Decisive Battle (5)
While roaring, Ryu Han-bin rushed in.
He pulled out his Blade Aura and scattered beams of destruction.
-Aura Splash!
A series of brilliant red glows flooded Garhan’s left and right flanks, and he tried to stop the offensive with his lightning blade, but at that moment…
-Aura Wave!
The ground caved in as Han-bin braced himself, launching himself forward.
A muscular giant dug into the side of the Thunder King, leaving behind a red afterimage.
Garhan admired him.
“Fast.”
Tendons sprang up in both arms of Han-bin as his grip tightened over Gigant.
A red pillar divided the world.
-Valtara’s Hack
The Thunder King took a step forward.
-Unique Magic Swordsmanship: God’s March!
Blue lights flashed. At the same time, he disappeared in front of Han-bin.
‘Oh, my God!’
Before he could notice it, Garhan was already standing behind him.
“It would have been hard to keep up with if I hadn’t used the Descent of The Thunder God.”
Ryu Han-bin fell into despair.
The speed difference was too big.
Just like the name Thunder God implied, Garhan disappeared and appeared in an instant as if lightning struck. Digging between perception and senses, countless blades of lightning poured out.
-Unique Magic Swordsmanship: God’s Wrath!
The blue slash slithered around and beat Ryu Han-bin’s whole body.
Han-bin tried to defend as much as possible but to no avail.
The gap was also too wide in terms of skills.
It was neither preventable nor avoidable. The best thing he could do was to deflect it as much as he could.
The thunder and his scream went off together.
“Gasp! Ugh!”
Retreating, Ryu Han-bin gritted his teeth as he became covered in even more blood.
If their battle continued at that rate, the result was predictable. Even if it was reckless, he had to fight back.
“Argh!”
He shouted and used all of his Aura to defend against the offensive.
-Valtara’s Crosscut!
Garhan’s right hand moved.
-Unique Magic Swordsmanship: God’s Blow!
Their attacks collided in the air.
Red beams and blue thunderstorms spread all over the land.
Boom!
The giant Valtara warrior was pushed away violently.
“Damn it…”
It went dark in front of his eyes.
Even in sheer strength, he was no match for Garhan.
“You’re ignorant, Baotolt’s disciple.”
Han-bin heard the opponent’s ridicule in the dark.
“Did you think you would have a chance of winning in a head-on confrontation?”
* * *
Ryu Han-bin was thrown to the ground. The surrounding monsters rushed in unison to aim for him.
“Grrrr!”
“Grrrr!”
There wasn’t even a moment to catch his breath as the night’s unexpected changes had unfolded.
Han-bin, along with abusive language, ignited his Aura.
“Argghh!”
A blood storm poured in all directions, grinding away all the monsters that were rushing in.
Boom!
Panting, Ryu Han-bin used Gigant like a cane to lift himself. He then glared at the incoming Thunder King with a grim look.
He was still in his lightning form.
Pazizik!
The rushing monsters were often burned away by the blitz.
It was like watching a flock of mosquitoes fly recklessly into the grid and get zapped on a midsummer night.
“Doesn’t he ever get tired…”
Unlike Han-bin, who had already consumed a considerable fighting spirit, Garhan’s lightning hadn’t faded at all.
It glowed brightly and burned everything around it to ashes.
What that meant was clear.
Even his physical strength and stamina were overwhelmingly superior.
He was the God of Thunder, after all.
Ryu Han-bin was in despair.
‘… but the only thing I can do now is wait for the duration to be over.’
Of course, he didn’t know what logic the Descent of The Thunder God was based on.
Kibie had explained it, but honestly, even she didn’t understand what she was talking about. It was just a transcript of the conversation she read from the Gigant.
However, there were certain aspects.
-The duration of the Descent of The Thunder God is about 10 minutes at the most. Garhan can’t handle longer than that with his force.
Han-bin gritted his teeth, recalling her boastful remarks.
‘You’re wrong again, Kibie!’
He could have survived 10 minutes under the assumption that he would have luck.
But luck or anything didn’t mean anything in half an hour. There was no solution.
Garhan spoke in a calm voice, pointing with the sword of the Thunder God.
“Would you like to keep going? I think it’s already clear who has won or lost.”
Holding Gigant, Ryu Han-bin made up his mind.
‘Now that I’m here…’
The odds were stacked against him.
He had no choice but to recall his oldest experience.
The first time he had fallen on the Rocky Mountain, he looked for a way to live amid certain death. If he rushed into it, he would die!
‘Yes, I’ll give you my arms and legs! In return, I’ll cut your head off!’
Han-bin’s giant body shot forward.
A red flash tore the earth in two.
His eyes shone ferociously through his messy hair.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The Crosscut, combined with his fighting spirit, split the world.
-Valtara’s Cross!
Then, he tore the heaven and the earth vertically and horizontally.
-Valtara’s Hack
Through the great red cross, he created an image of destruction that penetrated everything.
-Valtara’s Pierce!
The skills, which he had practiced for 22 years, were released through the Sword King Swordsmanship, Dog-Beating Style.
It was a three-attack series that was simply near perfection.
Garhan was disappointed, however.
‘Didn’t you ever learn the Heavenly Sword?’
He felt like he had been nervous for no reason.
Even so, he didn’t mean to give Han-bin a chance. He prepared for the strongest strike.
-Unique Magic Swordsmanship: Thunder God’s Smite!
Dozens of dancing lightning converged into one.
Huge hordes of thunderstorms tore the blood-colored cross in two.
A roar reverberated throughout the land.
Bam!
The fighting spirit scattered all over the place.
In the end, Han-bin’s attack did not reach the neck of the Thunder King.
Instead…
“Argh!”
His left arm was cut and flew into the air.
* * *
His lost limb rolled around on the floor.
There was no blood flow. It was because the opening had been burned shut.
“Argh!”
Holding his severed shoulder, Han-bin cried inside.
‘It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!’
He had become accustomed to all kinds of injuries and pains. He thought he could bear the agony of having an arm sliced off.
He couldn’t.
The level of pain was different. He felt like cutting through the skull and pouring hydrochloric acid directly into the brain.
The pain ran all over his body like a runaway locomotive!
With his eyes wide open, he trembled.
“Argh, argh…”
Nevertheless, he did not faint.
It was because the situation didn’t let him pass out.
“Grrrr!”
As soon as Han-bin weakened, the surrounding monsters rushed in again.
In extreme pain, he wielded his Gigant with his right arm.
‘Oh, damn it! We shouldn’t have caused the unexpected night event!’
After sweeping around, he barely managed to recover himself.
“Gasp, gasp…”
Ryu Han-bin tried to pull himself together and raised his head. He heard Garhan’s calm voice.
“He who holds the sword of Baotolt.”
He no longer attacked Han-bin.
“This is the last favor I shall give to my old friend’s disciple.”
There was no need for that. It was already a split between winning and losing.
“Drop the sword and kneel. Then I’ll accept you as a part of the new world.”
It wasn’t just the winner’s margin.
Their only real goal was the incarnation of Kybriel. Garhan could be a god if he could capture her.
After ascending to the throne, he would be obliged to protect Latna.
The attack of the devil was powerful. No matter how small the world became, that duty would never be easy.
In that sense, killing the incarnation’s colleagues was a waste.
Just as the six Goddesses had the Top Four, Garhan needed new guardians to keep the world safe.
“What do you think?”
Asking questions, he looked down at Ryu Han-bin.
The young Sword King was staring at him with eyes full of remorse. At least it was clear that there was no intention of surrendering.
‘Is that too much? Well, a true warrior doesn’t kneel.’
Clicking his tongue, the Thunder King continued.
“Or do you want to run away? That wouldn’t be bad either. I don’t want to cut your back.”
It was also sincere.
If Han-bin ran away, he would still be a part of Latna anyway. For as long as he was alive, he could eventually be a good force against the power of the devil.
“But I don’t want to recommend it.”
Even now, an enormous number of monsters, almost thousands, were aiming for him.
But Ryu Han-bin was exhausted and had one arm cut off.
“Wouldn’t it be hard to get out of here with that body?”
* * *
Han-bin breathed hard.
“Gasp, gasp…”
He kept thinking about it, recovering even a little more stamina.
‘What should I do?’
Of course, it was not a matter of surrender. It wasn’t even considered an option in the first place.
‘Surrender? No way. I’m not crazy. You ignore people’s lives even as a human. What if you become a god?’
But he couldn’t think of any other way.
‘What should I do? What should I do?’
The power of Garhan, under the effects of the Descent of The Thunder God, was truly terrible.
It wouldn’t be awkward to call it God’s dignity.
The current Thunder King was stronger than the divine beast Uto Ksarik, whom they fought at the Grand Maze Kaltan. A human being was stronger than a divine beast with some of the power of the devil.
‘If he were to be strengthened by the power of a god, I would have tried the Lord Throughout Heaven and Earth, but that won’t happen…’
All kinds of thoughts flowed quickly through Han-bin’s head.
‘Now that I’m in this state, should I try it as I did back then? I didn’t expect it at all then, but luck followed at the last minute.’
But that skill wasn’t free. It consumed a great deal of Aura for every try.
He didn’t know if he could use it in his current state…
‘It’s obvious that I won’t succeed.’
Garhan was still a human being. His Guideline labeled him as such.
Garhan shook his head, looking at Ryu Han-bin, who remained silent.
“You’re neither surrendering nor running away.”
His whole body began to emit blue lightning again.
“Alright, I’ll give you the death worthy of a Valtara warrior.”
His flesh burned, and pressure weighed on both of his shoulders.
‘Is this the end…’
Ryu Han-bin smiled bitterly.
Suddenly, old memories flashed through his mind.
‘Hold on… Uto Ksarik?’
* * *
Ryu Han-bin straightened his shoulders.
He clasped his Gigant firmly with his one remaining hand and raised his fighting spirit with a roar.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
A seething red aura enveloped his whole body. His last ember enveloped his body.
Garhan grinned.
“Are you drawing your final strength?”
Then he would have to comply.
It was just as soon as he wielded the sword of the Thunder God.
Boom!
Ryu Han-bin propelled himself by kicking the ground and charged in.
He wasn’t heading toward Garhan but toward the opposite way.
“Argh!”
He kept screaming and running through the monsters. The distance from Garhan was getting farther.
The monsters flocked to Han-bin in all directions.
“Grrrr!”
“Grrrr!”
Garhan had a blank look on his face.
“Huh?”
Ryu Han-bin continued to spread the distance as he penetrated the crowds of the monsters.
That meant…
‘Are you trying to escape?’
Valtara warriors never backed down.
Garhan also told Han-bin to run away, but he didn’t think Han-bin would.
‘But he’s not heading for the incarnation…’
If Han-bin was trying to get Kibie out of there, he shouldn’t run that way.
It was so unexpected that Garhan hesitated for a while.
Suddenly, Ryu Han-bin turned around.
The one who was running sharp east suddenly ran sharp west!
“Argh!”
Of course, all the monsters turned westward.
Hundreds of monsters followed him fiercely.
He had been running for so long, but he wasn’t done yet! He headed south!
“Argh!”
He then charged north!
“Argh!”
Ryu Han-bin was running with all his might, circling Garhan.
Naturally, even more and more Alien monsters followed.
Now thousands of tidal waves of monsters were rushing after him.
“…?”
Standing alone, far away, Garhan just blinked.
He had no idea what Han-bin was doing.
‘Is he going crazy?’
Why would he do that if he didn’t have a pervert desire to be beaten to death by as many monsters?
At that moment, Ryu Han-bin suddenly stopped and put his Gigant on the ground.
Boom!
Even if he lost an arm, the power of his fighting spirit remained strong.
With a huge explosion, piles of dirt soared everywhere. A large hole had been drilled through the earth.
He went right into the hole and…
“Huh!”
Covering his head, he curled up and rounded up all the Aura!
“…”
The thousands of monsters wildly chasing Han-bin stopped at once.
They were all making the same judgment at this moment.
-The hunt has ended.
-I’ve slain my prey.
Registering him as dead, they burned their hatred towards another existence in Latna.
They turned their heads slowly.
A myriad of red eyes headed for an electrified middle-aged man.
“Grrrr!”
“Grrrr!”
Thousands of the Alien monsters began to rush at Garhan in unison.
* * *
Garhan opened his mouth wide at the tidal wave that filled his eyes.
“What…?”
Why did these guys just walk past the young Sword King?
‘What the hell did he do? He is not dead! He is just hiding his Aura and hunkering down.’
There was no time to be confused.
Before he knew it, countless monsters came in from all directions.
In a hurry, he raised his Force.
“You little insects!”
Lightning went off one after another. Wildfires burned everywhere.
The terrible power of destruction exploded, leaving the night sky full of explosions.
Rumbling!
Indeed, the power of the Descent of The Thunder God was not ignorable.
It continued to show terrifyingly divine dignity in the face of thousands of monsters.
“That’s ridiculous!”
Dozens of lightning strikes fell continuously in a radius of tens of meters.
The sword of the lightning stabbed, burned, boiled, and melted everything in its path.
In less than a minute, all the monsters turned into a sea of blood.
In disbelief, Garhan yelled.
“Do you think the number of monsters can touch this body?”
An eerie voice tickled his ear.
“But you’re tired, aren’t you?”
The young Sword King flew up the pit.
Boom!
His right arm, clutching his large sword, wrapped in the flames of Aura, flooded the eyes of the Thunder King.
Garhan’s complexion turned pale.
‘Oops!’
The power of the Thunder God, which was flowing like a sea, was rapidly flickering. It was because he just used up too much energy.
In just a few seconds, he could catch his breath and pull his energy back out, but…
-Valtara’s Cross!
He didn’t give him an opening!
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
His attack was followed by Valtara’s Hack and Valtara’s Pierce. A series of red flashes crossed through the battlefield and covered Garhan.
‘Huh, I can handle it!’
Garhan clenched his teeth and responded with his strongest skill.
-Unique Magic Swordsmanship: Thunder God’s Smite!
The blue blade, which was concentrated to a point, collided with the red cross.
But this time, it didn’t pierce it.
It was just a little short of strength.
Ryu Han-bin smiled.
“… That’s a gap, man.”
Suddenly, the Gigant disappeared.
His right arm, which held Gigant, also disappeared.
Finally, even Han-bin himself disappeared.
All that existed was the illusion of an endless galaxy, the infinite starlight shining brightly.
Garhan had bloodshot eyes. Without realizing it, a faint groan came out.
“… Ah!”
Stars were raining down.
It was the Heavenly Sword Diastima.
An inevitable and unstoppable blow.
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