Chapter 103
Chapter 103
When the time runs out… Oh, my goodness.] Iris couldn't finish her sentence. The horror the tidal wave would cause left her speechless. Kang-seok's eyes darted around. Once again, golden flames filled his vision. The Demonic Beast Allocen was different from Oriax. Oriax had trusted in his own monstrous strength and toughness, stubbornly insisting on frontal assaults. Allocen also possessed immense power, but he didn't fight like Oriax. He dazzled the eyes with golden flames and sowed confusion with disorienting words
He wasn't obsessed with killing the enemy before him. He knew how to see the bigger picture. Seong Yu-jin, who had darted to Kang-seok's side, blocked the fist that broke through the flames. Having rushed over, her stance was unstable. After deflecting Allocen's fist, Seong Yu-jin staggered and retreated significantly, while Kang-seok kicked off the ground in succession. A fist was ultimately an extension of an arm, so even with the golden flames obscuring his vision, he could pinpoint Allocen's location
The black flames devoured Allocen's fire. Kang-seok extended his left palm and shot a wave of energy. He scattered the golden flames and swung Durandal, charged with lightning. Unlike before, there was the sound of metal striking metal. Metal gauntlets, which hadn't been there before, now covered Allocen's arms. A gleaming silver breastplate was fitted over his chest, which had been torn and broken by the Black Bullet. After blocking Durandal with his gauntlet, Allocen swung his left arm violently
The instant Kang-seok judged the attack was blocked and began to disengage, the space above his head was split apart with terrifying force. Allocen's eyes blazed. Kang-seok didn't stop. The surrounding golden flames had grown incomparably larger and stronger than before. It was clear Seong Yu-jin was nearby, but he couldn't see Go Min-gu or the other Players fighting. It felt as if he were trapped in a barrier. *'Oriax. Raum. They know each other.'* The thought came to him in an instant. After engraving it in his mind, he tightened his grip on Durandal once more
His opponent was a six-meter-tall giant. With such a large size, there were many places to target. Just as its body was several times larger, so were its vital points. Durandal slashed Allocen's thigh. For a moment, blue blood spurted through the flames, but Allocen didn't even scream. Soon, silver armor materialized over his thigh as well. Allocen was right. The sea monster, presumed to be the Sea Emperor Vepar, was too far away. The surrounding golden flames made it difficult to communicate with the other Players
No, even without the flames, the result would have been similar. The Players were too busy fighting the enemies in front of them. The cacophony of noise deafened them all. The Warrior Prince. That was Allocen's epithet. Allocen was a fighter. He didn't revel in battle itself like Oriax. The purpose of a fight was victory. Allocen never forgot that. Allocen was no longer a golden giant. Encased from head to toe in silver armor, he aimed his massive fist at Kang-seok as before. Kang-seok dodged again
Allocen was not disappointed. As he himself had said, he only cared about pinning Kang-seok to this spot. [Ms. Choi Yu-ra is heading this way. If you can create some distance, you'll be able to board the Black Dragon and escape.] This was no time to be fighting Allocen. The time remaining until the tidal wave was ticking away even now. But a simple escape wasn't enough. He needed someone to hold Allocen down in his stead. The golden flames blocked his view, so he couldn't be certain, but it was highly likely the battlefield itself was in a delicate state of balance
The moment Kang-seok boarded the Black Dragon, could they fend off an attack from an Allocen 'freed from Kang-seok'? What if he attacked the other Players and accelerated the collapse of the front line? There was no point in Kang-seok alone getting away. He needed a strong Player. Someone comparable to himself. A Player who could shatter the current balance! →↗↑↖← + HS Knight of Knights! He thrust the black sword Durandal diagonally upward. A giant sword of light pierced Allocen's chest, and a luminous crest pushed his massive body up
Allocen let out a pained groan, and for a moment, the golden flames he had spread lost their intensity. Instead of pursuing the recoiling Allocen, Kang-seok quickly canceled the skill and fired a wave of energy to scatter the weakened flames. The Players were fighting. It was a fierce battle; wild winds, lightning, and flames adorned the sky. Amid the screams and roars, spilled blood stained everything around them. And then, Jang Tae-san's message arrived. Some of the Players quickly turned their heads
Something was approaching the ground from the sky. Only a very few recognized it. But those few felt a joy welling up from the depths of their chests. Kept in check by Allocen, Kang-seok only had a brief moment to look at the sky. So he couldn't see it clearly. No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he didn't see it at all. But Kang-seok was certain. And so he prepared for what came next. Aboard the Black Dragon, Choi Yu-ra saw something flash past her eyes. For a moment, she forgot her worries about Kang-seok and let out a gasp of bewilderment
Yang Jun-gyu cheered as usual, and Sekhmet blinked in surprise. The one who was approaching. The one who had leaped from an airship soaring high in the sky, using the speed of their fall to rapidly enter the battlefield. A single person. With the raging storm and dark clouds obscuring the moon, it was nearly impossible to make them out clearly. But they knew. The Players from the Northern Kingdom roared, celebrating 'his' entry into the battle. If the Dark Destiny Lord was in the center, then that man was in the north
The one they all called the strongest Player in the north. “Palm of the Heavenly Demon!” As he plummeted from the sky, he thrust out a palm. One of the eleven Divine Arts in Chakra Online, the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon. The first of its seven secret techniques. A massive wave of energy poured down from the sky and struck the ground. It shook the very axis of the earth. It crushed everything in its path, momentarily wiping out the golden flames Allocen had created. A scar was left on the ground
A man stood alone atop the massive palm print. The Heavenly Dragon Emperor. A man whose name alone explained everything. He lifted his head. Even in the midst of a battle involving thousands, countless eyes were focused on him. The Heavenly Dragon Emperor calmly accepted all their gazes. There were several reasons why he had chosen this particular spot on the vast battlefield. It was the front line, and there was enough space for his Palm of the Heavenly Demon—used to decelerate—to not harm any Players
And above all, 'he' was here. “Dark Destiny Lord.” Instead of looking at the demonic beasts, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor turned toward Kang-seok. Kang-seok also saw the Heavenly Dragon Emperor. The moment their eyes met for the first time, Kang-seok shouted. “I'm leaving it to you!” That was it. Kang-seok didn't even look at the Heavenly Dragon Emperor for long. He grabbed Seong Yu-jin by the waist and leaped. He soared upward, using a double jump and the force field from his Sky Walker boots. And as if that weren't enough, he fired a wave of energy to increase his ascent speed
“Kang-seok!” Choi Yu-ra's voice rang out. The Black Dragon, piloted by Yang Jun-gyu, approached with such momentum it seemed it would crash into Kang-seok. Kang-seok stretched out his arm. Park Han-yeong threw a shuriken with a wire attached, aiming for his arm. The Black Dragon raised its altitude again. Kim Kang-san pulled Kang-seok up by the wire, and in an instant, Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin were safely aboard. The Players who witnessed the entire sequence were momentarily speechless. Even the Heavenly Dragon Emperor could only stare at the Black Dragon with a dazed expression
The first to regain his senses was Allocen. Though startled by the timing of Kang-seok's escape, the veteran warrior quickly recovered his composure. He glared at the Black Dragon, which had lowered its altitude to pick up Kang-seok, and tensed his legs. He intended to leap and shoot a blast of golden fire. But he could not achieve his goal. An undeniable wave of energy washed over him, forcing him to twist his body into an evasive maneuver. “Didn't he say it? That he was leaving it to me.” The Heavenly Dragon Emperor didn't bother to reply
He clenched his fist and stomped his foot. He unleashed the second secret technique of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon: Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon. * * * As if the clash between the Heavenly Dragon Emperor and Allocen were a signal, the fierce battle on the ground resumed. A few of the demonic beasts tried to attack the Black Dragon, but the Players on the ground wouldn't allow it. Just as Kang-seok had initially thought, the ground forces were in a delicate balance. Those aboard the Black Dragon already knew that the ground battle was not the only stage for this quest
Kang-seok let out a ragged breath. He flicked his fingers repeatedly, checking the glowing text. [Quest: Stop the Sea Emperor Vepar's Tidal Wave.] [Time Remaining Until the Tidal Wave Hits: 21 minutes, 18 seconds] Just over 20 minutes left. Kang-seok gazed into the distance. He looked at the raging sea and the sea monster beyond it, and thought. *What should I do? How can I stop the tidal wave?* Swallowing dryly several times, Kang-seok glanced around. He took in everyone around him at a glance. Choi Yu-ra, Kim Kang-san, Park Han-yeong, Oh Ha-na, Sekhmet
Kang-seok grabbed Sekhmet's wrist and shouted. “The Red God. I need the Red God's Divine Artifact!” One of the two Divine Artifacts mentioned in the second World Quest announcement. The Red God's hammer, Thunderous Roar. “Are you trying to build a barrier?” Seong Yu-jin asked quickly, recalling the legend of how a thousand years ago, the Red God's high priest, Little Tree, had swung the Divine Artifact Thunderous Roar to raise a barrier against a flood. Raising the earth to create a barrier to block the tidal wave
It sounded plausible. Moreover, in this world, legends and myths were mostly actual history. With a precedent, it didn't seem impossible. Because of this, not only Choi Yu-ra but also Sekhmet thought the same as Seong Yu-jin. But Kang-seok had a different idea. He lowered his gaze to the Yellow God's Divine Artifact, 'Morning Glory,' on Sekhmet's wrist. “No, I'm not building a barrier.” “Kang-seok?” Kang-seok didn't reply. He let go of Sekhmet's hand and looked out the window, searching for the Red God's Divine Artifact and the Shangri-La military airship that the apostles of the Hunting God would be on
A way to stop the tidal wave. Kang-seok remembered. It was a method completely different from what everyone else was thinking.