Chapter 226

Chapter 227. The Strongest Shield and the Strongest Spear (3)

Distance and the initiative to strike. The greatest weapon of an archer.

Before the enemy can close the distance, the archer gains an infinite initiative to strike.

Two thousand meters. Even at full sprint, it takes five minutes, and even on horseback, it takes a minute.

Moreover, this isn’t flat ground but a dense forest scattered with large rocks. It’s a place where even walking carefully would be strange, let alone running—

Kwa-rurururung!

Every time Hyperion leaps, thunder roars, and in the blink of an eye, he moves dozens of meters.

A speed so terrifying that even Keter’s arrows, which had always hit their mark no matter what the opponent did, missed hopelessly.

“Arrows, huh? Cute weapons.”

Despite his words, Hyperion didn’t underestimate Keter’s archery.

‘I never thought anyone other than my master could pierce my Iron Blood Divine Technique.’

The Iron Blood Divine Technique theoretically makes the body infinitely hard. Even Orichalcon, said to be the strongest mineral, feels soft in comparison.

It’s not just the body that becomes hard. A layer thinner than a hair forms on the skin’s surface and inside, with a hardness comparable to Orichalcon.

92 layers.

Invisible to the naked eye, Hyperion is protected by 92 layers.

Yet, the arrow that hit his forehead destroyed all 92 layers, damaging his body.

‘Damn, my master can pierce it with just a flick… but that was definitely terrifying.’

An arrow that flew thousands of meters without a sound or presence.

Having noticed it too late, even Hyperion couldn’t avoid taking damage.

‘If I had been hit by that arrow a year ago, I would’ve died instantly.’

A year ago, I only had 52 layers, so the arrow would’ve been halfway through my head. Even someone with monstrous physical abilities would die instantly if an arrow pierced half their head.

Which means…

“You’re too late, Keter.”

Realizing he couldn’t shoot down Hyperion, who was charging confidently, Keter changed his attack method. He shot Milky Way in advance to block Hyperion’s path with an explosion.

“Is this all? Try that attack again, the one that left a bump on my forehead!”

Milky Way is powerful. Just being caught in the explosion’s aftermath destroys several layers, but the Iron Blood Divine Technique isn’t called a divine technique for nothing.

The destroyed layers are instantly restored. All of them, regardless of how many were destroyed.

In other words, unless the attack can destroy all 92 layers at once, it’s meaningless.

Keter knew this, but seeing it firsthand made him laugh bitterly.

‘This is ridiculous.’

An invincible shield that restores itself—what a ridiculous concept. Keter genuinely wondered who came up with and actually created such a technique.

‘But hey, I didn’t shoot Milky Way just for fun.’

The explosion wasn’t meant to block Hyperion’s advance.

“Hmm…?!”

Hyperion, who emerged through the Milky Way explosion, stopped and looked around.

“Running away? Alone?”

Only Decameron remained where Keter had been.

“Ahahaha! You abandoned your pride and ran to save your life! And you call yourself a man!”

His laughter echoed through the forest, loud enough to be heard in the neighboring country.

“Hmm, did he really run away…?”

Hyperion couldn’t sense Keter’s presence.

Soon, his gaze fell downward. Decameron’s eyes, which met his, had life but no emotion.

“Huh? Are you human?”

Hyperion, who descended from the sky, stood before Decameron. Decameron didn’t stop him.

“Looking closely, you…”

As Hyperion frowned and raised his fist, he suddenly stretched his left arm backward.

Parurururu!

The white arrow, Baeklin, trembled in his hand.

“I expected you wouldn’t run away.”

Having been hit by Baeklin once, Hyperion wasn’t going to let it happen again. Instead of a fist, he extended his palm toward the direction the arrow came from.

Blue Sky Thunderclap Palm.

Kwonhwang’s techniques weren’t limited to fist techniques.

While palm techniques were less powerful than fist techniques, their range and reach were far greater.

Dozens of meters of forest were swept away in an instant, leaving it bald. Hyperion’s ploy to reveal Keter, who was hiding somewhere.

Then—

“I also expected you’d aim for where the arrow came from.”

Keter’s voice came from somewhere.

It was right behind Decameron.

“……!”

Hyperion’s eyes widened in shock.

‘He was hiding behind this midget, lying down?!’

The reason Hyperion couldn’t sense Keter wasn’t just because of Keter’s stealth. Keter’s presence was masked by Decameron’s.

Moreover, Keter was an archer. Hyperion never expected an archer to attack from such close range. And with arrows!

Keter, holding Tusk in both hands, stabbed at Hyperion’s neck.

Though there was no acceleration, Keter had activated the 5th stage of Heavenly Power, compensating for the lack of force with sheer strength.

Ziiiaaaak! Kwadddduk!

Two Tusks struck the thick neck. It was clearly the best strike, hitting the opponent’s weak point.

But—

“My neck was feeling stiff anyway. Your massage skills are top-notch.”

Tusk didn’t penetrate. The same Tusk that had killed the Rock Queen Ant.

It wasn’t Baeklin, nor was it a Mana Arrow, but the fact that Hyperion didn’t even flinch was shocking.

Paaak!

Hyperion turned and swung his arm. Keter blocked with Amaranth but was sent flying.

“I didn’t think someone as strong as you would run away. But I never imagined you’d hide by lying down. I respect your decision to bend your pride to win.”

Keter wiped the blood from his mouth. Even with Amaranth, a demon bow, he couldn’t fully absorb the impact.

There was no chance. Even after giving up the archer’s advantage of distance to launch a sneak attack, it had completely failed.

Tusk, known for its unparalleled piercing power in Celestial Infinity Technique, couldn’t penetrate Hyperion’s Iron Blood Divine Technique without Baeklin or Mana Arrows. And Hyperion wasn’t foolish enough to get hit twice.

Yet, Keter smirked and said, “I expected you’d respect me.”

Keter spoke playfully.

Hyperion’s brow furrowed slightly.

“You’re acting all relaxed? Fine. Let’s see if you can still smile when your limbs are torn off.”

* * *

Kai thought Homunculi were created solely for combat and slaughter, but the reality was different.

Artificial lifeforms most similar to humans. That’s what Homunculi are. They think and judge for themselves.

Decameron was no different. Watching Keter fight Hyperion, he thought he should help.

But in reality, he didn’t move. He just watched the battle with his eyes.

It wasn’t indifference.

‘If I interfere, I’ll only get in the way.’

Keter was walking a fine line between life and death. It wasn’t just that death was nearby; he was practically carrying it on his back.

Kwaaaang! Kurururung!

Every time Hyperion threw a punch, thunder roared. The sound was deafening, enough to burst eardrums.

But what was truly terrifying wasn’t the sound but the absurd power.

Everything in the punch’s path was obliterated. It felt like he wasn’t just destroying objects but the very space itself.

Keter was also exceptionally skilled in close-quarters archery. While Hyperion barely missed hitting Keter, Keter’s accuracy was a perfect 100%.

Blocking with the bow, striking, stabbing with arrows, slashing…

The Aura Arrows, sprouting like wings, targeted the softest parts of the human body: eyes, ears, lips, and groin.

‘Nothing’s working. His defense is beyond measure.’

Though Decameron didn’t know about the Iron Blood Divine Technique, even he could see that Hyperion’s defense was beyond normal.

Of course, there were techniques and materials in this world with comparable defense. But a technique that’s always active, protecting the entire body without conscious effort, was unheard of.

‘It’s a contradiction. Hyperion is a man who possesses both the strongest spear and shield.’

Decameron coldly analyzed who would win this battle.

‘1 in 81.45 million. That’s the probability of Keter winning.’

It wasn’t zero, but this probability was closer to Hyperion self-destructing than Keter winning.

“Hey, stop aiming at my junk!”

Hyperion, who had already been hit in the groin eight times by Keter’s kicks, roared and pointed his finger.

Following the palm technique was the finger technique. A laser shot from Hyperion’s finger hit Keter’s shoulder.

It was a fast, precise attack that Hyperion hadn’t shown before.

“Oh ho, can’t dodge this one?”

Keter had dodged or deflected fist and palm techniques by a hair’s breadth.

Of course, dodging didn’t mean the damage disappeared, but the shockwaves alone weren’t enough to kill Keter.

Having landed a noticeable blow with the finger technique, Hyperion began rapidly firing lasers.

While it looked comical to an observer, Keter, facing it, had no choice but to abandon evasion and protect his vitals with Amaranth and his arms.

Pshuk pshuk!

Holes began to appear all over Keter’s body. Blood sprayed everywhere.

Chwak!

Keter, who had been defending, swung his blood-soaked arm at Hyperion. A spray of blood hit Hyperion’s eyes.

“So what if I can’t see?”

Transcendent Beings don’t become blind just because they can’t see. They can replace sight with other senses.

Hyperion stood still. Having taken Keter’s attacks, he saw no reason to lose.

With some breathing room, Keter pressed his index finger and thumb together and shouted, “Kaleidoscope.”

32 panels, stripped of their dimensional portal effects, leaving only acceleration and refraction, scattered around.

“You’ve got a trick kids would love.”

Hyperion crossed his arms and stood still, as if daring Keter to try. Keter didn’t hesitate.

Uuuuung!

Wings of arrows sprouted on Keter’s sides. It was Tusk, which had failed once before. Additionally, Keter created Tusk on Amaranth.

Hyperion snorted.

“That technique hurt the first time, but it’s different now. The power of the arrow you’re holding is missing. With that half-baked technique, you can’t even touch a hair on my head.”

“Then take the hit.”

“Anytime.”

Hyperion provocatively clicked his fingers.

Twaaang!

Keter fired 21 Tusk arrows at Hyperion with all his might.

It was the same as before, but different.

The Kaleidoscope panels scattered around Hyperion accelerated and refracted, increasing the arrows’ speed.

“Oh ho?”

Wing— wingwingwingwing!

The 21 Tusk arrows orbited around, their speed creating a whirlwind.

Watching this, Keter clenched his fist as the acceleration reached its limit.

Kwaaaaang!

The 21 Tusk arrows, accelerated to their limit, struck Hyperion’s body. The arrowheads rotated, pounding against the Iron Blood Divine Technique’s barrier.

Even when the rotation stopped, a second acceleration began, the drill-like arrowheads pounding the barrier again—

“This is definitely better than before. But is this really your limit?”

Hyperion wiped the blood from his eyes, showing he was still intact.

Though talking gave Keter a break, for some reason, Keter refused to engage in conversation and continued attacking.

This time, it wasn’t Tusk but Milky Way.

Kwakwakwakwang!

“So, it’s no use… huh?”

But Milky Way wasn’t aimed at Hyperion. It was aimed at the ground beneath him.

“Trying to bury me in the ground? Giving up?”

Hyperion leaped as the ground crumbled.

Above Hyperion, Keter was waiting. He had anticipated Hyperion’s jump and leaped first.

“Ha! What can you do from above me?”

Hyperion was starting to want to hear Keter’s screams. Now was the perfect time.

In mid-air, no one can move freely. If he struck now, even Keter couldn’t dodge.

Blue Sky Thunderclap Palm.

Even if he lowered the power slightly, Hyperion extended his palm to ensure a clean hit.

Jjeoook!

It hit dead center. Right in the chest.

Not the heart, but with the power of the Blue Sky Thunderclap Palm, it wouldn’t be strange if the entire upper body exploded.

‘It’s been a while since I met someone this fun. The food was good too.’

Even though his attack had landed, Hyperion felt a pang of regret.

But in a fight where someone had to die, it wouldn’t be him.

“Well, it was short but fun. Farewell, Keter.”

As Hyperion was about to hold Keter’s funeral—

“I expected you’d use a palm technique.”

“……?!”

Thump.

Keter grabbed Hyperion’s wrist with his left hand and extended his right.

In his hand was Baeklin, fused with Tusk’s technique. But without a Mana Arrow, Hyperion was baffled.

‘Even that first strike couldn’t perfectly pierce my Iron Blood Divine Technique. What do you think you’ll do with that?’

It’s a futile death. That’s what Hyperion thought.

Hwaaak!

Keter swung Baeklin.

Even if it was a surprise attack, the concept of a sneak attack didn’t apply to the Iron Blood Divine Technique.

But for some reason.

This time was different.

“Huh?!”

The sound that came from Hyperion’s mouth was different.