MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

Whoosh!

Continuing to pressure Erika with the hopes that Valyr could turn the tides of battle around, Lunarossa slashed at the Lesser Sin with abandon, conjuring dozens of blades that distracted the latter at every passing second.

"Kuh…!" Although Erika wasn't getting injured by any of them, she did take note of the might that each blade contained, knowing that even a single one passing through her defense would yield with her suffering a decent amount of damage.

With that, both her mind and attention was stretched thin, keeping an eye on every single blade Lunarossa sent that came her way.

Fortunately for her, as more time continued to pass, the speed at which Lunarossa conjured the blades gradually grew slower.

Taking note of the faint traces of blood that was starting to trickle down from the woman's mouth, Erika inwardly began to cackle in delight.

'She really sacrificed her own health for something like this? What a fool!'

Motivated by the fact that the struggle between her and Lunarossa had transformed into a battle of attrition, the Lesser Sin did her utmost to keep an eye on the director's every movement.

In fact, with how much Lunarossa's condition had worsened after activating [Million Sword Anthem], Erika was given the opportunity to retaliate against the woman's attacks every once in a while, further reducing the pressure that previously accompanied the shots Valyr fired.

However, just as the Lesser Sin began to think that it was only a matter of time until Lunarossa dropped dead on her own…

Woooonnngggg…!

Feeling as if time was forcefully brought to a standstill for a brief moment, both Erika and Lunarossa sensed an incredibly overbearing pressure coming from a spot that was not far away from where they stood.

Briefly glancing at each other to see if either side knew where it was coming from, the two soon had looks of realization on their faces once they remembered that the spot where the powerful aura came from…

…Was none other than the spot Valyr headed towards during their brief bout.

Whoosh!

As if confirming the thought that had popped up in their minds, the young man appeared before them in less than an instant, emanating the same overbearing aura that had forced the two to a halt not even a second earlier.

"You…"

Sensing immense danger from this aura, Erika immediately tried to retreat and escape, hoping to get away from the amphitheater, as well as the young man before her as soon as possible.

Unfortunately for her, Valyr had already expected such a scenario to happen.

"…Bind."

Whoosh!

Empowered by the strength contained within the Shards of Defiance, the young man willed his Mystic Energy to pin Erika to the ground, showing a level of efficacy that was at least a hundred times greater than it normally did.

"Kgh…!"

Watching the pure white strands wrap around her body, the Lesser Sin swiftly tried to use a bit of her crimson energy to dispel the strands before they could cling onto her.

Yet, as if the crimson energy she conjured didn't even exist in the first place, the strands passed through them without issue, easily sticking onto her body before pulling her down to the ground with immense force.

Bang!

"Gah…!"

Caught off guard by the strands' pulling force, Erika's entire body was plunged to the ground without hesitation, forcing her into a state that made it difficult for her to even lift her head up.

Watching how the sequence of events so far had drastically changed to where their side had an immense advantage, Lunarossa took it upon herself to deactivate the skill she was using before hastily consuming her strongest health potion.

"So…" Being reminded that Valyr could only last in his current state for around 10 more seconds, the director kept the question in her mind brief.

"Need my help in anything?"

"Later," the young man responded with a calm tone, aiming his translucent arquebus directly at Erika's head before giving Lunarossa a faint nod.

Understanding a few things from the nod she received, the director faintly nodded in return before helping the arbiters and the other participants out in taming the sea of vines Erika conjured.

"You can't kill me…!" In contrast to how unruly the sea of vines continued to act, the Lesser Sin looked at Valyr with immense disdain, even though the latter's aura was far superior than hers.

"I'm at the peak of Rank 7! There's no way any attack you pull on me can dish out any dama—!"

Bang!

'-1,053,050!!!'

"Aaaaggghhh!!!"

Sending a conjured bullet directly into Erika's head, Valyr continued to maintain a calm expression as he manifested yet another bullet into the barrel of his translucent arquebus.

Bang!

'-1,098,430!!!'

"Gah!"

Though an immense pain continued to wreak havoc in her head thanks to those shots, Erika instead felt great confusion over the entire matter, wondering what kind of power the young man had to already remove 10% of her HP with just two bullets.

At the same time, she had another question in mind.

'Why is my body not healing the damage I'm taking from his attacks?'

With Valyr continuing to fire bullet after bullet at Erika's head, it did not take long for the Lesser Sin to be on the brink of death, her current appearance a far cry from the salacious charms she previously had.

Yet, it was at that very moment she'd obtained an answer to her questions, her mangled face looking at the young man with shock and horror.

"Virtue!" she screamed. "You're a goddamn pawn of those fucking Virtues!"

"Which Virtue are you a part of?! How the hell did you make contact with the Nine Realms on this planet?!"

"None of your business." Although Valyr answered Erika's questions with a nonchalant tone, the young man still kept her words in mind…

…Since even he didn't know what she was talking about.

Bang!

'-2,148,460!!!!'

With the final shot to the head being a Fatal Hit, Valyr watched as the remaining vestiges of vitality soon left Erika's body, only for the dark aura that she absorbed earlier to be released not long after.

Whoosh!

Yet, even that dark aura only lasted for a brief moment before an otherworldly presence took claim of it, causing it to disappear without a trace before Valyr could even make sense of what it was.

Then again, with [Eyes of the Sagacious One] sapping both his health and energy to its utmost limits, the young man couldn't afford to even spare a bit of attention towards the dark aura, having already overexerted his reserves beyond what his body was capable of.

Nevertheless, he was assured of one thing.

Their side… finally won.