"Listen up!" Hernandez's voice resounded throughout the Ekrast Plains. "Our only goal is the Hercules Guild. We'll kill anyone who gets in the way of our goal!" he declared.

"Oooh!" The Storm Guild members cheered.

Raon's eyes gleamed. Brand quickly came over to his side.

"I'm not sure what happened, but this is our chance."

Raon nodded his head. Brand didn't need to explain any further.

"Raon Alliance, listen up!" Raon's majestic voice rang out. "Don't get in the Storm Guild's way. Keep killing the Hegang Alliance!"

"Yes, sir!" the Breaker Guild members replied as one.

On the other hand, the Hegang Alliance, especially the Hercules Guild, was going crazy.

"Are they crazy!?" Shion jumped up. 'Why are they going after us!?'

"Mr. Arthand!" Shion quickly called. However, Arthand was quick on the uptake. He answered first.

"Mr. Shion, we'll take on the Raon Alliance, so please take care of the Storm Guild."

It was the correct move. After all, the Raon Alliance was weak and tired, while the Storm Guild was at full strength.

'If things get bad, then we'll have to retreat.'

Since he'd heard Hernandez's announcement, he considered retreating too.

As of now, there was a high chance that the Hercules Guild would take the most losses. Thus, he wanted to get as far away as he could before they turned their attention to his own guild.

"Mm!" Shion knew why he was doing this. However, there was no way of convincing Arthand to do otherwise.

Grr.

He gritted his teeth, and heavily nodded his head.

"Under...stood. I won't forget this!"

"Do as you wish," Arthand replied absentmindedly. It was clear that the Hercules Guild would take considerable losses in this battle. Thus, he wasn't really concerned with Shion's remark.

'We have to keep as many of our troops alive as possible.'

"Assume a defensive position. The Hercules Guild will take care of the Storm Guild. Don't mess with the Storm Guild!" Arthand yelled.

Hernandez grinned. "It's going exactly as planned."

"So far." Han Seol nodded her head.

"It's time," Kang Oh said. His body tingled with excitement. He could feel the heat of battle from here.

"Alright." Hernandez smiled. He was a natural battle maniac. "Let's go, everyone!"

Hernandez led the charge atop his horse. Kang Oh and Han Seol came after him, and the Storm Guild followed the two of them.

"Oh, they're coming!"

"Ugh."

The morale of the Hercules Guild and its allies began to dwindle. It didn't look like there was any way they could win.

"Haaht!"

Soon enough, Hernandez reached the Hercules Guild's formation, and began showing why he was called the Spear King.

Infinite Thrust!

Whenever his spear flashed, people would die helplessly.

"Giddy-yap! Let's go, Heuk Woon!"

He was skilled in horseback riding, and his horse would use its front or hind legs to trample on or kick his enemies away.

The Lightning Hunter, Han Seol, and the Storm Guild's high rankers showed what they were made of too.

Whizz.

Han Seol's lightning arrow pierced through one enemy soldier, and then went through two others.

Fierce Charge!

Silver Stein, a knight called the Silver Wolf, pushed through enemy lines with his favorite horse.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

His dual blades were both heavy and precise.

There was also an individual that popped out of the shadows, slit the Hercules Guild members' necks, and then receded back into the shadows.

Black Spider, Saracen!

He was an assassin with skills on par with the Harbinger of Death, Viper.

Aside from them, the Storm Guild's elite squads cut through swathes of Hercules' guild members.

'Shion's mine!' Kang Oh pulled out a demonic looking axe from his inventory. It was an S-rank axe that possessed a lethal curse called Total Annihilation.

[Total Annihilation]

Casts Total Annihilation. Drains the HP of anyone within a 50 meter radius by 1% per second. This effect lasts for 100 seconds. Does not discriminate between friend and foe. Only the caster remains unaffected by its effects. When this effect is over, the weapon breaks.

This curse was created by Katan, widely considered the worst mage in history. The forbidden spell, Total Annihilation, was contained within this hideous axe.

Kang Oh used Gluttony.

His jet-black demon sword's darkness devoured the demonic axe.

All of his abilities were increased threefold, and Total Annihilation was now usable!

To add to that, he used Devil Trigger.

His demon swords' red and black energy mixed together, and engulfed his body.

Kang Oh's body was coated in black, with streaks of red running through it. Two demon horns protruded from his beast mask, dark red wings sprouted from his back, blood-like armor covered his torso, and his beautiful tail was ever present. The Dual Demon was here!

"Tasha, please fly me over to that guy." Kang Oh pointed Blood at Shion. Shion was situated in the heart of enemy territory.

"Got it." Tasha began flapping his wings, and Kang Oh rose into the air.

Wyverns passed by him, but they didn't interfere.

Whoosh!

Kang Oh flipped through the air, and then plummeted to the ground. He was like a shooting star!

Boom!

He landed right in front of Shion.

"Kang Oh!" It was as if lasers would shoot out of his eyes. 'Stealing soul dungeons just wasn't enough for you. You had to appear before me too!?'

"Kill him immediately!" Shion yelled sharply.

"Haha, we meet again!"

"You bastard!"

Kang Oh was surrounded by Lacus, Light Rock, and Duvalnetta, all of whom had lost to Kang Oh before, as well as Shion's elite guard.

"Don't let him escape. Kill him first and then take care of the Storm Guild!" Shion yelled.

"Hmph." Kang Oh snorted.

Unfortunately for them, they hadn't surrounded him. On the contrary, the Hercules Guilds' top executives had fallen for his trap.

Total Annihilation!

[Total Annihilation has been cast.]

[Anyone within a 50 meter radius will be annihilated!]

[Anyone who stays inside will lose their HP at 1% per second.]

[Remaining Time: 100 seconds]

A giant, 50 meter wide ring appeared beneath his feet. Bizarre, ominous red letters appeared on top of the ring.

[Warning! You are within Total Annihilation's Domain!]

[You will lose 1% of your HP every second.]

[Please escape from Total Annihilation's Domain!]

Once he read the system message, Shion's face stiffened. Total Annihilation... It was a forbidden spell created by the worst mage in history, Katan!

"It's Katan's Total Annihilation. Hurry up and get out of the ring!" Shion yelled. At the same time, he called for the Phoenix, which was still fighting against Helena.

In order to fly back to its master, the Phoenix turned its back on Helena. However, Helena wouldn't just let it go scot free; she let loose a powerful spell as a parting gift.

Bam! Bam!

Despite that, the Phoenix fiercely flapped its wings and flew towards Shion.

"Shit!"

"Damn it!"

Startled by Shion's warning, the Hercules Guild members began to back off. Of course, Kang Oh wouldn't just let them get away.

'I'll ignore the small fry.'

His target was Shion and his high rankers. He planned on doing his utmost to keep them from escaping.

Kuhaaahk!

A horrifying roar escaped from his mouth.

Demon's Roar!

This roar would cause his enemies to shrink away in fear, and reduce their abilities.

Abyss Claw!

Fresh Blood Wave!

His red and black auras swept through anything in front of him.

"I'll deal with him. Everyone else, get away as fast as you can!" The paladin, Light Rock, pushed his shield forward and blocked Kang Oh's attack. He planned on sacrificing himself for his guild.

"Get away! Hurry!" Shion yelled once more.

Lacus bit his lip and turned around. Duvalnetta and the other rankers did the same.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

Blood Spear!

Blood Spears flew everywhere.

Lacus and Duvalnetta rolled onto the floor.

Tempest Tiger!

Lightning Breath!

Kang Oh shot attack after attack at Shion and his executives. Light Rock blocked his Tempest Tiger, but the executives had to roll onto the floor in order to avoid his Lightning Breath.

Abyss Transfer!

Kang Oh retreated into the darkness and disappeared. He then reappeared right beside Shion. Shion was his primary target!

Shion gritted his teeth. He kept getting system messages, telling him to get out of Total Annihilation's range ASAP.

However, he couldn't get past Kang Oh.

He was holding the Phoenix Egg in one hand, so he cast a spell using his other, which was holding his staff.

Mother Nature's Fury!

His staff unleashed a green energy blast.

Kang Oh swung Ubist at it. The green energy was sucked into his blade like water being drained into a sinkhole.

Abyss Blade, which allowed Ubist to absorb magic, had activated!

He immediately swung his sword.

Whoosh.

His jet-black greatsword cleaved through the air.

Shion gritted his teeth and ducked. The demon sword passed right over his head.

"Protect the guildmaster!" Lacus and the other high rankers rushed at Kang Oh.

Destroy Target!

Vital Strike!

Earth Slash!

Ignite!

Honorable Hammer!

Lacus's handaxe, Dulvanetta's arrow, as well as the other high rankers' attacks came flying over.

The ordinary guild members used that opportunity to escape Total Annihilation.

Red Butterfly's Dance!

Abyss Shield!

Kang Oh moved nimbly, and a swamp-like barrier formed around Kang Oh.

"Ignore him! Get out immediately!" Shion yelled. Even if he wanted to fight, he had to get out of Total Annihilation's range first.

"Keep him busy while you run away!" Lacus yelled.

"I'll keep him occupied until the very end!" Light Rock charged at Kang Oh.

"I ain't letting you go." Kang Oh went on a rampage. He was the only one free to move as he pleased within Total Annihilation's Domain.

Festival of Blood!

His snow-white blade was covered in energy as thick and dark as blood.

Transcendent Blade!

No one saw Kang Oh's sword move, but they did see the position he was in after.

Bam!

Kang Oh left a diagonal cut on Light Rock's body! Black shards of light burst from the wound. Fang Bearing Blade had activated!

The man that was called Hercules' Shield was so easily defeated.

The combination of Total Annihilation, Gluttony, Devil Trigger, Festival of Blood, Transcendent Blade, and Fang Bearing Blade resulted in instant death.

"Light Rock!" Shion and the rest of the executives were shocked.

Light Rock had the highest defense among them. To think that Light Rock would die in a single hit.

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Kang Oh advanced.

The White Shark, Excal, thought, 'Ah, screw it!', and charged at Kang Oh.

Shiver of Sharks!

If he landed an attack with his serrated dagger, then his opponent would be ripped apart, as if they were being gnawed at by sharks.

However, it was completely pointless.

Kang Oh's Hyper Intuition warned him ahead of time, so he knew exactly where Excal was attacking. Plus, it showed him where Excal was exposed too.

Stab!

Blood pierced through Excal's heart.

"You can't go..." Excal grabbed Kang Oh's arms in an attempt to buy as much time as possible.

Kang Oh picked up Excal's body with a single hand, and threw him at Shion. At the same time, Festival of Blood, which only lasted 30 seconds, wore off.

Bam!

Lacus, who was near Shion, deflected Excal's body.

"Run away!"

"Got it." Shion did as he was told. Just a little bit more, and he'd be free from the effects of Total Annihilation.

"Hmph!"

Kang Oh and Lacus clashed.

Mad Wind's Sword!

Havoc!

An axe and two swords flew through the air.

Bam!

Lacus's body fell forward, accompanied by glimmering shards of red light.

Kang Oh immediately chased after Shion.

'I got him!' Kang Oh's eyes gleamed wickedly.

"You bastard!"

"Uheok!"

But then...

A giant flame stood before him.

It was the Phoenix.

The Phoenix snatched Shion away and flew out of Total Annihilation's Domain.

"Tch." Kang Oh disappointedly clicked his tongue.

The red ring, inscribed with red letters, began to dwindle. Total Annihilation was ending, and there were no longer any living beings within the ring.

However, he'd accomplished his goal.

He'd killed Hercules' high rankers: Lacus, Light Rock, Excal, etc.

Tramp, tramp.

Kang Oh left Total Annihilation's Domain.

Shion was waiting for him. A giant firebird stood behind him with its wings outstretched.

His elite guard and the Hercules Guild surrounded Kang Oh too.

"I'll kill you!" Shion said angrily.

"Shut up and fight," Kang Oh said frighteningly. 'I'll kill every last one of you!'