Chapter 502
Originally, the burrows should have been crawling with centipedes.
But now, a new race stood here, staking the very survival of their family against each other.
Belus looked at Alice with a face full of emotion.
Just how…
Just how many long years had he dreamed of this moment?
Grip.
Belus clenched his fist.
Even though his nails dug into his palm and blood trickled out, he felt no pain.
He had lived buried in a hellish cave, having long forgotten what moonlight even looked like.
Yet even as his bones were ground and his soul was worn down, he never gave up the desire for revenge.
Someday, if the opportunity arose—
He would usurp the headship of Ataraxia and make the traitor who betrayed the Alice he trusted pay dearly.
And now, at last—
The time had come to fulfill the clan’s long-standing wish.
“The Lord has given the order.”
Sring!
Belus drew the rapier at his waist.
The blood-stained blade shimmered with dazzling brilliance.
“Make Excension pay the price in blood!”
“Ooooooh!”
“It’s time for vengeance!”
“Kill them all!”
The entire cave roared with a thunderous cheer.
Their pent-up resentment fueled morale to the highest heights.
“Alice… so you’re going to sacrifice everyone under you too, huh?”
“The ones who’ll be sacrificed are yours. Because we’ll be the ones to win.”
Alice shot back without backing down.
Pachichichik!
Mana clashed head-on against mana.
“If you’re so desperate to die, then so be it. Attack.”
Excension’s side finished preparing for the charge as well.
And then—
Kwakwakwakwakwak!
Vampires from opposing factions collided head-on.
“Kuaaaagh!”
“Aaaagh!”
Pupupupung!
Kwaaang!
Bloodline magic erupted chaotically everywhere.
Rapiers crossed, and a cacophony of blood and screams filled the air.
* * *
[Teresa activates Lv19 ‘Blessed Touch’!]
Swoooosh….
Thanks to Teresa, Chun Yoosung and Wolyoung quickly recovered their condition.
“This should do.”
Teresa carefully inspected the wounded areas.
“…Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Chun Yoosung offered a short thanks, and Teresa replied with a gentle smile.
Now they could join the battle again, further tipping the balance against the Veteran Corporation.
Lastly, Thor, who had joined Jinhyuk’s side, also made his presence fully known.
[‘Mjölnir’ – Call of Thunder activates!]
Blue lightning enveloped the hammer.
The sacred relic, usable only by Thor, was unparalleled when it came to raw power.
Kwaaaang!
“Khuk!”
Tamia staggered backward.
Even though she had dispersed part of the impact, the shock penetrated deep into her bones.
‘If it’s not my true body… this won’t be easy.’
Indeed, manifesting her true body here would only attract attention from other dragons.
For dragons, wandering the lower floors of the Tower in a humanoid form was considered a permissible “pastime.”
But revealing one’s true body would cross a line far beyond mere amusement.
In the worst-case scenario, it could expose her ambitions to seize the Dragon Lord’s throne.
That was something that had to be prevented at all costs.
Thus, the only remaining option…
Tamia swung her bone spear clockwise.
Bungbungbung!
The spear carved through the air.
[‘Brynhilda’ – Wind Force activates!]
The ancient dragon Brynhilda governed the authority of ‘wind’ and ‘acceleration.’
If brute strength failed, then she would push through with overwhelming speed.
No matter how tough their bodies were, they wouldn’t withstand the blade of the wind.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
While everyone fought in their respective positions—
Jinhyuk and Alice continued to pressure Excension.
[Unique Ability ‘Grave of Swords’ activates!]
Black aura coated the two daggers.
With the added stats from the ‘Crown of Tyranny,’ the clarity of the sword aura became noticeably sharper.
Kwaaang!
Even Jinhyuk’s footwork had ascended to another level.
Seizing Excension’s flank in an instant, Jinhyuk swung his dagger.
Kwaaaang!
A deafening roar that one wouldn’t expect from such a small weapon.
However, Excension, wielding his greatsword like a pair of chopsticks, blocked Jinhyuk’s attacks.
Steel clashed against steel.
If Jinhyuk’s sword emphasized speed and swiftness—
Excension’s sword sought to crush the opponent with every blow.
Kagagak!
Accelerated by ‘Accelerated Combustion,’ Excension’s sword slashed toward Jinhyuk’s crown.
Dodging would ruin his posture.
Jinhyuk crossed his two daggers to block the strike.
Normally, the impact would have shattered his arms, but thanks to the ‘Crown of Tyranny,’ he could withstand it.
Yet even before the shock fully subsided—
The weight on the greatsword suddenly lightened.
Excension had abandoned his sword and vanished.
“……!”
Jinhyuk swiftly turned his head.
Right behind him—Excension’s hand lunged forward like lightning.
At the level of a family head, just sharpening his claws could rival a sacred relic’s power.
[‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art’, ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Fist’ activates!]
Jinhyuk’s fist moved half a beat faster.
Crunch…!
“Khuk….”
By a hair’s breadth, Jinhyuk’s punch drove into Excension’s abdomen.
Just a few centimeters away, Excension’s black claws froze in place.
Kwaaaang!
Excension’s body was blasted away.
Even beings from ancient times would struggle to endure a direct hit from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art barehanded, crown or no crown.
‘It’d be nice if he just died from that…’
But things rarely go so conveniently.
Sure enough, through the shattered debris, Excension staggered back to his feet.
Naturally, Excension, now blinded by rage, would come at them even more ferociously.
“Alice.”
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
Alice glanced down at the network of veins drawn across the ground.
A great magic circle etched with seventeen types of runes would activate the moment mana was injected.
“I… am the head of Ataraxia. Ghosts of the dead have no right—no right to steal my position again!”
His two eyes, glistening with madness.
Just as expected, Excension charged forward without a second thought.
100 meters… 50 meters… then 10 meters.
The distance closed in an instant.
Now, if he swung, the greatsword would immediately reach.
“Now!”
At Jinhyuk’s shout, Alice infused mana into the ground.
Wuuuuung!
[Alice activates Lv?? ‘Flower of Fresh Blood’!]
Droplets of blood split into thin lines and began to whirl into a vortex.
Excension, trapped in the center, was like a piece of meat thrown into a giant blender.
“Rats…! When the hell did you prep something like this behind my back?”
Excension snorted in disdain.
If it was made of blood, then he should be able to overpower it with the Crown of Pureblood.
Such a trap was nothing to worry about.
However—
“……What?”
Even with the Crown of Pureblood, seizing dominance over it wasn’t easy.
Strictly speaking, he was slowly taking control, but the speed was absurdly slow.
“It won’t be that easy. I put a lot of work into it.”
The long preparation paid off—both the magic’s power and binding force were impeccable.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
The condensed mana exploded.
The bloody storm erupted from the ground, piercing through the ceiling and soaring into the sky.
Chiiiiik!
Heat rose from the molten rocks.
“Impressive…”
“Is that the power of a former Head of Ataraxia?”
Even Tamia and Thor, who were locked in fierce battle, turned their heads.
Grit.
Hastings’ face twisted into an expression like he had just chewed manure.
“L-Lord!”
“These wretches dare…!”
“Quickly! Sweep them all away! We must help Lord Excension!”
The blood kin who followed Excension fell into disarray under the catastrophic magic.
Yet—
Even in the midst of that ridiculous storm of blood, Excension remained standing.
“Did you really think… something like this could kill me!”
Clearly, he wasn’t someone who had dragged Alice down from the headship with just words.
Even without the crown, his tenacity for survival was beyond imagination.
Still, the damage inflicted was significant.
Alice gripped her rapier and stood beside Jinhyuk.
To finish this properly, they had to aim for the heart—the core of mana.
Tap.
Kwaang!
Jinhyuk and Alice charged forward simultaneously.
Jinhyuk led the assault.
Kagagagang!
Ferocious strikes rained down.
Adding Alice’s piercing rapier attacks made it almost impossible for the exhausted Excension to defend properly.
Slash! Tear!
Red lines carved across Excension’s body.
Although he parried most of the attacks, the minor wounds accumulated.
Before long, he was taking damage faster than he could heal.
His wounds no longer recovered.
At that moment—
The droplets of blood clinging to Excension’s body twisted unnaturally.
[Unique Ability ‘Blood Explosion’ activates!]
A power copied from Decasus’ head, Amulam.
An attack that started from the skin itself—dodging it was nearly impossible.
“Kuaaaagh!”
Excension let out a scream.
This time, the impact was great enough to force him to retreat.
Though it looked like he was maintaining distance, it was closer to panicked fleeing.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Excension gasped for breath.
In such a short time, he had exhausted an enormous amount of mana, and his body was no longer obeying him.
Even so—
One of the Crown of Pureblood’s powers allowed him to force himself to keep fighting until his final breath.
Kukukukuku!
He squeezed out every last drop of mana.
To the very bottom.
Prepared to risk everything he had.
“I didn’t want to use this…”
[Excension activates the Unique Holy Spear ‘Blood Breath’!]
“I have no choice. I’ll erase everything and start over.”
Better to survive, even if it meant losing everything.
As long as he lived, another chance would come.
“Guhhh….”
“L-Lord?”
“My body… my body is…!”
Excension’s blood kin clawed at themselves in agony.
The blood leaking from their bodies was being sucked into Excension.
But Excension didn’t even blink, focusing all his mana onto the tip of his sword.
Boom!
Thud.
One by one, the blood kin collapsed.
Conversely, Excension’s aura grew even stronger.
Pachichichik!
The Blood Breath, formed of red liquid, blazed violently.
[‘Crown of Pureblood’ enhances the Bloodline Magic!]
With ample sacrifices and the best sacred relic, nothing was lacking to unleash the strongest breath attack.
“I will be the one who survives this fight.”
A twisted smile formed on Excension’s lips.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
The fact that Excension activated his Unique Holy Spear meant he had drawn his final defensive line.
“This will end the battle.”
“Are you going to face it head-on?”
Even so, this was a breath attack fueled by sacrificing his own blood kin.
If they didn’t evade it, the risk was unimaginably high.
However—
“Do you trust me?”
Jinhyuk showed no sign of retreating.
Alice quietly chewed over that question.
Since the first time they met in the Corridor of the Fallen, until now—
Not once had Jinhyuk’s words betrayed her trust.
No matter how absurd it sounded, if Jinhyuk said it, she would believe without a shred of doubt.
“Yeah, of course I trust you.”
Alice smiled brightly.
Then, Jinhyuk grabbed Alice’s rapier with his right hand.
Alice, in turn, gripped the rapier with her left.
White Wing.
Black Wing.
As the two drew close, the half-formed wings combined into a perfect pair.
Though different in color, the black and white wings now blended more naturally than ever—
As if they had been one from the very beginning.
[Conditions have been fulfilled.]
[Limited Ability ‘Blood Wing’ activates!]
The wings turned crimson.
At the same time—
Red aura began to surge along the blade of the rapier.
