The moment it got within a few meters distance to him, it dashed forward, already mid-way through a swing of its left de as he ducked away, avoiding the sharp edge that aimed for his neck as he rolled past the seraphic knight.


    Close…! He thought.


    As he rolled and stopped on one knee, turning back to face the silver-d enemy–it was already partially through another attack towards him with mind-boggling speed and ferociousness, swinging its illustrious, shining de downwards upon his head.


    A [Blink Step] backwards was his only option, only evading the attack by a hair as a powerful impact resounded against the ss floor, which surprisingly didn''t crack in the slightest from the force.


    The Divine Knight looked at him with its helm forged to resemble the head of a lion, with a golden plume flowing like the mane of a powerful beast.


    Both of the longswords the knight wielded had handles that took the form of crosses, being of white-steel and decorated with golden jewels.


    They were twindes; the silver, reflective steel of each being split down the middle as if being two des in one, bearing many inscriptions along their length.


    He''s fast. I have to be on my A-game here, he thought.


    As he kept cautious, not so much as blinking while watching his swift opponent, he witnessed one of the knight''s des be raised, pointing upward.


    After being pointed towards the heavens, the de suddenly became engulfed in a golden me, swirling and coalescing along its appraised metal.


    A long-range attack?! He realized.


    By the time he came to figure out what it was his silver-armored enemy was building up to, the lion-masked knight swung his heavenly de down, unleashing a torrent of golden mes towards him that roared with a destructive force.


    Reflecting off of the ss flooring, the illustrious mes produced a blinding light that threw him off as his sense of direction was distorted.


    Crap…! I can''t see a thing! He thought.


    His eyes were forcibly closed by the scorching light, leaving him only with one option in order to evade being reduced to ash.


    "Cast: Disperse!"


    [Spirit: -300. Remaining Spirit: 1700/3500]


    He was reluctant to use any magic, but the situation called for it as once the mes reached him, he was immediately warped to a nearby spot of safety–which wound up being in the space directly above.


    "Gyuh–!"


    It was a jarring shift in position as he quickly grabbed onto thevish, multiyered chandelier to prevent himself from falling into the sea of swirling, golden mes that waited for him below.


    Close…way too close! He thought.


    He bided his time while the mes began to waver, but the knight didn''t simply sit around and let him wait out their wrath–bringing his visor-covered gaze to him before leaping towards him with both des reared back.


    –But, it''s exactly what he was waiting for.


    Spinning himself around, he kicked up, reversing his position as he used the chandelier as a foothold tounch into a [Blink Step], tightly gripping onto the handles of his ck-steel daggers.


    Sage Period, activate! He requested through intent.


    The moment he felt the shift in perception, being able to carefully think now, he immediately melded "Dark Edge" and "Ripper" together–forging his go-to killer move:


    "ck Ripper!"


    The initial [Blink Step] caught the knight off-guard as he was able to sessively take the silver,nky foe by surprise with the series of dark-embedded shes that urred in a shy moment.


    [Spirit: -100. Remaining Spirit: 1600/3500]


    I felt it…It went through! He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As hended on the immutable, ss panels below, he rolled before looking back, witnessing the knightnd on their feet before taking a knee as blood spurted out from the eviscerations left past their armor.


    …I did it! I can do this! I can–He thought.


    However, his thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly keeled over, feeling a concentration of warmth on his side as he looked down.


    By pure instinct, one of his hands was already holding his side as he lifted it, seeing a frightening amount of crimson staining his ck glove.


    "Huh…?"


    Looking down atst, he realized what the immense heat was bubbling at his side: arge gash had been sewn through his right side, bleeding profusely onto the see-through flooring below.


    That''s not possible…My perception was altered–I should''ve been able to see an attacking. Was it…that fast? He thought.


    Finally, he saw the prompt appear as a warning for his health:


    [Health: -1500. Remaining Health Points: 900/3200]


    It was a blood-chilling sight to see his own life put into a numerical form, and at such a critical number, at that.


    [Health: -10.]


    [Health: -10.]


    …The loss repeated quickly, prompting him to panic as he breathed in-and-out in sparse, shallow breaths, but he acted quickly.


    "Sage Period, off!"


    First thing''s first, he turned off the augmentation to stifle the doubling rate of bleeding from the general demerit of receiving twice as much damage.


    There was only one way to stop the bleeding: a method he didn''t like, but he didn''t have time to think.


    "Cast: me Lance!"


    [Spirit: -100. Remaining Spirit: 1500/3200]


    Manifesting thence formed of mes, he didn''t spawn it to attack his enemy with, but for the opposite: to aid himself.


    As he constantly nced back to look at the knight, who was still taken to a knee as they were damaged heavily from his earlier attack, he slowly brought the ming manifestation close to his gushing wound.


    He hesitated, looking down at it as sweat left his pores in abundance while his ragged breathing continued; through his frizzy, vermilion fringes which hung down close to his emerald eyes–he was afraid of what was next.


    "Fuck…!"


    He finally gritted his teeth and forced the mes against his wound, yelling out despite his best efforts as the inferno sizzled against his eviscerated side.


    However, through the agonizing pain that reeled in gut-wrenching screams from his throat, he managed to seal off the wound and stifle the bleeding.


    By the time he finished, he cast the ming rod away, huffing as he stayed on his knees for a moment, drenched in sweat.


    [Health Points: 740/3200]


    It had fallen immensely in the time it took for him to cauterize his wound, but he couldn''t help but just feel relieved he bought himself some time.


    …This is bad. Really bad. I''m…working on fumes here, he thought.