Junior, having unlocked the hidden feature [Foxhole], no longer hid her abilities. Her stats were as follows:
[Jupiter Junior (SSR)]
- Level: 50
- Title: None
- Profession: Elemental Disassembler
- Strength 15, Dexterity 17, Intelligence 50, Stamina 13, Magic Power 50
Yes, Level 50.
In truth, Junior had already been in the late 40s when she joined the front lines here.
Her achievements were considerable given that she studied magic on her own. Her talent was much greater than I had thought.
And she reached Level 50 during the final dungeon clear.
Through her ultimate third advancement, she obtained her unique profession - [Elemental Disassembler], and at the same time, she awakened her ultimate skill.
[Owned Skills]
> Passive: Elemental Conductor
> Skill 1: Elemental Eruption
> Skill 2: Elemental Fusion
> Ultimate: Elemental Disassembly
The ultimate skill that Junior awakened is [Elemental Disassembly].
After being harshly taken down by Celendion's magic formula.
Inspired by it, Junior shifted her focus from 'adding' to her magic to 'subtracting' from it.
She disassembled the formula, taking out its components, reversing the casting order of the magic.
Having subtracted and subtracted until she reached Yin from Yang, beyond emptiness to the void, or so they say.
I don't really know what that means, but anyway, the effect of the ultimate skill is as follows.
[Elemental Disassembly]
- Interferes with all magical elements around the target and forcibly disassembles their bonds.
> The target loses control of magical elements. The magic power stat of one target drops to 0 or below, up to -99.
It's a crazy debuff magic that reduces the target's magic power stat to negative.
'The Magic Power stat determines the maximum MP and magical defense.'
So if Junior's ultimate skill hits, it not only drains the enemy's MP bar to the bottom but can also reduce their magical defense to negative.
When the MP bar is empty, it automatically falls into a 'silence' state. Of course. What skills can you use without MP? Magic and skills are all sealed.
If the magic defense drops to 0 or below? We inflict true damage + additional damage on all our magical attacks.
It's a debuff skill designed specifically for boss fights.
'I had originally planned the Celendion raid in a much more complicated and cumbersome way.'
But the story became much simpler when Junior brought this skill. All we have to do is buy time until Junior uses this skill.
'But that time was hanging by a thread...'
And the last thing Junior was hiding was:
- Equipped Traits (3/3)
> Cunning Fox
> Gold-Fever (Cannot be removed)
> Time-Limited Life (Cannot be removed)
Exactly this.
Negative Trait, [Time-Limited Life].
[Time-Limited Life]
- Your life is not long.
- Time remaining: less than 1 year
※ The remaining days decrease whenever strain is placed on the body.
Less than 1 year...
Junior will die within a year. Moreover, the days decrease when she pushes herself.
Skills that are as taxing as her ultimate skill will only shorten her life.
Yet...
Kwaaaaaa!
Junior was casting her ultimate skill.
I could only look on with a mix of pride and sorrow.
***
"Hoo..."
Junior opened her eyes that she had closed.
Characters reaching level 50, also known as 'Awakeners', get a unique mark somewhere on their bodies.
And they manifest their ultimate skill from that mark.
Junior's mark appeared on the back of her left hand.
She lifted her left arm as if to show off the burn scar, her hair swept by the wind revealing her left face to the world.
"You said you wanted to die, Vampire King?"
Junior was emitting her awakened ultimate skill.
"Because you live forever? Because life is boring? Hey, seriously, stop the bullshit."
"...!"
The time-limited life wizard rebuked the monster that enjoyed eternal life.
"I want to live. Even one day longer in this world. But if I just lie in my room waiting for the day to die, what changes?"
Even while coughing up blood from her mouth and nose, Junior smiled like a fox.
"So I made up my mind. If life is short, I'll burn till the very last moment."
Life is like a flame.
Even if I vomited blood and drowned in a pool of it.
Even if not just my left face, but my entire body was covered in burns. Even if everything burned and only a mound of ash remained.
That's fine.
"I choose death over living! I'll die to prove to the world that I was alive!"
Living was a painful thing.
Living fiercely was an even more painful thing.
But the pain of magic eating away at her body was proof of Junior's life.
Therefore, she lit her own life on fire, creating the ultimate magic while laughing brightly.
"Hey, Vampire King. Are you slurping down others' blood just to prolong your pathetic life?"
"Ugh..."
"I'll prove it even if I have to vomit up every last drop of blood in my body. That the magician, Jupiter Junior, was here. And that I lived a very short and thick life."
Flash-!
The magic was about to be complete. Junior gritted her teeth and cried out with all her might.
"And this is, proof of my life-!"
Watching Junior's ultimate technique being completed in mid-air, Celendion gritted her teeth.
"Stop joking..."
Celendion hadn't been idle all this time.
His specialty, Blood Magic, was capable of neutralizing the enemy's magic through reverse calculations.
By merely observing, he could comprehend the enemy's magic and neutralized it.
He had been constantly attempting this.
However, the [Elemental Disassembly] that Junior was casting was a magic that utilized the principle of reverse calculation to its limit.
Celendion's reverse calculation itself wouldn't work.
After realizing this, Celendion hastily stretched out his left arm.
"How could I, Celendion, be outdone by a magic of my own principles-!"
Although he was impaled on a silver stake, he could still cast attack magic.
A magic circle of Blood Magic rose at the fingertips of Celendion. A frigid, bloody torrent erupted from the Vampire King's fingertips.
Roaaar-!
Watching this, the human commander, Ash, screamed.
"Block it! Protect Junior by all means!"
The first to obey this order and block Celendion's Blood Magic with her body was Evangeline.
"Forwarrrrd-!"
Despite her injuries, Evangeline willingly threw her body in front of the storm of Blood Magic.
Her own shield was already worn-out, so she hastily picked up another soldier's shield from the ground.
Kuwaaang!
"Ugh!"
She managed to hold out for a moment, but the shield quickly exploded.
Evangeline, who was knocked away, rolled dozens of times on the castle floor before crashing into a corner of the wall.
Lucas blocked the subsequent outpour of Blood Magic.
"Huff-!"
He ran in holding his breath, stretching out his sword.
Chaeaeang-!
A sound like clashing swords rang out.
The tip of the sword cut through the Blood Magic to both sides. Lucas gritted his teeth and held on, blocking the bloody dust with his whole body.
But a longsword is not a defensive equipment.
It's impossible to block the enemy's magic continuously. Eventually, the bloody torrent engulfed the longsword and Lucas.
Kwaakwaang!
"Ugh!"
After enduring nearly lethal damage, Lucas rolled his body to the side and escaped.
The passive skill [Man of Steel] that helped survive one-hit attacks allowed him to do this.
Flash!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At that moment, Ash's magical blade and Damien's arrow flew towards Celendion simultaneously.
Blood splattered as Celendion's left arm was chopped into pieces.
There was no time to regenerate. Gritting his teeth, Celendion stretched out his right arm.
"It's not over yet-!"
Roaaar!
The magic circle unfolded again, and a bloody torrent gushed out.
Celendion's Blood Magic was first aimed at Ash and Damien.
Ash quickly tried to block it by summoning an automatic defense tower, but the tower was blown to pieces while being summoned.
Kuwaaang!
Ash and Damien were swept away by the explosion without being able to scream.
Celendion then switched his target back to Junior. But by then, others had already taken their place in his path.
Clink! Clink!
Lilly and Margarita's reserve party of 10.
They clutched the golem gloves they'd been given like shields and held their ground.
"Anti-missile barrier artifact, activate!"
At the same moment Lilly activated the defense artifact, Saintess Margarita sprayed shield magic.
"Blessings of light-!"
Every member of the reserve party was simultaneously covered by a thick layer of shield magic.
Shield magic, anti-missile barrier artifacts, golem gauntlet shields.
Above the reserve party, firmly solidified with their own defenses, the vampire king's blood magic poured down.
KuwaKwang-!
"Cough?!"
"Kuuaaa!"
Members of the reserve party were thrown out like bowling pins, vomiting blood.
After the dense blood mist cleared, all remaining personnel lay fallen, with only Lilly standing, her arms stretched out in front of her.
In front of Lilly was a flame shield, faintly flickering, barely holding on.
"Only... once..."
Thud!
But soon after, Lilly too lost consciousness and collapsed forward.
Junior's magic was now less than ten seconds from completion.
Creak, creak-
Celendion, half-breaking the silver stake, stood up again and prepared to fire magic with his right arm.
At that moment.
"We've been waiting for this moment, vampire-!"
Three tanks from Old Hunters who had been waiting for an opportunity rushed in, throwing themselves at Celendion.
These were veterans injured in previous battles. Celendion attempted to ignore them.
However.
"...!"
Upon seeing the equipment in the three's hands, he had to block them.
In the hands of the three tanks from Old Hunters were a turquoise silver dagger, turquoise flames, and an ancient stone tablet inscribed with ancient language.
"Recognize this, monster?!"
"It's moonsilver, flames that purify corruption, and ancient magic glyphs!"
"We came prepared to kill you-!"
These were weapons used by ancient humans against vampires.
The very weapons Celendion had been wary of when he first saw the walls of Crossroad.
Old Hunters were mercenaries, each having a grudge against vampires. They came prepared with these weapons from the start.
"Ck-?!"
With no other option, Celendion had to swing the magic concentrated in his right hand towards them.
Pervberbong!
With a terrible explosion, the three tanks from Old Hunters were ripped apart.
Celendion spun his eyes. Junior's magic was now just a few seconds from completion.
'I can stop it!'
He couldn't waste a second. Celendion bulged his eyes and cast a magic circle in front of him.
Churluruk-!
In less than a second, dozens of blood magic circles appeared in front of Celendion, and immediately, hundreds of blood bullets were fired forward.
There was no one left to defend Junior. No defenders left to shield Junior.
Believing he had seized the opportunity, Celendion laughed.
***
Gold-Fever chases shiny things.
***
And so, Jupiter charged forward.
Because the most radiant thing in the world was there.
***
"My gold..."
Chak-!
Jupiter, blocking in front of Junior, unleashed a thunderbolt with a shout.
"Do not touch with your filthy hands-!"
KuwaKwaKwang!
Hundreds of blood bullets collided with the thunderbolt, causing a massive explosion.