Afterglow
"Are you going to use Sun Swordsmanship?"
Ciel asked carefully of Do-yun as he walked forward in silence.
Compared to the blood tide surging toward them like a tsunami, Do-yun was no more than an ant standing on the shore.
To seize Lunia's attention he would need to display overwhelming firepower on the level of an SS-rank skill.
Yet Do-yun merely shook his head at a measured pace.
"It'd be a waste to burn the scabbard here."
To unleash the First Form: Dawn, he had to pour mana to its absolute limit with the resolve to shatter the scabbard. He could not afford to expend it for something as trivial as drawing a gaze rather than delivering a finishing blow.
"And I don't have enough time for the second form either."
With the wave closing in by the second, the time left to Do-yun was not long. Activating the sword's option—amplifying force by swinging repeatedly in the same direction—demanded concentration drawn to its utmost extreme. It was not a thing one attempted with a hurried heart.
"This should be enough."
Yet an uncanny composure filled Do-yun's face. Once he had drawn close enough to the wave, he halted, steadied his breath a few times, and hurled his sword toward the sky.
Whoosh.
The sword, flung with force, soared high enough to clear the crest of the crimson wave. Gravity soon reclaimed it, yet the path it had carved remained etched into the empty air.
And that was all he needed.
Ssshk.
Do-yun turned on his heel and began walking the opposite way.
"What did you just do?"
"You remember enhancing Sun Swordsmanship with the Red Crystal on the ninth floor, right?"
Do-yun answered Ciel's question with a question of his own. She pouted in mild complaint, then answered obediently, having realized this was part of the explanation.
"Of course."
"It wasn't only Sun Swordsmanship that changed."
Back at his original position, Do-yun looked over his shoulder. The blood tide had already drawn near enough to swallow even the spot where he had thrown the blade—yet in his vision a line flickered vividly blue: the trajectory the sword had left carved into the air.
Afterglow (B)
After he had strengthened the skill called Sun Swordsmanship with the Red Crystal on the ninth floor, the various skills derived from it had transformed as well. Afterglow was one of them.
The skill that once had to be used in advance can now be triggered later too.
A sensation of something being yanked from his body, and a single blue line scored itself across the heart of the blood wave before his eyes.
BOOOOM!
A sword strike erupted from empty air where nothing had existed. To an onlooker who did not know the truth, it would have seemed as though a blade aura had flown at a speed the eye could not even track.
Do-yun clicked his tongue, faintly regretful.
If only this could have hurt Lunia as well.
The barrier floating atop the liquid shifted its position so irregularly that landing a clean hit with Afterglow—which could only activate along an already-swung trajectory—was nearly impossible. Even so, it was clear he had properly put her on guard.
Whoosh.
The gently drifting barrier suddenly blazed with light and hardened into a far more solid form. Sensing the threat of Do-yun's invisible blow, Lunia had instantly reinforced her defense.
In the end, that proved a very poor choice.
KA-BOOOOM!
A massive explosion tore through the place where the vampire had been. Seo Hwi and Elysee, who had been waiting for the opening, must have unleashed the attacks they had prepared.
Rumble…
The tidal wave lost control, its form collapsing. Blood sprayed in every direction, and the crushing pressure that had surged like a towering wall crumbled in an instant.
Success?
Do-yun clenched his fist as he watched. That meant they had either killed the vampire or at least inflicted a wound fatal enough that it could no longer sustain the blood wave.
But that did not mean the danger had vanished.
Splat.
From the blood-pooled hollows, several figures rose with sticky sounds—the Nightmares that had been floundering inside after being swept up by the wave. The moment they recognized Do-yun, flesh twisted and bones rearranged with grotesque noise as they reshaped themselves into the forms of other challengers.
"Not a single second to rest, huh."
Do-yun downed another potion to replenish the effects that were beginning to fade.
Physical ability rises as health decreases.
All healing effects received are enhanced by 1.5×.
Upon killing a living being, health and mana are instantly recovered by a certain amount.
Duration of all debuffs is reduced by half.
Four lines of buff effects appeared in his vision this time. Compared with before, some had been added and some had vanished.
"Still, good thing there's a recovery effect in there."
If luck had turned against him, he might have needed to pop another potion lid. Do-yun immediately extended his sword and bisected a Nightmare that came charging in.
Health and mana recovered by a certain amount.
All healing effects received are enhanced by 1.5×.
As the notifications rose before his eyes, the mana he had drained using Afterglow filled back up to a little under half.
"'A certain amount,' huh? That's more than I expected."
Probably because the 1.5× healing enhancement buff had stacked and fired. At the recovery amount that filled far more generously than expected, Do-yun's mouth curved slightly upward.
He raised his sword at once and caught the greatsword of the Nightmare diving toward him.
Clang.
Metal crashed against metal with a dull shock, and the blood pool at his feet sprayed outward. Having casually shoved the greatsword aside and preparing to cut the opponent down, Do-yun could not help but frown.
The force transmitted through the tip of his blade was far too heavy.
I'm being pushed back?
Do-yun's strength already far exceeded the level of an ordinary tenth-floor challenger. Unless some special method like Lunia's was amplifying the Nightmare's power, a mere Nightmare forcing him back was highly unusual.
Grrrkk.
Worse, the greatsword did not stop at simply shoving his blade. Sliding sharply along the flat, it dug in with a vicious whoosh as if determined to take his arm.
"Kh!"
Do-yun tried to wrench his body backward, but because he had not been thinking of evasion at all, his reaction came a beat late.
-74 HP
As the greatsword scraped past his arm, the damage notification floated before his eyes. Without the health system it would have been a wound deep enough to leave bone exposed and flesh hanging in tatters.
Tadak.
Stepping back several more paces, Do-yun lifted his head and glared at the enemy's face. An attack that pierced openings in a familiar style. Though stained with blood and slightly discolored, the golden hair still retained a measure of its original brilliance.
He had meant to cut the thing down in a single stroke and so had not checked the face—yet the opponent wore the form of El Sion.
"Good to see you again."
He even spoke. That was something a Nightmare could never do, so Do-yun was certain: the one standing before him was no imitation, but the real El Sion.
"It was quite a shock when the first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was a pile of rubble."
"How did you survive?"
Do-yun still remembered burying him alive on the ninth floor. Even granting that the safety device of the Rune of Resurrection had protected him from all harm during revival, the moment that safeguard vanished he should have been crushed flat beneath the weight of an entire building.
El Sion let out a short, dry laugh at the question.
"Is there any reason I should tell you that?"
The exact same answer Do-yun himself had given when they first met. As though mocking him, El Sion showed not the slightest intention of explaining the secret.
"I suppose not."
In truth, Do-yun had not expected a sincere answer either.
Shadow Step (F)
While El Sion was speaking, Do-yun activated the skill. The instant his vision flipped he swung for the nape of El Sion's neck that came into view.
"I won't fall for it twice."
But El Sion had already turned and was ready to receive the blade. Having even calculated the aftermath of Bash, power was locked tight in the hand that gripped the greatsword. At this rate the attack would land empty, wasting the opening for nothing.
"Silpi!"
Do-yun called the name of the wind spirit dwelling in his forehead. The spirit understood at once what he desired and answered with power.
Whoosh.
The air currents brushing past him gently wrapped his body. A sensation of becoming light as a feather rose together with a near-omnipotent feeling that every surrounding breeze would obey his will. He could maintain this state for five seconds at most—yet that was more than enough time to deal El Sion a fatal wound.
Crack.
The sudden gale shattered El Sion's stance. Not missing the opening, Do-yun drove his sword toward the empty space of the man's chest.
"Doyun-nim!"
Ciel's scream tore through his eardrums. A sense that something was terribly wrong, and a chill raced down his spine.
KA-BOOOOM!
An impact like being struck by a truck slammed into his entire body. Heaven and earth flipped; Do-yun's body smashed into the ground. The air was driven from his lungs in a single burst and he coughed roughly.
"Keheuk!"
A high ringing filled his ears; his vision swam, brain still shaking. Yet even through the haze there was a silhouette he recognized at once.
Characteristic cat ears twitching faintly above her head—a beastkin.
Gale Kaya.
She stared at Do-yun, who had been commanding the wind, her expression hard as stone.