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Chapter 222 (Part 1)
Chapter 222 (Part 1)
Chapter 222: VS Uriel (Part 1)
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Trees shattered, and an endless pit appeared.
A lightning-like flash instantly scorched the surroundings. However, not a single speck of ash touched Ryu Min’s clothes. The same was true for the mercenaries.
[“Ha! You’re really struggling to escape. Just like a rat!”]
Raguel’s frustration flared as he watched the black scythe rescue 30 mercenaries already.
‘This damn bug… how does he avoid every single attack?’
He had boasted about killing all the humans except for the one with the black scythe, but he hadn’t killed even one.
He tried using his skills and swung his sword personally, but each time, the black scythe rescued and protected the humans.
It was as if it could predict his attacks, always moving a step ahead.
‘I have to admit, the guy’s speed is something.’
This won’t work anymore. Letting him save more humans was a blow to Raguel’s pride.
‘I’ll just kill them all at once with a big move.’
Sure, the black scythe guy might die as well, but Raguel didn’t care. Though the goal was to capture him alive, that guy was meant to die anyway.
‘I’ll just say he was stronger than I thought, so I had no choice.’
‘It doesn’t matter whether he dies here or in heaven.’
Raguel spread his wings, gathering energy from all directions. At the same time, he crossed his swords and raised them toward the sky.
It was the preparation for a wide-scale use of his signature move, Heaven’s Judgment.
‘Let’s see if you can save all these people at once. Heh heh.’
But Raguel didn’t know.
At that moment, the Hero’s Rune Stack that Ryu Min had been accumulating was full.
There was no longer any need to keep saving the mercenaries.
[Hero’s Rune Stack: 100/100]
[All stats increased by 100 due to the Hero’s Rune effect.]
[You can use ‘Hero’s Protection’ by consuming 100 stacks.]
‘Perfect. I’ve gathered the stacks just like I wanted. There’s no need to stay on the defensive anymore.’
Ryu Min’s gaze shifted forward with a sly grin. Raguel was raising his arms and gathering energy.
‘To think he’s preparing such a big move while leaving himself so defenseless… it’s like he’s begging to be killed.’
It seemed like it was time to show this foolish angel the difference in their power.
Suppressing a laugh, Ryu Min shot forward in the blink of an eye.
[Aah.]
Just before completing his skill, Raguel froze, his face blank, as Ryu Min arrived right in front of him.
His expression screamed disbelief, as if he never expected to be attacked at that moment.
“Even though I’ve only been defending until now, isn’t this a bit too careless?”
[You…!]
Before Raguel could react, Ryu Min’s scythe sliced through his waist, cutting him clean in two.
That is, it would have if Uriel hadn’t intervened.
Flash!
In a blink of light, Ryu Min’s scythe cut through empty space. Raguel had been moved to Uriel’s side.
[U-Uriel!]
[Was my timing perfect?]
[Thank you. I was honestly terrified.]
Though his skill was interrupted, Raguel was relieved that his life had been saved.
“Tch.”
Ryu Min clicked his tongue, his expression one of disappointment. But inwardly, he was smiling.
‘Of course, I knew he’d save him.’
With the Rune of Foresight, Ryu Min had already predicted that Uriel would intervene if he attacked at that moment.
Yet, he had deliberately attacked Raguel anyway. And, to make it easier for Uriel to respond, he’d even slowed down his attack.
‘I wouldn’t have gotten any reward for killing him anyway.’
Though it might have looked like a killing blow, Ryu Min had no intention of actually killing Raguel.
The same went for Uriel.
After all, Ryu Min hadn’t yet applied the Blessing of Demons.
‘To gain rewards, I need to kill him after using the Blessing of Demons.’
But Ryu Min had only one stack of the Rune of Demons right now.
He needed to kill 99 angels before he could finally activate the Blessing.
This was why, despite being able to kill, he had only defended passively until now.
‘I can’t kill them if there’s no profit. I need to kill 99 angels, apply the blessing, and then kill them.’
If he killed the archangel now, he’d lose the chance to gain thousands of stat points. That was why Ryu Min had been fixated on the angels all along.
‘So, what should I do? Should I threaten them like I did with Remiel, forcing them to call reinforcements?’
Ryu Min shook his head.
If it were another angel, that might work, but a righteous zealot like Raguel wouldn’t bow to threats.
‘He’d probably choose death over negotiating with a criminal.’
Uriel, too, wasn’t likely to negotiate. He seemed crafty despite his appearance.
‘Even if I said I’d spare them if they called for backup, they wouldn’t believe me.’
So, threatening them was out of the question.
Then how could he make them call reinforcements?
‘Yeah, that could work.’
As Ryu Min thought up a strategy, he overheard the angels’ conversation.
[I’ll join the fight now. This is beyond your ability alone.]
[Haah, I was hoping not to rely on Uriel’s power, but I guess there’s no choice.]
The two angels turned their gazes toward Ryu Min.
They had no idea they were underestimating him.
Shing—
Uriel pulled out a small dagger from his cloak.
For a moment, Ryu Min thought he might be an assassin, but he quickly deduced the truth from Uriel’s thoughts.
‘He’s not an assassin. He’s a mage.’
The gemstone embedded in the dagger began to glow, swirling with strange symbols.
Ryu Min immediately understood the spell and sprang into action.
But before he could move, a golden scroll shot toward where he had just been standing.
Crash—!
The tree that was bound in his place was torn to shreds.
The scroll’s power wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
[I acknowledge your speed, but…]
Uriel began chanting another spell.
[You won’t be able to block this.]
The dagger glowed brightly and flew from his hand.
Swish—!
It whizzed past Ryu Min’s head, nearly taking it off, but it wasn’t over yet.
Like a homing missile, the dagger turned in midair and flew toward him again.
‘If I can’t avoid it, I’ll just have to block it.’
Ryu Min raised his scythe to deflect the dagger.
But as soon as the scythe made contact—
Boom!
The dagger exploded, sending Ryu Min flying into the distance.
“Ugh.”
For the first time since fighting the archangels, Ryu Min found himself rolling on the ground.
Uriel’s eyes widened in surprise as Ryu Min stood up, barely injured.
[He took a hit from the Explosive Dagger and barely has a scratch? What’s with this guy’s body?]
Uriel, unaware of the title that reduced damage from divine enemies by 80%, raised his hand again.
Flash!
The dagger, which Ryu Min thought had been destroyed, reappeared in Uriel’s hand as he chanted another spell.
“Tch, what a troublesome guy.”
Though Ryu Min hadn’t sustained much damage, Uriel was certainly more difficult to deal with than Raguel.
Deciding to take Uriel out first, Ryu Min charged at him while he was in the middle of his incantation.
Just as Uriel finished his spell, he slashed the air with his dagger.
[Your sins shall be cleansed through death.]
Sensing the danger, Ryu Min twisted his body at the last moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Barely dodging in time, the storm of light and fire swept through the forest.
[You dodged? Well, just as I expected.]
“What?”
Before Ryu Min could react, Uriel’s dagger gleamed again.
He was casting a second spell simultaneously.
Light shimmered from the dagger as a prison of light descended from the sky.
Thud!
Ryu Min, trapped inside the cage, was visibly shaken.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He swung his scythe at the bars, but they didn’t even scratch.
[It’s over.]
[Humans can never escape the Prison of Divine Punishment.]
Raguel and Uriel smiled victoriously, looking relieved to have finally caught the troublesome human.
[As expected, Uriel, you’re amazing. You managed to trap the human that even I struggled with so easily.]
[His movements were fast, but he was dumber than I thought. Or rather, just as dumb as expected? After all, human action is predictable.]
[Heh heh heh.]
The angels openly mocked Ryu Min, but their smugness didn’t last long.
“Death Transformation.”