Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Colosseum Showdown
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Turtle Ship.
Choi Shin-hyeok was well aware of the power of the constellation skill embedded in Admiral Yi's bow, having already experienced it once in the Martial God's transcendent realm.
But without the slightest hesitation, he kicked off the Turtle Ship embedded in the ground and launched himself into the air.
And at that exact moment—
Roarrrrrrr!
The massive Turtle Ship burst into flames entirely.
With its dozens of tons of weight and overwhelming size—not to mention the durability bolstered by devouring Shin-hyeok's mana—it didn't take long for the Turtle Ship to crumble into ashes.
Overwhelming didn't even begin to describe the firepower.
'I never imagined it would force a retreat... but even at this point in time, it's this strong.'
Before his regression, Shin-hyeok had been a powerhouse—the strongest player on Earth.
Naturally, he'd clashed with In-ho several times and ultimately crushed him completely.
Thanks to that, he knew In-ho's abilities in some detail, but that knowledge pertained to the future era when Shin-hyeok was known as the Infinite Emperor and All Master.
About a decade or so from now. Which meant his intel on In-ho at this time was bound to differ.
But regardless of any differences from what he remembered, In-ho was still undeniably a powerhouse.
"Fire God Body. Aren't you pulling out something too precious right from the start?"
"That's not something to say after smashing my flagship into the dirt."
"It was a gift from your nephew."
"...Fine. Then it's about time your little uncle returned the favor with a gift of his own."
"...!"
Kwaaaaaaaa!
Fire God Body.
A skill that transformed his flesh into that of the Fire God.
It temporarily turned his body into the Fire God's form, granting immunity to most physical attacks while massively boosting the output and efficiency of fire-based abilities.
True to form as In-ho's mainstay skill even in the future, its power was undeniably impressive.
Flames erupted without any incantation, blanketing the sky.
Shin-hyeok's face hardened as the crimson inferno dyed the heavens red, and he immediately shifted to defense and counterattack.
"Rise."
Rumble rumble rumble!
He first summoned his undead.
Worthy of A-rank Necromancy, their quality and quantity were superb.
At this level, they could devour even a couple of Diamond players—but—
"Merge."
Crunch crunch crunch!
Shin-hyeok used them as expendable fodder without a second thought.
The undead fused into a single mass.
Using them, Shin-hyeok crafted a massive bone shield and ducked behind it.
Kaboom boom boom boom!
"...Ngh! That damn well hurts."
Even with the bone shield forged from dozens of A-rank undead, the impact was no joke.
Especially since he wasn't at full strength after sparring with the Martial God—it stung all the more.
Crackle crackle!
Having fulfilled its role blocking the flame barrage, the bone shield crumbled like sand.
With no time to brush off the falling bone dust, Shin-hyeok kicked off again.
"Thunder Horse Step."
Crackle boom!
As black lightning coiled around his legs, Shin-hyeok shot forward—only to stiffen at the sight of a spear lodged where he'd just stood.
"Fire Spear..."
Kwaaaaang!
A C-rank spear spell.
True to its fire attribute, it exploded on impact, engulfing the surroundings in flames—drawing a frown from Shin-hyeok. But then he sensed something off and tilted his head.
"...It's bearable?"
In-ho's flames weren't ordinary.
Especially now, under Fire God Body.
Yet even at the heart of those flames, Shin-hyeok felt no intense heat.
Like stepping into a kiln—hot, but tolerable.
That fleeting sense of wrongness soon clicked.
"Flame Extreme Body. Right, that exists."
Remembering his own physique, Flame Extreme Body, cleared up the mystery.
A unique-grade physique that granted powerful fire resistance and affinity—forgotten amid combat traits.
Thanks to it, Shin-hyeok endured In-ho's inferno and his eyes gleamed.
"Guess I can go all-out now."
He'd hesitated to throw himself into In-ho's field-dominating assaults while not at full strength, but confirming Flame Extreme Body changed his mind.
Trusting its effects, he decided to stir up some real chaos. The corner of Shin-hyeok's mouth quirked up.
'Time to be the prodigal son returned.'
Who cared if it was the pits or the prodigal.
A troublemaker was a troublemaker.
Muttering that inwardly, Shin-hyeok charged at In-ho, who stared in disbelief at his unscathed state.
"Tch. Surge, O flames. Strike down, firestorm. Splitting blaze. Whirlwind inferno pillar."
Roarrrrrrr!
Interlocking with the flame-choked surroundings, In-ho's amplified fire magic scattered, merged, and rained down at his command.
Minimum B-rank.
The strongest rivaled A-rank spells.
Boosted by the environment and Fire God Body, their power far surpassed equivalents.
A dozen or so unleashed simultaneously—this was the epicenter of disaster.
"Weapon Shield."
But trusting his body and skills, Shin-hyeok plunged into the heart of it.
Choi Shin-hyeok Style, Chapter 8—Weapon Shield.
Empowered, more refined, and perfect thanks to the Disciple of the Martial God title, it unfolded from his hands. Holy sword and magic spear deflected the onslaught.
Parrying, batting aside, shattering, slicing.
Like the saying "the best defense is a good offense," he pressed forward with attacks where needed—but felt it lacking.
"Cover me. Equip."
Caw caw!!
Shrrrrk!
So he even unleashed his ace in the hole, Kakmaki.
Equip activated, and the crow on his shoulder transformed into a raven-feather cloak, wrapping his neck and shoulders.
Power surged within.
Kakmaki's stats added to his own.
But the real show was just beginning.
"Hate to waste it. Gold Power."
Fwaaaaa!
With Kakmaki equipped, its stats became his—including the special stat: Gold Power.
And for this exact moment, Shin-hyeok had stockpiled gold bars in his inventory.
Well, technically crow chow, but he'd prepared ahead.
Melting three or four bars worth a million won each as tribute, golden radiance erupted from him.
"...What the—?!"
In-ho, who'd analyzed every ounce of Shin-hyeok's energy, reacted a beat slow to the new aura.
That split-second gap was enough.
High-tier players divided even a single second into dozens.
In that fleeting window, Shin-hyeok bolstered his body with Gold Power.
Among special stats, Gold Power was particularly unique.
Its trait: 'miracles.'
With enough, anything was possible.
But true creation demanded gold to blanket the Earth—and then some.
Body enhancement, though? Relatively simple miracle.
And its effects outclassed other enhancements.
Partially mending his halved condition, Shin-hyeok added one more.
"Black Heaven Thunder Step."
Groooowl!
Heavenly Demon Divine Art Chapter 2, Section 1—Black Heaven Thunder Step, an upgrade over Thunder Horse Step.
Chapter 2 differed vastly in quality and quantity from Chapter 1, guzzling demonic energy.
Hence why he usually stuck to Thunder Horse Step.
Especially now, not at full strength, he'd normally conserve—but knowing conservation alone wouldn't cut it, he poured it on without restraint.
Black heaven thunder coiling his legs made Shin-hyeok's movements too swift even for In-ho to track.
Kwaaaaaang!
Closing the gap in an instant, his swung holy sword and magic spear slammed into In-ho's True Flame barrier, erupting violently.
Their first face-to-face, barrier between them.
"You think this is enough to pierce my True Flame? Foolish delusion!"
In-ho sneered mockingly.
True Flame barrier.
Undeniably cheat-level.
Formed from the special medium True Flame, its defense and sustainability could withstand a Diamond player's all-day pounding.
Only something like Heaven Beyond Heaven could breach its defense or outpace its regen.
Impossible for Shin-hyeok now.
At least, for the current Shin-hyeok.
But change the "now," and it became possible.
"Allow me to invite you to the fantasy land of Coliseum World, little uncle."
"...!"
Coliseum.
A skill usable with the Master of the Coliseum title, granting overwhelming buffs to him and debuffs to foes—a field-type skill.
He couldn't use it without closing distance, but now? Perfect range.
Flashing a grin at In-ho's stunned face, Shin-hyeok and his foe were swallowed into the Coliseum.
[Buff: Master of the Coliseum has been applied.]
[All stats have increased by 50%.]
"Whew, that's the stuff."
Stepping into the Coliseum activated the buff, filling Shin-hyeok's body with vigor.
Nearly full-condition level—impressive.
"...This is ridiculous."
In-ho's face, by contrast, drained pale.
"How's the debuff taste?"
"...Ngh!"
The Coliseum's debuff was as crucial as its buff.
Slicing 20% off stats left In-ho's state in sharp decline.
His Fire God Body wavered; True Flame barrier's flames dimmed—obvious signs.
Shin-hyeok grew stronger; In-ho weakened.
Before that simple truth, In-ho unwittingly backpedaled, then clenched his teeth at his own retreat and halted.
"...This won't close the gap between us."
"How disappointing. I didn't realize your eyesight was so poor you couldn't even see that much. Should I ask Brother Se-jin to fit you for some glasses?"
"...Shut up!"
Flushing at the taunt, In-ho bellowed.
He knew it.
His head knew; his heart refused.
But in the Coliseum...
The gap between Shin-hyeok and In-ho wasn't just erased—it favored Shin-hyeok.
Unable to bear standing equal with Shin-hyeok, no matter the circumstances, In-ho pulled his trump card.
"Come forth, Extinguishing Flame Bird, Phoenix."
Kieeeek!!
Extinguishing Flame Bird, Phoenix.
Shin-hyeok knew it well.
An artificial summon born of spirit, magic, and summoning arts.
Its power rivaled Wyvern, legendary pet of America's Dragon Emperor, Harley David.
"Hot stuff."
As if to prove it, the Phoenix's appearance overhead spiked the Coliseum's temperature.
Even with Flame Extreme Body's protection, it felt scorching.
But doubt crept in.
'Extinguishing Flame. Like True Flame, it's a rare fire property. How does the Flame King possess such a flame? True Flame is somewhat obtainable, but Extinguishing Flame is rarer.'
Special flames required 'embers' to wield—fiendishly hard to acquire.
Even after the Integrated Dimension opened, Shin-hyeok had never seen a mage or spiritist handle Extinguishing Flame.
Mystery aside, he focused on the threat at hand.
"I've raised a bird too. Let's pit 'em. Heaven-Destroying Peng Fist."
Kieeeek!!
"...!"
Eye for an eye.
Bird for bird.
Fire with thunder.
Likewise, the heaven-annihilating Peng soaring overhead charged the flame-born bird that extinguished all.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!
With a roar threatening to collapse the Coliseum, Shin-hyeok and In-ho's duel reached its climax.