#83: Deicide And Destruction, Appear (3) — Battlefield of the Gods

‘Stealth Lv. 21 [SS]’ activated.

I entered stealth mode. Attacking would cancel stealth mode.

A muffled sensation, similar to the feeling when diving, enveloped my entire body.

Looking around, the surprised faces of the legion members caught my eye first. Especially Naruan, who desperately called my name, suddenly stood up and looked around.

“Hoo?”

“Ho?”

At the same time, I heard exclamations of admiration from Biosis and Talis.

Regardless, I took a black-glossed bow from my inventory and nocked one of the five dull gray arrows, aiming at Biosis.

[Ager Skull Bow [Unique]]

A bow made from the skull bones of Ager, the ruler of the wasteland.

The bones of Ager, who fed exclusively on humans until slain by the ancient dragon king Tiamat, were imbued with the ferocity of a predator.

Increases damage to humanoids by 150%, penetration by 250%, and skill ‘Focus’ is always active.

Requirements: Strength 100 or higher, Agility 100 or higher.

[Focus]

Enhances the concentration of ranged weapon users, helping them deal more critical damage to enemies.

(When performing ranged attacks) Additional 20% damage.

[Excidio [Unique]]

An arrow made from an alloy exquisitely combining orichalcum and adamantium, which cannot coexist, using mithril by a master craftsman.

Since the alloy was imperfect, divine power was infused, and after some time, the opposing materials repelled each other causing an explosion.

‘Continuous skill ‘Archery Lv. 25 [A]’ effect applied. Accuracy and attack power increased by 250%, range increased by 125%.’

I cautiously exhaled the breath I had held deeply.

I slowly stepped forward, circled around Biosis who stood with arms down in the center, and stood behind him.

Just in case, I retreated almost to the edge of the training ground and slowly drew the bowstring.

My mouth felt dry and dusty as if I had swallowed a handful of dust.

As a slight spasm hit my right arm, my vision cleared from thousands of paths to only dozens, appearing and disappearing repeatedly.

Battlefield Analysis in progress. Trajectory design. 4,096 paths generated. Optimizing path. 72 paths remaining. Complete.

Argus's Eye calculates the optimal sniping timing based on the enemy's breathing. Complete. Sniping success probability 0.0012%. Recommending alternative method. Countdown. 13 seconds. 12 seconds. …3 seconds. 2 seconds. 1 second. Fire.

At the message “Fire” and the alert ringing in my mind, I firmly held my left arm and released the right hand that gripped the bowstring.

The arrow’s trajectory through the air left a long gray afterimage between me and Biosis, as if connecting a line.

At the end of the afterimage, a gray arrow aiming at the back of Biosis’s head flashed with poisonous venom as if it had always been there.

As expected, Biosis twisted his upper body halfway and raised his left hand to catch the arrow.

The arrow’s force seemed stronger than expected as his left arm moved slightly backward, but since he caught rather than blocked or dodged it, I considered it according to plan and proceeded with the next move.

I threw the bow into the open inventory and, gripping the Massacre of Thousands, activated Shadow Ambush once more.

Unlike the first attack, I poured chaotic divine power into the Massacre of Thousands and, with a powerful strike that shook the training ground, stooped my upper body and thrust it toward the back of Biosis’s head, determined for a one-hit kill.

Lee Hyo-ju and all the Rebound legion members were shocked by Kim Han’s sudden disappearance.

Especially Lee Hyo-ju and Hazel were curious about Kim Han’s ability, which was similar yet completely different from their own powers.

However, no matter how much time passed, Kim Han did not appear.

Even Talis, another transcendent watching, and Biosis defending, both stood still with arms relaxed.

At the moment when a tense, explosive atmosphere settled over the training ground, so still that not even the wind blew.

It seemed almost simultaneous that Biosis’s left hand, which had been motionless, rose as if a paused screen resumed, and Kim Han appeared behind him.

In Biosis’s raised left hand was a gray arrow, as if he had just drawn it.

Biosis’s upper body was twisted halfway, and Kim Han, who appeared suddenly, wielded a longsword overflowing with strange divine power, thrusting it toward the back of Biosis’s head.

Sssssk. Thud! Crack!

The arrow in Biosis’s left hand spun for a while, steaming as it stopped, as if the arrow shot was merely a distraction; Kim Han’s thrust, piercing as if to pierce the moon, aimed at the back of Biosis’s head.

The barrier surrounding Biosis’s body collided with Kim Han’s attack, creating an enormous spark.

As is typical with thrusts, failure exposed a vulnerability.

Just as Biosis tried to twist his body again, Kim Han swiftly retreated like the wind and vanished from the training ground.

Though the explanation was long, the exchange was but a moment.

Something flashed and slid, then crackled and fell silent again.

“Ki… Han, amazing…!”

“…Indeed.”

Naruan and Mae Young-ryeong’s exclamations were echoed by Lee Hyo-ju and Hazel, who nodded in agreement.

She looked around the spot where Kim Han had attacked, now vanished.

Kwaaaang!

With a tremendous explosion around Biosis, the shockwave knocked everyone sitting backward.

“Ah…!”

Lee Hyo-ju, worried if something was wrong with Biosis, had to exclaim again.

Though Biosis’s beard was slightly singed and his upper garment gone, he looked disheveled but not seriously injured.

The battle was just beginning. Lee Hyo-ju clenched her fists so hard without realizing it that they hurt. Sweat gathered on both hands.

‘Damn old man. How can he be fine after that attack? Is he cheating?’

Moving cautiously in stealth, I clicked my tongue at Biosis’s defense so strong it made me want to curse.

There were still a few unused methods, but they seemed largely ineffective.

But I hadn’t given up. There was one big move left. A skill I hadn’t tried due to a huge penalty.

‘Noes, Salrim, Silairon, Endairon.’

As the spirits appeared, all eyes focused on them.

Of course, stealth hid me but not the spirits. Moreover, these were powerful high-grade spirits.

“Spirits? The one in stealth suddenly summons spirits?”

‘Sorry. I really wanted to land a hit on that old geezer. So please understand.’

―Everything was…

―…As you, the friend of the spirits, wished.

The four great spirits began to spread in all directions. At the same time, I attacked again with Shadow Ambush.

But since I had used the skill twice already, Biosis turned his body fully and faced me head-on.

“Foolish disciple, have you no different attack to perform?”

“…Ugh. I don’t know.”

Even though I held no weapon, just a fist wrapped in divine power, it was hard to handle.

‘Let’s begin, friends.’

Blessing of Nature Lv. 30 [S+]’ activated, maintaining an environment like the spirit realm within a 39m radius. Remaining time 38 minutes 54 seconds. Cooldown 18 hours 59 minutes 53 seconds.

‘Argus's Eye’ calculated the cooldown and optimal timing for the spirit explosion. Time until spirit explosion: 4 minutes 12 seconds.

‘Damn, still a lot of time left.’

Kwang! Bang bang! Bang bang!

I attacked and defended purely with brute force, recklessly.

As time passed, my whole body screamed as loudly as the divine power clashed. I heard flesh tearing and bones breaking, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

Unfortunately, Biosis also used chaos, so I gained no advantage from divine power, and each clash made me feel nauseous inside.

I had endured this kind of pain for 20 years already. There was even worse pain.

I had experienced my whole body burning almost to death, and compared to the pain when my physical grade was forcibly raised recently, this was bearable, I told myself as I swung the Massacre of Thousands.

I tasted metallic blood in my mouth. Something indistinguishable between sweat and blood flowed from my forehead into my eyes, blurring my vision. A warm sensation in my nose meant a nosebleed was coming.

Skill ‘Heavenly Strength’ level increased. Physical stats and regeneration rate increased.

The majestic song of the four high-grade spirits felt from all directions filled me. A skill I should have used once before. I felt sorry to the four beings I now called ‘friends.’

Of course, they didn’t perish. They were forcibly recalled back to the spirit realm, but it surely dealt a significant blow to the spirits’ mental forms.

―My friend, may you have martial fortune…

―Martial fortune…

The high-grade spirits capable of communication, especially those with a strong mental bond to their contractor, offered comfort.

Remaining time 3, 2, 1.

“Explode!”

Kwaaaaaang! Bang bang! Kuuuuuuung!

Skill ‘Elemental Affinity Lv. 10 [S+]’ activated. Earth, Fire, Water, Wind. Elemental defense increased by 50%.

Title ‘I Don’t Die!’ effect activated. Regeneration increased by 200%.

My vision turned red, blue, and yellow as if painted, then my body was thrown out of the training ground as if struck by something tremendous.

In the brief moment floating in the air, countless thoughts came and went.

But the thought that came most often was, ‘This is fun.’

Facing an impossible wall was tough, but still enjoyable. I could have used other methods, but this was enough fun. There were many things I hadn’t tested yet, but it was very enjoyable.

I felt my back hit the ground several times. Through my blurred vision, the exploding training ground receded.

I seemed to have become a skipping stone. Another representative, perhaps due to ‘settings,’ rolled back a bit and was fine, only covered in dust.

I forcefully lifted my unheard head and looked at the training ground, seeing Biosis kneeling on one knee with a trickle of blood at his mouth.

He seemed otherwise unharmed, but somehow a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

My vision darkened and sleep overwhelmed me.