The main story “The Broken Crown” involving Sion might seem complicated in detail, but when viewed as a whole, it was not difficult to understand.
They were individuals without the ability to directly harm the Snow Tiger Emperor.
All they could do was target his bloodline before its power fully matured, driven by their dark motives.
In that regard, the role and objective of Abyss City’s protagonist were also simple.
It was essentially a defense game where they made sure that such figures never approached or were discovered by Noah Frozenheart.
Failure wouldn’t put Noah in danger, but it would trigger a disastrous outcome. An ending where every last elf who had fled from Tigrova was wiped out.
I’ll finish everything today.
Knowing this, Rohan strengthened his resolve.
From this point on, failure was not an option.
“I’ll go on ahead.”
The moment Rohan who was gripping his longsword timed his jump—
Clara who had been sitting atop the tunnel moved her fingers.
A realization struck her. She was following Rohan’s instructions and matching his timing. A strange heat and satisfaction filled the girl’s mind.
“Arachne.”
Right before Rohan’s landing point, the loosely spread threads lying across the road suddenly tightened.
A single strand of pitch-black thread that was barely visible stretched horizontally in front of the tunnel.
The oncoming vehicles were like insects rushing into a spider’s web.
Clara’s thread forged like a masterpiece blade through concentrated mana infusion displayed a brutal cutting power.
Peeing—! Tiiiiiiiing—!
The leading vehicle passed straight through Clara’s web.
So precise was the cut that it was almost imperceptible. Until Rohan landed atop the split car with a sword in hand.
Thud! A fall infused with mana.
The impact sent the windshield flying, proving Clara’s trap had taken effect.
Now, the signs of a clean severance began to reveal themselves on the vehicle.
Rohan thrust his longsword into the driver’s seat without hesitation.
Without stopping, he swung it across, slicing through the passenger seat as well.
They’re dead.
What his blade pierced had already lost its life after passing through Clara’s threads.
He could feel the sensation of cutting through flesh and bone, but there were no screams, no reactions.
The severed sections that were cleanly sliced by the threads split open with a sharp crack and twisted apart. The wheels lost their path, sending the car veering toward the tunnel wall.
Rohan kicked off the vehicle and landed inside the tunnel.
Screeeeeeeech—! Craash!!!
In an instant, chaos erupted within the tunnel.
The cars following behind had likely fallen into Clara’s trap as well, their wheels skidding wildly.
Rubmbleeee—!!
Rohan dodged the tumbling vehicles and his sharp gaze quickly assessed the situation.
The tunnel was now completely blocked by the collision.
I wonder how many survived.
The key factors were how quickly those in the leading vehicles recognized the sudden turn of events and the aggressive burst of mana. Whether they slowed down in time and how they handled the unavoidable trap ahead.
Looks like it worked up to the second row.
Judging by the scattered wreckage, some had managed to force their way out by punching or kicking through their vehicles.
Rohan considered that a reasonable way to escape.
With just a flick of Clara’s fingers, the cars had been completely wrecked.
Still, a few vehicles sat empty with their interiors devoid of bodies. Meaning, unfortunately, not everyone had been killed.
– Khh… Shit… Where’s the boss?
– You crazy bitch! Who the hell are you with—?! Guhh…!
Shouts and commotion echoed from outside the tunnel, but Clara would handle that.
Rohan had no reason to step outside right now.
Good. Just as expected.
The one who didn’t roll out of the wreckage but instead escaped cleanly through the carved-out roof was still inside the tunnel.
That bastard had made it all the way in and managed to slip away just before the collision.
“Hey, mutt. I’ll smear you with some mustard.”
Rohan’s voice and footsteps rang through the tunnel as he gripped his longsword.
He had no intention of letting the target retreat.
“Hah… I had a feeling today’s fortune was garbage.”
Akin Doberman. The Doberman beastkin and the leader of the group.
He, who had been staring at Rohan, spat out his cigarette after chewing on it. Despite having narrowly escaped death in the ambush, he appeared completely unruffled.
Clack!
Doberman held a crossbow in one hand.
It had been modernized, its frame gleamed with a sleek luster, and even came fitted with a scope.
Apart from the fact that its ammunition was arrows, it did not seem any less capable than a gun.
And so, Rohan remained on guard.
It was a world where anyone could easily obtain a gun.
In such an era, encountering an opponent who wielded a bow or a crossbow was not something to be taken lightly.
That was because he had the confidence that firing arrows was more powerful and effective than a gun.
Focus. I had to allocate my mana well.
He remembered that his bulky companions, the Bulldog brothers, were by his side and he had taken precautions.
It seemed that they had either escaped from the tunnel or had headed over toward Clara’s side.
Since there were no meat shields filling his vision, he felt a sense of relief from the very beginning.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Rohan, having seized the opportunity, silently closed the distance.
Doberman raised his crossbow and aimed it at Rohan.
“So many people hold a grudge against me that I don’t even know who sent you.”
Doberman imbued his arrow with magical power.
Without hesitation, he fired it.
Rohan had been concentrating from the moment he noticed the magical power rippling along the arrow.
At the instant his finger twitched, he swiftly raised his longsword.
Clang!
The sword’s edge blocked the magical projectile.
It resounded as though struck by a hammer.
Heavy.
The palm that gripped his sword ached.
Thwack!
He transitioned from walking to a full sprint.
Rohan kicked off from the hard ground and closed the distance in a straight line.
“You’ve got some guts.”
Doberman, watching his opponent charge straight on without sidestepping, raised his crossbow.
Clack!
A split-second timing battle unfolded.
With the crossbow held at his brow, Rohan’s and Doberman’s gazes met.
Without averting his eyes, he shot the arrow.
Rohan kicked, sending Doberman’s hand soaring skyward.
He swung his sword with its blade stained with a crimson color from his skill.
Whoosh—!
The blade sliced through the air.
As Rohan pursued the retreating Doberman, he kicked a side mirror that was rolling on the ground.
“I told you I’d smear you with soybean paste, didn’t I?”
Doberman, having dodged with a swift turn of his head, let out a soft laugh.
“It’s not the right day to end up in the pot. It’s been a while since I’ve craved human flesh too. Offer me your neck. I’ll chew you down to the bone.”
Doberman leaped backward while drawing a short arrow from his clothes.
He loaded it. He infused it with mana. He aimed.
Doberman, executing every move as fluidly as water, continued his rough melee with Rohan.
Fwooooosh!
An arrow brushed past his shoulder.
Siiing!
A scorching blade was narrowly evaded by the margin of a mere sheet of paper.
The very edge of his coat was scorched black merely by grazing it.
Amidst the melee, there were physical tussles and shoulder-to-shoulder struggles as they fought to subdue each other’s weapons.
Doberman was no slouch in close combat.
Because fistfights and brawls had been the means by which he survived before he took up the crossbow, it meant that even if he did not hold an advantage over Rohan, who wielded a longsword as his primary weapon, he would not be rendered helpless.
“”……..””
Still, neither one’s breathing faltered.
It felt like a completely different world from the tunnel outside, where screams rang out.
They both thought the same thing simultaneously.
He’s far more troublesome than I had expected.
Rohan adjusted his weapon.
Tssuk!
He lowered his stance as if he were trying to capture a wary wild animal.
It almost resembled the standoff between a dog butcher and a stray dog.
That mutt… He’s a tricky one when it comes to creating distance in an instant.
Doberman was faster than Rohan.
However, he was not as fast as Sion or Clara.
Nonetheless, his standout skill was his footwork, honed by experience.
His experienced footwork was truly remarkable.
Even so,
Rohan was not anxious.
Given the circumstances, only that fellow seemed to be getting impatient.
Even though he held the crossbow with a composed demeanor,
If I stay on the defensive, he’d eventually have to bring it out.
He knew that if he remained patient, his time would come.
Rohan knew.
***
Akin Doberman focused on the opponent in front of him while his exceptional hearing allowed him to analyze every sound.
Outside the tunnel, his underlings were dying rapidly.
Is it the woman atop the tunnel who is in charge outside?
Judging from the momentum he sensed, one might have guessed that his opponent and the leader were that woman.
Nevertheless, for some reason, Doberman felt that the current situation was as it should be.
As he had learned from roaming the back alleys of Yamal, superior mana and physical strength did not guarantee victory.
It merely increased the chances; nothing was ever absolute.
If I let him live, he’d become a real nuisance… that one.
Doberman sensed it instinctively.
To survive here, that man had to die first.
My mana reserve…
He could still use his skill.
However, if he kept firing arrows like this, even that might become impossible.
I’ll use it.
If he used it and failed to kill him, it would be a disaster. But such an outcome had never happened before. That was why he was still here.
“…….”
Tap. Tadak— Tap. Tadatak—.
Doberman’s footsteps changed.
Though he had only taken a single step, the sound that followed was as if several people were moving in quick succession.
Rohan sensed it too.
“!”
Then, Doberman multiplied.
Moving swiftly, he left behind thick afterimages.
He circled Rohan, cutting off his attempts to grasp the situation.
All of them moved in perfect unison.
Doberman’s illusions were not of particularly high caliber, but illusion-based skills were exceedingly rare.
If one encountered them for the first time, responding properly was difficult.
And the more hastily one reacted, the deeper they risked falling into the deception.
“I’ll kill you cleanly.”
“I’ll kill you cleanly.”
“I’ll kill you cleanly.”
…
…
Multiple voices, scattered and overlapping, echoed through the tunnel.
Doberman too did not have the luxury of maintaining his skill for long. He pretended to be calm and raised his crossbow.
It’s here.
Catching the opportunity he had been waiting for, Rohan gripped the hilt of his longsword so tightly it felt as if it would shatter.
Illusions were truly fascinating. A strange sensation crept through his limbs.
Even knowing how this man’s skill worked, the vividness, the clarity of sight, smell, and sound….planted the smallest seed of doubt.
Like Joo-yeon had warned, the less confidence one had in their own senses, the harder it was to break free.
But Rohan had nothing to hesitate over.
There was a reason he had waited for this moment with everything he had.
Rohan had a method far more reliable than anything he had learned at the academy.
I should buy Ichinose a snack when I get back.
A breakthrough Ichinose Yui had inadvertently created while demonstrating her swordsmanship.
An unexpected use of the status window.
Recalling that moment, Rohan forced his consciousness awake.
Status window.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
Ignoring everything else, Rohan’s gaze went straight to “Status”.
Name: Rohan
Health: 82%
Magical power: 66%
Affiliated Nation: Southern Ruins
Affiliated Organization: Orion Academy
Attributes: [Physical] [Fire]
Status: Confused (Hallucination)
Remaining Points: 3,772P
It was written clearly; he was under a hallucination.
That certainty was all he needed.
For an illusion of this level, simply recognizing it was enough to break free.
[Discovered the flaw in the hallucination.]
[Fully aware of the illusion.]
[Escaped from the hallucination.]
“I’ll make it quick.”
A sharp voice rang out from the right.
The hallucination before his eyes vanished. The unsettling sensation lingering in his limbs dissipated.
The subtle yet oppressive feeling of this low-grade “mirror flower, water moon” technique was gone.
It felt more refreshing than he had expected.
In an instant, Rohan surged his mana and stepped forward.
His sword slashed through the air like a lightning strike.
[First Blade—Blazing Slash]
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