Rohan’s skill structure began to change.
With each step he took, it evolved further.
There had been things that were impossible back when “Inflict Weakness” was at Level 1. Physical contact had been mandatory, and only physical attributes could be assigned as weaknesses.
From the moment “Inflict Weakness” reached Level 2, he had been able to choose which attribute to assign as a weakness. He had broken free from the constraint of being limited to physical attributes alone.
And yet, the reason he continued to insist on assigning only physical weaknesses was simple.
It was because he felt there was no advantage in wielding fire compared to strikes or slashes strengthened by magical power since he wasn’t skilled in handling fire.
Then he took one more step up the staircase. “Inflict Weakness” reached Level 3.
He had gained wings.
[Inflict Weakness — Lv.3]
◇ Inflict the target with an attribute weakness.
◇ Attacks against the target with the inflicted weakness have a certain chance to inflict a debuff.
The description had changed from “upon contact” to simply “Inflict the target with an attribute weakness”.
The debuff no longer carried the term “minor” and the probability was no longer described as “low” but now as “a certain chance”.
This is big.
Based on the changes, he naturally absorbed new knowledge.
Perhaps he had even recalled something he had forgotten.
The awareness that he could now launch skills and magic outward seeped into his consciousness.
He could have fired it barehanded, but he came to the realization that the weapon most in harmony with the skill was the pistol he possessed.
The bullet becomes a medium that carries and delivers the inflicted weakness.
If the infliction of a physical attribute weakness ended instantly, there was hope that even a powerful enemy could be pierced.
But for now, he had to inflict something else.
Recalling what Omega had aimed at Joo-yeon and prepared with Hex, the weakness to be inflicted was fire.
There was no doubt. This choice was right a hundred times over.
“Haa…”
With Ichinose supporting him, he finished aiming.
And pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet Rohan fired cut through the air.
That bullet carried a force that defied logic.
It was a power worthy of being called a magic bullet.
***
“Corruption!”
Omega’s arm pulsed. A dragon’s head opened its jaws wide.
Snap!
The dragon that was now only a head let out a wailing roar as it condensed a massive amount of magical power.
– Kaaaahhh!!!
Sensing the incoming attack, Joo-yeon gripped her sword tightly.
Flames wrapped around her entire body.
[Necrotic Breath]
The breath of a dragon that brought death and corruption.
A vortex filled with a murky green shot forth violently.
Joo-yeon’s greatsword rejected the corruption and flared with fire.
[Blazing Cross Slash]
Within the green smoke rising like sea fog, flames carved a vivid cross, asserting their presence.
Booom—!!!
A brilliant explosion swallowed the spreading breath whole and smothered it.
“Ahahahaha!!!”
Omega pushed through the explosion and swung his sword.
Clang! Kaang! Ching!
Even his simple swordplay was ferocious.
Between his strikes, he launched attacks using monsters. Naturally, they couldn’t be ignored.
While exchanging blows, Joo-yeon replayed the battle so far in her mind in a fleeting moment.
She compared it to the past.
He has near-perfect resistance to fire. How?
Was her opponent withstanding her flames simply due to an increase in capability? Or perhaps it was thanks to the mysterious drug he had taken in large doses?
No, something felt off.
It must be because of whatever he did to his body.
It felt like trying to suppress a monster that lived in lava with fire.
Still, abandoning her flames wasn’t an option.
That would impose too many limitations.
If she didn’t voluntarily restrict and control her power, the balance of momentum would easily shift in his favor.
Clang-clang-bang!!!
Their blades clashed and grated against each other with a shrill metallic cry.
In the brief instant they struggled at close quarters, that was when the greatest number of moves were exchanged.
“Kuhuhu, this is fun!”
“……”
The flow of mana, the direction of their gaze, the movement of muscles, the placement of their feet.
Everything related to combat was used to draw deceptive signs that concealed their true attacks.
It was a moment when both sides desperately tried to gain the upper hand.
“!?”
And in that moment, Joo-yeon saw it.
Even though Noah Frozenheart and Corin had already left, Ichinose Yui and Rohan were still holding their ground.
Why haven’t they left…?!
Joo-yeon was taken aback by the sight of Rohan aiming a pistol.
Cruel as reality was, it was safe to say that Rohan’s attack stood no chance of wounding Omega.
While his courage to face such a fearsome opponent was commendable, it wasn’t something she could praise.
Without the talent to imbue projectiles with mana, a gun was meaningless.
Even an ordinary pistol had no lethality from a distance that far.
As Joo-yeon continued to sigh and panic—
No way.
She sensed mana gathering around Rohan’s pistol.
An unknown skill that disrupted harmony.
Having experienced it firsthand during their sparring session, Joo-yeon could recognize it even from afar.
…Could Rohan actually be capable of breaking this stalemate?
A near-clairvoyant intuition that only those who had reached mastery could sometimes feel.
Joo-yeon had already made up her mind. She had to catch the thread Rohan was trying to weave.
“Hmph.”
For the first time, Joo-yeon lifted the corners of her mouth in front of Omega.
But that faint smile turned into a clear sneer aimed straight at Omega.
Surely, Omega was aware that Rohan was gathering mana.
And yet, he showed no sign of concern.
“Can’t you feel it? If you want to live, run now. My students are no ordinary fighters.”
“Have you dipped your toes into politics? You’ve learned how to wag your tongue!”
“Those who stop walking can’t follow a new wind. Learn how to lower your neck that only ever looks at the sky.”
“Silence! You think an attack like that will work?! Focus on me instead!!!”
Bang!
It rang out, loud and clear.
The bullet Rohan fired flew forward in pursuit of change.
—Ting! It struck Omega, but failed to penetrate and fell weakly to the ground.
“What a pathetic attempt… Hm!?”
Omega showed a flicker of confusion as an unsettling sensation spread through his entire body.
He had just realized that some unknown change had occurred inside him.
“I told you, didn’t I? If you want to live, run.”
Joo-yeon who was gripping her greatsword confirmed that Ichinose Yui was hurriedly fleeing while carrying the collapsed Rohan.
The battle resumed immediately.
[Blazing Flame Formation]
A crimson slash flew toward Omega.
Both Joo-yeon who had launched the attack, and Omega who had blocked it, instantly recognized that the situation had changed.
It feels different!
It wasn’t Joo-yeon’s imagination. Even Omega was visibly shaken.
Though his resistance was still strong, it was no longer enough to be called flawless.
He had fallen to the level of barely enduring.
There’s no way the state Rohan induced can last long. It has to have a limit.
Letting this opportunity slip away was out of the question.
Joo-yeon made her decision and began unleashing the full power of her flames.
[Hidden Flame Release]
She instantly activated the embers stored within her body.
Her red hair blazed brilliantly, accompanied by a vivid yellow glow.
“To think you’d try to settle this with such a ridiculous finish…!”
A blue sphere rose above Omega’s head.
It was a lifeform created by Hex to stand against Joo-yeon.
Following its remaining instincts, it endlessly produced cold.
[Glacial Cosmos]
It froze the surrounding space with a crackling sound, filling it with cold.
Even Omega, its user, was affected by it and couldn’t maintain it for long.
Damn brat…!
Omega, with his breath foggy from the cold, made a firm resolve.
Not just Joo-yeon, but that bastard too….he had to kill them no matter what.
Once the battle was over, he would make sure to capture him.
If nothing else works… I must return alive, regardless of the outcome.
He had to inform Hex and everyone else of the guy’s existence and his skills.
“Lost in thought during battle? You’re either too lucky or too foolish.”
Joo-yeon came flying at him, wielding her greatsword.
Clang!
The greatsword came crashing down.
He barely managed to block the slash, but withstanding the flames that followed was overwhelming.
Just as he had felt, there was no doubt that the bullet had caused something to go wrong in his body.
“Urgh…!”
“Die.”
Joo-yeon burned her own body in relentless flames while ignoring the invading chill.
She swung her sword without pause.
She gave everything she had to avoid missing this chance.
Crack!
And then, a fissure appeared.
Omega’s hardened skin tore, allowing Joo-yeon’s flames to seep in.
The scales of battle tilted dramatically.
“Aaaaargh!!!”
A burning pain flooded through his entire body.
Omega couldn’t endure the pain and let out a scream. A nightmare from the past had returned.
“I told you, didn’t I? This time, I won’t miss.”
[Slash]
She channeled strength from her core into the greatsword and struck.
It severed Omega’s arm and tore deeply into him.
[Strike]
She followed up with a downward blow.
She had aimed to cleave him in two, but Omega’s desperate resistance limited the blow to splitting his shoulder.
“Huff! Huff…!”
Fear was unmistakable in Omega’s eyes as he tried to put distance between them.
But would that evoke any pity?
Joo-yeon did not stop her assault.
She took a single step to close the gap.
[Flame Point]
The greatsword violently pierced through Omega’s abdomen.
[Embers at Dusk]
A flash of light exploded before Omega’s eyes, and both his legs were blown off.
[Sever]
[Slice ]
[Reap]
[Cut]
[Execute]
[Gouge ]
A flawless series of slashes and thrusts that were worthy of a place in the history of swordsmanship followed.
Omega, with his mouth agape in agony, quietly began to move his magical power.
[Frost Nebula]
The blue sphere floating in the air silently targeted Joo-yeon’s back.
“Your desperation came too soon. You should have waited.”
As if she had anticipated it, Joo-yeon evaded the ambush.
She didn’t get excited or let her guard down just because the tide had turned in her favor.
She simply moved forward, calmly, one step at a time.
The final strike.
[Dragon Slayer]
A red flash swept past Omega’s neck and the blue sphere in a brilliant arc.
“Guhk…!”
The death of Omega who had once escaped after a draw with Joo-yeon in Abyss City.
If Rohan had seen it, he would have felt joy, but also a tangle of emotions at the unexpected turn of events.
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