Are you referring to a regular female knight, or a trash-tier female knight?
The Dark Knight is the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Even the proud Otto cannot deny that.
Therefore, he came more prepared and with greater resolve than when he had disabled Tonio, another one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and he was still tense.
A single mistake could be fatal.
A moment of carelessness could kill him.
Knowing that, Otto still had to defeat the Dark Knight.
If he didn’t defeat him, there would be no victory for the mainstream faction, and Dennis would never become the Demon King.
“In this battle for the Demon King’s throne, I must kill you. But even more, it’s time I drag you down from your position as the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings. ‘Serpent Sword’!”
The weapon Otto drew was a sword called the “Serpent Sword.”
It was slightly slender and clearly not made of ordinary iron, its blade a venomous shade of purple.
[Interesting. I’m looking forward to this, Otto. (Forget about the strongest title—just drag me down from the Four Heavenly Kings. Please!)]
Otto raised an eyebrow at the voice tinged with excitement.
Perhaps the Dark Knight enjoyed being directly challenged like this.
Though hailed as the strongest, feared and avoided by all, maybe that was precisely why he craved battles like these.
“Aah, I’ll give you a show. You can rejoice in hell!”
With those words, Otto lunged forward.
Every fighter has their own preferred combat style.
Some wield swords, others spears.
And generally, they fall into one of two categories: close-range or long-range fighters.
Warriors are typically the former; sorcerers the latter.
Otto belonged to the former category—a warrior type who excelled in fierce melee combat.
His speed was astonishing, closing the distance to the Dark Knight in the blink of an eye.
Covered head to toe in armor, he seemed to have no openings.
Even so, Otto swung his Serpent Sword sharply at the vulnerable joint near the neck.
[Sharp, indeed. But having my neck targeted is troubling. Aim somewhere else, will you? (Who said you could kill me? I said knock me down!)]
But the Dark Knight effortlessly parried the strike.
In his hands was a massive broadsword, larger and thicker than the Serpent Sword.
However, it too was blackened, matching his armor.
“Hah! If I don’t aim for your weak point, the neck, where should I strike?”
[…The torso? (It’s so hardened that blades probably won’t penetrate.)]
“Don’t mock me… Take this!!”
Hearing the Dark Knight’s sarcastic tone, Otto’s vision turned crimson.
There was a significant difference in their builds.
A clash of blades would favor the Dark Knight.
Otto quickly retreated, avoiding a contest of strength.
[What’s wrong? Do you have time to dawdle? Entertain me. (If you knock me down, I’ll even lick your boots.)]
“Tch…!”
The arrogant and insolent remarks infuriated Otto.
But the Dark Knight had the power to back up such audacity.
“Don’t underestimate me. Witness my true strength!”
Otto’s body blurred and vanished, closing in on the Dark Knight once again.
What followed was a battle truly befitting the highest-tier forces of the Demon King’s army.
Otto dominated with speed; the Dark Knight overwhelmed with raw power.
Strength versus speed. The collision of these polar opposites was breathtaking.
“…I can’t see anything.”
The deafening sounds of their clashes echoed like thunderclaps.
All Luna could perceive were flashes of movement.
No, the Dark Knight remained relatively still, fully visible.
But Otto’s form had nearly disappeared, occasionally flickering into view near the Dark Knight to swing his sword.
The Dark Knight, seemingly unfazed, casually deflected each attack.
The aftershocks of their battle were devastating.
Trees toppled, monsters and animals caught in the crossfire were torn apart.
Even from afar, it was clear this was a life-or-death struggle.
“Hmm? I thought Her Highness possessed considerable magical power and thus high combat capability…”
“I am a long-range fighter. Such intense close-quarters combat is beyond me. Can you see what’s happening?”
Flau asked, and Luna explained.
The quality and quantity of one’s magical energy determined their strength.
Recognizing Luna’s excellent and abundant magical reserves, Flau had assumed she was also a formidable combatant capable of following the fight.
The reason they weren’t caught in the battle’s destructive wake was due to Luna erecting a magical barrier.
Without it, they would have been shredded to pieces.
Her barrier, imbued with high-quality and copious amounts of magic, was resilient and rarely broken.
However, against a battle between members of the Four Heavenly Kings, it was but a fragile shield.
Thus, Luna continuously poured magic into it, repairing it whenever it took damage.
This constant effort left her expression calm, but she couldn’t focus enough to observe the battle herself.
That’s why she turned to Flau .
“Well, even now, I was once a knight.”
The term “knight” made Luna frown.
She didn’t have definitive proof, but Flau was likely human.
Luna, whose sole purpose was the prosperity of demonkind, harbored no love for humans.
“(It troubles me, but if the Dark Knight claims ownership of her, I cannot say anything.)”
As much as it irked her, Luna couldn’t reprimand Flau .
After all, Flau was under the protection of the Dark Knight.
Relying entirely on his strength, Luna couldn’t act against his will.
Thus, sticking to her original intent, she inquired about the duel.
“If that’s the case, could you tell me? In this battle, who has the upper hand?”
“That’s something you shouldn’t need to ask.”
If the Dark Knight fell, it meant her own defeat—her own death.
How could she not care?
After all, if she perished here, the demon race under Dennis’s rule would be doomed.
Her own death didn’t matter, but the extinction of demonkind had to be avoided at all costs.
Believing the Dark Knight wouldn’t lose was why she devised and executed this decoy operation—but she hadn’t anticipated Otto, an equal among the Four Heavenly Kings, would appear as the attacker.
Despite this reasoning, Flau ’s face twisted in irritation when asked.
Because…
“——He never loses to anyone. That’s why I’m stuck without freedom.”
While Flau voiced her absolute trust in him, the battle between the Dark Knight and Otto saw a shift.
A sharp metallic clang rang out as Otto slid backward, creating distance.
“Tch. As expected, he’s strong. Infuriatingly so.”
Otto clicked his tongue in frustration.
Not a scratch marred his body.
Throughout the fight, it had been Otto relentlessly attacking while the Dark Knight merely defended.
Half of him believed he hadn’t given the Dark Knight a chance to counterattack.
“(The lack of counters… perhaps…)”
Did the Dark Knight have no intention of attacking him?
Was he planning something?
Not receiving any attacks meant he wasn’t in immediate danger of dying, which was fortunate—but it was unsettling.
What was the Dark Knight aiming for?
[What’s the matter? This level of fighting won’t bring me down. (Defeat me already and drag me out of the Four Heavenly Kings.)]
Another provocation.
Otto knew he shouldn’t rise to the bait—but…
Yet, this stalemate couldn’t continue forever.
Fine, he’d take the bait.
“Aah. Then I’ll show you. My ultimate power! Come forth, serpent!”
The Serpent Sword glowed a vivid purple as a massive snake materialized before them.