Facing the almost tangible negative energy surrounding the Death Knight, Renato willed the shadows to envelop his body.
Black smoke poured from every gap in his armor, coiling around his limbs like a living thing awakened, scattering the dust around him and blending his figure completely into the shadows.
His breathing stopped. His blood transformed into pure shadow power, surging through his veins and freeing Renato from the constraints of mortal flesh, bringing him closer to something inhuman.
As Dakoul's Blessing took effect, the black smoke around Renato surged upward, thick enough to almost solidify. It formed a flowing, dark barrier over his body, and the shadows even pushed the rubble at his feet an inch away.
I can't afford to be careless. A warrior's instinct told Renato that Novak, now a Death Knight, was undoubtedly stronger than he had been in life-and more "pure."
Loyalty, kindness, compassion... the honor and virtues that had restrained the old knight's urge to kill were gone. The immense negative energy had also transformed his ordinary sword and armor into magical instruments that cursed the living. Dark mist coiled around the rusted blade, and every necromantic rune thirsted for the blood of living creatures.
Nothing remained in the Death Knight's heart but unending malice toward the living, a desire to reap others' souls to fill his own emptiness.
As he stared at the Swordsman who had become an ominous shadow nearby, the ghostly flames beneath the Death Knight's visor flared violently, the two green fires flickering wildly.
The knight raised his left arm and pointed at Renato. A hollow, magical echo emerged from Novak's body, every word laden with blasphemous syllables as he commanded loudly:
"Fight me!"
Renato resisted the Word of Power Spell the instant it reached him. The magic attempting to force