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“Well done.”
I had been worried with everyone returning to the residence, but thanks to Baekhyun and the twin sisters, who stayed behind to continue working on the traps, we were able to overcome the Black Wings’ surprise attack safely—no, brilliantly.
Before the proper battle even began, the traps alone caused several casualties and numerous injuries.
‘And the battle doesn’t seem to be going badly either.’
Kang Han-cheol is holding his own against five Black Wings without being pushed back at all.
Yu Seo-ah is sweeping through the enemy ranks, planting the fangs of the Tarantula, and so on.
The opponents should already be adapted to the sixth Shelter and even have experience challenging the higher trials, but they weren’t being pushed back at all.
Se-un didn’t participate in the battle and quietly looked around.
‘They must be somewhere.’
The Black Wings have branches in each Shelter starting from the sixth Shelter.
Usually, there is a cadre-level player, called the branch manager, in each branch. Of course, the skills of a cadre-level player are so powerful that they transcend the floor [they are stronger than regular players on that floor].
If such a player were involved in the battle, it couldn’t go unnoticed.
However, Se-un couldn’t see a player who looked like a branch manager, so he was calmly searching the surroundings.
The fact that they weren’t showing up even though their guild members were being attacked like that meant they were preparing something else.
And.
“Found them.”
Something caught Se-un’s eye.
Black wings hiding in the darkness at the edge of the fading sunlight.
A man spreading his wings wide in the sky, preparing something.
“Turiek.”
– Yeah, let’s go together.
Purple wings spread wide behind Se-un. Then, he immediately flew towards the man with black wings floating in the sky.
In the man’s hand, there was a sphere of black feathers swirling in a circle.
Judging by the power condensed inside and the sharp sound of the wind being torn, it wasn’t an ordinary skill, so Se-un immediately launched an attack.
– The first form of the Breaking Darkness Sword Technique, Heaven Breaker, is enhanced through internal energy.
– The power of the martial art is enhanced according to the mysteries of the Breaking Extremes Divine Art.
There’s no need to save power. No, the man in front of him was not someone to save power against.
Se-un unleashed his unique black internal energy, raised by the Breaking Extremes Divine Art, and swung his sword.
Just in time, the sun disappeared below the horizon, and the world turned dark in an instant.
Even while launching the attack, he tried to suppress his presence, but unfortunately, it was impossible to avoid the man’s gaze.
“You’re faster than I thought.”
With a distorted expression, the man’s hand pointed towards Se-un.
The sphere made of black feathers wriggled as if it was a pity, then burst towards Se-un.
Whoosh!
A storm of black wings.
Each of the thousands of feathers contained within had the power equivalent to a spear or sword.
‘It looked like it was still incomplete.’
If this skill had been completed?
The black storm would have swept through the battlefield and completely destroyed the Diablo Guild.
A wide-area attack that would render traps, barriers, and armor meaningless.
Even if he was just the branch manager of the smallest branch, he had the power worthy of being one of the Black Wings’ executives.
Swish-.
Se-un swung his sword towards the oncoming storm.
If the black storm reached the battlefield below, damage would be inevitable, so he had to stop it here.
However, its power was too strong to break through with his bare body. The momentum of Heaven Breaker seemed to shatter the sky, but the black feathers continued to pour down.
The more the feathers collided, the more the momentum of Heaven Breaker gradually decreased.
Meanwhile, Se-un finished preparing his next attack.
– You have opened the Vault of Greed.
[ Wind Storm ]
– A wide-area magic that creates an extremely strong storm; its power is comparable to a true natural disaster.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Counter wind with wind.
In the past, it would have been difficult to counter such a powerful attack with a single spell, but not now.
Having reached the 7th Circle [a level of magical proficiency], he was able to use new magic.
He had already weakened the momentum with Heaven Breaker, so he thought that even if it was a powerful attack, this would be enough to deal with it.
Whooong!
A deep green wind bloomed from Se-un’s fingertips.
The wind devoured Se-un’s mana and instantly grew, covering the entire sky.
“The information I found out was inaccurate… Could it be that he has grown in the meantime?”
The green storm and the black storm.
The two storms were evenly matched, but no matter how strong the black storm was, it was difficult to unleash its full power after receiving Heaven Breaker in an incomplete state.
The two storms collided, losing their power, and black feathers scattered in all directions.
Only then Se-un and the man—Jailen, the branch manager of the Lilac branch of the Black Wings Guild—could look at each other properly.
“I underestimated you too much. No, I should say your forces rather than you.”
Kwang-!!
The battle below was still going on.
Neither side had the advantage, and a tense stalemate continued, but anyone with a keen eye for the battlefield would know.
The situation on the battlefield was gradually turning more and more in favor of the Diablo Guild from the beginning.
“It will become troublesome if I drag this out.”
With those words, Jailen’s body was covered in black feathers.
The feathers clung to the weapon he was holding, creating an even sharper and more ominous energy, and the armor bristled with feathers like thorns, as if telling people not to approach.
A level of proficiency that couldn’t be compared to the way Ben and Jen used their wings in Jeheton.
Indeed, the title of executive of the Black Wings seemed to suit him well.
“Then.”
– The fifth form of the Ice Dragon Spear Technique, Ice Dragon Manifestation, is enhanced through internal energy.
– Coldness is added to the martial art according to the mysteries of the Ice White Divine Art.
Se-un also began to cover his body with ice.
The stigmata [a mark or brand signifying divine favor or disgrace] flowed with a faint light, dyeing the ice crimson, and as a result, crimson ice formed around Se-un like armor.
Frost formed on the purple wings, creating a dreamy atmosphere.
“I’ll face you properly too.”
When he took out Durandall, the frost sharpened the blade even more, and the battle preparation was complete.
The crimson ice armor. It had become more delicate and solid than before as Se-un reached the 8th Armor.
The two collided in succession.
Clang!
“…Ben and Jen deserved to be defeated. If they hadn’t been caught.”
“Caught? You guys were the ones who exuded killing intent first.”
“It must have been Ben. That idiot.”
Black feathers fell from the sword Jailen was holding. Ice was also shaved off from Se-un’s Durandall and scattered into powder.
With one collision, the two confirmed each other’s power and simultaneously raised their strength.
– The stigmata reacts to the legend of the Blood Wolf.
– The second ability of the stigmata, ‘Rage,’ awakens.
The stigmata began to exert its power in earnest. Jailen also raised his strength and bristled the feathers all over his body.
Then, the two collided again.
– The second form of the North Sea Sword Style, North Sea Ice Wave, is enhanced through internal energy.
– Coldness is added to the martial art according to the mysteries of the Ice White Divine Art.
Gagagagak!
The cold seawater that burst out from Se-un’s sword froze Jailen’s feathers.
Judging that it was difficult to avoid the attack, Jailen formed a barrier with his feathers to block the attack.
“Indeed, there was a reason why that person told me to keep an eye on you.”
When the frozen feather barrier fell, Jailen’s figure, preparing for the next attack, could be seen inside.
A beam of sinister energy was emitted from the tip of the raised feather sword.
In response, Se-un flapped Turiek’s wings and quickly dodged, rotating the circle.
Kukwakwakwang-!!
A roar was heard as if a dragon and a dragon were fighting, not just players against each other.
The players of the Diablo Guild and the Black Wings Guild, who were fighting frantically below, couldn’t help but raise their heads.
“How can a newbie who has just climbed to the sixth Shelter have such power?”
Jailen’s expression distorted.
Although it was far from Lilac City, the longer the battle lasted, the higher the probability of being discovered by someone.
Moreover, even at this moment, the number of his guild members being defeated was increasing.
If this continued, the information that had been hidden with such effort would be passed on to the higher-ups.
If that happened, even if he won this battle, it would be meaningless.
Se-un’s thoughts were completely different.
‘He’s the one who’s in a hurry anyway.’
Even if the Diablo Guild was being pushed back, the battlefield was actually flowing in favor of the Diablo Guild.
He didn’t think he would lose since he had the Authority of Sloth, but still, to lead the battle favorably, he had to take advantage of the guy’s impatience.
He didn’t know how strong he was, but he was the branch manager of Lilac.
He must have a powerful secret technique.
The key was to draw out that secret technique.
If he could just deflect the last move well, victory would be Se-un’s.
And Se-un’s prediction was right on target.
“I’ll make sure to wipe you all out in an instant without leaving a trace.”
The black feathers that had scattered in all directions as the battle continued returned to Jailen.
Not only that, but feathers were constantly falling and growing from his black wings.
The feathers created bones, created feathers, and created shapes.
And what was created was…
– The Constellation, ‘The Bowed Crow,’ is displeased with the sight of a rascal daring to flutter black feathers.
A bird made of black feathers. In other words, it was a shape similar to a crow.
The feathers all over its body sharpened like blades, and the tip of its beak pointed firmly at Se-un’s heart like a lance.
“This is a technique I originally trained to surpass the executives of the upper branch.”
The crow began to flap its wings.
With that action, its power was extremely amplified, and now, instead of a black wind, a red wind was created around him, enveloping his entire body.
“If I eliminate all the onlookers, I can consider it practical training.”
Cawwww-.
Jailen, who raised his beak and let out a roar, flew towards Se-un.
Not only were the sharp feathers, but the red aura surrounding him looked very menacing.
It felt like his skin would be torn to shreds just by touching that aura.
“Training to surpass the upper executives… That must be your best skill.”
Se-un also prepared to counter the attack.
It was better to counter such a physical attack with the same physical attack than with magic.
Even if he dodged, it would surely sweep through the battlefield without stopping and come back to target Se-un, so he had no intention of dodging at all.
Crunch.
The manifestation of the Ice Dragon surrounding Se-un’s body became more delicate and solid.
The purple wings that had been covered in frost were enveloped in an even darker cold, becoming ice wings.
The perfect form of the Ice Dragon that he had reached with the internal energy of the Eighth Armor.
A new attack unfolding in that state.
– The third form of the North Sea Sword Style, North Sea Overflow, is enhanced through internal energy.
– Coldness is added to the martial art according to the mysteries of the Ice White Divine Art.
Likewise, the third form of the North Sea Sword Style, which he was able to use after reaching the Eighth Armor. The giant wave created by North Sea Overflow covered the crow.