SSS Unknown: Dark Knight's Legacy

[Accel]

Without hesitation, Unknown burst forward, his form blurring as he activated his acceleration ability. He unleashed a barrage of crystal spears, each conjured with precise, cutting intent, hurling them at the massive centipede's armored form.

'Hm… just as I thought, there's no way to pierce that armor.'

The spears shattered harmlessly upon impact, their fragments scattering across the cavern floor like shards of ice. Frustration simmered beneath his calm exterior, but he kept moving. Dodging and weaving, his eyes never left the Lord Centipede, analyzing every movement, every twitch, in search of a weakness.

When its tail whipped violently to the left, he dashed to the right, narrowly avoiding the blade's deadly arc. When it swung again to the opposite side, Unknown rolled deftly out of harm's way, the air around him slicing with the sharp sound of the attack.

Enraged by its repeated failures to land a hit, the Lord Centipede let out an unearthly screech that reverberated through the cavern. Coiling its massive body, it began thrashing violently, its entire form becoming a blur of writhing chaos. It lashed out with its tail, slamming it into the ground in rapid, unpredictable strikes that sent shockwaves through the stone beneath them.

'Tch, this is getting hard to dodge.'

The cavern trembled with each devastating blow. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling, and the rhythmic thud, thud, thud of its tail crashing into the ground echoed like a drum of war.

The speed and strength of the strikes left Unknown struggling to keep up. He pushed himself harder, each evasion a split-second decision that carried him closer to the razor's edge.

Then, in a blink, the tail lashed out in a blur of motion. A single strike came too close, grazing Unknown's cheek. Blood trickled down his face, the sting of it sharp against his focus.

'If that hit lands, I'm finished.'

With no time to deliberate, he acted purely on instinct. Channeling magic into his blade, he surged forward to meet the centipede's tail head-on.

[Sweeping Slash]

The blade screamed as it cut through the air, connecting with the centipede's massive tail blade. The clash reverberated through his arms as sparks flew, the sound of metal grinding against metal filling the cave. The force of the impact sent a violent recoil through his body, throwing him off balance.

The centipede seized the opportunity. With a guttural roar, it hurled its enormous body toward him in a crushing blow. The sheer weight of the attack slammed into Unknown, sending him flying across the cavern like a ragdoll. He collided with the stone wall, the impact cracking the rock behind him.

"Huff... cough, cough."

He crumpled to the ground, clutching his side as pain shot through him like fire. Several ribs were fractured, and the blow had left his organs bruised and battered. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, yet his defiance burned brighter than the pain.

'...I'll kill you.'

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand. Every breath was agony, but he refused to yield. Channeling his remaining mana, he activated his recovery abilities, pushing the limits of his body's tolerance. The magic coursed through him, focusing on his injuries and accelerating the healing process unnaturally.

The air was filled with the sickening sound of bone snapping back into place and torn muscles knitting themselves together. His body contorted grotesquely as the process unfolded, the agony of it enough to make most collapse or lose consciousness. But Unknown endured it, his unrelenting will keeping him grounded.

As the magic did its work, his crimson eyes began to glow with an eerie, bloodthirsty light. The pain sharpened his senses, feeding his resolve.

"You want a fight? Fine. Let's finish this."

[Limit Break]

Unknown staggered forward, his chest heaving with every labored breath. Exhaustion clung to him like a heavy cloak, but he couldn't afford to falter now.

'Attacking it head-on isn't an option.'

His eyes darted to the ceiling above, where jagged crystalline stalactites hung precariously. A plan formed in his mind, desperate and dangerous. He would use the environment against the monstrous creature.

The ceiling was riddled with sharp, natural formations that looked ready to fall with the right trigger. The thought of crushing the centipede with them seemed plausible.

'But to pull that off, I'll need bait.'

Turning toward the Lord Centipede, he yelled with all the strength he could muster.

"Dammit! Lead the centipede into the pit we dug!!!"

His voice echoed through the cavern, desperate and commanding. But the only response was silence. He turned, scanning the area, only to realize his allies had fled.

It was understandable. The monstrous centipede, with its towering size and fiery gaze, exuded an aura of death. Even the bravest would hesitate to face such a foe.

"Useless cowards," he muttered bitterly, clenching his fists. The frustration and pain of betrayal only fueled his determination.

"Guess I'll have to be the bait myself."

Gathering his remaining strength, Unknown sprinted toward the centipede, hurling a mix of Slime mucus and spider silk at its body. The sticky substance hit its armored exterior, clinging to the chitinous plates.

The creature's reaction was underwhelming. Either his attack lacked the force to provoke it, or the beast assumed he wasn't worth the effort. Its six glowing eyes flickered with mild irritation, but it didn't move.

'Not enough,' he thought grimly.

Steeling himself, Unknown launched forward with reckless abandon. He leaped onto the centipede's back, his hands gripping the slick, armored segments as he climbed upward. It writhed in response, twisting and thrashing in an attempt to dislodge him.

Channeling mana into his blade, he drove it deep into the centipede's thick armor. The blade bit into the chitin with a satisfying crunch. With all his might, he twisted the sword, carving a jagged wound down the creature's side.

The centipede screeched in agony, its piercing cry reverberating through the cavern. It thrashed more violently now, its massive body slamming against the cave walls, forcing Unknown to leap off to avoid being crushed.

Not wasting a moment, he hurled more Slime mucus into the gaping wound and ignited it. The flames roared to life, consuming the exposed flesh and filling the air with the acrid stench of burning chitin.

The Lord Centipede was enraged now. Its body underwent a horrifying transformation—scales darkened, sharp black spikes erupted along its back, and its tail blade swelled to an even larger size, glowing an intense, fiery red. 

The beast was no longer just angry; it was determined to annihilate him.

'No mistakes allowed.'

The centipede unleashed a relentless flurry of attacks, its tail slashing and stabbing with terrifying speed. Unknown dodged and weaved through the onslaught, his stamina dwindling with each desperate maneuver.

A tail blade came sweeping from the right. He slid under it, narrowly avoiding the edge that could have cleaved him in two.

The blade struck downward in a powerful vertical slash. He leapt back just in time, then vaulted over the creature's coiling body to escape another strike.

When the centipede twisted and lunged at him again, Unknown accelerated, dashing toward the stream. His feet barely stayed ahead of the beast's relentless pursuit, each step echoing his desperation.

"...I've made it."

After a grueling chase, he reached the pit they had prepared earlier. Along the way, the centipede's rampage had unintentionally widened the path, creating a direct route to the trap.

After a grueling chase, Unknown had finally lured the monstrous centipede to the stream. Its thrashing rampage left a trail of devastation—boulders reduced to rubble, and deep gashes carved into the earth. The once-still air now trembled with the weight of impending destruction.

As they reached the predetermined spot, Unknown reached for his last remaining arrows. He hurled them with precision at the centipede's glowing eyes. The projectiles ricocheted off its impervious carapace, useless against its armor but perfect for enraging the beast.

The centipede screeched, its distorted cry vibrating through the cavern like a death knell. 

Sparks of energy flickered between its massive pincers as it began charging its deadly orbs of magic. Each sphere pulsed with raw destructive power, casting a sinister glow on the dungeon walls.

"Time to end this," Unknown muttered through gritted teeth.

The centipede unleashed its barrage, firing a rapid succession of energy orbs. Each impact against the terrain sent tremors rippling through the ground, shattering crystals and spraying shards in every direction. 

With razor-sharp focus, Unknown threw himself into the fray, weaving through the chaos.

Bang!

The first orb veered off course, deflected by a crystal pillar he struck with a precision-enhanced blow. The resulting explosion lit up the cavern like a fiery storm, debris raining down in chaotic bursts.

Bang! Bang!

Two more blasts followed, each narrowly missing him, deflected at the last possible moment. The sheer force of the shockwaves nearly knocked him off balance, yet he pressed forward, his every move fueled by an unrelenting will to survive.

The centipede, its patience fraying, poured more power into its pincers. The magical orbs now crackled with feral intensity, their heat palpable even from a distance. It unleashed another volley, determined to obliterate him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unknown deflected each with unwavering resolve, the cacophony of impacts rattling his very bones. 

Enraged by its failure, the centipede abandoned its ranged attacks. Magic surged into its segmented legs, swelling them grotesquely. The beast lunged forward with terrifying speed, its spiked tail leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

"It's going all in," Unknown thought, his mind racing. "So will I."

Instead of retreating, he sprinted toward the oncoming monstrosity. The dungeon air seemed to thrum with tension as he invoked his skills.

"All or nothing!"

[Accel] [Aura]

A shimmering aura enveloped him as he propelled himself forward, faster than the eye could track. The centipede lashed out with its blade-like tail, the force of the strike cleaving through solid rock. Unknown evaded by a hair's breadth, using the momentum to leap onto its thrashing body.

With a primal roar, he drove his sword downward, aiming directly for its brain. The blade struck with all his might, but the impenetrable armor repelled even his enhanced attack.

"Not enough!" he growled, the pain in his arms screaming as the recoil jolted through him.

The centipede shrieked in fury, its massive body twisting violently. Clinging to its carapace, Unknown used the chaos to his advantage, launching himself high into the air. His eyes locked onto the crystal pillar that loomed above—the one he had meticulously guided the battle toward.

With every ounce of strength left in his battered body, he raised his glowing blade.

[Severance Strike]

The force of his slash split the pillar from its weakened base. Time seemed to slow as the massive structure plummeted, its sharp point aimed directly at the centipede's head.

CRASH!!!

The cavern shook violently as the pillar struck true, piercing through the beast's unyielding armor and driving deep into its body. The impact was cataclysmic, shattering the centipede's skull and rupturing its internal organs in an instant.

The creature let out a final, bloodcurdling screech before collapsing in a heap. Its massive body convulsed one last time before falling still, the glow of its once-fiery eyes fading into nothingness.

Unknown landed hard, his knees buckling under the weight of exhaustion. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, his breath ragged and shallow. 

Unknown staggered, his body threatening to crumble beneath the weight of the battle.

"Heh, I have done it again!" A smirk appeared on his lip, Unknown is tied, and his body is completely broken by pushing too far.

The effect of [Limit Break] had worn off and he is experiencing fatigue as a penalty.

But at least the centipede is dead.

Right?

Thrud!

"Cough, cough! Damn it, it's still moving…"

His side suddenly felt a strong impact, it knocked him onto the ground.

Even in death, the centipede's massive corpse continued to thrash uncontrollably, its tail whipping through the air with terrifying force. 

The crushing impact of the fall had broken his body further, and the pain was unbearable. Blood trickled from his eyes, blurring his vision as the agony tore through him.

Thud…

His body hit the ground with a sickening thump, unable to stand any longer. Every inch of him was stiffening, the wounds and exhaustion pushing him past his limit. 

His muscles, once burning with adrenaline, now screamed in protest, refusing to obey.

'At this rate… I can't dodge.'

Time seemed to stretch into eternity. The air grew heavy, suffocating. Unknown could see the monstrous tail looming over him, moving like a deadly shadow in slow motion. 

His body, drained of both magic and strength, was utterly powerless against it.

All he could do was wait for the inevitable.

Crash…

The sound of destruction was deafening, yet his senses dulled as his vision began to darken. The crushing weight of despair pressed down on him. Was this it? Was this how it ended?

'…Is this the end?'

His mind screamed in defiance, but his body refused to answer. Darkness crept in around the edges of his vision, the last thing he saw was the tail descending with unrelenting speed.

'No… I won't accept this. Not like this…!'

Fury burned within him, a violent blaze igniting in his chest. The injustice, the sheer audacity of it all—he had won, hadn't he? He had slain the creature, defeated it against all odds, only for it to mock him by refusing to die.

'How the hell… I defeated it! I fought, I bled, I won! And still… I'm here, dying in vain?'

The flames of fury roared in his soul, fueled by the crushing weight of despair, and it consumed him completely. Gone was the cold rationality, gone was the calm demeanor he'd relied on. All that remained was raw, unfiltered rage.

'Unfair! I'm the one who won! WHY am I still here, lying in this pit, on the brink of death?'

With a primal scream, the fire within him ignited—no longer just his will to survive, but something far darker, far more dangerous. His once-lifeless body suddenly surged with unnatural heat, like a furnace about to burst.

The heat spread through his shattered form, his wounds knitting together with impossible speed. The inferno of his soul melted the pain away, burning away the last traces of weakness.

The body that had been broken, battered, and nearly lifeless now rose, fueled by rage and defiance. His blood burned with vengeance, his skin tingling with the raw energy coursing through him.

Unknown stood, his body a mass of heat and fury, his eyes no longer silver but now ablaze with the fires of hell itself.

The world seemed to bend and tremble as he stood taller, no longer the broken shell that had collapsed moments before. With every brush against death, he grew stronger. And with every ounce of strength he gained, his clarity of mind faded.

The abyss had consumed him. His sanity, the calm he once held onto, was slipping away, drowning in the sea of rage that burned within him.

The transformation was complete. Unknown was no longer the same. He had become something else—something far more dangerous.

Status Panel

Name: Unknown

Class: Swordsman

Level: 42

HP: 200/2050

MP: 55/84

Attributes:

Strength: 47

Agility: 62

Endurance: 47

Skills:

Fighting Instinct → Fighting Tendency (Passive)Enhances combat awareness, allowing instinctual reactions to enemy movements and attacks.Fire SparkAccel+Limit BreakMagic Vision

Ability: Survival Mutation → Madness Mutation (Passive/Active)A mutation triggered by extreme circumstances, greatly enhances physical abilities and regeneration but at the cost of sanity. Transforms the user into an unstoppable force, but often clouds judgment and amplifies rage.

Ability: Skill Ascended 

Skill Points: 12

Sword Arts:

Quick Slash

Sweeping Slash

AuraTriple slash

Double slash

Stinger