The Betrayer's Blade and the Dragon's Claw
A violent burst of light and explosive roar erupted, its ethereal nature completely paralyzing the spiritualists' senses. At the same time, the mind-hacking waves that surged outward collapsed their spiritual structures and violently shook their minds.
At such close range, with no time to prepare or defend, even an 11-level spiritualist like Brenar could not avoid being affected. For Han Yujin, who was supposedly only an 8-level spiritualist, it would have been perfectly normal for all his senses to remain paralyzed for several seconds or longer.
That is, if he had truly been an ordinary 8-level spiritualist.
Despite his reaction being a fraction too slow, he managed to preserve some of his senses. It was thanks to the mental defenses of his Dream Dragon Dao Body and the accomplishments of his Eightfold Law Platform.
In that brief window, Winsfell's massive sword mercilessly carved through the two 6-level spiritualist combatants who had been his own companions and came hurtling toward them.
Since he himself had thrown the flashbang, there was no chance of him falling victim to it. The attack was swift and ferocious, yet Han Yujin's response was equally fast and fluid.
The golden radiance he released first slowed the greatsword's momentum. In the same instant, he used the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art to slip out of the attack's range. As he evaded, the Origin Power Great Hand he unleashed carried the profound principles of the inner palm techniques from Origin Power Martial Arts, slamming into Winsfell.
It was a tailored counterattack, born from his thorough understanding of his opponent. Winsfell's ethereal weapon in the shape of a greatsword, despite appearing purely offensive, actually cloaked its user in a thick protective barrier.
The palm strike, heavy as a mountain, smashed through the protective barrier and sent Winsfell flying.
Thuuuung—!!
Before the flashbang's explosion had even faded, a tremendous gong-like roar erupted. Winsfell was sent flying backward in a pathetic arc. He didn't appear to have suffered any serious injuries befitting an 8-level spiritualist, but the shock on his face was unmistakable.
Immediately afterward.
Above Han Yujin's head as he quickly shook off the flashbang's negative effects, a circular mirror materialized. It was his natal magic treasure, Monghyeon-gyeong, being used for the first time in personal combat.
He fought with everything he had, without holding back. The reason was simple: Brenar was under attack by unknown assailants.
This was a planned betrayal.
In that case, investigating the circumstances was not the priority. Given the high likelihood that the enemy's forces overwhelmed theirs, the most important thing was to survive by any means necessary.
Thus, what burst forth from the Monghyeon-gyeong alongside a brilliant flash was a full-powered magical assault.
The incomplete spell, given a temporary and rather plain name. Its true name was Cloud Dragon Summoning, an advanced technique that could only be properly cast starting at the Nascent Soul stage.
Grrrrrr...!!
The moment the growl that shook the surroundings was heard, the attack had already landed. Winsfell was torn to shreds in an instant, unable to even scream, let alone put up a struggle.
It was as if the outcome had been decided even before the light burst from the Monghyeon-gyeong. An 8-level spiritualist opponent had been dealt with as easily as a common foot soldier.
By the time the white cloud-formed dragon claw, imbued with space-time interference, belatedly scattered and vanished—
Han Yujin once again manipulated the Monghyeon-gyeong to assist Brenar, who was being pushed back by two unknown Nascent Soul-level enemies that had appeared from nowhere. His eyes had turned cosmic in color, the pupils now vertical slits.
Suddenly, one of the Nascent Soul-level foes who had been pressing Brenar charged toward him at terrifying speed.
The opponent wore a pitch-black phase nano-suit. His weapon was a pair of swords that spewed flames like living fire. At a glance, he was clearly a spiritualist who had trained in weapon-based methods. With his helmet on, identifying his face was impossible.
His movements distorted space itself, carrying overwhelming momentum and ferocity. It was the kind of speed that an ordinary spiritualist below level 10 could never hope to counter.
Yet Han Yujin, relying on his awakened divine ability, deployed the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art without delay and slipped upward. At the same time, the front face of the Monghyeon-gyeong that had locked onto the enemy flipped to its reverse side, twisting reality itself.
“Ugh…!”
The reflected image shattered into thousands of fragments. The enemy let out a low groan and staggered for a split second.
While the myriad colorful mystical distortions surrounding him were forcibly suppressed—
Another flash of light exploded from the mirror that distorted reality with its violet glow.
The second Cloud Dragon Claw descended like lightning, accompanied by that same growling sound.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaang—!!
Deafening collision sounds overlapped in a continuous roar.
The house-sized dragon claw was being shredded like meat in a grinder by the twin blades. Yet despite displaying such terrifying swordsmanship to block the attack, the enemy looked slightly flustered.
A level 10 spiritualist held an overwhelming advantage against those below level 9 due to their awakened space-time perception. Though the numerical difference was merely one, the actual gap was enormous.
In other words, if Han Yujin had truly been nothing more than an 8-level spiritualist—or even a 9-level one—such an exchange of blows could never have taken place.
Of course, his opponent was no fool. Even while revealing a momentary look of confusion, he did not stop moving.
Shhhk—!
With only the faintest sound, he charged at incredible speed and swung his swords over a dozen times in an instant. The spatial distortions made it impossible to describe as mere speed; his form overlapped, vanished, and shimmered through countless transformations.
Even with the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art, Han Yujin found himself in a continuous string of precarious moments.
Meanwhile.
Brenar, now facing only one opponent after dealing with two spiritualists above level 10, had unfurled her halo of black-and-white light and three pairs of wings. She poured all her power forward, locked in a contest of strength against a laser-like beam.
Vwoooooong—!!
The heavy resonance instinctively inspired terror. The beam carried a deep indigo hue yet gave off a bizarre sensation, as if it were erasing the empty air and filling the void with color.
The weapon firing this beam resembled a staff that could easily be called a spear. Its wielder wore a formal suit, more than ten jeweled accessories, and a platinum mask—an utterly strange appearance.
The aftershocks of their contest of strength did not spread outward. Instead, both combatants' masterful control drew the energy back in, amplifying the power of their exchange.
As expected of those possessing Galactic Empire-made ethereal weapons, their control was nothing short of miraculous.
The voice was familiar even to Han Yujin, who was frantically shifting positions while facing the dual-wielding enemy. It belonged to the elder from the Dekarisis Family—the very same one who had plotted against them once before at the black market auction on planet P-221.
Back then, the conspiracy had been dismantled in secret by an Invisibility Mage. Nevertheless, it seemed the boldness he had displayed then was being put to use once again.
Even in the midst of this hair's-breadth battle, countless thoughts flashed through Han Yujin's mind in an instant.
Among the groups that had bid on the exploration rights for planet X-31, the Dekarisis Family had naturally been present. However, each family had been assigned positions under the military's management, kept sufficiently far apart, and none were supposed to know which family was responsible for which sector.
This situation, therefore, was only possible because Winsfell had leaked information as an inside traitor.
He must have shared real-time data on the team's composition and location, allowing this trap to be prepared so perfectly.
There had been no time to examine it closely, but even a glance revealed that a barrier had been deployed alongside the flashbang explosion to conceal the commotion in the area. It was almost certainly a barrier powerful enough to briefly obstruct even an 11-level spiritualist like Brenar.
Winsfell was not a direct descendant, but as someone carrying Ebenrak blood, his motive for betrayal was easy to guess.
He had harbored hostility toward Han Yujin ever since he sensed the relationship between him and Brenar beginning to develop.
Han Yujin had not felt the hostility grow particularly intense or dangerously twisted, but it was only natural that a man who had been a 7-level spiritualist and recently advanced to level 8 would not easily succumb to such negative emotions.
He had even admired how well Winsfell seemed to supervise himself by showing no outward signs. Now it appeared the hostility had simply found another way to manifest.
Of course, it can't be purely from personal grudge...!
The emotion had merely been the trigger for betrayal. There must have been separate benefits promised to him.
It could be something as simple as a specific artifact or a large sum of laundered credits. Or perhaps he had been promised a share of the spoils once the Dekarisis Family moved against the shaken Ebenrak Family following Brenar's death.
Shhhk...!
While he was thinking, dozens of light rays shot from the enemy's twin swords, aiming for him where he had hidden deep underground. The beams sliced through the earth like rays of light. They were in no way slower than Han Yujin using the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art.
Although removing that attack had limited the opponent's options, Han Yujin himself found it difficult to counterattack. His situation had not improved in the slightest.
From the Monghyeon-gyeong floating beside him in its dreamlike state, five elements divine lights burst forth alongside a flash and collided with the enemy's attack.
The divine lights shattered helplessly upon impact, but the flashes from the Monghyeon-gyeong did not cease. It poured the lights down like a torrential downpour.
Eventually the enemy's pursuit lost momentum and vanished in a futile explosion. The opponent then abandoned Han Yujin and charged toward Brenar, who was locked in a contest of strength with the elder.
Han Yujin, naturally alarmed, burst from the ground once more to draw the enemy's attention.
The third Cloud Dragon Claw cast through the Monghyeon-gyeong descended upon the dual-wielding foe with lightning ferocity. At that exact moment—
As if he had been waiting for it, the enemy instantly reversed direction and closed in at the fastest speed he had shown yet. It was so fast that even Han Yujin's half-awakened Dragon Eye divine ability could not fully track the movement.
The tip of the swinging sword suddenly vanished as if erased, then reappeared at an incomprehensible angle and timing, mercilessly grazing Han Yujin's neck.
Splurt—!
His severed head fell as blood gushed from the body like a fountain.
By the time that blood touched the ground, the twin swords that followed immediately after had ruthlessly hacked, stabbed, sliced, and torn Han Yujin's body into dozens of pieces.
Brenar, who had been restrained by a formidable opponent and could barely move, let out a scream that bordered on a wail.
The dual-wielder turned away in satisfaction, having finally eliminated an unexpectedly troublesome foe. Now it was time to join forces and finish Brenar.
The moment he turned—
He found himself staring into a pair of vertical-slit eyes that seemed to contain the entire universe.
Within those pupils, a ring of light formed as if gathering every color in existence. Above it, the indistinct phantoms of six worlds rose and began to revolve.
At the same time, the Monghyeon-gyeong above his head reflected the enemy, instantly flipped to its reverse side, and froze the scene like an insect trapped in amber.
From the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle that had appeared in one hand at some point, dozens of black lines shot out, piercing the phase nano-suit's barrier and burrowing inside.
And finally.
Despite all the restraints from the divine abilities, natal treasure, and artifact attacks—
Even as the enemy's desperate counterattack pierced his heart, gouged it apart, and sliced more than halfway through his neck—
Han Yujin used every ounce of his strength to forcibly hold the enemy's gaze. Within those two eyes where the half-awakened Dragon Eye and Six Paths of Reincarnation were unfolding, a crimson flame suddenly exploded.
An advanced spell that could only be cast imperfectly with his current abilities. Unlike Cloud Dragon Claw, its limitation was not power but range—it could only be used at extremely close distances.
Yet right now their distance was as close as it could possibly be, rendering that restriction meaningless.
In effect, it was no different from a complete advanced spell. Moreover, what it contained was not ordinary flame, but the Crimson Lotus True Fire of the Taeul Five Elements.
Just as Han Yujin's neck was finally completely severed and his heart was shredded like rags along with his surrounding organs—
WHOOOOSH—!!
Crimson flames of unknown origin coiled around the level 10 spiritualist's head and blazed with terrifying intensity.
“Aaaaaaaaagh…!!!”
A horrific scream tore free.
The flames that began at his head spread across his entire body in an instant, engulfing him completely.
The power of the Crimson Lotus True Fire, which burned the flesh while melting the soul and reducing the mind to ashes, was so overwhelming that even a level 10 spiritualist could not endure it once struck.
As the enemy rolled across the ground screaming helplessly, Han Yujin—who should have had his neck severed and chest torn open—rose to his feet like an immortal.
As a practitioner of orthodox cultivation methods, he would not die easily so long as his Law Platform remained intact.
Furthermore, the regenerative power of the Dream Dragon Dao Body was monstrous, capable of rewriting reality like a dream. With the addition of the Taeul Five Elements' Azure Clear Profound Water, his recovery was frighteningly fast.
The severed head flew back of its own accord and reattached. The wound in his chest closed as if time itself were reversing.
His complexion was deathly pale, but having regained his full strength, Han Yujin aimed the Monghyeon-gyeong at the burning, writhing enemy.
Grrrrrr...!!
The fourth Cloud Dragon Claw, accompanied by a tremendous growl within the mirror's dazzling flash, mercilessly descended upon the foe.
Pukwa-kwa-kwak—!
Amid the swirling white clouds, bright red blood and chunks of flesh scattered. The screaming finally cut off.