The pristine white armor blurred across the ruined cobblestones as the Undead Paladin launched a devastating vertical cleave. Solomon simply stepped to the left, letting the massive executioner’s sword crash harmlessly into the cratered floor.

He twisted his hips and brought the silver rapier up to deflect the immediate horizontal follow-up. The immense kinetic force behind the monster’s swing cascaded down the thin Mythril blade, threatening to dislocate Solomon’s shoulder.

Fortunately, he absorbed the recoil perfectly by pivoting on his rear boot and redirecting the momentum into a fluid spin.

Suddenly, a flurry of diagonal slashes rained down from the towering boss. Solomon danced through the deadly web of steel without breaking a single sweat. He had spent exactly five thousand four hundred and seventy-three days memorizing every microscopic twitch of the ancient knight’s muscles.

To the thousands of viewers watching through the bronze owl, the fight looked like an absolute suicide mission against divine violence. However, the terrifying onslaught felt exactly like a nostalgic morning tutorial to Solomon.

[GamerGuy: HOW IS HE DODGING THAT?!]

[LazyCat: the boss is moving at warp speed and Solo Man is just walking around the attacks!]

[BloodKnight: look at his footwork! it is absolutely flawless!]

[User12: he is actually playing with an S-Rank calamity right now.]

The Paladin stepped deep into a forward lunge and thrust the executioner’s sword directly at Solomon’s chest. Solomon tossed the silver rapier straight up into the air.

He caught the hilt with his left hand mid-flight and instantly swatted the massive incoming blade aside. The sudden parry completely shattered the monster’s pristine guard and exposed its white helmet.

Solomon stepped into the opening and drove his bare right fist violently into the Paladin’s steel faceplate.

The loud crack of knuckles striking steel echoed across the ruined chamber. The towering boss stumbled backward and dragged its boots across the loose stones to regain its balance. Solomon lowered the silver rapier and planted his feet firmly on the ground.

He stared directly at the corrupted golden light flickering inside the cross-shaped visor without blinking once. He stood completely still while waiting for a familiar raspy voice to complain about his unorthodox brawling tactics.

Seconds ticked by while the dust settled around the cratered arena. The Undead Paladin simply let out a hollow roar and raised its executioner’s sword for another mindless charge.

Solomon bit his lower lip until he tasted a faint trace of blood. He lowered his gaze to the broken cobblestones. He had genuinely hoped that experiencing the exact same sparring routine from the mental void might somehow jolt the ancient warrior’s lingering consciousness awake.

The paladin was his mentor. He didn’t want to kill someone he had spent fifteen years with.

"What was I even thinking," Solomon whispered to himself, wiping a stray drop of blood from his bruised knuckles. The man who had sacrificed his soul to pass down the legacy of Eden was completely gone.

The towering creature standing in front of him possessed absolutely no memories of the peaceful wooden cabin, the silver-haired princess, or the thousands of duels they had shared.

It was simply a rotting husk animated by divine corruption.

Solomon tightened his grip on the silver rapier and immediately channeled the Eden Imperial Sword Arts. The lightweight Mythril blade lacked the massive mass required to optimally execute the techniques.

He compensated by forcing his muscles to push the sheer velocity of the strikes to their absolute physical limits.

A thin layer of white smoke materialized over his skin and coated the entire length of the borrowed weapon.

He stepped deep into the ancient knight’s guard and unleashed a flurry of strikes. The sudden shift in speed completely overwhelmed the undead guardian. The towering monster swung its massive executioner’s sword in wide, sweeping arcs.

Solomon parried the attacks with minimal effort, easily exploiting the gaping openings in the creature’s defense to dismantle its posture.

He watched the corrupted golden light flicker inside the pristine white visor. A sharp ache gripped his throat as he traded blows with his former instructor. He had spent enough time locked in this final duel. The moment had finally arrived to bid the ancient warrior a proper farewell.

’Thank you for your guidance!’

Solomon raised the silver rapier high into the air with his right hand. He brought his left palm up and locked both sets of fingers tightly around the hilt. He twisted his hips, aligned his spine perfectly, and brought the blade crashing down in a flawless execution of the first form.

The silver rapier sheared straight through the pristine armor, cleanly severing both of the Paladin’s arms directly at the shoulders.

Before the severed limbs even hit the cobblestones, Solomon pivoted on his boots and snapped his core into a violent rotation. He executed the second form, sending a horizontal wave of kinetic force through the monster’s lower half.

The attack sliced completely through the white greaves and detached the Paladin’s legs just below the knees.

The towering torso began to drop toward the ruined floor. Solomon planted his rear foot and instantly unleashed the third form. A blinding web of diagonal slashes carved through the falling armor, dismantling the pristine chest plate into dozens of useless metal fragments.

He anchored his stance for the final strike. Solomon pulled the hilt close to his ribs and launched himself forward, compressing his entire body weight into the very tip of the rapier.

He executed the fourth form, driving the silver blade straight through the exposed center of the Paladin’s chest.

The piercing strike shattered the corrupted golden core into dust.

The ruined pieces of the ancient armor clattered loudly against the stone tiles. The severed gauntlet remained firmly wrapped around the hilt of the massive executioner’s sword on the ground.

The rotting flesh trapped inside the white steel immediately disintegrated, collapsing into a large pile of gray ash.

Solomon lowered the rapier and stared at the remains. He bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. His chest heaved erratically while his vision blurred with unshed moisture. He forced himself to blink rapidly and tilt his chin upward to keep the tears from falling.

He remained an eighteen-year-old boy in the physical world. His actual life experience barely stretched past his teenage years, yet he carried the mental scars of a seasoned veteran.

He had spent exactly fifteen years trapped inside the mental void, dedicating every waking moment solely to the pursuit of the blade.

The ancient knight had served as his tormentor, his only companion, and his greatest mentor. He had just slaughtered the only person who truly understood his struggle.

A sudden gust of wind swept through the ruined cavern. The pile of gray remains ignited with a brilliant, glowing light. The illuminated ashes drifted upward, swirling around Solomon’s shoulders before floating toward the dark ceiling.

The familiar, raspy voice brushed against his ear as the glowing embers vanished into the shadows.

"Thank you."