"Greetings... bearer of the curse."
With those words, the Golden Knight announced his presence—
And a violent tremor shook Ethan’s mind, his expression turning as grim as a grave.
Gripping the Executioner’s Sword tightly, a dark aura erupted from Ethan’s body as his Aura Armor ford around him, granting him imnse power.
Yet before the presence of the Golden Knight—
That power looked pitiful.
Faint.
Insignificant.
The knight stared at him from behind his golden helm without the slightest trace of surprise.
Ethan released his full strength.
Prepared himself for battle.
Did everything within his power—
Yet he did not move.
He did not attack.
His crimson-red eyes darted back and forth between the Golden Knight—
And every possible escape route around him.
He did not know what he was supposed to do.
’Do I fight...?’
’Or run?’
He questioned himself seriously.
But almost imdiately—
He realized both choices were wrong.
According to Jackson, the Golden Knight was at least a High King-rank existence.
aning he could erase Ethan with a single strike.
And escaping from an opponent whose rank vastly surpassed his own was equally impossible.
Even if Ethan used the Grappling Hook—
The knight would catch him instantly.
In less than five seconds, Ethan ran through dozens of possibilities and scenarios inside his head.
And in every single one of them—
Death was the only logical conclusion.
So he remained motionless.
Clinging to the last shred of hope he had left.
Swallowing dryly, Ethan chose words over violence.
"You..."
"How did you co here?"
He asked cautiously.
A Legacy Dungeon Boss was never supposed to leave its designated territory regardless of the circumstances.
The Cathedral should have been the knight’s domain.
The Golden Knight stared at him silently for several seconds.
None of his facial features were visible beneath the helt, making it impossible to read his intentions.
"I ca for you, bearer of the curse."
The knight replied as he took another step toward Ethan.
Imdiately, Ethan raised his sword in preparation.
But the Golden Knight slowly lifted a hand, reassuring him.
"There is no need for such fear and caution."
"I have no intention of harming you."
Hearing those unexpected words, Ethan let out a strained smile.
"And I’m supposed to believe that?"
"You should."
"Look around you."
The knight gestured toward Ethan’s frozen companions.
"Do you truly believe you would still be alive if I wished to kill you?"
Not a single one of them moved.
All of them remained stiff and lifeless—
As though their souls had abandoned their bodies entirely.
Ethan fell silent for a mont.
Yet deep down, he knew the knight’s words carried truth.
If the Golden Knight truly wished to kill him—
He already would have done so.
Letting out a deep breath, Ethan slowly lowered his weapon and dispelled his aura.
The Golden Knight nodded upon seeing that.
"A wise decision."
"I’m glad you’re not a fool, at the very least."
"Then say what you ca to say."
"If battle isn’t your goal... then I assu conversation is."
Ethan spoke calmly.
The Golden Knight nodded once more.
"This ti... you are correct."
The knight approached further until only a short distance separated them.
The proximity alone tightened Ethan’s nerves, yet he maintained his composure.
"Co, bearer of the curse."
"Sit with ."
The Golden Knight gestured toward one of the seats near the Bonfire.
After a brief hesitation, Ethan nodded.
"My na is Ethan Heart."
"Use it and stop calling bearer of the curse."
"As you wish."
The two sat facing one another.
Silence lingered between them for a while.
Ethan’s eyes never left the Golden Knight for even a mont.
anwhile, the knight observed the camp and everyone within it.
Then his gaze stopped upon Jackson.
He stared at the giant for several long seconds—
As though looking upon an old companion from another lifeti.
Eventually, he shifted his attention back toward Ethan.
And finally decided to speak.
"Ethan Heart."
"First and foremost... know that your companions are unhard."
"I did nothing to them."
"I rely isolated you so that I could speak with you alone."
The knight’s words eased part of the tension inside Ethan’s chest.
For a mont, he had feared he might have beco the sole survivor among all the hunters.
And he truly did not know what he would have done if that had happened.
"Why ?"
He asked, unable to understand why the Golden Knight had chosen him specifically instead of soone stronger like Jackson—
Who clearly seed connected to him—
Or even Moon and Gustav.
The Golden Knight answered without hesitation.
"Because you bear the Marked Curse."
Ethan frowned imdiately upon hearing that.
But the knight continued regardless of his reaction.
"You must have already heard from Jackson the truth behind this city..."
"And the nature of its final boss."
Ethan nodded silently, making things easier.
"It is a creature that possesses others and bends them beneath its control."
"And I was the one it possessed."
"Because I was the strongest among the hunters who attempted to conquer this Legacy Dungeon."
"You seem perfectly sane to ."
Ethan replied suspiciously, since the Golden Knight appeared completely in control of himself.
"That is because what you see before you now is not my true body."
"It is rely an illusion your mind perceives based upon the mories you possess of ."
"This is not the first ti you have seen ."
And the knight was right.
Ethan had seen him within Matthias’ mories.
Yet that was not sothing anyone else should have known.
"My true body still remains inside the Old Cathedral."
"Completely under that creature’s control."
"And my soul remains imprisoned within it... incapable of doing anything."
Ethan remained silent for several monts after hearing that.
Then finally opened his mouth once more.
"You’ve been alive..."
"For hundreds of years?"
Trapped within his own body.
Unable to do anything except watch from afar.
The Golden Knight nodded slowly.
"I am alive."
"And I have spent all these years forced to watch that creature use to slaughter everyone who entered this city."
"I..."
"I would never have killed them."
"I would never have killed my comrades... nor the children of my clan."
"I would never have done such a thing."
The knight’s voice grew unstable when he reached the final part.
For the first ti, Ethan sensed it clearly—
The unbearable amount of negative emotions festering within him.
"Isn’t there... a way to free you from it?"
"From that creature’s control?"
Ethan asked, unable to stop himself from sympathizing with what the knight had endured.
The Golden Knight nodded slowly.
"There is."
"But only one."
"By killing ."
"And even if you do kill ..."
"That creature will remain alive."
"It will erge from my body imdiately afterward."
"You will have to fight it yourself and defeat it if you wish to end this nightmare."
Ethan’s expression darkened once more.
Because he finally understood—
Defeating the Golden Knight would not necessarily be the end.
"How exactly am I supposed to accomplish sothing like that?"
In response, the knight gave him the cruel truth.
"You cannot."
"Because you are weak."
"Even if all of you united against , your chances of victory would not exceed zero."
Victory was impossibly far away.
Yet Ethan was not surprised.
They already knew that much.
That was precisely why they were trying to call for outside help.
Still—
He did not understand why the Golden Knight had co here in the first place.
"So you ca all this way just to tell that?"
"That I can’t defeat you and should simply give up?"
The Golden Knight shook his head.
"No."
"I ca to warn you."
The knight’s tone beca far more serious as he finally reached the true reason for his appearance.
"Ethan Heart."
"Both of us are cursed."
"That is why you alone can perceive this form of mine."
"So listen carefully."
"That creature is aware of what you and the others are doing."
"The slaughter of those monsters..."
"The purification of the outskirts..."
"It has begun to irritate it."
"And because of that..."
"It has decided to send one of its strongest servants to eliminate you."
A chill ran down Ethan’s spine.
"Ti does not flow within this space."
"But the mont you return to reality..."
"You and the others will be attacked exactly one minute later."
Ethan instantly rose from his seat upon hearing those words.
His gaze shot toward the windows surrounding the building they had turned into a temporary camp.
And through them—
He saw sothing approaching from afar.
No—
More than one thing.
"It will be an enemy stronger than anything you have faced thus far."
"A nightmare born from within the Cathedral itself."
A monster.
One that would arrive in exactly one minute.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with so little ti?!"
Panic finally gripped Ethan.
Yet the Golden Knight rely chuckled quietly.
"You will have to find the answer yourself."
"If you survive this..."
"Then we shall et again."
"Good luck..."
"...my successor, cursed hunter."
And then—
The Golden Knight vanished.
At that exact mont, ti began flowing once more.
Life returned to everyone around him.
Ethan stood frozen in place, staring into the distance.
His eyes shifted repeatedly between his companions—
And the approaching nightmare.
Ti was running out.
Only one minute remained.
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