I Became the Dark Knight in the Game

Chapter 28: The Brotherhood (3)

Chapter 28: The Brotherhood (3)

Dale extracted the dagger from the head of the dead thief and asked,

Are you the leader of these guys?

Only then did Abaph snap back to reality. He realized that the person before him was the dark knight he had ordered to be dealt with.

He understood that the dark knight had instead killed all his men.

All of them

He hadnt expected them all to be overpowered so completely.

Where had his calculations gone wrong?

Abaph felt fear as he met Dales gaze, but he still held his head high as befitting the leader of an organization.

Yes. I am the Blue Viper of the Black Serpent Brotherhood, Abaph.

The Blue Viper?

Abaphs hair was the color of the deep blue sea. Dale thought it was quite an intuitive nickname.

Dale turned his attention to the young man standing next to Abaph.

He was a young man wearing a black robe with gold embroidery, and for some reason his golden eyes were filled with a strange fondness toward Dale.

As their eyes met, the young man abruptly approached and firmly grasped Dales hand.

It was a movement so sudden and harmless that Dale couldnt even react.

The young mans eyes sparkled as he spoke.

Ah! I am delighted to meet you! Seeing the renowned Sir Dale in person is truly an honor. Ive heard about how you turned those pathetic cultists temple into ruins. My heart swelled with satisfaction when I heard the news! Ah, and who am I, you ask? Im Hakim, the son of Yarl. You can tell at a glance that Im a warlock, right?

Whats with this bastard?

Aside from the young mans rapid-fire chatter, he was also acting overly familiar with him.

Turning it into ruins, huh? Sounds similar to what Erielle was rambling about.

It seemed like a lot of outrageous rumors had spread.

Looking down at this agitated young man, Dale asked,

Are you in cahoots with that guy too?

Eh?

Hakim glanced at Abaph before nodding agreeably.

Well, for the time being, yes?

Got it.

Boom!

Without hesitation, Dale struck Hakim on the head. The warlock had closed the distance, presenting an opportunity Dale wouldnt miss.

Hakims head was easily crushed.

But something very strange occurred the very next moment. Hakims body, with its crushed head, suddenly melted away and turned into a sticky mass of flesh.

At the same time, the back door of the hideout burst open and another Hakim entered.

Hahaha! Just as I heard, you are indeed fiery! Truly manly! I, Hakim, am beginning to like Sir Dale even more!

Abaph was visibly perplexed by this sight. He looked like he was completely unable to comprehend what was happening.

However, Dale had already seen through Hakims trick.

A flesh puppet spell.

It was a black magic spell to create a substitute body and control it in place of the main body.

Its an incredibly useful spell for the physically weak mages and a very frustrating one for their opponents.

So, youre a necromancer?

Hakims face brightened.

Eh? You recognized it from just that? Are you also versed in black magic? As expected of Sir Dale!

Swish! A swiftly thrown dagger embedded itself in the middle of Hakims face.

Once again, Hakims body melted away. And then, as the back door opened, yet another Hakim stepped in.

Hakim said while scratching his head.

Um, Sir Dale? I appreciate your fiery approach, but could we perhaps have a conversation?

Instead of responding, Dale firmly grasped his longsword. Hakim muttered under his breath with a bitter smile.

Well, this isnt too bad. Once I cut off your arms and legs, we can have a conversation, cant we?

Hakim took a step back to create some space. Then, with a rumble of footsteps, something burst through both the front and back doors.

Ahhh.

Uhh.

At first glance, they appeared human.

Elves, dwarves, and humans.

But they all had one thing in common: their eyes were unfocused. And a foul stench of decay emanated from their bodies.

They were already dead.

The undead spell.

As Abaph gazed at the undead soldiers, he exclaimed,

Hold on! What is all this? Werent my subordinates supposed to fight alongside these undead soldiers against that dark knight? What are these things doing here?

Abaph had naturally assumed Hakim would send the undead soldiers to fight alongside his own forces.

Thats why he was confident in his victory.

But the presence of so many undead soldiers here meant

You deceived me!

Huh? Did I do that?

Hakim, who was scratching his head, said cheerfully.

Why get angry over such a thing? Its clumsy. You can always gather more subordinates, right?

What in the world

Besides, lets fight!

As Hakim shouted, the waiting undead soldiers charged in unison.

Dale swung his longsword like a thunderbolt. With a single flash of his blade, three undead had their heads soaring through the air.

The headless undead soldiers collapsed to the ground.

Oh? Theyre not supposed to stop even if their heads are cut off That sword! It possesses a special power!

Dale continued to swing his sword wordlessly.

Hakim muttered to himself.

Who am I even talking to?

Dale continued to swing his sword again and again.

The number of undead soldiers rapidly decreased. However, endless streams of them kept entering through both the front and back doors.

They attempted a human wave attack, desperately trying to hold Dale back.

But Dale was a poor match for the undead soldiers.

Despite the almost endless battle, Dale showed no signs of fatigue, and the teeth and nails of the undead soldiers couldnt even scratch his sturdy armor.

There were levels even among the undead.

Hakim, with an excited expression, murmured to himself.

It is exactly as the rumors say. Impressive! But this is not good Abaph, hold off Sir Dale for a moment.

What?

Buy me time to cast a spell.

Alright

Abaph nodded with a sour expression on his face. Even if he didnt like Hakim, he knew they needed to join forces for the time being.

Abaph stealthily slipped among the undead soldiers.

The space was densely packed with them, yet Abaph could find a way to hide, even in the narrowest gaps.

Abaph who had erased his presence swallowed hard.

Theres no obvious gap.

There was absolutely no gap in sight for the knight whose entire body was covered in armor except perhaps the eye holes in his helmet.

Just need to buy time.

If he could hold him off for a while, Hakim would handle the rest.

Hakim was a warlock who had survived for a long time on the battlefield, and the battlefield was full of beings more terrible than Dale.

Surely, there must be a way to harm Dale.

Pa!

Seizing the opportunity, Abaph deftly stepped on an undead soldier and propelled himself upward.

He aimed the dagger in his hand precisely at the eye holes of the helmet. It was a dagger with a snake-like blade.

Dale, with his heightened senses, detected the ambush.

And he swiftly moved his left hand from his sword and reached out to grab Abaphs arm.

But Abaphs reaction was also quick.

Abaph released his dagger without hesitation and reached out with both hands toward Dales sturdy arm.

He moved with a flexibility akin to a boneless creature, seamlessly attaching himself to Dales arm.

Martial arts?

Dale had never encountered such bizarre movements before.

It seemed like a unique secret technique passed down within their organization.

Dale swung his right fist at Abaph, who was clinging to his arm, but the latter, with his snake-like agility, dodged the blow and exclaimed,

When will it be ready?

Haha! Your wait is over!

Hakim burst into laughter and then clapped his hands together. Magic began to swirl around his palms.

Dale racked his brain.

What kind of spell was Hakim preparing?

A list of the most potent spells available to a necromancer rolled through his mind.

At the same time, his gaze was constantly observing his surroundings.

Undead soldiers were everywhere.

On the ground lay numerous undead soldiers, now reduced to ordinary corpses with their heads split open by Dale.

Then the answer dawned on Dale.

Undead Explosion.

Realizing the magic at play, Dale immediately attempted to throw himself out of the area.

But a short undead soldier blocked Dales path.

It was a gnome with a familiar appearance.

It was Leon.

Unwittingly, Dale halted in his tracks.

In the next moment,

The corpses along with the undead soldiers swelled up like balloons all at once.

Then they exploded with a burst of magical power.

Boom!

The explosion that was grand enough to send a stone-built hideout flying erupted.

Since the power of the Undead Explosion was proportional to the number of the undead within its range, even Dale couldnt escape unscathed.

Hakim who was proudly looking at the work he had created suddenly expressed his astonishment.

Oh? How can his body be so tough? Compared to other dark knights I know, this is remarkable

Dale slowly walked out through the dust.

Dale had managed to survive the blast using the body of Abaph as a shield, but he was in disarray.

His armor was dented in several places from the strong impact and his helmet was gone, revealing his pale face.

Yet, even in such a state, Dale did not let go of Leon whom he cradled in his right arm.

Hakim tried to make a joke.

Do you like that gnome corpse? If it pleases you, Sir Dale, you may take it.

Bang!

Dale kicked Hakim and sent him flying like a paper doll to crash against the wall.

Hakims body melted away.

Dale gently placed Leon on the ground and focused his mind.

The range of the flesh puppet spell is not wide. He must be nearby.

Hakim had a unique unpleasant odor. Dale awakened his senses to track this scent.

His heightened senses soon detected Hakims presence.

Dale headed towards that location.

In the rubble of the collapsed building, Hakim who had been silent as a mouse, asked awkwardly,

Oh? How did you find me?

As he slammed his fist down, Hakim melted.

Dale found Hakims puppets one by one in this manner.

Only after dealing with the remaining five flesh puppets was he finally able to reach Hakims true body.

Even in the face of death, Hakim did not panic. Instead, his eyes sparkled with interest.

It seems I underestimated you, Sir Dale. I never imagined youd be this strong. Quite impressive!

Dale raised his sword without saying a word.

Hakim asked with a smile.

What about this? Im not quite ready to die yet. Is there any chance for a negotiation? Oh, how about this? Arent you curious about whos behind me? Who sent me here to join hands with thieves who want to burn the city down?

Dale was annoyed by the mans incessant babbling and he retorted sharply.

Not interested.

Ah, you finally responded! I was worried you were so angry with me that you wouldnt even talk

Swish!

Dale swung his sword. Hakims head rolled off before tumbling to the ground.

This time, his body did not melt away. Hakim was truly dead this time.

His noisy chattering voice echoed in Dales head until the very end.

Crazy bastard.

Were there many people like Hakim among those who followed the goddess of night?

If so, the reason they were ostracized might not be solely due to them being heretics.

Dale took the lives of Hakim and Abaph. But he didnt gain any particularly useful memories from them.

From Abaph, the memory he saw was of his father being executed in the square.

From Hakim, there were only memories of being used for human experiments as a slave.

But he didnt feel any sympathy for them.

Theres no human without a story and no grave without an excuse.

Dale picked up the Leon he had set down and grasped his corpse again with both hands. He gently closed the eyes that were bulging with pain.

Dale said softly.

Lets go back.

The rain was still heavy.

Dale walked indifferently, letting the raindrops flow over his head.

Dale was once again disappointed in humanity today. The added doubt of whether he really needed to uphold this thing called human decency lingered in his mind.

There are too many bastards.

What effect would this incident have on Dales psyche?

And how would the publics perception of Dale change?

He didnt know.

But there was one thing that he did know for sure.

After today, no one would ever dare take Dale lightly again.

***

A knight in black armor walked away into the distance in the pouring rain.

Once the distance was far enough, a space on the roof of a building seemed to slide apart like a curtain being drawn.

From within this strangely distorted space, an old man emerged.

He was an unremarkable old man, the kind one could see anywhere. The only thing that stood out was the large crystal ball he held in his hand.

Blue eyes were shimmering within the crystal ball.

The eyes ceaselessly watched Dales retreating figure.

The old man had to raise his bony arm high into the sky so the eyes in the crystal ball could get a better view of Dale.

Only when Dale completely disappeared from sight did a voice emanate from the crystal ball.

At last. We meet again at last.

The words were not meant for the old man; they were like a soliloquy.

The entity within the crystal ball murmured in a voice filled with emotion.

Im glad to see you again, my friend. My family. My love. My master. I will come to you soon.

Right after finishing these words, the space closed like a curtain, obscuring the old man.

And when the space returned to normal, the old man was no longer there.

As if he had never existed in the first place.