After going into the sea, I met the witch.

A large amount of black mist dissipated, and with a single sword strike, one of the Shadow Hound leader's forelimbs was severed.

Taking advantage of the brief moment of stiffness as Ryan fell his sword, the Black Knight of the Seat came to his side, wielding his longsword with a spiritual tremor.

Secret Technique: Charged Slash!

—Increases the power of the next strike by half.

The blade drew ever closer, about to strike his neck, when Ryan opened his mouth.

The next instant, the sound waves, imbued with spirituality, suddenly spread out.

[Soaring Battle Cry], activate!

The powerful sound waves swept over the Black Knight's body, but his strong spirituality caused him to be stunned for only 0.1 seconds before he broke free.

But that moment of distraction was enough.

Under the "morale boost" state, Ryan's strength and speed increased further. Facing an agile enemy like the Black Knight, he did not choose to charge up his power, but instead swung his greatsword directly.

"clang--!"

The greatsword parried the knight's longsword, and with its momentum undiminished, it slashed towards the neck of the Black Knight.

The fierce sword wind caused the black knight's hair to fly backward.

Because of the effect of the [Soaring Battle Cry], it was too late for him to dodge.

Just before the silver-blue greatsword struck, the Black Knight's body suddenly transformed into fluid, merging into the shadow beneath his feet.

It's similar to the Shadow Hound's "Shadow Fusion" ability.

Unlike ordinary Black Knights who need several seconds to blend into the shadows, Seat Black Knights can instantly merge into the shadows by consuming a huge amount of spiritual energy, thus avoiding fatal attacks.

On an open ground about twenty meters away, the Black Knight appeared, breathing rapidly. The sword strike he had just received had made him truly feel the threat of death.

"For a mere Tier 1 pirate to achieve this level of skill, who exactly are you?"

The Black Knight's tone was extremely solemn. Such strength was even more terrifying than that of a witch of the same rank.

"Tsk." Ryan sheathed his greatsword with some regret. Unlike the monster, the Black Knight, whose spirituality far surpassed his, was minimally affected by [Soaring War Cry]. Otherwise, this sword strike would have been enough to sever his head.

"call……"

With a deep breath, the Black Knight seemed to have made some important decision.

A dense, spiritual shadow spread out.

In the blink of an eye, he had pulled Ryan into the [Black Cage].

Compared to the Black Knight's "Black Cage," this space is much more spacious.

"Whoa..."

Countless black chains shot out from the walls of space in all directions, but they did not bind Ryan; instead, they all landed on the Black Knight of the Seat.

"Originally, I was reluctant to use this move..."

The Black Knight's voice was hoarse and strained. His armor cracked as the chains bound him, revealing his strong, muscular upper body.

Countless black chains merged into his skin the moment they touched it, transforming into lines. When the last black chain disappeared, the black lines on the Black Knight's body had outlined intricate and magnificent patterns.

A terrifying spiritual fluctuation erupted from his body, and the visible pale black spiritual pressure caused the air to distort sharply.

The Black Knight slowly raised his hand. The overwhelming shadow spirituality made the knight's longsword in his hand invisible, turning it into a pitch-black energy sword.

"die!"

With a hissing roar, the Black Knight's body transformed into a streak of black light, hurtling towards Ryan at a speed far exceeding his previous speed.

Ryan's pupils shrank continuously, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.

"Sizzle—"

The exploding sparks reflected in Ryan's slightly reddened pupils, and also reflected the astonishment in the eyes of the Black Knight.

Blood dripped continuously from the longsword in the Black Knight's hand, proof that he had slit Ryan's throat.

To his horror, the fatal wound he had inflicted was completely healed in the blink of an eye. He witnessed firsthand how Ryan's wound rapidly stopped bleeding, scabbed over, and then fell off, revealing smooth, new skin, as if he had never been injured at all.

Even the highest-grade restorative potions he knew of couldn't achieve this level of effect!

What terrified the Black Knight even more was that as the young man's pupils changed color, his aura underwent a dramatic transformation.

It was as if an incredibly terrifying, colossal beast was baring its mouth at him and letting out a deafening roar.

run! Run!

Every cell is urging the Black Knight to leave; this is a warning from the instinct of life.

"Zi la la..."

In Ryan's hand, a bright crimson flame ignited on the silver-blue greatsword, the extreme heat emanating from the Rathalos leader.

——【Food Battle: The Lament of the Rathalos!】

【Rathalos's Lament】: Dragon soul entwines, movement speed +10%, and any attack deals additional fire damage.

The flames were scorching, and the terrifyingly high temperature caused the surrounding shadowy spirits to emit a "sizzling" melting sound. This phenomenon even spread to the spatial walls of the [Black Cage], causing them to distort violently.

"What kind of flame is this?!"

The Black Knight's pupils contracted to pinpoints.

The fact that the [Black Cage] could be forced to distort under such pressure indicates that the level of this flame has subtly exceeded the second tier.

In fact, the complete form of [Battle Rathalos's Lament] can indeed break through the [Black Cage], but the hastily executed [Battle Rathalos] without the stimulation of eating can only achieve half the effect.

But that's enough.

Ryan grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, like a raging fire dragon leader roaring with its jaws wide open.

From the moment he was pulled into the [Black Cage], he began to charge up the [Storm Sword Skill - Breaking Wave].

Ryan knew very well that he was not as fast as the Black Knight, and if this continued, it was really hard to say who would win.

To win a battle, you must take it by surprise.

The ability to "significantly" accelerate physical recovery brought by "Gluttony" is one of its trump cards.

Although the "significant" improvement mentioned in the introduction was slightly better than Ryan had anticipated, it was not a major issue.

Within seconds, Ryan's charging power had reached its current limit.

[Storm Sword Skill - Wave Breaker], second stage of charging!

As the greatsword slashed out, at that moment, the Black Knights of the Seats saw a raging wave tens of meters high crashing down.

Even metal will be twisted and deformed under the impact of hundreds or thousands of tons of force.

Just like a giant wave crashing down, it may seem like time is slow, but in reality, it is as swift as the tide.

"Thorn..."

A sword shadow, interwoven with ice blue and crimson, flashed through the air.

"Crackling..."

Blood splattered, and the black cage that formed the barrier began to crack, with pieces of black debris falling to the ground.

The Black Knight turned his head to look at the greatsword that had cleaved through his left shoulder, splitting his heart in two and embedding itself in his chest cavity. A look of grimness appeared on his lips.

His internal organs had been completely reduced to ashes by the scorching flames.

Such injuries are unbearable even for a second-tier extreme professional with tenacious vitality.

"Monster..."

In his final moments, the Black Knight left only these words before helplessly lowering his sword.

The twelfth seat of the Black Knights has fallen!

Ryan expressionlessly drew his greatsword and, through the gap in the collapsed spiritual space wall, stared at the Blood Witch Serena, who was floating in mid-air outside.

My daily book recommendation: "You're Forcing Me to Cultivate Immortality, Aren't You?"

[Recommendation]: "I have repeatedly emphasized that I am a cultivator with a deformed Dao foundation, and Xiao Yu is a cultivator with a mental disability. If you bully us, you are oppressing the disabled."

In an interview with the Xianmin Daily, Zhang Yichen strongly condemned the actions of the Demonic Sect!

Chapter 97 A Grand “Performance”, An Ultimate “Playing” (Part 1)

Fragments of the collapsed spatial wall fell like raindrops, and in the blink of an eye, Ryan had reappeared on the blood-red stage.

The lifeless Black Knight knelt on the ground, his crimson blood, more vivid than the stage, particularly glaring.

The Blood Witch Serena, who appeared above the stage, wore a mask, making it impossible to see her expression, but her voice revealed obvious pleasure.

"Even the agents of the gods cannot stop the footsteps of the 'hero'."

"According to the established history, the 'hero' rescued the 'first witch,' leaving the world with the last glimmer of hope."

"Crash!"

As if a ceremony were to unfold, crimson blossoms rose simultaneously around the stage. At the same time, a staircase appeared beneath Ryan's feet, leading to the top of the blood crystal pillar on the stake where Freyne was being burned at the stake.

The simultaneous firing of cannons and the blooming of flowers signify that the "performance" has reached its "perfect finale."

Sitting in the "special audience seats," the tavern owner Caius adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with his finger and praised the performance, saying, "What a 'wonderful' show."

“Although the rank of ‘actor’ is not high, even I have never heard of a ‘performance’ where the first rank surpasses the limit of the second rank.”

"The story of the 'Hero' and the 'First Witch'... I've heard it before, but this is the first time I've seen it presented in a real-life setting."

On the blood-red stage.

Ryan paused slightly before stepping onto the stairs.

According to the "script" given by the Blood Witch, after defeating three waves of powerful enemies, he still needs to go to the stake and personally release the bound Freyne to complete the "performance".

"Tap..."

The metal boots landed on the steps with a crisp sound.

There are no railings on either side of the stairs, and the process of climbing them gives one the feeling of having the world under one's feet.

As his view broadened, Ryan also learned the location of the Crimson Stage—the center of the Golden Forest, above the dormant volcano.