Chapter 281 – Triton (6)

Hwak!

Benteke felt like he was possessed by a ghost. He remembered that both of them had dug their sword and spear into the other’s hearts, and they were fighting over who would kill the other first, but…..

Why?

Why was he the only person with his heart pierced?

“You’ve…..done something.”

Benteke’s spear was inside Yeon-woo’s right chest. Its location was only slightly changed, but Yeon-woo was still able to avoid danger.

Yeon-woo felt like his body was dropping. The reason why he had been able to hang on with Demonic Magic and Regeneration was because of the magic power in the Philosopher’s Stone.

However, Time Foresight used all that magic power at once, so he couldn’t use it unless it was of crucial importance. The future that Yeon-woo had gained was 5 seconds.

It was short, but it was important in the fight for life or death.

Thanks to that, Yeon-woo was able to see the timing of Benteke’s spear coming at him, and instead of avoiding it, he turned his body slightly to change the direction of the spear.

Then, his sword had pierced Benteke’s heart even more accurately.

The heart was the source of life. It provided blood to the body and created magic power. If a heart broke, it was fatal to normal players.

However, as skilled as Benteke was, he had the energy to endure even if his heart was broken.

The holy power held him up, even though it was almost gone.

“Kahalhalhal! Sure. Everyone has their secret weapon.”

Even in this futile situation, he beamed brightly.

He didn’t look wronged at all.

Every player had an ace up their sleeves. Hiding it and using it at the appropriate timing was even more amazing. The saying, “to hide 30% of your power,” wasn’t for nothing.

And from Benteke’s perspective, Yeon-woo was clever. Even though he was a beast, he wasn’t moved by his instinct. He was the type to calculate how he was going to hunt. He was different from himself, who always fought by instinct.

But a fight with such a person was still a nice thing, and Benteke felt refreshed. He liked this feeling. The joy of fighting.

And the understanding that came after. Stepping into a new world was an overwhelming experience that he couldn’t explain.

It was also one of the reasons he couldn’t stop fighting.

And so.

“So don’t be wronged.”

Benteke couldn’t die here.

“The same goes for me.”

Grip!

He brutally held onto Vigrid’s blade. His fingers were cut so deeply that they were almost cut off, blood dripping down the blade.

Yeon-woo tried to push Vigrid in even deeper.

However, Vigrid didn’t move at all, like it was stuck. Benteke’s grip was unbelievably firm. It was a strength that someone who was losing the last of his lifeforce shouldn’t be able to muster.

Because he hadn’t seen anything like this before, Yeon-woo slightly frowned.

‘What is this?’

The Time Foresight was a skill that depended on the unique skill of the pocket watch and used the calculating ability of the Draconic species to predict the future.

Even though it gobbled up magic power, it had never failed.

It was always risky, but Yeon-woo had always been victorious.

However, there was something that Yeon-woo hadn’t been able to think of. When the fatal attack that Yeon-woo gave wasn’t fatal, what should he do after that?

With his magic power and health at their lowest, Yeon-woo was in extreme danger.

Yeon-woo squeezed out more magic power from the Philosopher’s Stone. His Cores overheated again. The source sealed inside him might be released, and he could’ve been infected by the demonic energy, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now.

The hand that gripped Vigrid was the same. It couldn’t be pushed or pulled away.

Benteke suddenly threw his spear away and grabbed Yeon-woo’s face.

“You amused me with this fight, so I think it’s okay for me to die like this. But I’m sorry, you’re gonna have to be the one to fall, not me.”

Hwaaaa—

A new energy was growing from within Benteke. It was an energy that shined navy blue. It wasn’t magic power or holy power, but it was the source of the power that allowed him to endure his heart being broken.

At first, it seemed like that power that he had before he was melted by the fire column. Did he have something other than Triaina’s Authority that he kept hidden?

“I’m the Ruler King. I can’t lose. Cha Jeong-woo and Lana fell because they lost. I don’t plan on following in their footsteps.”

He put more force on his right hand that was holding Yeon-woo’s mask and head.

Yeon-woo grit his teeth at the pain of his skull being crushed. Just then, Vigrid pushed forward slightly. Benteke’s left hand was cut off.

Would his mask break first, or would Vigrid finish piercing his heart?

Snap—

The mask couldn’t take the strain any longer and began to crack. Small pieces fell to the floor.

“So die.”

Benteke smiled cruelly and put more force on his right hand. Half of Yeon-woo’s mask fell off, and half of his face was revealed as the pieces fell down.

In that moment, Yeon-woo suddenly let go of Vigrid. Instead, he pulled out the Magic Bayonet from the subspace and aimed for Benteke’s chin. He was just about to push it in, when…..

Clang!

Something suddenly fell from the sky and landed between Yeon-woo and Benteke. Benteke’s right arm was cut off, the Magic Bayonet was flung away.

Both of their attacks being reduced to nothing, the wind that had landed between them wrapped around Yeon-woo and Benteke.

The wind that wrapped around Yeon-woo became a tall man. It was a middle-aged, one-armed man with a giant bastard sword. However, his aura was more powerful than when Benteke held Triaina.

“Things would’ve been bad if I was just a little late.”

The middle-aged man looked at Yeon-woo in his arms.

Like what he said, Yeon-woo was extremely weak right now. His health and magic power were low. It was a wonder that he didn’t collapse or die right now.

Yeon-woo widened his eyes seeing the person who saved him. It was someone who shouldn’t be here right now. They hadn’t even met before.

The aura coming from the middle-aged man was enough to make him shiver. He felt more dangerous than Benteke.

Duke Ardbad.

He was the man who symbolized the ‘Power’ of the four guards of the Gluttony Emperor.

Why was the man who led the Blood Land’s army against the Walpurgisnacht here?

Thankfully, his mask had restored itself already and was covering his eyes.

It seemed like the duke hadn’t recognized him. If he did, Yeon-woo would already be dead. Arthia was also the Blood Land’s enemy.

“Why did you save me…..?”

“His Majesty ordered me to bring you with care to the Blood Land. Your promise of meeting him still hasn’t been fulfilled, and the Emperor wants to see you.”

Yeon-woo almost burst out laughing. So that was his excuse for wanting to taste dragon meat. It was definitely something the Gluttony Emperor would do.

He laughed emptily, seeing that his image within the Blood Land was still holding up. However, Duke Ardbad seemed to have thought it was a grateful laugh because he nodded with a faint smile.

“Rest for now. I know what kind of situation you’re in, so I don’t plan on forcing you to our country. You’re His Majesty’s friend. How can I be rude in serving you?”

Of course, Yeon-woo wouldn’t really let his guard down just because he said that. Rather, he observed Duke Ardbad even more sharply. Unlike his mind, his body could probably take a rest.

His exhaustion was extreme.

It was a shame he couldn’t end Benteke’s life, but the other side couldn’t continue the fight either.

“…..Jinrang. You know I don’t like this kind of stuff.”

Benteke frowned as he looked at Jinrang, who had saved him. He wanted to strangle his subordinate for ruining the mood, but he didn’t have any strength left to do that.

Jinrang was expressing his will to save his king even if he would be punished for it later.

Swaa—

Jinrang poured holy power inside Benteke’s cut arm so it could heal.

Normal players couldn’t deal with holy power. However, there was only one reason why Jinrang could use it. It was because he was also an apostle.

Orion, the god of constellations, who was known as Poseidon’s son. Jinrang was the third captain of Triton acting as Orion’s apostle.

The captains of Triton were watching Duke Ardbad from faraway places.

They were ready to attack any second.

“You just said so. That we can’t lose in the end. So I saved you, sir.”

Benteke’s face crumpled at what Jinrang said.

“Are you saying I would’ve lost?”

“You might’ve won the battle but not the war. You cannot defeat Duke Ardbad in your current state.”

“You…..!”

“I’ll be punished for it later. Please rest for now.”

Before Benteke could say anything more, Jinrang chopped his neck. Benteke collapsed.

Confirming that Benteke was still alive, Jinrang sighed in relief and became wary of Duke Ardbad again.

He had stepped up to save Benteke, but the situation at hand wasn’t good.

Duke Ardbad raised the heavy sword in his left hand like it was nothing and laughed coldly.

“I did hear that some dregs bothered our subordinates here, so we were planning on fighting you soon. I didn’t imagine that we would get a chance like this.”

The Eight Large Clans thought it was ridiculous how people said that the new emerging clans were becoming as strong as them.

But they also considered the emerging clans annoying, so they were thinking of moving them out of the way.

The reason why they hadn’t been able to step up was because Triton’s Blessing from Poseidon was powerful.

It was tricky to deal with Triton, made up of Poseidon and his follower’s apostle, and Benteke was someone that Duke Ardbad acknowledged.

But with Benteke in such a poor state now, he considered it the perfect time to attack Triton.

Of course, it would be hard to ruin them completely, but it would be a great gain just to reduce their numbers.

Also, nothing bad would come from getting rid of Jinrang, who was famed for his intelligence as much as his martial arts.

But as if they weren’t going to step down easily, Jinrang also glared at Duke Ardbad. He might be less skilled than Benteke, but it wasn’t by a large margin. Rather, in some aspects, he was equal to Benteke.

Two apostles who were as skilled as him were aiming for Duke Ardbad right now.

He believed that with the three of them, they would be able to take Duke Ardbad’s life.

Just when Duke Ardbad and Jinrang were about to collide…..

I see many familiar faces.

A loud voice rang out in the sky, and the air around them changed.

It was an oppressing power that forced down the mighty presence of Duke Ardbad and the holy power of Jinrang and the others.

Strong winds blew, and the waves tossed. While the River of Souls was shaking violently, Yeon-woo, Duke Ardbad, Jinrang, the rest of Triton’s forces, and the players on the Ghost Ship looked up at the sky with shock.

Just then, the sky split, and someone slowly came down. The savage combative energy left them breathless.

A woman with cold eyes, the horn of the One-horned tribe, and the scales of a Half-Dragon.

Duke Ardbad stiffened upon seeing her face.

“……The Spring Queen.”

The leader of the White Dragon, Waltz.

It was an unexpected descent.