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The moment the executioner’s scythe was raised, the wolf’s eyes sank deeply. As the black fog swirled, the goat’s eyes shone as it slammed down the massive scythe. Even as it sliced through the air, the wolf remained still. Soon enough, a gigantic gray slash cleaved the wolf in two.

“…?”

—Such a thing didn’t happen. With a puzzled expression, the goat tilted its head and stared intently at its scythe. No matter how many times it swung, the decisive strike still wouldn’t happen. At some point, only the black fog danced around the scythe.

“——.”

A low moan. The goat tried to claw at the black fog, but grasping at something elusive only made it slip through its fingers. Even attempting to hold the fog with magic power changed nothing. Instead, the black fog devoured the magic—no surprise there. It was impossible for a creature with overwhelming magic power above 600 to pierce through the black fog. Black magic holds an absolute advantage over magic power. Even the Silent Mouth, a figure of immense magic power, failed to breach it.

However, it only applied to magic power. When the goat swung its scythe out of frustration, the pressure shook the fog, and in that interval, it swung its scythe.

The wolf easily dodged the unleashed gray slash. If they maintained distance and knew each other’s movements, there was no way it could be hit.

After two or three repetitions with the same results, the goat began to walk forward without changing its expression, and the air relaxed around it. The goat’s shadow flickered. It had already been gnawed at by the wolf’s dominion, but it didn’t penetrate deeply.

‘…This isn’t easy after all.’

No, this was a fight where it had to stare death in the face. The section boss of the worst dungeon, Neverland, wouldn’t back down easily. Gray magic began to seep slowly from it, but the black magic devoured it all up—naturally. If it couldn’t breach through the potent magic, then its situation was dire.

The wolf leaped, and the goat was puzzled. To the goat, the wolf’s speed seemed slow. That fact was something the wolf was painfully aware of.

‘I can’t win in a direct fight.’

Thus, the wolf crafted a foothold in midair. As thorny flames of transformation shot off at a suitable distance, the goat swung its scythe. The force over 600, amplified by magic power, created a terrifying gust. The returning thorns—before they could even reach, they were effortlessly erased by ‘invisible something.’ The goat tilted its head in confusion.

Meanwhile, the black fog burrowed into the wound inflicted by the shadows and began to gnaw away at the goat from the inside. Typically, magic power would repel something that had entered the body. It had previously sealed even Fairy’s teleportation, yet it was impossible to push back the fog. Black magic gnawed at the goat’s legs from within.

“―――!”

Despite the goat’s poker face, it distorted its expression and cried out. Soon, it raised the scythe and severed its own leg, causing warm blood to pool as it dropped from the freshly cut appendage.

From the severed leg, the black fog trickled out. As the fog surged to burrow back into the newly cut surface, the goat knelt down. Even on one leg, despite leaping, the goat expected to cover dozens of meters, but the wolf stood in its path. Swinging both hands, the scythe dodged downwards, and the goat stomped the ground to leap again.

‘If this is it.’

It’s hard to turn around in midair. No matter how much magic power you have, immediate learning of crafting footholds is impossible. The wolf, having gotten behind, sank its teeth into the back of the goat’s neck, and the goat let out a painful scream.

As it plummeted, the goat turned its head, and unsightly forms began to spill from its open jaw. Using a C-level skill, it unleashed a swarm of abominations. Though turning its body was challenging, it could still twist its neck. The goat grabbed the wolf’s front paw and wouldn’t let go. The unclean horde—countless snakes and insects shot towards the wolf.

[Weak Poison Resistance (E) Lv.1 has reached max proficiency. Weak Poison Resistance (E) Lv.1 → Weak Poison Resistance (E) Lv.2]

The poison penetrated, but mitigation and resistance prevented significant damage. The late-arriving transformation scorched the unclean horde to ashes, and the wolf, trapped in the goat’s insect-like grip, tried to sever the goat’s wrist with shadows. It was thought impossible, yet astonishingly, it cleanly cut off.

As the severed wrist fell, the goat snatched it mid-air, but the ground was too close to ignore. The wolf again sprung away using the goat as a foothold and landed lightly.

As they both touched the ground, unlike the wolf hiding within the shadow, the goat was swept away by overwhelming weight, flying dozens of meters.

“―――!”

The identity was a roaring lion. It had been hit by the wolf’s front paw. When the dust settled, the goat wiped the black blood from its mouth and reattached the severed wrist. The regeneration filled in the missing piece, but oddly, the recovery felt sluggish.

“…?”

With arms outstretched, the goat tilted its head. It seemed that the length of its arms was mismatched ‘as if it had been eaten.’ Eventually, while waiting for regeneration after tearing off its reattached wrist, the goat belatedly realized.

Meanwhile, the wolf was already gnawing on its scythe.

***

“……!”

The sudden appearance of the Baphomet, flying several meters, didn’t matter, but the sight of the wolf clenching the scythe increased the hunters’ tension. Meeting the wolf’s crimson eyes up close made their hearts race uncontrollably. The instinct of living beings. Feeling fear, the hunters aimed their spears and blades, but the wolf let out a short sigh.

As the spears approached, the wolf calmly observed, and then someone stepped in between, arms wide open.

“Euna. Are you crazy…!”

Before the hunter, glaring in anger, could finish, a spear gracefully whirled, deflecting all the aimed weapons.

“Seon-ja, right now…”

Before asking what she was doing, Euna criticized coldly.

“Do you understand the situation? An enemy’s enemy is a comrade. Do you want to face three section bosses?”

Even Alpha was turned coldly away with Euna’s words, and the hunters nodded after a brief pause. They were catching their breath. It was indeed as she said. It wasn’t that they hadn’t thought it through; they were just paralyzed by fear. The belatedly arriving Fairy roared in anger, swatting the hunters like flies, but they felt it merely as gentle pats.

“Kkyuwoo!”

The roar of the enraged dragon… sounding cutely broke the standoff. When Euna finally lowered her arms, laughter like a gentle breeze slipped out. As she tilted her head and turned around, only Alpha’s back remained visible. With a short sigh, Euna remarked.

“I may not have the right to say this as a member of another clan, but… you understand it was dangerous, right?”

Euna’s words elicited a nod from Euna. Just earlier, the hunter’s question had been correctly posed. It had been utterly insane behavior, after all. But Euna’s statement wasn’t finished yet.

“…You did well. But don’t do that again next time.”

With wide-open eyes, Euna stood dazed for a moment, then realizing her voice was too hoarse to express gratitude, simply lowered her head. As Euna turned her back, she cast a glance at her feet, where the flickering shadow was reclaiming its form.

—Due to Alpha’s nature, similarly to a crimson time, it wouldn’t kill, but the extent of the wolf’s mercy was uncertain. Objectively speaking, her protective action was not entirely wrong—even if it wasn’t normal. Without Alpha’s help now, if he had turned against them, it was certain they wouldn’t escape the dungeon, let alone survive. Finishing her contemplation, Euna gripped her spear and charged towards the White Lion. While the hunters and the White Lion grew weary, the mage endured dizziness and continued spell chanting.

“Everything is frozen and cold―”

Now in the fourth stanza. As the magic was about to be completed, something shot through the air and crashed into the ground.

***

“….”

In the distance, two swordsmen faced off. As Kang Hoon swung his sword, Kang Tae-jun frowned. The blazing spear flame and the dropped temperature—frostfire froze Kang Tae-jun’s sleeve, and as he pinched the cuff with his thumb and index finger, crushed ice scattered. While it wasn’t a decisive loss in the duel, the forever-burning frostfire was irritating.

“I suppose the closure isn’t far off.”

Speaking as if reflecting, Kang Hoon struck up a conversation. Yet, Kang Tae-jun remained silent, lifting his sword and aiming it at him.

‘—It must end quickly.’

Exhaling, Kang Tae-jun’s gaze sharpened. His eyes peering through to the other side saw dozens, hundreds of Kang Hoon’s next moves, and in that moment, Kang Hoon surged forward. However, that was the case for Kang Hoon as well. Though it looked like an exchange of blows on the surface, what their eyes focused on wasn’t the present but the future.

—The two swordsmen were thrusting their swords from the future, not the present. A piece set up like a predetermined play. In the battle of wits, the key was information about the opponent. Master and disciple. Furthermore, as blood relatives, the two knew each other plenty to be bored with.

But the last 15 years had been different. The outcome relied on that. How much had Kang Tae-jun caught up to Kang Hoon—whether the current swordsman had surpassed the previous one would determine the victory or defeat. Among countless silver trajectories, how many in this vast plaza could truly see them? Kang Tae-ho frowned.

“Tsk…”

In physical capability, he wasn’t lacking, but the distant sword’s path. In skill, he couldn’t keep up. He could keep up to a certain extent in the battles, but what the two were seeing was surely more than this. In a flash of light, as the frostfire burned up, Kang Tae-jun’s sword pierced the armor. Even when it pierced near the heart, no blood splattered.

‘Did they say he became a monster?’

It was indeed as the words said. As Kang Tae-jun felt the presence of the specters riding the sword, he unleashed the magic contained in it, and the specters exploded into light. Leaving the blade stuck, Kang Hoon gripped the sword’s hilt.

“….”

As the strong grip prevented the sword from being drawn, Kang Tae-jun frowned. As the frostfire spread from the armor, Kang Tae-jun kicked the armor away, yet Kang Hoon didn’t budge. Instead, the big sword he swung severed the sword lodged in the armor. With the broken sword, Kang Tae-jun rushed in without hesitation, and as the spear flame halted, exploiting the moment, Kang Hoon kicked him away. Kang Tae-jun, thrown back dozens of meters, crashed to the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth with his wrist where his sleeve had vanished, but Kang Hoon’s figure was already nowhere to be seen.

“……!”

The faintly burning blue flame had already passed by the White Lion. Facing the final flaring of light, Kang Tae-jun bit his burst lip and swept back his blood-stained hand.

“Dawn Road. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

At Baek Gun-tae’s question, Kang Tae-jun nodded and twisted the broken sword. As Kang Hoon said, there truly wasn’t any time to waste. They had to bring down the Snowell, who was blocking the entrance, and escape before the dungeon closed in its frenzy. While he contemplated this, Kang Tae-jun caught sight of two monsters out of the corner of his eye.

“―――!”

The goat and wolf, howling at each other. The executioner, revealed using Gangsiny, and Marang enshrouded in ominous fog—their battle was nearing its conclusion.

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