Owner of the Holy Sword (1)
It was a plan so audaciously bold it bordered on insanity. To attempt something like this amid thousands from Taesung Guild alone—not to mention their affiliates and allies...
But for the mere sake of humiliating one man, Darius, the losses would be catastrophic. Even if they somehow succeeded in killing him, most of the infiltrating enemy guild members would undoubtedly perish in the process.
Crazy! No way... Wait, yes! That's the only reason they'd escalate things this far!
Panting as he reached the fourth floor and taking a moment to piece it together, he could now guess their true objective. A traitor among Taesung's ranks was a given. The key was that this betrayer might be a high-ranking executive.
The God's Gift had been an event unknown even to the broadcasters—a piece of premium intel accessible only to Taesung's top brass. If the traitor had gotten wind of it in advance, it was more than enough justification for such brazen action.
In Titan Age, dying while equipped with Divine-grade gear guaranteed dropping at least one Divine item—and Tayen inherits most of those minor settings, so the odds are high it's the same here!
Under that assumption, killing Darius right after he obtained a Divine item would force an immediate drop. Predicting this outcome, the enemies had devised their reckless yet daring strategy: assassinate Darius during the coronation.
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Even if they lose a bunch of people here, as long as they take him down... it's no loss at all!
Success would not only tarnish the enemy guild master's reputation before countless players but also ruin the lavish coronation they'd poured fortunes into. Above all, they'd seize the Divine gear that would give Darius wings. A true triple win.
Darius already boasted overwhelming skill. Arm him with Divine items, and catching up would become a pipe dream for everyone else. From the enemy guilds' perspective, it was worth risking the backlash.
Plus, it wasn't a solo act—multiple guilds in coalition, with an internal betrayal exposed? Plenty of players might skip the outrage and just enjoy the spectacle. Betrayal, assassination... it was all part of the game, after all. Players could forgive that much.
His thoughts reached that point, and his heart began to race.
D-Darius might actually die soon...?
The knightly figure bathed in light, straight out of myth—it was still vivid in his mind. No matter how he tried, he couldn't picture the guy dying.
But having seen the remote dealers crammed into every room on the second and third floors, he couldn't rule it out either. Sloppy prep couldn't have coordinated so many in total secrecy.
And depending on who the traitor is... their odds of success might be higher than I think!
Thump-thump! His heart pounded uncontrollably now.
Having sniffed out the assassination plot early, opportunity might knock for him too. A flash of insight: the one-of-a-kind holy sword in the game, Rune Paytona. The chance to claim it for himself!
Where? Where's the strike coming from? When's the betrayal? No—the coronation's almost over, so the attack's imminent. That's why they're swarming in right at the end!
Adrenaline surging in the real world, his mind spun dizzily. On the screen, a mage character approached Darius and spoke. The ID overhead: Merlin. One of Darius's raid team, a top ranker famed for control and curse tech trees.
"Guild master! To think you'd snag the holy sword on the first try... As expected of you, sir. Congratulations!"
"Haha, I didn't expect a holy sword myself—pure luck. So, what is it? I was still chatting with the announcer..."
"Well, with the temporary maintenance coming up and the draw wrapped successfully, shouldn't we head out, thank the players in the plaza, and wrap up the coronation?"
"Ah! Right, the maintenance alert popped up. Got caught up in the holy sword excitement and forgot. Thanks."
Merlin, that bastard—has to be him! He's the Taesung exec traitor!
The pieces fit: Merlin explained the remote dealers packed at every second- and third-floor window. To focus-fire one target, Darius had to step outside the keep's hall. And Merlin was luring him to the plaza at the perfect moment.
Merlin was also the only non-Taesung Group pro gamer in Darius's raid party—a personal recruit. His scouting for the high-level debuff mage role in last year's Bento Forest Hydra raid had been big news.
No time to waste. Gotta move!
He bolted from the random room he'd ducked into, sprinting down the central corridor. No enemy infiltrators on the fourth floor—they figured Taesung members from the potion event lingered on the roof.
Reaching the center revealed a spacious salon-like area with massive windows instead of doors. Peering urgently through one at the plaza screen, he saw Darius stepping out, Merlin trailing behind.
Where's rank 1 pride now? You've always written Tayen's history—now 'new chapter'? Everything you say is so damn obnoxious.
Darius chatted amiably with the flanking announcers, slowly passing through the keep's doors onto the red carpet. Watching with bated breath, he sensed the decisive moment approaching. Darius traversed the empty gap between guildmates lined in the hall and barricaded plaza forces—alone.
That spot was prime for single-target sniping, obvious to anyone.
Any second now!!
"Guild master! Hold up!"
"Hm? Merlin, what now?"
As Darius hit the red carpet's midpoint past the doors, Merlin called from behind.
"You forgot something. Gotta take this!"
Grasp of Binding
With those words, Merlin abruptly cast at Darius. But ridiculously, it fizzled.
"You... what the hell are you doing?"
Curse of Weakness
Ice Touch
"Damn! Magic resist is insanely high! No way one misses?"
Merlin spat curses, chaining debuffs nonstop. But Darius, still processing, just stared in bewilderment.
"Merlin... what are you doing? This isn't the time for jokes—it's live!"
Grasp of Binding
Then, somehow, the fast-cooldown spell landed—black hands erupted from the ground, seizing Darius's feet. Merlin had pierced his magic defense at last.
"Got him!"
As Merlin cheered and backpedaled in triumph!
"Now! Everyone, attack!!"
Bang! Bang! Windows flew open across dozens of rooms on the keep's second and third floors, unleashing a barrage of ranged attacks—all fully charged for Darius alone.
Simultaneously, hundreds of spells and arrows arced from the plaza barricades. Assassins had seeded the frontlines amid the crowd too.
"Betrayal!"
"Merlin, that fucker!"
"Protect the guild master first!"
Taesung members shouted in panic everywhere. But Darius could only draw his shield and brace in place.
"Shield me! Heals! Heals too!!"
Boom-boom-boom! Late-to-react nearby healers rushed in with heals and status cures. But healing ranges were shorter than attacks—none reached. Long-range shields popped up to block, only to shatter instantly under the onslaught.
Yet astonishingly, Darius endured the focused fire under his flipped shield, relying solely on self-buffs and potions.
"Raaagh! I won't die like this!"
But even rank 1 couldn't tank hundreds stationary. Amid endless arrows and spells, his character finally toppled.
Then, on every screen, his form ashed to gray—broadcast to all.
"N-No way! Darius is dead!!"
"What the hell just happened?!"
Titan Chronicle's rank 1, first king, current overlord—dead before tens of thousands. The plaza froze in shock.
But unlike the rest, he wasn't screen-glued. Thud! As the barrage hit, he'd flung open a window and leaped in stealth.
The nearby announcers and cameramen were in the blast zone—definitely dead! Time it right, and I can snag Darius's drops!
Positioned right above the main gate, no one closer. The perfect timing left no one else thinking to approach yet.
Landing, he spotted Darius's ashing silhouette. And where he vanished: a sword plunged point-down.
Divine Weapon — First of its Kind!
As predicted, Darius had dropped the holy sword. Seeing it, thought vanished—he bolted instinctively toward it.
Then, unbidden, a skill name rang in his ears.
"Blink!"