Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 247

Chapter 247: One Down Three to go
In that moment, it was clear: Ryan was no longer facing a mere human opponent.

“Hah…”

The four Black Knights exhaled deeply in unison, the sound of their breath amplified by the metal of their helmets. With this single motion, the shadows swirling around them were drawn inward as if sucked into a vortex. The dark energy that had filled the air condensed, flowing into the knights like water drawn into the mouth of a great beast.

They knew now that using their spiritual pressure against Ryan was pointless, he was immune to its effects. There was no need to waste precious energy attempting to suppress him.

In truth, when two warriors fought at this level, spiritual pressure meant little. What mattered was raw combat power—brute strength, speed, and skill.

**Boom!**

The air seemed to shudder as the shadow energy around them exploded outward for a brief moment, only to snap back like a coiling serpent. When the dust settled, the four knights were encased in a new layer of translucent, black spiritual armor. This armor pulsed with power, amplifying their physical and spiritual abilities. It connected seamlessly with the black plate mail they already wore, like a second skin of shadow.

This was their trump card: **[Shadow Armor]**, a fourth-level exclusive ability that heightened the Black Knight’s resilience, strength, and combat capabilities. Their blackened armor, known as “Middle Black Knight Armor,” was specially crafted to enhance the effect of this ability, making them a true force to be reckoned with.

The leader’s eyes, cold and calculating behind his visor, locked with Ryan’s. For a heartbeat, there was stillness, a moment of pure tension between the two sides.

Then, in an instant, the Black Knights vanished.

**Boom!**

A violent rush of shadow energy followed, an icy wind that swept over the battlefield like a storm. The four Black Knights had fully entered their combat stance—there was no more holding back.

Their figures became mere shadows themselves, leaving behind flickering black afterimages as they moved at blinding speed. Ghost-like phantoms of the knights appeared in all directions, a dizzying array of figures surrounding Ryan from every angle, blurring the line between illusion and reality.

Ryan stood in the eye of the storm, calm and still, as if the chaos around him barely registered. The Black Knights’ assault could come at any moment, from any direction—front, back, sides, above. The deadly precision of their attacks meant that if Ryan couldn’t identify their real forms, he would be at their mercy.

To anyone watching, it seemed impossible. The phantoms were indistinguishable from the real knights, each one radiating the same spiritual signature, the same lethal intent. It was a perfect assault.

And yet, Ryan’s eyes remained unnervingly calm.

He didn’t even try to discern which knight was real and which was not. There was no need.

In a soft, almost imperceptible motion, Ryan activated his **[Joyful Frozen Aura]**, the temperature around him dropping sharply. Frost began to form at his feet, creeping outward like the slow, cold advance of winter.

With a deliberate, practiced motion, Ryan drove his **[Crown Dragon Slaying Greatsword]** into the earth before him, the massive blade embedding itself firmly in the ground. He crossed his hands over the hilt and, astonishingly, closed his eyes as if surrendering to the storm around him.

To the Black Knights, his actions seemed reckless, even foolish. Was this some kind of trick? Or had Ryan truly given up? Their hands tightened on their weapons, but they hesitated. This was not what they had expected.

Seconds ticked by, the tension thickening in the air. Neither side moved.

But the Black Knights could not afford to wait forever. Ryan could. The longer they held back, the more their spiritual energy drained. **[Shadow of Phantom]**, the technique they were using, required vast amounts of spiritual energy, and they knew they couldn’t sustain it indefinitely.

They had to strike.

The leader made the call. In a flash, the shadows surged forward, blades raised for a decisive blow.

But Ryan, eyes still closed, remained unmoved. The frost from his aura spread quickly now, creeping toward the Black Knights’ advancing forms, a cold that seemed to bite through the very air.

In the calm before the storm, Ryan was waiting. Not for them, but for the moment he knew would come—the moment they revealed themselves.

A faint, almost imperceptible hiss broke through the air.

“Sizzle…”

In the blink of an eye, a figure materialized before Ryan. One of the Black Knights lunged forward, his sword ablaze with a sinister shadowy fire, aimed directly at Ryan’s temple with lethal precision.

Ryan’s reaction was instantaneous.

Though he appeared relaxed, leaning on his greatsword as if surrendering, he had been ready all along. Beneath his calm facade, power had been building, waiting for the right moment to strike. The instant the Black Knight revealed himself, Ryan’s greatsword moved in a blur, cutting through the air with a speed and grace that defied its heavy appearance. There was none of the cumbersome weight one would expect from a weapon of such size.

**Clang!**

The greatsword met the knight’s blade, but to Ryan’s surprise, the knight’s sword flickered and dissolved into an ethereal shadow, vanishing into thin air. It was nothing more than a phantom, a trick to bait him into attacking.

But the real attack was already closing in.

Behind Ryan, another Black Knight emerged from the swirling shadows, his blade raised high for a devastating strike. Silent and deadly, he brought the sword down, aiming to catch Ryan unaware.

The first knight had been an illusion, a distraction. This was the true threat.

Ryan, mid-swing and seemingly defenseless, had no time to react. The Black Knight’s eyes gleamed with cold anticipation as his sword descended, the sharp edge slicing through the air toward Ryan’s unguarded back.

But just as the blade was about to strike, something unexpected happened.

A blood-red core, thorned and pulsing with dark energy, appeared on Ryan’s shoulder, seemingly from nowhere. In the blink of an eye, it expanded into a shimmering blood-red barrier that intercepted the blow. The knight’s sword clashed against the barrier with a loud **thud**, sending sparks flying.

The Black Knight’s eyes narrowed. It was just a shield, a common enough defense, nothing he hadn’t seen before. His sword, imbued with shadow fire, had the power to erode such shields with ease, corroding and breaking through any defense.

But then, the knight felt it.

The moment his sword connected with the barrier, an unnatural chill flooded his body. It wasn’t just cold—it was as if every part of him slowed down, his movements dragging like he was submerged in icy water. His mind, his body, everything connected to speed seemed to falter, grinding to a sluggish crawl.

His eyes widened in shock.

**”I’ve got you,”** Ryan whispered, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

The effect was brutal. Thanks to the potent power of Ryan’s **[Joyful Frozen Aura]**, the knight’s speed had been reduced by a staggering 37%. It wasn’t just a slight disadvantage—it was catastrophic. More than a third of his speed had vanished in an instant, leaving him moving at a pace that made him vulnerable, painfully slow.

Ryan seized the moment.

With a swift twist of his waist, Ryan stepped forward, pulling his greatsword back in a smooth, controlled motion. The blade cut through the air, tracing a deadly arc as it swung around in a graceful semicircle.

The Black Knight, still struggling to process the crippling chill that now weighed down his body, barely had time to raise his shadow shield in defense. But it was too late.

**Crack!**

The greatsword slammed into the shadow shield with a force that shattered it like fragile glass. The shield offered almost no resistance, crumbling beneath the might of Ryan’s strike. The blade didn’t stop—it plowed forward with unstoppable momentum, crashing directly into the Black Knight’s chest.

**Bang!**

The impact sent the knight hurtling through the air, his armored body flung like a rag doll, tumbling and spinning helplessly. He soared high, as if struck by a speeding car, blood spraying from beneath his visor in a gruesome arc. The lifeless thud of his body hitting the ground echoed through the battlefield, a stark reminder of the deadly force Ryan wielded.

One down. Three more to go.

Ryan stood tall, his greatsword gleaming in the dim light, his icy aura radiating power. His eyes flickered with quiet confidence, already calculating his next move. The battle was far from over, but with each strike, the tide shifted more in his favor.

The Black Knights, once so sure of their dominance, now realized they were up against something far beyond their expectations.

The Fourth Black Knight’s body skidded across the ground after being thrown dozens of meters, landing with a heavy thud. Pain shot through his body as he tried to push himself up, his vision swimming for a moment. He caught a glimpse of his broken **[Shadow Armor]**, shattered across his chest, and the once-pristine **[Middle Black Knight Armor]** beneath it, now fractured and compromised. His eyes twitched in disbelief.

*”What kind of monster is this?”* he thought, his mind racing. Was this Ryan Rayland some kind of sea creature disguised as a man? A giant trapped in a human’s body? Nothing made sense.