However, this time the Titan frost-walker did not manifest a height of over a hundred meters. That kind of terrifying size was merely a hollow display, a spectacle created by piling up every available material and component.
A true combat form needed to be more condensed; fifty meters or so was just about right.
"Ha, this towering stature... as expected of an ancient blasphemous creation."
Dathrohan looked up at the massive Titan frost-walker and let out a cold laugh.
With such a staggering difference in scale, a human looked like an ant at the Titan's feet, making it seem impossible to face in a duel.
Yet Dathrohan showed no fear. The grail knight plunged his silver sword into the ground, and the blade immediately erupted with flowing light that continued to surge upward.
Creak, screech—
The sound of metal grinding echoed as the light expanded. In the next instant, Dathrohan’s figure vanished, replaced by the silhouette of a colossus emerging into reality.
That colossus looked like a scaled-up version of the grail knight, holding a massive silver sword in its left hand and a kite-shaped shield-armor in its right as it stood firmly upon the earth.
Compared to the terrifying height of the Titan frost-walker, the colossus summoned by Dathrohan was only about twenty meters tall. Though it was still outmatched in volume, it was at least no longer absurdly so.
Watching through the monitoring screen behind the 【Mountain Father】, Faust recognized it at a glance:
"That is... the Knight-God Stance."
It was a skill that summoned a physical colossus for a short duration to enhance destructive power.
This wasn't a unique skill of the 【grail knight】. Theoretically, any path under the 【knight】 category could learn the Knight-God Stance.
Even Viviana, as a 【royal guard knight】, could learn this skill after stepping onto the path of the 【hero】. Given his childhood friend's peerless talent, it was almost certain she would master it.
Otherwise, what did people think the term "knight" meant? Did they really think it only gave buffs to mounts?
The unique trait of the 【knight】 paths was that they grew larger the more they fought!
Once Dathrohan revealed his Knight-God Stance, the Titan frost-walker moved. It raised its sword-spear, modified from mining equipment, and lunged straight toward the grail knight.
Being of ancient origin, the Titan possessed formidable skills and decades of combat experience. If the grail knight were tackled in its desperate charge, the consequences would be dire.
However, Dathrohan was a veteran of many battles. He remained calm and composed, watching the Titan's frantic actions with cold eyes. In the next moment, he raised the Knight-God's greatsword.
Sssss—
Magic of incredible density flowed onto the blade out of thin air, igniting it with brilliant flares of light. It looked as if the surrounding space was being burned into a void, dripping with a golden, molten solution.
This was the signature skill of the 【grail knight】, the Blazing Lake-Light Fire.
It possessed a triple attack buff: anti-steel, anti-magic, and anti-beast.
At the very moment the Titan frost-walker closed the distance, the grail knight delivered a swift and vicious thrust... piercing straight through the former.
Clang-thud—
The heavy Titan was pushed back by Dathrohan until it slammed against the high walls of the 【Mountain Father】.
Every single spell barrier failed in that instant, crumbling into dust. Even the city walls, capable of withstanding volleys of heavy artillery, had the Titan embedded into them.
Rumble—
The defensive system of the 【Mountain Father】 collapsed layer by layer like a sandcastle facing a tsunami.
Then, the Knight-God withdrew the molten-gold greatsword and, like a precise scalpel, slashed through the key joints of the Titan's body. The grand construct was nearly dismantled, collapsing with a deafening crash.
A one-shot kill!
Only the core central sphere ejected at the final critical moment, fleeing back into the fortress.
Dathrohan slowly sheathed his longsword, the massive entity reflecting a rainbow of light under the sun.
He did not bother to intercept the escaping titan's core. From beneath the Knight-God, the grail knight's calm voice echoed:
"Next."
Oh no, he actually pulled it off!
Those are the lines I wanted to say! Those were my lines!
Seeing his enemy acting so cool right in front of him, Faust felt a physical tightness in his chest from the frustration.
When the titan's core flew back, even though he was just a bystander, Faust felt compelled to offer a sharp critique:
"Your combat techniques are excessively crude. You were one-shotted just like that."
Though the Prince of Qingxi firmly believed that stats trumped everything, the problem was that one's skill couldn't be this poor. It would be fine if your stats were so high the opponent couldn't break your defense, but in terms of actual numbers, it was hard to say whether the Titan frost-walker or the grail knight held the advantage.
The defeated titan's core replied with self-justified logic:
"We were never equipped with combat algorithms. All our previous battles were resolved quite easily."
They had relied on sheer power for too long, and now that they were in a high-level encounter, their flaws were exposed.
Faust almost laughed in frustration.
"If this continues, you are all just lining up to die. The grail knight is slaughtering you at the front door. How is this even a fight?"
"It seems the situation has indeed taken a turn for the worse," Snow White said calmly. She wasn't overly panicked; according to her aesthetic principles, even if she were to die in the next second, she would not display any unrefined behavior.
Seeing the air of pessimism spread, Faust consulted with Mephistopheles for a moment before suddenly speaking up:
"Since you don't know how to fight, how about letting me try?"
"Hmm?"
Selena and the titan's cores looked toward Faust.
The Prince of Qingxi spoke indifferently:
"Among your components, you should have something like a Neural Link Pod, right? Let your Titan bodies become my own. I will manually pilot it to duel the grail knight."
The patterns on the surface of the titan's core flickered.
"Lord Faust, how do you know about those... They do indeed exist, but they were devices developed during the Golden Age for the rare occasions when humans needed to synchronize with us."
"Using it for combat... it might be feasible, but the Neural Link Pod will reflect damage back to your own body. Human, you might suffer injuries that could be fatal."
"Faust... you intend to go and fight the grail knight?"
Upon hearing the drawbacks of the Neural Link Pod, Selena's brow furrowed slightly. She shook her head and said, "There is no need for you to do this. Although I jokingly knighted you as a guardian knight, I never intended for you to sacrifice yourself for me."
"You considered that a joke? I'm truly being looked down upon, then. I never considered it a joke."
Faust smiled and said, "I have always been serious. Since I have been knighted, it is time for me to take the field."
At any other time, Faust would never dare claim he could clash with a 【grail knight】. The illustrious reputation of a grail knight was something he knew all too well.
Winning against a 【grail knight】 just by manually piloting a Titan? What a pipe dream!
However, right now was an exception.
Because he was currently inside the destiny script of the 【witches' feast】, playing the role of the "princess's guardian knight," and they were at a critical moment of life and death.
The conditions were perfect; the buffs were fully stacked.
As long as the wheel of destiny still followed its basic principles, it would know what to do!
His mind made up, Faust took a step forward and abruptly hugged Selena, whispering in the girl's ear:
"Princess, I am willing to die for you. I will bring you victory. Please, give me your blessing!"
He had to keep stacking those buffs!
Rate on N.U.
