"Has the order changed?"
The Irregular, having dusted himself off, tilted his head quizzically and muttered before stomping the ground.
"Now it's my turn to counterattack."
He produced an ominous, dark red sword energy as he advanced. Moving swiftly enough to leave an afterimage, he swung his sword. The remnants of his sword energy, left behind in the air he passed through, moved as thinly as threads tied to his sword, according to his will. The dark red lines grasped the necks of the party.
"Khack!"
"Kuk!"
"......!"
In an instant, two guild members from the IRS and Haeun were lifted into the air. The three struggled to free themselves from the constricting sword energy, frantically tearing at it. But no matter how thin, sword energy is still sword energy. Soon, their hands were bloodied.
"I'm going for support, so don't struggle and wait!"
Realizing that struggling only made the constricting force stronger, Seowoo shouted to them. Knowing his own power was weak, the boy cleverly twisted towards the support side, helping his party members. Meanwhile, Primus charged towards a spot where the main forces, the swordsmen, had gathered.
Kwaah!
His sword collided with those of Russ and Hahyuk. Though Taeju, Hamin, and Haru flanked him from behind and sides, the Irregular, sensing their presence, smirked and dismissed two people's worth of swords in one swift motion, spinning around.
Kwagagagaga!
The dark red sword energy surged from the ground, branching out fiercely in five directions. The five Awakened dodged him agilely, but the Irregular left no openings.
Primus wielded a sword of ominous light, drawing it through the air. For a moment, the space seemed to flash brightly as if the Red Sea parted. A blow powerful enough to split a dungeon in half, even the vibrations from his sword energy were menacing.
Whoosh!
An overwhelming sonic boom enveloped them, and the party members seemed to be sucked into the Irregular’s sword, getting thrown about helplessly.
"Crack!"
"Ugh!"
"Gurgle!"
Screams and groans erupted everywhere. There wasn't a single person who wasn't vomiting blood. Thud, thud, the Irregular walked towards Hamin, who lay closest to him. The villain, grasping the sword handle with both hands aimed downward, lifted his hand to strike at Hamin's heart.
Clang!
A massive shield split the space and blocked the Irregular’s blow.
"Get up!"
It was Baek Geonu.
He shouted to wake Hamin, and as the Irregular crumbled under the weight of the sword, its sharp tip stabbed into Baek Geonu’s thigh.
"......!"
The boy bit his lip, not even screaming, bearing the pain. The sword, having penetrated his thigh, was then swung at Baek Geonu's neck as he rolled back painfully. The Irregular’s sword swung through empty air. Haru, seizing the moment, kicked off the wall and flew towards him, his eyes flashing.
Whoosh! The red blade sliced across the Irregular’s neck. Though the cut was shallow, blood soaked and dripped down his neck.
"...Hmm."
The villain wiped the blood from his neck, letting out a grunt. Haru hid himself using stealth and charged at the moment the Irregular, exuding casual confidence, attacked again.
Thump!
Primus's hand grew twofold and entirely grasped Haru's face. The shocked boy's eyes widened as the Irregular squeezed fiercely, distorting his expression under the pressure.
"Ban Haru!"
Support arrived swiftly. Hamin was the first to rush over, drawing two swords in a cross to catch the Irregular's attention, while Hahyuk and Taeju approached from the opposite side. Russ targeted the hand gripping Haru and shouted.
"How long has it been?"
"It's been about 8 minutes."
"He's damn strong!"
Armus, trying to free his party members from the sword energy, shouted, and Russ bit his lip. The four swords simultaneously struck Primus as the Irregular clicked his tongue and threw Haru back, retreating.
"Push through!"
Time was running out.
They had to see the end, so Primus, seemingly amused, was about to kick off the ground when—
Crack.
A black thing from the floor grabbed Primus's foot. The villain grimaced, trying to shake it off, but it wasn't easy since it wasn't just one.
"Cough!"
Haeun, having cast a binding debuff by slamming his staff on the ground, murmured something, and then curses of bleeding and slow debuffs also descended on the villain. Lightning-like debuffs struck as the shadows that emerged from the ground continued to bind him. Though the time to restrain Primus was brief, it was sufficient.
"Kraaaak!"
A debuff struck his head from above. As he wiped the blood flowing from his lips and stood up, Down and Jihae mustered the last of their mana for a major combined attack. A massive flame rushed towards Primus, and Down detonated it. The explosion was immense, enough to engulf the space, but Gunwoo spread his shield wide to protect the party from the blast.
Purburburbang!
The explosion echoed continuously. Down and Jihae, who had been relentlessly using their abilities, vomited blood and staggered, finally collapsing as the blast subsided after about 30 seconds. In the dust cloud, a disheveled Primus faintly appeared. That was the moment.
"I'll try to strike the eyes. That's your chance."
The black-haired boy whispered to the swordsmen and darted out like lightning. He agilely moved, coughing up blood, and with fury in his eyes, he brought his dagger down on the Irregular’s eye.
"Shallow tricks!"
Primus, wiping his face, swung his sword. Haru’s lips curled up.
"Not falling for it twice."
Just before Primus's blade could reach Haru’s neck, the boy’s form vanished.
"What...!"
A flustered Primus frantically searched for Haru's presence. As he turned his head belatedly—
Thunk!
Haru’s dagger plunged into Primus’s eye.
"I've been waiting for this."
A quiet murmur echoed through the silence as the dagger embedded in the Irregular's eye prompted him to howl in pain.
"Now!"
Haru drove another dagger into Primus's neck, briefly halting his movements. As the blind and flailing Primus swung his sword, Haru threw himself towards Russ, shouting. Fizz! Russ's device emitted a bright light.
"Strike now!"
As previously planned, four men moved at once.
"Target the tendons."
Hamin, running beside Taeju, said. The man looked at him questioningly, and the boy charged toward the sword held by Primus.
Kwagagang!
The swords collided. The impact left the support team unable to control their bodies, tumbling to the ground.
Hamin coughed up blood as he received Primus's sword. The clash between the sword-mastered Irregular and the multitalented boy continued.
"10 minutes!"
Armus, having gathered the fallen comrades to one side, warned them.
"I'll block the sword; the other three focus on targeting the weakness!"
With Hamin's shout, the three tasked with striking at vulnerabilities cautiously eyed each other, then leaped forward.
"You dare!"
The Irregular recited a cliché as he swung his sword again, but Hamin's sword was not one but two. Anticipating the villain’s attack, the other sword in his opposite hand responded and struck down the Irregular's sword. The force of Hamin's blow clashed again with the Irregular's power. If it continued, Hamin would undoubtedly be overpowered, but the situation was unfavorable for Primus.
The young boy had created a small opening, and three adults precisely saw it.
"Now!"
At Russ's command, the three swung their swords. A divine power embedded in the Irregular's forehead. Hahyuk’s sword struck Primus’s jaw, and Taeju’s shadow-enshrouded sword energy slashed his tendons.
"Kraaaaak!"
A beast-like roar and scream erupted from Primus’s mouth.
"Now that’s more like an Irregular."
Russ murmured, holding the buzzing divine device. The pure divine power and executioner's strength mercilessly carved through the monster's insides. Sensing instinctively what he needed to do, Russ raised his mana while gripping the divine device.
Kwarrrrung!
The sky roared in the space created by the Irregular. Soon, Russ’s eyes turned completely golden, and the sky split open.
Fazzzzzzz.
From the split sky, a massive lightning bolt struck Primus.
Kwaaaang!
Once.
Kwaaaang!
Twice.
Kwaaaang!
Three times.
With each strike, the lightning became more violent, striking precisely three times atop Primus’s head. Covered in ashes, Primus eventually crumbled to the ground.
"......"
As if all sound had vanished from the world, silence ensued. Everyone held their breath and watched Primus, worrying that the Irregular might awaken again. After a while, Primus's body gradually turned to ashen dust and began to scatter.
"Ah..."
A sigh escaped someone’s lips.
"...We won."
Armus muttered incredulously.
No one died. At that, Kang Sihyun felt his heart race uncontrollably, blurring his vision.
He knew this sensation, struggling to capture more of his comrades' figures before finally giving up as his sight completely darkened.
He was waking from a dream.
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