Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights Chapter 362: Mad King
Previously on Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights...
While Godfrey was trapped in his future, Damascus advanced toward him, the blood of his foes still wet on his claws. Positioning himself directly before Godfrey, Damascus scraped his talons against the Immortal Armour.
"A remarkable relic. Your spirit is tethered to your master’s. You are developing an attachment. The thought of losing him soon causes you pain. Your suffering will end, for I will become your new master." Damascus drew back his hand, preparing to impale Godfrey, but an arrow intercepted his strike.
Damascus swatted Goliath’s arrow aside. "Pesky summons. Though far from your prime, you still fight to defend your king. Alas..." The lycan lunged for Godfrey. Eliminating him would mean the fall of all the knights.
However, a knight materialized beside him, unleashing a flurry of attacks with his twin swords against Damascus. It was Solstice, his blades wreathed in flames, his fierce gaze burning like the midday sun. Yet, Damascus deflected his assault, driving his claws through Solstice’s chest plate.
The lead knight grunted, lowering his head to observe the claws embedded in him. How could a man so consumed by self-interest, who valued nothing but his own gain, be willing to perish for another?
It was quite the irony, wasn't it?
"Long... live the king," he choked out, his form slowly dissolving into golden motes. That brief moment was all the other noble knights needed. Tempest descended from the heavens, intent on plunging his spear into Damascus. But the monster caught the spear, weathering the lightning strike as he unfurled his other hand, readying his claws.
Suddenly, he recoiled sideways, forced to parry Mountain’s hammer-axe. This action gave the colossal knight an opening to crash into Damascus with his shield.
The boss took a step back, skidding several meters. Six arrows flew toward him, shattering on impact, but Lament was close. Leaping from his charging steed, he brought his halberd down in a powerful arc, only for Damascus to seize the blade.
His feet sank into the soft sand. With a guttural growl, Damascus tore open Lament’s chest, watching as the knight dropped to a knee, groaning. Despite his grievous wound, Lament swung his halberd backward, and Damascus countered with his own strike.
Tempest’s tendril-like wings ensnared that arm, yanking it off balance, while Lysander appeared in mid-air behind Damascus, axe poised to strike downwards. The king must not fall, he absolutely could not perish, not while they were under his watch, regardless of the adversary.
'Serve the king.'
The alchemist's voice echoed in Lysander's mind. Toria knew her rapier would be ineffective, so she transformed it into a whip, wrapping it around the regent’s neck and yanking with all her might.
"These knights..." Damascus snarled as Dirge’s telekinetic powers surged, attempting to force him to the ground. Lysander’s axe impacted his face; it failed to penetrate but nonetheless slammed his head forcefully to the side.
Damascus yanked his arm free, snapping Tempest’s shoulder. He grasped the whip, pulled hard, and sent Toria hurtling with immense force, causing the very desert to tremble. He then seized Lysander by the face, clawing at him repeatedly.
Tempest exchanged a look with Mountain and Ballista, who stood before Godfrey's motionless form. A nod was passed between them, and Tempest’s wings shot forward like serpents, wrapping around Damascus. The heavens rumbled, and lightning crackled down, but before it could strike the boss, the lightning dissipated into golden motes of light as Tempest danced into the sky.
Dirge unleashed tens of thousands of shadow wraiths, while Mountain tightened his grip on his shield and charged through their spectral ranks. They were knights; confronting monstrous beings was their sworn duty.
They were the celestial guardians of Pathan, the bane of all invaders. Besides... this was not the end. It was merely another demise, one he could endure. He could face one more without succumbing to despair; faith and hope would be his steadfast anchors.
"FOR THE KING!" Mountain’s roar reverberated as he charged, accelerating towards his fated end.
Ballista took possession of Godfrey. He understood that the cumulative sacrifice of these warriors would severely deplete Godfrey’s mana; summoning his falcon might be an unwise decision. Dirge’s presence was required nearby, so he carried Godfrey and retreated, leaving Goliath to cover their rear.
He now possessed two corporeal forms; he could manifest as either invisible or visible.
Damascus tore through hundreds, then thousands, seething as Goliath’s arrows continued to harry him. He could not employ his ultimate skill against these knights; their future held terrifying potential as long as they drew breath. The people of Pathan never yielded; they only grew stronger, with ever more formidable knights emerging.
With Godfrey under their influence, they would pose a grave threat to his liege. As he shredded through the wraiths, Mountain’s hammer descended once more. Damascus caught it and bellowed for the first time.
"Enough! I shall annihilate every last one of you, and then I will slay your king. I will obliterate your future and—!"
The regent’s gaze shifted towards a nearby dune, where he spotted Godfrey, with Ballista positioned protectively behind him.
He had awakened.
"Damascus!!" Godfrey bellowed from the apex of the dune, his voice saturated with sheer, unbridled insanity, not solely from his foreknowledge of the future, but the brutal annihilation of his summons had shattered his remaining self-control. It wasn't merely Dirge; every wraith on the vast battlefield trembled at the potent aura erupting from Godfrey. All his cores were depleted; only a meager vestige of mana persisted. Godfrey's entire frame quaked as his fists clenched. The entire dune detonated as he propelled himself forward. At this precise moment, a singular desire consumed him: Death. Death! He drew back his gauntleted fist, then, with his other hand, made a beckoning gesture. This signal, amplified by a telekinetic thrust, yanked Damascus towards him, culminating in a powerful fist impacting a face. This single blow sent the regent hurtling back like a projectile, mangling several colossal dunes and forcing their collapse. Shockwaves rippled as Godfrey executed a teleport, reappearing directly above the lycan and driving him earthward. A tremendous impact resounded as Damascus met the sand. The entire desert convulsed. Godfrey planted his feet wide, looming over the creature. The lycan lashed out with its claws, but they ricocheted harmlessly off the Immortal Armour. Now, Godfrey was truly awake, and so was the armour. The lycan, despite its ferocity, possessed a limited offensive capability and relied more on cunning. Damascus, perhaps, could have mustered more mana had he not already expended a significant portion in his own dungeon battle, and had Godfrey's relentless assault not left him utterly disoriented. Godfrey brutally slammed his fist into the regent's face. One strike proved insufficient, as did a second. He continued his relentless barrage, each blow causing the entire desert to quake, dunes to crumble as if the very realm were a colossal drum being struck. Damascus retaliated with his claws, both combatants unleashing their full might. Godfrey then conjured two swords, pinning Damascus's arms to the ground, and relentlessly continued to pummel the regent's face with his fists. Only when his last iota of mana, and subsequently stamina, was utterly exhausted did he cease. His arms hung limply at his sides as he sank to one knee. As Godfrey gasped for air, the desert began to vibrate from a distance as an immense presence approached. The sand cleaved apart, revealing a colossal sandworm. It was met with a sidelong glare from Godfrey, his eyes incapable of a gleam, yet radiating with the intensity of a madman. A mad king. The sandworm veered away abruptly, disappearing back into the sandy depths. What it perceived, or rather, felt, was an unmistakable warning. The message was stark and absolute: Approach, and regardless of your means, you will perish.