Following Kieran's deep bellow, the destructive presence that enveloped the area within a 25-meter radius suddenly vanished, rapidly condensing within the range of Crimson Ashrune, doubling as the medium of the skill.
As the skill name implied, it was a skill that required a blade to unleash, or at least a medium resembling a blade. However, achieving the latter required a level of mastery with the skill that Kieran had yet to reach.
Nevertheless, it wasn't something Kieran focused on at this moment. Simply unleashing the skill with zero issues was more than enough for Kieran.
As the presence quickly converged at his blade, Kieran raised Crimson Ashrune high overhead, pointing it up as if he wanted to puncture the sky.
With great fervor, the crimson aura grew dense and vibrant enough that the flicker of this energy resembled a volatile yet beautiful crimson flame of pure destruction.
However, that beauty wasn't captured for long because the might of the skill struggled to break free, swiftly spiraling out of Kieran's control, not that he wanted to.
As if sensing the apparent danger, Nemean swept his shield up from the ground and moved to the edge of the transmuted zone. He cowered behind his shield, using them as a means of protection, hoping that it was somehow enough.
Because of the incoming attack, Bundal no longer paid any heed to Nemean's presence, focusing all of his attention on canceling part of the transmutation. Part of this action stemmed from Bundal's pride as the masterpiece of his research was being challenged.
"I will die? How foolish can you be? This body of mine was obtained after decades of extracting superior traits from other creatures, molding them until they were suitable for my body to assimilate. I don't care what power you possess. It's far from enough to best me," Bundal spat.
With that, both of Bundal's arms returned to their natural state. Soon after, his fingers trembled and writhed as he summoned a double-layered transmutation circle. Within that circle, two large monuments began to rise from the ground.
After they completed their arrival, Kieran learned that these were not monuments at all, but two gigantic swords made of chiseled, hardened stone. These two creations were by far Bundal's best transmutation to date.
However, Kieran remained unperturbed.
"Destruction Cleave:..."
He was confident in what he read about this shocking skill. This skill was capable of damage that rivaled some of the Esoteric Skills Kieran witnessed in the past.
Though, the conditions of such damage were quite depraved, to say the least.
A few seconds later, despite several tens of meters separating him and Bundal, Kieran dropped his blade, causing a subtle backlash of wind once he suddenly pulled up, prohibiting the blade from smashing into the ground.
An eerie silence ensued for what felt like an unbearable eternity, only for it to be shattered as Bundal's pupils contracted, haphazardly launching the two stone swords in Kieran's direction.
Contrary to Bundal's expectations, something astonishing took place. The two stone swords were destroyed in an instant, failing to persist against the materialized form of Kieran's attack.
"W-what?!" Bundal guffawed, shaken by what was happening before his eyes.
The crimson Mana before him coalesced as a humongous yet somewhat opaque cleaver that slammed into the ground, creating several cracks in the floor that experienced an outbreak of numerous large blood spires.
"...Outbreak!"
Unable to bear the brunt of the initial part of the attack, Bundal was forced to the ground, where the outbreak of blood spires, half-liquid and half-solid, pierced his body endlessly.
Eventually, everyone was dismayed by the scene due to the skill having one final effect—an effect that applied to many of Kieran's skills—eruption.
Eventually, the leftover blood spires erupted, claiming all of Bundal's remaining Health.
Even a Dungeon Boss like him couldn't withstand the effects of a True Berserker's S Rank Skill obtained at Lv.50. It packed too much of a horrifying punch.
In the end, one message appeared in place of Bundal's Health bar.
-... «Execution»
〈System: You have gained 9,984,675 EXP.〉
〈System: Congratulations, you have defeated the Dungeon Boss «Bundal, Chimeric Abomination» of «Mad Alchemist's Hidden Laboratory»'s Hell Mode.〉
〈System: You are the first to complete the dungeon's Hell Mode and face the true boss, allowing you to obtain «First Clear» and «First Blood».〉
〈System: Thanks to the effects of «Momentous Pioneer», your rewards have been greatly increased.〉
〈System: As the holder of the «Momentous Pioneer» title, you may announce your feats when ready. [However, this decision must occur within the next hour.]〉
Everyone that suffered death throughout the run was instantly revived upon clearing the dungeon. Unfortunately, Nemean was among those people. Kieran's final attack was not something he could withstand.
Nevertheless, though they lost levels from dying because they were a part of the party, they were entitled to the EXP from the Dungeon Boss.
In Nemean's case, the EXP barely made up for the losses he suffered.
"That's a fucking bummer!" Nemean complained, kicking his foot. "However, I don't regret my decision. Going toe to toe with the boss genuinely opened my eyes to the need for movement when defending."
"Tuh! That's what Aatrox has been telling you all this time," Alice scoffed in response, shaking her head softly.
However, her hand was nestled between her cheeks as she sighed in relief. Soon after, she shifted her gaze to look at Kieran in the distance, who remained frozen in place, somewhat exhausted.
'This skill… the cooldown of it is truly well deserved. It's not something I can hope to unleash often. Not with my current abilities anyway,' Kieran thought. 'But one use against a Dungeon Boss has truly given me insight into its capabilities.'
「 Destruction Cleave: Outbreak (Lv.1)
Skill Rank: S
Skill Type: Active
Mastery (05.40%)
Description: By condensing the power of the Vampiric Blood Encrustation to an absurd degree, the user is able to create a temporary Manic Armament for one purpose—destruction. This power of the Manic Armament is not cemented and relies upon three factors: the user's Blood Mania mastery, STR, and finally, their Mana. Similarly, after executing its purpose, the weapon unleashes three forms of damage after the user channels its creation. If the outbreak is powerful enough or used on a weakened enemy, there's a chance the skill may trigger an «Execution».
Initial Cleave Attack Damage: 1,998 - 2,997% (of user's Phys. Atk)
Secondary Blood Piercings: 833 - 932 % (of user's Phys. Atk)
Final Blood Eruption: 2,831 - 3,330% (of user's Phys. Atk)
Channeling Duration: ~7 seconds
Minimum Consumption: 20% Health, 800 Mana
Prerequisites: «Vampiric Blood Encrustation»
Cooldown: 24 hours 」
This skill was undoubtedly Kieran's strongest skill to date.
Though, despite its incredible capacity to inflict monstrous amounts of damage, its cooldown was horrific! Unlike Dread Culling, it did not possess an ability that allowed its cooldown to be reset or reduced.
Nevertheless, what truly caught Kieran's eye was the mention of a Manic Armament. Though he was unfamiliar with the term, after studying the skill and analyzing what took place earlier, he understood the gist of it.
A Manic Armament was simply a weapon created through the power of Blood Mania. But unlike normal constructs, the Mana embedded in the attack was left in an active state to carry out the intent of the user.
However, as this was a temporary weapon created as a result of a skill, upon completion of its task, the Manic Armament would dissipate.
It went without saying that it was extremely unstable since it was created this way.
Nevertheless, Kieran couldn't help but question. 'Does this skill confirm that I can forge an actual weapon from my blood? If that's the case… could Agrianos' blade from before be forged from his? It was kind of a letdown that I couldn't glean any information on his weapon. It would have been an unmatched insight into my conceivable future.'
Amidst his deliberation, footsteps suddenly approached from Kieran's side, leading him to turn his head slightly. Not just Alice, even Bastion, who limped while Nemean held him, approached him.
"I finally understand why this is called Hell Mode. To think we'd end up in a state like this," Bastion joked, laughing through the pain radiating from every inch of his body.
"Yeah," Kieran said somewhat absentmindedly before recovering his wits. "To think that skill of yours would evolve like that. Sadly, it must possess a frightening cooldown time, right?"
Just as Bastion was about to confirm Kieran's suspicion, he raised his hand. "Not here. You can divulge the specifics later when we can ensure it takes place in the confidence of our teammates."
After speaking, Kieran glanced in Khaos' direction. "Nothing against you. It's simply how I operate."
"There's no offense taken," Khaos replied, maintaining an amicable smile. "I understand the need for privacy when it comes to sensitive information. But that's beside the point, Aatrox. We have another more crucial matter to tend to."
"That's right." Kieran agreed, gazing at the large swathe of devastated grounds. "We need to tackle the loot."
Thanks to Kieran's title, Bundal's death resulted in a truly phenomenal amount of loot. And within the pile, Kieran detected several items, some of which were likely to be Epic Items.
However, despite the presence of such items, Kieran's eyes were drawn to the others.
"As per our agreement, you're free to choose your items first. Without you and your teammates, this run wouldn't be possible. It's as you said. This turned out to be more than a joint effort," Khaos voiced, directing his members to take a step back.
Though he was given the first pick, Kieran didn't intend to take advantage of Khaos.
'I know I said I wouldn't get involved with Khaos' fate, but I must at least ensure that when the time comes, he'd at least be willing to change his outlook. It was the hopeful and passive attitude that precipitated the unabated demise of his guild,' Kieran thought.
Afterward, he picked out a few items, most of which would benefit his team members more than him. When it came to armor, nothing that dropped could tempt him to break the set effects of the Savage Beast Lord equipment.
