The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board-Chapter 420
Whir…
Clang—!
Meanwhile, Eorian, whom Seol was facing, grew stronger as time passed.
"UOO!"
CLANG—!
The axe that struck a stone wall returned to him without even a scratch.
Tap—!
[You used Black Flower.]
[Summon shadow hands that perform rapid strikes. Each attack deals damage equal to the amount of hands created. Each additional strike on the same target deals 20% increased damage.]
Papapaf—!
Eorian advanced slowly, not even bothering to block the incoming shadow hands.
Seol's objective was to stop Eorian.
No matter what was happening inside, he had to buy time by holding back the increasingly powerful Eorian.
BZZ…
A blue energy surged from Eorian's body.
[Calamity has reached a certain threshold.]
[Eorian has unlocked a new ability.]
[Eorian's physical capabilities have increased.]
"Hmm…"
Seol had no intention of wrestling with an opponent whose Constitution was nearly infinite.
But he had no choice. So, he thought that he might as well take the opportunity to test a few things.
[You used Night Haze.]
[You can control objects without a will through Darkness.]
Seol shot broken stone fragments at Eorian.
The fragments were so large that it seemed like even Eorian would get crushed instantly.
Crack—!
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But the moment they struck him, they exploded into a shower of smaller pieces.
Seol, who had anticipated this, looked at Eorian with gleaming eyes.
Squeeze—!
Seol clenched his fist.
[You used Sword's Song: Bond.]
[Blades can be summoned in mid-air for attack or defense.]
[These blades continuously consume their durability and deal 100% of the weapon's attack power.]
Only the sharpest fragments responded to Seol’s call.
It was the power he'd obtained from inheriting Yu Hwa's unfulfilled desire. He hadn't used it yet because, so far, no one had been strong enough to make him use it.
Papapaf—!
The fragments collided with Eorian's body and shattered into dust.
[Eorian used Cool Wind Whirlwind.]
[Spin with your weapon in your hand. Each rotation deals 60% of the weapon's damage in all directions.]
[All winds cause bleeding and shattering effects.]
BOOM—!
Eorian started to spin.
At first, it seemed like an ordinary ability, but as expected of a power that required Calamity to activate, it soon revealed its uniqueness.
Whir…
"What the…"
FWOOSH—!
The whirlwind’s range was staggering, reaching one end of the space to the other.
It was an omnidirectional attack.
If an ordinary Transferee had tried to deal with this attack, they would have had to wait for the spinning to stop before their shield's durability ran out.
It perfectly fit the description of a wide-area attack.
However, Seol had a reliable shield.
Tap—!
[You used Exceptional Skill: Darkness Dweller.]
[Summon a Darkness Dweller.]
Whir—!
The Darkness Dweller stood in front of Seol, crossing its forearms to block the whirlwind pouring out from Eorian.
Swoosh—!
Although chunks of the Darkness Dwellwer were torn away, it regenerated just as quickly.
Whir…
As Eorian's spinning finally stopped, the Darkness Dweller lunged forward, kicking Eorian with all its might.
BOOM—!
Eorian flew backward like a kite and crashed into the wall.
The Darkness Dweller alone had accomplished something that would have taken several Adventurers.
* * *
While Seol was busy holding Eorian back, the battle at the Throne of Ashes was in full swing.
Maradum had yet to find a way to finish them off, and the same went for Ur's group.
The only difference was that Mariju and Somi now looked quite out of place.
Mariju had become a wrinkled old woman, and Somi, who had become a child, was buried beneath her clothes.
Maradum had changed his strategy.
Since manipulating Ur was a last resort, he targeted his allies instead.
However, he'd overlooked that Ur's companions weren't that helpful in the battle to begin with.
Due to the overwhelming difference in strength, all they could do was serve as distractions. And even if they were knocked out of the fight, Ur wouldn't miss them much.
Paaf—!
Ur charged at Maradum.
Although his close-range combat skills weren't outstanding, such evaluations were always relative.
He was a peerless swordsman compared to Maradum.
The lack of close-combat skills was a long-standing issue for Magicians.
Moreover, Maradum, who had just awakened the power of time, struggled to deal with Ur's attacks.
Ziinng…
[Maradum used Time Deceleration.]
[All attacks directed at Maradum above a certain speed are slowed down.]
Ur moved in slow motion.
But even that was a struggle for Maradum.
CLANG—!
He hastily hid behind a stone to avoid Ur's scythe.
"It seems you can't improvise."
"Don't you dare speak so carelessly…!"
Ur's words had struck a nerve.
While using time magic, Maradum couldn't freely use other elemental magics.
It was a common issue that Magicians who hastily tried to wield multiple attributes faced.
Using multiple attributes at once was like drawing a square with your right hand while drawing a triangle with your left—it wasn't easy, and your mana flow could easily get tangled.
For Maradum, it was a frustrating situation.
If he carelessly used his time magic on Ur, it would mean instant death. He still couldn't mix other magic with his time magic, and relying solely on other magics against Ur was suicidal.
It was around this time that Maradum realized—he would never be able to kill Ur.
"It's always been like this with you people."
Ur extended his hand at a close range, and then light burst forth.
Whoosh—!
[Ur used Light.]
[A fierce light is emitted for a short time.]
[The emitted light can inflict Abnormal Status: Blindness. One can resist it by closing their eyes.]
"Ugh…"
Closing his eyes was the only way Maradum could evade Ur’s attack—but it was also the mistake that gave Ur the advantage.
From the moment he allowed Ur to get close, he was already playing in the palm of his hand.
Paaf—!
Ur's right hand grabbed Maradum's head.
[Ur used Low-temperature Burn.]
[Simultaneously inflict Abnormal Status: Frostbite and Abnormal Status: Scorch.]
Paaf—!
A cold flame enveloped Maradum's head.
"AGH!"
"You begged me for fire but never truly learned how to wield it."
Paaf—!
Ziinng…
[Maradum used Time Reversal.]
[A short period of time is reversed to restore Constitution.]
Whir…
Maradum escaped from Ur's grasp.
Ur sneered at him, "How unfortunate."
"You…"
Paaf—!
Two beams of light were simultaneously shot toward Mariju and Somi.
Paf—!
But as the light hit them, something unexpected happened.
Both Somi and Mariju returned to normal.
[Ur's snow camouflage has been dispelled.]
…
The reason became apparent as the blurry illusion faded.
Somi and Mariju's positions had been changed.
Earlier, when they were hit by the Stone of Time’s light, Ur had anticipated the next beam and overlaid an illusion.
His skill in integrating magic into combat was unparalleled.
But still, Maradum had one more card up his sleeve.
[Calamity has reached a certain threshold.]
[Maradum can now summon Time Variants.]
"Ugh… Let's see how your fancy magic deals with this."
Ziinng…
As the Stone of Time vibrated, numerous monsters made of blue light appeared.
"Wh-What are those?"
"Don't touch them… they're dangerous…"
"With magic…"
"Magic won't work. They're troublesome creatures."
One of the reasons Time Wizards were so feared was their ability to control Time Variants—monsters that propagated by laying eggs in a timeline.
They devoured mana, so using magic carelessly would only cause their numbers to explode.
It was something that worked because they lacked close-combat capabilities.
Boom—!
Boom—!
"What's that sound?"
Tap…
One of the Time Variants was suddenly sucked into the cliffside.
Everyone was bewildered by what happened.
Crack—!
A thick hand appeared at the edge of the battlefield.
A figure emerged, like a blazing incarnation.
"Ma… ra… dum…"
It was Sirion, the King of Ashes.
"How persistent…"
Paf—!
Sirion leaped forward and hurled the hammer in his hand at Maradum.
Swoosh—!
Crack…
Even as the light from the Stone of Time tried to deflect the hammer, it still hurtled relentlessly toward Maradum.
"Tsk…"
Maradum rolled on the ground to dodge the hammer.
BOOM—!
The hammer collided with something, creating an ear-shattering boom and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The hammer had destroyed the statue, blocking the entrance to the hall.
Soon, dwarves, both young and old, poured into the hall.
"Maradum is over there!"
"Kill him!"
"King Sirion is safe!"
"Warrior of Ashes! Defeat the Evil Magician!"
Ur smirked. "Hey, Magician. It seems things have gotten complicated for you."
"Tsk…"
While the Time Variants were buying time, the Warriors—whose strength had been absorbed—slowly began to recover. Meanwhile, Maradum started to gather his own power.
Sirion shouted at him, "Maradum! It's over! Your ambition ends here…"
"Ends…? Haha… Sirion, you fool. They aren't here to save you. They're graverobbers."
Maradum called Ur’s group graverobbers, those who desecrate and steal from graves.
"What…?"
"Your clan and the Throne of Ashes have already fallen. That's a fact. You've died in this place."
At those words, Sirion laughed so hard that his beard shook.
"That's a relief!"
"What…?"
"Since they have come, it seems something has gone wrong with your plan. Isn't that right?"
"You damn dwarf…"
"Hahaha! Everyone, did you hear that? We're already dead! So fight without fear!"
The Warriors fighting the Time Variants shouted in unison, "WOAAHH!"
Mariju muttered, "So the ancient dwarves were this fierce… No wonder the Throne of Ashes stood so strong…"
Maradum was cornered.
The time he had found by sending Eorian ahead had brought him close to death.
Moreover, with the already-dead dwarves regaining their vigor and running amok, the situation was only getting worse.
"How did things…"
Whir…
Then, the Stone of Time started vibrating again.
[Calamity has reached a certain threshold.]
[Enough Calamity has been gathered.]
[Eorian, the Forced Guardian, has grown stronger and receives Maradum's power.]
[Eorian, the Forced Guardian, immunity status has been removed.]
[Eorian, the Forced Guardian, invincibility has been removed.]
Maradum sneered at those gathered and raised the Stone of Time.
Since things had become like this, there was only one thing he could do—to summon Eorian and join forces with him to wipe out everyone there.
Whir…
[The Stone of Time opens the predetermined door.]
[Summoning Eorian.]
"Eorian! Come to me! Bring down the axe of wrath on those who defy me!"
Ziinng…
A gate opened from above.
BOOM—!
But contrary to Maradum's expectations, Eorian crumpled to the ground, his limbs splayed awkwardly.
"Eorian…?"
At that moment…
BOOM—!
A massive black pillar fell from the gate, crushing Eorian.
"Cough…"
Maradum was stunned.
"What…?"
Eorian's red eyes slowly lost their light.
