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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Greed Raid (6)
Am I even needed?
Do you really need my help?
…Arthur’s gaze, filled with those questions made me feel not just awkward, but also slightly wronged.
‘…Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this powerful.’
I had thought I could break his claws, since the weapon had the “Ignore Defense (Destroy Dragon Scales)” ability, but I hadn’t expected to slice off three of his fingers, along with their scales and bones.
‘Well… Ascalon isn’t an ordinary dragonslaying sword.’
After all, Ascalon was the sword wielded by the devout martyr, Saint George.
So, unlike ordinary dragonslaying weapons, which were only effective against dragons, Ascalon was also lethal against demonic beings and evil itself, which included the Fallen.
And luckily for me, Greed had transformed into a dragon.
—! —!!
「—!!」
His demonic and evil attributes, which he inherently possessed, were now augmented by the dragon attribute.
Ascalon’s power had reached its maximum potential.
It had become a ridiculously overpowered weapon, specifically against Greed.
‘But even so, can it cut through bones that are harder than scales?’
Despite his transformation, Greed was still a dragon.
And dragon bones were harder than scales, the ultimate metal material for crafters.
And as soon as I had that thought, I remembered a cheat.
‘Ah, right.’
Super Accuracy.
That cheat was active.
It was always active, or rather, I rarely deactivated it, so I had forgotten about it.
‘Then it makes sense.’
One of Super Accuracy’s effects was “Mana Penetration.”
Combined with Ascalon’s “Ignore Defense”…
…it could easily cut through even the strongest metal materials.
Hum, hum.
I nodded in understanding.
And at that moment…
「L-l-l-lee Y-y-yu-j-j-jin—!!」
…Greed roared my name, his cries of pain even louder than before, loud enough to shake the entire alternate world.
He glared at me with eyes filled with rage and fear.
「W-w-what i-i-is t-t-that—!!」
Or rather…
「T-t-that s-s-sword—!!」
…he was staring at Ascalon, its blade engulfed in holy flames, in my hand.
“This sword?”
I raised the sword.
Greed flinched and…
Flap!
…flapped his wings frantically.
He recoiled from me like an ordinary person facing a gun.
“……”
I was speechless.
‘…Even if he’s more sensitive to pain now…’
I hadn’t even swung the sword.
I had simply raised it.
And he was running away?
‘Seriously, he’s worse than before his transformation.’
While physically weaker than his dragon form, the pre-transformation Greed despite his immense avarice and arrogance, befitting his name had used every means at his disposal, deploying defensive items and summoning a monster horde, to try and kill Arthur and me.
But the current Greed wasn’t even using his brain.
He wasn’t utilizing any of the advantages of being a dragon.
Or rather, he was consumed by his weakness, his sensitivity to pain.
Of course, it was partly due to Ascalon, the ridiculously overpowered weapon specifically against him.
Still, he had transformed into a dragon.
He had been looking forward to fighting me.
He shouldn’t be cowering in fear just because I raised my sword.
And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“Hmm… is that really the same Fallen from before?”
Arthur asked, and…
– Is that really the same being who fought Master before?
…Terra, who had been quietly supporting Arthur, also voiced her doubt.
“…Probably?”
I ended my sentence with a question mark involuntarily, but this cowering dragon was definitely Greed.
“Well… it’s good for us that he’s so scared.”
While it was slightly… no, very disappointing, considering our fierce battle at the outpost…
…his fear of Ascalon, to the point of cowering, gave Arthur and me a significant advantage.
So, unlike in some shonen manga, I had no intention of powering him up by saying, “Is that all you’ve got?! Fight me properly!”
I hoped he would remain terrified.
So we could finish this quickly.
So we could get out of here quickly.
As if agreeing with my thoughts…
“That’s true.”
…Arthur nodded and increased the amount of mana she was channeling into Excalibur.
– Yes, Master is right.
Terra manipulated the drone golems, moving Arthur closer to me.
I increased the output of the holy power enhancing our physical abilities.
The consumption rate of holy power increased, but…
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Now that Greed was terrified of Ascalon…
…I intended to finish this quickly, before my holy power ran out.
I looked at Arthur.
She met my gaze.
Nod.
Having read my thoughts, she nodded and assumed a combat stance.
She prepared to push off the drone golem.
I also prepared to push off the telekinetic platform beneath my feet.
“Phew.”
I exhaled slowly.
And as I inhaled…
“Haa!”
…I stomped my foot.
I pushed off the telekinetic platform.
And I flew towards Greed.
Whoosh—!
The wind whipped past me as I accelerated.
But the wind resistance was negligible.
「L-l-l-lee Y-y-yu-j-j-jin—!!」
The distance between Greed and me closed rapidly.
Flap!
He flapped his wings.
His body retreated, but his wings moved towards me.
Six pairs of massive wings flapped.
Whoosh—!
A gust of wind blasted towards me.
But the wind had no effect on me, blocked by the Aegis shields I had deployed in front of me with telekinesis.
His attempt to create distance between us failed.
「D-d-don’t c-c-come c-closer—!!」
—!
His mind and body roared in terror.
He flapped his wings repeatedly.
Each flap sent powerful gusts of wind towards me, but…
…they were all blocked by the Aegis shield barrier.
He couldn’t stop me from closing the distance.
‘Still, this is getting…’
…annoying.
Incredibly annoying.
‘I should cut off his wings.’
I channeled mana into Ascalon.
Enough to activate the Potion Injector containing mana potions.
And I recalled the Aegis shields blocking the gusts of wind.
The moment the shields vanished, powerful gusts of wind slammed into me.
I wrapped myself in telekinesis.
I anchored myself in mid-air, preventing myself from being blown away.
I could no longer be pushed back.
But my speed also decreased.
The distance between Greed and me, which had been closing, began to widen again.
But I didn’t care.
Whether the distance widened or not…
…I would cut off his wings along with the gusts of wind.
Click.
I raised Ascalon above my head.
Whoosh!
The holy flames extended, reaching a length of 5 meters.
While I couldn’t extend them any further due to my lack of swordsmanship talent, the sword energy, infused with a massive amount of mana, radiated immense power.
‘This should be enough to cut off two or three wings.’
Of course, Greed’s wings were dozens of times larger than my sword energy.
But it wasn’t impossible.
The cheats I possessed and Ascalon in my hand made it possible.
To sever his wings with my toothpick-like sword energy.
「N-n-noooooooo—!!」
Greed knew that.
「S-s-stop i-i-it—!!」
He desperately flapped his wings, trying to prevent me from doing it.
But my body was anchored in mid-air with telekinesis.
The gusts of wind couldn’t push me back, they couldn’t stop me.
Greed stopped flapping his wings.
Instead, he took a deep breath.
His chest swelled, and he continued to inhale.
And when his chest was inflated like a balloon about to burst…
—!!
…he exhaled, not a destructive beam of mana but a scorching breath of fire.
Whoosh—!!
An immense heat, as if it could melt anything.
A dragon’s breath, a massive wave of fire, surged towards me.
But I remained calm.
And composed.
I swung the sword I had raised above my head downwards.
I unleashed the vast amount of mana I had gathered in the blade.
I scattered the holy flames engulfing Ascalon.
Slice—!
A massive, crescent-shaped sword energy sliced through the dragon’s breath.
Whoosh—!!
And the white flames, imbued with holy power, consumed the massive wave of fire.
「N-n-noooooooo—!」
Greed screamed in denial.
He exhaled even more forcefully.
But the sword energy I had unleashed continued its trajectory unwaveringly.
Without a single deviation, it flew towards its target, the wing I had locked onto.
And the white flames, following the sword energy, blazed fiercely.
They devoured the unholy black flames, continuing their trajectory.
And soon…
「N-n-noooooooo—!!」
…Greed’s inflated chest deflated.
His breath ceased.
And…
Slice—!!
—!
「—!!」
…the massive sword energy severed three of his wings.
And then…
Whoosh—!!
…the holy flames incinerated the severed wings, turning them to ash.
Greed’s massive body, its balance lost, tilted to one side.
And he stopped mid-air.
While he didn’t fall into the void below, as his body was still levitating with mana… he was frozen in place, unable to move, since his wings were gone.
His movement had been sealed.
「—!!」
His massive body thrashed in mid-air.
The space around him rippled, indicating that he was using telekinesis.
But his telekinesis was Rank A, just like mine.
Even if his abilities had been enhanced by becoming a Fallen, his inherent rank remained the same.
So, his speed, as he tried to move away from me, was incredibly slow, like a caterpillar crawling.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue, frowning at his pathetic display.
I focused mana into Ascalon and approached him, stepping on telekinetic platforms.
Greed, struggling against the pain, desperately trying to get away from me, shrieked like a child throwing a tantrum.
「N-n-noooooooo—! D-d-don’t c-come c-closer—!」
‘…Did his intelligence decrease after becoming a dragon?’
As far as I knew, dragons were intelligent, despite their arrogance.
‘Perhaps because it’s not his true form?’
Hmm, that was possible.
Greed’s dragon form wasn’t natural.
It was a transformation achieved by fusing the power he received from the Apostle with the three origins he had plundered.
While it increased his power, it might have also caused a decrease in intelligence as a side effect.
And perhaps his current state was exacerbated by his sensitivity to pain, a dragon’s inherent weakness.
‘Well, whatever the reason, it’s good for me.’
As I was having that thought…
「G-g-get a-a-away f-from m-me—!!」
…Greed shrieked, raising his hand.
And he swung it at me.
Whoosh!
The air above me darkened as the wind ripped apart.
His intact palm, the one without missing fingers, descended, aiming to crush me.
Indeed.
His intelligence had decreased.
More than I had anticipated.
“You want me to cut off your other hand too?”
Then I shall oblige.
But this time, I would cut off his entire hand, not just his fingers.
Hum.
I channeled mana into Ascalon.
Holy flames ignited on its platinum blade.
Click.
I activated the Potion Injector.
My depleted mana rapidly replenished.
And I channeled the replenished mana into Ascalon’s holy flames.
Whoosh!
The holy flames surged.
Their size increased dramatically.
Click.
I extended the blade.
I gripped the hilt with both hands.
And as I was about to swing it upwards…
Whoosh!
…black flames erupted from his hand.
Whoosh—!
His sharp tail lashed out at me.
Hum, hum, hum—!
Immense energy began to gather in his gaping maw.
“Ha.”
I chuckled.
“So, you’re not completely brainless.”
Seeing his coordinated attack, his attempt at a finishing blow, I realized he wasn’t completely devoid of thought.
But that didn’t change anything.
Slice—!
Even if he protected his hand with mana…
Slice—!
Even if he ambushed me with his tail…
Whoosh—!
…they would be severed and incinerated.
Hum—!
And his breath, his attempted finishing blow…
—!!
…wouldn’t reach me.
Click.
I held Ascalon in front of me like a shield.
And I activated its “Holy Flame Shield.”
A barrier of holy flames materialized before me.
And Greed’s breath, his destructive beam of light, collided with the barrier.
Flash!
Black and white light filled the world.
—!!!
A dragon’s unique power.
A destructive beam of light that annihilated everything.
Its immense energy, blocked by the barrier, dispersed in all directions.
—!!
Greed roared.
The destructive beam of light, pounding against the barrier, intensified.
But the Holy Flame Shield I had activated…
…as its description, “Can block a Dragon’s Breath,” indicated…
…remained unbreached.
Greed’s breath, unable to penetrate the barrier gradually lost its momentum and dissipated into the air.
Whoosh…
White smoke billowed from his maw.
And his body swayed unsteadily, as if he was drunk.
He looked like he was about to fall into the void below.
It seemed he had used not just the mana in the air, but also the mana within his Dragon Heart.
「…….」
He looked at me silently.
His expression seemed hollow, his finishing blow blocked.
But so what?
“You brought this upon yourself.”
Who told you to transform into a dragon?
“You were better off before your transformation.”
Especially during our battle at the outpost.
His half-dragon, half-human form had been more challenging.
Of course, since I was much stronger now, I could definitely defeat him if we fought again, but the point was, the previous Greed had been more fun to fight.
Whoosh.
Holy flames ignited on Ascalon.
Unlike before, the flames now engulfed the entire blade.
But even this much was enough to sever the neck of his demoralized form.
Thud.
I pushed off the telekinetic platform.
And I leaped towards his neck.
Click.
I raised Ascalon above my head.
He still didn’t move.
He simply stared at me, offering no resistance.
Well, he had no means to resist.
A hand with missing fingers.
An arm with a missing wrist.
A bisected tail.
Wings with broken balance.
And almost depleted mana.
He had no means to resist, no strength left to fight.
All he could do was stare at me with hollow eyes.
“You know…”
「……?」
“…you’re even worse than Enchantress.”
「……!!」
His eyes widened at my taunt.
And just as his expression shifted from hollowness to rage…
Slice—!
…I severed his neck.
I ended his life before he could try anything foolish.
But as if mocking my mercy…
Whoosh!
…from the severed neck of the dragon, the humanoid Greed emerged.
I swung Ascalon without hesitation.
Whoosh!
But Ascalon didn’t bisect him.
It simply passed through him, as if cutting through air.
I looked at Ascalon.
Whoosh.
The holy flames were still blazing. But he wasn’t being cut.
That meant…
…a Death Avoidance item.
…he was in a state similar to having used “Marionette’s Revival (S).”
– Heh heh heh.
Greed chuckled, his voice filled with mockery.
The hollowness from before was gone, replaced by arrogance.
– Lee Yu-jin, did you really think I would die so easily?
“……”
– I’ve made far more preparations than you think.
“……”
– This Death Avoidance item, for example.
“……”
– I didn’t use it during that massive explosion, just to mock you like this. After all, the power the Apostle bestowed upon me was more than enough to survive.
“……”
– Why are you so speechless? Cat got your tongue?
Heh heh heh.
Greed laughed heartily.
– It’s a shame I can’t see your expression because of that damn helmet.
Despite his words, his expression seemed incredibly smug.
But only for a moment.
Seeing my continued silence, my lack of reaction…
– …Hmm, this isn’t fun if you don’t react.
…he stopped laughing.
– If you had reacted, I would have stayed a little longer.
He added, “You brought this upon yourself,” and a Rift opened behind him.
He approached the Rift.
And just before he entered it, he turned to me, as if remembering something.
– Come to think of it, did you say I was worse than Enchantress?
His face contorted in anger, as if my taunt had been a grave insult.
But that expression was fleeting.
– But in the end, it’s you who’s dying, not me. And your final opponent was me, Greed.
He chuckled, a vile, smug laugh, mentioning my defeat.
“Ha.”
I chuckled.
Greed burst into laughter.
– Hahahahaha! What’s wrong! Are you frustrated! That you couldn’t be the final victor!
His laughter was filled with amusement, satisfaction, and triumph.
My taunt had been nothing compared to his mockery.
But mockery only worked on those who were affected by it.
“Hey, stop your nonsense and look behind you.”
I wasn’t affected at all, having anticipated this situation.
Greed frowned at my reaction.
But he obediently turned around.
He was completely unguarded.
Well, since my attacks couldn’t harm himvhe probably didn’t care whether I was behind him or not.
But he had overlooked something.
Thud!
That I wasn’t the only one in this alternate world.
– Ha! You told me to look behind me because of this?
Greed chuckled, looking at me with a dumbfounded expression.
He pointed at the golden sword piercing his abdomen through the Rift and said,
– Have you forgotten? I’m in a Death Avoidance state! And you can’t kill me with a sword like this!
“I know.”
I know that very well.
“But have you forgotten something?”
– …What are you talking about?
The smirk on Greed’s face faltered, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
And his face hardened at my next words.
“That sword you called ‘a sword like this,’ is Excalibur.”
– …Excalibur?
He looked down blankly.
And a moment later…
– Aaaaaaaaagh!!
…he screamed as he realized what Excalibur was.
He frantically tried to pull away from the sword, but…
“You’re slow.”
…Arthur’s mana surged into the sword.
Whoosh!
Holy power erupted from Excalibur as mana was channeled into it.
And Greed, directly exposed to the holy power, the blade embedded in his body…
– N-noooo…!!
…melted away, his Death Avoidance state completely nullified.
He couldn’t even utter his last words.
A truly pathetic end.
“…It actually worked.”
Arthur muttered in surprise, having eliminated both Greed and the Rift.
I deactivated my helmet and said,
“Of course it worked.”
I pointed at the holy flames, the holy power emanating from Excalibur, and continued,
“Holy power is similar to holy energy, but it possesses a unique power.”
“…A unique power?”
Arthur looked at me, her gaze shifting from Excalibur, intrigued by the new information.
I nodded and revealed the nature of that power.
“Immortality Destruction.”
The power to kill that which cannot be killed.
The power to drag back to death that which has escaped it.
The power that Apostles and Outer Gods feared.
“Holy power possesses such power. It can easily bypass something like a Death Avoidance state.”
Arthur nodded in understanding, as if finally grasping the concept.
And as she sheathed Excalibur…
Rumble—!
…the world shook.
The alternate world trembled.
And a Rift, identical to the one that had appeared behind Greed, opened before Arthur and me.
A Rift filled with darkness, where nothing could be seen.
But I instinctively knew that this Rift led back to the place we had been pulled from.
And even if it didn’t, we had no choice but to go through it.
Rumble, rumble—!
This alternate world was collapsing.
“Lee Yu-jin.”
Arthur, standing before the Rift, extended her hand towards me.
But I didn’t take it immediately.
“Just a moment.”
I still had something to do.
“I just need to grab this.”
And that something was looting.
I had to collect Greed’s, or rather, the dragon’s, remains.
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“Yu-jin—!”
“Uwaaa! Top Student!!”
“Lee Yu-jin! Arthur!”
As we exited the Rift, I saw my friends running towards Arthur and me.
Behind them, Grey, Kang Chul-soo, Lee Yeon-ji, Vice-principal Kang, and many others were jumping down from the barrier and running towards us.
And that wasn’t the only thing that greeted me.
“Oh.”
A blue sky.
Not a black sky filled with demonic energy…
…but a clear, blue sky, bathed in sunlight.
‘That means…’
I glanced at the corner of my vision.
And the minimized quest window, as if reminding me of its existence, blinked repeatedly.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
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