Chapter 80

Chapter 80

[Even if it means turning the world into an enemy (9)]

Zenko chuckled.

Hed taken the mana hed shot at him, and hed come back unscathed.

No more madness!

Insanity was one of Eunhas favorite techniques before his regression. It was perfect for dealing with hordes of scavengers.

It had worked just a little while ago.

So what.

There was no point in getting frustrated.

You just have to find a way to turn it around.

One-point breakthrough.

As soon as I landed, I clutched the mangoche with both hands. The mana gathered so fiercely that it became a gust of wind.

As he ran, it became a barrier of mana that surrounded him like the wind.

It was a giant spear in itself.

It perished as he charged in a straight line, unable to stop him.

Celestial. Vastness.

There was no time to catch his breath.

Zenko had slipped out into the lobby the moment his attack failed.

His legs tingled. Hed overdone it with the Tenpai.

Still, he pushed through the pain and kicked the floor, closing the distance between them to the shortest distance he could, and stabbed his mangoshu at Zenko.

He expected to dodge the first strike.

He braked with his back foot, spun, and swung his mangoshu.

This!

Zenko was no slouch either. He parried with his kukri, closing the distance and pointing his muzzle at Eunha.

Eunha did the same, closing the distance in the opposite direction and aiming for the Beretta 92SB.

They both pulled the trigger at the same time.

Ha!

A mana-filled bullet pierced his left shoulder. The barrier was no longer able to block Zenkos attack.

Zenko, on the other hand, casually deflected the bullet.

Alas, it looks like Im going to live.

Stepping out into the open, Zenko ruffled his hair.

It was already difficult to move his long body in such a small space.

From now on, it would be different.

As proof, Eunha wasnt even close.

Lets see if you can get any bigger. What, youre a wimp now?

Zenko chuckled.

He had noticed over the course of several battles that Eunha was avoiding ranged magic as much as possible.

He had less mana in his body.

Zenko, on the other hand, could use ranged magic.

He was a Ranger.

Sparare a caso.

The mana in the lobby pulsed.

Whereas the madness that Eunha had used was meant to keep hordes of monsters at bay, Zenkos magic was meant to hunt them down.

Until now, he hadnt been able to use it because of its narrow range.

I wonder if you can stop this!

The churning mana steadied the blade. The arrows drifted erratically through the air, but Zenko was aiming for Eunha.

Zenko waved his hand. In an instant, an unfathomable number of arrows moved in unison.

Vastness.

No barrier could offset it. With his buffs gone, Eunha didnt bother to block the arrows.

He didnt stay in one spot for a moment, frantically moving his body to dodge or parry the arrows.

Ack!

He didnt dodge all of them. He escaped death, but a few arrows lodged in his back.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain. Without breaking stride, I shifted my body to avoid further hits.

Finally, he was out of the storm.

So what!

Zenko could use more than just ranged magic.

He was a Tredici, recognized for his skills as a ranger. It was not a frontline position like a Hunter or a Dealer, but it had the advantage of being able to both block and attack from the middle of the field.

Zenko, who had gotten close enough, threw the potted plant in his hand.

Eunha reflexively struck it with his mangoshu.

The container shattered, the soil inside scattering. It blocked his view.

A gunshot followed.

Hastily brushing the dirt from his face, he swallowed hard when he saw the direction the muzzle was pointed.

Cowardly bastard.

Zenko had destroyed the device holding the chandelier in place.

He was about to use his Tenshi when he saw the chandelier begin to fall overhead.

Im all set to kill you.

From whence it came.

An iri lunged at him from behind, biting at his leg.

He hadnt noticed him approach until a moment ago, when Zenkos magic had left a thick layer of mana around him.

Iri didnt want to let go of his leg. It raised its claws, lifted its hips, and refused to budge.

All the while, the chandelier was falling.

A breakthrough.

There was only one way out. Instead of running away, he chose to break the chandelier.

He leaped into the air with it hanging from his legs.

Some damage was inevitable.

As he destroyed the center of the chandelier with his machete, shards of glass pierced his body.

He wasnt the only one to suffer.

Neither did Iri. The mana that made up his body was beginning to disperse.

Still, Iri would not let go of Eunha until the very end.

Get out.

Dropping to his back on the ground, he aimed for Iris forehead with the Beretta 92SB in his left hand.

A single blow was enough.

The falling Iri turned to mana and scattered.

Mana Crusher.

This is!

Eunha didnt stop at killing Iri.

In midair, he twisted his body as far as he could, channeling the green glowing mana into his mangoshu and slamming it down at Zenko.

Zenko caught the mana from the blade and recoiled.

It was annoying.

So fucking annoying.

He pulled two automatic pistols from his holster.

Come on.

Hunter Albert Valentine.

Bruno had never beaten him, until now.

Not even once.

What the hell, are you dead, this couldnt have killed you, right?

The chain blast was powerful.

But I didnt think it would kill him like this.

But lo and behold.

As the smoke slowly cleared, his silhouette became visible.

Clang!

I heard the sound of glass shattering.

Not one, but two.

I thought it was two, but it was three.

How much is he drinking?

He must have used up all his health and mana.

Drinking potions wasnt unreasonable.

It was just that the number of potions was out of the ordinary.

I should have used it earlier.

The smoke cleared.

Several bottles rolled around at his feet.

You, asshole. What the hell have you been drinking?

Zenko was horrified.

Not only had his health and mana been completely restored, but he was surrounded by buffs, just like when they first fought.

A set of fruit potions, why.

He said, pointing.

Potions could control buffs.

Zenko gulped. Potions that instantly restored health and mana were amazing, but he hadnt thought of potions that buffed without a cooldown.

Usually, potions took a while before the buffs appeared.

They werent even this effective.

Wait.

Zenkos eyes widened at the mana that surrounded him.

The mana pulsed wildly and dynamically, as if it were alive.

It wasnt just the potion, now.

Something had increased his power.

The only conclusion he could think of was.

Gift?

The mere manifestation of his gift was intimidating.

Zenko found herself stumbling backwards.

Did I?

His pride was hurt. Angry.

Its not just the gift.

On the other hand, he said with a tone that said he was unimpressed.

As if he hadnt been since the beginning.

He had no qualms about controlling his mana, which was now far more efficient.

I also have this.

What he pulled out of his clothes was a necklace.

A necklace?

No, it wasnt a necklace.

It was a ring hanging from a necklace.

No way.

Zenko realized the rings identity at once.

It wasnt a ring, it was an artifact.

And based on what had happened so far, it wasnt hard to imagine what that artifact might be.

<Amplification>

He chanted, activating the artifact.

The ring bathed his vision in a brilliant light.

By the time it faded, blue and golden mana enveloped his body.

No way.

He shouldnt have underestimated him.

He should have killed him when he had the chance.

Jenko regretted his decision once again.

Not only did he recover with potions,

Not only did he become stronger with gifts,

Now he was enhancing himself with an artifact.

It was immeasurable.

How much stronger had he become?

But there was still a chance.

He had to defeat him now!

The only weapon he had in his hand was his Beretta. Mangoshu was a good distance away.

Zenko was going to take advantage of that and surprise him.

He aimed his beretta with both hands, if only to keep Zenko at bay.

He was too quick to pull the trigger.

A mistake.

Zenko sneered inwardly and dodged the attack.

With this, I won.

Eh?

Asshole.

The moment the corners of his mouth turned up, I realized something was wrong.

No way, no way.

He turned his head to see Mangoshu flying at him from behind.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!

Mangoshu cut through the barrier like a sheet of paper and stabbed her left hand.

Zenko, forgetting that he had dropped his beret, grabbed his punctured hand and cried out.

What if this hurts, were just getting started.

He chuckled, and with a single flick of his chin, the mangoshu that had fallen to the floor rose into the air and landed in his hand.

A dog needs to be beaten to come to his senses.

But it turns out, it wasnt me, but you?