Even my father never hit me before!

This enemy was faster than any they had faced before. 

Even with Anyi's Agility boosted to 18 points, the Headless Knight outpaced him effortlessly. 

Though its Strength was a modest 10 points—not enough to harm Layton significantly—it was enough to inflict grievous damage on anyone else. Ariana, with her mere 7 Durability even after enhancement, would be severely injured if struck. 

"Encourage?" Ariana asked, gripping her staff. 

"Use it," Anyi nodded firmly. 

The staff glowed with a soft, pink radiance, and the light enveloped them all like a warm embrace. 

Karen's stats surged. Her Strength climbed from 14 to 19, her Agility from 10 to 15, and her Durability and Endurance both reached 12. She grinned, knowing the Headless Knight's attacks would no longer be fatal. 

Ariana, too, felt the change as her own Durability rose to 12 and her Agility to 13. For the first time, she felt confident enough to act independently. 

Meanwhile, Miruku, concealed in the shadows, checked her enhanced speed: 49 points. Her brow furrowed. Should she allocate just one more point to reach 50? The thought was tempting. 

As for Anyi, the boost raised his Agility to 23. Even on foot, he was now fast enough to almost match the headless horse's speed. 

The Headless Knight circled the hall, sword gleaming as he planned his next strike. Then, something shifted. 

A figure appeared behind him—a man with a sword, keeping pace on foot. 

Was this… a human? 

The Headless Knight's fighting spirit ignited. A true knight feared no challenger. He raised his blade, charging at Anyi, his intent clear: a clean decapitation. 

"Taunt!" 

Layton's voice rang out, the power of the skill surging forth. 

The Headless Knight's black horse, compelled by the effect, veered toward Layton, hooves pounding the ground like war drums. Its sole focus: destroy the shield-bearer. 

The charge ended in chaos. 

With a deafening clang, the horse's hooves struck Layton's shield, but the force of the impact threw the Headless Knight from his saddle. He crashed to the ground, his detached head rolling to the side. 

Disoriented, the knight rose and pointed an accusing gauntlet at his horse, as if chastising its failure. 

"Stomp!" 

From behind, Anyi planted a boot firmly on the knight's fallen head, lifting it from the ground. 

The Headless Knight froze, then charged at Anyi with unbridled rage, sword raised high. Without his horse, his Agility was noticeably diminished—reduced to a sluggish 10. 

"Holy Judge!" 

Ariana's staff erupted with brilliant light, sending arrows of pure energy streaking toward the charging knight. 

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each arrow struck true, black gas spilling from the Headless Knight as his body trembled. The impact forced him to his knees, writhing in apparent agony. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Anyi kicked the head across the hall toward Karen. 

"Whoa!" Karen yelped as she caught it, her expression a mix of confusion and exasperation. 

"Princess Karen, it's your time to shine," Anyi said coolly, already moving to assist Layton in battling the horse. 

Karen's hands tightened around the knight's head, its faint malevolence sending a chill through her. 

Still, under the Encourage buff, her stats now rivaled the dismounted Headless Knight's. 

The knight rose unsteadily, his long sword pointed at Karen as he charged like a storm unleashed. 

Ariana retreated to a safe distance. "Karen, do your best! I'll heal you if you're hurt!" 

"Ah… okay!" Karen stammered, quickly backing away. She threw everything in her pack to the ground—food, supplies—before shoving the knight's head into it. 

The knight's movements became erratic, as though the indignity of having his head stolen had broken his composure. He surged forward, swinging his sword wildly, no longer the poised warrior but a flailing figure driven by sheer fury. 

Karen finally stopped, standing her ground as the knight closed the distance. 

"Come on!" she shouted, steeling herself. 

The clanging of his armor grew louder, the sound echoing like an ominous drumbeat. 

"Stomp!" 

With a powerful step, the knight lunged forward, his long sword thrusting directly at Karen's heart. 

"Hmph!" 

Karen sidestepped effortlessly, evading the Headless Knight's powerful swing. With fluid precision, she grabbed his armored wrist and twisted it sharply toward the elbow. 

Crack!

The sound echoed, the knight's arm bending at an inhuman angle. 

Karen smirked, but her confidence faltered when a sudden surge of strength from the knight's hand snapped his arm free of her grasp. He swung his sword in a deadly arc, aiming for her neck. 

Karen's brows knitted as she crouched low, narrowly avoiding the blade. With a powerful motion, she launched an uppercut into the air. 

Missed!

The realization struck her mid-attack: he didn't have a chin.

His chin was still attached to his head—on his back. 

Frowning, Karen pivoted and kicked him squarely, the impact forcing the knight to stumble sideways. She took a few cautious steps back, reassessing her approach. 

Fighting styles that worked on humans didn't apply here. 

The Headless Knight recovered swiftly, his body language betraying both surprise and rage. He had noticed something strange about this woman. 

Karen's attacks weren't aimed at his movements; she wasn't even looking directly at him. She fought as if she could predict his actions without seeing them—an insult to any warrior. 

The knight's fury grew. A knight could accept defeat, but humiliation? Never! 

With renewed determination, he charged. 

Karen stood her ground, adopting a defensive posture. She waited, her muscles coiled like springs.

Swish!

The knight's long sword sliced through the air, but Karen darted aside with ease, the enhanced Agility from Encourage making her movements swift and precise. 

"Clang!" 

The sound startled her. The knight's sword… had clattered to the ground. 

He'd thrown it away? 

Karen's moment of confusion was short-lived. The Headless Knight lunged with a hook punch, his gauntleted fist slamming into her side. 

Bang!

Her enhanced Durability absorbed the impact, but the sheer force left her stunned. 

Even my father never hit me either!

Another punch followed, this time aimed higher. Karen shielded her face, pressing her head against his chest to limit his range. With a quick twist, she threw a hook punch into his torso. 

The knight countered, gripping her upper body and raising his knee to strike. Karen blocked with her elbow, then swept low, wrapping her arms around his legs. She drove forward, sending both of them crashing to the ground. 

From the sidelines, Anyi and Layton watched the spectacle with raised brows. 

"Should we tell him?" Anyi muttered. 

"That his horse is dead?" Layton replied, deadpan. 

The once-proud knight, bereft of his mount and sword, looked nothing like the noble warrior he was supposed to be. Meanwhile, Karen, engaged in a full-on wrestling match with the headless combatant, didn't look much like a princess either. 

If anything, she looked like she was enjoying herself. 

"Well…" Layton shrugged. "Not bad?" 

"Go, Karen, go!" Ariana cheered, munching on a salvaged snack. She brushed some dust from a biscuit and took another bite. "You've got this!" 

Miruku, who had been lurking cautiously in the shadows, finally emerged. Her sharp eyes scanned the hall. 

This Headless Knight didn't seem nearly as dangerous as they'd first thought. 

The mounted version had been terrifying. But dismounted? He was practically a training dummy. 

Above them, at the top of the castle, a dark, spectral figure loomed in a shadowed chamber. 

"Master," whispered a ghostly servant, floating into the room. "The humans have encountered the Headless Knight. Surely, they are dead by now…" 

The figure said nothing, its form shrouded in flickering blue flames. 

Minutes later, the ghost returned. 

"Master… the Headless Knight's horse… has fallen." 

The flames trembled. 

More time passed. The ghost reappeared, hesitating before speaking. 

"Master… the Headless Knight… he has completed his mission. He… died gloriously. The humans… did not humiliate him. They allowed him to fall with dignity." 

"Enough!" 

The flames roared, flaring with rage. 

"What manner of humans are these?!" the voice boomed, echoing through the castle. "They have slain one of my generals!"