Chapter 251
Chapter 251
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 251
>Chapter Title: Sealing the Catastrophe
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>Chapter 251
Xiao stared blankly at Kaiser, mumbling in a voice full of emptiness.
“...Does that even make sense?”
The principle behind interrupting a pattern was simple.
At the moment the boss tried to activate a pattern, prevent it from executing.
That was why status ailments were commonly used, but there were still a few patterns that couldn’t be interrupted.
‘There are many, but if I had to pick one, it’d be simultaneous patterns or projectiles.’
Like the trajectory of that massive Light of Catastrophe, for instance.
Even hordes of tanks charging in couldn’t stop that single pattern, leading to total annihilation—and it wasn’t because they lacked skill.
Yet Kaiser had interrupted it. All by himself.
‘Interrupting with a parry? I’ve never even heard of such a thing...!’
He had used a parry’s deflection judgment to ‘deflect’ the pattern itself.
After nearly two years grinding God Ose, he felt downright cheated at never having seen this miracle before.
If it could be interrupted that easily, what the hell were they all doing?
“Never gets old, does it?”
“That timing was a bitch to nail, but he’s still got it. Yeah, that’s our tank.”
“Ugh, what an unfair world. If only all the talent freaks would just vanish...”
“Then it’d just be us old guys left. Wouldn’t that be lonely?”
“What’d you say, punk?”
But to Sword Saint and Empress, who had seen this endlessly in Demlock, and even to Ast, it was familiar territory.
They chuckled, traded a light jab or two, and refocused on the fight.
The sight felt utterly alien to Xiao.
That was their reaction to something like that? And what was this about him being a tank?
‘...Back in Demlock, Kaiser was the tank in his own party?’
He vaguely recalled hearing something like that.
But he never imagined it meant this kind of tank.
Our tank? What the hell did that even imply?
‘...No way the Empress, Sword Saint, and the Armory Master are all in Kaiser’s party?’
It was a rumor that had floated around before.
The parties involved never commented, and Kaiser himself hadn’t even shown his face, so it had naturally faded away.
Why was it resurfacing now, like it was undeniable truth?
And Xiao wasn’t the only one.
-Empress just called Kaiser our tank. At this point, it’s gotta be true.
-Look at how they move. That’s not first-time synergy. For real, it’s Kaiser’s party.
-Wait, wasn’t Kaiser’s party all guys?
-Maybe just the berserker was a guy. Demlock had no gender restrictions.
-True... Wait. Does that mean that pervert Apolobans dude is Ast?
-Ugh, fuck, now I can’t eat imagining that.
-Wow... So that’s why Broadcaster’s been partying up?
-? Broadcaster? Kaiser’s streaming?
-Yeah, he went live. Already over 70 million viewers.
-What the hell, why didn’t you say sooner??
-I’m out. Everyone bounce.
-Me too.
Viewers dropped like flies, but Xiao couldn’t issue any statement.
He had no right to stop them.
Even he would watch Kaiser’s stream—four of them boldly tackling the Catastrophe—instead of his own, where he was just spectating dumbfounded from afar.
“...Kaiser’s party?”
“They’re interrupting every pattern? We might actually take this thing down?”
“...You’re really gonna kill it? That monster?”
Users who had been scrambling to flee suddenly halted in their tracks.
Eyes filled with despair began to flicker with hope.
Some fidgeted, itching to jump into the fray.
That was the change these four had wrought. They saw possibility in just these four.
And at the center was Kaiser.
[Parried Light Trajectory successfully.]
[Pattern interrupted at activation, canceling it.]
“Wooooah!”
“Again! He did it again!”
“Insane, freaking nuts!!”
Every time Kaiser parried a dangerous pattern as it triggered, cheers bordering on screams erupted.
Empress grinned at the crowd now united in watching.
“Been a while since we had this vibe.”
“Brings back memories.”
“We’re surprised to be together like this again—imagine how they feel.”
Do-hyun smiled faintly as his three comrades tossed casual remarks mid-fight.
It had definitely been a long time.
Raiding shoulder-to-shoulder with comrades like this. Seeing players cheering them on.
‘Back then, this was everyday life.’
Glancing ahead at the memory that surfaced unbidden, Do-hyun eyed the berserker ahead.
Kkukku, who pushed the berserker class to its absolute limits, was showing off her insane physicality here too.
Slash—shwick—
Crunch!
Whether the massive Catastrophe charged, thrashed while rolling, or leaped into the air.
Kkukku clung ferociously, unleashing a barrage.
Her frenzy was so intense even Do-hyun watching felt a chill.
Was it because her raw physicality outstripped his own, or because she was always in the top three of people he least wanted to fight?
Clang—clang! Ping!
Sword Saint stuck to her like glue, mixing swordplay and skills to deflect and neutralize attacks, letting Kkukku focus on offense.
And whenever an opening appeared, he slipped in a counter.
Swordplay worthy of the man whom no one could match, the one others sought just to witness the edge of his blade. Pure art.
The two moved together like magnets, just as they had in the past.
“Argh, why’s this fish bastard thrashing so much? Hard to keep up... Oh, coming this way. Eat this!”
Boom! Crash!
Old Man chased the rampaging Catastrophe they stirred up, then landed a full-power blow when it swung near, making up for any DPS shortfall in one shot.
The only difference was himself.
‘Compared to my comrades, I’m objectively much weaker right now.’
A gap of one year and nine months.
He’d caught up a lot thanks to Eyes of Truth, his hidden class, and the main quest, but not enough to close it entirely.
But it didn’t matter.
[Parried Ground Flip successfully.]
[Pattern interrupted at activation, canceling it.]
‘A tank just needs to tank well.’
When Kaiser’s party assembled, Do-hyun’s role had been tank.
He dished out plenty of DPS for a tank, sure, but his main job was tanking.
Plus, Do-hyun now had abilities he hadn’t back then.
[Using Madness.]
[Using Thunder Dragon Descent.]
[Using Ice Stream.]
[White Lion’s Snowflower Sword amplifies Ice Stream’s effect.]
Not on Empress’s level, but with red energy, the Ice Stream now spanned 1.5 times wider and colder than before.
And atop it, the thunder dragon crashed down.
A legendary skill collab with another class’s skill—something absent in Demlock days.
“What’s that, Madness? That bastard really is an all-master. Isn’t this straight-up broken?”
“Thunder Dragon Descent... Kaiser using a legendary skill. Feels weird.”
“Kekeke, now this is worth sticking around for.”
“But that swordplay catches my eye more. Blizzard and White Lion... Never seen that style before. Signature sword art? I’d love a spar once this is over.”
“This sword nut’s at it again. Is that what matters right now? Kaiser’s using a legendary skill!”
Do-hyun furrowed his brow at their exclamations.
“...You guys look bummed I’m using a legendary skill?”
“Nah, no way. Just bummed I can’t guess what color brick you’ll get from this. That’s all.”
“That’s even lamer.”
Do-hyun chuckled, gripped Cheonbyeon, and shortened his stance.
“Let’s end this.”
“Seal it? Nah, just kill the damn thing while we’re at it.”
“Fair point. Doesn’t seem impossible to me either.”
Do-hyun shook his head at Empress and Sword Saint, who had landed away from the Catastrophe.
They weren’t wrong.
They’d only shaved off 2 million HP so far, but at this pace, it was worth a shot.
If those fidgety users joined in to cover the DPS gap, it might even work.
‘If it weren’t for the fact that thing can’t actually die.’
Failing to kill it wasn’t just because of its massive HP.
This monster was a demonic beast that inherited true immortality—death meant nothing to it.
Sealing was the only answer.
And now was the time to seal it.
[Activating Cross of the Execution God.]
[Designating the Massive Catastrophe as target.]
[Target confirmed in contact with ground for 2+ seconds.]
[Conditions met.]
[Cross of the Execution God binds the Massive Catastrophe.]
Aaaaaah—
A massive golden cross descended, illuminating the darkness.
And with it, a radiant harmony.
Too enormous to float like the Forgotten King, but the spectacle of that gigantic body ensnared by gleaming golden chains, utterly immobile, was breathtaking.
‘It usually hovers just off the ground, making it hard to pin for 2 seconds... but thanks to that, it was easy to bind.’
Surprisingly, Ast had played the key role.
His lethal blow had flipped it, forcing it to fight on the ground.
Do-hyun grinned, gripping Cheonbyeon and assuming position.
[Activating Blessing of the Guardian God.]
His comrades couldn’t hold back at the flurry of legendary skills.
“What? Blessing of the Guardian God on top of Cross of the Execution God? That’s three legendaries already?”
“Ha, look at that guy. I didn’t even know he had that one. Is this the same Kaiser who cried over not getting legendaries? My heart’s swelling with pride.”
“...Impressive.”
But Do-hyun didn’t stop there.
Ignoring their awe, he closed his eyes, focused, then took a step forward.
Heaven-Defying Phase
First Form: Beginning.
One step became two, two became three.
Sword Saint, no stranger to explosive energy coursing through the body, recognized it with each advance.
“That’s...!”
Her eyes, already wide from the White Lion’s Song, locked onto Do-hyun’s blade tip.
Raaaaargh!
Do-hyun reached the Catastrophe’s front in an instant, and the beast opened its only movable maw.
[Massive Catastrophe attempts to devour your existence.]
[Being devoured will force logout.]
True to its nature, it lunged to swallow him whole—but this time, it backfired, aiding him.
[Using Second Form: Break.]
The massive maw blotted out the moonlight, unleashing pitch darkness.
In that void, a single sword strike flashed.
Crack—shatter—!
The darkness shattered like glass.
Hundreds of teeth exploded, shredding the mouth, moonlight pouring in through the gaps.
The Catastrophe gaped wide in silent agony.
‘I see it.’
Do-hyun’s eyes locked on.
[Critical spot identified.]
[Use Perfect Hexagon to seal the Catastrophe.]
A dangling lump at the throat’s end.
A pinpoint light leaked from its neck like a dot.
Without hesitation, Do-hyun leaped into the maw, thrust his hand toward the light as he neared.
[Embedded Perfect Hexagon into critical spot.]
[Attempting seal.]
The Catastrophe snapped its jaws shut.
Flash—!
Light erupted.
* * *
“Eek!”
“Gah! Eye—my eyes!”
“Fuck, scared me. W-what the hell?”
Users recoiled in panic from the blinding explosion.
Their faces were ones of utter bewilderment.
Kaiser had suddenly dived into the maw, then light burst out. How were they supposed to process this?
Viewers felt the same.
-He’s not suiciding mid-fight...
-Di...d he get it? Thing’s not moving?
-Eyes are still open though?
-But it’s not moving.
-What the fuck’s going on?
Even after the Cross of the Execution God’s duration ended, the Catastrophe lay utterly still.
Meanwhile, no sign of Kaiser.
Unclear who won, they could only watch.
And among the watchers, the one sweating bullets most was none other than Harrington.
‘Please, please, please...’
Clasping his hands in desperate prayer as he watched the stream.
Pathetic for a Top 10 Guild Master, but with his guild’s rank on the line, he had no choice.
Gulp.
A tense hush fell from all directions.
Splurt, shunk—
An alien sound shattered the silence.