He activated the skill.
[ Overclock Activated. ]
The surrounding air crackled. Mana swirled like a raging storm, coiling around his blade. The stone beneath his feet fractured under the pressure of his aura.
The knight shifted even while fighting with others, his glowing eyes narrowing as if recognizing the change.
Ray's lips curled into a sharp grin.
Power erupted through his veins, raw and overwhelming. His vision sharpened to a razor's edge—every shift in the knight's stance, the faint hum of mana in the air, the cracks forming beneath his feet—all of it, crystal clear.
His heartbeat thundered, a war drum fueling his movements. Every fiber of his being burned, but it was a fire he embraced.
A translucent blue screen flickered before his eyes:
**
Strength- 200
Agility- 200
Vitality- 200
Intelligence- 200
Stamina- 200
Mana- 200
Charm- 200
**
Ray clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. Even skills can't bypass the rule of increasing stats beyond the rank limit."
Still, this was better.
Previously, forming an Aura Blade imbued with the Space element had been nearly impossible due to his low mana reserves.
But now?
Now, he had enough power to make it happen.
He didn't waste time.
[Flicker Step]
Ray vanished in a burst of light.
And a devastating flame-coated kick smashed against knight's helmet, sending the armored knight hurtling through the air.
But the knight twisted midair, gaining control almost instantly. A black aura exploded outward.
It retaliated.
A crescent wave of dark sword energy came screaming toward Ray.
He barely had time to react.
CLANG!
He used his sword, absorbing the brunt of the attack, but the force sent him skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the ground.
Ray's arms trembled from the impact, but most importantly, a small crack ran across his sword.
Shit, it was a gift from master,
His stomach twisted. That sword wasn't just a weapon—it was a symbol of his master's trust.
But he didn't hesitate to use it, what good a sword will do If I die.
Ray closed his eyes and remembered the one sword move his master had shown him
It comes very handy for confusing enemy, I will only show it once see it clearly.
Ray still remembered his words, his stance, his moves, He had mimicked the move his master showed him at that time.
[Aura Blade: Space]
His sword split into afterimages, each strike coming from a different direction.
The knight blocked the first.
The second.
But the third—
SLASH!!!!
A deep cut tore across its armor, black metal splintering apart.
Ray pushed the assault.
He twisted his blade, mana swirling around it as space itself began to distort.
A violet arc of energy carved through the air—
BOOM!!
The attack connected, sending the knight tumbling backward.
But it wasn't done.
The knight planted its sword into the ground, halting its momentum. A deep growl echoed from within its helmet.
Then—
The knight vanished.
Ray's eyes widened.
What?!
His instincts screamed at him to move.
He barely had time to twist and intercept the attack with his sword before—
SLASH!!!
Pain exploded across his muscles holding the sword.
His body was sent flying, crashing through a pillar.
His vision flickered. His breath caught in his throat. Blood spilled from his lips.
Damn it...!
The knight stepped forward, its sword raised.
Ray forced himself to move.
His mana flared.
[Flicker Step]
He disappeared, reappearing just beside the knight. His sword, burning with spatial distortion, drove forward.
STAB!!!
The blade pierced through the knight's side.
It roared, its aura surging violently.
Ray didn't let go.
He gritted his teeth, twisting the blade deeper.
But then—
A metallic fist slammed into his gut.
CRACK!!!
His ribs snapped.
Ray gasped. His body hurled backward, rolling across the ruined hall.
His limbs screamed in pain.
He tried to move—
But the knight was already standing over him.
Sword raised.
Its blade, wreathed in a cold, deathly glow, hung above Ray like the guillotine of an executioner.
The air around the sword twisted, distorting as if reality itself was rejecting its existence.
Ray's heart pounded.
He could see his own reflection in the dark steel of the descending blade.
Too fast—
Too strong—
Too—
BOOM!!!
A spear, glowing like a falling star, slammed into the knight's chest.
CRACK!
Before the knight could react, a second attack—a mana-infused arrow—pierced its shoulder, pinning it back.
Then came the third.
A roaring fireball, crimson and seething, engulfed the knight in a storm of flames.
BOOM!
The force rattled the entire hall, sending cracks spiraling across the stone walls.
Still, it wasn't over.
A blinding orb of light, pulsing with pure destructive energy, shot forward like a miniature sun, crashing against the knight's burning form.
The final blow followed—a volley of razor-sharp daggers, each one coated in dense, concentrated mana.
They whistled through the air before embedding themselves deep into the knight's charred armor.
Its sword slipped from its grip, spinning through the air before clattering against the stone floor.
And then—
It was launched backward, smashing through debris before slamming into the far wall with enough force to shake the entire structure.
Dust and rubble collapsed around its motionless form
Ray's grip on his sword tightened as he turned to his team members.
Nathealien stood without his spear, sweat dripping down his face. He scoffed. "What the hell are you looking at, brat?"
Vince, still holding his bow, rolled his eyes. "Tch. Don't get all sentimental on us now."
Irene wiped the blood from her lips, exhaustion clear in her expression. "We all had trump cards."
Selene smirked, twirling a dagger between his fingers despite the fatigue weighing on her. "Using them early wasn't ideal, but hey—" he shrugged, "—you'd be dead otherwise."
Lucien said with a slight smile, "Now that felt good"
Ray exhaled, then let out a breathless chuckle.
But his mind was already moving, he was not the one to miss the opportunity.
He clenched his teeth, forcing every last ounce of mana into his battered frame.
Mana surged outward.
His heart pounded like a war drum.
[Flicker Step]
His body flickered—
But it wasn't enough.
The distance was still too great, between him and the knight. His body was too slow.
Ray's eyes sharpened.
He had one option left.
A risky, reckless, stupid option.
His mana shifted, flowing into his legs.
Instead of movement—
It became fire.
Flames erupted beneath his feet.
And then—
"Explode."
A shockwave blasted outward, propelling him forward.
The knight stirred, its body rising from the rubble.
"Explode."
Ray blurred through the air, his form cutting through the smoke.
The knight's head jerked up, its emerald flamed eyes meeting his.
"Explosion."
Ray closed the distance, his sword shimmering with space-distorting mana.
The cooldown was over.
[Flicker Step] x [Aura Blade: Space]
The world around him warped as his body flickered—
And then—
His blade pierced through the knight's glowing eye.
A soundless scream echoed through the battlefield.
The knight's entire body convulsed, black mist erupting from the wound. Its armor trembled, cracking from the sheer force of the attack.
Ray gritted his teeth and twisted the blade.
Not yet
The knight's body lurched forward, an unnatural shriek reverberating through the air. Its remaining eye burned with pure rage.
It wasn't dead.
Not yet.
Ray's instincts flared.
The knight's fist shot forward, aiming for his head.
Ray jerked back, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow, but his grip on his sword slipped.
The knight's hand clenched around the blade embedded in its skull.
With an inhuman roar—
It ripped the sword out.
Dark energy burst from its eye socket, flooding the battlefield.
Ray staggered back, his mind racing.
It should be dead!
But the knight stood.
Shaky, broken—but still standing.
A shiver crawled down Ray's spine.
Then, the air shifted.
An overwhelming pressure crashed down, suffocating and unnatural. The knight's mangled form began to regenerate, the cracks in its armor sealing themselves.
Shit.
Ray barely had time to think before—
BOOM!!!!
The knight exploded forward, its hands wreathed in crackling green flames.
Ray dodged—
But he was not fast enough.
A burning fist slammed into his gut, lifting him off the ground.
His ribs cracked. Blood shot up his throat.
Before he could react, a second punch sent him flying through the air.
CRASH!!!~
Ray smashed into a pillar, coughing violently.
His limbs screamed in agony.
His mind was spinning—
But there was no time to stop.
The knight charged again.
Ray clenched his teeth as he remembered his Master's words.
[Listen Ray, I am going to show you a sword strike but you have to promise me you will only use it when you are facing death, do you understand?
[I promise master]
Master looks Like I need to use it...
Mana flooded his body, burning through his veins like wildfire.
[Remember your body is still not strong enough so you can suffer backlash, at most you will not be able to move for a week or so....or in worst case you can become cripple.]
His fingers trembled—then clenched around the hilt of his half cracked sword.
[But I trust your talent that you will not become a cripple.]
[Void Severance]
His blade pulsed with distorted space.
A single cut—that would erase everything in its path.
The knight lunged—
Ray swung.
SHIIING!!~
A crescent arc of void energy tore through the knight's torso.
For a moment, even air held its breadth.
Then—
The Black Knight froze mid-charge.
The knight staggered, its form shuddering like a puppet with cut strings. The glow in its remaining eye flickered, dimming, then roaring back—one last surge of defiance. It took a slow, heavy step forward, then another.
But the third step never came.
A hollow, metallic groan echoed as the knight's knees buckled.
Then—
Its body cracked apart, splitting at the gash Ray had carved through it. Black mist poured from the wound like escaping souls, swirling, twisting, then dissipating into nothing.
The hall fell into eerie silence.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Ray stood over the knight, panting.
He watched as the last remnants of the Black Knight dissolved into nothingness.
Nathaniel collapsed onto the ground, his fingers twitched as he stared at Ray, eyes wide with something between awe and unease. "He... really killed it," he muttered, but his voice lacked certainty.
Selene wiped the sweat from her brow, forcing out a shaky laugh. "Hahaha... we survived," she muttered, but the way she gripped Irene's arm made it clear—she wasn't so sure if that was entirely a good thing.
Irene's grip on her staff tightened until her knuckles turned white. She swallowed hard, her throat dry. "What... what was that attack?" she whispered. "That wasn't normal."
Vince exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "No," he muttered. "That was something else." His eyes flickered to Ray, but for the first time, there was hesitation in his gaze.
Ray body was still standing, probably because of Overclock skill was still active effect.
He looked at the timer of the skill,
[2:32]
I defeated it in half-time.
It was finally over.
Or so he thought.
Because the moment the knight's body faded—
A chilling whisper slithered through the air, barely a murmur yet heavy enough to shake the ruins. The temperature dropped, and the ground beneath Ray's feet trembled.
"Well done, Ray."
The voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. It carried an unnatural weight, a presence that coiled around his spine like a phantom's grip.
"I am glad I waited."
Ray's breath hitched. His instincts screamed—danger.
***