The Last Knight.

The two blades clashed for a mere second, the impact sending Aiden stumbling back—but somehow, he stayed on his feet.

Gritting his teeth, he quickly regained his balance and lunged forward, swinging his blue ethereal blade at the golem's side.

But once again, his attack was blocked, the golem's massive sword intercepting it effortlessly.

His sword... it takes up too much space. I can't even reach him.

Aiden stepped back, keeping his blade ready, scanning for an opening—anywhere he could slip a hit through.

But before he could even move, the golem swung again, a brutal downward strike that whistled through the air just inches above Aiden's head.

Aiden ducked instinctively, feeling the wind of the blow scrape across his hair.

He rolled to the side, barely dodging the next wide sweep that smashed into the ground, cracking the stone underfoot.

He's quite fast for something that big. If I get caught even once, I'm done.

Breathing hard, Aiden circled to the golem's left, searching—waiting. The golem pivoted smoothly despite its size, lifting one sword high while dragging the other behind like a scythe, ready to slice from below.

I can't trade hits... I need to land something clean.

Aiden feinted a step forward, then sprang to the side, slashing at the golem's exposed wrist.

His blade glanced off the stone skin, sending a faint shimmer across the golem's body but doing little else.

Tougher than I thought... Great.

The golem retaliated immediately, both swords crashing down toward Aiden's position.

With a grunt, Aiden threw himself backward, landing hard on his side but scrambling up before the next blow could reach him.

Sweat—stung his eyes.

If this keeps up, I'll get crushed by exhaustion before I even touch him...

Aiden stood up, bracing himself, his hands tightening around the blade, ready to launch another desperate attack.

Maybe his eyes... the sockets look deep. Maybe that's a weak spot. Worth a shot.

He pushed forward just as the golem shifted, already moving with mechanical precision.

I just need to avoid—

Aiden twisted his body at the last second as a sword came flying toward him, whistling through the air.

The golem had thrown it like a spear, and it barely missed slicing him in two.

But there was no time to breathe—the golem's remaining sword was already in motion, a brutal horizontal arc cutting through the space where Aiden stood.

He dropped instinctively, hitting the floor with a painful thud, rolling to the right just in time to avoid the killing blow.

But before he could even scramble further, a shadow fell over him—

the golem's free hand clamped around his right leg like an iron trap.

Shit!

Aiden kicked and twisted, but it was useless. The golem hoisted him up with terrifying strength, his muscles screaming under the strain.

Without hesitation, the creature spun on its heel, stretching Aiden's body painfully tight like a ragdoll, the muscles in his leg tearing at the sudden force.

Then it threw him.

'Craash!'

Aiden's world spun out of control, the throne room blurring as he was launched through the air.

The pain sharpened instantly—

a mind-shattering agony as he realized something was terribly wrong.

Half of his right leg remained behind, still gripped in the golem's massive hand.

'Crack!'

He smashed into a pillar, the impact knocking the air from his lungs, then crumpled to the floor like a broken doll.

A sickening wet sound followed him as he slid across the cold stone, leaving a messy trail of blood behind him.

Damn it!

Pain drowned out everything, even as the regeneration tried patching his damaged neck. Thinking straight was impossible

The blue sword in his hand shimmered weakly before retreating back into an orb of light.

The golem was already moving, closing the distance fast while Aiden lay there, nearly motionless.

I can't block anything like this...

And now I can't even move…

He forced himself to breathe, long and slow, fighting the pain that blurred his vision.

He needed options—anything to defend himself, anything to fight back.

That damn window... where is it?! Can I even open it manually?

Maybe there's something else I can use!

The golem retrieved the sword it had thrown earlier, lifting it with terrifying ease.

It didn't hesitate, shifting its massive frame, preparing to throw it again—this time to finish the job.

Aiden's breath caught in his throat as he saw the sword being drawn back, its tip aimed straight at him.

He gritted his teeth.

"Just open already!" he shouted at the empty air, desperation clawing at his voice.

The blue window flashed into existence—

the familiar three tabs appearing in front of him—

but it barely mattered.

The golem's sword tore through the air at impossible speed—

but instead of skewering Aiden, the blade embedded itself into the window, the impact rattling the entire screen like glass under pressure.

Aiden flinched, staring at the window—

and for a brief second, he remembered Ro's confusion, back when he thought it was a shield.

Guess he wasn't that wrong.

"Close!" Aiden barked.

The blue window obeyed, vanishing in an instant—

and with it, the sword clattered harmlessly to the ground, dropping right in front of Aiden.

The golem, visibly taken aback for a moment, didn't stop—

its pace quickened, each step shaking the floor beneath them.

Aiden's regeneration nearly finished, patching up the broken enough for him to move.

But the worst of it—the missing part of his right leg, severed just below the knee—remained a screaming gap in his body.

Pain still overthrew every other sense, muddling his thoughts.

Think!

His gaze flickered toward the floating orb beside him.

Could he...?

The idea of using someone's soul felt absurd. But in this situation, it was the last thing that mattered.

I need a damn leg!

The obedient orb pulsed once, as if responding to his will.

Its form twisted mid-air, reshaping itself into a new limb—

a fully formed right leg, materializing out of blue light, and slamming itself onto the stump of Aiden's knee.

The pain shot through him like a cannon blast.

His body twisted violently from the sudden surge of sensation, breath caught halfway between a gasp and a scream.

But he forced himself up, gritting his teeth until his jaw hurt.

The new leg responded immediately, flexing under his weight.

Before he could even stabilize, the golem was already there—

a brutal swipe aimed straight at his neck.

Instinct and pain drove him—Aiden dropped down just in time, the massive blade whistling over his head and missing by inches.

The golem, caught in the momentum of its swing, let Aiden move past him—its back now exposed.

Aiden realized something in that flash of motion.

This new leg—this temporary graft of Po's soul—was stronger.

Far stronger than anything human he could remember.

The ground cracked under his foot as he pushed off, the stone giving way with a sharp crunch—

Aiden hurled himself into the air, closing the distance to the golem's back.

His hand shot out, fingers scraping against rough stone before locking onto the creature's jagged back.

Gripping as tight as he could, Aiden felt his fingers tear and bleed slightly against the coarse surface.

"Sword, now!" he shouted, opening his palm.

The temporary leg shattered into blue fragments, flying up and reshaping into the blade.

His wound immediately reopened, blood pouring down his ruined limb even as the regeneration struggled to keep up.

The blade solid in his hand, Aiden swung downward, slashing from the golem's back toward its neck.

The golem twisted violently, throwing off Aiden's aim—his blade carving a deep gouge, but not a finishing blow.

Thrown off balance, Aiden dropped to the ground near the creature's feet.

"Leg!" he barked, forcing the blade to vanish again.

The blue fragments reformed into a new leg, the fresh wave of pain ripping through him as the soul-bound limb reconnected to his nerves.

Gritting his teeth, Aiden kicked off the golem's foot, using the momentum to hurl himself back, putting precious distance between them.

As he forced himself upright, Aiden glanced at the golem.

It had fallen to one knee, a massive hand pressed against its wounded neck—but what stood out most was the blood, seeping between its stony fingers, clearly leaking from the gash.

"You can bleed...?" Aiden muttered through heavy, ragged breaths, his body on the brink of collapse.

The golem, undeterred, planted one hand on its knee and pushed itself upright, sword dragging beside it.

It was ready to continue.

I can't last much longer...

Their gazes locked—no more hesitation, no more second chances.

Aiden lunged forward, his speed exploding thanks to the strength of his ethereal leg.

The golem braced, raising its weapon high for a final, crushing blow.

But to its growing confusion, Aiden wasn't aiming for the body—he was charging straight at the blade itself.

Startled, the golem swung early, trying to catch him off guard.

Aiden pushed off the ground with his right leg at the last second, launching himself upward—

and with surprising precision, he landed on the flat of the golem's blade.

For a heartbeat, Aiden balanced on the massive weapon, his ethereal foot pressing against the metal.

Then, with a roar tearing from his lungs, he pushed forward, using the momentum to close the gap in an instant.

"Sword!" he screamed mid-leap.

The leg dissolved once again, fragments swirling upward to reform into the glowing blade in his outstretched hand.

The golem, thrown completely off, instinctively raised its free arm—still clutching its wounded neck—in an attempt to shield its head.

But it was too late.

Aiden hurled the soul-forged sword with every shred of strength left in him. Time seemed to stretch — the blade spinning end over end, cutting through the heavy air — before it sliced cleanly between the golem's stony fingers and buried itself deep into its hollow eye socket.

Aiden landed heavily in front of the golem, collapsing onto one knee—his leg missing again, the soul-blade still buried deep in the creature's skull.

The golem staggered, then fell to its knees as well, towering over Aiden even in defeat.

"Are you dead?" Aiden asked, his voice barely more than a rasp, breathless and drained.

For a few long seconds, there was only silence.

The golem's wound bled steadily, dark fluid leaking down its crumbling frame.

Then, faintly, a voice echoed in Aiden's mind—

"Sinner... I... the last knight grants you the right to leave this place..."

The words were slow, distant, as if life itself was slipping away from the giant.

"Knight...? Aren't you supposed to be a king? What was the throne for, then?" Aiden muttered, not expecting a real answer—he didn't have the strength to fight anymore, no matter what.

"I am... the weakest of my kind... I am the last..." the golem's voice faded with each word, breathy and cracked.

"But now I shall return... My duty awaits..."

He paused, almost like gathering strength for a final declaration.

"We will meet again... in a future you will not expect. May your envy spare you."

What's that supposed to mean?

Aiden's mind finally quieted, the ringing tension draining from his thoughts.

Before him, the golem gave a final shudder—and moved no more.

The weakest, huh...

I really don't like this place...

His eyelids grew heavy, the exhaustion too much to resist. Every nerve screamed, every muscle burned. Without a fight left in him, Aiden collapsed, his body finally giving in.

But even as unconsciousness claimed him, a small hope lingered—

the regeneration was still working... he hoped.