I had Sahin climb onto Bisharp’s back so the two of them could fight together.
It was fortunate that Sahin was a spirit adept at ranged attacks. If he’d been a close-combat type, a joint attack would have been difficult.
If Stone had ridden on Bisharp’s back, it would have just been heavy and not much help in battle. In many ways, I was glad my Sahin hadn’t died yet.
It was just as well that the Sahin on Idana’s side was dead.
‘I need to make sure to cut off all their limbs.’
The spirits, unable to withstand Red’s relentless attacks, quickly vanished.
It took only a few seconds for Red to unleash his breath and barrage them with magic. In such a short time, so many spirits had been killed.
As expected, the one who’d been the final boss in a high-ranked dungeon really was something different.
“Everyone, get in! Why are you just dying there!”
Reacting a few seconds too late, Idana waved her hand urgently, gesturing for them to enter.
[Bisharp, Red, Sahin. Get inside.]
Thanks to the order to ‘all’ go in, even the fakes who’d been fighting Bisharp and Red disappeared.
Not missing the moment, I had my spirits go in and immediately cast my skill.
A dense black mist spread around us, obscuring all vision.
[Come out and kill this girl.]
I could feel my spirits filling the pitch-black dome. All at once, they charged at Idana.
On instinct, Idana tried to shield herself for protection, but I shattered that Shield.
It was thanks to possessing the same power that I could break her Shield so quickly.
“Kyaaa!”
Idana’s shrill scream pierced my ears. I frowned and stared into the total darkness before me.
My face twisted and one leg buckled on its own.
‘Ah, even my legs already…’
Numbness was spreading to my legs, and I couldn’t stand properly. I tried to move, but simply collapsed to the floor.
I couldn’t just sit there while the surviving spirits on Idana’s side fought my own, attacking Idana.
I used Shadow Form and briefly vanished from the ground.
As I heard Idana’s fading screams, I sensed the end was near.
‘?!’
I felt spirits reaching for me, trying to drag me up the same way as before.
This time, there was truly no way to escape their grasp, since the paralysis had reached my legs.
Caught off guard, I hastily used Shackles of Darkness to bind them.
“……It’s not right for only you to survive….”
Idana’s voice, clearly not sane, came from close by.
I urgently called my spirits to block her.
But Idana’s attack, right in front of me, was faster than my spirits could respond.
“Thanks… for… letting me… know…?”
I felt the same condensed black mist I’d used against Idana entering my mouth.
Unlike me, Idana could still move her arms freely, so she managed to strike one final blow.
“You can’t die alone…”
Idana’s body, nearby, slowly collapsed. With a thud, her body sprawled onto the ground.
Labored breathing echoed close by.
‘Even knowing I have Resurrection Skill, you still tried to kill me to the end?’
This fight was as good as won for me. Even if I died here, I’d come back with a restored body and attack her again.
Yet Idana never gave up and attacked to the end.
‘Even so, I…’
The thought that I’d win never finished, cut off midway.
A violent pain wracked me from within, and I could feel my organs failing.
My body slowly pitched forward.
‘It’s fine, I can just come back to life anyway.’
I still had an unused Resurrection Skill, so I’d be back soon. Then I’d win, and Idana would be sent back to her dimension.
‘Ah, it hurts more than I thought.’
The pain was worse than I expected. I’d never imagined I’d get to experience my own skill like this.
Maybe it’d be better to die quickly and resurrect with a perfectly fine body.
[Sahin, kill me. So I can revive.]
Even giving the command to Sahin in spirit language took all my strength. My mind was so consumed with resurrection that I couldn’t think of anything else.
Done.
I felt Sahin’s hand, which had been supporting my collapsing body, flinch.
No matter how loyal a servant, it was hard to immediately carry out an order to kill their master.
Just then, the hand gripping my arm tightened.
My consciousness faded rapidly, and my body felt like it was floating.
Darkness.
“What’s going on?”
“I can’t see anything!”
From the moment Dana unleashed the black mist, chaos erupted not just in the stands but even outside the Gate.
Right before the screen went pitch-black, Dana had looked dangerously close to collapse.
Her complexion was bad, and she seemed barely able to stand, only managing to control her spirits with effort.
Everyone watched the screen, desperately hoping for Dana’s victory, when the black mist spread.
“Should we send Dana a message? But what if it distracts her?”
“If the chat window blocks Dana’s view, it could be a problem…”
“Asking for a sign is probably too much, right?”
“What if she gets attacked while we do it.”
Everyone was dying to send Dana a message to ask if she was alright, what was going on. But no one dared, so they just gnawed their nails.
“”
“”
Ban Eunhyeol was at a loss for words, just staring at the dome through the screen.
Dohihyun approached him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said,
“She’ll be fine. It’s Dana, after all.”
Idana may have gained the same power, but there was a huge difference in experience.
Just seeing how poorly she timed her skills compared to Dana made it obvious.
That black mist was probably Dana’s doing, and inside, she was finishing off the intruder for good.
They had to believe it.
“Yeah, it’s Dana. She’s not ranked number zero for nothing, right? Even with equal power, she can handle an intruder like that!”
“Dana always wins.”
When James backed Dohihyun, Mark, catching on, chimed in as well.
Thanks to them, the tense atmosphere lightened a bit.
Just then, as if the duel was over, the black mist started to lift.
Everyone watched the screen, hearts pounding, as a human shape appeared.
The Awakened, who’d been unable to take their eyes off the screen, swallowed dryly.
The first thing the screen showed was the unmistakably dead figure of Idana.
“Is she dead…?”
“Then why hasn’t the quest success window popped up?”
Something was off.
If Idana died like that, the quest clear notice should’ve appeared.
And they should’ve shown Dana alive and well.
At that moment, Idana’s image vanished from the screen and a spirit appeared.
“Sahin?”
Ban Eunhyeol squinted and muttered the spirit’s name, frowning. He couldn’t understand why the spirit was suddenly being shown.
With frustration, he looked beyond the screen into the dome.
For some reason, the flow of air inside felt completely different from before.
With a sinking feeling, Ban Eunhyeol’s eyes fixed and froze on the screen.
Dana was limp in Sahin’s arms.
“Uh…?”
Someone’s startled voice broke the silence.
The Administrator watched the screen with an expression of great interest.
It was annoying when the black mist suddenly made everything invisible, but thanks to a special adjustment, she could see inside the dome just for herself.
“Wow, what a mess.”
Spirits were ruthlessly attacking Idana, and Idana’s own spirits were fiercely fighting them off.
Even in the chaos, the determination to finish off the obvious target, Idana, was brutal.
On another screen, Dana’s condition looked dire.
She couldn’t move properly, her face had gone pale, and she’d even vomited blood.
“Did her organs fail?”
It made sense, since she’d forced that black mist, which destroys internal organs, into her mouth.
“She’ll die soon, too.”
Both looked like they could drop dead at any moment.
The Administrator leaned back and muttered with disappointment.
The black-haired one’s going to win, isn’t she? Whether she dies first or second, she’ll revive with Resurrection Skill, so—
“Ah, boring.”
The situation was thrilling, but the outcome was decided, and so her interest faded.
There was no way for Idana to win now.
The Administrator crossed her legs and tapped her foot, clicking her tongue in disappointment.
“Is it that boring?”
A low, chilling voice sounded from behind.
Startled, the Administrator jumped up from her chair and reflexively stepped back.
Standing before her was the Watcher—who monitored the Administrators, ranked above them, and had the authority to punish them.
The Watcher’s gaze turned to the screen.