Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner

Noah stepped through the gate, his boots finding stone that felt different from the previous sections. Smoother. More deliberate in its construction.

The space opened into a courtyard, maybe eighty feet across. Pillars rose along the perimeter, their surfaces carved with designs that depicted battles Noah couldn’t identify. The sky above remained that same white-red gradient, frozen sunset casting everything in colors that made the scene feel unreal.

A black flame lamp hovered at the courtyard’s center, identical to the ones from previous stages. Its fire burned steadily, waiting.

The gate behind Noah slammed shut with finality that made him turn. Solid black metal, no visible handle on this side, no mechanism he could see that would let him retreat even if he wanted to.

’Locked in,’ Noah thought, turning back to survey his surroundings. ’Whatever this stage is, I’m committed.’

Trees dotted the courtyard. Ten of them, arranged in a circle around the lamp’s position. Their branches were thick, gnarled, and each one held bodies.

Knight corpses hung from the limbs, their armor torn and broken. Some were missing pieces—an arm here, a leg there. Others looked intact except for the massive wounds that had clearly killed them. All of them showed violence that went beyond simple combat.

Movement caught Noah’s attention.

Knights emerged from behind the pillars. One, then two, then five, then ten. Each one walked with measured steps, his armor clanking softly against stone, forming a loose circle that surrounded Noah’s position completely.

Each knight wore full plate armor similar to Ironside’s, but these knights had their heads. Helmets enclosed their skulls, T-shaped visors revealing nothing except darkness inside. Each one carried a sword and shield, weapons that looked well-maintained despite obvious use.

Above each knight’s head, text appeared.

[Level 65 Constable]

[Level 65 Constable]

[Level 65 Constable]

Ten of them. All at the same level as Ironside. All surrounding him with clear tactical positioning that cut off escape routes and created overlapping fields of attack.

Noah stared at the level indicators, processing what he was seeing. Then he started laughing.

”Hahaha...”

The sound came out quiet at first, almost disbelieving. Then it built, growing louder, his shoulders shaking.

”Hahahaha...”

His laughter echoed across the courtyard, bouncing off pillars and stone, carrying a quality that bordered on unhinged. The knights paused, each one stopping his advance, like they were trying to understand why their trapped prey was laughing instead of showing fear.

”HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Noah’s laughter reached full volume, genuine amusement mixing with something darker. His tactical mind was already working, already processing, and what it concluded was almost funny enough to justify the hysteria.

’If they needed this many to stop me,’ Noah thought, his laughter subsiding into a grin that showed too many teeth, ’I’m already winning.’

Miss Brooks’ voice came back to him, clear as if she were standing beside him in the academy lecture hall. Her doctrine on asymmetric warfare, lessons she’d hammered into every cadet who thought conventional tactics were the only way to fight.

”When surrounded, advance,” Miss Brooks had said, her voice carrying that edge that made everyone pay attention. ”Retreat prolongs death. Advancing shortens the enemy’s thinking. Remember this—surrounded just means every direction is forward.”

The knights resumed their approach, closing the circle, their formation tightening.

Noah’s grin widened.

”Alright then,” he said, his voice carrying across the courtyard. ”Let’s see if ten of you is enough.”

He charged.

Not toward the weakest point in their formation. Not toward an escape route. Directly at the nearest knight, closing distance before he could properly set his defensive stance.

The knight raised his shield. Noah’s fist came around in a hook that caught the shield’s edge, his enhanced strength driving through the block. The impact sent vibrations through the knight’s arm, made his grip falter.

Noah’s other fist followed immediately, a straight punch that slammed into the knight’s helmeted face. The visor crumpled inward, and the knight stumbled backward.

’Outnumbered means more targets,’ Noah thought, already pivoting toward the next closest enemy.

A sword came at him from the right. Noah ducked under the swing, came up inside the knight’s guard, drove his elbow into his chest plate hard enough to dent the steel. The knight’s breath left him in a wheeze audible even through his helmet.

Noah grabbed his sword arm, yanked him forward into a headbutt that cracked his visor. Then he spun, using the knight’s body as a shield against the three others converging from different angles.

Swords hit the knight Noah was holding instead of hitting Noah. The impacts drove the grabbed knight forward, and Noah released him, let him stumble into his companions, disrupting their formation.

”We don’t fight fair,” Noah said, his voice carrying Miss Brooks’ lessons as his fist caught another knight across the jaw. ”We fight to end it.”

The courtyard descended into chaos.

Noah moved like something possessed, his enhanced agility carrying him between attacks that should have landed. A shield bash came at his head—he twisted, felt it pass close enough to ruffle his hair, retaliated with a knee strike that caught the knight’s midsection.

Another sword thrust toward his back. Noah sidestepped, grabbed the blade with his bare hand despite the edge cutting his palm, yanked the wielder forward into a punch that caved in his helmet.

[XP GAINED: 100]

The first kill. Nine more to go.

Blood was running down Noah’s hand from where he’d grabbed the blade, but he didn’t care. Pain was temporary. Stopping was death.

A knight came at him with an overhead chop. Noah didn’t dodge. He stepped inside the attack’s arc, too close for the blade to reach him, drove both fists into the knight’s ribs in rapid succession.

CRACK! CRACK!

Ribs broke beneath the armor. The knight folded, and Noah’s knee came up to meet his descending face.

[XP GAINED: 100]

Eight left.

”If we are surrounded, we cannot miss!” Noah shouted, his voice carrying across the courtyard as he spun to face the next threat.

A shield slammed into his side, drove him sideways. Noah felt ribs crack from the impact, pain exploding through his torso.

[-78 HP]

[Health Points: 3,142/3,720]

He rolled with the momentum instead of fighting it, came up already moving, his fist catching the shield-bearer in the throat. The knight gagged, his grip on the shield loosening, and Noah ripped it from his hands.

He swung the shield like a club, the edge catching another knight across the head hard enough to snap his neck.

[XP GAINED: 100]

Seven remaining.

Noah dropped the shield, dove under a horizontal sword slash, came up behind the attacker. His arm wrapped around his neck in a chokehold, his other hand grabbing his helmet and twisting.

SNAP!

[XP GAINED: 100]

Six.

A sword caught him across the back, the blade carving through his tactical gear and into muscle. Blood sprayed, Noah’s vision going white from pain.

[-92 HP]

[Health Points: 3,050/3,720]

He spun anyway, his elbow catching the sword-wielder’s wrist, breaking bones. The sword clattered to the ground, and Noah scooped it up mid-motion.

The blade came around in a rising slash that opened a knight from hip to shoulder.

[XP GAINED: 100]

Five.

Another of Miss Brooks’ doctrines came to mind. ”The enemy has the advantage? Good. They’ll come to us. Let them commit, let them overextend, then make them regret it.”

He didn’t wait for them to coordinate another assault. He charged again, sword leading, his body following with violence that exceeded tactical sense.

A knight raised his shield to block. Noah’s sword hit the shield, didn’t penetrate, but the force drove the knight backward. Noah followed, his foot coming up in a front kick that caught him in the chest.

He stumbled. Noah’s sword came down in an overhead chop that split his helmet and the skull beneath.

[XP GAINED: 100]

Four left.

Pain was building now. His back wound was bleeding freely, ribs were definitely broken on his left side, his hand was cut from grabbing blades bare-handed. His enhanced regeneration was working, purple light flickering around the injuries, but healing couldn’t keep up with the rate he was taking damage.

’Doesn’t matter,’ Noah told himself, dodging another sword thrust. ’Once you start, you do not stop. Stopping gives the enemy time to think.’

He closed distance with the nearest knight, grabbed his sword arm with both hands, and broke it at the elbow. The joint bent backward with a sound like snapping wood.

The knight growled. Noah drove his forehead into his visor, cracking it, then grabbed his helmet and slammed his head into the ground repeatedly.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

[XP GAINED: 100]

Three.

A sword hit him across the ribs. The same ribs that were already broken. Noah felt something give way completely, maybe a bone fragment puncturing something internal.

[-103 HP]

[Health Points: 2,947/3,720]

He coughed blood, tasted copper, kept moving anyway.

”Speed is armor,” Noah said through gritted teeth, remembering another of Miss Brooks’ lessons. ”Standing still means dying.”

Noah moved. His sword came around in a horizontal slash that a knight blocked with his shield. Noah didn’t pull back—he pushed forward, driving his blade against his shield, using his body weight to force him backward.

When his back hit a pillar, Noah’s knee came up into his midsection. Once, twice, three times. Then his sword found the gap between his helmet and chest plate.

[XP GAINED: 100]

Two remaining.

The last two knights weren’t charging anymore. Each one was backing away, their posture suggesting uncertainty, maybe even fear. They’d watched eight of their companions die, watched Noah fight through injuries that should have killed him, and whatever programming or entity that controlled them was recognizing this wasn’t going according to plan.

Noah spat blood onto the stone, his chest heaving. His vision was blurring slightly from blood loss, but his enhanced vitality was keeping him conscious, keeping him functional despite damage that would have killed a normal person three times over.

’Chaos is our terrain,’ Noah thought, Miss Brooks’ voice echoing in his memory. ’When the odds favor them, remove the odds.’

He charged the remaining two knights simultaneously.

Both raised their shields, forming a wall of steel that should have been impenetrable for one person attacking head-on.

Noah didn’t slow down. His shoulder hit the shield wall with every ounce of force his enhanced strength could generate.

BOOM!

The impact drove both knights backward, their formation breaking. Noah’s sword came up, caught the left knight under the chin, drove through soft tissue and into his brain.

[XP GAINED: 100]

The final knight swung desperately, his sword coming around in a wild arc.

Noah ducked under it, came up inside his guard, grabbed his helmet with both hands, and twisted with everything he had left.

CRACK!

[XP GAINED: 100]

Silence fell over the courtyard.

Noah stood among the dissolving bodies, breathing hard, blood covering him so completely that his tactical gear’s original color was barely visible. His ribs were screaming, his back wound was still bleeding, his hands were cut and battered.

[Health Points: 2,947/3,720]

’If the battlefield has a monster,’ Noah thought, remembering the final doctrine Miss Brooks had taught them, ’let it be me.’

The black flame lamp descended slowly, a fourth key materializing beneath it. More ornate than the previous three, gold and black metal twisted together in patterns that suggested this was the final key.

Noah grabbed it, his hand shaking slightly. Not from fear. From exhaustion, from blood loss, from pushing his body beyond what it was designed to handle.

Multiple level-up notifications appeared, but like before, the system locked them away.

[PROGRESSION LOCKED UNTIL QUEST COMPLETION]

[ATTRIBUTE INCREASES SUSPENDED]

[REWARDS WITHHELD]

’Doesn’t matter,’ Noah thought, stumbling toward the final gate that had appeared at the courtyard’s far end. ’Almost done. Just the boss left.’

His enhanced regeneration was working overtime now, trying to repair the accumulated damage. purple light flickered across his back wound, his broken ribs, his cut hands. Healing was happening, but slowly, his body’s resources stretched thin.

The final gate was different from the others. Larger, maybe fifteen feet tall, made entirely of gold and black metal that matched the key. Designs covered its surface—dragons in flight, battles between armored figures, scenes that told stories Noah didn’t have time to decipher.

He inserted the key, heard mechanisms disengage, and pushed.

The gate swung open silently, revealing a throne room beyond.

Noah stepped through, his boots echoing on polished marble floors. The space was vast, easily a hundred feet across, pillars rising to support a ceiling lost in shadows. Torches burned along the walls, their flames casting dancing light that made shadows move like living things.

At the far end of the room sat a throne.

Broken. The stone seat was cracked down the middle, pieces scattered across the floor around its base. The back rest had toppled sideways, creating a pile of rubble that suggested violence rather than age.

The sight triggered memory. Arthur’s throne room in the eastern facility, where Noah had first confronted the man who’d become his enemy. Arthur sitting in arrogant comfort, confident in his power, treating Noah like an amusing distraction.

But this throne was destroyed, abandoned and empty.

The air felt different here. Heavier. Like pressure building before a storm, weight that had nothing to do with physical atmosphere and everything to do with presence.

[Health Points: 1,247/3,720]

Noah glanced at his health, saw it dropping. Not from new injuries—from the existing ones overwhelming his regeneration. His back wound was still bleeding despite healing efforts. His ribs were barely holding together. Internal damage from that last shield bash was probably worse than he’d realized.

’Need to finish this fast,’ Noah thought, scanning the throne room for threats. ’Or I’m going to bleed out before I can complete the quest.’

Movement came from the shadows behind the broken throne.

A figure emerged, stepping into the torchlight with footsteps that made the marble floor crack beneath each boot.

Noah’s breath caught.

The figure stood maybe eight feet tall, armored in plates that weren’t steel or any metal Noah recognized. They looked like... scales.

The armor was made of scales, black and gold, each one the size of Noah’s palm, overlapping in patterns that looked like organic growth rather than forged construction. They caught the torchlight, reflecting it in ways that made the figure seem to glow.

Horns curved from the helmet—two massive protrusions that swept backward, their tips sharp enough to impale. The helmet itself was shaped like a dragon’s skull, the visor forming a maw that showed nothing but darkness inside.

A tail extended from the figure’s back, easily six feet long, ending in a spiked tip that dragged across the marble with sounds like metal on stone. The tail moved independently, swaying slightly, suggesting awareness beyond simple appendage.

Chains wrapped around the figure’s arms and torso, black metal links that clinked softly with each movement. They weren’t restraints—they were weapons, integrated into the armor, ready to be used.

Text appeared above the figure’s head.

[Ego - The Last Dragon Knight]

[Level: 100]

Noah felt something he hadn’t felt in months. Something he’d thought he’d overcome through combat experience and countless life-or-death situations.

Fear.

This was not the rational concern that came from assessing a dangerous opponent. Nor the heightened awareness that combat training produced. Actual fear, primal and overwhelming, the kind that made prey animals freeze when predators approached.

His legs were shaking. Actually trembling, his knees wanting to buckle despite his enhanced vitality trying to keep him standing.

’What is this?’ Noah thought, staring at Ego. ’This aura. This overwhelming pressure I can feel just from him standing there.’

The Dragon Knight hadn’t moved beyond emerging from the shadows. Hadn’t drawn a weapon, hadn’t assumed a combat stance. Just stood there, watching Noah with eyeless sockets that somehow conveyed awareness anyway.

And Noah’s legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

’Why are my legs shaking?!’ Noah thought desperately, trying to force his body under control. ’I’ve fought four-horn Harbingers. Stood up to Arthur. Faced death dozens of times. So why the hell can’t I stop my legs from trembling?!’

Ego took one step forward.

The marble cracked beneath his boot, spiderweb fractures spreading outward from the impact point.

Noah’s hands clenched into fists, trying to steady himself, trying to find the confidence that had carried him through everything before this moment.

But staring at the Last Dragon Knight, at the level 100 monster that radiated power like a physical force, Noah couldn’t shake the feeling that everything he’d fought through—the archers, the endless knights, even Ironside—had just been the tutorial.

And the real fight was about to begin.