"A mount?"
Blake's words left the sisters looking confused. They exchanged a curious glance, then Messiah spoke up, "Brother, what about Paris?"
"He died a hero's death."
Blake's reply was tinged with helplessness—and with good reason. After all, knights were, by definition, meant to ride horses. But for those who had attained the rank of Knight, ordinary horses were utterly incapable of bearing their power. Once a warrior entered the realm of Knighthood, they could fully manifest their convictions, imbuing their techniques with unimaginable might. Take the charge, for example: a high-ranked Swordsman performing this maneuver would merely enhance the horse's natural speed. But if a Knight attempted the same charge while mounted, the steed beneath them would shatter completely under the strain of that transcendent velocity, reduced to little more than a pulp by the time the charge concluded.
For this reason, Knights were extremely meticulous when choosing their mounts, always seeking out creatures strong enough to withstand their power. These mounts were not limited to horses, either; the species varied from Knight to Knight depending on the circumstances. In history, Sir Span the Wolf Knight rode a mutated giant wolf. During the Age of Chaos, there was even a Knight who successfully tamed a dragon and rode it into battle. Of course, most Knights opted for even more exotic creatures, ranging from jackals and tigers to boars and black bears. This was not because the Knights had eccentric tastes. While horses were ideal mounts for regular cavalry, they rarely possessed the resilience needed to serve as a Knight's steed—even with specialized breeding. It was no wonder, then, that Knights were forced to seek out alternative options.
In his past life, Blake had owned a wind steed named Paris, a gift bestowed upon him by the Elven Queen. But during the brutal war that claimed Blake's life, his loyal steed had also fallen in battle. Now that Blake had been reborn in this world, his Soul Weapon could be restored and reawakened through absorption—but there was no way to bring a dead mount back to life. Thus, Blake had been forced to search for a new mount to fill this void. He knew full well, however, that finding a suitable steed would be no easy task. That was why, ever since his resurrection, he had stubbornly stuck to traveling by carriage or on foot, refusing to ride any horse until he found one worthy of him.
Today, though, he had stumbled upon a perfect opportunity.
During their brief skirmish earlier that day, Blake had already discerned that the so-called Lord of Darkness was not a true physical entity. Instead, it was a special kind of creature that existed in a state between corporeal and spectral. Such beings were not uncommon. Normally, when a creature died, its soul would return to the Mana. But there were always exceptions. Take Ophelia, for instance: though she had not been afflicted by a soul-binding spell, she had preserved her sense of self through sheer force of will and become a Spectral Wraith. Spectral Wraiths were not exclusive to humans, however. Animals possessed simpler emotions and thought processes than humans, which made their lingering attachments all the more intense. If a beast with innate great power died, it could very well transform into a semi-corporeal spectral entity—a beastly version of a Spectral Wraith.
These beastly Spectral Wraiths had little to no higher intelligence, acting solely on instinct. Thus, they could never regain a clear consciousness like Ophelia had, nor could Blake grant them a physical body. This was not a problem for Blake, though. The essence of a Spectral Wraith was spiritual; ordinary weapons were useless against them. But once a warrior advanced to the rank of Intermediate Swordsman, they could unleash a protective aura that could harm, and even touch, these spiritual beings. For a Knight, capturing a spectral entity was an even simpler matter.
Moreover, if he could capture this Lord of Darkness, it would be nearly invincible on the battlefield—immune to all attacks save those from Intermediate Swordsmen or higher, and magical arrows. How could such a mount not stir Blake's heart? Of course, in eras gone by, this trait would not have been particularly useful. But times had changed. In an age where even entire legions were lucky to have a single High-Ranked Swordsman as their commander, a spiritual creature like this was nothing short of invincible.
The rain continued to pour.
Just as the steward had predicted, after a brief lull, the downpour grew heavier than ever. Fortunately, the people who lived on the plains were well accustomed to such weather. Every building in the small town was constructed from solid stone, easily able to withstand the fury of the storm. But that was all. Under the pitch-black night sky, the entire town was deserted, save for the flickering light of torches inside the stone houses, which cast a faint glow over the darkness—though even these lights did not last long against the relentless onslaught of the rain.
Standing outside the town, facing the raging storm, Blake and the two girls were unaffected. Blake still wore his aristocratic tailcoat and cloak, while the girls were dressed in their usual dresses and cloaks—but the howling wind and driving rain left not a single trace on their clothes. The raindrops lashed against them, yet instead of soaking their exquisitely tailored garments, they slid off smoothly as if striking cold, polished armor. A closer look would reveal faint auras flickering around the three of them from time to time.
The protective aura of a Knight could easily deflect sword strikes and blade slashes—let alone a harmless downpour.
"Let's move out," Blake ordered, gazing out at the dark wilderness. At his words, the sisters exchanged a glance, stepped forward half a pace, and then raised their parasols high.
Brilliant white and vivid scarlet light erupted from the parasols in their hands, and two mysterious magic circles materialized before them. In the blink of an eye, the light faded, and with a pair of resounding neighs, two figures—one black, one white—appeared before the sisters.
Standing before Messiah was a unicorn, its coat pure white and smooth as jade, its light blue eyes and spiral horn lending it an air of ethereal beauty and serenity. It lowered its head gently, nuzzling Messiah's outstretched hand affectionately while letting out a soft, friendly whinny. From a distance, the unicorn shone like the moon in the night sky, dazzling and magnificent.
Before Semira, however, stood a jet-black nightmare. Even though the night was already pitch-black, the appearance of the nightmare seemed to absorb all the darkness around it, making the surrounding scene appear surprisingly bright and clear. Unlike her sister's pure white unicorn, Semira's nightmare was wreathed in a faint crimson aura, its eyes and mane blazing like flames. In contrast to the calm unicorn, the nightmare was brimming with energy. No sooner had it been summoned than it began pawing at the ground eagerly, shaking its head from side to side, clearly raring to go.
"Angel, Lilith… long time no see," Blake greeted the sisters' beloved mounts warmly—he knew them better than anyone. At the sound of his voice, the two creatures fixed their gaze warily on the unfamiliar man standing between their mistresses. After a moment, a look of recognition flickered in their eyes. The nightmare merely snorted in acknowledgment, while the unicorn stepped forward gently and nuzzled Blake's hand to show its goodwill.
After this brief exchange, the three of them set off at once. Blake and Messiah shared the unicorn, while Semira rode the nightmare alone, galloping swiftly toward the depths of the plain.
As the mounts of Messiah and Semira—two budding Natural Knights—their speed was extraordinary. The distance that had taken the caravan over an hour to traverse was covered in mere minutes on their backs. Soon, the three of them stood at the very spot where they had encountered the strange creature earlier, carefully scanning their surroundings and sensing the auras in the air.
In Blake's estimation, the Lord of Darkness had appeared before them earlier to drive away the intruders who had trespassed into its territory—a basic animal instinct. He was certain that as soon as they entered its domain, the Lord of Darkness would detect the auras of the unicorn and nightmare without fail.
Thus, Blake did not order the sisters to split up and search. Instead, he guided his mount slowly along the Golden Trade Route, wandering at a leisurely pace.
Sure enough, no more than ten minutes after they began following the Golden Trade Route, the howling wind suddenly died down considerably. At the same time, a bone-chilling cold quickly enveloped the three of them.
It's here!
Blake's expression turned stern. The two mounts seemed to sense something as well; they wheeled around instantly, their eyes fixed on the hillside to the edge of the wilderness. In the next moment, a dim shadow erupted from the darkness with a shrill whinny, charging straight toward them.
"Go!"
Blake's command rang out. Brilliant white and dark crimson light exploded forth. The unicorn and nightmare, which had been standing motionless a moment before, transformed into two streaks of light—one white, one red—and shot forward to meet the oncoming shadow.
Faced with these two charging adversaries, the Lord of Darkness clearly sensed that something was amiss. Yet instead of slowing down, it accelerated again in the blink of an eye. The dim shadow blazed with renewed intensity, narrowly darting past the crossfire of red and white light and darting onward.
This failed interception clearly took the unicorn and nightmare by surprise. Unlike the lowly spectral creature that was the Lord of Darkness, both of them were powerful members of their respective races—the most mysterious and formidable species on the continent. Their combat intelligence was far beyond that of ordinary creatures. Yet this weak spectral being had managed to break through their blockade?
Undeterred, they wheeled around in a sharp turn and charged after the fleeing Lord of Darkness once more.
Three streaks—black, white, and red—streaked across the wilderness at breakneck speed. After this brief skirmish, the Lord of Darkness seemed to realize it was in mortal danger. It instinctively sensed that both pursuers behind it were far stronger than itself—and among them was the very aura that had wounded it earlier. This robbed the Lord of Darkness of all its earlier "valor" to defend its territory, leaving it with only one thought: to escape, to shake off its pursuers once and for all.
Though it was fast, the white and red streaks of light behind it never fell behind. The unicorn and nightmare clung to the Lord of Darkness's tail relentlessly, matching its every maneuver without the slightest lag. Sensing that its pursuers were not to be trifled with, the Lord of Darkness grew increasingly flustered. As it spun around again, its movements faltered for a split second, revealing a hint of exhaustion.
Now's my chance!
"Messiah!"
At Blake's command, the white-haired girl bit her lip tightly, gripped the reins firmly, and leaned forward. In that instant, the scenery of heaven and earth blurred into countless streaks of light, and the howl of the wind roared past their ears. It felt as if the very forces of the world could no longer bind them. The white streak of light accelerated like a shooting star; in the blink of an eye, the white glow that had been trailing closely behind the Lord of Darkness appeared before it in a blur of motion. The unicorn was already incredibly fast—and when combined with the Knight's accelerated charge, its speed transcended the limits of human imagination. If not for the protective auras shielding both rider and mount, they would have coughed up blood and died from the immense pressure and sheer velocity long ago.
"——!"
The sudden appearance of the unicorn before it left the Lord of Darkness stunned. With its limited intelligence, it could not comprehend how something that had been behind it a moment ago could have suddenly appeared in front. Now, faced with the onrushing Lord of Darkness, the unicorn showed no intention of yielding. In fact, the moment the charge concluded, it had turned around at Messiah's behest, lowering its body and aiming the sharp, spiral horn on its forehead directly at the oncoming foe. As a species renowned for its unparalleled defensive capabilities, it could easily withstand a head-on collision from ten Lords of Darkness without sustaining any harm.
Given the Lord of Darkness's speed, it was clearly impossible for it to stop in time. Even if it tried to turn around again, the unicorn in front of it could easily cut off its escape route—not to mention the nightmare relentlessly pursuing it from behind. Blake had expected the Lord of Darkness to slow down in the face of this obstacle, but to his surprise, even though it clearly saw the unicorn ahead, it did not slow down in the slightest. Instead, it charged straight toward it without hesitation.
It actually dares to charge?
Blake raised an eyebrow in surprise. While they could easily kill the Lord of Darkness within minutes if they wanted to, Blake's goal was to capture it as a mount—not to injure it so severely that it became useless. The problem was, they knew they needed to take it alive… but the creature had no way of knowing that. Thus, watching the Lord of Darkness charge toward the unicorn with suicidal recklessness, Blake couldn't help but hesitate. If they accidentally injured it seriously, would it still make a viable mount?
Before Blake could finish this thought, his vision blurred. When he focused his eyes again, he was astonished to find that the Lord of Darkness, which had been charging straight toward him just a moment ago, had vanished without a trace.
Vanished?
Blake and Messiah exchanged blank looks as they stared at the empty wilderness before them. Both possessed the power of Knights, with senses sharp enough to detect and lock onto even the faintest auras. Yet, at the exact moment the dim creature was about to collide with the unicorn, it had suddenly disappeared into thin air, as if it had never existed at all. There was no sign of it anywhere around them, and its aura had completely vanished. What in the world was going on?
This strange state of affairs did not last long, however. Within minutes, both of them suddenly felt that bone-chilling aura reappear—this time, behind them!
How did it get around us?
Despite their astonishment, Messiah and Blake quickly turned around and galloped toward the distant target once more.
Though the Lord of Darkness had managed to evade their encirclement, its speed seemed to have been affected, gradually slowing down. Furthermore, as a semi-spectral creature, it had not yet fully recovered from the wound inflicted by Blake's sword earlier that day. Now, pursued relentlessly by these two "monsters," it grew increasingly weak. Before long, the unicorn ridden by Messiah had caught up to the Lord of Darkness, drawing ever closer to its tail. On the other side, Semira and the nightmare had also closed in, preparing to cut off the Lord of Darkness's escape route and trap it between them. Blake fixed his gaze intently on the dim shadow ahead, tensing his body and readying himself for action.
"Brother!"
The Lord of Darkness's speed slowed further. Seizing this opportunity, Messiah urged the unicorn to accelerate suddenly, narrowing the distance between them in an instant. At that moment, hearing Messiah's call, Blake—who had been ready for this moment—leaped suddenly from the unicorn's back, pouncing toward the shadow ahead.
A mount was a Knight's own possession, and taming it required the Knight's own skill and effort. Take Messiah and Semira's mounts, for example: while Blake had been the one to find them, it had been the sisters themselves who had ultimately tamed these proud and powerful beasts. Blake had been unable to help them in the slightest. The bond between mount and rider was one of unity; only through mutual recognition could they unleash their full potential. This was something that could not be achieved through external help.
Messiah's horse-riding skills were truly extraordinary. She had chosen to accelerate at the exact moment the Lord of Darkness's strength was at its lowest ebb. And when Blake leaped from the saddle, he closed the remaining distance between himself and the target in an instant. If everything went smoothly, Blake would land firmly on the Lord of Darkness's back and begin the process of taming it.
Got it!
Seeing the Lord of Darkness's figure right before his eyes, a smile tugged at Blake's lips. He reached out his hand, aiming to grab hold of the creature.
But at that very moment, the Lord of Darkness let out another roar of fury. To Blake's astonishment, his outstretched hand closed on empty air. The Lord of Darkness's figure, which had been right in front of him a moment ago, dissipated into the darkness like a wisp of smoke, vanishing without a trace once more.
Though he had lost his target, Blake did not end up in a sorry state. He gritted his teeth, slamming his outstretched right hand downward to stabilize his body, then leaped backward. With a graceful flip, he landed firmly behind Semira on the nightmare's back.
Looking around, the Lord of Darkness had once again vanished without a trace.
"Brother, what do we do now?"
"Father, what should we do?"
This time, the two girls had also realized just how strange this Lord of Darkness was. While its power was negligible—each of the three of them could kill a dozen of them single-handedly—when it came to a chase, the tables seemed to have turned against them.
"Keep chasing!"
Blake wiped the mud from his hands, grinding his teeth as he gave the order. If he had initially wanted to subdue the Lord of Darkness on a whim, now he was determined to capture it at all costs. What a joke—three Natural Knights, outmaneuvered by a lowly spectral creature? If word of this got out, his old rivals would laugh themselves to death.
Assuming they still had teeth left to laugh with in their graves, that is.
"..."
The sisters did not respond to Blake's command, but they showed their resolve in their own way—each drawing their parasol and holding it as if it were a knight's lance. Clearly, they too had been thoroughly annoyed by this unruly specter.
Though the Lord of Darkness had once again vanished without a trace, Blake had finally figured out its trick. Clearly, this was some kind of special ability unique to the spectral creature—but such abilities always had their limits. If it had been unable to use this power to escape his grasp earlier, then it would not be able to do so now, either.
"Messiah, Semira."
Blake waved a hand, and the two girls quickly rode over to join him.
"I have a plan…"
He lowered his voice as he spoke. The sisters listened intently, and mischievous smiles gradually spread across their faces—like children who had just found a fascinating new toy.
"Brother, you really want to do that?"
"Of course," Blake nodded. "Let's teach that thing a lesson it won't forget."
With that, he looked out into the distance. Sure enough, the aura of the Lord of Darkness had once again appeared far away in the wilderness. Feeling its increasingly weakened presence, Blake smiled faintly, then raised his hand and brought it crashing down.
"Attack!"