CHAPTER 76: INTO THE 10TH FLOOR PART VI - NOEL’S SITUATION

Far from them, in another part of the world, Katherine and her team had stopped walking. The feed was still showing Astraia, panting, surrounded by golden ash.

"She used it," Katherine whispered.

One of her teammates blinked. "What? Used what?"

"...Her Divine Form. And it wasn’t even the boss yet."

Her healer’s senses could still feel the tension in Astraia’s body even through the screen.

"She’s trying to catch up to him," Katherine added. Then more softly, "...and she might not survive if she does."

-

Back in Davao, outside the high-rise where Astraia had been seen earlier, the media erupted again. Reporters held their mics to the cameras, practically shouting over one another.

"—The divine eruption just moments ago from Astraia’s battlefield has stunned analysts—"

"—Both Blank and Astraia are operating beyond the scope of anything the public has seen—"

"—Even veteran Guildmasters have gone silent. No one expected wave three to go this way."

-

And somewhere, quietly watching in a private viewing room atop a government bunker...

The PK King leaned back, his legs propped up on the desk, arms crossed.

His eyes never left the feed.

"Blank, Astraia... all these cute performances," he muttered.

Then he grinned.

"But let’s see how you handle the boss."

-

Inside his arena, Noel stood surrounded by the charred remains of the second wave—but his breathing was uneven, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The third wave had begun with no mercy, and this time, the Revenants weren’t just stronger—they were smarter.

They moved in calculated pairs, mimicking trained squads. Each step, each strike, was timed to corner him. And now, five remained—closing in, weapons drawn, bodies twitching with unnatural vitality.

Noel flipped his stance. His left fist sparked with white-blue electricity—crackling wildly, fed by his Astral Patron. His right hand clutched a sleek short sword, humming with the same charge.

"They’re pushing me harder than I expected..."

He ducked under a wide swing and retaliated with a lightning-infused uppercut, the force sending one Revenant reeling—but not falling. Another slashed toward his ribs—Noel twisted, barely avoiding the blade, and countered with his sword.

Steel met bone.

Sparks burst. The Revenant didn’t flinch.

"Even direct hits won’t put them down anymore?"

Three came at him from different angles. He surged mana into his feet and launched himself backward, skidding across the stone.

"Alright," he muttered, wiping blood from his lip. "You want serious?"

His Astral Crest pulsed.

Electric arcs danced around his limbs like tendrils of a storm given flesh.

[Skill Active – Storm Channeling]

He dashed forward like lightning—blinking between enemies, landing swift jabs and cuts in a dance of chaotic precision. His foot slammed down, discharging a blast of energy that threw two Revenants backward.

But even then, they got up. Twitching, damaged—but undeterred.

Noel grit his teeth. "You’re not even close to human..."

He flicked the sweat from his brow, then reversed his grip on the sword. One Revenant charged—Noel sidestepped, brought his elbow down into its shoulder, then stabbed clean through its spine.

[Enemy Neutralized – 3 Remaining]

Another lunged.

Noel kicked off the wall to intercept it mid-air and delivered a spinning strike with his electrified fist, lightning cracking across the Revenant’s skull.

"I can’t be the one who slows us down."

"I’m not Blank—but I’ve trained beside him long enough."

He tightened his stance.

Noel barely caught his breath—his feet settling into stance, stormlight crackling along his arms—when a flicker of movement surged past his peripheral.

Too fast.Too low.

"—Tch!"

One of the remaining Revenants, cloaked in shadow and moving on all fours like a predator, had circled behind him. In a blur of speed, it lunged, claws outstretched and glowing faintly with a cursed crimson.

Noel spun too late.

The blow landed—claws tearing deep across his right side, ripping through jacket, bracers, and flesh alike. The impact hurled him across the stone floor like a ragdoll, and he skidded into the wall with a sickening crack.

"Gah—!"

His breath hitched.

Blood soaked through his side. His right arm trembled, sword barely hanging in his grip.

-

[Warning – Critical Wound Sustained]

[Movement Speed Reduced by 30%]

[Mana Flow Disrupted – Skill Channeling Delay: +0.8 seconds]

-

Noel’s vision blurred, pain roaring up his spine like wildfire. The Revenant was already prowling forward again, jagged claws twitching with excitement, its movements even more deliberate now—as if it knew it had landed a critical strike.

"Shit. I got careless—"

"My whole body’s numb—no, it’s not just the injury. That bastard laced its claws with something—corruption?"

He forced himself upright, legs shaking beneath him. Lightning stuttered along his skin but failed to fully form.

The other two Revenants fanned out to flank him, their glowing eyes flickering like dying coals.

Noel laughed, breathless.

"Three against one... huh?"

He coughed blood onto the floor but didn’t step back.

"Blank would be disappointed if I folded here."

He shifted his sword into his left hand, drawing a second breath through grit teeth.

"If I die, I die punching—!"

And then—

The Revenants surged forward.

Noel roared—his left hand igniting with a volatile charge as he braced for the next clash.

—And just before impact, a faint hum flickered across the arena’s barrier walls.

Noel surged forward, lightning sputtering from his body like sparks from a frayed wire.

Every movement hurt. His ribs screamed with each breath, and his right side burned like molten steel had been jammed into his lungs—but his legs still worked. His will still held.

The Revenants met him with snarls and flashing blades.

He sidestepped the first strike, barely missing another slash to his side. The second Revenant lunged in a wide arc, aiming to cut off his retreat. Noel pivoted into it—pain be damned—and drove his elbow into its jaw.

CRACK.

The Revenant reeled, but didn’t fall. The third rushed, blades spinning like a butcher’s dance.

Noel ducked low, using the delay in his mana flow to physically roll past the spinning edge. He came up behind the creature and slammed his electrified palm against its back.

[Storm Channeling – Burst Node: Discharge]

A surge of electricity exploded from his hand, flinging the Revenant forward like a ragdoll.

[Enemy Damaged – Vital Systems Impaired]

[2 Remaining]