Chapter 213: Chapter 213 - The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times

Chapter 213
>Hwaaa— Hwaruk!
>Kwaaaang!
>-Power's insane;;
>-Is that really a trait? Why's it so strong. Legendary skills are nothing compared.
>-It's a Transcendent trait. And it's a flame sword... says it all. Famous as a PVP bully.
>-Sword aura plus flame sword... damn, the stacking damage is brutal.
>Every time the sword of burning will swung, it scorched the air, flames fiercely erupting.
>Everything touched by the flames burned away and vanished.
>Just a few minutes into the battle, the surroundings had turned into a sea of fire.
>Standing atop it were Kaiser, covered in blood and charred in places, and Berje, slowly closing in to tighten the noose.
>"Where'd that leisure go, Kaiser? You look just like a scurrying rat."
>"...Dunno. For something like that, you haven't landed a solid hit yet."
>"Heh... is that how it looks to you?"
>Do-hyun tried to provoke him in response to Berje's mockery, but Berje didn't care.
>He even leisurely spread his arms, as if telling him to look around.
>"Take a look around. There's nowhere left for you to run."
>"..."
>It was just as the bastard said.
>The encirclement had narrowed the stage, and over half of it was now ablaze.
>That was the terrifying part of the sword of burning will.
>The flame sword's fire burned with ignited will.
>It couldn't be extinguished by normal means and spread easily, leaving unquenchable flames on the terrain.
>Once it caught, you suffered relentless dot damage.
>[The Poison King's constitution activates.]
>[You have taken sustained damage from the same attack for a set time.]
>[Saturation effect activates, converting damage to poison.]
>[Impervious effect grants immunity to poison below Hero rank.]
>The fortunate part was that Do-hyun's Poison King constitution meant he didn't have to worry about dot damage.
>"Quite the curious ability. Sustained damage doesn't work... Is it your unique skill? Or maybe a graduation reward."
>Berje remarked as if it were fascinating no matter how many times he saw it, but soon shrugged.
>"Doesn't matter anyway. My flame sword doesn't rely on sustained damage as its main strength."
>"..."
>It wasn't bravado.
>Sustained damage was just a bonus.
>The true power of the flame sword lay in burning the surroundings or manifesting strong will, which granted the user immense power.
>[The will of fire is immense.]
>[All stats, damage, and speed greatly increase proportional to the fire of will.]
>Thanks to that, Berje now was completely different from before—a total 180.
>He overwhelmed in every aspect, displaying power so great that even blocking inflicted damage.
>So Do-hyun had no choice but to focus on evasion.
>'Touched by the flames, they spread, and that bastard gets even stronger.'
>Even without taking dot damage, he had to avoid the fire.
>And this was just from a single trait.
>'This is Transcendent.'
>If Berje, who had only transcended once, was this strong, how insane were the Top 10 Guild masters?
>A smile crept onto Do-hyun's lips at the unimaginable power.
>It had been ages since Demロック's peak—a thrill of fighting spirit and anticipation.
>New paths he didn't know. Countless powerhouses.
>His heart pounded.
>Down from the throne, in the challenger's seat breaking dojos—it excited him, but now wasn't the time.
>"Not the moment to get distracted."
>Berje closed in at a speed too fast to react and fully dodge, slicing Do-hyun's side.
>Hwaruk—
>Flames erupted from the slashed spot, a warning blaring.
>[HP below 20%.]
>[Be careful!]
>'About 2 minutes in?'
>In just 2 minutes, 30% of his HP was gone.
>The cooldown on Thunder Dragon Descent hadn't even reset yet—that short a time.
>Meanwhile, that bastard's HP still hovered over 50%.
>Even going all-out on counters and attacks, once he activated that flame sword, closing the gap was impossible.
>[Mana below 15%.]
>This forced him to burn mana in short bursts, overwhelming even the Mana Lord's circuits.
>'The Guardian God's blessing makes mana drain even faster.'
>How did he keep acquiring skills that constantly chewed through mana?
>HP was critically low, and now mana was bottoming out too.
>-Ah... is this it?
>-What now? Losing here opens Infinite Pursuit.
>-With Guardian God's blessing, is that possible?
>-Guardian God's blessing isn't invincible? If they go all-in on pursuit, it's not impossible.
>"Damn it, that cocky bastard starts a 1v1 all bold, and now what the hell is this?"
>Anyone could see it was a crisis; the chat was gloomy, and watching it, Astr fidgeted, leg bouncing nonstop.
>It had been a while since he'd seen the guy pushed this hard.
>"Well, yeah, no Transcendents or traits in Demロック, so first time facing this... Argh, that's why I asked if you could handle it."
>Hearing about it and experiencing it were different, obviously.
>He'd heard Berje transcended and still acted confident, so he'd trusted and handed it over, but now he regretted not shoving him into the guild sooner.
>Scratching his head furiously, Astr glared at the tablet screen like he could bore holes through it.
>"You ain't the type to lose that easy, man. Show something... Hm?"
>That was when.
>Astr stopped leg-bouncing, spotting something.
>Staring at the screen for a bit, light flickered in his eyes.
>"That guy... that look in his eyes feels familiar."
>Not just the eyes.
>That annoying signature expression of his was familiar too.
>And soon Astr realized why.
>He'd seen it so often. Kaiser had made that face countless times.
>"Hah, that bastard. Even now, hiding something more?"
>And whenever he did, he'd pull off some outrageous stunt.
>First Red Dragon encounter.
>Boss spawning at death's door.
>Charging a guild solo when everyone said he'd lose.
>All after that expression, yielding astonishing results.
>'Dunno what he's hiding, but if you've got a way, show it quick. Don't make people sweat.'
>That instant.
>As if hearing his thoughts, red energy suddenly leaked from Kaiser, who halted abruptly.
>"Wait, that's not...?"
>Astr's eyes widened.
>Too familiar a skill.
>-Huh? That's?
>-Here it comes, Madness!
>-Oi oi, showing off now?
>-Kaiser phase 2 symbol, Madness activated?
>Kkukku Dak Kkukku's signature skill, Madness—its activation effect.
>Now it signaled Kaiser's ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠phase 2 too.
>Whenever he seemed pushed back, turning on Madness always led to reversal.
>But not this time.
>"Madness, huh... We've long since analyzed your patterns."
>"..."
>"That alone isn't a threat!"
>Berje, obsessed with Kaiser, wouldn't miss even that info.
>He'd calculated it ages ago.
>12-Strength build or legendary skills giving unexpected specs—true, but even accounting for it, he was still inferior.
>Paat— Kwak!
>Faster than Kaiser boosted by Madness, Berje moved a step quicker, grabbing his arm.
>Squeezing like he'd crush it, Berje grinned viciously.
>"That's your go-to kill route pattern. We already figured the activation conditions. Not a boss—no one's eating that willingly."
>Saying so, Berje glanced sideways.
>[Unique ability 'Piercing Gaze' activates.]
>[Assesses gap with target.]
>[Inferior rank. Expects easy victory.]
>'As expected. I'm favored.'
>Piercing Gaze didn't just check stats.
>They fluctuated in battle; it grasped everything in real-time—Berje's unique ability.
>Downside: only on direct contact.
>Using it, Berje judged winning and losing fights, moving accordingly.
>'This is a winning fight.'
>And this was one.
>Finally, he could kneel that damnable Kaiser.
>[The sword of burning will senses the user's strong will.]
>[The fire of will grows immensely.]
>[Use Severing Strike?]
>Hwaaaa—
>Reacting to the will, the flame sword spewed radiant fire.
>"Was fun, Kaiser. See you after respawn. No more tricks ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then."
>With that, Berje swung his flame sword,
>Hwaruruk—
>Kwaaang!
>A massive inferno engulfed the front, a pillar of fire surging.
>[Used Sword Aura, Severing Strike.]
>[Used sword of burning will's fire Severing Strike.]
>Stacked Severing Strike.
>Berje's near-ultimate burst nuke.
>Damage Kaiser, under 20% HP, couldn't survive.
>'Kuhuhu... it's over, Kaiser.'
>The moment Berje was certain of victory.
>Beyond the fire pillar, the hazy silhouette made his curling lips stiffen.
>The black silhouette in his shaking pupils was none other than Kaiser.
>Step, step.
>Contrary to expectations, Kaiser was shockingly fine.
>No scorch marks from the fire, slowly walking through the pillar.
>"...How the hell."
>Impossible.
>Even ogres couldn't tank this sure-kill burst.
>Ultimate dealing skill, once per day.
>And some newbie to the Empire, at 20% HP, tanks it?
>Not his common barrier level.
>Of course, Do-hyun ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hadn't tanked it.
>[Used God's Tear.]
>[Invincible for 2 seconds. (Cooldown 90 min)]
>'Without this, that was real close.'
>God's Tear, from #1 Pratel graduation and enhanced S-rank reward.
>Just ignored it with the invincibility.
>2 seconds.
>Not long, but timed right, blocks any attack once.
>"You're too predictable. Telegraphing your ultimate like that—who'd take it?"
>In that sense, eating Berje's telegraphed Severing Strike was child's play, eyes closed.
>"...Dunno your trick, but doesn't matter. You're out of HP and mana."
>Unaware, Berje panicked briefly at the incomprehensible scene but quickly composed.
>Just surprise—situation wasn't bad.
>No, it was good.
>Just wanted an impactful finish for the crowd; no Severing Strike changed nothing.
>'Now that he's shown his hand, I'm even more favored.'
>His unique ability, used again, still said he was ahead.
>No upsets. So he thought.
>"Mana? Who said I'm low?"
>"..."
>Until blue droplets formed under Kaiser's eyes.
>[Used God's Tear second ability.]
>[Temporarily no mana consumption. (Cooldown 70 min)]
>God's Tear's second ability.
>This was Do-hyun's true ace.
>"Now I can really use it properly."
>Grinning, Do-hyun gripped his sword tight.
>[Used Mark of the Holy King.]
>[Power of faith activates, reducing all skill cooldowns by 65%.]
>[Can use Thunder Dragon Descent.]
>...
>[Can use Darkness Cloak.]
>Combo unused against Luidra due to mana shortage.
>Even with Mana Lord's circuits, insane consumption kept it shelved—but now, he could unleash freely.
>[Used Thunder Dragon Descent.]
>Activated as always.
>But slightly different from usual.
>[Applied Darkness Cloak to Thunder Dragon Descent.]
>[Thunder Dragon affected by Darkness Cloak, gains darkness property.]
>[Approaching black dragon power via abnormal route.]
>[Darkness property effects additionally applied, granting aura of both thunder dragon and black dragon.]
>After countless messages, black sparks flashed in the sky, summoning storm clouds.
>-----!!!
>Flash—blue and black lightning crashed down on Do-hyun.
>"Uwaaak!"
>"Sh, shit, what the hell!?"
>Guild members scrambling back from the area-wide bolts.
>Many fell on their asses, staring blankly.
>Before them: charred surroundings,
>Pajijik— Pajik—
>"Insane..."
>Berje, lightning-struck and charred ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠black, kneeling on one knee.
>And Kaiser, standing leisurely, black sparks dancing from hair dyed black like the lightning itself.

Chapter 213

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