C155
The message that came through Kyneē was
different from the previous one.
YuWon noticed the eyes on the back of the
hand, which were wide open.
The eyes that had been half closed for some
time. They opened broadly for the first time and a greater quantity of mana
spilled out than ever before.
Tsk-.
The mana de flowed through Kyneē enveloped
YuWon’s body.
As if it was his from the beginning, YuWon
felt that familiar mana.
As if he was in the dark sea without a
single light.
He felt the same as when he had fallen into
it.
Almost infinite mana.
He felt as if he was swimming in it.
Knowing and not knowing.
The difference was much more than what
YuWon had first thought.
Kwajijijik-!
In the middle of the half-collapsed temple.
The mana emitted by Kyneē drove away Ares’
golden mana.
The dark energy emanating from Kyneē
quickly enveloped the room and filled the temple.
'This is the difference between knowing the
source of power and drawing upon it, rather than being limited to trusting in the
effects of an item..."
King of the Dead.
The power of that title was not just being
able to command the Undead.
"What is this?"
Ares' eyes widened as he felt the power of
the dark element pressing against his mana.
'This is bad.'
Normally, there was only one reason for such
a sudden increase in power.
When you've spent all your mana and you're
looking for a quick victory.
Yes...
While it was certainly a remarkable feat,
YuWon’s skills were only a step behind him.
The fact that he hadn't been able to land a
single effective blow so far was proof of that.
On the other hand, his own sword had
managed to reach YuWon.
'He has realized that he would be at a
disadvantage if he drags this out.'
There was no need to reply.
If he prolonged the fight, he would win
nine times out of ten.
But his crumpled pride wouldn't permit him.
Hwaaak-!
The mana emanating from Ares' body drove
YuWon's body back.
The mana glowed as brightly as the sun.
Tak-.
Ares took a step towards YuWon.
"It's useless to resist."
Swish-.
The tip of his short spear aimed at YuWon's
head pierced through the darkness.
At the same time, Ares' toes jerked.
Chak-.
The distance shrunk in an instant.
The darkness encasing the temple parted and
Ares' two spearheads struck YuWon's head.
Tak-!
Woo-!
The two spears collided with YuWon's sword.
Ares immediately withdrew the clashing
sword and tried to continue his attack.
But then...
"......?"
His body did not listen.
His arms didn't move.
His body felt strangely heavy and
uncomfortable.
At that moment, Ares and YuWon's eyes met.
Tsut-.
Mana began to flow through his arm.
Ares suddenly faced the deep darkness
surrounding him.
Surely, the Mana he was emitting must have
pierced YuWon's power?
"You are weak in close combat."
Clack-.
YuWon's hand grabbed Ares' wrist that held
the spear.
"I can't believe how easily you went
in."
"What the sh*t......!"
Deuk-.
"......!"
Ares, disconcerted, took a step back.
Tsut-.
As if going somewhere, Ares backed up a
couple of steps and a wall of energy formed behind him.
Thud-.
A spear fell to the ground.
Wondering if he had dropped the weapon,
Ares picked it up again, only to find himself empty-handed.
At that moment...
Ares found a familiar hand in YuWon's.
"Is that my.......?
Ares' eyes widened.
He saw his wrist in front of him, and his
own arm, which was empty.
The scream came too late.
"Aaaagh!"
More than the pain, it was the horror of
the missing hand that filled his mind.
Paget-.
He staggered back in panic, but the walls
were still as solid as ever.
It was the power emitted by Kyneē.
"Even if you had two hands it would be
hard, would you be okay with one?"
He was out of breath.
Ares grabbed the sword backwards and swung
it against the mana blocking his back.
Passt, ssshhh!
An impenetrable force.
The bouncing darkness with a strong
repulsive force wrapped Ares' body again.
Ares quickly raised his strength to shake
off the darkness that clung to his body.
And a thought arose...
'Did he give me the way... on purpose?'
YuWon had opened a path that led him deeper
and deeper.
The thought crossed his mind, but nothing
else came to mind.
Ares was not confident that he could
penetrate the immense power that permeated the temple as easily as he had just
done.
Ssshhhh-.
The energy emitted by Kyneē soared skyward.
The darkness spread out like clouds.
It blocked the sunlight falling on the
temple, and in an instant turned sky into night.
['Lightning Fragment' reacts with Kyneē]
Cleack, Cleack-!
Lightning flashed through the blackened
clouds.
YuWon extended his hand towards him.
"Punch."
Flash-!
* * *
Aphesis, one of the Rankers under Ares,
tensed at the scene unfolding before his eyes.
'What the hell just happened?'
Crackle, crackle-!
Dark mana filled the center of the temple.
From within this mass of mana, thunder
could be heard again and again.
And Ares and YuWon were in it.
Perhaps this is the strength of Ares'
opponent, YuWon.
Tak-.
Aphesis took a step towards him.
Then...
- Stop.
Skang-.
Arthur's sword, who was witnessing next to
him, stopped him
Aphesis raised his fighting spirit and
looked at Arthur. Arthur turned his head and their eyes met.
"Step aside."
- Sorry, but that won't work.
Arthur recognized YuWon as his master.
And YuWon gave the order to stop all who
interfered with the fight. Arthur had to follow that order now.
"I must protect my Master."
Aphesis felt the mana give her goosebumps.
This power, which made her body tingle by just
being near him, was dangerous, even for her Master, Ares.
- Me too.
"...Then I can't help it."
Chaeng, Chang-!
Starting at the signal, the Rankers and
Players who saw the fight unsheathed their weapons one by one.
Now they could no longer stand idly by.
-Good posture.
Arturo liked their attitude.
Those who would give their lives for their
Masters.
It was the very spirit of British chivalry,
to protect the weak and serve the Master.
-I too will respond in kind...
Just as Arthur was about to increase his
mana.
Woo-.
The huge mass of mana enveloping YuWon and
Ares began to squirm.
Right after that...
Chak, Chak, Chak!
The mana that ran through the center of the
temple swirled rapidly and was sucked into a single point.
The interior, that until now had remained
hidden, was exposed.
The darkness cleared and the first thing to
be seen was YuWon's face standing there.
"No way..."
Aphesis' eyes widened.
Ares, who was shrouded in darkness, was
nowhere to be seen.
The darkness had not yet completely
dissipated.
Ares had to be safe.
For he was a High Rank, the symbol of War
and Fight in Olympus.
Aphesis believed that and waited for Ares
to slowly appear.
Flash-.
A flash of golden light pierced the
darkness.
Aphesis' expression brightened.
But only for a moment.
It was a matter of moments before that
expression turned to desperation.
"Ah, L-Lord Ares?"
The golden radiance shining outward was not
Ares' mana.
It was an object he carried, a gift from
Zeus.
It emanated from the mysterious golden
armor he wore.
And Ares...
"Ares-nim!"
"No!"
His whole body had turned black and was no
longer recognizable.
-It’s over.
Arthur lowered his raised sword.
The duel had been won.
The remaining Rankers seemed to have lost
the will to fight or seemed choked with grief.
This fight was his victory.
Ssh-.
The darkness returned to Kyneē again.
Yu-Won looked at Kyneē for a moment.
Along with immense fatigue, he was also
surprised.
He had expected it, but he couldn't believe
that he could get so much power from a simple object.
It must have many uses.
What if he became more familiar with this
power?
If it really supported his abilities, he
might be able to make all that nearly infinite mana he had seen before his own.
A power that could reduce even High Rank
Ares to ashes in an instant.
YuWon could once again check the power of
Kyneē.
Pak-.
After the fight, YuWon walked towards Ares'
corpse.
Ares was lying on the ground, clad in
golden armor.
His body was already blackened and corroded
by lightning. He could barely be considered whole.
Yu-Won reached out his hand towards Ares'
corpse.
All the equipment he used was expensive
items.
But he wasn't very interested.
What was important now wasn't just the
golden armor.
'There it is.'
Zalgraak-.
Yuyuan picked up the golden necklace Ares
wore around his neck, the same color as the armor.
The necklace came off more easily than he expected.
It didn't look like a carefully worn
necklace.
'Well, that's a good first step.'
With the necklace on his chest, YuWon
looked at Ares' corpse for a moment.
'I've collected another one.’
In addition to the necklace, another
additional achievement.
['The King of the Dead' calls out to the
spirit of 'Ares.']
The soul being absorbed by Kyneē.
At the same time, the rest of Ares' body
turned to dust.
YuWon, who was trying to get his whole
body, bit his lip, disappointed.
"Was that too hard?"
A combination of Lightning and Kyneē.
The corrosion was so severe that Ares' body
was completely weakened and turned to dust with only his soul escaping.
It was a shame, but it had to be accepted.
There was no point in being too greedy.
YuWon took Ares' armor, put it in his
inventory and looked up.
'Also...'
It would be nice if they could move on
without incidents, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.
'Here they come.’
Woo-.
Over the open sky of the temple.
A new ceiling rose high like a pyramid.
'There's no way they don't know about this
commotion.'
Perhaps when he first entered the Temple of
Ares, someone had tipped them the news.
Not only did the two temples symbolize
similar things, but they were on the same floor and not that far apart.
Kee, kee!
Dagdak-.
The sound of horses' hooves in the sky.
If Asgard had the Valkyries, Olympus had
the Chariot of the Sun.
Replicas of Apollo's Chariot of the Sun.
"The symbol of War and Wisdom".
In the middle of the Chariot of the Sun
that began to descend from the distant sky.
A woman with coppery skin and golden hair,
like Apollo, descended in a glare of light.
An existence that symbolizes the true 'War'
of Olympus.
Before Hercules appeared, the most
important Warrior who fought in the Gigantomachy.
The closest sister of Ares.
"Athena."
She had come here.