“I know I said I’ll buy time, but… what the hell is taking him so long?!”

Ynixia swung her hammer in anger—wind whistling loudly in its wake. She grit her teeth, planting her foot forward as its jagged surface slammed into the nearest enemy, sending its formless body scattering.

Balancing herself again, she quickly scanned over the chaotic battlefield to find her next target. Sure enough, another eerie figure had approached. Every single one of them was ghostly in nature, possessing bodies made of greenish gray fog that could shift and change shapes. Though, most seemed to take the form of ancient warriors from Avalon’s past. They wore familiar insignias, dating back to the Dragonic Crusades.

This was no doubt [Boundary of Vengeance]’s doing. This skill that Mordred possesses creates a mysterious field that brings back any warrior that was once loyal to Him. The ones she was currently fighting likely fell in battle against the dragons of old. But their fury was now being redirected at a new foe:

Herself and Soren!

They were the only ones arrogant enough to declare war on the Black Thorned Knight in centuries… In the eyes of these warriors, they were invaders hoping to siege the fortress!

One by one, the ghostly apparitions marched toward Ynixia with cold malice—each wielding a weapon of dark steel coursing with power. Most annoyingly, death didn’t seem to bother them at all. Regardless of the approaching danger, they would continue executing their attacks without hesitation, even while staring ahead at their own demise.

Again and again they would scatter into dust and ashes only for more to appear. Ynixia would parry their attacks then follow it up with her own, smashing them to bits with her hammer. And then another wave would emerge, repeating the cycle once more. It was as if they were waiting for their brethren to die so that they may have a chance to strike after them.

In that moment, Ynixia felt a slight tinge of helplessness, but also exhilaration. These warriors reminded her of something from her own past. Something she couldn’t fully recall, but understood as essential…

Suddenly, just as she was about to end her next attack, two swords descended from the periphery of her vision. She grit her teeth and twisted directions swiftly, but just before she could shield herself, two silent abyssal arrows emerged from behind, piercing through the attacking enemies swiftly.

Pausing for a moment, Ynixia turned toward the direction the projectiles emerged from and smiled slightly. “You’re finally deciding to serve your true purpose again, Sleepless Prowler…”

Indeed, it was the very same enemy she had encountered on her way to the throne room. Except, calling it an enemy was no longer accurate.

After the final clash against Mordred, Ynixia was able to successfully use the surrounding chaos as cover and commanded the shadows to surround the rogue Prowler, reminding him of his duty. They had always been loyal servants of the Temple after all, so it was fairly easy to break its connection away from Morgan’s control.

Of course, this was only really possible due to her dear friend Camilla… Because of her control over the subspace as well as her magecraft being a direct counter to the Lady of the Lake’s, there was nothing stopping Ynixia from slowly dispersing her influence over the Prowler. And judging by the fact that She has yet to try and reobtain him, Ynixia was sure her friend was still keeping Her busy.

Seeing as more and more vengeful ghosts had approached, Ynixia took a deep breath to refocus. She gripped her hammer tightly, awaiting the first enemy’s strike to begin her slaughter.

But just as the battle was about to continue again, the ground suddenly started shaking violently. Then, Ynixia felt gravity shift, causing her to almost slip.

Glancing down in panic, she noticed Mordred’s terrifying figure had grown slightly larger again. Indeed, just as she was having her own battle, the ground beneath her feet was alive as well! Albert’s now gigantified figure was wrestling against Mordred in a one on one showdown.

From her point of view, they were akin to two mountainous titans, each blocking out half the darkened sky. Both pushing against the other fiercely—hands interlocked in a harrowing struggle. Atop Albert’s skull, Ynixia continued gripping his boney surface tightly as the world itself seemingly began to turn upside down.

The gigantic skeletal chimera had almost tipped over due to Mordred growing slightly bigger again. And in that moment of weakness, the colossal Black Thorned Knight punched him in the jaw with enough force to cause an earthquake. In response, Albert threw a kick layered deep in shadows, sending the Traitorous Fortress stumbling back a few steps too.

It seems all those Living Shadows he consumed were worth it… Ynixia thought inwardly as gravity once again shifted in a new direction. Because of Soren’s actions in the banquet, all the masked nobles as well as the individuals outside the castle who held deep grudges against them remembered their true identities. The shadows Albert partially consumed during their exploration of the castle have only now been fully digested.

All of that added power gave him enough strength to battle against Mordred equally… At least for now. Ynixia was certain he was not going to last very long, but she needed to do everything she could to give Soren enough time to fully pull off his plan.

With strings of shadows holding her in place, Ynixia continued killing the approaching undead soldiers at a rapid pace, supported only by the Prowler who hid within his own shadows behind her. And beneath her, Albert also continued his own horrifying battle.

Noticing the distance between them, the Black Thorned Knight quickly activated [Fortress Armory], reshaping their colossal hammer into a dark metal spear connected to an elongated chain that wrapped tightly around His gauntlet.

Swinging the spear around a few times, Mordred first aimed His other arm toward Albert and activated [Thorn Cannon], sending three colossal bombardments barreling his way. The colossal chimera shifted slightly, dodging the first and second projectile while swatting away the last one with its skeletal tail. It then charged forward rapidly toward the mountainous dark knight, hoping to close the distance.

Mordred, however, already anticipated this. The colossal spear He was spinning in His arm was finally sent flying toward its enemy—darkish green lightning coating its deadly surface. The Traitorous Fortressstepped forward in the process, sending shockwaves across Carcosa’s ancient ruins.

In that moment, Usurper’s Iron Dictum had activated the first Soul Technique: Phantom Lodestone.

As she clung to the skull’s surface, Ynixia was able to see the chaos unfold clearly. Unlike other Soul Manuals that channel an affinity’s power through the mimicking of a phenomenon, Mordred’s Sentinel Act forced Him to fully become one with His affinity very early on. And this difference left Him with no choice but to craft His own Soul Manual from scratch.

While His Inherent Ability—Haunted Will—allows Him to channel His spirit into any metallic surface He touches, Usurper’s Iron Dictum lets Him command those metals as if they were an extension of His own body. At the Incarnated stage, any metallic surface could instantly become a part of His existence and will. Which meant that their properties themselves could also be shifted.

Unlike regular metal, these alloys under Mordred’s possession are rightfully named Spirit Metal. This was a kind of material that didn’t conduct electricity but anima itself, allowing Mordred to form spiritual circuits out of the very plating of His armor. These kinds of actions, when utilized under a strict system, were called Affinity Grafts. Together, they can culminate into the formation of a Soul Technique.

Soul Manuals were graded based on how many Soul Techniques they possess. The ‘chain’ they form when assembled together becomes the signifier to how high a Sentinel could rise with that specific Soul Manual. For example, if a manual possesses only four Soul Techniques within its chain, that means a Sentinel could only rise to the 6th Stage with that specific manual.

Mordred’s Soul Manual on the other hand has nine Soul Techniques in total. At the height of His power, there were many who believed He could reach the fabled 1st Stage as a Sentinel. All He needed to do was master that final few Affinity Grafts He had theorized… Unfortunately, the cataclysm occurred before He could achieve it.

Phantom Lodestone, however, marked the beginning of His twisted journey as a Sentinel. This was the first Soul Technique he had created as a Sentinel. Without it, Mordred would have never been able to fully realize the potential of HisSoul Manual.

The details of the ability were fairly commonly understood: With His center of virtual mass, Mordred was able to shift the polarity of His Spirit Metal, creating a localized magnetic vacuum within His vicinity. Of course, since Spirit Metal conducts willpower itself, the magnetic force attracts the very souls of others nearby, not other electrically-charged metals. What’s more, Mordred could then shift the polarity again to create a pushing force as well.

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Because Sentinels do not believe in the separation of mind and body, the attractive force from His Soul Technique had the effect of pulling or pushing the very physical vessels of those souls as well.

This was the very ability Mordred had used earlier in the battle. Phantom Lodestone’s activation had created a powerful attractive force that almost caused Soren to enter close to His vicinity. If the Traveler hadn’t managed to resist it, they would have likely not been able to utilize their current plan of stalling HIm with Albert!

Phantom Lodestone also had the added effect of messing with Soul Realms as well. These ‘magnetic’ forces will usually stretch or compress any Soul Realm in its vicinity unevenly, making it hard for magi to cast their spellforms effectively. Very early on in His military career, Mordred was known as the ‘Magecraft Killer’ for this very reason!

But that was the least of their worries at the moment. With the colossal spear rapidly approaching Albert, he quickly shifted away from it while continuing to dash forward. But predictably, Phantom Lodestone’s activation threw a wrench in their plans. The Polarity Shift affinity graft stirred, causing a ‘magnetic’ shift in the pole arm of the colossal spear.

Albert’s body was now suddenly being dragged toward the blade’s edge! Because it was coated in Spirit Metal, the colossal spear was technically an extension of Mordred’s existence—Phantom Lodestone’s polarity shift was now pulling the skeletal chimera toward it.

Attempting to resist, Albert dug his tail into the ground and tried shifting his weight so that the attraction force pulled him toward the side of the spear, not its edge.

The plan worked!

In an instant, metal slid against bone as the colossal pole arm scraped against his shadowed ripcage. Albert didn’t waste the chance and grabbed the colossal weapon in his hands, pulling Mordred closer, but Phantom Lodestone once again activated through His step’s momentum, shifting the polarity the opposite way this time!

Albert instantly felt his body being repelled, sending him tumbling backwards and almost crashing to the ground. But with the help of his tail, he stabilized himself and manifested a scythe made of shadows that was a similar size to Mordred’s spear. He cleaved downwards with full force as he was stumbling backwards, hoping to shatter the Black Thorned Knight’s plating through his own fall’s momentum.

Strangely, Mordred, put no effort in dodging the attack. The colossal dark edge crashed into His shoulder, piercing slightly through the first layer of His Traitorous Fortress. With Phantom Lodestone disrupted, the colossal skeletal beast pulled with his scythe, hoping to drag Mordred closer.

But then the unexpected happened. Before Albert could fully execute his move, a strange vibration began to echo across his body. Turning toward his shoulder, he noticed a large fracture spreading across his left clavicle bone!

[Thornmail] had activated, reflecting the damage he dealt to Mordred’s armor back to him!

With his grip now weakened, Mordred pulled back easily, letting the shadows forming the colossal scythe to disperse. Albert, meanwhile, stumbled backwards in weakness, only to receive multiple bombardments from [Thorn Cannon] in response.

A top the colossal skeleton, Ynixia gripped her hammer tightly, feeling her anima draining by the second. Enemies from [Boundary of Vengeance] were continuing to climb Albert’s body in an attempt to kill her—the “commander” behind this fortress siege. And yet, all their efforts seem to have been thwarted. She had lost count of how many enemies she had defeated at this point.

“When… When will it end…” She gasped for another breath before twisting her hammer to pummel another ghostly apparition from the past. “Hurry…. up! Soren!”

The shadows surrounding her were depleting far too quickly—even the strings she had created to keep herself steady while Albert fought were beginning to buckle and snap one by one.

But she knew she couldn’t give up just yet. Everything rested on the plan Soren had outlined in that [Card of Insight]. They needed to win this siege!

Just then, the Shepherd sensed another earthquake, almost losing her balance in the process. She looked below, noticing the chaotic battle between the titans shifting in Mordred’s favor once more.

Albert’s injury had caused him a great deal of trouble—gripping any two handed weapon had now become impossible. What’s more, the very structure of his body was slowly unraveling. Large swaths of his rib cage were riddled in holes from the previous [Thorn Cannon] shellings. The thorns had embedded themselves deep within his bones, making his movements highly predictable to the Black Thorned Knight. If this persisted for longer, [Destiny Puncture] would activate, ending the battle instantly.

Mordred also seemed to understand this. He walked toward him confidently—the spear had shifted this time to a colossal thorned sword that scraped hard against the ruined city below. He dragged it forward as He approached the shadowed skeleton kneeling before Him.

Sensing His approach, Albert struggled to lift himself up, but did so anyway. Both warriors seemed aware of the finality of their battle. But only one was confident of its conclusion…

After a brief pause, Mordred finally launched forward in a quick dash, blade pulled back for a great cleave. Usurper’s Iron Dictum activated the second Soul Technique: Wraith Step. This radically charges His Spirit Metal with anima to the point where His physical body becomes partially unrestrained from the physical realm. Mordred was now akin to a colossal ghost seeking vengeance!

With speeds Albert couldn’t even grasp, the skeletal chimera felt the colossal fortress phasing through himself, followed by an unrestrained cut at his spine. All control to his lower body was instantly severed, but he wasn’t going to allow Him to succeed that easily! With one final push, he twisted his now divided upper body, coating his bone fist with every fiber of Nameless Mist left under his grasp.

His target was simple: Mordred’s ghostly leg that had just phased through him! Before Wraith Step could distance Him too far, Albert caught His hollow armored leg harness, disrupting His movements briefly. The abyssal anima instantly severed the Soul Technique’s activation, making Mordred forget He was using it at all.

He immediately stumbled and fell forwards, slamming into the ruins below. Then, before giving Him a second chance to get up, the half-skeletal figure clawed its way toward the fallen Traitorous Fortress and climbed atop Him, instantly reaching the back of His torso.

Mordred immediately tried to resist by activating Phantom Lodestone to blast Albert away, but the skeletal chimera was quicker. He slammed his Nameless Mist coated hand into the Black Thorned Knight’s center of virtual mass, erasing its existence instantly! The Soul Technique was immediately disrupted again.

“Thank you very much for this opportunity, Albert. You’ve fought valiantly.”

The voice echoed in the minds of everyone across the battlefield, making them pause. Mordred was especially surprised—this was the voice of someone fairly familiar… Why has it forgotten who it was?

As if sensing His thoughts, the voice immediately answered. “Albert’s attack against you with that shadowed scythe… Did you think he was simply aiming for physical damage only? Don’t tell me you forgot what properties the Nameless Mist exudes on others…”

The Black Thorned Knight instantly understood the voice’s meaning. His memories were tampered with during that attack! And now that the center of mass for His Soul Frame had vanished as well, balancing properly had become impossible—He was now nothing more than a normal, immovable iron fortress.

Seeing this, Mordred decided to utilize the only other ability He could remember from His past: [The Spire]. It allows Him to manifest an entire subspace within His own armor, dragging His enemies inside and disallowing anyone from escaping.

The Soul Weapon skill quickly activated, siphoning any and all living presences within its vicinity. Atop the now amputated Albert, Ynixia struggled fiercely against the vengeful ghosts whose numbers have now grown far too numerous for even her to handle. And now, a strange pulling sensation was slowly dragging her off her feet—this time even stronger than Phantom Lodestone’s activation!

In her struggle, she managed to kill a few more apparitions before finally succumbing to the invisible force’s violent pull. Beneath her, Albert was also facing the same issue. The anima she had lended him was now fully spent, causing him to shrink once again to his usual size. The force from [The Spire] began to drag him toward the gaps in Mordred’s armor all the same.

Everything seemed to once again turn in Mordred’s favor. That was until He noticed something strange. Aside from Ynixia and Albert who had already been pulled into HIs armor, there was something else being dragged in with them as well. All around the ruined city, small fragments of mirror-like shards began to ascend in swarms toward the titanic fortress, entering every opening in the armor that [The Spire] had created.

There were hundreds of them—no… By Lord Arthur’s name, there were hundreds of thousands! And stranger still, each fragment seemed to resonate with every other fragment in the swarm—violet colored electricity flowing freely in between them as if they had formed a colossal circuit without his knowledge! His embedded thorns were sending back the same image—a young man’s face grinning from ear to ear with each shard’s reflection, as if to mock him…

The arrogant moth’s voice once again rattled across His ancient hollowed armor:

“Did you really think I wouldn’t account for that final ability you had saved? I’m not exactly idiotic enough to start a war I know I can’t finish. The real you—not this left behind forsaken husk—would have indeed realized that quickly. Even now, I can sense His disappointment, how utterly laughable.”

In that instant, the fabled Black Thorn Knight’s mind suddenly flashed vibrantly with light unseen in millenniums.