Chapter 112 – Hansen Von Dorthe (7)

"Guaaaaaaaaaah!"

"But you got what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah, I got it, but... Uaaaaaaaaaah."

When Lee Shin-Woo and Jin were finished with their respective reinforcements and turned around, the Lightning Shadow General, Hansen Von Dorthe, felt quizzical despite the pain from the Treasure Eater's attack and his anger towards Lee Shin-Woo.

That skeleton... He feels different...?

Lee Shin-Woo seemed stronger after defeating the Treasure Eater, but that defied common sense. All Lee Shin-Woo had done was take down a monster that the general had brought to near-death, so he shouldn't have received much karma from the kill! In fact, Lee Shin-Woo should’ve gotten negative karma instead.

While he did acquire the loot the Treasure Eater left behind, there was no way he could change so drastically. There was no way the skeleton and the horse would’ve become stronger; the treasures the bug had dropped weren't related to combat at all.

"You must be exhausted too. Let's finish this, Hansen."

[You impudent bastard...!]

But upon seeing Lee Shin-Woo's confident attitude, Hansen discarded any such inquiries. The skeleton’s strength felt like an empty boast to him despite the change it had gone through.

[How dare a mere ant try to reach the heavens!]

The skeleton was still a lousy level 6, and while he had a fast horse, there was nothing more to the pair. Even though Hansen was indeed weakened from the Treasure Eater's attack, he was still a high rank level 7 general!

The reason he looked 'weak' was because the Treasure Eater hadn't been a good match for him. This simpleton hadn't even realized that simple fact and had become reckless; he would cut him down with a single lightning sword strike!

"Dieeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

[That's my line. I'll kill you with a single attack!]

The Treasure Eater resistant to lightning was already dead. There was no more reason for Hansen to hesitate using his lightning!

[Get lost, you insects!]

[Kuahk!]

[Revenge...]

Hansen paralyzed the Chimeras pestering him through a powerful electric discharge and swung his bastard sword crossways, flinging all of them away and leaving none who could interfere with him, not even temporarily.

[Huaaaaaaaaaahp!]

Hansen raised his bastard sword, which was charged with powerful lightning, and slashed downwards at Lee Shin-Woo as the skeleton rushed towards him! The lightning sword attacked Lee Shin-Woo with the power to cut both mana and space.

Lee Shin-Woo hastily blocked it with a 'manufactured sword', but the moment Hansen's attack clashed with his sword, the blade shattered into pieces, and a horrific amount of lightning spread through his body.

"Kuhak...!"

[To take heaven's fury head on; what a fool. You're just a greenhorn who doesn't know his place! ...Huh?]

Hansen chattered on confidently, yet the skeleton he expected to be burnt to a crisp was surprisingly enduring it unscathed.

Well, not exactly unscathed. Both of Lee Shin-Woo’s shoulders had been destroyed immediately, and a few of his ribs were broken as well. The moment Lee Shin-Woo took damage, however, he regenerated his body and quickly healed himself. Just like...like...the Treasure Eater, which had absorbed Hansen’s lightning and recovered from its injury!

[You, what is that... Keuk!?]

Taken aback by Lee Shin-Woo’s similarity with the Treasure Eater he had fought a short while ago, Hansen showed a moment of distraction, and Lee Shin-Woo aimed for that gap in his awareness, calling his Drake Horn Lances to shoot into Hansen's stomach. Lee Shin-Woo had struck the injury left by the Treasure Eater's mana shell!

[How...!?]

A rotten herring was still an herring. The moment Hansen saw the signs that Lee Shin-Woo was attacking, he had instinctually swung his sword, but there were three lances instead of one. Shocked and unnerved by Lee Shin-Woo’s seemingly untouched state when he was so sure of his victory, and similarly caught off guard by the two additional lances, the general had managed to only parry one lance.

To make things worse, the moment he split the lance in half, a foul Acid Poison spewed out and hit him! His blade hadn’t melted since it was a treasure, but the potent acid was enough to melt away his armor.

"I guess you didn't see Steve die, did you?"

[Tell me, you bastard! How did you stop my lightning...!?]

Lee Shin-Woo had regenerated his body in no time and provoked the general. But the moment the infuriated Hansen yelled out, the two Drake Horn Lances inside his stomach exploded simultaneously. Those who knew Lee Shin-Woo would’ve anticipated the moves.

[How foolish!]

The moment Hansen sensed an extraordinary flow of mana, he created a magical shield to block whatever attack that would come his way, but he couldn't block the Acid Poison, which Lee Shin-Woo had created with mana and condensed to its very limit.

[You dirty bastard...]

Hansen's armor and skin melted away, exposing the rotten flesh underneath, which sputtered black, corrupted blood. His exterior had been damaged during the fight with the Treasure Eater, but not on the inside; unfortunately for him, Lee Shin-Woo took advantage of the opportunity and ended up revealing his hideous appearance with an elemental attack.

The region affected by the Acid Poison was injured especially severely. It felt like a bitter defeat in many ways since Hansen had gotten the injury from a lower leveled opponent.

"Hoo. As I thought, a high rank skill is effective against a general."

[That's only because I was weakened... It's all because of your dirty tricks!]

Not only was Lee Shin-Woo at a lower level, he remained unscathed after taking a direct hit from Hansen's lightning; he'd even injected Acid Poison into him through a ridiculous trick!

[I'll kill you!]

Lee Shin-Woo's provocation was truly effective. Hansen couldn’t bear not tearing the bastard skeleton to pieces. Eyes rolling back into his skull, Hansen tapped into his last reserve of mana and activated Lightning Shadow.

[You’ve...mocked me long enough...!]

"Jin, can you do it?"

"Nope, I can't. Not possible."

Jin, who'd already confirmed that Lightning Shadow sharply increased Hansen's speed and reflexes, firmly shot Lee Shin-Woo down. His unhesitant response made him sound heartless.

[Die... What!?]

But it was ok. The Lightning Shadow General was focused solely on Lee Shin-Woo right now. And that meant...

[The Emperor's hunting dog!]

[You insects!]

After Hansen activated Lightning Shadow and was about to charge at Lee Shin-Woo, the Chimera Avengers attacked from behind! Of course, now that all of his abilities had improved significantly, even level 6 elites were mere flies to him, but the timing of their attacks presented a problem. Maintaining the ability alone took a tremendous amount of mana!

[Get lost!]

[And who are you to decide that!?]

[That's our new lord!]

It was extremely simple for Hansen to cut through the Chimera Avengers and move forward. However, the Avengers continued to rush at him, heedless of their own lives. Every Avenger he cut down got him one step closer to mana depletion.

The Lightning Shadow General grew hasty. As all the blood rushed to his head, he realized that he'd made a rash decision, and was now beginning to take in that fact.

[You... You bastards! You fools that cannot understand His Majesty's intent!]

[Remember that despair.]

The final obstacle was the level 7 Chimera Avenger. His palm had become a giant shield as he assumed a defensive position; Hansen could see his resolve; the Golem wouldn't let anything past him.

[That deep despair. That's what made us what we are.]

[Shut up!]

The lightning blade cut through the air once more. In one fell stroke, the giant’s durable shield was cut into pieces, and the Chimera Avenger sustained a deep injury, powerlessly flung away.

Still, he wasn’t dead, and following that attack, the last remnants of the general's Lightning Shadow vanished.

There were no more obstacles in his path. Lee Shin-Woo was right in front of him. However, Lee Shin-Woo seemed unafraid as black goblin fire blazed in his eye sockets. He seemed to be ridiculing him, in fact.

"You don't have any more mana, do you?"

[So what?]

Hansen raised his sword and pointed it at Lee Shin-Woo. His stance seemed to convey great strength.

[Even if I don't have any mana left, I'm still stronger and faster than you. My accumulated stats and my level are proof of that.]

Lee Shin-Woo nodded. "Still, you are out of mana."

[Die!]

Hansen charged with great force. While connected to Jin, Lee Shin-Woo urgently moved out of the way, but he wasn’t completely successful. A part of his arm was severed. It was truly a powerful strike Hansen could be proud of.

[I'll fight you like this for a while until I've finished replenishing by mana. Perhaps you won't even last that long!]

"Kratia!"

As he dodged the general's sword, Lee Shin-Woo yelled in a booming voice. His shoulder was cut, and his lower jaw sustained injury as well. One of his fingers went flying into the air. Even his hastily summoned Lightning Tooth was cut apart.

[Kratia...?]

The unfamiliar name caused the Lightning Shadow General to frown. Was it the name of a technique? An item? If not, then a person's name? But aside from the scattered Avengers, he hadn’t sensed anyone in the area. There was only he, the skeleton, and the horse covered in steel...

Thinking it as nothing but a bluff, Hansen moved to cut Lee Shin-Woo’s mouth off so that he couldn't talk anymore. But the moment he swung his sword again, something stopped him. Lee Shin-Woo had cut through a layer of his skin with his own sword.

[Keuk...?]

At that moment, Hansen felt something hindering his movements. He attempted to swing his sword, but once again, it felt unnatural. He couldn't move very well, as if his joints were frozen stiff.

Lee Shin-Woo took advantage of that opportunity, and this time, his sword cut off some of Hansen’s fingers! It wasn't a coincidence. Someone was sabotaging him. Moreover, the skeleton he was fighting was again entirely unscathed! Who could it be?

[Ku...hahk...?]

"...Hoo."

Hansen’s head creaked as he turned around. At the edge of his sight, he saw a young girl beyond the door to the testing facility. She was much too beautiful and looked almost completely white, painting the picture of a girl of winter.

"You really did it."

"I told you the request wouldn't be that difficult. How many minutes do we have?"

"Five minutes. If we take into account other variables, then three at most."

"Okay."

The winter girl spoke, and Lee Shin-Woo replied to her. That meant they were working together. The girl was the one making it difficult to move. But how?

"A level 7 mage."

Kratia spoke briefly as she cradled the Eternal Ice that was slowly rotating in the air. That was all she had said before falling silent again, as though that much was enough of an explanation. And in truth, it was enough.

The girl has cast such a powerful debuff on me? And that's the reason this skeleton got me to exhaust my mana?

The more powerful one's magic was, the less likely a debuff would affect them. Thus, debuffs were cast when one’s opponent was weak to maximize the success rate.

A debuff was especially effective when one's mana was depleted... In that case, Lee Shin-Woo provoking him into using Lightning Shadow was all part of a bigger plan.

[...Ha, haha.]

Hansen was completely tricked. He believed there was someone backing Lee Shin-Woo up, but he had thought it was Arema Steelworker when he saw the skeleton commanding the Chimeras... Who would’ve thought a level 7 mage would show up and cast a debuff on him from an unknown location?

[Five minutes. You can only be so foolish. If I survive for five minutes, I'll be able to kill you all!]

"Are you an idiot?" Lee Shin-Woo said, grinning. "I’ve prepared so much just to catch you... You don't think she's all I got, do you?"

[...]

To be honest, she was all he had left. If this didn't work, Lee Shin-Woo would have to be prepared to die a few times and fight.

...But Hansen was intimidated after falling victim to all those traps Lee Shin-Woo had prepared, which made his lie quite effective!

[I don't know who you are, but... I'm one of the twelve generals, one recognized by the Emperor as the Lightning Shadow General, Hansen Von Dorthe!]

He gritted his teeth and tried to raise his sword with his unmoving arm, but the blade shook slightly due to the debuff and his disheartened state of mind. Seeing that, Lee Shin-Woo grinned and likewise raised his weapon, which soon morphed into a lance. It was the weapon that had first pierced through Hansen.

"I know. That's why I'm trying so hard to take you down."

A powerful green acid rose in Lee Shin-Woo. The moment Hansen saw that, his instincts told him that he would die, but even so, he couldn't stop fighting. Such was the pride of one of the twelve generals.

The first time in a long time, one of the twelve generals was killed.