Part 2, Episode 224.
Golden banner.
Although it possessed no special abilities, it was an emblem that only members of the imperial family could possess, serving as a symbol of the royal household.
Whether or not one possesses this determines whether or not they become Emperor.
It serves as a token proving that one is the successor.
The symbolism that only the legitimate bloodline of the imperial family and the Crown Prince can possess.
Therefore, no one other than the imperial family could wear the golden banner.
Moreover, if it has a golden dragon embroidered on it, even more so.
It was the reason why the Black Knight Garion obtained the emblem after causing such a commotion in the past, and the reason why golden emblems were extremely rare.
But… … .
[The key to the fifth Fragment of Destiny, the ‘Golden Emblem of Valor and Faith,’ reacts violently.]
[The original owner of the emblem is nearby.]
“… … Why is this reacting to that guy?”
Such an emblem, like a symbol of the imperial family.
He was reacting to a shirtless assailant with a lion’s mane.
I’ll have to hand over my banner. I like taking things, but I really hate having them taken from me.
He is also claiming ownership.
Royal family… …? Then are they human?
A bronzed, sleek, yet solid muscular body and a height similar to his own.
It is connected directly to the hair, so it is confusing whether the mane was attached or if the hair is made of a lion’s mane.
It has a distinctive appearance, but…
Compared to the swordsman next to him, who is clearly a non-human being, he certainly has a human form.
“……Do you know Garion?”
-Garion? Who was that again? Ah, that idiot who made a contract with Mayongjong? He begged me to trust him just this once, so I gave him a piece of my mind, tsk.
The lion’s mane, who had been clicking its tongue, let out a gasp as if it had suddenly occurred to it.
Ah, come to think of it, there was one more kid I assigned to handle a task and haven’t heard from since. That slow-talking skeleton bastard. What is he up to… …Hoho?
It was then.
Lion’s Mane stopped speaking, looked somewhere, and his eyes flashed.
-H-Heeek!
Like a herbivore spotted by a wild beast.
As the guy’s head turned, Jihad was terrified and hid behind Charlie.
– Ri, Rijari!
Eliza also follows behind Charlie’s neck and peeks her head out.
However, the lion’s mane was not watching the jihad.
To be precise, next to it.
Click, click… … .
The undead legion summoned by Jihado, who was startled to see Dohyeon fly away.
The corps commander standing at the very front among them.
[Commander of the 1st Corps, ‘Pain’, reveals intense emotion.]
[I recall the suffering of my fellow countrymen.]
The king of outlaws, it was pain.
Pain’s entire body trembled faintly as he stared straight at the lion’s mane, as if recalling the past.
Whether it is anger, fear, or pain.
Or I couldn’t tell if it was all of them.
One thing is certain… … .
I spared your life out of pity and even entrusted you with work to take you in. But you sided with the Vessel of the God of War? Good grief. They say not to take in black-haired beasts, so I took in a hairless skeleton, only to get a massive betrayal.
Click… … .
Do you think you can save your own kind like that? Or maybe… did you get a vengeful feeling?
Exactly… … .
It means that they are extremely wary of that guy.
The proof was that I stood there unable to launch a single attack, even while watching an enemy openly mocking me and stirring up painful memories.
Do you have any idea how much I got dumped by the kids? Especially that bitch Levi. Just think about how much she teased me just because she found something to eat… …thinking about it makes me pissed off.
At that moment.
The lion’s mane, which had been full of playfulness all along, suddenly changed its demeanor.
A sensation as if murderous intent had materialized and enveloped the entire stadium.
Feeling as if a huge lion with a golden mane was baring its claws, Tongtong instinctively stepped back.
Sss-
It is something I saw in the underworld in the past.
What happens when the author extends their palm like this.
Recalling that formidable destructive power, Tongtong turned to leap toward Dohyeon.
A counterattack is meaningless against that attack.
In that case, it was a judgment that they had to protect their master, Dohyeon.
I don’t spare a traitor who has betrayed me once. I absolutely hate betrayal.
However, the distance from Dohyeon is at least 5 meters.
The lion’s mane activated its ability faster than closing the distance.
[Warning! Overwhelming power is felt.]
Your life could be in danger.
That moment when the lion’s form, which had been conveyed with sheer force, was about to be shot out in its complete form.
Pabababak-!
-Goodbye… …?
Suddenly, about fifteen arrows flew in and embedded themselves in the ground, surrounding the guy.
Pow pow pow!!
The arrows burst in unison, and a dazzling explosion occurred.
The moment my vision was obscured like that… no, to be precise, right before it was obscured.
[The mark disappears.]
“Do you think I would just sit by and watch?”
Dohyeon, who had quickly used a back grab, suddenly launched himself into the air and spun around.
Far exceeding 540 degrees, on an trajectory impossible in reality.
[You can cast ‘Storm Annihilation Kick’ upon reaching maximum stacks.]
[Casting ‘Stormy Thunder Annihilation Kick’.]
[Unleashes the concentrated energy of the Thunder Dragon to create a fierce thunderstorm.]
The spinning kick, swung with added rotational force, slammed into the back of his neck.
—-!!
The sparks that shot up from the tips of my toes shook violently.
And the next moment.
As if a tornado wrapped in lightning had struck, a fierce wind began to swirl, continuously spitting blue sparks.
… … No, I intended to do so.
Tuung-
Until the guy assumed a bizarre posture reminiscent of Tai Chi.
The powerful strike of the Thunderclap Annihilation Angle began to be absorbed futilely, like dust being sucked into a vacuum cleaner.
One might expect to be taken aback by that strange sight, but…
Whirr- Ta!
Dohyeon calmly continued with the next attack.
I already know that strange defense mechanism because I saw it just a moment ago.
Therefore, the Thunderclap Annihilation Angle is just bait.
[Periel’s Gift – Gale is at maximum stacks.]
[Periel’s Gift – Uses Rush.]
This is the real deal.
Pong-
A surprisingly cute sound effect considering it was used like a trump card.
Even a small, pellet-shaped breeze to match.
However, Dohyeon knew.
How vicious and deadly that technique with such utterly insignificant sound effects and visuals is.
Sarak-
The moment the pellet, absorbed by the creature at such a close distance without even a moment to fade, vanished from sight.
[Periel’s Gift – Successfully hit the interior with Rush.]
[Deals additional damage proportional to accumulated Gale stacks.]
[The energy of the gale remains intact.]
[Inflicts maximum damage.]
Crunch- Crunch.
-… … ?
With a bizarre sound like something twisting and shrinking, the lion’s mane contorted violently for the first time.
At the same time, the guy hurriedly tore my shoulder with his claws.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak-!
-her.
At the same time as blowing away the faint something that had been revealed, a massive shockwave erupted.
It looked dangerous at first glance, as it was constantly twisting a certain space in the air.
However, there was no time to pay attention to that place anymore.
Bairan swordsmanship.
Second move, Raincoat.
Whoosh-!!
Because the tips of the swords, raining down roughly like hail, were precisely targeting and thrusting at the vital points.
Tsk, the lion’s mane clicked its tongue and once again assumed the strange posture from before.
After absorbing the attacks so easily.
Bang!
Kwaaaaaa-!
As the regime unleashed its power, the front line was devastated.
A formidable power that seems certain to vanish without a trace if merely swept away.
But Dohyeon was already gone from there.
Ubi is a technique that, after being cast, fires a barrage of sword energy shaped along the trajectory of the thrust.
Thump.
Dohyeon was already taking the next step.
[Executing the 2nd move of the Reverse Heaven Period, Break.]
A technique that boasts by far the strongest power among the numerous abilities Dohyeon possesses.
It was a build-up for this from the beginning.
Clang! Smack!
-……under!
Dakan let out a hollow laugh as he watched the shockwaves shoot out, bouncing up like shards of glass as if space were shattering.
Kwaaaah-!!
Soon, a pure white light enveloped the world.
“-Go, finish this… Ow! Eliza, why the sudden… Eek! Right. I shouldn’t be saying this.”
– Lizari! Liza!!!!
-Calm down.
Eliza violently slams Jihada’s mouth shut, enough to startle even Charlie.
Thanks to that, the spell was blocked, but unfortunately, the opponent was a monster.
You’re quite interesting? Is this what you call a vessel of a god?
Beyond the view revealed as the light fades.
Because the grinning lion’s mane was perfectly fine while sitting cross-legged.
Aside from being covered in dust and having injured his own shoulder, he didn’t seem to have suffered any significant damage.
“shit.”
“This isn’t working, let’s all hit it together!”
We’re here too, you bastards!
At that, the guild battle participants, who had been hesitating all along, rushed forward in a rush.
Watching from the waiting room or hallway, unable to hold back any longer, and rushing in.
There were some big shots among them.
[Signature trait ‘Full Bloom of Ice Flowers’ is activated.]
[When dealing damage to a target with ice-element attacks, ice flowers are formed.]
[The Ice Flower moves according to the caster’s will and can freeze or damage anything within the limits of the power they can handle.]
Crackle-
Cold strong enough to freeze moisture in the air and form crystals.
Following this, fierce flames of karma rising from the opposite side in the shape of a rose.
It is Lephias!
“Siana is here too!”
It was Lephias and Siana, famous as the top disciples of the Magic Tower.
[Casting Legendary Skill ‘Ice Spear Heavenly Fall’.]
[Drops an extreme ice spear from the sky to the ground, inflicting significant damage within a certain range.]
[Casting the Legendary Skill ‘Nine Heavens Karmic Fire’.]
[Nine massive pillars of fire fall from the sky, turning the ground into a lava field.]
[Enemies hit by this fire take damage over time and accumulate ‘Mark’ stacks. When a certain number of stacks are accumulated, the Mark explodes, dealing secondary damage.]
Because I’ve seen that he’s not someone to be tested.
As soon as they appeared, the two unleashed their strongest damage-dealing skills.
Swaaaak-!
An ice spear of overwhelming size, not inferior even to the weapons wielded by the Demon King’s Legion Commander, was thrust down.
Whoosh- Crash!
As if a volcano had erupted, intense pillars of fire continuously fell, turning the ground into a lava field.
That wasn’t the end.
Pabababak! Pabak!
The Watchdog, firing explosive arrows at an absurd speed, and the participants joining in not to be outdone.
Although the masters of all participating teenage guilds were logged out, they are also the owners of large guilds.
They are high-ranking players whose names alone are well-known.
Above all… … .
[Signature ability ‘Smash’ is activated.]
[Strikes the air to deal area damage proportional to attack power.]
[Heavenly Demon Divine Fist, First Technique – Uses a fist.]
[Upon reaching the peak, the first move is applied as ‘Overlord’s Fist’.]
“Hracha!!”
“Take this as well, you uncivilized one.”
Even Ast and Cheonma, who were watching for an opportunity.
Although he could not cast powerful skills due to the cooldown, his strikes were second to none.
however…….
widely.
Just before the attack reaches the relaxed lion’s mane.
As if the light switch had been turned off.
My vision went dark, and when the light returned, all the attacks had disappeared.
… … No, to be precise, it hadn’t disappeared.
Shuaaaak-
A man with huge black wings appeared out of nowhere… … .
No, can you really call that a man?
Although it stood on two legs, it looked as if a mixture of a monster and a human form.
Gulp.
The monster, which was a whopping 5 meters tall, swallowed all the attacks raining down on the lion’s mane.
It is not a metaphor; it is literally opening the mouth and swallowing.
Wow, I tell you, it’s a ridiculous ability no matter when I see it. Did you say it’s a bloodline factor? They’re such a cheat race.
-… … .
Lion’s Mane let out a gasp of admiration as if dumbfounded by it.
The black monster, lightly rubbing the corners of its mouth and staring down at him, did not offer any particular reply.
He just looked up at the sky in silence.
As if waiting for someone.
“-No, that doesn’t make sense. It’s impossible… …! There’s no way that’s true… … How… …?
However, Jihad showed strange phenomena at his appearance.
He tore at his hair and shook his head as if confused.
He looked back and forth between the monster and himself, letting out a groan as if in denial.
A look different from simply being terrified.
Normally, he would have been terrified and asked what was wrong, but Dohyeon didn’t say a word.
Ding!
[You have encountered a survivor of the lost ancient race, the Black Clan.]
[Encountering a being deeply connected to the Guardian ‘Jihad’ triggers the Guardian Quest, ‘… …’.]
[During the Guardian Quest, Guardians, including ‘Jihad’, gain autonomous will.]
“crazy…….”
Dohyeon was just as shocked as anyone else.
