Eternal Art Online

Several vague figures emerged from within the misty jungle—two burly berserkers, two agile assassins, and three mages clad in flowing robes.

Kiriya's eyes narrowed, and a heavy sense of unease settled in his chest.

Familiar faces. Members of the Conqueror guild. Leading the group was none other than the guild master himself—Conqueror-Drevan.

Drevan recognized them as well. His gaze turned sharp with disdain, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips.

"Well, well… speak of the devil. The world is too damn small."

Standing beside Kiriya, Violet stepped forward coldly, her tone biting.

"Cut the crap. Crimson Lotus never had any beef with Conqueror. You're the ones who love throwing your weight around."

Drevan arched an eyebrow, scoffing.

"Crimson Lotus? Hah. Last time, we were just unprepared. But today, I'd love to see what tricks the two of you think you can pull."

Then, turning slightly, he gave the mages behind him a low order.

"The moment this kicks off, kill the priest first. As for that arrogant little bastard… I'll take care of him myself."

Kiriya's eyes swept across the enemy lineup. Drevan's gear was certainly intimidating—the glowing great axe in his hand looked like a level-25 bronze-tier weapon, and the armor he wore was packed with attributes, likely four pieces of black iron-tier at minimum.

The mages were similarly well-equipped, mid-to-high-level players with at least one or two stat-enhancing items each.

Violet gripped her staff tightly, her voice hushed but tense.

"Kiriya… this isn't looking good. If things go south, find a chance to teleport back to town. I'll hold them off."

But Kiriya only gave a soft chuckle, utterly unshaken.

"Don't even joke about that. If someone's staying behind, it'll be me. If I run first… how could I ever face Lusk and Ragnar again?"

Violet stared at him, stunned for a second—then gave a helpless smile.

"Then I guess… we fall together."

A faint smile played on Kiriya's lips.

"Not necessarily."

"Hm?" Violet blinked, confused—but before she could speak again, Kiriya was already on the move.

He shot forward like a black wind, blades of grass swirling at his feet as he unsheathed his obsidian sword. In one seamless motion, he lunged straight for Drevan's chest, the blade gleaming with lethal intent!

Caught off guard, Drevan's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Kiriya to strike first while outnumbered.

"Get him—now! Kill him!"

But just as the tip of the blade was about to pierce his armor, Kiriya abruptly shifted, pulling back and spinning away in a blur of motion, avoiding the blow entirely.

"Boom!"

Three fireballs slammed into his chest in rapid succession. Flames erupted in all directions, searing the air around him. Each blast tore away nearly 150 HP—but his health pool sat at his monstrous 920, and he stood firm.

Without missing a beat, Kiriya popped a red potion, then darted at a 45-degree angle, cutting straight toward the enemy's backline—the mages.

"Earth Split!"

Drevan bellowed, swinging his great axe in a blazing arc. The ground erupted beneath Kiriya's feet, flames licking his legs.

"45."

The damage number floated above Kiriya's head. He barely flinched.

Sword Fang armor—level 25 bronze-tier. Even a powerhouse like Drevan couldn't break his defense!

In the blink of an eye, Kiriya's sword trembled, and then—Blade Wave!

"Boom!"

The sword energy howled through the air, tearing through the nearest level-21 mage's chest like thunder splitting a tree. The mage didn't even have time to scream—just vanished into a flash of white light.

The Conqueror players recoiled in shock, but Kiriya was already moving again.

Cross Slash!

The second mage's eyes widened in horror as the gleaming sword arc flew toward him—but his reaction was too slow.

"Slash—!"

Another burst of white light. The second mage was down.

In mere seconds, the battlefield had flipped.

Violet stood frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief. She had braced herself for a hopeless battle, yet here was Kiriya, cutting down their enemies with terrifying speed and precision.

But he wasn't done.

He moved like lightning, closing the distance to the third mage. For Violet to be safe, the backline had to fall.

A flare of heat.

Blazing Slash.

A burst of red-hot sword energy streaked through the air. Steel flashed, fabric tore—and blood sprayed like ink across the jungle brush...

In just a few short seconds, the entire battlefield had flipped upside down.

Three of Conqueror's mages had been instantly slain, leaving only two berserkers and two assassins standing. The forest seemed to freeze in time—the air thick with killing intent and rage, swirling in a storm of violence.

Kiriya sheathed his blade for a moment, then turned to face Conqueror-Drevan directly. A cold, mocking smile curled at the edge of his lips. His gaze was sharp as steel.

"Drevan, if you want to act crazy, at least back it up with some real skill. You brought a bunch of rotten tomatoes and soggy potatoes and thought you could take me down? Heh… If you think so, come at me!"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, he activated every effect on his gear.

In an instant, light tore through the forest—his Obsidian Sword erupted in a dazzling glow, while his Sword Fang set pulsed with a ghostly, ashen radiance.

The aura that engulfed him was like the flames of hell itself, flickering and roaring around him.

In that moment, even Conqueror's players stood stunned, speechless. Behind them, Violet gasped, lips parted in awe. She had never seen this side of Kiriya before.

The man standing in front of her now was no mere player—he was a war god risen from fire and blood. His very presence suffocated the battlefield.

But Drevan, consumed by fury, clenched his jaw and roared,

"F*ck! You think flashy gear makes you untouchable?! I'll show you what happens when you piss off the wrong person!"

With hatred burning in his eyes, he leaned toward Conqueror-Zereth and whispered something quickly. The next moment, the two split off, flanking Kiriya from both sides., 

The axe glinted like lightning. The dagger shimmered like a shadow.

Drevan came in hard from the front with his massive battle axe, while Zereth slipped into the shadows behind, his blade glowing faintly red—coated with a bleed effect.

Their strategy was clear: tank and distract with the berserker, then finish the job with a backstab from the assassin.

For most swordsmen, it would've been a death sentence.

But Kiriya wasn't like most.

With a swift retreat, he pulled back several steps. The obsidian blade in his hand flared.

Blade Wave!

The sword light howled through the air, crashing directly into the chest of one of the assassins.

Boom!

The target didn't even have time to process what had happened before vanishing into white light—forcefully sent back to the city.

Kiriya had deliberately drawn their attention, knowing they had no choice but to retaliate. All of Conqueror's members were grey-named—if they didn't fight back, they'd be free kills.

And against someone like him, with such devastating attack power, standing still was suicide.

Crash!

The axe slammed into Kiriya's chest again. He lost another 100 HP, but the hit wasn't lethal—not even close. The real threat had been the mages, and they were already ashes in the wind.

Another flash of his blade—

Cross Slash!

Just as Zereth prepared to strike from behind, Kiriya spun around, sword gleaming.

The assassin froze for a split second—too late.

With a flash, he too was erased from the battlefield.

In just a handful of seconds, the fight had turned quiet. Deathly quiet.

Only two berserkers remained—including Drevan.

"Hey! You! Get in here with me!" Drevan barked, eyes bloodshot with rage.

The remaining ally nodded and charged forward, twin axes gleaming. But before he'd taken five steps, Kiriya moved first—

Armor Breaker!

A blinding sword arc streaked through the air and slammed into the berserker's chest!

1240!

The number floated up like a death sentence. Drevan's pupils constricted.

A high-defense tank, taken down with one hit?

How was any "tank" class supposed to survive something like that?

Another white light. Another teammate dead. Sent back to the spawn point in silence.

Now, only Drevan remained.

His face twisted in fury, his hands gripped the axe so hard his knuckles went white.

"You bastard… I'll make you regret ever messing with me!"

Kiriya gave no response.

He took one step forward, his sword rising once more—

Armor Breaker!

BAM!

Another blast. 1069 damage.

Drevan staggered backward, breathing ragged, reduced to a sliver of life. His eyes were wild, desperate. He was on the brink of collapse.

Kiriya advanced, preparing to finish him off—when suddenly, a soft, playful voice came from behind:

"Let me, let me~"

Violet stepped forward, raising one slender hand. A flash of violet light shot out—Punishment, the priest's signature holy strike.

Smack!

With a crisp impact, Conqueror-Drevan screamed one last time before falling. His body exploded into white light, his pride shattered along with it.

Thunk~

A heavy sound followed as a gleaming helmet clattered to the ground.

Kiriya blinked, surprised for just a moment—then burst out laughing:

"HAHAHA! Drevan's helmet dropped!"