Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Floating Island Clash
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"Hup...!"
With a shout, a deafening roar erupted from the greatsword swung by Geom-il.
A mere human swinging a sword, yet it whipped up a storm.
Bwooom!
Every time Geom-il swung his blade, the surrounding terrain shattered, flew apart, and deformed.
Everyone stood dumbfounded at the unbelievable sight of destruction wrought by human hands.
The storm of sword strikes raged to tear the enemy apart, but Almiraj somehow dodged with subtle movements despite his massive frame, evading every blow.
Occasionally, he even counterattacked Geom-il.
And Geom-il parried those counters with flashy maneuvers of the greatswords held in both hands.
Ka-clang! Clang!
Pfook! Thook!
The brutal sounds of metal chunks and stone-like fists clashing.
Normally, the metal would win, but for some reason, Geom-il's greatswords were the ones chipping away, splintering, and cratering.
"Tch...!"
Geom-il, already on his third new greatsword, spun them in a whirlwind, aiming at Almiraj from both sides. But judging it unavoidable, the Outsider Killer leaped back.
Geom-il clicked his tongue at the repeated scenario.
"Damn it. Not a rabbit, but a rat? Why not use your Special Seal? You don't even feel the need against me? Huh?"
Grumbling aside, Geom-il's eyes burned with utmost seriousness.
One hundred Murderers. And Veil, ranked 7th among users.
Facing their full might at once... Truth be told, Geom-il could manage it.
But subjugating them overwhelmingly without a scratch? That was impossible.
Moreover, Almiraj hadn't used even a single proper AoE skill.
'Monster of a guy.'
Not only did he match Geom-il's massive sword without budging—in fact, pushing back—but his battle sense was no joke.
Truth be told, he had every right to be. The title "Outsider Killer" wasn't given lightly; Almiraj had slain users time and again.
His experience against users was overwhelming.
Above all, the most infuriating was his aura that caused destruction with even casual movements.
Mana. Different from qi, akin to Ryunar—the potential innate from birth.
'Destruction attribute. Damn... Heard about it, but it's a real pain.'
This world had countless attributes, among them rare ones with high rarity.
Rarity didn't always mean power, but the Destruction attribute was infamous as both rare and overpowered.
Geom-il's Unique-grade items and above were getting chipped away because of it.
No matter the mass difference, wielding power laced with that attribute destroyed the opponent.
A casual arm swing that clipped wrong meant instant death.
Geom-il figured that's how he one-shot the Murderers too.
Thanks to it, what started as a fierce clash expected to end quickly dragged on endlessly.
Geom-il pressed on, losing backup swords and sustaining minor wounds, while Almiraj evaded the devastating power with overflowing leisure.
Already 20 minutes in, both users' superhuman bodies showed no fatigue.
"What the..."
Lius, a Pryunar Academy student sitting dazed, muttered.
There was no opening to intervene; it was too overwhelming to even think of helping.
Is this what battles between top-tier powerhouses looked like?
It felt like watching a tightrope act for 20 minutes.
If spectators felt that way, how must the combatants?
"Urk!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [......]
But the fight wouldn't last much longer.
Whenever their attacks crossed or collided, Geom-il always took the damage.
Crack!
"It hurts, you bastard!"
His right arm bent unnaturally.
It had happened multiple times already—arms and legs twisting wrong—but his potent regeneration healed him each time, letting him dive back in.
Geom-il must have been in agony, yet he feigned nonchalance, regenerated, and gripped his sword again.
'Damn... Without pain control, I'd have passed out already.'
Feeling chills, Geom-il swung his greatsword once more.
Almiraj still looked leisurely.
'Let's see how long you keep that up.'
Geom-il had a trump card hidden.
Use it, and this damned rabbit wouldn't stay so smug.
'Daring to blab about the descent conditions for some Forgotten God?'
Sacrifice, Floating Island, and Asita.
Missing any one meant no resurrection for the Forgotten God, right?
No idea what he was thinking, spilling it like that.
As if Geom-il was nothing.
'Damn it!'
His mind flashed to users ranked above him.
1st. 2nd. 3rd.
The ultimate monsters evoking "beyond the heavens."
Geom-il felt that same aura from the Outsider Killer before him.
He'd strived relentlessly for years to surpass them, to pull ahead.
Now was the time for reward.
Time to prove it!!
'Erase the specters within me and truly forge ahead!!'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ooh, go get him, Geom-il!"
Meanwhile, in a mundane Korean office-like room.
Straight Clan members and Shin Jin-pae watched the fight on the monitor.
💬 Comments — Anonymous Our reps are in total chaos right now? — GamerPro The class gap between Geom-il and Veil is insane... Veil got wrecked hard, but Geom-il's holding out forever. — ObserverX He's still getting pushed though. The community reactions exploded, the chat refreshing like a flooding river.
Watching it, Yun Hye-mi shouted loudly, knowing Geom-il couldn't hear.
"Yes! Geom-il! You're the hero!"
If Geom-il won like this, his fame—and the clan's status—would skyrocket.
Exaggerating a bit, they might lead the pack among users.
Yun Hye-mi didn't doubt his victory for a second.
After all, in her eyes, Geom-il wasn't at full power yet and had a trump card left.
Not just her—all Straight Clan members watching thought the same.
Except two insiders.
One was Yun Seok-il.
"What do we do?"
"Huh? Do about what?"
"At this rate, Geom-il's gonna lose..."
"What?! You jinxing it?!"
"......"
Yun Hye-mi shook her head in disbelief and scolded the silent Yun Seok-il.
"You know his title, right? You know better than anyone why he earned it—how can you say that?"
"Sharp eyes."
Amid Yun Hye-mi's furious scolding came admiring praise—from Shin Jin-pae.
As others turned to him, he smiled faintly.
"Exactly as you said. I thought you specialized in crafting with your deft hands, but your eye for battle flow is impressive too!"
Yun Hye-mi blinked blankly before demanding urgently.
"W-Wait, Director. What do you mean? You saying Geom-il might lose?"
"Yes. At this rate, he will."
A vein bulged on Yun Hye-mi's forehead.
Even if he was near-upper management, there were lines.
Especially since this unranked Top-10 hadn't even entered the top ranks—qualified to judge Geom-il?
As she opened her mouth to retort—
"Continental Sword is clearly stronger than me."
"Uh... Yeah?"
Her prepared barb fizzled as Shin Jin-pae admitted his inferiority first.
He nodded faintly at her, smiling as if understanding.
"But even to my eyes, Continental Sword's movements are visible. Honestly, they're on the heavy side. What makes Continental Sword fearsome is that unstoppable momentum you see coming and the insane range of destruction... Watch closely."
Yun Hye-mi dazedly followed his finger.
"The moment he rears back or pulls aside for a big swing, Almiraj lands a precise counter. Geom-il would normally ignore minor hits and swing anyway, but..."
Shin Jin-pae gave a wry smile.
"Almiraj's fists pack enough to disregard that recklessness. He's interrupting right before the swing, landing clean hits."
"......"
"The reason Strong Sword is called Continental Sword is that single slash that could raze a city. But power like that demands huge wind-ups."
Sword-like devastation, but as a sword, it needed to swing for full effect.
Block that prep...
Yun Hye-mi's face paled slightly.
"Destruction attribute... Way more annoying than imagined. Even Geom-il's sturdy body crumbling like tofu."
"Th-Then..."
"But it looks like Continental Sword has a trump card, so let's hope for that."
As Shin Jin-pae said.
Geom-il hadn't used his ace yet.
Believing he'd win, Yun Hye-mi prayed at the monitor; her subordinates followed suit.
One exception.
Yun Seok-il eyed Shin Jin-pae oddly.
'I don't get all of Almiraj's words, but the nuance says everything crumbles if this drags. Why's he so chill? Even HQ would mind.'
Shin Jin-pae wasn't entirely unconcerned, but far calmer than the others.
Too composed to dismiss as bold.
And indeed.
'This okay? No, Chairman's call—the lady won't err, but...'
Shin Jin-pae frowned, noticed Yun Seok-il's gaze, and smiled back.
The more he saw, the more he liked this talent.
"As I said, impressive eyesight."
"...No. I've seen a few fights at this level before."
Shin Jin-pae's eyes widened.
"What? You've witnessed top-rankers vs. Irregulars big matches?"
"No. Not this world—in my original one."
To the baffled Shin Jin-pae, Yun Seok-il smiled, recalling a certain man.
"In a game."
Shin Jin-pae looked incredulous, then reconsidered.
Original world.
Recalling that horrific, unreal bastard from there, he nodded.
Makes sense someone strong shows in games too.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Geom-il's body cratered in places, becoming a gruesome sight.
Bloody, sweat pouring like rain, clothes in tatters.
Staggering, unable to hold on longer.
As worried eyes watched, Almiraj, floating midair, dove sharply.
Anyone could see he aimed to finish Geom-il—and then...
Pfwoom!!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...!] A burst of light flashed around Geom-il, dozens of greatswords exploding outward.
Not stopping there, they rocketed like missiles, pursuing Almiraj relentlessly as if possessed.
While Almiraj's attention split on the free-orbiting blades charging like unbound cannons, Geom-il leaped high—higher.
"...Hup!"
Mana, qi, Ryunar... He poured everything mastered into the sword.
The true reason he was called Continental Sword.
The title befitting one who scarred the continent with a single strike.
Continental Sword!
"Haat!!"
The colossal sword strike poured toward the Murderers.
Block it, and even Almiraj ends.
Dodge, and the sacrificial Murderers all die.
His masterpiece!
Almiraj fell silent, then flicked his hand as if brushing it off.
Shwick.
Bwoooom!!
"?!"
No clue how, but Almiraj deflected the trajectory skyward, rumbling harmlessly into the night.
Geom-il blanked momentarily but refocused.
This Outsider Killer monster defied common sense.
"...Let's see how much you can block."
Thus, no panic.
No matter the mighty foe or mortal peril, he'd silently swung on—same now.
Shwick! Shwick! Shwaaack!
But Almiraj deflected strikes better than expected.
At this rate, Geom-il exhausts first.
'Maintaining Flying Swords is... Urk...!'
More controlled blades doubled mana drain, plus concurrent 'Continental Sword' skill—vast mana reserves dried rapidly.
Already battered by Almiraj, constant regeneration like breathing had depleted it heavily.
This won't do.
Squeeze everything.
So he did—poured all power into the sword.
Lifetime strike.
This blow confident to wound even eight Monster Kings badly.
Power flowing through the greatsword so immense, it seemed another moon rose beside the real one.
Instructors and genius students alike grasped what unleashing it meant.
The Floating Island halves.
Top-tier outsider.
Faces paled, but only Asita glared at Almiraj battling the swords midair.
If Dre truly died... Better if it ends like this...
That instant.
Pfpfpfboom!
"!"
The floating greatswords suddenly detonated one by one.
Black sparks swirled around Almiraj in floating orbs.
"Still holding out, you rabbit bastard!"
Like an onion, layers unending.
Still, this swing ends it.
However.
'Can't risk damage to the island.'
Never planned to destroy it.
Geom-il intended no sacrifices.
Asita first—that girl destroyed ends this mess maybe.
But Geom-il shunned the easy path, prepping to target only Almiraj and Murderers. Master of such precision...
"......"
Then Geom-il saw clearly.
Almiraj extending a hand toward him.
Seemed pleading to stop, but knowing Outsider Killer's gestures from community intel, chills pierced him sharply.
Next moment.
Fwoop.
"......?!"
Craaack!
The moon-like power shattered like glass, snuffing out like a candle.
Physical prowess visibly dropped too.
"...Special Seal...!"
Thook.
Before finishing, his gut exploded.
Glancing back, Almiraj's signature black orb.
"......"
Geom-il's eyes glazed; he plummeted earthward.
Booom!!
He cratered on impact.
Kaboom!
Almiraj landed lightly beside, but didn't stop—massive arm grabbing Geom-il's left arm and right leg.
"You dog..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Pain must be tasted to grow. No crutches like pain-limiting skills...] With that, crunch.
"Gaaah!! Aaaaaaah!!"
Geom-il's agonized scream echoed.
Drool streamed from his mouth, eyes bloodshot, tears involuntary.
"Grk, gruaa... Aa.."
When screams finally stopped, terror filled his face.
Almiraj didn't mock.
Just spoke.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [My respects, Continental Sword.] "......"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Strength without relying solely on privileges, and the resolve as a human.] Fear gripped him, but spirit unbroken.
Geom-il tried rising.
"What... bullshit..."
But no strength left.
Outsider Ranker 4th, Strong Sword Geom-il—clearly defeated.
Watching Almiraj recede, Geom-il struggled to stand. Sensing it, Almiraj spoke.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Think the final Special Seal is unfair?] To the question, Geom-il paused, then bellowed as emotions surged.
"Yes! You bastard!!"
Without the Special Seal... He'd have won.
Never agreed no Special Seal, but attitude implied it...
Head knew skill loss, heart rejected.
Hearing it, Almiraj muttered "I see" and walked on.
Toward the students supporting Asita.
"Hey, hey. That monster's coming here?"
"...We block him."
Panicked Lius and resolute Dia drew swords.
But futile before that monster.
Still, they rose defiantly—and...
Kaboom!
Something crashed between students and Almiraj.
Golden-haired pretty boy.
Hero Kaiz.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You.] Speech cut short.
A blinding light explosion engulfed Almiraj.