Reunion (4)
The time required to craft a weapon using Emergency Forge ranged from 4 to 9 seconds.
Though brief, Hyun-soo was confident he'd forged the most ideal offensive Twin Dragon Swords.
He'd run through the concept in his head hundreds of times already.
Incorporate the current situation into all previous designs.
What was the current situation?
China's top elites—over 50 survivors—still breathing down his neck.
Far surpassing him in levels, armed to the teeth with superb artifacts, no less.
He needed a way to weaken them.
Don't just fixate on their artifacts—grasp the entire battlefield.
That insight fueled the power he infused into them.
Twin Dragon Swords.
A bizarre debuff never before seen in this game called Ares.
It rendered all artifacts powerless.
Artifacts of Unique grade or higher equipped by individuals within a 10m radius suffer over 40% damage.
Crack!
Craaaack!
Fond's eyes trembled.
'Fond, my heir, I bestow upon you brave one my sword.'
When he'd received the Sword Emperor Volond's bestowed blade, Fond had been awestruck.
Top-tier among legendary artifacts—rarer than rare even on the Chinese server, brimming with unmatched power.
And what of the Golden Master Craftsman's armor, specially forged by China's Black Dragon Forge for this tournament?
It boasted defenses high enough to shield him from any weapon.
Many legendary artifacts even had infinite durability.
Infinite durability didn't mean they couldn't be damaged—it meant they auto-repaired over time once broken.
Even so, infinite-durability artifacts weren't easily harmed. That much was fact.
Ignores infinite durability.
Sword Emperor Volond's Bestowed Sword suffers 45% damage.
All special effects reduced by over 40%.
Sword Emperor Volond's Sword attack power, slashing power, and penetration drop by over 45%.
Golden Master Craftsman's Armor suffers 41% damage.
All special effects reduced by over 37%.
Golden Master Craftsman's Armor physical and magical defense drop by over 40%.
Fond had fallen victim to a technique he'd never witnessed in all his life.
His body shook like an aspen leaf.
'It's not just me...?'
"What the fuck..."
"W-what the hell is this?"
"My artifactsuuu!"
"U-uaaaah! What is this? What the hell is thiiiis?!"
Within a 10m radius. Just that distance.
Of course, the Twin Dragon Swords skill had a failure chance.
But Ares always granted peak perfection to skills or powers post-first craft.
Fond's face drained of color.
A sudden notification echoed in his mind.
'The hero's valor is majestic...'
Wasn't that exactly it?
Fond had boasted that being a blacksmith changed nothing.
'The first blacksmith to reach legend—unleashing battles we've never seen?'
Chills raced up his spine.
Plus, Fond had dismissed Crazy Rookie as worthless due to skills underwhelming his fame.
A bit above average, at best.
But if born a blacksmith? That reevaluation shifted everything.
'A blacksmith... with that level of skill...?'
Gulp.
Fond swallowed dryly.
'Our artifacts weakened, but the master craftsman's sword remains majestic...?'
As commander, Fond grasped the battlefield too.
Most Chinese users were locked in skill cooldowns.
China's path to brighter victory? Shatter the barrier faster, seize the flag.
Only one remained.
With just one Korean survivor, China had bet everything on assured win.
Yet Korean users proved far stronger than expected.
No potions allowed in continental war.
Their HP averaged a mere 60% post-clash.
'Just one... could he turn the tide?'
Cold sweat trickled down Fond's back.
Then, one of China's high-rankers posted in the war chat.
Yongwol.
Successor to the Assassin King.
All 11 surviving assassins were her subordinates.
Her masked face flashed a smile at Fond.
Fond's reason returned. She reminded him of the elites gathered here.
Yongwol pulled her mask higher. She was startled too, truth be told.
But Assassin Yongwol—world rank 3, the One-Strike Yongwol—vanished in an instant.
Squelch!
One-Strike Yongwol. Allow her one move, and no further attacks land—that's her moniker!
Hyun's HP drops 7% from a single strike.
She whispers something to the staggering him—what could it be?
"...Damaging artifacts—very blacksmith-like thinking. But know this? You're slow. We're fast."
Simultaneous. 11 assassins materialized from shadows, swarming omnidirectionally.
Archers nocked arrows per Yongwol's words, aiming true. Mages began casting.
Mages drew 99% power from spells.
They alone escaped skill cooldowns among Chinese users.
"Even the strongest sword is useless if it can't cleave foes. First legend or not, I've decided: you die in 20 seconds."
She stabbed Hyun-soo's chest, stepped back, eyed her subordinate lunging from the side.
She pictured an average greatsword.
Sweeping arcs, heavy weight, air resistance—speed ~60% of a longsword.
But...
'Huh?'
Yongwol panicked.
His swing at her charging subordinate matched longsword speed.
One power Hyun-soo infused into the Twin Dragon Swords.
70% lighter than a standard greatsword.
Shiiiing!
It whipped toward her approaching subordinate in one breath.
The subordinate crossed dual daggers in seasoned defense.
That instant.
Kaboom!
"G-gaaah!"
-83,163 Damage
'D-damage...? This kind of damage... possible...?'
Damage factored everything: base attack, stats, bonuses, skills.
80k flat hit? Yongwol had never seen it.
The greatsword's destructive force hurled her subordinate into the wall, foaming at the mouth.
'One slash... like a nuke...?'
Truly, the Twin Dragon Swords' attack transcended norms.
Enhanced Supreme Sword hit 600.
Offensive Twin Dragon Swords? 900.
Plus, maximized greatsword traits with 5% strength boost.
Hyun-soo planned and executed everything.
This single greatsword embodied his full scheme.
"Takes 20 seconds, huh?"
He mulled Yongwol's 20-second death vow.
Assassins stabbed Hyun-soo everywhere.
HP falls below 86%.
HP falls below 73%.
HP falls below 52%.
Assassins grappled him, baiting mage/archer barrages.
Soon, Hyun-soo smirked faintly.
"But why's my HP still over 80%?"
Yongwol frowned, puzzled.
'What bullshit?'
Squelch!
HP falls below 40%.
His visible HP bar read 40%, plain as day.
'No way...?'
He'd arrived at full HP/MP.
But tossed out earlier, it'd dipped below 10%.
Equipping Twin Dragon Swords likely insta-healed HP.
Block that? Problem solved.
"This sword has many strengths."
Then, two characters gleamed on the Twin Dragon Swords.
Linkage
'Linkage?'
Linkage meant connecting things.
Twin Dragon Swords maximize powers dwelling in the wielder, doubling chain speed or more.
That moment, Yongwol and assassins, near-finished casting mages and archers—all panicked.
First linkage.
Lord's Command
Ignores 50% status resistance, controls with 60% stronger telekinesis.
High levels or resistance nullified telekinesis.
Yet it pierced anyway—Yongwol reeled.
Herself, all assassins, mages, archers, ranged dealers—floating skyward.
Hyun-soo pondered.
Twin Dragon Swords' massive damage, my strengths—harness them via linkage.
Linkage: swift skill chains via Twin Dragon Swords.
Stronger, faster than normal.
"Y-Yongwol, hurry, brace...!"
Fond shouted. Too late.
Hyun-soo's Supreme Sword held special power.
Pull—drawing targets before him.
Now maximized.
Second linkage.
Gather
Pulls all targets afloat via Lord's Command to one spot.
"...!?"
"...!?"
"...!?"
22 Chinese users.
Assassins, mages, archers—clustered before Hyun-soo.
They panicked, watching him draw his sword from behind.
His flats dealt 80k.
'And we're bunched up...?'
Like fish in a net, tangled together.
Hyun-soo understood greatswords.
Thus, offensive skills in Twin Dragon Swords.
One Stroke, Two Cuts
Originally boosted slashing 350%, horizontal cleave in 3m radius.
Linkage enhanced it further.
Triple linkage.
Slashing maximized to 641%, horizontal cleave in 5m radius.
And final.
Quadruple linkage.
Blood Absorption
Power from Grout's Blood Demon Ring.
Originally 6% proc, heals damage dealt. No skill application.
Linkage ignored limits.
Quadruple.
Applies at 20% chance.
Applies to skills too.
Four linkages converged into one colossal force.
Hyun-soo grinned, swinging the Twin Dragon Swords horizontally at all 22 with full might.
Shiiiing!
The crisp slash rang out—Yongwol grasped his earlier words' meaning.
'In-insane...'
Dozens of blood droplets erupting from them absorbed into Hyun-soo.
And before all eyes:
All this, via linkage—in just 4 seconds.
More shocking: Hyun-soo's low murmur to Yongwol.
"...The Twin Dragon Swords still hold more power."
For the first time in her life, Yongwol felt true terror.