Chapter 289: Chapter 289

Su-ho swung with all his strength.

Even Steel ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Severance, empowered by Enhancement, had been used.

And yet—his blade hadn’t cut through.

Did this mean he’d have to rely on Heart Slash again?

That would be a problem.

There was a reason Su-ho preferred using Steel Severance over the more powerful Heart Slash as his main attack.

Steel Severance was based on raw strength—meaning it had virtually no preparation time.

It could be unleashed as quickly as an ordinary slash.

But Heart Slash required a bit of focus.

And in a battle between masters, even the briefest moment—the thickness of a sheet of paper—could introduce a fatal variable and determine the outcome.

When his sword failed to pierce through, Hex sneered.

— Is this truly your best?

— That’s a relief. I was moments from sheer disappointment. Hm!

[Hex, Knight of the Moon, uses Boss Monster-level Fear.]

[Dragon Blood is activating.]

[Fear is nullified by the Dragon Spirit effect of Dragon Blood.]

With another short grunt, Hex triggered another wave of Fear.

A strong gust erupted along with it, blowing Su-ho back. Hex instantly closed the gap.

[Hex, Knight of the Moon, uses Moonless Blade.]

Hex activated a skill named Moonless Blade.

Then immediately swung.

His blade crackled with deadly intent and exploded toward Su-ho at high speed.

But it clashed not with Su-ho’s body, but with the Blood Sword.

It wasn’t a speed Su-ho couldn’t keep up with.

So was this attack pointless?

Hex’s expression was brimming with calm certainty, and Su-ho soon realized why.

The moment Hex activated his skill, a black orb had appeared above his head.

Initially, it was a pitch-black sphere—but following that last exchange, faint light had begun to seep into its edges.

A classic crescent, its outer edge beginning to glow faintly.

‘Knight of the Moon, Moonless Blade... yeah, it’s obviously a moon.’

Su-ho knocked back Hex’s sword and widened the distance.

The crescent moon still floated above his head in the darkened air.

Su-ho thought carefully.

‘I don’t know exactly what Moonless Blade is, but there are two possibilities.’

Either way, caution was the only smart play.

Hex chuckled as he noticed Su-ho’s grim expression.

— You look rather serious. Are you frightened by my moon?

“There’s no need to fear something I haven’t experienced yet.”

— Good mindset. I hope you can hold onto it.

With that, Hex dashed toward him again.

Su-ho hurled the Guiyeong Spear at him.

Hex evaded it effortlessly.

Without slowing down, he rushed in and swung his sword.

The blade flashed and came crashing toward Su-ho.

The instant the blade struck Su-ho’s body, his form burst into smoke and vanished.

A burning intent flared behind him.

He turned, but it was already too late.

[Heart Slash is activating.]

[Enhancement is applied.]

[The power of Heart Slash increases significantly.]

Su-ho’s Blood Sword slammed into Hex.

The strike landed clean.

Hex had no time to block.

The Guiyeong Spear thrown earlier had been a feint.

Su-ho knew a seasoned knight like Hex wouldn’t be fooled by ordinary spear-throwing.

But no matter how skilled Hex was, he couldn’t know everything about Su-ho’s capabilities.

And that gave Su-ho a window.

‘If there’s no quick wind-up, then I’ll just create one.’

There’s no such thing as impossible.

The process might get more complicated, but there are always solutions.

The spear-and-army tactics combo was just one of them.

Hex, now impaled by the Heart Slash, smirked with gleaming eyes.

— You certainly know more impressive techniques than I expected.

“Thank you. I’ve studied quite a bit.”

— So this is how modern knights fight, huh? Things have changed since my time.

I’m not even really a knight...

But there was no need to say that out loud.

Now was the time to stay in character.

“Those who don’t adapt fall behind.”

— Fufu, true enough. However—

Light erupted from Hex’s body and flowed up into the crescent moon above.

It absorbed his glow and thickened—transforming from a crescent to a waxing half-moon.

— In the end, it’s the classics that endure.

With that, he charged again.

Rather than clash blades, Su-ho dodged.

‘I need to avoid direct contact with that sword.’

Just crossing blades had been enough to make the moon grow.

So he had to avoid clashing with Hex as much as possible.

As a result, Hex quickly gained the upper hand.

— How long do you intend to keep dodging?

“I’m not just dodging. I’m thinking.”

— Overthinking often leads to bad moves.

He thought he had found an opening.

A massive shadow loomed above.

Summoned high in the air, the creature descended.

Hex, a seasoned knight, instinctively twisted his trajectory and slashed upward at Bulgasari.

Su-ho seized the moment.

He summoned the Guiyeong Spear—

—and rammed it straight into Hex’s solar plexus.

[Shadow Piercing is activating.]

[Shadow Shackles is activating.]

[Shadow Bleed is activating.]

Hex’s upward swing and Su-ho’s spear thrust happened almost simultaneously.

Bulgasari was inevitably struck.

[Bulgasari has suffered a critical wound.]

Its body was slashed deeply.

Thanks to its Super Regeneration trait.

[Heal is activating.]

[Breath of Recovery is activating.]

Su-ho quickly cast Heal and Breath of Recovery, then unsummoned the creature.

He had summoned Bulgasari for two reasons:

The plan had worked perfectly.

Hex, now impaled in the gut, grinned with a twisted expression.

— So you sacrificed a summon just to land a hit on me?

“A tactical sacrifice.”

— You don’t hesitate to use your summons creatively. So... are you satisfied?

Su-ho lifted his sword.

“After all, it means I can land another clean hit.”

Focused once more, Su-ho struck.

[Heart Slash is activating.]

[Enhancement is applied.]

[The power of Heart Slash increases significantly.]

He hadn’t sacrificed Bulgasari just for conversation.

He struck again the moment he finished speaking.

A slash carved into Hex’s body.

And Su-ho felt it—through the blade—it had hit solidly.

Hex, however, only laughed again.

— Amusing. You’re a most fascinating knight.

“If you keep enjoying yourself too much, this fight’ll be over in no time.”

— Hahaha! Fair point. I suppose it’s time I show you what I can do.

No sooner had he spoken than light surged around him once more.

The moon absorbed every drop of it.

— Watch closely. This is the true power of the Knight of the Moon.

[Hex, Knight of the Moon, uses the Power of Moonless Blade.]

[Hex uses Recovery through Moonless Blade.]

[All damage effects are healed by the full moon.]

The now-full Moonless Blade glowed bright.

And for the first time, instead of absorbing light, it shined—pouring radiance onto Hex.

It looked almost sacred.

The Guiyeong Spear embedded in him vanished.

Even the Weaken debuff, which Su-ho had fed 70% of his mana into, was gone.

Hex slung his massive sword onto his shoulder with a grin.

— Well? What do you think of the moon’s mighty power?

Su-ho had expected something out of the ordinary, but seeing it firsthand, it really was impressive.

Still, it didn’t astonish him.

He had Heal and Recovery too—just as effective.

Which made him even more special.

Among all swordsmen—no, all damage dealers worldwide—Su-ho was almost uniquely capable of self-healing both HP and status effects.

‘This is why paladins are a pain to deal with.’

At least paladins usually sucked at swordplay.

Hex was a true knight. Follow current novᴇls on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱

With the recovery power of Moonless Blade, he was even more troublesome than a fully developed paladin.

“Can you use other powers besides healing?”

— Hah, why bother asking? The power of the moon is infinite. Why else do people make wishes upon it? If you're curious, figure it out yourself.

And just then—Hex charged again.

The Weaken debuff was gone.

‘We were evenly matched even when he was weakened. Now? Not a chance.’

But he couldn’t ask for time to recover his mana again.

While crossing blades, Su-ho looked up.

And noticed something strange.

‘The moon... shrank?’

The full moon from moments ago had now slightly waned.

‘So that’s it... the time it takes for the moon to wane is the cooldown period for Moonless Blade’s recovery.’

Which meant—he could now calculate when to go all in.

Hex saw the look in Su-ho’s eyes and smiled.

— So you’ve discovered the secret of Moonless Blade.

“Yes. It was kind of obvious.”

— Haha. Are you sure that’s all Moonless Blade can do?

“And you don’t know everything about my power yet, either.”

— Planning to Weaken me again? That’s impossible. I can feel it—you used 70% of your mana to cast it.

“True. It’s one of my strongest tools. That’s why I need time to recast it.”

— Too bad. I’m not giving you another prep phase like before.

“I wasn’t expecting one. That’s why I came prepared. Didn’t expect to use this here—but now’s the time.”

Hex raised an eyebrow.

Su-ho was quick to satisfy his curiosity.

He activated his hidden card.

[Memorize is activating.]