A violent wind swept across the battlefield.
Every time the blood-reeking gusts blew in, Destroyers fell dead, and before long, a new Destroyer beyond them—
a Ranker—made a name for himself.
Crunch!
"Graaaah!"
The Predator's senses continuously revealed the presence of new Rankers.
The Destroyers tried to unite and resist Han Yuseong, but—
it was meaningless.
Han Yuseong, who had formed a contract with an EX-grade dragon soul, the Dragonbone Lord,
had become the sole Predator of this trial.
"U-urgh…"
"No, my name… my name is on the list…"
This isn't a Ranker list.
It's no different from a death list.
Those who don't know his name die,
1st and 2nd place were killed, the 3rd surrendered.
The 4th tried to flee and died.
The one who had been 5th surrendered the moment he realized he was now ranked 1st.
"He's coming. That guy… he's coming!"
"I surrender! I surrender! I won't fight!"
"Wait, we should at least try to—keugh!"
Die, or surrender.
The Destroyer Rankers were left with only two choices.
Thus, as the Rankers either died or surrendered helplessly, the leadership that once guided the Destroyers vanished.
The Guardians did not miss their chance.
Led by Rankers like Béo Edelman, the Guardians charged forward.
"Guardians with manifestation skills, to the front!"
"Now that he's drawing all the attention, this is our moment to move!"
"Kill every Destroyer in sight! Let's go!"
The Destroyers' formation was completely shattered because of Han Yuseong.
Seeing even high-ranking allies being ruthlessly hunted down, and knowing there was no stopping him,
they lost all will to fight.
Pushing back Destroyers who had lost their fighting spirit was no challenge.
"The Guardians…!"
"T-the Dragon Soul! The Dragon Soul is approaching!"
"Stop them! Somehow—no, how are we even supposed to—!"
The Guardians advanced with manifested Dragon Souls at the front.
The souls nurtured by Rankers led the charge, tearing into the Destroyers.
The Rankers who were still being hunted couldn't hold them back.
And there was one more factor—the 'slaves'.
"Y-you bastard! You betrayed us?"
"…I had no choice if I wanted to live. If you want to survive, surrender too!"
"Filthy, disgusting—graaagh!"
The slave Destroyers who surrendered to the Guardians—
including Isungma, who had once been a Ranker on the Destroyers' side—
now attacked their former comrades as part of the Guardian forces.
With all these factors piling up, the frontline began to collapse.
Countless Destroyers were killed, and more and more new slaves were born.
[Over 20,000 Destroyers have been slain. The Dragonbone Lord has been strengthened by one stage. Buffs granted to Guardians are enhanced.]
[Over 30,000 slaves have been created. The Dragonbone Lord has been strengthened by one more stage. Buffs granted to Guardians are enhanced.]
This was all due to the power of the Dragonbone Lord.
[The Dragonbone Lord grants buffs to all affiliated Guardians.]
[All stats +40%, Speed +25%, Medium-level wound regeneration (outside combat), Skill damage +40%, Mana cost for skills -25%.]
[Skills of Dragon Souls contracted with Guardians are enhanced by 1.5x.]
[Manifested Dragon Souls are strengthened by 1.5x.]
At the same time, the buffs granted to the Guardians were significantly enhanced.
And that wasn't all. As the number of Destroyers rapidly dwindled, the buffs granted by the Titan of Ruin began to weaken.
[Buffs granted by the Titan of Ruin are weakening.]
[All stats +20%, Attack power +10%, Speed +10%. When a Guardian's Dragon Soul is absorbed, the buff is temporarily empowered.]
[This buff strengthens further as the Titan of Ruin grows stronger.]
With these two opposing forces, the power gap widened rapidly.
The Destroyers were already on the verge of losing all will to fight.
Now, with the Guardians' buffs strengthened even further, they could only fall helplessly under the onslaught.
However, in stark contrast—
—KUAHAHAHAHA!—
The battle between the Titan of Ruin and the Dragonbone Lord was entirely different.
With deep wounds carved across its body, the Dragonbone Lord stirred its mana.
Countless spells and breath attacks rained down upon the Titan—
—Hummm…!
CRACKLE!
TZZZZZZT!—
The Titan's left hand tore through space itself.
From the rift, a dark energy surged forth,
nullifying the barrage of incoming attacks—
and in the same moment, the Titan swung its massive sword.
The Dragonbone Lord couldn't even defend himself—
he was struck directly by the devastating blow.
—KUHAMAMAAAK!—
Blood poured from the Dragonbone Lord's body.
In the battle between the Guardians and the Destroyers, the Guardians clearly held the upper hand.
But in contrast, in the clash between the Titan of Ruin and the Dragonbone Lord,
it was the Titan who had the overwhelming advantage from beginning to end.
The wounds carved across the Dragonbone Lord's body made that all too clear.
—KAMAMAMAAAA!
—Destruction draws near… O ancient dragon…!
It was an inevitable outcome.
Though the Titan of Ruin was weaker than it had been in the past—when it had brought the world to ruin—
the same was true for the Dragonbone Lord.
What's more, unlike in the past—when the Dragonbone Lord had led countless Dragonbones into battle against the Titan—
this time, he was alone.
And even he had only just awakened.
—KUMAMAMAAA!—
It was clear the Dragonbone Lord was being pushed back.
The Titan's sword slashed across his wings.
Out of the four wings on his back, one was severed—
and the Dragonbone Lord staggered violently through the air.
A crisis for the Dragon.
An opportunity for the Titan.
—"I shall send you to join your fallen kin!"
—KUUUUUUU…!—
The distance between them closed in an instant.
The Dragonbone Lord hastily unleashed a flurry of spells,
but the Titan's colossal sword cut through every one of them as it surged toward its target—
straight for the Dragonbone Lord's heart.
Fast. Deadly.
It could neither be blocked nor evaded.
[The power of fallen Destroyers flows into the Dragonbone Lord. Destroyers who have become slaves to the Guardians grant him strength.]
[The Dragonbone Lord has been strengthened by two stages.]
If it had been the previous Dragonbone Lord, he would have fallen then and there.
But from the earth, a red energy surged upward,
and in a flash, it fused with the Dragonbone Lord's body.
—FWOOSH!
—Kugh… guoohhh… GUOOOOOH!!—
The breath of the dragon repelled the oncoming strike.
At the same time, countless magic circles formed in the air.
From them, enormous spheres of flame were conjured,
pouring forth in endless numbers and crashing down upon the Titan.
The onslaught halted the Titan's charge for a moment.
Moments ago, it would've brushed off such magic without a thought.
—"This… these wretches…!"
But now… why could it not ignore them?
The Titan quickly understood.
The Dragonbone Lord had become stronger—
and it had grown weaker.
Something was draining its power.
And now, the Titan realized the source of this phenomenon.
—"Powerless, incompetent… worthless insects…!"
The source was the ground below.
The Titan's rage-filled eyes turned downward.
There it saw the Destroyers being utterly overwhelmed by the Guardians.
The ones who had received its power—
being defeated so pathetically and helplessly?
Could it be… that the Dragonbone Lord's buffs were stronger than its own?
—"No… I see it now. That one… that human…"
The Titan quickly traced the cause.
It spotted the Guardian wreaking havoc across the battlefield—
slaughtering countless Destroyers, turning them into slaves.
That Guardian—Han Yuseong—
he had sensed the Titan's gaze.
And then, an expression appeared on his face.
A clear, brazen mockery.
—"You wretch!"
A lowly human… daring to mock it?
The Titan was furious.
But now was not the time to be distracted.
BOOOOM!
—"KRUH… MAAMAAAH!"
A powerful shock struck the Titan.
The Dragonbone Lord, wings spread wide, had soared up and slammed into the momentarily distracted Titan.
Immediately after, he unleashed a series of spells in succession.
The momentum, the force—
they were clearly different from just moments before.
"That human… he must be eliminated, no matter what…!"
The Titan came to a clear decision—
but it had no way to act on it.
The Dragonbone Lord wasn't giving it a single opening,
unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.
And Han Yuseong wasn't going to waste the opportunity.
He gripped the blazing sword—"Bladegale of War"—
and then—
FWOOSH!
The skill, "War's Wildfire," erupted from the blade,
mercilessly engulfing his enemies.
A massive inferno surged forward,
scorching even the air itself as it swept like a tidal wave,
burning through all Destroyers who dared to stand in its way.
'That human… he's become the Guardians' anchor point. But the Destroyers…'
From high above, some truths were laid bare.
The Guardians moved as one, unified around Han Yuseong.
But the Destroyers? They had no center, no rallying point.
Han Yuseong was slaughtering their Rankers, yes—
but even before that, no one had risen to lead.
—"No one… there's no one left to stop that insect? No one?!"
Only now did the Titan of Ruin understand—
time was not on its side.
—KAMAMAMAMAA!!
—KUHAMAK…!—
The Titan was finally forced to face a terrifying truth—
it was on the brink of destruction.
This was dangerous.
With a desperation unlike before, the Titan of Ruin began striking at the Dragonbone Lord with everything it had.
It had to end this battle, no matter what it took.
It had to be now.
But it was already too late.
[The number of Destroyers is rapidly decreasing.]
[The Titan of Ruin and the buffs it provides are greatly weakened.]
The tide of battle had tilted decisively—
and there was no turning it back.
There were no Destroyers left who could reverse it.
Countless had already fallen in vain,
and those who saw it surrendered in hopes of simply surviving.
But the more they surrendered—
the stronger the Dragonbone Lord became.
And the weaker the Titan of Ruin grew.
CRACK!
—KHAHAMAMAAAK!!—
The Titan wasn't just being pushed back anymore—
it was on the verge of collapse.
Razor-sharp claws tore through its body,
a shell once forged of stone and steel.
The dragon's breath scorched away the encroaching ruinous aura.
From countless magic circles, beams of light rained down, slamming into the Titan.
BOOOOM!
Unable to endure the onslaught, the Titan lost one of its massive arms.
From the wound, the power of ruin poured out like endless blood.
And even now, even with all its might—
its strength was fading, draining away.
Why was it losing?
Why was this happening?
—"H-Human…"
The answer…
was painfully, utterly simple.
It was all the doing of a single human—Han Yuseong had overturned everything.
There were barely any Destroyers left on the surface.
Most had either died or surrendered.
With no more worthy opponents to fight, the Guardians shifted their focus.
BOOOOM!
"Attack the Titan!"
"Don't approach! Attack strictly from a distance!"
A barrage of Guardian attacks rained down upon the Titan of Ruin.
Though weakened, the Titan was still a mythical being.
Their attacks couldn't deliver fatal damage immediately—
but like dripping water eventually piercing stone,
the endless bombardment began carving wounds into the Titan's body.
—KUOMOMOOOO…!—
The Dragonbone Lord's magic bound the Titan's limbs.
A concentrated breath incinerated the Titan's left arm,
and overwhelming mana completely suppressed any attempts at counterattack.
A crushing stomp tore through the Titan's leg.
Its agonized screams echoed across the heavens.
—"No… this can't be… It can't end like this…!"
Just for a moment, the Dragonbone Lord landed on the ground.
Then, he soared upward with unbelievable speed for his massive frame.
And the Titan saw it—
someone was riding on the Dragon's back.
There was no need to ask who it was.
—KWAMAMAMAMAA!
—UGH… KUGH… GUUOMOMOMO!—
Han Yuseong.
The Titan's desperate sword strike was intercepted by layers of magic.
The Dragonbone Lord destroyed the Titan's remaining arm,
ripping open the chest where its heart lay,
and then sank his fangs into the Titan's neck, tearing it apart.
The body of stone and metal shattered—
and at last, the heart of the Titan was exposed.
"It's over."
—"H-Human…!"
Han Yuseong charged straight for the Titan's heart.
In his hands were two swords—
each compressed to their limit with mana.
Both blades struck the Titan's heart—
and exploded in a magical detonation at the moment of impact.
If it had been under normal circumstances, the Titan might have withstood it.
But now—weakened beyond recovery—
the blow was fatal.
Crack…! Shatter…!
Against the fully empowered Dragonbone Lord,
and against Han Yuseong, strengthened by that same power—
even the Titan's iron heart couldn't hold.
Cracks began to spread—
starting at the edge, and racing toward the core.
KWA-CRRRRRRACK!!
—K-KHAMA… MAMAAAH!!—
The Titan's heart, pushed to its absolute limit—
shattered completely.
It was at that moment the Dragonbone Lord severed the Titan's neck.
The massive head crashed to the ground—
and the now-headless body collapsed.
—"A human… a worthless being not even worth protecting…"
With hollow eyes, the Titan of Ruin looked upon those who had ended him.
—"My… ruin…?"
BOOOOM.
The Titan's massive body, embedded in the earth, began to crumble—
and then vanished into dust,
as if it had never existed at all.
No trace remained.
And what that meant was simple.
[The Final Trial has been completed.]
[Congratulations! Dragonbone Lord and his loyal Guardians!]
[You have triumphed in this Trial.]
The trial had ended.
Han Yuseong closed his eyes.
And from all around,
a great roar of celebration erupted—
a chorus of voices rejoicing in their victory.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE- [T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : http://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]