Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Weren’t they on the same side? Or, perhaps they were but had a falling out?”

This had been Leeha’s lingering doubt.

Lark’s analytical ability to instantly devise a strategy for “Subjugation,” his insight to read the situation, his eloquence in handling human psychology, and his mysterious, unknown abilities. He possessed everything. It was impossible for Lark not to have foreseen Bluebeard’s existence and their moves.

Yet, why was he deliberately causing trouble? Leeha’s conclusion was ‘because he was on the same side as Bluebeard.’

But the current situation—’

Lark and the Virtue Knights, with swords drawn against Bluebeard. And facing them, the demonic army, exuding a ferocious aura.

Leeha and Kijung exchanged looks. The situation was peculiar, but they had no time left to ponder.

“Kyohoho, why just stand and watch! Kill them all, including that human wielding the rainbow sword!”

Understood!

Following Bluebeard’s command, the demonic army launched their assault.

“Kakaka! Though the sword is a bit small for my taste, I’ll gladly accept it!”

“I look forward to making a Death Knight from your corpse.”

The onslaught from Igor with his saw-blade sword and the lightning-fast necromancy skills from Faust!

The attack from the third and ninth-ranked was so swift that even the Virtue Knights guarding Lark could not react.

*Groan-”

Igor’s blade was formidable.

Even when trying to counter, Lark’s body had to forcibly move due to Igor’s roguish sword technique, as if grasping and pulling the blade itself. And it was towards that very spot, that Faust’s skill was aimed.

“Damn, not this again. I’ll be in danger if it hits me this time-“

Lark, failing to meet the conditions for his skill, frowned.

Being a hidden powerhouse and ending up bloodied was one of the reasons.

The collaborative attack between Igor and Faust, now part of the demonic army, had been perfected over several encounters and was unimaginably effective.

“Kakaka! Die!”

Lark would have died.

If not for Leeha and Kijung.

“[Guardian’s Seal]!”

Kijung used his skill towards the bleeding Lark.

Woosh…!

At the same time, Faust’s necromancy skill, which was burrowing into his side, was crushed and dissipated.

Lark’s frown turned to shock.

Narrowly disengaging his sword from Igor’s blade, Lark leaped back to where the Virtue Knights were and looked back.

“Master Kay?”

“Damn! Don’t look at me with those eyes! If you die, it’s trouble for Leeha and me.”

Kijung wasn’t wrong. If Lark were to die here in an ambush?

Leeha’s mission of capturing Lark and delivering him to the mystical creatures within two hours would be utterly ruined.

The alliance between humans and paleos would once again erupt into bloody conflict.

“… It’s the first time I’ve thought I might fall for a guy.”

“Stop, stop with the bad jokes! I’ll leave the offensive skills to you!”

Kijung and Lark exchanged looks. Having been targeted by the Guardian’s Seal, Lark now had all related skill information displayed via the system notification.

Lark had a good understanding of Kijung.

And Kijung also knew quite a bit about Lark.

Meaning, they both knew too well how to use the current situation to their advantage.

When a defensive specialist and an offensive specialist blend their strengths.

What kind of synergy effect would result?

Kijung, having stepped forward to protect Lark, made instinctively the best move.

Leeha immediately caught on to the situation.

“Nice, Kijung! You’ve got it! Let’s go! [Soul Link], Jellypong [Combat Mode: Agility] and Blaugrunn-ssi!”

“Yes!”

“I permit you to return to your original form. Don’t die.”

“Heh, do you think I was just fooling around while Leeha-ssi was away?”!!

Red and turquoise explosions erupted. This place isn’t the Eastern part of the New Continent.

Leeha seems to be using their skills without any restrictions.

Lark is watching, but it won’t be long before they can no longer keep hidden the fact that Blaugrunn is a dragon.

Above all, sparing any strength against Bluebeard could lead to everything falling apart before it even starts.

[Charge passionately!]

Kaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh-!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-ㅡ-!

“[Hallucination: Bahamut].”

The summoning of Bahamut’s illusion! Of course, Leeha knew it would have no effect.

Bluebeard wouldn’t be deceived by it, and given the past experiences of Faust and others with hallucination, it would be hard to see them even briefly thrown off.

But it had another effect. Leeha had only one reason for using the skill. If it didn’t work, there wasn’t a chance of victory in this battle, in Leeha’s opinion.

After all, killing Bluebeard is a completely different dimension from killing anyone else.

“But let’s try! Let’s go! [Multi-Warhead shot]!”

Thuuuuuuuum- !!

In an instant, forty bullets were shot.

As soon as Leeha appeared, Chiyou was using [Dance of the Socius]!

And apart from Bluebeard, who deflected the bullets with a staff, there was no one here who could perfectly block Leeha’s attack.

“Despite that…”

Leeha bit his lip. The main target Leeha had chosen was still considered a hidden force: the Yamato group.

Of the corpses transformed into light by Leeha’s perfect attack, only about ten were from this group.

Their capabilities were instantly recognizable as surpassing those of the Shinobi-Gumi. Many aspects of agility had been invested in their movement speed, making their movements impressively fast to Leeha.

“Ha, if Kidd were here, it would’ve made for an exciting match.”

Leeha threw out a laugh pretending to be hearty, but couldn’t hide the bitterness inside.

Leeha quickly changed their stance. When could Kidd join in, if at all? What about the others? Above all, Leeha themself didn’t have the luxury to be leisurely.

The users under the command of the Demon King, who had relatively well handled Leeha’s preemptive strike, were gritting their teeth and rushing in.

“Damn it, Kijung! And”

“Well, I think I know what you want to say, but since I was the one who had an appointment with that moldy old man, Leeha-ssi jumping in late is on you! I’ll do what I have to, so don’t interrupt! Though I won’t turn down help if you insist!”

Before Leeha could finish, Lark shouted at them first.

It was a statement absurd enough to make one laugh from the listener’s perspective.

His outcry, whether in terms of expression or content, was far from proper.

But conversely, it also showed Lark’s confidence.

Even in such a situation, joking and being at ease was considered a strength unique to Kijung and Leeha. Wanting to kill each other was certainly true.

“Anyway, talking like a bird…”

But in this moment, having someone reliable in terms of ability eased Leeha’s burden a bit.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

With a greater common enemy before them, Leeha had no intention of ignoring Lark.

“Alright then, Kijung, I’ll leave Igor, Faust, and their lot to you and that guy Lark!”

“Leave it to me!”

Only after entrusting the task of dealing with Igor, czar, Faust, and his undead legion to them, was Leeha able to focus more on his own task.

But the enemies were no easy opponents.

The leader of the Shinobi-Gumi, and Leeha’s long-standing nemesis, knew best how to oppose Leeha.

“Just kill Leeha! Scatter!”

Under Chiyou’s direct command, the tactic of the Yamato was flawless.

Whether facing Lark or doing anything else, their primary target was ‘Leeha’.

Thanks to the high-ranking fire spirit Ignis, the young boy became a super-fire bear along with Jellypong and Blaugrunn, moving in all directions almost instantly without having to fight them directly, aiming to capture Leeha alone!

Their movements, dispersing in various directions instantly, were truly exceptional. However, they made a clear mistake.

Though they scattered in all directions, ultimately, their target was still Leeha!

From Leeha’s perspective, it looked like enemies were converging on them from all directions, but to a third party observer, the movements were all too predictable, almost as if about ninety Yamato warriors had spilled towards them from three different directions.

The Leeha squad had honed their optimal pathfinding for protecting their master through countless land and aerial battles, solidifying their tactics as instinctual.

“Koma! Jellypong! Blaugrunn-ssi! Block them!”

With a roaring sound, Koma along with Jellypong and Blaugrunn rapidly intercepted each group they were assined to.

“Look out, a bear is chasing us!”

“Push them back! How tough can they be!”

“Got it. Explosive Orb!”

One of the Yamato members flicked a finger, triggering an explosion that enveloped Koma in flames.

“Nice job! Now, let me split his belly—what the?”

Before the explosion subsided, a swordsman rushed towards where Koma had been, only to be halted by a gigantic shadow emerging from the flames.

With a fierce roar, Koma extended its claws, piercing the side of the great sword.

The claws not only punctured the sword, turning defense into an offensive move, but also quickly overpowered the swordsman, who lost his weapon and became incapacitated.

In a brief moment of confusion, Koma grabbed the swordsman’s head and effortlessly tore it off.

As the lifeless body collapsed like a beheaded puppet, another Yamato member armed with dual swords charged forward.

“Damn it! Start with the limbs! This guy’s defense is insane!”

But as one of the dual swordsmen from the left group swung his weapons, Koma did not evade. Instead, allowing his forearm to be sliced, stopping the blade mid-cut in a strategic move to restrict his opponent’s actions.

Despite the swordsman’s fame as a dual-wielding expert, he could not fully cleave through Koma’s flesh, let alone muscle, astonished that merely muscle contraction could trap his blades.

Facing the bear-like creature, the renowned swordsman of Yamato found a cunning smile on Koma’s face.

Even with both arms sealed, beasts like him had one more weapon at their disposal than humans.

With a ferocious roar, Koma’s jaws clamped down on the dual-sword user’s neck.

Even for a human with a comparatively thick neck, it seemed to pose no challenge for a bear, biting through it with ease.

As the life drained out of him, his body turned into a lifeless shade.

“Agh… wha?”

Not even the formidable monsters led by Toon could stand a chance against Koma.

Yamato was known for its strength, and users like “Great Sword Storm,”

“Master of Dual Swords,” and “Snot Bomb” who first attacked, despite their renown, were effortlessly conquered. Their failure stemmed not from a lack of full commitment in their attacks against these obstacles but from the overwhelming might of Koma and its accompanying creatures.

“What’s with this slime-like thing?”

[Mongmong?]

While Koma decimated a group of Yamato forces, Jellypong pursued another group on the right. From its short slime-like body, grotesquely stretched hundreds of tendrils, squirming nauseatingly.