I'm witnessing what's darker than black?

As we approached the Dark Mage's tower, two massive serpent creatures crept out of the shadows. They were Xerovanian Anacondas, and I knew they were not to be trifled with. These Rank C monsters were known for their incredible strength and the venom that they could inject through their fangs.

But Garret and Genny barely batted an eye. They had faced worse, they said. The real danger, they thought, was the Dark Mage himself. I warned them otherwise, but the two foolhardy knights were set on impressing the others.

"You should be careful," I said, my voice laced with concern. "Those Xerovanian Anacondas are not to be taken lightly."

Garret chuckled. "We'll be fine. Watch and learn, Lumiere."

But as two knights charged forward, I could only watch in horror as the massive snakes lunged forward, their jaws wide open like a bear trap. The horses neighed in terror as the Anacondas closed in quickly, their scales gleaming in the moonlight.

It was a gruesome sight. The Anacondas coiled around the knights, squeezing them to a pulp. Blood and guts splattered everywhere as the horses ran away in panic.

The knights stood frozen, unable to move or speak. I could tell some knights had never before witnessed such a brutal death. In that moment, they realized that our journey was far from over and that danger lurked around every corner.

With two dead, only fifteen were left, this including Garret, Genny and I.

"This is a warning," a voice called out from the darkness. It was the Dark Mage. "Turn back now or face the same fate."

Tch. We refused to back down.

We would avenge our fallen comrades and make sure that the Dark Mage paid for his crimes. With that thought in his mind, Garret clenched his fists and ready to press on, he was determined to see this through to the end.

Soon after.

One of the two Xerovanian Anacondas lay strewn across the path, its body hacked into unrecognizable pieces. I heaved a deep breath as the 「Wind Blade」 spell dissipated, the last gusts of wind stirring up the viscera and bloodstains on the rocky ground.

「Lumiere's Current MP: 24,400/25,000」

"That's some wind magic," Garret said, admiringly. "But check this out."

He drew out his sword, a sleek curved blade that glinted in the moonlight. The hilt, wrapped in crimson leather, pulsed with a soft light. Garret's fingers curled around the handle, and he muttered some arcane words under his breath.

Suddenly, the sword began to hum. The air around it shimmered with an almost electric intensity. Garret's eyes blazed with a fierce determination.

"It's called <<Darkfire Edge>>," he said, grinning fiercely. "My family's heirloom sword. It's imbued with dark magic and can cut through almost anything."

Without further ado, Garret charged at the remaining Anaconda.

「Sonic Spark!」

He moved with a blur of motion, his muscles rippling under his armor. He swung the sword in a wide arc, and the dark magic flared up, engulfing the edge of the blade in flickering black flames.

The snake reared up with a deafening hiss, lashing out with its jaws. But Garret was already too close. He slid under the attack and emerged behind the snake, slicing into its spine with a swift precision.

The Anaconda convulsed, thrashing its tail wildly, but Garret was already hacking away, severing body and flesh with each strike. The <<Darkfire Edge>> cut through the scales, slicing like hot butter. Within seconds, the Anaconda lay in a ruined mess, twitching its last.

At the same I remained alert, glancing towards the treeline, where the other creatures who planned to attack had retreated.

Our horses resumed movement.

"I warned them!" I shouted, my voice mixed with irritation.

"Calm yourself, Sir Lumiere." (Garret)

"Calm myself? You want me to calm myself aft—" (Lumiere)

"Yes, do that... there's little time. Any knight who would act foolhardy in a such a dire situation doesn't deserve the title. As much as it pains me, we cannot shed tears at this point in time, it is too early." (Garret)

I trembled a bit with a pale face. No, I wasn't scared. But the thought of death was scary.

"We shouldn't stay here for too long," Garret cautioned. "That was just a warning, remember?"

Genny nodded from her spot near the horses. "We need to keep moving. The Dark Mage won't stop until we're all dead."

Garret sheathed his sword with a flourish. "Then let's get a move on. <<Darkfire Edge>> is just getting warmed up."

Before moving ahead of me, Genny pat me on the back. "It's alright."

By this time Garret and the others were already ahead of us.

We had to keep moving.

I felt cheerless, how could this have been the result. I couldn't fathom the death of even one person, and yet two had died.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As we approached the tower, the night sky seemed to darken. Suddenly, the air crackled with an ominous energy, and the Dark Mage appeared before us.

Insidius Black.

He was a tall figure, draped in long black robes that swirled around his body like living shadows. His face was shrouded in darkness, but his eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity as he spoke.

"I am the Dark Mage, Insidius Black," he said, his voice echoing through the air. "So they brought ants to get in the way of my plans I see?"

Garret stepped forward, gripping his sword tightly. "Your plans? What kind of plans involve attacking innocent people?"

The Dark Mage snorted, his fingers curling into fists. "Innocent? You humans are all the same. You trample over anything in your path, heedless of the consequences. I am merely doing what needs to be done."

With that, the two charged towards each other. Garret swung his sword with a fierce determination, but the Dark Mage was fast. He dodged and weaved, his fingers sparking with dark magic. Suddenly, he unleashed a bolt of energy, and Garret stumbled back, his armor crackling with electricity.

Genny and I stayed back, our eyes darting around for an opening.

I drew in a deep breath, then raised my hands. "Earth magic!" I cried out. "Wall of the Earthbind!"

A defensive Rank C spell.

Conversely, you could say I lost 150 mana points.

「Lumiere's Current MP: 24,250/25,000」

The ground shifted and buckled, rumbling like an earthquake. Suddenly, a wall of stone shot up before us, massive boulders interlocked so tightly that it was like a fortress.

The Dark Mage halted in his tracks, his eyes narrowing.

Garret smirked, his sword glimmering in the moonlight. "That all you got?"

But the Dark Mage's lips curved into a wicked smile. "Oh, you have no idea." Suddenly, the air around him began to shimmer and distort, and he blurred out of existence.

Garret looked around wildly, his eyes scanning for any sign of the Dark Mage.

Suddenly, he felt something grip his ankle.

He looked down, only to see a hand made of pure black magic. The hand tightened its grip, and Garret cried out in pain as he was dragged off his feet.

The Dark Mage reappeared, his eyes gleaming with dark power. "You see, little human," he said, his voice soft as velvet, "the power of the darkness is absolute. There is nothing you can do to stop it."

Garret gritted his teeth, summoning all his strength. With a fierce cry, he managed to slash at the hand, causing it to dissipate into smoke. He scrambled back to his feet, his sword at the ready.

Meanwhile, Genny and I worked quickly to bring down the stone wall we had erected before.

We knew Garret needed our help.

I used [Earth Magic] to weaken the structure. Finally, with a deafening rumble, the wall crumbled, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

The Dark Mage was momentarily distracted by the destruction of the wall, giving Garret an opening. With a fierce battle cry, he charged forward, his sword shining with black flames. The Dark Mage tried to dodge, but Garret's blade struck true, cutting through the darkness and slashing into the Mage's side.

The Dark Mage cried out in pain, staggering back. His hands blazed with dark magic, but before he could unleash another attack, a bright light shone forth from Genny's sword, enveloping the Dark Mage and purifying the darkness.

That was [Holy Magic], I wasn't sure which spell exactly.

When the light faded, the Dark Mage lay on the ground, unconscious and powerless.

Garret breathed a sigh of relief, staring down at his defeated foe. "We did it," he said, turning to his companions. "We'll search the area for any useful items and then return."

"No... something's wrong." (Lumiere)

"What do you mean?" (Genevieve)

「Magic Detect」 was picking up dense traces of the Dark Mage's ominous presence.

Immediately the Dark Mage's body vanished into dark particles, everyone had their guard up.

...

In a moment's notice, sharp blades of blackness traveled straight for Garret with the intent to decapitate him.

Was there any chance for him to evade it?