Chapter 318
The moment the final boss’s invincibility gimmick began, the raiding heroes stopped pushing and put distance between them.
Already in Phase 1, they had perfected this pattern to the point they could call themselves experts.
In this pattern, they just need to focus entirely on surviving.
They don’t need to do anything.
“Isn’t that obvious since he’s invincible?”
No.
It meant not to think about what comes after the invincibility ends or about future strategies.
It meant to focus solely on surviving right now.
Even when it was the AI, it was like that.
Then what about this pattern executed by the actual person?
“Four! Four of you, stick together!”
Focusing on survival doesn’t simply mean running away.
In the previous pattern, they’d stuck together in pairs and held the enemy off as much as possible.
They didn’t stop him by attacking. He’s invincible anyway.
They deliberately let him attack, then blocked it. That way, they bought time, surviving turn by turn.
Now, four people latched onto him. All four were bruisers or tankers.
They took the hits. They managed the boss’s aggro. And they poured everything into blocking him.
As if it didn’t matter, Seojun began attacking them.
He figured there’d be no difference whether he attacked them here or the ones who fell back.
It was the opponent’s brief window for counterattack.
Of course, it could be prolonged.
With light, fluid movements, Seojun swung his sword freely.
“Try to endure.”
The target he chose was Yon.
That flat declaration made the four experts, who were sweating cold bullets as they braced near Seojun, tense up.
Shhhak!
The sword moved, and accordingly, health began to drop. In less than a second.
Continuously.
He took the sword strikes. He blocked them. Yet as his health kept dropping, Yon gave up on blocking and moved back to escape the fight.
Buffs came in, and those beside him blocked the front to cover for Yon.
Telling him to attack them instead.
But Yon’s choice was too late.
He’d unconsciously assumed it’d be like facing the AI.
Even if he’d thought it might be higher, he hadn’t directly clashed against the true in-game level.
A clear mark appeared above Yon’s head.
[Heresy]
“Hyung-nim! You said you weren’t going to kill me!”
Yon also knows he won’t die.
Unless Seojun charges in right now, keeps slashing his neck, and uses Judgment Sword.
And he won’t. Because if that happened, he wouldn’t be able to show nine Judgment Swords.
Seojun is someone who always does as he says.
So he focuses even more on the battle.
He’s the one who got the first Heresy mark.
But the Heresy mark lasts 30 seconds, and the conclusion is that it’s impossible to land nine within that time.
Naturally, Seojun would buy some time, then try to mark nine again when the moment comes, and in that next cycle, he’ll become Seojun’s final target.
Because getting slashed six more times while the Heresy mark is active doesn’t refresh the 30-second timer.
Maybe not. But he has to focus.
He can turn the crisis into an opportunity.
“Kahahaha! What do you think you’ll accomplish attacking me now!”
The divine sword shouted cheerfully, even while its body was being cut and it was receiving Seojun’s icy glare as he focused.
“Impossible!”
As if aiming precisely for the moment the Blessing of Radiance ended, skills were shot out one after another.
All six melee heroes closed in too. Together.
It was obvious timing. They were telling him to use Invincibility once more.
The 15-second perfect invincibility.
From their standpoint, now that Seojun had put the Heresy mark on Yon, it was better for Seojun to waste Invincibility again.
Because the ranged fighters were very far away.
And there were only four nearby.
Nine Judgment Swords.
Was that even possible?
“You used Invincibility! Good!”
For the divine sword, just Seojun failing to keep his promise was a victory, so it was excited, but Yon realized something and gave a warning.
“It’s dangerous!”
“What is.”
Too late. Seojun was already in a state of concentration.
He had been envisioning it since earlier.
‘I never said nine-man Judgment Sword.’
That meant...
* * *
“Kael has always, without fail, kept his word!”
North America’s official caster and commentators began giving their all in commentary at a historic moment with viewers nearing the 10-million mark.
“Therefore, what he’s aiming for now by deploying 15 seconds of invincibility is clear!”
The Heresy mark.
“Whether it’s possible or not, I don’t know! But with them spread out like that, it’s tight! Moreover, after appearing on Yon, he wasted 2 seconds before placing the next mark!”
The marks kept appearing.
The second Heresy mark was on the divine sword.
“His attacks are truly fantastical!”
A play only possible because of invincibility.
So, who else could do that if given invincibility?
He neutralizes every defense that meets his blade, creating marks which are proof that he overwhelmingly dominated with raw physical skill.
Against pros.
Against the world’s best players.
Even if he loses the game, that skill will be dissected over and over, earning him even greater fame.
‘Though if he loses, there’ll be a lot of talk for a while.’
The third target was Bernard.
As if expecting it, Bernard raised his weapon to stop Seojun, but—
In a single exchange, Bernard’s vitals were slashed, forcing his body wide open.
In a continuous motion, Seojun sliced that open body.
“I said it’s fantastical!”
How did he do that? I just saw the movement, but who could ever replicate it?
Clearly, this Kael will become a legend among overseas gamers.
No, is he already a legend?
“But. Already the time... Huh? Judgment Sword?”
- ???
- Weren’t there only three so far?
- There’s no way he did six in an instant.
[Judgment Sword]
Crackle, crackle.
The originally faint sound effect was properly caught on the broadcast. A rift was forming in the sky.
The camera shifted its angle upwards, capturing the firmament. Just as the participants raised their heads.
There were three rifts.
Strange.
It was far too strange.
- What the
- Could he be trying to stall for time a little? Not that? So he can do better next time?
- Couldn’t show them all at once...
- Tsk tsk. Tsk
The swords, preparing to plunge down, thrust their heads into this world.
Crystallized masses of power formed of blessings.
“They’re falling! Three swords!”
Three pure white sword faces devoured the screen as they impaled the ground.
Boom, boom, boom!
A screen filled with pillars of light.
The caster’s eyes trying to grasp the situation.
The viewers’ disappointment.
All of it—
Whaaa!
When the screen became clear again—
“Huh? Huh! Huh!”
Turned into fervor.
Crackle, crackle!
Three more rifts appeared.
Once more.
[Crazy! Everyone be careful!]
[What is it! Why again?]
[Spread out! I said spread out! Because he’s still attacking!]
[I can’t block it! And wait! If I get hit by Judgment Sword one more time, I’ll die!]
The terrified and despairing voices of the participants—no, the heroes—mingled.
Baaaaang!
Three pillars slammed down.
“Two! The names of two are not visible now! This means? Could it be? Could it?”
And when the pillars vanished.
- Nah, no way?
- It’s not what I’m thinking, right?
- That’s it! Hahahaha! He’s insane!
- Hahahahaha! How does this guy think of these things!
- Pulling that off is even more impressive
- He’s insane
[One more time.]
A playful voice rang out.
Along with three Judgment Swords bringing the sound of tearing skies.
* * *
Boom, boom, boom!
“Three more! They appear once more! One after another! Truly one after another!”
Bangju saw it.
Because he had been watching from Seojun’s perspective, he could see clearly what had happened.
“Kael said he’d show nine Judgment Swords, and! Now! He has shown them!”
- Crazy bastard lolololol crazy bastard crazy bastard
- On other broadcast screens, because the angle focused on the Judgment Swords, it just looked like they kept spawning lololololol
- Judgment Sword again? But again?
- Lololololololol
- They’re duplicating!
- Even a three-man Judgment Sword is a mind-blowing level, but no...
- He just needs to create three Heresy marks when they fall! And he needs to lower health a bit for the execution
Crash!
It fell. The ninth Judgment Sword.
And the ones who survived were...
* * *
“Perfect. A nine-man Judgment Sword would’ve been troublesome.”
Because most wouldn’t die.
Unless they were clumped up taking splash damage. And they weren’t.
“So you thought you’d just keep pounding them with Judgment Swords until they die, Hyung-nim?”
“Yeah.”
“Crazy Hyung-nim... Do you know how it feels when you think you’ve endured and then the Judgment Swords keep falling?”
It had been a chaotic situation.
The fact that he dropped the Judgment Swords right at three swords threw them into confusion.
The six who were in melee range.
All of them had a Heresy mark appear at least once, and those who got it twice died without exception.
In that chaos, the ones who survived were two.
And in the midst of that, he even finished off one more.
It sends chills down the spine.
The survivor.
“How would I know that feeling.”
“Is it intentional that you spared me... and this divine sword? Even in that insane situation?”
The divine sword.
Yon.
“I told you.”
“What.”
“That I’d keep you alive till the end. I said debts and grudges should always be repaid clearly.”
Seojun looked up at the sky.
A sky that had been pierced nine times.
“...”
Yon swallowed a curse internally.
“That leaves five of you? But, divine sword, why are you so quiet?”
“...”
“I let you live to hear what you’d say on purpose.”
That’s right. Seojun had no debt to the divine sword.
No, did he?
“...”
“Hey, it’s not over yet. There are five of them. And I have no potions left, you know.”
“...”
“Get up and finish me off, quickly. I think you can do it. You’ve been running hard all this way.”
“...”
“You even got sniped with donations on the broadcast. Though you did insolently pick a fight. Beduia eventually gave up because of me and entered as a different hero. Huh? Inside, your warehouse got looted by me. Shouldn’t you get revenge?”
From a slight distance, the ranged heroes muttered.
“Wow... That’s a bit much.”
“If the dark mastermind even does stuff like that, I might really not be able to take it...”
“...Maybe the biggest reason the AI is easier to deal with is because, for starters, it doesn’t open its mouth.”
The divine sword finally answered.
“Come at me! You fucking bastard!”
* * *
The final fight.
The raid heroes desperately resisted the boss, but the difficulty of the last phase was immense.
Who the hell designed this to be cleared?
That was the phrase that rose in the minds of all the watching gamers.
Their essence is gamers.
It was only natural to think, “What if I’d been in that situation?”
Gradually, leisurely, the participants died off, and when only Yon was left in the end,
The screens of the streams watched by tens of millions all switched simultaneously.
Step. Step. Step.
Fixed to Yon’s perspective.
It made one keenly feel how merciless Kael’s approaching figure, sword in hand, was, and what the participating opponents were feeling.
The pride of gamers from each nation mercilessly shattered by a single Korean streamer.
He approached, swung his sword at Yon.
The view went dark, and all streams turned off.
At that moment, all league-related community servers exploded simultaneously from concurrent users.
It was the victory of the dark mastermind.