SSS Unknown: Dark Knight's Legacy

"…Hey, human, this pile of corpses is really starting to stink." Steel sneered annoyingly.

The air was thick with the stench of death, and his body was drenched in the blood of the Goblins. His appearance was grotesque, more like a butcher than a warrior. The sight of it repulsed him, but there was nothing he could do except endure it. 

Complaining was all he could manage.

"Are you bothered by it?" Unknown asked, observing the older lizard's discomfort.

"Of course," Steel replied irritably, his nostrils flaring. "Lizard Men like us have a very keen sense of smell."

But Unknown wasn't referring to the scent of the goblins they had just slaughtered. "I'm sure the smell's not from these corpses," he remarked, his tone cool. 

What really bothered Steel wasn't the blood, but the sickening stench of the Shadow Wolves. It was the odor of decay, of rotting flesh, something that once inhaled would stick to your memory forever. 

Unknown himself kept a calm face, but inwardly, he knew he would've been grumbling nonstop if he were alone.

Steel's mood darkened even more as they arrived at the clearing where the Shadow Wolves were drawn by the scent of blood. He could sense their approach, their eerie howls sending shivers through the air.

"They've arrived. Get ready," Unknown growled, his voice tense, preparing himself for what was to come.

At that moment, Unknown began to move toward a dark corner, drawing his dagger with a calm, measured pace.

"Hey, where are you going?" Steel asked, surprised.

"I'll stay here and wait," Unknown responded, his voice as cool as ever. "I don't smell as much blood as you do."

Steel's brow furrowed. "You're not going to fight?"

"No," Unknown said, voice devoid of emotion. "You'll be the first target. I'll wait."

Steel stood alone, muscles tensing in anticipation. The wolves were coming. He could hear their hungry growls, the rustling of leaves, and the soft thud of paws against the earth. He braced himself as the creatures emerged from the darkness—gaunt, hungry, and ready to strike.

The Shadow Wolves were deadly. While Steel wasn't a weakling by any means, his magical abilities were far from powerful. Like most lower-tier half-breeds, his magic was lackluster, unable to perform at the level of the higher breeds. But in this case, it would have to do.

"By the dragon's guard, grant me claws of invincibility, a powerful body, and strength to crush them!" Steel shouted, channeling his mana into a spell that enhanced his physical abilities. His body glowed faintly as his muscles bulged, giving him newfound strength.

The wolves hesitated at the display of power. They circled him, watching, waiting for an opening. Despite his enhanced state, Steel found himself frustrated. 

He wasn't fast enough to keep up with their agility. One of the wolves used its ability to become invisible, slinking toward Steel to deliver a sneak attack. Steel's instincts kicked in, and he swung his tail, sending the wolf flying with a powerful strike.

"This is annoying!" Steel growled, realizing that despite his enhanced power, his attacks were too slow to deal with the wolves effectively. They weren't even attacking directly, just circling, waiting for him to make a mistake. They were clearly trying to wear him down.

The spell's effects began to fade, and Steel could feel the magic's power slipping away. He knew he had to act fast or risk being overwhelmed. Frustration bubbled inside him as he crouched, assuming a more beast-like posture on all fours. 

His movements became unpredictable and more aggressive, a shift in tactics that kept the wolves from closing in.

Taking the offensive, Steel leapt into the air with a mighty roar. When he landed, the ground beneath him shook, sending a shockwave that pushed the Shadow Wolves back, causing them to scatter. It was a temporary reprieve, but it gave Steel a moment to catch his breath.

From the shadows, Unknown observed the battle, his expression unreadable. He watched Steel's every move, counting the wolves and noting their patterns. 

Despite his earlier decision to wait, Unknown found himself growing frustrated. Steel's performance was lackluster, and it seemed like he was struggling more than he should.

'This is going nowhere,' Unknown thought. He wasn't about to let Steel get overwhelmed, but his patience was wearing thin. The older lizard's hesitancy and poor showing had begun to erode the confidence Unknown had in their partnership.

If things didn't improve soon, Unknown was prepared to step in. But for now, he stayed in the shadows, watching, calculating. The situation was deteriorating, and he was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake aligning himself with Steel's group.

'Oh well, what did I expect?"

With a surge of mana, he activated [Accel], and in the blink of an eye, his speed and power reached their peak. 

His movements became a blur as he wielded both his dagger and his dark sword in a flawless combination.

In one fluid strike, [Sweeping Slash] cleaved through two of the Shadow Wolves, their bodies falling apart before they even had time to react. Without pausing, he threw his dagger with pinpoint precision, silencing another wolf with a single strike.

The remaining wolves, sensing their immediate doom, panicked. Their formation broke as they attempted to retreat, but Steel was quick to intercept them, using his size and strength to block their escape. It was over; they were trapped.

Meanwhile, Unknown sheathed his black sword, mimicking a technique he had once seen from the Death Knight. Mana gathered around the edge of his blade, forming a faint crimson glow, but something felt wrong.

Perhaps it was the rapid drain of mana or his lack of experience with the technique, but when he unleashed [Calamity Strike], the resulting energy blade was weaker than he had hoped.

The dark red wave of energy cleaved through most of the remaining wolves, but not all. Only one wolf remained, and with a swift motion, Unknown threw his sword into its heart, ending its life in an instant.

The aftermath of the battle left him feeling a little drained.

"That was disappointing," Unknown muttered, his voice low as the toll of expending so much mana caught up with him.

"Let's go. We're done here," he added, turning to Steel with an outstretched hand to signal that it was time to leave.

However, Steel didn't immediately take his hand. Instead, he stood frozen, his eyes fixed on Unknown with an expression of awe and something else—fear.

"You… you're one of the Darknight Order, aren't you?" Steel's voice trembled slightly, betraying his usually composed demeanor.

"Huh? What?" Unknown tilted his head and asked.

He was genuinely clueless about it.

Steel stared at him for a moment, disbelief written across his face. The tension hung heavy in the air as he tried to make sense of what was happening. 

Unknown's response was casual, almost disinterested, as if the Darknight Order was just another name to him, something he didn't feel the need to acknowledge or confirm.

"Don't lie to me, that skill is unmistakable," his voice low, filled with disbelief. His gaze swept over Unknown, taking in the eerie calm that surrounded him. "You're one of them, the Darknight Order. Everyone knows the stories."

Unknown blinked again, his confusion deepening. "What do you mean, 'one of them'?" He shrugged slightly, completely unaware of the weight his existence held in the eyes of others. "I'm just me."

Steel's expression faltered for a second as he processed the reply. "...You're telling me you don't know who they are?"

"Nope," Unknown replied nonchalantly, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice as he found the topic unimportant. "Never heard of them."

Steel rubbed his temples, the situation was more baffling by the second. 

Here he was, standing next to someone with skills beyond anything he'd ever seen, someone who clearly had the power to wipe out hordes of monsters, and he didn't even understand the weight of his actions?

Steel couldn't quite figure out whether this was arrogance or ignorance.

Steel's thoughts raced as he processed everything. The pieces were starting to fall into place—everything about Unknown seemed to align with the terrifying legends he had heard about the Darknight Order. 

The Order's ability to manipulate events from the shadows, their ruthlessness in maintaining the world's delicate balance, and the sheer power they wielded were all whispers he had heard in passing. 

But now, standing next to someone who had casually destroyed a group of Shadow Wolves with terrifying efficiency, it all felt too real.

Stories of the Order's merciless ways were etched inside him. They weren't just soldiers or assassins—they were agents of balance, ensuring that the world stayed on course, even if it meant slaughtering innocents or starting wars.

Steel's mind flickered back to the fight with the goblins. The precision with which Unknown operated, the way he dispatched the enemies without a moment's hesitation—everything screamed of someone trained in dark arts, someone who followed a guiding philosophy that might not align with his own.

"...What kind of balance are you trying to maintain?" Steel still doubting and ask, eyes narrowing as he continued to observe Unknown. His voice was softer now, tinged with something else—fear, perhaps, or uncertainty.

Unknown paused, his face expressionless, before he replied with a faint shrug. "Balance? That's just a word for people who think they know what the world should be. I'm just... living."

But Steel wasn't fooled by the nonchalance. He had suffered through the brutality of the order to know better.

"Listen," Steel said, his voice growing sharper. "If you're really a part of that order, then you need to understand something. The world is changing. Humans are getting too powerful, and that's throwing off the balance. We, the sub-humans—"

"I don't care," Unknown interrupted, cutting him off before he could continue. "I'm not interested in anyone's fight for power. You don't have to worry about me, Steel. I'm not one of you, but I'm also not one of them."

Steel was taken aback, staring at him in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

"I'm just surviving," Unknown said, his voice tinged with a cold edge. "I have my own reasons for being here. Whatever you think I'm part of, that's not the game I'm playing."

Steel shook his head, still unsure what to make of Unknown. Was he really just a lone wolf, caught up in something much bigger than he realized? Or was he simply playing a dangerous game of his own, weaving through it all with his own set of rules?

The world was shifting, and if Unknown was truly connected to the Darknight Order, Steel knew the consequences could be dire. The balance of power was fragile, and if the Order decided that the sub-human was no longer necessary in their vision of the world, things could spiral out of control.

"What happens when the balance tips too far?" Steel asked quietly, more to himself than to Unknown.

"I guess we'll find out," came the cryptic reply.

With that, Steel knew he was standing on the edge of something far larger than he could ever have imagined. Whether Unknown was an ally, an enemy, or something much worse, he couldn't be sure.

But one thing was certain—the Darknight Order was already beginning to make its move, and Steel was caught in the web they were weaving.