MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

"…Well then."

"Looks like your whip does have some use, after all."

Brandishing a dark farming sickle, a man with slicked-back hair looked at the woman beside him with an amused grin.

"I could say the same for your sickle," responded the woman, wrapping the whip around her waist as she chuckled. "To think it'd cut through that spell with ease."

'…Had a feeling they were gonna make their move sooner or later.' Listening to the casual conversation the two of them were sharing, a deep frown began to appear on Valyr's face.

Looking at the members in his group, he noticed that all of them were frowning as well, their gazes fixated on the two that just interrupted his spell.

"Oh?" Seemingly feigning ignorance towards their gazes all this time, it was only now did the pair look back at Valyr and the others, taking note of their expressions.

Usually, if one were to interrupt another person's attack against the same enemy, one would feel a bit apologetic towards the matter. To some extent, some would even show remorse, especially if the attack would have dealt sufficient damage to the serpent.

Yet, rather than feel the need to apologize or feel any remorse for their actions whatsoever, the two continued to look at Valyr and the others with amused grins, only to then command the members of their group to move towards them.

"…I suppose introductions are in order." After checking that all of the people on their side were behind them, the pair looked at each other for a bit and nodded before looking back at Valyr.

Placing his sickle around his waist, the man told the members of their group to keep the serpent occupied as he grinned at the young man. "Pleased to become your acquaintance, Ataraxia."

"The name's Pasuay," he said, wiping off the dust from his dark coat. "A Special-grade Executioner of the Mercenary Guild."

"Coulet," the woman replied after him, brushing her short burgundy hair to the side. "Also a Special-grade Executioner of the Mercenary Guild."

Continuing to remain silent amidst their introduction, Valyr shifted his senses towards the audience, noticing that many of them had begun to talk about the two ever since they decided to interrupt his attack from landing.

Through them, he found out more about what being a Special-grade Executioner of the Mercenary Guild entailed, especially considering that his original identity was now part of it.

"…Why did you block my attack all of a sudden?" Seeing no need to introduce himself to the two, the young man shifted their conversation to the important topic at hand. "Do you two not want to move to the third round?"

"We do, actually," replied Pasuay, with Coulet nodding in agreement.

"However…" The man smiled. "It's not like it's difficult for us to meet the requirements needed to move onto the next round."

"As long as we unleash a few powerful attacks here and there against the beast, we'll get to the third round no problem."

"But compared to that, I feel like it's more interesting for us to see what you're truly capable of, Ataraxia," continued the man, brandishing his sickle before infusing it with mana.

"Sure, you may have shown us a glimpse of your true strength earlier…"

"But is that strength only for show or is it the real deal?"

Whoosh!

After he was finished saying his piece, Pasuay went ahead and charged at Valyr, slashing his sickle tens of times to send blade after blade of energy after the latter.

"[Mana Shield]."

Telling his comrades to retreat for the meantime, a solemn expression appeared on the young man's face as he cast a few layers of shields in the man's direction.

"Don't forget about me!"

With his attention mostly focused on Pasuay's movements, Valyr took a while to register Coulet closing up on him, infusing her whip with mana before striking him down with all her might.

"[Mana Barrier]."

Bang!

Fortunately, the young man was able to respond in the nick of time, hastily casting a barrier around him before her attack could land.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With Valyr facing against their attacks at the same time, almost everyone on the platform watched the fight with bated breath, feeling a slight sense of fear at the might both Pasuay and Coulet showed even after being weakened.

Though, as more and more time passed, that fear gradually turned into admiration as they noticed that Valyr's defenses remained standing even after the duo's onslaught.

"What the…" Of course, since the other participants in their batch took note of it, both Pasuay and Coulet also began to notice it as well.

Gritting his teeth, Pasuay began to infuse more mana into his sickle, changing its form into something that had more spikes. "You really think you could stop us with just some barriers and shields?"

"We're Pasuay and Coulet!" Coulet replied soon after, changing her whip to another form as well. "As long as we set our minds to it, you won't be able to stop us!"

"…And your minds are set on making me show my full strength?" asked Valyr after some time, his expression calm as he swept his gaze over the two of them.

Fwoosh!

Feeling a slight sense of intimidation from the young man's gaze, the two briefly looked at each other before standing by their decision with even greater determination.

"What's with the question?" Pasuay shouted back in response. "Are you stalling for time? If you can show that you're stronger than us, then don't fucking beat around the bush!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Well…" Glancing at the two once more, Valyr briefly let out a sigh as he shook his head, dispelling the defense he put up without hesitation.

"If you say so."

Swoosh!

Seeing the young man remove the defenses he conjured before them, both Pasuay and Coulet looked at each other with excitement, thinking at that moment that the young man's reputation was built on lies and schemes.

However, as they began to sense the aura Valyr released, those thoughts gradually disappeared from their minds.

"[Soul Fusion]."

Whoosh!

Making use of the same skill he used before they entered the platform, the young man glanced at the two with a calm expression, focusing his aura on them.

"[Limit Break]."

Then, making use of one of his buffing skills, he pushed his aura even further, immediately putting a bit of pressure down on the two.

"[Arcane Authority]."

Getting the feeling that he hadn't fully driven his point across just yet, Valyr decided to go one step further, making use of a skill he was planning to save for the latter portion of the fight against the serpent.

"[Partial Sky]."

But since using it meant he could have the entire group follow his every command…

It wouldn't be a bad idea to use it, right?

Whoosh!