The Twin-Headed Ogre Falls
Demonic Power has ended.
I let out a long breath and tilted my head back.
The fortress had been completely obliterated.
When I pushed the repulsive force between Solar Explosion and Avalanche to the extreme, there was no way the wooden barricades could withstand it. The fortress that had once encircled several kilometers of land had been literally erased from existence.
Truly a merciless assault.
“I didn’t even manage to wipe out all the ogres,” I said, pointing toward the interior of the vanished fortress.
Hundreds of ogres were still glaring at my party with murderous eyes.
“Looks like destroying the fortress outright isn’t the standard strategy after all.”
The linked attack of Solar Explosion and Avalanche should have unleashed an enormous surge of energy in every direction upon collision. Instead, the exact opposite had happened.
The fortress walls had absorbed every ounce of destructive force generated by the two spells’ repulsion. As a result, the fortress had lost its function, but it had successfully protected the ogres stationed inside.
It must be the handiwork of that Twin-Headed Ogre you mentioned earlier.
“The gate’s influence probably played a part too.”
There was no way a mere Twin-Headed Ogre could have endured my magic on its own. Still, it wasn’t a complete waste.
The ogres who had been hurling boulders from atop the walls had been caught in the blast and reduced to nothing—not even bone fragments remained. A crater dozens of meters wide now encircled the fortress, and the ground melted by the overwhelming heat bubbled and popped with gas.
Even with an ogre’s leaping ability, clearing that crater wouldn’t be easy.
“Junior, leave the rest to us.”
Ogres began leaping across the craters, large and small. A fierce gale whipped out like a lash, smashing into their bodies.
“You lot belong to us now.”
“Just sit back and watch for a bit, junior.”
A strange, burning hunger flickered in the eyes of the two rankers.
“I like the enthusiasm, but please don’t stray from command,” I warned.
Hong Yunsu-hyung was in overall command. Even if they were my seniors, going off on their own would cause problems.
Muguk, Yellow Storm, and the guild members I had gathered formed three points of a triangle. Their positions shifted constantly. The ogres who had jumped the craters and come at us in scattered groups were shredded apart by the guild’s coordinated, rotating assault.
What good were numbers if they couldn’t charge all at once?
“Kuaaaargh! Human bastards!”
“Kuar! Kuar! Kill them!”
At the front line, the two-headed ogre finally revealed itself. The ten-meter-tall monster swung the staff gripped in its left hand with tremendous force.
Absolute Zero
Crack… crackle…
The freezing cold instantly solidified the bubbling lava.
Not bad at all. To think it still has the strength left to cast magic after clashing with you.
“It’s all thanks to the artifact.”
The Twin-Headed Ogre’s mana had been drained dry long ago. More precisely, it had been forcibly consumed to maintain the fortress’s barrier. Considering it had blocked the linked Solar Explosion and Avalanche, the cost was relatively cheap. Because it had burned through most of its own mana, the power of its magic was pathetic.
“Kuaaaargh! Cross over here! Warriors!”
Instead of leaping across the crater, the ogres began slowly advancing by stepping on the platforms the boss had created.
This has become a little troublesome.
“Troublesome? More like it tripped over its own trap.”
The ground hardened by Absolute Zero was only wide enough for a compact car to pass. Watching the ogres struggle to cross that narrow path was almost comical.
Each ogre was as massive as a two-story building. It was like watching several buildings try to cross a line of stepping stones. The platforms the Twin-Headed Ogre had created had turned its own forces into living targets.
“My turn.”
Perfect Storm
The wind coiled around Hong Yunsu’s feet was unleashed. A ferocious gale capable of shredding even steel. The ogres standing on the ice platforms were helplessly tossed about in the storm. They were forced to choose—either get torn apart facing the wind head-on, or dodge and fall into the boiling lava.
The ogres panicked at the deadly dilemma.
“Guild Master, the Hwarang Guild has begun accelerating their movement speed.”
“They must have noticed our movements.”
“If we drag this out more than thirty minutes, we’ll have to compete directly with Hwarang.”
“That’s plenty of time.”
I walked over to Hong Yunsu-hyung.
“I’ll handle that thing myself. Please keep the ogres in check for me.”
“Understood.”
The Twin-Headed Ogre was a formidable opponent. Although its magical abilities had been sealed after exhausting most of its mana, its monstrous strength, speed, and defense were enough to overwhelm even Diamond-rank players.
There were only two ways to deal with an enemy like the Twin-Headed Ogre: wear it down through a war of attrition, or—
“Or crush it with overwhelming power.”
The second method suits you perfectly.
Nyx smiled faintly.
“Kuaaaargh! Human!!”
“Kuar! We won’t forgive you!”
Both heads roared in fury and slammed the staff into the ground. The Twin-Headed Ogre’s body shot into the air. The axe in its right hand pointed toward the sky before tracing a deadly arc downward. Thick veins bulged along its forearm as it poured mountain-crushing power into the strike.
The blade glowed blue. Multiple jagged aura saw blades spun violently around it.
Vibration Barrier x 10
Jiyoung deployed the maximum number of barriers she could manifest in midair without using the ‘shield’ image. The more layers overlapped, the stronger the Vibration Barrier’s defensive power became.
Crunch! The spinning aura saw blades shattered the barriers one after another. The Twin-Headed Ogre’s speed dropped noticeably. The destructive force of its leap had been mostly canceled out while it smashed through the successive barriers.
“This thing’s strength is ridiculous!”
“Jiyoung, don’t try to block it—redirect it to the side!”
“Ugh, it’s not as easy as you make it sound!”
Even as she grumbled, Jiyoung used the barriers as footholds and leaped into the air. The force holding the Twin-Headed Ogre weakened as she redirected barriers elsewhere.
“Kuaaaargh! I’ll kill you!”
“Kuar! I’ll tear you apart and eat you!”
The Twin-Headed Ogre descended with ferocious killing intent. Jiyoung layered barriers on both hands and slammed them together. A shockwave rippled through the air. It wasn’t enough to pierce the monster’s thick hide, but—
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaah—!”
It carried enough power to fling a several-ton monster away.
The Twin-Headed Ogre crashed into an unintended spot. Trees snapped and shattered beneath its body, creating a chaotic uproar.
“Yunsu-hyung, that one’s mine.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
I briefly left the group and headed toward where the Twin-Headed Ogre had fallen. Covered in dirt and broken branches, it glared at me with murderous eyes. Despite being caught in the shockwave, it didn’t have a single scratch.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Shut up already. You’re too loud.”
I activated Shrink, instantly appearing beneath the Twin-Headed Ogre’s chin, and unleashed Phoenix Kick. Flames erupted from my leg. The dark fire I had raised using the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method shattered its jawbone.
That should stop the noise, right?
“Kuaaaargh! It hurts!”
Ah. There was still the other head.
“Looks like I’ll need to put in a little more effort to shut you both up.”
I withdrew my right leg and muttered casually.
* * *
The Hwarang Guild had taken the left path at the fork.
The route to the fortress’s rear gate was rough terrain, but ogre encounters were far less frequent than the main path.
It was your choice. Don’t regret it, Yu Jinho.
When they had set out, Oh Jangwoo had thought they were lucky. Originally, it was Jinho who had chosen the path leading to the fortress’s main gate. Even if the Yeokcheon Guild lost, no one could complain.
The moment he saw the Yeokcheon Guild head right, Oh Jangwoo immediately gave the order.
“Maintain First Combat March.”
“Yes, sir!”
They advanced while ignoring their injuries. The Hwarang Guild pushed forward, disregarding ogre ambushes. It was a time-limited battle. Since the Yeokcheon Guild had drawn all the aggro by charging the front gate, this was the perfect opportunity.
This was their chance to close the Ogre Fortress—the gate the Association had practically forced on them—and their only opportunity to pull ahead of the Yeokcheon Guild in influence.
“Heal! We need healing over here!”
“Use potions. We don’t have time to waste on healing right now.”
Healing and mana recovery potions, along with all the consumables they had prepared for this raid, were being burned through at a frightening rate.
Thanks to their reckless advance, they reached the rear gate far faster than when they had explored the fortress before.
But…
There was no longer anything that could be called a ‘gate.’
Countless craters scarred the ground. Lava boiled in the sunken earth. The ogres who should have been guarding the fortress were now leaping over lava pits and charging toward the intruders.
And those intruders were none other than the Yeokcheon Guild, who should have been struggling at the main gate.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaah!”
The Twin-Headed Ogre let out a monstrous roar. A boss monster possessing both superhuman physical ability and magic. Even Oh Jangwoo, Korea’s top-ranked player, could not face it one-on-one.
Yet Jinho was fighting that overwhelming foe without retreating even an inch.
Void Mirror
Primitive Species — Tyrannosaurus
God’s Wrath
Uraz Berserk
Night’s Protection
Dragon Form
…….
Jinho had layered every possible buff on himself and even taken the form of a dinosaur.
How many seconds can he last?
Oh Jangwoo kept his mouth tightly shut. If he relaxed even a little, he felt like he would scream.
“Kyaaaaaaaaooo!”
When Jinho roared, the mountains and forests trembled. The fine hairs on their bodies stood on end. It was primal fear. Was this how a herbivore felt standing before a predator?
Crunch! The Twin-Headed Ogre’s arm was caught in Jinho’s jaws and ripped off with a horrifying sound. Blue blood gushed from the severed limb rolling across the ground.
“Kuaaaargh!”
The Twin-Headed Ogre let out a pitiful cry.
“I told you to be quiet, didn’t I?”
The jaw of its remaining head was crushed to pieces with a sickening crunch.
Was the Twin-Headed Ogre, crawling pathetically across the ground, the monster?
Or was it Jinho, who now wore the form of the Tyrannosaurus—the apex predator that had once ruled the Earth in ancient times?
For a moment, the Hwarang Guild members couldn’t tell who the real monster was.
They had fought their way through the ogres to reach this point, but the moment they witnessed Jinho’s ‘true power,’ all their fighting spirit vanished like a mirage.
“Guild Master! Give the attack order, quickly!”
One of the executives barely managed to squeeze out some courage.
“Forget it.”
“Pardon?”
“We can’t win. Not against that monster.”
Oh Jangwoo muttered in a strangely refreshed voice.
He finally understood. He had been wrong to try to define Yu Jinho’s capabilities.
Second year since awakening?
Time no longer mattered.
The gap in power was simply too overwhelming. The moment he saw Jinho unleash his full strength, all will to fight disappeared.
The annihilation of the Nine Dragons Sect’s elites wasn’t caused by a Gate Break.
He finally realized the truth.
If they attacked Jinho here, the Hwarang Guild would be destroyed. The fact that they had gathered every available fighter had instead created the possibility of their total annihilation.
“This match is our defeat.”
“G-Guild Master!”
“It’s enough if we can hold our own against the top three guilds in the country, isn’t it?”
Only after letting go of his inferiority complex could he finally see reality clearly.
Oh Jangwoo let out a short sigh. In his eyes was reflected the image of Jinho roaring triumphantly after tearing out the Twin-Headed Ogre’s windpipe.