Chapter 33: Knights (2)
[ As you have found the required treasures, the Dark King is now aware of your presence and will be arriving shortly... Prepare. ]
"Oh shit!"
Marlon cursed under his breath, shifting his gaze back to the battlefield where the changes had begun to take place.
All the darklings still standing began to emit a dense dark aura from their bodies, and at the same time, their bodies started to grow bigger, doubling in size.
The ones with humanoid size doubled in height and mass, becoming giants, while the former giants became titans with heights of over ten meters.
Not just that, once they had finished growing, the mist that had formed from their bodies shifted and formed doppelgangers with the same strength and size as the originals.
"Fuck!"
Marlon could no longer hold back his curses.
With this sudden growth, every plan he had made was completely shattered.
’I need to do something about this,’ he muttered.
He turned to Lunar. The look of awe in her eyes had been replaced by hopelessness once again. Every shred of faith she had in the Knights of Light was gone.
She turned to Marlon, shivering. If she could speak, she would have told him what was on her mind—that they should flee.
But Marlon knew better than to run.
If he left these darklings, by this time tomorrow, they would double again, becoming even harder to handle.
And now that the Dark King was aware of his presence, fleeing would only bring the King’s rage to his new location.
"Lunar, this place is no longer safe for you," Marlon said in a stern tone.
Using his telepathic link with the knights, he summoned three of them.
"Take her far away from this battlefield and stay with her. Do not allow anything to come near her, not even an insect," he commanded.
Lunar’s eyes widened, and she wanted to protest, but the knights gave her no chance. One of them smoothly swept her off her feet, carrying her in his arms, and dashed into the distance. The other two followed closely behind.
Now that she had left, Marlon began making full preparations.
He opened his character status to observe the effect of the Bracelet of Divine Vitality on his health.
[ Health Points: 2200 / 2200 ]
Seeing the four-digit number, he was relieved.
His health regeneration speed had doubled from one unit per minute to two units per minute. Back in Arden, hunters would go wild over such an improvement.
It would take almost a full day, even with that rate, to recover all 2200 health points.
"Now is not the time to bother myself with such trivialities," Marlon muttered, shaking his head. He swiftly checked his attack power.
[ Attack Power: 228 (+228) ]
He had 456 attack power, but with his Punch of Iron, that meant over two thousand points of damage, and with Punch of Judgement, he could probably take down an average darkling with one strike.
With those confirmations, he closed his system and shot toward the battlefield.
"Knights! Keep at it! Do not hold back, get rid of these dark beings!"
He barked as he entered the fray, facing his first opponent — a ten-meter-tall darkling with massive muscles and hands larger than anything he had ever seen.
Marlon lunged forward and struck it with Punch of Judgement. With over four thousand points in damage, the titan was sent flying backward, toppling several other darklings in its path.
It wasn’t dead, even after such a hit, and began to rise when two knights leaped onto its body and started tearing it apart with their swords.
Marlon didn’t bother with it anymore. He moved to another opponent, striking and deflecting with swift, trained movements.
With his involvement, the battle’s pace stabilized. Darklings fell one after another until their numbers dropped below a hundred.
Only a dozen knights remained standing, fighting fiercely.
Marlon was breathing heavily as he moved around the battlefield.
His eyes were red with fatigue and rage, his hands and legs aching from the accumulated strain.
But he pushed forward, driven by one goal—to end the darklings and prepare for the arrival of their master, the Dark King.
[ You’ve slain Darkling, EXP +0 ]
[ Drain activated, you’ve obtained 70 Aether Points ]
[ You’ve slain Darkling, EXP +0 ]
[ Drain activated, you’ve obtained 100 Health Points ]
Strike after strike, notification after notification, the darkling population reduced—three dozens, two dozens, one dozen—and finally, only a single one remained.
The last four knights standing charged at it together and brought it down, the massive twelve-meter-tall darkling collapsing with a thunderous crash.
Marlon fell to his knees, breathing heavily to regain his strength.
That was one hell of a battle... the hardest I’ve fought so far, he thought.
Any breakthrough trial above 2-star was considered suicidal.
If he didn’t have his absolute attack talent and his skills that amplified his power, he would have spent hours fighting a single darkling.
The battle he had finished in two hours would take an average hunter a week, and that’s only if they managed to survive a few hours without being smashed to paste.
Thinking about it, he was truly fortunate.
While catching his breath, he summoned the three knights who had taken Lunar away. He needed her healing powers to restore his HP before the Dark King arrived.
They arrived swiftly, bringing Lunar with them.
When she saw the battlefield, she was stunned beyond comprehension. Thousands of darkling corpses sprawled across the jagged terrain, dead.
She turned to Marlon, her shock deepening as she saw his battered form and heavy breathing.
Even though she had witnessed his power before, this was beyond what she could imagine.
She knelt beside him, gently patting his back before using her healing powers. Her hands glowed a bright green hue, and as they touched him, the light wrapped around his body. A faint sizzling sound followed as the healing began.
[ Health Points: 1344 / 2200 ]
[ Health Points: 1349 / 2200 ]
The healing took place gradually.
While it continued, Marlon scanned the corpse-littered field.
The mountains stood tall and proud, their peaks nearly piercing the night sky.
A gentle night breeze brushed his face, offering a fleeting sense of warmth and comfort—a mere illusion before a loud, eerie sound echoed, like the wailing of countless souls, followed by the trembling of the mountains around them.
[ Main Boss: Dark King is arriving ]
...
There are two Chapters before the end of this arc.
I would like to know you guys opinion about it.