Deep within the fog-shrouded plaza, thick darkness silently devoured everything in sight.
Leomaster gripped his deep, freezing greatsword, standing at the center of the viscous, pitch-black shadow.
His glowing red eyes were the only source of light within.
That red glow locked onto Silas.
"Whoosh..."
The shadows surged like a tidal wave, rushing toward Silas's position and instantly surrounding him.
They sought to assimilate his shadow, guiding his spirituality toward depravity and madness.
The "Black Knight's" other formidable ability: "Shadow of Depravation"!
Silas stood his ground, facing the vast darkness head-on.
"Swish!"
His own shadow immediately came to life, beginning to move rapidly.
Like a small whirlwind, it spun swiftly at his feet, blocking Leomaster's encroaching corruption from the outside.
"Hmph."
The "Saint of Darkness's" red glow flickered slightly, as if mocking Silas's foolish defiance.
Of course, under the suppression of a higher Sequence within the same pathway, facing a "Black Knight" who specialized in shadow abilities, how could Silas's shadow powers possibly work?
But Leomaster's amusement didn't last long.
"Boom!"
The two masses of shadow collided, and he froze in shock.
That spinning black mass was so heavy he couldn't move it at all.
And that wasn't the worst part, he could feel the raw, overwhelming emotions trapped inside it.
Twisted resentments left behind by tens of thousands of deaths, gathered into Silas's shadow, carried and borne by him.
The sheer emotional weight even shook the mind of the "Saint of Darkness."
How is this possible?
A surge of intense disbelief coursed through Leomaster as their battle in the shadow domain hit a deadlock.
This guy… he's already completed the "Black Knight" ritual ahead of schedule?
And the feelings trapped in that shadow…
"You're insane!"
Leomaster's eyes locked on Silas as he shouted, fury lacing his voice. "You consumed all those corrupted ones? You're more insane than the entire Aurora Order!"
"Don't lump me in with you people."
Silas sneered coldly.
"I chose to bear their pain and sins willingly, unlike you, who spread twisted values with false doctrines, luring the world into depravity. Your Lord is wrong, and you who carry out His will are complete fools!"
How do you get under a believer's skin?
Attack their beliefs directly, of course, and shatter the very foundation of their faith!
"I... will... not... allow... you..."
Leomaster roared at the top of his lungs, and the surrounding shadows surged violently in response.
Enraged beyond reason, he charged forward, treading upon the shadows.
As his greatsword swung, the pitch-black tide answered, rising into massive waves that threatened to engulf everything.
Perfect, perfect!
He's becoming more and more unhinged!
Facing the oncoming black greatsword, Silas thought to himself.
The "Desire Apostle's" ability let him sense the continuously deteriorating state of his opponent's emotions.
From the very beginning, he had been trying various methods, all to make the "Saint of Darkness's" own mental issues erupt prematurely!
Next, should he use the "Baron of Corruption's" "Corruption" ability to twist his psyche, or use the "Arbiter" pathway's "Psychic Piercing" to increase the agony in his soul?
No, those could wait. Right now, the most urgent priority was dodging Leomaster's strike...
The vast shadows created by the Black Knight were viscous and heavy.
If it were an ordinary Beyonder, they would likely be trapped deep within, unable to escape, only able to watch helplessly as they were cleaved in two by the greatsword.
But for Silas, that wasn't a problem.
He could continue using "Faming Jump"... "Paper Figurine Substitution" maintained a spiritual connection, so even if the paper figurine was struck, he would still suffer damage at the soul level.
In that split second, Silas made his decision and began activating the Lamb's soul within his body...
Suddenly, his body abruptly stalled.
Everything before his eyes began to slow down, the black, abyssal greatsword enlarging before him frame by frame.
This sensation was familiar; it was exactly like the ability Rosago had used on him before.
"Marionettist."
Leomaster had shepherded a Marionettist!
By maintaining his black swordsman form, he had successfully made Silas overlook one thing: Black Knights also possessed the "Shepherd" ability, and it was even stronger than that of a "Shepherd"!
"Whoosh!"
The sound of ocean waves immediately followed, dispelling the slowdown and restoring everything around them to normal speed.
The deceleration lasted only for an instant, but it had brought extremely serious consequences.
Silas's process of activating the Lamb had been interrupted!
By the time he could activate "Faming Jump" again, it was already too late.
Leomaster had suddenly accelerated while using "Shepherd," specifically to seize this opportunity for a fatal strike.
His deep, pitch-black greatsword had reached right before Silas!
"Boom!"
The black greatsword cleanly cut Silas's body in half at the waist.
A moment later, his body began to flatten and shrink, ultimately transforming into a paper figurine corroded to pitch black.
And he himself appeared more than ten meters behind Leomaster.
Had he dodged it?
No, not completely...
At Silas's waist, a pitch-black fissure silently tore open.
"Thud."
His massive frame slowly weakened, and the demonic features faded away.
The "Abyss" card dropped from Silas's torn wound, his body returning to its normal state as the wound continued to expand and corrode!
"Snap!"
Just as Silas's body was about to split in two, he forcibly pressed his hand against the wound, then activated his blood and flesh domain's healing ability with all his strength, forcing his tissue to rapidly regenerate and combat the residual aura of depravity left by the sword strike.
Damn it, damn it!
Fury welled up in Silas's eyes as he felt the sound of ocean waves in his mind suddenly fade.
The ocean waves had blocked the black greatsword's damage to his soul, but as a price, they had also been cut away by more than half and wouldn't last much longer!
"Blasphemer! You're about to be killed by me!"
Leomaster turned his head, revealing a fierce and twisted smile. "All those who defy the Lord's will shall... cough, cough!"
He suddenly bent over, erupting into a violent fit of coughing.
"Disease"!
The pathogens that had been secretly lurking in his body for so long finally erupted at this moment, immediately followed by symptoms like high fever and sneezing!
As a Sequence 4, Leomaster shouldn't have been so fragile, struggling to resist the "Demoness of Affliction's" plague.
It was just that he had been locked in a stalemate with Silas for so long, and his own mental state was also very poor, which finally gave the Sequence 5 "Plague" an opening to exploit.
"Cough, cough..."
Leomaster looked at Silas coldly. He didn't launch another attack but instead stood in place, pressing his hand against his chest.
He was using blood magic to heal himself.
This plague had to be taken seriously; otherwise, even the "Saint of Darkness" would find it difficult to cope with increasingly severe symptoms.
With his level of strength, treatment would probably take several minutes.
Thus, a bizarre stalemate emerged: Silas covered his torn wound to recover, while Leomaster also stood in place, treating his disease.
The two stared at each other coldly, both knowing they didn't have much time left.
Victory and defeat would be decided in the instant after recovery!