Chapter 143: All-Out War (1)
[Ellis has activated Lv?? ‘Zone of Blood’!]
Crack!
Creak!
Red blood-formed spears twisted like pretzels.
It was clear she meant to maximize penetration by adding rotational force.
“It’s pointless even if a million insignificant creatures swarm me.”
Ellis lightly flicked her wrist.
At that moment…
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The spears flew all at once towards the ghastly creatures.
Countless streams of blood swept away everything in sight.
Pop, pop, pop, boom!
“Kieeek!”
“Keek!”
The follow-up was a mix of bones and flesh torn apart, mixed with screams filled with agony.
She made no exceptions.
That’s why a scene comparable to the depths of hell unfolded.
The red rain that seemed eternal finally ceased after a few minutes.
Naturally, not a single creature remained alive among the ghastly swarm.
With a single attack, all the creatures that came through the gate turned into mere pools of blood.
After a short while, other creatures would surely emerge from the gate, but at least for now, a gap had formed.
“Kuuk…”
“Damn it. What kind of brute force attack is this…”
Moans of frustration escaped from both Vertyon and Ophelia’s lips.
Even after deploying their strongest shields, they barely managed to keep their lives.
“…”
Out of them all, only Michael remained largely unscathed by that previous attack.
To withstand that—indeed, it makes sense that he would hold the title of the Black Wings.
The recent attack was comparable in power to Hetchling’s breath.
“Ellis.”
“What?”
“No, never mind. I’ll tell you later. After this fight is over.”
Jinhyuk was about to say something but then shook his head.
It’s all about leaving an impact with the unsaid words.
Desperately, yet leaving a lingering sentiment—that’s vital.
“How bland.”
Ellis turned her head without much thought.
Damn, she knew it was bland.
But it couldn’t be helped.
She still hadn’t cleared all the conditions for copying.
‘But with this, it’s the third time.’
The act of starting to say something and then stopping was always one of the universal triggers for death flags.
Confirming that presumption…
Ding!
A status window indicating the conditions had been met appeared.
[The third occurrence of ‘Death Flag Dialogue’ has been counted.]
[One of your unique abilities or skills will be randomly sealed.]
[Unique Ability ‘1-Second Invincibility’ has been sealed.]
Ah…
‘That’s a bit painful.’
Jinhyuk frowned slightly.
The 1-second invincibility was a reliable safety net, allowing him to make bold or risky moves.
Especially when facing a strong opponent, the skill shined even brighter.
And of all the possible abilities to be sealed…
‘I’m slightly regretful, but there’s nothing I can do about it.’
With sealing being random, complaining wouldn’t change anything.
What matters is how well one can utilize the remaining skills and abilities.
Moreover, he was only one step away from being able to copy the opponent’s skills.
If he could copy ‘that ability,’ he could surely turn the tides in his favor.
Jinhyuk spoke up.
“Michael is yours to handle. I’ll take care of the rest of the small fry and then join you.”
“What? Joining in? Are you implying that I can’t handle that guy on my own?”
At Jinhyuk’s words, a frown creased Ellis’s pale forehead.
It felt as if saying the wrong thing now would result in all the blood in her veins being drained out.
It’s clear why one shouldn’t provoke someone irritable.
It was like witnessing a hedgehog that had its worms snatched right before its eyes.
Jinhyuk hurriedly added,
“I’m not doubting your ability. I just don’t want you taking all the risk alone.”
“Me alone… not wanting to take all the risk?”
“Right. We’re comrades. We rely on each other in difficult times; we’re comrades who fight together.”
“Comrades…”
Ellis slowly pondered over the word.
Her eyes fluttered in contemplation.
It seemed like his persuasive sugar-coating was somewhat effective.
‘I was worried she would insist on handling everything herself.’
Even Ellis couldn’t handle a frontal confrontation with Michael using just a fraction of her power.
The mana available for support was limited. Above all, Ellis’s primary weapons were confiscated by other houses when she was ousted from the family head position.
Michael knew this, which is why the battle wasn’t given up yet.
In perfect condition, the fight wouldn’t have lasted a minute, but not now.
‘Besides, I can’t let her gobble up all those massive experience points.’
Right, that’s the most crucial reason.
She had been facing nutrition-less opponents lately, resulting in her level-up progress stalling.
If she let this juicy prey slip away, sleep would elude her tonight.
Of course,
“Thanks for saying that.”
Ellis completely misinterpreted his intent.
A contractor willingly participating in a revenge and reclaiming the family head position battle.
A partner who would always stick around, despite the potential mortal dangers.
She seems to expect something along those lines.
Hmm.
‘She seems to be deeply mistaken…’
He felt a twinge of conscience but decided it was better not to reveal the truth just now.
“After this is all over, let’s have your favorite chicken and beer. I’ll treat this time.”
“I like that.”
The conversation ended there.
With a light tap,
Swiftly,
they moved towards their respective targets.
＊＊＊
Ellis and Michael collided head-on.
Boom!
With a loud bang, red sparks scattered in every direction.
While these two monsters clashed and transformed the landscape, Jinhyuk faced off against the other two blood relatives.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment. The perfect time to make a hole in your neck!”
Vertyon burst out in ecstatic laughter.
“This time you won’t be able to run away. Not that you’ll be able to, even if you wanted to.”
Ophelia chimed in as well.
“That’s odd. As I recall, last time, it was you who tucked your tail and ran. Why the celebration?”
Not exactly rewriting memory.
It’s like the winner and loser are being openly switched around.
At this rate, I’d wonder if ‘Gluttonous Eyes’ missed a self-justification skill.
“You seem to be mistaken. We aren’t specialized in fighting solo.”
“Being a duo has its reasons. Last time, it was just Vertyon handling you to gauge your power.”
Hmm…
So basically,
“That means you can’t do it alone, so the two of you have to come at me together?”
Why bother with such an unnecessary, roundabout explanation?
Just admit it’s because you’re scared to go one-on-one.
No need for a detailed description—I wouldn’t ask for a fair fight anyway.
Whether you charge in alone or together, the outcome won’t change.
As Jinhyuk shrugged, a deep murderous intent flared up on the faces of the two blood relatives.
“This insolent human!”
“Good. Let’s see how long you can keep up that attitude. We’ll go all out now.”
Swoosh! Clang!
Both rapier swords were drawn at once.
‘Dark Thirst’ completely enshrouded the blades.
True to their word, they employed their full strength from the start, without any deceit or warm-up.
‘…Finally, this timing has come.’
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
The final flag for the copying condition.
It was now the time to speak the optimal line that fits this situation and conditions.
“From now on, I’ll stop playing around.”
Remember,
Embarrassment is only momentary,
and…
“This is…”
The copied skill lasts forever.
“Not 10%, not 50%, not 75% but 100% power.”
The ultimate death flag that sends countless villains to the afterlife now erupted from Jinhyuk’s mouth.
That moment.
[The fourth occurrence of ‘Death Flag Dialogue’ has been counted.]
[One of your unique abilities or skills will be randomly sealed.]
[Skill ‘Otherworldly Diner’ has been sealed.]
The status window listed everything.
Sealed was the ‘Otherworldly Diner.’
Not a combat skill, so it didn’t matter.
What’s important was what followed.
[The condition has been met.]
A golden status window alerting to a successful condition appeared.
Success!
Jinhyuk clenched his fist.
[Choose a skill to copy…]
No need to read further.
He knew which skill to copy from the start.
“I’ll copy ‘Mana Drain.’”
Without hesitation, Jinhyuk mentioned one skill.
[You have successfully copied the skill ‘Mana Drain (A)!’]
[Mana Drain]
Difficulty to Acquire: A
Effect: When landing a successful attack, you can absorb a portion of the opponent’s mana. (0.3 mana per hit / 1 mana per clean hit)
Mana Drain.
This was the skill he struggled so hard to obtain.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jinhyuk’s heart pounded with anticipation.
All the hardships felt like they were being washed away, like snow melting in the sun.
The excitement and fulfillment of acquiring a new skill were incomparable to anything else.
But remember,
‘It’s not over yet.’
Not just a mere copy, but fusing into an advanced version based on that skill.
A privilege only a seasoned player like him, unimaginable for other players, could possess.
“Combine ‘Mana Drain’ and ‘Star’s Blessing.’”
＊＊＊
“What… is that?”
Ophelia’s pupils shook violently.
She never imagined things would come to this when they decided to fight again.
It should have been different from last time.
She would partake in the fight as well.
Vertyon, with his strong pride, agreed, so they reasoned that any human, no matter how crafty, would be subdued with ease.
Yes.
It should have been without doubt.
But the moment she saw the light emanating from his dagger,
Ophelia felt all her known principles crumble to dust.
Mana Drain!
No, that energy wasn’t just any blood relatives’ Mana Drain.
While Mana Drain was a dark-type ability, this combined the vile energy of dark and holy attributes.
“You… what even are you? Are you even human? How can you…!”
Ophelia realized her voice was trembling uncontrollably.
“Don’t panic, Ophelia! It’s just one skill!”
Vertyon urgently shouted, trying to steady his companion’s nerve.
However,
“Well, you say that, but you seem quite shocked yourself, don’t you?”
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smirk.
Pretending composure—a false mask Vertyon wore that seemed about to be stripped at any moment.
It must be unsettling.
To witness their abilities morphed in such a way, something they had not heard of or seen before.
Especially since the fused skill’s foundational Mana Drain was superior to their own…
The sense of inferiority and emptiness felt by the two blood relatives was indescribable.
But what can they do?
Like when eating chicken, the legs and wings are mine, and the ribs and neck are yours.
It was all too obvious this would be the result.
“Sorry, but I need to end this quickly. See that Jinzo lady over there. Despite appearances, she’s still in a weakened state.”
So don’t feel wronged even if you die too quickly.
With this skill in hand, there’s no longer any reason to drag out the time.
[Lv1 ‘Soul Drain’ has been activated.]
A dagger surrounded by a faint green hue.
From its point.
Hiss…
The newly fused skill manifested.
