Bloody Battle (2)
He couldn’t afford to make a big fuss about being hit.
Ignoring the pain, Ryu Han-bin stepped forward.
He then raised his sword and invoked Blade Aura continuously!
“Huh!”
Few-meters-long red waves dashed towards the Earthlings, all of which were specifically aimed at Arthur.
Arthur, who was about to continue his attack, retreated away out of pure fear, but he was too late.
Jason stepped immediately stepped in.
“Arthur!”
A barrier of light blocked the two from the incoming barrages.
It was Jason’s spiritual art.
The light barrier was smashed instantly, but Han-bin’s offensive had its power reduced in return.
Arthur, narrowly avoiding certain death, continued his assault.
“You’re extraordinary!”
That time, he awakened the power of the sword and combined it with his Blade Aura.
His sword wasn’t any ordinary weapon.
[Freeze-striking Blade (Artifact)
Special ability: Use the blade to activate a level 90 Ice magic that can freeze the opponent.
Level Requirement: Lv. 95 Number of uses: 19/20 per day.]
Every time their blades and Auras collided, ice permeated across his forearm.
Ryu Han-bin frowned.
‘Uh….’
The cold temperature itself wasn’t fatal to him.
Although it could cause trouble for ordinary people, Han-bin was far different from them.
By putting some pressure on his forearm, he could melt on it easily.
The problem was it forced him to think about one more factor during the fight.
‘Damn it!’
Paying attention to his forearms could prove to be a terrible risk in such a high-speed battle.
Due to a momentary pause, Arthur’s sword-light passed through him, causing blood to be shed.
Lesil was also casting spells continuously, all aimed at the wounded Ryu Han-bin.
“Wind Cutter! Sword of Thunder! Lightning Arrow! Death strike!”
All kinds of magic surged towards him simultaneously.
It didn’t matter if she was only a level 99 Mage. Her spells moved too fast.
Avoiding magic and occasionally retaliating, Han-bin glanced at the staff held by Lesil.
‘That’s a headache, too…’
She was also using the Spell-Saving Staff.
Given that Artis’s staff was obtained from an Alien, their weapons were given out by the Thunder King in batches.
However, her level was almost 30 levels higher than Artis. All the spells stored were high-tiered.
“Arcane Splash!”
Lesil cast a level 90 spell.
Ryu Han-bin charged forward as he blocked it using Aura.
Boom!
The deflected Arcane Splash caused a huge explosion.
In the midst of it, Han-bin shortened the distance between them.
The massive giant instantly put the small-sized Lesil within arm’s length.
But another obstacle sprouted.
“Come forth, Sorondi’s blessing!”
As the ground between them cracked, causing the distance between Lesil and Han-bin to widen again.
It was the work of Jason, the Spiritist.
While the Magic Swordsman and the Mage fought him directly, Jason continuously assisted them while hiding behind a spiritual barrier.
Whenever Arthur and Lesil were put in danger, he conjured barriers or shook the ground to give them space. He also constantly cast spiritual arts that improved their energy and focus.
Not to mention, he attacked also attacked whenever possible.
“Let the light of Althea strike my enemy, and the darkness of Kybriel to cover their eyes!”
It didn’t work because Ryu Han-bin’s resistance was too strong, but it was still possible to damage him or cause a weak mental shock.
The momentary headache and brief darkening of their visions were quite annoying.
‘No, why would the guy who came to catch Kybriel borrow her name? This town is really weird!’
Ryu Han-bin continued to fight against Arthur, grumbling in his mind.
He wanted to get rid of the Spiritist first.
Or maybe the Mage.
But Arthur was the problem.
Ignoring the Magic Swordsman in front of him and targeting the Mage or the Spiritist first was tantamount to ignoring the heavy infantry in front of him because the archers who fired volleys of arrows from afar during the war were annoying.
Arthur didn’t allow him to let the situation flow smoothly.
Whenever he tried to target Lesil or Jason, Arthur blocked him sharply.
-Enraged Dragon Ambush!
Ryu Han-bin clicked his tongue, deflecting Arthur’s assault.
‘They’re really in sync.’
It didn’t seem like they had only fought together for a day or two.
They had been working together for more than 30 years. Their teamwork was the natural result of that. But Han-bin didn’t know that.
He didn’t have the chance to find out anyway.
Furthermore, even if an opportunity to come out victorious out of pure luck, it wouldn’t be easy for him to catch it.
After several fights, Lesil entered Han-bin’s range.
There was also a delay in the Mage’s movements as she cast her spell.
Ryu Han-bin immediately called forth his Blade Aura because he thought it was an opportunity.
“Tah!”
At that moment, she picked up her staff and blocked his attack.
She was attempting a move that should only be carried out by melee combatants. The result should’ve been devastating for her, but…
“Giant’s Shield!”
It wasn’t Mana. It was the power of the Force.
At the moment, Lesil’s physical ability was amplified as a shield of light unfolded, allowing her to endure Han-bin’s attack.
Due to the explosion, her delicate body was blown away.
“Ahhhhh!”
With a groan, Lesil struggled to lift herself back up.
She looked pretty sick.
However, she didn’t get split in half or burst into pieces of meat.
Staring at her necklace, Ryu Han-bin frowned.
‘Another item?’
[Necklace of Force Shield
It gives the wearer the ability to invoke level 90 magic and the giant’s shield at the same time.
Level Requirements: Lv. 93. Number of uses: 5/12.]
Its ability was so exceptional that its usage number was extremely limited, but it was still worth carrying.
Due to that magic item, it became even harder for Han-bin to hit a fatal blow even if he had a chance.
Arthur and Jason weren’t that different.
Both covered their lack of three of the four powers through Magic Tools or Artifacts.
Arthur, the Aura user, used a spiritual ring to set a trap at Ryu Han-bin’s feet every now and then.
“Earth, open your mouth!”
Every time Jason was at risk of being killed, he avoided using short-distance teleportation magic that wasn’t naturally available for Spiritists.
“Blink!”
No Magic Tool or Artifact gave him power beyond his level.
To use level 90 skills, he had to be above level 90.
That was his level restriction.
However, level 90 magic spells were being used by a level 90 Aura user and Magic Swordsman.
Their odds of winning increased greatly by simply adding new means of combat in their arsenals.
They were much stronger than the level 100 Manticore.
Ryu Han-bin changed his tactics.
‘I can’t keep going at it like this.’
Against those three, narrowing the distance only when the opportunity came would never work.
‘Even if I have to get wounded, I have to kill the Aura user!’
* * *
“Ahhhh!”
Like a beast of prey, the Valtara warrior rushed in recklessly.
Arthur’s eyes changed.
‘Hmm?’
It was difficult to stop him until a while ago. Han-bin often tried to kill whoever’s closer before, but now he no longer cared about anyone but Lesil.
Nervous, Arthur raised his sword.
Jason supplemented Arthur’s energy with spiritual arts, and Lesil prepared magic to target Ryu Han-bin’s back.
At that moment, Han-bin’s movements changed.
Han-bin pushed his opponent using his greatsword, immediately positioning himself at Arthur’s left side.
Due to it, Lesil’s magic flew towards Arthur instead of Han-bin.
“Ugh!”
Though astonished, Arthur didn’t fail to open the distance.
If Arthur tried to attack Ryu Han-bin, Arthur would be hit by Lesil’s magic.
Han-bin’s offensive continued again.
There was another scuffle.
That time, Jason’s ectoplasmic tentacles slithered towards Han-bin’s feet.
Just as the tentacles were about to tie around his lower body, Ryu Han-bin skillfully maneuvered around, forcing Arthur to move into his old position.
“Huh!”
Again, Arthur was unable to find a gap and avoided Jason’s tentacles first.
Ryu Han-bin smiled.
‘It’s working!’
It was just a momentary idea.
He didn’t have to worry about allies when facing a single enemy in the games he enjoyed on Earth.
There was no friendly-fire in the game.
‘But we’re not in a game.’
In reality, magic, spears, and swords didn’t discriminate between friend and foe.
His enemy could be used as a meatshield against another enemy’s attack!
Admiring his own idea, Ryu Han-bin became even more energetic.
‘How’s that? reality is different from games, isn’t it?”
Arthur looked calm.
“Now you’re thinking of fighting using common sense fight?”
That was right.
Ryu Han-bin thought he came up with something amazing, but it was just common sense among hunters.
In any battlefield, the archers normally wouldn’t be able to fire their arrows anymore the moment his allies were forced to fight in close-quarters combat.
Rather, Arthur’s party had been wondering since the beginning why the Valtara warrior didn’t fight like that in the first place.
Regardless, for as long as the opponents were doing it, they had to respond effectively.
Arthur, Lesil, and Jason exchanged glances.
“Gather round!”
“Okay, Arthur!”
The three Earthlings positioned themselves closely with each other.
It was their countermeasure against Han-bin’s offensive.
If he tried to target the long-ranged members again, they would simply increase the distance between them again to create a gap in his movements.
On the other hand, if Han-bin continued to focus on the Aura user, they would remain in that formation to overwhelm him with their sheer power.
Their tactics fully maximized their abilities in relation to the opponent’s actions.
“You seem to be coming to your senses…”
“At this rate, a realistic power gap will always show, you barbarian!”
The good old days were short.
When the three responded to his tactic, Ryu Han-bin began to flee.
“Ahhhhhh! Argh!”
Like a flock of migratory birds, the three Aliens repeatedly gathered and dispersed.
While they continued to switch tactics, Han-bin’s brown skin turned red.
The embattled Han-bin revealed his trump card.
-Crosscut!
It didn’t work.
Arthur’s Aura, Lesil’s Arcane Shield, and Jason’s Protection Barrier blocked his strongest attack.
Boom!
The collision between their powers emitted shockwaves everywhere.
At the same time, Arthur’s blade was thrust deeply into Han-bin’s body.
“Argh!”
Han-bin vomited blood, the wound on his stomach visibly leaking out crimson fluids.
Nevertheless, he didn’t fall down. Rather, he released another skill.
-Vertical cut!
It was blocked again.
His basic skills, sharpened tirelessly at the Rocky Mountain, were indeed honed properly, but they weren’t strong enough to cut through the trio’s defense.
Still, he didn’t give in. He thrust his sword forward.
-Pinch!
It was deflected, followed quickly by a scream.
“Argh!”
Arthur grinned.
He was quite a tricky opponent, but it was finally almost over.
Lesil and Jason looked excited, recalling the upcoming reward.
“But in this case, what happens to the pleasure reward?”
“Yeah. Will we be given reward according to his level, or will it reward us according to his skills?”
Han-bin looked up with difficulty.
He stretched his legs up and grabbed his sword again.
‘All right.’
Although he paid the price, it became what he had wanted.
‘Please make it through!’
Han-bin conjured the last of his strength and charged onwards.
He wielded his black greatsword with all his might and Aura.
“Taaaaaah!”
As they laughed, the heretics once again went on the defensive.
“It won’t work!”
“You’re afraid that others will never recognize you, barbarian. That’s why you can’t ever learn.”
At best, the devastation was blocked again by the three layers of barriers made out of Aura, magic, and spiritual art.
The result was different from what it had been so far.
‘Now!’
At that moment, under Ryu Han-bin’s drooping black hair, his eyes glistened.
“Taaah!”
His horizontal and vertical cuts, which had been trained hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of times, were released continuously for a short duration.
A giant crimson cross embroidered the air.
A devastating thrust pierced through the center of the cross.
All of those were done at the same time, causing their destructive powers to overlap multiple times.
Triple Cross Attack, Cross Impact!
“H-huh?”
There was blood in Arthur’s bewildered eyes.
It could neither be blocked nor avoided.
An unstoppable tidal wave of chaos and destruction struck the world.
Three screams thundered across the darkness of Kaltan.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”
Comments