THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

[Present time.]

The Vampire Rot Knight's response to David's taunt was instantaneous and terrifying.

One moment it stood poised with its massive crimson-tinged broadblade hovering at David's throat, the next it had vanished entirely, not teleported, but moved with such impossible speed that reality itself seemed to stutter. The air shrieked as it was torn apart by the creature's passage, a sound like fabric ripping on a cosmic scale.

David's [Celestial Wheel] activated at full capacity, his eyes blazing with swirls of azure and white as time seemed to crawl. He could see the knight's movement, a blur of organic armour and crimson hair streaking through space, but seeing and reacting were two different things entirely. His enhanced perception showed him exactly how outmatched he was in terms of raw speed.

The knight materialized behind him, its bloodfire-wreathed claymore already mid-swing in a graceful arc that would have bisected him at the waist. David's tactical mind, working faster than his body could move, calculated seventeen different escape routes in the span of a heartbeat. Only one was viable.

"Down!" he barked to Vespera, throwing himself into a slide across the starlight-hardened floor.

The massive blade whistled overhead, close enough that David felt the heat of its corrupted bloodfire singe the air above him. Where the sword passed, reality itself seemed to burn, leaving a trail of crimson afterglow that lingered like a scar across space.

Vespera responded instantly, her ethereal form dissolving into mist as she flowed around the knight's follow-up strike. Her three floating ice blades lanced forward, each one sharp enough to pierce steel, but they shattered against the creature's organic armour like glass against a mountain.

The knight's hollow, red eyes tracked David's sliding form with predatory precision. Its free hand rose, fingers spread wide as crimson energy began to coalesce around its palm. David recognized the technique immediately, blood magic, the same power that had marked so many victims for this creature's consumption.

"Blood Seal," David muttered, rolling to his feet and bringing up his shadow daggers in a defensive cross. The Nightveil Embrace responded to his will, extending tendrils of living darkness to reinforce his weapons.

The knight's voice emerged from its skeletal helm, a sound like grinding bone mixed with silk. "Marked for the feast," it intoned, its words carrying the weight of absolute certainty.

A crimson sigil blazed to life on David's chest, burning through the Nightveil Embrace like it was paper. The Blood Seal sank into his flesh with the sensation of molten metal, marking him as prey. David's jaw clenched as he felt the mark's effects, his natural healing was suppressed, his mana flow disrupted.

"That's new," David said through gritted teeth, spinning his shadow daggers as the knight began its advance.

What followed was less a battle than a masterclass in controlled violence.

The Vampire Rot Knight moved like a dancer possessed by the spirit of war itself. Each swing of its massive claymore was a graceful arc that painted crimson trails through the air, every step a precisely calculated movement that brought it closer to its marked prey. It fought with the fluid elegance of a ballroom waltz combined with the lethal intent of an apex predator.

David found himself completely outmatched in direct combat. His shadow daggers met the knight's claymore in a shower of sparks, but the force behind each blow sent shockwaves through his arms. The creature was not just fast, it was devastatingly strong, each casual swing carrying enough power to shatter stone.

"Vespera!" David called, ducking under a horizontal slash that would have taken his head off. "Ice wall, now!"

A barrier of crystalline ice erupted between David and the knight, thick enough to stop a charging bull. The Vampire Rot Knight's response was to pirouette gracefully, its claymore describing a perfect circle as it carved through the ice like warm butter. Frozen shards exploded outward in a glittering cascade.

David used the momentary distraction to create distance, his tactical mind racing through options. The knight's speed advantage was overwhelming, but its attacks, while devastatingly powerful, followed predictable patterns. It was a creature of habit, of ritual, each movement part of a deadly dance it had performed countless times before.

"You're strong," David admitted, breathing hard as he circled the knight, looking for an opening. "But you're also predictable."

The knight's only response was to raise its free hand again. This time, the crimson energy that gathered around its palm was different, darker, more concentrated. David's enhanced perception caught the subtle shift in mana flow, the way the air itself seemed to recoil from the building power.

"Requiem Cleave," the knight announced, and David felt his blood turn to ice.

The creature spun with impossible grace, its claymore extending as crimson energy poured into the blade. The weapon grew longer, its reach expanding as it absorbed the power, and David realized with mounting horror that he was standing in the exact centre of its range.

Time slowed to a crawl as the blade approached. David could see every detail, the way the bloodfire danced along its edge, the organic patterns etched into its surface, the hungry gleam in the knight's hollow eyes. His [Celestial Wheel] showed him the attack's trajectory, but his body simply couldn't move fast enough to escape.

The blade passed through empty air.

David blinked, finding himself ten feet away from where he'd been standing, Vespera's arms wrapped around his waist. Her ethereal form had somehow moved them both faster than the knight's attack, though the effort left her visibly strained.

"Thanks," David gasped, steadying himself as Vespera released him.

"Don't thank me yet," she replied, her voice tight with concern. "Look."

The knight's Requiem Cleave had carved a perfect circle in the starlight floor, leaving a groove deep enough to step into. But more concerning was the effect on the knight itself, the creature's organic armour was now pulsing with absorbed energy, its movements becoming even more fluid and deadly.

"It's getting stronger," David observed, his tactical mind cataloging the threat escalation. "Every attack it lands, every bit of damage it deals, it feeds on it."

The knight turned toward them with mechanical precision, its crimson hair flowing like liquid fire around its skeletal helm. When it spoke, its voice carried a note of something that might have been satisfaction.

"The marked one grows weak. The feast approaches."

David felt the Blood Seal burning on his chest, sapping his strength with each passing moment. The mark was more than just a targeting system, it was slowly draining his life force, preparing him for consumption. He could feel his movements becoming sluggish, his reactions slower.

"We need a new strategy," he said to Vespera, backing away from the knight's steady advance. "This thing is built to outlast its enemies."

"What do you suggest?" Vespera asked, ice crystals forming around her hands as she prepared another defensive spell.

David's answer was cut off as the knight moved again, that impossible speed carrying it across the distance between them in a blink. This time, David was ready, his [Celestial Wheel] tracked the creature's approach, showing him the precise moment to act.

He dove left as the knight's claymore carved the air where he'd been standing, rolling across the floor and coming up with his shadow daggers extended. The Nightveil Embrace flowed around him like liquid darkness, its living fabric responding to his desperate need for protection.

But the knight was already adapting. Its follow-up attack came not from the claymore but from its free hand, crimson energy lashing out like a whip. The blood magic caught David across the shoulder, spinning him around and sending him sprawling.

Pain exploded through his body as the knight's power burned into him. This wasn't just physical damage, the blood magic was invasive, trying to worm its way into his system and corrupt him from within. Only the Nightveil Embrace's protective properties kept it from taking root completely.

"David!" Vespera's voice carried a note of genuine alarm as she saw him struggle to rise.

****

A/N:

Hey folks.. yeah, I know, you're all probably wondering where this totally unreliable, burnout-prone author disappeared to 😅. I won't lie, burnout slapped me harder than David slaps enemies with his overpowered, edgy angst. I started writing stuff that even I couldn't explain... and I wrote it.

But! I've recovered, I've recharged, and I'm BACK, baby! And guess what? I've finally scripted Lucky 21! Go check it out on Webtoon, drop a like, follow, subscribe, and maybe forgive this clown of a storyteller 🙇‍♂️.

Thank you for sticking with me and my unholy obsession with edgy plots and chaotic characters. I know, I know… it's borderline depressing, but hey, THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Expect a flood of chapters soon, and if you somehow manage to catch up, I've also got a brand-new novel in the works:

⚒️ FORGED BY LUST: MY RISE AS THE HAREM SMITH ⚒️It's like Overlord meets Slime Isekai, but more ecchi and more chaotic storytelling, courtesy of yours truly. Four chapters a day. You heard me.

Thanks again for the love and patience, you're the real MVPs. Byeeee~ ❤️🔥