The Ruined Death Knight

'This is what I want to ask, you damned magic caster.' Danzel cursed at the magic caster as he slowly lifted his body from the ground, his body shaking from the lack of dead mana inside of him.

"No, you won't." Nevvan said as he pushed his mana into the ground and guided it toward the death knight in front of him. Making the ice that has been reinforced with mana under him starting to cover the death knights legs.

"You!" Danzel shouted as he used his shield to crash the ice that has grown till his waist. But once he did, the ice only showed small cracks.

"I have fought beings far stronger than you and I always came victorious with my magic. This won't change even to this day! Even less by a cursed being just like yourself." Nevvan said as he raised on his two feet with difficulty, his head staring at the spilled blood on the ground.

"I spend all my years studying the ways of the arcane and reached the peaks that many people can't even hope to achieve. And compared to my colleagues of the same level, I went out and joined countless battlefields as a mercenary."

"Killed beings that were named as calamities and even witnessed the source of the incoming disaster, meeting countless abominations far worse than yourself. A newly born 4th-tier...a cursed being at that? Hah! You Never stood a chance against me!" Nevvan yelled as he raised his head looking at the half-frozen death knight.

Though without him realizing it, the dark mist that was present though out the wall, was slowly creeping closer and surrounding him. Then suddenly a spot of the dark mist explode, revealing to be a being with steel-like claws ranning towards the magic caster with his maw open and it's 3 ethereal eyes staring at him.

Being none other than Skull Claw, she jumped into the air with her mouth fully opened and her claws reaching out towards Nevvan.

"Kwaaaagouuhh!"

Shifting his head slightly to the side, Nevvan looked at the death hound solemnly and moved the hand that was focusing on Danzel towards Skull Claw.

"I had enough of you." Nevvan said with a weak voice as his mana traveled through the ground, creating 3 large ice pillars with sharp points from the ground.

The pillars penetrated Skull Claw's ribs, one of her back legs, and one penetrating her skull. Only the first two managed to break her body as the last aiming for her skull passed through her as that area was ethereal.

But even then, the pillars stopped Skull Claw's ambush and threw her body at the same side where her master was.

"Beagh!" Nevvan threw up a load of blood from his mouth as he shifted his body towards Danzel, who was getting closer to destroying the reinforced force.

"Haah~Let's end this already...insult of magic." Nevvan said as his shaking hand pointed at Danzel and creating slowly two spikes made out of the dark ice.

'This guy! How much mana does he have left!?' Danzel cursed as he started breaking the ice than was rooting him in place even faster.

But Nevvan wasn't going to wait for him to be set free.

"Die!" Nevvan yelled as he shot out the two dark ice spears toward Danzel.

Just as he did, the world of Danzel seemed to slow down as dread slowly started to appear in his mind. The slightest touch of those ice spears meant death and being sent toward the realm of the dead with potential no return.

He never stopped swinging his shield at the ice trapping him and he was almost about to break the ice, but by the time he broke the ice, the dark ice would touch him and freeze him into a sculpture and break apart.

He had no mana left, all of his was sucked with repairing the broken parts of his body, and even then he had a few ribs missing and a few cracks here and there.

Escape before incoming doom was...

Impossible.

'Dammit!!!' Danzel cursed internally, slamming his shield full in anger at the ice, making it crack, but not completely break.

And just as the dark ice spears reached the 10-meter mark, Danzel couldn't find to accept that he was going to die just like that. He started looking back at the fight and he started regretting it.

It was a foolish move to stay inside the ice field and fight isolated from the battlefield, where thousands of undead were there to help him and even humans to use to recover his mana.

The magic caster aimed to eliminate him instead of the army of the dead, speaking that he was a much greater threat. If he was out, he wouldn't have to deal with the ice elemental and instead focus his entire being on the magic caster.

Even then, he still couldn't believe that this human was capable to still stay alive after what wounds he inflicted on him. He bet everything on killing him by piercing his heart and he lost the bet.

When he thought of the plan, the odds definitely were on his side, but in the end, here he was, waiting for his death being unable to move, basically at the mercy of the magic caster.

Like the same bitter fate was repeating itself.

But unlike, unbeknownst to Danzel, his death was when he was helpless alone on top of the stage, and being shot to death.

...

This time someone stepped up to take the bullet for him.

"Kwaaoooh!" Skull Claw howled through the heavens as if declaring something.

Despite one of her legs being broken.

Despite her body being close to her destruction.

Despite her not being fully controlled.

Despite her not being ordered to do so.

Despite having the option to leave her master to die and finally be free from his influence.

She chose to raise her broken body above, dig her claws into the earth and dash forward.

Towards her creator and eternal master.

She jumped forward.

In the path of the dark ice spears that troubled her master greatly.

*Thack! Thack!

"!!!"

For a moment, Danzel couldn't comprehend what just happend.

At first, the sound of ice breaking he heard thought to be the dark ice spears penetrating his body and starting to freeze him. But the ice in front of him told him that the one hit by the dark ice spears wasn't actually hit.

He watched how Skull Claw's spine and a chunk of her skull were penetrated, and falling to his side, taking the dark ice spears with her.

*Thunk!

Finally, with a swing of his shield at the ice, he managed to break what was rooting him and he dashed forward towards the magic caster with newfound bloodlust, that even [Deathless Will] couldn't completely suppress.

"This thing-!" Nevvan cursed as he started creating several new black ice spears and sending them flying to Danzel.

Though now unrestrained in the ice, dodging the black ice spears to the side was easy for him.

Nevvan was starting to step back as he saw the death knight rushing at him dodging all his attacks and coming ever closer.

"You damned lowly Undea-"

Before Nevvan could finish his sentence, Danzel arrived in front of him and used his shield to slam his head with all his strength, sending Nevvan flying to the ground a few meters now with a cracked skull.

"Agh~agh~agh!" Nevvan lying on the ground could only groan from the pain, despite his magic numbing his pain sensors.

"Four years." Danzel said as he picked his sword from the ground and walked towards Nevvan.

"Four years ago, in a lone forest where you froze an undead and broke his body into pieces. You should even made sure that this undead has stayed dead for sure." Danzel said as he arrive in front of Nevvan, who had a shocked look of revelation.

"Y-You are-"

Not even allowing him to finish, Danzel thrusted his sword toward Nevvan's neck, making him drown in his blood.

"I never forget about you, magic caster." Danzel said.

Nevvan's eyelids felt heavy and his whole was growing darker, but even then he didn't give up.

He weakly raised one arm to aim at the death knight in front of him.

But before he could, Danzel drew his sword out of his throat and swung it at the raising hand, cutting it and throwing it to the side.

"I have grown tired of your magic." Danzel said with a cold tone, as he pierced his sword into Nevvan's chest.

Nevvan's body now lay emotionless, but his eyes filled with mana stared at the undead halfway closed.

"But don't worry, I won't turn you into an undead."

Hearing that, Nevvan's eyes gain a bit of color.

Even if he were to escape, Nevvan knew that he couldn't survive with all those wounds. While unwilling, he accepted his defeat. Though he doubted the death knight's words, inside his heart, the hope of not turning into a cursed being known as undead sprouted.

He slowly closed his eyes waiting for his death, but then Danzel twisted his sword and rune letters started to glow in an ominous dark green light.

"As my revenge is through servitude."

The dark green light latched on Nevvans body, forcefully dragging his soul out of his body towards the outside, looking like a copy of his body.

The soul of Nevvan looked confused at the surroundings of his now, dead body.

"W-What have you done!?" Nevvan's soul yelled as he suddenly felt a force dragging him into the ominous blade.

"Eternal servitude is the fate that your soul awaits." Danzel said while glaring at Nevvan's eyes.

The glare of his and the words that the death knight, made Nevvan realize the terrifying situation that he was in.

"N-NO!!! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! Something like this! Someone who reached the highest level of magic! I CAN'T ACCEPT IT!! Noooooo~!!!" Nevvan's defenses echoed through the surroundings as his soul was being sucked into the runes

But even then, his soul found his way, trapped into the [Rune of Þolian Repent].

Danzell gave the lifeless and soulless body of the magic caster a last look before turning to look at Skull Claw which was slowly freezing.

"You..."