Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 271
>Chapter Title: The Empress Arrives
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“Laughing? Can't you grasp the situation?”
Rabaon couldn't hide his displeasure at Do-hyun's sneer and furrowed his brows.
Why the hell was he smirking in the middle of a fight?
The mocking vibe made his killing intent boil over.
Marpad felt the same disgust, charging straight at Do-hyun with his massive frame.
Kwang!
['Marpad' uses Reckless Charge.]
[Parrying Reckless Charge.]
[Perfect parry successful.]
But there was no way he couldn't block such a blatant rush.
He parried it effortlessly, only for a follow-up to come flying in.
It was Rabaon's sword.
['Rabaon' uses Gale Slash.]
The blade sliced through the air with razor-sharp energy, chilling Do-hyun's nape.
The aura cloaking the sword was no ordinary thing.
A hero-grade skill top-tier in speed, yet it never reached Do-hyun's neck.
Kaang!
*How dare you point your sword at my liege.*
Charlie had shot in like an arrow, blocking Rabaon's blade.
It gave him some breathing room to pull back, but the enemy reinforcements weren't done.
Step, step, step, step.
The encirclement around Do-hyun was tightening.
At least a hundred strong.
Considering they were all top-rankers, it was an overwhelming force, but Do-hyun showed no distress.
Sssk.
He just kept his signature sneer, watching them.
“……What's so funny? Kaiser.”
“Ah, I just think you guys are tougher than I expected.”
“……You should know your limits when bluffing.”
Rabaon and Marpad scowled fiercely, but Do-hyun meant it.
*'They say Top 10 Guild vice-masters are stronger than most major guild masters...*
Contrary to his worries, their specs weren't that impressive.
Frankly, dealing with those two together was easier than that Sina guy from before.
Sina's analytical skills had been at a peak even Do-hyun acknowledged.
But these guys?
*'Just puffed-up show-offs relying on their stats.'*
Each had specs on par with Sina, but their skill was incomparable.
Now that he was even stronger than when he'd faced Sina, it was no contest.
The two sensed it instinctively.
*……He's even stronger than the rumors.*
*No wonder he earned that top contributor title in the Forgotten Grave.*
The Kaiser they faced was no pushover.
A level 80-something user holding his own against them, who'd maxed out and transcended?
It stung their pride, but they quickly composed themselves.
*'We'd win in a straight fight, but... Demian wants this done clean. No time to stroke egos.'*
*'Let's crush him for sure.'*
Mission success came first.
They'd even burned Disaster raid points for this—had to end Kaiser decisively.
That would kick off the purge.
They were slithering in like snakes, tightening the noose, when—
Kwang!
A sudden explosion echoed.
“Gah!”
“Urk!”
Followed by pained groans.
Kwang! Kwang!
“Kehek!”
“Sh-shit, what the...!”
“Aaaagh!”
The source was behind them.
Something weird was happening on the side blocking Kaiser's rear.
“?”
“What's that noise?”
The tense atmosphere shattered instantly, question marks popping over the guild members' heads.
But they were top-rankers for a reason.
They shelved the confusion and assessed fast.
“Someone's breaking through the encirclement!”
“Who the hell is it!”
“Block them! Block it!”
“W-we can't block it!”
That was it.
They couldn't even respond properly, scattering like leaves in a storm.
“How in the world... Babylon should be tied up, so how...”
“That's not the point, Rabaon. How many enemies!”
Marpad snapped out of it and bellowed.
A frantic shout came back.
“J-just one!”
“……What?”
“One...?”
One guy making Top 10 Guild execs flop around like paper?
In that instant, one woman's image flashed in their minds—instinct.
*……No way.*
Overwhelming force holding off an army alone.
The woman called One-Woman Army.
Only she could pull off something this absurd.
As their shaky eyes turned to him, Do-hyun flashed a relaxed smile, like he'd been expecting it.
“Man, that woman never knows how to make a quiet entrance.”
He muttered just as the screams grew closer.
Sounded like right behind them—Rabaon and Marpad instinctively braced.
Thud, taat!
“Eek!”
The woman stomped a guild member's face and leaped high.
She landed smack between the two and Do-hyun, white hair flowing, a ferocious red aura rippling off her.
“……E-Empress.”
“The Empress? The One-Woman Army?”
“I heard the Empress wasn't joining... how...?”
The woman called One-Woman Army, Do-hyun's longtime ally.
The Empress's arrival stirred murmurs.
Swish.
But her signature red eyes swept over them, silencing the crowd instantly.
Dead quiet, like prey before a beast crashing a village.
Even the vice-masters froze, faces stiff.
“Huh?”
Her eyes met Do-hyun's last, the one smirking through it all—her lip curled long.
“Heard you were in trouble, but you're fine?”
“Trouble? I was just getting to the fun part.”
He chuckled at her feral grin, and she finally relaxed.
Then she turned her back to him naturally and said.
“Can't let you have all the fun. I'm in. No complaints?”
“None at all.”
That flipped the board.
The guild members, cowed by her presence, stopped closing in; the vice-masters hesitated too.
She moved first.
Pang!
Air ripping with a sonic boom, she plunged into the enemy ranks.
“Urk...?”
She pierced one guild member's chest in a flash, then hurled the counterattacking man—still impaled—aside and shredded with her sword.
Berserker buffs made her speed untouchable even to the eye.
Sssuk.
She yanked the blade from his throat last, turning her head.
Her pale skin and hair were drenched in blood.
The users, chilled by the gruesome sight, backed away unwittingly—then she spoke lightly, like spitting it out.
“Wanna bet?”
“Bet on what.”
Her voice was casual, unbelievable in the heart of the enemy.
Do-hyun took it in stride, like it was normal.
The natural vibe felt alien amid the cowering guild members as they kept talking.
“Who kills more.”
“......Killing's too one-sided. And isn't that your specialty?”
“Scared?”
Do-hyun's eyes iced over at the magic word.
“......Call.”
“OK.”
They spun almost together, scanning around.
Their gleaming predator eyes met the guild members', who instinctively knew.
Something was very wrong.
* * *
Top 10 Guilds.
The pinnacle everyone envied.
Reaching executive rank there was reason enough for pride.
Among ten billion players, few could match them.
No one messed with them lightly in guild circles.
So their boundless pride came with confidence in their skills.
You needed that baseline to climb to exec.
*'Insane......'*
*'What am I even seeing?'*
*......What the hell is this.*
But now, that pride was cracking for the first time.
Not a hairline fracture—shattering on the brink.
Kwang! Kwang!
“B-block them! Block it!”
“Grab a leg or something! How do dozens fail to cover one person?!”
“Sh-shit, you try grabbing—gurk!”
Elite DPS from Leone Guild and top tanks from Aegis Guild.
Their execs were dropping like flies.
All because they couldn't handle one Empress.
Kwaduk!
Puk! Puk!
“Kehek!”
“Crazy bitch...!”
Her slaughter was overwhelming.
Normally, dozens rushing in means evasion or kiting.
No expert stands against a dogpile.
That's why pros fight smart, avoiding bad spots.
But that ironclad rule didn't apply to her.
“Why only me?!”
“That human? It's a damn beast pup... won't shake off!”
“Beast? Come here. I'll kill you first.”
“Eeeek!”
Just charge. Charge and charge again.
Like she only saw ahead, bulldozing into close range no matter how many swarmed.
No tactics, no mind games—just dogfight brutality.
But backed by sheer power, it was devastating.
[Bloodrage effect: Grow stronger for 70 seconds the more blood you spill.]
[berserk effect: For 80 seconds, take more damage but attack power surges.]
[Diehard effect: Sacrifice HP to boost physical stats.]
[Sacrificed 80% HP.]
[Mania effect: For 90 seconds, lose 1% HP per second; stats and speeds scale with current HP %.]
Her class was Berserker-line.
Far from tiring, she got stronger the longer it went— a runaway tank.
How about Kaiser's side?
“Sh-shit, why won't attacks land?!”
“Why do I keep getting hit when we're all swinging?!”
“Grab him already! We gotta dogpile to do anything!”
“No room—he's right up in our faces! Narrow it, and it's backgrabs or lightning teleports everywhere.”
“Switch to parry legend skill or something! How's that a basic—gurgh!”
Defeat loomed here too, overflowing.
If Empress crushed with beastly physicals, Kaiser's fight was art.
Yielding soft conquers hard.
Willow dance.
Swish—
“Urk...?”
Sometimes flowing with gentle swordplay,
[Reverse Heaven Stance]
[First Form (Initiate) activated.]
Sometimes unyielding like a mountain.
[Lightning Teleport activated.]
[Backgrab activated.]
Pajik—
Sometimes blitzing like light to shatter lines.
Ultimate versatility.
Unbelievable one person could adapt so perfectly—pure awe.
Allies, yet polar opposites, but one thing clear.
*'Those two are the same species?'*
*......What am I even fighting right now.*
They were battling two monsters in human skin.