Incubus Ascension-Chapter 23

Liam cursed under his breath as he stared at the Dead Knight Fortress in the distance.

The name alone gave him the creeps, like the place was mocking anyone stupid enough to come near it.

Every time he thought about those words "Dead Knight," his stomach twisted.

Something about it felt wrong, like the whole area was soaked in bad luck.

His eyes drifted upward. The red lotus. It had to be up there, on top of that mountain.

That’s where the boss probably was sitting, waiting. No point delaying it.

He took a deep breath and started walking into the forest. The trees were thick, shadows everywhere.

About twenty steps in, movement caught his eye, a figure passing maybe fifteen meters to his left.

He squinted, heart kicking up a notch. Armor. Full plate, dark and dented. One of the dead knights.

His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword so hard his knuckles hurt. Okay, calm down.

You’re only hitting with 3.5-level strength right now.

That means every single swing has to be a critical hit if you want to drop one of these things in one go. Miss, and you’re screwed.

If he messed this up... there’s no retry. A level 10 enraged knight would just flatten him. He’d be dead before he could even beg.

He pressed his palm against his chest, feeling his heartbeat slamming against his ribs. Alright. He really hoped this works.

He dropped into a crouch and started moving forward, slow and careful, trying to keep his breathing quiet.

Step by step. The knight hadn’t noticed him yet; he was just walking his patrol route like a machine.

When he was maybe five meters away, he remembered the skill upgrade book still sitting in his inventory. No time like the present.

He mentally pulled it up and dumped the points into Ki Strike.

A familiar ding rang in his head.

Upgrade successful.

Ki Strike (F-) → Cleave (E+)

He let out a slow breath. Better. Not great, but better.

Okay. One chance. One shot to take his head off before he even turns around. If he failed, worst-case scenario plays out and he died right here.

He activated Sword Aura.

Another ding, louder this time.

Skill Combination Detected

[Cleave (E+)] + [Sword Aura (C-)]

Temporary Skill Created:

[Dismantle (B+)]

His eyes went wide. The blade in his hand suddenly looked wrong, violent.

Black smoke curled around the edge, chaotic, hungry.

The aura wasn’t calm anymore; it felt like it wanted to tear everything apart.

No time to overthink it.

He lunged forward and swung with everything he had, aiming straight for the back of his helmet.

The impact was brutal. Metal screamed. The helmet shattered like cheap glass, pieces flying everywhere.

The sheer force drove the broken helmet downward, it slammed into the dirt and actually carved a small crater.

His legs gave out. He dropped to his knees, whole body shaking, arms and legs completely numb.

It felt like he’d been hit by a truck. Made sense, though. Rank B+ skill, one-shotting a level 10 enemy.

His body wasn’t built to channel that kind of power yet.

He stayed frozen there on the ground, heart hammering so loud he was sure something else would hear it.

If another knight walked by right now, he was done. No strength left to even stand.

Slowly, very slowly, feeling started creeping back into his fingers. He clenched his fist, testing it.

Then the notification hit.

+500 EXP

Leveling up!

Level 2.5 → Level 4

A stupid grin broke across his face despite how wrecked he felt. "Nice."

After that, the pattern repeated.

Spot a knight, sneak in low and quiet, combo Cleave + Sword Aura into Dismantle, swing for the head.

Each kill got a little easier as his level climbed and his body got used to the strain.

By the time he reached the base of the mountain he was drenched in sweat.

He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm and muttered, "Killing them all was rough... but I made it."

He pulled up his status real quick. Level 7 now. Not bad for a couple hours of work.

He looked up at the mountain. Still daylight.

Plenty of time to climb, grab the lotus, and get back to Olivia before night fell.

"Alright," he said to himself. "Short break first. Catch my breath."

He sat on a rock, chest heaving, letting his pulse slow down.

At the same time, back in town, the armed group had finished kicking in every door in the main streets.

Their leader was rubbing his head so hard he could almost hear the skin scraping.

"Where the hell are they? We turned this goddamn town upside down!"

One of his men jogged up.

"Boss, we didn’t check everywhere. There’s that old apartment building on the edge of town. We skipped it."

The leader froze mid-rub. "Is that so..." He exhaled hard through his nose.

"Fine. We’ll check it. But tomorrow. I’m not dragging my ass over there tonight."

The guy nodded. "Got it, boss." He turned and started walking back to the others to pass the word.

The leader stayed where he was, staring down at Liam’s picture in his hand. His voice came out low and ugly.

"I’m gonna find you... and when I do, I’ll take my time. You’ll regret making me chase you this far."

Meanwhile, he finished his break, rolled his shoulders, and stood up. "Alright. Let’s climb this thing."

He slid the sword onto his back and started up.

The wind at the higher parts was brutal, kept slamming into his chest, trying to shove him off the path.

A couple times he slipped, fingers scraping rock, heart in his throat. But he kept going. One handhold, one foothold at a time.

Finally he pulled himself over the last ledge.

There it was. A black castle, sharp pointed towers stabbing into the sky.

All Dark and Grim. The kind of place that looked like it hated sunlight.

Red lotus is in there. Has to be.

He walked up to the massive gates, put both hands on them, and pushed. They groaned open, heavy and reluctant.

Inside was one huge room. At the far end sat a throne. And on the throne was a black knight, massive, armored head to toe.

A golden greatsword rested against the armrest next to his hand.

White light glowed in his eye slits. He stood up slowly, deliberately. Lifted the sword. Started walking toward him.

His heart dropped into his stomach when the system tag appeared over his head.

Level 25

Red Knight Captain: Anos