popshots Chapter 414 Do Not Buckle
Chapter 414 Do Not Buckle
'Do you know what monsters are? Creatures without empathy, especially those from dungeons. They kill and kill so we arose as men devoid of empathy towards monsters. The terrors of terror.'
Lament's horse leaped and landed so heavily, the earth trembled. His grip around his halberd tightened as these Mutated Ones watched him from a distance. They couldn't run back so they decided to face him.
"What's with the marks on your helmet? Are you… crying?" the girl taunted as she looked at the huge man and the young man, giving them signals with her eyes.
Lament didn't reply. His horse began to walk toward them, the closer he got, the bigger he seemed. Together with his horse, Lament was about fifteen feet tall.
Tons of steel, muscle and bone moving together as one. The oppressive might of his gaze alone felt suffocating.
"What made you cry? You can tell me." The girl said as she retreated while the other two spread out. The man with dreadlocks chuckled while the young man eyed the cliff.
Lament stopped moving. Then, his horse burst forth with a speed they did not expect, not toward the girl but toward the huge man.
With a clean sweep, Lament took off his head and shook his halberd. The bloodstains slid right off.
He turned, eyes locked on the young man. Seeing this, the young man bolted but his head was also sent flying.
It was at this moment the girl realised her taunt worked but not in the way she would expect. Her brave expression collapsed as she staggered backwards, then looked around trying to find a means to survive.
Her breath hitched when she saw another knight at the cliff. This one was massive with a much bigger shield and a hammer-axe held at the ready.
He stood there, watching.
Lament drew close and swiftly took off her head.
"You gave the beast too much time to breathe." Mountain's heavy voice rang as he stared at Lament whose chainmail clinked even at the slightest movement.
He nodded. "I've grown dull… and I wondered… what would make our own kind choose to become monsters and ruin their home."
"They buckled under fear. What we faced brought out what they truly were, people who would give up their humanity, give up their identity to become something worse because that's what they considered the better way." Mountain turned.
"Do not buckle, brother. You are far from yourself already." His words drifted into Lament's ears as he walked away.
All the knights gathered at the hole and found their king sitting on a stone, leaning on the wall. "Now that you're done, your next opponent is beyond that door."
Godfrey wasn't putting himself into a fight in this state, especially after what he sensed from beyond that door.
But whatever it was, he was throwing nine knights at it. It was time to use numbers without shame.
What was there to be ashamed about? There were people waiting for him, he would flood whatever he encountered with his full might.
As a summoner, Godfrey had come to understand that he should have allowed his summons to do what they wanted earlier.
He was so restricted back then. Now, they were becoming more alive. Still stoic but not to him anymore, he could now see beyond their surface.
They jumped down. Mountain, Solstice, Lysander, Tempest and Toria went straight for the door with Dax following after them.
Lament remained behind. While Dirge and Ballista looked at him. He couldn't see their expressions but he knew they were concerned about his wellbeing.
Their reason for staying behind was different from Lament's. That knight was the toughest to get into.
He must have considered six knights enough to face whatever was in there and remained behind or he considered his current Saint Tier strength insufficient.
Godfrey couldn't pinpoint what it was but thinking right now just gave him a headache. Seeing him rub his helmet, Dirge drew near and began to hum.
It had no magical effect but strangely, his mind became clearer. Was it just from how good her voice was?
Godfrey lifted his head to the top of the cavern and saw Ballista's mount, the white falcon with black spots on its wings, poking its head through the hole.
It had its own custom-made helmet, that helm hid its time rune which was at the centre of its head.
Ballista shooed it off, obviously concerned his mount had little knowledge of his king's state while Lament's horse slammed its ironclad hooves against the ground as both it and its rider stood guard.
On the other hand, Mountain placed his hand on the door and began to push. A bright golden light pierced his eyes just from the little gap that opened and the door pushed back.
Mountain took a step back, removed his shield and hammer-axe from his back and went for the door again. With a deep grunt, he pushed slowly, forcing it open.
As the opening grew a bit wider, a bright golden light shone but it didn't exceed the door. At that moment, Tempest suddenly grabbed Mountain and pulled him back.
As Mountain flew back, a massive sword made of golden light emerged, almost grazing Mountain's armour.
Solstice swung his sword upward, slicing through the blade made of light while Dax's tome flipped to the eighth page. Embers burst out as he fired five lightning bolts that moved like snakes into the door.
Still, it shut once more.
Solstice growled. "Enough of this."
Seeing that he was about to turn into a dragon, the others retreated.
Solstice's body burst apart into streams of molten gold, his armour dissolving within the blaze as a monstrous shape forced itself into the cavern.
A dragon of living sunlight emerged from the flames.
Its scales glowed like heated metal fresh from a forge, while pale golden fire flowed endlessly from its neck and jaws like a burning mane. Vast black horns curved backward from its skull, standing in sharp contrast against the brilliance of its body. Smoke curled from between its teeth with every breath, thick and dark against the cave's golden light.
Then the Sun Dragon lowered its massive head toward the colossal golden door, fire gathering deep within its throat until the darkness of the cave itself began to glow.