Chapter 143

Chapter 143: Friendly Rival - (5)

Sage's defense had apparently exceeded 3,001, triggering the maximum 60% weakening effect of the Lotus Flame title.

In front of Lotus Flame, the higher the defense, the greater the disadvantage, making it a bad match for Sage.

Due to Sanghyun’s Lotus Flame, Sage lost a considerable amount of defense—over 1,800 points.

With his original defense stat, he would have been able to nullify most of Do Kyungsoo’s attacks.

But now that 60% of his defense was stripped away, he had become an ideal target to cut through.

‘Better prepare for the worst. Just because things are going well doesn’t mean I can let my guard down—one hit could end it.’

He decided to take out one more insurance.

It was the Defensive Technique of Endurance.

Among the three chances to enhance defensive skills granted by his title, he still had one left.

Sanghyun used the final enhancement on the Defensive Sword he had continued to utilize effectively.

‘Perfect. I’ve securely boosted my defense stat, and I’ve fully enhanced Defensive Sword too.’

He was satisfied.

Now he could use Defensive Sword for the team, and it could also enter an invincible state, albeit briefly.

Though the Sword’s Song also provided invincibility, it had the downside of completely restricting movement.

But Perfect Sword had no such restriction, giving it far more value on the battlefield.

“Let’s go!”

“I’ll support you!”

They entered the battle in their prearranged positions. While Do Kyungsoo confronted Sage head-on, Sanghyun made a wide flanking move.

Sage tried to keep an eye on Sanghyun in his peripheral vision, but his gaze was drawn to Do Kyungsoo’s relentless assault from the start.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Slice!

“Urgh!”

“How’s that, you bastard?”

Blood sprayed earlier than expected. It belonged to Sage. Do Kyungsoo’s aggressive assault had landed.

In that moment, both Do Kyungsoo and Sage felt something was different from before.

‘The sword pierced deeper than I thought. It feels like something’s weakening him.’

Do Kyungsoo felt that Sage’s defense was lower than that of the boss monsters he’d faced before.

‘Why has my determination weakened?’

Sage was confused by the sensation that the defense usually associated with his so-called “resolve” had weakened.

The unique defense embedded in his namesake armor, the ‘Sage Armor’, had dropped significantly.

The moment they checked their status, both realized the problem and its cause.

‘A debuff skill like this from Shin Sanghyun? Or is it a title? What is this? It’s in a constant active state.’

Normally, status effects or debuffs would display a duration because they eventually end.

But the absence of a time indicator meant that unless another variable intervened, the state would continue indefinitely.

‘One of them has a curse that renders me endlessly weak. I need to take that one down quickly.’

Sage began to push his attack forward. His target was Do Kyungsoo, who appeared much more troublesome.

『Defensive Sword』

Sanghyun immediately cast Defensive Sword on Do Kyungsoo, who had become Sage’s designated target.

Now that it could be used for the team and not just himself, its range of application had widened.

“Solid as always!”

When the protective barrier wrapped around him, Do Kyungsoo flashed a satisfied expression.

A shield was always right. It could spark courage out of nowhere and ease worries about failure.

Right at that moment.

“I’ll kill you!”

Sanghyun heard Sage’s voice, filled with rage.

When a boss monster shouted something out of the blue, it usually meant something.

‘That only happens when a certain pattern is triggered!’

Sanghyun quickly rushed from the rear to Do Kyungsoo’s side, and immediately activated Perfect Sword.

Shaaah!

A golden flash enveloped Sanghyun, plunging him into a brief but definite invincible state.

And then—

‘As expected!’

Sage unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Like the Sword Possession skill used by Do Kyungsoo, wing-like extensions covered his body.

Kaang! Ttaang! Kaang! Swaaaash!

In the blink of an eye, Sage split his attack—two strikes for Do Kyungsoo, two for Sanghyun.

Sanghyun, in his invincible state, blocked the double strike without issue, but Do Kyungsoo lost momentum on the second hit.

As a result, his upper shoulder was slashed, and part of his defensive Artifact was damaged.

“Ugh, I’m in your debt again.”

“Not at all. You were receiving Sage’s primary attack. Of course your movement would be restricted.”

Do Kyungsoo gripped his aching shoulder.

If Sanghyun hadn’t absorbed half of Sage’s four-hit combo, Do Kyungsoo might have been more seriously injured.

Sanghyun’s response was exceptional. He’d used the shield to nullify two problematic attacks.

‘Does he have an invincible skill?’

If it had been just a shield, it would have at least shown signs of strain or damage.

But Sanghyun’s did not.

That meant he had nothing to break—he had been in a ‘state of invincibility’.

‘No time to be impressed by the wrong thing!’

Fueled by the fierce hit he’d just taken, Do Kyungsoo surged forward again toward Sage.

Although his mana consumption was spiking, he couldn’t afford to slow down now.

Do Kyungsoo activated his Sword Possession skill and entered a mode of wild sword energy barrages linked to his ultimate combo.

Pashashashasha!

Bathed in dazzling flashes, his sweeping sword energy attacks flew in from all directions, overwhelming Sage.

Sage, having just finished his combo and stepping back, was caught during his most vulnerable moment of defense.

Clang! Clang! Squelch! Squelch! Shraaaak!

“Ghhk!”

In the end, Sage barely blocked the first few sword strikes, but couldn’t defend the rest, suffering continuous hits.

『Blade of Ruin』

『Wrath of the Mortal』

Sanghyun didn’t miss the chance—he added the Sword of Ruin to the damage Do Kyungsoo had inflicted and finished it off with Mortal’s Wrath.

In the end.

Puhwaaaak!

Blood burst like a fountain from Sage, who had suffered a severe stab wound just above his left chest.

Though it wasn’t a fatal injury, it was a critical hit on par with one.

‘So this is what it feels like to be perfectly in sync.’

Without a word spoken, their coordination was flawless. Do Kyungsoo felt something he had never experienced before.

Even teammates from the long-standing Sword Demon–Sword God team hadn’t filled his openings this well.

Whether it was because they were watching his lead or lacked ability, they were always passive.

They were excellent at executing orders but lacked creative support.

But Sanghyun, even though this was his first time syncing with him, had perfectly filled his gaps.

From splitting Sage’s rampage earlier to supplementing the current attack’s damage—every move was sharp.

‘Then I’ll need to accelerate!’

There was no time to be satisfied.

If their breath was in perfect sync—

Now, when Sage had taken a major blow, was the best time to drive him into a corner.

Paat!

Do Kyungsoo charged at Sage again. Even through pain, Sage locked eyes on him.

Kaaang!

And he precisely blocked Do Kyungsoo’s attack, closing the distance in an instant while suppressing his pain.

‘...Is he getting stronger?’

Do Kyungsoo’s expression changed as he felt Sage’s power while their swords clashed.

The berserker type—a form that easily becomes the most troublesome opponent. Sage seemed to be that kind of boss.

That meant the longer this dragged on, the worse for them. They’d have to face an enemy growing stronger than normal.

“……”

As if sensing Do Kyungsoo’s thoughts, Sage gripped his greatsword again and took a thorough defensive stance.

Since a debuff had been in effect from the beginning—one that would forcibly eject them when time ran out—

He clearly intended to drag this into an endurance match and screw over both Sanghyun and Do Kyungsoo.

“Let’s concentrate our attacks! Nothing good will come from dragging this out!”

“Got it! Let’s disorient Sage from front and rear! We have to keep him from locking onto one target!”

“Let’s go with that!”

Sanghyun and Do Kyungsoo’s thoughts aligned. The only task now was to somehow create an opening in Sage’s defense.

It was the only way to break through the tension of this deadlocked battle.

When a boss monster fought aggressively, it was easier than expected to find its weaknesses.

But once it committed fully to defense, finding an opening became nearly impossible—worthy of being called “hell difficulty.”

‘Do Kyungsoo was too aggressive at the start. It’s a hindsight judgment, but he pulled the rubber band too hard and it snapped.’

If he had said that aloud, it would’ve crushed Do Kyungsoo’s pride—but Sanghyun kept the assessment to himself.

Of course, as he admitted, it was a hindsight judgment.

Anyone could analyze things in reverse, after seeing the outcome. This was just a part of tactical review.

Perhaps because they had exchanged one strike each, both Sage and Do Kyungsoo were generally being cautious.

It was probably due to the fear of death that all rational beings inevitably felt.

Do Kyungsoo had been lucky to take the blow to his shoulder. If it had hit his chest, he might’ve died instantly.

‘In the end, I’ll have to break it.’

Do Kyungsoo and Sage, as the core of the battle, couldn’t afford to take risks. That was natural, so Do Kyungsoo wasn’t to blame.

That meant he, being the only one outside this rigid combat structure, had to be the one to create a variable.

‘Just look. I’m attacking like there’s no escape route. Isn’t this the kind of situation sword wielders like us enjoy?’

Sanghyun had been pestering Sage from behind for a while now.

He’d been relentlessly targeting Sage’s popliteal region and the unarmored inner armpit areas.

Thanks to that, he’d inflicted a fair number of wounds, and it looked like Sanghyun was becoming even more aggressive.

Of course, this was all deliberate—an act, like someone drunk on the advantage of one-sided aggression.

From what Sage had shown so far, he would definitely take a chance to go after him.

And sure enough—

Almost as soon as the thought passed, Sage abruptly ended the boring back-and-forth with Do Kyungsoo.

“Got you, you little rat!”

He suddenly used up a large chunk of stamina to draw out his power, entered a berserk state, and charged at Sanghyun.

Before that—

Kaaaaang!

“Guh!”

He swung his greatsword heavily as a preparatory move, knocking Do Kyungsoo far away.

It was only for a few seconds, but it created a perfect setup for a one-on-one with Sanghyun.

“Ah!”

Sanghyun let out a cry of surprise.

Because he had been making a large motion to strike Sage from behind, he couldn’t dodge the much faster incoming sword.

‘I’m hit!’

Do Kyungsoo’s heart dropped when he saw it. This would end Sanghyun before he could even react.

Surviving would be a miracle—Sage’s attack was that fast and sharp.

Swaaaak!

With the sound of cutting wind, Sage’s greatsword aimed for Sanghyun’s abdomen.

Whoosh!

“...?”

But it slashed through empty air.

Sanghyun had clearly been where the blade passed—but what had been there wasn’t truly real.

It was a subspace created with Another World! He had been in isolation.

‘A trap only needs to work once.’

Sanghyun grinned.

Then, positioning the Frenzied Sword of the Demon Horse inside the subspace so that it lined up exactly with Sage’s right shoulder—

‘Release isolation.’

He deactivated the space.

And in the next moment—

Slash!

“Graaah!”

Sage’s right arm lost its master and dropped to the ground with a dull thud.

Caught in Sanghyun’s trap, Sage had lost his most important limb in battle—his right arm!