The Steel Knight (1) and The Steel Knight (2)
How to hunt Masianne?
Getting help from the dukes is a given, but that doesn’t mean you can’t entrust everything to them.
In the first place, the role of dukes is to confront the forces of light.
While the hunt was in progress, it was enough to catch the rest of the Paladins and provide small amounts of support from time to time.
Ending Masianne’s life is her own role after all.
‘For now, the sword of darkness is no good.’
Someone might think of the ‘sword of darkness’.
The sword of darkness is a skill that puts all of one’s magic into the sword. Because Louise’s magic is worth millions.
Then, after assimilating with Louise, wouldn’t it be possible to kill even the black god of darkness that was pulled out with that tremendous magic?
In conclusion, it is not.
[Shadow Shield]
– Converts the absorbed damage into ‘magic’ and stores it.
-You can store up to [Sympathy] X 650 demonic energy.
-You can create a ‘Dark Sword’ with the same attack power as the stored ‘Mage’.
According to the skill description, the resource to create the Dark Sword is not an ordinary Magi.
To be precise, ‘magic saved by absorbing damage’ with a shadow shield.
It meant that the sword of darkness could not be used with Louise’s Magiro, which was naturally restored.
‘Right now, rather than Louise… .’
Hyun looked at someone fighting in the distance.
Ain, a girl with gorgeous angel wings.
With the help of deception, Ain temporarily possessed specifications that transcended the user.
‘Ain must have the answer!’
Hyun did not miss the moment.
The appearance of the paladin’s torso being cut off in one shot of the giant slicing.
It meant that Ain’s scythe now contained dozens of times more power than usual.
If the dukes’ support was added to that power, it would never be impossible to deplete Masianne’s endless stamina.
***
“uh? hyeon… ?”
It was in the midst of a battle with Masianne that Ain received Hyun’s whisper.
“Wouldn’t I just be able to take the time?”
“Who is it?”
“I heard that deception… .”
“No, from now on, follow my words unconditionally.”
Hyun briefly informed Louise of the situation she was in.
She was affected by the soul imprinting skill, and what the effect was.
Finally, he told me what to do next.
“I’m going to hunt Marcianne.”
Ain was taken aback by Hyeon’s declaration.
“You mean kill him? It is possible to kill… ?”
“You should try it. For now, keep holding on to Masianne’s feet!」
“until when?”
“Wait a minute, I need some time to prepare.”
Hyun’s whispers ended there.
‘Catch me… !’
Running on the roof, Ain glanced at the scenery of the island.
The sight of whitish flying objects leaving the island caught my eye.
Yes, after the appearance of the two dukes, the combined forces of monsters and humans were pushing the forces of light forces out of the island.
If this war situation continues, Massianne will lead her men and leave the island before the defeat of the war grows stronger.
The prefecture’s request is to fight more aggressively to prevent that from happening.
‘Can I do it?’
The way users deal with named NPCs is to repeatedly hit and run to accumulate damage.
There weren’t many users who did crazy things to face the named. At least not among rankers.
However, in order to catch the opponent’s foot as Hyun asked, he had to do crazy things to fight within the ‘enemy’s danger distance’.
Ain’s mind became complicated.
Would it be possible to withstand a close-range fight against that monstrosity… .
No, without the giant slicing it would be hard to hold on for a while!
The power difference is so great that you can’t even bump your weapons properly?
but… .
As always, there was only one conclusion reached at the end of the thought.
‘But since Hyun asked for it… Should I try something?’
The sunset disappeared before I knew it.
Countless starlight embroidered the sky of the battlefield.
In the middle of the battlefield where all kinds of clamor echo, a girl and a woman were engaged in a particularly fierce battle.
Quaang! A loud bang rang out.
The moment Ain’s potential explosion reached its maximum, the angel’s wings were wrapped in a dark red whirlwind.
‘Have you heard… ?’
Ain slightly shrugged his shoulders.
Masianne’s coldly sunk eyes were enough to make that happen.
In order to engage in close combat with lack of strength, he had to use latent explosion.
But the problem is its side effects.
Magi was not included, but the effect of the potential explosion full of blood was reminiscent of the magic of the abyss.
No matter how much he had the title of deceiver, at this point, Masianne had no choice but to notice that Ain was not an angel.
“dare… .”
Masianne’s eyes trembled mercilessly as she looked at Ain.
After a while, she pursed her lips and started charging.
“How dare you scorn me!”
“Sigh… !”
Kaaang!
At the same time as the roar of metal colliding, Ain’s body flew towards the distant bell tower in a near-horizontal trajectory.
thump, thump, thump! A dull sound rang out in succession.
It was the sound of Ain’s body breaking three large pillars supporting the bell tower in succession.
Just as Louise lost her arm with just the impact, a strong collision beyond the limit is recognized as damage.
‘I won’t die at this level!’
Even while watching the flood of damage messages, Ain remained calm.
Due to the buff of deception, the physical strength has increased to over 1.5 million.
Remaining stamina is over 700,000. As long as you pay attention to being hit by the great sword, you won’t die easily.
‘Cut the giant!’
While falling from the fourth pillar, Ain lowered the scythe from head to toe.
Flash!
The bell tower collapsed and a huge bell crashed along with it.
The 100-ton lump of iron was pulverized by the half moon of cold air and split exactly in half.
In that way, Ain’s scythe cut through the bell that had fallen overhead, and even blocked Masianne’s greatsword from flying again.
As much as when using Giant Slash, Masianne didn’t push her with her strength.
‘Ick… !’
Ain quickly jumped up.
It was right after that that the large sword was drawn horizontally.
Crisp!
When the paper made of metal was shattered by the greatsword, thousands of metal fragments scattered in all directions.
Ain, who was floating in the air at the time, twisted his body around.
Watching dozens of pieces of metal pass all over my skin.
[Takes 2931 damage!]
[3154 damage taken!]
… …
Looking down again, Ain’s heart fluttered.
From the ground to the sky, Massianne was striking the great sword like a mace.
Kaaang!
“Huh!”
[Takes 138173 damage!]
A gasp escaped Ain’s mouth.
He barely reacted and blocked it, but the recoil made Ain’s body soar high into the sky.
Watching Masianne approaching while stepping on air, Ain checked his skill window.
‘I wrote the steps of the god of death earlier!’
Jumping into the sky without mobility is a risky move.
This is because you have to take all the attacks of the opponent without being able to change the direction.
No matter how much stamina is left, if you get hit by a combo in the air, you can do nothing and die!
Even in such a moment of crisis, Ain remained calm.
“It’s done!”
Thanks to someone’s voice right in my ear.
“I’ll go right now!”
Even in a situation where he was on the verge of death, Ain was able to smile.
bang!
It was the next moment when gunshots were heard in the distance.
***
“really… do you want that?”
Hyun nodded at Scotanatos’ question.
“yes.”
“Your request… It is a very heavy price to pay… Are you okay?”
“If possible, please.”
“I don’t know what your intentions are… ! However, I will do whatever you want… .”
It was only natural that Scotanatos expressed his doubts.
Hyun’s request was incomprehensible to the common sense of a 1.5 generation AI NPC.
“My ghosts… I will devour you.”
“Aren’t they too strong?”
“Yes… . It’s not ferocious, but if I don’t relinquish my orders… I will resurrect forever and eat your flesh… !”
However, from the user’s point of view, it was understandable enough.
It was because users were learning a lot of ways to use enemies as allies, like combo thieves using dummy or berserkers prefering dull enemies with lots of stamina.
pile of ghosts.
The last gear for Masianne’s hunt has just turned.
***
The corner of Ain’s mouth naturally drew an arc.
It was because his body started to move on its own.
This movement of creating and stepping on translucent blocks in the air.
Hyun came into me!
It’s a feeling I’ve been waiting for a month.
You’re late!
Ain, who was about to say something like that, suddenly changed and had no choice but to forget his words.
“Hey, wait, what is this… ?”
Ain blankly looked left and right.
Because suddenly an unknown phenomenon happened.
“These demons… .”
“They are ghosts.”
Hyun sensed Ain’s question and answered first.
“These are the dummy sent by Scotanatos.”
“dummy… ?”
[Takes 10 damage!]
[Takes 14 damage!]
[Takes 9 damage!]
… … .
The identities of those circling around are ghosts as small as the palm of your hand.
Hundreds of ghosts rushing at him from time to time looked like swarms of baby piranhas.
「But they are attacking? Are you scratching my body?!”
“It doesn’t matter, my stamina doesn’t wear out in a while.”
“That’s true, but… .”
“I asked for this on purpose.”
grasp! Hyeon responded by swinging the scythe of vigilance vigorously in the air.
No, it’s not just empty space, it’s a space densely filled with little ghosts.
Pyaaaaa-! The ghosts, who were split apart screaming at Prosia’s ice sword, slowly revived from the dead in the next moment.
As long as the power of Scotanatos, the only undead duke, revives the souls of the dead endlessly, these little guys die and do not disappear.
“Immortal monsters aren’t something you see often.”
‘ah… !’
Having said that, Ain was able to sense Hyun’s intentions.
Hundreds of ghosts, seemingly of no help at first glance, are powerful weapons by their very existence.
“Can I move?”
Then, Hyun asks a little excitedly.
The anticipation of being able to control Ain’s body for the first time in a while leaked through his voice.
It was the same that Ain had some expectations, so he nodded his head.
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter! I can handle my body whenever I want… ?!”
“Okay then.”
Hyeon fixed the vigilante’s scythe.
Feeling familiar sensations comfortably climbing up my palm, I used the rest of the techniques one by one.
Whoops. An aura of ominous energy rises from her toes,
quadruple. Ice hair resembling a cat sprouted all over Ain’s body.
Wavelength buffs, resolutions for extinction, and all the skills he had been saving were all activated at once.
‘Cut the giant!’
In that state, Hyeon charged at Massianne and brandished his scythe.
The most basic form of sweeping.
I deliberately didn’t care about the controls.
I only intended to push with force, so there was no need for complicated controls.
Kaaang!
The trembling of metal resounds once again!
[shock amplification]
– Gives the attack the power to push opponents away.
Hyun remembered that the strength of Ain and Masianne, who activated Giant Slash, were almost at the same level.
In such a situation, what if shock amplification was applied only to Ain?
What will happen to the balance of tension?
‘Yes, this is it!’
shit. Hyeonu’s smile deepened.
Seeing the expression on Masianne’s face, which was taken aback by the unexpected shock, made me feel a sense of pleasure.
I can’t help but be upset It’s the first time in my life that I’ve been pushed by someone’s power!
[The cooldown of Giant Slash has been reset!]
Once again, slashing the giants.
Kaaaang!
Hyeon slammed his greatsword and sent Massianne away.
It was even unsightly to see that strong female knight rolling on the floor and casting a falling technique.
[The cooldown of Giant Slash has been reset!]
Pyaaa, pyaaaaa!
The little ghosts hovering around were screaming angrily.
They scratched their nails roughly as if to get revenge on Ain who kept killing them.
[Takes 13 damage!]
[Takes 15 damage![
… …
Anyway, it’s literally a kid’s joke.
Although the amount of damage from the ghost could not even keep up with the amount of physical strength supplied by ‘Regular Absorption’.
“Keugh… !”
Massianne’s eyes flashed as she rolled across the floor.
There was no time to catch my breath. The opponent’s attack was flying constantly.
The iron woman and the girl exchanged fierce battles like that several times.
Kaaang!
However, it was not the girl who was pushed out every time, but a woman clad in iron armor.
Massianne looked down at the hand holding the greatsword.
It was hard to believe that his arms were shaking.
‘How could this be? Clearly until recently… !’
Without even time to think of the question, Masianne had to block the huge scythe of frost that flew in again.
The repetition of blocking, regaining one’s posture, flying through the air, and blocking again.
At some point, I barely endured the shocks flying from all sides.
‘… ?!’
Masianne’s heart sank.
Incredible pain that explodes all over the body without any warning!
Why? She didn’t even blink, and her own body was surrounded by a web of sharp blades.
‘what… ..’
what just happened?
For a few seconds she was unaware that she was completely defenseless.
It was because the NPC who was hit with a backlash couldn’t even recognize the stopped flow of time.
I don’t know why, but he recovered from his wounds.
Massianne’s physical strength, which had been consumed for an instant, began to rapidly recover with divine power.
[Reflective cooldown has been reset!]
‘good.’
On the other hand, Hyun shed a smile of confidence as he saw the message that followed.
All plans were working perfectly.
-When hit, the cooldown is reduced by 5 seconds!
It’s easy to forget, but Bantan’s skill has this same effect.
Wasn’t the reason why he received hundreds of arrows at the same time in the past to reset the cooldown of half bullets?
That cooldown reduction effect was now the key to Masianne’s hunting.
‘I can kill!’
Kaaang!
As each other’s weapons collided, Masianne’s time came to a standstill once again!
The scythe of vigilance in the hand of a man who was at the same time as him flashed.
Hyun didn’t bother aiming only at the vitals.
It was because the body defect system couldn’t catch a guy with 100 million units of physical strength.
‘Split the giant! Slash afterimages!’
Instead, the spider’s web of the flash was strangling Masianne’s body.
Could it be thanks to the angel’s wings playing a certain role? The consumed Ain’s divine power was immediately restored to its original state.
[The cooldown of Giant Slash has been reset!]
[Reflective cooldown has been reset!]
There is a situation where even the skill keeps coming back.
Caang! Hyun hit Massianne’s weapon again.
Her time, which had just begun to move, stopped once again.
I know because I have been to the nether world. Reviving the soul is not an easy task.
The density of the ghosts hovering around them was gradually fading. Although it is called an immortal monster, in reality it is unlikely that it will be infinitely resurrected.
It meant that even the power of Scotanatos had limits.
The chance to kill Masianne is now!
If ten is not enough, a hundred! a thousand times!
Hyun forgot even breathing and danced in a trance.
The Shinigami’s dance to execute one soul has begun.
‘Not enough yet!’
Whoops. The divine power emanating from Masianne’s body was constantly restoring her physical strength.
It is the power of a paladin to resist death.
Even in order to confront him, he himself cannot stop moving.
Faster than wounds heal!
A new blade was filled in the place where the blade disappeared, and a new afterimage was drawn in the place where the afterimage stopped.
‘little bit more… !’
Hundreds of giant slashes have already been poured out.
[Giant Slash Lv.3 (+1)]
– The effect of ‘Angel’s Basic Swordsmanship’ is always applied to this attack.
Blows with the power to cut bones one by one.
However, even though her flesh was split from countless attacks, Masianne did not fall easily.
With infinite stamina, she was literally a giant.
It’s like you can’t fall. No, he didn’t even get down on his knees, as if he shouldn’t fall.
<Until ??????’s protection ends: 593 seconds>
The place where Ain and Masianne were fighting had long since been devastated.
Walls and pillars had shattered long ago, and cold frost formed on the floor.
Even as the war slowly came to an end, the turmoil here showed no signs of stopping.
Louise and Mayday, who were standing in the distance, were idly watching the most intense battlefield as if their time had stopped.
and.
The battle that seemed to continue endlessly has finally come to an end.
It was because Masianne’s physical strength was by no means infinite.
‘Is this the end… ?’
In the consciousness of repeated interruptions, she sensed defeat.
I looked around.
The knights, including the forces of light, are already in the process of being defeated.
He could have saved himself or given an order to fight more, but Masianne didn’t dare.
‘It’s meaningless.’
Blood flows from all over the body.
Although the will remains, it can never be moved.
The power to overturn mountains, speed faster than the wind, and even the stamina that he had trained all his life were useless in front of unknown abilities.
It was the first time since the sparring with the first knight that I had felt so helpless.
‘Neither an angel nor a devil.’
Masianne finally realized.
Opponents are clearly weaker than themselves. No, he was actually weak, but at the same time, he was an existence with unpredictable strength.
Even though I thought I was careful enough and prudent, didn’t I get hurt like this?
user.
That’s right, if it’s a user, it’s possible to fight like this.
No matter how hard they tried, their methods were not easily understood.
For a split second, the face of her brother Shakron flashed through her mind.
Maybe it was the user who killed him, not the devil?
Haha. A dejected laugh leaked from Masianne’s mouth.
Isn’t it too unfair that there are people who can’t win no matter how strong they are?
“Victory to Heaven… !”
Flash! Luminosity exploded.
At about 1/5 of her health left, Masianne took her own life.
Ironically, Masianne, who only cared for the comfort of the sky, faced the same type of death as Shakron, who pursued her own authority.
A huge explosion was heralding the end of the war.
***
<One of the five greatest swords of the Holy Kingdom is broken again. Masianne Neizer. Her heart was full of belief in the astral, but that may have kept her from pushing her limits. It will be many years before someone can take her place again… .>
[The five greatest knights of the Holy Kingdom. I put ‘Massianne Neyger’ into eternal rest!]
[Succeeded with a party of two!]
[Calculating contribution excluding help from others!]
[[… Skill points increase by 7 (Ain)/9 (Current)!]]
[Obtained Massianne’s Greatsword (Unique)!]
The sight of Masianne’s soul dispersing was as intense as the power she possessed while alive.
Hyun and Ain would have been devoured by the white heat if they hadn’t used ‘God of Death’ and ‘Shadow Run’ at the same time as the explosion.
As the grains of light fell like a fountain, Hyun looked around.
The war on Carinta Island is completely over, and humans and monsters are shouting victory in harmony.
Mayday, who was active alone, Louise, who was watching from a distance, and Shatin, who was protecting her, were all running to her side.
“hyeon… no way.”
At that time, Ain’s voice was suddenly heard.
Ain pointed to Mayday and said.
“You didn’t give permission to that woman, did you?”
“of course! It’s not like you can tell a fairy tale to just anyone.”
「Huh~?」
Ain’s voice stretched out at Hyun’s answer.
“That means, if I could do it to anyone, I would do it… ? Aren’t you going too far because I’m not watching?!”
Is it starting again… Hyun shook his head.
Yes, whenever I was with Ain, there would always be useless arguments like this.
Of course, it’s not that it’s annoying, but sometimes, an absurd laugh leaks out on its own.
In this case, there is only one solution. It’s just to make her shut up by saying something more embarrassing than Ain.
“don’t worry.”
“huh?”
“But you are the best.”
“Hyun, you’re talking about Asrian right now, right?”
“what… ?”
Surprised, Hyun unwittingly released the fairy tale.
Huhuhu, Ain smiled triumphantly as if he had expected what Hyun would say.
Looking at Ain’s elated expression, Hyun couldn’t dare to continue talking, so Hyun kept his mouth shut.
Except for that minor incident, everything seemed to be resolved neatly.
No, someone has a little more work left to do.
“Followers of harmony!”
Mistia climbed up on the podium again and shouted.
The slightly strained expression on her face showed that she had suffered many wounds in the war.
“The forces of light tried to destroy and purify Carinta Island. Without someone’s help, this site would have disappeared into history!”
Even so, there was not the slightest hint of trembling in Mystia’s voice.
Above the ruined city, Mystia’s sonorous voice resounded.
“Harmony emphasized looking at the essence of the soul rather than its appearance. Who is trying to harm us and reaching out to us?!”
At Mistia’s cry, the crowd knew what she was trying to say.
Beings who fight together, survive together and look at the same place.
“Look at today! Even though we served the light together, they never acknowledged our angel! Rather, they tried to exterminate us in the name of an oracle! Is it still right to divide forces into heaven and abyss, and divide good and evil again based on forces?”
“it is not so.”
again and again.
Ain slowly walked up to the podium where Mystia was standing.
<Until ??????’s protection ends: 229 seconds>
The angel’s wings on his shoulders still haven’t disappeared.
“Light the torch.”
Hyun nodded at Ain’s request, which had been whispered in his ear.
While trying to do it myself, I met eyes with Louise and assimilated into her.
“Louise, help me a little.”
“Yes?”
“Your torch will be much brighter.”
Whoa!
A pure white sun rose in the sky of Carinta Island to light up the darkness.
The higher the level of prayer and the higher the empathy, the more the skill reveals its true face.
The torch created by assimilating with Louise comforted everyone who was tired from the last fight.
“The angel… .”
The image of the angel standing in the middle of the podium, where the torch was shining down, looked very holy.
All humans bowed their heads toward Ain, and all monsters bent their knees again.
With everyone’s attention focused on him, Ain began to recite the last line ordered by Caidrial.
“Is not your enemy the abyss?”
“… … .”
“Never forget who your comrade-in-arms today was.”
Ain left the stage with a smile and disappeared.
No, it just seemed to disappear, and he must have used methods such as teleportation or logging out.
“… … .”
The crowd was silent at first.
However, when someone first started shouting the name of harmony, the momentum spread like fire in the field.
Wow-!
It didn’t take long for the tens of thousands of voices to blend into a shout.
The first day humans and monsters formed an alliance.
Or the day when an irreparable crack was formed in the sky.
Today, when various forces will be called in their own way, will be recorded as a turning point in the history of Assrian.
