I can’t do this anymore.

Trying to wring out more mana while his insides were twisted in knots sent a searing pain through his veins, as if they were on fire. It was no different from self-torture. He let out a series of wracking coughs, and a fresh stream of red blood trickled down his chin. He wiped it with his sleeve, but it was a futile gesture as his mouth was immediately soaked again. Ignoring it, Sa-yoon struggled to keep his focus. His vision wavered so dangerously that he felt he might pass out if he lost his concentration for even a second.

Still, the attack had been a success.

The monsters had been helplessly annihilated by the descending spear, and the sky rumbled as if to say it wasn’t over yet. He flicked his finger, and another colossal awl of ice slammed into a densely packed area of monsters. A chorus of shrill screams became their funeral dirge.

Confirming that the number of monsters had visibly decreased, Sa-yoon leaned heavily against Geon-joo and spoke.

“Jin Huan, Ventner, Rian.”

And…

“Han Geon-joo.”

He called out the names of the most skilled fighters present, individuals with enough strength and sense of responsibility to take on a leader-class monster by themselves—the ones who would be his finest soldiers in this war. The named individuals turned their heads. Feeling their gazes lock onto him, Sa-yoon gave a light push against the firm chest he had been leaning on.

“Hyung.”

Han Geon-joo’s expression soured, his eyes clearly asking if Sa-yoon intended to stand alone in his condition. Sa-yoon let out a faint laugh.

He worries too much.

They say that even in the midst of war, lovers will love and liaisons will happen. He just never thought Han Geon-joo would be one of them. The attitude that placed him above the thousands of monsters swarming before them wasn’t entirely unpleasant; in fact, it was quite amusing.

And so, he could send him off with a cheerful heart.

“Finish it quickly and come back.”

“……”

“It’ll be tough without you.”

It wasn’t an empty platitude; it would genuinely be difficult. Geon-joo was replenishing not just his mana, but also the health that was draining away from the propensity conflict.

“The four of you will take down the four remaining leaders. Jaehee, you provide support.”

“Understood.”

Lee Jaehee assigned Shiro, Maru, and Rai to Jin Huan, Ventner, and Rian, respectively, likely matching the summons to the hunters with the best synergy.

“I will support Geon-joo-ssi directly.”

And Lee Jaehee himself, mounted on his Gryphon, would stick with Han Geon-joo. Yes, this is enough. He could trust Jaehee with this. Nodding in approval, Sa-yoon watched as the hunters began to move, his gaze lingering on the one who remained rooted to the spot like a statue.

Han Geon-joo still looked reluctant, his eyes asking why he had to leave his side.

“Go on.”

“…At least wipe the blood off your mouth before you talk.”

“I tried, but it keeps coming out.”

“This is driving me crazy.”

Sa-yoon shrugged as he met Geon-joo’s conflicted gaze.

“Just go and take down the strongest one. I see him over there. The one with the greatsword.”

If one were to ask which of the four remaining leader-class monsters—the healer now being dead—was the strongest, it would be the one cowardly swinging a greatsword from the very back of the monster army. The creature was commanding its troops, exuding an aura of dominance and bloodlust.

If they took him down, the morale of the frenzied monsters would plummet.

That would be the turning point of the battle. At Sa-yoon’s urging, Han Geon-joo finally raised a white flag of surrender and gripped his weapon tightly.

“Give me a reward when I get back.”

Despite his more mature appearance, his grumbling tone was still that of a child. It made Sa-yoon let out an unguarded laugh.

“I’ll give you anything, so just go.”

The conversation was over. Han Geon-joo, along with Lee Jaehee, kicked off the ground and shot toward the rear of the battlefield, aiming for the strongest target.

SWOOSH!

Shadows erupted from the ground in the shape of blades, clearing a path for the two of them. The greatsword-wielding monster roared as Geon-joo charged across the canyon toward it. Their eyes met, and in the next instant, their blades clashed. The sword, wreathed in shadows, met the heavy greatsword head-on and remained unscathed.

Black shadows slithered down the crossed blades and coiled around the monster’s hand. The shadows then crawled up its wrist, its arm, its shoulder, and finally, clenched around its neck.

Krrk!

Even as the shadows choked it, the leader monster swung its sword relentlessly. Whoosh, whoosh! Each blow was dizzyingly powerful and savage. Geon-joo, narrowly dodging attacks that would make any spectator’s heart leap into their throat, began to press the monster with incredible speed.

KIEEEK!

The Gryphon, soaring high above, spat a torrent of fire at the leader. The support came at the perfect moment. Han Geon-joo surged forward into the opening created as the monster raised its sword to block the flames. CRUNCH! His blade plunged into its exposed chest. The monster shrieked as the sword brutally tore through its scales.

As it thrashed and stomped its feet, the ground beneath them crumbled. Stagger. Geon-joo’s balance faltered. Sensing the momentary weakness, the monster grabbed both its embedded sword and Geon-joo’s hand and pulled them out in one savage motion. Squelch! As the blade was ripped out, blood sprayed like a fountain. The red rain drenched both the monster and Geon-joo, but neither stopped their assault.

Without a signal, they charged again, their swords meeting once more. As the larger monster swung its blade with overwhelming force, trying to win through sheer power, Geon-joo chose not to block it foolishly but to deflect it, stepping back and spinning once. He touched the ground as he landed. Hm? It was a fighting style Sa-yoon had never seen from him before. Just as Sa-yoon’s eyes narrowed…

Flick!

Geon-joo flung what he was holding at the monster. The creature, which had been chasing its target with bloodshot eyes, was hit squarely in the face. It grimaced and reeled back in pain. Sa-yoon realized what it was and burst out laughing.

That crazy bastard.

The man who had been so prim and proper when they first met now knew how to throw dirt in his enemy’s eyes. If he were fighting me, a ‘Dirty Play Skill’ notification would have probably popped up, Sa-yoon thought, laughing freely. But the amusement was short-lived as he coughed up another gush of blood. This was no time to be a spectator.

Maybe I shouldn’t have taken the Frost Pill.

As if the propensity conflict making his two powers wrestle inside his heart wasn’t bad enough, the Fire Pill he had taken to offset the Frost Pill’s side effects was now causing an attribute clash of its own. Blood was seeping out even when he was doing nothing. Trying to draw out mana in this state made the side effects feel dozens of times worse.

How long has it been since I’ve had to push myself this hard?

Remembering Geon-joo’s grumbling, Sa-yoon wiped his mouth. He could see that Ventner and Jin Huan had successfully defeated their targets. Rian was having a tougher time against the second-strongest leader, but Rai was providing adequate support. With Rai even using his clones to help, it was only a matter of time before that fight concluded as well.

And as for Han Geon-joo…

“He really is a snake.”

He was slowly strangling the life out of the leader, drying it out. The shadow that had first wrapped around its neck still clung to the monster, and with each passing moment, the creature’s complexion grew paler. It was the face of a man awaiting his execution; the victor was obvious. And sure enough, two minutes later, the greatsword-wielding monster, as if succumbing to a deadly poison, lost the strength to even hold its weapon and collapsed.

At that exact moment, Rian also claimed her victory, and the four leaders were defeated.

The monster army was now headless. The remaining monsters, confused and losing their momentum, just needed to be cleaned up, and the war would be over.

Ragged breaths could be heard from all over. While the top hunters from each nation had been straining to take down the leaders, the rest had been fighting with all their might. Many had sustained injuries that would have otherwise been fatal. But each time, Grainne, from her position in the air, would cast a wide-area heal, keeping them on their feet. Forcibly resurrected like zombies, the hunters had no choice but to kill, and kill, and kill again.

There was no other way for this to end. Even though they were on the verge of collapse, the vicious duo of Sa-yoon and Grainne wouldn’t even give them a moment to die.

The smart ones would have realized there would be no rest until the war was over. And so their morale, chasing only victory, soared relentlessly. And that morale soon became victory itself.

The canyon floor became a sea of blood and corpses. A sickening, metallic stench filled the air. With the remaining monsters numbering less than a thousand, Sa-yoon was about to retract Pale Day when…

“…Hk!”

A sudden, intense pressure from within his body caused blood to pour from his nose and mouth.

“Hyung!”

Geon-joo, who had been on his way back after defeating the leader, rushed to catch Sa-yoon as he buckled. Crazy. Are you going to die? Retract the skill. We’ve already won. he seemed to plead. Sa-yoon swallowed the blood pooling in his mouth and grimaced.

“No.”

“What?”

“We haven’t won yet.”

Sa-yoon staggered but forced strength into his legs, refusing to collapse. The sudden coughing of blood wasn’t because of the propensity conflict. It was external interference. An unknown, formidable power had interfered with his domain of Pale Day, and the resulting shatter of his deployed territory had caused the backlash.

The vast expanse of frost energy was being pushed back by something. With bloodshot eyes, he stared at the sky above the battlefield.

KRRR-CRACK!

At that moment, the ashen sky tore open. Black claws ripped through space, widening the rift.

Sssk. A massive, vertical pupil peeked through the gap. The eye that looked down upon the battlefield was hideously alien.

Sa-yoon felt a strange sense of familiarity from it.

The Bone Dragon.

It was similar, but this being’s presence was far more immense. Most importantly, unlike the Bone Dragon, this creature descending upon the battlefield had flesh and muscle.

This was no monster of bone, returned from death.

“A dragon…”

Sa-yoon whispered in a gasp, recalling a memory. The Mad Dragon he had slain to obtain his Frost skill. Back then, the System had described that creature, the toughest he had ever faced, as a mere hatchling.

And the dragon appearing now was so colossal it made the Mad Dragon look cute.

An adult dragon.

Short of one of the gods descending from their throne, what was likely the most powerful monster in existence had just declared its entry into the war. With a sense of utter disbelief, Sa-yoon let out a breath that reeked of iron.

Wow, this is really…

One damn thing after another.

The war was not over.