Chapter 122: “Dream Invasion”

The training grounds stood silent as Bucayo took his position, flanked by two lieutenants, both "Sleepless" of the Black Duke's Court. Bukayo spoke in Vostroyan, his voice cutting through the tense air:

"When combat begins, charge immediately. Neutralize his two plasma rifle attendants first." His armored finger pointed toward the opposing knight-mech. "Then combine your strength to topple the knight armor itself."

The two Shadows of Order beside him bore the insignia of the Third Chapter, a deep black crescent moon painted on their right pauldrons.

To ordinary eyes, the black moon was nearly invisible against the matte black of their armor.

The lieutenants, having communed with their ChapterMaster in dreams these past weeks, responded instantly:

"By your command, Dark Lord."

As a devoted follower of the darkness pathway, "Dark Lord" was the personal title Bukayo gave himself to distinguish from other commanders.

The "Nightmare" cast his pitch-black eyes toward the opposing knight. His irises darkened further as he extended his psychic presence, unleashing his Beyonder ability, "Dream Invasion", and forcibly pulled the knight into a dream.

Ward Hitra was waiting for the Knight King's order to begin the duel when he was suddenly overcome by voices:

"Ward, this is your moment! Our Hitra family has served the Delisha family for generations, and now's your chance."

"Win this duel, and you will become the Knight Kings champion, elevating our family above Delisha."

"You must win, for your honor, for House Hitra, for Vextrix!"

"…"

Ward's gauntleted fist clenched. "I will be victorious!" he vowed.

But suddenly, his eyelids grew heavy. The once-loud voices faded into silence.

Days of no rest due to the beast tide had caught up to him. Exhaustion hit like a crashing wave.

He tried to resist, his iron will normally overcome this fatigue...

But it just felt… too comfortable.

It was like lying in bed during a hot summer, a cool breeze wafting across his face. Without thinking, he yawned, head drooping slightly.

"Boy, how can you be dozing off before a duel?"

"Snap out of it! Use your will!"

"…"

The voices vanished. The scene before him changed dramatically.

The Knight-King's Daxos Gloria disappeared. The black-armored foes dissolved. Ward stood alone in a mist-choked forest; his knight-mech and squire were gone.

Stunned, he looked around. A faint fog clung to the trees like a thin veil.

The forests of Daxos were dangerous, home to the despicable ratlings and the Blue-Horned Rhinoceros.

Realizing the peril, he instinctively reached for his waist.

He felt as though he hadn't moved in years, like the ancient, rusting automata that the Mechanicum sometimes reactivated after millennia.

His hand moved sluggishly toward his sword.

As a knight, weapon mastery was a fundamental skill.

With the sword in hand, confidence surged back. He scanned the woods, picked a direction, and moved forward.

After several steps, a group of armed Ratlings appeared.

Ward reacted quickly, rolling behind a tree to dodge their fire. He gave them no time to surround him and launched a charge at the nearest enemy.

Though not at his peak, his first strike hit cleanly, slaying the stunned ratling in one blow.

He kicked the corpse aside, pulled out the sword, and immediately went for the next.

Outside the dream, Campbell announced the final rule:

"…Whoever is knocked down will be deemed defeated."

Then, with a commanding voice:

"Begin the duel!"

Instantly, the two black-armored warriors charged forward, and in moments, appeared before the two squires, landing crushing blows.

The partially augmented humans were sent flying like broken kites, blood spurting from their mouths.

Campbell sneered.

'Foolish black-armored warriors… targeting squires first, how stupid.'

'This would give Ward plenty of time to swing his power fist and take down both of them.'

'Wait… Why hasn't the Glorious Victory moved?'

Furious, the Knight King shouted into comms:

"Ward, what are you doing?! Move now! Crush the enemy!"

But then he noticed the black-armored commander, also standing motionless.

Campbell relaxed.

He didn't realize that "Nightmare" had to remain still while using "Dream Invasion," relying entirely on his teammates to attack.

'Thankfully, that commander's just as foolish. We still have a chance.'

Seeing the knight mech still hadn't moved, he completely lost it:

"You idiot! Are you asleep?!"

"Damn it! MOVE YOUR DAMN METAL ASS!!"

The Knight King dropped all noble pretense and cursed out loud.

Only static answered him over comms. The Glorious Victory stood unmoving.

"Damn it, Ward! I'll kill you myself!"

He roared, helplessly watching as the two Shadows of Order sprinted toward the knight mech.

With no power system activated, it was just a ten-meter-tall pile of scrap metal, and like battering rams, the two soldiers slammed it over.

"I've lost…"

Campbell admitted his defeat to Nareth, choking back rage, then stormed toward the training field.

Back in the dream, Ward heroically slew over a dozen ratlings, panting and wiping sweat from his brow.

"Not the most glorious of fights… but I did slay a full squad with a sword and no injury. A tale worth telling."

Satisfied, he awoke from the dream.

Then heard furious voices:

"Ward! You've disgraced the honor of House Hitra!"

"Ward, I have no grandson like you!"

"What happened…?" he asked, bewildered.

Before he could get an answer from the ancestral spirits, he noticed a towering figure loom before him.

'That's… the Daxos Gloria!' he realized. 'Why am I lying down?'

'Ah! The duel…'

Just as it hit him, a massive fist crashed toward him.

"Knight King, I—"

CRACK!

The cockpit shattered. The blow landed. Ward passed out.

Even after knocking out the knight, Campbell's rage wasn't soothed.

He stomped toward Nareth, gritting his teeth:

"I submit to you."

True to his word, the Knight King accepted defeat. But the absurdity of the duel, how dumb and strange it was, left him unable to process it.

"But that loss… it was because of my knight's stupidity. I still wish to challenge you to a duel personally."

"I want to see for myself if you, a Primarch, are truly as strong as your black-armored sons claim."

.....

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