Chapter 398: Just Short of Victory

“But is it really that easy......”

Sethis glanced down at the ground beneath his feet.

He could sense a colossal Magic Array whirring away, hidden deep underground.

At the very same moment.

In the heart of Bongisto.

Firuvin, seated at the center of the Magic Array, opened his eyes suddenly. His gaze seemed to pierce through the barriers of the Magic Array, reaching far beyond the city walls.

Feeling that rapidly swelling, terrifying aura, a look of deep concern crossed his face.

He lowered his head to stare at the Fate Cube spinning rapidly in his hand, sighing softly:

“I hope things won’t come to the worst......”

For that would mean the collapse of all labyrinths and the destruction of the surrounding kingdoms. The entire East would be reduced to a desolate hell.

On the southern battlefield.

The already dark night sky grew even more pitch-black and oppressive under Karimar’s aura, as if swallowing all light in the world.

“Hahaha...... Hahahahaha......”

His arrogant, triumphant laughter echoed across the entire battlefield—no, it seemed to reverberate throughout the world itself.

Whether on the battlefield outside the city, within the city walls, or in the underground shelters, everyone heard that laugh—the laugh that sounded like a death knell for them all, ringing loud and clear in every ear.

“Mommy, I’m scared.”

In an underground shelter, a young child clung tightly to his mother, his small face twisted with terror. The sound of that dreadful laugh had choked back his tears, leaving him trembling in silence.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Mommy’s here.”

The mother tried to soothe her child, but her own hands were shaking uncontrollably with fear, betraying her words.

The others around them were no different. Fear hung over the shelter like a suffocating blanket, weighing down on every heart.

“O gods, please protect us......”

“Divine ones, please drive that evil being away......”

“Gods......”

Powerless and desperate, the people huddled together in the shelter, praying over and over again for salvation to arrive.

But only those fighting on the front lines, those risking their lives to defend the world, knew the cruel truth: the gods would never descend to vanquish these evil beings.

“He’s... fully recovered his strength, hasn’t he......”

Monroe stared at the towering figure radiating an overwhelming aura, his voice heavy with dread.

“But how on earth did he manage to do that?”

No one else had an answer either.

And honestly, figuring out how he’d done it was the least of their worries. The far more pressing question was—how could they possibly defeat him now?

“Foolish, weak little adventurers.”

Karimar looked down at them with utter contempt, his tone dripping with arrogance.

“Your great Lord Karimar told you before—you are no match for me.”

Along with his strength, Karimar’s usual haughtiness and confidence had returned in full force.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Even being cornered and nearly killed by their joint assault earlier felt like a trivial footnote now. Of course, these insects who’d dared to offend a being as great as him would have to pay the ultimate price.

“What the hell are you blabbering about, you so-called ‘great’ piece of trash?!”

Liz spat out a curse, her voice ringing with fury.

“You’re just a slightly stronger Demon! So what? We’ll just fight you again——!”

With that, she leaped high into the air, gripping her battle axe with both hands, and swung it down with all her might toward Karimar.

“Mountain Splitter!”

The axe, imbued with the power to split mountains and crack the earth, hurtled toward Karimar with unstoppable momentum.

But Karimar stood completely still, not even bothering to dodge, as if the attack were nothing more than a gnat buzzing around him.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Two sharp whistles cut through the air simultaneously, coming from the left and right.

It was Hulim Heyerar and Monroe, launching a pincer attack from two directions. A razor-sharp sword aura and a surging torrent of light struck Karimar even faster than Liz’s axe.

And all around him, four more attacks—each powerful enough to rank as Fifth-Tier Spells—were closing in rapidly.

“Heh~.”

A cold sneer curled up the corner of Karimar’s lips.

In the blink of an eye, he moved with inhuman speed, swinging his fists toward the left and right.

BOOM! BOOM!

Monroe and Hulim were sent flying backward instantly, crashing into the ground hard.

Then, as if swatting away annoying mosquitoes, he waved a hand upward casually. Liz was sent soaring through the air as well.

“ROAR!”

He let out a low roar.

A black shockwave exploded outward from his body, rippling through the air with destructive force.

The remaining four attackers were all blasted away by the single strike, their bodies skidding across the battlefield.

THUD! THUD! THUD......

In less than two seconds, every single A-Rank powerhouse lay defeated on the ground.

The difference between their current state and the earlier battle was like a chasm—an insurmountable gap that crushed all hope.

“Dammit......”

Monroe propped himself up with his sword, struggling to stand, his body trembling with exhaustion.

“So this is the true power of an S-Rank. We really are no match for him...... But——”

“You’re still nowhere near as strong as my master!”

BOOM——!

Monroe turned into a streak of blinding light, his body wrapped in the roaring power of wind and thunder. In an instant, he closed the distance and charged straight at Karimar.

“Celestial Thunder Style—Final Breath!”

A sword strike like a bolt of divine lightning descended upon Karimar.

Karimar raised his right hand.

CLANG——!

Monroe’s sword slammed into Karimar’s palm, but instead of being knocked away, he braced himself, pouring every last ounce of strength into the blade.

“Oh~. So you humans do have some tricks up your sleeve, hiding your full power until now. But it’s pointless!”

Karimar sneered coldly.

“Let me show you the true gap between us——Black Death Flame Bullet!”

BOOM!

A pitch-black orb of flame condensed right in front of Monroe’s sword tip. An instinctive sense of death washed over Monroe, sending chills down every inch of his spine.

Just as Monroe was about to be incinerated by the terrifying attack——

“Heyerar Sword Style—Thunderbolt!”

CRACKLE!

A bolt of lightning descended from the sky without warning.

In truth, the early forms of the Heyerar Sword Style were far too weak to keep up with Hulim’s current strength, and she rarely used them anymore. But——

That didn’t mean they were completely useless.

The Thunderbolt technique allowed the user to transform into lightning itself. Beyond its raw power, it had another crucial effect: acceleration.

“Ninefold Magic Array—Ultra Acceleration!”

“Ninefold Magic Array—Ultra Lightness!”

“Ninefold Magic Array......”

The moment the lightning struck, every single buff spell—enhancing speed, boosting power, amplifying defenses—was unleashed at maximum intensity, wrapping around Hulim’s body in an instant.

At that moment, Hulim’s power truly crossed a threshold. Even if it was only for a split second, Karimar was caught off guard by the sudden surge of power—power that was finally on par with his own.

BOOM——!

The sword slash tore through the air, cutting a deep gash from Karimar’s head all the way down to his feet.

“AAAH——!!!”

It was the most agonizing scream Karimar had let out since breaking free from his seal, echoing across the battlefield.

THUD!

Monroe was sent flying by the impact, and the Black Death Flame Bullet in Karimar’s hand veered off course, hurtling toward the distant horizon and slamming into a mountain peak.

Then——

A brilliant flash of light erupted on the horizon, turning the night sky as bright as day for a moment.

When the light faded, the mountain peak had vanished without a trace. A massive, gaping hole now stood between the remaining peaks, a testament to the attack’s devastating power.

A few seconds later.

RUMBLE......

The ground finally shook beneath their feet, the shockwave from the explosion traveling across the land.

“Agh...... Agh......”

Karimar groaned in agony, the killing intent in his three eyes thick enough to cut.

“AAAH——!!!”

He let out a roar of unbridled rage, his voice shaking the heavens.

Ignoring his grievous wounds, he charged at Hulim at breakneck speed.

BOOM!

He shattered the sound barrier with his sheer velocity, leaving a sonic boom in his wake.

“DIE——!!!”

A fist wreathed in terrifying power descended upon Hulim like a meteor.

Hulim raised Helkem in front of her body, but she was already completely exhausted, having poured every last drop of mana into that single sword strike.

She felt no regret for what she’d done. Her only regret was that she’d been just a little bit too weak. If her overall strength had been even slightly greater, she might have been able to slice Karimar in half with that one strike.

But there were no ifs in this world.