Chapter 154

Three soldiers, each holding a short spear, a long spear, and a throwing spear.

Each one of them was stronger than Taewoon had been back when he first challenged the Heavenly Secret Manual Theater, and each possessed a different, mysterious supernatural ability.

‘…They’re strong. Even an average Level 6-rank Hunter wouldn’t be able to stand against them.’

The soldier with the short spear possessed a strike that leaped through space, while the soldier with the long spear continuously ignited flames that would not extinguish until a certain amount of magical power was burned away.

Furthermore, every time Taewoon faced a strike from the soldier with the throwing spear, he felt ‘intimidated’ by some sort of ability, forced to witness the phenomenon of his very existence being degraded.

Against these three soldiers, who possessed perfect synergy, there was no way to seize victory through ordinary means.

“Well… that’s probably the limit of your capabilities. Now, farewell.”

As if fulfilling her own words that the game was over, Kaira imbued a chakram she pulled from the void with immense magical power and hurled it toward the struggling Taewoon.

‘…Damn it, there’s absolutely no answer to this.’

The power contained within the flying chakram was monstrous, surpassing all the magical power Taewoon possessed, and Taewoon had not even managed to grasp the ability embedded within it.

Normally, he would have wanted to draw out more of the enemy’s full strength, but now, it might be time for Taewoon to move to the second operation.

Activating the communication function of the part of the cylinder he had taken from Yerin and kept in his pocket, Taewoon began sending the prepared ‘signal’ to Yerin.

Immediately after, a notification window familiar to Taewoon appeared somewhere on the other side of the island.

▶【A Handful of Blessing has been activated! Activating the designated coordinate conversion protocol!】

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

Ignoring the three soldiers, Taewoon used the power of The Red Man to dash directly into Kaira’s immediate vicinity, and soon, a circular portal appeared beneath his feet, swapping the vision of the two in an instant.

“Ho, this place is…”

“You’ve finally shown yourself. Are you the General?”

Starting with Cherish’s question, which was laced with sharp hostility, the gazes of several fugitives present there fixed upon Kaira.

The A Handful of Blessing that Yerin possessed could designate two people as coordinates and move living beings within a certain range to the opposite coordinate.

It could have been used to extract exploration team members from the camp or to steal the Seed, but Yerin had saved the activation of the blessing based on her own judgment, and finally, the opportunity to use it had arrived.

“This place is… the cliff area of the island. You’ve used your head quite well.”

Due to the aftermath of the blessing, Kaira was moved far away from the Seed, and waiting there were the island’s top combatants gathered to hunt her.

At the same time, the ability of the blessing was to move living beings existing at two coordinates to the opposite side, which meant…

‘Some of my comrades have already moved to the cave at the bottom of the lake where the Seed is buried, using the blessing.’

They would manage to stop the Bloom of the Seed somehow. Therefore, if they could just tie Kaira down here, it could be asserted that victory in this battle would belong to Taewoon’s group.

“I shall praise you. For you have managed to fluster this lady, if only slightly. However… in the end, nothing will change.”

“Well, we’ll have to see about that.”

Seoyoon, Yerin, Cherish, Dominico, and Taewoon.

Only the strongest forces among the fugitives gathered at the Sanctuary had assembled here.

And to make matters worse, they weren’t the only ones who would become Kaira’s enemies.

A spider with a liquid body, a mole-shaped Magical Beast that poked its head out of the ground and continuously spat out bizarre bubbles, and even Gorgo, the King of the Forest, who had clashed with the previous fugitives.

Seeing them operating as the Empire’s Creatures, Kaira tilted her head with a somewhat puzzled expression.

“Ho, this is…”

“It’s a huge mistake to think that only you people can tame these things. Now that they’ve become your enemies, they won’t be easy to deal with.”

▶【Ring of Submission: ★★★★】【Remaining Time / 15:47】

• For today, you can freely tame intelligent creatures through three rings! However, the effect will not activate unless the ring is ‘directly’ attached to a body part!

The ‘Ring of Submission,’ an ability generated from Yerin’s Mystery Roulette.

Honestly, the odds had been fifty-fifty, but with the help of her comrades, Yerin had successfully utilized it to turn the Empire’s Creatures into her allies.

Narrowing her eyes slightly as she scanned the faces of all the enemies before her, Kaira began to rotate the halo behind her back, frantically amplifying her magical power.

“If you have such confidence, then come. I shall personally sever your necks.”

As Yerin waved her hand, Gorgo was the first to charge fiercely toward Kaira, throwing a massive tree it had uprooted from the forest.

Cherish pulled out her signature rose vines to cover Gorgo’s arms, and from there, a special reagent created by the Alchemist Biwen was injected, strengthening Gorgo’s body beyond its limits.

It was the birth of a weapon meant solely for a short-term decisive battle, drawing upon even its future vitality.

Just by Gorgo swinging its massive forearm, the ground shattered, and rocks and soil exploded in all directions.

Reconfirming the target, Gorgo leaped nearly 5 meters into the air, attempting to grab Kaira who was floating, while the forest winds created by Dominico began to blind Kaira and obstruct her vision.

However.

“Truly pathetic.”

Kaira pulled a spear from the void and swung it, and a bolt of black lightning struck down, slamming Gorgo straight into the ground.

The lightning flowed through Gorgo’s skin and began to slowly erode its interior; Gorgo could only writhe in pain, unable to move, repeating a cycle of destruction and regeneration.

‘Damn it! The power of the attack… is on a different dimension than before.’

The three warriors from earlier were unusual, but every single strike from Kaira, who had released all her magical power, was powerful and terrifying enough to inflict fatal wounds on Taewoon’s group.

“Hmph, even so, the enemy is just a mere human. Since we’ve come this far, we have no choice but to see it through to the end.”

During the time Gorgo had bought, Cherish, who had been continuously planting rose vines in the ground, soon bloomed a giant flower and began scattering its petals in all directions.

She was effectively the most skilled among the fugitives from the camp.

The flower that Cherish bloomed with all her might contained formidable magical power, and soon, strange characters appeared from the fluttering petals, beginning to form a Bounded Field throughout the area.

“These petals will constantly steal your magical power and weaken your strength. Try and escape if you can.”

Following that, Taewoon and Seoyoon, confirming that the ally’s Bounded Field had been deployed, began to approach Kaira, and Yerin also placed the remaining two Creatures in the lead while deploying Gemini in the sky to gather magical power from the atmosphere.

Yet, there was still not a single flicker of hesitation in Kaira’s expression.

“Stealing magical power… it has an effect similar to my flames. In that case, shall we test whose is stronger?”

Soon, the flames ignited by Kaira began to collide with the petals spread in the air, and naturally, it was Cherish’s side that was pushed back.

Therefore, it was necessary for the Vanguard to distract her so that Kaira could not focus on the petals.

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Soul Chasing Path Destruction】

Dashing forward like a single meteor, Taewoon fired eight streaks of Spear Shadow, and this time, he concentrated his consciousness to give variations to each form.

“Did I not tell you that I am already sick of those movements? Or are you perhaps underestimating this lady?”

As if to say that the essence does not change even if some deception is added, Kaira dismantled Taewoon’s forms far too easily and flicked her finger, firing a clump of blue flame at him.

Noticing the destructive power contained within it, Taewoon forced his body to twist and used the power of The Red Man to escape the spot, and soon, a terrifying heat exploded where Taewoon had been.

Just as Kaira turned her head slightly in disappointment, surprisingly, Seoyoon emerged through the aftermath of the flame and struck down with a sword dyed in red magical power, beginning a clash of strength with Kaira’s spear.

“Ho… you are quite the warrior.”

“Your habits… I already know them all.”

Seoyoon, who held the sword high, bared her claws like a wolf and fired a slash of magical power, and Kaira, taking a defensive stance against the relentless attack, stepped back slightly to readjust her posture.

Of course, Taewoon did not miss that split-second opening.

The second Apostle Transformation.

As Taewoon quickly played his Trump Card, eerie magical power began to overflow from his body, and in an instant, without any warning, Taewoon took a position behind Kaira and activated a Cinema Skill once more to cast Soul Chasing Path Destruction.

“I told you, that attack is—”

Before Kaira could finish her sentence, Taewoon, who had shifted his posture in an instant, reached into the air to grab something and began firing the remaining four strikes of Soul Chasing Path Destruction.

It should have been a frontal attack, but the consecutive strikes twisted at an incomprehensible angle, penetrating the gaps in her perception.

Kaira’s expression, which had been consistent throughout, finally faltered, and for the first time, a single slash was carved into her waist.

“Indeed… a strange Magic Technique. Are you drawing even more power than before through that Mask?”

Finally, hostility appeared in Kaira’s expression as she looked at Taewoon.

Immediately after, Kaira’s halo split exactly in half, and three straight lines extended to form a shape like wings made of hieroglyphs.

Then, Kaira, opening eyes that glowed crimson, pointed her sword toward the sky before aiming it straight at Taewoon.

At the same time, a terrifying heat of magical power, the likes of which he had never experienced, began to violently envelop Taewoon’s entire body.