Chapter 9 : Top Open (3)

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

The Death Knight, crouching pitifully in front of the throne, trembled violently, producing an eerie clattering of bones.

Watching this, Hwarang smirked as he chewed on a blade of grass.

“Hey, old man, can you stop making that bone-rattling noise? It’s driving me nuts.”

“You’re gonna grind your bones down to dust at this rate.”

Hwarang chuckled with a mischievous grin.

“…If it bothers you that much, then get lost to the upper floors! I don’t need your help anyway!”

“Pfft! Can a skeleton even put up a fight?”

“You think you wouldn’t be trembling if you were in my place? That monster told me to bring humans instead of killing them!!”

The Death Knight felt wronged.

No—he felt deeply wronged.

Originally, he was supposed to be waiting in the Demon Realm, destined to be a boss of a different tower.

But suddenly, a portal opened, and he was forcibly dragged through.

And the first thing he saw upon arrival?

A Nine-Tailed Fox radiating a terrifying aura.

Threatened, forced to accept Tower Coins against his will—He had reluctantly agreed to work for them.

But to start off with this kind of impossible demand?

Humans were fragile.

Far too fragile.

They were ephemeral beings who could be blown away with a mere breath.

Yet, he was supposed to capture them alive?

How was that even possible?

“Haa…”

“Maybe we just look similar to humans?”

“…I was even told to ask you for help if things got too difficult.”

“……?”

Hwarang’s face twisted in confusion.

Was this like one of those cases where, from high above, everything looked the same?

Tilting his head, he tried to make sense of it.

“…That little brat glaring at me from the side is terrifying.”

“That tiny girl got stronger than us? Is that even possible?”

“This is why you gotta pick the right side… I should’ve been the first to volunteer. Still kicking myself over that one.”

The Death Knight sighed deeply, releasing a cloud of dark purple mana into the hollow castle.

“…Sorry for making fun of you.”

Feeling a twinge of sympathy, Hwarang patted the Death Knight’s back.

“Ha… You should be careful too. We’re stuck here, whether we like it or not.”

“…Wait, what?”

At last, the realization hit , Hwarang—his face went pale.

“Ha. Took you long enough to figure it out.”

“…I wanna go back.”

“That’d be for the best. They’ll be here soon.”

With a clatter, the Death Knight lifted his sword, dragging it across the ground.

“…Uh, well.”

“Good luck.”

With that, Hwarang stepped into a portal, returning to his own floor.

“…Yeah, I’ll need it.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox had requested that he capture them alive.

“Haa… But what they really mean is, ‘Do it no matter what.'”

When someone powerful made a request, it wasn’t really a request.

They might say it nicely, but everyone knew there was no room for refusal.

The Death Knight drove his sword into the ground, steeling himself.

“I already acknowledged them as my lord, didn’t I?”

Fwoosh!

“…Then I have no choice but to do my best.”

As the flames in the Death Knight’s hollow eyes flared up.

Creeeak.

The castle doors swung open.

***

Hanseong had no idea what the monster in front of him was talking about.

‘…Did this thing just check for my consent?’

The monster had asked Hanseong if it could begin.

Something was seriously wrong here.

“My lord has commanded this lowly knight not to kill you.”

“I shall do my best to obey that order.”

“However…”

“One or two of you might accidentally die.”

The Death Knight spoke without a hint of emotion.

And yet, every hunter in the room felt a cold sweat trickle down their backs.

Because it wasn’t a bluff.

They could tell.

He truly meant it.

Without emotion, without hesitation—he could accidentally kill them.

“I will ask once more.”

“Shall we begin?”

The purple flames in the Death Knight’s eyes burned even brighter.

He was ready to fight.

* * *

“No!!!!!”

I was on the verge of losing my mind.

“He says not to kill them, and now he’s talking about ‘accidents’?! What kind of nonsense is that?”

Was he insane?

How do you accidentally kill someone?

He kept calling me his lord, yet he was blatantly ignoring my orders.

“If even one of them dies, I won’t let it slide.”

“H-Hiiik?!”

At my muttered words, the Sword Ghost, who had been sweeping the floor nearby, jumped in shock and dropped the broom from her hands.

“M-Master…! P-Please, could you put away your aura…?”

She was trembling uncontrollably.

Only then did I notice the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Ah! Sorry, it’s just… the Death Knight is saying the most ridiculous things…”

“I-If anything happens, I’ll go and chop his head off right away!”

“…No, that won’t be necessary.”

I quickly calmed the Sword Ghost, who was already reaching for her weapon.

“Let’s just watch for now.”

“Yes, Master!”

With a small hop, she took a seat beside me.

Even though she couldn’t see anything from here, she swung her legs happily, grinning from ear to ear.

“I hope Sir Knight does his best!”

“…Y-Yeah, sure.”

I wondered.

Would she still say that so innocently after seeing the Death Knight turn an S-rank Tanker into a bloody pulp?

Watching him wield a greatsword single-handedly—blocking attacks from one swordsman and two mages while relentlessly hammering down on the Tanker.

I had my doubts.

* * *

The Death Knight was perplexed.

“Why in the world are they all attacking me together when I specifically proposed a duel?”

He had suggested a one-on-one duel with the swordsman, who seemed to be their leader—because he was genuinely afraid he might end up killing someone in a chaotic battle.

But.

“Uwaaaaaah!!!”

For some reason, the massive man ignored his offer and charged straight at him.

“…He’s going to die.”

With a sigh, the Death Knight grabbed the massive man and threw him back toward his allies.

A clear message: Heal him before he dies.

“Please, for the love of everything, just heal the guy already.”

He was practically begging at this point.

Why wasn’t the healer doing anything?

They could just heal from a distance, but instead, the healer was trembling like a leaf, only casting physical enhancements on the swordsman.

It was driving him insane.

“A warrior who enters battle does so with the resolve to risk their life. I cannot let that resolve go to waste.”

That was the thought behind his approach.

He felt sorry for the Tanker, who had clearly accepted death—but unfortunately, killing him was not an option.

“Did I go too hard on them just because they had a healer…?”

The Death Knight was growing anxious.

“Please, please, just don’t die.”

The sheer patheticness of begging a human not to die made him feel utterly miserable.

It was humiliating.

“To think I’ve been reduced to pleading with such weak creatures…!!”

If he swung his sword seriously, he could wipe them all out in an instant.

The self-loathing was starting to creep in.

“…Ghh! Die!!”

The swordsman, oblivious to his inner turmoil, kept swinging both swords at him with all his might.

It was infuriating.

“…He’s dual-wielding Eastern swords?”

An unusual fighting style.

He had talent—but compared to himself, his strength was still lacking.

Clang!!!!!!

“…Urgh?!!!”

“Futile.”

The Death Knight effortlessly parried the attack.

He had had enough.

“This is getting ridiculous.”

“Swordsman, I make this offer once more.”

“…An offer?”

The battered and bloodied swordsman, still sharp-eyed, glared at him.

The Death Knight found this admirable.

Walking back to stand before the throne, he raised his sword once more.

“A duel.”

“How about a duel? You already know that all of you together still cannot defeat me.”

The swordsman clenched his jaw, glaring down at the sword embedded in the ground before him.

“…Why insist on a duel?”

“For your honor.”

The Death Knight gestured behind him.

“Look at your comrades. Compared to you, they are nothing.”

The swordsman turned around.

The healer was already in panic mode.

The Tanker was a battered, bloody mess.

The two mages were gasping for breath, their faces pale from exhaustion.

Meanwhile, the Death Knight remained completely unscathed.

“Were Death Knights always this strong?”

The swordsman glared at him, deep in thought.

“There is no greater failure than letting your subordinates die.”

“Even if you lose this duel, I swear upon my honor as a Death Knight that I will not take their lives.”

At those words, the swordsman hesitated.

“…This was the plan all along.”

“…I have to keep them alive.”

“Chanseok always wanted to be first so badly.”

“I can’t let Yuna suffer any more either….”

“Hanyul is still just a high school student.”

“And Junghan… He’s already seriously wounded. If this drags on, he could actually die.”

Resolving himself, the swordsman used his sword to push himself up from the ground.

“…Ghh!”

“I understand your resolve.”

“…Let’s begin.”

The Death Knight nodded, infusing his sword with mana as he pointed it toward the swordsman.

[Skill: Duel has been activated!]

[Entity: Choi Hanseong is being pulled into the Death Knight’s domain!]

[A battle of honor, in a completely isolated space!]

The same message appeared before both the swordsman and the Death Knight.

Immediately after, a black, dome-shaped barrier began to form around them, sealing them inside.

“Hanseong oppa!!!!!!”

“…Sorry, Yuna.”

“Hyung!! No!!!”

“……Chanseok.”

“…Oppa!!”

“Hanyul….”

As they watched their swordsman vanish into the darkness, his comrades screamed in despair.

In response, he turned to them with a faint smile.

“Live. Live… and avenge me.”

His eyes trembled, tears brimming at the edges.

His lips tried to form a smile, but they only quivered.

“Let us begin.”

The moment the Death Knight declared the start of the duel.

“…?!”

He vanished, leaving behind nothing but an afterimage.

“Where did he go…?!”

Thud!!!!

“Guhhh!!”

Before he could react, the swordsman collapsed.

The Death Knight had struck the back of his head with the hilt of his sword.

Staring down at the motionless figure, the Death Knight hesitated.

“…You?”

“…”

“……”

“…You’re not dead, right?! That’s not what happened, right?! If you’re still alive, say something!!!”

He had not expected the fight to end this quickly.

Now in a panic, he shook the swordsman’s shoulders, trying to wake him up.

* * *

“…Did you really bring him back alive?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Black hair, a black suit, and two swords.

“Wait… isn’t this Choi Hanseong?!”

I had turned off the vision feed halfway through out of sheer anxiety.

Just what had happened?

I stared at the Death Knight with wide eyes.

He was completely unharmed.

“…You’re not hurt, right?”

“Hahaha, how kind of you.”

“…!!”

“…Lady Sword Ghost, your gaze is terrifying.”

The Death Knight had been laughing, but at the Sword Ghost’s glare, he immediately shut his mouth.

I crouched beside Hanseong and poked his body a few times.

Since I had practiced controlling my strength with the Sword Ghost earlier, I was confident I wouldn’t accidentally pierce through his body.

“…He’s not dead, right?”

No, I told him to capture someone alive, and he went and captured the rank #1 all by himself.

What the hell just happened?

***

A Yubini with tied-up hair.