Leon into full defense mode.

While everyone's focus was on the shadow knight, Linggis took advantage of the chaos. His eyes landed on a member of Heaven's Shield carrying a small inventory pouch at their waist. With lightning speed, Linggis closed the distance and sliced the pouch's strap off its owner, snatching it away.

"Thanks for the help," he said casually as he slipped the coffin into the inventory pouch. The coffin vanished into the storage space, as if it had never been there.

The Heaven's Shield hunter whose pouch was stolen jumped back, eyes wide. "That pouch! You stole it!"

Linggis chuckled. "Thanks for the pouch. Makes carrying it much easier. Now I can fight without any burdens."

The Battle Rages On

Without the coffin on his back, Linggis became even more agile. He counterattacked the man with the greatsword who had been pressing him earlier, using his cane, which now transformed into a flexible blade like a whip. His attacks were wild and unpredictable, forcing his opponent entirely onto the defensive.

Meanwhile, the shadow knight shifted her attention from Leon to Jin Woo, who was attempting to break through her defenses. They engaged in a fierce battle, Jin Woo's sword clashing against the shadow knight's blade, sending blinding sparks flying.

Seo Ah, on the other hand, tried to attack Linggis from behind. But Linggis quickly spun his cane, locking Seo Ah's dagger and twisting it out of her grip.

"Still attacking from behind, Seo Ah?" Linggis taunted.

"And you still talk too much," Seo Ah shot back, launching another attack with her bare hands.

The black knight and the shadow knight now fought side by side, creating overwhelming pressure on the Rank S hunters and Heaven's Shield members. The black knight's massive sword destroyed everything in its path, while the shadow knight's thin blade struck with deadly precision.

"This is impossible!" shouted one of the hunters from Heaven's Shield. "They're too strong!"

But Jin Woo refused to give up. With a sharp gaze, he reorganized their formation. "We have to separate them! Focus on one of them!"

"And what about Linggis?!" Leon shouted.

"We'll deal with him later!" Jin Woo replied, attacking the shadow knight with his strongest strike.

Linggis watched the battle with a satisfied expression while effortlessly countering Seo Ah's attacks. He toyed with his cane, sometimes transforming it into a short sword, sometimes into a small shield.

"You're all so busy trying to survive, while I just have to wait for you to tire yourselves out," he said with a smirk.

However, a hunter from Heaven's Shield leaped at him, attempting a direct attack. Linggis easily parried the blow and retaliated with his cane, sending the hunter sprawling to the ground.

"You're all too slow for me," he said coldly.

The shadow knight and black knight continued their rampage, destroying everything in their path. Linggis glanced over at the black knight's fight, watching the chaos unfold with calm detachment.

Despite their disadvantage in numbers, the hunters refused to give up. They kept attacking, desperately searching for an opening to defeat the shadow creatures and capture Linggis.

Amid the chaos, Linggis raised his cane, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Looks like this will go on for a while. I hope you all still have the stamina to keep fighting. Because I'm not stopping."