Out of nowhere, a blurry shadow. Mist surrounding him as a shield, darkness revolving around as dancing. He adventures without any prediction and warning.
Yujin instantly controls his morale domain forming the waves, rushing forward, straight to the mysterious entity.
On the contrary, that faceless being just radiates his aura, directly blocking every up-coming attack.
Non-stop, he keeps abusing that advantage to smash the intruder to dust.
???: "Oh nah, just calm down boy."
No reply, Yujin shifts himself behind the intruder, the nameless flame blazes as if it's born for devastating everything.
???: "I'm here for your fate."
He parries that strike easily as pie. Without any challenge, the intruder just successfully erased that calamity out of Yujin's morale domain.
Morale domain is the inner world, in the other words, Yujin is invincible here.
Yet, that entity can even overwhelm him by crushing an ant.
???: "As I said, I'm here for your fate, let's mov..."
Suddenly a strike landed directly on his face. It came out of nowhere and even disappeared as there's nothing but illusion.
Don't look down on who was known by the God Slayer appellation. Even though it was claimed on him by other inferiorities throughout his twenty-million-year journey, the fact is his true power even far beyond that boring title.
He's forged his two fists to the indescribable level, however it's not the most powerful thing yet.
Abusing the authority of Amexk, Yujin integrated the reality manipulation into himself.
Removing the process of landing a strike, he can make it to the true instant attack.
That fist is even beyond the spacetime, according to the process erasing, Yujin is able to kill anyone instantly without any causality receiving due to the process not being in reality.
He's not named it yet, he has no time to waste, while that flame is even burning higher.
Yujin: "Long time no see, D.O.D!"
DoD: "Oh ho, I can't believe that you are able to see through this mist."
Yujin: "Even if you remained dust, I still could identify you instantly."
Even though he has released his full power, the entity he's facing doesn't need to try to parry it. This is the true difference in level, however Yujin doesn't care about it for a little bit.
He assembles his new power to the fist, driving it straight to DoD's face.
Nevertheless, it's too obvious, he doesn't need a flexible movement or even an effort to block that strike.
*Crack* - Yujin's arm suddenly breaks into fragments, that's the first warning of the true Deity.
DoD: "You will accept my invitation, I won't say it again."
*Snap* - He incidentally gets hit by the unknown force coming from nowhere.
DoD (smiling): "Oh, I mostly forget that this is your inner domain."
He doesn't show any anger, as that hit was just a prank. On the other side, Yujin instantly recovers himself and sits down. He's done the first declaration, even though being aware that he stands no chance, he still tries to extend that warm greeting to that superiority.
Yujin: "Straight to the business."
DoD: "Wow, you did hit me and now behave like there's nothing."
Yujin: "With everything you did, that's still not enough."
He's smiling, DoD is smiling. He bet it right, he knew that Yujin had unlocked those memories.
It's even too perfect for his next step.
While DoD is aiming for implementing it, he immediately gets that premonition - that he can't disobey the rule.
DoD: (How unfortunate I am.)
Then he comes back to the happy face - the disgusting happy face - and also sits down on the opposite side of Yujin. He actually comes here for business, the previous things are all the extra work.
DoD: "How much do you know?"
Yujin (uncooperative): "I know nothing."
DoD: "You are not sincere."
Yujin: "Nah, I'm innocent."
DoD isn't here for wasting time, he doesn't even care about the true answer. He just wants to examine a thing - if this Yujin is Yujin. However, by the time he gives up, Yujin has unlimited time for this, but he doesn't.
DoD: "Alright, you're annoying."
Yujin: "What? I didn't do anything, and you are the intruder, you're annoying actually."
DoD erases the mist surrounding him, revealing a teenager with astral hair, wearing full black clothes with a contrasting color half cloak on his right shoulder. That's one of countless identities of DoD.
DoD: "I'm here for peace and happiness."
Yujin: "Straight to it."
DoD: "You're annoying."
He complains with such a disgusting face.
DoD: "Alright, as you wish."
He takes out a flame. It reflects a color of purity, Yujin can even see his whole life in that flame unconsciously.
Seeing that, DoD even be more domineering. He swivels it around and around in front of Yujin.
DoD: "Do you want to know about your previous loops?"
Yujin: "No."
DoD (curious): "Hmm? Aren't you aware of how precious that information is?"
Yujin: "I will step on this path by myself."
DoD (wroth): "You will regret this arrogant choice. I'd like to see how far you can go."
Yujin: "You don't have that mercy."
Time's up, DoD needs to leave this morale domain in order to pursue the rule.
Before absolutely evaporating, he looked back to Yujin and smiled as creepily as possible.
DoD: "Hope you can reach the end with that arrogance safely."
Since he left, everything instantly came back to pure silence.
This is nature, Yujin's nature is emptiness and silence.
He silently observes everything, even though there's nothing.
Yujin (sighing): "Time to get back."
He opens his senses, reaching to the edge of the inner domain. He even does it beyond that frontier, controlling everything with ease.
That's reasonable, why can't the emperor control his own empire?
Yujin: "Auro...rize."
Beyond Aurorize - at the Arena of the Outsiders.
Lecs: "Isn't it too long?"
Lyth: "You even wasted your life on love, why can't you wait for a little bit?"
Lecs: "Hey! The *!? Do you want to declare a war?"
Aranta: "Calm down guys, he's come."
As fast as a flash, DoD suddenly appears in the middle of the vestige. He looks around with an overwhelming demeanor.
Of course, no one stood straight beneath that pressure. Don't need a warning, even a signal, they both downed their knees, bowed their heads and quivered under him.
DoD: "Your desires, I got it."
He walks around, glancing at each guy as selecting a prey. He stopped at a random guy.
DoD: "Tell me."
DoD: "Your desire."
Lethan can't even believe that DoD just came and asked him for his final purpose. He's been the faithful of darkness for his whole life. This is the honor - the biggest honor for him.
Lethan (jubilant): "I will kill and kill to the top, then sacrifice this life for you, my..."
*Crack* - In his amazement, his lord mercilessly crushed his head to crumbs.
DoD (disdaining): "Boring."
Then DoD turns back to his throne, waiting for the last one.
Don't let him down, Yujin is here.
He tore the spacetime, directly invading into this area.
DoD: "Now 1500 outsiders are here. Let's move on."
Yujin: (57, nothing special.)
The Deity stands up, he claps his hands, restructuring the whole arena to its true form - Ruins of The Beyonder.
He instantly disappears without any guide, leaving 1499 outsiders in their confusions.
They have started to be alert, some hold their weapons and begin to withdraw from the center.
However one third of them started to chase others, it seems like they had conflicts or even they're enemies.
Yujin silently enlarges his domain, covering this entire vestige. He glances on everything with the higher position, finding something important.
Wasting time isn't in his nature, Yujin ports to the southeast side - where no one tries to appear.
*Bap* - Someone puts a hand on his shoulder.
Aranta (enthusiastic): "Sup. Where're you going?"
Yujin instantly gets surprised, that took him a second.
Yujin: "Finding the key."
Aranta: "Alright, let's go!"
Yujin: "Wait? I haven't agreed yet."
Regardless of Yujin's nagging, Aranta still stubbornly follows. That's annoying.
They stepped through the rune fragments on the ground, they went through the stele engraved with praises.
Aranta: "Beyonder? Was there really an entity like that?"
Yujin: "Who knows? But why are you still following me?"
Aranta (making excuses): "Nah, I'm weak. I'm boring, girls hid from me, they ignored me. However you didn't."
Yujin (confirming): "I did ignore you."
Everything turns to silence, this is awkward as hell.
Aranta: "Yo, what? Even you?!"
Yujin: "Of course."
Aranta: "Oh c'mon man, aren't you that heartless."
Yujin: "I do not need a heart to live."
Aranta (sighing): "I hate you so much man."
Yujin: "So do I. I'll take it as a compliment, thanks."
Then he instantly rotated, leaving Aranta alone without any hesitation.
Aranta: "Nah, c'mon man. I'm not that useless."
As Yujin keeps going, Aranta keeps persuading.
They passed the zone of chaotic space, they passed the zone of dimension rifts, even the zone of void worms.
Aranta still bothers Yujin after all.
*Crack* - The space suddenly is broken, the first calamity has come - Banquet of Outer Worms.
Aranta (curious): "Hey, Yujin, wanna see it?"
Yujin: "No, you can do it by yourself if you want."
Aranta (repining): "Nah, are you that boring?"
Yujin: "Perhaps."
Aranta (suddenly being serious): "Do you have anything to immerse in?"
It reminds him about Loreng - The King of Hope.
"Have you remained something precious in your heart?"
Everything turns to silence again. While Aranta is trying to make it less awkward, Yujin softly replies.
Yujin: "I used to..."
Even Yujin, even he can't distinguish why he said it in the unconsciousness. Is it the last echo of his old self? Or even the deepest part of Yujin.
He doesn't even know.
Aranta (curious): "He? So what is it?"
Yujin: "I can't remember it."
They keep walking through the mist of darkness, even though the outer creatures surround them, they are still on their way without any hesitation.
Yujin: "Why are you still following me?"
Aranta: "I don't even know."
Then he revealed his right eye - the one covered by the mist of runes.
Aranta: "I can't remember it. I just know that there's a voice that always reminds me about finding someone."
Aranta: "It's been a while since the last time I heard it. Until I saw you, it echoed again inside my mind, over and over, to the point where I'm haunted by it."
He turns back, in the face to face situation with Yujin. With the most sincere eyes, Aranta invites Yujin again.
Aranta: "Just like you, I would like to look through that mist. We have the same purpose."
On the other side, there're over ten guys fighting each other, no teams, no rules, no mercy - that's actually a bloody massacre.
Ian: "Hey Luker, what is going on?"
Luker: "How the * can I know?"
Dino: "1321 left, 179 guys have been taken down."
Ian: "Yo Dino, have you found out anything?"
Dino: "Of course."
At the west side of the Ruin of Beyonder, Lisa and Lucy are walking around and around a black stone stele on the center of a land in the hover zone.
Lucy: "Have you ever seen it before?"
Himeno: "I have no idea about it. These runes are totally different."
Lucy: "Why don't you use your omniscient eye?"
Himeno: "The more power I borrow, the more pressure I carry. It is too risky."
Suddenly she turns back, summoning her staff, instantly drawing a circle - which is the frame of a spell - releasing a dense mist of steam.
She grabs Lucy's arm, as realizing what her sister's aiming for, she also summons her staff then shifting themselves to the hidden corner behind a row of huge steles.
Lucy (whispering): "Do we need to run?"
Himeno (whispering): "Not yet, let's observe them first."
The person who just comes there is called Clara, she is the fateful enemy of Himeno.
For each outsider here, they had to kill and surpass their fateful enemies to get there. However there're some special cases such as Himeno and Lucy, they haven't both defeated their fateful rivals yet.
However, DoD still accepted them just because of their potential. Also these special beings were the first to come to this arena. There're over a thousand guys like them, nevertheless, they all died beneath the void creatures.
"This is the final challenge for all of you - losers of creation. Kill or be killed. Show me the answer then." DoD left behind nothing for them but this indifferent declaration.
Lucy incidentally notices that her sister is releasing a deadly murderous aura.
Lucy (whispering): "We can kill her."
Himeno (keeping mind): "Hold on, it isn't that easy."
As she predicted, instantly three guys appear behind Clara.
Seems like they are planning to do something, via observing all the details, Himeno comes up with a decision of withdrawing. She is not sure about the last two guys on Clara's side, however she's aware that winning is impossible.
Himeno (whispering): "Not this time Lucy."
Hazen (curious): "I'm wondering what you're aiming for."
Rotating 180 degrees, Himeno instantly draws a circle as usual. She chants quickly with a shortened incantation - fastening the spell casting process.
The chosen spell is Explosion - by compressing mana into a small globular space then releasing it after detonating another bomb inside it.
Hazen (smiling): "Nice try, but..."
He rapidly isolates the space surrounding that bomb, easily negating it. Then he rushes forward, aiming for the direct strike stabbing through her chest.
Ice Barrier is activated - Himeno had this situation planned already. She countered him with a shield then expanded it as a trap - locking Hazen's right arm in that gin.
This is fun enough, he casts a cutting spell and another cutting spell. Overwriting them together, forming a unique slash.
Even though Lucy has countered it with her mana shield, the slash is still able to go through it without breaking the buckler.
The working principle is understandable, by overwriting them into a slash, the first one cuts through the space, the second one passes through it and lands itself on the target.
If she hadn't been covered by Lucy, there would have been a body lying on the ground.
Himeno (whispering): "Run."
Lucy instantly draws another circle, releasing a mist of darkness.
As for Himeno, she ports them both far away from that battlefield within a portal.
This is their B plan - by opening a first portal leading them to a safe place, then replacing it with another one leading to the opposite side. Even if Hazen tried to access it after negating the trap, Himeno would only need to close it in order to cut him in half.
Hazen: "As I said, nice try."
Even though they both tried so hard to escape from this guy, no matter how much they struggled, Himeno and Lucy can't escape from that monster for a second.
Lucy: "I hate you so much."
She rapidly casts another shield, throwing it directly to Hazen.
However, the man they're facing is known as The King of Kings - Hazen the Unfallen One.
It only takes him a palm strike to devastate the shield.
Suddenly he feels the heat - Magic of Dragons: Draconic Onslaught.
She releases hundreds of fire dragons, letting them chase toward Hazen in their madness.
Covering it with Level Three Spell: Thunder Storm - Third Form, Himeno actually isolates him in a cage of destruction.
However that enormous movement has attracted Clara, she instantly ports herself toward that fire.
Even though Hazen can't escape it, he doesn't show any fear for this situation - as an emperor walking in his garden.
Hazen: "This firework is incredible."
*Crack* - He releases a light pillar, directly destroying the inferno cage. It's fast as a flash, everything has come to the end before Lucy can realize it.
Hazen: "I appreciate it."
Dino: "Me too bro."
Out of nowhere, The Night Slayer of The Apocalypse - Dino Lactus instantly dragged Lucy back from the dead just in time.
*Crack* - In his amazement, Dino has grabbed his right arm and crushed it to pieces.
Hazen (excited): "That's interesting."
*Bap - Thud - Thud - Crack* - Shatterpoint: Space Breaker - Hazen suddenly touched at the heart position of Dino, something was locked.
Hazen instantly landed the first strike, stabbing through the ribcages, the second one was aimed to the heart.
Dino (curse): "Reverse."
Curse: Voice of the Order - Following what he just said, Hazen's arm was immediately crushed back, broken to pieces of bone.
Dino (curse): "Lock."
He does what he says, Hazen is immediately forced to stop moving without any delay.
Dino (curse): "Thunder of Calamity."
Of course he can't abuse it too much, however three-time using in five minutes is affordable.
Clara: "Maxlum: Bloom."
Suddenly Himeno's fateful rival has arrived, she instantly covers Hazen with a casual spell.
Domain expansion: Eden under Moonlight - This domain is the saturated one.
In short, saturated domain is used especially for coercively cancelling any heterogeneous existence (spells, energy,...) appearing inside it.
Dino: "Oh wow, uninvited guest."
Clara: "Rose: Bloom."
However, it's different from what Dino has predicted, the roses only bloom and turn into petals, flying toward him.
Himeno: "Cantarella."
She instantly casts a spell to counter it. Reasonably, roses stand for passionate love, so does Cantarella.
Known as the only worthy for "The poison of Love" - The curse of possession.
In the blurry reality, a pair of hands is silently and deliberately tightening her neck on purpose.
She is a mysterious lady in a black evening dress. I can see the abyss in her eyes - lurid, velvet dark, and profound - all of them reflect that distorted love, the intense and possessive love poisoning a heart with longings.
That veil gently hides her exquisiteness, she drifts through the shiny mist under the moonlit clouds in the gown of midnight velvet, its flowing sleeves shimmering with thread of gold. Her silver hair is tied back, the crystal hairpin glistening, reflecting the dim light as if she is wearing the bright moon herself.
Those nebula eyes shine as a sapphire but not a sapphire, as a crystal but not a crystal - indefinite, unfathomable, beautiful and even attractive. Oh my, how can I depicture her beauty in a word?
Her lips gently approach Himeno's ear, she whispers with the seductive voice. It's sweet but deadly as her name, her enchanting tone is tearing me between these unreasonably sudden emotions and my wavering mind.
"What are you hesitating for?"
Himeno bites her lip unconsciously, letting that sweet crimson blood flow as a river under the bloody moonlight.
The curse is activated, suddenly many rose thorns rise up, they creep to every part of her body, fiercely burning everything from the inside and outside. This is the price of love.
Himeno: "O love, veiled in sweetness. I bind myself to you with eternal vow."
Immediately, Maxlum-Domain of Clara is instantly destroyed by the deadly force, the black roses creep out of nowhere, dominating and drowning that garden in the inevitable death of love.
Clara (scowling): "Tch."
On the contrary, King of Kings - Hazen is really excited about this turning point. He summons a sword - a traditional longsword for the warrior - pointing it straight to both Dino, Lucy and Himeno as a declaration.
Hazen (excited): "Bring it all on."
After letting them all finish their cutscenes and aura farming work, Dino stands up, stretches and yawns.
Dino (complaining): "Time to work again?"
Layla (curious): "I wonder what you're doing."
Clara: "Shut up and come here Layla, it's time to end everything."
It's now a 3v3 situation, fair enough, at least in number.
Just in time, the Banquet of Outer Worms has ended after removing 309 patients - 1012 remain.
But they aren't aware of one thing, the beginning of the up-coming calamity. He's hiding in the unreachable dimension. Holding an old book, waiting for the next prophecy. Who is he?
Back to Yujin's side, they are now closer to the truth than ever.
At the edge of this vestige, they both see a unique creation. It's far different from the normal steles scattering throughout this arena. It's the pillar - the runic pillar of the forbidden truth.
Yujin: "Touch it."
Aranta: "Why me?"
Yujin: "I won't dirty my hand."
As soon as Aranta touches that pillar, it shines itself via runes and builds up a column of light, rising up to the sky.
He instantly realizes that it's the same as the first pillar which they went through before.
Yujin: "There're 11 other pillars surrounding the center."
Aranta: "You mean..."
Yujin: "And now 7 of them are shining."
Instantly, Yujin snaps his fingers, all the darkness covering the vestige is suddenly erased to the isolation. At the same time, the tenth pillar is lightened up.
Yujin: "Now the number 6 pillar in the northwest side is far from us."
Yujin: "The closest is number 8, at the southeast side."
Aranta: "I'll do the number 8."
Yujin: "Just do it if you want. On the contrary, I prefer seeing what's going on next."
Aranta (confused): "But, why?"
Yujin: "If you believe me, then wait for it."
*Crack* - Sky is shattered to pieces and dust, The Outer Worms are approaching this dimension via the gate opened by the twelve runic pillars.
The Apocalypse predicted via the first prophecy - The Invasion of The Outer Creatures - has started.
Aranta: "What are we going to do next? Save everyone as heroes?"
Yujin: "Get lost, I'm not here to play. The truth is hiding in the center pillar, if you want to get it. Then chase after it."
Aranta: "But, what's it? And how can you know it?"
Yujin: "It told me. The truth would be nothing if I said it right now."
Aranta (confused): "Can you stop farming aura and give me the answer?"
Yujin (sighing): "You have three minutes, there's one guy camping at the center and over 52 opponents are approaching it."
Aranta: "I hate you man."
Yujin (mocking): "Same dude."
Then Aranta suddenly accelerates himself by his unique technique, he rushes forward fast as a steed, directly to the center pillar.
Yujin calmly observes everything, when he makes sure that there's no one else, he suddenly punches to the air - instantly breaks it, revealing a silhouette of a familiar uninvited guest.
Yujin: "Where's DoD?"
X (nice): "He's not here, however, I'll do the rest."
Yujin: "Alright, straight to the main work, why am I the ---?"
X: "It's reasonable. He only lets you be the --- if you really want to be. So you better ask yourself for the answer."
Yujin: "What will happen if I can't complete my work?"
X (smiling): "Of course you will be executed."
Yujin instantly steps forward, he lands a strike directly to the opponent's face.
*Bap* - Directly parrying from X.
Yujin comes up with another strike via his elbow.
*Snap* - It takes X a movement to block that strike.
*Crack* - However, for the third strike, Yujin has successfully landed it on X's ribcages.
X (excited): "Wow, you got it."
Yujin: "Send my words to DoD: Bring it all on."
X (smiling): "I will do it, however..."
He takes off his blindfold, revealing his cracked crimson eyes. The killing will is being unusually released outside, this is the first warning from X in his capacity as a servant.
X: "For the next time, I won't let it be this easy for your sin."
Yujin (yawning): "It just makes no difference by the way."
*Bang* - An explosion has occurred at the center of this vestige, it's the signal for the next event to arrive. Knowing it, X instantly fades away in the mist without any warning.
X: "Let's meet again at the end."
Yujin responds with nothing, he has other things to do.
Clara: "Lactum: "Rise!"
She summons spears of Alkmyst stone from the ground, trying to stab through the enemies.
Lucy: "Larune."
Spirit Summoning - Lucy calls out a spirit of earth at the tier seven. He touches his fist to the surface, instantly restructuring it, devastating everything hiding under the ground.
Of course Hazen can't wait anymore, he doesn't care about the plan, directly rushing forward, aiming for a flying kick straight to Himeno.
Dino (curse): "Lock!"
Lucy: "Flame of Saint Lily."
However Hazen only needed to swing his longsword, then everything was torn down to pieces.
Hazen (showing off): "This crystal sword is called Larias, she is my friend. Is she pretty?"
Clara: "No one cares about that Hazen."
Hazen (disappointed): "Aw~"
Lucy has decided it.
Lucy: "Sis."
Himeno: "Don't!"
As she wished, Lucy instantly lost her arms. She only saw a flash had passed through herself, then the blood dropped down, fast and mercilessly.
Lucy: "Tian? I thought you..."
Titan (smiling): "Sorry Lucy, you bet on the wrong guy."
Another slash aims straight to her neck for a decisive strike. He didn't joke about it, Tian is really trying to kill Lucy - who he had bound himself to the eternal promise.
Titaniaym - under the world tree:
"Heh? You don't want to be a warrior, do you?"
He smiled, the warmest smile that Lucy had ever seen.
"I'm willing to do it."
Titaniaym - under the moon in the apocalypse:
"Tch, why are there so many outer worms?"
"It's going to the end."
"I know, but I can't let it end there."
Titaniaym - under the broken tree:
"I'm sorry, Lucy, perhaps this is the end."
"Not yet Tian, we can do it."
"I'm sorry..."
At the vestige of the Beyonder, that familiar saying rang out again:
Tian: "I'm sorry, Lucy. I saw that future, please forget me."
*Clash* - Another uninvited guest has arrived on the battlefield.
"Ta da - guess who I am."
Dino: "Why are you here?"
Ian: "Bruh, what is that demeanor?"
Dino (complaining): "Why not Luker but you?"
Ian: "Hey hey, I'm here to help you all, bow your head down."
*Clash* - He easily parried another slash from Tian without any challenge.
Tian looks at Ian, Ian also looks at Tian.
*Clash* - Titan tries to land another slash on Ian. Ian obviously blocks it.
Tian looks at Ian, Ian looks at Titan.
Dino: "Can you two actually fight?"
*Clash - Clash - Bang - Clash* - Of course they can.
Tian instantly stabs Larias through Ian's heart.
Nice try, however he just missed that.
Ian rapidly shifted himself behind Tian, aiming for a direct slash.
*Clash* - Parrying and getting countered, Tian has lost his right arm.
Ian instantly rushes toward him, stabbing the crystal sword through his ribcages, pressing down, pinning him to the ground with ease.
Even feeling bored, he yawns as looking down upon Hazen.
Ian: "Alright, actually I'm here to complete my work. You know it, right?"
Tian was killed with just 5.01 seconds, what a boring opponent.
Non-stop at that, he even rushes forward, within just a small movement, Ian instantly breaks Hazen's right arm and cuts down his two legs.
*Thud* - Hazen can only witness everything and fall back in his impotence.
*Clash* - Ian's crystal sword has been stopped just in time, the blade has been stopped just an inch from his neck.
"Phew, in time!"
Hazen (laughing): "I thought you ran away as a rat already."
Lilying-Su: "Shut up, your life is now in my hands."
Hazen: "I don't think so."
He suddenly leaps up, Larias instantly is recalled.
When it's in his hand is when he performs his maximum power.
Lucy: "Stop him!"
It's too late! Sword of The King: Sparkling Night - suddenly countless Larias appear above them, forming an unescapable zone.
Ian: "Well, in case that we can't escape, then don't escape."
He holds his sword tightly, raising it up to the sky.
Ian: "You know what, I have nothing but this mana."
Sword art of the Wanderers: Rhythm raising to the Sky - immediately there're many melodies launching directly to the sky above. Facing, colliding and collapsing - just a moment passing away, Larias in Hazen's hand has broken.
This is only the beginning of all, when he raises up his sword, unleashing an endless wave of powerful mana.
The Second Melody of Wanderers: Dancing under the Dawn.
*Splash* - Even the space is bent to the distorted shape, the flame rising up to the sky, burning everything to dust.
Hazen (shocked): "Can you even be stronger?"
Ian (proud): "Of course I can."
That smile is blooming again on his face, it's too clumsy for him to hide it, his adrenaline is rising over the peak.
Hazen (excited): "Great, great, great! It's going to the good part right now, right now!"
Looking like a maniac, however that maniac is unleashing a deadly aura enough to force everyone to step back in their unconsciousness.
Himeno: "Cantarella: Black Roses of Death."
Clara: "Turbulence."
Turbulence is the high level spell, however its purpose is really simple, distracting every process of spell casting.
Lucy immediately covers with another Turbulence spell, instantly negating Clara's action.
Hazen: "Hmm? Why am I being warned about something blurry?"
Dino: "What are you talking about?"
Hazen (smiling): "How can I know? Never mind, let's kill each other."
Ian: "Alright, time to bully an old man."
Hazen: "Yo? What do you mean? I'm not that old, dude."
Dino: "Still older than us."
Then he rushes forward, starting this battle within a second.
Hazen: "Bring it on!"
Sword of The King: Golden Lines.
Dino instantly covers Ian - *Clash* - that's surprising, he really can block it with just a finger.
Curse: The Magician - Liayin is activated. Dino even flicked back that slash to Hazen, smoothly cutting down his right arm.
Hazen: "Wo? What is that?"
He doesn't even care about his cut arm, always showing that enthusiastic face.
Dino: "Disgusting."
He draws a card.
Dino: "Not bad."
When Hazen rushes toward him for a sword strike, Dino just flicks that card up.
The Fool: the card standing for a newbie, foolish and silly.
*Slash* - Unpredictably, Hazen somehow really missed that free strike.
Hazen: (Wh... what?)
The confusion obviously is shown in his eyes, not only him, even Himeno, Ian, Clara, Lucy and Lyx - Clara's servant - also can't hold back their surprises.
*Fab* - Another card has been drawn, while Hazen is rushing toward him again.
Dino (smiling): "Lady Luck has stood on my side."
The Mirror: reflecting, countering everything (one time used.)
*Kaboom* - As usual, he got countered again. Especially this time he even retained only his half body.
*Fab* - Another card has been drawn immediately after that, that action really surprised Hazen.
Hazen: (Unlimited ability?)
Of course Clara knows that she can't let this disadvantage keep happening.
However, birds of a feather flock together, Himeno is still here.
Clara: "Layla, how long are you going to stand there and watch?"
Layla (yawning): "I'm too lazy to help you."
Of course she won't help, why does she need to instead of napping aside?
Anyway, she's highly aware of it - there're many entities glancing their eyes on this vestige. And she even realizes that one of them is existing here, in the other words, she doesn't want to do everything arbitrarily then getting executed after that.
Suddenly everything is bent together, spacetime immediately turns to chaos.
Dino: "Ah sh*t, really?"
Gifted Luck: "Lady Luck always stands by your side."
That luck even insanely removed the disturbance of spacetime, reality overwriting. They all got saved from it.
Dino: "Bruh, goodbye Lady Luck."
*Crack* - A stele has been destroyed in his madness, randomly.
Book of the twelfth Prophecy is burning in the cruel fire.
"Survive..."
Then it evaporates in that flame, the prophecy is fulfilled.
Fu-tang: "Tch, Dino."
Aranta: "You are the betrayer right?"
Fu-tang: "Aranta? Why are you here?"
He takes out a dagger, unleashing his deadly aura. The killing will is too obvious to perceive, Aranta has no reason to do nothing. He slowly equips the gauntlets.
Aranta: "Hmm, I wonder what is the hidden truth."
Fu-tang: "Who told you that?"
Aranta: "Seems like I'm right."
*Crack* - Suddenly he lands a strike, fast enough to leave the light behind, Fu-tang can't even see the afterimage in the whole process.
Aranta: "Show me something, betrayer."
*Thud - Crack - Boom* - Aranta instantly lands another strike straight to Fu-tang's ribcages without any hesitation.
Incidentally, three more enemies came from nowhere. They all aim to him, for no reason, Aranta can see the surprise in their eyes.
Aranta: (Manipulation.)
One flying kick at his hip - catch.
One elbow is dropping down on his head.
Another kick is aiming straight to his neck.
He only needs to grab the first guy's leg, crushing it to pieces and swing him as a weapon, instantly solving the problem without any delay for the next strike landing on Fu-tang.
Aranta doesn't even care about those inferiorities for a second - *Thud - Crack* - his hand has totally gone through Fu-tang's chest. This is the difference in level.
Aranta: "I thought you're stronger than this."
Calamity: "instantly destroy a part of the user."
Dino: "Really?"
He lost his right arm, however he keeps drawing another one.
The Joker: "Rolling 3 dice and gambling on two random cards after shuffling all the previous cards back to the deck."
Dino: "Not... too bad?"
*Clash* - Suddenly Hazen lands another slash on Dino, however incidentally a random spear has parried it.
Dices: 1 - 4 - 4.
Total: 9 on 18 - which means half.
Rules of the deadly gambling:
One third: randomly losing one thing.
One half: extra one dice rolling time.
Two third: reset everything, start the process another time. (exclude The Joker.)
Peak: EXTRA CARD.
The Joker: The hidden prank - randomly activating a power of another card.
Ability: Coercively locking everything existing around - The Order.
This hidden passive isn't that easy to be activated, the normal chance oscillates between 0.5% and 3.1% according to his own experiences. However this deck is linked to each other, due to the fact that he has lost the card: Gifted Luck before, its hidden passive instantly stacks on The Joker for the 100% guaranteed chance to activate its hidden prank.
That free luck has actually saved him from getting slayed by Hazen.
In short, Dino is in his curse: The Magician, he can't move too freely. That's why the mysterious deck is the trump card of this gambling addiction maniac.
Extra dice rolling: 4 on 6 - two third.
According to the "Rules of the deadlygambling":
All the process is reset to the origin.
Starting gambling again, Dino can only straighten his back and wait for the result.
By the way, this time stop combo between The Order and The Joker is only available for 3 turns - which means that he only has one more chance if this time the result is two third again.
Dices: 2 - 2 - 5
Total: 9 on 18 - one half: extra one dice rolling.
Result: 3 on 6 - one half: extra one dice rolling.
He didn't predict this situation, 3 turns are 3 turns totally, this another extra dice rolling has killed his advantage.
Dino: "What is this bad luck?"
*Clash* - Getting parried by Ian, he's an alternative opponent for Hazen whenever Dino is messing up everything with this dumb gambling game.
Second Result: 3 on 6 - one half: extra one dice rolling.
Dino: "Wow, the f*?"
Extra information: In this condition, he only can reroll dice for three times total, if all the results are one half, he'll lose everything and become unavailable to draw another card for 2 minutes (due to 2 cards remaining via The Joker's passive.)
Dino: "Mama mia, so this is why you just told me to stop gambling? I get it right now."
Final result: 6 on 6 - peak: extra card.
Dino: "Yes! That's why you should all bet on me."
Card rolling:
Dino: "You should bet on me. Gonna wanna get behind me like I'm 23."
The Light: "Instantly giving the user the best choice."
The Miracle: "Fulfilling the user's desire."
Dino: "Yo!!! This is my Jackpot!!!"
Using the first card: The Light, he "luckily" draws a card.
The Magician: "Incarnation of the true unfallen entity."
Ability: Realization of all the user's desires and imaginations for 3 times.
Then he instantly activates the second card: The Miracle, another chance for gambling.
This is the passive strengthening card, that's why he activated another card before using this one.
The multiplier is based on gambling:
90%: 2 times.
7%: 3 times.
2%: 5 times.
0.9%: 10 times.
0.1%: The hidden secret.
Result: 2 times multiplier. It's all good, 2 times of ability are 6 times activating The Magician's power.
Lucy (excited): "So you will kill Hazen only in one shot right?"
Dino (proud): "Yep! However after using The Miracle, I can't draw a card for 3 minutes. So Ian, do the rest."
Ian: "So why did you use it?"
Dino: "B plan."
Ian: "I hate you."
Mana releasing: nothing but unleashing the user's mana as throwing money through the window.
However, especially for the magicians, mana concentration is very important. Even though there're differences between the structure and path of mana training, magicians still try to cast their spells faster and faster.
So, how can they do that? In short, spells are skills cast by the magicians' desires and imaginations via magic circle realization and mana consumption. Magic circle realization speed is about their skill issues, however they can cheat a little bit on mana consuming part.
Imagine that there's a part in their bodies to contain the mana inside it - usually heart and brain. Then they shift it to hands and staff for casting spells, this is the problem, if they waste their time on transporting those mana, they're taking a risk in general.
In order to solve that problem, they usually release their mana outside, based on the property of mana belonging to the users, they don't need to worry (too much) about wasting those mana. Because they'll use it all after casting some spells, on the other hand, if the opponent can take advantage of it.
Well, then pray for it or run away, that's the basic signal of facing a true calamity in a magician's vision.
Himeno instantly casts a spell, suddenly a bunch of roses thrives, blooming to spears and spikes.
Himeno: "I fell into your eyes, my love."
Those roses of death keep expanding forward, even though Clara does everything, she can't even destroy a thorn after all.
Himeno: "Straight to Hell."
Hazen: "Not that fast, lady."
Lilying instantly opens her zone, the magic circle even covers the entire vestige.
The gravitational force even crushes everything to dust, this is the ultimate goal of Lilying while taking the role: betrayer.
Hazen: "Eh? Lilying?"
Lilying-Su: "Do not hate me Hazen. This is fate?"
Hazen: "Yo what?"
*Crack* - His bones are destroying through each second passing away, he can't even stand up in this condition.
Lilying: "Hmm? How can you...?"
Death: instantly be sent to isolation.
However, the power of The Magician just flicks it back due to the user's desire.
Dino: "Good luck."
Without any signal, Lilying just got killed in a second.
Clara: "Is this the one who is called NPC that they used to gossip?"
*Fab* - Drawing a card, Dino is instantly sunk into the holy light.
Blessing of Heaven: "Give me your desire."
Gifts:
Rewind the Past: Reset the deck with all the cards used before.
Overwrite the Reality: Replace all your current cards with your desires.
From the Future: Gain 3 cards in the present, lose 3 cards in the future and can't draw cards in 3 minutes.
Costs: Discard 3 cards on top of the deck for each choice.
Dino: "Past."
All the cards are being sent back to the deck.
He has used a wish from The Magician to cancel the cost of choice.
Dino: "Future."
Instantly gaining three cards - removing the cost from the choice.
Now he has 4 cards in total.
Respectively:
The Fool: Cause a mistake of opponents.
The King: Whenever the opponents try to escape from you and reveal their backs, they will lose a part of themselves.
The Sun: Burn everything to the ground.
Chariot: Accumulate "determination" through pain and agony - which leads him to the light hidden after the end.
The deck includes 20 main cards standing for 20 souls bound to him.
And now he is holding 4 of them in his hand - which means he has 16 cards left and another 52 sub cards.
Dino: (For the next move, take it clearly.)
Dino: (Reality.)
Instantly replacing his 4 current cards by other 4 ideal choices.
Obviously, the first card is The Joker - his trump card in early gameplay.
Of course he isn't supposed to not use that card - Gifted Luck - to link with The Joker.
As I said before, these cards link to each other:
Gifted Luck: The Bless of Lady Luck:
+ First passive (always active): "Luck! Luck! Luck! All is mine!"
- When this card still remains, your luck will never end.
+ Second passive: "The Last Gift" (only be activated by losing Gifted Luck.)
- Automatically rewrite the reality and probabilities into the guaranteed active event.
+ Third passive: "I'm on your side." (only be activated when and only when the user is in the true calamity.)
- Overwriting reality, coercively save the user from the cataclysm. (one time used.) Whenever this passive is activated, automatically destroy Gifted Luck.
In this situation, the first passive is activated obviously.
This combo is called: Jackpot - Luck is something you can't even imagine or measure in numbers.
Dices: 6 - 6 - 6: Peak - EXTRA CARD!!!
Dices: 6 - 6 - 6: Peak - EXTRA CARD!!!
Dices: 6 - 6 - 6: Peak - EXTRA CARD!!!
According to the rules, Dino can't roll over 3 times of the same result - which means he has to stop after 3 times extra card gaining.
However, let me teach you such a normal thing - life isn't fair at all.
Dino: "Jackpot!!!"
Gifted Luck - hidden passive: Jackpot (only be activated after compacting with The Joker.)
"Luck is unpredictable..."
In short, after three time getting Peak, Dino can roll the dice one more time:
If the result is one third: Everything is reset to the origin.
If the result is one half: The user has one more chance to roll the dice normally (no matter if the 4th result is the same as the three previous outcomes.)
If the result is two third: The user is given another extra card (optional between main or sub card.)
If the result is peak: Double all the cards the user possesses.
- Whatever the result is, after activating this ultimate passive, Gifted Luck is removed.
Of course, within the insane luck boost of the Gifted Luck card, it's impossible for Dino to fail at getting Peak in this situation.
Dices: 6 - 6 - 6: Peak - Double!!!
Two cards from The Joker's passive; Two more cards remain in the origin; Finally, three last cards by gambling. All double to the total of 14 cards.
The deck is the combination of 20 main cards and 52 sub cards, however Dino only chose the main cards for some reasons. Seems like he doesn't want to unleash those 52 mysteries.
Discard - Dino suddenly sends all 14 cards to the isolation (4 left.)
Non-stop at that, when the Gifted Luck card is removed, it reasonably activates another passive of itself.
A 100% guaranteed event is approaching.
The hidden prank from The Joker is obviously activated.
Wheel of Fortune: "The Light will be found at the end, death is just the previous part of the next beginning."
Giving the user the turning point that they need the most.
*Clash* - With just a finger, Dino has blocked the slash of Hazen again. The pressure he's unleashing even forces Hazen to step back two times in his unconsciousness.
Hazen (excited): "Show me! More! More! More! More than that!"
Larias instantly breaks itself to pieces, Hazen's aura takes charge of ropes - linking every piece to each other as a flagellant.
Hazen (chaos): "Come! Come! Come here and take me down with all your efforts!"
He dashes forward, rapidly swinging that flagellant straight to Dino without any hesitation.
*Clash - Clash* - Even though being known as a magician, all Dino can do is drawing cards and abusing them for the best combo. He has no talent as casting spells, the most basic thing building up the true magician.
However he has one thing he can do, fight, with his bare hands, fight, with his determination.
He was an orphan in the old world, fighting, stealing, surviving, that's all his life. Even though fate chose him to be the hero carrying the world, he can't forget that terrible period of time.
And if he can't forget it, he has no reason to forget it.
*Crack* - A fast counter in a narrow space, Dino instantly dodge a bit, directly moving forward, landing an upper cut straight to Hazen's chin via his elbow.
*Smack* - Another elbow slash drives into his face, strongly knocking Hazen two steps backward.
*Smack* - Jab - a fast strike from Dino's left arm even knocks out Hazen within a second.
However he is showing his merciless personality, Dino keeps going forward.
*Smack* - This time, he uses a kick, a forward low kick straight to Hazen's chin again.
*Crack* - Something has broken and Hazen has been taken down.
Nevertheless, his sense is warning him about the up-coming threat. He knows that Hazen can't be taken down so easily.
Another strike - Dino dashes toward Hazen, who is falling down, with a flying kick. This is the last and the decisive one.
Hazen: "This is."
*Slash - Slash - Slash* - He instantly swings Larias around and round, devastating everything surrounding him with the most brutal destruction.
Wheel of Fortune: "The Light you seek is never dim."
The Hermit: "I will lead you to the hidden key."
+ Giving the truth seekers what they need most.
Unlike The Light - fulfilling the user's desire - The Hermit is the required card for the user to be led to the final truth. Without it, Dino will never be able to draw the last one.
But the problem is there're 3 cards left in the deck, the reason that Dino did everything instead of activating the ability of Wheel of Fortune was waiting for 3 minutes passing away.
First rule: Dino only can draw a card instantly after using up the previous one.
Second rule: Whenever Dino chooses to keep it, he needs to wait for 3 minutes for the next card (non-stackable.)
Now the proportion is one half or 50%, without luck boost, nothing guarantees that Dino will successfully get the necessary card. Even if he drew the last card right now, that'd be the dead shot straight to his brain.
Fortunately, he didn't get the last card, however he just got into the worst situation.
Judgement: "I can see through your sins."
+ Summon a sword of justice - it will judge the sins of the enemy. If they admit the sins, they'll be killed. If not, this card is only able to remove a part of that enemy (optional.)
Dino: "Oh god, why is it another gambling game?"
He activates that card, summoning the sword of justice and grabbing it into his hand.
Dino: "Sh*t, I have no experience with this element."
Left - right - right - left - Dino dodges every slash from Hazen smoothly and clearly as a dancer performing on his own stage.
*Clash* - The sword of justice has collided with Larias, to be honest, Dino is totally overwhelming Hazen.
Because of the usage of The Chariot, it allows him to gain equal power based on his determination about the goal ahead. And he has a promise to accomplish, he promised one thing to his precious companion.
He can't fall down here.
For the reason why he can use it without activating, it's the passive card: The Devil.
The Devil: "How much can you pay for it?"
+ Whenever a card is sent to isolation, the user can gain its power automatically without activating. However there's only an ability for each card to be chosen by the user.
Which means Dino only can activate one of 2 abilities of The Joker.
If he chooses to gamble the dice and cards, he can't get the hidden prank (no matter if he gets it via gambling.)
If he chooses the hidden prank, he can't gamble the dice and cards (100% for the chosen ability - no matter if it's not guaranteed.)
And because The Chariot only has an ability, so he doesn't need to choose, by the way, he discarded totally 14 plaques.
Unfortunately, those cards which allow him to draw other wanted cards as The Light or The Hermit can't be used in this contract.
However the outlier is The Magician, it allows the user to self-actualize wishes 3 times. He can't use it for drawing wanted cards, but he can use it for negating the costs or side effects from other cards.
*Clash - Clash* - Two times parrying, Dino takes that advantage, he steps forward, putting the sword of justice to Hazen's neck.
*Clash* - That's dangerous, Hazen can't even believe that with just a sword and some cards, an inferior being can force him into this terrible situation.
On the other side, Clara and Lucy are holding each other back, Himeno has reached her limit. If she went further than this edge, she would lose her mind to Cantarella.
However, with the damage she caused to Clara, it's still enough for Lucy to maintain the balanced game.
The battle will change after Hazen and Dino finish their fight, Ian only sits down on a stele far from them, silently observing everything as watching an online gameplay.
Ian (chewing): "Umh, uh, heck, why is this dessert too bland bruh."
Luker: "In my old world, having this thing is holding a treasure in your hands, seems like you've lived in a too peaceful place."
Ian (laughing): "I think so, that's quite boring."
As what he said, the battle has reached the end, the sword of justice has stabbed through Hazen's heart. The judgement has been activated.
Of course, the last one who's still standing on that battlefield is Dino the Magician.
Ian: "Nice."
Dino (falling back): "Phew, finally."
*Stab* - Larias instantly stabs through Dino's heart without any oscillation in space and mana.
*Smack - Crack - Crack* - A surprise attack has sent Ian and Luker both to the line of death without any signal.
Even Clara, Lucy and Himeno, they can't both see it clearly.
*Crack* - Aranta is still maltreating Fu-tang without any mercy.
Aranta: "Why are you too stubborn?"
Fu-tang (threatening): "He's coming, you all won't..."
*Smack - Crack* - Realizing that there won't be a useful process, Aranta instantly eliminates Fu-tang by his hands, he observes the stele, then cuts down the betrayer's right hand.
Pushing it into the midnight crystal stele, the mark instantly matches the same one on the stele, opening the gate hiding the final truth.
*Crack* - A punch drives straight to Lucy, instantly destroying her staff, the one belonging to Himeno has the same treatment - be crushed to pieces.
Aranta: "Impossible!"
He rushes toward that direction, he can't believe the truth that the guy is the betrayer.
Aranta: "Is this real?"
Even though Ian and Luker have tried too hard, they can't both touch such a sleeve of the betrayer.
Ian: "I guess we need to use it."
Luker: "Who are you?"
Without any hesitation, that guy rushes toward them again as a predator.
DoD: "Finally he has started the massacre."
X: "I wonder how far he can reach."
DoD: "Don't you see? He hasn't unlocked that stage yet."
X: "I got it, your majesty. However there's something still warning me about the variable."
DoD: "Let's see then."
With the maximum speed, Aranta has reached the battlefield where the majority of them have been taken down.
A flying kick instantly drives straight to that silhouette.
*Crack* - Unlike what he predicts, that guy catches the attack with ease, even destroying his leg to pieces via a squeeze.
Aranta: "Ouch ouch, that's hurt."
However it's just a feint, via that attack, Aranta has revealed the betrayer to everyone.
Luker: "You?"
Aranta: "Tch, I should've done it earlier."
Suddenly an unknown power flares itself up without any signal, it reflects the pure light outside, sparkling as a star in outer space. It contains limitless power, with just that small aura covering on his hands, they all step back in the unconsciousness.
Yujin: "Nice try, however your biggest rival is me."
Aranta: "So you are the last traitor?"
Yujin: "I think so."
Aranta: "Alright, if this is fate."
Yujin: "It isn't fate."
*Smack* - Yujin rapidly dashes toward Aranta, driving a kick directly to his neck.
Nevertheless, he instantly got stabbed from the back. It's Dino, somehow he's still alive after the decisive strike in the heart.
Non-stop at that, the sword of justice has stabbed through his neck, Hazen is the culprit. The reason for him standing here is related to his innocence, he did no crime in his whole life, so the sword of justice couldn't do anything to judge him.
Suddenly a bunch of black roses rise up, warping Yujin in a deadly trap, Himeno has let Cantarella control herself, she's aware that she stands no chance beneath that unreasonable power. On the other side, Clara and Lucy are casting a lot of spells with all of their elements and mana.
Countless sharp ice blades surround him, waiting to eliminate this monster within a second. Under the trap, five magic circles form into a seal - holding Yujin back in that place.
They do nothing else except limiting Yujin, they're both aware that if one of them made a mistake, they would be counterkilled just in a second.
Aranta: "So what are you going to do next, Yujin?"
Yujin: "...Interesting."