Ubistâs body was cleaved in two, and returned to its demon sword form.
Dukeram hadnât come out unscathed.
A horizontal line appeared across his armor, and huge shards of light poured out of his rent flesh like a waterfall.
However, he hadnât fallen just yet.
If Kang Ohâs Divide the Sea had been perfect, then Dukeram wouldâve died in a single hit. However, his technique was far from perfect.
âI still have a chance!â
Glittering sand gathered together, mending Dukeramâs wound.
Dukeram tightened his legs and rushed forward.
There was no way Kang Oh could respond to him in time; he had used a powerful, destructive technique when his body was in terrible condition.
Kang Ohâs expression was vacant, as if he were a toy thatâd run out of batteries.
âIâm the final victor!â Dukeram swung Max Cain at the top of Kang Ohâs head.
Dukeram couldnât believe it.
Blind trust can kill a person.
Kang Oh had set up a perfect trap, and had acted accordingly. He had definitely lured Dukeram in.
There was no way heâd miss the proper timing.
Sparks popped out as Max Cain slid across Ubistâs wide blade.
He could still counterattack.
Dukeram didnât give up just yet.
Kang Oh used Divide the Sea again!
He swung Demon Sword Sarahoff upwards, and the absolute energy, which split the world in two, passed through Dukeramâs body.
âNo way!â Dukeram couldnât help but voice his true feelings.
How could he repeatedly use a secret technique that had such cutting power and a wide area of effect?
It was a cheat. It completely broke the gameâs balance.
As if twice wasnât enough, Kang Oh swung Sarahoff again, unleashing a third Divide the Sea.
How exactly was he doing this?
Divide the Sea consumed a ton of Stamina. A single use of it cost him about 90% of his maximum Stamina.
There was also a chance that it could fail.
Whatâs worse, the failure rate was influenced by the userâs concentration, skill, sense, etc.
The failure rate wasnât as big of an issue as the Stamina cost; it was impossible to use the technique in succession.
Normally, Kang Oh would only be able to use it once, and then he would have to wait a long time before he could use it again.
However, Gluttony had given him infinite Stamina, so he could use Divide the Sea as many times as he wanted.
It was because heâd learned Divide the Sea through firsthand experience.
If he had taken the easy route, and had gotten the technique passed down to him by Valan, thenâŠ
He wouldâve failed 50% of the time.
âI wonât lose!â Dukeram glared and readied Max Cain. Divide the Sea crashed down from above.
The blade remained intact, even though it had blocked a Divide the Sea empowered Sarahoff.
The same couldnât be said about Dukeram.
Dukeramâs body was split apart diagonally.
Dukeram tried to say his last words, but Kang Oh interrupted him.
âJust shut up and disappear, loser.â
This was the worst humiliation heâd ever experienced.
âHow dare you call me a loser!â
Dukeramâs crinkled face turned gray, and his entire body broke down.
[You have completed the quest, Divide the Sea.]
[You have been rewarded with the absolute Swordsman secret technique, Divide the Sea.]
[Slash has been replaced with Divide the Sea.]
[Divide the Sea starts at intermediate-rank due to the Whispers of the Earth.]
[You have been enlightened.]
[Your sword can contain strong feelings. Anger will make your sword fierce, while honesty will make it virtuous. This is an important clue, one that will allow you to transcend the limitations of your sword.]
First, he read through the messages related to Divide the Sea, and then continued on.
[You have defeated the Arabas Empireâs Supreme Commander, Dukeram.]
[Friendship with the Free City Alliance has been maxed out.]
[Hostility with the Arabas Empire has been maxed out.]
[You have performed too many meritorious deeds.]
[Fame has increased significantly.]
[The Allianceâs morale has increased significantly, while the Empireâs morale has dropped to rock bottom. This will have a direct influence on the outcome of the battle.]
The peerless blade, Max Cain, laid on the ground just waiting for Kang Oh to take it.
âI gave him a humiliating defeat, and he dropped Max Cain.â
He wondered what Dukeramâs expression would be like when he logged into Arth and checked his equipment window.
Dukeram would probably look really bitter.
Kang Oh picked up Max Cain and raised it high into the air.
âDukeramâs dead. AndâŠâ
Kang Oh uttered the statement heâd held deep in his heart ever since heâd started playing Arth.
âIâm the strongest!â
This was the moment that he replaced Dukeram as Arthâs strongest player.
Since Dukeram and Kang Ohâs battle had been broadcasted from start to finish, he was essentially making a statement to the entire world.
âThe Invincible Emperor, Dukeram, has been defeated!â
âThe final victor⊠is Kang Oh!â
âDukeramâs time is over. Now itâs Kang Ohâs time!â
The correspondents had been yelling this entire time, so they were taking a break. Even so, they made sure to praise Kang Oh enough for his achievements.
An even louder, more enthusiastic cheer awaited Kang Oh.
The soldiers and players affiliated with the Alliance yelled crazily.
âKang Oh! Kang Oh! Kang Oh!â
Kang Ohâs name echoed through the Nazrak Plains like the roar of thunder.
âTo think the Corps Commander would die⊠N-No. The battle is over too.â
On the other hand, Dukeramâs death was horrifying news to the Imperial Army. The Invincible Army had all disappeared too.
âAhh, we failed to protect our emperor once more.â The Sand General grieved, and collapsed into a pile of sand.
Jegal couldnât believe this.
âTo think Dukeram would lose!â
He had fought on a battlefield filled with sand, allowing him to make full use of his Desert Emperor abilities, and had even used Invincible Emperor!
This was a dream. It had to be a terrible nightmare!
Jegal angrily chewed on the tip of his index finger.
It hurt. Whatâs worse, he didnât awaken from his âdreamâ.
Jegal had to do whatever he could to decrease their losses.
âWe have to kill Kang Oh. No, we have to at least waste his Resurrection ability!â
That was the least he could do if he wanted to maintain his pride.
It wouldnât be difficult. Although Kang Oh had beaten Dukeram, the fight had taken a lot out of him, so there was no way heâd been in good shape.
âEmpire, captains! Take revenge for Mr. Dukeramâs death!â
Erik, Taker, Kuskal, and Irene dropped what they were doing, and rushed at Kang Oh. Erik and Taker had previously been fighting against Bart and Orlando respectively. Empireâs squads also came after Kang Oh.
A portion of the Empire Guildâs troops threw themselves at the Allianceâs powerhouses to buy their captains time.
âHoo.â Kang Oh took a deep breath.
Countless enemies were swarming him.
Kang Oh gripped Ubist, which currently had the highest attack power of all his weapons, in both hands and forcefully swung it.
His blade unleashed a line that cleaved the world in two!
However, Irene was accompanying the Empire Guildâs troops. A glittering flag floated above her head.
Flag of Absolute Victory!
The Empire Guildâs troops glowed; the flag would make them invulnerable to all damage for 30 seconds.
Their troops charged in, despite taking Kang Ohâs Divide the Sea head-on.
There were too many of them, especially now, when his HP was extremely low.
Of course, he could come back after death and keep fighting, but he didnât want to waste the ability on fodder like them.
Kang Oh put Sarahoff into his inventory, and pulled out Blood.
He spread out his dark red wings.
âTasha,â he said. However, he didnât hear a reply back.
It seemed like she hadnât fully healed from her defeat at Dukeramâs hands.
Kang Oh rose into the air, controlling the wings by himself. Unfortunately, his control over them was far worse than Tashaâs.
âWhere do you think youâre going!?â
Taker and the Iron Horse Squad forcefully threw their spears at him, and the Glacier Squad urgently shot Spear Strikes at him.
Meanwhile, Kuskal went with his specialty, and sniped him from afar.
Erik used a Spirit Swordsman secret technique on him.
An emerald whirlwind surged into the air.
Black Wolf, riding atop his Death Eagle, aimed for Kang Oh from above. Deep blue energy gathered within the Death Eagleâs beak.
Kuskalâs arrow spun through the air, and tore through Kang Ohâs wing.
Kang Oh lost his balance, and his body tilted in midair.
An emerald whirlwind was coming at him from the front, while the Death Eagleâs Blade Wind was coming for him from above.
âDamn it. Iâll see you after I revive.â Kang Oh prepared himself for death.
A dark red meteor came flying by with blistering speed, and snatched Kang Oh up.
The âmeteorâ avoided the Blade Winds, and pierced right through the emerald whirlwind.
âYou owe me one,â Sephiro said from atop Waryongâs back.
He was being honest. Sephiro saved him a 30 day cooldown on his Resurrection ability.
âCatch him!â Black Wolf fiercely yelled.
The armored Wakaiser and the remnants of the Flying Dragon Squad flew over and stopped the Death Eaglesâ pursuit.
On the ground, the Allianceâs troops were making quick work of what remained of the Imperial Army.
The Platinum Lion, the Iron Knight, and the Monster Elephant were fiercely rampaging across the battlefield too.
Ultimately, Jegal had only one choice.
âRetreat! Retreat!â he said arduously, his eyes bloodshot.
âRun without looking back!â
The enemy soldiers ran from the Nazrak Plains in every direction.
âDonât let a single one of them get away!â Gheor yelled.
âYouâre not going anywhere!â
The greatly motivated Alliance troops relentlessly chased after the Imperial Army, and struck their backs with both spears and swords.
Four Death Eagles, which had just narrowly survived, snatched Erik, Taker, Irene, and Jegal, and flew away from the battlefield.
The captain of the Red King Squad, Kuskal, was nowhere to be found.
The Allianceâs final squad, which had been chasing after the fleeing imperial troops, returned.
âThe Alliance has beaten the Empire! This is a victory for all of us!â Gheor yelled.
The resulting cheer of joy was never-ending.
Although a portion of it had transformed into a desert, the battle had ended in the Allianceâs victory.
It was such a brutal fight.
The Tiger Corps, which originally had 300,000 troops, had dwindled to less than 100,000.
On the other hand, the Empireâs 1st Corps, which started with 250,000 troops, went down to 50,000 troops.
Both sides had lost 200,000 troops. It was truly a disaster.
Gheor could feel goosebumps just thinking of the 1st Corpsâ strength.
Although the Eagle and Elephant Squadsâ elites had joined them, they had lost a similar amount of troops.
What if Kang Oh hadnât done as much as he did?
The battle might have gone in the Empireâs favor. Gheor extended his hand towards Kang Oh.
âYouâre the hero of this battle!â
[You have done the most in this battle. When the war between the Alliance and the Empire is concluded, you will be rewarded appropriately.]
[You have acquired the title, Hero of Nazrak.]
[All free city citizens will remember your name and your title.]
[We recommend you apply for a mayoral election. There is a high chance that you will win the seat as long as you do not pick a large city.]
Kang Oh clenched his fists and threw them into the air.
âIâm the strongest!â
âKang Oh! Kang Oh! Kang Oh!â
Cries proclaiming the new strongest player in Arth continued for some time.
The 1st Corps retreated all the way back to Saw Rock Fortress.
However, the battle between the Alliance and the Empire wasnât over yet.
The Imperial Armyâs advisor, Jegal, was busy out of his mind.
Once the Eagle and Elephant Squads appeared in the Nazrak Plains, Jegal had ordered the Empireâs 2nd and 3rd Corps to mobilize.
Daltonâs 2nd Corps seized five major cities on the eastern part of the central region. Without Burkan, the Eagle Corps was unable to stop their advance.
With this, the Empire had taken control of the entire eastern region.
Kantosâ 3rd Corps attacked the Golden Road Fortress.
Once the Battle of the Nazrak Plains was over, Ould and his commanders immediately returned to the Golden Road Fortress via the leftover wyverns. Had he not done so, the fortress wouldâve been conquered.
Losing the Golden Road Fortress was much worse than losing the eastern part of the central region. It was a relief that they had managed to get back in time.
Of course, the 2nd and 3rd Corpsâ successes couldnât make up for the colossal loss in the Nazrak Plains.
The Tiger Corpsâ council room.
âWe have to retake the Saw Rock Fortress as soon as possible.â Han Seol raised her voice.
Saw Rock Fortress was a strategic location that separated the central and eastern regions. If they managed to recapture it, then they would definitely win the war.
It would cut off the retreat route of any troops still in the central region, and simultaneously cut off their supply route too.
If need be, they could even advance upon the Arabas Empireâs imperial palace.
Since they had just beaten the Empire, now was the perfect time to strike.
Gheor nodded his head. âWeâll reorganize the Tiger Corps while advancing on Saw Rock Fortress. Weâll get reinforcements and supplies on the way there. We canât afford to give them time to prepare.â
The Tiger Corpsâ 100,000 soldiers went straight for Saw Rock Fortress.