Chapter 439: Intervening in an S-Rank Battlefield

“......”

Irus fell silent.

Just as Darius had said.

After he’d shattered one of her Holy Tree Staves, the remaining two were completely unable to form a perfect offense and defense system.

When rotating the three staves in a triangular formation, every flank was perfectly supported.

But with one missing, that system collapsed entirely. An offense-defense setup relying on just one support staff was far less effective—and it left fatal gaps.

“So what if it did......”

Irus said in a low, determined voice.

“Hm?”

Darius narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What do you think you’re going to do?”

“I’ll risk my life to take you down for good today!”

Irus shouted, her body transforming into a streak of light as she charged at Darius at blistering speed.

“Hmph!”

Darius watched the incoming Irus with icy eyes, the light radiating from his demon spear growing brighter and brighter.

Just as he was about to counterattack—

BOOM——!

A beam of white light suddenly shot up from the ground toward him.

Sensing the danger, Darius darted sideways in a hurry, narrowly dodging the attack.

But that split-second evasion cost him the chance to strike Irus.

BOOM!

A green meteor slammed into his body.

CRACK.

A gaping hole tore through his pitch-black demon armor, and blood splattered across the sky.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

BOOM——!

A terrifying shockwave erupted from Darius’s body in an instant.

Irus was sent flying backward by the blast—but she emerged unscathed.

“......”

After repelling Irus, Darius made no move to pursue her.

He touched his wound with his hand, then opened his palm to stare at the blood on his fingers.

It wasn’t a serious injury; his regenerative abilities would heal it in less than ten seconds.

But......

Being wounded was such a foreign concept to him.

“It’s been nearly three hundred years since I last drew blood.”

BAM!

He clenched his bloodstained fist tightly, the air around it crackling with pressure, before his gaze dropped to the ground below.

That attack just now......

It had actually made him feel threatened.

And that was why, caught off guard, he’d ended up injured by Irus.

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But how was that possible?

The gap between S-Rank and A-Rank was something you could only truly comprehend once you reached S-Rank. Even the strongest A-Rank warriors, who could easily overpower ordinary A-Ranks, could barely withstand a few blows against an S-Rank.

That was why he’d never taken the ants below seriously.

In his eyes, the only one who posed even a hint of a threat was Irus.

No matter how many A-Ranks gathered, they were nothing more than lambs rushing to the slaughter in front of him.

Yet the current situation was completely beyond his expectations.

Feeling threatened by a bunch of people he’d dismissed entirely?

“Ridiculous! No...... Could it be......”

Darius narrowed his eyes, carefully sensing the energy ripples emanating from the ground below.

Had one of the other S-Ranks snuck into the area?

No. That couldn’t be right.

If an S-Rank really had arrived, there was no reason for them to hide. The logical move would be to join forces with Irus and attack him head-on.

So just what was going on here?

Darius was left perplexed, and even as Irus charged at him again, reigniting their fierce battle, he kept one eye on the ground below, his guard raised.

That distraction took a great deal of pressure off Irus.

......

“So long-range attacks really won’t work, huh?”

Hulim stared up at the sky, murmuring to herself.

To hit Darius from this distance, he would have to be completely immobilized first.

If long-range attacks were useless,

there was only one option left.

“I’ll close in on him.”

She reached back and wrapped her hand around the hilt of the pitch-black demon sword strapped to her back.

“Helkem——”

HUM!

The pitch-black blade blazed with holy light.

“Let’s go.”

In the next instant, Hulim took to the sky, the sacred demon sword in her hand, streaking straight toward the battlefield raging above......

High in the sky,

the battle between Darius and Irus had reached its white-hot peak.

“Hm?”

Darius suddenly sensed a new presence intruding into the range of their battle, and his brow furrowed in annoyance.

An A-Rank?

Her aura was strange—powerful, but not quite at S-Rank level.

Did she have that much confidence in her own strength that she dared to meddle in an S-Rank battle?

“Suicidal fool.”

Darius raised his demon spear, preparing to seize the opportunity to deliver a killing blow to the intruder.

At the same time,

Irus also noticed the newcomer.

“Hulim?”

She froze in shock, then shouted urgently,

“Don’t come any closer——!”

But her warning came a split second too late.

“Die!”

BOOM——!

Darius’s attack was already hurtling toward Hulim.

The attack’s range was enormous—dodging was impossible.

But Hulim never even considered dodging.

The Seven Luminaries, glowing brightly, hovered behind her as layer upon layer of magic circles formed in rapid succession.

“Ninefold Magic Circle: Holy Light Barrier!”

HUM!

Wall after wall of light barriers formed in front of her, merging into a thick, impenetrable shield of holy light.

But that was not the end of it.

Hulim tightened her grip on the demon sword’s hilt with both hands, whispering softly,

“Helkem——”

“Split it apart.”

BOOM——!!!

Darius’s attack slammed into the Holy Light Barrier.

CRACK, CRACK......

Layer after layer of the barrier shattered into pieces.

By the time all the barriers had been destroyed, the attack still retained enough force to surge toward Hulim.

And then it collided with the sacred sword swinging toward it head-on.

Having been greatly weakened by the barriers, the attack was sliced clean in two by Helkem.

The remaining energy exploded outward in two separate waves, crashing down onto the ground below.

Moments later,

BOOM!

Two massive fireballs erupted from the earth.

Meanwhile, the sword slash Hulim had unleashed streaked toward Darius along the same path his attack had come.

BOOM!

Darius waved his demon spear casually, shattering the incoming slash into nothingness.

“That mana signature......”

He stared at Hulim intently, his eyes turning increasingly dangerous.

“So it was you all along.”

BOOM——!

As the words left his mouth, he raised his hand and launched another attack at Hulim.

CLANG!

Irus darted forward in a flash, positioning herself in front of Hulim to shield her from harm.

She blocked Darius’s attack dead-on.

“What in the world are you thinking?!”

Irus shouted, her voice filled with panic,

“Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?!”

“You’ll die if you stay here! Leave at once!”

But Hulim remained completely unmoved.

“No. I refuse.”

She said flatly, her expression giving away nothing.

“What?”

Irus, who’d just blocked another of Darius’s attacks, turned to glare at Hulim, her face a mix of anger and exasperation at her stubbornness.

“Are you insane?! Stop being reckless and listen to me—get out of here right now!”

“The insane one is you, Irus.”

“Hah——?!”

“I’ve known from the start that getting involved in a battle of this caliber would probably cost me my life. But does that mean I should just run away?”

“If I back down here, I might live a little longer. But if he succeeds because of that, everyone else will die anyway.”

“So, Irus——”

Hulim tightened her grip on Helkem, then stepped forward, moving out from behind Irus’s protective stance.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do what you ask.”

“You......”

Irus was left speechless.

Gradually, her emotions began to calm down.

“You’re right. Backing down here would be a betrayal of the entire world......”

“But listen to me! Don’t you dare die so easily! If you do, I’ll never forgive you!”

“Mm.”

Hulim nodded calmly.

“I’ll try.”

Irus, who’d been about to charge at Darius again, stumbled slightly in mid-air.

She spun around and roared,

“Don’t just ‘try’—you have to survive! If you don’t, then get out of here right now!”