Chapter 254
‘A small snake?’
Seeing its form, almost like a juvenile, Seonghyun nearly thought as much.
But he felt an inexplicable sacred energy and changed his mind.
What he sensed with his abilities was—
‘This isn’t Apophis.’
The impression was immediate.
In fact, the power shown by this boss, which looked like a split-off of the small white snake, was the exact opposite of Apophis.
. Above its head floated a halo-like band of light, and around its body, instead of venomous mist, luminous roots brightened the surroundings.
Just with its appearance, it was clear it was dramatically different from Apophis.
And this wasn’t just a superficial sense of sanctity.
It dispelled the surrounding darkness and purified the faint poisons.
Sure enough:
[Hidden Stage – You have encountered the guardian of 『Apophis’s Heart』, Hidden Raid Boss: 『As’s Fragment, Serpent of Salvation』.]
!!!Caution!!!
You are not in a party!!!
This is dangerous!!!
This is the hidden stage of a world boss!!!
Your affinity is the worst possible!!!
Even the pop-up message showed a different name.
It was certainly deeply related to Apophis, though.
The precise relationship wasn’t clear now.
But what mattered was that Seonghyun had to face this creature now.
Then, another message appeared:
[TIP—When the 『Corrupted Heart』 inside Apophis is destroyed, 『As’s Fragment, Serpent of Salvation』 will be weakened.]
Unlike most hidden raid bosses, it kindly provided tips.
And it even warned that the affinity (elemental matchup) was the worst. Thɪs chapter is updated by ⓝovelFire.net This was a real problem.
Just in case, Seonghyun tried an attack with Lord of Darkness powers.
Chiiiii—!
Like acid, the darkness melted away instantly.
‘Damn…’
He immediately dispelled Lord of Darkness and retreated.
Light chased along the trail of darkness, striking the spot Seonghyun had just left.
If he hadn’t instinctively dodged, he’d have been hit by a counterattack.
Seonghyun frowned at the realization.
The affinity was truly terrible.
Just as he pondered his next move, the massive white snake opened its jaws wide, and at that moment, the halo-like light above its head began to form energy in its mouth.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiing—!!!
The moment the surrounding air was sucked in with tremendous pressure, accompanied by a sound like metal vibrating violently.
Seonghyun noticed it and quickly transferred his body into the shadows.
Simultaneously with Seonghyun's transition, a pure white beam swept over the spot where he had been standing just moments before.
Kwagagagagagaga---!!!
The light of destruction then emitted a pure white glow, and a deep furrow was carved into the floor.
Seonghyun, who reappeared in a blind spot, watched it and shook his head as if fed up.
What kind of destructive power is that?
With Seonghyun's skills, it wasn't easy to leave such a mark on the outer walls or floor.
But the creature left such a mark so easily.
Proof that if he were hit by that, even a graze would mean death.
However.
‘If it touches that light, darkness is completely nullified.’
The worst possible situation in terms of affinity.
What if Seonghyun's Lord of Darkness had been a little stronger?
Then Seonghyun would have been the one with the advantage in affinity.
But since it was the opposite now, Lord of Darkness was as good as sealed.
The same went for other darkness-based skills.
Therefore, as Seong-hyun emerged from the blind spot, he immediately summoned blood swords along with blood poison.
As hundreds of blood swords were summoned.
Using those blood swords as material, Seonghyun unleashed a torrent of blood.
At first, the blood swords began to squirm with a gentle breeze, like a small whirlwind.
One hilt.
Two hilts.
Soon, as it surpassed ten, then a hundred hilts.
A huge red storm of swirling blood swords was created.
The blades were formed like the wind, and each of the sharp red blades was heavily imbued with a blood poison that caused severe intoxication.
Chwajajajajajaja----!!!
The red storm of blood swords, where blades swirled like wind, flew towards As's Fragment, the Serpent of Salvation. The creature, which was late to spot it due to the blind spot, tried to react after seeing it belatedly, but it was already too late.
Chwajajajajak---!!!
Seoseoseoseoseo---!!!
The sharp red blades instantly mangled the pure white scales and body of As's Fragment.
The outer layer of pure white scales was left with no spot unharmed, and from between the mangled parts, the creature's red blood flowed endlessly.
There were more than just one or two fatal wounds.
A state where it would not be an exaggeration to say victory had been decided.
And so, just as the arrogant thought that it was easier than expected swept over him.
Seonghyun felt an ominous premonition in that moment and hastily used a skill.
In terms of defense, the Crystal Carapace obtained from Crescentra, which was superior to anything else.
But as if that wasn't enough, he used Extremity and Ultimate to generate immense pressure and then scattered it around himself.
Then.
It collided with the wave-like pulse of light emitted by As's Fragment and covered the surroundings.
Kwagagagagagaga---!!!
A fierce shock swept through Seonghyun's body.
In that moment, the Crystal Carapace shattered into pieces.
‘…Huh.’
Proof that if he hadn't had the Crystal Carapace, he would have died once.
Fortunately, thanks to the Crystal Carapace, Seonghyun was unharmed and immediately used Shadow Glide to go into stealth while simultaneously using Shadow in the Darkness to move his body again.
To think it could launch such a counterattack with those kinds of injuries.
He hadn't expected it at all.
Before Seonghyun's eyes, who had entered a state of stealth, was an unbelievable sight.
As's Fragment, which had been on the verge of death from the combo of blood swords, blood poison, and swirling blood just moments before, had returned to the same pristine state as when it first appeared.
‘What?’
Was it an illusion?
No, that couldn't be.
Seonghyun had a resistance to illusions.
Even if he had been affected, a message would have appeared to some extent.
The fact that there was no such sign meant it wasn't an illusion.
Then only one possibility remained.
‘It recovered in that short time?’
It possessed not only the power of light and purification but also the power of healing?
And a power strong enough to recover from a state of near death, at that.
Seonghyun stared at As's Fragment with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
He hadn't been discovered yet because he was in stealth.
But just looking at it felt a bit hopeless.
How were you supposed to clear this?
Hold out until the Corrupted Heart is destroyed?
Seonghyun might be able to hold out, but.
For any other user, it would be an impossible task.
‘It looks like it will be tough just to hold on.’
Even Seonghyun was thinking this.
Would it have been different if he had his familiars with him?
But right now, he didn't have his familiars.
So he had to do it himself.
As Seonghyun wracked his brain, he came up with several strategies.
‘This might work.’
He didn't know it had such a powerful recovery ability.
But now that he knew.
All he had to do was devise a strategy accordingly.
With that thought, Seonghyun quickly used the skills that would likely inflict the most damage from stealth.
He opened the entrance to the underworld and summoned all the death army he had gathered, while simultaneously using Corpse Poison to spread a gentle layer of poison emanating from the corpses.
He had used half when the anti-Demon King alliance charged at him, and this was the remaining half.
The advance of the death army, with everything on the line.
The moment the creature saw it and was about to purify it.
Seonghyun once again activated two skills with his dark ego.
Undead Explosion and Venomous Explosion.
When the two types of explosions met.
A small ignition sparked within the pale green poison mist and the death army of over ten thousand.
Then, a fierce light that seemed to bleach the world, swallowing everything, spread throughout the area.
As the pure white As's Fragment was also swallowed by the light and bleached.
An indescribably fierce explosion erupted.
Kwaaa---ang!!!
A violent explosion that shook the heavens and the earth.
Seonghyun escaped the explosion by slipping into the final shadow in the darkness a half-beat later, and immediately after the explosion ended, he could see the mangled As's Fragment amidst the black clouds of smoke.
Its recovery and attack power might have been formidable, but its defense was insignificant.
It was in such a惨状 that one might have thought it was an instant kill, but he could see its cells squirming and trying to regenerate.
To think it didn't die even in that state.
Therefore, in that moment, Seonghyun recalled and activated the worst skill he had obtained after defeating the hero Hindel.
Destruction of Salvation.
A skill he hadn't been able to use since he first obtained it.
As it manifested in the world once again.
As's Fragment's eyes widened, and it opened its mouth wide in agony.
-!!!!!!
It was a skill truly befitting the name, the ultimate destruction of salvation and the most malevolent.
As's Fragment, called the White Serpent of Salvation, couldn't even scream and was crumbling away, its eyes wide open, unable to recover its body.
Because he had timed it perfectly at the moment it was trying to recover, it suffered that much massive damage.
If it hadn't been for the Destruction of Salvation.
Even Seonghyun would not have been able to inflict such burst damage.
Damage equivalent to landing the explosion combo in succession.
However.
-Saaak--!
The small white snake-like creature on its head, no, the ghost presumed to be As, the Serpent of Salvation, shouted something at Seonghyun.
And as Seonghyun, who could understand its meaning, immediately fled the spot.
Pudeudeuk, pudeuk!
Kwadeudeudeuk--!
With a terrible sound, its body swelled up as if at a cellular level and was swallowed by pure white flesh.
Then, the white flesh that had swelled up like an explosion began to shrink as if being compressed into one.
It transformed from a complete snake form into a lizardman-like figure, a mixture of snake and human.
At the same time, the color of the halo above its head deepened, light erupted from its back and grew like wings, and it appeared holding twin swords made of light in its hands.
Seonghyun stared at it with a dumbfounded expression.
He thought it was over.
‘What a shame.’
As if to declare that he couldn't take the easy way out, the creature's appearance had changed drastically.
The creature in its beastman form glared at Seonghyun, emanating an even more intense aura than before.
And then, a message appeared.
[The Hidden Raid Boss 『As's Fragment, Serpent of Salvation』 is changing.]
[The Hidden Raid Boss 『As's Fragment, Serpent of Salvation』 enters phase 2 and becomes 『As's Fragment, the Corrupted Serpent of Salvation』.]
The Corrupted Serpent of Salvation.
Seeing the indirect hint about its relationship with Apophis, Seonghyun scratched his cheek as if troubled.
‘I think this one is even stronger than before...’
It seems I'll really have to hold out until the Corrupted Heart is destroyed this time.
Sreung-!
As the Corrupted As's Fragment moved, holding its twin swords.
Watching the Corrupted As's Fragment appear before his eyes in an instant, Seonghyun thought to himself.
‘Can I hold out?’
In that moment, a sword of light came crashing down on Seonghyun.
Kwaaaaaaa---!!!