Episode 27: Intrusion (2)
《Entered Floor 60 of the Tower of Strife: Raging Battlefield.》
Stepping onto Floor 60, Oh Hyun-woo scanned his surroundings.
Unlike its usual layout, a massive colosseum greeted him.
A central arena for duels was encircled by spectator seats and waiting rooms.
High above, an imperial viewing platform held a throne, where someone gazed down at him.
‘Arrogant bastard.’
Hyun-woo strode confidently to the center of the colosseum.
As he looked up at the throne, its occupant rose.
“So, a human after all. What a pathetic state, Caligo. Hertia.”
At the throne’s master’s words, Caligo, standing beside Hyun-woo, glared fiercely.
Karmar de Lavle—a ‘true vampire’, unlike the creations they’d faced.
But Caligo couldn’t even open his mouth.
Having served Lucifer for ages, he knew his place.
- No more chatter from now on.
That cold, fearsome command.
An absolute order from the Great One.
‘The Sage is enraged.’
Caligo bowed his head, gauging his master’s mood.
“So it’s you,”
Hyun-woo said, smirking at the figure.
“What?”
“The pest who ruined my plans is just you.”
“What does that mean…?”
Hyun-woo shouted at Karmar de Lavle on the throne.
“Karmar de Lavle. Looks like you got a new right eye. Like it?”
Karmar froze.
‘How does this human know my right eye is fake…?’
As he faltered, a death sentence rang out.
“Today, I’ll take the other one too.”
Karmar de Lavle, a low-ranking vampire noble, debuted in Episode 4 as the mastermind behind the attack on Caligo’s family—though he was just the enforcer, not the planner.
“How do you know about my eye…!”
“I plucked it myself.”
“…Lucifer?”
Like Varg, Karmar knew of Lucifer.
I wasn’t the only one to clear Episode 4, so why fixate on Lucifer?
“What’s your plan then?”
“No way! A mere human dares utter that profane name!”
Karmar enveloped himself in cursed blood, signaling combat.
Hyun-woo had no intention of backing down.
“Fine, I’ll deal with you myself.”
Since Varg, he’d mostly left fighting to his summons.
But this pest had pissed him off enough to warrant personal involvement.
“Party 1, focus. I’ll direct every move from now on.”
***
The battle began with Hertia.
“Hertia, take the lead.”
Hertia formed a mana orb and hurled it at Karmar.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The orb grazed Karmar’s coat.
“You think that’ll hit me?!”
Karmar sneered, but Hertia remained unfazed.
She extended her hand toward Iron, planning to use an artifact effect.
Karmar braced against Iron, but—
“Target: Caligo.”
At Hyun-woo’s command, Hertia redirected the artifact’s effect to Caligo.
Grinning widely, Caligo pulled a purple flask from his belt.
“Karmar, you fell for it!”
《Liberator of Death Caligo’s attack hits.》
《Deadly poison spreads through Karmar de Lavle’s body.》
“Urgh!”
Drenched in Caligo’s poison, Karmar could finally move.
‘The witch’s restraint is gone!’
Retreating, Karmar stabbed his abdomen with his left hand, expelling the poisoned blood.
“Argh!”
Meanwhile, Temina moved to the rear, and Iron stayed crouched in front.
Karmar sensed victory.
Hertia’s party was tough—her allies often got wiped out before he could act.
But now, still standing, he felt he had the upper hand.
Karmar lunged at Temina, the red-parasoled woman.
“You’ve grown rusty, Hertia! Lucifer!”
Drawing poisoned blood from his abdomen, Karmar aimed for Temina’s heart.
Temina lifted her parasol slightly, smirking.
“You’re too focused on those two. Can’t you see what’s around me?”
“What?”
As Karmar’s hand neared her chest, it burst into flames.
“Gah…!”
He clutched his burning hand, retreating.
《My skin’s precious, you know. Skill effect activates.》
《Karmar de Lavle’s skill attack is deflected.》
《Skill effect increases evasion rate.》
《Karmar de Lavle’s rotten blood seeps into Temina’s body.》
Oh Hyun-woo glanced at the latest message.
Though he avoided damage from Karmar’s attack, the debuff landed fully.
A typical stacking mechanic—each hit adds a mark, and three marks transfer control of a summon to the enemy.
But—
‘So what?’
Hyun-woo had no intention of playing Karmar’s game.
“Hertia!”
Hertia formed another black orb and hurled it at Karmar.
He dodged it easily again.
“Another mana orb? You’ve lost your edge, Hertia!”
Karmar sneered at her weakened state, but then he spotted Iron charging straight at him.
“Argh, aaah!”
《If I must act as a knight! Skill activates.》
Hertia’s artifact effect now empowered Iron, who barreled forward at high speed.
“S-Sorry!!”
“Annoying pest!”
Whoosh!
Karmar sidestepped Iron’s rapid charge at the last moment.
A growing sense of unease crept over him.
‘What’s going on? Hertia and Caligo are mere bugs compared to their prime, so why…’
The battle wasn’t unfolding as expected.
As he caught his breath, a massive energy surged from behind.
“Plenty more where that came from!”
“Caligo!”
Distracted by Iron, Karmar hadn’t noticed Caligo closing in.
“Kyahaha!”
Caligo gleefully tossed a flask of fluorescent liquid.
It shattered above Karmar, coating him instantly.
“Damn it! Get off! Get off me!”
“No use screaming. These love vampire blood! Khehe!”
《Bloom of Death Skill Effect 1 activates.》
《Poisonous seeds sprout in Karmar de Lavle’s body, causing neural paralysis for a set time.》
As the skill activated, the Holy Grail’s effect triggered, purifying the rotten blood in Temina’s body.
《Blood-Drinking Holy Grail artifact effect activates.》
《The Blood-Drinking Holy Grail protects Temina, ‘Shade of Flame’, from bleeding effects.》
Karmar raged as his failsafe in Temina vanished.
“Argh! You wretched vermin!”
“Like master, like servant. Falling for the same trick!”
As Caligo laughed and stepped back, fiery bullets began incinerating Karmar’s body.
《I’m pretty hot, you know? Skill activates.》
A seamless combo attack followed.
《Bloom of Death Skill Effect 2 activates.》
《Poison fully blooms in Karmar’s body, dealing 50% of max health as damage.》
《Most Cruel Avenger skill activates!》
《Full Bloom of Poison damage significantly increases!》
“Gaaah!”
Karmar spewed blood from his mouth.
He finally understood why Varg fell.
Every move calculated, every path predicted—an unavoidable onslaught.
It felt like facing an insurmountable mountain.
‘Lucifer. It’s the same feeling as facing him!’
Against Lucifer, he’d had no hope of victory.
The mere thought of a winning strategy felt absurd.
Surviving with only one eye lost was a miracle.
Could this human truly be Lucifer?
‘…No way. Impossible! I’m not done yet!’
Trembling, Karmar gathered the rotten blood he’d spilled across the Tower.
“Urgh… This will be your grave!”
Hyun-woo responded calmly.
“You’ll regret this.”
“A mere human dares defy me?!”
《A pool of cursed blood forms in Raging Battlefield.》
《Vampire creations are summoned from the pool of cursed blood.》
“Your blood will become part of me!”
***
‘Nice try.’
No matter how hard he struggles, he won’t beat me.
That would be an insult to Lucifer, a disgrace.
‘His attack patterns are the same as ever.’
I scoffed at Karmar’s lack of growth despite past defeats.
Why had I held back Hertia’s skills, sticking to basic attacks?
I knew he’d resort to this predictable tactic.
Vampires always overestimate themselves.
“Hahaha! No matter how refined your strategies, they’re useless before absolute power! I’ll melt you weaklings into a puddle of blood and make you mine!”
‘You’re done.’
I signaled Hertia to use her second skill.
“Hertia!”
“Yes, Master!”
《Dark Veil Skill Effect 1 activates.》
A black curtain unfurled, enveloping the blood pool in the colosseum’s center.
Karmar panicked.
“What is this…?”
Tendrils from the curtain pierced the hearts of Karmar and his creations.
A finger snap echoed.
Snap!
《Dark Veil Skill Effect 2, Vortex of Death, activates!》
A massive vortex conjured by Hertia engulfed the enemies.
“Arghhh!”
As a finisher, Caligo sprayed poison into the vortex’s core.
The lingering creations began collapsing one by one.
And then, a change came over me.