After the reunion, the first thing Hahyuk asked about was, of course, the whereabouts of Sihyun. Since one person was missing, it was only natural to delve into that point, and Ruth briefly summarized what Jonathan had explained. The expressions of the group darkened instantly. It went without saying that Daun was more fiercely agitated than Hamin.
Jihye calmed the woman down, and the three leaders—Ruth, Hahyuk, and Taeju—sighed heavily. Their gaze naturally turned to Arumus, the most learned among them.
“Is there no way to release the sealed divine power?”
To Taeju's question, Arumus ruffled his rough hair with his hand.
“I don't know. Chains that seal divine power... Primus that bastard has created another bizarre thing.”
The Irregular frowned as if it were a headache and walked towards Hamin, inquiring insistently about the chains—from their appearance to their durability, length, and whether they emitted any special energy. Hamin reluctantly answered, although looking somewhat dismayed. Each time he answered, the Irregular's eyebrows twitched upwards and he sighed.
“The heart is also bound, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Then it’s a soul anchor. We can’t undo it until we defeat Primus. It must be a spell using his soul as a medium.”
Indeed.
That was the correct guess I had roughly anticipated. Sihyun nodded calmly as he listened to Arumus, but the expressions of the group darkened even more.
“Then if we don’t kill Primus this time…”
Daun trailed off, seemingly having guessed something. Arumus, true to the nature of an Irregular, nodded affirmatively without considering people's emotions.
“Yes. The divine power of a demigod will be sealed forever. You’re all elite members after all. If you fail this time, success will forever be elusive.”
Only the elite members had been selected. If this assault failed, they would lose all of them, and among the remaining awakened, there would be few who could confront Primus. Even if they brought everyone they had, there would be no Awakened left to protect the people from the catastrophe-class Irregular. Even if a second assault team succeeded, by the time they emerged from the dungeon, the world would be devastated.
People gripped their weapons tightly, recognizing the severity of the situation. Arumus looked at them and added an explanation.
“Don’t worry too much, though. Even if a demigod is missing, we still have half of our strength left.”
“That means, with Mr. Sihyun absent, we’ve already lost half of our strength.”
“Well, that’s true. But still, there’s this.”
Arumus nodded towards an artifact that Hamin had brought, which belonged to Sihyun. Ruth, who didn’t want to do it twice, grumbled and then gripped Sihyun’s artifact.
Crack!
The artifact, sensing a change of owner, discharged a bolt of lightning and then quietly settled in Ruth’s grasp. Since it was not fully unlocked, the aftermath was less severe.
“Even if a demigod is missing, we must proceed as planned. His weaknesses are the same—forehead, jaw, and the area behind the knee. You, who are still unrefined, take the hardest part, the forehead.”
“How many times do I have to say it, Ruth?”
Ruth nodded reluctantly as the Irregular called him unrefined. Arumus turned his head towards Hahyuk.
“And you take the jaw, the second hardest part.”
“Not bad.”
“Lastly, the area behind the knee will be up to you and you.”
His sharp fingernail pointed at Taeju and Hamin. Arumus turned to the door and said.
“One of you strike when the opportunity arises. He becomes stronger the more he fights, learning the opponent’s skills and habits, so we need to end this quickly. Go in full force right away. I’ll support as much as I can.”
Oh.
That was unexpected. The cowardly and grumbling Arumus was going this far to help in battle. Sihyun looked at the Irregular again with a somewhat surprised expression as Arumus grumbled about what a precious body like his had to suffer because of that demigod. Sihyun then decided against looking at him again.
“Thinking of a ‘just in case’ is a luxury. There’s no use preparing for unexpected situations when we’re missing a demigod. Don’t hold back any divine power; pour it all into the attack. We’ll finish him within 10 minutes of entering.”
“10 minutes?”
“That’s impossible.”
“That’s too reckless…”
Ruth raised an eyebrow and asked, as his guild members expressed their anxiety. Arumus chuckled.
“And that 10 minutes is the limit. If it exceeds
10 minutes, Primus will become stronger. Then it’s certain defeat. We currently have only a 40% chance of winning, but it’ll be zero then.”
Zero.
The shocking figure from Arumus made everyone hold their breath. Although petty and cowardly, Arumus rarely lied, so his words now were likely sincere.
The horned Irregular glanced at the labyrinth dungeon where Sihyun was supposed to be and stepped onto the red carpet.
“If you fail, I die too, so let’s die together if we must.”
Aha.
Sihyun understood, hearing Arumus's added words, why the arrogant Irregular was helping so much. He wanted to live. Arumus’s dream was to live a long, thin life, cooped up in a library containing a hundred thousand volumes, indulging in knowledge.
As if resolved, the Irregular centered the group around him. Sihyun felt a little less tense than before, watching them. His anxious eyes regained a sense of stability and a sense of mission from Arumus's words. It seemed the statement that they were the only ones who could challenge Primus had resonated deeply with them.
Even if they died, the people who harbored the will to defeat Primus joined Arumus on the carpet.
As they approached the massive door, Sihyun felt his heart pounding rapidly. Thump, thump, thump. Even though it was clearly a dream, and even though he was asleep, his heart sounded too loud. Pia, startled, soothed Sihyun.
Creeeak.
Those who reached the door, led by Hahyuk, Taeju, and Ruth, opened the massive double doors. Once again, the space unfolded before them, revealing Primus sitting on a throne. Ruth, facing those ominous red eyes, gripped the artifact.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
As if he had been waiting, Primus opened his mouth when he saw the group hesitating just inside the door.
“Everyone, get ready.”
With an unwavering voice, Hahyuk commanded everyone to prepare for battle.
“10 minutes. It has to end within that.”
Arumus emphasized again, and Ruth stomped the ground. That was the signal.
Screech!
As Primus swung his arm, a sharp blade sliced through someone’s flesh, staining the blade with blood. It had been a while since the Irregular had smelled human blood, and his eyes blazed with madness and murderous intent as the blade, glowing with light, sliced through the air before him.
Clang!
The resonance of metal clashing made their ears ring. Ruth used the artifact to lift Primus’s blade as if to sweep it away, but the villain twisted his shoulder, changing the trajectory of the blade abruptly, striking Ruth’s diaphragm. Though the blade hit the flat side and spared him a fatal wound, Ruth spat blood and was flung far away.
Whoosh!
Seizing the moment as if he had been waiting for it, a strong flame wrapped around Primus like a snake. It looked like it was binding him, but the Irregular appeared nonchalant.
“Bring me something at least as hot as hellfire.”
Scrape!
With one strike, the flame split. The moment he turned towards Jihye,
“Jihye!”
Sensing danger, Daun grabbed Jihye by the collar and pulled her back.
Crash! Where the girl had been standing, the Irregular’s blade energy was embedded. Thanks to Daun, Jihye narrowly avoided the attack and fell over, frowning as she intensified the flames. Crackling, this was the first time Primus’s clothes began to burn, but that was all.
“I did tell you. If you want to burn me, bring something at least as hot as hellfire.”
With an attitude as if not even the flames of hell could tickle him, the Irregular swung his blade. Whaaam! Just a downward slash, but beneath the blade energy, the people were crushed, spitting blood as they blocked it with their weapons. They looked like people crushed by the weight of the world.
“Arrgh!”
Daun screamed, exerting his ability. Controlling the atmosphere, he distorted the air and caused an explosion, launching Primus upward.
“Now!”
The girl who created the opening screamed with veins bulging on her neck. Swordsmen empowered by Haeun’s buff flew at Primus, pouring attacks on him.
Crash!
Jihye joined in. The recovered Seowoo also rose and released a thin blade energy. Though seemingly feeble at a glance, Seowoo had refined his blade energy to be as thin and numerous as possible, making it stronger than most blade energies. He was adept at efficient use of his ability.
“Come down…”
Watching the battle from below, Taeju launched the wavering shadows from under his feet upward.
“Come on!”
Amidst the battle, the man who still managed to laugh sent shadows to grasp the Irregular's ankles, dragging him down to the ground. Crash! Primus was thrown to the floor. Despite his power, the impact of such bombardment and the fall was something he couldn't withstand. Everyone thought so, but in the next moment, amid the ashy clouds caused by the explosion, Primus reappeared.
Tap, tap.
Nonchalantly, he dusted off his clothes, his expression unbothered.
Everyone's efforts seemed to be in vain as Primus stood tall and unscathed. They had given their all in those moments, yet the overwhelming presence of their enemy loomed larger with every passing second, casting a shadow of despair.
As they braced themselves, ready to continue the fight, the atmosphere was charged with tension and the urgent need to defeat Primus within the time limit. Each member of the group was acutely aware of the stakes—they either succeeded together or faced their end in this shadowy battlefield.
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