The Extra's Rise - Chapter 638

Chapter 638: Dullahan (3)

The ambush came without warning.

One moment we were following Master deeper into the Ashen Territories, marveling at the incredible quality of necromantic materials scattered across the corrupted landscape. The next, the ground beneath us erupted with dark energy as armored figures burst from concealment with the coordinated precision of a military unit.

Knights. Dozens of them, clad in the ornate plate armor of the Creighton family’s elite guard. But something was terribly wrong with their appearance—their armor bore the scars of mortal wounds, their movements carried the unnatural fluidity of undead animation, and the air around them reeked of centuries-old death.

“No,” Rachel breathed beside me, her voice carrying horror and recognition in equal measure. “These are… these were Father’s knights. The ones who died fighting the Arch Lich.”

‘Undead knights,’ I realized with growing alarm as the reanimated warriors formed a battle line around us. ‘But where’s their leader? Where’s the Dullahan?’

My first instinct was to search for Master, but a quick scan of our immediate area revealed a truth that made my blood run cold—Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where is he?’ I thought desperately, my enhanced senses straining to detect any trace of his presence. ‘How did he disappear so suddenly?’

But even as panic began to claw at my chest, another realization cut through the emotional chaos. These undead knights were moving to surround us, their formation designed to trap and eliminate. If I abandoned the others to search for Master immediately, they might be seriously injured or killed.

‘Master would never forgive himself if something happened to them because I wasn’t here to protect them,’ I understood with crystal clarity. ‘And I would never forgive myself either.’

“Defensive formation!” Kali called out, as I drew my Ancient-grade sword, the knights began their assault.

“Rachel, center position with ranged support! Reika, front flank! Rose, right flank with battlefield control!”

We responded immediately to Kali’s tactical directions.

The first wave of knights struck with the kind of coordinated brutality that spoke to centuries of military experience. Their undead nature eliminated concerns about pain or fatigue, making them relentless opponents who would fight until completely destroyed.

I met their charge head-on, my blade singing as it carved through their formation with techniques Master had drilled into me through countless training sessions. But these weren’t practice opponents—they struck back with lethal intent, their ancient weapons seeking vulnerable points with professional precision.

‘Time to show them why Master made me his sword,’ I thought grimly as I activated my Gift.

“Cursed Script: Enhancement,” I whispered, feeling the familiar sensation as ethereal writing began appearing across my skin.

My Gift manifested as flowing script that covered my arms and torso like living tattoos, each character pulsing with power that enhanced my physical capabilities beyond normal limits. The cursed writing wasn’t just decoration—it was a direct interface between my will and reality, allowing me to literally rewrite aspects of my own existence.

The enhancement script blazed to life, and suddenly I was moving with speed that made the undead knights seem sluggish by comparison. My blade work became a blur of precise strikes that found gaps in their armor with surgical accuracy.

But I needed to clear enough of them quickly so the others could handle the rest. I couldn’t waste time on a prolonged battle when Master was somewhere facing unknown dangers.

Grade 6 Art: Imperial Conquest.

I said quietly, activating the Martial King technique Master had personally given me.

The first movement, Sky Breaker, cleared the wave of knights with a single swipe of astral energy.

The Martial King’s techniques were legendary for their raw power and tactical versatility, designed by the second human to ever reach the level of a demigod.

Around me, my companions rallied as I carved through the knights’ front lines. Rachel’s Divine Miracles blazed with purifying light that caused the undead actual pain, her phoenix Aurelius swooping overhead to provide aerial support. Kali’s daggers cut apart the knights coordinated attacks. Rose’s necromantic expertise allowed her to interfere with the knights’ animation matrices, temporarily disrupting their movements using the petals of her blue roses.

I enhanced my assault with gravity magic, crushing several knights under increased weight while making myself lighter for enhanced mobility. Water magic formed razor-sharp projectiles that found gaps in their armor, while Deepdark energy disrupted their undead animation directly.

“I’m going to find Master!” I called out as I finished dismantling the knights’ primary assault formation. “Can you handle the rest?”

“Go!” Rachel shouted back, her golden tattoos blazing as she held the center line. “We’ve got this!”

Kali nodded grimly, her spatial portals redirecting enemy attacks into each other. “Find him quickly, Reika. Something’s wrong about this whole situation.”

‘She’s right,’ I realized as I began moving deeper into the territory.

I enhanced my legs with spatial magic, allowing me to cover ground with superhuman speed while my senses strained to detect any trace of Master’s presence. The Deepdark saturation in this region was so intense that normal tracking methods would be useless, but Master had taught me techniques that transcended conventional limitations.

‘There,’ I thought as I caught the faintest trace of his magical signature. ‘Something’s pulling him toward the heart of the territory.’

The trail led deeper into the corrupted wasteland, toward a region where the very air seemed to writhe with malevolent energy. As I ran, I could feel the distance between us closing, but I could also sense something else—another presence of overwhelming power that made my enhanced senses recoil in instinctive fear.

‘Immortal-rank,’ I realized with growing dread. ‘Master is facing an Immortal-rank opponent.’

I pushed my enhanced body to its absolute limits, space magic folding distance around me as I demanded more speed from my magical reserves. The landscape blurred around me as I closed the distance with desperate urgency.

‘Hold on, Master,’ I thought with fierce determination. ‘I’m coming.’

The sound of clashing steel and explosive magic reached my ears just as I crested a rise in the corrupted terrain. Below me, in a valley saturated with Deepdark energy, I could see Master locked in desperate combat with a headless knight wielding a massive greatsword.

The Dullahan. The leader of the knights who had ambushed us.

Even from a distance, I could see that Master was losing. The headless knight moved with the casual superiority of an Immortal-rank entity, his massive greatsword carving through Master’s defenses with relentless precision. Blood stained Master’s clothing from multiple wounds, and his movements were growing sluggish in ways that spoke to serious internal damage.

‘He’s going to die if I don’t act immediately,’ I realized with crystal clarity.

I activated gravity magic to accelerate my descent while water magic formed around my blade, creating a cutting edge that could slice through even supernatural armor. Deepdark energy swirled around me like a cloak of shadows as I prepared my strongest attack.

I appeared behind the Dullahan in a blaze of silver light, my enhanced blade already in motion as I struck with everything I possessed. The attack caught him completely off-guard, my sword carving deep into his torso with enough force to stagger even an Immortal-rank opponent.

“Master!” I called out, relief and determination flooding my voice as I pressed my attack.

Whatever happened next, Master was no longer facing this nightmare alone.

And I would die before I let anyone harm the person who meant everything to me.