Though the Final Trial had begun, players from both factions remained momentarily frozen.
After all, they'd been summoned so suddenly, and while the messages had explained what needed to be done, few truly grasped the full weight of the situation.
KUUUU—WOOOM!
A massive tremor thundered across the battlefield, shattering the stillness.
It was the sound of the Titan of Destruction beginning to move.
Every step it took was so massive that the very ground rippled beneath its weight — the overwhelming presence of a being built to annihilate.
As the Titan strode forward, its dark energy began to pour outward, seeping into the Destroyers nearby.
[The Titan of Destruction grants a buff to all Destroyers.]
[All stats +30%, Attack Power +20%, Movement Speed +20%.
If a Guardian's Dragon Soul is absorbed, the buff temporarily becomes even stronger.]
[This buff strengthens further as the Titan grows in power.]
It was a buff.
The energy that once shattered the world now empowered the Destroyers — a twisted gift.
And the Guardians weren't left out either.
– KUOMOOOOOO!!
The Dragon Lord soared into the sky, its twin pairs of wings spreading wide.
From its body, a radiant crimson aura erupted, cascading down onto the Guardians below.
The energy seeped into them — a blessing born of fire and rebirth.
"[The Drbaebon Lord grants a buff to the guardians.]
[All stats +30%, Speed +15%, Medium wound recovery outside of combat, Skill damage +20%, Skill mana cost -15%.]
[This buff strengthens further as the Drbaegwan Lord grows stronger.]"
Hanyuseong felt the power surging through his body.
It was a simple directive: eliminate the Destroyers or break their will and enslave them. That way, you will empower the Drbaebon Lord.
Then you all will grow stronger as well.
Both the Colossus of Ruin and the Drbaebon Lord knew this well.
— Goseul, Rineungun,
The Colossus of Ruin looked at the enemies before him.
He saw the insignificant guardians called "Beolbes"—those who had made contracts with the dragon souls, destined to perish, utterly worthless.
He could feel those pests giving power to the Drbaegwan Lord.
Invisible to the Beolbemirs, but visible to both the Colossus of Ruin and the Drbaebon Lord, strands like threads were channeling power.
— If the number of Beolbes is reduced...
Those threads would diminish, weakening the power.
The colossus swung his greatsword with full force.
— You. Will. Die.
The massive blade split the air.
A dark aura of ruin surged forth, intending to obliterate everything in its path, including the guardians beyond.
That attack was intercepted by numerous barriers.
— Kuuuuuhhh...
— A race that should have perished...
It was a spell cast by the Drbaebon Lord.
The Drbaegon race, known as the sovereigns of magic—their pinnacle was the Drbaebon Lord.
In an instant, his magic power engulfed the sky, and countless magic circles appeared.
An overwhelming number of spells rained down on the Colossus of Ruin.
— KWAAMAMAMAA!
— You dare challenge me—the one who destroyed this world?!
With a roar of rage, the Colossus began cleaving through the spells.
Thus began the clash between the Drbaebon Lord and the Colossus of Ruin.
The shock of their collision shook the entire world.
The sky split, the earth was torn, and even those standing on the ground staggered from the impact.
"It looks even for now… but only on the surface."
Han Yuseong, watching their battle, quickly assessed the situation.
At a glance, the fight between the Drbaebon Lord and the Colossus of Ruin looked evenly matched. But on closer inspection, it was not.
The one holding the advantage was the Colossus of Ruin.
"It might be possible to hold him off—but defeating him will be difficult."
The Colossus had the upper hand in size, strength, and experience.
The Drbaegwan Lord, having only just awakened, would not easily overcome him.
The longer the fight dragged on, the worse it would become.
That's why they had to support the Drbaebon Lord from this side.
"We'll need to thin out the Destroyers quickly."
Han Yuseong noticed a message hovering at the edge of his vision.
It was the same message that had been appearing repeatedly for a while now.
[In this trial, you can check the list of top-ranked players from each faction at any time. Would you like to check now?]
Why would they show such a list?
Obvious.
Han Yuseong checked the list.
[Guardians]
Han Yuseong
Beo Medelman
Yamamoto Yuki
Li Shueman
Park Yongho
[Destroyers]
Ludwig Schmidt
Lee Seongma
Vincent Green
Christine Bramitt
Ichihara Natsumo
With the deaths of Wemmy Hamo and several Japanese rankers, the Destroyers' power had taken a serious hit.
But in terms of sheer numbers, the enemy still had the advantage.
"Then we just have to reduce their numbers."
Han Yuseong expanded his Predator's Sense wide.
"I'll start by killing the strongest ones in order."
At that moment, a group of Guardians approached Han Yuseong.
It was the other top-ranked Guardians—Beo Edelman, Yamamoto Yuki, and Park Yongho.
Han Yuseong was considered the strongest among both Guardians and Destroyers alike.
Naturally, it only made sense to consult him first about their next move.
"You're Han Yuseong, right…?"
So reasoned Beo Edelman, and he called out to Han Yuseong.
Or, more accurately, tried to.
WHAMMMMM!
Before he could finish—
Han Yuseong vanished.
A violent gust of wind roared.
In the blink of an eye, he had burst forward like a storm, launching himself deep into enemy lines at unbelievable speed.
The Destroyers, frozen in place as they assessed the battlefield, hadn't even reacted.
Beo, watching the scene unfold, looked utterly dumbfounded.
"Huh?"
The other rankers were no different.
And what happened next—
"Wait, what is that…?"
"Am I really seeing this right?"
What they witnessed was enough to shock every Guardian present.
The situation was bad.
Ludwig Schmidt, currently ranked #1 among the Destroyers, thought so.
There was no way things were going well—after all, the very reason he had become #1 was because everyone ranked above him had died.
"Damn it... this can't be good. Sure, we have the numbers, but..."
Ludwig bit his lip.
Wei Hamo, the former #1—someone who had both powerful personal strength and a large following—was dead.
So were the #2 and #3, the Japanese twins who had allied with him.
"They must've died in the Drbaegon raid... but by who?"
Only one person came to mind.
The one who had completed the Epic Quest, the one who had caused the Trial itself to change.
Most likely, they had died fighting that Guardian.
And now, that same Guardian was standing among the enemy... and would have to be fought.
"This is insane. Can we even win? What the hell are we supposed to—"
"Ludwig."
"...Seongma."
At that moment, another Destroyer approached Ludwig.
It was Lee Seongma, currently ranked #2.
Her expression was also grim.
"What a joke. You and I... ranked first and second?"
"It's past a joke. It's a damn tragedy. What about the others?"
"No idea. I ordered a search—we don't even know who they are yet.
They probably didn't even realize they were rankers until they got here."
"Yeah... that sounds about right."
Ludwig had also only realized he was ranked #1 after arriving here.
Under normal circumstances, he might've been proud—but this wasn't the time for celebration.
He looked toward the two titans locked in a catastrophic clash:
The Colossus of Ruin and the Drbaebon Lord.
"So... we only win if that Colossus comes out on top?"
"What do you want to do?"
"Well, first—we need to find out who that Guardian is.
Seongma, I think they're from your country. Ever heard the name before?"
"Nope. First time I've heard it. Looks like a total nobody."
That only made it more unbelievable for Ludwig.
The player who'd caused this whole situation was a complete unknown, even in their own homeland.
Seongma was equally frustrated.
"I'd love to at least see their face right now."
"Right. Sigh... First thing is to figure out who the hell we're dealing with.
If they're that powerful, they'll show themselves soon enough. Then we can think about how to fight them…"
Ludwig's sentence cut off mid-thought.
From far in the distance, a boom echoed—followed by screams.
And the sounds… were getting closer.
Fast. Terrifyingly fast.
— KYAAAAAAGHHH!
— P-please... help! KUHHH—!
— W-what the hell is that guy?! Stop him! Stop him!!
Ludwig and Lee Seongma turned instinctively toward the source of the noise.
It was coming from the front lines—where the Destroyers were gathered.
From that direction, a wind reeking of blood surged forward.
WHAMMM!CRACKKKK!
"GAAAHHH!!"
"KUH—GAAHH…!"
A ferocious, blade-like bloodstorm tore through the ranks of Destroyers standing in its path.
They were shredded before they could even properly resist, collapsing one after another.
Those who witnessed it panicked and scattered in fear, fleeing in all directions—
And in doing so, they opened a path straight toward Ludwig and Lee Seongma.
"L-Ludwig! It's coming this way!"
"Damn it, this is insane!"
Ludwig gritted his teeth and gripped his greatsword tightly.
At that moment—
KAAANG!
"Urgh!"
From beyond, a spear from the abyss came flying.
It was too fast to dodge.
Ludwig swung his greatsword and deflected the spear—
Trying to regain his stance.
But before he could—
BOOOOOM!!!
"K-KRAAHHH!"
The bloodstorm crashed down.
Han Yuseong, closing the distance in an instant with precise footwork, threw a punch like a flash of light.
The blood spear launched mid-motion slammed directly into Ludwig.
Consecutive strikes.
Wrist, right arm, then the shoulder—
And finally, the heart.
There was no time to react. No time to defend.
"Gahk! You insane—!"
A wave of excruciating pain overwhelmed Ludwig.
He gritted his teeth and raised his greatsword, trying to activate a skill.
If this kept up, he'd die.
He had to push his opponent back—now.
He swung his massive sword, channeling all his force into it—
But it was met head-on by Moonlight Point.
CRACKKK!
Han Yuseong's devastating slash collided with the greatsword.
Condensed magical energy exploded on impact.
The greatsword let out a screeching wail, like a tortured scream—
KAAAANG!!!
And then—
It shattered.
Ludwig's eyes widened in disbelief at the impossible sight.
It wasn't even a series of exchanges.
Just one clash—a single strike—and the greatsword didn't just crack, it shattered into pieces.
"What the hell is this—gah!"
A bloodied hand shot forward.
That hand clamped tightly around Ludwig's neck.
The pressure was so immense, it felt like his skull might burst at any second.
Ludwig stared into the eyes of the one holding him.
"I… I'm being overwhelmed this badly…?"
He couldn't believe it.
He refused to accept it.
Sure, he'd only become rank #1 because the higher-ups had died—but still, he was the top Destroyer now.
And yet… he was being crushed this easily?
"This… can't be…"
In that moment, Ludwig realized the truth.
Who this man in front of him was.
The only person capable of beating him this decisively.
A weak, disbelieving chuckle escaped his lips.
"You're… Han Yuseong…"
CRACK.
The overwhelming force snapped his neck.
Han Yuseong tossed Ludwig's limp body aside.
The surrounding Destroyers didn't just freeze in fear—they lost the will to fight.
Even Lee Seongma, rank #2, was paralyzed by shock.
"You're next."
"Ugh—H-Hyuk…!"
Han Yuseong's eyes locked onto Lee Seongma, filled with killing intent.
The red aura radiating from him warped the air itself.
Lee Seongma's body trembled violently. All she could do was watch as Han Yuseong approached.
It wasn't just fear—it was terror beyond what she could endure.
As the distance closed and her dread reached its peak—
"I-I surrender! I surrender! I'm surrendering!"
Lee Seongma cried out, declaring her surrender.
Han Yuseong halted in his tracks.
He looked at her with a flicker of disinterest, as if the fun had been spoiled, then slowly turned to scan the surroundings.
His gaze swept across the remaining Destroyers.
"H-How do we even fight that…?"
"W-We surrender too!"
"Please, just spare us!"
Faced with that gaze, the Destroyers all declared their surrender.
The air suddenly split open, and from the rift, red shackles emerged and fastened tightly around their necks.
[The following Destroyers have fallen into slavery.]
[These slaves will now fight for the Guardian faction and will be recognized as Guardians, granting additional strength to the Drbaegwan Lord.]
Reading the message, Han Yuseong turned away.
The objective had been achieved—
There was no longer any reason for him to remain here.
"Go. Help the other Guardians—
That's the only way you live now."
"W-Wait! Where are you going?!"
Lee Seongma called out, flustered.
But Han Yuseong didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and launched himself off the ground.
"I'm going to kill the other rankers on the list."
Because that was the fastest way to end this trial.
Once again, a violent wind surged through the battlefield—
A bloodstorm that no one could resist.