<h4>Chapter 179</h4>


    <i>Swoosh—</i>


    The Magic Force Field and the Barrier of Light simultaneously enveloped Ian. But instead of striking directly, the ck knight’s sword crashed into the floor beside him.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    The explosion, like a bomb going off, sent Ian flying. Even though he was protected by dual barriers, he couldn’tpletely offset the force of the st from below.


    In an instant, the ceiling rushed toward him. Ian twisted his body mid-air, and his back, covered by the Magic Force Field, mmed into the ceiling. Spiderweb cracks spread under the enormous pressure. Despite this, he could see the entire view of the banquet hall below him.


    A trail of ck magic shed across one side of the banquet hall. At the end of the trajectory that tore through the air, the ghostly horse crashed into the wall, shattering the high seat of the podium. The dark red magic spreading from the horse shimmered like mist against the wall.


    Charlotte seemed to have barely dodged the trajectory, rolling on the floor. Her armor was torn from one shoulder and arm, and blood was gushing out. However,pared to the other soldiers, her injuries were quite mild. Those unlucky enough to be caught in the path were flung around like they had been hit by a truck, their bodies mangled.


    The soldier in Mev''s arms appeared to be among them.


    She wasn''t holding a sword.


    Clearly, she had left the ghostly horse to Charlotte and was now moving the soldiers who could no longer fight. Glimpses of soldiers strewn across the hallway in the corner of the banquet hall could be seen.


    The soldier’s lips moved as if saying something. Ian’s heightened perception instantly read the iplete words formed by the soldier''s lips: "Please, I beg of you."


    There was no need to guess what Mev had said or what she was asking for. The presence exuded by her back, as she held the dying soldier, was entirely different from before.


    Just as Ian began to fall, his gaze shifted directly below him. An ominous intuition struck him. Sure enough, the ck knight was already preparing to leap. The knight aimed to cut Ian down in mid-air, a very wise decision since Ian couldn''t evade as easily in the air as he could on the ground. Of course, that would be true under normal circumstances.


    <i>Whoosh—</i>


    As soon as Ian thought of casting Whirlwind, a lower-tier gray magic, hepleted it almost simultaneously and swung his left arm to the side. The wind, amplified with a hint of chaos power, blew his body sideways.


    <i>Crash! Thud!</i>


    Ian broke one pir with his back and was mmed into the wall beyond it. He winced and rolled to the floor. It was the very corridor they had passed before entering the banquet hall.


    <i>Swoosh.</i>


    Through the dust and debris of the broken pir, the ck knight followed, soaring up.


    Even as he raised his sword upward, his helmet quickly turned toward the corridor where Iany sprawled. Immediately after, he steadied himself by extending his left arm upward. In that brief moment of hovering in the air, his entire figure, gripping the outstretched sword with both hands, ignited with ck and red magic.


    <i>Boom, boom, boom—</i>


    He then surged into the corridor. The ck and red trail cut through the hallway ceiling like tofu, pouring down.


    “...!”


    <i>Swoosh— </i>


    Ian raised his dagger above his head, and around him, a veil of holy power and a field of blue magic erupted almost spasmodically.


    <i>Crackle—</i>


    A dark red trajectory tore through the ceiling, the hallway walls, and then the shimmering barrier of holy power and the flickering blue force field beneath it. The ck sword finally stopped when it met the center of a dagger glistening with Blessing of Light.


    From behind his visor, the ck knight''s eyes flickered as if he were smiling.


    "Yes... now I understand for sure..."


    He did not immediately finish the situation by driving his sword further down. Instead, he watched the falling debris and the thick cloud of dust rising like a fog, pressing down slowly as if savoring the feel of his grip.


    "So, that little trick is indeed your full power... There''s a reason the ruler who submitted to the false gods cherishes you. You both are like a little rat."


    <i>Rumble—</i>


    The de of the ck sword gradually pushed down the dagger''s de that blocked it. The ck knight growled softly.


    "I''ll grant you a very slow death. The more painful your death, the more glorious my ritual of bing a grand warrior will be...?"


    His voice rose at the end. The dagger that had been steadily descending suddenly stopped. No matter how much force the ck knight applied, he couldn''t push the dagger down any further.


    Underneath, a red light began to spread, outlining a human silhouette.


    A low voice followed, "... I just opened my status window. What a pleasant surprise.”


    The ck knight''s eyes narrowed as if he were frowning.


    "What are you talking about...?"


    "I wish you''d prattle on about the false gods a bit more."


    Ian rose to his feet and slowly began pushing back the ck sword. He looked up at the ck knight with eyes that shimmered with a strange mix of holy power and magic.


    "Because, thanks to you, it seems those false gods are pretty pissed off."


    "...!" Just as the ck knight''s eyes were about to widen again, red holy power red up.


    <i>ng.</i>


    The arm of the ck knight holding the sword was violently pushed back. Ian, who had just swung the Ancient Meteoric Dagger to repel the attack, leaped towards the ck knight''s chest. He channeled the centrifugal force from his right arm swing entirely into his left fist and struck out. His punch, slicing through the dust, was imbued with golden holy power.


    <i>Wham!</i>


    Ian''s golden fist struck the side of the ck knight''s helmet. The knight''s head snapped to the side, and his massive body was flung into the passageway. The golden remnants of Ian''s fist burned the dark red magic with a brilliant sh.


    "...!?"


    A clear imprint of a fist was left on the side of the helmet, and the ck knight''s eyes momentarily flickered. It seemed more out of bewilderment than pain. But that was only for a brief moment.


    Soon, the light in his eyes reignited, and even while he was flying through the air, he twisted his body. Rolling once on the ground andnding, the image of Ian chasing after him became clear in his sight.


    <i>Roar.</i>


    The ck knight twisted his body further and swung his ck sword towards Ian. As if anticipating it, Ian lowered his stance, and a veil of light rose diagonally above him.


    With a grinding sound, the ck sword scratched and slid across the surface of the veil. Amidst the dazzling sparks, Ian leaped through and swung his left fist with all his might once again.


    <i>ng!</i>


    His golden fist struck just a bit higher than the mark on the side of the horned helmet. However, the result was no different. The holy power burned away the magic, and this time, the ck knight''s eyes flickered with clear pain. The seam connecting the faceguard to the helmet rattled for a moment.


    <i>ng!</i>


    A silent explosion erupted from Ian''s fist, still embedded in the helmet. It was the Vacuum Explosion. At the same time, the ck knight was thrown headfirst into the hallway wall.


    <i>Crash—rumble—</i>


    The ck knight was flung out, breaking through bricks, and the hallway wall copsed with a loud noise.


    Ian briefly shook his extended fist, taking in the scene. The Vacuum Explosion was a spell that, when used barehanded, risked damaging the hand as well. However, with the holy power of Karha and the Blessing of Lightyered on top, it was not the case this time. It merely stung as if he had struck a stone wall.


    <i>I considered not relying on it, but it is damn convenient. Indeed, I should have been a knight or a barbarian warrior. </i>


    With this thought, Ian pushed off the ground again.


    <i>Rumble—</i>


    Amidst the copsed rubble, the ck knight stood up abruptly. His red eyes flickered with anger and humiliation. His gaze soon met Ian''s directly as he charged forward.


    "Dragon yer—"


    <i>Why, you bastard. </i>


    Responding internally, Ian gripped his dagger firmly. The ck knight swung his ck sword, aze with dark crimson magic, almost simultaneously.


    <i>Crackle—</i>


    The pirs caught in its trajectory were all ground down. It was a movement without hesitation as if he didn’t care if the castle copsed. Instead of retreating, Ian sprinted even faster, and the gale created by the Wind de pushed him forward with all its might.


    <i>Boom—</i>


    The ck sword narrowly missed Ian''s head. As he leaped with all his might, Ian extended his right hand. The Ancient Meteoric Dagger shot towards the gap in the ck knight''s helmet. The ck knight sharply turned his head to the side just in time.


    <i>Scrape!</i>


    The holy power-enchanted dagger de tore through the side of the helmet as if it were sawing through it. When the de finally reached the seam that connected the visor to the helmet, Ian used the Vacuum Explosion he had prepared once more.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The ck knight''s head snapped back violently. At the same time, the faceguard, which was designed to flip up, was torn off and flew away in tatters. The ck knight forcefully brought his recoiling head back down, his eyes zing with fury, meeting Ian''s gaze.


    "...!"


    Realizing that the ck knight had been waiting for this moment, Ian hurriedly retracted his arm and cast the Barrier of Light. The ck knight''s left fist was already flying towards his side.


    <i>ng!</i>


    The hastily formed Barrier of Light intercepted the massive fist, shuddering as if it would shatter.


    "<i>Roar</i>!" With a battle cry, the ck knight swung his fist with full force.


    Ian was ultimately thrown back, crashing into a half-copsed pir and breaking it with his body. His vision briefly widened as he slowly spun through the air.


    <i>Looks like I''ll be bedridden for a few days again</i>, Ian thought.


    The pain wasn''t severe. His whole body just ached slightly. But once the Blessing of Battle wore off, parts of him he hadn''t even known existed would surely start hurting. It didn''t really matter, though. He had been in a simr state even before receiving the blessing. Thinking about the future was something he had to resign himself to and ept.


    As the ck knight had said, the bnce was breaking, and the cracks were starting to spread in earnest.


    <i>... It seems like it is time to level up my skills</i>, Ian thought as he watched the ck knight emerging from the rubble of the broken pir. In the slow flow of time, Ian and the ck knight’s gazes met.


    <i>Boom!</i>


    A red sh erupted from the side. Both Ian and the ck knight instinctively turned their heads. The chaotic scene of the banquet hall came into view. In one corner, Mev, now covered in sticky holy power like blood, was thrusting her High Fairy''s Rapier with all her might.


    The red holy power emitted from the tip of her sword pierced through the ghost horse''s head and tore through the back of its armor from the inside.


    <i>...It looks like they might finish first.</i>


    Ian''s brow furrowed slightly. In the game, the ghost horse and the ck knight had formed a pair, making the fight significantly more challenging than it was now. The rewards were correspondingly excellent, with additional bonuses possible depending on choices made.


    That ghost horse might be the additional reward.


    <i>If the condition to obtain it is to kill the ck knight first...?</i>


    An undead mount was a tempting prize. However, Ian didn’t feelpelled to obtain it. He couldn''t ask hispanions to wait while he confirmed his hypothesis.


    Additionally, the ghost horse was too noticeable and was clearly cursed. It couldn’t be ridden during the day, and riding it with holy power would cause it to have constant pain. Like the Swamp''s Resentment, which drained his blood every time he received the Blessing of Battle, then fell into a deep sleep without moving.


    But it seemed Ian was the only one who had given up on the idea.


    “<i>Roaaarrrr!</i>” The ck knight let out a resounding roar. The near-desperate cry made Ian turn to him abruptly.


    With the visor torn away, the ck knight''s face was fully exposed from the jaw up. His skin was covered in dark red scales, and instead of hair, half-formed horns protruded jaggedly along the edges of his head. His bright yellow pupils, vertically slit within his red eyes, were fixated on the ghost horse, which was rearing and screaming.


    A slight smirk formed on the corner of Ian’s lips.


    If the attack continued as it was, they would inevitably crash down together. But this gave him the opportunity toplete his spell.


    "Are you two dating?"


    "....?!"


    At Ian''s remark, the ck knight''s head snapped around urgently. But Ian had already extended his hand, seemingly oblivious to the ground that was rapidly approaching his back.


    <i>It was only natural.</i>


    Boom!


    The chaos-imbued, amplified barrier swept away both Ian and the ck knight. The ghost horse, which was about to kick Mev, and the other twopanions were also caught in the whirlwind and thrown aside.


    <i>Crash— </i>


    Regaining his stance mid-air, Iannded against one of the banquet hall walls, as if it were t ground, and looked up.


    His gaze was fixed on the ck knight, who was slowly rising. Thanks to his size, the ck knight had only been lifted off the ground rather than thrown back like Ian.


    <i>Crackle.</i>


    Ian''s feet dug into the wall, and he extended his right arm to the pocket dimension. His hand, now free of the Ancient Meteoric Dagger, grasped a familiar, thick hilt.


    A broad, long-ded greatsword with a slightly curved end emerged above the wall.


    <i>It seems a bit cramped to swing it freely.</i>


    Contrary to his thoughts, Ian pushed off the wall with all his strength.


    <i>Boom—</i>


    The weakened wall crumbled under his powerful leap. The spreading cracks reached the banquet hall ceiling, and the stones making up the ceiling began to fall. Ian surged through the falling debris, raising the greatsword above his head.


    “...?!”


    The ck knight’s eyes widened in shock as he spun in mid-air.


    "<i>Roaaarrr</i>!"


    With a battle cry that reverberated through the air, a massive arc of yellow and red holy power surged forward.