Chapter 377: Floor War (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 377: Floor War (2)
A short distance away, Tarachen and the Orcs of the Black Hill Tribe stared blankly at Jinhyuk's actions.
'So this is what he meant when he said he'd stab them in the back while we bought him time.'
Although Jinhyuk hadn't shared every detail of his plan, he had promised to prepare a secret trump card that could overturn the battlefield in an instant, even if the tide turned against them.
'He really is a terrifying bastard.'
Tarachen swallowed hard.
When Jinhyuk had first proposed this war, Tarachen had been full of doubt.
But watching what Jinhyuk was doing right before his eyes, those doubts quickly evaporated.
That thing was no human. It was something else entirely, wearing a human skin.
And at this very moment, that devilish monster was repeatedly picking up and putting down a sacred relic of the cult.
* * *
"I'm really sorry. This is 100% my mistake. Can't you let it slide just this once?"
"How dare you shamelessly babble such nonsense after committing a sin worthy of being torn limb from limb! Do you even know how important that item is to us...?!"
"Huh? Was breaking a single accessory really that big of a deal? So much so that you can't even accept an apology?"
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Sloth's veins bulged in his neck.
Without a doubt, ever since he had taken on the mantle of Sloth among the Seven Deadly Sins, he had never expressed his emotions this violently.
It was enough to make him feel genuine emotion, even if he hadn't formed a contract with Guntaper.
"Is that so? So an apology won't do, huh? In that case, I might as well just burn it to ashes."
Jinhyuk brought the 'Primordial Flame' right up to the chalice.
Whoosh!
The fiercely blazing flame looked ready to swallow the chalice whole at any second.
"Wait, wait! Calm down!"
"The Demon God's sacred relic...!"
"We must stop him immediately!"
The fanatics rushed toward Jinhyuk in a frenzy.
But it was already too late. The rising flame had already touched the chalice.
Rumble!
"Kieeeeee!"
A horrific shriek echoed from the chalice, as if expressing the agonizing pain of being burned alive.
[The 'Holy Grail of the Antichrist' is being damaged!]
[The stats of all residents belonging to the 'Cult of Specters' have decreased by 10%!]
[The Demon World deity 'Guntaper' is furious.]
[Your affinity with dark-attribute deities has decreased.]
Red status windows popped up one after another.
The blazing chalice emitted a light more dazzling than ever before.
"P-Put out the fire! Right now!"
It didn't take long for all the cultists to fall into a state of panic.
Even Sloth was flustered by this sudden turn of events.
As a result, the power of his near-invincible 'Sloth's Pace' was also significantly weakened.
...Now was the time!
"Yu-seong!"
"Yeah, I know!"
"I'm going!"
At Jinhyuk's signal, Cheon Yu-seong and Teresa lunged forward in unison.
Swiftly. Concisely.
Taking the shortest path, their surprise attack produced an effect as spectacular as its tactical advantage.
[Unique Ability 'Sword's Song' has been activated!]
[Unique Ability 'Blessing of the Stars' has been activated!]
They were completely different abilities, but thanks to having fought together multiple times, they knew exactly how to synchronize them to create the perfect synergy.
Teresa's light infused into Cheon Yu-seong's sword strike.
[Sword-Body Unity: 'Two Souls' has bloomed!]
"Aaargh!"
"Uaaah!"
Boom!
With a single strike, the bodies of dozens of cultists were sliced apart.
It was a strike truly worthy of the phrase 'splitting a mountain.'
And utilizing the opening created by the two, Jinhyuk made his move in earnest.
"You bastard!"
Sensing danger, Sloth activated his ability once more.
As he took a step, the gray mist grew even denser.
However, Jinhyuk was a step faster than the full activation of the ability.
Crash!
Struck squarely by Jinhyuk's kick, Sloth rolled across the ground.
"Urgh?!"
An excruciating pain jolted through his abdomen.
His had been a life accustomed to inflicting pain on others. When was the last time he had actually felt pain himself?
But this humiliating moment would end here.
"How dare you lay your filthy foot on my body."
Petrification. The very ability that had turned an entire Orc into stone moments ago was activated.
"...M-My body?"
Jinhyuk's pupils shook violently.
The petrification, starting from his toes, had spread to his calves in the blink of an eye.
"Please, no. This can't be happening."
Jinhyuk struggled desperately, thrashing his body.
"Hahaha! Foolish bastard! If you had watched the battle properly, you could have avoided dying such a pathetic death...! This is the price for looking down on the Seven Deadly Sins."
"...Did you really think I'd say that?"
Jinhyuk, who had been putting on a grand performance, suddenly smirked.
[Unique Ability 'Nihilism' has been activated!]
The unique ability of 'Nietzsche' that sealed all abilities and skills.
Kicking Sloth in the abdomen earlier hadn't been just to deal damage.
It was aimed at the point where mana gathered—specifically, to disrupt his pressure points.
Because his proficiency in Nihilism was still lacking, the ability alone couldn't completely suppress his opponent's power. However, by combining it with pressure point disruption, he could make up for the deficit.
Of course, to Sloth, who was ignorant of this fact, it was utterly baffling.
"The petrification... stopped halfway? How is that... possible?"
It was the first time his ability had failed to activate properly, leaving him completely bewildered.
"Shall we call it... Eastern mysticism?"
Jinhyuk shrugged.
After learning various things about pressure points from his master, he had naturally gained a deep understanding of the human body.
Where to strike for maximum effect, which pressure points blocked or aided the flow of qi, and so on.
Thanks to that, he had created a situation where he could fight without worrying about 'Sloth's Pace'.
'I have to finish this while his pressure points are blocked.'
Normally, the effect would last half a day, but for a monster of Sloth's caliber, fifteen minutes would be the absolute limit.
Fifteen minutes. That was the time window that would decide the outcome of this battle.
"Whew..."
Jinhyuk regulated his breathing.
This was a formidable enemy he normally wouldn't have encountered until reaching the upper floors. Even if Sloth was currently bound by the constraints of subjugation, his fundamental class remained unchanged.
...'Strength.' That single word was more than enough to define the Seven Deadly Sins.
In that case...
[Unique Ability 'Universal Sharing' has been activated.]
He had to face him with power worthy of such an opponent.
The memories and abilities of a companion with whom he shared a deep bond welled up within Jinhyuk's body.
[You have selected the ability of the Ancient Species '??? (Goguma)'.]
Rumble!
At that exact moment, a massive shockwave erupted from Jinhyuk's body.
Fear. The authority exclusive to the Dragon Race engulfed the entire area.
Zzzzt! A chilling pressure pressed down on their skin.
Acting directly on the mind, Fear was capable of rendering ordinary targets unable to even lift a single finger.
"Using Fear when you're not even a Dragonoid... Just what... what on earth are you?!"
"Me, a dragon? I'm hurt. Look, see? No tail, no horns."
"Do you think this is a game?!"
Sloth's staff thrust forward as he shook off the crushing pressure of Fear.
Instantly, gray magic circles materialized in the air. There were easily over thirty of them.
"Whatever your race is, I will simply crush you with overwhelming power. If you thought I only possessed a single ability, you are gravely mistaken."
Boom!
What followed was a barrage of gray rain, akin to a carpet bombing.
"Aaargh!"
"C-Cult Leader!"
"Chwiik! Everyone, run!"
"If you stay close, you'll get caught in it!"
An AoE skill that made no distinction between friend and foe. As the unimaginably destructive firepower concentrated, the temple grounds began to turn into a wasteland.
"Over there!"
Even amidst the thick smoke, Sloth accurately pinpointed Jinhyuk's location. He didn't rely on his eyes; he could track the minute flow of mana.
Boom! Crash!
Gray flames exploded where Jinhyuk had been standing.
However, Jinhyuk, who was using 'Shadow Extreme Kill' to teleport short distances, was not an easy target to hit.
"You slippery rat, scurrying around like that!"
"Scurrying?"
It was at that moment that Jinhyuk appeared right behind Sloth's back.
"You seem to be deeply mistaken about something. Shadow Extreme Kill isn't an escape or evasion skill."
It was a skill designed to catch the opponent off guard at the perfect moment and slit their throat.
As shadows locked into shadows, a blind spot was created in Sloth's vision.
Thuck!
The dagger, glowing dark red from the 'Grave of Swords', pierced the back of Sloth's neck.
With a sickening sound of tearing flesh, a long spray of blood erupted.
"Aaargh!"
Yet, despite suffering a wound that would normally be instantly fatal, Sloth was still moving vigorously. His unique lethargy possessed an effect that could even delay death itself.
"You really are persistent. Should I have just decapitated you instead of stabbing?"
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
"Go ahead. Keep acting so relaxed."
"I'd like to decline a loser's whining. It's so tedious and long-winded that it's making me sleepy."
"Hehehe... No, I didn't say that just to whine. Just as you prepared a trump card, our great Demon King has also prepared a few countermeasures for a situation like this."
Sloth's mouth twitched.
Then, a black liquid dripped from between his sharp teeth, drawing a large rectangle in the air.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing much. It just means that while you are busy here, the place you cherish so much is turning into a sea of fire."
Visible through the rectangular black frame was the Citadel of Giants—the base in Jinhyuk's possession.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted at the Citadel of Giants.
A holy being possessing power beyond human comprehension swung a sword larger than his own body.
Kizakiel. The combat commander of Eden, who had been gnashing his teeth to find the Crown of Hegemony... had personally stepped forward to achieve his goal.
Furthermore, the Eden soldiers following him were too numerous to count.
"Well, wouldn't it be quite troublesome if word got out that the Demon World joined hands with Eden?"
"We are merely working together temporarily because our interests aligned. That fellow is nothing but a pawn. The Demon King said we needed to make proper preparations to hunt a slippery eel like you... I was skeptical at first, but now I finally understand his profound wisdom."
Now that Kizakiel had personally taken action, a medium-sized base like that would be wiped out without leaving a trace.
To prevent that, Jinhyuk would have to return to his base immediately.
"But if you rush while fighting me, your own life will be in danger instead."
It was as if he had to fight with a massive shackle chained to him.
Now.
"What do you plan to do?"
Humans backed into a corner usually panic and make a bad move, or they give up and resign themselves to their fate.
Of course, Jinhyuk fell into neither of those categories.
"I... also expected that your side would target my base."
A base was the source of a faction's power. Naturally, he had no intention of giving it up so easily.
"That's why I stationed some reliable companions there."
* * *
"Whew..."
Short, snow-white hair and crimson eyes.
[Special Ability 'Gumiho Transformation' - 'Fox Fire Play' has begun.]
Nine tails sprouted along Andrea's back.
"It is the Master's order. From this moment on, we repel all intruders."
T-Bone, riding a phantom steed, rode out of the castle gates.
Behind him followed the ancient soldiers, also mounted on phantom steeds.
"Mooooosquiiitoooo!"
"Kyaooo!"
"To think that I, one of the Four Guardian Beasts, have to do something as trivial as a siege defense... If the others heard of this, they'd laugh their heads off."
Goguma, Habelian, and the Squishy Black Crane also stood at the top of the citadel, ready to face the enemies.
Now, the curtain had officially risen on the Interfloor War.
Now.
"What about you? What do you plan to do?"
Jinhyuk threw the question back at him.