This pill had the ability to transform vitality into pure mana, exchanging all the potential that body would have had for more power. The problem with this pill was that it could not be used more than once, because whoever used it would die—something that made Leon consider it a failure, but he still gave it to the weaker knights and simply told them to decide when to use it when fighting for him.
'I was going to die anyway, so not using it would be ridiculous on my part'
Spinning the blade in his hand, he reinforced his body to the maximum with his new power. With a movement of his feet, he was already beside Kaelu, his sword just centimeters from the mage's neck. But with some difficulty, Kaelu managed to dodge in time so his neck wouldn't be cut.
'What happened to this knight all of a sudden?'
'This amount of power is incredible, this is something I could never reach in my life'
That thought might cruelly be true for him, something that was difficult to accept. Even so, throughout his life he never gave up on becoming stronger and never thought of using something outside his own power to achieve it.
'But here it's different, I'm protecting my lord's house, the one who saved my family'
He raised his sword in the opposite direction from where it was moving and tried to catch Kaelu off guard, which worked, as his shoulder was cut. Gritting his teeth, Kaelu prepared his shadow magic in his hand, forming a black sphere.
'He must be at the level of a rank eight, I don't understand how… was he hiding his power?'
Filgiri crouched into a combat stance before advancing with a thrust toward Kaelu's head. The dark sphere suddenly exploded, pushing both of them in opposite directions.
'Tsk, if I hadn't detonated the sphere before it fully formed, I would've taken serious damage'
Honestly, facing this old man was becoming frustrating for him, because all his life he had been called a greater prodigy than Leon by his family, so he couldn't allow this to happen. If the others found out, it would be a disgrace for him.
'I had already decided to kill him, and now I have an even greater reason not to let him live'
Kaelu stabilized his body right after the explosion, his feet sliding slightly over the artificial ground of the barrier as his breathing adjusted to the new pace of the fight. The cut on his shoulder was still fresh, and even if it wasn't deep enough to completely limit his movements, it was the kind of damage that shouldn't exist at that stage of the fight. His eyes fixed on Filgiri again, now without any remaining underestimation.
"You know, I really feel like killing you now"
"If that's the case, then I'll take you with me"
The aura around the knight remained unstable, but not in a sense of lack of control. It was a concentrated instability, as if every fragment of energy was being forced beyond its natural limit, keeping the body active through sheer willpower. Filgiri's breathing was heavy, but his movements showed no immediate weakness, only greater intensity than before. After half a second, Filgiri simply adjusted his stance, keeping his sword firm as his body leaned slightly forward, ready to advance again.
The movement came fast—within a second he was already just centimeters away from Kaelu. The blade descended in an arc, aiming to eliminate any reaction space. Kaelu dodged with a short displacement, but noticed that the time between attack and adjustment had decreased. Filgiri wasn't just stronger, he was faster and more skilled in an abnormal way.
'Is this bastard getting stronger?'
Kaelu's shadow expanded from his feet and rose along his body, reinforcing his movements as he advanced laterally. His hand moved together with the short blade he used, creating a horizontal cut that was barely blocked, the impact producing a sharp vibration between the weapons. Filgiri rotated his body instantly, turning the defense into another attack, his sword rising from below with enough force to push Kaelu back a few steps.
'This shouldn't be happening'
Kaelu reorganized his stance, his magic condensing more around his body as he evaluated the best way to end this without prolonging it further. The jewel wouldn't maintain that space indefinitely, and the longer it lasted, the greater the risk of outside interference. Filgiri advanced, leaving no room for pause. His sword cut through space, forcing Kaelu to dodge sideways while responding with a shadow blade projected from his free hand. The attack grazed the knight's side, opening another deep cut that made him spit blood.
Even so, he kept moving forward. The endurance that had once been just a trait had now become something more extreme, sustained by the pill's effect that consumed his vitality every second. His breathing was no longer stable, but his movements remained firm, driven by a single objective.
'I will take him with me'
Realizing his opponent wouldn't retreat, Kaelu adjusted his footing and concentrated his mana more intensely within his body, the shadow around him becoming denser, less dispersed, as if compressed into a single execution point. His eyes locked onto Filgiri's movement, waiting for the right moment to strike.
'I will succeed'
Filgiri raised his sword and made a direct thrust aimed at his opponent's stomach. This time, Kaelu didn't fully dodge. He moved just enough to execute his own action. The blade passed close, cutting part of his clothing and grazing his skin, but in return he was already inside Filgiri's guard. His free hand moved first, grabbing the knight's arm to limit his next movement, while the other brought the shadow-wrapped blade straight toward his torso.
'Damn it'
Filgiri couldn't generate a magical defense in time. The blade pierced the damaged armor and struck his body, stopping his advance at that instant. His movement halted for a fraction of a second, enough to completely break the rhythm he had been maintaining.
'No'
His body still tried to react, his sword moving slowly in an attempt to counterattack, but there was no longer enough strength to sustain it for long. With one last strike, he hit Kaelu's shoulder, leaving a mark. Kaelu released his arm and stepped back, keeping his focus while placing his hand on his shoulder.
'This bastard… even at the end'
The knight's body remained standing for a few more seconds, his breathing gradually failing as the mana that had been forced began to dissipate chaotically. His eyes, still white, slowly lost focus.
"You're lucky I can't make noise, otherwise I'd make you suffer, you bastard"
The barrier around them began to weaken as the fight ended, small distortions appearing at the edges of the space created by the jewel. He didn't waste time, dispersing his own magic and preparing to leave as soon as the environment returned to normal.
'I won't be able to continue, so I'll have to retreat'
Using a teleportation magic stone, he left the scene quickly as some guards approached. Among them, Surfien and Knigrave immediately noticed the body. Surfien's eyes widened in shock as he ran toward it alongside Knigrave.
"Father"