I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 73: Storyteller’s Night (3)

It was an overwhelming speed.

What was unleashed was the Black Thunder Divine Sword.
A unique swordsmanship that only Black Knight 09, who had reached the pinnacle of Imperial Swordsmanship, could perform.

It was fast, yet not light.
The strike, like a torrent of lightning, carried the weight of a mountain.
Truly, it was a black lightning bolt.

Knights of ordinary caliber would struggle to comprehend the attack before their heads were severed.

But Kay was different.

He didn’t miss the moment Yoo Seong pushed off the ground.
He clearly tracked the trajectory of the black lightning and precisely thrust his sword into the path of the descending bolt.

Boom!

A deafening roar erupted as the two forces collided.
It was the sound of Kay perfectly countering the heavy force of the Black Thunder Divine Sword.

Both Yoo Seong and Kay were pushed backward simultaneously, and Yoo Seong grinned fiercely.

As expected of a Knight of the Round Table.
A warrior of a caliber that could not be found even in Fantasy Monarch.

For the first time in a long while, Yoo Seong felt his blood boil.
The fact that this was a pure duel, not a war where the lives of many hung in the balance, awakened the instincts he had been suppressing.

Among the many reasons why Yoo Seong had become the strongest in Fantasy Monarch, one of the purest was this:

Yoo Seong enjoyed combat against the strong.
He loved battle itself.

And now, before him, stood the perfect opponent.

How could his blood not boil?

The moment the strike of the Black Thunder Divine Sword was deflected, Yoo Seong felt exhilarated.

Kay, seeing Yoo Seong’s grin, let out a chuckle as if in disbelief.

“This guy really does remind me of Lancelot.”

Someone who, while equal to Gawain in strength, could claim to be the strongest of the Round Table when it came to pure swordsmanship.
The strongest swordsman of humanity.

Yoo Seong took a breath.

At the same time, he unleashed a new sword technique.

Black lightning surged toward Kay like a storm.

Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kang!

Swords clashed and entwined.
They parried, blocked, and reengaged, obstructing each other’s paths.

It was an incredible speed.

At the same time, it was a collision of immense power.

Each time their swords met, a shockwave rippled out, shaking the surroundings.

The clash was not merely of sword energy but of Sword Auras—a level surpassing ordinary blade auras.
If it had been a collision of purely physical swords, even legendary weapons would not have endured the repeated impacts.

The aura emanating from Yoo Seong’s entire body was pitch black.
The sword aura enveloping the Cursed Sword seemed truly like black lightning.

In contrast, Kay’s sword aura was silver.

Sword Aura—the brilliance of stars captured in a blade.
A fragment of the heavens’ principles wielded by human hands.

The resplendent starlight collided with the black lightning, scattering like a starry sky unfolding in the night.

Kay gritted his teeth, summoning more strength.
Rather than being overwhelmed by Yoo Seong’s increasingly fierce attacks, he pushed Yoo Seong back and shouted:

“I may be called the weakest of the Round Table, but that means I’m the 13th strongest among humans!”

Though it sounded slightly self-deprecating, it was the truth.

The Round Table had 13 knights.
Being the weakest among them was by no means shameful.

Each one had reached the far horizon of the sword.

Kay’s momentum shifted.

Having focused on defense until now, he took a step forward, launching an offensive.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kay’s swordsmanship was not flashy.
On the contrary, it was simple.

But it had no flaws.

It was so solid that it felt like facing a wall.

Yoo Seong thought.

Kay was stronger than him.
With just the strength of Black Knight 09, he couldn’t defeat the man before him.
He would gradually be pushed back and eventually lose.

So what should he do?
How could he win?

He needed more power.
A new power.

Not the strength of Black Knight 09, but the power he had newly acquired in this world.

Boom!

Black lightning exploded.

As Kay was pushed back significantly, Yoo Seong adjusted his breathing.

The Holy King’s Cross Sword.
The first form, Scorching Sunfire.

Golden flames erupted.

Yoo Seong’s eyes turned gold as he released new power.

Kay laughed, thrilled by the strength emanating from the Holy King head-on.

The two clashed again.

The sight of gold and silver colliding was truly beautiful.

“Is that all? Is your Scorching Sunfire the extent of your power?”

Yoo Seong responded with action.

Instead of golden flames, a fierce gale arose and surged over Kay’s sword.

But Kay effortlessly dispersed the gale and pressed Yoo Seong again.

At that moment, Yoo Seong realized.

Even with the Holy King’s Cross Sword, he couldn’t defeat Kay.

No, it was precisely because it was the Holy King’s Cross Sword that he couldn’t win.

Kay understood the Holy King’s Cross Sword all too well.
It was the sword his king had wielded.
The sword his younger sibling had shown him countless times since childhood.

So what could he do?

Yoo Seong pondered.

And then, he understood.

No, it was instinct.

The power of the Black Wolf alone wasn’t enough.
The power of the Holy King alone couldn’t win.

So, he would combine them.

He would add the Holy King’s power to the strength of the Black Wolf and create a new power.

Yoo Seong’s eyes shone brilliantly.

Simultaneously, black lightning and golden flames fused into one.

What emerged was a Black Sun.

Like a solar eclipse glowing in the dark sky, a radiant ring shone within the pitch black.

The blazing sword aura stabilized.

Around the edge of the black sword aura, the light of the sun was drawn.

Yoo Seong swung it.

The Holy King’s Cross Sword.
The 12th form of the Black Thunder.

Black Sun.

The moment it faced him, Kay knew.

He couldn’t block it.
Dodging or deflecting it was equally impossible.

And so, Kay smiled.

With a deeply satisfied smile, he thrust his sword toward the Black Sun, even knowing he would lose.

Light burst forth.

With a violent impact, the world Kay had created—The Storyteller’s Night—shattered into pieces and crumbled.

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

Having returned to his original form, Yoo Seong exhaled heavily.

Far from him, Kay lay sprawled on the ground, laughing.

“Ha, damn. I wanted you to do well, but I didn’t expect you’d go this far.”

It was a joke.

The better Yoo Seong performed, the better it was.

The satisfied smile on Kay’s face was proof of that.

Yoo Seong collapsed to the ground as if his legs had given out.

Without the power provided by Kay’s chivalry, the aftermath of using the Black Sun overwhelmed him.

“Hoo… Hoo… Hoo…”

Sweat drenched his body in an instant.

He lacked the strength to stand, feeling like lying down forever but Kay stood up immediately and approached Yoo Seong.

As Yoo Seong watched Kay, he thought.

‘As expected of a Knight of the Round Table.’

Come to think of it, in the clash just now, Kay hadn’t used his own chivalry.

More precisely, he had only used the power of chivalry on Yoo Seong, not on himself.

In other words, Kay had fought Yoo Seong purely with his own abilities, without any enhancements.

‘Even if I win, it doesn’t feel like a real victory.’

Kay was not at full power.

Even so, a smile naturally spread across Yoo Seong’s face.

It wasn’t just because of the newly gained power of the Black Sun from the confrontation with Kay.

It was simply enjoyable.

The current clash was just too fun.

“Wow, at least Lancelot was pretty.”

Kay, who shuddered as if feeling creeped out by Yoo Seong’s sly grin, plopped down next to him and asked:

“Successor, what were you originally? Are you some kind of Demon King?”

“Some people called me that, but… I was just a person.”

“I don’t get it. Don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, since you’re the successor to the Sacred King, I guess it’s fine.”

Nodding at his own words, Kay scanned Yoo Seong from head to toe with his blue eyes and asked again.

“How about it? Was it of any help?”

“Yes, it was really a great help.”

The Black Sun, something he could unleash thanks to Kay’s chivalry.

He wouldn’t have been able to use such power outside.

Even so, it was worth it.

Yoo Seong himself had become significantly stronger than before.

Though his level hadn’t risen, he had gained a deeper understanding of how to handle his strength.

He could now utilize his power in a way entirely different from before.

Hearing Yoo Seong’s reply, Kay grinned, then looked around at the misty surroundings and said:

“It’ll take a bit. The other places are still in the middle of their trials.”

At Kay’s words, Yoo Seong blinked unintentionally.

“Other places?”

“Yeah, other places. I can’t come here often, and this is a one-time opportunity. I couldn’t just teach only you, could I?”

What could he mean?

For a moment, Yoo Seong didn’t understand, but it wasn’t long before it clicked.

“Could it be…? Kay is in other places too?”

Kay had mentioned earlier that the version of him here was like a fragment.

Then, could it be that the others were facing similar fragments elsewhere?

At Yoo Seong’s question, Kay grinned and said:

“Not to make excuses or anything, but I wasn’t at full power, you know?”

His strength was weakened because he was a fragment.

It wasn’t an exact fraction corresponding to the number of fragments, but as he said, he was certainly not in full form.

“You’re one of the Knights of the Round Table.”

“Yeah, a knight of the Round Table. The weakest among them, though.”

The beings beyond the barrier called them humanity’s monsters.

The strongest battle group of humanity that fought against all beings threatening the age of humans.

“Sir Kay, can I ask a somewhat disrespectful question?”

“I’d love to harshly criticize you for knowingly asking a disrespectful question, but well, as I said, this is a one-time opportunity. Go ahead.”

“The strongest of the Round Table are Gawain and Lancelot, right?”

“That’s right. They’re pretty evenly matched. In terms of swordsmanship, Lancelot is unmatched, but in terms of sheer power output… the strength that can be explosively unleashed in a moment, Gawain is the best. If you combine their overall combat abilities, they’re about equal.”

“Then how would you compare yourself to those two?”

At Yoo Seong’s question, Kay gave a bitter smile.

“That’s truly a disrespectful question. A disrespectful one, indeed. Asking the weakest of the Round Table how much weaker he is than the strongest—how cheeky.”

“No, it’s not about how much weaker….”

It was about how much stronger they were compared to Kay, but the meaning was practically the same.

As Yoo Seong shrank back, Kay burst into hearty laughter, tousling Yoo Seong’s hair and said:

“They’re just stronger than me. By several times, even. Can you accurately measure such a thing? They’re just strong. Really strong. Let’s see… strong enough that even if there were two of me, I wouldn’t win.”

Saying that much, Kay clicked his tongue as if tasting bitterness, then looked at Yoo Seong again.

The Sacred King of this era.

An immature being who had yet to fully inherit the light of the Sacred King.

But precisely because of that, one person’s face came to mind even more vividly.

Arthur Pendragon.

Kay’s one and only younger sibling.

Kay patted Yoo Seong’s head again.

Seeing Yoo Seong’s face turn toward him as if to tell him to stop, Kay chuckled, then uttered the exact same words he had once said to Arthur long ago.

“Inheritor of the light. Remember this. You are a king. You are—”

A harsh wind blew.

Sweeping away the mist, it drowned out Kay’s words, but Yoo Seong heard them to the very end.

Having finished speaking, Kay rose from his seat.

Instead of confirming whether Yoo Seong understood or telling him to remember, he stretched once and looked at the slowly clearing mist.

“Looks like most of them are finished. It’s about time to head back.”

At Kay’s words, Yoo Seong forced himself to stand.

Though his legs wobbled, he held himself steady and struck his left chest with his right fist.

“For the glory of Camelot.”

Kay smiled.

Straightening his posture, he solemnly bowed in response.

“For the glory of Camelot.”

The mist cleared completely.

The sky, once the break of dawn, now lit up with the blue radiance of the morning sun.

Kay looked at the sky.

Taking it all in, something he hadn’t been able to see properly since crossing the barrier, he turned to Yoo Seong one last time.

“Farewell, future king.”

The light of the rising sun enveloped Kay’s entire body.

Yoo Seong smiled as he watched Kay, and Kay smiled back.

Then, with a final whisper, Kay turned into light and vanished.