Chapter 1295 |
The defensive power of the Annihilation’s Grasp was nothing short of overpowered.
Lee Geon’s attack just now carried destructive force on par with the Touch of Death, yet even that overwhelmingly powerful attack couldn’t get past the Annihilation’s Grasp.
In addition to blocking the damage, it also absorbed the impact and completely nullified the shockwave that would have otherwise dealt massive damage to Siegfried.
In the midst of this, the only visible damage it sustained was a barely visible scratch on its surface.
Of course, the Annihilation’s Grasp was just getting started.
The Universal-rated weapon was not a defensive weapon.
Click! Clack!
The Annihilation’s Grasp, currently in its umbrella form, shattered into tens of thousands of pieces. Each piece was a projectile that shot toward Lee Geon, intent on ripping him to shreds. It was another variant of Siegfried’s most powerful area of effect skill, Torrential Flower Rain: Sword Net.
“Aaaaack!” Lee Geon cried out in agony.
Unfortunately, it was futile.
The projectiles were forged from the horns of a Chromatic Dragon, so no matter how powerful the Devouring Grand Art was, it couldn’t absorb metal itself.
Siegfried had not imbued the projectiles with Primordial Force, which rendered them immune to being absorbed.
What was the Devouring Grand Art supposed to do when there was no energy to be absorbed in the first place?
Shwik! Shwik! Shwik!
The tens of thousands of projectiles rained down on Lee Geon, shredding him from head to toe.
In an instant, he was turned into a pincushion—no, more like a humanoid hedgehog.
“Aaaaack!”
His screams laced with agony and fury echoed throughout the entire stadium.
‘Time to end it.’
After blocking Lee Geon’s ultimate move and landing the perfect counterattack, Siegfried clenched the shaft of the Annihilation’s Grasp and prepared to deal the finishing blow.
Since the land had fragmented into countless projectiles, all that was left in Siegfried’s hands was the long shaft of it, which was the Rod of God.
However, that was enough…
Siegfried was a master of every weapon. His mastery level with each weapon was at MAX. In addition, the Invincible Spear Art could be used with swords, sabers, or even staffs.
‘I’m going to completely crush this bastard.’
Siegfried swung the Rod of God and began to mercilessly beat the humanoid hedgehog in the head.
“Ack! Aaargh! Ghaak!”
Lee Geon’s cries echoed with each swing of the Rod of God, but Siegfried remained unfazed.
Bam! Whack! Bam! Bam!
Bam! Crack! Whack!
He hammered Lee Geon’s skull over and over again.
— H-Han Tae-Sung is at it!
— Someone call the police! This is murder! Han Tae-Sung is intent on shattering Lee Geon’s skull!
— Ah! So this is what teaching someone a lesson looks like!
The excited shouts of the commentators echoed through the speakers, hyping up the crowd.
“Oooooh!”
“Yes! Harder!”
“Ah! This is so satisfying!”
The audience erupted into cheers and laughter, thoroughly enjoying the sight of Lee Geon being beaten to a pulp.
It was only natural, as Lee Geon was hated by many. While there was little to no room to question his gaming talents, his personality was that of an irredeemable, unrecyclable piece of trash. Even when people tried their best to defend him, pure trash was the kindest possible description they could come up with for him.
For the past ten years, he had made countless enemies. While it was normal for someone playing at the highest level to have enemies, Lee Geon purposely made enemies along the way.
He delighted in taunting those who lost against him and often dealt with them in the cruelest manner possible.
When Siegfried was beating him to a pulp on this grand stage, the entire gaming world rejoiced.
It was about time somebody put him in his place.
“Y-You…! Damn you…!” Lee Geon’s voice trembled with fury. He was bruised and bleeding all over. He was riddled with projectiles, and some of them were even driven deep into him by the beating.
“You son of a bitch! Damn you! Fuck you!” Lee Geon roared, his face twisting like an enraged beast.
Boooooom!
Even though he was badly wounded, he still managed to unleash a shockwave of energy that blasted away every single project lodged in him. Then, he lunged forward with reckless abandon, just like a rabid beast who had lost all reason.
‘Perfect.’ Siegfried smiled. He recalled the projectiles and swung the Rod of God at Lee Geon. While mid-swing, the projectiles returned to the shaft and formed the Annihilation’s Grasp just before it struck Lee Geon.
And that was the beginning of the end…
Lee Geon was blinded by fury while Siegfried remained calm and composed.
This was a battle where one fought with blinding rage while the other fought with cold precision, so the outcome was obvious.
Shwik! Shwik!
The Annihilation’s Grasp pierced Lee Geon’s torso twice in rapid succession.
“Ghaaaak!”
Lee Geon’s screams tore through the air, and his body was reduced to a barely recognizable mess.
Suddenly, Siegfried unequipped the Annihilation’s Grasp and grabbed Lee Geon from behind, his arms locked tightly around his waist.
Suplex!
Baaaam!
Siegfried unleashed the secret technique taught to him by King Leonid, Cyclone Slam, and drove Lee Geon headfirst straight into the ground.
No active skills? No problem!
Siegfried did not need them. He crushed Lee Geon with pure physical prowess and martial superiority.
Lee Geon’s ability, the Devouring Grand Art, was an extremely overpowered skill that absorbed all energy around him. Even the mightiest of warriors would be rendered helpless against him, as he would simply absorb their mana and nullify their skills.
However, the Devouring Grand Art had one weakness, and that was the fact that it was not effective when it came to purely physical combat. It couldn’t absorb punches, kicks, or any attacks without energy in them, which was its biggest flaw.
Up until now, Lee Geon reigned supreme thanks to his gifted reflexes, and his absurd physical prowess completely masked the Devouring Grand Art’s weakness.
But that was no longer the case…
The brutal training regime Siegfried received from Deus had caused him to evolve.
Moreover, he came prepared with better gear this time, too.
To sum it up, Siegfried could overpower Lee Geon even without relying on his skills.
“Gaaahk!”
Blood spurted out from Lee Geon’s mouth the moment his head was driven into the ground.
However, Siegfried did not stop there.
He grabbed Lee Geon by the hair and smashed his head against the jagged stone pillar five times in a row.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sharp edge of the pillar caused a grotesque open wound on Lee Geon’s face, and the repeated impact stunned him, incapacitating him.
‘Time to finish this.’
Siegfried lifted Lee Geon over his shoulder and leapt into the air.
Whoosh!
Then, he drove him straight down onto the razor-sharp end of the stone pillar below.
Puuuuuk!
The stone pillar pierced through Lee Geon’s back and jutted out of his abdomen.
He was impaled like a meat skewered on a spit.
“Cough… Cough…!” Lee Geon coughed up blood, unable to even muster a groan.
Siegfried stared coldly down at him and said, “Get lost.
Whoosh!
He swung the Annihilation’s Grasp sideways, severing the stone pillar impaling Lee Geon.
Shwooong…
Both the rock and Lee Geon plunged down into the molten lava below.
Splash!
With a splash, Lee Geon was instantly consumed by the lava.
Tssss…!
With that, the second match of the best out of five ended with another one-sided victory for Siegfried.
***
After the second match, Tae-Sung stopped by the waiting room to resupply with caffeine when he suddenly froze. “Eh?”
“Wh-What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?” he asked.
The reason he froze was the strange look his friends were giving him. None of them congratulated him for the victory; instead, they stared at him in sheer disbelief.
After the first match, everyone cheered and congratulated him. But this time, they were too shocked to even celebrate.
Han Tae-Sung was a nobody who had once been trampled by the Genesis Guild led by Chae Hyung-Seok. He was just another gamer playing BNW and nowhere near the ranking list.
Yet now, just after five years, that same person had risen to become one of the world’s top pro gamers.
As if that was not shocking enough, he had utterly demolished Lee Geon, the gifted gamer known for toying with even the best of pros.
Han Tae-Sung was not simply winning right now. He was literally writing himself a page in the history of gaming.
“Erm… A-Are you sure you’re human, hyung-nim?” Seung-Gu asked in a trembling voice.
Tae-Sung tilted his head and asked in response, “Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“How can someone grow this much in just a few years?”
“Eh?”
Seung-Gu actually had a point. Even the most talented gamers would plateau once they reached a certain level, and then they would slowly fade after going past their prime.
But Tae-Sung was different.
It was as if he had no limits and just kept getting stronger.
This was no longer just about his in-game stats.
BNW was an MMORPG, so it was possible to grow stronger by leveling up, enhancing gear, and learning new skills.
However, the reflexes, coordination, and battle sense that Tae-Sung showed in the match just now were nothing short of godly.
Considering that most pro gamers’ prime ended in their late teens to early twenties, the fact that Tae-Sung, who was now in his thirties, was showing world-class physical prowess was nothing short of an impossibility.
“I guess it just kind of happened? You know what they say, right? Practice makes perfect, and maybe there was a bit of luck too,” Tae-Sung replied with a shrug.
“...”
The entire room fell silent at his shameless response.
‘Practice makes perfect? That’s not something you can achieve by practicing!’
‘Is he even human? No, I think he’s an alien. Hmm… maybe NASA would buy him to conduct research if offered…’
‘No, he’s not human. He’s a monster.’
Meanwhile, Tae-Sung sat on the couch and relaxed.
He did not seem nervous or unnerved in the slightest.
Instead…
“Ah, I want to hurry up and finish this. I’m staring. Hey, do you guys wanna have beef for dinner?”
The only thing on his mind right now was enjoying some premium grilled beef.
***
Right before the start of the third match…
— Ah! Lee Geon is trembling!
— He’s shaking so much! He’s visibly terrified!
— Yes, it’s clear that he’s terrified of Han Tae-Sung! He’s standing at the edge right now. And if he loses this time, it’s all over.
— Remember folks, his pride and title as the most talented game of our era isn’t the only thing at stake here!
— That’s right. His BNW account is at stake here! He will have to delete his account if he loses!
Lee Geon was walking toward the VR capsule, but he looked completely different from his usual self.
His face was pale, his posture stiff as stone, his hands shook badly, and his eyes were trembling. His trademark confidence and arrogance were nowhere to be found. He couldn’t even properly open the VR capsule’s lid on his own.
Lee Geon was standing on the edge.
He had never been cornered this badly in his entire life, so it was only natural for him to be shaken to his core now that he was facing the brink of total ruin.
— I think we can already guess how this third match will end.
— Yes, he’s visibly lost. His spirit is completely broken.
— He has to steel his nerves and focus on the match to have any hopes of winning, but I think he’s in shambles.
The commentators quickly picked up on Lee Geon’s condition and called it out for what it was.
Booooo!
The deafening jeers from the crowd only added to the pressure.
Out of the one hundred thousand spectators in the stadium, less than five thousand were his fans.
In short, an overwhelming number of people hated his guts.
“Damn it…”
Grinding his teeth, Lee Geon shut the VR capsule lid.
There was no turning back now.
The only thing he could do was to pull himself together, somehow win this third match, and make a comeback.
***
While Siegfried and Lee Geon were locked in a fierce battle in the real world…
“G-Good heavens…”
Michael, who was currently in the Middle Realm, stared toward the distant eastern sky in shock.
A pillar of light, the sign of the Creator’s descent, had just shot up into the heavens.
But it was not the only one.
Another pillar of light quickly burst up right after the first one.
“What’s going on…?”
Michael could hardly believe what he was witnessing.
“The Executor of Destiny should be fighting Siegfried right now… So how is this possible?”
The pillars of light should not have appeared under normal circumstances, and yet, they had.
Even though the Executor of Destiny, Lee Geon, was fighting against Siegfried, two new pillars of light had emerged.
Now, there were a total of four pillars of light.
Once all six pillars appeared, the Creator would descend upon the world and bring about its destruction.
In other words, only two pillars remained before the apocalypse.
Michael hurried to find Michele.
“Lord Michele! Terrible news! Our Father’s descent is imminent!” he said with great urgency.
“Is this about the two new pillars of light?” Michele asked.
“Yes.”
“But His Imperial Majesty is currently absent…”
“Still, we must do something! We've got to take a look at it with the satellite at the very least!”
“Understood.”
Michele contacted the Guardians to operate the Eye of Behemoth and pinpointed the exact locations of the new pillars of light.
From the data gathered, they were able to predict where the remaining two would rise next.
The six pillars formed the vertices of a hexagram, a six-pointed star.
Since four had already emerged, determining the locations of the last two was not that difficult.
“Here and here. These are where the next pillars will appear,” Michele said, tapping two points on the map.
“Thank you. I’ll head here first and investigate,” Michael said with a bow.
“Then I will station our troops at the other site,” Michele replied.
With that, Michael and Michele each departed to examine the two predicted locations of the final pillars of light. Since Siegfried was absent, they had no choice but to take the initiative and act on their own.
Tokki's Thoughts
Tokki’s Thoughts:
There’s this thing in Korean gaming community called 캐삭빵 which basically means character-deletion-bet. There have been multiple instances of people (especially streamers) making bets with others and deleting their characters after losing.
Of course, most would go into hiding or not honor their promise.
So I was wondering, if BNW can help you earn billions and billions… Does it make sense to delete your character just because of some promise?
Do they have some ESCROW system where your account gets automatically deleted if you lose?