A sun casting a deep crimson glow, and another shedding a clear vermilion light.
Two suns, each shining with its own unique radiance, emerge—one in the sky, the other on the ground.
The fire of Jongmi, who calls himself the “strongest,” the hellfire of Geophwa (劫火).
The ancient flame of Hwajeong (火正), who claims to be the “best.”
These two fierce fires, each boasting supremacy, have just collided in midair.
At that moment—
Flash!
Yet, the scene that followed was neither blindingly bright nor deafeningly loud.
It was simply white.
From that instant, both suns blazed with a pure, dazzling white light. Their colliding surfaces twisted and warped as the overwhelming energy radiated outward like beams of light. Then, tracing gentle arcs, the forces recoiled and clashed again, triggering countless explosions. An immense flow of magical power rippled outward in circles, like waves spreading across a river.
Kooooooosh…
A desperate, biting struggle to push each other back. The sight of two spheres swirling and colliding in the air was nothing short of spectacular.
“…”
“…”
Perhaps because the energy radiating from them was so intense, even the users who had retreated cautiously, and those who had been knocked unconscious, slowly began to regain their senses.
Instinctively, they all looked up into the sky—and their faces fell in stunned disbelief.
Above them, where the spheres had disengaged, a sea of red stretched across the heavens. But the battle was far from over. In fact, it was still raging fiercely. The man and woman, both wreathed in flames, darted and collided through the air like acrobats performing a deadly dance. Each impact sent showers of sparks scattering across the sky, twinkling like stars as they fell.
“Hyung…?”
Someone caught sight of Kim Suhyun, but their voice was uncertain, as if unsure. It was understandable—the speed of the aerial combat was beyond imagination. Just as they caught a glimpse of him, a flash of light would erupt somewhere else, his movements flickering from east to west in an instant.
Moreover, Kim Suhyun was engulfed in flames thanks to his Yeomhwa (炎火) ability, and with dragon wings sprouting from his back due to the Dragon Clan’s influence, it was no easy task for the users to recognize him at a glance.
Then—
After a brief moment, as the users finally managed to identify Kim Suhyun and the Hell Grand Duke, a voice whispered suddenly.
“The Clan Lord… is burning his last reserves of strength.”
Several users turned their gaze toward the speaker. There stood Helena, her eyes glowing golden as she stared up at the sky.
“Burning his last reserves of strength?”
Cha Sorim, struggling to sit up, looked puzzled. The Arcus Valkyrie armor she wore, usually softly radiant, was now battered and broken at the chest plate.
“A candle, just before it goes out, flares up one last time,” Helena said calmly.
Moments later, the expressions of the surrounding users grew pale. They all understood the meaning behind Helena’s words.
Afterglow reflection (回光返照).
It made sense. At first, the users had no idea just how powerful the Hell Grand Duke truly was, due to the difference in rank.
But as the Hell Grand Duke revealed his true strength, and after experiencing it firsthand, they finally grasped the gap. Most had fallen without even putting up a proper fight. Now, the users felt it keenly: the Hell Grand Duke summoned here was a being so far beyond them that catching up was impossible.
Even Kim Suhyun was no exception. In fact, he had collapsed within minutes during their first fierce battle.
Yet…
Flash!
At that moment, another burst of light collided in midair, and the two figures separated left and right. The users stared blankly upward, mouths agape. Hundreds, even thousands, of fiery swords created by Kim Suhyun shot out in all directions, while the Hell Grand Duke grimaced in pain, desperately dodging. The thick afterimages trailing from the flames stretched like comet tails, painting streaks across the sky.
This was no mere human duel—it was a battle between otherworldly beings.
A gulp echoed somewhere.
Everyone had witnessed that moment.
The Hell Grand Duke’s twin fiery whips swung with all their might, only to be barely parried by Kim Suhyun’s sword and spear. Then, using his abilities, Kim Suhyun deflected the follow-up attack and countered with divine might.
In truth, the tide of battle still favored the Hell Grand Duke. Though their power levels were equal, the Hell Grand Duke’s mastery was far superior. His level was not earned through grueling training or life-threatening experience, but simply by “setting”—a distinction that could hardly be called true mastery. Had the Hell Grand Duke not needed Hwajeong’s power, Kim Suhyun would have died a hundred times over.
Still, in this complex situation, Kim Suhyun was clearly holding his own. It was only natural that the users, unaware of the full details, looked up with a flicker of hope.
…Yes. If Kim Suhyun could maintain this state—
“Then… the Clan Lord… will soon fall…?”
“A candle that burns bright, burns out fast,” Helena said softly, closing her eyes. Since Kim Suhyun had amplified his power to fight on par with the Hell Grand Duke, his endurance would be equally limited.
“Then a miracle…! Or at least an elixir!”
“Hmm,”
An Hyun was about to shout for a miracle, but remembering An Sol’s comatose state, he called for an elixir instead. Yet Helena slowly shook her head.
“Healing wounds that lead to death and restoring one’s innate life force are entirely different matters. Miracles might do it, but an elixir—”
“Nonsense.”
Before Helena could finish, a firm voice cut her off. A man who had been lying motionless was struggling to rise. Soon, he stood, roughly pulling off his charred robe. His eyes burned cold as he scanned the surroundings. It was none other than Kim Yuhyun.
“This isn’t the time to just watch. Everyone, look at the messages displayed in the air.”
Only then did the users, now fully alert, focus on the floating text. They all gasped in unison. The achievement reward for Goyeonju discovering Atlanta was displayed clearly.
“Someone—anyone—go fetch a priest.”
Slowly rising as well, Han Soyoung clutched her abdomen but wore her usual expressionless face. Her wounds, though painful, were not fatal.
“We can’t just rush in blindly like before. We need to regroup, even if just a little.”
Nodding at her words, Kim Yuhyun acknowledged the need for a new priest. Though there were priests here, most were dead or unconscious. They needed fresh support from someone who had withdrawn from the battle.
Though no place was truly safe, the two Clan Lords steeled their resolve. One by one, the scattered users began to stand.
As the bustle grew among the users, Helena remained seated, lost in quiet thought. While everyone else prepared to support Kim Suhyun after recovering, Helena alone pondered the bigger picture. Even if they boosted their stats and healed, she thought, it would be a relief just to slow the Hell Grand Duke down.
Helena’s mind raced.
This woman must be a being from another dimension. The question was: how, and by what means, was she summoned here?
Neither Helena nor anyone else had sensed any sign or omen. The Hell Grand Duke had appeared suddenly during their march.
In the end, nothing would be known until they reached the summoning site and saw it with their own eyes. With that conclusion, Helena finally rose.
“Lizard? Where are you going now?”
“Don’t follow me.”
Sasha, drinking a potion taken from a fallen user, asked curiously, but Helena dismissed her quietly and moved forward.
Arriving at the place where the Hell Grand Duke was first summoned, Helena surveyed the area with deep, penetrating eyes. What she saw was an empty, bloodstained wasteland, eerie and silent. Yet Helena was almost certain something was there.
Her eyes, which had dimmed for a moment, began to glow again. The “Mind’s Eye that Gazes at the Heavens,” a power granting insight into truth and the source of all magic, activated. Her golden irises analyzed and interpreted every magical event that had taken place in this barren land.
“Ah…!”
Did she realize something?
Helena’s eyes widened like lanterns, and a short exclamation escaped her lips.
Meanwhile, at a point some distance from the ongoing battle—
“Mom! You scared me!”
Startled by something, Gu Yeji let out a sharp scream and quickly leaned her upper body back.
At the moment, Gu Yeji wasn’t participating in the battle. Not that she had quietly slipped away—she had been assigned a specific task and had retreated to the rear lines. That task, requested by Shin Jaeryong, was to protect Ansol at all costs and, if possible, wake him up. In truth, it was more of a considerate excuse for her to stay out of the fray, but regardless, Gu Yeji was doing her best to look after Ansol.
No matter how hard she tried, nothing changed. From the front lines came the terrifying clash of magical power, but Ansol simply lay there, breathing softly with a peaceful expression, showing no sign of waking.
Just as Gu Yeji, anxious and restless, was glancing back and forth between the front and Ansol, something truly unexpected happened.
Slowly, Ansol lifted his upper body, as if signaling it was finally his turn to step up.
“Ah, Ansol…?”
Gu Yeji’s eyes widened in surprise as she cautiously spoke. She was aware that Ansol had finally come to, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel joy.
Because something was off.
If this were the usual Ansol, he’d be fussing over what had happened or rushing to find Kim Soohyun. But the Ansol who had just awakened had half-lidded, sleepy eyes and an oddly strange aura about him.
Gone was his usual natural demeanor. Instead, he radiated an awkward, almost unapproachable presence. If Kim Soohyun had been here, he might have thought, “He’s really lost it.”
“You…”
Just then—
Gu Yeji swallowed hard and was about to quietly approach when Ansol suddenly sat up abruptly. Startled again, Gu Yeji stumbled backward and landed hard on her backside, while Ansol’s vacant eyes stared off into empty space.
“…”
For a moment, he just gazed into nothingness. Then, slowly, he raised his hand and began moving his fingers deliberately, as if manipulating some kind of user interface.
And moments later—
Ding!
『User Ansol’s Luck stat has increased to 103 points!』
『Congratulations! Due to the abnormal Luck stat, the effect of “Blue Dahlia” has been added to all of User Ansol’s abilities!』
Two messages appeared before Ansol, aside from the usual achievement rewards.
But it wasn’t over yet.
『A great miracle for this very moment!』
A new message popped up, different from the previous “A little luck for when you need it!”
The moment Ansol read the message, he reached out his hand toward Gu Yeji without hesitation.
And quietly spoke.
“…The staff.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Blue Dahlia.
If you take it literally, it means something rare, impossible, or unattainable. Personally, I think it suits Ansol’s absurdly high Luck stat perfectly. Haha.
Oh, and dear readers, I have a small favor to ask today. Would it be okay if I update the next chapter at noon—12:00 PM—instead of midnight?
The reason is, I have a really important appointment tomorrow morning and need to leave the house early. I’ll be out from 5 AM and probably won’t get back until late at night. I expect to return home no earlier than 10 PM. Then I’ll wash up and write until around 2 AM before going to sleep, and in the morning, I can do some additional writing and post the update by noon.
Of course, I could stay up all night writing today, but since I have to get up early tomorrow and I just barely got my rhythm back after the last break, I think pushing the update to noon is the best option. I wanted to ask for your understanding in advance. (__)
PS. As I mentioned yesterday, the battle with the Hell Duke is almost over. However, the part where they pierce the Hell Duke to force his surrender… no, no, the newlyweds… ahem. I’m not sure how to put it. Anyway, that part still remains. If you recall what happened to Kim Soohyun in Ansol’s dream, you might get a rough idea. :)
PS2. I’ll reply to all messages on Sunday!