Back when he was in elementary school, there was a TV show that showed a proâs game play. He remembers watching the show regularly.
There was one player that left an impression on him. He didnât remember the title of the program, but he did remember it was a shooting game.
It was a brutal game where countless bullets came at the player. However, the pro was able to beat the game in one try.
All he could say was that it was amazing.
Right now, Kang Oh felt like he was that very same shooting game pro. After all, he was engaging Jigon in close quarters combat.
Even the slightest touch would mean death.
If he wanted to survive, then he would have to clear it on the first try. There were no do-overs.
âNo, I guess I have two tries.â
The Cassio Ring gave him a little leeway. But heâd buckle down and act like he didnât have it in the first place.
Black flames flickered in front of his face. If heâd pulled his head back even 0.1 seconds slower, then he wouldâve been in trouble.
He didnât even have a chance to relax.
Kang Oh immediately counterattacked.
Demon Sword Bloodâs snow-white blade sliced Jigeonâs golden armor. However, Kang Oh didnât follow all the way through. He stopped and flew out of the way.
âUhahk, damn it!â Tasha yelled.
Tasha was going crazy. After all, she was keeping him afloat whilst dodging the Black Sun, as well as matching Kang Ohâs movements.
The Black Sun passed Kang Oh again.
At the moment, Jigon was completely focused on swinging the Black Sun. He wasnât even using the fire techniques he was so proud of.
Jigon knew full well that focusing on the Black Sun was far more effective than his flame techniques. He didnât need to hit Kang Oh several times; he only needed one hit.
He would actually need two hits due to the Cassio Ring, but he had no way of knowing that.
In any case, Kang Oh and Jigonâs battle was quite strange.
Kang Ohâs attacks were the only ones hitting, while Jigon kept missing. Despite that, it seemed like Kang Oh was the one on thin ice, not Jigon.
Jigon was capable of shortening or lengthening his flaming blade at a momentâs notice. Not only that, but he also made his flames spread wildly.
Even Kang Oh wouldnât be able to dodge all of Jigonâs attacks at such close range. So how was it possible that Kang Oh kept dodging his attacks?
The first reason was Demon Sword Ubist.
Ubistâs jet-black darkness was capable of holding the black flames at bay. It only lasted a few seconds at best, but those precious seconds kept Kang Ohâs life intact.
The second reason was the mark at the center of Jigonâs breastplate.
Kang Oh had used Gluttony on the S-rank ring, âBariasâs Despairâ. Thus, he gained the Mark of Despair and Incarnation of Despair abilities.
The Mark of Despair was an amazing ability. There was a fixed chance that a marked enemy that missed an attack would gain the âdespairâ status ailment.
The despair status ailment sapped the enemy of their strength, momentarily paralyzing them.
Jigon constantly missed, so the mark occasionally took effect, leaving him completely defenseless. Kang Oh made full use of those opportunities.
In order to best dodge the Black Sun, Kang Oh minimized his movements when he counterattacked. Thus, these moments were the only times when he was allowed to launch a huge attack!
The Mark of Despair spread across Jigonâs armor like veins. He had entered the âdespairâ state.
Kang Oh thrust Blood, which was coated in blood red energy.
HP was meaningless before the Black Sun. If the Black Sun hit him, heâd die regardless.
In exchange for half of his HP, Kang Ohâs abilities were explosively increased.
Blood red energy struck Jigon. It was the Blood Emperorâs Strike.
Red shards of light burst from Jigonâs body, which were promptly sucked into Blood. Seven stars manifested along the length of the blood red sword.
âI can get one more hit in!â
Blood red energy swirled around him like a vortex.
This was the upgraded version of Blood Bomb, gained after absorbing Talastrumâs Demon.
The power was incredible. Moreover, it had been activated at point blank range.
Thus, the Gold Monarchâs Armor, which nullified ranged attacks, was helpless before the Blood Storm.
Jigon was pushed back, and slammed into the Maam Cliff.
His body made an imprint in the wall, his arms, legs, and wings all outstretched. Shards of light spilled from his body.
Kang Oh swung Ubist downwards.
The golden tiger dashed forward, but⌠wasnât able to hit him.
The status ailment had worn off, so Jigon had burned the aura away with the Black Sun.
Jigon fiercely flapped his wings and swung his blade at Kang Oh.
The dark energy and the black flames tangled together.
While his attack held the flames at bay, Kang Oh quickly flew towards Jigon.
Kang Oh was giving Jigon a one-sided beat down. However, the tides of this battle could turn at any moment.
At this point, the spectators were worried sick.
Kang Oh was getting desperate. Gluttony would only last another 2 minutes.
Despite that, he wasnât able to finish Jigon off yet. He had even gotten some Darkness Strikes and Rip Aparts in. Not only that, but he made full use of the opportunities that Mark of Despair gave him.
First, the golden armor proved to be a problem. It provided a substantial defense boost, which greatly reduced the damage Kang Oh dealt.
Second, Jigon possessed three of the God of Creationâs sources.
Third, the three sources released a ton of life force, allowing Jigon to maintain the Black Sun and somewhat restore the life force he lost.
Finally, the Black Sun forced Kang Oh to attack passively. Obviously, that reduced the amount of damage he dealt too.
These factors combined explained why Jigon was still alive.
However, the fact that Kang Oh was still alive was more surprising to Jigon. So much so that it grated on his pride.
Anyhow, Kang Oh came to a decision. He would use everything he had while Gluttony was still active.
Kang Oh instinctively obeyed the cold warning and turned his body. He couldnât dodge all of the black flames, so he shielded himself with Ubist.
Upon contact with Ubistâs dark energy, the flames and the darkness lovingly embraced.
At this rate, even Demon Sword Ubist might burn to a crisp.
Kang Oh flapped his wings and quickly got out of the way. But Jigon extended his sword, aiming for Kang Ohâs back.
Jigonâs blade quickly flew through the air.
Kang Ohâs body became quicker, and he spun in the air. Then, he rushed at Jigon once more.
Fortunately, Jigon was affected by the Mark of Despair.
Kang Oh used everything in his arsenal.
Kang Oh flew even faster than Jigon, and stuck to him like glue.
Summon the Incarnation of Vengeance, Shumir!
Summon the Incarnation of Despair, Kabel!
A long-tailed black panther, as well as a one-eyed, four-winged bird appeared.
Kabel shrieked, immediately turning the atmosphere gloomy.
Jigon, whoâd just recovered, was immediately paralyzed once more.
After that, Shumir struck Jigonâs body with its lightning fast whiptail.
âOut of my way!â Kang Oh yelled fiercely, and got right in front of Jigonâs body.
Gray energy expanded from Kang Ohâs body, which swirled around him like a vortex and devoured Jigon.
âPlease die already.â
Kang Oh took a deep breath and swung Ubist and Blood one after the other.
Heâd used everything he had.
The Gold Monarchâs Armor cracked. Shards of light exploded from Jigonâs body like the many stars in the Milky Way.
âDid I⌠win?â he suddenly thought, but he didnât let his guard down until the very end.
The darkness devoured Jigonâs entire body, spreading from his toes to his head to his wings. Jigonâs body no longer emanated a golden glow.
The Black Sun suddenly pierced through the darkness.
Fortunately, Kang Oh hadnât let down his guard, so he was able to dodge it.
Another Black Sun belatedly came out.
âKang Oh!â Tasha cried out.
His Hyper Intuition did the same. It was as if it were screaming at him to dodge.
However, he didnât have time to use Moonâs Protection, nor could he dodge it. After all, it was the fastest Jigon had ever swung the Black Sun.
Flames ignited on Kang Ohâs body.
It was as though his Avenger set was âscreamingâ.
Jigon cleaved through the giant tsunami of darkness, his helmet and armor torn to shreds. He looked exhausted.
Kang Oh couldnât believe it. Jigon was wielding a Black Sun in either hand.
To think he could wield two at once! Had he been hiding it all this time? Was it his trump card?
Jigon sported a wicked expression. Then, he let go of the sword in his left hand. Once he did, the Black Sun turned into ordinary flames.
The Black Sun thatâd attacked him first was a fake.
Now that he thought about it, the first Black Sun had been a light purple rather than black.
âDamn itâ. Kang Oh gritted his teeth.
âI finally got you.â Jigon sported a triumphant expression. âYou insect!â
The flames had already incinerated Kang Ohâs lower body and left arm.
Kang Oh flipped him off. The Terminator used its thumb, but he used his middle finger instead.
Then, he said the classic line. âIâll be back.â
The black flames completely devoured Kang Oh.
Jigon should have died to Kang Ohâs all-out assault. However, he survived due to the God of Creationâs sources.
When he was swept away by Ubistâs darkness, his three sources repaired his damaged body. Thus, he was able to survive.
Jigon realized that this was his best chance at taking Kang Oh out. However, he didnât think a normal ambush would work.
Thus, he created a fake Black Sun using the power of the sources. Then, he tricked Kang Oh by attacking with that one first.
As heâd anticipated, Kang Oh had dodged the first blade. Because of that, Kang Oh was unable to dodge his follow-up attack with the true Black Sun.
His plan had worked beautifully.
He had killed the only being capable of killing him!
In exchange, he barely had any life force left. He could only maintain the Black Sun for about 5 more minutes too.
There was a giant whale in the air far from here. There were countless spheres embedded in its back, which held humans that acted as fuel.
Most of them had already died.
âI can just refill them again.â
To the Mayanes, human beings were nothing more than batteries.
âNow then, letâs finish off the rest of them. Gainus is the main dish.â
There were a few insects still around.
He could sense the weakened presence of a dragon underneath the lake. As a parting gift, Orga had grievously injured Gainus.
âHehehe.â Jigon laughed wickedly and emitted killing intent.
The Black Sun fiercely burned within his hand.