Chapter 188: Cord of Conviction (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 188: Cord of Conviction (2)
['Daylight' & 'Crimson Magic Bullet' have been activated!]
The first to flash was a red line.
A thin, yet perfectly straight, crimson line.
The mana that pierced through the winged beasts soon reached Atasha.
"...?"
Sensing something amiss, Atasha snapped her head up.
And at that exact moment,
A massive flash of light connected the two.
KRA-BOOOOOOM!
The bodies of the winged beasts vaporized instantly.
As if that wasn't enough, the blast completely swept away the area where Atasha stood.
The ground looked as though a bomb had just detonated.
A massive crater had formed right in the middle of the battlefield.
Sssssss!
Rising heat and acrid smoke mingled in the air.
Jinhyuk silently watched the scene from the sky.
"Did I get her...? Ah, wait. I shouldn't say that."
"Mogi! Mogi...!"
"I'm watching too. Man, bosses are always ridiculously tough."
It was a blow that would have instantly killed hundreds of orcs and goblins, but Atasha survived even after taking a direct hit.
Of course, looking at her singed feathers and bloodshot eyes, she seemed absolutely furious.
Since she was on the verge of becoming Pride, she was naturally right on the edge of losing her sanity.
"You... you! I will impale you on a branch and eat you alive!"
Dozens of lightning bolts coalesced around the enraged Atasha's wings.
The blindingly bright sparks carried an immense amount of mana that could not be ignored.
[Atasha activates Lv15 'Lightning Strike'!]
Needless to say, he couldn't afford to get hit by even a single one.
"If you don't want to end up as a roasted sweet potato, you'd better dodge well. Got it?"
Jinhyuk whispered softly into Goguma's ear.
At that moment, a thunderstorm began to pour down from the ceiling.
Crash!
Boom!
"Mo-Mogi!"
Goguma darted back and forth, weaving through the falling lightning.
* * *
Whoosh!
Because they maintained an unpredictable, off-beat movement pattern, Atasha's lightning storm repeatedly scorched nothing but the innocent ground.
However, despite her continuous misses, Atasha did not show the slightest impatience.
'I just need to buy time like this.'
A sinister smile played on Atasha's lips.
When she first witnessed the combat power of Jinhyuk and his followers, she had been quite taken aback.
After all, Players were merely humans imbued with a tiny amount of mana.
No matter how much they struggled, they were insignificant creatures who could never compare to those at the pinnacle of a floor, like herself.
But that common sense had been completely shattered.
By a single human.
'I really went through hell to set up the proper countermeasures.'
Not only did she prepare the sacred relics, but she had also hidden the other bosses to catch the enemy off guard.
Thinking back to how she had sweated to persuade the prideful Lizard King and Black Fang, she had certainly overcome no small obstacles to get here.
Still,
All that suffering was over.
Although she still hadn't dealt with that slippery human, just keeping him tied down like this gave her side an overwhelming advantage in the war.
The forces she had brought from the 9th floor were still overflowing.
And weren't the traps of the 8th floor completely blocking any additional support for the Players?
On top of that, the mana of the humans and Spirit Beasts here was visibly depleting...
The outcome of this battle was as good as decided.
'Once I dispose of that human, He will surely be pleased.'
Atasha's lips twitched repeatedly at the thought of receiving lavish praise.
Soon after, the defensive formation deployed by the Black Wind Society seemed to thin out before finally collapsing.
The gaps, which previously wouldn't have allowed even a single needle to pass, grew wider and wider.
It really wouldn't be long now.
Just one more step.
But at that exact moment,
The color drained from Atasha's face.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Her heart began to beat erratically.
At the same time, a cold sweat broke out across her entire body.
Her gaze turned toward the red-haired woman. More precisely, toward the blue jewel the red-haired woman was protecting.
'This... this mana reaction?'
A strange, foreign sense of foreboding washed over her.
There was no mistake.
Right then,
[3 minutes have elapsed.]
[The special item 'Cord of Conviction' has been completed.]
[Cord of Conviction]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Activation Conditions: A special gate that connects only when both conditions are met. The 'call' of the user of the Cord of Conviction and the 'response' of the one on the other side must be made. However, this item can only be used on targets of a different race.
['Boundary-Breaking Mirror' is activated.]
The items prepared from the Coin Exchange reacted with the 'Boundary-Breaking Mirror'.
As an indescribable light burst forth, a sudden lull fell over the fierce battlefield.
Atasha, who had been raining down lightning; the Lizard King, who had been boasting insane physical strength; and Black Fang, who had been enjoying his high-speed hunt—all of them froze in place.
[The floors are being connected.]
A green gate, roughly ten meters wide, opened.
Now that he had made the call, all that was left was to wait for the other side to respond.
"You're calling... reinforcements?"
"Since you brought a whole crowd, wouldn't it only be fair if I brought some of my own?"
"Don't make me laugh! What kind of fool would ever come to help you!"
Atasha screamed, the veins in her neck bulging.
She, too, knew about this item.
The 'Cord of Conviction' was a special item that could summon forces from other floors.
However, they were the only ones who could truly utilize this item.
This was because of a massive restriction: it could only summon reinforcements from a different race.
It was only natural.
Who on earth would shed blood for humans?
Especially by stepping into a death trap like this.
Surely, there would be no one responding from beyond that gate.
'The fiercely individualistic Spirit Beasts are out of the question. And that young ancient species isn't even worth mentioning.'
Therefore, this item would fail to create any meaningful variable.
But Jinhyuk was certain.
That he would definitely answer this call.
Step.
It was at that moment that the sound of footsteps echoed,
Shattering the heavy silence.
Emerging from the shimmering surface was...
The warriors of the 'Frostblade Tribe',
And 'Caracal', their great hero and the one hailed as the greatest leader in the history of the troll race.
I knew you'd come.
Jinhyuk gave Caracal a brief nod.
"Human."
Caracal bowed his head in return.
The fate of his tribe had been saved by Jinhyuk's help at the freshwater lake.
To repay that debt of gratitude,
Caracal had answered Jinhyuk's call.
[The 'Cord of Conviction' is activated.]
[The warriors of the 7th floor manifest.]
The red banner symbolizing the 'Frostblade' fluttered in the wind.
"Ooooooh!"
"Graaaaaah!"
An immense number of troops began to pour out of the gate.
Every single one of them was an elite warrior clad in heavy armor.
"Kalam. Gotuul. Prepare to charge. From this moment on, we completely annihilate the enemy."
"Understood, Chief."
"We will execute it immediately."
Bwooooooo!
The sound of the horn echoing across the field was like thunder.
Light cavalry riding white wolves took the lead, followed closely by heavily armored spearmen.
And just like that,
A blue wave swept over the battlefield, completely shifting the tide of war.
* * *
Atasha could only panic at this completely unexpected turn of events.
"Block them! Do not let the formation break!"
Atasha screamed at the top of her lungs.
It was a cry bordering on a desperate shriek.
But no matter how much she screamed, it was already too late.
Because their forces had been concentrated at the front to deal with Jinhyuk, the Black Wind Society, and the Spirit Beasts, their flanks were practically defenseless.
That mistake led to a catastrophic result.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Crash!
The vanguard of the trolls, penetrating in a wedge formation, devastated the ranks of the orcs and goblins.
"Kieeeek!"
"Squeeeal!"
Arms and legs flew through the air,
And mangled bodies were sent flying.
Since heavily armed trolls had slammed directly into their flank, the damage was bound to be catastrophic.
But before they could even recover from the shock, the second wave of attacks followed.
With the sound of tearing wind, the warriors of the Frostblade Tribe hurled their spears.
Thud-thud-thud!
Thwack!
Their targets were the ogres.
A surprise attack aimed precisely at the joints of their armor.
"Kaaack..."
"Gah! Cough!"
Once the ogres, who had served as their pillars, collapsed, the rest of the army began to crumble in an instant.
The Lizard King tried desperately to reform the lines, but restoring a collapsed formation was next to impossible.
Especially with Caracal personally leading the charge.
Boom!
Even the massive Lizard King stumbled backward, unable to withstand Caracal's spear.
"You... Why have the trolls joined hands with humans?!"
"The human called us. We need no other reason to fight."
Caracal drew the line, indicating that further conversation was useless.
Furthermore, Black Fang was still locked in a game of tag with Wolyeong, unable to even think about joining the main battle.
In this completely reversed situation,
"T-this can't be... This makes no sense..."
Atasha, plunged into despair,
"I actually quite like this too. Not just one-on-ones, but bringing a bunch of friends to a fight."
Stood in stark contrast to the smirking Jinhyuk.
It was about time to wrap things up.
Now that the stage was set, it was time to maximize their gains through a sweeping hunt.
And,
To ensure a smooth hunt for everyone, he needed to personally clean up a few troublesome bosses.
"You can rest now."
Jinhyuk put the molar into his dimensional subspace inventory and gently patted Goguma's back.
Then, he leapt straight toward the ground.
Thud.
Landing lightly, Jinhyuk once again manifested 'Moon-Shrouding Claw'.
As his hands were covered in dark red claws, an ominous energy began to creep upward.
Perhaps she found his appearance provocative,
For Atasha clenched her fists so hard they nearly shattered.
"Do you... really think you can defeat me in a one-on-one? Me, who rules over lightning?!"
"Your static electricity is pretty fierce, but I've never once thought I'd lose."
"Stop talking nonsense! How dare a mere insect like you claim to know anything about my power!"
The 9th floor was teeming with countless monsters.
And she was one of the bosses who had conquered them all.
She was not someone a mere human trash crawling in from outside the tower could speak to so lightly.
But,
There was something even Atasha didn't know.
The fact that the man standing before her was on an entirely different level from someone who merely ruled the 9th floor.
"You're the one who shouldn't be talking so big at this distance, especially when your abilities are specialized for long range."
No matter how powerful a cannon is, it's useless against an infantryman right in front of it.
Compatibility and matchups exist, regardless of raw power.
Swish!
Activating 'Sword Demon Emperor Steps', Jinhyuk closed the distance to Atasha in the blink of an eye.
"Kh!"
Atasha immediately unleashed a bolt of lightning.
But Jinhyuk was not about to be hit by an attack with such a simple, linear trajectory.
"Your speed is decent."
Given the nature of lightning, discussing its speed was meaningless.
"The problem is that the point where your lightning gathers aligns perfectly with the direction of your attack."
If one could read the direction of the incoming attack beforehand...
Dodging it was no difficult task.
'At least, for me.'
Tap.
Having slipped inside her guard before she knew it, Jinhyuk's fist pressed against Atasha's abdomen.
'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art'
"N-no!"
Sensing an ominous energy, Atasha let out a sharp shriek.
The heavy, dense killing intent radiating from her stomach seemed to foretell exactly what was about to happen.
And...
A pitch-black energy began to rotate counterclockwise.
'Ink Ring Spear Wave'
"Yes, it is."