Actually, the aura blades from the Crescent Moon Swords weren't actually aura blades. They were called Aura Fire, an upgraded version of aura blades. Only Grandmasters could use it, and Aura Fire was five times stronger than Aura Blade. On top of that, they also had the tendency to devour aura blades whole, which made them almost invulnerable once unleashed. Siegfried jumped out of the way after seeing the aura fires coming at him. If he dared to face the aura fires head-on, then not even his bones would be left. ‘Damn it! I should’ve sparred with Old Man Betelgeuse!’ Siegfried thought, thinking of the Sword Emperor who left for the Coral Race’s world. If he sparred with him a few times, then he would at least have an idea of how to face a Grandmaster... Newest update provıded by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁 In reality, it would be impossible to spar with Betelgeuse. The Sword Emperor helped save the world numerous times, but he sustained grievous injuries in the process, causing him to be hospitalized for a long period of time. Therefore, even if Siegfried wanted to spar with him, Betelgeuse would not have been able to do so. However, that was not important, as there was no use crying over spilled milk. ‘I have to retaliate somehow,’ Siegfried thought. Right after barely evading the aura fire, he spun his body with a sharp motion and launched himself toward the Dark Sky Lord. Then, he used his momentum to swing his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp with tremendous force. His movement was so fluid, natural, and precise that it was almost too perfect. Perhaps that was the reason why, but the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp sliced through the air, grazing just past the Dark Sky Lord’s nose almost dangerously. “Your movements are good,” Cassius murmured in a low voice. Unsurprisingly, the Dark Sky Lord showed why he was a Grandmaster, as he took just a single step, widening the distance just barely for the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp to almost graze his nose. ‘Damn it...’ Siegfried couldn’t help but feel bitter. He would have smashed the Dark Sky Lord’s face if he had reached out just five centimeters more. “You are praising me too much, sir,” Siegfried replied with a slight bow, trying his best not to show his inner emotions. Then, he asked, “But if I may ask a question... Why are you siding with the Holy Alliance?” “Do I have to tell you that?” “You do not have to if you do not want to, sir. But... I am curious.” “What are you curious about?” “The end waiting for the Holy Alliance will not be pretty.” “The Holy Alliance’s ultimate goal is for the angels to descend upon this world. Were you aware of that?” “Do you really think I wouldn’t? Are you perhaps treating me like an ignorant fool?” “No, that is not what I meant—” “I guess there’s no harm in telling you why I’ve sided with the Holy Alliance,” Cassius said with a shrug. Then, he flashed a chilling grin and continued, “I wish to destroy the world order created by the Marchioni Empire.” “My motherland and my house were destroyed at the hands of those opportunistic dogs, but do you know who was behind them? It was the Marchioni Empire. They not only ignored us when we needed their help, but they were the ones who plotted our demise.” What the Dark Sky Lord said made sense. The Marchioni Empire ruled over the continent with an iron fist, and it wasn't a charity, either. To maintain their rule, they never shied away from doing all sorts of things, no matter how despicable they were. Thus, it would not be strange if the Dark Sky Lord were indeed a victim of the Marchioni Empire’s actions. “My goal is to destroy the Marchioni Empire. What happens after that doesn’t concern me,” Cassius said icily. Even though he was a Grandmaster, there was no way he could win against the Marchioni Empire, which was the reason he joined the Holy Alliance. “Your coalition stands in the way of my goal. Again, I don’t have any personal grudges against you. This is just something I have to do,” Cassius said before slowly walking forward. ‘He’s getting serious,’ Siegfried could instinctively tell that the Dark Sky Lord would be showing him just what a Grandmaster was capable of this time. Just as Siegfried predicted, the Dark Sky Lord was indeed serious. ‘H-He’s insanely fast!’ The Dark Sky Lord charged with twin blades swinging, his movements so blindingly quick that if Siegfried relied on his eyes to react, then it would be too late for him to dodge. ‘One mistake and I’m dead!’ Siegfried gathered every ounce of his focus. Even the slightest slip-up could cost him his life, so he had no choice but to concentrate to the fullest. The battle between the strongest warriors of the coalition forces and the Holy Alliance resulted in the Dark Sky Lord overpowering Siegfried. ‘He’s really strong.’ Siegfried found himself unable to even think about counterattacking, as he could do nothing but focus solely on defending. The Dark Sky Lord was just that powerful. His base stats at Level 530 completely outclassed Siegfried’s. And this was truly shocking... Siegfried’s class, the Lord of Despair, was a Hidden Class that granted him extra stat points and skill points every time he leveled up. This meant that he was always stronger than others at the same level, and at times, he could even overwhelm those with significantly higher levels through sheer stat superiority. But the Dark Sky Lord was different... As a Grandmaster, his base stats were simply on another level. On top of that, his level far exceeded Siegfried’s by a wide margin. In other words, the Dark Sky Lord was far superior to Siegfried in everything. “There’s no point in hanging on. You won’t be able to beat me,” Cassius said, pressing forward and mounting the pressure. The Dark Sky Lord’s twin swords, charged with aura fire, cut across Siegfried’s abdomen. Blood burst from Siegfried’s abdomen like a fountain as he was flung far back. Siegfried could now feel, deep in his bones, the vast difference between himself and a Grandmaster. Of course, he could close that gap significantly if he could use his skills. It was all because the Lord of Despair’s skills were extremely powerful. Unfortunately, the black sky was preventing him from using any of his skills. ‘Damn it... I have to find a way...’ Siegfried growled inwardly. “Time to die, Siegfried van Proa,” Cassius said before surging toward him with killing intent. ‘D-Danger!’ Siegfried instinctively transformed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield and blocked the incoming attacks. The Dark Sky Lord’s twin swords slammed against the shield like a hammer without pausing even for a second. “Arghhh!” Siegfried gritted his teeth, gripping the shield tightly as he struggled to withstand the relentless barrage, but then... One of the Dark Sky Lord’s swords pierced Siegfried’s left thigh. As expected of a Grandmaster, he unleashed a barrage of attacks to force Siegfried to defend before stabbing the thigh that was momentarily left exposed. “Aaaack!” Siegfried let out a scream after getting stabbed in the leg. The Dark Sky Lord seized the opening and kicked the shield hard, causing Siegfried’s posture to collapse. Still holding the shield, Siegfried tumbled across the ground. However, the Dark Sky Lord was unrelenting. He chased right after Siegfried, swinging his twin swords wildly in a vicious follow-up attack. Siegfried was not in the worst possible situation, and it was no surprise. Even under normal conditions, the Dark Sky Lord was an opponent he would struggle against. Yet being forced to fight him without any of his skills was no different from suicide. “It’s over,” Cassius declared, swinging both swords aimed directly at Siegfried. But Siegfried was not about to go down without a fight, ‘You think I’ll die ?!’ In that split second, Siegfried kicked as hard as he could, slamming his foot into the Dark Sky Lord’s leg. The Dark Sky Lord lost his balance and fell to the ground. ‘Now!’ Siegfried did not miss the chance. He lunged forward, got behind the Dark Sky Lord, and wrapped his arms tightly around the young man’s neck. Siegfried locked his arms, squeezing as hard as he could to choke the Dark Sky Lord out. “It’s futile, Siegfried van Proa,” Cassius snarled, resisting the chokehold that would have knocked out any normal person. “Grrhaaa!” Siegfried groaned in agony, yet he continued to strangle Cassius. ‘H-He’s too strong! Damn it!’ The Dark Sky Lord’s physical strength was simply far too overwhelming. Siegfried couldn’t even choke him properly. ‘I have to think! I have to come up with something—’ At that moment, an idea flashed through Siegfried’s mind like lightning. ‘Hold on?! I can’t use skills here. But outside... I still can, right? That means if I transform into the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal outside, come back in, and fight... wouldn’t that work?’ It seemed like a solid plan. There was a slight chance the transformation might get canceled once he returned under the black sky, but it was still worth a shot, as he was confident that he would easily overpower the Dark Sky Lord if his plan worked. After all, he was dead anyway, so he would rather do everything he could do than sit around and wait for his death. Siegfried moved without a hint of hesitation. He released the Dark Sky Lord from the chokehold and kicked him away to buy time. Then, he took off, running at full speed without looking back. “Where do you think you’re going, Siegfried van Proa?!” Cassius roared, immediately giving chase. The Dark Sky Lord did not have the luxury to play cat and mouse with Siegfried, as he had to eliminate him, the stronger warrior in the coalition forces, and put an end to this battle as quickly as possible. The high-speed pursuit between Siegfried and the Dark Sky Lord began. “Do you really think you can escape from me alive?!” Cassius roared, running at terrifying speed. ‘W-What the hell?! How is he that fast?!’ Siegfried shrieked in horror, stunned by the Dark Sky Lord’s movement speed. Up until now, Siegfried had hardly ever met anyone who could keep up with him once he started running away. However, the Dark Sky Lord was different. He was far faster than anyone else Siegfried had ever run away from. ‘I’m gonna get caught at this rate!’ The gap between them was closing fast–no, the Dark Sky Lord was already faster than Siegfried. Suddenly, the Dark Sky Lord cut off Siegfried’s path. “You can’t escape from me, Siegfried van Proa—” Out of nowhere, an artillery shell slammed into the Dark Sky Lord’s back. Unfortunately, a single shell was nowhere near enough to kill a Grandmaster. All it did was make him stagger briefly. “Hyung-nim! Are you okay?!” From a short distance away, Seung-Gu shouted toward Siegfried. He was piloting the Golem King and the Iron Golems when he spotted Siegfried struggling against an enemy. “Seung-Gu! Buy me some time!” Siegfried did not wait for a response and immediately bolted again, leaving the Dark Sky Lord to Seung-Gu. Seung-Gu was briefly taken aback by Siegfried’s sudden retreat, but quickly pulled himself together and began firing a barrage of shells at the Dark Sky Lord. And he was not alone. Nearby, Gosran fired arrows at the Dark Sky Lord. Yong Seol-Hwa and Daytona, who were also in the vicinity, jumped in to block the Dark Sky Lord’s path. Cassius let out a long, frustrated sigh as though his patience had finally worn thin. “You little minnows dare to stand in the way of the Dark Sky Lord?” Just then, a black mist began pouring out from the Dark Sky Lord, spreading outward and shrouding the area in darkness. The black mist rapidly expanded from where he stood, shooting out and engulfing all of Siegfried’s comrades. And it did not stop there. The mist continued to spread until it turned the entire area into a pitch-black void where not even a hand in front of one’s face could be seen. “Where... am I?” Gosran muttered. Her vision was completely obstructed by the darkness, causing her to look around frantically to locate the enemy. But nothing could be seen. “If only I could use my skills...” she murmured under her breath. “How dare you try to block the Dark Sky Lord’s path,” Cassius suddenly whispered right next to her ear. His twin swords flashed, slicing across Gosran’s neck. Blood sprayed like a fountain from her neck as she collapsed dead to the ground. And that was the beginning of the massacre... Within that black mist, the Dark Sky Lord annihilated Siegfried’s entire party in the blink of an eye. Gosran was killed first, followed by Seung-Gu, Daytona, and finally Yong Seol-Hwa. It all happened in less than a minute. This was the true power of a Grandmaster. Even four named Adventurers at Level 299 were wiped out instantly. “You’re not getting away from me, Siegfried van Proa,” Cassius murmured under his breath. Then, he took off once more, chasing after Siegfried, who was already fleeing into the distance.