Chapter 399: A Sudden Peril [Castle Bonus]

[Ruvian’s POV]

A razor-sharp claw swept toward his face, forcing him to tilt his head aside. At the same time, Ruvian thrust [The Endseeker] into the Voidspawn’s chest, impaling it straight through the torso.

With a forceful tug, he wrenched his blade free before turning toward another approaching enemy. There was hardly any time to catch his breath, as three more Voidspawns immediately charged toward him.

Ruvian advanced instead of retreating, easily slipping between two of them. His sword flashed twice, cleaving through their exposed necks before either could react.

The third Voidspawn lunged at him from behind, its claws poised to tear into his back.

However, Ruvian had already sensed its approach and swiftly spun around. With a single slash, he severed its outstretched arm before plunging his sword through its skull.

’Another Wretched-rank, huh?’

Ruvian frowned slightly as he wrenched his blade free from the creature’s skull.

This wave was predominantly composed of Wretched-rank enemies, and their sheer numbers alone were enough to make the battle considerably more grueling.

Of course, that wasn’t necessarily the case for him, as he could still dispatch them with relative ease.

However, the same couldn’t be said for the Frostgrave soldiers. Even now, he could hear desperate cries echoing from several directions.

’This is getting troublesome.’

Narrowing his eyes, Ruvian glanced toward the nearby soldiers before returning his attention to the enemies ahead.

He couldn’t afford to keep watch over everyone when he had his own opponents to contend with. Besides, there was little point in worrying about them if he ended up getting himself surrounded.

With that in mind, Ruvian continued maneuvering through the battlefield, cutting down any Voidspawn that ventured within his reach.

Still, fighting so many enemies at once was beginning to demand more of his concentration.

On several occasions, he had to rely on [Body Enhancement] and [Heightened Sense] to react in time whenever attacks came from multiple directions.

Fortunately, his mana reserves remained in good condition, so maintaining the skills wasn’t much of a concern.

Then, just as Ruvian was about to engage another approaching enemy, a piercing scream suddenly reached his ears.

Turning toward the commotion, he spotted several Frostgrave soldiers desperately struggling to hold back a massive Voidspawn. The creature towered over them, its hulking frame covered in dark, grotesquely twisted flesh.

Ruvian narrowed his eyes as he studied the creature, immediately recognizing the oppressive aura emanating from its body.

There was little doubt that the monster was a Malice-rank Voidspawn.

"Damn it!"

Before he could decide what to do, the creature swung its massive arm toward the soldiers.

Two of them managed to retreat in time, but another wasn’t so fortunate and took the brunt of the blow directly to his chest. His body was hurled several meters before slamming into the ground, where he lay motionless.

Witnessing this, Ruvian’s expression immediately hardened as he watched the remaining soldiers struggle to hold their formation.

Even with their combined efforts, their attacks scarcely seemed to faze the creature. Worse still, several other Voidspawns were converging on them from behind.

’They won’t last much longer.’

Without further hesitation, Ruvian kicked off the ground and charged toward their position. A faint current of wind gathered around his legs, allowing him to weave past the Voidspawns obstructing his path.

Within moments, he had already closed most of the distance separating him from the beleaguered soldiers.

By the time he drew near, the situation had deteriorated even further.

The Malice-rank Voidspawn had already shattered their formation, forcing the surviving soldiers to scatter.

One unfortunate soldier stumbled backward and collapsed, leaving himself utterly defenseless before the advancing monster.

"Get up!" Ruvian shouted.

Hearing his warning, the soldier frantically tried to push himself off the ground, but his injured leg buckled beneath him.

Above him, the towering Voidspawn raised one of its massive arms, preparing to crush him where he lay. Ruvian immediately accelerated, knowing he had only a fleeting moment to intervene.

But....

’I’m not going to make it!’

Yet, just as the creature’s arm came crashing down, a blinding flash of golden light suddenly swept across Ruvian’s vision.

An overwhelming surge of mana erupted beside the fallen soldier, followed by a thunderous impact that shook the surrounding ground.

The Voidspawn’s massive arm was violently knocked aside, its attack halted mere inches from the soldier’s head.

BOOOOOOM!

Ruvian immediately halted his advance, raising an arm to shield his face from the violent gust of wind.

As the dust gradually settled, he spotted a familiar figure standing between the injured soldier and the towering Voidspawn.

Recognizing the newcomer, Ruvian raised an eyebrow before a faint smile crept across his face.

’Zian...’

*****

"At least he made it in time..." Ruvian muttered, watching as Zian swiftly dispatched the creature.

BOOOOOOM!

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted from the other side of the battlefield, drawing Ruvian’s attention.

It came from the direction where Lord Evrard and his two commanders were supposed to be confronting the Black Knight.

Both Ruvian and Zian immediately turned toward the source of the disturbance, only to witness something rather alarming.

Amidst the thick clouds of dust, countless enormous bones were emerging from the ground, gradually assembling into several colossal skeletal creatures.

One of them was particularly immense, its four elongated legs supporting a monstrous frame engulfed in dark flames.

As the creature began to move, the flames spread across its exposed bones, burning with such intensity that they almost blended into the night sky.

With every step it took, the ground trembled beneath its immense weight. Ruvian narrowed his eyes, finding the creature’s appearance strangely familiar.

’Wait... isn’t that the damn skeletal horse?’

His expression shifted as he finally recognized the enormous creature.

It was the same skeletal horse that had accompanied the Black Knight earlier, though its body now appeared considerably larger than before.

However, that wasn’t what concerned him the most.

’Hold on, if that thing is over there, then...’

Ruvian quickly scanned the surrounding battlefield, searching for the Black Knight amidst the fighting soldiers.

Strangely enough, there was no trace of the armored figure anywhere. Instead, he spotted Lord Evrard, Commander Fajarn, and Captain Zarrick desperately fending off those colossal skeletal monsters.

Oddly, all three of them had their eyes shut, even while defending themselves against the creatures’ relentless assaults.

Ruvian frowned at the sight, wondering what could possibly compel them to fight under such perilous conditions.

Nevertheless, he soon dismissed that question as a far more troubling thought crossed his mind.

’Where the hell is the Black Knight?’

Just as that thought surfaced, an unfamiliar voice suddenly reached his ears. It was a deep, chilling voice that seemed to emanate from every direction.

However, Ruvian soon realized that its source was far closer than he had initially thought.

"Was it you... that scholar?"

"Huh!?"

Startled, Ruvian immediately spun around, his instincts screaming that something was terribly wrong.

However, before he could even raise [The Endseeker], an enormous black blade had already entered his vision. Its razor-sharp edge was hurtling straight toward his head at a speed he could barely perceive.

Ruvian desperately tried to evade, but his body was already too late to react.

Even with [Heightened Sense] active, he could only watch helplessly as the blade drew closer, its cold edge mere inches from his face. For one terrifying instant, he was certain that his head was about to be severed.

"Watch yourself!" Zian shouted.

CLAAAAANG!

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of golden light swept across his vision, intercepting the enormous blade just before it could reach him.

The two weapons collided with tremendous force, unleashing a violent surge of mana that swept across the surrounding battlefield.

BOOOOOOOOM!

Unable to withstand the sheer force of the impact, Ruvian was hurled several meters backward, his feet scraping across the ground before he finally regained his footing.

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[Chapter 399: A Sudden Peril]