The Overdrive's Demise
Sergei blinked.
Surely he had seen wrong. He rubbed his eyes again and again, even scrubbing them with his forearm, but the scene refused to change. The only result was the stinging red rims around his eyes.
The horrifying sight before him remained exactly as it was.
Kwarururu!
The drake, now nothing but bones, let out a piercing roar. Sergei knew all too well how troublesome a foe it was. It excelled in aerial combat, and the flames it spewed were powerful enough to overwhelm most defensive spells. A lesser drake—dragonkin that obeyed its instincts above all else. That was its only real weakness.
Yet Jinho had not only dispatched the tricky monster with ease, but had also resurrected it as an undead servant.
I truly cannot fathom the limits of his power.
Sergei swallowed the astonished sigh that kept trying to escape.
Once the barrier had completely collapsed, Jinho soared into the sky and began treating empty air like solid ground, toying with the lesser drakes as if they were mere playthings. And what of that lich-like summon? Every time a lesser drake fell, it was immediately converted into a bone drake. Before long, he had seized complete control of the skies.
“Isn’t our master rather impressive?”
Jiyoung approached with a light smile. Sergei flinched. Afraid that any reply would reveal his true feelings, he pressed his lips tightly shut.
The rest of the party, unlike Sergei, seemed thoroughly accustomed to Jinho’s antics. They watched the spectacle with relaxed, almost casual expressions. In contrast, the player commanding the Klyphoth followers stared at Jinho’s movements with visibly trembling eyes.
“So he’s the one who defeated Vice Guild Master Nadia.”
Jean Ducret, second team leader of Arme Rouge, yanked hard on the leash fastened around the lesser drake’s neck. He had scraped together every remaining soldier stationed near Paris Disneyland. He had believed that while victory might be impossible, at least stalling the invaders would be simple enough.
It was a grave miscalculation.
Was he concealing his true strength when attacking gates across Europe?!
The enemy’s forces were far more formidable than any report had suggested. The Yeokcheon Guild might not have many members, but it was stronger than any guild currently operating inside France. Had they not received the Klyphoth baptism, even throwing every member of Arme Rouge at them would have offered slim odds of success.
No… it feels like we would lose.
Jinho leaped through the air, cutting down lesser drakes one after another. After the first fell in a single strike, the remaining dragonkin assumed proper battle stances, making them far harder to dispatch. The real problem was that the enemy’s army swelled with every creature that died. In mere minutes, the number of undead had already surpassed the count of lesser drakes.
Jean had never imagined there could be anyone besides Guild Master Rene Davis capable of inspiring such dread.
At this rate, I won’t even buy proper time.
The situation on the ground was no better. Rankers from various nations and the elite players handpicked by Jinho moved in perfect coordination, slaughtering the otherworldly monsters without mercy. Sergei’s wide-area magic tore through their ranks. Ellen, having completed her transformation, charged straight into the enemy formation and shattered their lines. Martial artists poured through the gaps, turning the clash into chaotic melee. Jiyoung’s barrier split the enemy forces apart, sapping the strength of their army.
I must report this to the Master.
Jean wheeled his mount around. Charging Jinho’s group directly here would be anything but wise.
I am not some expendable talent meant to die in a place like this!
He held a leadership position in Arme Rouge, France’s premier guild. After receiving the Klyphoth baptism, he had grown strong enough to devour even rankers. Right after the World Severance went up, he had effortlessly subdued the rankers from other guilds who had been staying in Paris.
Justifying his fear as best he could, Jean fled the battlefield.
“I was wondering when you’d finally run.”
The low voice came from dangerously close range. It was quiet enough that it should have been swallowed by the chaos of battle, yet for some strange reason it boomed in Jean’s ears louder than thunder.
“Y-Yu Jinho!”
“It’s an honor that you remember my name, Jean Ducret.”
“How do you even know who I am?!”
“I owed you quite a debt in my previous life. Why wouldn’t I remember?”
The words made no sense. Jean’s hand slid toward his waist. This was his secret trump card—one even Guild Master Rene knew nothing about. A serrated dagger, a sword breaker, slid free.
An aura blade spun along its edge. Having risen to master rank through the baptism, Jean wielded aura blade—power on par with true ganggi—with practiced ease.
[Unique Ability - Overdrive]
[Chain Sword]
[Aura Blade]
Explosive mana erupted all at once. Jean Ducret’s unique ability—Overdrive—poured power far beyond his normal output into the strike. It carried serious aftereffects, but its ability to grant strength beyond one’s rank made it perfect for creating variables or serving as a hidden ace.
This attack can kill a lesser drake in a single blow!
Even diamond-rank players needed more than two seconds of concentration to unleash an aura blade. Martial artists could manifest ganggi slightly faster, but the requirement for intense focus remained. Overdrive shortened that time dramatically. By flooding the technique with excess mana, it produced more than triple the usual power.
I may not be able to kill him, but I can inflict a fatal wound!
A streak of blinding light flashed.
* * *
The wave of aura blade unleashed through Overdrive surged forward.
“Partner! This is perilous indeed!”
The moment Nyx spotted Jean Ducret’s concealed trump card and cried out in warning, I had already secretly raised my explosive demon energy and caught the blade.
Kagagak!
Sparks flew from the metal reflection gauntlet. Even at maximum output, I couldn’t fully repel the amplified aura blade. The metallic skin was slowly shaved away. The aura blade dug through the gap, tearing muscle and flesh.
Chiiiik!
The blood that spilled out turned to white smoke the instant it touched the aura blade and evaporated.
“H-How did you see through it?!”
“You once used that same trick to put a hole in my side, remember?”
Man, back then I really thought I was going to die from the pain.
When I muttered the last part under my breath, Jean Ducret stared at me with utterly confused eyes. Of course he wouldn’t know. That he had used the exact same method against me before the regression.
Still.
“You’re pretty lucky.”
A smile rose unbidden. Before the regression, Jean Ducret had been an infamous son of a bitch across the European front. His cruel methods, quick decision-making, and sharp tactical judgment had let him run wild, disrupting battle lines everywhere he went. Cutting off this rotten sprout early during the Paris incursion had been the right call.
I am using the power of Polar Night.
I am using Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword.
A black sword surged up from behind me. Jean struggled desperately to retrieve his aura blade, but I activated super regeneration and gripped the blade that had already sunk into my flesh.
It hurts like hell!
“How bold. And quite reckless as well.”
Nyx frowned. This guy was a master of hit-and-run tactics, so there was no helping it. As I shredded Jean Ducret’s entire body with the power of Polar Night, the spark of life in his pupils finally faded.
“That was cheaper than expected.”
How much trouble had this bastard caused me in my previous life? Satisfied with the unexpected harvest, I activated Devour.
◈ Skill – Overdrive (Incomplete) acquired
Overdrive
Grade: ★★★
Type: Active
Overloads the user's mana to draw out power beyond one's current realm.
Consumes 900% of the mana normally required. Amplification rate: 200%.
*Duration: 10 seconds
*Mana manipulation ability decreases by 90% for 60 seconds after use.
The penalty had grown harsher and the power weaker because it was an incomplete version. Nyx gave a small hum.
“Hmm. Since you already possess many buff skills, I suppose this holds little appeal for you.”
“It’s different from those.”
Skills like God’s Wrath, Uraz Berserk, or Demon’s Wrath all inflated my stats dramatically. But Overdrive’s true value lay in amplifying the power of mana-based skills. Just like how it had allowed Jean to push his aura blade—my explosive demon energy—beyond its normal limits.
Raising stats alone could never let someone cross that wall. It was the same principle I had used before when I forcibly synchronized the shadow attribute of Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword with Polar Night to manifest something resembling sword aura. Overdrive was a unique ability—no, a skill—that granted power beyond one’s limits.
“Since I’ve taken his head…”
“It is now time to crush the remaining enemies.”
“You really do catch on quick.”
I summoned one of the bone drakes.
* * *
One hour after the black barrier collapsed.
“Spare me! I only did what Lord Rene ordered—”
“Save your excuses for hell.”
Kwaduk!
I crushed the last follower’s windpipe. With the commander Jean Ducret dead and the bone drakes dominating the skies, the tide of battle had shifted decisively.
“If only they hadn’t tried to run, we could have ended this much sooner,” Ellen grumbled.
Once the battle became completely one-sided, some of the followers lost the will to fight and attempted to flee. In a normal gate it might not have mattered, but with Paris citizens held hostage, further casualties were unacceptable. Preventing the battlefield from spreading too far had taken extra time.
“How is everyone’s condition?” I asked.
“Stamina and mana are fine. My only concern is you, Mr. Yu.”
“Junior, I’ve consumed quite a bit of internal energy. Would twenty minutes of cultivation be acceptable?”
“Hah, martial artists really love to exaggerate. I’m perfectly fine!” Sergei bared his teeth in provocation.
Well… Using Truth Eyes, I could see that his remaining mana had also dropped below half.
“We’ll rest for thirty minutes before moving out.”
“Shouldn’t we move faster if we want to reclaim Paris?” Hong Yunsu asked.
I shook my head. “They’ll probably gather all their forces in one place as well.”
Rene must have noticed Jean Ducret’s death. Even if he didn’t know the exact circumstances, he wouldn’t take the loss of a sapling-rank follower lightly.
“Even if we rush here, we’ll only end up facing the enemy at full strength.”
“To think we’ll be fighting Rene Davis… the player known as the Shield of France…”
“What’s wrong, Mr. Hong? Not enjoying yourself?”
Ellen didn’t even try to hide her excitement. That battle maniac really was honest in situations like this. Honest indeed.
“You are hardly one to talk,” Nyx muttered.
I could only offer an awkward smile at her pointed remark.
The path toward central Paris was eerily quiet. Unlike the first clash, there wasn’t a single monster or follower in sight.
“I got all tense for nothing,” Ping Lei grumbled, lowering his staff.
“Who told you to let your guard down? You’re doing extra training with Jiyoung later.”
“Ah, Master!”
With the decisive battle looming, wasting mental energy on excessive vigilance was unwise. If he hadn’t run his mouth, he wouldn’t have earned himself extra drills. Both he and Jiyoung had a real talent for inviting trouble with their mouths.
“Um, Master. Is that… the Eiffel Tower?”
“It looks like it used to be.”
I confirmed Jiyoung’s stunned question. Or rather, what had once been the Eiffel Tower. The massive iron structure was now completely covered in tree bark, having long since lost its original form.
“I have been waiting for you.”
A handsome man stood atop the mutated Eiffel Tower. Rene Davis greeted the party with a calm, almost gentle smile.