[{"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-747":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},428454,689,"Chapter 744: Resentment and Despair","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-747",747,"\u003Cp>“It’s just time for me to die. Everyone dies eventually.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid looked at Jaxon, who accepted his own death with calm. After Jaxon, it was Audin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Apostle of War shall guide you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audin gathered his last breath to offer a consecration prayer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think... this was the happiest time of my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teresa, the half-blooded giantess, sang softly as she died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My betrothed, it’s your turn to take an evil spirit as your bride.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shinar kept joking right up [N O V E L I G H T] to the moment of his death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So very like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grrrrng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why is Esther a leopard again?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only witch Enkrid had ever known died in the form of a leopard. And many others died too. The inside of this book of nightmares was stuffed full of loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t see exactly how they died, but the sheer presence of death—its approach—pressed in with gut-wrenching reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enjoy the show. This is just the beginning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ferryman deliberately chewed at Enkrid’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a squirrel scraping away the shell of an acorn, he slowly drove slivers of psychic poison inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Enkrid awoke, he pushed the nightmare aside. It had a more extravagant cast than the previous night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering it wouldn’t change anything, and even if he argued with the Ferryman, it wasn’t as if the nightly torment would stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than that—though it was just a feeling—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He’s aiming for something.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ferryman had a reason. It wasn’t easy to understand, so Enkrid didn’t bother responding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply focused on what he needed to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pell had collapsed just last night, after standing for three days straight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you gather us here for, brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audin asked as Enkrid stepped forward in the training yard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you see I’m busy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That came from Rem, who seemed to have nothing better to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this, so early in the morning...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the sun had long since risen, the lazy one still insisted it was “dawn.” Jaxon stood with arms crossed, silent. Shinar gave a faint smile—one that sometimes reminded Enkrid of Dorothea’s portraits—but today his face was as impassive as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Esther had taken leopard form and was watching with her head resting on her front paws. Teresa sat quietly next to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid looked at them all as he loosened up. He began from his fingertips, carefully warming up every muscle in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For real though—what are we doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stand in front of me, Rem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid looked the brawling barbarian in the eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only movement was Enkrid sliding his left foot slightly forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne, watching from the sidelines, instantly recognized the move as part of his tactical swordplay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That left foot could be the start of an attack—or the beginning of a feint.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tactical swordplay is about seizing every possible advantage in combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem started to say something, then shut his mouth. His hand was already gripping the handle of his axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood at perfect striking distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, both of them were experienced enough that they could fight from nearly any range—but if either swung now, it would land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world’s noise vanished. Enkrid’s field of vision narrowed until only Rem remained in his sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The range favors me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d left Three Iron with Aitri, so the only blade at his hip now was Penna.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it was longer than Rem’s axe. That gave him an edge in reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the environment? Rem had the upper hand. Spatial optimization was his specialty—he moved by instinct and intuition, utilizing every part of his surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Enkrid kept his eyes locked on him, taking everything into account: environment, footing, timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Rem did the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither of them blinked. Even as dust swirled past them on the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The early summer sun warmed the grass pushing up between the stones of the sparring yard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was too hot to just stand there doing nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then they moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid and Rem struck at each other at once. It was impossible to say who attacked first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s how fast it was. How well they read one another’s rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You’ve improved again.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem thought his blade was as fast as Enkrid’s axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steel clashed, sparks flew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of invisible attack lines had tried to reach each other’s bodies—but all missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid moved by calculation. Rem followed instinct, swinging his axe and shifting his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t hold back. He invoked Descent, flooding his body with sorcery and spinning wildly. The strain would leave an aftershock in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid responded in kind. With a burst of intent, he flooded his entire body with Will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their fight was like a cart picking up speed down a steep hill. To stop it would take someone capable of absorbing that momentum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helping one side kill the other would be easier, actually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But stopping both without injury? Not even Anu, the Mercenary King, could do that easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Ragna and Audin pull it off together without causing a scratch?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid’s sword swung—and he sank into his own mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Faster.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He narrowed the gap between thought and action. Matching Rem’s instinctive intuition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blade sped up. Not just a flash—a chain of lightning bolts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the white arc of his sword carved through the air, Rem’s axe rose to meet it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He became a storm swallowing that lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His axe traced the perfect line to intercept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid went one step further—condensing the burst of intent into a single point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of that exchange, Penna spun on his left foot and sliced a clean arc through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem’s arm was caught in that line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skeghk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid cut off Rem’s right arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard the sharp wet sound beside his ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he brought his axe down. It hit Enkrid’s shoulder—but didn’t slice through. It left a solid wound, but nothing fatal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Rem knew: if this went on, he would lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I lost.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was his honest thought. With time, the one who lost an arm would inevitably lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn’t just an arm. With it gone, he’d suffer sensory dissonance. Adjusting to a new center of gravity would take time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that time would be fatal in a fight with a knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Still, I won’t lose cleanly.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid, too, admitted it silently—eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without an arm, Rem wasn’t easy prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could clearly picture him swinging an axe one-handed, berserker-style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a life-or-death fight, where you let flesh be cut to crush flesh, bone be shattered to shatter bone—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You didn’t need balance. Just madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no need to go that far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fight ended here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What the hell was that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweat dripped from Rem’s jaw to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fun, wasn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid asked in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem rolled his right arm around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all an illusion. More precisely, a simulated clash born from mutual understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had fought in the mental realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was fun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard the Empire teaches this—projecting pressure into form. I figured we could try it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he first saw the head of House Zaun, the greatsword on his back looked like it would strike at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was manifested pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handled more delicately, it could allow for sparring entirely within a simulated domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant they could fight brutally—without actually wielding weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a way to spar at high intensity without risking real injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid had no interest in “dueling forms” for training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t mind strengthening techniques, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Nothing beats live combat.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was something he learned while teaching people struggling to survive in tiny villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, what Enkrid and Rem did was nothing more than shifting foot positions and curling fingers—fighting with nothing but the pressure they gave off from where they stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It required incredible insight and a deep understanding of one’s current self.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The servant of the Lord awaits the next match.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve made something truly fascinating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audin and Ragna chimed in. Shinar’s aura flared—he was ready to step forward, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaxon unfolded his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s this kind of duel... I believe I can show you something interesting too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sparring in the simulated domain, then crossing real blades afterward—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this wasn’t enjoyable, what on earth was?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moving your body is pleasure. Swinging a sword is more than pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time Enkrid faced an attack outside common sense, he was filled with euphoria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the nightmare from last night had faded into complete black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shinar showed a summer thunderstorm, different from his usual winter breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audin used his muscles like coiled steel, detonating them to show that Will alone wasn’t dangerous—his body was a weapon, too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once caught in those hands, there was no escape. His grip could crush anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragna casually displayed his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Its name is Sunrise. The Rising Sun. When it touches you, it burns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a family weapon, infused with his Will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not newly forged, but it felt made for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword radiated heat. Even brushing your clothes against it could spark a flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In real sparring, its power was more pronounced than in the simulated realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even a graze sets clothing ablaze.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could produce heat hot enough to vaporize sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunrise lived up to its name. After all, nothing is hotter than the sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Jaxon, it was a single blow duel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Lethal Thrust before was a kill without malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he struck with no regard for his own body. He was ready to lose an arm if it meant killing his target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Block this if you can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaxon grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a satisfied smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just Enkrid who felt euphoria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Mad Knights, after all—a collection of lunatics like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It really is fun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem’s words spoke for them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They returned to Border Guard and resumed daily life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweat had washed the nightmares away—but that night, and the next, the Ferryman returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My child now has no father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Owl—Rem’s wife. A newborn was cradled in her arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Presumably, her and Rem’s child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this really right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if to say—was Rem’s death the only choice? Was this the best possible outcome?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ferryman’s nightmares were a series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After loss came resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My son is dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the ragged saint appeared, staring blankly at Enkrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leonar, slumped to the ground after losing her merchant band, murmured that this wasn’t what she wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not over yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ferryman said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following loss and resentment, he revealed the third nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its theme was despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid dreamed a long dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lived another dozen years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Border Guard held strong, and with Crang’s help, Naurillia grew prosperous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one day, darkness surrounded Border Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monsters and beasts filled the city. All contact with the outside was cut off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inevitable outcome of a demonic zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraiss called out to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t hard to read the emotion in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re going to fight to the end, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid’s example had imprinted on Kraiss. He wasn’t overwhelmed by fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he knew how this would end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re going to fight until the very last breath, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone acknowledged they would die here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Kraiss spoke, they all gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid and the others fought the darkness for an entire year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food ran out. Even the cries of the dying faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could survive if you left. You know that, don’t you? Leave. Go. Find peace. Walk toward a quieter life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it a dream within a dream? The Ferryman whispered from within the despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid didn’t listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemies remained. He couldn’t stop them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caught in that dying day, still battling monsters and beasts, the Ferryman asked him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this really what you wished for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Loss. Resentment. Despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three blades twisted in his chest—but none pierced deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already answered the Ferryman, long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Waiting for someone to save you is for fools.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—no one can do anything alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid had long since accepted that truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he shook off the nightmare, he still heard the Ferryman’s last words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not breaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Enkrid, that meant the Ferryman had worked especially hard this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the end, he had failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Enkrid went outside, the sun hadn’t even risen yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But someone was already there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pell stood in the yard, the tip of the Idol Slayer resting against the ground. His eyes were calm. Unshaken. Like a still lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I win... do I become the new commander?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid saw it at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lunatic drunk on omnipotence had picked up a sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I guess today’s the day I take the title.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pell had gone even madder than when Enkrid first met him. Probably thanks to Rem’s influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Mad Knights, it was rare to find anyone who stayed sane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid picked up a practice sword. No edge. Just a good solid club.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let the duel begin.\u003C\u002Fp>",2173,"2026-05-30T08:28:34.162Z","2026-06-01T04:30:45.896Z",1,"novelbin.me","52d059f63dd0a5169a27aba92f7f22966436b58006a5389403946eef19b4267d","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-748","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-746",882,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-knight-who-eternally-regresses-cover.jpg"]