Chapter 243

After lightly dodging Scarlet's skill-enhanced attack and retreating, Yuna maintained her expressionless face as usual.

But inside, Yuna thought while watching Scarlet charge at her again.

The chat was saying such things, but

Yuna had meant it sincerely.

The recent clash hadn't lasted very long,

But she should have been able to push at least one of them to near-retirement.

'This is troublesome.'

Scarlet, a knight-class profession.

Kang Hoon, a spearman who could fight at mid-range.

Mau, an archer with quick harassment and threatening attacks.

Finally, Noctis, a mage capable of various debuffs.

The combination of the four was better than expected,

So it would have been advantageous if she had taken out at least one during the initial ambush.

It was regrettable.

Though at least it was fortunate there was no healer?

They probably had contingencies,

But Yuna had some as well.

Yuna readjusted her sword grip while observing them with an expressionless face.

In contrast to the expressionless Yuna, the four single rankers' faces were thoroughly crumpled.

"......"

"......Hmm."

"......Haa."

"Tch."

Everyone realized from the recent clash.

In terms of control alone, it wouldn't be easy to beat Yuna.

If they had faced her one-on-one, would any of these four have been able to last long?

Despite being among those closest to the pinnacle,

Compared to Yuna rising from below, they were like fireflies before the sun.

They say there are many geniuses but only one summit.

Among those present, the one closest to that summit was none other than Yuna.

And everyone present could feel it.

It was something they had known before, but facing her directly made it even clearer.

A tense standoff filled with tension.

The viewers watching also sweated nervously and swallowed hard.

- But why are they fighting?

- They always seemed to dislike Yuna, but now they're ganging up on her.

- Didn't Yuna initiate it?

- No, no, if you look, they prepared first, even coordinating for a group attack lol.

- They prepared a coordinated attack from the start? That's cowardly...

- lol But even now, ganging up seems reasonable. Yuna is ridiculously strong.

When the taut string of tension was pulled to its breaking point, Yuna was the first to make a move.

The first to react to Yuna's low-sprinting approach was Mau, who had already nocked an arrow on his bowstring.

Mau's skill-enhanced arrow painted the air with a blue aura like capturing the azure sky as it shot down.

The speed and sharpness left no sound of cutting through the air.

Also, while flying Black Starly toward Yuna, the blue energy compressed once and shot backward, using that propulsion to accelerate further.

As the blue energy-wrapped arrowhead flew toward Yuna at increased speed,

Yuna's pupils locked precisely onto the arrowhead, gripping her sword and releasing energy.

The sword, wrapped in brilliant orange light, moved very slowly, but its trajectory remained clearly visible in the air as it was swung.

The slow-trajectory sword aimed at a point where the arrow had not yet arrived, and the arrow, which hadn't been there moments before, was drawn in as if magnetized to meet the sword.

Kwajiii——!!!

Pasasasasasa———!!!

Though the sword's speed seemed too slow to block the incredibly fast arrow,

The arrow that met the sword as if drawn to it stopped still in midair, and countless cracks appeared across its surface.

Simultaneously, the blue energy wrapping the arrow also shattered and fell apart.

The arrow eventually turned to powder against the seemingly slow sword strike, scattering in all directions and dispersing the blue energy into the air.

As it scattered like jewels through the air,

It resembled the Milky Way.

However, Mau, who had shot the arrow, bit his lip at this beautiful sight and nocked another arrow.

Taking advantage of the confusion,

Magic circles completed in front of the twin staves held by mage Noctis.

Kwaaaa——!

Kwajjjjjjjj——!!!

From one staff, vast magical power erupted like an energy blast, emitting flashes, while the other staff wrapped that flash with lightning.

A lightning-wrapped magic cannon.

Though its speed couldn't compare to Mau's arrow,

In terms of power alone, it far exceeded Mau's arrow.

Rather than a harassment attack, it was closer to a finishing move.

Noctis, having fired the two-combo skill, showed a confident smile.

He believed that even Yuna would have to take damage from this.

Yuna also looked at the energy blast with apparent difficulty,

But contrary to her inner thoughts, her feet moved faster and busier than anyone's.

Given the range, it was just barely possible to dodge.

However, Noctis's specialty was operation.

'If I dodge, he'll guide it toward me.'

It was most likely a homing projectile.

In that split second, Yuna made a decision closer to instinct than thought, her eyes flashing.

The means to counter that magic blast in this situation.

Yuna ignored inertia and stood firmly in place…

Wrapping her sword in orange sword energy, and unlike before, gripped her sword fiercely and twisted her waist, shoulders, and body to their limits.

The moment her eyes gleamed…

Before anyone could notice, Yuna's twisted body had unwound, and her sword had swung at an imperceptible moment.

Then, a huge orange sword energy blossomed.

The orange sword energy, appearing in the air, clung to the spot as if parasitic to space, and the magic blast arrived belatedly.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa---!!!

Seogeoeoeoeok---!!!

The magic blast that struck it split in two in front of Yuna and shot backward.

And between the two diverging blasts stood Yuna, aloof.

Astounded that Yuna’s breathing remained steady even after splitting such a massive magic blast, Kang Hoon stepped forward.

Though they were both Korean,

Yuna had always received more attention than him.

Kang Hoon's expression naturally soured as he looked at Yuna.

It was an inferiority complex.

He was not unaware of it, but…

He felt anxious as the gap between him and Yuna gradually narrowed, compelling him to join this situation.

He must become the best in Korea.

With that single-minded determination, Kang Hoon readjusted his grip on his spear, and the shape of a dragon manifested.

The fierce dragon's form became one with the spear, creating the appearance of a lunging dragon.

And through the gap, an arrow imbued with blue energy that crossed space joined in, rushing toward Yuna.

'She won't be able to dodge this.'

Kang Hoon thought as he charged forward in a pincer attack with Mau's arrow, the dragon's form opening its huge maw to swallow Yuna whole.

If she blocks, she won't be able to stop the incoming arrow.

If she dodges, the arrow will quickly follow.

In a situation of dilemma,

Though it should have been difficult, Yuna surveyed her surroundings with an emotionless expression.

'Hmm.'

Then, quickly recalling a means she could use in this situation, she swung her sword.

Yuna's swordsmanship, swinging the sword more fiercely and faster, looked slower than anything when it was fierce, and its form was not even easy to see when it was swift.

Orange sword energy, like an unruly storm, spread in all directions, and the dragon's maw that had opened to swallow Yuna whole was slashed to pieces.

The blue energy-wrapped arrow that followed also failed to endure and scattered.

Kang Hoon and Mau's eyes widened in surprise at the two attacks being repelled at once, and the storm soon subsided.

But in that brief gap, a knight charged into Yuna's body.

Scarlet, wrapped in crimson energy, rushed in.

And Yuna, watching Scarlet approach like a crimson meteor, raised her sword to defend.

It was that short gap where skills couldn't be used due to skill delay.

So Yuna had to take Scarlet's incoming skill head-on.

'...Tsk.'

A slight crack appeared in Yuna's previously expressionless face as she clicked her tongue.

Even for Yuna, it was a difficult situation, but..

Yuna did not give up and, with her eyes shining, she gripped the sword she had held in her right hand with both hands.

A sword gripped as if for kendo.

Scarlet's eyebrows twitched as she saw this.

There was no one here who did not know that Yuna had won the World Kendo Championships.

Therefore, Scarlet was quite bothered by that stance, but.

It didn't matter.

She had used a skill, and Yuna was currently unable to.

She didn't think she would win with this one blow.

But she believed without a doubt that she could make the situation even a little more advantageous, and Scarlet flew in.

And seeing Scarlet, Yuna was unconcerned.

Kuaaaaaa---!!!

As Scarlet, flying like a meteor, no, a shooting star with a long tail of crimson aura, swung her sword, a pressure was felt as if everything in the world was being crushed.

A world where gravity seemed to have multiplied several times.

In that world, Yuna strained her eyes and raised her concentration even further.

A situation where it was hard to even breathe, crushed by the pressure.

In that situation, Yuna unknowingly exhaled all her breath and raised her stats.

"Huuuu."

Forgetting even to breathe and pushing her concentration to the extreme, Yuna's eyes were showing her everything.

No, not just her eyes.

Every sensation on Yuna's skin, every sound in her ears, every scent that tickled her nose, everything pushed Yuna to her limits, and Yuna extended her sword toward the star-like Scarlet.

A sword strike that was neither fast nor slow.

It was completely different from Yuna's previous swordplay.

Unlike Yuna's sword, which had controlled its strength and weakness, sometimes moving slowly but powerfully, sometimes lightly but very quickly, the sword that moved as if its only purpose was to be swung, touched Scarlet, and a repulsive force was felt, the force of the sword being pushed back.

Scarlet's energy, with the momentum to repel and cut through everything.

But Yuna did not reject the repelling force, but rather accepted it.

At the same time, as if retrieving the repelling sword, she pulled it toward her body and, spinning her body as if rotating, she collided with Scarlet's onrushing energy again, and then slantedly deflected the repulsive force felt from that energy to add even more rotational force.

"...!!!"

Scarlet was deflected sideways.

No, to be precise, Yuna had precisely used Scarlet's power to flow past her, simultaneously gaining extreme rotational force.

In a world where time seemed to have stopped for a moment.

In this place where even the fast-moving Scarlet, who had flown in like a comet, seemed to have stopped, Scarlet could clearly feel it.

All her senses were sharp and clear.

Had her concentration ever been maintained like this before?

The moment that thought occurred, a sharp momentum was felt behind her in that clear sense.

And a sound was heard.

No, to be precise, no sound was heard.

Because it was something faster than sound.

But it was as if it could be clearly heard.

"Suuuup."

The fierce sound of an indrawn breath.

And.

Ppudeudeuk, ppudeuk.

Meeting oxygen, Yuna's muscles, which had swelled to their limit, twisted and moved. In the slowed world, Yuna's orange sword strike moved remarkably fast.

That brilliant strike, like the sun itself, rushed towards Scarlet.

And as she felt the sword energy explode behind her, Scarlet realized.

Kwaaaaaaaaaa---!!!

Kwang! Kwagang! Kwang! Kwang!

Slammed into the ground and skipping like a stone on water, carving a long furrow in the floor, Scarlet was finally slammed into a wall, feeling excruciating pain.

"Keol-keok."

The equipment on her back torn to shreds, blood gushing out, stood Scarlet. And Yuna, gripping her sword again, rushed towards her.

Seeing the other rankers trying to block her,

Scarlet realized.

'...I... I lost...'

The outcome seemed to have been decided by that one blow.

2.

Upon entering Apophis's Temple, you arrive at the waiting room.

It was a place where you waited in a pure white room until others arrived.

Naturally, for Seonghyun, who had entered much faster than the single rankers, it was a rather boring space.

Perhaps that's why,

Seonghyun, who usually didn't read the chat even when he was live, was communicating to some extent.

- Are you getting along well with your guild members?

Seeing that chat, Seonghyun thought for a moment.

"Uhm, I have some interaction with the guild master and a few others... I guess you could say we're getting along well."

He had never even been to the guild headquarters, so

He could only say that.

Then,

- Wow, crazy, Yuna-nim won.

- She actually won;;;;

- Demon King-nim!!! Yuna-nim won!!!

Seeing those chats, Seonghyun smiled with great interest.

So the single rankers had fought amongst themselves.

It seemed she had won in the end.

Should he say, "as expected"?

Hearing the news, Seonghyun nodded and said,

"It seems my sister won."

- Sister?

- ???? Sister?

- Ooh!? What's the relationship between the Demon King and Yuna? ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel(ꜰ)ire.net

- Calling her sister, they must be close?

- Isn't there something going on? lol.

- They're both skilled, and they're a handsome man and a beautiful woman!

- lolol Are they dating?

As everyone was chattering about such things,

Seonghyun frowned slightly at some of the chats, looking a little displeased.

How could they link him with his sister?

Was that why?

The usually calm and composed Seonghyun was gone.

He answered without realizing it.

"She's my biological sister."

- ???????

- ???????????

- Huh?

- Biological siblings??????

The chat window was flooded with question marks at the sudden statement.

And seeing that, Seonghyun muttered as if he had forgotten.

"Ah, was I not supposed to say that?"