40 percent, no, perhaps around 35 percent.
After checking the remaining health of Quintus, Armus glanced at the fallen Sihyun. He wondered what tricks Sihyun had performed in his soul state to have significantly reduced the health by himself. It was clear he had pushed himself to the limit.
There wouldn't be much of his soul form left.
Armus, who had guessed close to the truth, looked at the chains that bound Quintus’s body. It was impressive to have depleted so much health, and even more so to have left chains that prevented the rest from attacking. Had it not been for this foresight, the difficulty of the attack would have tripled.
It’s either foolishness or kindness, hard to tell.
Thanks to that, the attack was easier, but it wasn't a comfort earned for free, which bothered him. Muttering that it seemed closer to foolishness, Armus watched Quintus’s health bar steadily decline as he moved toward Sihyun. His work was nearly done. All that was left was to signal Russ for the final attack, and in the meantime, he could take care of Sihyun’s sprawled body.
Sihyun’s body on the cave floor was scratched up from the battle, with a vertically torn wound and a bruise on his cheek, perhaps from flying rocks. Armus wiped the blood from Sihyun’s face and picked him up.
17 percent.
Quintus's health had now dwindled to a mere handful. Although the pace was fast, it meant that the attackers had exhausted much energy. Initially, everyone had fought fiercely, but battling the flailing Quintus was no easy task.
Those who had used up their mana to the limit staggered around. Their brilliant swordplay flickered like a lightbulb running out of power.
16 percent.
Yet, Quintus's health steadily decreased.
It was thanks to the red-eyed boy who continued to attack relentlessly, even as everyone else took breaks or their strength waned. From the frontline, most brutally. He was surely an assassin by trade, but he fought like a berserker.
He seemed to embody the saying, "If there are no teeth, then chew with the gums," as he continued to fight fiercely, using bare hands covered in sword energy when his sword was knocked away. He didn’t care even when swept up by Quintus's thrashing; his eyes stayed locked on Quintus until he hit the wall.
Such a team of monsters.
Armus looked over the team Sihyun had put together and briefly assessed it.
This team was made up of monsters. A demi-god led them, followed by the descendant of the executioner and the brothers of Jihan, and the red-eyed boy continually set records. Armus, shaking his head that not one of them was ordinary, checked Quintus's health, which had dropped to 15.2 percent, and moved next to Russ.
"Get ready to retrieve your weapon and wait."
Though sudden, Russ did not question it. The man who had sent his weapon away regulated his breathing as he waited.
15.1 percent.
Any moment now.
Armus whispered softly by Russ's ear.
"Humilitas."
"Humilitas," Russ instinctively repeated Armus's words, and as if that were the correct answer, Humilitas emitted light that shone like a controller, wrapping around Quintus.
Crash!
Suddenly, Quintus’s body slammed into the ground as if switched off. That Humilitas had done this was evident to everyone. Armus grinned. The colossal Irregular watched as Quintus’s health fell below 15 percent and gripped Russ's shoulder tightly.
"Now."
At the signal, Russ inhaled sharply and threw a spear of light. He knew what to say next without Armus needing to tell him.
"Pierce!"
It was a scene Sihyun had enacted time and again.
Whosh!
Though the command was the same, the power unleashed with or without the seal was worlds apart. At Russ's command, Humilitas pulled in all the winds of the world with such force as it soared towards Quintus, wrapped in light.
Flash!
Lightning-like brilliance filled the cave.
Not once, but two, three times in succession.
Boom!
Thunder followed.
"Ugh...!"
Russ clutched at his chest and collapsed to the ground then.
"Mr. Russ!"
The others, who had not taken their eyes off Quintus, rushed over at the sight. Drip, drop. Sweat poured down like rain in an instant, wetting the floor. Russ unwittingly knelt down, supporting himself on the ground as he gasped for breath. Crouching down, Armus joined him.
"It's the backlash from an unauthorized person drawing on divine power. You're not quite finished, so the backlash is quite severe. But keep conscious. You need to secure the ownership of the power to make it truly yours."
While tilting his head to
make eye contact with the fallen Russ, Armus turned his head at a loud bang.
"It’s over."
The giant Irregular looked towards a corner of the cave and declared the end of the battle. Russ, straining, checked the condemned path.
Humilitas had pierced Quintus's heart and was embedded in the floor. Quintus lay crushed beneath the spear.
A gruesome end. This was the true power of the divine weapon.
The scene of slaughter silenced everyone. Then, the spear of light vibrated, humming as if to signal something.
Crackle.
The cave floor trembled. As Humilitas roared louder, the slight tremor turned into violent shaking, as if an earthquake had occurred. Suddenly, something burst forth from the ground.
A white staff, emitting the same light as Humilitas, rose from the ground and collided with it. The two divine weapons vibrated and then, uncommanded, merged into one, returning to the sealed form of a staff.
"Cough!"
Russ coughed up blood and fell forward. His expression looked much more serious than before, alarming his companions, although Armus remained calm.
"The demi-god must have used his power unconsciously. Don’t make a fuss, you unfinished thing. The seal is now set, and you can breathe a bit easier, can’t you?"
"Doesn’t he seem to be vomiting blood, though?"
"That’s just filth."
"…?"
Though one could argue that blood is indeed filthy, the remark seemed completely out of context, causing the companions to question it. Armus explained again.
"It means the pure divine power circulating through his body is expelling impurities, and that’s what caused the bloody cough. The pain now is more bearable than before, so endure it. You, help the unfinished one and follow."
"Where are we going?"
"Where do you think? With the master dead and the medium gone, the dungeon collapses. We need to get out before that happens."
"Oh…."
Realizing the situation belatedly, the companions hurriedly moved under Armus’s lead. Armus took care of Sihyun's body and the divine weapon, leading the group. His ability to evade, contrary to his combat skills, shone at such times.
Rumble.
"Oh no, the vibrations are starting. We need to run faster, or we'll all die!"
As the cave and the entire forest began to howl, Armus warned everyone. He was the quickest to exit the cave, and he also took care of Haewoon and Geonu as they ran.
Damn it. I'll claim my rewards once I'm awake.
Forced into carrying three boys he hadn't expected, Armus ground his teeth and sped on. Slowing down meant death for him too, so he had no choice but to run as fast as he could.
Behind the rushing Irregular, the rest of the group followed. Their legs were shaky from the exhaustion of the final battle, but their spirits were much lighter than when they had first entered the dungeon.
"This looks rather ridiculous for a victor's exit."
The situation seemed laughable as they fled, Hahyuk murmured. Seowoo agreed with him, and Haru and Hamin kept glancing at Sihyun, who was still in Armus's arms.
Rumble!
"Run faster!"
The shaking intensified. As the third tremor continued, the collapse would begin, Armus shouted, increasing his speed. With Quintus dead and his kin also met with death, the Irregular had nothing to fear and took the fastest path. He cleared a path with his giant hands and leapt over swamps. The others, not as tall as Pia, who had grown giant, rode on her back across the swamp.
After repeating this a couple of times, they finally saw the exit. Unlike when they entered, the exit now looked very narrow and seemed to flicker as if it would disappear at any moment.
"Damn dungeon!"
As the third tremor started and the collapse hit, everything began to fall apart from the direction of the cave. Armus bit down and threw himself towards the exit. The others did the same.
Everyone kicked off the ground and jumped into the shining passage. They rolled this way and that with their eyes tightly shut, but soon regained their senses and stood up to survey their surroundings.
Silence.
It was hard to believe they had just been in a collapsing dungeon, so quiet was everything now.
"Awakeners!"
People from the German Association ran towards them with shocked and elated expressions. The mix of astonishment and relief on their faces spoke volumes.
They had done it.
Without relying solely on Sihyun for the first time, they had all contributed to this achievement, prompting Hamin to shout.
"Yaaah! Did you see that, you brats!"
If Sihyun had been awake, he might have hidden his face in embarrassment at such a boisterous cry of victory.
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