Thinking back about what had just happened, Godfrey recalled the description of his summon.
A Knight-Captain of the Sword and Shield unit — the greatest of them all. An oath-bound soldier of the Golden Order, alchemically altered to slay monstrous beasts. Wields a 50-pound sword, a 100-pound shield, and armor weighing 150 pounds.
In Black-Out State, this Knight-Captain surpasses the limits of his base strength, ascends to greater heights, and mimics the abilities of his foes.
'Alchemically altered to slay monstrous beasts…'
His eyes slowly widened as the implication settled in.
His summons had once been an order of knights created specifically to handle threats revolving around beasts – and most summons were beasts. After all, the majority originated from creatures within dungeons.
Over time, human souls began manifesting these creatures within themselves. But their roots, their true origin, had always been the dungeon gates.
"You're walking with a girl, and your mind is somewhere else? You're quite something, Godfrey."
Isolde's voice cut through his thoughts like sunlight piercing through mist.
He turned to his right, his ocean-blue eyes meeting the golden-orange gaze of the captivating beauty beside him. She carried her white backpack in one hand with the faintest smile resting on her lips.
"There was no permanent damage," she reassured, reading his thoughts, or so she thought. "Didn't you hear when the combat instructor said the nurse reattached the crab's claw?"
Godfrey nodded slowly. "I honestly didn't expect that to happen."
"Your expression during the spar was enough to let me know that." Isolde narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I was stunned too. To see a 3.0 summon completely overwhelming a 3.1… that was impressive. The way your knight moved – refined, precise, without any wasted movements. It didn't look like the usual clumsy strikes of a low-tier summon."
She then tilted her head thoughtfully. "So I came to a conclusion. "Your summon is intelligent, isn't it?"
"Perhaps." Godfrey shrugged casually.
Isolde clicked her tongue and lightly shoved his shoulder. "Stop acting all high and mighty."
Classes had ended, and the students were making their way toward their dormitories.
Godfrey assumed Isolde would be heading to hers as well, until a sleek black car pulled up ahead, honking twice. And from it stepped out a man in a suit, opening the back door with a respectful bow.
"Miss Isolde."
Godfrey raised a brow as he turned to her. "You don't stay in the dormitory?"
She shook her head, brushing her hair back. "My parents arranged for me to have an apartment of my own outside the school with the school management. I don't know how long it will last, though. See you tomorrow." She waved as the car door shut and the car rolled away.
Godfrey blinked, sighed, and turned toward the boys' dorms.
Excitement simmered beneath his calm exterior. He just wanted to return to his soul space and explore the palace he had glimpsed.
Perhaps with the help of those carved symbols on the second door, he could get answers and uncover what lay within. And thanks to today's fight, he had learned something important: Mountain's armor wasn't made up of ordinary steel. It possessed its own effects – like the shield's reflective ability.
There was so much to uncover.
Lost in thought and walking at a slower pace than usual, Godfrey noticed that the campus path had grown quiet. Most students had already left, either in their rooms, glued to their phones, or hanging out with friends.
Which was why it struck him as odd to see someone waiting ahead.
A student leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He looked older, seventeen, maybe eighteen, a third-year.
Their eyes met, and Godfrey immediately caught the blaze of anger burning in the boy's gaze.
The upperclassman cracked his neck as Godfrey approached closer to the dorm gate.
"I heard you weren't a summoner, so we skipped you. No one gave you a proper introduction into the boys' domain." The student sneered, stepping into his path.
Godfrey loosened his shoulders. "What do you want?" Just when was this nonsense going to end?
The third-year's expression twisted with rage. "You just summoned a useless humanoid… and you dared to flaunt your worthless knight's sword on my sister's crab!"
He clenched his fist, and a summoning diagram flared to life beside him.
A golden-armored creature emerged from the diagram, a beast that curled into itself, forming a gleaming wheel.
"You'll pay for that."
The Iron-Scaled Armadillo shot forward, its body compressing into a spinning golden sphere. In the blink of an eye, it shrank from the size of a man to that of a basketball, its speed tripling in the process.
Then, like a streak of light, it slammed into Godfrey before he could even react.
The impact lifted him off his feet, hurling him through the air, hitting the pavement hard and rolling before skidding to a stop.
An Iron-Scaled Armadillo. Current Tier 4.0. A beast infamous for its defense and speed.
But this one was worse.
Flames erupted from its plated body, fire licking across its scales. This one wasn't just fast and sturdy; it had developed elemental offense.
Sam, the third-year, loomed over Godfrey with a vicious grin. His arm gleamed as scales began spreading across his skin until his entire forearm was plated in the beast's steel-like armor.
"You're dead."
Saying that, he raised his clawed hand.
Before the blow could fall, a golden diagram flared to life beside Godfrey.
Mountain charged forth, sword already mid-swing. His horizontal slash forced Sam to switch places with his beast. He vanished in a flash only to reappear where the beast stood, making the armadillo take the blow instead.
Sparks exploded as Mountain's blade rang against its iron scales. The beast retaliated with brutal force instantly, its blazing claws tearing through the air. Mountain barely raised his shield in time, but the blow was so heavy that its impact shattered the pavement beneath him, driving him backward in a grinding trail of stone and dust.
From behind, Sam let out a dark chuckle.
His summon reared up, its claws blazing as they swept down. Godfrey rolled away at the last second, feeling the searing heat scorch the air above him. His chest tightened.
Against a third-year… an elite-tier summon… there was no way Mountain could match this thing in his current state.
There was only one option left.
'Use Black-Out State. Now.'
Godfrey's mind screamed the command as the flaming claws descended again. A sudden gust swept through the street, rustling his hair.
The source was Mountain.
The knight's armor no longer appeared golden and had instead begun gleaming a dark crimson. His longsword gleamed black as obsidian, his shield the shade of dried blood. A suffocating aura radiated from him as his own flames ignited across its form, darker and more violent.
With a roar of steel, Mountain charged.
The seven-foot knight rammed into the armadillo, slamming it into the wall hard enough for cracks to spiderweb across the white stone.
The beast shrieked as Mountain's flames burned hotter, fiercer and even more violent than its own.
Sam's smirk vanished.
The armadillo tried to curl into a defensive ball, trying to enter its strongest defensive form, but Mountain was relentless and gave it no chance. His shield crashed down with a crushing force, shattering the stance, and then he raised his sword for the killing strike.
"Stop!" Sam screamed, his face draining of color.
In less than five seconds, the battlefield had reversed.
That knight… hadn't just grown stronger.
He had copied the armadillo's flames.
Mountain turned away from the fallen beast, his boots ringing against stone, his blood-red helm tilting toward Godfrey. The obsidian sword pointed downward with the crimson shield steadied at his side.
As if asking: What is your command?
....
A/N: I hope you enjoy this novel. Support by adding to your library and giving a power stone or two. Thank you.