Chapter 185

“Hmm….”

I made an ambiguous expression.

Bong Jaeyoung.

He was frustrating, but he was still a Ranker from South Korea.

And not just any Ranker—he was high-ranked.

Yet even someone like him had been taken down by vile Dokgo, now glowing red-eyed?

I looked around.

Around the spectacularly appeared Steel Fist were four Rankers in total.

Maximilian, Im Sujin, Ki Soyul, and Thunderstrike Floa.

“Wh-what do we do?”

Kwon Soye was the first to frown.

“What do you mean, what do we do?!”

A sharp voice followed immediately.

It was the world’s 80th-ranked, Thunderstrike Floa.

“Freezing up in a war is taboo! If they don’t look like an ally, just kill them!”

Bzzzt!

Floa’s entire body flared yellow as she kicked off the ground.

“Hyaaaaaap!”

Living up to her moniker, Thunderstrike.

The moment Floa reached Steel Fist with a thunderous burst—

The entire area washed white.

At the same time—

KIAAAAAAAH!

A roar that could never be human burst from Steel Fist’s mouth.

“Keuk!”

“My ears!”

The formation to Kayden’s left fell into chaos.

The troops that had been charging with spirited shouts clutched their eyes and ears.

They took a massive shock just from the collision of immense energies.

“Damn it.”

Floa clicked her tongue, looking fed up.

“That monster bastard. Wasn’t he originally ranked 101st? Why is he so strong?”

She shook out her hands as if her fists were throbbing.

She could tell from the feel of it.

Her last hit hadn’t landed cleanly.

“Everyone, stop spacing out and attack! Non-Rankers, get out of the way on your own! There’s plenty to handle over there too! Use your heads! Move proactively!”

Was this what it meant to be a high Ranker?

Floa’s charisma instantly quelled the troops’ confusion.

“R-right, that’s right! Let’s pull back!”

“Let’s go support the right flank instead!”

“Leave the ones that look hard to deal with to the Rankers!”

With thunderous voices, they moved swiftly.

“……”

Watching it, I—

Tat!

Kicked off the ground as well.

If Floa was struggling, then I had to lend my strength too.

“Hmm.”

The Elder, floating along behind me, muttered.

– “I suppose what I felt earlier was that fellow’s energy. It’s at peak level, but tsk. If he keeps using his power so recklessly, his life force will be depleted in no time.”

Vile Dokgo drew its power by sucking the host’s life force.

‘That’s a cruel method.’

– “Cruel is putting it lightly. It’s not for nothing that Dang Hwipyeong ranked second on the list of all-time villains in our world.”

‘The list of all-time villains…?’

There was something like that?

‘Then who’s number one?’

– “……Number one?”

A moment of silence fell.

At the same time, the Elder’s face flushed slightly.

– “You brat! What good would it do you to know? It’s a world you’ve forgotten after death anyway.”

Huh?

‘……Don’t tell me, Elder, were you a villain?’

– “You brat! What in the world do you take your master for? Ahem! Ahem, ahem.”

The way he was getting worked up for no reason.

I think I’m right…?

– “Just focus! Look! You’re almost upon him!”

‘Ah.’

Whoosh!

I tightened my grip on the spear shaft that had formed in my hand.

At the same time, I shook my head.

‘I need to get a grip.’

What does it matter whether the Elder was infamous or not?

It’s all in the past.

Hoo, hoo!

As I focused on my breathing, my blood boiled.

At the same time, an indescribable emotion colored my heart.

‘What is this feeling…?’

Normally.

You’re supposed to be afraid of war.

Even more so when you’re up against villains with numerous Rankers.

But—

Blood surged from the tips of my toes.

Fear?

Honestly, I didn’t feel even 0.1% of it.

Just—

‘I want to fight.’

Fighting spirit.

That was the only emotion filling my heart.

How much had I trained?

How much had I suffered in the name of trials?

The result of that growth—

I could finally confirm it through these guys.

I could pour out my power into the world to my heart’s content.

– “Heh heh, you’re excited.”

The Elder laughed as he followed behind.

– “Yes. You’ve become a bit more human, but you’re still just a greenhorn who’s only just gained power. That’s right.”

The Elder nodded.

– “Go on. Pour it all out as your emotions dictate. That too will become experience.”

‘Yes, Elder.’

I’ll show you.

The greatness of the Ten Thousand Arts.

—

“Hyaaaaaap! Shiiiiiit!”

Swish!

Floa barely twisted away from a fist flying at an insane speed.

Then she immediately snapped her waist around.

Bzzzt!

A counter that used the opponent’s momentum to amplify the damage.

A clean roundhouse kick flashed from her foot.

KRAAANG!

A deafening roar split the air.

Bong Jaeyoung took the hit and was sent flying, tumbling and rolling dozens of times across the ground.

The impact was so brutal that the hard earth was gouged and scraped away.

“Hoo.”

Floa whistled, satisfied with the result of a single strike.

“Now I’m finally starting to warm up.”

Bzzzt!

She had no intention of stopping there.

She charged in and drove a soccer kick into Steel Fist’s face as he lay fallen.

Then, as he spun a full 360 degrees, she leaped onto the back of his head and brought her elbow down.

Kwang! KRAAANG!

Im Sujin, watching the incredible hand-to-hand combat, was aghast.

“C-crazy! So damn cool!”

As if she finally understood why Kwon Soye was such a fan of Thunderstrike.

“An electric wrestler!”

“Hey! Don’t give me a weird nickname!”

Floa shouted—apparently having heard everything—as she rose and cocked her fist for another punch.

Krrrreuk!

The fallen Bong Jaeyoung grabbed her ankle.

“What the hell?”

Startled by the sudden movement, Floa tried to yank her foot free—

But his grip, hard as steel, didn’t budge.

“This monster bastard!”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

She stomped his forehead viciously with her other foot, but—

An irresistible, colossal force soon spun her body through the air.

Then Bong Jaeyoung shot to his feet and hurled a fist upward with all his might.

“You son of a…!”

KWAaaaang!

A sonic boom like a grenade going off hammered the eardrums as Steel Fist’s punches slammed into her in succession.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

“Keo, keoheok!”

Just as she curled up, enduring the feeling of her insides being shaken—

“Floa!”

I arrived.

The moment I did, I thrust the spear in my right hand straight out.

Swish!

My right shoulder throbbed.

KWAaang!

A dull impact traveled up my arm.

But I could feel it.

It had definitely connected.

It had to.

This wasn’t an ordinary weapon.

It was a Godslayer-class weapon.

KIAAA!

Yet the knocked-back Steel Fist stood again as if nothing had happened.

Like a zombie that felt no pain.

– “Hoh. That thing’s almost at the level of an Adamantine Body. Will you be alright?”

‘Adamantine Body?’

– “It’s similar to your Ten-Thousand-Poison Immunity. A state where the body is as hard as diamond—neither blade nor fire can pierce the flesh.”

‘……’

– “Well, your weapon surpasses mere blades, so it shouldn’t matter.”

That’s what I thought.

I dashed forward again like a whirlwind.

A series of combination attacks with Floa, who’d recovered her footing, against the fiend.

My spearmanship wasn’t bound by convention.

Swing and stab in the coolest and most comfortable posture you can think of.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

I didn’t give the sturdy fiend even a moment to move.

At the foundation of those actions will lie the concepts you have experienced and felt throughout your life.

A spearmanship that carried everything I’d lived through.

My eyes flew open.

‘A spear?’

Does it have to be a spear?

Ten Thousand Arts doesn’t deal only in spearmanship.

My body moved more fluidly.

When the fiend closed in, the spear became a sword.

When I couldn’t find an angle, I mixed in kicks and punches.

That’s right. Your Ten Thousand Arts contains your life.

The Elder’s teachings—repeated countless times—

Exploded forth against the monstrous Steel Fist.

KIAA! KIAAAA!

Steel Fist let out a monstrous scream, as if frustrated.

But there was nothing he could do.

Other than get beaten down by us.

“……Crazy.”

Im Sujin gaped as she watched.

“……Is that a Necromancer?”

“Yeehaw! Nice! As expected of my master!”

Floa forgot her pain and shouted in excitement.

At that moment—

“Hey.”

An unpleasant voice suddenly rang in my ear.

A voice I’d never heard before.

“Aren’t you getting a little too carried away?”

At the same time, black, formless energy surged in from all directions.

It moved as if a giant hand had risen from the ground to seize me.

‘What is this?’

Frowning at the destructive power that sent a chill down my spine, I stomped into a shadow.

Sssk!

The attack I barely dodged crashed into the ground with a crunch! and vanished.

‘This technique is…’

I’d heard of it before.

The one that attacked in a shape like a demon dragging you to hell.

The technique of the world’s 79th-ranked, The Ruthless Zima.

“Hoo, what’s this? Even Thunderstrike has graced us with her presence?”

A Russian-looking young man spoke with his hands in his pockets.

“So, are ranks 78, 79, and 80 all gathered here?”

Behind him stood five more figures.

Just from the energy they gave off, every single one of them was a high-level Ranker.

“……”

I stopped my assault and moved to stand beside Floa.

‘Right.’

This was better.

I’d been hoping as many Rankers as possible would focus on me.

‘Besides…’

Hwoong!

I instinctively spun my spear once, let it hang low, and looked at the fiend.

‘Rank 79?’

It was a little disappointing that he was below me, but—

I’d show him.

Why rankings existed.

—

At the center of the battlefield, Vladimir closely examined the holograms Capu had projected.

The Guide’s ability was, as expected, even more powerful on the battlefield.

It let him view every situation on screens from one place.

“Hmm.”

Vladimir let out a low groan.

“The war looks like a close match, doesn’t it?”

“No. To be precise, we’re at a slight disadvantage.”

Capu, standing beside him with his arms crossed, shook his head.

The two of them were controlling the forces from the rear rather than participating directly.

“Hoon’s skeletons are managing to cover for those unidentified monsters, which is why we’re holding on this much. In every other aspect, we’re being pushed back.”

A comparison of the military strength of Idam and Gotham was as follows.

First, Idam had:

[6,660 Minion Skeletons.]

[6 Lord-class Skeletons.]

[Five Rankers between 500-1000.]

[Capu, Olena, Judgment Spear, Myoi Hana, Maximilian, Vladimir.]

[7,000 B~S-class hunters from Idam.]

[Ki Soyul, Kwon Soye, Im Sujin.]

And finally—

[Joo Donghoon and Thunderstrike Floa.]

On the other hand, Gotham had:

[A transformed Steel Fist.]

[Transformed monsters, approximately 10,000 entities.]

[Ten Rankers between 100-500, including Thunderstep Tima.]

[Five Rankers between 500-1000.]

And the high Rankers—

[Andrey and Zima.]

It looked fairly balanced, but in reality, Gotham held a slight edge in objective military strength.

They had more Rankers.

And the skeletons belonged to Joo Donghoon.

Capu chewed his lip nervously.

“Gotham’s ten Rankers between 100-500 are also a variable. We have no idea what kind of Unique Ability each of them has.”

“Hmm.”

Vladimir looked at Capu, eyes full of unwavering belief.

“But, Capu.”

“Yeah.”

“As you know, in the end, the factor that decides this war is already set in stone.”

“……”

“It’s the fight between the high Rankers.”

More precisely—

Joo Donghoon and Floa versus Andrey and Zima.

“Well… that’s true…”

Capu had to admit it.

He couldn’t not admit it.

That was what high Rankers were in this era.

“And have you forgotten? Their opponent is our team leader.”

Vladimir grinned.

To him, the team leader was like a god.

The unprecedented hunter who had caught a dragon and broke all the all trial records.

The living legend of the industry who had jumped from a non-Ranker to a high Ranker in one leap.

Then—

“Look there, Vladi.”

Capu pointed at a hologram.

“It looks like Zima has engaged our team leader and Thunderstrike. There are five Rankers behind him too. They’re all high Rankers in the 100s or 200s.”

“That guy named Andrey will join them soon, then?”

“From the looks of it, yeah.”

“Hmm.”

“Looks like that’s going to be the hotspot of the battle.”

“Okay.”

Vladimir nodded.

“Then we concentrate our forces there, too.”

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