Chapter 262
Chapter 262
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 262
Chapter Title: ACT.52 Kim Se-hyeon's Death (4)
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“When the Primeval Fiend's HP drops below a certain point, it spits out the power it absorbed and weakens. From the looks of it, that weakening phase isn't far off.”
“What about the Dragon of the End? If it gets involved, won't we get caught in the crossfire?”
“It's fine. Right now, that thing only has eyes for the Primeval Fiend.”
The Primeval Fiend had every reason to be furious.
Just as it had broken free from its restraints and was about to go on a rampage, a dragon capable of single-handedly destroying the world appeared. And from its perspective, humans, who were no different from ants, kept pestering it.
*CRASH!*
That frustration was clearly reflected in its actions.
Countless tentacles slammed down randomly in all directions, turning the city into a wreck with each passing moment. But because its movements were so large, dodging them wasn't difficult as long as you were prepared.
Those who couldn't had already moved out of range, taking on the role of dealing with the lesser fiends.
“That thing is ridiculously tough!”
Jun Bo-ra screamed, teleporting anything that could be used as a weapon.
Since the fiend was harder than most alloys, most of them bounced off, but occasionally, weapons imbued with their own mana managed to deal some damage.
It was also a limitation of her teleportation ability.
To use it effectively, she needed a large arsenal of good weapons.
In fact, securing weapons by clearing dungeons or gates was more important than coins, so Jun Bo-ra had even been seen forgoing contribution points several times to do just that.
The twins and Cha Eun-ha are handling themselves well... and Choi Yeon-soo has switched to clearing mobs.
A good call.
I muttered, intentionally loud enough for them to hear.
“By the way, the Angel of Benevolence accepted the risk of being disciplined to support us, but it's a bit disappointing that we've heard nothing from the others.”
[The 'Devil Who Mocks the Heavens' grumbles that he is not so petty.]
[You receive the 'Mana Amplification (Large)' effect for 1 hour.]
[The 'Lurking Shadow' raises the corner of its mouth, finding this quite interesting.]
[You are granted the 'Night's Reaper (A)' trait for 1 hour.]
That's more like it.
Even with the Dragon of the End here, I need at least this much to face the Primeval Fiend.
There's no room to hold back.
I quickly spent coins to restore the mana I'd used to resurrect the Dragon of the End.
'With this much mana, I should be able to draw out its maximum efficiency.'
[Activating unique effect, 'Playable Character'.]
[1. Jo Min-ah]
[2. Han Hyeok-jun]
[3. Cha Eun-ha]
[4. Lee Min-hwa]
[5. Kim Ji-hyeon]
Playable Character is not something I can reveal in front of everyone yet.
So, I have to choose one that won't be too obvious.
Cha Eun-ha's trait is related to electricity. To use that power properly, I'd have to use electricity, and since she's right nearby, I don't know what might happen. Rejected.
For the same reason, Jo Min-ah is also out. That leaves Han Hyeok-jun, Lee Min-hwa, and Kim Ji-hyeon.
If I have to choose from these...
[4. Lee Min-hwa]
[Attempting to connect to character 'Lee Min-hwa'.]
[Analyzing past play data.]
[Adjusting synchronization...]
[You have inherited 89% of the target.]
A violent heat echoes around me.
I can't use this fire as it is.
I don't deal with ordinary flames.
'Black Flame is also a type of fire.'
I'll graft my Black Flame onto Lee Min-hwa's method of handling fire.
*FWOOSH!*
Numerous swords made of black flames materialized.
Was it because of the unusual movement of mana?
The Primeval Fiend flinched noticeably and tried to quickly escape the area.
But even that failed, as the Dragon of the End caught it.
If I'm going to do this, I need to be thorough to prevent any variables.
*Fwip-fwip-fwip!*
Darkness stretched from the ground, binding the Primeval Fiend.
Restraining a mountain-sized body consumed a considerable amount of mana.
Without Mana Amplification, this task alone would have drained my mana.
My head still ached, but it was no worse than a mild cold.
“I'll help!”
Quick on the uptake, Hwang Chan-jin froze the remaining parts, further restricting the Primeval Fiend's movements.
If the swords of Black Flame were to rain down now, they could inflict significant damage.
A red aura shimmered from the Primeval Fiend's body.
It was blood energy, Grace's main ability.
Dammit. When did it absorb Grace's power too?
*SHWAAAA!*
Needle-sharp droplets of blood scattered in all directions.
The projectiles, powerful enough to pierce concrete walls like chopsticks through tofu, swept through the city.
Even the Dragon of the End paused its fierce assault and switched to a defensive stance.
“Hwang Chan-jin, are you alright!?”
“Instead of worrying about me, deal some more damage!”
Hwang Chan-jin wiped the blood from a cut on his cheek and moved.
He's complaining even when I'm worried about him.
*BOOM!*
A few surviving swords of Black Flame struck the Primeval Fiend directly.
Not only did they easily sever the tough tentacles, but the Black Flame also spread to them.
Eternal Corrosion.
A power one step evolved from Encroachment swiftly incinerated the tentacle, prompting the Primeval Fiend to give up on regeneration and sever its own limb.
[Graaaaaaah!!]
The severed tentacle transformed into a fiend.
This was one of the reasons the Primeval Fiend couldn't be allowed to grow larger.
Its severed tentacles would turn into fiends with power proportional to their size.
Furthermore, they inherited some of the main body's power, meaning they also possessed multiple abilities.
Although their grade would be lower, the very fact that they had several abilities posed a great challenge for the other players.
'Still.'
I cut down the tentacle-turned-fiend and shifted my gaze.
The Primeval Fiend had taken considerable damage from that last attack.
And the Dragon of the End... Dammit. It was gathering its breath!?
*KWAAAAAAA!!*
The moment I hurriedly dodged, a gray cannon of mana was fired, annihilating everything in its path.
Several mountains in the distance vanished without a trace.
That's insane. I was left speechless.
Just being near it sent a jolt of mana so powerful it made my muscles spasm.
To have such power when it hasn't even fully recovered its original strength. Transcendent-grade is on another level.
[Guoooo...]
In contrast, the Primeval Fiend, which had taken a direct hit from the breath, trembled violently.
A third of its body was gone.
It could regenerate its body, but the Dragon of the End wouldn't just stand by and let it.
“Jun Bo-ra!”
“Got it!”
The moment Jun Bo-ra touched my back, I was teleported above the Primeval Fiend's head.
Having just suffered massive damage and with the Dragon of the End still attacking, it didn't seem to have the capacity to pay attention to me.
I shrouded my body in darkness, concealing my presence.
[You receive the effect of 'Night's Reaper'.]
*Swoosh.*
As I became invisible, my movement speed increased.
In addition, the damage of my next attack would be greatly increased. This was the effect of Night's Reaper.
I drew up so much mana that the Black Moon Divine Sword trembled, and then I spun my body.
[Shattering Moon]
*KWAAAAAAA!*
A spiral of black flames rotated as it shot forward.
Firmly held by the Dragon of the End and having just severed its own tentacles, the Primeval Fiend had no way to counter this attack.
The flames exploded.
For an instant, all sound in the world was erased, as if muted.
After a brief moment, a tremendous explosion erupted, sending everything from small rocks to abandoned cars flying.
[Guooooo...!]
The Primeval Fiend made a gurgling sound and spewed something out.
We had finally pushed it to the point where it began to spit out the powers it had absorbed, one by one.
Though the Dragon of the End had dealt most of the damage.
[To think you'd push it that far without any divine power...!]
Besial snorted, his excitement palpable.
He'd said there was nothing he could do, and he was really just watching.
But that didn't mean things had gotten easier.
Just as boss monsters get stronger as their HP decreases, the Primeval Fiend would now start using its power more destructively.
[The '???' begins to absorb all surrounding mana!]
My body suddenly felt heavy.
Breathing became difficult, and my sword, which had felt so light, was now as uncomfortable as ill-fitting clothes.
A pattern born of a twisted sense of equality: *If I'm weaker, then you all have to be weaker too.*
Even in that situation, the Dragon of the End continued its fierce attacks as if it hadn't weakened at all.
'It's not completely unaffected, though. It looks tired.'
From here on, there's a time limit.
If it succeeds in gathering all the mana, it will self-destruct.
A self-destruction that would cause a massive explosion, enough to wipe out all of North America.
I quickly adapted to my changed body.
If my options were limited, I would choose the best course of action from what was left.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
However, the Primeval Fiend was now aware of me.
“Kuh!?”
Instead of nullifying them with darkness, I rolled on the ground, dodging the rain of bullets.
A shell that flew in a split second later, I had no choice but to slice with my sword, causing explosions to erupt behind me and obscure my vision.
It seemed to have absorbed a Metal Extortioner somewhere along the way.
The sight of it using all sorts of advanced weaponry attached to its body was dumbfounding.
I had to conserve as much mana as possible.
Spreading darkness like a curtain to block bullets consumed a fair amount of mana, so the only solution was to make it spit out that power quickly.
“Watch out!!”
Flames erupted right next to me.
Sharp ice fragments flying toward me failed to cross the wall of fire, melting and disappearing.
It couldn't have been Hwang Chan-jin.
Hwang Chan-jin was attacking the Primeval Fiend some distance away, and more importantly, he had no reason to attack me at this moment.
That left only one possibility.
A third party of players.
“W-What are these guys!? Why are they attacking us!?”
“W-Wait... Aaargh!”
Unidentified individuals began to appear from all over, attacking people.
Those who had been barely holding their own against the Primeval Fiend and its minions collapsed helplessly.
They ignored the fiends as if they didn't see them, an incomprehensible act of targeting only the players.
I soon realized who they were.
There was only one group that used a symbol combining S and V.
'Salvation...!'
I thought it was strange.
There was no reason for them to be this quiet.
They were waiting for the right moment.
When the Primeval Fiend, the Dragon of the End, and the players fighting them...
were all exhausted and could be wiped out at once.
[Activating 'Army of Darkness'.]
“Stop them!”
A wave of darkness moved.
My already scarce mana was consumed significantly, making it hard to breathe, but it had to be done.
If they took any more damage here, it would be that much easier for Salvation to devour America.
“Quite impressive.”
He revealed himself.
The one who woke the Primeval Fiend, who broke the Ring of Domination.
The leader of Salvation, who left after telling me to prove my worth, words I couldn't comprehend.
“To resolve the situation like this. A rather interesting result.”
“You crazy bastard. Is this the result you wanted?”
“Not yet.”
He slowly shifted his gaze.
His target wasn't me.
It was the Primeval Fiend.
His eyes were like those of someone savoring the sight of a perfectly ripe fruit.
Ha. This cunning bastard.
After I've done all the cooking, he's just going to swoop in and eat the meal?
“I'll be taking the reward.”
Amidst this oppressive mana, he leaped into the air with light movements, as if completely unaffected.
A sword so beautiful it stole one's gaze appeared.
The Sword of Blazing Flame, Fragarach.
A mythical object, a divine artifact, was in his hand.
The sword moved smoothly.
The motion was so natural it didn't even feel like a swing.
The Primeval Fiend's tentacle burned, and even the Dragon of the End flinched back to assess the situation.
It was still unbelievable.
That I, who had removed my stat limits, was being pushed back by pure skill.
What kind of trick did he use?
I gritted my teeth.
“You think I'll let you have it...!”
This was something I only planned to use when I had no other choice.
I clenched my fist with enough force to shatter it, crushing the stigma that glowed with a brilliant light.
[The 'Mana Reverse Circulation (S)' skill has been activated.]