Chapter 400: Ruvian/Zian/Calyra vs The Black Knight (1)

Ruvian coughed as he slowly raised his head, surveying his surroundings as the dust began to settle.

A few steps ahead, Zian was kneeling on one knee, his sword driven into the ground for support — struggling to withstand the Black Knight’s devastating blow.

His sword hand was still trembling from the impact.

Even so, Zian gradually rose to his feet.

Without taking his eyes off the Black Knight, he glanced at Ruvian and asked,

"You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Don’t expect a thanks from me just yet," Ruvian replied as he walked over to stand beside him.

Narrowing his eyes, he studied the monstrous figure looming before them, then added, "I’ll say it once this is over."

Hearing that, Zian let out a quiet chuckle.

Casually, he flexed his aching wrist before raising his [Caliburnus] once more, his gaze settling firmly on the Black Knight.

"Not like I needed one."

Ruvian flashed a smug grin.

However, his smile soon faded as he turned his attention toward the Black Knight standing some distance away. The armored figure remained motionless, its enormous black sword resting ominously at its side.

"I’ll ask you again... Were you the scholar who defeated Mamveth?" the Black Knight questioned, its deep voice seething with hostility.

Its gaze was unmistakably fixed on Ruvian, who could feel the oppressive Dark Mana emanating from its body.

The pressure was almost comparable to Mamveth’s, albeit slightly weaker.

’As I thought, a Supreme Demon (S)....’

He clicked his tongue inwardly before raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask? Are you his lovely big brother or what—!?"

SWOOOOSH!

Before he could finish speaking, the Black Knight abruptly swung its sword, unleashing a razor-sharp crescent of Dark Mana straight toward him.

Ruvian’s expression shifted as he immediately leaped aside, narrowly evading the attack.

The dark crescent tore through his previous position before crashing into the ground behind him with a thunderous explosion.

’Shit...’

"DO NOT INSULT ME BY CALLING THAT WRETCHED CREATURE MY BROTHER!" the Black Knight roared, its voice quivering with unbridled hatred.

"I WOULD SOONER TEAR MY OWN SOUL APART THAN SHARE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BOND WITH THAT REPULSIVE FOOL!"

’Whoa, alright...’

Ruvian blinked, visibly taken aback by the sudden outburst.

Clearly, he had struck a nerve without even realizing it. Turning toward Zian, he found the latter regarding him with a rather judgmental stare.

"What?" Ruvian asked.

Zian raised an eyebrow, his expression practically questioning why Ruvian had gone out of his way to provoke the monster.

In response, Ruvian spread his free hand and gave an innocent shrug, as though insisting he had meant no offense.

’How was I supposed to know that the Black Knight despised Mamveth that much? Not my fault.’

Ruvian sighed helplessly.

"Forget it," the Black Knight said, raising his enormous sword toward Ruvian. "I can still smell Mamveth’s scent on you."

His voice grew colder as Dark Mana began gathering around his blade, gradually intensifying with each passing moment.

"Finally, I understand why the Dark Lord and Lucifon sent me here. Yes, that must be it. I’ll eradicate you and clean up the mess that fool left behind."

In fact, Belzebor had already begun to piece together the reason he had been ordered to lead the Voidspawn stampede against Frostgrave.

He suspected that the Dark Lord had somehow anticipated the scholar’s presence, knowing that he would eventually come to defend the fortress.

If his suspicions were correct, then perhaps the entire assault had been orchestrated with the intention of drawing the scholar out.

However, there was still something that troubled him.

Why would the Dark Lord and Lucifon go to such extraordinary lengths merely to hunt down this young scholar?

Surely, there had to be a more compelling reason.

Was it because the scholar knew of the demons’ existence?

No, that was hardly a convincing explanation.

Even if he possessed such knowledge, he was ultimately nothing more than an insignificant scholar. His awareness of their existence alone would hardly pose a meaningful threat.

There had to be something else.

’Don’t tell me...’

Suddenly, a disturbing possibility crossed Belzebor’s mind.

Could this scholar be the very reason the Dark Lord had lost all memories of his previous regressions?

The more he considered it, the more plausible the possibility became.

After all, it would certainly explain why the Dark Lord and Lucifon had gone so far as to dispatch him, a Primordial Demon, personally to the Mortal Realm.

If that were indeed the case, then eliminating this scholar would have to take precedence over everything else.

Whatever the cost, he could not afford to let him escape.

A moment later, Ruvian’s expression suddenly changed as a familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

Strangely, he hadn’t activated any of his skills. Yet, [Foreshadowing] had somehow triggered on its own.

Ruvian Castelor:

[Dead]

’What the hell?’

Ruvian frowned as he stared at the ominous warning. This was the first time his system had activated a skill without his command.

Then again, considering the opponent before him, it wasn’t particularly surprising.

After all, the Black Knight was a damn Supreme Magus (S), while Ruvian himself was merely a First-Class Magus (B).

The disparity in their strength was simply too immense to overlook.

’Yeah... this doesn’t look so good.’

Fortunately, he wasn’t fighting alone. The damn protagonist was standing right beside him, though Ruvian wasn’t entirely certain whether that would be enough.

However, that suddenly reminded him of something.

’Wait, what stage has Zian reached now?’

Ruvian activated [Character Sheet] on Zian.

===============

{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}

◇ Name: Zian Herga

◇ Age: 20

◇ Spellcore: Tier 4

◇ Rank: Grand Magus (A)

◇ Magic Affinity: [Omni-Affinity],

[Mana Resonance: (3,789/10,000)]

==[General Attributes]==

Strength: A

Agility: A+

Endurance: A

Vitality: A

Perception: A+

==[Mage Attributes]==

Mana Control: A-

Casting Speed: A-

Magic Power: A

Mental Strength: B+

Mana Sensitivity: A-

Mana Essence: [32,000]

==[Innate Blessings]==

- [The Voice of the Strong]

- [Blessing of Absolute Duellist]

- [Blessing of Prismatic Magus]

- [Blessing of Avgar Regeneration]

==[Affinity Mastery]==

- [Light, Earth, Lightning, Fire, Darkness, Wind, Ice (Advanced)]

- [Plant, Poison, Gravity (Intermediate)]

- [Psionic, Sound, Water, Metal, Space (Basic)]

===============

Ruvian suppressed a frown as he examined Zian’s [Runeheart]. He was utterly dumbfounded. Not only were Zian’s stats ridiculously overpowered, but the guy apparently possessed four Blessings!

Four!

Ruvian had already known that Zian was exceptionally talented. He also knew about his ability to wield all elements, which he had assumed was the result of a Blessing.

But that wasn’t what bothered him the most.

’Wait a minute... [Voice of the Strong]?’

Ruvian stared at the name, momentarily forgetting about everything else.

’Hold on. Why the hell does he have that system?’

If he remembered correctly, Lovia had specifically mentioned that she had interfered with the canonical event where Zian was supposed to obtain [Voice of the Strong].

In other words, Zian shouldn’t have possessed that system in the first place. And yet, there it was, listed among his Blessings.

’What the hell? Didn’t Lovia say she prevented him from getting it? Then how did he end up with it anyway?’

Ruvian’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. Had Lovia been mistaken? Or had something happened afterward that he didn’t know about?

Whatever the explanation, this was definitely something he needed to ask her about. Unfortunately, now wasn’t exactly the best time to investigate.

"Ruvian... Whatever you’re thinking about right now, I just want to remind you not to let your guard down this time. He’s dangerous, and I need you to keep up with me if we’re going to survive this."

Zian’s stern voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing his attention back to the situation at hand.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just... surprised by something," Ruvian replied, discreetly adding Zian to his [Bookmarks]. (-8,000 PP)

Zian gave him a puzzled look, clearly confused by his response. Nevertheless, he decided not to question him further.

’I’ll ask Lovia about this later.’

For now, they had a much more pressing problem to deal with. With that, the two of them readied themselves for the impending confrontation.

*****

[Calyra’s POV]

Soaring above the battlefield, Calyra relentlessly unleashed her [Magic Missile] and [Frost Spear Barrage] upon the countless Voidspawns below, whose numbers seemed endless.

Despite the overwhelming number of enemies, she remained composed, carefully directing her attacks wherever the soldiers needed assistance.

Rather than indiscriminately bombarding the horde, she kept her attacks efficient, focusing on creating openings for the Frostgrave soldiers to defeat the Wretched-rank and Malice-rank Voidspawns with ranged attacks.

This way, she could assist as many soldiers as possible without having to engage every enemy personally.

It was certainly taxing, especially with the battle showing no signs of ending anytime soon. Nevertheless, that was the role she had chosen to undertake.

Fortunately, she wasn’t alone in fulfilling that responsibility, as several other mages capable of using [Fly] were also providing aerial support, coordinating their attacks to relieve the pressure on the soldiers below.

There had been a few airborne Voidspawns attempting to disrupt their efforts, but Calyra had already eliminated them all, allowing the mages to maintain their advantage in the skies.

However, while maintaining her [Heightened Sense], Calyra suddenly detected two powerful, ominous auras emanating from opposite sides of the battlefield.

One originated from the area where her father and the commanders were fighting.

The other came from where Ruvian and Zian were currently confronting a certain figure clad in dark armor.

’The Black Knight? Why is it over there?’

Calyra was startled by the unexpected discovery, though neither her expression nor her composure betrayed her surprise.

’Ruvian...’

Just then, a golden arrow suddenly streaked past her, soaring straight into the sky. Strangely, it hadn’t been aimed at her. Rather, it seemed intended to attract her attention.

Curious, Calyra glanced down toward its source and spotted a golden-haired woman wearing a dark mask.

The woman was standing amidst the corpses of several Voidspawns, casually waving her hand to catch Calyra’s attention.

Once their gazes met, she immediately pointed toward the area where Ruvian and Zian were fighting.

Calyra understood her intention. Apparently, the woman wanted her to assist the two of them against the Black Knight.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Calyra nodded in acknowledgment before activating [Blink], disappearing from her position in an instant.

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[Chapter 400: Ruvian/Zian/Calyra vs The Black Knight (1)]

Plot Points = 230,200