Chapter 274 (2): How Could the Family Not Fall Apart

Twilight Despair clashed with Shadow Nightmare. The two divine weapons were evenly matched, but not the wielders.

The divine messenger felt an explosive, unstoppable force that overpowered him, forcing him down on one knee for support as he raised Twilight Despair overhead, his body trembling. Large swaths of black mist erupted from his face.

“Die!” Wayne roared, pushing Shadow Nightmare down with full force. The grey tentacles surrounding him swarmed forward, forcing their way through the dense darkness and entangling the messenger’s black-robed figure.

Rip!

The tentacles cut the messenger into three segments. Shadow Nightmare overwhelmed Twilight Despair and swung down at the messenger’s head. When he dodged it, the blade cut through his shoulder instead, continuing toward his abdomen.

The tentacles snaked around the messenger’s severed body parts, lifting him into the air. White light blazed in Wayne’s eye sockets. Pure Death energy poured out like a mana tide, vibrating the air. In only a flash, the power corroded the messenger’s entire body.

Gulp!

x4

Objectively speaking, the son was much more powerful than the father.

Wayne’s one-sided domination over the Darkness Knight with his masterful command over the Death Knight’s power made Celeste and Juno abandon their wishful thinking. He was the Death Knight, with no connection to a reincarnated angel.

The strange symbol on Mona’s body could be explained away. The Death Knight was human with human desires, and he captured a pure clergywoman before subjecting her to relentless taming. Since Wayne was a noble from high society, he was able to corrupt Mona with his expert techniques.

Silvia stared at her son, dumbfounded. He looked a hundred percent like the Death Knight with no trace of Nature at all. Her heart ached with melancholy. She would never get her son back.

Also, shame on the loser father for needing the son to save the day.

So cool!

Veronica’s eyes lit up. Setting aside everything, Wayne was incredibly cool like this!

On the battlefield, the black mist reconstituted back into the black-robed figure, with red eyes on a face obscured by black mist and darkness shrouding the entire body. The messenger seemed entirely unharmed.

“Kekeke, nice substitution. Who was the person just now? How many more corpses are you hiding in your body?” Wayne stalked up with his sword, his laughter cheerful. Although he was breaking his character a little, he wasn’t worried.

If Silvia asked, he would claim that his personality change was a negative effect of the Death Knight transformation. Once he returned to his human state, he would still be the kind young man with a sunny disposition.

If Veronica asked, he would just shut her up without an explanation.

If Auston asked...

It’s none of your damn business!

Wayne had arrived late, so he hadn’t seen Alan’s arrogant mug, which meant he didn’t know that the corpse the messenger had used as a substitute had been a legendary mage, and one of the Ministry of Magic’s vice ministers at that.

The ministry had three vice ministers. One was devoured by an Astral Worm, and another was devoured by Darkness. Both left no bodies behind, and both were connected to the Lando family.

That was what loyalty looked like!

Buzz—

A vitality field extended, the almost all-pale world enveloping Wayne. He looked around, seeing a world on the verge of collapse. It had started out false and was now ready to crumble at a touch. It couldn’t even contain an ordinary Gold-ranked mage, let alone the Death Knight when he wielded Shadow Nightmare.

The messenger thrust Twilight Despair into the ground and said slowly, “I came by the goddess’s order, Death Knight. You shouldn’t have interfered. You’ve disrupted the Darkness Knight’s awakening.”

Just as Wayne had suspected!

The messenger claimed to be the chosen knight of Darkness, but it was a lie. He only had one goal: to make Auston awaken through suffering so that he could fully master Twilight Despair.

The Goddess of Darkness had chosen Auston from the start. It was Her game to tell Auston to look for the real chosen knight as the temporary holder of Twilight Despair. She had been grooming Auston all along, showing Her chosen knight tolerance by giving him time rather than forcing him to take on the mantle immediately.

Auston pursued wealth and had been content with a home life with his wife and daughter, lost in material satisfaction. His dismissive effort led to growth in his power, but it was far from sufficient. The Goddess of Darkness had been waiting for a long time.

Transform already!

She was getting tired of waiting.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“A world-ending crisis is happening in the Frozen Land,” the messenger said. “The chosen knights of Nature, Sun, and Moonlight are standing guard, but they aren’t enough. The Darkness Knight must awaken and join them.”

“And you, Death Knight, must have received the Goddess of Death’s oracle to go to the Frozen Land. You shouldn’t be working against me here!”

What does the Goddess of Death’s oracle have to do with me? The Headless Knight should be the one to go!

Wayne huffed silently. He wondered if the Headless Knight had received an oracle, and if so, whether the Goddess of Death had noticed her chosen knight’s betrayal.

He couldn’t figure out why the goddess seemed unbothered by the demon alliance’s control over the Headless Knight, forcing the knight to cheat on her. If she really didn’t care, Wayne would have to suspect that the goddess had a serious cuckolding fetish.

He couldn’t guess what the goddess was thinking, but as long as he was alive, he would not allow Silvia and Veronica to be harmed. That meant Auston would not fall into painful despair, and thus, he couldn’t fully awaken as the Darkness Knight.

“Twilight Despair lives up to its name. It’s not easy to be the Goddess of Darkness’s hound.” Wayne sneered. “I suggest you give up. With me around, Auston will never become the Darkness Knight.”

“He must. I may not be able to defeat you, but since the goddess has chosen him, he’s destined to endure suffering.”

“So, there’s going to be a next time?” Wayne radiated killing intent. “I don’t care how much pain Auston goes through, but I will not tolerate even the slightest frustration, much less suffering. If the Goddess of Darkness refuses to give up, I’ll slaughter every follower of Darkness in the Chosen Land, leaving Her with nothing.”

“Blasphemer, how dare you utter such words!” The messenger raged.

Clatter! Clink!

Soon after, the messenger fell silent, holding Twilight Despair without a word. He couldn’t win, simple as that.

“There are many people in the Chosen Land. Why must it be Auston? What’s so special about him? In my opinion, the Goddess of Darkness was clearly deceived by his smooth talk. That man is skilled at fooling women!”

Wayne brandished Shadow Nightmare and threatened, “I’ll make a concession today and send you to the goddess. Tell Her that either She picks someone else, or She loses all her followers.”

The messenger scoffed furiously. “Pick someone else? Easier said than done. What do you take Twilight Despair for? Or the Darkness Knight?”

“Can’t anyone with hands become the Darkness Knight?”

“Ignorant fool!”

“You’re the ignorant one...” Wayne murmured, making a horizontal swing to release surging Death energy. The grey shockwaves swept across the space around them and indiscriminately corroded everything as currents of air rippled out violently.

The messenger gripped Twilight Despair tightly, devouring Death with Darkness.

Although he knew he was outmatched, he refused to give up. His mission was to awaken Auston even at the cost of his life.

Each armed with a divine weapon, the two clashed and fought. Black light and Death spread in all directions. With a metallic clang, the messenger failed to match Wayne’s tremendous strength, and Twilight Despair flew out of his grip into the air.

Wayne kicked the messenger away, leaping up to catch Twilight Despair. With Death energy, he trapped the sword so that it couldn’t escape.

“It’s useless. Even if you hand Twilight Despair to Auston, he’s not the Darkness Knight now. I can take it from him anytime,” the messenger said unhurriedly.

“Not necessarily!”

Wayne’s jaw lowered in a grin. Dispersing the power of the Death Knight, he put Shadow Nightmare into the ground beside him while raising Twilight Despair overhead under the messenger’s incredulous gaze. It looked as if he was about to transform.

He couldn’t possibly do that!

The messenger laughed, amused by Wayne’s ignorant, fearless attempt. “The goddess chose Auston. He is the only chosen one. Even if the goddess chooses someone else after his disobedience, you won’t be that person. You’re already the Goddess of Death’s... Death’s...”

Black light surged, covering Wayne’s entire body in black armor. The Darkness Knight descended!

“Death’s... Death’s...”

Like a scratchy cassette tape, the messenger stammered the same word and couldn’t finish his sentence. His eyes became black as a question filled his mind: how could the equation between the Death Knight and the Darkness Knight be valid?

Rip!

When the messenger came to his senses, the Darkness Knight was right before him, and the messenger suffered the same fate as Alan, penetrated by Twilight Despair.

Wayne tested it. He couldn’t take Twilight Despair from the messenger, and the messenger couldn’t take Twilight Despair from him. It seemed that the messenger only had the power to override Auston; he came prepared, but not thoroughly enough.

Moreover, the messenger couldn’t unleash Twilight Despair’s full power, either. The Goddess of Darkness had to have given him only partial authority to subdue Auston.

The plan was solid, but unfortunately, he ran into a walking cheat!

“Tell the goddess—if you ever see her, that is—either pick someone else, or witness the faith of Death die out...”

Wayne tightened his grip around Twilight Despair’s hilt, devouring the messenger’s energy body. “I’ll proudly declare my name and take responsibility. I am the Goddess of Death’s chosen knight!”

Darkness returned to darkness. The messenger was dissipating at an astonishing rate.

“Why are you able to use Twilight Despair...”

“Why?”

“Are you the true chosen knight, and the goddess sent me to guide you?”

The messenger did not understand. Utterly confused, he could only assume that the goddess worked in mysterious ways that were beyond his comprehension.

“Sir Knight, go to the Frozen Land. The Darkness Knight’s power is necessary!” The messenger clutched Wayne’s arm. The red light in his eyes dimmed as he vanished under Twilight Despair’s blade. With his death, the surrounding world began to collapse.

Wayne swapped to the Death Knight disguise in an instant, walking toward his family with Twilight Despair.

What a headache. He needed to come up with an excuse.