Terminally-Ill Genius Dark Knight

Chapter 214

214. Fragments of Memory [1]

Cough!

I straighten my staggering body, coughing up bloody phlegm.

My consciousness is fading.

Is there still no sign of Thalia’s awakening?

‘It feels like 30 minutes have passed…’

Even if the perception of time varies from person to person, that much time must have passed.

Now, only I, Robert, who was battered beside me, and Ulysses were left.

From the start, Ulysses’ attacks were ineffective. We’ve all been too busy fending off the enemy’s assaults, and Robert isn’t strong enough to defeat Cell, who has grown even more powerful in her devilization state.

Some might find it frustrating.

Either way, your daughter has already become a demon now.

She must be killed.

This is the time for rational judgment.

But… isn’t that a father?

Even knowing that more could be lost, he still couldn’t bring himself to end it.

It’s a strange feeling.

Is this the warmth that Yoochan, after living so long, had yearned to feel?

The warmth of family and those who seek me out. Is this the tenderness that comes from it?

I realize I can’t free myself from these thoughts.

And at the same time, I despair.

Because my life wasn’t like this.

Because all I’ve ever known was having a part of my life torn away, leaving nothing but longing and wishing.

Then, suddenly, another thought crosses my mind.

The last words Theo von Reinhaver spoke to me.

— Survive.

Why did he say that to me?

To him, wasn’t I just trash, not even weird to be disposed of at any moment?

It’s complicated.

I shouldn’t dwell on it anymore.

[Player’s physical strength has fallen below a certain threshold!]

My stamina is being shredded like mad.

This isn’t good.

‘Of course, I still have 10 minutes of Genius’s Time left to use, but… I should save it for the worst-case scenario.’

Damn it.

I curse under my breath and look at Belial.

The enemy is unharmed.

I haven’t even been able to summon dark element, fighting only with moonlight.

And even that is mostly thanks to Luna.

Since I never learned mid-stage form, expecting high destructive power is unrealistic.

The fact that it’s broad daylight doesn’t help either.

After all, the Moonlight Sword grows stronger when darkness descends.

Even if I use the third form of the initial stage, Moon Split, taking him down is impossible.

This is my current situation.

Ulysses is no different. Heaven-Breaking Sword.

Even a sword that claims to sunder the heavens couldn’t stop the thick malice shrouding this place. Belial knew his advantages too well, and with no one left who could defeat Cell with White Flame, this battle had become nothing more than a desperate struggle.

A mere human’s flailing.

That’s probably what he thinks.

[I, Belial, shall become the absolute supreme being of hell!]

As he declares his ambition, the situation begins to change.

The voice of the girl I believed in reached my ears.

And then, that presence begins to spread.

“Don’t take my sister, Nox…My father, away from me.”

A girl who declares she won’t let anything be taken stands before me.

Before I realize it, she’s by my side, igniting White Flame and making her proclamation.

Beautiful. Radiant. There are many words to describe her, but none suffice. The mana Thalia now wields is beyond reason.

One who surpasses their limits grows even stronger.

Right now, Thalia, at the very least, won’t lose to Cell with White Flame.

“You were faster than I expected.”

I say this as I straighten my staggering body.

Thalia, wrapped in white flames, begins to raise the Sword of Judgment.

[What…! How did she suddenly grow stronger?!]

Belial stares at Thalia in shock. The miracle happened in that moment. Slowly, the malice begins to recede from Cell’s body.

The pitch-black pupils regain their white sclera, and the black thorns that had spread like tattoos across her skin start to fade.

The meaning is clear.

‘White Flame is taking effect.’

Thalia is completing White Flame.

I recall the past.

Back when I played the game, I, Yoochan had a deep attachment to Thalia as a unit, as a character. She was someone who, despite the deepest despair in the darkest abyss, never stopped believing she could overcome it. So, without hesitation, I always used the sole Awakening opportunity on her.

After that, Thalia, awakened with White Flame, wielded overwhelming power against demons.

Holy family units aren’t easy to control. Echidna von Zenos and the princess who now became the Emperor aren’t an exception. With these two families, the moment you start from a dark family, requesting their aid is already difficult. In the end, the key to clearing Inner Lunatic lay with Thalia von Stiliner.

It all depended on this prodigious unit, who kept pushing forward even when she hit her limits.

Now, she must have seen a new path.

Just like when Nox, bearing the ‘Genius’ trait, first returned to this world, she must have glimpsed something ordinary talent could never see.

And that will grant Thalia a sense of elevation and fulfillment she’s never felt before.

“…Ng. Nox, you waited a long time, didn’t you?”

Thalia says this, then shifts her gaze to her sister.

The icy indifference on Cell’s face melted into heated joy as her lips began to tremble with difficulty.

“Tha.. lia…”

“Thalia, are you alright?!”

At Robert’s words, Thalia nods slightly.

She smiles. Clear and bright, like spring sunlight.

A smile fit for family.

But the expression that follows is that of a cold knight.

“How dare you toy with my family. I won’t tolerate you anymore.”

[You damned bitch…! How did you wake up? How did you gain this power?! Don’t tell me some meddling angel intervened!]

“You don’t need to know. I am but one of the White Flame Knights. Here to judge evil.”

She smiles faintly as she stares at him.

'We were barely holding up, huh’

With that trivial thought, I calmly steady my breathing.

Now begins Phase 2. You damn demon bastard.

[hr]

[Character ‘Thalia von Stiliner’ has completed her Awakening!]

[Acquired ‘White Flame Knight’!]

[Active Skill ‘Evil’s judgement’ acquired!]

The message window appears a moment later.

[Evil’s judgement]

I focus on Thalia’s newly acquired skill.

A technique honed by slaughtering countless demons, piling mountains of their corpses.

Merely swinging the White Flame-imbued sword at an enemy activates it, but only if the target is a demon.

Against demons, this skill’s destructive power naturally surpasses the [Moon Split] I use.

Not even Paracelsus could wield a skill stronger than Thalia’s [Evil’s Judgement] now.

This is why.

White Flame, and above all, why Thalia had to survive.

True to her faith, she doesn’t yield an inch to Belial, instead overwhelming his strikes.

Cheenggg——!

The violent clash of blades rings out.

[…Damn it!]

The demon’s frustration is laid bare.

Belial shouts again.

[Cut her down! Now! Move!]

Though the command comes, Cell’s body freezes mid-motion. The encroaching White Flame begins purging the darkness shrouding her.

I quickly shout to Ulysses and Robert.

“Everyone, fall back! Get as far away as possible! The demon can switch hosts!”

Ulysses and Robert move quickly while shouting out.

“Nox, what about you?”

“You should move too!”

“I still have something left to do.”

After answering clearly, I step behind Thalia.

“Nox, you should retreat too. It’ll be dangerous.”

Thalia says this. She’s learned to speak like this now.

It’s touching, but.

“For someone who learn a sword from me, do you think you’ve already surpassed me?”

“At least when it comes to my sister?”

Thalia responded like that, but she didn’t lose focus.

She didn’t giggle,

Or blushing like usual.

Just, focused.

Because we’ve finally reached the end of this damned battle.

Thalia hesitates for a moment, then nods.

She knows her sister is dying even now.

And if she trusts me, she must make the choice here.

Battles on this continent always demand someone’s death as collateral.

This time, it’s just mine.

Nothing changes.

Resolved, Thalia gathers the overflowing White Flame into her sword. Then, she begins overwhelming Belial.

Chaeng! Chaeng! Chaeng!

Short. And then as if extended. Her blade is moving freely.

Thalia’s swordsmanship was already at a masterful level, lacking only in adaptability.

Over the past few days, I taught her how to introduce variables into her sword, this is completely different from the Stiliner’s.

Thus, Belial, who relies on Cell’s swordsmanship as a base, will need time to react and adapt.

Which means.

Now is the decisive moment to end him.

I didn’t draw the Moonlight Sword, but the Black Sword. I channel my mana, waiting for him to react. Praying he takes the bait.

[Enough! You dare attack me, Belial, and survive…?! I’ll send you all to hell…!]

“Try it. If you can.”

Thalia says this. Then slams White Flame into the throat of the demon wearing her sister’s body.

That moment.

[There’s no way… I’d die like this]

Cell’s body begins to collapse. The red sword in her hand clatters to the ground.

Then, the demon’s spirit form leaps toward me.

[You dare wield darkness before me?! You are a fool, huh, Reinhaver…!]

“No.”

This situation, this moment.

Even his lines. Had this been a script, I’d have predicted it all.

That’s why, even as my body might be stolen, I feel exhilaration.

This battle is ours.

“Thalia!”

"Ng!”

Thalia lunges from behind.

As if reading his movements, she intercepts him.

Then, she swings her sword at the demon, his face twisted in bafflement.

Sschick—!

A clean, severing sound, unnaturally crisp for something cutting a soul.

Belial’s face splits in two. His fading expression is filled with rage.

That’s directed solely at me.

Then, just before he touches me, mere centimeters away, he snarls.

[Damn… To think I’d fall like this…!]

I shrug, answering only with cold eyes and a gesture.

“Die.”

Belial’s form flickers faintly.

Like mist—like an illusion that never existed, his presence erases itself.

All that remains here are the survivors.

I realize it.

This time too, I’ve survived.

And the enemy was dead.

At the same time, another thought strikes me.

After countless miracles, I stand here, huh.

At the very end, for the first time, I’ve finally placed myself atop those miracles…