Chapter 39
‘Danger!’
“To draw out a ghost, I had to act scared!”
Suddenly, Dominic’s aura sword swept in all directions.
But the special unit had a defensive master.
A mana giant rose instantly, absorbing the attack.
“Frontkeeper! …Urgh!”
Bord spat blood and retreated, but the defense held.
No one was hurt.
Dominic, confident in his attack, flinched in surprise.
“Attack! Press him!”
Prince Kazaks raised a golden sword and charged.
Muller, at his side, drew a long blue spear to assist.
“Cute! You whelps!”
Dominic swung his greatsword, knocking Kazaks’s sword aside and deflecting Muller’s spear.
Elisha drew a red bow, firing arrows, while Mary and Shuga summoned storm clouds that engulfed Dominic.
“Hmph!”
Dominic stomped powerfully, cracking the ground and shattering all incoming attacks.
‘That pattern needs caution.’
I closely observed his techniques.
A single moment’s gap would suffice.
Know-It-All (Lv 2) is analyzing his techniques over time.
“Dominic!”
Hamerd’s sword swung at Dominic.
The ebony greatsword easily parried.
Several exchanges followed.
“Not bad. Are you that rebel leader, Hamerd?”
“That’s right!”
At that moment, a sword struck Dominic’s back.
A swift special unit member’s blade.
But the moment it touched his armor, the sword snapped like a lie.
The unit member, panicking, held the broken sword, frozen.
“W-What?”
“Ha! Thought I wouldn’t block?!”
Dominic’s back kick, with a thunderous crack, punched a hole through the member’s abdomen.
‘Insane strength!’
‘Kicking a man to death?!’
Overwhelming power.
“Hamerd! Pay for your treason!”
As Dominic’s slash descended.
Thump!
A piercing bullet struck his sword, creating a fleeting delay.
Hamerd dove, evading the slash.
“You dare!”
As Dominic turned toward me, Hamerd and the special unit blocked him.
‘There’s only one way.’
Ordinary bullets wouldn’t pierce his aura-infused, thick plate armor.
I drew the finest holy diamond bullet from my pocket, holding it in my right hand.
Firearm Proficiency (Lv 1) worries about the power gap.
‘One chance.’
Gripping the rifle with both hands, I charged forward.
“Haha! Coming to die? You were next anyway!”
Brushing off Hamerd, Dominic attacked me.
A diagonal slash.
Know-It-All (Lv 2) analyzes the greatsword’s attack path.
Wild Instinct (Lv 2) predicts Dominic’s attack point.
Predicted.
Movement (Lv 3) evades Dominic’s slash!
Dodged.
I loaded buckshot, rolled, and fired at Dominic.
The Hound armor’s assistance made my movements swifter.
“Hm?!”
Buckshot didn’t exist in this era.
Unfamiliar.
But the buckshot, which riddled soldiers’ bodies, was like sand to Dominic.
Not a scratch on his armor.
‘Insane.’
“Interesting weapon!”
While I drew attention, the special unit struck from behind, but Dominic’s 360-degree swing unleashed aura blades in all directions.
“Urgh!”
“Argh!”
Fatalities and injuries mounted.
“Guh!”
Muller fell to his knees.
His spear, raised to block the aura, was split in two, and a deep wound gaped across his abdomen.
“Y-You… alright, Your Highness?”
“…Thanks to you.”
Kazaks survived due to his sacrifice.
“Muller, are you okay?”
“Ah, this place ain’t my style. Your Highness, I’ll rest first.”
With a roguish grin, gripping the broken spear, he charged.
“Hm? Giving up on life?”
“Shut it, old man.”
“Ha!”
Muller unleashed his full power, becoming a spear himself, but Dominic’s casual swing severed his neck, killing him.
‘He’s returned.’
In a real Time Chaos Dungeon, maybe not, but this is artificial.
Death here sends you back to the palace.
‘Good enough.’
I fired a piercing bullet at Dominic’s neck.
It bounced off futilely.
“Truly, like swatting flies.”
I dodged Dominic’s counterattack by a hair’s breadth.
“You are ghostly. Slipping away like a specter.”
He unleashed dozens of slashes in an instant.
A ‘skill’ honed through thousands, millions of repetitions.
‘I can’t dodge normally!’
The Stellar Force in my soul cast Flash magic.
My body reappeared some distance away.
“Hoh, a magic I wasn’t briefed on. Even I’ve never seen it.”
“Everyone who saw it died.”
“Then I’ll be the first to live? It’s a decent magic. I’ll take you prisoner.”
“If you can.”
[General! General Dominic!]
A voice came from a small crystal orb at Dominic’s waist.
A millennium ago, short-ranged and broadcasting aloud, but a proper communication device.
“What! Using the one-use emergency orb!”
I admired his ability to communicate while fending off the special unit.
[An ambush! The Cosmos Church’s army is hitting our rear! The mage and archer units are near annihilation!]
“…Damn! Where are the commanders?!”
[Including the deputy commander and chief strategist, key commanders were sniped!]
Dominic’s face hardened as he looked at me.
He’s really pissed now.
“…Hold on. I’ll join soon.”
‘He’s coming!’
I ducked, and his greatsword passed over my waist.
A moment’s hesitation, and I’d be dead.
“Let’s end this game, black ghost.”
The slash pivoted, striking where I stood.
A powerful shockwave staggered or flung the charging special unit.
I reappeared far off via Flash.
But Dominic was already in my face.
He’d predicted me!
‘Crazy!’
“Water Cannon!”
“Water Ray!”
Mary’s water cannon and Shuga’s metal-cutting water jet struck Dominic’s flank.
But, unfazed, his slash continued toward me.
Dominic relentlessly targeted me, and the situation became a chase between us.
The special unit, sidelined, gritted their teeth and hounded Dominic.
“Black Knight! I’ll support!”
Hamerd, briefly knocked back, blocked a slash with an aura-laden sword but was repelled.
Prince Kazaks joined late, only to be floored by Dominic’s punch, unable to rise.
“Take this!”
Elisha’s arrow hit Dominic’s head, exploding and briefly blinding him.
Know-It-All (Lv 2) analyzes attack trajectories but faces high variables!
Wild Instinct (Lv 2) senses a dangerous attack!
Movement (Lv 3) twists your body to the limit!
I thought I’d caught a breath, but my prediction lagged, and the greatsword grazed my arm through the smoke.
‘Gah!’
Just a graze, but the blazing aura left a bone-deep wound.
‘My left arm won’t move…!’
As the next slash aimed for my head.
‘Damn, I didn’t want this!
Princess’ Gift, activate!’
My body—no, the armor—moved, dodging the attack.
Noticing the awkwardness.
“…What the hell are you?”
Dominic grew wary.
Golden magic runes densely glowed across my Black Knight armor.
[Activation phrase recognized. Hound armor’s full-power mode, Princess’ Gift, activated. Time limit: 5 minutes.]
A slash came from afar.
My body dodged with thought.
My movements felt three times faster.
‘Incredible!’
When Know-It-All and Wild Instinct predicted attack paths, the armor reacted before I moved.
Like auto-dodging.
“Your reaction speed’s much better. Troublesome for me. I need to return to base quickly.”
“Feel free to tuck tail.”
“…Relying on a trinket’s power. But it’s a curious armor. It’d make a fine imperial weapon.”
“Did I say I’d give it?”
“As if. I’ll kill you in ten minutes and take it.”
Ten minutes is generous.
I need to end this in five!
‘My left arm’s moving!’
Or rather, the Hound armor moved it.
The Princess’ Gift, prepared for an injured hound unable to run.
‘Wish the name was better!’
Dodging another attack, I fired a piercing bullet.
“You keep aiming for my neck. Not much of a hound.”
“….”
“I’ll admit your dodging and shooting. I don’t know where a talent like you came from, but I never imagined facing such a challenge at my level. But give up. Your firepower’s nowhere near enough.”
The fierce clash continued for minutes.
Special unit members began vanishing.
Kazaks, already down, was crushed under Dominic’s foot.
Bord, blocking an attack, was torn apart.
Elisha, Mary, and Shuga were ousted by omnidirectional aura attacks.
‘Was this the original flow?!’
I realized I only knew history said Hamerd defeated Dominic, not whether the imperial dungeon tournament succeeded.
‘Damn it, Know-It-All, do something!’
Then.
Tick.
A crack formed in the armor protecting Dominic’s neck.
‘Got it!’
My efforts paid off.
Dozens of relentless piercing shots finally breached the armor’s protective magic.
“…!”
Startled, Dominic briefly stepped back.
He touched the cracked neck area with his gauntleted hand.
“…Point shooting. Against me. Impressive.”
[Hound armor’s full-power mode, Princess’ Gift, ends in 30 seconds.]
‘No time!’
I scanned around.
Ninety percent of the special unit was gone.
I’d used them as bait, and now they were gone.
I Flashed back, taking aim.
Seeing this, Dominic thought he’d found his chance.
“You! I’ll smash you and that armor!”
Abandoning armor seizure, a terrifying slash shot toward me.
I fired.
The rifle burned.
The barrel glowed red, steaming.
A white light blinded me, and a holy beam shot straight, lodging in Dominic’s neck.
“Guh!”
But I took his slash head-on.
It felt like the Hound armor and I were split in two.
The last thing I saw was Hamerd, stabbing Dominic from behind as he staggered.