The powerful lightning turned the surroundings into a blinding field of white, but Fiora, glowing faintly, could clearly see the searing bolts heading toward her. The speed was overwhelming—there wasn’t even time to hear the sound. It was every bit deserving of the title “lightning.”
But Fiora didn’t flinch. With a deep breath, she tightened her grip, raised her left hand, now transformed into a spear, and swung with all her might. She poured her strongest energy into the skill embedded in her transformed arm.
Thunderbird Hunter.
Like a divine spear piercing through the legendary Thunderbird of the heavens, Fiora’s spear tore through the bolt of lightning heading her way.
CRACKLE—!!!
BOOOOM—!!!
The penetrated lightning scattered uncontrollably, discharging in every direction, while Fiora’s spear continued forward, pulverizing everything in its path. The sheer destructive force left nothing in its wake.
At the end of its trajectory stood Kyo, but just as the spear reached him, he disappeared as if teleporting, reappearing a short distance away. The aftermath left behind a massive, cylindrical hole in the ground, as if a divine lance had pierced it.
“...What the hell?”
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
Kyo’s fury, which had been burning hot moments earlier, cooled instantly into a chilling realization. One misstep, one hit, and he could die—even with his Almighty-tier class. He didn’t let his guard down for a second.
Anger coursed through him, but it was a cold, calculated kind of anger. He watched Fiora move lightly on feline-like legs, transformed as if she were part of the cat family.
“!!!”
She was suddenly in front of him. Fiora’s left arm pulled back, poised to strike. Kyo reacted instinctively, not with teleportation but with a lightning-fast retreat, moving like a bolt of electricity. Fiora’s left arm shifted shape mid-motion. No longer a spear, it morphed into something else—a dragon’s head, its jaws agape.
The dragon’s maw brimmed with energy, exhaling a small but devastating breath toward Kyo.
“This... This is ridiculous!”
Caught off guard, Kyo immediately activated another skill, conjuring a Lightning Dragon to counter. The lightning dragon shot forward in a straight line, colliding with Fiora’s breath.
BOOOOOM—!!!
The impact unleashed a chaotic wave of energy, scattering debris and shards of light in every direction. Kyo was thrown back, carried by the force, and landed a considerable distance away. The damage was significant—not fatal, but far from minor.
"A vassal... a vassal is this strong!?"
It didn’t make sense. Kyo, too, was an Almighty-tier player. How could the gap between them be this vast?
“Is this even possible?” he muttered, his disbelief mounting.
It wasn’t even the so-called Demon King, Seong, himself—just one of his vassals. A part of his power. And yet, Kyo was struggling to hold his own.
Kyo understood how vassals worked: their strength was proportional to their summoner’s abilities and level.
“Does that mean... the Demon King himself is this strong?” The thought chilled him. If the vassal could wield this kind of power, what was the summoner capable of?
Kyo wasn’t defeated yet, but the realization shook him. Despite going all-out, he was barely holding his ground. Worse still, if another vassal joined the fight, he could lose.
He had to finish this quickly. There was no other way.
Maybe this vassal was a high-risk, high-reward type. If he killed Fiora, her power might dissipate entirely, crippling the enemy’s forces. That was Kyo’s gamble. He resolved to end her here.
But as Fiora swung her blade-shaped arm to clear the black smoke lingering from the previous attack, Kyo hesitated.
“...Can I really win this?”
For the first time, doubt crept into his mind. He shook it off and prepared for another strike. Fiora, meanwhile, mumbled in her timid, soft-spoken voice.
“Ah, if only that last attack had killed you... What a shame.”
Her words were chilling, spoken so timidly yet carrying such lethal intent. It was unnerving how casually she could say such things.
Kyo gritted his teeth, running through his remaining skills. This was no time for hesitation. He scanned Fiora carefully, trying to reconcile her shy demeanor with the reality of her overwhelming strength.
“She’s definitely the strongest vassal,” Kyo thought, trying to reassure himself. “There’s no way she’s not.”
Determined, he activated one of his most powerful skills. The once-clear skies darkened as storm clouds gathered above Fiora. From the heavens, a massive bolt of lightning struck down.
CRAAACK—!!!
The ground beneath Fiora’s feet disintegrated as the bolt landed. This was one of Kyo’s ultimate targeting skills, impossible to evade or block. Though its raw damage wasn’t as high as some of his other skills, it wasn’t meant to kill directly.
Instead, it paralyzed.
Fiora felt the lightning’s energy course through her body, rendering her unable to move. Sparks crackled around her as her limbs locked in place.
This was Kyo’s plan all along. He grinned wickedly as he activated his strongest offensive skill.
“Heh. Die!!!”
From the storm clouds above, a massive lightning fist descended—the Left Hand of the Thunder God. As the colossal fist fell, it tore through the air, its sheer force turning everything nearby into plasma.
RUMBLE—!!!
The ground itself seemed to flip over, scorched and shattered by the sheer power of the strike. The devastation was absolute; nothing could have survived.
“No one can dodge that,” Kyo muttered confidently. Fiora had been paralyzed, unable to move. There was no way she could have avoided it.
But then, as the dust began to settle, Kyo noticed something—a figure emerging from the cloud.
CRUNCH!
A sharp pain shot through his left shoulder as Fiora’s spear-like arm pierced him clean through. Blood sprayed as Kyo staggered, coughing violently.
“H-how...?” he choked, his voice trembling.
—“H-how did I dodge it, you ask?”
Fiora tilted her head, her voice still as soft and timid as ever.
Furious, Kyo’s eyes burned with rage. Lightning crackled around him as he unleashed a skill to discharge energy in all directions, desperate to free himself.
But before the energy could reach Fiora, something extraordinary happened. She shed her outer layer, leaving behind what looked like an empty husk of her previous form.
The real Fiora slipped away, unscathed.
“...What?” Kyo whispered, his voice hollow. For the first time, he was at a complete loss.
Kyo let out a hollow, dazed sound as he stared at Fiora.
Shed her skin?
Fiora casually peeled away her outer layer, her expression unchanging, as she mumbled softly.
—"I-if I shed my skin, I-I can get rid of all status effects..."
Her timid explanation left Kyo staring at her in disbelief. Was she really saying she had just avoided his ultimate skill, a surefire, paralyzing finisher? This was his most precise, unstoppable attack—yet she had escaped it this easily?
This is broken! Kyo wanted to scream but couldn’t find the words. The sheer absurdity of the situation left him furious and helpless.
"Are... are you the strongest of the Demon King’s vassals?" he asked, his voice cracking as he began to realize he wouldn’t even be able to escape this place, let alone defeat Fiora.
Startled, Fiora frantically waved her hands.
—"H-huh!? N-no! There’s Drakanos, a-and Valtar, and... and Leonic, too!"
"...What."
A dry laugh escaped Kyo's lips as he slumped to the ground, utterly defeated. If this wasn’t even the strongest vassal, then what chance did he have? His despair deepened as Fiora timidly approached him.
—"G-good work," she said, her tone soft but chilling.
Before he could respond, Fiora’s right arm, now a sword, moved with lethal precision, pressing against his neck. Kyo’s vision spun wildly as he watched his surroundings tilt and blur.
And then darkness.
He had lost—completely and utterly. Not only had he failed to even touch Fiora, but he had also been crushed by a vassal she claimed was only the fourth strongest. As his consciousness faded, he logged out of the game, seething with despair.
Unbeknownst to Kyo, Fiora wasn’t just one of Seong’s vassals; she was the strongest of them all. Her claim of being the fourth strongest was pure modesty—a quirk of her timid nature.
—"S-since he attacked first, L-Lord won’t be mad, r-right?" Fiora mumbled nervously. Even after finishing off Kyo, she was more concerned about what Seong would think.
With that, Fiora quickly returned to her duties, determined to finish her tasks before Seong had a chance to scold her.
As Seong made his way toward the center of the Labyrinth, a sudden notification appeared in front of him.
It wasn’t about finding Kahku’s third treasure vault.
[You have defeated an opponent who launched a preemptive attack.]
[You have acquired the unique-grade 『Skillbook - Knights of the Lion』.]
"...?"
Seong tilted his head in confusion. He had defeated someone? When? He couldn’t recall any encounter that would lead to such a result. He examined the message carefully, then looked around, scanning his surroundings.
"...Nothing," he muttered. No sign of a player or any traces of combat.
Then a thought struck him.
Did one of my subordinates take care of it?
Even so, if one of them had initiated the attack, it wouldn’t have been classified as defeating an opponent who launched a preemptive strike. Still, the outcome wasn’t bad. A unique-grade skillbook was always a welcome find.
With a small smile, Seong nodded to himself. Looks like a knight-class skill. I should be able to use it...
As a titled knight, Seong could learn knight-class skills, but he hesitated. He’d been focusing a lot on knight abilities lately. Instead of using the skillbook immediately, it might be better to convert it into a dark magic skill using The Tome of Despair. After all, he was primarily a dark mage, even if he had been using a sword more often recently. It was time to return to his roots.
Either way, it’s always good to have new skills.
Tucking the skillbook away, Seong chuckled. Thanks to whoever gave me this reward.
It never crossed his mind that the "opponent" Fiora had defeated was a particularly strong player. From Seong’s perspective, anyone foolish enough to mistake his forces for monsters and attack them deserved what they got.
[Hidden Piece: Kahku’s Third Treasure Vault has been unlocked.]
With Kahku’s third vault now in front of him, Seong had no time to dwell on such thoughts. The treasure awaited.