I Became the Dark Knight in the Game

Chapter 47: Mage (4)

The young mage had brown eyes and dull blond hair. It was a common appearance that could be seen just about anywhere.

Had it not been for his robe and staff, one might have mistaken him for a farmers son.

But the arrogance in his eyes was unmistakable.

The sense of superiority he carried, believing himself to be above others, was typical of a mage.

Beside the young man stood four warriors and each of their faces was obscured by hoods. Each one looked skilled.

They were likely slave soldiers affiliated with the Magic Tower.

The mercenaries were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the mage and none dared to speak.

The mage, thinking his words were being ignored, twisted his expression in displeasure.

Do you not have mouths? Are you mute? Why are you retreating? Im asking you. Or perhaps I need to burn one of you to ashes to make you more compliant?

It was then that Zeon hurriedly spoke up.

My apologies, Sir Mage. We were all taken aback by the sudden encounter with someone of your stature. To us, you are no different from the nobility

Indeed, Zeon had a way with words.

He subtly flattered the mage and attempted to diffuse his anger.

The mages face lit up with satisfaction. He was particularly pleased by the comparison to nobility.

Hmm, yes. Nobles and I are somewhat alike. No, in times like these, we are perhaps more useful than those useless nobles For that, Ill forgive you.

Th-Thank you.

So, why were you retreating? Have you already finished investigating this area?

Well

Zeon seemed to struggle for an answer and he glanced back slightly.

Dale stood quietly like a statue as he looked in their direction.

The mages gaze followed Zeons to rest on Dale and he muttered,

Whats this now? A dark knight? This isnt a battlefield, what on earth

Mages from the magic tower seldom ventured beyond the upper districts, leaving them often out of touch with the news.

At the mages inquiring look, Zeon quickly explained,

Thats Sir Dale, a mercenary whos been making quite a name for himself recently.

A dark knight as a mercenary? But more importantly, if hes a mercenary, why is he blocking that area?

He might be a mercenary, but it seems hes not part of this operation And that place over there is likely where the followers of the nights temple are gathered. He appears to be standing guard over the followers.

The mage expressed even more confusion.

Guarding them? Who do you take me for, a fool? Theres only one command that can be given to a dark knight: to go and kill indiscriminately. Those corpses dont have the sense to guard or whatever youre suggesting.

Battle mages are fundamentally trained as commanders in strategy, tactics, and doctrines of the battlefield.

Among the training is how to effectively use different military units, and they are taught that theres only one meaningful way to use a dark knight.

To send them into battle.

Of course, there are exceptions, but the mage hadnt learned about those yet.

Frustrated by the situation he couldnt understand, the mage grew angry.

Are you just making excuses because you dont want to work?

No, not at all! Its the truth! You can ask anyone on the street about Sir Dale!

Even though he was suspicious, the urgency in the others voice left him with no choice but to believe.

Hmm, is that so?

The mage narrowed his eyes at Dale, who met his gaze with calm indifference.

He then nodded towards Zeon.

Go and tell him to move aside immediately.

. Yes? Me?

Would you rather I do it?

With a resigned look on his face, Zeon nodded his head. He was uncertain of what misfortune might befall him if he disobeyed the mages command.

He approached Dale with heavy steps.

I. Sir Dale.

You swore you wouldnt come back, even invoking the name of your parents, and yet here you are, breaking that promise.

Hmm.

Zeon swallowed a groan. He was at a loss for words but survival was his priority now.

So he carefully relayed the mages message.

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The mage asks that you step aside.

Go back and tell him I refuse.

Could you perhaps speak to him directly?

Dale looked at Zeon in silence. The latter was startled by that look and hastily nodded his head.

I-I will convey the message.

Why the hell am I stuck in the middle? Zeon muttered something along those lines and returned at an even slower pace than before.

The mage glared at Zeon as he hesitated before speaking.

He refused.

The mages expression turned menacing.

Tell him, if he doesnt move, hell face dire consequences. This is his last warning.

I. could you deliver the message directly

As the mage raised his staff, Zeon, choking back tears, moved away.

Damn you two.

When he returned to Dale, Zeon spoke with a sense of resigned detachment.

This is your last warning.

Then I have no choice.

Dale drew his sword.

Zeon was startled and hastily retreated backward. However, he was not Dales target.

The mage was poised with his staff aimed in their direction.

It seems your mind doesnt work well, perhaps a trait of the undead. You will fully face the consequences of defying my command.

Magical power began to gather around the staff which was embellished with a blue gem. The mercenaries were initially dazed but soon realized a critical fact.

The staff was pointed at Dale, and they were standing right in between.

No way.

But their fears were confirmed.

Sparks flew from the tip of the staff, soon unleashing a bolt of brilliant white lightning.

Crack!

Holy sh*t!

Scatter!

The mercenaries dove to the sides. A few ones who were slower to react were struck directly by the lightning.

Agagagaga!

Screams of agony filled the air as the struck mercenaries fell to the ground with their bodies charred. Yet, the lightning did not cease.

It zigzagged towards Dale with erratic fury.

Dale rolled to the side with all his might.

The fierce current narrowly missed him. It cleaved through the air and struck a cart instead.

Crash!

The cart struck by lightning shattered into pieces with flaming fragments scattering in all directions.

A lightning ejection spell?

The mercenaries could only widen their eyes at the absurd firepower; they didnt dare confront the one who had cast such magic upon them.

Such was the overwhelming force of the spell demonstrated by the mage.

The mage seemed to be pleased with those reactions and spoke proudly.

Wow, you dodged that. Lucky, huh? But will luck be on your side next time?

Without delay, the mage began chanting another spell and he gathered magical power into his staff once more.

Dale knew he couldnt just stand by. He kicked off the ground.

But the distance was too great; the spell would be ready long before he could reach the mage.

The staff was aimed at Dale.

Dale hastily concentrated his magical power in his right hand and spread a black mist around him.

Hssss!

The alley was filled with black mist that swallowed Dale into its shadows.

Where do you think youre going!

The mage aimed his staff into the mist and cast his spell.

Crack!

A white bolt of lightning cleaved through the space once again.

When the lightning met the black mist, it instantly burned it. And the mist was cleared in a moment.

But that didnt matter. Dales goal had been to throw off the other partys aim in the first place.

Dale who was lying flat on the ground, kicked off and accelerated once more.

The mage was slightly taken aback.

Wha-? Stop him!

At his shout, four slave soldiers who had been standing quietly until then rushed forward in unison.

Their weapons were shields and maces.

They wore no armor, which perhaps lent their movements an agile sharpness.

Four iron shields were thrust forward simultaneously at Dale.

Using the momentum of his charge, Dale kicked out towards the shields. His iron-clad boots collided with one of the shields.

And then Crack!

A noise just like that of the lightnings release echoed as one of the guards was sent sprawling backward.

The guard tried to regain his balance with a look of surprise on his face, but the impact was too great.

His lower bodys balance was disrupted and he fell over.

Dale tried to finish off the fallen guard, but a strike flew in from his side to protect their ally.

Tch. How annoying.

Three maces flew towards Dale from different directions. He ignored the one aimed at his chest and shoulder blades, trusting in his armors strength.

Dale reached out towards the mace targeting his joints and caught it.

Huh?

For the first time, the usually silent slave soldier spoke.

The guard whose mace was caught tried in vain to wrest it from Dales grasp.

It was a poor choice. He should have immediately abandoned the mace for his shield.

In combat, a poor choice often leads to death, especially against someone like Dale.

Dale swung his sword with all his might, using the hilt to strike the guards helmet forcefully.

Clang!

The helmet caved in with a scream of metal and the guards eyes rolled back.

A viscous fluid, indistinguishable from blood or brain matter, dripped from his nose.

He died instantly.

Yet the other guards did not falter. They seized the moment to try and strike at Dale.

Thats when the mage shouted,

Hold him!

At that command, the slave soldier in front of Dale threw aside his shield and attempted to capture him.

Dale swung his sword to cleave the soldiers head, but another slave soldier beside him thrust out a mace and grazed Dales shoulder.

The slave soldier clung tightly to Dale, never letting go as if it were his lifes purpose.

Crack!

Lightning was unleashed once again.

Dale tried to leap away at the sound but the guards held him firmly in place.

What is this?

This fanatic loyalty was unnerving. And in the next moment, the lightning enveloped both the guards and Dale together.

Zap!

The electricity coursed through his armor and soon began to burn the flesh within.

Dales usually cold body regained warmth for the first time in a while, albeit it was far too hot to be merely warm.

The mage shouted,

Haha! How does it taste, undead? Sting a bit?

Of course, there was no pain.

However, the damage was not insignificant. Dale inspected various parts of his body.

My arms are fine. My legs, not so much.

The lingering electricity in his body hampered his movements.

Dale thrust his gauntlet into the body of the slave soldier who had been struck down by the lightning. The body was so scorched that there was little life force to absorb.

But at least he recovered enough to be able to jog slowly.

Dale held his sword and ran slowly towards the mage. The latter sneered at his sluggish movements.

Heh! Foolish undead. You should have fled by now. Very well. I shall reduce you to ashes as you wish.

The mage prepared his final spell. This was taking longer to chant than before.

It meant he was preparing something big.

Dale ran heedlessly.

The distance between them steadily closed. When Dale was about twenty steps away,

The spell was complete.

This is the end!

Fizzzz.

Electricity crackled at the tip of the staff and soon lightning burst forth.

The lightning intertwined in the air, eventually taking the form of a four-legged beast that charged ferociously toward Dale.

It was a spell designed to prevent Dale from rolling away to dodge.

Dale charged forward as well.

He seemed to have no intention of dodging and he raised his sword high.

The mage thought to himself as he watched,

Such a fool. Does he really think he can slice through lightning with a sword?

It was a rational and logical thought.

Cutting through lightning with a sword would be considered foolish unless one was not in their right mind.

But there was one fact the mage was unaware of.

The black sword Dale wielded was no ordinary sword.

Dale, with his sword raised high, calmly watched the lightning beast charge at him.

Rather, because it took the shape of a beast, the lightnings speed was a lot slower than before.

The beast, crackling with blue and white currents, lunged at Dale with its jaws open wide.

And just as its maw was about to engulf Dale, the latter brought his sword down in a swift strike.

Crack!

Uh?

The lightning was cleaved in two.

The mage wore a look of utter disbelief. What on earth had just happened?

The bisected lightning quickly reformed into the beasts shape, but Dale had already reached the mages side by then.

Dale looked down at the mage who had collapsed to the ground in terror.

The towering figure of the dark knight with his back to the sun, cast a long shadow over the mages face.

Ah, Aaaaaah.

Tears welled up in the mages eyes.

He wanted to say something but his fear-paralyzed mind wouldnt cooperate.

Dale slowly raised his sword and then forcefully brought it down to the ground with all his might.

Uwaaaa.

The sword plunged into the ground between the mages crotch. Dale lowered his head and locked eyes with the mage.

I am not an undead. Do you understand?

The mage nodded his head like a malfunctioning machine.

Dale observed the mages face for a while and then took a step back.

A reeking puddle formed on the ground and the mages trousers were soaked through.