Reunion (7)
Fond watched Hyun-soo approach through the scattering ashes, plunging into fear.
Hyun-soo's level was in the 330s. Users at that level didn't even crack the top million.
They might hear "Oh, pretty high level," but that was it—no ranker status.
In contrast, Fond held world rank 4.
He posed a question to himself.
'Can I fight like Hyun-soo?'
He couldn't answer yes.
That was why, seeing Hyun-soo stride over the ash piles, he fell into terror.
Gazing at the Twin Dragon Swords aimed at them, Fond's face twisted in bewilderment—until a whisper snapped him back to reality.
He knew exactly what he and Poison King Riu were capable of.
Was such power even possible?
Once poisoned, no matter how much time passed without detoxification, Riu could summon the latent toxin without laying a hand on the victim.
And Poison King Riu, though lower in world ranking, was undeniably the top close-combat user.
He'd just summoned the legendary Hydra, shocking everyone.
Now, with everyone else dead, this had turned into PvP.
Coincidentally, the two survivors were from the Chinese faction.
Fond was undefeated in PvP—one-on-one duels. Raids and sieges aside, no one had ever beaten him in PvP.
Riu was the same.
Poison King Riu could stack his poisons repeatedly.
It was a downright insane trait.
And both their HP bars sat near 100%.
Hyun-soo's, meanwhile, had dipped below 45%.
'Healing power only works if the price is paid first.'
Fond finally realized.
He'd felt dread at Hyun-soo's feats, true—but Hyun-soo was exhausted, now facing the world's top PvP experts.
At that moment, Poison King Riu drew out the toxin latent in Hyun-soo's body.
The poison boils up.
Two of the strongest skills are now under control.
Hyun-soo's eyebrow twitched. To trigger poison again without even touching him—that was astonishing.
And once more, Riu had seized control of fire and karma.
"You've shown your power. Time to pay the price, no?"
Riu twisted his lips.
This was why high-rankers guarded their abilities from the public eye.
Riu jabbed at the arrogant Hyun-soo.
"Just the two of you left? Too dramatic for that line, don't you think? Look at the gap between us."
The situation screamed dominance for Fond and Riu.
That thrilled Riu.
'This'll broadcast worldwide.'
His image, toying with the legendary Hyun-soo after this impossible feat!
Perfect. Riu was the strongest, but he'd never dazzled the world like Hyun-soo.
Now, this candle in the wind seemed easy to snuff out.
The legendary spear Hydra's tip, weakened to 30-40% by Hyun-soo's Twin Dragon Swords.
Yet legendary artifacts had infinite durability, slowly self-repairing—now down to 20% debuff.
Riu kicked off the ground, his spear thrusting fiercely.
Hyun-soo's Twin Dragon Swords outpaced ordinary greatswords.
But Riu's spear was several moves faster.
And Riu held an edge Hyun-soo lacked.
From spear arts clans in martial China, Riu's spearmanship was phenomenal.
Some said if spear were an Olympic event, Riu would've claimed multiple golds.
Such a spear genius spun the shaft the instant Hyun-soo parried with his blade face.
Clang-
The whirling spear tip slid off the blade like water, piercing Hyun-soo's chest.
There, Poison King Riu's greatest strength shone.
All enemy stats drop by 13% from the intense poison.
"……!"
Hyun-soo was genuinely impressed. Enemy or not, triggering poison on a single hit!
Unlike normal poisons that applied once, Riu's stacked anew with every strike.
His spear pierced Hyun-soo's shoulder next.
Attack speed and movement speed drop by 15%.
Three poisons already on Hyun-soo.
Yet even dominating, Riu marveled.
'Is this 330-level defense?'
That latest hit barely shaved 2% HP.
Triple defense applied.
The power of Hyun-soo's Calamity Armor.
But Riu was certain of victory.
That hit had exponentially dropped Hyun-soo's defense.
Physical and magic defense drop by 40%.
Hyun-soo's HP, battered, fell below 30%.
And the fourth.
Physical and magic attack power drop by 29%.
Riu thrilled.
The Twin Dragon Swords' raw attack power defied common sense.
Even his level-defying stats were an issue.
But four poisons had crippled him.
And Riu's enemy response was absurd.
'Trigger...!'
As predicted.
"Ghost..."
Stab-!
Control Poison
Strikes the enemy in 0.5 seconds.
Cannot use Ghost Step skill.
Godlike control—casters buzzed.
Fond joined, overwhelming Hyun-soo.
China's sun, Fond, captivated the world alongside Riu dominating the legend.
-Under China's two strongest, one legend is being torn apart!
-Fond, personal combat genius. Riu, spear genius!
-No time to react!
You possess Asnium.
HP has fallen below 10%.
HP recovers to 15%.
In just over 20 seconds, his HP dropped 30%.
Seeing Hyun-soo's plummeting HP, Riu basked in his power—even without Fond, he'd suffice.
"This is the difference in caliber!"
Indeed, they were the strongest among those Hyun-soo had crushed.
Two elephants wouldn't quake before lions.
To show viewers vividly:
"If you're a legend, I'll become the Poison King's legend too!"
Declaring boldly: he'd soon claim that title.
Hyun-soo's HP now clung at 11%.
As Riu charged for the finale, Hyun-soo suddenly spoke.
"……Done already?"
Riu furrowed his brow.
"I told you. The Twin Dragon Swords have plenty unseen."
But Riu sneered.
Even so, four straight hits had ravaged Hyun-soo.
No matter the hidden power, at 11% HP, he couldn't touch them.
Then.
"I am a legend."
All forces Poison King Riu inflicted vanished in an instant.
'Im... impossible...!'
Riu panicked at Hyun-soo's absolute resistance purging every poison at once.
And he realized.
'......He was waiting?'
Waiting for all poisons to stack.
And "I am a legend" wasn't just status resistance.
Encounter with a legend.
Crushed by immense pressure.
Letters hidden on the Twin Dragon Swords slowly emerged.
[Accumulation]
Seeing the black-glowing power, movement-locked Riu and Fond panicked.
Accumulation: steadily building something.
This one drew inspiration from Tyrving, forged while hunting Grout.
With the barbarians, control the barbarians.
"Kill the enemy with the enemy's power."
5 minutes of accumulation complete.
Five minutes: short or long, depending.
This accumulation stored 15% of damage Hyun-soo took over five minutes into the Twin Dragon Swords.
And Hyun-soo knew.
About Poison King Riu's stacking poisons.
To resist stacked poisons at once, endure them fully in body first—then resist.
Panicked, Riu and Fond exchanged glances, realizing.
Under the pressure, they stood too close.
One greatsword with vast reach could cleave them both.
They forced bitter smiles.
"Arrogant fool!"
"One attack is all you get! After that, you're dead!"
Just one strike possible.
What could one do?
But he proved them wrong.
All attack and defense restored.
All skill controls removed.
Kiriririk-
Before the world, telekinesis unraveled Riu and Fond's armor.
Hyun-soo had long analyzed their gear, simulating disassembly dozens of times in his mind.
Now, reality unfolded.
Whoosh-!
Dozens of armor fragments scattered; Riu and Fond recoiled in horror.
Total defense drops 70%.
Hyun-soo's accumulation: irreplaceable for years.
Concentrated high-ranker assaults, plus blood absorption's heal-damage cycles—absurd buildup.
Accumulation boosts one attack by 2,100%.
And the Calamity Gauntlet's timely burst.
Triple cutting power applied.
Riu and Fond's defense: 70% gone.
But their HP near 100%.
However...
Ding!
Perfect trinity.
Enemy defense 70% down.
Twin Dragon Swords' accumulation: damage berserk.
Triple cutting added.
New trinity.
No—peak synergy including the swords' insane attack power.
"Once is enough for you."
Shwaaak-
Two-handed Twin Dragon Swords swung; a notification rang for Hyun-soo.
Worldwide viewers and casters fixated on the damage.
Seeing it above their heads, they panicked.
Damage too excessive.
Third highest single damage in history.
Shwaaaak-!
The world held its breath, then gasped at the rising damage number.