The Abyss Mirror (2)
“Archeron, that mantis guy. Think you can handle him alone?”
“Keron. Affirmative.”
Archeron replied instantly, as if he'd been waiting for my words.
I nodded and gave the order.
“Good. Then let's change the plan.”
All eyes turned to me at my words.
“Archeron just got a chance to break through his limits. I'm going to set it up so he can take on that lead mantis by himself.”
“Ah, got it.”
“It'll raise the difficulty a bit, but no problem.”
“Lulu! I'll push a little harder on support too!”
All the guardians nodded at my words.
Agreement secured from everyone.
“Alright, then Wispent first...”
Our revised strategy unfolded.
Wispent strikes first.
Then Archeron steps in to provoke Karmarks.
Once those two are locked in combat alone, Wispent and Lulumiel harass the enemy lines from range, while Crimson prepares Dimensional Bind.
“Let's go.”
We finished preparations and moved out immediately.
Kirrit—
Wispent raised her Spirit Bow, taking precise aim at the enemies.
Jiiiiiing!
A Spirit Arrow slowly formed at the tip of her bow.
It was that one again.
The spirit we'd used to torment them through the dimensional gate.
Soon, the Spirit Arrow activated from her bow.
Tung—
Kwaaaaaaaa!
The Spirit Arrow streaked through the air, splitting into 1,024 in an instant.
“Incoming attack!”
“What!”
“This is... that damn bastard's arrow!”
“Block it!”
The Spirit Arrows flew toward the legion commanders and giant insect soldiers like living creatures.
Kiaaaaaaaa!
Unfortunately, we didn't score a huge hit this time.
The legion commanders had enough leeway to block Wispent's arrows.
Of course, with only six up front, they couldn't stop them all.
“Kak!”
“Krruk.”
“Kiririk!”
Over a hundred giant insects collapsed.
A modest but satisfying result.
“Archeron!”
At my shout, Archeron launched into the air.
“Keron. Annihilation Beam, locked on.”
Laser light gathered in Archeron's barrel.
It fired straight at Karmarks, the lead among the six charging legion commanders.
Kwaaaaa—!
The beam shot in a straight line.
“You bastard—!”
Kwang!!!!
Karmarks morphed his hand into a blade and deflected the destructive beam.
“Kuh.”
“What is it, Karmarks?”
“That one first, together...”
“No, he's mine. Don't touch him!!”
Karmarks roared that and charged out.
He was brimming with extreme rage toward Archeron right now.
'Perfect.'
I inwardly cheered as Karmarks moved exactly as I'd hoped.
“You— I'll chew you up without leaving a single corpse!!!”
With his roar, the battle between Archeron and Karmarks began.
Kirrit—!
Tung.
Kiaaaaaaaa—!
In the meantime, Wispent fired another Spirit Arrow.
“Starlight Festival—!!”
At the same time, Lulumiel unleashed her AoE skill.
Jiiiiiing!!
A massive starlight field bloomed under their feet.
The charging legion commanders' speed visibly slowed.
'Ant, scorpion, moth, bomb dust bee, mosquito.'
Five legion commanders left now that the mantis was out.
'Just right.'
Sweep those with Dimensional Bind, then bolt the moment Archeron slices Karmarks.
“Crimson!”
“Yes! Preparing now!”
Crimson bellowed in response.
Jiiiiiing!!
The dimensional seal etched on his right arm glowed pure white.
“I'll use it the moment they close in.”
“Okay!”
Things were flowing just as we wanted.
But.
Gooooooo!!
Tremendous mana surged from afar.
'This is...'
Even I, preparing Dragon Words.
Lulumiel, alternating buffs and debuffs.
Wispent, firing Spirit Arrows nonstop.
Azkai, ready to charge at any moment.
All of us widened our eyes at the pillar of light streaking straight toward us.
“It's him!!!”
Azkai hurled himself forward.
Hwaruruk!!
Yellow-lotus lava rose from his body.
His arms, infused with yellow lava, swung at the incoming steel horn staff.
Kwang!!!
Kwajijijijit!!!!
A massive explosion, white lightning sparks scattering wildly.
“Kuh.”
A sharp groan escaped Azkai.
Kwajit, kwajijijit.
The long staff gripped in Azkai's hands.
Sparks of white lightning sprayed endlessly.
“Ooooooo—!!”
A colossal roar.
Vast mana within it.
Mountains and rivers shook; the nearby reservoir rippled.
Taeak-! Kuooooong!!
The figure landed before the five legion commanders.
Hercules Beetle King.
Titanos.
'Wondered why he hadn't shown.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly at the sight of him.
The best scenario was handling the charging commanders before he intervened and leaving.
But his arrival ruined that.
“Azkai!”
“Yes, leave it to me!”
Azkai shouted back.
We'd planned for this too.
Azkai blocks him.
Meanwhile, Crimson uses Dimensional Bind.
If we could catch the Hercules Beetle King in it too, it'd turn disaster into triumph.
However.
Titanos's power exceeded our expectations.
“You'll regret showing yourself before me.”
Kugugugu!
Mana boiled from Titanos's body.
Kwaaaaa!!
Golden light exploded from him.
Hercules Beetle King, Titanos has awakened his bloodline power.
The power of the King race, Hercules Beetle clan, awakens.
Kwajijijijijit!!!
The white lightning turned to golden thunderbolts.
Kwang—!!!!
Titanos gripped his steel horn staff and swung; Azkai flew back like a billiard ball.
“Azkai!!”
Azkai responded instantly to my shout.
“Krrrgrrrr—!”
Kwang!!!
Azkai charged back in.
Black tiger patterns stood out sharper than ever on Azkai's face and body.
Azkai had unleashed his full power too.
Jjeeeeoong!!!
Hwaruk! Kwajijit!!
Their clash scattered yellow lava and thunderbolts everywhere, shockwaves erupting repeatedly.
Hurrrr!
The collision was so intense it whipped waves across the reservoir, pushing surface water back.
“Their clash makes it hard to approach the legion commanders!”
Crimson stomped, staring at his brightly glowing Dimensional Seal.
Power beyond imagination.
“Using it here might catch Azkai too.”
Wispent reacted.
“I'll push that Hercules Beetle King back for a bit.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes. Borrowing this spirit's power, it should work.”
Wooong!
The spirit Wispent drew forth.
A familiar face.
Huge compound eyes, long antennae.
Ferocious jaws.
Right, this spirit was.
'Zephyrus!'
The Emperor King Trailblazer's spirit.
“Using this spirit will create an opening.”
Kkiririt—
Her Spirit Bow aimed at Titanos.
“......”
But she hesitated to release.
Their exchanges were too fast—dozens per second.
One wrong move, and she might hit Azkai.
A bead of cold sweat formed on Wispent's forehead.
Burururururu.
Then, massive bubbles erupted explosively from the Abyss Mirror reservoir.
“......!”
Everyone froze at the sudden event.
Not just bubbles.
Kwagagagaga!!
Mana beyond imagination.
Like the shocking awe when first sighting Luminarc in the northern light canyon.
Mana of that magnitude burst from the Abyss Mirror.
Kwaaaang!!!
A colossal water pillar shot skyward.
The entire Abyss Mirror reservoir boiled like a geyser.
Dokun-!
Amid the chaos, my heart began to throb.
The Dragon Heart begins to resonate.
'What is this...'
Sensation?
I felt mana from that massive water pillar resonating with my heart.
'Ah.'
In that split-second daze.
Wispent released her bowstring.
Tung.
Kraaaaa—!
A heavy wail echoed.
Paaaat—!!!
Zephyrus's spirit shot out at terrifying speed.
Just like the horrifying velocity Zephyrus had shown.
“What...!”
Titanos paused his clash at the sudden commotion.
He spotted the incoming spirit too late.
Too late to dodge.
Kwadududuk!!!
Zephyrus's spirit bit into Titanos's right arm.
His vaunted hard exoskeleton crumpled instantly.
Zephyrus's jaws held unimaginable destructive power.
“Kuhhh.”
Titanos groaned.
“......!!”
Azkai seized the opening.
Secret Art.
Flame-Exterminating Divine Beast Fist.
A massive tiger-shaped lava fist erupted from Azkai's punch.
Chiiiiiik!
Air temperature spiked; the terrain turned to lava fields.
Eohung—!!!
Infused with the divine beast White Tiger's aura too.
A fist worthy of extinguishing all.
Kwang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A huge explosion hurled Titanos back.
And that created.
“Using it—!!!”
The perfect opening for Crimson, who'd endured to the end.
Tung—!!
Crimson dashed right to the legion commanders.
He snapped his thumb and index finger.
“Dimensional Bind.”
Blinding light leaked from the Dimensional Seal on his right arm.
Kwaduduk, kwadududuk!!
The space where the commanders stood crumpled like paper.
“Guk!”
“Kuhhhh.”
“Kyaaaaaaa!”
“Kak...!”
Before the space-folding authority.
Levels over 400 and legion commander titles meant nothing.
None resisted properly; all got sucked into the folding space.
Of course.
One put up notable resistance.
“Kraaaaaaaa!!!”
Emperor Scorpion King.
Worthy of a level 480 legion commander.
He gripped the closing space rift with both hands.
His massive tail whipped threateningly.
But only for a moment.
Kwajik—!!
Wujijik, wujik!!!
Ultimately sucked in, meeting his end.
“Nice one! Crimson!!!”
“Kya!! We did it!!”
Our cheers rang out.
The folded space unfolded.
Passss.
The legion commanders turned to dust.
Not even corpses left; total annihilation.
Paaat!!
★Gems and ▲Shards poured out in droves.
“Crimson!! Don't forget to grab them—!!!”
I shouted, feeling growth power flooding in.
'Archeron?'
I turned to where Archeron and Karmarks fought.
“Ah, no...!”
Karmarks's shocked face at the commanders' wipe.
“Keron—!”
Kwaaaaa—!!
Archeron seized the chance and grazed past Karmarks.
Seok—!
Karmarks's head tumbled from his body.
Even exchange, but.
Karmarks showed a final gap and died pathetically.
“You... you alone... I...!”
Even decapitated, he glared at Archeron with hatred.
“Keron.”
To Karmarks's words.
Beonjjak—! Kwaaaaa!
Archeron answered with Annihilation Beam.
Karmarks's head vaporized without trace; Archeron's body bathed in golden light.
Potential breakthrough condition met message followed.
“Uooooooo—!”
Kwaaaaa!
Titanos's furious roar echoed from afar.
At the same time.
“Kraaaaa!”
“Those bastards...!”
“Charge—!”
The remaining rear legion commanders swarmed.
“Hmph. You lot. See you next time.”
Azkai smirked at them.
Then.
He slammed his right foot down with all his might.
Kwaaaaaaaa!!!
A massive lava wall shot sky-high.
With the reservoir's huge water pillar, pillars dividing the world.
System messages chimed perfectly as background.
“Let's go!”
We swiftly retreated from the site.
Far from the site.
“Kuhahahahaha!”
“Perfect!”
“Magnificent!”
“Uhahaha. Feels great.”
I and the guardians cheered in unison.
“Can't just let the rest go, right? On the way back...”
As I grinned openly.
Level has increased.
Level has ······.
“Dragon Contractor......!”
A faint voice echoed from afar.
'What?'
From the Abyss Mirror reservoir direction.
The massive water pillar still visible here.
Still piercing the sky.
A silhouette emerged beyond the water pillar.
It resembled...
'A dragon?'
Eastern dragon-like form.
Beonjjak.
Two red lights gleamed.
Its info entered my sight.
'Leviathan...!'
Its identity: Leviathan, the Sea Dragon.