Chapter 54
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'What the hell...?'
Barren couldn't believe the current situation.
[1st Place: Seong Jihan - 20 Kills - No Affiliation]
[2nd Place: Barren - 17 Kills - American First]
'I'm... in second place?'
Ever since acquiring the Force, he had never been knocked from the first rank!
During the Top 100 Promotion Match, where he should be showcasing his brilliance to the world, he hadn't imagined he'd be pushed back by some Asian.
He had heard rumors but hadn't realized they'd be this accurate.
"Barren, this is information on the only player who could potentially threaten you during the promotion match. Please review it when you have time."
When the guild manager presented data on the player named Seong Jihan,
"Ha! A Middle-level League player threaten me? Manager, you underestimate me. Discard this info and bring me the contract we signed with Nike."
"...Understood."
Barren remembered scoffing and discarding the information.
The name Seong Jihan.
He had heard it once and thought he'd never hear about him again.
But now...
'He's ahead of me... Should I have looked into who he was back then?'
'No!'
Barren gritted his teeth.
'I am Barren Williams, the chosen Grand Mage with an SSS-rank gift. Do I need to be wary of that punk?'
Right.
It was unlike him to be so frail-minded.
"Fire Wave!"
A massive wave of fire spread from his fingertips, engulfing the entire arena.
The opponent was making quite a fuss, but surely he couldn't stand against a Fire Wave enhanced by the Force.
He would burn all his enemies and secure first place.
It had to be that way.
But then...
"What the...!"
Swish!
The opponent's single strike split the wave of fire.
Not just the Fire Wave, but the space Barren controlled with his Force was sliced in half.
"Huh!"
His shock was momentary.
Barren maximized his Force.
He hadn't yet discerned the nature of the attack, but he couldn't let his guard down.
Screech!
His expanding Force pushed back against Seong Jihan's sword, clashing evenly.
Despite his full effort, the situation remained a stalemate.
By Barren's knowledge, such an attack was impossible in the Bronze League.
What in the world was this monstrous attack?
'But still, I'm holding him off!'
Though he was losing ground, his immediate surroundings, his Absolute Domain, remained intact.
Right, no matter how powerful the attack, it shouldn't breach this absolute domain.
"Huff~"
Barren sighed in relief, peering through the parted flames at a figure.
A man in a white shirt, an Asian, holding a white spear, looked back at him with ease.
'That's Seong Jihan...!'
He'd underestimated him, dismissing him as just another player from a Middle-level Korean League, but he'd managed to harness such power.
Barren bit his lip, increasing his Force.
The opponent must have exerted himself with that incredible attack.
He had to end this with his strongest spell.
More rapid and potent than any other magic.
"Lightning!"
From Barren's hand, a devastating lightning strike shot out.
* * * * *
Barren Williams.
To Seong Jihan, the 2020 version of him seemed like a mere child compared to before his regression.
'Well, when comparing, it's almost the same.'
Seeing his Fire Wave split in half, Barren was flustered and hurriedly tried to cast his next spell.
In his current state, he was far from calm.
'What a waste of talent.'
SSS-rank Gist, My Status Window x2.
Despite ascending to the top with such a marvelous gift, he still couldn't have full control over his potential and became one of the reasons for humanity's downfall.
Seong Jihan's gaze moved past Barren to the audience stands.
There, a dark elf with black eyes silently stared back at him.
A being presumed to be the 'Shadow Queen', whose gaze would fall on the 1st place when the match starts.
'She knew I'd win.'
'As expected, she has foresight.'
Seong Jihan smiled and prepared his Phoenix's Arrow in a throwing stance.
'Phoenix's Arrow... disappears after five throws, right?'
Until now, there was no need to throw it, but this time was different.
Not just Barren but to break through the sturdy barrier around the arena, he had to give it his all.
White flames rose from the Phoenix's Arrow that Seong Jihan held.
Nameless Divine Arts, Triad of Martial Mastery: Way of Immortals
'Way of Immortals', the technique optimized for pinpoint strikes.
While the methods of stabbing and throwing were different, they shared the same trajectory, making it a suitable martial art.
Whoosh!
The Phoenix's Arrow was soon engulfed in white flames, but the flame was just enough to barely cover the spear.
It looked quite different from when the Conqueror's Statue used it in the Conqueror's Tomb.
"Lightning!"
Ironically, Barren's Lightning spell, using all of his Force, looked overwhelmingly more powerful.
Thick and radiant currents of electricity, in dozens, if not hundreds, rushed towards Seong Jihan.
Shiiiik!
From Seong Jihan's hand, the Phoenix's Arrow flew.
The white flame, released a moment later than Barren's Lightning, was so small it seemed it could be easily swallowed up.
Yet, Barren's face contorted with dread.
'...I can't stop it.'
To Barren, the moment 'Lightning' touched the Phoenix's Arrow, it felt as if time stopped.
The compression of magic energy was on another level.
Trying to stop that with his magic was like trying to break a rock with an egg.
'The Absolute Domain is crumbling...'
Soon, the Phoenix's Arrow was upon him.
The Absolute Domain controlled by the Force felt like it had vanished.
It was too late to dodge the spear.
'But... there's still hope.'
Barren put his hope in the Force's Absolute Domain.
The invincible domain, about 4 meters wide, which had never been breached before.
'If it stops it just once...'
He could then use magic consecutively and suppress that Asian!
'Please...!'
With that, Barren pinned his last hope on his Absolute Domain.
Without sparing any of his strength, he poured all of his Force into the Absolute Domain intending to stop the arrow.
Shiiik!
"...!"
For a moment, it seemed like the Phoenix's Arrow had halted in mid-air, just as he had hoped.
But that was only for a split second.
The duration for which Barren's prized Absolute Domain could stop the Phoenix's Arrow was only that moment.
His dominating Force was torn apart.
Whoosh!
"Guh...!"
Barren, engulfed by the Phoenix's Arrow, was incinerated in an instant.
The genius American Mage, Barren Williams, whom the entire world expected to win, was slain by Seong Jihan's single strike.
On the other hand, Seong Jihan clicked his tongue after witnessing this.
'He still can't handle the Force properly.'
Just as he expected.
'If you don't have time to cast a protective spell, you should focus all your Force to defend as much as possible instead of strengthening the Absolute Domain.'
Barren's reliance on Force without actively responding and ending up dead was not a matter of control, but a matter of will.
If he focused on stopping the arrow, he could've done it.
'Well, with 1st place now firmly secured...'
Seong Jihan looked past Barren to the Phoenix's Arrow continuing its trajectory.
Now it was time for the real target.
To break the arena's barrier.
* * * * *
- Holy Sh- Ahem! Barren's Fire Wave is split in half!
- Player Seong! The arrow even sliced those 4 players who were dodging the Fire Wave Adding 4 kills!
Channel 0's focus had shifted from Barren to Seong Jihan.
Seeing Seong Jihan cleave through the massive Fire Wave, commentator Christoph felt a chill down his spine.
Though among all classes, Mages had the most visually impressive performances, Seong Jihan's martial arts, which sliced through it with a single spear, gave him goosebumps.
'I might actually become a fan...'
He had claimed to be a fan of Seong Jihan just for lip service not long ago.
But after watching his performance in this promotion match, his opinion was changing.
No matter how much Seong Jihan was seen as Barren's rival, he couldn't help but be excited by his display.
And then.
- Ah! Player Seong has thrown his spear at Barren!
- It's carrying a bright white flame. From the look of it... Uh?!
- Only from the look! Barren's Lightning is splitting apart!
- Oh my God! Barren's absolute defense is shattering!
Things took an even more unbelievable turn.
Barren Williams was praised as America's top prospect not just because of the power of his Force...
But also because of the strong barrier that always surrounded him, blocking all attacks.
No bronze player in America had ever landed a significant hit on Barren.
Yet, that sturdy shield shattered in an instant.
And then.
- Ba-Barren! He's been defeated!
- He's... eliminated!
The voices of American commentators echoed in despair.
And while shockwaves of horror erupted across the United States,
"Oh... Ah..."
Lee Hayeon, who was watching the Top 100 promotion match at home, looked just as stunned.
Thud!
"It can't be..."
Thinking about the money she bet on Barren, and seeing him die so effortlessly...
She looked dazed.
'Seong Jihan even warned me twice by text...'
True.
The first bet on the Korea-Japan match seemed unbelievable, but for the second, she should've bet on Seong Jihan.
100% win rate.
No one on Battlenet had such a record!
Even if Barren was Seong Jihan's rival.
Betting on Barren instead of Seong Jihan, who showed such an overwhelming performance was plain stupid.
She should've listened.
Lee Hayeon pulled at her hair in frustration.
After blaming herself for a while...
- Player Seong's Phoenix's Arrow isn't stopping! It's about to hit the barrier!
- Wh... What?!
- What on earth...!
The shouts of the American commentators reached Lee Hayeon's ears.
"Oh. What now!"
And then.
She forced herself to look up at the TV.
Now, like a personal channel, Channel 0 was solely focused on Seong Jihan.
"What... what's that?"
Watching the screen, Lee Hayeon's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
"What's... going on?"
The barrier surrounding the Colosseum was completely shattered.
And in the space where the barrier once stood,
Instead of the elf spectators, a lightless void swayed like a night sea.