Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Clash with the Incarnated Constellation
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With a grinding noise like metal scraping against metal, sparks flew, and astonishingly, the sword began to chip away and get eaten up bit by bit.
Kieeeing—
Kwajik! Kwajijik!
In the meantime, enemy forces charged in like flashes of light, attacking Abyss and the other heroes.
“?!”
Stunned by the unprecedented situation, I looked up, and there stood a man with pitch-black hair dark enough to catch the eye and equally black eyes, his lips curving into a smooth smile.
“It's a sword so low-grade it's an insult to even play around with.”
I couldn't remember every name of SpaceKing's heroes, but having some experience in siege warfare, I at least recognized their faces roughly.
Who was this guy?
His appearance was so unforgettable that I could say for sure.
He wasn't one of SpaceKing's heroes.
Feeling the crisis as the blade started to melt away, I tried to push him back with force before it fully liquefied, but it was too close for comfort.
“!!”
Flinching in panic, I desperately drew on the senses of my Fist Master's skills.
Puk!
The man, kicked squarely in my foot, was pushed back a good distance, but it didn't last.
He stopped immediately and said to me.
“With such a pathetic weapon, you can't hope to face me.”
Clang.
I tossed aside the nearly broken sword without hesitation and asked right away.
“Who the hell are you?”
At that moment.
Ding!
[The constellation 'The One Who Guides to Destruction' shows interest in you.]
No way—that pitch-black mysterious man was the constellation called 'The One Who Guides to Destruction' popping up in this alert window.
I had no idea how that was possible, but his attitude made it seem plausible.
I spoke quickly.
“I've got a question. I'm going easy on you right now, you know.”
I tossed out an aggro bait line.
Seeing Abyss trying to come to my side from over there, I quietly raised a hand to stop her.
This guy was dangerous.
From the spot where he'd taken the hit and been pushed back, the black man who'd bitten the bait looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
The perfect attitude of someone who'd taken the bait.
“……That's what I should be saying. If not for wasting power on some idle amusement recently and those damn restrictions, you'd already be torn to shreds in my hands.”
“Without your restrictions, trash like you would be nothing to me.”
Of course, I had no clue what those restrictions even were.
At my brazen aggro-fueled bluff, the man looked utterly baffled once more.
“Keep talking.”
With a casual wave of his hand, the enemy heroes' HP recovered in an instant.
The heroes attacking us seemed to receive orders through message windows floating in front of them, completely excluding me from their targets as they went after my group.
I asked the man.
“You wouldn't happen to be an incarnated constellation, would you?”
The man, who'd fallen for my ploy and allowed the conversation, immediately lit up.
Gotcha.
“Hellcannon!”
Hellcannon, who'd been fighting nearby enemies while watching for an opening, charged in right away.
The foes battling Hellcannon chased after him, but the moment Hellcannon unleashed his ultimate, sword energy burst forth, accelerating him.
Whoosh!
Hellcannon's eyes glowed red.
He charged at the pitch-black man without a shred of hesitation.
The black man, presumed to be a constellation, watched expressionlessly without a hint of boredom, then glanced at me.
But I wasn't heading his way.
Boom!
The instant Hellcannon's ultimate struck the ground, I reached his side and unleashed a net-shaped ultra-wide lightning blast at the black man.
Kwarung!
The skill, essentially for defense, spread out like a spiderweb.
Ding!
[[Quest Alert] You've fulfilled 'Condition 2' for the 'Invitation to the Babel Tower' quest.]
Success.
The moment I inwardly cheered, the man vanished like smoke right before my eyes.
[The constellation 'The One Who Guides to Destruction' advises you to bring a proper weapon if you survive and return here.]
[Recommended Grade: Holy Relic Level]
Holy Relic?
The guy who'd dissed my weapon specifically calling it out—somehow, it didn't feel like low grade.
Just before the vanished man reappeared right in front of me, I sensed his presence and stepped back, loading a skill into my fist.
“!”
The moment our widened eyes met, my fist slammed into a shield that sprayed out like ink.
Kwa—ang!
I pursued the retreating man.
From the spot where the ink-like shield dissipated, the man drew his sword and glared at me.
His eyes glowed red.
My entire body buzzed with pins and needles from the overwhelming lightning force that seemed to pierce my skin, but based on my experience fighting the lightning genius Dart multiple times, this was manageable.
Whoosh,
Kwarung—!!
I could handle it.
Sword and fist clashed head-on, but as expected, my fist didn't get sliced off.
That confirmed it.
His lightning force was powerful, but not overwhelming enough to invade my physical domain.
A glint appeared in the man's eyes.
Boom!
The ground around where he stood glowed red, and an explosive anti-gravity technique erupted, sending my body floating up.
I crossed my arms and hastily threw up a shield.
Boom—!!
He swung his sword down like an axe, and the impact was so intense it made my whole body tingle, curses slipping through my gritted teeth.
“Sister!”
It looked pretty shocking even to others, as Abyss called out to me, but I had no time to respond.
Abyss gripped her sword and charged at the man at high speed, but he ignored her completely, vanishing with whooshes to toy with her before suddenly snapping his fingers.
The midday area plunged into sudden darkness, his red eyes exploding with light.
Then he vanished.
Something invisible to the eye lurked within this domain, watching me from multiple angles.
Like an insect's compound eyes, observing me from every direction...
It was coming.
As I was helplessly pushed back, I 'sense-cast' every buff I could recall and crossed my arms.
The moment my feet hit the ground, the sword came flying.
The guy materialized before me and swung his sword wildly once more.
Kwa—ang!
“Urk!”
After blocking head-on, I ducked and weaved past the unidentified attacks extending like countless arms from both sides, closing in.
My back got torn a bit—it burned—but the attack landed true.
Puk!
“!”
I had no idea how much this pitch-black bastard had underestimated me.
He was completely off-guard, wasn't he?
Surprised inwardly at the solid feel of my fist connecting raw, my PK-accustomed body instinctively unleashed a skill.
Fist Master Stage 5 skill.
[Explosive Fist Technique]
Boom!
The startled man hurriedly concentrated his lightning force, but Explosive Fist Technique tore through his shield energy, delaying its formation.
I didn't miss the gap, chaining into the follow-up attack right away.
Fist Master Stage 6 skill, sense-cast.
[Energy Wave]
Ku-kwaang—!!
The energy wave erupting from my fingertips slammed straight into the man's body.
Confirming his black eyes widen in panic, I charged like a hunter pursuing nearly caught prey.
But the man, who'd flown back a ways, suddenly melted into space and vanished.
“……?”
I halted, senses on high alert, but his presence was barely detectable.
Soon, the hazy space—like a winter evening after sunset or a curtained room—brightened again.
“W-What? Where'd he go?”
It was absurd.
My nearly caught prey had vanished.
He hadn't gone far, but his signal felt weakened somehow.
Blood pooled thickly where the man had disappeared. And only now did I notice blood dripping steadily from under my feet.
Abyss rushed to me and pointed at my back in horror.
“!”
Realizing my back burned and my already thin clothes were shredded rags on the verge of falling off.
Flutter.
Valen undid the cloak he'd worn when summoned and draped it over me.
“……Thanks, Valen.”
As I gripped the cloak and cast Heel, Messiah above poured down another ultimate-level heal.
With the presumed constellation man gone, the enemy heroes fighting us began slipping away like the tide following him.
They seeped into alleys between buildings in an instant, direction irrelevant.
Soap-nim shouted.
“Take down as many as we can!”
Killing fleeing enemies wasn't my style, but we were too deep in to play morality cop now.
But then, dozens of lightning bolts struck the empty lot demolished for redevelopment.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang—!!
Pajijik, Ku-kwa-kwang!!
Heroes who hadn't fully entered the alleys got zapped, and hunters dropping from the sky like hail pounced to finish them off.
Strictly speaking, that pitch-black man from earlier was their liege, the traitors' master, but he'd left without his minions.
Soap-nim said to me.
“Any injuries? You okay?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. Can't show you though—my clothes were about to rip.”
“Haha. Feels like we got around ten. Great haul today. Thanks a ton for the big help.”
“No problem.”
It hit me anew—SpaceKing must have it really rough.
Turning from Soap-nim, I spotted Dart standing a bit away, watching us.
He looked at me, then abruptly turned his head.
I'd known he'd arrived since the blue lightning started falling from the sky.
I quietly asked Soap-nim.
“That guy still sulking about back then, right?”
“Huh? Ahaha…….”
He must've overheard, as Dart flinched and glared at me and Soap-nim.
He's coming over.
Dart shifted his gaze, glaring sharply at Hellcannon. After a moment, he looked back at me.
“…….”
A complicated silence flowed between Dart and me as we faced each other.
Soap-nim, who'd been watching nervously beside me, slipped away quietly, and even SpaceKing's guildmates pretended not to notice, stealing glances.
Dart spoke first.
“Thanks, but no need to help next time. This is our job.”
Abyss said incredulously.
“What a joke. One of those sky-dropped guys got right back up and nearly slit Kaisha-nim's throat—how could we just stand by?”
I glanced at Abyss in mild panic inwardly. How'd she know that? She'd arrived after the chase started.
Had Abyss been watching my whereabouts live on the internet too?
Dart's face hardened.
“……What does that mean.”
“One of the guys you missed nearly got our sister's throat.”
Dart, looking shocked, asked me.
“Is that true?”
“No need to worry. Healed it right up—no trace left.”
“…….”
Dart clenched his fist tight, glaring at my throat and cloak.
Abyss seemed highly displeased with Dart, but shut her mouth since I'd said that.
Like SpaceKing guildmates chattering in voice chat earlier, Dart clearly hated causing me trouble.
It wasn't like he'd waged the war alone—no need for that.
I changed the subject.
“Sorry for hitting you that day.”
“!”
His eyes widened at the totally unexpected words, and I heard someone behind him sharply inhale.
I continued.
“I didn't know so many of your guildmates had died.”
“…….”
“Even if I knew, I wouldn't have handed over Hellcannon, but still—I want to apologize for not understanding your feelings.”
Dart's eyes shook violently.
After the city war, I'd learned that late and felt a bit bad.
Bringing it up now was partly to build good relations with SpaceKing—not to snag Midgard northern dungeon access rights right away, but.
Seeing Dart shaken, rewards dangled temptingly.
Might work out.
I extended my hand; Dart flinched, looked down at it, then whipped his head away, awkwardly rubbing his mouth.
“Not really……, ahem, I wasn't hung up on it or anything…….”
I shook his hand just as awkwardly.