"Is that all?"
Nathan let out a mocking laugh. His swift movements were like a sword, transforming into lightning as he slashed at the enemies' waists.
The gunfire stopped, and all five were cut in half simultaneously.
Thud!
The sword strike was fierce, and the lightning was sharp!
At the same time, the upper halves of the five bodies fell to the ground.
"The Dark Knight of Mondstadt truly lives up to his reputation!"
Even though his five underlings were instantly defeated, the black-robed leader clapped his hands without a hint of panic.
It was as if Nathan's display of power meant nothing to him.
"But... don't underestimate my subordinates!"
Sure enough, as soon as the leader finished speaking, the five who had been cut in half began to move again.
Their upper halves, which had fallen to the ground, slowly crawled toward their lower halves.
The scene was extremely eerie. If anyone else had seen it, they would have screamed about seeing ghosts.
But from the very beginning, Nathan had noticed something unusual.
These people, whose upper bodies he had severed, didn't bleed a single drop of human blood.
They felt no pain, and their bodies could transform at will.
They didn't speak and only followed orders.
They didn't feel like living beings but rather like puppets created through alchemy.
"Hehehe, even with the power of a Vision, what can you do? My subordinates are immortal!"
After the black-robed leader's cold laugh, the five underlings who had reconnected their bodies... stood up again.
"If this is all you've got, you can't do anything to me!"
Nathan sneered. If this was their only trick, it was merely a decent defensive feat.
Even if they could regenerate, as long as they couldn't harm him, it would just mean he'd have to swing his sword a few more times.
"You think this is all we've got? Fine, let's give you what you want!"
At the leader's command, the five black-robed figures began to twist unnaturally.
Every muscle in their bodies seemed to tremble.
The five quickly transformed, their bodies covered in black liquid.
In less than a second, they changed from humans into black spheres.
"Dark Knight..."
Rosalyne, hiding behind Nathan, almost vomited at the sight.
The scene before her was too disgusting. The five spheres began to merge together in a grotesque shape.
"Close your eyes. Don't look at it!"
A gentle voice of concern reached her ears, calming the girl's anxious heart once more.
Seeing this, Nathan could only think of a dark joke—the one about "I'll form the head..."
The five spheres merging together did have a similar vibe.
Unfortunately, what they formed wasn't a cool robot but more like a monster from a horror movie.
"Hehehe... how about this? Face the terror of that great one!"
The black-robed leader's tone was filled with excitement, as if he could already see Nathan being torn apart by the monstrous creature.
"The design is too ugly. I can only give it a zero."
Nathan retorted. From the transformations, he concluded that these five were likely products of some forbidden alchemy.
"Being stubborn won't help you now. It's time to send you to hell!"
"Roar!"
At the leader's command, the monster let out a low growl.
Its dark claws stretched like rubber, quickly reaching toward Nathan.
"This kind of attack... is useless against me!"
With a swing of his sword, the brilliant lightning instantly severed the incoming claw.
Even as a monstrous amalgamation, it was still too weak for Nathan.
"You think that's the end of it?"
Before the leader could finish speaking, the severed claw on the ground seemed to come to life.
The black substance wriggled violently, suddenly sprouting countless sharp spikes.
"Don't open your eyes!"
"Huh?"
Nathan only had time to warn Rosalyne before scooping her up in a princess carry.
The sudden intimate gesture made the girl's heart race.
Leaping high into the air, Nathan barely dodged the attack of the black spikes!
"Hehe, see? No matter how you attack, the power of that great one is immortal!"
Seeing Nathan land hastily, the black-robed leader became even more emboldened, laughing mockingly.
"Immortality, binary fission... truly troublesome traits."
Nathan admitted he had underestimated this alchemical monster.
It could split off parts of its body and imbue them with weapon-like properties.
"But if slashing doesn't work, how about turning it to ash?"
With that, Nathan used an ability he had gained from his previous life simulation for the first time.
Milky-white flames erupted from his palm, shooting into the sky.
Fire of Sin Burning—a fire that targeted the guilty.
"Impossible! How can a normal person wield two elemental powers? Even the Seven Archons can't do that!"
Seeing the pure white flames, the black-robed leader's voice trembled with panic.
He sensed an aura of natural enemy from the bright flames.
"There's a lot you don't know."
Nathan sneered. Two elements were nothing.
In the future, when Lumine traveled through all seven nations, she would wield all seven elements.
"Guilty ones, face the judgment of fire!"
The flames in his palm grew brighter, eventually shaping into a white spear.
Aiming at the monstrous creature, Nathan hurled the spear.
"Roar!!!"
The product of forbidden alchemy, burdened with countless sins, was instantly engulfed in white flames upon contact with the spear.
The fire grew larger, and the creature could only howl in agony within the flames.
"Impossible! This can't be happening!"
The black-robed leader watched in disbelief as his proud creation was reduced to ashes in an instant.
"Don't come closer! You can't touch me! I'm a trusted subordinate of that great one!"
As Nathan approached with the girl in his arms, the leader's fear took over.
"The guilty must face the judgment of fire!"
"No! I don't want to die!"
"I can spare you, but first, tell me who that great one is."
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
Under the fear of death, the leader lost all his earlier bravado.
"That great one is the head of the Lawrence family. I've always served him!"
The Lawrence family? Isn't Eula a descendant of that family?
Nathan recalled the game's storyline. Eula, the Spindrift Knight, often referred to herself as a sinner, which was related to her family's history.
"Hmm... is that all?"
"Y-yes! Now will you let me go?"
"Not a chance."
Nathan shook his head. Letting a tiger return to the mountains would be foolish.
"You deceitful liar! You're not worthy of the title of Dark Knight!"
The leader's anger flared, feeling deeply betrayed.
"Heh, this isn't deceit. If you can withstand the Flames of Judgment, I'll let you go."
Before the leader could react, the pure white flames engulfed him.
Without surprise, he was incinerated in an instant.
When everything was over, Nathan looked down.
Rosalyne, in his arms, had opened her eyes at some point.
"I'm sorry. Did the scene just now scare you?"
"No, everything the Dark Knight did was right. Please don't leave me!"
The girl in his arms spoke passionately, her expectant gaze making it seem like she was determined to cling to Nathan.
a/n - Read 60+ Chapters ahead on my patreon
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