Chapter 629: Fallen Knight

"Murr," mooed the Minotaur while standing in front of Oren. Even in his half-consciousness, Oren could see steam rising from his nostrils. Unlike the Skywalkers, this monster was far from capable of carrying on a conversation despite its strength.

The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and he found it hard to breathe. His chest was caved in as if the ribs had broken and pierced his lungs. A single attack from a monster far stronger than him would end his life, even if he tried his best.

"I have no regrets for how it would end," smiled Oren as blood dripped down from his chin while looking at the monster before him. "But it is sad to see it ending."

It was beyond sad, but this was how Oren undermined his feelings. However, he couldn't help but bite his low lips in frustration this time. He was ready to die, but he hated how abrupt and random it would end.

"Oren!" shouted Kody from afar, halting his sprint. The Minotaur's attention was drawn by the shout and turned toward the three escapees, making Oren panic.

"Don't stop!" roared Oren despite his pain, and a fireball appeared in front of his chest. "You will all die if it pursues you!" his desperate scream ended with the fireball hurling toward the Minotaur and striking its chest.

"Muuuurrr!" roared the monster with rage, but its attention was again drawn toward Oren. The mingled young awakener smiled in triumph as he saw that the monster was looking at him.

"That is right, monster. I am the enemy."

The Minotaur roared with rage, its howls making Oren's body shake. Then, it raised its fist toward the sky before bringing it down toward Oren. Earlier, Oren couldn't see the monster attack, but it was now as clear as day.

"Ah, I will die," muttered the awakener before closing his eyes. However, despite the tragedy of his words, his face carried acceptance of his fate.

The wind screamed as it parted in front of the fist, unable to withstand the pressure. Then, before it ended his life in that split second, Oren snapped his eyes open and glared at the fist.

"However, not today!" shouted Oren as the attack was inches from obliterating his face. However, he didn't flinch or weep but refused to die.

There were no trump cards left for Oren. His powers had been exhausted, and his life was nearing its end. As one can put it, this was a baseless refusal to die. Oren didn't have a method to save himself, but he wouldn't accept death.

The world froze as the monster's fist was about to smash his fist. Oren was also frozen, but he could somehow feel, think, and realize that time had stopped. His eyes didn't blink, but he could see everything. 

"This, I like."

A voice spoke from everywhere, and if voices were colors, then this one was transparent. Silver butterflies appeared out of nowhere and filled the suddenly gray and frozen world.

"You, human," addressed the voice, and Oren could tell it was talking to him. "A contract, form with me."

Oren didn't understand what was happening, but he could somehow tell that this creature wasn't something from Earth. After all, the recent events pointed otherwise, especially with the revelation of the Skywalkers. Therefore, Oren tried to speak to it, but his body wouldn't move.

"Who are you?" asked Oren without his mouth moving, and he could hear his voice in this world. "And what do you mean by a contract."

"A spirit, I am. Abyss, I have fallen from. A demon, you may call me, does not matter. A bond, a contract is. Now, answer me."

His manner of speech almost gave Oren a headache, but he still managed to make out what it was trying to say. However, there was no such a thing as spirits unless they were monsters Oren had never heard about.

"There is no reason for me to accept what you offer me," Oren was apprehensive as he had no idea what would happen if he agreed.

"Death, otherwise."

The spirit made a valid point there, as the alternative for not accepting would be Oren's death. However, what if accepting was a fate worse than death, like eternal domination or becoming a mindless monster who would kill innocents?

"Strength, I would give you," said the spirit as the silver butterflies began to gather to form a creature, which should be the spirit. "Your life, I will save."

"And what would I give you in return? Full control of my body?"

"Master, of your body you shall be," the spirit formed to reveal a masked silver creature looking with giant translucent wings. Its mask looked like a cage hiding its face, and its body was covered with armor, but it was humanoid. "I came here, through the void, for fun. For fun, I need a soul. Half of your soul, I will give you strength for."

"You are telling me to make a contract with the devil for strength at the expense of my soul?" asked Oren with helplessness. "You are truly a demon, caged-old man."

"Answer?"

"Your offer, I shall take," replied Oren. "Give me the strength in exchange for existing within me, demon."

"A contract, we have formed. I shall be you, and you shall be me, and we shall conquer whatever our eyes will see."

The giant hand of the spirit reached out toward him as it recited the words. Then, Oren watched the giant fingers entering his body.   

Oren was still frozen, but the impact of something entering his body was far worse than the last attack. First, it felt like a mountain struck him, and it wanted to crush his existence. Then, a tearing pain came from within his soul, and Oren couldn't hold back his screams anymore.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The pain was far worse than anything he had ever felt. As soon as the pain appeared, Oren wanted to forsake the contract to die instead. It broke every resolve he had, but everything ended. As soon as it ended, Oren was left without energy.

"The first, you are to survive," said the voice in the frozen world. "Thousands, have failed before you."

"I wish for death rather than remembering that pain," muttered Oren as his body began to shake. "It seems we are truly one now, devil. Tell me, what is your name?"

"My name is Lancelot, the Imprisoned Knight," answered the spirit within him. "Over, our time is. My strength, you may wield."

"Whether you are a fallen knight or a demon from hell, I accept you," said Oren as his body began to shake. A surge of unknown power surged within him as objects around him lost their silver color. "As I said before, not today!"

A mana explosion came from Oren's body, pushing the fist and the Minotaur away. A metallic silver fluid sprouted from his deformed chest and covered the entirety of his body in armor before reaching his face.

As the fluid gathered in front of his face, it began to form iron bars, the same as the cage Lancelot had on its face. Oren could no longer feel pain nor fear death. Instead, his body arched as he rose from the ground, and his arms couldn't stop shaking.

"The greatest power of a knight is not his sword," muttered Oren as he realized the strength that he had obtained, "but his conviction! This is the power that made you fall, Lancelot. You bow to no king!"

The spirit was a wanderer fallen knight, and a kingless soldier other for its conviction. Oren could feel his conviction to live morph and appear as a silver greatsword in his hand. As Oren raised his weapon, it towered over the howling Minotaur.

"Sword of Conviction!" shouted Oren as he held the sword with a single hand. This knowledge was foreign to him, but as if sharing his soul allowed him to learn things he never knew.

"Murrrrr!!!" the Minotaur realized the threat that Oren had become, and it howled with rage before holding its hands together and raising them. Red mana covered the monster as its muscles bulged and its size grew bigger.

"To live or die," Oren glared from behind the cage. "Let us compete."

The Minotaur brought its arms down toward Oren, whose body looked puny in comparison to the size of the monster and silver the greatsword. Oren slashed down with his weapon, wielding his full conviction through this sword.

The sword collided with the fists, which Oren couldn't harm earlier. As the two forces collided, a shockwave destroyed the ground and buildings around them. Oren howled as he pushed his conviction down before his body was sent flying.

The armor around his body began to break as he crashed into several buildings and rolled on the ground. His blood dyed the street as his earlier wounds reopened. Then, Oren slammed against a giant fallen wall, making him cough out blood.

The hazy vision made it hard to see whether he had won or lost. Finally, as the dust cloud settled around the Minotaur, Oren managed to see the result of his attack. The monster which was impenetrable earlier was now torn into two halves.

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