NOVEL NEXT Chapter 521: A Dance of Blade
After the meal, Daniel bound Kim Tae-sung with Atlantean steel wire to prevent further trouble in the van. He decided to return this hotheaded guy to the Kim family estate, leaving it to the patriarch to handle his son.
With everyone aboard, the van departed the restaurant near Gyeongbokgung Palace and sped onto the highway, heading back to the Kim estate. This was just the first day of their trip, and they planned to continue their leisure activities tomorrow. Both Michaela and Sylvana were eager to experience a luxurious rail cruise, so Daniel planned to see if he could arrange a trip for his family.
Suddenly, as the van raced along the highway, Daniel sensed they were being watched. The traffic thinned until they were alone on the road. A missile streaked towards the van. Envy swiftly cast a sleeping spell on Sylvana, and Daniel drew his gun, firing at the incoming threat.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions thundered as Daniel's shots intercepted the missile. The van accelerated, the driver determined to reach the Kim estate or another safe location as quickly as possible.
Under the moonlit sky and neon glow, they noticed a figure in black clothing, wearing a red demon mask, standing in the middle of the road, a sheathed blade in hand.
The driver, recognizing the figure as one of their attackers, stomps the gas pedal, intending to ram through the obstacle. Stopping would be too dangerous.
As the van sped up and the masked figure remained unmoving, the driver didn't flinch. If the figure didn't move, so be it. He would simply crash into them and continue on.
But the moment the van entered the figure's blade range, a flash of steel erupted, accompanied by the sound of metal clashing.
Slash!
The front of the van, including the entire driver's seat, was cleaved open. The slash cut through the engine, the driver, and Kim Yuna, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Blood splattered as the van swerved to the side of the highway, nearly colliding with the barrier.
Michaela reacted instantly, slicing open the van's roof with her Cleansing Fire blade. She leapt out, using her four wings and both hands to prevent the van from crashing into the concrete barrier.
Thanks to Michaela's quick thinking, the van didn't overturn, remaining upright enough for the passengers to exit safely.
Daniel glared at the man in the red demon mask, who returned his gaze. He sensed several other presences closing in, all radiating a cold killing intent.
He glanced at the driver and saw that both Kim Yuna and the driver had lost their legs below the knee.
"Michaela, protect them," Daniel ordered calmly, assessing the approaching assailants. "Envy, tend to Miss Kim and the driver. Stop their bleeding."
He also felt a tingling sensation, a sign that someone was watching them from afar. There were likely snipers positioned in the surrounding buildings.
"Let me help, my Lord!" Penthesilea offered, stepping forward to assist Daniel, but she was stopped by his stern glare.
"No, you're pregnant. Stay with Envy and help her tend to the wounded. I'll handle this," Daniel ordered, leaving no room for argument.
"Th... thank you, my Lord," Penthesilea nodded, then went to assist Envy with the injured.
"Let me help you then, Danny. I've already assimilated three out of eight Orochi souls. I'll make short work of them," Koyuki offered with a confident smile.
"Stay with Envy, Koyuki. Do you want to destroy the city?" Daniel retorted immediately. He knew the extent of Koyuki's powers. If she transformed into her Yamata no Orochi avatar, at least a kilometer radius around them would turn into a sea of flames.
Koyuki pouted but obediently stayed with Envy, helping her tend to the injured.
Daniel then calmly looked at the assailants that used the time he talked with his people to surround them. He sinks his mind into the mindscape and checks the card that can help him in this situation. But all of his cards have been gray out.
Daniel realized he didn't own any property in Korea under his name, which meant he lacked a magical connection to the land and couldn't use his magic cards, even with his ample supply of mana vials and Chromatic Philosopher's Stones in his Universal Pocket can't work around it.
He wondered why this rule, usually applicable only to creatures' spell cards, now extended to his other spells as well. He would need to consult the Keeper later to understand why the rule change.
With limited options, he could either rely on the power of Hecatonchires or utilize his professional skills to defeat these assailants. But considering they were in the middle of a city, and Hecatonchires' giant form might be noticed by those outside the bounded field since he didn't know what type of bound field this is, he could only use his own skills.
"Mammon! Help me take out the snipers!" Daniel commanded, addressing the yellow iguana who was nonchalantly munching on a banana.
Mammon simply wanted to enjoy the spectacle. It wasn't an emergency, as he knew Michaela could incinerate these foolish mortals with a single sweep of her Cleansing Fire blade. Why bother helping when he could watch the show instead?
Seeing this, Daniel felt an urge to punch Mammon's indifferent face. Gritting his teeth, he declared, "Ten Chromatic Philosopher's Stones for each sniper's head!" Daniel bribed Mammon.
Hearing this, Mammon's eyes lit up with fiery greed.
"Yahhhoooo!" With a cry, Mammon burst from his cage, materializing his Hell Lord's hellfire wings on his iguana body and soared towards the rooftops. Moments later, agonizing cries echoed through the area.
Seeing Mammon deal with the snipers, Daniel rushed towards the assailants, firing his gun at them. However, his large-caliber bullets proved useless, as the attackers expertly deflected and parried each shot with their blades.
Daniel realized the blades were made of Atlantean steel, produced in his own workshop. No wonder they could deflect his bullets. If the blades had been made of a lower-grade metal, they would have shattered upon impact.
"It seems I need to upgrade my weapon," Daniel muttered, storing his gun in his Universal Pocket.
He understood why these people could use products from his workshop against him. The blades weren't considered advanced or high-grade artifacts, so his workshop hadn't bothered to apply stringent security measures and foolproof contracts to them.
This allowed the buyers to dispel the contracts given enough time. But even with his workshop creations turned against him, Daniel remained confident in his ability to overcome these people.
Daniel then withdrew a long, sharp saber from his Universal Pocket. Its black blade gleamed with a mirror-like sheen, reflecting the neon lights. With his left hand behind his back, Daniel calmly adjusted his stance, adopting the posture of a noble fencer.
Drawing upon the skills and battle experience granted by his Fencer profession card, Daniel prepared to engage the attackers.
—
Card: Fencer
Description:
Level 1: Player gains 2 Power. May attack during the combat phase and can use equipment as if they were a creature but still a player. Damage received during the combat phase goes to the player's life points and does not heal at the end of the combat phase.
Level 2: Player gains First Strike. Heals 2 points each time the controller of this card dealt damage
Level 3: Player gains First Strike and becomes unblockable from creatures without First Strike.
Level 4: Player gains 2 Mirage Counters with each attack.
Level 5: When the controller of "Fencer" attacks, there are two combat phases. Draw a card at the end of the second combat phase.
—
He charged towards the assailants, his blade a blur of motion. With a series of swift strikes, his weapon effortlessly sliced through their Atlantean steel blades like a hot knife through butter, leaving them weaponless in a single stroke.
In that split second, as their blades were rendered useless, Daniel's saber severed the tendons in their hands and feet. Every assailant who approached him suffered the same fate, their combat abilities instantly neutralized by his swift cuts.
"Arggghh!" Four assailants crumpled to the ground as the pain from their severed tendons registered. Their fighting capacity was utterly nullified by Daniel's precise strikes.
As the first group fell, a second wave immediately charged at him. In that instant, Daniel's body seemed to split into two, then four, each image intercepting an assailant. Their blades struck Daniel's mirages, which instantly dissipated.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
With another flurry of blinding slashes from the real body, the assailants collapsed, clutching their injured hands and feet. Daniel had once again severed their tendons, aiming to capture them alive and uncover their identities.
At that moment, Daniel heard the heavy thump of helicopter rotors. He now understood what had fired the missile at the van: an attack helicopter, likely sent to finish them off now that he had dealt with most of the assailants, except for the man in the red demon mask.
Daniel didn't hesitate. Since his opponents had resorted to heavy weaponry, it was only fair for him to do the same. He pressed a button on his wrist console, aiming it towards the attack helicopter.
After a beep, a superheated plasma beam fired from orbit, falling down like a comet striking the helicopter with pinpoint accuracy and causing it to explode instantly. The attack came from the God Slayer Cannon, a space station equipped with a powerful array of weapons, including a plasma cannon capable of precisely hitting a single car on Earth from orbit.