Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent

The Walking Crypt remained alive, his arms would grow back easily if he had enough energy. However, he was defeated.

He couldn't save a single bell.

This did not happen as often as it might seem. Usually, only three or four people made it to the final stage.

Now, everything was different.

However, if it weren't for the teamwork between Sera and Ethan, only some of them would get the bells, Loena's performance was an exception.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The earth shook as the Walking Crypt returned to his chamber. He would not see moonlight again for a long time, but by then, he would regain his strength.

Ethan raised the bell, studying it intently.

[Ghost Bell

A blue bell with an ancient engraving around the outer edge. Inside is a crystal ball that shatters at the slightest touch, making it possible to ring the bell only once, unless... one has something special.

The ringing of the bell is the only thing that the Lost Knight will accept as a right to fight against him or against another participant under his gaze to get the double reward.]

In a heartbeat, Ethan frowned.

He didn't like the conclusions he came to after reading the description of the bell.

'What the... I think I'm starting to understand why the Thunder of Four Howls happens regularly. There's no mention of defeating the Lost Knight, and considering how strong the last monster was, I don't think anyone stands a chance against the Lost Knight.'

Sure, maybe if they all teamed up, they could defeat the Walking Crypt at the cost of everything, but that was only possible because of Loena.

'Hmm, come to think of it.' Ethan turned his gaze to her. 'There's no way she couldn't get the grim seal with her power. It was all just a setup to... To meet Klaus. Damn, this isn't going to end well.'

But Ethan's main problem remained the same — how could he get the Element Spark if he couldn't kill the Lost Knight?

'Tsk, I'll figure it out when the time comes. Now, I have other things to think about.'

Ethan, Sera, Klaus, and the others exchanged glances.

Some of them were allies from the beginning, others had only recently joined forces, but in the end, none of that mattered.

The Lost Knight had set his rules.

THUNDER!

Without warning, the final thunder strike crashed down, causing the runes on the fourth pillar to flash.

Each bell created a protective barrier around the participant, strong enough that they couldn't feel anything, even though electrical discharges erupted across the field.

At that moment, Ethan couldn't see anything but the raging lightning around him.

The Lost Knight wanted to be sure that no one but those who passed all the stages could reach the end. It was important to him.

At the same time, the dark fog thickened and rose higher to hide the Desolate Meadow from any outsiders. Only the light of the moon, no longer blocked by clouds, remained.

White energy appeared from the ground as many Twilight Reapers showed up around the edges. Before the second trial, there were only four of them, but now there were eleven, and... one spot was empty.

Ethan touched the shard through his pocket. 'Right, so it does have some effect. Hmm, I hope they don't attack us.'

Klaus and Loena held their breath. For them, the next event was much more important than for Ethan, Sera, Aime, and Kael, who were not swordsmen.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The stone pillars shattered one after another, now they had a different target.

In a single burst, hundreds of shards formed a circle in the center of the field, filling with a bright, blinding light that soon burst out in a beam.

At the same moment, recognizable outlines emerged amid the light. It was not a terrifying monster like the Walking Crypt, but something, or rather someone, resembling a human being, with an anthropomorphic constitution.

Then, a figure emerged from the light, clad in dark, old armor, scratched at the edges.

His armor covered every part of his body, leaving no weak spots. The dense plates with sharp corners not only looked threatening but also provided the best protection against swords.

A long black coat fluttered from his right shoulder, its torn edges reaching the ground at his feet.

At the top was a helmet with a single slit from which peered two calm, white eyes that, unlike those of the Walking Crypt, were full of intelligence and wisdom inaccessible to the young men before him, whose veins still flowed with hot blood.

With a wave of his arm, the Lost Knight stopped the flow of light, which, at his will, went into his right hand, taking the only form that was right for the Lost Knight.

A sword with a wide blade and medium length ended up in the Lost Knight's firm grip, attracting admiring glances mixed with envy.

Ethan frowned.

'I don't feel anything, nothing at all. Shit, the old man mentioned this.'

Then, Ethan remembered the words of his grandfather, who told him about very dangerous monsters.

"If you become a Carrier like me and one day encounter a monster that looks strong but doesn't seem so, it's best to run away or at least not provoke it. It means you can't sense its aura, that the power gap between you is too great."

There was something else Edgar added a little later:

"Most likely, it will be the most dangerous monster for a First Rank Carrier — the Special Tier one."

Now, Ethan felt exactly that.

All his instincts told him that the Lost Knight could crush him like an insect, while his mind tried to convince him that the Lost Knight was not dangerous because it had no aura.

'If it's the Special Tier... How am I supposed to defeat it?!' Ethan exclaimed internally.

Well, he would soon get the answers to his questions, but he no longer had the opportunity to act first.

The Lost Knight took on that role.

He slowly looked around, stopping his gaze on each participant.

"How unusual."

The Lost Knight's voice rang out, shocking Ethan, Sera, and everyone except Loena.

"Out of six, only two are swordsmen. It's been a long time since this happened... a very long time."

Then, he swung his sword, sending a powerful gust of wind.

"Do not be afraid, you have come too far to be. Which one of you will ring the bell first? What you do after that is up to you."

As if waiting for his command, Klaus and Loena's eyes met as they both grabbed their bells.

The time had come to find out who had the better sword and master.