Dungeon Predator (WN)

Back when he was in elementary school, there was a TV show that showed a pro's game play. He remembers watching the show regularly.

There was one player that left an impression on him. He didn't remember the title of the program, but he did remember it was a shooting game.

It was a brutal game where countless bullets came at the player. However, the pro was able to beat the game in one try.

It was a one coin clear.

All he could say was that it was amazing.

But...

Right now, Kang Oh felt like he was that very same shooting game pro. After all, he was engaging Jigon in close quarters combat.

Even the slightest touch would mean death.

If he wanted to survive, then he would have to clear it on the first try. There were no do-overs.

'No, I guess I have two tries.'

The Cassio Ring gave him a little leeway. But he'd buckle down and act like he didn't have it in the first place.

Roar.

Black flames flickered in front of his face. If he'd pulled his head back even 0.1 seconds slower, then he would've been in trouble.

He didn't even have a chance to relax.

Kang Oh immediately counterattacked.

Slash!

Demon Sword Blood's snow-white blade sliced Jigeon's golden armor. However, Kang Oh didn't follow all the way through. He stopped and flew out of the way.

"Uhahk, damn it!" Tasha yelled.

Tasha was going crazy. After all, she was keeping him afloat whilst dodging the Black Sun, as well as matching Kang Oh's movements.

Flap!

The Black Sun passed Kang Oh again.

At the moment, Jigon was completely focused on swinging the Black Sun. He wasn't even using the fire techniques he was so proud of.

Jigon knew full well that focusing on the Black Sun was far more effective than his flame techniques. He didn't need to hit Kang Oh several times; he only needed one hit.

He would actually need two hits due to the Cassio Ring, but he had no way of knowing that.

In any case, Kang Oh and Jigon's battle was quite strange.

Kang Oh's attacks were the only ones hitting, while Jigon kept missing. Despite that, it seemed like Kang Oh was the one on thin ice, not Jigon.

Of course...!

Jigon was capable of shortening or lengthening his flaming blade at a moment's notice. Not only that, but he also made his flames spread wildly.

Even Kang Oh wouldn't be able to dodge all of Jigon's attacks at such close range. So how was it possible that Kang Oh kept dodging his attacks?

The first reason was Demon Sword Ubist.

"Huahp!"

Ubist's jet-black darkness was capable of holding the black flames at bay. It only lasted a few seconds at best, but those precious seconds kept Kang Oh's life intact.

The second reason was the mark at the center of Jigon's breastplate.

Kang Oh had used Gluttony on the S-rank ring, 'Barias's Despair'. Thus, he gained the Mark of Despair and Incarnation of Despair abilities.

The Mark of Despair was an amazing ability. There was a fixed chance that a marked enemy that missed an attack would gain the 'despair' status ailment.

The despair status ailment sapped the enemy of their strength, momentarily paralyzing them.

Jigon constantly missed, so the mark occasionally took effect, leaving him completely defenseless. Kang Oh made full use of those opportunities.

In order to best dodge the Black Sun, Kang Oh minimized his movements when he counterattacked. Thus, these moments were the only times when he was allowed to launch a huge attack!

Like right now.

The Mark of Despair spread across Jigon's armor like veins. He had entered the 'despair' state.

Kang Oh thrust Blood, which was coated in blood red energy.

Blood Emperor!

HP was meaningless before the Black Sun. If the Black Sun hit him, he'd die regardless.

In exchange for half of his HP, Kang Oh's abilities were explosively increased.

At the same time...!

Blood red energy struck Jigon. It was the Blood Emperor's Strike.

Red shards of light burst from Jigon's body, which were promptly sucked into Blood. Seven stars manifested along the length of the blood red sword.

'I can get one more hit in!'

Blood red energy swirled around him like a vortex.

Blood Storm!

This was the upgraded version of Blood Bomb, gained after absorbing Talastrum's Demon.

Boom!

The power was incredible. Moreover, it had been activated at point blank range.

Thus, the Gold Monarch's Armor, which nullified ranged attacks, was helpless before the Blood Storm.

Bam!

Jigon was pushed back, and slammed into the Maam Cliff.

Thump!

His body made an imprint in the wall, his arms, legs, and wings all outstretched. Shards of light spilled from his body.

Kang Oh swung Ubist downwards.

Tempest Tiger!

The golden tiger dashed forward, but... wasn't able to hit him.

The status ailment had worn off, so Jigon had burned the aura away with the Black Sun.

Jigon fiercely flapped his wings and swung his blade at Kang Oh.

Abyss Claw!

The dark energy and the black flames tangled together.

While his attack held the flames at bay, Kang Oh quickly flew towards Jigon.

Kang Oh was giving Jigon a one-sided beat down. However, the tides of this battle could turn at any moment.

At this point, the spectators were worried sick.

* * *

Kang Oh was getting desperate. Gluttony would only last another 2 minutes.

Despite that, he wasn't able to finish Jigon off yet. He had even gotten some Darkness Strikes and Rip Aparts in. Not only that, but he made full use of the opportunities that Mark of Despair gave him.

So why?

First, the golden armor proved to be a problem. It provided a substantial defense boost, which greatly reduced the damage Kang Oh dealt.

Second, Jigon possessed three of the God of Creation's sources.

Third, the three sources released a ton of life force, allowing Jigon to maintain the Black Sun and somewhat restore the life force he lost.

Finally, the Black Sun forced Kang Oh to attack passively. Obviously, that reduced the amount of damage he dealt too.

These factors combined explained why Jigon was still alive.

However, the fact that Kang Oh was still alive was more surprising to Jigon. So much so that it grated on his pride.

Anyhow, Kang Oh came to a decision. He would use everything he had while Gluttony was still active.

Danger!

Kang Oh instinctively obeyed the cold warning and turned his body. He couldn't dodge all of the black flames, so he shielded himself with Ubist.

Upon contact with Ubist's dark energy, the flames and the darkness lovingly embraced.

At this rate, even Demon Sword Ubist might burn to a crisp.

Kang Oh flapped his wings and quickly got out of the way. But Jigon extended his sword, aiming for Kang Oh's back.

Jigon's blade quickly flew through the air.

Red Demon's Dance!

Kang Oh's body became quicker, and he spun in the air. Then, he rushed at Jigon once more.

Fortunately, Jigon was affected by the Mark of Despair.

'Now!'

Kang Oh used everything in his arsenal.

Blood Emperor!

Tempest Tiger!

Blood Storm!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Jigon was pushed back.

"Tasha!"

"Leave it to me!"

Kang Oh flew even faster than Jigon, and stuck to him like glue.

Summon the Incarnation of Vengeance, Shumir!

Summon the Incarnation of Despair, Kabel!

A long-tailed black panther, as well as a one-eyed, four-winged bird appeared.

Gyaa!

Kabel shrieked, immediately turning the atmosphere gloomy.

Jigon, who'd just recovered, was immediately paralyzed once more.

After that, Shumir struck Jigon's body with its lightning fast whiptail.

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

"Out of my way!" Kang Oh yelled fiercely, and got right in front of Jigon's body.

Dragon's Fury!

Gray energy expanded from Kang Oh's body, which swirled around him like a vortex and devoured Jigon.

"Hoo."

'Please die already.'

Kang Oh took a deep breath and swung Ubist and Blood one after the other.

Mad Wind's Sword!

Transcendent Blade!

And...

Abyss Predator!

He'd used everything he had.

Crack!

The Gold Monarch's Armor cracked. Shards of light exploded from Jigon's body like the many stars in the Milky Way.

'Did I... win?' he suddenly thought, but he didn't let his guard down until the very end.

Kuwaaah!

The darkness devoured Jigon's entire body, spreading from his toes to his head to his wings. Jigon's body no longer emanated a golden glow.

At that moment...

Whoosh!

The Black Sun suddenly pierced through the darkness.

"Umph!"

Fortunately, Kang Oh hadn't let down his guard, so he was able to dodge it.

However...!

Another Black Sun belatedly came out.

"What?"

"Kang Oh!" Tasha cried out.

His Hyper Intuition did the same. It was as if it were screaming at him to dodge.

However, he didn't have time to use Moon's Protection, nor could he dodge it. After all, it was the fastest Jigon had ever swung the Black Sun.

Roar!

Flames ignited on Kang Oh's body.

Crackle!

It was as though his Avenger set was 'screaming'.

Whoosh!

Jigon cleaved through the giant tsunami of darkness, his helmet and armor torn to shreds. He looked exhausted.

However...

"Two?"

Kang Oh couldn't believe it. Jigon was wielding a Black Sun in either hand.

To think he could wield two at once! Had he been hiding it all this time? Was it his trump card?

"Oh my."

Jigon sported a wicked expression. Then, he let go of the sword in his left hand. Once he did, the Black Sun turned into ordinary flames.

The Black Sun that'd attacked him first was a fake.

Now that he thought about it, the first Black Sun had been a light purple rather than black.

He'd been had!

'Damn it'. Kang Oh gritted his teeth.

"I finally got you." Jigon sported a triumphant expression. "You insect!"

Roar!

The flames had already incinerated Kang Oh's lower body and left arm.

Kang Oh flipped him off. The Terminator used its thumb, but he used his middle finger instead.

Then, he said the classic line. "I'll be back."

Roar!

The black flames completely devoured Kang Oh.

* * *

Jigon should have died to Kang Oh's all-out assault. However, he survived due to the God of Creation's sources.

When he was swept away by Ubist's darkness, his three sources repaired his damaged body. Thus, he was able to survive.

At that moment...

Jigon realized that this was his best chance at taking Kang Oh out. However, he didn't think a normal ambush would work.

Thus, he created a fake Black Sun using the power of the sources. Then, he tricked Kang Oh by attacking with that one first.

As he'd anticipated, Kang Oh had dodged the first blade. Because of that, Kang Oh was unable to dodge his follow-up attack with the true Black Sun.

His plan had worked beautifully.

He had killed the only being capable of killing him!

In exchange, he barely had any life force left. He could only maintain the Black Sun for about 5 more minutes too.

There was a giant whale in the air far from here. There were countless spheres embedded in its back, which held humans that acted as fuel.

Most of them had already died.

'I can just refill them again.'

To the Mayanes, human beings were nothing more than batteries.

'Now then, let's finish off the rest of them. Gainus is the main dish.'

There were a few insects still around.

He could sense the weakened presence of a dragon underneath the lake. As a parting gift, Orga had grievously injured Gainus.

"Hehehe." Jigon laughed wickedly and emitted killing intent.

Roar.

The Black Sun fiercely burned within his hand.