Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

Fortunately, it had no cooldown time. The bullet’s unpredictable trajectory was something no one, not even the renowned Igor, could anticipate, leaving him no choice but to expose his flank. It was this uncertainty that led to his demise by two shots.

Had Igor not been wary of Leeha at all, he might have been taken down in a single shot.

“Phew! Seriously! Where did you learn something like this, hyung?!”

Despite initially reluctant to ask, this curiosity inevitable led to an admiration for Leeha’s newfound ability.

“Enough! Pung! From now on, you are in command of the Virtue Knights. Make sure Faust and the undead can’t get anywhere near the ‘Divine Staff’!”

“Oh, okay! Leave it to me, captain!”

After quickly transferring command, Lark and Kijung rushed to Leeha’s side. Their urgency indicated the significant distance from the battlefield where Bluebeard, Leeha, and Igor, Faust were engaged.

Even as allies rushed to assist Leeha, Lark and Kijung couldn’t help but marvel at his unique skill.

“A missile attack with such power and no homing capability? Unthinkable. While archers use the [Guided Arrow], its power pales in comparison. It’s more of a supportive skill for distraction rather than a main attack. So, a skill that killed Igor in just two shots couldn’t possibly be just a distraction.”

Both wondered how Leeha managed to hit a moving target like Igor with curving bullets, especially from a distance of over 2000 meters.

But witnessing Igor’s ashes, forcibly logged out from Middle Earth, only underscored their disbelief. Ultimately, the answer was simple: sheer strength. The very thought instilled a momentary fear in Lark.

“Damn, all forces of Yamato, protect the Count.”

“No, wait. Chiyou, I didn’t take you as someone so clever,” Bluebeard remarked, his words accompanied by the sinister sound of his teeth grinding. Despite having regrouped with considerable forces including dragons, to Bluebeard, they were merely ‘these kinds of people’, showcasing the overwhelming power he possessed that was drenched in fury.

“Support Faust, you wretch. If you join in, the knights will be easily dealt with. Ensure Igor’s minions can’t retreat. Can you manage that?”

“Of course,” was the confident reply.

Leeha and Lark’s faces twisted at this. Their primary goal was Igor’s death; if Igor fell, they would withdraw, allowing them to confront Faust.

“It’d be tough with just the command of forces. Chiyou alone wouldn’t be enough to fend off the onslaught.”

Leeha and Lark exchanged looks, their thoughts aligning at that moment.

“Let’s finish this quickly!”

“Hey, Dragon? I’m not sure how to call you, but we need your support! [Blue Hurricane]!”

Lark’s skill activated in sync with Leeha’s shot. The moment Lark’s sword sparked with blue, a ferocious azure tornado engulfed Bluebeard.

Blaugrunn’s eyebrows twitched momentarily, but he wasn’t foolish enough to attack Lark in that instant.

[Impudent humans.

[Energy Wave]!]

Immediately, Blaugrunn unleashed a paralyzing magic. The electricity crackling around Bluebeard was visible even to Leeha from afar, though the wind was strong enough that Kijung had to lift his arm to shield himself. Yet, Leeha remained undisturbed.

“Ballistics unaffected by wind speed and direction are indeed overpowered,” he murmured, quietly pulling the trigger. The gunshot coincided with Bluebeard’s head snapping back.

“Hit!”

Kijung exclaimed, though no one else seemed joyous. The fierce cyclone of Blue Hurricane obscured Bluebeard from view.

“Blaugrunn? What happened?”

“You know, Leeha-nim.”

“Damn, thought so.”

Lark showed a dejected look amid the biting wind.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone walk through a Blue Hurricane like that. Oh, maybe because he’s not human?”

Bluebeard walked through the storm as if it were a gentle breeze, a spectacle not even high-ranking users could replicate.

“Foolish… petty, humans,” he muttered. However, Le’s expression remained unflinching. As soon as everyone realized what he was pushing out, the atmosphere froze over even more. Especially notable was Leeha’s expression which had turned distinctly stiff.

“What, even at this distance?”

The bullet’s velocity wouldn’t have decreased much. What sort of being could intercept a bullet traveling close to the muzzle velocity of 830 m/s with their teeth?

Bluebeard narrowed the distance. And in a moment, he vanished.

“It’s embarrassing to call this a trap,” he sneered.

Whoosh! He reappeared right in front of Leeha. The defense of Blaugrunn and Koma, and even Jellypong’s reaction speed couldn’t keep up with his movement—it was as if he made everyone blind.

“I should start by killing you, Leeha!”

Bluebeard’s staff, seething with dark energy, swung in a flash.

Swooooosh!

However, what the staff sliced through was not Leeha’s flesh.

“[Embrace of the Green]!”

“Krrrrrrrrk!”

Lark’s protective magic, used in a split-second, successfully enveloped Leeha in layers, and by the time it was all sliced through, Koma had already pulled Leeha back.

“Blaugrunn, Jellypong! Attack! [Electric Spear]”

Fizzzzzzzt!

Blaugrunn didn’t miss the momentary opening. Bluebeard’s failed ambush meant he had entered the encircled area himself—effectively, he had surrounded himself, an opportunity they couldn’t afford to miss.

The spear of lightning shot towards Bluebeard, but with just three sidesteps, Le avoided Blaugrunn’s magic.

“Momom!”

“Kraaaaaaaah!”

As Koma and Jellypong were first to charge at Bluebeard after throwing Leeha back,

Shiiiing – Shing – Shing!

Dozens of tentacles and slashes tore through the air at a speed too volatile to track, but Bluebeard countered them all with a single swing of his staff.

“Invisible to the eyes.”

For someone like Kay, who hadn’t invested much in dynamic vision, Bluebeard’s arm and staff movements were too fast to see, feeling only the buzzing motion around.

To Bluebeard, such reactions were far from surprising,

“Yawn-worthy speed.”

Puff…

“Mewoong!”

In less than a minute, several exchanges took place. Yet, it was Bluebeard’s kick that unleashed the true extent of his power, sending Koma and Jellypong flying over 50 meters, crashing into the ground.

“Le, you withstand that.”

“I haven’t lived poorly enough for mere hatchling to call me by name.”

“Hmph! Do you think your evil deeds have not left an impression on me, who possesses the memories of an adult?”

Whoosh!

Blaugrunn charged at Le, his claws crackling with electricity. Instead of casting spells one by one, he had memorized spells loaded onto his hands, firing them off whenever he swung— a method Leeha saw for the first time.

Blaugrunn’s altered combat style, blending physical attacks with magical, was undeniably sharp and efficient. Even if just one shot landed, there was a high chance that Bluebeard would enter a paralyzed state, and at that moment, he would face a concentrated attack from those around him, including Leeha and others.

Not to mention, the Breath that contained all of Blaugrunn’s energy was a given. The problem was that the ‘single shot’ failed to hit its target.

It seemed that Blaugrunn hadn’t been idly waiting while Leeha grew stronger. He had been launching a formidable offensive against Bluebeard, but to no avail.

The attacker’s inevitable anxiety and impatience were palpable, and Leeha felt them too. It was clear as day that if this continued, Blaugrunn would suffer a deadly counterattack.

“Damn it, Lark! You got anything?”

“I don’t think I’ve even received a thank you for saving you.”

As Leeha glared sharply, Lark quickly lifted his sword.

“Ahem, not that I was demanding a thank you! Anyway, this isn’t the time to just stand around after hearing ‘you got anything?’”

His sword gleamed with a red aura.

With energies different from his usual instantaneous skills condensing on the blade, Bluebeard’s gaze sharpened as he fought off Blaugrunn.

“Ha. Seems it’s not time to mess with the hatchling. Sorry, little-bronze.”

[Aaaargh!]

His staff shot out like lightning. The moment it shattered Blaugrunn’s claw, its true target was his chest, aiming precisely for the heart, the dragon’s heart. However, by raising his left arm across his chest, Blaugrunn managed to protect his heart.

[Aaaah!]

“Blaugrunn-ssi!”

An unavoidable consequence of this was a hole in his left arm.

Leeha pulled the trigger towards Bluebeard, but missed.

Dodging Leeha’s bullets, Bluebeard leaped up and kicked Blaugrunn in the face. Despite the inconceivable difference in their sizes, Blaugrunn’s massive body rolled on the ground.

“Damn, don’t come closer!”

Bang, bang! Even continuous firing was too slow to match Bluebeard’s swift movements.

“Lark!”

Moreover, he wasn’t running toward Leeha.

Lark watched this, his blade now fully enveloped in a glowing red aura, though slightly lacking intensity.

“Dammit, almost done – just 5.5 seconds! Hold him off for just 5 seconds!”

Losing his cool in desperation, a shadow loomed over him.

Bluebeard was still about 3 meters away, not the one standing in front of Lark.

“Blocking for 5 seconds should be enough, right? [Holy Spirit], [Pledge of the Temple Knights].”

Kijung steadied himself with the power of the Holy Spirit and the knights’ oath.

“Interesting, let’s see what this Holy Knight sprout can do!”

Kijung knew, even the fights between Blaugrunn and Bluebeard – he couldn’t properly see them, could he?

Meaning, he couldn’t possibly block the attacks with his shield.

No matter how he positioned the shield, the staff would cunningly bypass it, targeting Lark’s neck.

So, he didn’t choose to lift his shield.

“See for yourself! Even a worm wriggles when stepped on; do you think I’d just stand still?”

Kijung threw away his shield.

If you can’t block the trajectory of a whip-like staff, then aim for the pivot point.

Even if it meant throwing his body and life into the fray.

At this moment, towards the pivot, the true body of Bluebeard, Kijung’s sword flew.

“Kijungaaaaa!”

An explosion erupted, nearly splitting the air.