WebNovels

Chapter 119 - The Sentinel Knight [2]

Isaac looked at The Captain in silence for a good while, his gaze fixed. Yet, his overall expression is that of someone gauging whether or not what was happening was real or not.

And The Captain, his face still obscured by that helmet of his, merely looked back at him without uttering any other word, his frozen blade still embedded on the ground next to him.

A frigid wind blew past both of them, as if filling in the gaps of their silence.

But after a while, that silence was broken by none other than Isaac.

"...are you serious?"

"I am."

A stoic reply from The Captain, one that didn't contain no malic nor hate, nor any other emotion. It was steady and firm, befitting of his character.

And once Isaac heard it, his next words were caught in his throat. He attempted to try and ask it aloud, but he had already guessed the answer for it.

So, in the end, he only had one question left.

"Can I go all out?"

Isaac could never beat The Captain. He knew his limits, and challenging one of the strongest humans of this world was a herculean task.

The Captain was but a mere human. Cursed with immortality, sure, but he was still human. He was no god, nor any other species.

For five centuries, he wandered the land, honing his experience and becoming powerful enough to stand against gods themselves.

And Isaac, a mere café owner with a few tricks up his sleeve, was nowhere near that level.

In fact, most of Isaac's arsenal of skills can't even be properly used on The Captain. Like the Misfortune skill and his Dendro Vision.

The only realistic way Isaac could possibly contend with The Captain long enough was if he used his Evernight skill along with his inherited experience of the First Hunter.

If not, then...

He was cooked.

The Captain gestured a small nod before replying tersely. "You may."

"Alright..." Isaac murmured to himself, accepting the duel. He needn't ask more questions than this, as he was sure that it was pointless.

He then backed away a bit, making a considerable distance between the two of them.

Since they were on a cliff overlooking the sea and Hisii Island, there was limited room for movement, if this wasn't difficult enough.

"Hah..."

Isaac heaved a heavy sigh.

Then, without any other word, he pulled out his Dendro Vision which had a golden chain linked to it, and hung it in his pocket like a timepiece.

Following that, he conjured his enchanted revolver gun that could shoot accurately at the cost of disorientation.

'This isn't enough...' Isaac grimaced. He severely lacked proper combat equipment. Well, given his profession as a barista, he never truly did need them that much, but still.

'How I wish I could borrow Arlecchino's scythe right now...'

But alas, there was no time for regrets.

He faced The Captain straight in the eye, and, trying his best to not falter in his voice, spoke.

"Let's begin."

The Captain nodded, but he didn't move. He patiently waited for Isaac to make the first move.

And Isaac was more than happy to do so.

Isaac whispered the word in his mind.

'Evernight.'

At once, his shadow rippled and swelled, dark liquid bleeding outward before rising into writhing tendrils. They then lashed forward at The Captain, while thorned vines sprouted from the earth at Isaac's command with his Dendro Vision, twisting together in pursuit of the same target.

- Bang! Bang!

Isaac followed with two shots, the revolver cracking the silence. Each round streaked toward The Captain's chest. The disorientation hit him immediately, his vision tilting off-balance, but Isaac grit his teeth and forced himself to stay focused.

None of it landed.

In one fluid motion, The Captain wrenched his frozen blade free. With a single hand and movements too fast to follow, he carved through tendrils and vines alike, severing them with precise, practiced cuts.

Isaac's heart dropped.

'Crap...!'

Sensing imminent danger, he immediately slammed his palms into the ground, summoning a wall of thorned vines infused with Evernight's corrosive darkness. It rose just as The Captain blurred forward. Midair, with his off-hand still tucked neatly behind his back, The Captain shifted his weight and drove a kick straight into the wall.

- Boom!

The reinforced barrier splintered apart. But Isaac was already gone, retreating across the cliffside.

The Captain landed, silent as ever, and immediately surged after him without pausing.

Isaac grimaced then used his Dendro Vision to conjure plantlife in the shape of a great scythe, then pulling shadows tight and imbuing them into it. Its blade dripped with Evernight's black ichor, the weapon forming in his hands in a heartbeat.

But he wasn't done. Activating his skill once more, he issued a command for The Captain.

'Evernight... sleep.'

Instantly, the Captain's advance faltered. For a moment, he stood still, his body tilting forward as if caught in a dream. Isaac didn't waste this opportunity. Drawing on the memories of the First Hunter, he swung the scythe with lethal grace, a cut honed through years that weren't his, but were inherited.

- Clang!

However, the frozen blade held by The Captain intercepted the strike with chilling speed. Sparks scattered, and The Captain seemed to have snapped back into focus.

"A clever trick." He said, tone steady as ever. "But I have many voices inside me. They never let me sleep."

Isaac exhaled a bitter laugh. "You should probably get that checked."

He then fired another round, but The Captain deflected it without so much as a flinch, then lunged forward faster than before. His blade-work sharpened, each thrust came with ruthless intent, pressing Isaac back step after step.

Isaac's scythe met every blow, but barely. Each strike rattled up his arms, and no matter how precise he became, The Captain was always faster.

'I can't keep up…'

Desperation clawed at him. If he wanted even a chance, he had to push Evernight further, beyond reason, beyond safety.

He remembered the contamination that occurred to him when he used his Evernight skill too long. One that stripped his reason and imbued him with power at the cost of his sanity temporarily.

Even if it meant he'd go berserk for a while, as long as he could have a bit of edge and some semblance of sanity, he should be able to push The Captain back a bit.

This was a gamble.

Without any further ado, Isaac immediately began executing this idea. He began to use the Evernight skill to its full potential, letting it empower him with darkness.

"A, agh..."

The shadows around him swelled. Dark liquid churned around his feet and surged into his body. His amber eyes darkened into pits of obsidian, as dark tendrils burst from his back like living extensions of his nightmares. His right hand also warped, fusing into the scythe as the weapon pulsed with something sinister inside of it.

- Boom!

Both he and his weapon had been affected. His body had been partially transformer, while his scythe had been completely swallowed by the darkness.

But power roared through him.

He looked at The Captain next, and immediately, his next swing drove him back, forcing the immortal man to actually give ground. Tendrils lashed in unison with Isaac's scythe, a barrage of strikes hammering The Captain from every angle.

"..."

Seeing the changes in Isaac, The Captain paused for a moment before assuming another stance. Yes, for the first time in their battle, The Captain shifted his stance.

Following that, his frozen blade gleamed as a blue aura seeped across it, coating the steel in glacial power.

- Swshhh!

And in one slash from him, he severed a tendril in a single, crisp motion.

Isaac groaned, his rationality slipping away like water escaping his palms. But he still retained a sense of clarity amidst it all.

"You may not realize it, but..." The Captain spoke evenly once more, pointing his blade at Isaac. "The power you wield is reminiscent to abyssal energy. And the power I command…"

The aura around him then flared, frost rippling outward.

"…was made to destroy it."

* * *

A/N:

No chapter for the time being. Midterms exams are next week.

More Chapters