Chapter 374. Inheritance War (4)

-Rumble!-

Hansoo looked at the castle-like structure that seemed to be made up of layers of machines and continued to run towards it.

The machine castle seemed to let out energy that was larger than that of the two energies bursting at the sides.

The machine castle, clearly belonging to Melchizedek, didn’t seem to be welcoming Hansoo.

‘It doesn’t look prepared for a guest.’

-Boom!-

Hansoo looked at the pillar of light that rose into the skies in the distance.

Then…

-Rumble-

… The spikes embedded around Hansoo’s now upgraded body started to suck out mana at a rapid pace.

-Kakakakak!-

Similar to how icicles form, the armor turned into a crystalline structure as it devoured more mana and quickly covered his body.

And Hansoo’s Demonic Dragon Reinforcement covered the blue armor with another layer of protection.

-Booooom!-

Artillery shells were being fired from a distance and started smashing at Hansoo’s body.

Bright blue strikes that smashed the ground all around them.

The force of the strikes was so intense that it even dug apart the Nelkipa skin, which had withstood the Photon Strikes.

It was a strength that was incomparable to anything before.

-Boom! Booom!-

His Demonic Dragon Reinforcement deflected the strikes away, but the attacks succeeded in stopping him from charging forward.

Hansoo frowned.

Even Melchizedek could not create this powerful of an attack with his technology.

And Hansoo soon realized the answer.

‘Crystal.’

-Boooom!-

The attacks were mixed with bright blue energy.

Hansoo sighed and tightly clenched his hammer. Melchizedek’s forces were using the energy from the crystal.

At this rate, it would be hard to advance even if his body could withstand it.

The ground beneath his feet was breaking apart just by defending against these attacks.

‘I’m not really into being whacked around.’

Withstanding firepower of this scale would cause his Pandemic Blade to lose a large amount of strength as well.

The thing he needed now was a single, powerful strike.

Then…

-Chichichichichik-

… Five dragons popped out from Hansoo’s heart.

Five dragons that were much thicker and deeper in color than in the past.

Each one was so overbearing that they seemed like they would soar into the skies at any moment.

The dragons were made from a 3-Star level of mana and power, and they quickly flew into the hammer, condensing into a single point.

Hansoo gathered this strength and slammed down onto the ground.

Then…

-Booooom!-

Like an Earth Dragon swimming through the ground… dozens of black lightning bolts flew through the ground in all directions, each bolt strengthened by Hansoo’s Nine Dragons Strike.

Each bolt of lightning flew through the Nelkipa’s skin like a dragon and soon smashed into the machine castle in the distance.

A bright blue shield powered by energy from the crystal started to defend the army, but it was only for a moment.

-Kaduk!-

The dozens of black lightning bolts smashed through the shield like a thin layer of ice and attacked the mechanical soldiers.

Then…

-Booooom!-

… A tremendous shockwave shook the area.

The mechanical soldiers who were directly hit by that strike melted down from the sheer amount of energy, like ice cream under a hot sun.

And it didn’t stop there.

-Rumble!-

The electromagnetic field created from the explosions started to spread through the area as well.

Of course, Melchizedek’s forces had some level of resistance towards it, but there was a limit.

-Chiiijijik-

The soldiers, whose circuits had all burned up by the electromagnetic storm, made strange noises and fell to the ground.

-Rumble-

With that one strike, the rain of attacks had diminished to a degree.

But Hansoo knew… that this wasn’t the end.

-Kigigigik-

-Kiririk-

Hansoo watched hundreds of soldiers rebuild their bodies, preparing to attack him again and continued to dash towards the castle again.

-Boom! Booom!-

The attacks still struck him, but at a much-diminished aura and strength.

-Whoooosh!-

Thanks to this, Hansoo had been able to move towards the castle at a much faster pace.

‘This isn’t really my style, but…’

-Boom! Boooom!-

Hansoo withstood the countless strikes like a tank and started thinking.

Although he liked single, powerful strikes, this really wasn’t his hobby.

He avoided battles as much as possible and focused on his objective.

He saved his strength and only focused on taking the neck of his objective.

Up until now, he’d fought in the frontlines because the situation had demanded it, but he personally preferred being an assassin over a warrior.

Even if it took a bit longer, it was a much more efficient and safe job.

But of course, the current situation didn’t allow it.

He had to deal with this as fast as possible.

It wasn’t just Melchizedek, either.

Even if he dealt with this place, but if they lost at the other two places, it was still a failure in the end.

He had to deal with this place as fast as possible and support the other two.

Of course, it would be even better if Kiriel and Enbi Arin could deal with their opponents and then came to help him.

But it didn’t seem like it would be that easy.

Their opponents really didn’t seem easy.

‘The Valentine siblings… I’ll leave it to you two, Kiriel and Enbi Arin.’

-Boom!-

Hansoo thought about these four names as he continued to charge through the attacks, the energy behind each strike causing his body temperature to steadily rise up.

***

-Rumble-

“Woah… He’s really something, isn’t he?”

Ares whistled as he felt the vibrations in the air and the shockwaves in the ground.

Even if he was far away, the shockwaves were something to behold.

Melchizedek’s personal castle that even they didn’t dare to enter.

Huge shockwaves and the sounds of loud explosions were continuously resonating from Melchizedek’s castle.

‘… So Kang Hansoo is the one that went there? He’s more stupid than I thought.’

Ares Valentine was really shocked as he suppressed the sweat rolling down from the side of his neck.

‘Need to keep calm.’

In reality, he was kind of glad.

Although he didn’t think he would lose, but if someone that stupid came to him then things would become very annoying.

People like that thought along the lines of ‘It’s all fine as long as I can smash apart my opponent’s body before mine gets smashed apart.’.

From the opponent’s point of view, it would be a battle without profit even if they won, and they were likely to receive a large amount of damage.

The most annoying kind of person to fight.

If he had come here, it would have truly been a dirty battle.

Ares Valentine thought that his luck was quite good.

‘A beauty has arrived instead.’

Ares Valentine chuckled as he looked at Enbi Arin, who stared at him with cold eyes.

“I’m really curious, but did you really come here to win?”

-Crackle-

Ares Valentine moved his hand and cracked it as he asked.

The armor she had on seemed to be quite useful.

Even more so if one took into the fact that it was hard to find armor that Transcendents could use.

But that was it.

He could estimate her level.

Enbi Arin was a tiny chick that had just risen to the 3-Star level.

It was unpleasant to call himself this, but he was an old man in terms of 3-Star Transcendents.

‘Not all 3-Stars are the same.’

He was excited.

Even though battles made him tense.

But there was nothing more fun than a battle where one knew they’d win.

Enbi Arin clenched her fists as she muttered,

“Of course I came to win, you damned bastard.”

“Hehe.”

Ares Valentine looked at Enbi Arin and thought she was sexy.

He really liked Enbi Arin.

A woman who was this strong.

As well as her sexy appearance and fit physique.

And her fiery temper.

His most ideal type.

It was why he’d tried so hard to invite Enbi Arin to their side.

Even while listening to the storm of curses from Elis.

He was a bit upset that Elis’s attitude towards him had grown colder, but he didn’t regret his decision.

If there was no longer any love in this damned world, then how tragic would that be?

‘If I had gone up to the 3-Star level first, then… I might’ve been able to have you.’

So he had tried so hard.

To become strong enough to suppress Enbi Arin.

If he surprised her with his power than she would have no choice but to join them first.

While keeping Enbi Arin as his goal, he had risen up to a 3-Star, and the first thing he’d done afterward was to seek her out.

But he had been a step too late. Melchizedek had taken her.

He had lamented this.

The Enbi Arin under Melchizedek’s control was not the Enbi Arin he liked.

So he had given up on her, but nobody would know of his feelings.

He had run so hard after one goal, but that goal had disappeared.

He’d experienced the sensation of having his heart ripped apart.

But that goal had appeared before him again.

And still with her own mind intact.

‘Today… Is really my lucky day.’

Ares Valentine’s heart started beating faster.

His goal had appeared again before he went up.

How great was this?

Although it wasn’t the best situation that she was now a 3-Star, but that didn’t matter.

Since he would win.

‘Enbi Arin. Let’s go together.’

Ares Valentine looked at Enbi Arin with a trembling heart.

***

‘… Ares Valentine. That crazy bastard. He’s not spouting some nonsense about his love and ignoring his duties, right?’

Elis Valentine, who had been dealing with Kiriel, thought of her younger brother and then frowned.

Hearing that her younger brother’s crush had gone to him kept on bugging her.

But Elis Valentine decided to ignore it.

‘I just need to deal with this quickly and go over.’

No matter how brash he was, he wouldn’t ignore her own words.

Elis decided to handle this quickly and smiled at Kiriel.

“I have something to do, so let’s finish this quickly.”

“Even if you didn’t say that… I was planning on doing the same thing.”

‘Damn. She’s quite good, though.’

-Spit-

The surroundings had long been destroyed by their confrontations.

And within a giant hole in the ground created from one of their collisions.

Kiriel spat out some blood as she touched the cheek that Elis had struck and frowned.

She was really strong.

‘I wonder if I can really stop her… Damn.’

Kiriel frowned as she looked at the raging crystal behind Elis.