Chapter 420
Chapter 420
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 420
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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Whirrr...
Kaaaaang-!
Meanwhile, Eorian, whom Kang Seol was facing, grew stronger as time passed.
“Uoooo!”
Kwaaaang-!
The axe that struck the stone wall returned to him without a single nick on its blade.
Ttaak-!
[Using Black Flower.]
[Shadow Hand unleashes a flurry. Damage per hit equals Shadow Hand, and striking the same target applies 20% additional damage per consecutive hit.]
Pabababababak-!
Eorian advanced slowly without blocking the incoming Shadow Hands.
Kang Seol’s battle objective was to halt Eorian.
No matter what happened inside, he had to buy time by stopping the increasingly powerful Eorian.
Zzizizik...
Blue energy surged from Eorian’s body.
[Calamity has been charged to a certain amount.]
[A new ability of Eorian unlocks.]
[Eorian’s physical abilities rise.]
“Hmm...”
Kang Seol had no desire to tangle with an opponent whose stamina was nearly infinite.
Still, if he had no choice, he figured he might as well test a few things now.
[Using Night Wisp.]
[Control objects without will touching your hand with darkness.]
Kang Seol shot dislodged stone fragments at Eorian.
The fragments were so massive that they seemed they’d crush Eorian instantly.
Kwajiiiik-!
But upon colliding with Eorian, the fragments shattered into even smaller pieces.
Kang Seol’s eyes gleamed, having anticipated this exact outcome.
Paak-!
Kang Seol clenched his fist.
[Using Sword’s Song: Bond.]
[Float blades in the air for attack and defense.]
[These blades continuously consume durability and deal 100% of weapon attack power.]
Only the sharp edges among the fragments responded.
A power inherited from maintaining Yuhwa. He hadn’t used it until now because he’d only faced opponents who didn’t require it.
Pababababak-!
The fragments shattered upon colliding with Eorian’s body.
[Eorian uses Shredding Gale Whirlwind.]
[Deals 60% of weapon attack power per rotation in all directions.]
[All winds inflict bleeding and shredding.]
Kwaaaaaaaaang-!
Eorian began to spin.
At first, it seemed like no big deal, but as expected of a power that activated only after charging Calamity, it soon revealed its uniqueness.
Whoooooo...
“What the...”
Kwaaaaaaaa-!
The range of the shredding gale was absurdly wide.
From one end of the space to the other.
An omnidirectional attack, no less.
If a typical Transmigrator had tried to handle this attack instead of Kang Seol, they would’ve had to hunker behind their shield, praying its durability held out until the rotation stopped.
A wide-area wipeout move.
But Kang Seol had a sturdy shield.
Ttaak-!
[Ultimate: Using Darkling.]
[Summoning Darkling.]
Whirrririk-!
The Darkling rose and stood before Kang Seol. It folded its arms, blocking the shredding gale pouring from Eorian.
Chwaaaaaaak-!
Flesh was sliced off in chunks, but the Darkling regenerated just as quickly.
Hweeeee...
As Eorian’s rotation finally halted, the Darkling shot forward like an arrow.
It planted its foot and kicked Eorian with all its might.
Kwaaaaaaaaang-!
Eorian flew backward like a puppet with cut strings, slamming into the wall.
A feat that would’ve taken several adventurers, accomplished solo by the Darkling.
* * *
While Kang Seol kept Eorian pinned, the battle in the Ash Throne raged on.
Maradum couldn’t find a way to finish them off, and neither could Ur’s group.
The one change from before was that Mariju and Han Somi looked utterly out of place.
Mariju had become a wrinkled old hag, while Han Somi, buried in her clothes like a child, hid behind shattered stone.
Maradum had switched tactics.
Messing with Ur’s time—his most dangerous foe—was a last resort, so he targeted his allies instead.
But what he overlooked was that Ur’s companions weren’t much help in combat anyway.
Due to the overwhelming skill gap, they could only bait perceptual gaps, so even if they dropped out, Ur wouldn’t miss them at all.
Paaat-!
Ur charged at Maradum.
His close-quarters skill wasn’t exceptional, but that was purely relative.
Compared to Maradum, he was a peerless swordsman.
Lack of melee prowess was an age-old weakness for mages.
For Maradum, who had only just awakened to time magic, Ur’s attacks struck right at his sore spot.
Ziiiiing...
[Maradum uses Time Deceleration.]
[Forces above a certain speed directed at Maradum slow down.]
Ur’s speed slowed.
Yet even that taxed Maradum.
Kagagagak-!
He hurriedly ducked behind stone to evade Ur’s scythe.
“You can’t modulate it, can you?”
“...Don’t spout nonsense!”
Ur’s words hit the mark.
While using time magic, Maradum couldn’t freely wield other elemental spells.
A common issue for mages who rushed to grasp multiple elements.
Handling several at once was like drawing a square with one hand and a triangle with the other simultaneously—mana flow tangled easily.
A perfect storm for Maradum.
Using his honed time magic on Ur risked instant death; mixing other spells wasn’t feasible yet; and facing him with just other magic was suicide.
That’s when Maradum realized it.
He could never kill Ur.
“It’s always been like this with you lot.”
Ur extended his left hand from point-blank range, unleashing a burst of light.
Hwaang-!
[Ur uses Flash.]
[Intensely emits light for a short time.]
[Abnormal status: May cause blindness; closable eyes resist.]
“Kuh...”
Maradum made the fatal mistake of closing his eyes.
From the moment he allowed approach, he was in Ur’s palm.
Paak-!
Ur’s right hand seized Maradum’s head.
[Ur uses Cryoburn.]
[Applies abnormal status: Frostbite and abnormal status: Scorch simultaneously.]
Puuuung-!
Cold flames engulfed Maradum’s head.
“Kraaaak!”
“You begged me for fire, but you can’t even handle it properly.”
Paak-!
Ziiing...
[Maradum uses Time Reversal.]
[Rewind short time to recover stamina.]
Whooo...
Maradum slipped from the grip.
Ur sneered at him.
“Too bad, though.”
“Ee...”
Papat-!
Two beams of light shot toward Mariju and Han Somi simultaneously.
Pak-!
Contrary to Maradum’s expectations, something unexpected happened when the light hit.
Both Han Somi and Mariju returned to normal.
[Ur’s Frost Illusion disguise releases.]
...
The reason soon became clear.
As the hazy illusion lifted, Han Somi and Mariju’s positions had swapped.
Earlier, the moment they were hit by the Time Stone’s light, Ur had anticipated the next one and overlaid an illusion.
His ability to weave magic into combat was unparalleled.
Still, Maradum had one last chance.
[Calamity has been charged to a certain amount.]
[With Calamity charged, Maradum can summon Time Variants.]
“Kuh... Let’s see you handle this with your fancy magic.”
Ziiing...
As the Time Stone vibrated, blue-light monsters of various forms appeared.
“Wh-what are those?”
“...Don’t touch them. Dangerous.”
“With magic...”
“Magic won’t work. Annoying bastards.”
One reason time warlocks were such a pain: they controlled Time Variants.
Monsters that multiplied like bugs laying eggs along timelines.
Devouring mana, careless spells would make their numbers explode.
With no skilled warriors in the group, this caught them off guard.
Kung-!
Kung-!
“What’s that noise?”
Tub...
One Time Variant suddenly got sucked into a chasm.
As everyone puzzled over it.
Kwajik-!
A thick hand appeared at the edge of the grand hall.
A figure emerging as if the incarnation of fire itself.
“Ma...ra...dum...”
It was Sirion, King of the Ash Throne.
“...How tenacious.”
Pat-!
Sirion leaped up and hurled the hammer in his hand at Maradum.
Thweeeek-!
Pajiiiiik...
The Time Stone’s light tried to repel the hammer, but it only slowed, still flying toward Maradum.
“Chit...”
Maradum rolled on the ground to dodge.
Kwaaaaaang-!
The hammer collided with something, creating a massive boom and kicking up dust.
What it smashed was the statue blocking the hall’s entrance.
Soon, dwarves—too young or too frail—poured into the grand hall.
“Maradum’s over there!”
“Kill the bastard!”
“Sirion lives!”
“Warriors of the Ash Throne! Fell the wicked mage!”
Ur chuckled.
“Things are getting messy, mage?”
“Kuh...”
The Time Variants bought time, but as warriors destroyed them and absorbed their power, regaining their original states, Maradum began gathering strength.
Sirion shouted at him.
“Maradum! It’s over! Your ambitions end here...”
“...End? Heh... heh... Sirion, you fool. Those aren’t here to save you. They’re grave diggers.”
Grave diggers, who dig pits and make tombs.
“...What?”
“Your clan and the Ash Throne perished long ago. It’s a done deal. You’re already dead here.”
Then Sirion laughed so hard his beard shook.
“That’s a relief!”
“What did you just...”
“If they’ve come, your plan must’ve gone awry somewhere, right?”
“...You damn dwarf.”
“Hahaha! Everyone hear that? We’re already dead! Fight without restraint!”
The warriors battling Time Variants roared.
“Waaaaa!”
Mariju murmured.
“Ancient dwarves were this belligerent... Indeed... the reason the Ash Throne stood firm...”
Maradum was cornered.
Those from the timeline where he’d sent Eorian first were harbingers of his death.
And now even the already-dead dwarves regained vigor and rampaged—things couldn’t get worse.
“Why is everything...”
Whooo...
Then the Time Stone vibrated again.
[Calamity has been charged to a certain amount.]
[Sufficient Calamity gathered.]
[The Enforced Guardian Eorian grows more powerful, receiving Maradum’s strength.]
[Enforced Guardian Eorian’s immunity status releases.]
[Enforced Guardian Eorian’s invincibility status releases.]
Maradum raised the Time Stone, sneering at those gathered.
No choice now—one path remained.
Summon Eorian here.
Combine forces and wipe them all out at once.
Whooo...
[The Time Stone opens the predestined gate.]
[Summoning Eorian.]
“Eorian! Come to me! Bring divine retribution upon those who defy time!”
Ziiiiiiing...
A gate opened high above.
Kwaaaang-!
Contrary to Maradum’s hopes, Eorian fell spread-eagled.
“...Eorian?”
Then.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang-!
A massive black pillar surged through the gate, crushing Eorian.
“Keok... Heuk...”
Maradum recoiled in shock.
“...What?”
Eorian’s red eyes slowly lost their glow.