Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Chapter 30
If R-rank and SR-rank characters had similar stats in the story and the game, SSR-rank characters tended to be more powerful in the story than in the game. In other words, Alexios was likely to have higher stats than I knew.
“Baekyang, if you can’t block it, we’re all dead, so block it properly.”
“Shouldn’t we just go home…?”
“The Goblin King would be proud of you.”
“No, don’t say it like that! It makes it sound like I'm going to die here!”
My poor choice of words instantly snapped Baekyang out of her usual languid tone. She could speak normally?
“Ah… how about we just surrender? If I’m not acting as a shield, wouldn’t we have to surrender anyway? Actually, maybe I’m the one who holds all the decision-making power…”
“If you want to face me instead of Alexios, be my guest. Just think carefully about the consequences.”
“Uu…”
Baekyang, with a tearful face, spread her ice shield wider and began to defend against Alexios.
Even then, Alexios’s gaze remained fixed on me. Even this much popularity wasn’t enjoyable…
And the moment Baekyang's shield obscured my view, Alexios's arms were already radiating a dazzling light, like the sun. Was his penalty lifted as well?
“Arietta, use divine magic on Baekyang.”
“Yes, Oz.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Arietta began chanting. Her clear voice and gentle rhythm supported the party's movements, harmonizing the battlefield.
“…….”
Alexios frowned slightly at Arietta’s song. It must have been irritating to him.
Bang!
The next thing I knew, there was a loud bang, and Baekyang was pushed back about 30 centimeters. I still hadn’t been able to capture Alexios’s movements.
[Erosion Rate 27%]
I had to be more aware. If I was afraid of the [Erosion Rate] rising, we would be wiped out in the blink of an eye.
“Ugh! Even with my physical abilities enhanced by divine magic, he’s heavy!”
Of course. Alexios hadn’t become the [Fist King] by chance.
“But you blocked it, so it's fine. But it’s probably not over, so don't let your guard down.”
Alexios specialized in consecutive attacks. But if Baekyang just kept blocking, she would quickly be overwhelmed.
“…Are we going to die…?”
Crash! Bang! Boom!
The moment the conversation ended, Alexios unleashed a barrage of attacks, as if his previous attacks were just a warning. It was the first active skill of Alexios, a secret technique passed down directly from the previous [Fist King].
Fist King Secret Technique
[Flame Cloud Thunder Fist]
From his arms, shining like the sun, intense heat flowed out like clouds of fire, engulfing the battlefield. Every time his fist collided with the ice shield, a thunderous roar resounded. A magic circle, resembling the sun, was spread beneath his feet.
Flame Cloud Thunder Fist. The consecutive attacks wouldn't stop until he left the sun magic circle. Unfortunately, it was impossible to interfere with magic like [Dig]. That meant I had to physically remove him from the circle.
“That’s brutal.”
A natural disaster. Was there a more fitting term to describe the current situation?
“I can’t tell who the mage is.”
“Oz! Oz, help me! You’re not just going to watch, are you? Use your flashy magic to turn the tides of this battle!”
“I’ll show you some flashy intermediate magic.”
“We’re done for!”
Baekyang yelled, looking at her crumbling ice shield. Her languid tone was gone. In a way, she was more eloquent than me.
“Why are you hiding your power until now?! The opponent isn't holding back at all!”
“No, I think he’s actually going easy on us.”
If Alexios was serious, we would already be rolling on the ground. He probably had a different kind of penalty, just like me. Looking closely at Alexios throwing his punches, I noticed unidentified shackles on his limbs. It was probably a penalty to reduce his power.
“Besides, I also have a penalty, so using intermediate magic is more efficient and convenient.”
Intermediate Magic
[Waterfall]
Sizzle—
As expected, intermediate magic couldn’t stop the [Fist King]’s secret technique. The magic I cast evaporated before it even reached his fists.
But that was enough.
“How is it? With the increased humidity and reduced heat, isn’t it a bit easier now?”
“No!”
“Well, I figured.”
I honestly didn’t expect much. That wasn’t the goal anyway.
“Lucia.”
The water that had instantly evaporated due to the heat spread like fog before it could fully vaporize. Even with his good eyesight, Alexios wasn't an archer or a mage, so he wouldn't be able to see us. It would have been good to use [Mirage Fog], but maintaining it was troublesome.
“Okay.”
As expected, Lucia was the easiest party member to coordinate with. Was it because she was a soldier? Just by calling her name, Lucia understood my intentions and silently moved like a cat, blending into the fog. She used pistols, but she was an archer, a sniper. Firing from concealment was her specialty.
“Arietta, use divine magic on Noah, too.”
“Yes.”
Arietta immediately began a new chant. Despite using different support magic on two people simultaneously, she didn't seem burdened at all.
“Should I kill him, Master?”
“No, restrain yourself.”
Was she crazy? Eleanor, seemingly intoxicated by the divine power within her, started spouting nonsense with a confident expression, holding her greatsword. Of course, Eleanor was no match for Alexios. The difference in their levels was too stark. If she faced him head-on, she would be turned into dough.
“Just interfering with his movements is enough. You’re good at being annoying, right? Be a nuisance.”
“…What do you think of me, Master?”
“I like people who listen to their master.”
“Don’t think I’ll fall for such flattery.”
Despite her retort, Eleanor’s body was honest. It was honestly surprising. She had the courage to charge at such a monster, even if it was an order. As expected of the protagonist. Eleanor dashed into the fog and instantly reached Alexios.
“Haa—!”
“Annoying. Get lost.”
Bang!
Alexios, who had been continuously throwing punches, caught Eleanor's greatsword with one hand and threw it away. Eleanor rolled dramatically on the ground and disappeared into the fog.
“Not bad…?”
It looked rather clumsy, but it seemed intentional. To annoy the opponent. She hid in the fog to faithfully carry out my instructions. Alexios couldn't leave his position while using [Flame Cloud Thunder Fist]. But its power, despite the penalty, couldn't be ignored.
Bang!
At that moment, a gunshot rang out, and Alexios’s knees buckled. His continuous attack momentarily stopped.
“Ha… ha…”
Baekyang, who had been blocking Alexios’s attacks head-on, took the opportunity to catch her breath. But it wasn’t enough. Alexios only briefly knelt; he hadn’t left the magic circle. [Flame Cloud Thunder Fist] was still active.
“You’ll need your freezing ability soon, so recover your strength quickly. You won’t last long.”
“Y-you… h-how… you… y-you d-demon…”
Baekyang glared at me, breathing heavily. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked pitiful, but it couldn’t be helped. She was the key to this fight.
“Kyaaaaaaa—!”
A moment later, Eleanor fell near me. As expected, she couldn’t hold on for long with her abilities. She couldn’t even force Alexios to move his feet.
“Master! I’m sorry, I lost!”
“I didn’t expect much from you anyway, so it’s fine!”
“That’s so mean!”
Bang!
Right after Eleanor was eliminated, Alexios’s fist flew towards where Lucia had been. Now that the Eleanor debuff was gone, Lucia wouldn’t be able to continue sniping. She would be counterattacked by Alexios right after firing.
[Erosion Rate 28%]
There was nothing holding Alexios back anymore.
But if the same situation repeated, who knew what would happen?
So, what would he do?
Would he keep pushing with [Flame Cloud Thunder Fist]?
No, stubbornly sticking to one technique in this situation was a bad strategy. Alexios would know that much.
“Stop hiding and show yourself, Oz!!!”
The magic circle beneath his feet was absorbed into Alexios's right foot, and he raised his foot high. Warrior-type characters excelled at disrupting party formations. Alexios was no exception. The first thing he would do was blow away the annoying fog. So, now was the time to use his second active skill.
“Haaaaaaaa—!!”
Fist King Secret Technique
[Great Collapse]
The earth-shattering stomp I had seen countless times in the game slammed into the ground. A shockwave, powerful enough to overturn the earth and collapse everything standing, spread through the ground.
“What…?”
But I hadn’t blinded him just for the sniping. It was all in preparation to seal Alexios’s every move.
Basic-level Magic
[Dig]
The fog was blown away by the shockwave, but it revealed the holes that had been dug around Alexios. The shockwave, which would have overturned the earth, flowed into those holes. It was as I expected. In the game, it was a technique whose power diminished with distance, so the correct strategy was to dig deep and increase the distance. The shockwave didn’t even reach us.
“When did you…?”
“It’s a spell with a surprisingly deep connection.”
Among the spells that appeared through [Mana Dominator], the most frequent were [Dig] and [Light Impact]. I had seen their formulaic inscriptions so many times that I could now deploy up to six simultaneously.
“Baekyang, now!”
“Oz, you’re scary… to think you can do this with just intermediate and Basic-level magic.”
Guardians, having to protect their allies, usually possessed at least one crowd control skill. At my command, Baekyang used her goblin freezing ability to bind Alexios’s movements. Baekyang’s famous crowd control skill, [Frozen in Place]. A technique that restricted her own and one opponent’s movements. Alexios wouldn't be able to easily escape since he had already used his secret techniques.
“I learned this in basic combat class.”
Mages consumed mana every time they cast a spell. Would it be any different for warriors? They also strengthened their bodies with mana, so they needed time to recover after using powerful techniques. And above all…
“Posture is important for warriors.”
With his posture broken after using [Great Collapse], he wouldn’t be able to launch any more threatening attacks. And I wasn't going to miss this opportunity.
“Think of this as your only chance and push him.”
“Yes, Master!”
Eleanor, who had been lying on the ground receiving Arietta’s healing magic, charged in with her sword. Lucia, who had been blending into the surroundings, waiting for an opportunity, did the same. She no longer hid, but charged in with pistols in both hands. With this attack, we had to completely deplete the 50% protective magic on Alexios’s cloak.
“You should have trusted your companions a little.”
“What…?”
This was a party game, after all.
Intermediate Magic
[Wind Piercing]
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Alexios knew. He couldn't defeat Oz. He had known this for a long time. He had challenged Oz countless times and had always been defeated. But there was a stark difference between them. When Alexios lived in the monastery with his younger sister, Oz had unknowingly been at the center of it. He was quiet, but more capable and thoughtful than anyone else. It was natural that Arietta liked Oz. Alexios admired Oz, proud that he was like family. But one day, everything fell apart. The day Arietta left for the church. Oz acted as if nothing was wrong, but everyone knew he was heartbroken. It was natural. They were family. But it seemed only they thought of each other as family.
—Sister! Oz is gone!—
The day after Arietta left, Alexios’s younger sister, Lena, informed him of Oz’s disappearance.
—W-what should we do?—
The monastery was thrown into chaos. He wasn't adopted like Arietta, so it was a natural reaction. No matter how thoughtful he was, he was still a child. It was a missing person case. Everyone had to search for Oz. They didn't even know if Oz had left on his own accord.
‘Of course. He didn’t say anything.’
Because he didn’t think of them as family. Oz left without a word. But those left behind couldn’t understand. How could they understand when he hadn’t said a word? The Mother Superior, who acted as their parent, fell ill with worry. His younger sister, who had been particularly fond of Arietta and Oz, was heartbroken at the thought of being abandoned. And when Alexios finally found Oz, he heard that Oz was heading towards the Land of Mages to get Arietta back. Young Alexios thought his resolve was admirable. So, he suggested they all work together to bring Arietta back.
—No need.—
—What?—
But what he received in return was a look of contempt and a cold voice.
—Ha! Don’t you get it? You’re not helpful.—
Alexios realized.
—You useless things.—
That only they had thought of each other as family. Those left behind… no, those abandoned, became ill. And the cause was none other than Oz, who had disappeared without a word. That’s why Oz’s cold rejection was enough to enrage Alexios. He challenged Oz to a fight not for any other reason than,
‘We are not useless.’
To prove their worth. That was all. For that reason alone, he became a disciple of the previous [Fist King] and underwent harsh training. He shed blood and sweat to prove himself to Oz. He just wanted to be acknowledged.
“But…”
After arriving at Scientia, Alexios had been hostile towards Oz, but it was always within the rules. During the entrance exam, the practical training, and this midterm exam. He intended to compete with Oz under the same rules, as long as Oz didn’t break them. That's why he accepted the penalty without complaint and didn’t challenge Oz outside of class. He believed he had to challenge Oz fairly, under equal conditions, to prove himself.
“But you…”
Oz was strong. Definitely stronger than Alexios had anticipated. He had challenged Oz more than five times, yet he couldn't see an end in sight. It wasn’t just a difference in strength. He couldn’t help but be astonished by how Oz effortlessly countered his secret techniques. And he did it with only intermediate and basic-level magic. Alexios was about to accept defeat in the face of such ingenious strategy.
“How dare you…”
Yes, Alexios was about to admit that he was still far from reaching Oz’s level. He wanted to train again and again, re-evaluating Oz's words about him being unhelpful. That's why he was about to endure the attacks pouring towards him without resistance.
—You should have trusted your companions a little.—
…Until Oz uttered those outrageous words. Alexios felt something snap inside him. His resolve to become stronger, his belief that there was a reason, his competitive spirit, and even his lingering desire to be acknowledged.
“You, who never trusted us more than anyone…!”
Everything snapped. He would have understood if Oz had just insulted him, saying he was still lacking. But Oz didn’t do that. At those words, which seemed to belittle his existence, Alexios threw his cloak, its protective magic almost completely depleted, into the air. The rules no longer mattered. There was only one way left to prove himself.
“How dare you say that?”
If he wanted to remain himself, he had to defeat Oz by any means necessary
. He had to sever the past connections and lingering attachments with his own hands.
Fist King Secret Technique, Final Ultimate Move
[Unprecedented]
“You, who discarded us as useless!!!!”
The ultimate move of Alexios, the [Fist King], an SSR-rank character in Broken Sky, began to dye the world red.