The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 725- Battle of Blacktide (9)

If overwhelming force failed...

Then he would use deception and surprise attacks.

Thousands of shadowy hands appeared from his shadow and pulled him in. His presence vanished completely.

Silence...

The battlefield became eerily still.

Then, a few seconds later, the shadow beneath Reinhardt’s feet quivered.

Mammon burst upward, and a black dagger filled with the dreadful power of shadow silently thrust toward Reinhardt’s neck.

The attack carried no killing intent.

But the power it contained could easily hollow out a mountain.

Against Reinhardt, however, it failed to show its might.

The latter tilted his head by barely an inch and effortlessly dodged the attack, as if he had eyes behind his back.

Seeing this, Mammon’s pupils shrank.

Impossible.

No one...

Should have sensed that.

In the same breath, Reinhardt rotated swiftly like a top, and his sword slashed in a full circle.

SHHHK...

Blood spurted, and the Heavenly King’s chest split open diagonally.

Golden light immediately flooded the wound, preventing it from regenerating.

Feeling immense pain and, perhaps, fear, Mammon stumbled backward.

His face was filled with disbelief.

"How... How did you know?"

He still could not believe that he had been injured so severely by a mere human and that his most prized surprise assassination had failed.

Reinhardt looked at the Seventh Heavenly King and slowly spoke.

"You underestimate the knights. Our swordsmanship isn’t just a collection of abstract techniques. It is our very belief."

"Even if you hide your presence and aura, I can still feel your breath. The intention behind your attacks and your rhythm... you cannot mask everything."

"This is the flaw of your power."

Mammon stared at Reinhardt incredulously.

What kind of bullshit reasoning was that?

For the first time since descending upon the Northern Front, fear quietly seeped into the heart of the Seventh Heavenly King.

His injuries continued worsening, and Holy Energy relentlessly destroyed his body from the inside out.

The demonkind’s proud regenerative ability wasn’t working at all.

In fact, it only intensified the burning.

His shadow abilities were useless, and his movements were being completely seen through.

Mammon, who had rushed here with overwhelming confidence and utter contempt for humanity, had been forced to face reality.

High above the sky, Mammon hurriedly flew away.

His breathing had become ragged.

Behind him, Reinhardt gave chase.

Now that he was being completely suppressed, he could actually smell death.

If he continued to stay here, he would truly die.

As a Heavenly King, he naturally possessed immense pride and hated retreating, especially against a human.

But above pride, survival took precedence.

Mammon turned his head and looked at the pursuing Divine Paladin.

There was a trace of fear hidden deep within his eyes.

"I’ll admit it, Divine Paladin. You have exceeded my expectations. I did not think humans could become this strong."

He spoke disdainfully while continuing to flee.

"But... did you really think the likes of you could ever truly corner me?"

Mammon landed on the ground.

At that instant, the darkness beneath his feet suddenly began writhing.

Every nearby shadow, including those cast by broken rocks and even the darkness beneath the drifting clouds, rapidly converged toward Mammon’s body.

The shadows intertwined like countless black veins.

Then they pierced directly into him.

His flesh immediately distorted grotesquely, and his entire body flattened into an impossibly thin silhouette.

Furthermore, every feature on him disappeared.

He no longer had a face, eyes, or any distinctive features.

He had become a living shadow, just like his Shadow Soldiers.

That said, this was no ordinary ability.

The surrounding space rippled.

Wherever light existed, there would always be shadow.

And wherever shadow existed, Mammon could travel there.

At that moment, two horns appeared on his faceless head.

A pair of wide black wings sprouted from his back.

A faint silhouette of a crown appeared above his head.

However, the crown was distorted and seemed as though it would fade at any moment.

"[Shadow Dominion - Umbral Passage]."

His face tore open, and a mouth filled with jagged teeth appeared.

A grating voice sounded out.

Right after his words fell, his body instantly split apart into countless moving shadows.

Every shadow on the battlefield for miles suddenly came alive as though rioting.

Furthermore, the thousands upon thousands of shadows scattered in every direction simultaneously.

Each shadow possessed the same aura as the Seventh Heavenly King, Mammon, and appeared equally real.

Any one of them could potentially be the real Mammon.

This incredible sight made the observing knights gasp.

"He... became shadows?"

Even Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed.

At the very moment the crown appeared above the Heavenly King’s head, even he sensed a slight trace of danger and deliberately slowed down.

That brief hesitation allowed the demon to activate his ability.

He had to admit, it was a remarkable escape technique.

As long as even one shadow escaped...

Mammon himself would survive.

For other knights, even Heroes would likely find it troublesome to deal with so many shadows and would lose their target instantly.

Unfortunately for Mammon, his opponent was Reinhardt.

The Divine Paladin slowly exhaled, closed his eyes, and aligned his sword vertically, with the hilt almost touching his nose.

Then, in the next moment, he opened his eyes.

A vast amount of Holy Energy exuded from his body.

However, unlike before, this time the Holy Energy was extremely condensed, and its fierce radiance did not erupt outward.

Instead, it flowed like rivers, converging toward the blade.

Layer upon layer.

Holy Energy.

Sword Intent.

Aura.

Willpower.

Transcendent States.

Everything quietly fused together.

The space around the sword began to distort, and a terrifying power slowly took form.

There was no violent explosion or dazzling spectacle.

Only perfect harmony.

Reinhardt softly spoke.

"[Level 9 Holy Sword Art - Limitless Swords]."

His fingers tightened around the hilt.

The next second, his sword moved.

One slash.

Simple and natural.

Yet the very moment the sword moved, the dark sky split apart.

A massive brilliant arc stretched across the battlefield, cutting down every shadow.

This sword skill did not merely cut through space.

It established its own dominion.

Wherever the sword passed, Holy Energy permanently infused the surrounding space.

Every shadow touched by that slash instantly ceased to exist.

Erased.

Purified.

Thousands upon thousands of shadows were cut apart.

The countless living shadows born from the Heavenly King’s ability vanished one after another.

The entire battlefield was bathed in radiant brilliance.

Far away from the Northern Fortress, one remaining shadow suddenly convulsed.

It rapidly swelled back into Mammon’s humanoid form.

"Huff... Huff..."

He took deep breaths, his eyes wide with unprecedented terror.

Half of his body had disappeared, and his left wing was gone.

One horn had been severed, and even his chest contained numerous gaping wounds that refused to close.

In that last attack, he had almost died.

He had thought that after unleashing his "[Shadow Dominion - Umbral Passage]," he could easily escape.

However, who could have imagined that all of his shadows would be disintegrated by a single sword slash?

Mammon looked back toward the distant Northern Fortress.

Although he was far from the fortress, his terror allowed him to vividly imagine the mighty figure holding a glowing sword.

"You... monster."

The Seventh Heavenly King’s voice trembled.

He no longer dared remain there.

His body turned into shadow once again before plunging into the darkness beneath a distant mountain.

Within a second or two, the shadow vanished beyond the horizon.

Back at the Northern Fortress, the battlefield finally fell silent.

Reinhardt slowly lowered his sword and looked toward the distant land where he could vaguely sense a familiar aura.

"So he escaped, huh."

Although it was only a single shadow, the other party had still managed to escape his attack.

Still, he wasn’t particularly bothered.

The Seventh Heavenly King was not his opponent.

His Holy Energy completely suppressed Mammon’s shadow powers.

If the latter returned again, the result would be the same.

Moreover, he knew the other party had not completely avoided his attack.

Mammon should be severely injured and unable to recover for a considerable period.

The Seventh Heavenly King had abandoned nearly everything.

His power.

His dignity.

Just to leave the battlefield alive.

Reinhardt quietly watched the distant horizon.

He did not pursue.

Not because he couldn’t.

But because the war was still ongoing, and thousands of knights still awaited his command back at the fortress.

.

.

Several hundred kilometers away...

In the peaceful Blueberry Town, life continued as usual.

The evening breeze carried the fragrance of blueberries through the rolling fields.

Children’s laughter echoed faintly throughout the town.

Although the continent was at war, the countryside remained relatively peaceful.

At that moment, without warning, the space outside the town quietly distorted.

An emerald-colored gate appeared soundlessly beneath the trees.

Through it, one dark figure after another stepped forward.

Leading the group was a woman.

Her emerald hair cascaded to her waist like flowing silk, swaying gently despite the absence of wind. Her figure possessed an almost intoxicating elegance. Every movement was graceful and every smile beautiful.