CHAPTER 15: NYXRAEL’S ULTIMATE SKILL

[Ding! You have received a Mission.]

[Detail: The Steelhearts’ pride is not to be trampled upon! Reciprocate the humiliation the Wolfsblade family has given so far!]

[Failure: ???]

[Reward: Depends on the results.]

James raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself. ’’A mission? So this got triggered because that bastard Darik insulted the Steelhearts twice? Now that I think about it, the Wolfsblade family has always found ways to humiliate us, ever since Grandfather’s death.’

’Anyway, all I have to do is humiliate them as much as I can, right?’ James put his fingers on his chin, smiling viciously.

Just as James was thinking about how to humiliate them as much as he could, a deafening loud roar could be heard from afar.

"YOU DARE!"

A second later, an enraged Duke Garrick appeared beside the Platinum Knight. He looked at the decapitated body not far away from them.

Not long after, an old man appeared and immediately let out his power, suppressing the surroundings to the point that every bystander within 50 meters felt it, and most of them kneeled on their knees because of it.

Strong people within the city immediately felt the wrath of the previous Duke. Naturally most of them felt curious and went toward the source of power, as something like this had happened twice within a short time.

Gareth, the manager of the Hidden Quill in the Lycranor city, was also among them.

’This Young Master James is really interesting... He is different from what the rumors say.’ Gareth thought to himself.

When he arrived at the scene, he saw that the situation was really tense and that it would be normal for them to fight at any time.

Crack!

The sound of a carriage door opening drew everyone’s attention.

A handsome young man with short white hair stepped out in a calm manner. His blue eyes scanned the surroundings casually before stopping at the Wolfsblade family’s side.

By now, several more had gathered behind Duke Garrick. James saw that there were 10 people excluding their Platinum Knight Ranks. Five of them actually had reached the Peak Platinum Knight, only a step away from stepping into the Epic Rank.

"Oh? It seems we’re a bit outnumbered now." James chuckled.

Then, he waved his hand lazily as if it was nothing. "Kill the strongest one first. That should even the odds."

"..."

The onlookers were speechless, stunned by his audacity. Some of them even mocked James for his ignorance.

But their sneers froze the moment Nyxrael unsheathed his sword and replied calmly. "Yes, My Lord."

The moment he took a step forward, an overwhelming pressure that far surpassed the old man erupted from Nyxrael, more precisely from his sword. Shadows rippled around his body like living flames, swallowing the light around him.

The old man’s expression darkened as he instinctively took a step back. His years of experience screamed danger as his instincts screamed that the being before him wasn’t an ordinary Epic Knight.

"Don’t think you can act arrogantly before me!" The old man roared. "Wolfsblade Swordsmanship – 8th Howl: Silver Moon Rend!"

His sword flashed, silver light gathering at its edge. A radiant arc of moonlit energy burst forth, splitting the ground beneath him.

The crescent-shaped aura shimmered like the moon itself, slicing through the air toward Nyxrael with terrifying momentum.

But Nyxrael didn’t even flinch. His right hand gripped the blade’s hilt tightly, and his voice echoed like a whisper from the abyss.

"Soulreaver’s Eclipse."

In that instant the world dimmed, it was as if the night itself descended upon the battlefield. It became quiet as the sound vanished to the point that the spectators forgot to breathe.

Behind Nyxrael, countless phantom silhouettes appeared as they were the souls of those he had slain. Their faint, distorted cries echoed faintly as they were drawn into the obsidian blade.

The sword ignited with violet-black energy, its aura coiling into a massive crescent that dominated the old man’s Silver Moon Rend.

When Nyxrael swung his sword, the sky seemed to split.

BOOM!

A blinding crescent of abyssal energy howled across the ground, devouring everything in its path. The old man’s Silver Moon Rend shattered instantly, as if it had never existed.

"—Impossible!"

That was the last word he managed to utter before the abyssal slash engulfed him entirely. His body disintegrated into nothingness as they were devoured by the darkness, even his soul couldn’t escape from it.

The devastating energy didn’t stop there. It continued forward, slicing through another Peak Platinum Knight standing behind him.

The man didn’t even have time to scream before being slashed cleanly in half, his remains vanishing into ash.

Just as right after killing the Peak Platinum Knight, the energy dissipated at an extremely fast rate and completely disappeared before it touched a building in the street.

When the darkness finally faded, the ground was carved open into a deep, crescent-shaped cut that extended for dozens of meters.

Silence fell across the surrounding area.

No one dared to move. The pressure that lingered in the air made it hard to even stand upright.

Two powerful knights that people could only dream of being one had been killed in a single strike.

Nyxrael slowly lowered his sword, the abyssal energy around him dissipating slowly.

He then turned toward James and bowed slightly. "The mission has been completed, My Lord."

That sentence sent chills down everyone’s spine as Nyxrael had done it as if it was nothing.

Even Duke Garrick could only clench his fists tightly, blood could be seen dripping from his palms. His expression twisted between rage and disbelief as he watched his father reduced to dust right before his eyes.