"I am known as Gandar." His voice was deep, almost guttural. "I am strong person. You not see me coming. You die."
The moment the last word left his lips, he disappeared. A blur of motion, too fast for the eye to track.
In the blink of an eye, Gandar reappeared—directly behind Ichio. His greatsword swung down in a crushing arc.
But before it could land—
A flash of silver.
Livia extended her hand.
"Alter."
A sword materialized in her grip, its blade gleaming with an unnatural glow. She moved—no, she flickered—so fast that it defied logic. In a split-second, she adjusted the angle of Gandar's attack, altering its trajectory just enough for it to miss Ichio by a hair's breadth.
Gandar's eyes widened. "What—?"
Before he could swing again, Vitalia sighed.
"Seriously, you're reckless." Her tone was unimpressed. "You just left them there like that. Did you want them to die?"
Gandar turned sharply. "What you do? You touch them, you die."
Then he noticed something.
His party members—were gone.
The realization hit him like a boulder. He spun around, his expression turning into one of disbelief. The walls of the cave had shifted. The moment he had taken his eyes off Vitalia, she had already transmuted the stone around them, crushing his teammates before they even realized what had happened.
The weight had been immense—enough to incapacitate them, but not to kill. One by one, their bodies vanished in a flash of light, forcibly transported back to the Health-Room.
The place was about to cave in, so they all left, now outside.
Gandar was alone.
He turned back, gripping his sword tightly. His muscles tensed.
The battle had just begun.
The guild hall buzzed with excitement as players and spectators watched the impending fight.
"That guy is incredible," someone in the crowd marveled, referring to the leader of Arachna. "He's a tactical genius. The way he leads his team is flawless."
"Yeah, but the real star here is Ichio," another voice countered. "Look at him. The Knull Party was supposed to be the lowest-ranked, but they're dominating. They're unstoppable. Honestly, I think they might have a shot against Arachna."
A scoff came from another player. "Seriously? You think they can beat Arachna? Do you even know who they are? Arachna was part of *The Apex*! Even if you were not a veteran player, there's no way you wouldn't know that."
The debate grew louder, voices clashing just as fiercely as the combatants would soon.
---
Back on the battlefield…
Gandar stood before the Knull Party, his imposing figure tense with rage. His eyes locked onto Ichio's team. "You…pissed off," he snarled. "Now…you pay!"
In a blur of movement, Gandar lunged, his massive sword cutting through the air toward Valkyrie. But she didn't flinch. She merely raised her head and *stared*—her piercing gaze drilling into Gandar's very soul.
A shudder ran through his body, and he instinctively stepped back. Fear flickered in his eyes.
"You…strong," he grunted, his tone shifting. "If…fight you…I die."
Without hesitation, he turned his attention to Vitalia. "You weak. You not fighter," he declared, swinging his sword with terrifying speed, aiming to slice her in half.
But just as the blade was about to strike, Vitalia… *smiled.*
"You really underestimate me, don't you?" she said calmly.
Her hand shot up, catching the blade in her grasp. A sharp *crack* echoed through the battlefield as she clenched her fingers—and the sword *shattered* into pieces.
Gandar's eyes widened. Then, fury took over. He threw his head back and released a guttural *roar*, the sheer force of it reverberating across the battlefield. His fist shot forward, slamming into Vitalia. She braced herself, but the impact sent her skidding backward.
"Oh," she muttered, shaking off the pain. "You're strong."
Ichio, standing a few paces away, assessed the situation. "If we don't deal with this guy now, things are gonna get messy." He looked at his team. "Leave him to me."
He lifted his gun—then *revoked* it. The weapon dematerialized into thin air.
Ichio smirked. "Gandar. Let's go. Just you and me. No weapons."
Gandar narrowed his eyes. "You…not lie?"
Ichio chuckled. "Why would I? I'm a man of my word, I think."
A grin crept onto Gandar's face. "Heh."
Without another word, they *charged*.
Gandar, towering over Ichio, swung first. Ichio ducked and aimed a punch at Gandar's jaw, but Gandar blocked it and drove his fist into Ichio's gut. The impact forced blood from Ichio's mouth.
"Damn," Ichio coughed, wiping his lips. "His physical stats must be insane" 'But no using ECLIPSIGHT this time.' He thought.
Ichio went for a leg sweep. Gandar leaped over it and *kicked* Ichio away. Ichio rolled across the ground, but as the girls stepped forward to help, he shot them a look.
"Stay back," he ordered.
Pushing himself up, Ichio rushed in again, throwing a punch. Gandar dodged and countered with a brutal kick, sending Ichio flying once more.
The crowd roared.
"This fight is *crazy*!" someone yelled.
Ichio wiped sweat from his brow. He had to outmaneuver Gandar.
He feinted a punch to the face. Gandar instinctively moved to block—only to realize too late that it was a *fake out*.
Ichio's *real* punch slammed into Gandar's gut with a sharp *twist*, sending him staggering back.
"Impressive…" Gandar grunted, steadying himself. "You…strong."
But Ichio wasn't done. His mind raced. *Gandar… that name… it sounds familiar.*
Their movements blurred—so fast that even some of the spectators struggled to keep up.
Punch. Block. Kick. Counter. Strike. Dodge. Their bodies moved in a violent, rhythmic exchange, fists clashing like thunder.
Ichio suddenly *vanished* from Gandar's sight.
Then—*bam!*—a gut punch sent Gandar flying.
Before he could even hit the ground, Ichio was already *there*, launching him upward with a powerful kick.
Ichio leaped high, striking Gandar midair, slamming him *downward*. But before Gandar could crash into the earth, Ichio *flashed* beneath him, kicking him to the side.
The assault continued—Ichio striking from every direction, a relentless storm of blows. Up. Down. Left. Right.
Gandar gasped, body battered. "You…strong."
Ichio exhaled, stepping back. His eyes locked onto Gandar's. "I'm not fond of people who steal others' names," he muttered. "But now… I think I recognize you." He narrowed his gaze. "You're his little brother, aren't you?"
Gandar's breath hitched. Then, finally, he nodded. "Yes… I am."
Ichio clenched his fist—and with one final, devastating punch, he sent Gandar flying.
The moment his body hit the ground, he *vanished*, transported to the Health Room.
The guild hall *exploded* with cheers.
Ichio's status board flashed before him.
Ichio smirked. "One quest… done."
The girls ran up to him.
"That was *amazing*!" Valkyrie beamed.
Ichio exhaled, shaking his head. "I thought that party stole the name of Invid," he admitted. "But now I realize… he wasn't stealing. He was just looking for his brother."
His gaze drifted toward where Gandar had disappeared.
"Since his brother was part of Invid, I guess it makes sense."
**Announcement**
**Second party, Lariso, has been eliminated!
Eliminated by party Arachna**
A ripple of excitement surged through the spectators, both on Floor 5 and inside the Guild Hall, their faces illuminated by the massive holographic screens broadcasting the battle in real-time.
Then, moments later, another announcement echoed through the battlefield.
**Announcement**
**Third party, Invid, has been eliminated!
Eliminated by party Knull**
The entire viewing area erupted into a mix of cheers and murmurs.
"So it's finally down to two teams…" one spectator muttered.
"Arachna versus Knull," another added. "Man, they could've just played it safe and stolen each other's flags, but no… they actually fought their way through."
"I mean, that's players for you. Who'd wanna win without proving their strength?"
The discussions and debates raged on among the onlookers. Some were placing bets, others arguing over which team had the upper hand. And while the spectators theorized, the scene shifted back to the battlefield—where Arachna Party stood, waiting.
CHAPTER END.