[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses":3,"chapter-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-717":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","A Knight Who Eternally Regresses",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},428424,689,"Chapter 714: Just As Planned","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-717",717,"\u003Cp>The gleam in her eyes, the plated hands, the once-armored muscle, the subtle shifts, the raindrops, the wind, even the killing intent drifting through the damp air—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexandra absorbed all the necessary data and filed it away in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same method Enkrid often demonstrated—calculating the surrounding situation and weaponizing it for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You’re not the only one good at this, you know.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even amidst the raging storm, Alexandra focused solely on the enemy before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shut out everything else, narrowing her perception to just the two of them—herself and her opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, she could even negate the Medusa’s petrification curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the curse would still have some effect from outside her perception field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she couldn’t exactly go over and slice off the Medusa’s head right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she chose to ignore it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cast everything aside and focused with unwavering intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She forgot it was raining. She forgot the wind howled and the storm battered her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stepped into a world where only she and her opponent remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the friend who returned from death, there were still remnants of the person she had known in life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the helmet that oozed black vapor, she could see the long braid of hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andante had always worn long, flowing hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Alexandra who told her not to cut it, saying it was too beautiful to waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After teaching her how to braid it, Andante wore it that way ever since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You really did grow it out for ages after that.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, she’d even hidden blades between the braided strands—though that had just been a joke at the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssssss...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black vapor coalesced and seeped into the helmet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like a ritual just before the start of battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexandra tightened her toes just slightly more than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She and Andante never fought prolonged duels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They always preferred single-blow duels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that, Andante had loved their spars when she was alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I feel close to death, the world doesn’t look so bloody red anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said it with a smile, even as her thigh gushed blood from a deep wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red world—Andante sometimes said that’s how she saw the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To others it might sound unsettling, but to her, it was a product of a tragic past that had birthed an unbearable craving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A craving only silenced by taking lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That killing intent sharpened into a blade and pierced straight at Alexandra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure became a jagged, bloody sword that nearly touched her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alexandra didn’t budge an inch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were two clowns walking a tightrope stretched high on a pole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s end this in one stroke, Andante.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do you get when you take a knight and add calamity—and then death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer stood before her now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andante would move faster and more dynamically than she ever had in life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexandra didn’t need to cross blades to know that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andante had multiple advantages now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First of all, she didn’t breathe. You couldn’t read a corpse’s breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she no longer needed to warm up her muscles or telegraph her actions—she could unleash her full strength in a flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That primal combat instinct was one of the powers granted to the death knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only solace was that her Will wouldn’t have changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A knight’s Will doesn’t # Nоvеlight # grow easily—and after death, it doesn’t grow at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the Will retained from life could be used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On top of that, her limbs could regenerate quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant the only targets worth striking were her head and neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And naturally, the enemy would know that too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She’ll instinctively swing her blade to win.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the surface, the two of them simply stood there in stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither had drawn their sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their arms hung loose, and their postures were slack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To a bystander, it might’ve looked like they were about to shake hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But death knights aren’t exactly known for their social graces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bolt of white lightning split the sky between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even then, neither moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a standoff that could be seen as long or short, it was Alexandra who made the first move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She bent her knees, kicked off the ground, and lunged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before her body had even moved forward, her hand had already gripped her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blitzkling—they called her “Lightning Blade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the sword she swung moved as fast as lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d never shown this speed even in her spars with Enkrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with Lynox present, it wasn’t as if she didn’t have hidden techniques she kept from their duels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course she did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She condensed the Will swirling within her and detonated it all at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That explosive force let her break past her own limits for a short moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thunderous roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her blade tore through the air and broke the boundary of time as it reached the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andante, now a death knight, responded to Alexandra’s speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she didn’t block it—she thrust back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Alexandra stayed on course, she’d have been stabbed through the gut, leaving only a scratch on Andante’s helmet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she accelerated again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second blast rang in her ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a real sound, but a hallucination triggered by the burst of her remaining Will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her body twisted sideways mid-charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade veered into a zigzag pattern and struck the death knight’s helmet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The helmet split, black vapor billowing out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her world turned red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warm liquid gushed from her nose, and her legs trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned, red tint clouding her vision, and saw the rotten skull inside the cracked helmet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WHRRRRRRRRR.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where she had passed, a spiral wind had formed, almost a tunnel carved through rain and storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now, after a single exchange, did the world reveal the scar of her passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ghhh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Will-imbued sword—a branded weapon—had split the head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even death knights aren’t invincible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cut off the head, and they die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Andante’s final words were “Ghhh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her real last words had likely been heard by Heskal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Khak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexandra shut her eyes, letting the bloody tears wash away in the rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She fell to one knee, planting her blade into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then she said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Andante, if you’re satisfied... then go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had once said she wanted to see a faster sword than now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, now she had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Will detonations—that alone was half-insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she’d done it twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second time, more violently than the first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her abdomen throbbed like her insides had torn apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her skull felt like it was splitting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain shook her so hard she thought she might die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her guts were twisted, and she couldn’t lift her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had trained this technique in her youth, and though it had left her unable to bear children, she never regretted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t birthed a child from her womb, but she had one born of her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the end, the technique she’d honed helped protect her home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still... this is a bit much.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even within Zaun, Alexandra’s illness hadn’t been too serious. Just a mild cough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that her body was in this state, the illness stirred too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden chill overcame her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It may have been just one sword strike—but that single cut had killed a death knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she had done her part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was, the battle wasn’t over yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But my body won’t move.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monsters flapped through the air toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Medusa’s eyes still glared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The petrification curse she could ignore before was now an oppressive weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexandra bowed her head to avoid the monster’s gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell-serpents still writhed above, and the Medusa hovered over the battlefield, wings flapping, monsters diving at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This isn’t good.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if the brain inside one lizard-beast’s skull was especially small, it boldly lunged at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexandra looked like she was barely staying upright by leaning on her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The riderless lizard-beast opened its jaws to bite her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alexandra drew and slashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then drove her sword back into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand moved so fast that no ordinary person could’ve seen it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SPLAT!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beast lay sprawled in front of her, upper head cleaved off mid-lunge, jaws still open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone told the tale of what she had done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I said it’s really not good.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even have the strength to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, the number of beasts and monsters around her was growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t hard to guess why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Tempe.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been held back—despite Lynox being with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That fox Heskal... this has his stink all over it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had likely planned everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning Andante into a death knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sending her here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who he thought would win between them, Alexandra didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if she died like this, it would tilt the scale a bit toward Zaun’s defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her senses dulled, and she began to feel the weight of her soaked clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never a good sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Somebody take care of that damn snake head already.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between the petrification curse and the spell-serpents, it was hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the scalers who used telekinesis grabbed her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An invisible force clenched around her blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And behind her, she sensed a presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her dulled senses didn’t pick up on it until someone was already standing there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is a mess.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She broke free from the telekinetic grip and swung her sword behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had enough strength for one last swing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this was the end, she’d swing and shout her husband’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she was dying, he’d damn well better come finish things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if not...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she’d die here and haunt his next marriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Definitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So save me, Tempe.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She measured the distance between her and the figure approaching behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And ripped her sword free of the telekinetic grasp and slashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK—WHOOSH—THUD!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her attack was blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent raised their sword vertically and halted her swing with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they stepped in—fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too fast for her to even call out her husband’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid counted the number of arrows floating around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that alone, he could tell—this place had gathered nearly all the monsters with supernatural abilities, especially the exceptional ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were still many monsters capable of using telekinesis, no doubt, but those could be considered fodder at best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t need his instincts to confirm it. The evidence was right in front of his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without so much as raising a hand, at least five monsters stood still—levitating over a dozen arrows each.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifty black-tipped arrows hovered midair, all aimed at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they started flying, things would get tricky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention, those arrowheads were pitch black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid would’ve wagered Rem’s left hand that they were poisoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Panito, right hand of Lord Heskal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner of the net finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid turned his head to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dull gleam of the armored plates gave off a soft glow—an artifact-level treasure in itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraiss would’ve been drooling over it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panito looked convinced that he had Enkrid cornered. That was the posture he took.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching that attitude sparked a thought in Enkrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Just because you’re caught in a net, does that mean it’s over?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. It didn’t. A thought surged into his mind in an instant. No—an epiphany. You could even call it a stroke of genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Mix the Blade of Coincidence with the Tactical Sword.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Base your calculations on the Tactical Sword—add in flashes of light, and draw coincidence and luck into your control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything exists to gain an advantage. That’s what tactics are for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind, spinning hot enough to boil over, gave him the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, Enkrid opened his mouth—like a well-crafted instrument, his voice flowed smooth and deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s going exactly as planned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. He really was caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if even coincidence could be folded into his intention, then this situation, too, was part of the plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You anticipated this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panito asked in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid’s tone was confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Ragna, who could point west and call it north with a straight face, this was barely even mischief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Incredible. Enkrid of the Border Guard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid had never met Panito in a duel before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of Heskal’s subordinates were rarely seen due to their duties outside the domain—Panito was likely one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panito was genuinely stunned, and Enkrid’s mind wandered briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he had resolved to fold coincidence into his intent, making it seem so was now a matter of sword tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tactics are about deception—thus, the Lua Gharne-style Tactical Sword was the sword of illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small revelation rang through his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Valen-style mercenary sword never explained how to wield a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s because it was illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tactics are built on deceit. If he continued to explore and refine the Tactical Sword, he might see the next path he had to take.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A method of sword training based on deception—no, swordsmanship itself rooted in misdirection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t organize it all right now. It was just a thought he needed to remember for later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, there was the matter at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You gathered all the elite monsters with supernatural powers here, hoping to kill a single knight and then push your forces into Zaun, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said it because he had read the opponent’s intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the enemy lays their hand bare, it’s only natural to understand its purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. You even foresaw that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panito was apparently not clever enough to hide his surprise. Either that, or Enkrid’s acting had reached its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid walked forward as if following the path the Tactical Sword revealed to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Everything’s going according to plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Kraiss were here, he’d call him the greatest liar on the continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lua Gharne were watching, she’d be clapping her slippery little hands in applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one gets past me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that much was genuine. Whether it was a plan or not, the moment Enkrid faced them, he knew what he had to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, even that bastard Ragna probably understood what role he had to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if you know, you won’t be able to stop it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panito grit his teeth as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To realize that someone had penetrated his master’s strategy sparked envy. That envy quickly turned to rage—and the urge to kill the man in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>",2396,"2026-05-30T08:28:34.162Z","2026-06-01T04:30:45.896Z",1,"novelbin.me","3eab1154237ee56b12f7fb4bf46fcefac5ccf41763e92bf9a683191f37b7eb24","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-718","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-716",882,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-knight-who-eternally-regresses-cover.jpg"]