Chapter 133

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 133: Joint Training (2)

At the same time—

Jang Miseon, who was making her way up the mountainside from the opposite side, placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

“So, we meet here, Master?”

【Looks like my master’s prediction was correct.】

“Wow. He actually guessed that Dawn and we would team up?”

【As you can see, Master went to handle Dawn himself.】

Three figures emerged from behind Fafnir.

Along with a Blood Golem.

Sigh.

Jang Miseon let out a quiet breath as she caught sight of the Little Runts team.

“So Yoojin-nim didn’t take me seriously.”

“You’re mistaken. Hyung trusts us. That’s all, miss ‘Next’ Sword Saint.”

“Minho-ssi. I heard the rumors—you started a mercenary group?”

“It’s not because of me. Hyung just helped make it happen.”

“Congratulations. I didn’t even get to send you a congratulatory wreath.”

“Then, would you consider stepping aside as a way of celebrating instead?”

Jang Miseon shook her head.

The hand resting on her sword hilt twitched.

Ssshhh.

Her entire body tensed, muscles coiling in preparation to draw her blade at any moment.

“That’s a difficult request. Even if this is just a mock battle, my pride is still on the line.”

“I expected as much.”

【If she had stepped aside, I might’ve been disappointed.】

“Master, go easy on them.”

【Master left me a message for you.】

Thud!

A three-meter-tall draconic warrior kicked off the ground, soaring high into the air.

It arced through the air like a shell from a 155mm howitzer, descending with relentless force.

【I’ll let you live.】

While airborne, Fafnir swung both arms back in preparation.

Sssshhh!

Jang Miseon’s instincts flared sharply at the surging aura.

“Formation D!”

Her clear voice rang through the mountainside.

The Phoenix Guild members behind her immediately activated their pre-coordinated skills.

[Saint Wall]

[Holy Resistance Shield]

[Holy Guard]

A cascade of defensive spells, each passed down through sacred orders, unfolded before Jang Miseon’s eyes.

The magic-type Hunters, awaiting her signal, swiftly rearranged their mana.

Holy spells required only the Will and Divine Power of the user to activate instantly.

Formation D was a battle strategy that leveraged the rapid activation of holy spells as an initial defense, while magic-type Hunters provided additional support.

【A wise choice.】

[Kenex Combat Arts]

[Tenth Stance]

[Compact Formation Strike]

A strike that condensed the essence of nine different combat techniques into a single point.

When facing the One-Eyed, he had used only his right hand.

But this time, he struck with both hands.

【Even so, can they block it?】

After rigorous training, Fafnir had perfected the stance necessary to unleash the true power of Compact Formation Strike.

Using his body as the axis, he rotated his aura, concentrating it into both hands.

With his fingers interlocked, he detonated the combined essences of entirely different combat techniques all at once!

Just as the violently rotating aura threatened to recoil, he locked his grip and clashed against the holy spells.

Boom!—

A blinding flash seared across their vision.

“Huh?”

Layered defensive spells shattered in a single blow.

A surge of dark aura filled Jang Miseon’s entire field of view.

For an instant, the sheer force of it compelled her to think of one thing—Death.

Her body instinctively tried to react, her grip tightening as her sword nearly left its sheath on reflex.

[Wind Slash]

[Ice Wall]

[Lightning Web]

The priests' spells bought them precious seconds.

As pre-coordinated, the completed magic surged forth, pushing back against the dark aura.

Fafnir’s wildly rotating aura was gradually shaved down by the relentless barrage of spells.

【Not bad.】

But it still wasn’t enough.

If they wanted to stop the full force behind Fafnir’s fists—

His piercing blue eyes seemed to demand an answer from Jang Miseon.

“He’s really a 4 Star or lower?”

“I heard Yoojin’s summon was strong, but this…”

“Captain Miseon, was he always this powerful?!”

The tanks who had rushed up behind her were visibly shaken.

Formation D was designed to withstand attacks from enemies at least two tiers stronger.

Yet Fafnir’s strike had completely exceeded even that threshold.

[Iron Will]

[Steel Armor]

[All-Out Defense]

Auras wrapped around their shields, perfectly aligned so as not to disrupt each other’s positioning.

As Fafnir’s blow struck, the force was absorbed seamlessly.

Crack! Crrrkk!

Shields embedded with mana circuits warped, and blue currents of energy dissipated into the air.

But—

Fafnir’s all-out strike had finally come to a halt.

‘Master… you never showed me a technique like this before.’

45 out of 60.

That was the number of Hunters required to neutralize that one attack.

And they weren’t just any Hunters—they all wielded aura or multi-casting skills.

Yet Fafnir, with a single strike, had drained a significant portion of the Phoenix Guild’s rising talents.

[Shooting Star Sword]

[Comet Dash]

A white flash surged toward Fafnir in retaliation.

By surpassing her previous limits, Shooting Star Sword could now unleash its true power.

Just as Jang Miseon was about to swing her sword—

Thump.

A sudden, inexplicable sense of foreboding made her shift the flow of her aura. The abrupt redirection of her mana left her stomach churning, but in the end, it was the right call.

[Shooting Star Sword]

[Starlight Veil]

The moment the veil of aura descended—

[Moveable Fortress]

[Heavy Strike]

[Aegis of Athena - Lv1]

A storm of force swept through the battlefield, crashing into Jang Miseon and the tankers who had blocked Fafnir’s attack.

“Whoa. What the hell was that?”

“It’s a technique I developed thanks to my brother’s idea.”

As Fafnir charged in, Kang Minho moved alongside him, unleashing a relentless chain of attacks.

At the same time—

Crossbows suspended in the air fired their bolts in unison.

“We’re not done yet!”

Spells stored in subspace were unleashed all at once.

Though not particularly high-tier, they bombarded the disoriented Phoenix Guild members, who were already struggling against Fafnir and Kang Minho’s coordinated assault.

'We need to reorganize the formation... Damn.'

The sheer brute force of Fafnir, combined with the uncanny precision of the Little Runts team, created a deadly synergy.

60 versus 5.

Despite the overwhelming difference in numbers, Black Company had seized the upper hand in the first engagement.

'As long as we don’t panic, we can win this.'

Jang Miseon quickly assessed the battlefield.

Fafnir and the Little Runts team were proving to be far more troublesome than during their sparring sessions.

Even so—

They still lacked a decisive blow that could instantly subdue all 60 Phoenix Guild members in one sweep.

'Forcing a breakthrough would be reckless. Better to play it safe.'

If this dragged into a battle of attrition, mana depletion would become an issue.

For Black Company, who was already fighting on multiple fronts, that was the worst-case scenario.

“Switch to Formation G.”

“Got it, Team Leader.”

Rather than engaging in a head-on clash, they would switch to a rotating battle formation, gradually wearing down their opponents.

What was strange—

Fafnir and the Little Runts team weren’t trying to force a breakthrough or retreat.

It was as if...

They were intentionally stalling for time.

'Wait. No way—'

A chilling realization flashed through her mind just as she was about to shout a warning.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted.

Thick smoke billowed from the direction the Phoenix Guild members had come from.

＊ ＊ ＊

【KRRRRAAAA!!!】

A roar of pure will, deep and resonant, shook the very soul.

There was no time to be shocked. The moment Shin Yoosung saw the shadow looming over him, he instinctively pulled his right hand back.

[Raging Tiger Fist]

[Chapter 4 – Explosive Strike]

ROOAARR!

A sound resembling a tiger’s cry erupted from his fist as a burst of white aura struck the unknown attacker descending upon him from above.

A punch powerful enough to demolish a three-story building in a single blow.

'It landed.'

He felt the heavy impact travel through the back of his hand. The movement of his muscles, the timing, and the flow of his aura—everything had been flawless, despite the attack being purely instinctual.

Just as he looked up to check on the enemy’s condition—

【Is that all you’ve got?】

A front paw, thicker than a tree trunk, came crashing down toward his head.

A chilling sense of dread gripped him, and he instinctively crossed his arms into an X formation.

He pushed his aura to the limit, preparing to counter—

“Urk!”

A strangled cry forced its way from his throat, as if his lungs had been crushed.

The [Emergency Teleport] magic he wore around his neck activated, and his entire body was engulfed in light.

'No… this can't be happening. Just one hit… and I’m out?’

He wanted to resist.

His mind refused to accept it.

He wanted to fight back, to shake off the reality forced upon him.

But the truth was undeniable—his body had already been teleported out of the battlefield.

Flash!

And just like that, the last hope of the Dawn Guild vanished from the battlefield.

“C-Captain?”

“Did he just take down Captain Shin Yoosung in a single blow?!”

“What kind of undead is that? I’ve never even heard of something like this.”

“Half-human, half-demon…? No, that’s not it.”

“His lower body… It looks like a Dragon’s.”

A Death Dragon.

An abominable undead, created by fusing a Basilisk’s corpse with a Tyrant’s final form.

The Phoenix Guild members were utterly stunned.

Shin Yoosung was a 4 Star ranker.

Though he had only recently awakened his aura, his skill and destructive power were on par with a 5 Star Hunter.

Brilliant talent, a unique trait, and relentless training—

And yet, he had been retired in a single attack.

“How’s the body?”

【There’s still some lingering discomfort. However, it will not interfere with carrying out orders.】

'17% reduction in all stats.'

A clear penalty—

But thanks to the Ring of Darkness, which had been gradually stabilizing its power, the penalty had been significantly reduced.

“Don’t use Death Charge and Swift Strike at the same time.”

【My destructive power will be greatly reduced.】

“If you do, they’ll actually die.”

【Understood.】

The grip on the weapon tightened excessively.

The members of the Dawn Guild wore twisted expressions.

It was shocking that Shin Yoosung couldn't even withstand a single blow, but that was all.

"Are they underestimating us?!"

"Ignore that summon! Take down Cheon Yoojin!"

"That will secure our victory!"

They had shown some level of restraint on their end.

People say sincerity gets through, but it seemed the Dawn Guild members were rather narrow-minded.

〔I don't think this is about narrow-mindedness.〕

Ignoring Kronos, buffs were applied to Song Myeongseok and the Death Cavalier (Choi Hyungtae).

[Using Unholy Blessing.]

[Using Punishing Spike.]

[Using Monarch's Command.]

[Using Unholy Command.]

One after another, the buffs stacked, drastically enhancing the abilities of the two undead.

The moment the Death Cavalier received all the buffs, it stomped the ground hard—BOOM!—and charged straight into the heart of the Dawn Guild members.

[Death Charge]

Dark energy swirled around the basilisk's head.

The skill, Death Charge, a cavalry-type ability, was activated, surrounding the Death Cavalier in an overwhelming aura of destruction.

It exuded a presence as fearsome as Pafnir at full power.

The Dawn Guild members came to the same conclusion.

"Defensive formation!"

⋯⋯⋯

[Crystal Wall]

[Earth Edge]

[Gust Wind]

[Holy Barrier]

⋯⋯⋯

Holy spells and defensive magic blocked the charge.

Tanks reinforced their defenses by using both their skills and aura simultaneously.

"Even an Aura Blade shouldn't be able to break through this barrier—"

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

Not even walls of ice harder than steel.

Not even a storm powerful enough to uproot ancient trees.

Nothing could stop the Death Cavalier’s advance.

Even the holy spells, which had the advantage in terms of elemental affinity, were no exception.

"Hold the line! Don't get pushed back!"

"Prepare the second wave while the tanks hold it down!"

Close-combat hunters unleashed their aura, trying to pin down the Death Cavalier.

The barrage of aura attacks sliced through the dark energy surrounding it.

For the first time, the Death Cavalier’s seemingly unstoppable charge began to slow down.

[Haste]

Then came the second acceleration.

BOOM!

With a deafening impact, the tanks were sent flying in all directions like bowling pins.

Some had sustained critical injuries, forcing their emergency teleportation spells to activate.

A significant number of the Dawn Guild’s most promising 4 Star and lower-ranked members had suffered severe damage from a single charge.

【If I had combined Charge with Haste, I could have wiped them all out.】

“Are you trying to turn a mock battle into a mass funeral?”

Choi Hyungtae’s consciousness had grown even stronger.

As he fused with the basilisk’s corpse, his soul had evolved as well.

“After the charge, its movements slowed down.”

“Hold it down! We’ll pin it here!”

The Death Cavalier shared a weakness with Death Knight.

It became vulnerable immediately after a charge.

Because its body was based on the basilisk’s corpse, it wasn’t completely immobilized—but it couldn’t display that overwhelming breakthrough power consecutively.

[Storing the corpse in the Ring of Darkness.]

As the Dawn Guild members scrambled to regroup, it quietly pulled back, withdrawing into the ring.

The hunters who pursued were intercepted by Song Myeongseok.

[Releasing the stored corpse from the Ring of Darkness.]

The Death Cavalier reappeared on the battlefield.

The Dawn Guild members' faces turned deathly pale.

“What’s wrong? You’re looking a little unsteady.”

Time passed.

The Dawn Guild’s main force was annihilated.

Then, their base camp fell.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]