Taking his first step forward, pounds of earth floated from the ground into the air, shaping into thin yet long needles.

Upon witnessing that, Danzel dashed forward only to the halting cause of the incoming barrage of earth needles.

"That again?" Holding his shield forward, he cast [Vanguards Defence] and quickly blocked the earth needles in front of him.

But that was it.

Without Danzel realizing it.

From behind his left side, a needle of earth started to form from the earth and flew towards Danzel!

As the needle was aiming for the side of his stomach, his skill [Greater Sense Danger] didn't activate to notify Danzel.

*Tweeegh

"Huh?" Blocking the last needle, he looked down to his armor, only to see a needle penetrating him.

Turning his head towards the magic casters, his eyes flared up with dark green light even more.

Raising his hand, the dead mana whirled around his hand and shot out in the form of a dark green mist.

Knowing that blocking the mist was impossible, Sumire focused her attention on her spell.

Entering her body, Danzel looked at the distance he had to cross.

He was 19 meters away from her.

Though it could be seen as a short distance, Sumire wasn't going to stand there and let Danzel come any closer.

Raising her staff a small wall, or rather a wave of 3 meters high and 5 wide with multiple spikes formed from the ground and came rushing towards Danzel.

Although the wall looked rather intimidating, Danzel didn't falter.

He knew that if he moved to the side, precision time will be lost.

With mana engulfing Veren, he raised his sword like a wave and swung done like one!

*Fsheeeeen!

A dark green wind cut through the ground and air.

When the spiked wave came into contact with the air blade, it cut the wall in half and continued flying towards the magic caster, while making the wall crumble.

As the blade was too far from her, Sumire stepped a few steps to the side, letting the air blade pass beside her.

14 meter.

Holding her staff from the side where the wind blade passed, the dirt the was thrown from the dark green wind blade came to a halt and became a needle almost instantly.

Swinging her staff forward, the needles flew loose at Danzel.

dauntless, without showing a hint of fear, Danzel moved his shield forward, while crouching his back a bit.

Making his shield protect most of his upper body without losing much momentum.

But that came at the cost of some needles piercing his armor and one leg armor part.

Of course, that alone wasn't enough for Danzel to stop him from moving forward.

10 meter.

Surprised by the ineffectiveness of her needles, Sumire tapped her staff to the ground, sending her mana to the ground

Danzel who was marching forward suddenly felt the ground change.

But unlike how he felt the ground shifting and moving, the feeling was different.

Like a puddle of mud, the ground soften, making the foot of Danzel go into the soft ground that hardened the next second.

Since only one of his legs where trapped though, Danzel didn't trip himself.

The moment he was about to pull out his leg though, his skill [Greater Sense Danger] warned that danger is coming from the ground.

Not a second later, the same spike that interrupted his spell a few moments ago rise once again, this time aiming for his heart.

Unfortunately for Sumire, the spike similar to needles.

Although hardened, earth in the end was still earth.

Swinging his shield at the rising earth spike, before it was even able to pierce Danzel it was crushed into pieces.

"So annoying..." Pulling his foot out of the earth, Danzel cursed internally as to how he couldn't take his sight off her without getting penetrated.

He much preferred facing someone with the sword than one of magic.

Since the former only was more straightforward than a magic caster spells.

That was one of the reasons why he hasn't used [Sin of Wrath] already.

If he were to be blinded by rage, he could miss some small changes like the ground changing.

That, and he found that he didn't need to use it.

8 meter.

Seeing him too close for her own comfort, Sumire started casting her spell.

'I need to create distance'

Guiding her mana to the ground, she started shifting the ground she was standing at back another 20 meters.

What she didn't know though was that Danzel was waiting for this exact moment!

Guiding his own mana to the ground, he cast [Stone Wall] 5 meters away from the magic caster.

With the ground pushing her backward, Sumire noticed the foreign mana into the ground, making her look in shock.

"Oh no!"

Bring too late to cancel her earth-moving spell, she was dragged back, directly to the wall that was starting to rise!

'I will crash!'

Realizing the situation that she was in, she quickly started to cast her spell in haste.

Finishing her spell on time, a barrier formed around her right before she met the wall.

"Kyaaagh!"

Although the barrier saved her from receiving the impact, she barely managed to catch herself from falling from the ground pushing her legs to the wall.

And when the moment when she looked up, her eyes froze.

The dark knight, Danzel was on the 5-meter range and right about to end the 4 meters.

Biting her lips hard enough to bleed, she directed her staff towards Danzel.

'I will have to use my trump card...'

4 meter.

Raising Veren a bit higher, Danzel prepared to slash her head off.

Yet, before he could he noticed a change.

In the staff that she was pointing at him, the blue mana crystal in her staff showed some sparks.

And in the next moment, before he knew it, a burst of light illuminated the whole area for an instant.

*Tschhhhh!

"Huh?"

Looking down on his body, his armor front and back was orange-red from the heat.

"To think that I will have to use the enchantment in my crystal..." Sumire bubbles to herself as she lower her staff after seeing the dark knight slowly to the ground.

'It's over...' Sighting from relief, all the accumulated stress and fatigue hit her body at once.

*Pfuuu

But her relief didn't for long as he saw the man in front of her still standing and releasing mana around his body.

"3 Meter~"

With killing intent flaring outside, he swung his dead mana-infested blade at her head.

"How!?" Forcing every nerve of her body to do anything to get out of the path of the blade, she barely manages to save her dear life for the cost of her eye being slashed and corpses with dead mana.

"Ahhhhhh!" Screaming in pain, she wasn't willing for things to end like this.

Touching the ground, she despairingly guided her mana to shift the ground underneath the dreadfull knight further away.

Unfortunately for her though, Danzel was determined to end things now.

Gripping her hand tightly, the ground moved him back.

But unlike he who had a good footing on the ground, Sumire was mercilessly dragged to the ground 20 meters distance in total.

"Agghhh!"

With the spell halting, Danzel swung her to the side and threw her at a nearby tree.

Right before Sumire was sent flying, she swung her staff at Danzel's head in hopes to make in the unconscious.

But the only thing she managed to do was remove the helmet of Danzel's head.

Showing his skeleton face with two managing ethereal eyes that looked like two dark green flames.

Sumire, of course, didn't take notice of that as her one hand was dislocated for being thrown away and multiple wounds were in her body, including the wound in her eye.

Seeing her state, Danzel knew she couldn't fight anymore.

Walking slowly to her, he put her staff in his storage ring, before looking down on her.

The moment Sumire shifted her remaining eye at Danzel, she felt fear like never before in her life.

But with fear came also a downing realization.

"So that's why they didn't work..."

"Naomi's fireball...Jack's daggers..even the needles and the lighting..."

"You were a cursed undead from the very start! Hahaha...it can't be..."

"Ending up chasing an undead, a Wight at that..."

"Hooh, you know what I am huh?" Danzel said, slightly surprised.

"Haha...this got to be a dream-" Seeing the undead with his ominous two eyes raising his long sword above her head, she put on a smile that was covered in tears.

"-Right?"

With a quick swing, her head fell to the ground.

Shaking his head, Danzel turned around to pick his helmet up.

"Sigh...my armor is a mess."

Seeing how the lighting distorted the armor and heavily damaged it, Danzel sighed in regret.

Looking around his possession that he was carrying, he noticed some other stuff missing

"Dammit, they broke the contract bottles...was it the fireball? Or that lighting? It seems like I got to make some new contracts for Honor and that guy Merrick then." Danzel said as he raised his helmet to put it back on.

But before he could do it, he heard a low voice echoing in the area.

"I am sorry, but that wouldn't be possible."