Journey to Become the Zenith

The Demon and the Doom Knight

The instant the Doom Knight stepped onto the battlefield, the ground beneath its armored boots caved inward.

BOOM!

A violent shockwave erupted in every direction.

Its towering body was wrapped in black armor engraved with ancient crimson runes. Thick streams of corrupted mana seeped from every gap between its plates, twisting the surrounding air. In one hand rested a colossal black greatsword taller than an ordinary man, while its crimson eyes burned beneath its helmet like two stars of blood.

Silence swept across the battlefield.

Even the wounded soldiers standing atop Fantom City’s walls unconsciously held their breath.

Max slowly lowered his sword.

”...That thing...”

Ruby’s face turned pale.

”I can’t even breathe...”

Natalia tightened her grip around her holy staff.

”The pressure... it’s stronger than the undead dragons.”

Even Videl and Lane instinctively narrowed their eyes.

This was no ordinary summon.

It radiated the aura of an executioner born solely for slaughter.

Alibaba finally relaxed slightly.

”As expected...”

”My greatest masterpiece.”

Victor, however...

Simply smiled.

His grin slowly widened until it became almost frightening.

”So...”

”You actually summoned one.”

His golden eyes gleamed with excitement instead of fear.

”Now this is getting interesting.”

The Doom Knight suddenly disappeared.

BOOM!

The earth exploded where it had stood.

It reappeared directly before Victor.

Its massive greatsword descended like a collapsing mountain.

The air screamed.

Victor shifted half a step sideways.

WHOOSH!

The enormous blade barely brushed past his shoulder before smashing into the battlefield.

BOOOOOOM!!

The impact split the earth for hundreds of meters.

Dust and broken stone shot high into the sky.

Before the dust could settle—

Victor’s scythe flashed.

CLANG!

The curved blade struck the Doom Knight’s neck.

Sparks erupted.

The impact echoed across the battlefield like thunder.

The Doom Knight didn’t move an inch.

Victor raised an eyebrow.

”So your armor’s tougher than the dragons.”

The Doom Knight answered with another swing.

Horizontal.

Vertical.

Diagonal.

Every strike carried enough force to shatter fortress walls.

Victor moved like flowing water.

One step.

A slight lean.

A twist of his waist.

Every attack missed him by mere inches.

To those watching from afar, it looked less like a battle and more like a deadly dance.

Lane couldn’t help smiling.

”I knew he’d do this...”

Videl folded her arms, though everyone could see the concern hidden behind her calm expression.

”He enjoys opponents like this far too much.”

The Doom Knight suddenly drove its fist toward Victor’s chest.

Victor blocked with the shaft of his scythe.

BOOM!!

Even after blocking, he slid dozens of meters backward.

His boots carved two deep trenches into the ruined battlefield before he finally stopped.

He glanced down at his hands.

”They’re numb.”

Then...

He laughed.

”Hahaha!”

”Good!”

”Very good!”

”It’s been a while since something actually pushed me back.”

The Doom Knight raised its sword once again.

Black mana exploded around the blade.

Alibaba pointed toward Victor.

”Destroy him.”

The knight obeyed instantly.

It charged again.

This time, every step generated violent shockwaves.

Victor inhaled deeply.

Golden mana flowed around his body while the mysterious invisible power hidden within him quietly merged into every movement.

The Death Scythe hummed.

Its black blade trembled as if awakening.

Victor lowered his stance.

”Come.”

The distance vanished.

CLANG!

The two weapons collided.

A deafening metallic explosion echoed across the battlefield.

Before anyone could react—

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

The Doom Knight attacked relentlessly.

Each swing was heavier than the last.

Victor answered every strike without retreating.

His movements became faster.

Cleaner.

Sharper.

Instead of overpowering the knight directly, he redirected its overwhelming strength, allowing each massive attack to slide past him by the smallest margin before counterattacking from impossible angles.

The battlefield became a blur of black steel.

Scythe.

Greatsword.

Armor.

Shockwaves.

The ground continued collapsing beneath their feet.

Broken buildings shattered from the aftershocks alone.

Ruby stared with wide eyes.

”I... I can’t even follow them anymore.”

Natalia nodded slowly.

”My eyes lose them every second...”

Max laughed despite the blood dripping from his wounds.

”Magnificent...”

”So this is the difference between true monsters.”

The Doom Knight suddenly released both hands from its sword.

The enormous weapon floated in midair.

Ancient runes ignited across its armor.

The surrounding mana erupted violently.

Victor immediately recognized the danger.

”It’s switching styles.”

The greatsword split into dozens of spectral copies.

Each blade floated around Victor from every direction.

Then—

All of them attacked simultaneously.

Victor spun.

The Death Scythe described a perfect circle around him.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

Every phantom blade shattered upon contact.

Yet the real sword came crashing down from directly above.

Victor crossed the shaft of his Death Scythe above his head just as the Doom Knight’s colossal sword came crashing down.

BOOOOOOM!!

The impact shook the battlefield.

His boots sank deep into the scorched earth, driven down by the sheer force behind the strike until they disappeared almost to his ankles.

A deafening shockwave exploded in every direction.

The ground fractured beneath him, jagged cracks racing across the ruined landscape for hundreds of meters before finally losing momentum.

Rocks burst apart.

Loose debris flew through the air.

A massive cloud of dust swallowed both warriors whole, blotting them from sight.

For several long seconds...

Nothing moved.

The battlefield fell into an uneasy silence, broken only by the distant rumble of collapsing earth.

Everyone watching instinctively held their breath.

No one could see either combatant.

Then—

A dark figure erupted from the rolling dust.

Victor.

He shot into the sky with explosive speed, moving so fast that his body became little more than a blur against the night.

The Doom Knight barely had time to react.

Victor planted one foot against the giant sword still embedded in the ground.

Using it as a stepping stone, he launched himself even higher, twisting gracefully through the air before flipping cleanly over the knight’s massive helmet.

His movements were smooth.

Effortless.

Almost beautiful.

As he descended behind the armored giant, the Death Scythe traced a silent crescent through the darkness.

SHHHK!