Chapter 9 - Intercontinental Threat

The room was still covered in ice, but the temperature suddenly rose, and the air became increasingly thin.

Kravon released a bright blue aura while holding a long and massive sword.

The sword was blue, coated in a white aura with ancient carvings.

"Prepare yourself, boy."

"You’ll be finished in my hands," said Kravon.

Kravon charged swiftly at Syura.

[Ice Slash]

He launched the skill at Syura with extreme speed, and Syura dodged just as quickly.

[Skill Speed Step: Active]

"Your attack is too slow!!!" shouted Syura.

Syura activated a skill and attempted to counterattack Kravon.

[Skill Shadow Step: Active]

In a blink, Syura appeared behind Kravon, activating a skill to strike him.

[Skill Death Stab: Active]

But Kravon reacted swiftly and blocked Syura’s attack.

[Ice Barrier]

"Your attack is too predictable," said Kravon.

Syura didn’t have time to evade Kravon’s quick counterattack.

[Ice Lightning]

Lightning resembling ice appeared.

"Darr!! Darr!!! Darr!!!!" — the sound of lightning striking Syura’s body.

Syura collapsed, bruised and numb.

[Skill Speed Dash: Active]

Syura activated the skill, speaking with a trembling voice, quickly retreating backward.

Kravon still stood tall, gripping his sword.

"Is this all you've got?"

"Weak!!! So weak!!!" said Kravon, laughing.

Slowly, Syura stood up, gripping both of his daggers.

"No!! This is just the beginning!!" said Syura angrily.

Suddenly, a hologram panel appeared in front of Syura's face.

[Activate Skill: All In One]

YES
NO

"This skill again..." Syura muttered.

Before choosing yes or no, Kravon suddenly charged at Syura.

[Ice Step]

Ice formed under Kravon’s feet, propelling him quickly toward Syura.

[Ice Slash of Death]

A swift attack was launched toward Syura’s body, but Syura managed to block it in time.

[Skill Parry: Active]

The slash was deflected into an ice-covered wall, causing a powerful vibration.

"Seems like I have to try this skill."

Then, Syura chose:

[YES]

Suddenly...

A black-and-red aura began to surge around Syura. His daggers were enveloped in this red and black energy.

"Finally!!! You’re using a hundred percent of your power!"

"But still, you’re weak!!!!" shouted Kravon loudly.

Syura gave Kravon a faint smile, his aura exploding around him.

"Get ready!!! This is the end of everything!!" said Syura.

At last, Kravon unleashed one hundred percent of his power.

The ice covering the room cracked. Kravon's armor transformed into a golden-blue hue. A deep, intimidating blue aura surrounded him, and a crown appeared above his head.

His sword grew larger, and its aura matched the intensity of Kravon’s.

Then, a hologram panel appeared in front of Syura’s face.

[Kravon]
[Final Transformation: Eternal Ice King]
[Threat Level: Intercontinental]
[Recommended Rank: N]

Syura smiled faintly.

"I’ll finish this quickly."

Then...

Kravon roared,

"AGRHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

His exploding aura blasted through the room. A golden-blue light could be seen in the center of the Northern Black Forest.

Suddenly, the whole world responded to the surge of overwhelming aura.

All the guilds in the world received a signal. Simultaneously, a blue hologram notification appeared in the center of every guild.

[INTERCONTINENTAL DANGER!!!!]
[Recommended Rank: N]
[Time Limit: 30 minutes]
[Enemy: Kravon the Eternal Ice King]
[Location: Northern Black Forest]

Then...

The world’s strongest guild responded:

[Guild The One]

A man with red-and-black hair, wielding a longsword and wearing a red cloak with black accents.

"This place is too far."
"Teleportation skills drain too much energy."

Then...

"Track the nearest guild and contact them," said the red-black-haired man.

The receptionist quickly tracked through the system and detected the nearest guild: Guild Void.

The receptionist contacted Guild Void immediately.

"Hello, I’m Elena."

"No need for an explanation—just complete the mission," said Elena.

Meanwhile, chaos broke out within Guild Void, and no one could do anything.

"Th-this is impossible..."

"The strongest member of this guild is away!" Silvia shouted to Elena.

Back to Syura—

He was fully prepared to attack with both daggers, his aura flaring violently.

"I’ll end this with a single strike," said Syura, his eyes glowing red.

Kravon emanated a golden-blue aura, his sword ready to swing.

"Unleash your strongest move, you weakling!!!! You brat!!!"

"I’ll slice you down with one attack!!!"

At the same time, they both launched their attacks.

[Final Ice Slash]

Kravon charged at Syura with unbelievable speed and invisibility.

[Skill One Slash: Active]
[Skill Shadow Step: Active]

Syura dashed toward Kravon.

Then—

"AGRHHHHHHHH!"
"AGRHHHHHHHH!"

Syura and Kravon shouted at once.

"Sringgggg"
"Slahhh"
"Stanggg"

The sound of clashing blades.

Then...

Syura and Kravon stood back-to-back, each holding their weapon.

The room was split in half. The forest was divided into two, and the once stone-and-ice-covered ceiling was now open, revealing a clear sky.

Then...

"This isn’t the end, boy!!! But the beginning of the eternal gates of hell!!!" Kravon’s voice faded.

Kravon’s body fell, split in two.

"Hell?"

"I’ll turn that hell... into paradise."

A blue hologram notification appeared:

[Mission Complete]
[Kravon the Eternal Ice King Defeated]
[Item Drop Available]

"Item drop, huh? I better take a look," said Syura.

[Eternal Ice Sword]
[Eternal Ice Daggers]

"Not bad. I should keep them."

Then, elsewhere—

Every guild in the world went silent. Another blue notification appeared:

[Mission Completed]
[Time Taken: 1 minute]
[Finisher: Unknown]

All guilds were stunned and speechless.

Then...

Syura walked away from the shattered forest.

"This is only the beginning. Who’s next?"

Syura smiled, his eyes glowing, his aura raging, and each step he took was wrapped in ice.