The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

The appearance of the Black Grail Knights blocked nearly all the Sea God Knights attempting to pursue the infiltrator. The terrifying power of these Black Grail Knights was evident from the first clash. A Sea God Knight attempted to attack, but a Black Grail Knight easily deflected the trident with a single motion. Turning sideways, the dark-tinged lance pierced through the Sea God Knight's armor.

The Sea God Knight was pinned to the ground, screaming in agony, but the Black Grail Knight remained silent. He abandoned the lance, drew his sword and shield, the shield bearing the Black Grail symbol—a grave insult and mockery to the Knights of Bretonnia.

The undead warhorse snorted white smoke. The charge of the three Black Grail Knights was as powerful as that of a hundred Sea God Knights. The formation of the Sea God Knights clashed with the Black Grail Knights. Amidst the sound of metal clashing and the neighing of horses, the Sea God Knights shouted Mannan's holy name, fearlessly charging at the Black Grail Knights.

In the first encounter, over a dozen Sea God Knights fell, while the three Black Grail Knights remained unscathed.

"Black Grail Knights." Duke Laon of Connet, wearing a cross-helmet and shining armor, wielding the Lion Lance, said solemnly, "Retreat, knights, retreat. You are no match for them!"

"Those are Black Grail Knights?" Ryan raised his Hammer of Thor. He had once fought a Black Grail Knight and remembered his name: Honore de Reis.

The Black Grail Knights before him were different from the one he defeated. These knights' faces were hidden beneath their helmets, but unlike Honore de Reis, who retained some traits even in desecration, these Black Grail Knights had lost all reason, functioning like killing machines, reaping the lives of Sea God Knights and guards.

"Yes, those are Black Grail Knights! I fought one during the attack on Mousillon. Their cursed state is the greatest blasphemy against the Lady, but do not underestimate their power. After being desecrated and revived, they are stronger than they were in life!" Laon Leo Cornwall gripped his lance and began his charge.

"I'm in!" Ryan tugged the reins of his purebred elven warhorse, Grape, and charged. In the night wind and the scent of blood, he clashed head-on with a Black Grail Knight.

"Ding!" The hammer in Ryan's hand radiated intense heat, knocking the Black Grail Knight off his horse. The hammerhead collided with the shield bearing the Black Grail symbol, producing a sound of twisting metal.

Ryan, a Holy Domain knight, could shatter the strongest steel with one blow. Yet, the Black Grail Knight, though dismounted, showed no reaction, remaining as silent as the grave. Rising again, he faced Ryan with the calm of a true veteran.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan saw Duke Bodrick and his son fighting a Black Grail Knight, while Laon Leo Cornwall battled another. The Lion Lance clashed with the dark lance of the Black Grail Knight. Under the dim light of streetlamps and the yellow glow of magic, Laon's face bore an intensity Ryan had never seen. It was said that after encountering the Black Grail Knights, the Duke vowed to destroy every desecrated knight's undead form to repay the Lady's blessings.

Now, it was Ryan's turn. He raised his hammer, the mountain-like force pounding the Black Grail Knight's shield. Each blow drove the knight deeper into the ground.

The Black Grail Knight's shield endured Ryan's three heavy strikes. The knight then swung his black sword at Ryan's horse, Grape. The purebred elven warhorse reared, kicking the knight's dragon-winged helmet. Ryan unleashed a psychic storm from his hammer, enveloping the knight in silver lightning. He prepared to strike again.

The Black Grail Knight rose from the lightning, his body emitting a burnt smell and the sound of sizzling corpse oil. The undead warrior, unaffected by the psychic storm, stomped the ground, creating a crater.

Ryan realized why the Black Grail Knights were so powerful.

Desecrated and revived, their consciousness erased, they became pure killing machines. Vampiric immortality made them tireless, fearless, and unfeeling super-soldiers.

Thus, the Black Grail Knights were stronger than their living counterparts.

Despite this, after seven or eight exchanges in the psychic storm, Ryan felt increasingly confident. Concerned for his mount, he dismounted, hammering the knight back.

Ryan's power surpassed the Black Grail Knight's, but that didn't guarantee victory. He feared any special techniques the knight might have.

Many strong warriors fall to weaker ones due to ignorance—unaware of the enemy's special skills or hidden tricks.

A wizard's spell list is a closely guarded secret, known only to trusted confidants for this reason.

Now, it was time to end the fight! Ryan suddenly ceased the psychic storm. The oppressive energy vanished, causing the Black Grail Knight to stumble.

Using unmatched skill and perfect control, the knight twisted his body to regain balance, focusing on defense.

The attack didn't come from Ryan. A sword glowing with holy light pierced the knight's shoulder, and a fervent voice shouted, "Holy Light!"

Golden light illuminated the night, revealing shop signs to the fighting men. Alfred, the Templar Knight, joined the battle from the side, wielding a sword and shield. The holy light from his sword engulfed Ryan and the Black Grail Knight.

The pure energy of the Holy Light severely injured the Black Grail Knight. Blessed by the God of Righteousness, the sword pierced the cursed armor, spraying black blood. The knight groaned, ignoring the pain, and struck Alfred, knocking him and his shield to the ground, adding another mark to the shield.

Alfred, thrown into a bakery, lay amidst fallen loaves, a heavy bread striking his head with a metallic thud.

"Ah, I've wasted food. Forgive me, my lord." The heavy blow temporarily incapacitated Alfred. Spitting blood, he struggled to rise. "I'm done. Ryan, it's up to you!"

"I got it!" Alfred's efforts weren't in vain. As the Black Grail Knight attacked Alfred, Ryan's hammer struck the knight's shoulder, shattering bones. The knight swung his shield at Ryan's face, but Ryan blocked and countered in one smooth motion.

The hammer's handle embedded in the knight's helmet, and the Goddess of Vengeance unsheathed. Ryan held the black-bloodied head, declaring, "For the Lady! For Bretonnia!"

"For the Lady!"

Victory cries echoed around. Laon Leo Cornwall, bleeding and armored with dents, had impaled his enemy's head with the Lion Lance, clearly victorious.

Another Black Grail Knight fell under the combined assault of Duke Bodrick, his son, and fifteen Sea God Knights. His body bore hundreds of wounds. To kill him, Bodrick unleashed "Mannan's Wrath" three times, destroying half the street.

"It's over." Confirming the enemy's defeat, the injured Duke Bodrick sheathed his Sea God trident. "By Mannan, the infiltrator must be a Mousillon vampire, likely the self-proclaimed Duke Matthew Bardhan."

"Only Matthew Bardhan and the Lich King Arkhan can command the Black Grail Knights." Laon sheathed his weapon, sighing. "Damn, we fought for so long, the infiltrator likely escaped."

"We eliminated three Black Grail Knights. That's quite a feat." Ryan, wary, scanned the area. "You're right, Lord Laon. The infiltrator probably escaped. With the city in turmoil, it's impossible to search thoroughly. We should stabilize the city and check the guest list."

"Agreed." Duke Bodrick, most angered, saw the banquet he meticulously prepared turned into a disaster. Mortified, he addressed the group. "Everyone worked hard. Today's banquet is Bordereau's disgrace. We will provide an explanation. My court physicians will treat the injured, and we will pay compensation for the fallen."

The three Black Grail Knight corpses turned to ash. Ryan and the nobles found no trace of the infiltrator and left.

About twenty knights remained to clean up, ordering serf soldiers and militiamen to scour the scene for any clues.

Knights and nobles from all over Bretonnia attended the banquet, most unknown to each other. Volunteers stayed to help.

After a while, a young errant knight scratched his head, removing his helm, and complained, "Guys, what a fierce fight. Damn, the banquet was interrupted halfway. I'm starving."

"Hey, buddy, why didn't you eat at the banquet?" a Sea God Knight joked. "We'll handle this. Go to the banquet hall. The kitchen and bar should have plenty of food."

"Thanks, man. That's great." The errant knight thanked him, gave a perfect Bretonnian knight salute, and slowly left.

The remaining knights continued the cleanup.

Turning two streets, the errant knight hid in the shadows, pulling out a golden skull. The skull, used once, had lost all magic, a disposable life-saving tool given by Arkhan.

Feeling the energy and combat knowledge of the three dead Black Grail Knights, Matthew Bardhan frowned. Losing three knights was acceptable, but leaving Bordereau empty-handed was not.

Had the fully armed Black Grail Knights stormed the banquet, the unarmed nobles, save for Ryan and Berthier, would have been slaughtered.

But he failed. Failure needs no excuses, as his godfather Arkhan taught him. Victory needs no reason, failure has no excuse.

Returning to Mousillon, Matthew Bardhan reflected on Ryan's strength witnessed in battle, recognizing their disparity. Feeling the surging power within himself, he decided to return to Mousillon to train, intending to fully absorb the gained strength before making any further moves.

Thanks to his flawless disguise, Matthew Bardhan left the city undetected, heading to the meeting spot he arranged with Fiona outside the city.

...

Inside Bordereau Castle.

Ryan returned to the castle to find an unusual scene.

The Black Lady of Nuln, death-domain archmage, supreme wizard of the Imperial Royal Wizard Academy's Amethyst College, Elspeth von Draken, and Nuln's High Judge, champion warrior Theodore Bruckner, stood before Sulia and Emilia.

Ryan took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He knew the people of Nuln had come to confront him.

How would Emilia react?

What should he do?

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