Ch.126126. Survival or Death, the Crossroads of the Dragon King’s Legion

KWAAANG!

My fist collided with Red Dragon’s, and in that moment, space itself was annihilated.

The atmosphere evaporated, the ground collapsed, gravity fluctuated, and observable light distorted until all vision went dark.

But neither of us was fazed as we prepared for our second strikes. This time, it wasn’t symmetrical. I ducked low to dive in while Red Dragon weaved away.

Boxing-based, we engaged in infighting.

“OOOOH!”

Red Dragon launched a series of consecutive attacks. I neutralized them all while slipping in a straight punch, catching him. One hit to the jaw, another to the chest. Damage confirmed.

“Slow and weak.”

“Don’t get cocky!”

“Still think it’s just cockiness?”

Unable to resist my taunt, Red Dragon came in with a wide right hook. The wide arc created a significant delay. My chance to counter with something big.

Pivoting on my left leg, I rotated 580 degrees clockwise and delivered a side kick, powerfully striking his abdomen.

“Guhk!”

That landed perfectly. Red Dragon flew back pathetically and crashed into buildings, causing them to collapse.

Giving him no chance to recover, I rushed in with a Shining Wizard. He’s skilled though. He twisted his body free and transitioned into a crouching stance.

If we grapple, I have the advantage. My raw strength is superior.

I twisted my waist and pressed my thigh against his neck. Jumping into the air, I drove my opposite knee down into his spine.

KWAAANG!

Buildings collapsed around us. The ground shifted, making it seem like we were flying through the sky.

Red Dragon immediately drew out a white weapon and fired at me. His reaction speed was good.

But so was mine.

Swoosh— BANG! BANG!

Arrows of light collided like fireworks in the sky, exploding and creating voids. I rotated 90 degrees on the shifting terrain, spinning and falling.

We both landed on the next building simultaneously. Again, we charged toward each other.

“Red, Blue, Black, Triple Release!!”

Red Dragon’s body erupted, spewing flames.

Triple Release, huh? Must have been his hidden ultimate move. I could see the strain it put on his body. He was charging at me while simultaneously using three skills in overdrive.

“Red, Blue, Black, Triple Release.”

I simply copied him.

KWAAANG!

Our kicks collided, causing an explosion.

“Impossible! You can match even the Triple Release…?!”

He was shocked.

This sensation is quite interesting. My speed is supersonic, my strength more explosive than ever, and my synapses are boiling, maximizing all my senses.

My body feels light. I move without limits, predicting Red Dragon’s next moves, countering and striking before he can act.

Not yet.

I still don’t feel like I’ve hit my wall.

Let’s push further.

“Quadruple Release.”

“What—?!”

My body glows. My physical form becomes white plague incarnate, etherealizing.

I vanish and reappear as if teleporting forward, delivering four strikes to his rear. Stepping through the void, I demolish and erase Red Dragon’s side. Then back to his front. Two straight punches and a middle knee kick connect.

“GUHK!!”

My speed continues to increase. Red Dragon struggles just to escape the voids I’m creating. He’s completely lost his pace. He can’t even decide whether to focus on offense or defense.

My vision takes in all information. His movements, breathing, line of sight—everything is within my grasp.

Yet I feel no burden. My brain’s synapses process the data instantaneously, and my spine moves my body to the optimal position for the next attack.

“No, no! It can’t end like this!”

KWANG!

My powerful strike creates a void that takes Red Dragon’s upper arm. Fear finally appears in his eyes.

“I’ll end this.”

I press the Revelation switch and rotate the upper section.

[REVELATION!]

[MAX PERFORMANCE!]

“Max Performance…?!”

Red Dragon trembled.

He wouldn’t have seen this before. Even I’m seeing it for the first time.

“What kind of bug are you using, Georgius?! I’m the strongest hero! Revelation is level 35! Grade T18! No player has ever gotten this strong in the game!”

“Still talking about games? Pathetic.”

This guy really is hopeless.

“This is inside a game! A game made for me, the strongest and only player! Even with all the strategies I know, using Revelation’s Max Performance should be impossible. How did you do it?!”

“Seems like level 40 is required.”

“Level 40…?!”

Red Dragon gaped stupidly.

“Then, your grade is…”

“T20.”

“What…”

“How long will you keep deluding yourself?”

I corrected one of his misconceptions.

“This is reality.”

Not that it matters anymore since he’s about to die.

I activated my skill.

“Annihilation.”

***

“Revelation’s enhanced form…?! Impossible. Oppa Ui-seok!!”

Ji Se-hwa screamed. Kang Yerin immediately sensed the situation was dire.

“It means there’s a difference in skill level itself. And Ui-seok’s grade must be lower. There’s no chance of winning.”

The Dragon King Sentai heroes exchanged glances. They immediately activated their abilities, trying to break through Sulphur’s galaxy barrier.

“Hey, you’ll regret this.”

“What, should we just wait here and die?!”

Ji Se-hwa swung her sword, channeling a blue dragon. Sulphur shrugged and deactivated the barrier.

“This is what we wanted anyway!”

Lee Lu-a covered herself in dark matter like armor and lunged at Shin Yukyong.

Distracted by the galaxy barrier, Shin Yukyong’s response was slow, but Park Hayoung stepped in front of her with a large shield.

“Hayoung!”

Kang Yerin immediately reached for her switch. Just as she was about to manipulate time—

“‘Harm yourself.'”

A sweet voice penetrated her brain.

“Ugh…?!”

Simultaneously, only Yerin’s heart stopped in time. Contrary to her intention, she had used her ability to attack herself.

Yerin felt her breath being cut off and her consciousness growing hazy.

“You bastards!!”

Ji Se-hwa rushed at Lena. Her blue saber grazed Lena’s cheek. Lena barely blocked Se-hwa’s saber with her fan, enhanced by verbal commands.

“Ugh—!”

At the same time, Se-hwa felt a sharp pain in her back. A loud gunfire sound hit her ears.

Boksil had summoned a drone with gatling guns on both sides and was mercilessly firing. Her approach, step by step, was like the grim reaper itself.

“Se-hwa!”

Shin Yukyong created a passage with her mirror to move Se-hwa away. The Dragon King Sentai tried to regroup.

But the ground beneath them melted and collapsed before they could. Han Somi was spreading a field of poison.

The melee and close combat continued.

The advantage quickly shifted to Vengeance. Given the difference in power, this was inevitable.

‘The gap is too wide…!’

Kang Yerin immediately assessed the situation.

‘Level, strategy, teamwork. Compared to Dragon King Sentai with its constantly changing main lineup, these people have perfected their coordination. Considering the difference between Ui-seok and Georgius, they must be at least T16 on average compared to our T15…’

These weren’t the Dark Matter and E.lena they knew before. Those two had been strong, but as Jung Ui-seok had said, they could eventually be defeated.

But the people before them now overflowed with vitality and will. They felt like an insurmountable wall.

Unlike earlier when they could incapacitate two of them with a surprise attack, they had absolutely no chance in a full-power confrontation.

‘…This is as far as we go.’

The Dragon King Sentai members were getting injured and falling one after another with increasing frequency.

No one gave up. They got back up even after falling. But it was clear they couldn’t continue fighting like this.

No, it was obvious they wouldn’t be able to survive.

‘Even so, if we die…’

We’ll die standing.

With that determination, Kang Yerin got up for the eighth time.

“Alright, let’s stop here.”

A white hero stood with his back to her, blocking her path.

“…Sulphur.”

E.lena, who had been attacking Yerin, glared sharply at Sulphur.

“Standing in my way means you want to die too, white boy.”

“Oh, you want to fight me at full power? Be prepared to get some scars on that pretty face.”

When Sulphur smirked, Lena frowned.

“Same goes for the rest of you. If you’ve had your fun, let’s end this.”

He created numerous black holes and attacked all the Vengeance members. Lu-a, Boksil, and Han Somi evaded.

“Ha, betrayal after all. I knew you’d do this.”

Lu-a revealed her hostility and rushed at Sulphur. He neutralized her ability and counterattacked.

“Betrayal? That hurts. I never said I’d give up this round.”

“Why do you always do things that put you at a disadvantage? Do you have some disease that prevents you from passing by dying animals?”

Lu-a charged at Sulphur and grabbed his collar. He looked into her eyes and laughed incredulously.

“I do, actually. Usually people with that disease become heroes.”

“…Ha.”

Lu-a was annoyed because she couldn’t refute his words. Jung Ui-seok had been the same. Sulphur had also helped Lu-a last time for no particular reason.

“So what do you suggest? If we let them live, the round won’t end anyway.”

“There’s a way. But first, we should ask their opinion.”

Han Somi stepped between them. She gently placed her hand on Lu-a’s shoulder.

“Let’s wait a moment.”

Finally, Lu-a released Sulphur’s collar. Sulphur stood before the four Dragon King Sentai members who were collapsed and on the verge of unconsciousness.

“Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yukyong, Park Hayoung, Kang Yerin. You have two choices.”

“Choices?”

Ji Se-hwa showed her hostility. Sulphur continued speaking without consideration.

“Your defeat and the destruction of the hero world are practically confirmed. So choose carefully. First, you die here.”

“…Haa.”

Kang Yerin sighed.

“Second, you survive. Miserably and pathetically, having lost everything with no hope. Only despair awaits you in the future.”

Shin Yukyong answered Sulphur’s proposal without a moment’s hesitation.

“I choose death.”

There was no wavering in Yukyong’s eyes.

“Same here. Kneel and beg villains to survive? Go fuck yourself.”

“Because we’re heroes.”

Ji Se-hwa and Park Hayoung also stood up.

“We have to fight until the end.”

Kang Yerin also gripped her trembling knees. The Dragon King Sentai each grasped their weapons. Their gazes turned toward Vengeance.

“Dragons do not shed tears.”

“Instead.”

“‘We soar!'”

The four warriors kicked off the ground and leaped. Their target was Vengeance. They passed by Sulphur.

“…What a shame.”

Sulphur muttered quietly so no one could hear.

Snap!

Sulphur snapped his fingers. Enormous black holes appeared. They were of a size and power he had never shown before.

Even the Vengeance members flinched momentarily upon seeing them. It was threatening. They realized then that Sulphur had never used his full power until now.

SWOOSH—!!

The black holes instantly swallowed the four Dragon King Sentai members and disappeared. Then everything became quiet as if nothing had happened.