The Divine Twilight's Return

Chapter 158: Star, The Killer Overlord (3)

Chang-Sun naturally knew he shouldn’t reveal his plan, so he poised himself and tightly grabbed the [Yuchang Sword] and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. No matter how good his plan was, he first had to get rid of Kunegunda and save Mireille Aliano.

‘Besides, there’s definitely a reason why she’s trying to kill me as well instead of just kidnapping Mireille. I have to find out about it,’?Chang-Sun thought.?

There was only one Clan that served Xue Yong, and that was the Crna Ruka. The rulers of the criminal world never moved unless they had received a request, and considering they were now coming after him, someone likely commissioned his assassination.

“Cadmus,” Chang-Sun called.

Kiyoo?

Cadmus, who was inside Chang-Sun’s coat, stuck its head out.

.

“Cover me.” Chang-Sun requested.

Kiyooo!

Understanding what Chang-Sun meant, Cadmus smiled and quietly howled.

[The ‘Inauspicious Heart’ has been activated, partially sharing your manas.]

[Your Subordinate ‘Cadmus’ has activated the Skill ‘Blood Fog’!]

Pzzzzzz―!

A blood-red fog started to billow around Chang-Sun and Kunegunda, making the relaxed Kunegunda tense up. “…What?”

The fog that had surely been summoned by Chang-Sun’s baby Dragon looked so inauspicious and ominous that looking at it was enough to give people goosebumps. She momentarily thought the Dragon was going to spray poison, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘No way… A Mind Palace? No, no way. It can’t be.’?Kunegunda shook her head, trying not to believe the possibility that had popped into her head.

Mind Palaces were one of the most advanced magic spells that could materialize one’s imagination, but only rankers with superior knowledge of magic could do it. There was no way a mere baby Dragon could create it! Even if it could, her Clan would be at fault since they failed to properly analyze the target. However, Kunegunda’s jaw soon dropped.

[The Effect of the Skill ‘Blood Fog’ has forcefully deactivated the Skill ‘Concealment’!]

[The Player has been exposed.]

[The Effect of the Skill ‘Blood Fog’ has forcefully deactivated the Skill ‘Concealment’!]

[The Player has been exposed.]

[The Effect of the Skill ‘Blood Fog’ has forcefully deactivated the Skill ‘Concealment’!]

…

Using the Concealment Skill, the Little Finger assassins had hidden nearby and were waiting for Kunegunda’s orders, but they got exposed when the blood-red fog became more vivid.

“W-what’s going on…?”

“What…?!”

Realizing that their Concealment Skill had been deactivated against their will, the assassins tried to activate it again, but every time they did, it was canceled by force. At that moment, Kunegunda and the Little Finger assassins realized that this ominous fog was a trap made for them.

[Blood Fog]

A basic magic spell of the prideful ‘Baby Black Darkness Dragon.’ It creates a blood-like fog around the targeted area, isolating the area from the outside world. It then buffs allies and debuffs enemies within it.

? Skill level: 1

? Effect: Materialize Imagination. Block View. Isolate Foes from Friends.

Chang-Sun, who was in the middle of the [Blood Fog], commanded, “Howl and roar.”

Ooong, ooong―!

His two daggers were unsealed, spreading divine and demonic energies like a storm. Chang-Sun also activated his stigma, mixing <Darkness> into those energies.

Woosh!

Navy blue flames lit up in Chang-Sun’s eyes as several intense mana waves spread like ripples, making the ground tremble.

Rumble…!

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ puts on his glasses in an attempt to take a closer look at the new magic spell that your Dragon has cast.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ clicks his tongue, unable to comprehend how a baby Dragon can cast magic so precisely.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ grumbles as his head starts to ache because you and the incidents you’re involved in have so many suspicious aspects.]

…

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ furtively asks the Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ if the baby Dragon’s ability is that good.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’’ looks at her with contempt and shakes his head, saying the Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ cannot tell because she did not study enough.]

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ nods in agreement.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ jumps around in anger, saying she studied a lot.]

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ looks away.]

…

Paah―!

Chang-Sun sprang forward again. He was now incomparably faster than when he and Kunegunda first exchanged attacks, so Kunegunda couldn’t help but flinch as she lifted up her daggers.

Clang!

‘When did he…?’?Kunegunda wondered, feeling a shiver running down her spine.

Chang-Sun approached her so fast that even she couldn’t even feel it. If not for her skill [Supersense], which she had acquired by sparring with the Killer Overlord regularly, her head could have already been cut off since she couldn’t have blocked Chang-Sun’s attack. However, Chang-Sun’s attack pushing her back shocked her the most.

[The State ‘Cruel Tiger’ has been changed into the State ‘Jackal Tiger,’ activating the Additional Skill ‘Jackal Tiger Hacks’!]

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

After pushing her back, Chang-Sun spun and quickly swung [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth], which he was now holding in a reverse grip. Aiming for Kunegunda’s waist, [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] overwhelmed her with its storm-like gust of demonic energy. Kunegunda managed to quickly parry Chang-Sun’s attack with her daggers at the cost of having to take a few steps back, but as she did, Chang-Sun swung the [Yuchang Sword].

Clang, clang, clang!

Kunegunda could only deflect Chang-Sun’s offensive as she continued to lose ground. She specialized in hiding and tailing a target, and she was confident that she could chop off a high-ranker’s head if she used those specialties to the fullest. However, that also meant she was at a disadvantage in head-on single combat.

Paah!

Perhaps because of that, the [Yuchang Sword] successfully cut Kunegunda’s right shoulder with its sharp blade, tearing through her black clothes and causing her blood to splatter in the air.

Woosh!

The fire enveloping the sword grew and rose to the sky, instantly evaporating her blood as it left a severe burn on her.

‘Shit…!’ Kunegunda gritted her teeth.

She managed to put out the fire using the blessing that her Guardian had given her, but the toxin creeping inside her continued to slow her down.

[The <Darkness> has mixed with the Skill ‘Blood Toxin,’ amplifying the Skill’s power!]

…

[The toxin has paralyzed your target, incapacitating her movements and senses.]

[The toxin is preventing your target from using her mana properly.]

…

Kunegunda gave Chang-Sun a death glare with her bloodshot eyes. She no longer found him intriguing or worthy enough to become a part of her collections because the son of a bitch wounded her beautiful body. What made matters worse was that no matter how hard she tried to distance herself from Chang-Sun, he easily closed in on her and nullified her Concealment Skill whenever she attempted to activate it. On top of that, Chang-Sun’s toxin paralyzed and poisoned her, so she was now having more and more difficulty moving as she pleased.

‘I detoxified myself. I definitely did, so why am I not feeling better!’?Kunegunda shouted in her thoughts.

The ‘Big Sick Bug’ had given the Crna Ruka’s assassins, who made up the greatest portion of the Clan, the passive skill [Malignity Decomposition. It made them immune to any kind of toxins, so the assassins had been freely using all kinds of toxins—even those lethal enough to hurt them as they pulled it out to use it. After all, they could just detoxify all of it. However...

[Skill activation has been canceled!]

[Skill activation has been canceled!]

…

… Toxin mixed with divinity was truly scary. Mixed with <Darkness>, Chang-Sun’s [Blood Toxin] easily nullified even [Maglinity Decomposition]. However, what frightened Kunegunda the most was Chang-Sun’s eyes, which were shining in navy blue light. Every time she looked at them, her heart sank and pounded. They made her feel as if he could see through not only her thoughts but also her feelings.

Kunegunda bit her lower lip upon realizing that every living being with a soul would have the same reaction. ‘Who in the world is he?!’

She was an assassin. That practically made her the Grim Reaper, sending her targets to the other world. However, she got scared when she tried to assassinate Chang-Sun.

‘This is ridiculous!’

“What are you all doing?! Kill that bastard!” Kunegunda shrieked in a desperate attempt to escape the fear she was feeling right now. Just before she did, Chang-Sun cut right below her eyes. She could feel the [Blood Toxin] paralyzing her face now since she could no longer move one side of it. It was as if the blood-red fog that surrounded her was sucking all her blood.

Paah―!

Even though their Concealment Skill kept getting canceled whenever they tried to activate it, the Little Finger assassins followed Kunegunda’s order in an attempt to quickly achieve their goal of getting rid of Chang-Sun. Leaving multiple afterimages, they moved like rays of light as they flung themselves at Chang-Sun. The sight would’ve made others fear them.

Clanngg!

However, the rays of light were stopped halfway.

「Hey, hey! How dare you go after him when we’re right here?! I haven’t even gotten to slit his throat yet, so don’t cut in line!」

Just as those rays of light stopped, the nearby space slowly distorted. Jin Prezia, the Elfin Root, and other subordinates appeared, exuding thick ghost energy.

Pzzz―!

Albeit with difficulty, the assassins landed on the ground on their feet. However, their eyes lost focus as they stood up. “What is this…?”

The beings that appeared to protect Chang-Sun looked too surreal. Their gray ghost energy spread sideways like fog, revealing their sharp ghastly light. Before the assassins were twenty soldiers on Ghost Devil Horses, which were so pale they were like corpses that had died long ago. The soldiers were armed to the teeth, wearing ice-cold plate armor and helmets. They were so menacing and bone-chillingly ominous that the inauspicious [Blood Fog] mixed in with their ensemble really well.

The assassins unwittingly took several steps away from them. When Jin’s Ghost Devil Horse neighed roughly, the horse exhaled ghost energy, which then mixed with the fog and spread in every direction.

「Spare no one!」

Holding the [Frost King’s Greatsword] in one hand and reins in the other, Jin yelled and kicked the Ghost Devil Horse’s side with the heel of his foot. In response, the Ghost Devil Horse roughly neighed and charged forward. The loud clopping sounds instilled the fear of death into the assassins like a tsunami.

“R-retreat!” Slao, the Little Finger vice-leader, tried to flee, thinking the Little Finger assassins should never go up against the beings that showed up. Although Kunegunda had ordered them to fight, that didn’t matter now. They were called ‘Unification or Death,’ but that meant nothing in the presence of ‘real’ death. In that sense, they were like a candle before the sun.

However, the assassins soon realized that they were already inside an iron cage—the [Blood Fog]. Chang-Sun had revealed his secret weapons—Jin and his other subordinates—to silence them for good.

Neigh!

Smash, smash, smash―!

Slash, slash!

“Arggh!”

“Don’t kill—Urgh!”

“Ahhhh!”

A one-sided massacre unfolded. It could have been a little less of an annihilation if they pulled themselves together and got into formation to fight against the ghost army, but that was impossible with the assassins so dispirited.

Several assassins were simultaneously skewered to death every time the ghost army soldiers thrust their spears. Meanwhile, Jin’s ice storm swept away and killed nearly half of the assassins. Since they had been conquering the fifth floor of the Changgwi Cave part by part, they often battled with Gulgaks and had become much more skilled. Currently, they were incomparably better than most Players.

On top of that, the assassins were only as half as good as they normally were because they couldn’t use their Concealment Skill due to the [Blood Fog]. As a result, they became very easy prey for Jin and the other subordinates. The more of her men died, the more difficult it became for Kunegunda to hold back her fear.

‘Who… who did I pick a fight with?’ All Kunegunda could do was tremble since the toxin paralyzed her to the point where she couldn’t even step back anymore.

[The ‘Inferno Sights’ illuminate death!]

Soon, the only things Kunegunda could see were the navy blue fires in Chang-Sun’s eyes.

Smack!