Honestly, Ihan could have killed them all on his own.This wasn’t arrogance or re prediction; it was a clear conviction based on analysis and experience.
Did they have mystical powers?
So what?
‘Compared to that monster, this is nothing.’
The monster nad Tur de Seigan, the master of the Magic Tower.
If there was ever a nightmare that might haunt one’s dreams, it would be that monster. Compared to that, these people were barely intimidating.
Sure, their abilities and mysticism made them tricky to deal with, but tricky didn’t an impossible to defeat.
In that sense...
“It's over.”
With the arrival of reinforcents, the battle was effectively over.
“R-Raq de Duron?! Why is Galahad’s Hulang here?!”
“The Black Lion of the North...”
It seed they recognized the two n’s faces, unable to hide their shock. Ihan nodded slightly in understanding.
‘I’d be freaked out too.’
If two such beings suddenly appeared as reinforcents, who could possibly stay calm?
Ihan understood their feelings perfectly.
When they were enemies, they were terrifying and exasperating, but when they were allies, they were the most reassuring of companions.
For example...
“Is this like ‘Guan Yu in the center, Lü Bu on the left’?”
Ihan muttered softly, finding the situation amusing. When he spoke nonsense like that, the two n responded:
“Haha, you rest. While we’ve been comfortably sleeping, it seems you’ve had a hard ti on your own.”
“If you’re tired, take a break.”
The two n, urging him to rest as if caring for him, but Ihan couldn’t help but chuckle.
And it made sense.
“You two just want to vent, don’t you?”
“......”
“You must have had quite the trauma, huh?”
“...Ahem.”
The two n fell silent, choosing not to respond, and Ihan once again confird that these guys weren’t the type to be considerate.
***
“They’re running away.”
Dent, whose arm had been broken while blocking Raq’s spear, spoke, and the others agreed.
“How are we supposed to block that?”
“We can’t die here.”
It was already difficult enough to block one of them, but now two more had joined, and those two were Hulang and the Black Lion.
The danger posed by these two was comparable to or greater than Ihan, and facing them would be akin to suicide.
So, fleeing was actually the right decision.
...Of course.
Whoosh!
“Where do you think you’re going?”
They wouldn’t just let them escape.
Raq de Duron moved swiftly, his spear ready to pierce them, and Daina quickly moved her fingers.
Boom!
A point-blank explosion.
It was Daina’s specialty, the ability to manifest the Lava Salamander’s body heat as a technique, the sa technique that had once immobilized Ihan’s feet.
With intense heat, any human would have been reduced to ashes.
Whoosh!
“Interesting ga.”
But it was her misfortune that her opponent was Raq.
He skillfully dodged the explosion and moved toward Daina.
“How...?”
“Can’t you avoid sothing so obvious?”
Raq, with his Third Eye, easily detected the hidden fla-based explosive material and could avoid Daina’s attack. He was Daina’s natural counter.
At that mont.
Clang!
“I’ve always wanted to face Galahad’s Hulang!”
“...You filthy creature, how dare you imitate a knight’s form?”
The man wielding two sickles, the 6th Apostle, Kan, blocked Raq’s movents.
Whoosh!
But it was an illusion to think he had blocked it—Raq’s spear moved like a snake, effortlessly slipping past Kan’s sickles and striking downward.
Raq’s spear technique was known for its fluid, whip-like movents, resembling a snake or a whip.
As if proving this, Raq’s spear created countless changes and knocked Kan’s sickles aside, plunging forward with overwhelming skill.
Not by force or speed, but by mastery of technique, Raq toyed with his opponent.
Raq’s spear was about to pierce Kan’s chest when...
Clang!
“Now I see, the sickles were just for show.”
Raq rembered the words of a rogue.
“Did they say she had a mystical ability?”
“...I’ve seen beastn a few tis, but I never thought I’d see a Chungin.”
[──.]
Kan’s body began to change.
His size grew, and his arms lengthened, with sharp saw-tooth-like claws sprouting from them, resembling the front limbs of a praying mantis.
A mantis-man. The thought ca to Ihan’s mind instinctively.
Boom!
The speed and power of Kan’s new form were beyond comparison to when he wielded the sickles.
He had clearly paid a great price, abandoning his human form for this new power.
However...
Whoosh!
“Not sure what you expect to do.”
Still, Kan couldn’t block Raq’s spear.
Whoosh!
Red Qi.
Like the blazing fla of a fire, the red aura wrapped around Raq’s spear, and in an instant, it traced out ten different trajectories.
The sound of the spear cutting through the air was heard more than ten tis in a single second. And the next mont...!
Whoosh!
Blood gushed from Kan’s body.
“Hmph, did the Chungin's blood turn red as well? First ti I’ve seen it.”
Raq seed satisfied with the new knowledge as he nodded.
"Damn it!!"
Boom! Crash!
Daina didn't stop her explosions, even as she watched Kan deteriorate into a half-dead state.
Instead, she continued to unleash a barrage of explosions, not hesitating to involve her comrades.
If she stopped now, they would all die. They had no choice but to keep fighting.
Multiple explosions.
Though the power was significantly less than a single, concentrated explosion, the chain reaction made it impossible for the enemy to move.
"Hahaha! This is really fun!"
...She should have stopped by now.
Maximus, unlike Ihan or Raq, didn't dodge the explosions—he charged straight through, showing that even grenades couldn't hurt him.
"Crazy bastard!"
Yesterday, a boy with a status window had ntioned that Maximus possessed the strength of Hercules or Xiang Yu, and also the impossible trait of being impervious to physical damage. As the heir of the Black King of the North, he was immune to heat, showing off his absurd resilience.
Screech!
Maximus charged recklessly, his battle axe crackling with electric sparks.
This was Maximus's signature move, one said to have slain even giants.
Boom!
The "Thunderstrike" hit Dent's shield directly.
Boom!!
"Hoo! It's really fun! Blocking this... Hahaha!"
Maximus's strike was stopped by Dent's shield, just like Raq's earlier strike had been blocked.
It was a strange thing.
Was the shield made of so unusual material?
"Let's see if you can block this too."
Whoosh!
Maximus, with his enormous battle axe that could not be wielded by anyone but him, moved it effortlessly like a re stick.
And again!
Screech!
Electric sparks flew as Maximus's battle axe struck again.
The second Thunderstrike.
And that was...
"...Arrogant bastard."
It was a stupid sight for Dent.
Strong people were often arrogant.
It was as if they were about to repeat the sa mistake as Raq de Duron.
Dent smirked, preparing to turn the power back on...
Whoosh!
"Hmm, so it was that. Looks like you're using a monster's strength, just like that woman. I guessed it would be the [Sli's Physical Resistance], and I was right. That's a troubleso ability."
Gulp...
Thud!
Dent's new form began to crumble.
His shield, along with half of his body, was sliced off in one blow.
It was a disaster caused by failing to block that one attack, and the light in Dent's eyes gradually faded.
And in his fading consciousness, he heard...
"Such a pity. That shield technique wasn't bad. If you had fought with shield techniques alone, without relying on your abilities, I think it could have been even better."
"...Hah."
It was both a complint and advice. Without realizing it, Dent chuckled and understood.
He realized that the arrogance he had shown...
‘Was my own foolishness.’
...It was himself.
***
"...That bastard."
Ihan couldn't help but feel a tinge of admiration, even if reluctantly.
Sli's physical resistance.
It was the main skill of the 5th Apostle, allowing most physical attacks to be nullified and then reflected back with stored power. The shield technique had likely been learned using this ability.
But that size was imdiately recognized by Raq's power, and he exploited it.
Gyeoksan Tau.
The technique Ihan had used in their duel had been improved by Maximus, beyond just copying it, and adapted to fit his own style.
The Thunderstrike, or whatever it was called, would likely be delivered using Gyeoksan Tau.
Ihan couldn’t help but admire the technique, though he felt a bit annoyed as well.
Sure, it was impressive, but seeing his own technique taken and applied like that stung.
‘...This is why geniuses are trouble.’
It was impressive, no doubt, but the fact that Maximus could take one look at Ihan's technique and adapt it so quickly was infuriating.
Just as Ihan was stewing in his frustration...
Boom!
An explosion shook the air.
This ti, the explosion was on a whole different level, sounding like an artillery shell going off.
The 7th Apostle, her wrist was gone.
"Shit, I knew I shouldn't have taken this mission. What are all these monsters doing here...?"
Before she could even react, the spear-wielder’s spear made a perfect arc, slicing off her wrist, and with it, a massive explosion followed.
She was a walking explosive hazard herself.
The spear-wielder, still holding his spear, spoke.
“If you surrender, I’ll kill you quickly and without pain. Spill your information.”
"...Hah, is that supposed to be a threat?"
"You don't comply, and that’s fine."
"You’ll explode before you get the chance to stab ."
"Then, I’ll just stab you before that happens."
"..."
"Think I’m lying?"
Well, they were about to find out.
The spear-wielder's threat was clear, and just as he was about to strike...
Boom!
Unfortunately for the spear-wielder, he was flying again, for the second ti today.
The reason for his humiliation?
"-13th Angel, may you bring forth the blood purging upon the sinful unbelievers."
Drip, drip!
──And then, the truly dangerous being appeared.
"...What the hell is that?"
Ihan couldn’t understand why sothing like that suddenly appeared and blinked in surprise.
‘...Is this genre actually so kind of alien thing?’
The Symbiote had arrived.
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