I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 41: Last Quest

The rustling sound of shifting metal echoed through the hall.

The statue moved—and just like last time, two crimson eyes gleamed from behind the helmet’s visor.

But this time, something was different.

Instead of charging straight at them, the Dark Knight lingered. Then, slowly, it began to walk.

Vale wasn’t sure what had changed. Maybe it was the fact that there were now four of them, or perhaps his recent core rank-up. Whatever the reason, the knight seemed more cautious, almost as if it acknowledged their strength.

Heavy footsteps rang out with each deliberate stride.

The group, frozen at first, began to act.

Klein stayed outside the doorway, casting his debuff spell. Meanwhile, Vale and Ayla dashed forward, circling the enemy.

Dain charged head-on, his silver gauntlets aimed at the knight’s head.

The knight moved fast. In a blur of black, it vanished—then reappeared right in front of Ayla. Its heavy longsword came down in a vicious arc.

Ayla reacted instantly. The moment it appeared, her ability kicked in. She moved with fluid precision, narrowly dodging the strike before counterattacking in the same breath.

But her dagger was too weak. The blade bounced harmlessly off the knight’s armour, deflected by its bracer. In the same motion, the knight spun, ready to face Vale, who struck from behind.

Their blades collided. Sparks flew as steel met steel. The impact sent a jolt of pain through Vale’s arms as he barely managed to block the blow.

The knight moved like a phantom, dodging, parrying, and striking at the trio with brutal efficiency. It fought without hesitation, willing to take hits to land its own, but even that was misleading. Vale’s strikes glanced off its armour, too weak to pierce the dense plates.

After another failed exchange, Vale was knocked back. He watched as Ayla darted in behind the knight.

She activated her ability.

In an instant, the air thickened. The atmosphere grew heavy for everyone but her. With a sharp thrust, she aimed her dagger at the knight’s abdomen—faster than ever before.

At the exact moment, Dain threw a powerful strike, his gauntlets swinging for the knight’s head.

Ayla’s dagger struck—only to stop cold. Her eyes widened in disbelief as pain shot through her arm, the impact reverberating like she’d hit an unbreakable wall.

The knight’s sword rose—and with its blade, it blocked Dain’s strike.

Seizing the moment, Vale activated his weapon enchantment—his sword igniting in a blaze of fire.

Gripping the hilt with both hands, he raised the blade high above his head. With a long arc of steel and flame, he brought it crashing down toward the Dark Knight.

But before the strike could land, the knight vanished.

"What—"

A split-second later, a crushing blow slammed into Vale’s left side. The impact launched him through the air, his body colliding violently with one of the columns supporting the spiral staircase.

Darkness engulfed his vision. When it returned, he was on the ground, dazed, with chunks of stone raining down on him. Half the column had collapsed—yet somehow, the remainder still stood, groaning under its own weight.

Ahead of him, Ayla and Dain fought on, locked in a desperate struggle against the Dark Knight.

Even with her fearsome ability, Ayla was clearly struggling. Despite her manipulation of the knight’s mass and Klein’s weakening debuff, the Dark Knight moved with unnerving ease—its strikes still deadly, its precision undiminished.

Vale didn’t want to imagine what it would be like to face that monster alone.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to.

He forced himself up and charged back into the battle.

Activating his ability, he summoned three tendril-like vines that burst from the ground beneath the knight.

But before they could wrap around its armour, a flash of dark steel tore through the air.

A sharp thud echoed through the hall as all three vines were severed—falling lifeless to the floor.

Vale froze, his eyes wide, disbelief gripping him.

Then—from the depths of his mind—a voice he recognized all too well echoed.

[ Your ability, Vine Bind, has been damaged. ]

Before he could even begin to question how an ability could be damaged, the Dark Spark materialized—twisting into existence before him.

Without hesitation, it shot straight into his stomach.

A searing pain erupted through his core.

He gasped, clutching at his abdomen, breath caught in his throat as the shock overwhelmed him.

[ Your ability, Vine Bind, has been consumed. ]

His thoughts spun, wild and panicked.

"What?! You damn—"

But he couldn’t even finish the curse.

The Dark Knight appeared before him.

As if it had sensed his moment of weakness, it had abandoned the fight with the others—vanishing from the battlefield and reappearing in front of Vale, sword raised, ready to strike him down.

The voice, however, wasn’t done speaking.

[ Your Unique Ability is evolving... ]

Vale didn’t have time to listen.

With instinct born of desperation, he activated his Stealth enchantment and rolled forward—just in time to evade the Dark Knight’s brutal swing.

The rest would have to wait.

Questions burned in his mind, but he pushed them aside, locking his gaze on the looming silhouette of the knight. The pain still throbbed in his core, but it had dulled enough to move.

He rose, steadying his breath, and shifted into his battle stance.

Ayla’s dagger sliced through the air—its mass amplified just before impact. This time, it sank deep into the Dark Knight’s leg armour, finally piercing through the defences.

The knight staggered slightly, then bent down to pull the dagger free. But the moment its fingers touched the hilt, the blade’s weight surged, anchoring it in place.

At that exact moment, Dain lunged forward. With a powerful leap, he landed atop the knight, his silver gauntlet smashing into the visor with a thunderous crack.

But before he could deliver a second blow, the dark blade lashed through the air.

The sword tore across Dain’s torso, splattering the hall’s floor with crimson.

A burning warmth bloomed across his chest. Gritting his teeth, the massive student leapt backwards, trying to put distance between himself and the knight.

But the knight was relentless. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Dain stretched out his arm—a small coin materialised at his fingertips.

But before he could flick it up and activate his Unique Ability, a flash of darkness carved through the air.

The dark blade sliced cleanly through, severing Dain’s arm at the elbow.

Before the limb even hit the ground, the Dark Knight snatched it mid-air.

With a swift half-spin, it swung the severed arm like a club—smashing it into Dain’s face.

The impact sent him crashing into a nearby wall with bone-rattling force.