After going into the sea, I met the witch.

He couldn't just stand by and watch Freyne be in danger without doing anything.

"……Have."

In response to Ryan's question, Cecilia replied in a solemn voice:

"If there were a higher-ranking professional, they would be able to see the 'fixed point' of the [Black Cage] in the mortal world. After destroying it, they could forcibly break open this special spiritual space."

“I have a way to do this, but I will be severely weakened afterward and unable to move. Therefore, the important task of assisting Lady Freyne can only be entrusted to you.”

“I understand.” Ryan nodded emphatically. “Go ahead and do it, then leave the rest to me.”

Cecilia gave Ryan a deep look, and after less than a second of hesitation, her gaze hardened.

In reality, she didn't trust Ryan.

But she trusted Lady Freyne's judgment.

Since Lady Freyne has accepted Ryan as a member of the "team," she will choose to believe him as well.

Arriving at the area where Freyne had disappeared, Cecilia took a deep breath. To Ryan's astonishment, the girl's hair began to glow slightly, turning a pale gray color, and gradually grew longer until it reached her slender waist.

Her pupils became vertical, no longer resembling a human, but more like some kind of noble being.

Her already aloof demeanor now exuded a strong sense of rejection.

It wasn't that she rejected others, but rather that her very being made people feel ashamed and afraid to approach her.

Cecilia exuded a strong spiritual aura, which was not the pale white commonly found among first-tier professionals, but rather a translucent gray.

These grey spiritualities rose up like burning flames.

After nearly ten seconds of closed-eye perception, Cecilia suddenly opened her eyes.

“Mr. Ryan, the location I marked with my spiritual senses later will be where the Black Knight will appear. After that, I’ll leave it to you.”

A wisp of gray spiritual fire floated in mid-air somewhere. Ryan immediately rushed over, hoisted the Greatsword Ferocious Ice onto his shoulder, and began to charge up his power.

"Ten seconds left in the countdown."

"10, 9, 8..."

Ryan's muscles bulged, and his spirituality surged wildly within him.

The enemy he was about to face was a second-tier elite, and he might only have one chance to strike against such an opponent—the moment the Black Knight fell out of the [Black Cage].

Therefore, this one and only attack opportunity is far from enough to be achieved by simply going all out.

We absolutely have to push the limits!

The surge of spiritual energy was accelerating, exceeding the "half-charge" level of the [Storm Sword Skill - Breaking Wave], and it was still climbing.

The unrestrained use of spiritual power caused Ryan's veins to bulge, threatening to burst at any moment. At that moment, the "Necklace of Abundance" he wore around his neck, concealed by his undershirt, emitted a healing power, delaying the collapse of Ryan's body.

Even so, the pain of tearing and healing was real and undiminished in Ryan's body.

He gritted his teeth. Compared to the burning pain and shattering agony that the "Rathalos (leader)" had once inflicted on him, this kind of pain was nothing!

"...3, 2, 1, 0!"

The countdown in his ear finally reached zero. With a "crack" of shattering glass, two figures fell out of the air, and the Black Knight landed just one meter in front of Ryan.

Without hesitation or delay, at the moment the countdown reached zero, Ryan unleashed his long-suppressed, charged sword strike.

—Eat my “True Accumulation” in one strike!

I'd like to recommend a friend's book, "Entertainment: I'm Not a Depressing Thief."

[Recommendation]: This is an urban romance novel; the highlights are in the title. Those interested can consider it.

Chapter 51 Fierce Eyes

Time goes back to one minute ago.

Inside the black cage.

This is a strange, cube-shaped spiritual space, each twenty meters long, wide, and high, with walls made of a semi-illusory black mist.

Freyne and the Black Knight stood ten meters apart.

At this moment, countless chains made of black mist extended towards Freyne from all directions, binding her limbs and neck, making every movement incredibly difficult for her.

As the exclusive ability of the second-tier [Black Knight], the [Black Cage] is naturally not as simple as just opening up a duel space. What if the enemy is stronger than you? Wouldn't that create an opportunity for the enemy to beat you up alone?

Inside the [Black Cage], enemies will be suppressed and bound. Initially, not only will their overall strength decrease by at least 10%, but their movement speed will also be reduced by at least 30%. Don't underestimate this percentage; at the second tier, a 10% difference in strength and a 30% difference in speed are enough to influence the outcome of a battle.

Moreover, this proportion will increase over time.

In other words, the longer one stays inside the [Black Cage], the more advantageous it is for the lord of the cage.

Looking at the girl bound by black mist chains, the Black Knight drew his knight's longsword from his waist; a silver-white arc ran along the center line of the jet-black blade.

With agile movements, the Black Knight dodged one after another deep blue arrows that suddenly appeared from the air.

In the eyes of a second-tier elite professional, these suddenly appearing deep blue arrows actually had a faint spiritual fluctuation when they were activated, but such spiritual fluctuations were too faint for a first-tier formal professional to detect.

"It's no use, Miss Dark Moon Witch."

The Black Knight's voice was filled with suppressed madness: "All the Black Knights who search for your whereabouts have undergone special modifications to their bodies. The [Black Cage], which is improved by long-term radiation from the 'Demon-Suppressing Stone,' will only make you weaker and weaker inside."

"Struggling only delays your defeat."

"Or do you think your partner can come to your rescue?"

"Heh, I admit, your knight is strong, but no matter how strong she is, she is only a first-tier warrior. Even if she defeats those two trash, she will never be able to break through the [Black Cage]."

"Besides, my 'pets,' along with those two good-for-nothings, are enough to hold her off for a long time."

The Black Knight had already ignored Ryan in his words; to him, this level of spiritual power was merely that of a newly appointed first-tier professional, and was not worth mentioning at all.

As he spoke, the Black Knight dodged the attacks, closing the distance between himself and Freya.

In the current situation, once the Black Knight gets within two meters of Freyne, this battle will be completely over.

"This is truly amazing. Even weakened to this extent, it still terrifies me... No wonder it's the power of the Heretic Witch!"

"If it were an ordinary second-tier elite professional, they would probably be at risk of defeat."

The Black Knight remained calm, muttering a sigh.

As the black knight drew closer, Freyne remained calm throughout. She tried her best to control her magic and hinder the black knight's approach, but a faint sadness appeared deep in her eyes.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Before we knew it, a full minute had passed.

After a minute of being eroded by the black mist chains, Freyne's spiritual energy fluctuations had decreased significantly compared to the beginning. This was reflected in the fact that the speed and power of the deep blue energy arrows she controlled were much weaker.

The Black Knight, realizing this, revealed a sinister smile: "Can't take it anymore, Miss Freyne? In that case, this game should come to an end..."

"Crack!"

Before the Black Knight could finish speaking, a crisp cracking sound reached his ears, causing his expression to change drastically.

The sadness in Freyne's eyes grew even stronger at this moment.

Before the Black Knight could react, countless cracks spread throughout the spiritual space. With a loud bang, the entire [Black Cage] disintegrated, and he and Freya were swept back to reality by the chaotic spiritual torrent.

The forced breaking of the Black Cage caused a backlash against the Black Knight, making his spirituality unstable. The impact of the spiritual turbulence further aggravated his injuries.

The sudden turn of events startled the Black Knight for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

Although he didn't know what had happened outside that caused the Black Cage to be forcibly broken, the distance between him and Freya was only a little over two meters. As long as he could close the distance between them to within two meters the moment he returned to reality, he could still defeat the Dark Moon Witch.

Having made up his mind, the Black Knight suppressed the discomfort in his body, mobilized his spiritual energy throughout his body, and prepared to make a full-scale attack the moment he returned to the mortal world.

The distorted light and shadow in his vision quickly returned to normal. As soon as his feet touched the ground and he felt solid, the Black Knight was about to charge forward, but at that moment, a silver-blue sharp light slashed vertically towards his face.

The Black Knight frowned slightly, wondering how the person who unleashed the sword knew his landing location. But at this moment, he was too lazy to think about it. Although the weapon that struck him was a rare greatsword, the spiritual energy emanating from it was only at the first level, which he didn't take seriously at all.

He raised his knight's longsword, preparing to parry the sword, while using the kinetic energy from the collision to propel his body toward the Dark Moon Witch at an even greater speed.

For the Black Knight, the Dark Moon Witch is the most important person; everything else has to take a backseat.

"clang--!"

The moment the knight's longsword touched the silver-blue greatsword, the black knight's expression suddenly changed drastically, as he was about to turn the skillful force into his own advantage.

He felt a terrifying, overwhelming power emanating from the knight's longsword, which he was unable to withstand, as he was holding the sword with only his right arm.

There is a limit to the skillful transformation of force. Once the enemy's strength exceeds this limit, the so-called skillful transformation is nothing but a joke.

"boom!"

The immense force was transmitted as the greatsword pressed down, and the already injured Black Knight could not resist it. He was forced to kneel down, and his knee smashed a spiderweb-like crack into the hard deck.

"Crack!"

Amidst the deafening roar, there was also a crisp sound of bones cracking.

The Black Knight's face flushed red, his eyes bloodshot. Following the silver-blue greatsword's blade backward, he saw the eyes of the sword's owner.

What kind of eyes were those?

It was as cold as frost, carrying a ferocious chill that sent shivers down one's spine.

When he looked directly into those eyes, the Black Knight felt as if he were looking up at some terrifying behemoth.

I am but an ant at the feet of a giant beast, pitiful and helpless.

Chapter 52 [Spiritual] Ascension, Sorrow Under the Moon

"Crack..."

The groans of his bones and the excruciating pain in his body jolted the Black Knight awake from his daze.

He gritted his teeth, letting blood continue to spill from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, his heart was filled with complex and indescribable emotions—surprise, fear, but even more so, anger.

How could a second-tier elite be cleaved in two by a mere "newcomer" who had just started his job?!

How could I not even withstand a single sword strike?

Even though he was injured, and even though he underestimated the enemy and only used one hand to defend, no matter what, he didn't take the hit.