The captain twisted his neck with a series of crisp pops, his fingers trembling faintly, like a ferocious beast that had been imprisoned for who knew how long and had finally reclaimed its freedom.
Gradually, a ring of sacred brilliance appeared around him.
He looked sinister, yet he was holy;
He was enraged, yet he was serene;
He was twisted, yet he was gentle.
Two entirely conflicting aesthetics were crudely jammed together onto the captain's body—far from harmonious, yet unquestionably real.
"I made a vow… when I return… I will drink deeply of the Dark Moon's blood."
"Roar!"
The captain let out a roar and lunged toward Karen and Ophelia.
Ophelia stepped forward out of habit, placing Karen behind her. A scroll appeared in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, the scroll dropped, and in an instant, a small runic array manifested.
From within the runes, the hilt of a sword emerged.
Karen found the sight familiar, as he had an old refrigerator at home that served a similar purpose.
As the princess of Dark Moon Island, Ophelia having access to this level of privilege was only natural. Besides, she would not wince at the expense of summoning a weapon the way he did.
Still, Karen knew that when Ophelia used a scroll, the runic array she summoned covered only a small area. That meant this island was not very far from Dark Moon Island; had the distance been any greater, Ophelia would not have been able to summon her weapon.
On that front, his family's old refrigerator held an edge, as it could be upgraded. It was just that the upgrade cost was astronomical and the toll to operate it would be even steeper—in short, even if Karen threw all his current assets into it, it would not be enough for that upgrade project.
Ophelia drew out a massive purple greatsword with gems embedded in its hilt.
It was hard to say whether this sword was better or worse than the Sword of Arius she had gifted him. In any case, Her Highness the Princess was never short on weapons.
The moment Ophelia drew the blade, the power of the Dark Moon erupted from her body. Stimulated, the greatsword unleashed a dazzling purple glow before immediately slashing down at the captain charging toward her.
Just as the captain's body was about to be cleaved in two by the greatsword, his form abruptly vanished, reappearing almost at the exact same instant behind Ophelia.
As Ophelia's greatsword swept down, she instantly swung it back up, reversing its direction to stab behind her.
The captain retreated once more, but a purple net suddenly materialized over the greatsword, cutting off his path of retreat.
*Pfft!*
The greatsword pierced the captain's chest. Without hesitation, Ophelia struck the pommel, sending a terrifying shockwave surging down the blade.
*Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!*
Ultimately, the force channeled into the captain's body.
*Bang!*
The captain's body blew apart.
From the captain's charge to Ophelia drawing her sword and their instant clash, everything took place in the briefest of moments—so brief that Karen had only subconsciously conjured the Sea God's Armor and the Dark Moon Blade, without having had time to actually join the fray.
And then,
The captain exploded right in front of Karen.
Karen blinked hard. He had always believed that letting personal feelings interfere during battle was foolish, yet reason often failed to rein in emotion. The captain's sudden descent into madness was a tremendous mental shock to Karen, and the sight of the captain's body blowing apart left his mind blank for a split second.
"Careful, he's not dead!" Ophelia shouted to Karen.
A pair of hands appeared at Karen's feet, reaching straight for his ankles.
Snapping back from his daze, Karen sensed the mortal danger, and his eyes cleared instantly.
"Order — Cage!"
A cage appeared, encasing Karen himself. He used the cage to seal himself in, cutting himself off from the outside world.
Those pale hands struck violently against the barrier of the cage, and in an instant, spiderweb fractures began to spread across it.
Karen intended to slash down at the hands with the Dark Moon Blades in both his fists, but his heart abruptly tightened.
"Order — Guardian Wall!"
Layer upon layer of walls appeared beneath Karen, cutting off the hands from him. At that moment, the hands formed fists, their index fingers pointing at Karen, and fired two white beams of light that punched straight through the walls he had summoned and shattered the cage barrier around him.
The Sea God's Armor on Karen immediately activated Ancestor Allen's ultimate water-attribute power, instantly freezing into solid ice.
*Bang!*
Karen felt as though two heavy punches had slammed into his chest, and he was sent flying backward. He quickly adjusted his posture in midair, but he suddenly realized that beneath the spot where he was about to land, those hands had appeared ahead of time, as if waiting to catch him.
A cloud of black mist enveloped Karen. His body rapidly vaporized into mist, forcibly redirecting his trajectory and shifting him aside.
The hands seemed about to give chase, but a purple greatsword plunged straight down, stabbing into the center of the hands. Then, Ophelia wrenched it upward with all her might.
*Boom!*
The ground detonated immediately. Yet as the greatsword was pulled free, there was no blood on the tip—only a cloth doll impaled upon it.
Karen recognized the doll; it had been one of the two spoils of war from killing Adjudicator Ruke last time. It seemed the captain had claimed them for his own use.
The greatsword in Ophelia's hand hummed softly, and the cloth doll split apart.
Karen materialized beside Ophelia. His original intention was for each of them to watch a different direction, but Ophelia spoke first:
"I'll take the lead. You back me up."
Karen nodded. "All right."
By now, Karen had composed himself, leaving no lingering hesitation in his heart. Since the captain had lost his mind, he was no longer the captain; Karen could no longer afford to hold back.
"Heh heh…"
Laughter drifted from ahead as the captain's silhouette stepped out from the darkness.
Ophelia lowered the tip of her sword, bracing for another clash.
Karen simply dismissed the Dark Moon Blade, keeping only the Sea God's Armor for defense. Without a physical weapon in hand, the power of the Dark Moon Blade could not be maximized, so he might as well focus entirely on supporting Ophelia.
"God said, let there be light."
As the captain's words fell, a ring of light appeared beneath Ophelia and Karen's feet, rapidly expanding the moment it manifested.
Karen dropped into a crouch immediately, pressing both hands flat against the ground. Blackness instantly blanketed the area, sealing it tight.
Yet in the next moment, swollen bumps began to push up beneath the blackened ground, as if whatever lay below was about to erupt once more.
Karen tilted his head back, pouring in more of his spirituality:
"Order — Gloom Isolation!"
This was an Inquisitor-level spell meant to saturate the surrounding atmosphere. Under normal circumstances, it was quite useless, mostly used when one was about to recite the *Code of Order* to create a more solemn and mysterious ambiance.
Now, however, this otherwise useless spell served as the perfect counter to the situation at hand.
At last, calm returned beneath the ground. Before the captain's move could take effect, Karen had forcibly suffocated it.
"He was just probing us," Ophelia said.
*He was probably probing you,* Karen thought.
Yet soon, Karen realized that even the captain himself did not seem to know the full extent of Karen's true strength. Could the captain have been probing him as well?
No. Even the original captain needed time to absorb "his" memories, so "he" who currently occupied the captain's body likely did not know Karen—at least not completely—nor did he understand Karen's abilities.
"I'll try to tie him down in close combat. You slip away and activate the teleportation array."
Ophelia steadied her breathing. Karen rose from behind her, applying a layer of dark purification power over her body. Next, he placed a hand on her shoulder, conjuring a layer of the Sea God's Armor over her as well.
Ophelia said, "Thank you."
"Be careful."
"Hurry up."
Ophelia flourished her greatsword, spinning it into a graceful arc—an etiquette inviting a duel.
Seeing this, the captain tilted his neck slightly to the right.
"Intriguing."
With that, the captain raised his arm. From the pitch-black night sky, a shaft of white light descended onto him. Armor materialized over his frame, and a radiant greatsword hovered before his chest.
Spell: Light Knight.
Fully armed, the captain walked toward Ophelia. This time, his expression was solemn; clearly, he was taking this seriously. As Karen circled away from Ophelia, the captain completely ignored Karen leaving the engagement.
He seemed utterly confident that everything remained under his control.
Karen reached the platform and began quickly feeling out and familiarizing himself with the array; he needed a little time.
Here, however, Karen had made an oversight. The last time the captain defeated Anita, the inheritor of the Gravekeeper, Karen had only arrived on the scene after the captain had already won. He had never witnessed firsthand how formidable the captain was in close combat.
Otherwise, he would never have agreed to Ophelia stalling him with melee fighting.
The captain closed in and raised his sword of light. Ophelia raised her purple greatsword, and the two blades clashed in rapid succession.
Yet Ophelia, wielding a physical weapon, was steadily forced back by the captain, who wielded a spell-forged blade. Her movements gradually began to show signs of strain and exhaustion.
This was an uncompromising collision of raw strength. Ophelia had originally assumed she would hold the upper hand in this regard, but she now realized she had been wrong.
The man before her was not merely skilled in magic; his vast, terrifying power of Light, combined with his formidable physique, gave him overwhelming might in close-quarters combat.
Worse still, in such a head-on clash, whichever side fell into a disadvantage had no choice but to grit their teeth and push forward. Any retreat would expose an opening and invite an immediate, devastating strike.
Karen, who was still deciphering the array, looked up at the fight and immediately grasped the situation. He needed to help Ophelia break the captain's rhythm. In the next moment, two Spears of Punishment condensed beside his hands, and he hurled them straight at the captain.
Keeping his right hand pressed down on Ophelia with his sword, the captain raised his left arm, conjuring an ancient, simple white tower shield.
*Buzz!*
The Spears of Punishment slammed into the shield of light without detonating. Instead, they dissolved into two black specks and were absorbed directly into the shield.
Seeing this, Karen did not leave his spot to join the battle. Instead, he forced himself to calm his emotions and focus on the array platform before him.
Ophelia traded another twenty-odd blows with the captain. Pushed further onto the back foot, she began deliberately lowering her defenses, shifting toward a style aimed at trading wounds.
Sensing Ophelia's intention, the captain dropped his guard completely and brought his sword slashing down toward her.
Seeing the blow, Ophelia made no attempt to dodge, swinging her purple greatsword across horizontally.
It was a strike where neither side defended.
Yet at that very moment, the light shield originally on the captain's left arm materialized in front of him. Ophelia's purple greatsword hacked into the shield, and the purple glow upon the blade was instantly drained, leaving it dim and lusterless. Meanwhile, the captain's sword of light had already descended toward Ophelia's head.
A red glow shone beneath Ophelia's garments. A towering crimson figure appeared behind her, raising its arms to catch the greatsword. But as the power of Light surged with wild ferocity, that blood-red figure began to rapidly evaporate.
Evidently, this was Ophelia's trump card. She possessed some sacred relic capable of summoning the red figure behind her, which was why she had been willing to risk mutual injury a moment ago.
Yet even now, she was utterly suppressed.
Ophelia reached out, trying to pull back the purple greatsword, but the shield of light melted at that instant, coating the greatsword entirely and leaving her unable to budge it. The red figure behind her was on the verge of dispersing.
Ophelia had no choice but to retreat. The moment she pulled back, the red figure was completely annihilated. The captain swung his sword toward her retreating form. The blade did not touch her, but the sword light struck her body dead-on, sending her flying.
Had Karen not shielded her with the Sea God's Armor and a layer of purification power to absorb the impact, her injuries would have been far worse. Even so, when Ophelia hit the ground and tried to stand, she coughed up a mouthful of blood and could only remain crouched.
The captain gave her no time to recover, appearing directly before her and raising his sword of light.
With a flick of her left hand, however, Ophelia tossed a small mirror open onto the ground. From the mirror's surface, countless spectral tentacles suddenly burst forth, wrapping tightly around the captain's entire body.
The captain lost his balance instantly, crashing to his knees.
Ophelia's gaze hardened. She opened her right palm to reveal a pin, deliberately letting it pierce her skin. Stimulated by her blood, the pin turned black and conjured a sphere of silver radiance. Ophelia raised her right hand and thrust it straight toward the captain's head.
Yet a helmet materialized over the captain's head.
*Bang!*
The immense piercing power of the silver light only managed to shatter the helmet on the captain's head. The captain jerked his neck with a faint crack, but sustained no fatal injury.
Having failed in her ambush counterattack, Ophelia could only offer a helpless smile. She was no match for him; she had lost.
The captain reached forward, placing her under a binding that severed all her external perception. At the same time, his other hand raised his sword to cut her down. Ophelia closed her eyes in despair.
Just then, a cloud of black mist appeared behind the captain, and Karen stepped out of it, gripping the purple greatsword Ophelia had dropped earlier.
Infused anew with the power of the Dark Moon, the greatsword blazed with light once more.
Sensing the attack from behind, the captain summoned the giant shield behind him to block the purple greatsword again. Yet this time, the shield that had seemed capable of stopping any attack was breached.
*Pfft!*
The purple greatsword not only punched through the shield, but also pierced through the captain's armor, protruding straight out of his chest.
As the blade struck, Karen had wrapped it in a layer of Light power. Powers of the same attribute naturally harmonized with one another, an effect that was especially pronounced with the power of Light.
After all, everything possessed two sides. When one had the ability to assimilate and convert powers of other attributes, it inevitably concealed vulnerabilities of its own.
Ophelia opened her eyes, sensing the weakening of the binding upon her. Though cut off from the outside, she did not know why this had happened, yet the hope she had nearly abandoned reignited. Spreading her hands, the Dark Moon Blade appeared, hacking at the barrier that bound her.
"Light — Incineration!"
Terrifying flames erupted across the captain's body, threatening to melt the two people clinging to him.
Through the greatsword, the Sea God's Armor on Karen spread across the captain's frame. The rising flames began rapidly evaporating the moisture attempting to suppress him, while the water-attribute power of Ancestor Allen within Karen was fully unleashed.
For a long time, the abundant spiritual power accumulated in Karen's body had been his greatest asset, and now he brought that advantage fully to bear.
At this moment, fire and water clashed violently between Karen and the captain.
*Bang!*
Ophelia broke through the binding and regained her freedom. She saw Karen impaling the man's body with the sword, the two of them pressed together in near madness as the opposing forces of fire and water collided terrifically around them.
Karen's face was contorted in agony as he yelled:
"The array is one step away—go!"
Ophelia bit her lip. Without hesitation or a wasted word, she pushed the last dregs of Dark Moon power within her, rushing to the array platform as fast as she could.
Indeed, the preparations to activate the array were essentially complete, with only the final step remaining. Ophelia channeled her spirituality into one of the nodes, and the array activated successfully, bathed in white light.
She looked back. Karen was still locked in a desperate struggle with the captain. The searing heat had baked Karen's skin red, and white steam was already rising from his body.
"Roar!"
Sensing the array's activation, the figure tried to force himself up.
"Ah!"
Karen let out an enraged roar. The rapid output of spirituality caused his consciousness to warp, yet he gripped the purple greatsword with both hands and forced the captain back down.
"Karen…"
Ophelia's figure vanished from the array, teleported away.
Karen let out a long breath. He had pushed himself to the absolute limit; the captain was simply too formidable.
He suddenly recalled what the captain had told him that evening: *"If you can't figure it out beforehand on your own, then you can die along with me."*
*But Captain, you never said it would happen this fast!*
The white flames on the captain were of far greater purity than Karen's water-attribute power, forcing Karen to expend far more spirituality to neutralize them. With his spiritual reserves drained, Karen knew he was about to be incinerated.
Yet just as Karen's Sea God's Armor dissipated for lack of power, the terrifying, scorching flames vanished as well.
"She's gone. Hurry up and pull the sword out."
Chapter 258