The Game of the Greatest Black Mage
Chapter 155

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 155

When he switched his swordsmanship skill from Darkness to Abyss, the Corrosion of Darkness afflicting Carmine completely vanished.

As the light returned to her eyes, she immediately charged toward Seonghyun, the source of all this.

A sonic boom erupted as Carmine kicked off the ground, leaving only a deep footprint behind as her form blurred and shot forward.

FWOOOSH—!

Carmine’s face contorted from the air resistance, but even in the midst of that fierce rush, her eyes were shining brightly, fixed on Seonghyun.

The terrifying power of the spear thrust she unleashed mid-flight, wrapped in a crimson aura, was incredibly threatening.

However, Seonghyun didn't even blink at Carmine's attack, focusing only on the sword enveloped in the Abyss.

‘To not even pay attention to your opponent during a fight. What a pathetic brat!’

As Carmine thought this and thrust her spear toward Seonghyun’s head, all of his familiars converged on her, presenting their weapons.

Fiora’s shield-hand blocked the spear tip first.

Barpur’s massive body then braced Fiora.

Nocturnium, in turn, supported them both by using all the walls of the labyrinth to create a solid wall behind them, giving them a foothold.

And Balthar and Leonik crossed their swords in an ‘X’ shape to block her spear.

KAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!

KWAJIJIJIJIJI—!!!

KAGAGAGAGAGA—!!!

The spear thrust, with its terrifying power capable of destroying all things, was inevitably pushed back by the combined strength of the familiars, and for a brief moment, Carmine’s movement was stopped.

‘This is what I was aiming for.’

This was Seonghyun’s ploy.

Carmine realized it too and tried to move.

But at that moment, a sword energy darker than jet-black—the sword energy of the Abyss—appeared before her eyes.

Seonghyun’s plan was already complete, and the angle of the Abyss sword energy was utterly impossible for Carmine to dodge.

Therefore.

‘I'll block as much as I can.’

But it was a strange angle that she couldn't even block. Her spear was already tied up by the familiars.

‘I won't even be able to block it.’

The sword energy of the Abyss seemed to reflect Seonghyun’s will.

However, as if to tell him to shove that will, Carmine kicked off the ground with both feet and retreated, even abandoning her own spear.

Her retreat was fast, but it was slower than the sword energy of the Abyss.

And so, as the Abyss sword energy bore down on her, she crossed her arms in an ‘X’ and used her crimson aura to block it.

SHWIIIIIIICK—!!!

The sharp sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed horribly through the labyrinth.

‘Was she cut?’

As Seonghyun thought this and looked in her direction.

He could see Carmine, her two arms still attached but dripping blood.

‘It worked.’

The moment Seonghyun thought this, Grasp of the Abyss shot up from the floor.

“……?”

Carmine had a bewildered expression on her face.

Countless chains from the Abyss rushed to bind her.

She tried to dodge them using all sorts of footwork, but she could not escape the Grasp of the Abyss.

In the end, Carmine was captured by the chains, which were darker than jet-black.

And a system message appeared before Seonghyun.

[Using the swordsmanship skill, 『Abyss』.]

[Consumed by darkness, imprisoned in the chasm, you fall into the Abyss.]

[The 『Grasp of the Abyss』 bind the sinner.]

[The sinner, 『The Worst of Pentagrid, Carmine』, attempts to resist.]

[This is an irresistible skill.]

[Binding the sinner, 『The Worst of Pentagrid, Carmine』.]

[The weight of her sins is very heavy.]

[The speed of the sinner, 『The Worst of Pentagrid, Carmine』, is decreased by 200%, and the user's speed is increased by 200%.]

[Lasts for 1 minute.]

He was finally using the effect of the swordsmanship skill, Abyss.

Carmine's weight increased, drastically lowering her speed, while Seonghyun's speed increased by the same amount.

Carmine's whole body felt as heavy as a thousand stones.

But even so, she let out a mad laugh.

“Kyahahahaha!!! Good!!!! This is goooood!!!”

Screaming like a mad person, Carmine shot forward once again.

However, because the Grasp of the Abyss had extremely lowered her speed, she looked incredibly slow compared to before.

Her charging body being pushed back, splattering blood in all directions, looked just like a moth throwing itself into a flame. It was a picture of pure madness.

Seonghyun frowned at the sight and thought of his various skills.

‘Most of my skills are AoE.’

The majority of them were skills that had to hit a large area.

If he used them in this labyrinth, the after-effects could easily harm himself and his familiars, so he couldn't use them carelessly.

The Explosion Combo was the same.

Considering the properties of the labyrinth, the heat and explosion would very likely travel right down the passage, making it unusable.

However, there were a few skills that could be powerful in the labyrinth if used well.

For instance.

Fwing.

A single drop of blood materialized at Seonghyun's fingertip.

But the blood wasn't red; it was ominously swirling with black light.

Proof that it was mixed with a deadly poison.

Simultaneously, Seonghyun used a skill with that single drop of blood.

A Thousand Blood Swords.

A skill he wouldn't have even dreamed of using before because of Carmine's speed.

As over two hundred blood swords, swirling with black light, were summoned.

Carmine's mad laughter grew even worse.

“Kyahahahaha!!!!”

Carmine stopped charging, stood her ground, and extended her hand.

In that instant, her spear, which the familiars had been holding down, vanished and reappeared in her grasp.

As if intending to block all two hundred-plus blood swords, Carmine grinned a smile so wide it looked as if it would tear her face, and began to spin her spear.

Although her speed had been reduced, the spear spun incredibly fast, soon rotating with enough force to create a storm.

Toward that Carmine, hundreds of blood swords flew, embroidering the air with blood-red light.

As the blood swords shot forward, threatening to dye the entire labyrinth blood-red, her fiercely rotating spear blocked most of them.

But how can you cover the sky with your hand?

Pat! Pabat!

Pat! Shhk!

Ssk!

She couldn't block all of the countless flying blood swords, so a few of them inevitably grazed her.

They were just grazes, truly minor wounds.

But the moment they touched her.

FWOOOOOM—!!!

BOOM—!

F-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!!!

The blood swords that had made even the slightest contact with Carmine’s body exploded and vanished. The swords that had been knocked to the ground by her spear also detonated, splattering black blood in all directions.

As the black blood splattered and touched Carmine, her flesh was torn and she couldn't avoid taking significant damage from the explosions.

If it weren't for the Grasp of the Abyss, she would have blocked or dodged every single one of them.

But she couldn't.

Carmine, who had taken substantial damage from the explosions of the blood swords, laughed like a madwoman.

“Kyahahahaha!!! This place shall be my final battlefield-aaaaaaaaak!!!”

Her scream was filled with madness, and hearing it, Seonghyun couldn't help but get goosebumps.

She might be a hidden raid boss, but in the end, Carmine was an NPC.

That meant she was a resident of this world, yet even on the verge of death, she was fanatically enjoying the battle.

He couldn't quite understand that mindset, and it sent a chill down his spine.

But that wasn't the only thing Seonghyun had used.

[Due to the Blood Poison , the Hidden Raid Boss, 『The Worst of Pentagrid, Carmine』, enters a Virulent Poison state.]

[This is a severe, uncleansable poison.]

[Will continuously drain the HP of the Hidden Raid Boss, 『The Worst of Pentagrid, Carmine』.]

“Keol-keok.”

As expected, the effect was immediate.

But even in that moment, as Carmine coughed up black blood, she was still smiling that tearing grin.

Even her eyes were smiling in thin crescents as she looked at Seonghyun and screamed.

“Ptooey!!! Kyahahaha!!! You bastard are strong like that bitch!!!! It'll be fun to kill youuuuu!!!!”

To act like that despite the immense damage and pain from the deadly poison.

Honestly, at this point, even Seonghyun’s familiars were shaking their heads.

-A mad one.

-She's one who is possessed by madness.

-H-Hic, s-she's scary.

-Oof, she's somethin' else.

“…Her madness is incredible.”

Even the familiars shook their heads, as if they had never seen such a tenacious human.

Carmine paid their reactions no mind and charged, letting out a mad laugh.

She rushed forward, spear in hand, but the victor was already as clear as day.

Carmine was a human, a raid boss with no second phase.

Seonghyun went all out.

First, he used Blood Plague.

A skill that spread the Blood Poison to enemies and caused an explosion when its duration ended.

Then, all his familiars launched their attacks on the charging Carmine.

Now that Carmine, a wielder of the swift spear, had lost her speed, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.

She was at an overwhelming disadvantage.

But Carmine fought the familiars with a face full of happy laughter, muttering.

“Puhahahaha!!!! Kyahahaha!!! This is fun!!!! I'm so happy!!!!”

It sounded like a desperate scream, but anyone who heard it could feel it.

The genuine happiness laced in her voice.

But.

In an instant, her voice changed.

“But it's unfair if I have to go without killing anyone.”

At that chilling voice, the familiars coordinated their movements as best as they could to stop her.

Carmine thrust her spear to pierce Fiora, but Fiora dodged by turning her body into slime, creating a hole where she was targeted.

In that opening, Leonik and Balthar swung their swords at Carmine.

Shk! Shk!!!

Long cuts were left on Carmine’s torso, but she paid them no mind and was about to retrieve her spear and swing again when Barpur appeared, swinging his long claws with the intent to tear her apart.

SHRRRRRIP—!!!

SHRAK!!!

Her flesh was torn and her muscles ruptured, but she ignored it and swung her spear wide again, trying to take down all the familiars at once.

But in that moment, Nocturnium’s labyrinth wall shot up and blocked the spear tip.

The situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for her, but Carmine was smiling.

Conversely, the expressions of the familiars, who had the upper hand, hardened.

How could she fight so tenaciously?

Even after all their attacks had succeeded, she would not fall.

Her left arm was severed and fell away, but she did not let go of her spear, wielding it with just her right arm.

All with a happy expression on her face.

Just as the familiars were growing disgusted by her madness, Seonghyun used all his stacks to detonate the Mark of Death.

Countless arms of death, acting like scythes, slashed at Carmine’s neck.

But she was still smiling.

‘Is this for real?’

She looked ready to charge again at any moment.

However.

Thump.

As if collapsing, Carmine dropped to her knees.

‘Is it over now?’

Just as Seonghyun and the familiars thought this.

“Keol-keok. Kyahahaha!!! My vengeful spirit alone shall remain here forever!!!”

With that final scream, she collapsed to the floor.

‘Did we really win?’

He had a feeling she might just get up and fight again.

As Seonghyun looked around with that thought, the system message finally appeared.

“We barely won.”

Truly, it seemed there would never be another boss as tenacious as this one.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]