Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter no.62 Naruto vs The Black Knight

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The Black Knight closed the distance in two powerful strides, its greatsword cutting through the air in a ferocious downward arc. Naruto pivoted to his left, shifting his weight onto his back foot as he stepped out of the strike's path. The Zweihander shot upward in a sweeping counter-slash aimed at the knight's unguarded flank.

Clang!

The Black Knight twisted at the last moment, its shield catching the blow.

Sparks burst from the collision, and the knight retaliated instantly, transitioning into a brutal upward slash. Naruto barely managed to deflect the strike, sliding his hand up the Zweihander's hilt for better leverage. The impact sent vibrations up his arms, forcing him to backpedal.

The greatsword came crashing down in a savage overhead strike. Naruto barely managed to sidestep, the blade slamming into the stone floor with a deafening CRACK as the boy swung the Zweihander in a horizontal arc.

Clang!

The Black Knight's shield shot up, absorbing the blow. It retaliated immediately, slamming the edge of its shield into Naruto's ribs with bone-crushing force.

The impact launched Naruto backward like a ragdoll, slamming him into the unyielding stone wall with bone-rattling force. His Elite Knight armor absorbed much of the blow, the thick plating denting inward, but the sheer force still tore through his body. A sharp, searing pain stabbed through his side, and he felt the unmistakable snap of at least three ribs. One pierced deep into the soft tissue near his diaphragm, while another pressed dangerously close to his left lung.

Blood spattered from his mouth in a crimson arc as the shock reverberated through his chest. He gasped for air, each breath shallow and wet, and the acrid taste of copper filled his throat. His kidney throbbed fiercely, likely ruptured, and a deep, pulsing ache in his lower abdomen told him that internal bleeding was already flooding his body.

The cracked stone behind him bore the impression of his impact, dust and small fragments cascading around him. For a moment, his vision blurred, the edges darkening as nausea swept over him.

The Black Knight pressed its advantage, charging forward with terrifying momentum. Its blade swung low, aiming to cleave Naruto's legs clean off. Naruto raised the Zweihander just in time, angling it downward to parry the strike. The impact sent a violent jolt through his arms, numbing his fingers.

The Black Knight followed with a spinning underhand slash. Naruto ducked, the blade whistling over his head and carving a deep gouge into the wall behind him. Dust and stone rained down, the already-cramped space growing more chaotic.

Naruto twisted, shifting into the Low Guard as he thrust upward, aiming for the knight's exposed torso. The tip of the Zweihander scraped against its armor, leaving a shallow cut, but the knight responded with a brutal backhanded swing. The greatsword caught Naruto across the shoulder, slicing through his armor and flesh. Blood sprayed in a violent arc as Naruto staggered back.

Stay focused, he told himself, gritting his teeth against the searing pain.

The Black Knight didn't relent. It lunged with a forward thrust, its blade tearing through the narrow space like a spear. Naruto sidestepped, but the blade grazed his side, ripping through his armor and leaving a deep, bloody gash. He hissed in pain, countering with a diagonal slash from the High Guard.

The Zweihander slammed into the knight's shoulder, the sheer force denting its blackened armor. The impact staggered the knight for half a second, but it recovered instantly, twisting its blade into an upward slash. Naruto tried to block, but the strike was too fast, the greatsword ripping through his gauntlet and slicing into his forearm. Blood poured from the wound, dripping onto the stone floor as Naruto growled through clenched teeth.

The two circled each other, their boots grinding against the blood-soaked stone.

Naruto feinted left, dropping into the Fool's Guard again to bait the knight into attacking. The Black Knight lunged, its blade cutting a deadly arc. Naruto pivoted, slipping to its side as he brought the Zweihander around in a wide, sweeping slash.

The blade struck true, carving deep into the knight's side. Blackened blood oozed from the wound, staining the ground beneath it. But the Black Knight didn't falter. It spun on its heel, bringing its massive shield around in a brutal bash aimed squarely at Naruto's chest.

Naruto reacted instantly, shifting his grip on the Zweihander into a half-swording technique. One hand grasped the blade's center while the other held the hilt, angling the flat of the sword to meet the incoming shield.

CLANG!

The impact reverberated like a bell, the sheer force of it vibrating through Naruto's arms and shoulders. Wisps of his chakra escaped from his arms, dissipating into the air like smoke. Steam hissed from his wounds, his body slowly knitting itself back together under the strain.

"You're really not making this easy, huh?"

The Black Knight lunged with a thrust. Naruto dropped into the Forward Point, deflecting the blade with a sharp angle of his sword. The knight's momentum carried it forward, and Naruto twisted his hips, transitioning into a horizontal slash that tore into the back of its knee.

The knight staggered, its balance faltering, and Naruto seized the opening. He shifted into a brutal overhead slash aimed for the knight's neck.

The Black Knight raised its shield at the last second, the impact reverberating like a cannon blast. The force was enough to send the knight sliding back a few feet, but it recovered almost instantly, retaliating with a spinning underhand strike.

Naruto jumped back.

The knight pressed forward, its attacks relentless. A four-hit combo erupted: an overhead slash, a sweeping horizontal cut, a spinning underhand strike, and a thrust.

Naruto's world narrowed to steel and blood. He parried the first strike, sidestepped the second, ducked under the third, and deflected the thrust with a desperate angle of his blade. Each move came with a cost—every parry sent jolts of pain through his battered arms, and every dodge left him open to grazing cuts.

Finally, Naruto saw his chance.

As the knight recovered from its thrust, Naruto dropped into the Fool's Guard, lowering his blade as if exhausted. The Black Knight lunged again, aiming for his heart.

Naruto twisted sharply, bringing the Zweihander up in a vicious uppercut. The blade tore through the knight's torso, blackened blood spraying across the room as the knight staggered back.

Naruto didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, raising the Zweihander into the High Guard. With every ounce of strength he had left, he brought the blade down in a crushing overhead strike.

The Black Knight tried to raise its sword to block, but it was too slow. The Zweihander cleaved through its helmet, splitting it down the middle. The knight crumpled to its knees, its greatsword clattering to the ground.

For a moment, Naruto stood over the fallen knight, his chest heaving, blood dripping from his wounds onto the shattered stone floor.

"It was an honor to fight you," he muttered, raising his blade for the final blow.

With a single swing, it was over.

Naruto reached up, fumbling with the straps of his dented helmet before pulling it off with a trembling hand. Sweat dripped from his matted hair, mixing with the blood streaking down his face from a gash on his forehead. His left cheek was swollen and bruised, smeared with more dried blood from a split lip, while the sharp metallic tang of it filled his mouth.

Naruto coughed harshly, spitting out a glob of blood onto the cold stone floor. His breathing was ragged, each inhale scraping against his ribs, which still throbbed with pain from the crushing shield bash. The armor pressing against his side was sticky with blood, likely from a deep cut just beneath his ribs. He could feel the warmth of it trickling down his torso, soaking into his gambeson.

He stared at the ghostly figure of the knight, his body hunched slightly as exhaustion settled into every fiber of his being. Pain radiated from his arms, his muscles twitching and torn from the repeated strain of wielding the Zweihander. His left knee buckled slightly under him, the joint screaming from where the Black Knight's blade had clipped him in a desperate parry.

Reaching into his pouch with his free hand, Naruto pulled out his estus flask, its warm golden glow a stark contrast to the blood-slicked floor around him. He brought it to his lips and drank deeply, the liquid flowing down his throat like liquid fire.

Warmth flooded through him, radiating from his chest outward. He winced as his body began to heal—the gash on his forehead knitting itself together, the bruises fading, and the sharp pain in his ribs dulling to a faint ache. He flexed his fingers, feeling the strength return to them as the warmth settled into his limbs.

Naruto wiped his bloodied mouth with the back of his hand, his sweat-soaked hair clinging to his temples.

Suddenly, the Black Knight's armored body convulsed violently; then, a faint white light began to seep from the cracks and seams in its darkened armor. Naruto instinctively stepped back, dragging his Zweihander free. The heavy blade scraped against the stone floor as he watched the light intensify.

The knight's body seemed to glow from within, its blackened steel burning with a brilliance that was almost blinding. Then, piece by piece, the armor crumbled into ash, scattering in the faint, cold breeze of the tower.

From the ashes, a figure emerged. A white, spectral image of the Black Knight hovered in place, flickering like dying embers. Its ghostly form was striking—both arms raised high and wide, palms open, chest pushed forward, the Y pose frozen in a triumphant stance.

Naruto blinked, his breath heavy, his heart still hammering from the brutal fight. He tightened his grip on the Zweihander, unsure if this was the knight's final act of defiance or something else entirely.

"Are you… praising me?"

The Black Knight's spectral form didn't answer. It lingered for a moment longer, as if frozen in reverence—or maybe pride—before slowly dissipating into a glowing orb of light. The soul orb hovered, shimmering faintly, before drifting toward Naruto.

He had done it.

After countless deaths, hundreds of clones shattered, and hours of relentless training, he had defeated the Black Knight. The impossible challenge he had thrown himself into was finally over. A grin flickered across his bloodied lips, but it quickly faded as a thought began to take root in his mind.

What were these knights?

Naruto glanced at the pile of ash where the Black Knight had stood, his brow furrowing. They weren't like the hollows. The hollows were mindless, driven by rage and emptiness. The Black Knight was different. Every movement it made, every swing of its massive greatsword, was deliberate. Precise.

And that ghostly form… was it honor? Was it defiance? Or was it something else?

He tightened his grip on the Zweihander, his eyes narrowing. It didn't feel like anger. The knight's stance before it dissolved felt… solemn, like it had acknowledged him. Honored the fight.

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He glanced down the hallway. At the far end, something glinted faintly in the dim light. His prize.

Dragging his aching body forward, he reached the item.

[ Item Acquired: Blue Tearstone Ring ]

[ Description: The rare gem called tearstone has the uncanny ability to sense imminent death. This blue tearstone from Catarina boosts the defense of its wearer when in danger.]

Naruto grinned, turning the ring over in his hand. The cracked blue gem gleamed faintly, its surface catching the light like ripples on water. The silver band was simple, almost humble, but there was power in its quiet elegance.

"Not bad," he muttered, his voice rough and tired.

He unslung another estus flask, the cool glass clinking against his armor as he raised it to his lips. The golden light of the flask poured into him, washing over his broken body.

Sliding the ring onto his finger, Naruto flexed his hand, feeling the weight of it settle against his skin. He exhaled, a tired chuckle escaping him as he glanced back toward the hallway where the Black Knight once stood.

"Twelve deaths," he muttered, shaking his head. "Twelve times running the same path, fighting the same hollows, dying to that guy over and over." He paused, staring at the ring. "And now, it's mine."

A faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, but his thoughts lingered on the fight.

Then, his eyes flicked to the corner of the screen.

[ Souls: 15,200 ]

The number hung there, glowing faintly. His smirk widened.

"Time to level up," he muttered, slinging the Zweihander over his shoulder as he turned toward the bonfire. Behind him, the remains of the Black Knight lay in silence, its ashes scattered across the cold stone floor.

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 29, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!