The Return Of The Genius Ranker Of All Times [EN]: Chapter 284

284.

It was a battlefield.

Ggrrr- Keuh!

Swish, thud!

“Kill! Stop them!”

“Hold on as if everything will end if we fall back!”

“Uwaaaah!!”

Ceaselessly surging forth, the Legion of the Abyss.

Guild members desperately holding out against that legion, and the members of the Demonic Cult silently carrying out their orders.

And even the Cult of Cthulhu, wearing masks with eyes gleaming with madness.

If this place, stained with blood and littered with corpses, isn’t a battlefield, then what is?

It was a raid of a scale rarely seen even in the history of God of Creation, but the minds of the guild members were focused elsewhere.

Thud! Kwaang!

The ground shook, and a dizzying sonic boom tore through the air.

“…Crazy.”

“Wow…”

The center of the labyrinth, where the Legion Commander Raid was unfolding.

Without a doubt, the intensity there was no less than here, but even more so.

Kwaaaang! Thud!

A massive iron mace and fist collided, the shockwave sweeping forward, and a giant greatsword embedded itself, failing to sever an ankle.

Immediately, the Heavenly Demon unleashed a straight punch, pushing away the leg.

The fanatic, gripping the freed greatsword, leaped up and struck down from above.

Poong!

At the same time, an arrow bomb flew in and exploded before their eyes.

The Legion Commander, charging forward relentlessly even while being subjected to a group beatdown, was truly like a runaway tank.

And blocking that tank was none other than the Empress.

Clang! Clang!

She went beyond blocking, even charging headfirst and leaping into its embrace.

It was a reckless act, akin to a suicide attempt, but the spectacle that followed was astonishing.

Swish- Swack-

“Yeah, let’s see if you die, or I die.”

Despite being destined to be trampled and turned into a corpse, she unleashed overwhelming physicality, landing effective hits.

“…Are you going to leave the cleanup to me again?”

“You know it.”

It was thanks to the existence of the Sword Saint watching her back.

Clearly, individuals were pushed back when facing it alone, but when overwhelming physicality met with incapacitation, they showed insane teamwork.

Clang!

A space with a diameter of 4 meters [approximately 13 feet].

When the Legion Commander’s attack entered that space, the Sword Saint’s sword, drawn in like a magnet, deflected it with a clear metallic sound.

Then, the Empress, who had burrowed into the Legion Commander’s embrace, unleashed a barrage of attacks as if she had been waiting for it.

Thud! Kwaang!

Crack-!

Fists and elbows, knees, sword blades and hilts, etc.

The attacks unfolded using everything, and then,

“You haven’t forgotten about us, have you?”

“Heeup!”

Following that, greatswords and holy swords, iron maces and fists poured down from both sides.

When the Legion Commander’s aggro [short for ‘aggression,’ referring to which target an enemy is focused on attacking] tried to shift, the Empress’s attacks flew in at bizarre angles, and arrow bombs exploded before its eyes.

The relentless barrage of arrows was persistently tormenting the Legion Commander.

Pzzzt-

But among them, there was one who displayed the most outstanding presence,

[You have used Black Lightning.]

[You become lightning, moving quickly and piercing through everything you touch.]

It was none other than Kaiser.

A black mask and a black, undulating martial arts uniform.

And he, emitting a red aura amidst the black sparks, was like a grim reaper risen from the underworld.

—!

Each time he flashed as a streak of black lightning, the Legion Commander’s body was pierced, and it spewed black blood.

When the Legion Commander belatedly recovered from the stiffness and attacked again, Kaiser had already disappeared.

[You use Ice Qi Flow.]

[The effect of Ice Qi Flow is amplified by the White Lion’s Snowfall Sword.]

[The 4th Legion Commander of Destruction ignores abnormal statuses due to the effects of his trait.]

Krrr…

A terrible chill and blizzard. And only the White Lion remained.

Although it didn’t receive the effects of Ice Qi Flow, it didn’t matter.

[Successfully performed a perfect parry.]

[Deflect the attack.]

The Forgotten King’s Swordsmanship, Parry, and the Sword Saint’s air superiority combined to create an impregnable shield.

“I knew Kaiser was strong, but… was he *this* strong?”

“Seriously, how many roles is he juggling? He’s deflecting attacks, dealing damage, and even drawing aggro [drawing the enemy’s attention].”

“Is it possible he already transcended [achieved a higher level of power] before coming here? This doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t parrying be nerfed [weakened or made less effective]?”

“The Sword Saint’s support is insane. No wonder he lasted 30 seconds alone.”

“Look at the Empress going wild next to the Sword Saint; who can stop that? Her physical abilities are insane, for real.”

“Astra is having so much fun hitting home runs.”

Attack opportunities that shouldn’t exist are opening up, and attacks that should land are being dodged.

That small difference is elevating the masters’ level several times over.

They, who must nibble away like eggs against a rock, versus the Legion Commander, who wins with just one solid hit.

Objectively, a disadvantageous fight was becoming evenly matched.

“We can do it! Just hold on a little longer!”

“After all they’ve done, are you going to collapse pathetically!”

“God is guiding us!”

“Don’t disappoint the leader!”

Uwaaaaaaaah-!!

That, in turn, was giving strength to the users.

Because they could gain hope that they could clear it if they continued like this.

The morale, which had risen as high as it could, broke through its limits and became the driving force to sustain bodies that should have collapsed long ago.

‘We can clear it!’

‘Just a little, just a little more…’

They sincerely thought so.

[The Liberated 4th Legion Commander of Destruction’s health is below 5%.]

[Phase 3 will begin.]

—-!!

Until the moment the Legion Commander roared towards the sky as Phase 3 began.

The moment black energy exploded and engulfed the entire labyrinth.

Ah…

Hope was also swallowed by the darkness.

* * *

[Phase 3 is activated.]

[The ‘Limit-Breaking Demonic Beast’ title is activated.]

[The Liberated ‘4th Legion Commander of Destruction’ gains physical abilities that surpass his limits for 30 seconds.]

Phase 3 was the activation of a title effect, not a trait.

Enhanced physical abilities.

At first glance, it seemed like nothing special, but it was a different story if the target was the Legion Commander.

Kuaaaaaaaah!!!!

His already overpowered body is further enhanced?

It was like a huge rock falling onto a seesaw that was barely maintaining balance.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a rock.

Something beyond that.

Kwaaaang!

“Cough!”

Merely swinging his arm creates craters, and merely charging makes it hard to open your eyes due to the wind pressure.

[This is an attack imbued with the Authority of Destruction.]

[Cannot be parried.]

“What…?”

Furthermore, all attacks were judged to be using the Authority of Destruction.

It didn’t seem to bring instant death, but parrying was no longer possible.

Just 30 seconds.

That short time was enough to reverse the course of the battle.

There’s a limit to breaking rocks with eggs; you can’t break a giant boulder.

[The progression of the Abyssification has exceeded 95%, and full-scale Abyssification will begin.]

[If you die to the Abyss, you will be consumed by the Abyss.]

[The consumed corpse will awaken as an Abyssal Undead.]

Geueo- Geueo-

“This is insane.”

“Seriously, is this scale even right? It’s not even a world quest!”

“The Forgotten Tomb is nothing compared to this!”

To make matters worse, even dead allies were turning into enemies.

The morale, which had been soaring high, plummeted as if cold water had been poured on it, and Kaiser’s group, who had been frantically rushing, were staggering as if they were suffering from a chronic illness.

All of this had happened in just 10 seconds.

[The duration of the second effect of the Tears of God has ended.]

[Mana is below 10%.]

And those 10 seconds were the last chance given to Do-hyun.

The guild members let out despairing sighs at the sight of Do-hyun, whose Lightning Dragon Advent and various buffs had been dispelled.

“Ah……”

“…It’s all over now.”

There was no hope left.

The masters they had believed in were scattered everywhere, barely alive, and even Kaiser was in critical condition.

Only 5% of his health remained.

No one could whittle down a life force that might have been even lower than that.

[Khehehe… hehe…]

A bizarre laughter burrowed into Do-hyun’s staggering ears.

[What a pathetic sight… Where has your arrogance gone?]

[It’s a… pleasing sight, khehehe…]

They were the strong of the Abyss.

Two voices, unclear as to whose they were, intertwined and muddled his hearing.

A bizarre yet foreign sensation.

One thing was certain: the voices were distinctly closer than before.

[The Abyssal Corruption is currently at 97%.]

[The strong of the Abyss, the ‘Immortal Master,’ is ready to descend.]

[The strong of the Abyss, the ‘Master of Destruction,’ is ready to descend.]

At most, 1 minute remained.

He would encounter them within that time.

[At long last, I shall see… the vessel…]

[Hehe, I acknowledge your worth. Though you are a banished one who has lost his reason, to push a fully unsealed Legion Commander to his limit…]

[Not bad… If you remain a host, that guy’s expression will be a sight to behold…]

From them, there was not even a hint of wariness.

To them, who were contemplating how to use him, Do-hyun was already a dead man.

“Is this the end?”

“…Good work, everyone.”

Even the vice-masters and the Ten Stars Knights sighed, seemingly giving up.

But at that moment, when everyone had abandoned hope, Do-hyun let out a chuckle instead of a sigh.

[…Laughing?]

[Has he lost his mind…?]

The laughter in the bizarre voices disappeared at his reaction.

They seemed to think Do-hyun had gone mad in this desperate situation.

But Do-hyun didn’t stop laughing. Rather, he laughed even louder, as if to make them hear.

It wasn’t because he had given up or gone crazy.

[…What is so amusing?]

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, a voice asked, laced with displeasure.

The Empress gladly answered.

“How could it not be funny? They’re grinning, not even knowing they’re screwed.”

Her staggering figure straightened, her eyes flashing fiercely.

They were not the eyes of someone who had given up.

And it wasn’t just her.

“Ah, that was damn tiring, really.”

“I thought I could just grab them, but to think they were hiding something like that. I would have suffered if I had been greedy.”

“A plan is meant to be followed, Heavenly Demon.”

“The conditions are met, right?”

Astral, the Heavenly Demon, Sword Saint, and Arthur.

“I do not doubt it, my God.”

As their eyes met, the fanatic subtly bowed, and a volley of exploding arrows burst above him.

Everyone’s eyes were clear and sharp.

[…?]

[What…]

The beings showed bewildered reactions to the incomprehensible situation.

“I know you’re happy to finally have a chance to set foot on land… but what a pity. Looks like you won’t be able to today either.”

Did they instinctively sense the ominousness in Do-hyun’s grin?

Kuaaaaah-!!

The Legion Commander roared and charged forward.

It was a terrifying speed that didn’t match its massive size, but Do-hyun was one step faster.

Reaching into his inventory, Do-hyun threw something like a baseball.

The moment it cut through the wind and hit the thing’s head.

[Using the Shackles of Restraint on the liberated ‘4th Legion Commander of Destruction’.]

[The conditions to restrain the target are two: ‘Hit the head’ and ‘Push the target to its limit’.]

[Conditions have been met.]

[Restraining the target.]

Kuh… Huh?

The restraint, which made a soft ‘pong’ sound upon hitting its head, suddenly grew enormous and began to wrap around the Legion Commander.

The restraint obtained from Shina was finally being used.

At the same time, Do-hyun grinned and raised his head.

[You have overcome an insurmountable adversity with utmost perfection.]

[Comprehending the next realm.]

[Awakening the 3rd Form of the Inverse Heaven Art, Heaven.]

‘Good timing.’

It was the moment when the 3rd Form of the Inverse Heaven Art [a powerful technique] was fully bloomed.