The revived ones fell like scarecrows, nullifying his attacks as a thrilling shiver ran from the tips of Kang Sihyun's fingers to his head. Only now did it truly feel real.
He had returned, and the grim past would not repeat itself.
Kang Sihyun, who had thwarted an army of ten thousand that once belittled him, suppressed his excitement. Joy and satisfaction could wait until after Septimus was dealt with.
"What trick did he use?"
Septimus, who was expected to rage wildly, merely furrowed his brow and twitched his right eyebrow in response, surprisingly cautious.
It would have been easier had he rushed in excitedly.
"He's quite intelligent. Giving him time to think rationally won’t help," thought Kang Sihyun as he charged at him.
"Kang Sihyun!"
Lee Hamin was shocked by the unplanned assault. Kang Sihyun! Hahyuk belatedly drew his sword and followed, but Septimus was not his match.
"Don't come!"
Despite awakening Adam's power, there was a reason he brought twenty awakened ones. No matter how powerful, it was impossible for him alone to handle all the puppets summoned by Septimus and defeat the dungeon's master.
Thus, the task of handling the puppets was left to the other awakened ones.
These were things that couldn't simply be cut off.
Irregular.
Creatures allowed within the power Septimus received from Eve. If he summoned the souls of already dead irregulars as he had before, it would require a combined effort from awakened ones above quasi-S grade to counter them.
Among them, dealing with the first-generation puppet-turned irregular was Hahyuk's duty. Thus, Kang Sihyun, arrogantly blocking the irregular's attempt to parry with one hand, poured divine power into his sword.
Boom!
Septimus momentarily blocked the sword, but it soon emitted a strong light, burrowing into his hand. A soft slicing sound was heard.
"…!"
Surprise flickered across Septimus's face.
He quickly retracted his hand and stepped back, swinging his arm horizontally. The ground writhed, black figures moving. Expecting them to replace the sword, Kang Sihyun dodged the encircling figures and slipped behind Septimus.
It would have been easier to ambush him if conditions had allowed, but the cunning foe immediately turned, refusing to show his back. Admitting his agility surpassed his own, Kang Sihyun faced him head-on instead of recklessly ambushing him.
That was enough for now.
The sword, surrounded by white light, targeted Septimus's neck. His hand and tail moved at an invisible speed to block Kang Sihyun's sword.
Swoosh!
The tail that struck Kang Sihyun was like a whip. After rolling a couple of times from the hit, Kang Sihyun immediately got up and clashed with him again.
Boom! Bang!
The sound of blows and friction alternated, and the loud attacks continued. The fast-paced exchange amazed onlookers. The battle was beyond imagination.
Hiss!
The tail, piercing like a lance, grazed his cheek, blood flowing. Despite the speed differential allowing Septimus to attack twice for every successful strike, Kang Sihyun intermittently healed with Hilo to maintain his condition and continued to distance himself from the black figures.
The figures, once squishy like slime, now clearly resembled living creatures.
Decumanus, Nonus, and even Octaus, whom Ruth had claimed to have dealt with.
Kang Sihyun caught a glimpse of three irregular creatures rising from the ground and dodged an attack from Septimus at the last moment, wiping the sweat off his brow. He had been fighting non-stop, and his breath was getting heavy. Seeing himself seemingly overwhelmed caused Lee Hamin and Haru to finally draw their swords.
"You're being reckless again!"
"Stay there!"
"What?"
Hearing them, Kang Sihyun shouted back, turning to see Hahyuk.
"Guild leader, please split the forces and handle these puppets! They're all children of Gula!"
"Got it."
His brother blinked in confusion, but his older brother calmly complied. Kang Sihyun, without retorting, smiled slightly at the man arranging the awakened ones in front of each puppet.
It was definitely more convenient to have such comrades.
He thought having such allies wasn't bad as a sneer escaped from Septimus's mouth as he returned to Kang Sihyun's side.
"Do you think they can stop it?"
"They're just puppets, not the real thing. There's no reason they can't stop them."
"They will die."
"They're not that weak."
These were top-tier awakened ones from two nations. Confident because veterans were present, Septimus scoffed and flicked his finger.
"I acknowledge you are strong. But they are not."
"They might be lacking."
Kang Sihyun had never thought that each
individual could face Septimus alone.
But.
"We'll cooperate and complement each other."
The method humans had survived through a grueling decade-long war with irregulars had slightly changed in form but not in foundation.
They fought together.
Simple yet effective. This tactic was impossible for irregulars, who knew only subjugation and domination. Wiping the blood from his face, Kang Sihyun took a deep breath.
A woman's smile briefly crossed Septimus's face. It was Eve's laugh, now unseeable, so Kang Sihyun abruptly closed and then opened his eyes and parried an attack from Septimus that had almost reached him.
This began another round of exchanges.
"Your judgment will lead those you've brought to their deaths."
"Speaking as if it's a prophecy."
"A predictable future might as well be called a prophecy."
Septimus was good with words. Kang Sihyun chuckled and swung his sword.
Getting hurt in battle was inevitable. So, it was fine to be injured. As long as one didn't die, recovery was possible.
Like the miracle at Haewoon, divine intervention was necessary, so it was impossible unless one was barely alive. But Kang Sihyun was confident he could fully recover as long as he was alive, so he wasn't swayed by Septimus's words.
He didn't let his guard down or take those words to heart.
Behind him, the movements of the first-generation puppets kept the awakened ones busy. Occasionally, Lee Hamin's shouts and Haru's moans were heard; sometimes they sounded almost like screams, making Kang Sihyun want to turn around, but he kept his mind cool.
Unless they were Ruth-class, even the puppets would certainly struggle. Many would get hurt, and many would suffer. To help them, it wasn't right to turn around and stand by them; it was correct to defeat Septimus, who controlled the puppets, so Kang Sihyun sped up.
Acceleration.
With a burst of speed that maximized his agility, Kang Sihyun's sword menacingly targeted Septimus's neck. His blue eyes focused solely on the target. Despite repeated counterattacks, Kang Sihyun's attacks continued tirelessly, and Septimus forcibly moved back, distancing himself from Kang Sihyun.
From his back, black wings fluttered, and he flew into the sky.
Since the ground battle wasn't conclusive, he aimed for an advantage in aerial combat.
However.
If it was aerial combat, Kang Sihyun was confident too.
"Pia!"
Copying the flight skill and using divine power instead, he loudly called for the phantom species. A large bird, assessing the situation from above, immediately flew to Kang Sihyun's front. Kang Sihyun quickly climbed onto its white back, changing the form of his divine weapon. From a sharp and sturdy sword to four spears, each as thick as an arm.
Currently, there were only four pieces of divine weapon due to a lack of divine weapon fragments, but if he successfully completed the dungeon raid, he could create more spears.
Holding one of the four spears floating in the air, Kang Sihyun pressed down on Pia's back, stroking its fur. As if reading his thoughts from just a touch, Pia moved its wings and charged towards Septimus.
Boom!
Septimus's hand and Kang Sihyun's spear clashed again. Normally, the attack would have ended there, but this time, there was an ally.
"Screech!"
The brave cry of the phantom species as its beak pecked at Septimus's arm.
"What!"
A dismayed voice flowed from him. Kang Sihyun, seizing the momentum, grasped another spear floating in the air and hurled it at Septimus. Distracted by the existing spear and Pia's attack, Septimus widened his eyes, noticing the ambush too late.
No, even if he had noticed earlier, a perfect block would have been impossible. This attack was such an attack.
Kang Sihyun's eyes sparkled. His blue eyes emitted a flame-like heat as his red lips parted.
The most familiar technique used in countless battles, over tens of thousands of times.
And a technique Kang Sihyun could perfectly control even with his body.
"Pierce!"
"Screeech!"
Pshhh!
The spear, glowing with white light, finally penetrated Septimus's one eye completely.
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