C224
I looked forward.
The Beast King Kiadni was a giant over 2 meters tall, with bulging muscles as if they were about to burst.
With hair like a lion's mane, his lips revealed sharp fangs.
The leader of the order, the Blind Saint Riane, was silent, with closed eyes, wearing a robe marked with the emblem of Tel Ikar.
And the prince, watching us indifferently from the stands, said:
“You have defeated that crazy witch,”
Kiadni continued.
“Excellent! It has been a long time since I felt such excitement. Show me your power, too! As for you, I want to see how much you have grown…”
Kiadni's gaze turned towards Kishasha.
Kishasha bit her lips in silence.
“I will watch carefully.”
Kiadni smiled subtly and clenched his right hand, reminiscent of a mace.
<Even if you are powerful, facing the heroes blessed by the goddess all at once will be difficult. Let me help you.>
“I don't care.”
<It's an order from the prince.>
Kiadni, annoyed for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Riane stepped forward.
<Heroes, we have not yet escaped the yoke of being sacrifices. But if you fail this time… the situation will change. Please, be careful.>
Riane nodded at us.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
The triple warning message indicated the appearance of a powerful enemy.
The sky above the arena began to ripple with white light.
[Field configuring.]
Boom!
A long object emerged from the light, embedding itself in the sandy ground of the arena.
What I had seen countless times before was a statue of the goddess, praying devoutly.
[The blessing of the goddess descends over the entire field!]
The statue of the goddess trembled once and emitted light.
[Divine energy level of the statue: 50%]
[Blessing granted - Purification Prayer]
[The debuff applied in all areas of the Chaos Abyss has been removed.]
I finally understood the rules of this mission.
I told my companions, who seemed tense:
“Listen carefully. Our goal is to defend this statue of the goddess while facing those guys. We have to clear a path for the main force. If we properly protect the statue, the main force will be able to advance into the field without being affected by the curse.”
I checked the messages on the right side of my field of vision once again.
The level of divine energy is 50%. It has the feature ‘Purification Prayer’. This feature should neutralize the debuff.
‘Depending on the circumstances, divine energy can increase or decrease. The problem is…’
I looked at the two bosses.
It seems Riane understood my intention and smiled slightly.
<Don't worry. We cannot interfere with the statue of the goddess. But they probably will.>
Riane pointed upwards.
Looking in that direction, I saw a dark portal twisting.
[Corrupted Human Soldier Lv.53] X 17
[Corrupted Human Knight Lv.61] X 3
Soldiers emerged from the portal.
Their eyes, devoid of reason, were fixed on the goddess.
‘It seems we'll have to fight the bosses while protecting the statue from the monsters.’
If we do our job well, we'll get a bonus; otherwise, there will be a penalty.
The rules were clear.
<The curse has been lifted. What happened?>
“I'm a bit busy to explain. We won't be able to return for a while. Don't worry and head towards the interior of the forest.”
I cut off communication with Edith and said:
“Let's split into defense and attack teams. The defense team will protect the statue, and the attack team will face the bosses. Jenna, Katio, and Belkist will be the defense team. Kishasha and I will be the attack team.”
Belkist looked at me.
I nodded.
“Kishasha will be better at facing the Beast King.”
“…Understood.”
“Let's organize the formation, but let's not stick too rigidly to it, as we can influence each other.”
Everyone nodded.
Formation and cooperation are necessary, but there's no need to cling excessively to them.
I have the Black Dragon's Blood, and Belkist has the White Dragon's Blood.
Moreover, with Kishasha's Transcendental Transformation and Jenna's wind arrow blessing,
And considering our other superior abilities,
It's time to stop being limited by formalities.
[Monster wave!]
[Round 1.]
Soldiers jumped from the walls.
They advanced towards the statue with weapons in hand.
<Hehehe.>
Riane watched us with a soft smile.
<It seems you are incredibly strong, having accepted the goddess's blessing to your limits. Now I understand why Persephone lost.>
Just as she said.
Each member of the group is practically a human weapon.
Each one could probably face hundreds on their own.
I stepped forward, sword in hand.
Kishasha followed closely behind me.
‘When I give the signal… attack all at once.’
No words were needed; we understood each other clearly.
Kishasha nodded.
My skill and inscription setup is specialized for short-duration combat.
There's no need to prolong this.
“Haha! Shall we finish this feast right now?”
Kiadni approached us slowly with a malicious smile.
“The more delicious the feast, the more it should be enjoyed. What if we get rid of the unnecessary decorations? You and I.”
What feast, what nonsense.
I extended my left hand.
“Halgion.”
<Flames arise late.>
Chis!
Crimson lightning began to spew from my left arm.
A prelude to activating the Black Dragon's Blood.
<…>
Riane rose into the sky.
Then, her figure disappeared into the darkness.
<Just death for all, in heaven and on earth.>
“Haha! It's a battle of warriors! Let's enjoy it!”
Boom!
Kiadni struck the ground.
The sandy ground rose, and his enormous body lunged towards me at an impressive speed.
I held my sword, Bifröst, upside down.
It was the Sword Spirit activation stance.
‘I'll end this in one go.’
I have no time for trivial games.
Chis! Lightning concentrated at the tip of Bifröst.
‘Die.’
[Han (★★★★) has entered Exceed state!]
[Unique skill, Black Dragon's Blood, activated!]
[Sword Spirit skill, activated!]
Flames infused with lightning clung to the sword.
Kiadni was right in front of me, swinging his fist.
I lowered my sword.
[The Left Eye that Devastates the Skies]
At that moment, a purple iris appeared above the arena.
“?!”
The flames at the tip of the sword vanished.
"Haha!"
Right in front.
Kiadni's fist was about to hit my face.
"Han, watch out!"
Kishasha intervened between Kiadni and me, blocking his fist.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Kishasha rolled on the ground, unable to withstand the impact.
I quickly stepped back.
"What's wrong? Surprised that you can't use that strength you boast about so much?"
Kiadni shook his fist, taunting.
"Don't worry. I can't use my power either. It's a fair fight!"
Status window.
My condition was displayed as a hologram.
Except for Intermediate Sword Handling skills, all other skills were grayed out and couldn't be used.
The Gravestone window, including Black Dragon Blood, was the same.
'Unusable...'
I laughed bitterly.
Over the arena, a pair of fiery eyes oversaw the entire place.
'The Left Eye that Devastates the Skies.'
'A very interesting pattern.'
So, I have to fight this guy hand to hand.
"Do you think I'm going to run away?"
I smiled and spun my sword.
This is a real fight without frills.
"Haha! That's right! That's how a true warrior should be!"
Kiadni burst into laughter and extended his fist towards me.
And then.
Boom!
His body lunged towards me with explosive force.
'The only skill I can use is weapon handling.'
Neither Black Dragon Blood, nor Exceed, nor Spirit of the Sword, nor any other skill was available.
I swung my sword towards Kiadni.
His fist struck the side of the sword.
"...!"
I stepped back several meters.
The pain as if my grip was tearing apart.
Impressive brute force.
[Monster Surge!]
[Round 2.]
[Corrupted Human Soldier Lv.53] X 23
[Corrupted Human Knight Lv.61] X 5
"I can't use anything! What's going on?"
Ping!
Jenna pierced a soldier's neck jumping with an arrow.
Her aim was still precise, but the force behind it was lacking.
'The formation...'
The three members of the defense team were scattered across the field.
Normally, they would cover a wide area using their engravings and skills...
"Aaargh!"
A soldier screamed and ran towards the statue of the goddess.
Upon touching the light emitted by the statue, the soldier melted and dissolved.
However.
[The divine energy level of the statue has dropped to 48%!]
[Purification prayer has been deactivated!]
[A debuff has been applied to all areas of the Chaos Abyss!]
"Defense team, regroup!"
I shouted through gritted teeth.
"Organize a formation! Form a triangle near the statue. Don't let anyone through!"
"Why aren't the skills working...?"
"Is this the power of that woman?"
Belkist frowned.
I shook my right hand, throbbing with pain.
"It seems so."
Skills and engravings, all unusable.
Then, the battle would proceed as before floor 20.
<Han...!>
Edith's urgent voice echoed.
It seems they received an unexpected debuff while advancing in sector 3.
I raised my hand to my ear.
"Sorry, that was our mistake. We'll fix it soon, hold on."
<We'll hold out a little longer.>
After Edith cut off communication.
[The Eiji Ho aircraft has been severely damaged!]
[Daren (★★★★) has returned to the goddess's embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
[Shekila (★★★) has returned to the goddess's embrace. Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
[Jiran (★★★★) has returned to the goddess's embrace...]
The death messages of nearly a dozen heroes appeared in succession.
'Damn it.'
The Eiji Ho was heavily damaged.
It wasn't completely destroyed, but it had clearly suffered considerable damage.
[Current progress: 034 / 100]
I gritted my teeth.
"Don't let anyone through. If we break, our fleets will fall too."
"Understood!"
"This way!"
Jenna and Belkist quickly ran towards where Katio was, near the statue.
The three, armed, formed a triangle.
[The divine energy level of the statue has increased to 51%!]
[Purification prayer has been granted!]
[The debuff applied to all areas of the Chaos Abyss has been lifted.]
Only one monster managed to break through the defense.
Soon, the debuff was reversed.
'It seems the divine energy level increases over time...'
The longer the defense is maintained, the more benefits are gained.
How annoying they've made this.
"Is it okay if I distract?"
"Of course not!"
I stomped the ground forcefully, raising sand, and swung my sword.
The air tore with the sound of the descending sword.
Bang!
My sword clashed against the Beast King's fist.
The impact was so strong it made my body tremble.
"What an entertaining show!"
Fighting against my strength, Kiadni kicked backward.
Kishasha, who had been aiming from behind, was launched tens of meters like a projectile.
"Not yet...!"
Turning in the air, Kishasha launched back into the attack.
Sshing. Her sharp claws sprouted from her hands.
"Han!"
Kishasha thrust her claws forward.
I withdrew my sword and then stretched it out in a thrusting attack.
Both their attacks crossed.
"Haha!"
The king, laughing heartily, leaped and twisted his body.
The sword and claws passed by where Kiadni had been.
Unexpected agile movements for his size.
"If you've only relied on things like the Engravings so far, you'll never defeat me."
"Don't worry."
We've never relied solely on the Engravings.
I've always overcome crises with my own strength.
Bifröst followed its trajectory, following Kiadni.
Skills and Engravings.
They're nice to have...
"But they're not necessary."
I've repeated countless trainings for this purpose.