◈ Episode 288. Don’t mention that name.

What I need is an overwhelming victory.

The entire world will be watching my battle with the Great Evil, and as a stern warning, I must not falter, even if my opponent is the Great Evil.

‘This is something I have been prepared to do since I declared a holy war.’

Peace maintained by my presence.

I don’t know about Grandfell, but I don’t have the guts to be comfortable in such a position.

I also have a face.

I don’t care about flashy clothes in such an important situation.

How can I claim to be a perfect absolute being?

But I can still play the part.

‘I have to do it even if I don’t want to.’

This snout has been talking about so much.

So the difficulty of this battle is bound to rise once again.

Great evil.

Even though Akshan has recognized it as an archenemy.

I must not waver.

Reality and the Arcana Continent.

For the sake of peace in both worlds.

I desperately need to act shameless.

One might ask.

Is that possible when your life is at stake?

If so, I will ask you again.

“Why are you worrying now?” I’d ask.

Are you starting to worry again now?

I don’t deserve to be worried now.

‘It’s a little strange.’

Besides, it’s different from then.

I’m not alone.

Alkari sighs.

“Akshan, do you really mean they’re back……!”

As if our dependable seniors who never lost their pride in hell weren’t enough, there’s Tempest, Akshan’s guardian spirit, who has been waiting for them. Even the Shadow Mercenaries, who must have their own agenda.

A loud voice is heard

“……Damn it.”

“Uhahaha.”

“Are you laughing? You’re definitely insane.”

Henderson and Rockid.

Even the two men in the worst shape open their eyes and pull themselves to their feet. More surprised than anyone were the Shadow Mercenaries, who were well aware of their condition.

Alkari frowns, searching for something.

He picks up two clinking potion bottles.

” …… You didn’t even drink the elixir, how could you?”

How could you?

It must be the Dawn set effect.

But I stayed silent.

Rockid frowns.

“Well, my eyes are so dazzling that I have not to be able to quietly close them.”

……Wow, Dawn!

A person who was in a state of death.

All it takes is a glare to wake him up.

No wonder cameras around the world are looking for me.

Self-luminous, just like that.

I lock eyes with Rockid, who looks at me.

“I knew it was you.”

He blurts out, then shakes his head.

“No, I thought it was you. Damn it, I’ve never had a respectful word in my life……. I apologize. I’m a wounded warrior, so please be lenient.”

……Was the employment relationship effective?

Rockid, who has never bowed to an elf or Elsidor, answered obediently. Aren’t you just pretending? With Rockid personality, there is no way he cares about what others think.

Besides, the Dawn’s set effect only applies to those who consider me their commander. Before I can say anything, the guys start chattering.

“…… That looks like a bad head injury.”

“Leave it alone.”

“You could have said that, Mr. Rockid……!”

Was that noise embarrassing?

Rocky’s face contorted, but the timing was good.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Envy screamed.

“You have a lot of composure in front of this Great Evil!”

Senses sharpened by the [Natural Enemy] effect.

The five senses pick up the change.

This is an effect that gives me an advantage in all aspects when it comes to demons. This means that it gives me an advantage in identifying patterns that are essential for attacking boss monsters.

“Beware the dark, gentlemen.”

Hidden Piece, [Mouth of Envy].

After entering, the mountain landscape was covered in pitch black darkness.

Beware of the dark is a Granfell-style way of saying beware of all directions.

And now.

Twist!

Huge hands stretched out from the darkness.

Wolfe shouted.

“Dodge with all your might!”

The Shadow Mercenaries scattered hastily to avoid the attack.

Tempest, too, dodges Envy’s lunging grasp with a stormy move. Of course, I stood still, not moving a single step.

I just stare at Envy.

I might look like I’m dying to die.

But I told you.

An ordinary hunt is not enough.

What I need is an overwhelming victory.

One that doesn’t flinch in the face of a great evil.

‘See.’

In that case, I must thank Grandfell’s talents once again. The pattern of Envy, unleashing attack after attack, field by field, was in my head, the structure formalized.

So I opened my mouth.

“It’s not a bad idea to try to use a dimensional rift.”

Of course, in the midst of my ramblings.

Aaaah!

The grip of Envy, which has no place to go, is turning towards me.

But who is Grandfell?

A man of pride who refuses to let the demon get in his way.

The words I’m about to spit out come out the back of my throat.

“However, it was a mistake to not understand the subject.”

It couldn’t have been more effective.

For an opponent who hasn’t entered the realm of Anomaly.

I know better than anyone how much you can eat raw. I know how many times I’ve been cooked with anomaly, and I’ve learned from that experience.

I realized that you have to respond to anomaly with anomaly.

Envy, the Seven Deadly Sins.

No wonder he’s so strong.

His level is probably many times higher than mine, which is level 700. But I can assure you. In the realm of Anomaly, I’m ahead of him.

‘You didn’t make it to the real world on your own, did you?’

In his quest to take over Vangrit, Envy had an ally in Karimzeva.

Of course, Karimzeva couldn’t open a dimensional rift on his own.

They had to work together.

But the point is, it’s not a solo effort.

‘Even if it were said to have imitated the structure of the connector.’

That’s a credit to Grandfell’s brilliance.

He didn’t have help from anyone.

In short, you made a big mistake.

“It doesn’t really interfere with the dimension.”

Manifesting anomaly.

Don’t think you’re the only one who can interfere with dimensions.

Closing an open dimensional rift.

Imagine this.

“……!”

In the flesh.

Through a dimensional rift.

What happens to the Envy grip that stretches out across the field?

What happens.

It would be cut off.

Just like that right arm.

“Ugh, Uaghhhhhhh!”

I chanted nonchalantly over the Envy’s screams.

“I told you the right arm was only the beginning.”

Thud.

Tud.

Thud.

The forearms fell, severed.

I lock eyes with Akshan’s seniors.

Of course, there are no surprises for them.

Why, they say praise can make a whale dance, and I don’t recall hearing any from Akshan, even back when Arcana was just a game.

But.

‘I can’t help it, I’m a demon hunter, really.’

I’m getting used to Akshan’s way of communicating.

This means that you can communicate with just a dull look in your eyes.

Actions speak louder than words.

“!”

I snap.

The crossbow in one hand is drawn back for a moment.

Clang.

The demon hunters rushed forward, swords in hand. The melee had begun, and the tenacity of the seniors, unbreakable even in hell, was on full display.

“Don’t stick to me!”

Envy desperately try to shake them off, but it’s not enough.

I’ve felt this during our training quests together.

Their tenacity is no joke.

Ta-da-da-da-da!

You’re better than me.

Before the demon’s regenerative powers unleashed.

I unleash a barrage of swords on the wounded Envy.

Slash, slash, slash.

As you can see by looking at my simple skill window.

Demon hunters have no fancy skills.

But an overwhelming amount of stats derived from [Tenacity].

The destructive power that radiates from it.

It makes even the simplest of moves seem grandiose.

“Kuhaghhh!”

Of course it’s a hit.

‘This is not the time to be admiring.’

I don’t intend to stand back and let my seniors do the work forever.

If you just watch, what are you doing with the demon in front of you?

I never know when they’re going to turn their cold eyes on me.

Besides, what I need is victory.

Even if I gave it my all, I felt like I hadn’t done enough.

It was an overwhelming victory that left no room for error.

‘You have to push forward when you get the chance.’

I raised my eyebrows.

-Master, is he the one I should cut?

『Sword of Pride』 that can only be unleashed with Gwicheol.

It’s a bit of a waste to use such an ever-changing sword technique now.

From the looks of it, the current pattern won’t last long.

I answered Gwicheol.

“He’s not even worth it.”

Isn’t that arrogant?

Well, we’ll see if it’s arrogance or not.

I was confident.

At the same time, I believed in my struggle.

Even if you say you have skipped the intermediate process.

I never chose the easy path.

-If my master says so, I will follow.

The same goes for the use of Gwicheol.

The Duel in Space and Time with Sword Saint, Shegwin.

Through that experience, I learned that the way to maximize Gwicheol’s performance is to leave everything to Gwicheol. However, from that day on, I never entrusted my body to Gwicheol again.

Not only that.

Even in situations where you can eat it raw through Anomaly.

Through hand-to-hand combat, through pure magic, or through swordsmanship.

I’ve had a lot of experience.

Because of my efforts.

I can stand tall in front of the snout of Grandfell.

I can stand tall in the face of a great evil.

And I can still deliver a fatal blow.

Sparkle─

Hidden piece.

A space that transcends the physical laws of reality.

Like the Rift, what happens here has no effect on reality. This means you can rampage through the Zero Mountains without worrying about the damage being transmitted.

Ssssshhhh─

The light that was blinking in the sky gradually gets closer at a faster speed.

That pressure was constantly tearing apart Great Evil.

It was enough to make even Akshan seniors take a step back.

Grumbling―

Soon, the light blazes red, revealing its presence.

It’s one of Grandfell’s talents that once he sees something, he doesn’t forget it.

An exceptional magical talent.

Meteor Strike.

Yes, the magic of a rampaging Tower Master’s body.

For an overwhelming victory.

It requires overwhelming destructive power.

“……?”

Envy was helpless against the onslaught.

Envy barely raises his head.

He then says, startled by the intense light of Meteor.

“……Dawn?”

A meteor strike that strikes in the dark.

If I had to express it, you could think of it as dawn.

But don’t be mistaken, Great Evil.

“Unfortunately.”

“……Pity?”

“Dawn shall not shine upon you, inferior.”

The effects of the Dawn Set only work on allies.

“If you understand, hurry.”

“Hurry, this body, to what?”

“Do you think you can take it?”

“……?”

“God’s Judgment.”

“The judgment of God……?”

“Armageddon.”

……Why did I keep quiet!

The official name is Meteor Strike.

It’s called God’s judgment, Armageddon.

What is the reason for giving it a nickname with a meaningful meaning?!

Is this also part of the temple and given such a sacred name? Anyway…….

‘It’s a naming sense that I neither understand nor want to use.’

But I do know one thing.

Armageddon…….

No, the power of the Meteor Strike will not be taken lightly.

The combat power amplified by [Natural Enemy] also includes the effects of the Circle.

-Your current achievement: Circle (1,000% increase to all magic manifestations)

My manifestation power has increased

1,000 percent.

Because it would have increased dramatically again.

Enough to easily surpass my burning shame!

*

Unreasonable.

Envy couldn’t believe the situation.

He’d guessed that the Demon Hunter wasn’t normal.

But this went beyond what he’d expected.

A demon hunter, calling from the depths of hell.

It reawakens the Shadow Mercenaries from the shadows of death.

It was all a series of unreasonable circumstances.

So I began to doubt.

‘……It is not because of natural enemy.’

I am the Seven Deadly Sins.

I’m not like those demonic mongrels.

This means that things like natural enemy have been overcome in the first place.

He doesn’t just have Akshan’s shadow.

Envy concluded.

No, I couldn’t help but think so.

‘What on earth is this guy?’

I desperately searched for the reason.

A young Demon Hunter.

What could make him special.

And I came up with one possibility.

The shining clothes.

Then, in hindsight, I noticed something else.

The color of his hair.

“……silver hair.”

Immediately, the pupils of Envy fluttered violently.

Silver Hair, looking straight into Hoyel’s eyes, Envy said.

“You…….”

.

.

.

Meteor Strike explodes.

Indeed, the prediction was correct.

It means that the final blow of Phase 2 was definitely delivered.

‘Let’s see, the next pattern is…….’

Well, it looks like Hidden Piece is done with Phase 2.

Envy emerges from the shadows.

For some reason, he was staring right at me.

“……Silver hair.”

He continues.

“And you are……. Claudi.”

No, did you just realize that?

Better yet, don’t say it.

The whole world is watching.

Why are you saying that name over and over again?!

I replied in an emotionless voice.

“Don’t you dare utter that name.”

“……Not even!”

“If you spit it out, take responsibility for it.”

Ssssss—!

A surge of proper magic power.

Because the price for mentioning my dark history will be even harsher……!!!