episode_0075

Thud! Boom! Thump!

I simultaneously evaded and defended. Using the Moon Shadow Steps I learned from Cain, I moved like a phantom, dodging as much as possible, and punching away anything I absolutely couldn’t avoid. I precisely grasped the position, calculated the speed, and struck the spatial orbs, making them collide with other spatial orbs. The two nullified each other with their destructive power, self-destructing into nothingness.

“Ahahaha! That’s impressive, but that’s all it is. Don’t just dodge, try counterattacking!”

Ethan unleashed spatial orbs relentlessly, yet expressed a somewhat bored impression. He had been so excited just moments ago, but his boredom set in at an unimaginable speed.

I thoroughly ignored his provocation and checked on Cain’s condition.

‘No problem for now.’

It seemed he had already used that strenuous technique, but he could recover quickly with rest later, so it wasn’t particularly concerning. However, danger would strike the moment the balance of the fight was disrupted. I had originally planned to intervene at the right moment and gloss over the crisis, but that damn wizard ruined everything.

Bang! Boom!

It was the moment I was looking for an opening to exploit, striking away the spatial orbs whose destructive power was steadily increasing.

“How long do you intend to hold out? Is it okay if Cain Klaus dies?”

Ethan Gloucester made a significant remark. It was true that Cain was fighting a dangerous battle, but he hadn’t sustained a fatal injury. Even though a tense battle was ongoing, there was a certain conviction in his words. Those blue eyes held the certainty that Cain would face a crisis in this fight! Facing the anxiety I had always carried within me, I gripped my fist tighter and asked,

“Was it you? The possessor in the Dark Church?”

I was half-certain but hoped it wasn’t true. Because there was nothing worse than the possessor’s true identity being Ethan Gloucester. However, Ethan, unfortunately, nodded his head with surprising readiness.

“Yes. I am the possessor of the Dark Church.”

“…Damn it.”

The one who corrupted the saber-toothed tiger with demonic energy, attacked the academy during the end-of-semester evaluation, and forcibly activated the illusion maze barrier after infiltrating the depths. It had to be Ethan Gloucester, of all people. As I bit my lip in overwhelming despair, he opened his mouth with a look of delight.

“Then this time, I’ll ask a question. Are you… really Hyun?”

“What?”

“I asked if you’re Hyun, the Korean gamer. Do you remember Phantom?”

What a bizarre question. Amidst a bloody battle for our lives happening everywhere, to suddenly bring up matters from Earth…

‘Phantom?’

Could it be that the one possessing Ethan Gloucester is Phantom? The fact that *that* person, famous for being the number one speedrunner, had taken over his body made curses well up in my throat.

I pretended not to know, deliberately avoiding getting drawn into his ploy.

“Phantom? Who’s that? I don’t recognize the name at all.”

As I pulled out 100% of my acting skills to create a bewildered expression, Ethan’s smile vanished as if wiped clean.

“……You don’t know? You don’t know me? You don’t know Phantom, the number one ranked player? You don’t remember me at all, who competed with you?”

His eyes spat out a chilling blue light. Despite the oppressive pressure that distinctly touched my skin, I maintained an indifferent expression.

“Number one rank? Ah, was that what you were talking about?”

“‘That’… you say? Ahahahaha! I was mistaken. I was nothing in your eyes. How dare you… how dare you humiliate me?”

As if he had been betrayed by a loved one, Ethan Gloucester raged. For some reason, goosebumps broke out all over my body.

‘What the hell is his problem?’

I couldn’t understand why a grown man would act like this just because someone didn’t remember him. It’s not like he’s some kind of lovesick fool. As I was flustered by his overly emotional display, Ethan raised his hand and aimed.

“Die!”

Simultaneously, the wall of space that had been blocking his front instantly shattered everything in front of it and surged forward. Realizing I couldn’t possibly block it, I quickly threw myself away.

CRAAASH!

A thunderous roar followed belatedly, and the shockwave slammed into my entire body. I turned my head to see a long trench and the deeply dented wall of the cavern. If I hadn’t dodged, I would have been crushed like dried shredded squid.

“That’s enough. Let this whole world perish!”

Ethan wasn’t satisfied with this, displaying incomprehensible behavior and wildly manipulating space. He unleashed hundreds of spatial orbs, pushing and sometimes pulling the walls of space, shaking my area with indiscriminate bombardment. I defended desperately, waiting for my chance.

‘He has many openings.’

He was so agitated that Ethan even mobilized the walls of space defending himself for the attack. If I could just get in there, I could land a decisive blow. Holding on with patience, I seized the moment the spatial walls were released all at once and leaped precisely into Ethan’s embrace.

However, his casting speed was beyond imagination.

“That’s not enough!”

A shimmering aura emanating from Ethan’s grasp quickly enveloped the space itself. Just before the magic was complete, I parted my lips.

“Phantom. I remember you.”

“Wha…at?”

For a moment, Ethan’s movements faltered, casting speed slowed, and the magical structure became unstable. The malice drained from his venomously distorted expression, and a clear light appeared in his eyes, previously filled with rage. I met his gaze and threw my fist forward.

CRACK!

“Kuhok!”

My crushing blow easily shattered the incomplete spatial wall and embedded itself in Ethan’s abdomen. He gaped in pain, spitting blood, and was sent flying disastrously, tumbling roughly across the floor. His magic circuit was damaged, so he wouldn’t be able to cast magic for a while now.

I slowly approached him. When I finally reached him, Ethan lifted his head and said something unexpected.

“Really? You… remember me?”

“…What?”

“You just said it. Cough! You remember Phantom, really?”

There was no resentment towards me to be found in him. Even as he coughed up blood from being tricked, he only wanted one answer. That bizarre obsession filled me with unprecedented dread, and I raised my fist.

‘I have to kill him.’

And just as I was about to bring it down.

STAB!

A black sword extended from Ethan’s shadow and pierced my heart area.

“Uh…?”

A searing heat spread from the wound. With every beat of my heart, pain spread through my veins, making my entire body scream. I moved my trembling hand and gripped the sword.

‘If it comes out, I’ll die.’

If the sword was pulled out, the wound would tear open, blood would pour, and I would die from excessive bleeding. My struggle to somehow cling to life became futile with a single gesture from the Death Knight who had emerged from the shadows.

RIIIIP!

The black sword sliced from my heart down to my side and pulled out. Blood gushed out, my internal organs spilled, and all strength vanished from my body.

“Ugh! Guh…”

I flailed my hands, trying to somehow gather my organs, but only cut through the air before finally collapsing to the ground.

“N-Nooooo!”

Ethan’s scream faintly reached my ears.

‘What the hell is with this guy?’

Thinking about it now, maybe Ethan really *is* gay. I let out a bitter chuckle, watching the blood stream from my ripped-open side, a fistful of flesh torn away, and slowly began to count in my head.

‘One. Two. Three… Damn it, this is crazy. Is this even possible?’

I could activate the Phoenix Egg if I just held out for one minute, but with my heart ripped apart and most of my organs gone, that’s impossible. If that were possible, I wouldn’t even need the Phoenix Egg; I’d just shake off these injuries and get up.

As I indulged in such pointless thoughts, I felt the warmth slowly draining from my body. The sensation of my soul freezing. This powerlessness, stripping away even the will to resist. It was a familiar feeling, yet one I never wanted to experience again. My vision was blurring.

‘I don’t want to die.’

It was a calm thought, yet it expressed my feelings better than anything else. However, time was merciless. It seemed it had no intention of prolonging the life of a human whose major organs had ceased functioning.

Finally, just before losing consciousness completely.

WHOOSH!

From my pierced heart, a seed of flame, purer and more pristine than anything else, began to bloom.

*

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Under the relentless, invisible barrage that poured down like rain, Yuliana seemed as if she would collapse at any moment. Just as her heart was also beginning to strain, Cain gathered all his focus to finally deliver the finishing blow.

“Huuuuu…”

He exhaled completely, emptying his lungs, and at the same time drew all his magical power, filling his entire body. Now, with a stronger sense of unity with magic than ever before, Cain recalled his inner image more vividly and activated his ultimate technique.

Cain Style. Ultimate Technique. Limitless Flash Shadow.

There was no sound, no color, no movement. A single strike where only the result remained, without even a cause. The moment Cain’s will reached his inner image, the strike had already hit Yuliana.

CRACK!

His fist pierced her chest.

“……”

“Yuliana. See you later. It won’t be long.”

Every moment I spent with you was happy. Cain silently bade farewell to Yuliana, who was looking down at her chest. He painstakingly pushed away the lingering attachment that clung stubbornly to him and crushed the seed of domination Hersculer had planted in her heart.

‘It’s finally over.’

Cain, who had finally put an end to ten years of work, allowed himself to fall into sentimentality for a brief moment. That was a mistake. Hersculer, who had been focusing all his attention on Gion Cruise until then, shifted his gaze towards Cain.

“To think he would fall so easily. An unforeseen turn of events.”

With his words, Yuliana, whose seed had been destroyed and who was hunched over as if she would collapse at any moment, grabbed Cain’s arm. The seed of domination planted in her heart was only one of several.

WOOOOSH—

Immediately after, green magical energy burst forth like a flash from Yuliana’s entire body.

“Yuliana!”

He knew he had to evade, but he couldn’t move easily. Because he knew what fate Yuliana would meet in the next moment. With this, he would have to part with her forever. Just as he gritted his teeth against the surging sorrow.

“Hersculer!”

Ethan, who had been sitting in despair, approached and exploded in rage. His spatial magic engulfed the defenseless Hersculer, and that minor interference created a fleeting gap in his magic design. The time was very short, but for Cain, it was enough to exploit.

CRAAASH!

At the same time, the magic poison exploded. The magic poison, erupting with a powerful impact, melted everything within a 20-meter radius. A massive swamp was created at its center. Even before the magic poison mist settled, Cain appeared a short distance away.

“Guh…!”

He glanced at his right shoulder. Although he had withdrawn his body as quickly as possible, he couldn’t completely avoid the damage, and his right arm had completely vanished from the shoulder down. The magic poison continued to encroach, causing intense pain. Cain swiftly blocked the pain receptors.

“…Unfortunate. I couldn’t finish him because of that nuisance.”

Looking towards the source of the voice, he saw Hersculer, perfectly unharmed without a scratch, and Ethan, suppressed and struggling beneath his feet. Ethan’s attack hadn’t caused Hersculer even a scratch.

‘Can I win?’

Despite his rage, he drew on his composure to prevent his rationality from being completely consumed. He wanted to rip apart Hersculer, who had killed and humiliated Yuliana, right then and there, but charging in blindly offered no chance of victory. It was nearly impossible to accomplish what was difficult even in peak condition, now that he had lost an arm. Even if his power was focused on Gion Cruise—

Just as he solidified his desperate resolve, Cain’s senses detected a strange presence. A sacred yet instinctively fear-inducing pressure, weighty and oppressive. Its source was a mysterious masked figure who had suddenly appeared and fallen dead.

WHOOOOSH!

What was there was the Incarnation of Fire. A doll, enveloped in divine scarlet flames and destructive crimson flames, floated in the air. A vast amount of magical power, typically found only in divine beasts or ancient dragons, was observed from it.

“Dangerous.”

Hersculer, realizing the essence of that power, immediately sent a portion of the undead army that had been focused on Gion. A hundred Death Knights and a thousand skeletons advanced, aiming solely for that one figure. Finally, just before their demonic grasp engulfed the doll.

FLAP!

Wings sprouted from the doll’s back. The wings were different colors; the scarlet wing was delicate and beautiful, like the wing of the legendary Phoenix from ancient times, while the crimson wing was sharp and menacing, like that of a Red Dragon. The moment the two wings flapped, a massive storm of flames descended upon the cavern. The undead were utterly annihilated by the overwhelming firepower, vanishing without a trace, not even leaving dust behind. After the aftershock subsided, what remained was a single doll, still enveloped in endless flames, its momentum completely unbroken.

“What in the world is that thing?”

His astonished murmur spoke for the feelings of everyone present.