The Final Boss Has Returned — Chapter 164
[Tyrant's Sword]
[Grade: Myth]
[Legacy Level: None]
[The ultimate skill said to have been obtained after Steel Monarch Drakan conquered the Arde World and achieved the mythical feat of unifying the continent.]
[The power of the Tyrant's Sword, whose legend tells that with a single blow it shook the earth and simultaneously severed the heavens, boasted a terrifying might that even Yujin, the hero who was the Steel Monarch's nemesis, had to be wary of.]
[The legend that every time the Tyrant's Sword was swung by the tyrant Drakan, the whole world was dyed in blood and death descended all around, has been passed down throughout the Arde World for over a thousand years.]
[Now, that tyrant's myth has returned to the clutches of the Steel Monarch.]
[Temporarily increases all attack power by 500%.]
[Temporarily increases the range of all attacks by 200%.]
[Temporarily increases the hit rate of all attacks by 200%.]
[Temporarily causes all attacks to ignore enemy defense.]
[Temporarily causes all attacks to ignore elemental matchups.]
[Temporarily absorbs 10% of damage dealt to enemies as the user's HP.]
[Temporarily absorbs 10% of damage dealt to enemies as the user's MP.]
[Temporarily further increases attack power in proportion to the number of enemies faced.]
[Increases skill duration by 1 second for each enemy killed.]
The description of the Tyrant's Sword appeared before Drakan's eyes.
Tyrant's Sword!
Drakan smiled as he beheld the sight of terrifying options lined up like sausages, one after another—befitting the name Myth grade. This was precisely the skill he had so desperately wanted to reclaim, the skill that symbolized him at his prime.
But the skill given to Drakan did not end there.
[World of Steel]
[Grade: Legend]
[Legacy Level: Beginner Grade 1]
[The final Legacy Skill awakened by Drakan himself, the user who completed the Legacy Quest and was reborn as the true Steel Monarch.]
[A Legacy Skill sublimated and realized from the great achievements accumulated as the Steel Monarch a thousand years ago and the feats accumulated upon returning as the Conqueror, implementing the World of Steel upon the surrounding field—a world ruled by the tyrant.]
[All allies' stats within the skill range increase by 200%.]
[“Chains of Iron Blood” can be summoned within the skill range to restrain enemies.]
[“Army of Iron Blood” can be summoned within the skill range. The ruthless yet loyal subordinates of the tyrant who dyed the continent in blood alongside Drakan a thousand years ago shall forever obey the Steel Monarch, even in death.]
[The power of all Legacy Skills within the skill range increases by 200%.]
[All buffs on enemies within the skill range are dispelled. However, dispelling is limited to once per enemy, and buffs reapplied after dispelling cannot be removed.]
World of Steel!
Drakan smiled, having even obtained an Awakening Skill he hadn't possessed back then.
"Finally, I've reclaimed it."
A low murmur escaped Drakan's lips.
The EX grade of the Combat Information Archive, which until now had been unique! That unattainable seat—a domain considered to belong solely to Yujin—was finally being encroached upon by his nemesis.
Feeling power overflowing from his body, Drakan looked around. Far away, he saw Paul charging rapidly while swinging a giant axe.
"Die!"
Paul, the Axe King.
He was flying quickly toward Drakan while using his ultimate, "Splitting the Earth."
Of course, as his nickname "Axe King" suggested, he was fundamentally a so-called "strength character" who pushed through with muscle rather than agility.
But he wasn't just any strength character; he was a strength character who had risen to the position of Over Ranker.
Paul's speed, bolstered by agility stats relatively lower than his strength yet still surpassing most rankers, was truly as fast as lightning, ill-suited to his massive frame.
'I'll take that bastard's head!'
In Paul's field of vision, there was only Drakan.
Splitting the Earth.
The ultimate skill symbolizing Paul, the Axe King, and literally a skill powerful enough to split the earth and cause earthquakes with a swing of his axe.
Even the renowned Drakan wouldn't be unscathed after taking "Splitting the Earth" head-on.
So Paul thought.
Of course, Paul wasn't the only one targeting Drakan.
'Drakan, your head is mine.'
Leira, the King of Assassins, clad entirely in black, was also targeting Drakan with her ultimate "Black Point Strike."
Black Point Strike.
This ultimate skill, which precisely sniped the weak point called a "black point" visible only to Leira, the King of Assassins, while the skill was active, was a powerful anti-personnel technique capable of sending even boss monsters to the afterlife in a single blow.
Of course, a great figure like Drakan wouldn't meet his death from a single Black Point Strike, but he would certainly have to brace for considerable damage.
And the black point on Drakan that Leira was looking at was precisely the back of his neck.
Leira charged silently, raising her assassination dagger toward the black point.
As befitting the King of Assassins, she was still maintaining her stealth skill.
Crescent Moon Stealth.
One of Leira's secondary ultimates, the supreme stealth technique capable of concealing her body at all times except the exact moment she attacked directly.
Drakan would never be able to detect Leira while she was using that skill.
Or so she thought.
Be that as it may, Drakan looked at Paul charging toward him and spoke with a smile.
"This is a stage perfect for testing an Awakening Skill."
Awakening Skill!
The moment Drakan said that, the chat window exploded.
[Awakening?]
[Did he just say Awakening Skill?]
[What? Drakan finished his Legacy Quest?]
[He awakened?]
[OMG the Combat Information Archive just updated!]
[They say Drakan is EX grade?]
[Is this for real?]
[What? Drakan is EX grade?]
[Wow lmao this is insane lololol]
[Oh my god, I've lived to see the day someone catches up to Yujin lol]
[Kya lol as expected of Drakan lol]
[The Steel Monarch has returned lol]
[Long live the Alliance!]
[For the Dark Alliance!!]
Countless chat messages scrolled up rapidly, and viewers immediately connected to the Combat Information Archive. The big news that Drakan had risen from SSS grade, which symbolized an Over Ranker, to EX grade, rivaling top rankers, spread instantly—not only through the chat but across the entire internet.
And this information was immediately delivered to Paul and Leira through their respective chat windows.
And the two Over Rankers who received this information were bewildered.
'EX grade?'
'He finished the quest?'
He finished the quest!
That meant one thing.
It meant the terrifying aerial mobile fortress was finally complete, it meant the EX grade—an unattainable realm—had increased by one, and it meant that Steel Monarch Drakan had finally reclaimed the power of his prime.
But it was already too late to retract skills that had been fired.
"World of Steel."
Drakan spoke quietly.
[The Legacy Skill 'World of Steel' is activated.]
Along with that, the earth within a 1km radius of Drakan began to be dyed dark red, and black storm clouds began to gather in the sky.
World of Steel.
A field-type buff skill that maximized the power of all Legacy Skills Drakan possessed and allowed him to use special skills.
The moment the World of Steel unfolded, the most flustered person was Leira.
[You have entered the World of Steel.]
[The skill 'Crescent Moon Stealth' is dispelled.]
All buffs, including her stealth skill, had been dispelled by the effect of the World of Steel.
Of course, since the World of Steel's buff dispelling effect was merely a one-time occurrence, she could simply reapply her buffs. However, the problem was that Crescent Moon Stealth was an ultimate skill, meaning it had a cooldown.
And Drakan was by no means a fool who would give her that cooldown time.
'Damn it!'
The moment Leira spat out a curse internally.
[The power of all Legacy Skills increases by 200%.]
Drakan looked at the message floating before his eyes and used another skill immediately after.
"Incarnation of Iron Blood."
[The Legacy Skill 'Incarnation of Iron Blood' is activated.]
[Temporarily increases all stats by 400%.]
[Temporarily increases attack power and defense by 400%.]
[Temporarily increases the effects of all skills by 400%.]
[Temporarily increases the stats of nearby allies by 300%.]
[Temporarily decreases the stats of nearby enemies by 300%.]
Absurd stats!
The Incarnation of Iron Blood, bolstered by the corrections of the Legacy Skill 'World of Steel,' was displaying effects of a literally unbelievable level before Drakan's eyes.
A dark red aura coiled around Drakan's entire body, taking the form of armor.
Incarnation of Iron Blood.
Steel Monarch Drakan, who had reigned above all users and was called the terror of the battlefield back then, had finally descended upon the earth dyed in blood and steel just as he had in those days.
Drakan immediately looked behind him.
And there was Leira, the King of Assassins, with her stealth stripped away.
"Then and now, you assassins never change. Do you really think you'll win automatically if you hide and stab someone in the back?"
Drakan looked at Leira and smiled coldly.
Leira, the King of Assassins.
Drakan had already expected that she would target his back.
No, from the moment she entered the World of Steel, there was never an opening for Leira to escape from the start.
"Chains of Iron Blood."
The moment Drakan uttered the skill name.
Dark red chains surged from the dark red earth, immediately restraining Leira.
"Ugh!"
Leira tried to break free from the chains, but with her stats decreased by 300% due to the Incarnation of Iron Blood, it was impossible for her to break free from the Chains of Iron Blood immediately.
"Dark Chain."
And another layer of black chains wrapped around Leira's body.
Dark Chain.
The contract skill Drakan had received from the Demon God had restrained her once again.
Leira, the King of Assassins.
Her attack had failed without even touching Drakan's body.
Bound by two chains, black and red, Leira trembled with humiliation.
The title of King of Assassins wasn't something she'd won playing children's games.
She had overcome countless trials to obtain that name.
Yet today, the reputation she had built in the Arde World had become bubbles in an instant.
There had been many times her attacks failed, but this was the first time she had been suppressed at the root like this.
Already, her chat window was flooding with all sorts of jokes about this.
Leira gritted her teeth.
But Leira wasn't the only enemy targeting Drakan.
"Drakan!!"
Paul, the Axe King.
He had been rushing at Drakan wielding an axe as large as his own body.
Paul knew.
That the water was already spilled, that he couldn't log out during combat, that even if he retreated Drakan wouldn't leave him alone, and that he couldn't escape from Drakan's clutches.
That was why Paul chose to attack.
Cornered, he wanted to remind Drakan that even a cornered rat would bite the cat.
Additionally, he had jumped to the conclusion that Drakan, who had just reached EX grade, would be weaker than Yujin.
"Take this!"
That was why Paul brought the spine-chilling giant axe down toward Drakan.
At that moment.
"Tyrant's Sword."
A cold, low utterance escaped Drakan's lips.
Along with that, the Ironblood Executioner Drakan held in his hand began to vibrate madly.
Whooooom!
As a terrifying aura condensed and compressed on the dark red blade of the Ironblood Executioner, stinging shockwaves surged out, and the space around the blade began to distort.
The sword of the Steel Monarch, who had been the first and last in the history of the Arde World to unify the entire world, was revealing its form.
Drakan raised the Ironblood Executioner and lightly parried Paul's axe.
At that moment.
KWA-KWANG!
With an explosion, the earth shook and an earthquake occurred, and a red shockwave that shot up into the sky sharply sliced through the heavens where the storm clouds had gathered.
A single ray of sunlight streamed down through the severed clouds, shining upon Drakan.
Drakan smiled.
In his sight, he could see Paul stuck unsightly in the dark red earth, already on the brink of death.
A single blow.
For all his fame as an Over Ranker, Paul had not only failed to properly receive even a single attack, but had fallen into what was commonly called "red health."
Paul, the Axe King, and Leira, the King of Assassins.
Drakan's gaze turned toward the battlefield where fierce combat was still ongoing, having instantly dealt with the two Over Rankers.
Now, it was time to end this war.