Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 75: Sultan’s Magic Mirror (5)

As we moved deeper into the ancient city, we encountered over 50 specter soldiers and 20 specter knights.

The most troublesome ones for me were, as expected, the specter knights.

The crossbow worked. Every time a magical attack piled up, the specter knight would grow more and more 'faint.'

However, Hydra's poison didn't work on the specter knights.

It might seem strange that a poison feared even by the Olympian gods wouldn't affect mere specters, but it was precisely because they were mere specters that it didn’t work.

The Olympian gods, having such an immense influence over the human world, were at least partially susceptible to such things.

Unlike weak specters, divine beings were tangible entities, defined by their divine stature.

The Greek gods even ate 'ambrosia,' the food of the gods, just to maintain their high status.

This was why the Olympian gods feared Hydra's poison and suffered from it.

Hydra's poison was the only poison that could harm a god.

"Being a god doesn't mean everything is perfect."

It was probably for this reason that Hercules, under the pretext of his 12 labors, was made to slay the Hydra.

Specters, however, lacked the physicality necessary to be affected by such poisons.

Even if they were poisoned, these ephemeral beings couldn't feel pain.

Unless it was light-based magic, undead creatures generally couldn't feel pain.

While there were some high-tier monsters that could feel pain, they were rare...

Anyway, for these reasons, I found the specter knights troublesome, but there was no major issue.

Clang— Clang—

The specter knights were all cut down by Vanessa.

Whoosh—!

Even in the light of Jeanne, the specter knights were unable to resist and melted away.

Meanwhile, Namgung Jin and Dang Sososo's performances were quite impressive as well.

Whoooosh—!

Namgung Jin swung his sword at the specter soldiers, and not a single unnecessary movement could be found.

The sword that pierced through was like a lightning strike, and his mana sparkled like blue lightning.

It was the lightning sword, often used by the Namgung family’s warriors.

With a single strike, Namgung Jin felled three specter soldiers in an instant.

"Clean."

Namgung Jin's martial arts ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) were a perfect display of the renowned family’s solid foundation, built from the basics up.

Meanwhile, Dang Sososo's hands kept releasing throwing daggers.

Whoosh—! Thunk—!

The sharp daggers pierced through the foreheads and chests of the specter soldiers.

What was unusual, though, was that the speeds of the daggers were all 'different.'

They flew in varying speeds and directions, making it difficult to dodge.

Some of the daggers were so blurry they were hard to see with the naked eye.

"Impressive."

While my power, enhanced by relics, might surpass theirs in raw strength, it was clear that in terms of technique, it would be hard to match their skills.

The details in each of their movements were on a completely different level.

As the specter soldiers fell, I saw the ancient public bathhouse, "Hamam."

It was one of the places where the 'Sultan' was likely to be.

Dang Sososo asked with a weary expression.

"Are we really going in there?"

"Yes, the Sultan might be inside."

"Isn't it too dangerous?"

"It's fine."

Dang Sososo stared at me as if I were crazy.

It was understandable. That building was a 'hotspot' thick with magical energy.

Since the Sultan was likely to be in a hotspot, I had focused my search on these marked locations on the magical map.

It was no surprise that Dang Sososo and Namgung Jin looked at me like I was a monster.

The two of them could barely move within magical energy.

On the other hand, with my "Blessing of the Underworld," I felt no effect from the hotspot.

In fact, the denser the magical energy became, the clearer the air seemed to feel.

"Seo-jun, wait a moment."

Jeanne stopped me and unfastened the string from one side of her head, wrapping it around her wrist.

[Joan of Arc's Holy Relic]

─ If you possess a relic of Saint Joan of Arc, you can perfectly receive divine power as long as you are within a certain distance of her, no matter where you are.

Joan of Arc can sense the mana of those holding her relic.

==

"All done. Please be careful."

"Yes, I'll be back soon."

Feeling warmth in my heart, I smiled softly and moved toward the hotspot.

We continued searching for hotspots, starting with the first one.

Churches, monasteries, wells, squares, foggy forests, and more.

Finally, at the 10th hotspot, I was able to find the 'Sultan.'

"I found it."

A partially destroyed, vast outdoor amphitheater.

In the center of the ruins, similar to the ancient Colosseum, stood a knight clad in pitch-black armor.

Mounted on a massive ghostly horse, the figure stood still, staring up at the audience as if reminiscing about past glory.

Sultan.

It was the specter of Sultan "Kürts Arslan I" from the First Crusade.

Whooooosh—!

A red flare shot up into the sky, dazzling the magical heavens.

Boom—! Bang—!

[...]

The Sultan, staring silently at the exploding signal flare, turned his head toward me, the one who triggered it.

Across the arena, tens of meters away, our gazes crossed.

The figure raised its dark, stained spear, preparing to throw it.

Of course, I wasn’t going to wait for that.

Thwang—!

The first shot from my crossbow pierced through the gaps in his armor and hit his shoulder.

[...]

The Hydra poison-soaked bolt worked.

I clearly saw the Sultan falter as his posture crumbled.

'It works.'

Confirming this, a black spear shot toward me.

───────!

With a terrifying whooshing sound, the spear flew toward me. I quickly activated the Shadow Cloak to dodge.

And.

Boom—!

The spear crashed into the stands, causing a portion of it to collapse.

'What a monster.'

I clicked my tongue as I looked at the half-destroyed audience seating.

Whether it's the original or a replica, it was a monstrous entity.

Thud thud thud—

The figure that threw the spear began fleeing, making its way out of the theater.

"Stop him!"

I shouted as I chased after the Sultan.

Vanessa, waiting outside the theater, took aim at the Sultan's neck with her scissors.

Whoosh—!

The Sultan turned his head, and his shoulder, along with the armor, was sliced off. However, there was no chance for an additional strike.

Thud thud thud thud—

The ghostly horse’s speed allowed the Sultan to outrun Vanessa and escape.

Thud—! Thud thud thud—!

Dang Sososo’s daggers flew toward the Sultan but were all deflected by the black armor.

Whoosh—!

[...]

Jeanne’s divine power made the magical energy around the Sultan fall off his body like ash.

Thud thud thud—

The Sultan, now covered in ash, pushed forward with even greater momentum.

Whoooosh!

Namgung Jin, who was blocking his way, was blasted back after blocking the Sultan’s spear with his sword.

'Incredible speed.'

I clicked my tongue as I watched him effortlessly break through.

With that kind of speed, it was no wonder he was hard to catch.

"Where is the Sultan!"

"Over there! The Sultan is fleeing!"

"Catch him!"

High-ranking hunters who had gathered after seeing the signal flare surrounded the fleeing Sultan.

Whoosh! Boom!

Mana chains bound the ghostly horse’s legs, while fire rained down from all directions, and awakening abilities bombarded the area.

Naturally, the Sultan managed to break through the barrage and kept running...

Whoooosh—!

But he was stopped by a blue sword strike that came from the front.

Thud—, thud—.

A woman emerged from the mist, cutting through the fog.

The wind followed her steps, pushing the magical mist aside.

Her silver hair fluttered in the breeze.

Her blue eyes, calm and deep, stared at the Sultan.

It was Rachel, who had come after seeing the signal flare.

Whoosh!

The golden sabre, wrapped in a biting wind, unleashed another strike.

Whoooosh—!

The Sultan blocked it with his spear, but was pushed back.

That forced his momentum to completely stall.

Then, following Rachel, hunters from the Bonaparte family arrived.

In their hands, they carried large rifles.

The Bonaparte family’s symbol was 'firepower.'

Their tactic was to annihilate gates with heavy firepower.

The Bonaparte family’s appearance forced the surrounding hunters to back off.

But there was no stopping the attack.

Butler Branton stepped forward.

"It's ready, my lord."

"Proceed."

At Rachel’s command, the firepower surrounding the Sultan erupted.

Boom boom boom boom—!

Hundreds, thousands of bolts from the crossbow indiscriminately rained down on the Sultan.

His black armor crumpled like scrap metal, and the ghostly horse lost its form as black blood gushed out.

[Guaaaah—!]

The Sultan’s scream echoed through the magical sky.

The overwhelming barrage of firepower was enough to destroy even a boss-class monster.

The barrage continued, raising dust that blurred vision and shaking the ground until it finally ceased.

When the smoke cleared, the Sultan’s condition was brutal.

His entire body had holes in it, like a beehive, and black blood was pooling beneath him.

However...

"!"

Rachel’s eyes widened as she watched.

The holes in his body began to close up, as if healing.

The energy used for his regeneration was coming from the mana of the Bonaparte hunters surrounding him.

─Forced mana absorption.

The Sultan’s regenerative ability was fueled by absorbing the mana of the hunters.

"Get back!"

Rachel quickly backed off, preventing the mana from being stolen.

The hunters distanced themselves to avoid having their mana drained.

But that was a mistake.

Hehehehehe—!

A fog gathered around the Sultan, and specter knights were summoned.

"!"

The newly summoned specter knights rushed toward the hunters.

■■■■■!

No fewer than ten specter knights charged at Rachel.

While the hunters were being held up, the Sultan charged.

"Stop him!"

"Arrgh!"

With his tremendous mobility, the Sultan broke through the hunters and made his way toward the square of the magical city.

The 'hotspot.'

"This is bad!"

Rachel, who had just shaken off the specter knights, made a frustrated expression.

If the Sultan escapes to the hotspot, catching him will become much more difficult.

Above all, losing mana to the Sultan was fatal.

Mana used in the magical realm couldn’t be replenished.

At this rate, the Sultan would recover in the hotspot and reappear in full form.

Unable to let that happen, Rachel prepared to chase the Sultan, ready to sacrifice herself.

"There's no need to chase him, Rachel."

"Wh... Seo-jun?"

Rachel, noticing the others' eyes on her, changed her words and asked, confused.

"What do you mean there's no need to chase him?"

"He won't recover."

"Eh?"

Rachel didn’t understand, but I knew.

I knew he wouldn’t recover from his injuries.

I had seen the Sultan suffering and fleeing after being struck by my Hydra poison.

As proof, when he regenerated, his right shoulder, which had been hit by my bolt, had turned black and seemed to be worsening instead of healing.

If it weren’t for that, there would be no reason for him to flee from me.

"Of course, he will eventually heal over time."

The Hydra poison would eventually wear off, and when that happened, the Sultan would start healing again. But until then, I had to catch him.

So, there was no need to rush.

I had figured out how to catch him from the last fight.

"Rachel, let’s go together."

"Uh... Seo-jun, it’s dangerous if you go alone."

I began heading toward the ancient city's square where the Sultan was, with Jeanne and Vanessa accompanying me.

Of course, both of them were affected by the hotspot, but I would be the only one entering the center.

With Jeanne’s relic, I could receive remote support, which allowed for this.

It was conditional permission, though, as they would step in immediately if things got dangerous.

The Sultan was at the dry fountain at the center of the square.

He hadn’t fully recovered, and there were holes in his body, with blood spilling out.

His right shoulder, poisoned by Hydra’s venom, was still blackened.

It was clear that his regeneration was hindered by the poison.

Thwang—!

I aimed at the careless Sultan’s head with my crossbow.

The Sultan reacted and turned his head, making the bolt miss.

At this rate, it would be difficult to poison him enough to reach the lethal dose.

"Really fast."

I clicked my tongue and walked toward him, releasing mana as if to provoke him.

This mana would appear as a delicious feast for him, given his ability to absorb the mana of awakened individuals for regeneration.

And sure enough.

Hisssss—

My mana began to spiral out of control, getting sucked into the Sultan.

I allowed him to take my mana.

However, I had added Hydra’s poison into the mana I was giving him.

Ssss, ssss.

The Sultan's body, which had been pierced, began to fill up and heal.

His blood stopped flowing, and he slowly began to regenerate.

And.

[......!!!!]

The Sultan started thrashing in agony.