Chapter 40

Hammerson glared at Zeon.

"Sand? Did you just use sand as a weapon?"

"As you can see!"

Zeon shrugged.

Hammerson's gaze grew even more menacing.

Gripping his scimitar tightly, he said,

"Looks like today is my lucky day!"

"Your subordinates are all dead, and you're calling it luck? Are you insane?"

"Hmph! I can get as many underlings as I want in Elharun. But a sand mage and a guide? Those are rare."

On a world that had turned into a desert, those two abilities were the most valuable.

While a few navigators—guides—had appeared so far, Zeon was the very first to awaken as a sand mage.

Even in Elharun, where different races gathered, there wasn't a single awakened who could control sand.

If they could bring Zeon under their control, it would be an enormous asset to Elharun.

"You'll have to come with me to Elharun."

"That's a very interesting offer, but I'll pass. I'm a bit busy."

"That wasn't an offer. It was an order."

"Then I refuse even more. Taking orders from others doesn't suit me."

"You'll obey whether you like it or not. Elharun has many… fascinating items."

Among them were items that could interfere with the mind.

In Kurayan, anything that interfered with a living being's mind—items or skills—was strictly forbidden.

Anyone who used magic or skills to artificially tamper with the mind would immediately be branded an enemy of the order and executed.

But all such taboos disappeared after they migrated to Earth.

This world was nothing like they had expected.

Though the cause was reckless terraforming.

In any case, they had to adapt and survive in a world turned into a desert.

Those who came from Kurayan discarded all unnecessary restrictions and taboos for the sake of survival. That was how mind-interfering items came to be.

With such an item, subduing that arrogant sand mage would be easy.

Of course, that required keeping him alive and taking him to Elharun.

But Hammerson was confident.

He was a B-rank awakened.

And a martial-type at that.

The insignia engraved on his wrist proved it.

He was on a completely different level from the subordinates who had died so easily at Zeon's hands.

Though officially B-rank, he was equipped with items from Elharun that allowed him to exhibit power comparable to an A-rank.

That was why he had been dispatched here.

Whoosh!

He charged forward at terrifying speed.

He intended to give Zeon no time to react.

But Zeon was already fully prepared.

Shu-shu-shu-shu!

More than a dozen Sand Blasters shot toward Hammerson.

Hammerson didn't dodge.

A light flared from his chest and spread across his entire body.

The hemispherical glow deflected every single Sand Blaster.

Zeon's eyes sharpened.

'An item? Or his innate ability?'

Swoosh!

In an instant, Hammerson closed the distance and thrust his scimitar.

He didn't aim for vital points like the heart or brain. As long as those remained intact, he was confident he could keep Zeon alive.

That made his attack even more terrifying.

Zeon twisted his body to evade and launched a Sand Missile.

"Useless, I told you."

The hemispherical light enveloped Hammerson once more.

Zeon didn't miss that moment.

'A tattoo.'

A glimpse of it could be seen between the armor.

The light was originating from that tattoo.

It was clearly amplifying Hammerson's aura and forming a barrier.

Zeon fired another Sand Missile, but each one was blocked by the aura.

Meanwhile, he suffered several cuts from Hammerson's blade.

Fortunately, they weren't deep, but they were enough to send a chill down his spine.

Shuahk!

A red glow burst from Hammerson's sword.

A martial-type awakened.

And among them, only those specialized in swords could use it—Sword Aura.

"Even if you lose an arm, you should still be able to control sand, right?"

Hammerson intended to cut off one of Zeon's arms to subdue him.

To break his spirit.

Shik-shik-shik!

His blade split into three in an instant, raking across Zeon's body.

Zeon used Sand Steps, desperately evading Hammerson's attacks.

But no matter how much he moved, he couldn't shake him off.

Zeon bit his lip.

He caught a glimpse of the insignia on Hammerson's wrist.

A red martial-type B-rank.

Meanwhile, he himself was D-rank.

Setting aside compatibility, the gap in raw power was overwhelming.

Moreover, his opponent was a swordsman class specialized in combat against humans.

From the beginning, the battlefield had been heavily tilted to one side.

It was an unfair fight.

But Zeon neither complained nor resented it.

He already knew that battles in this era were like this.

And he also knew that a higher rank didn't guarantee victory.

A rank insignia was merely an indicator—not an absolute.

'I'll use everything I can.'

As he retreated using Sand Steps, Hammerson pursued him.

At the spot where Hammerson stepped, Zeon activated Sand Mixer.

Gaaang!

The sand spun at high speed, gripping Hammerson's ankle.

"Hmph! A skill like this won't work on me."

Having already seen his subordinates fall to it, he was fully prepared.

He shook off the sand gripping his ankle and leaped into the air.

Zeon fired a Sand Missile at him.

"Like I said, it's useless."

Hammerson sneered.

He had complete faith in the aura shield amplified by his tattoo.

He had already proven its effectiveness by neutralizing Zeon's attacks several times. That was why he could charge at Zeon so recklessly.

"Looks like taking just one arm won't be enough. I'll take a leg too."

Shwaaak!

In an instant, his blade lunged, aiming for Zeon's arm and leg.

Zeon hurriedly raised a sand barrier to protect his entire body. But the barrier he created shattered instantly under the power of Sword Aura.

Zeon was left completely exposed.

"My victory."

Just as Hammerson was convinced of his triumph—

Swish!

Without a sound, two figures rose behind him.

Soldiers made of sand.

Sand Soldiers.

"What the—?!"

Caught off guard by their sudden ambush, Hammerson was startled.

He spun in place and struck them.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, the Sand Soldiers were shattered.

Hammerson exhaled and looked at Zeon.

"So you did have a trick up your sleeve. But this is the end."

It was confidence born from having already neutralized all of Zeon's skills.

Just as he was about to charge again—

Gaaang!

The sand around him began to rotate.

Zeon had activated Sand Mixer once more.

"I told you—it's useless."

At the moment Hammerson tried to leap away—

Grab!

The shattered Sand Soldiers reformed and grabbed him.

"What—?!"

For the first time, confusion appeared on Hammerson's face.

The Sand Soldiers dragged him into the violently spinning Sand Mixer.

By then, he was already sunk into the sand up to his knees.

"Damn it!"

Hammerson struggled to shake them off and escape, but the more he fought, the deeper he was pulled in, like quicksand.

He quickly activated his aura shield to protect his body.

Kwagagagagak!

The high-speed rotating sand collided with the aura shield, producing a chilling, grinding noise.

"Yooou—!"

A desperate shout burst from Hammerson.

His body was already submerged up to his shoulders.

The more he struggled to escape, the deeper the sand dragged him down like a swamp.

For now, the aura shield protected him from injury—but it couldn't last forever.

Once his mana was completely depleted, the shield would disappear.

And when that happened, he would surely be ground to pieces by the high-speed rotating sand.

But Hammerson trusted himself.

He didn't believe his mana as a B-rank awakened would be inferior to Zeon's.

Moreover, a skill of this magnitude would inevitably consume an enormous amount of mana.

And that was true.

Zeon, who had been using skills consecutively, had turned pale, his mana nearly exhausted.

But he had a cheat-like item.

An item that could fully restore his mana once per day—

Elura's Tear.

Flash!

With a brilliant light, his depleted mana was completely restored.

Zeon immediately poured mana back into maintaining the Sand Mixer.

The Sand Mixer, which had seemed to weaken for a moment, began spinning powerfully again.

Kwagagak!

"Damn it all!"

Hammerson was completely swallowed by the sand.

His vision turned pitch black.

All he could hear was the relentless grinding of the spinning sand.

Crack… crack!

The sound of his aura shield breaking echoed in the darkness.

Now Hammerson's mana was reaching its limit.

The aura shield began to falter rapidly.

"N-no!"

His face turned pale.

At that moment, his mana was fully depleted—and the aura shield vanished.

With nothing to protect him, the high-speed sand tore into his body.

"GRAAAAH!"

Hammerson's desperate scream echoed within the sand.

And just like that, the existence known as Hammerson was completely erased from this world.

After a while, confirming that the sand had been stained with blood, Zeon collapsed to the ground.

There was no sign of Hammerson's life anywhere.

"Haah… haah…"

Zeon gasped for breath.

His face was deathly pale.

Even after using Elura's Tear, his mana was completely drained.

If even one part of his combination—Sand Missile, Sand Soldier, Sand Mixer—had gone wrong, the one dead would have been him.

That was how strong Hammerson had been.

Through this battle, Zeon realized something deeply—

what he lacked.

It was combat skills against people.

Sand Blaster and Sand Missile alone were not enough.

Sand Mixer was excellent as an area attack, but not suited for one-on-one combat.

He needed stronger anti-personnel skills.

Setting that concern aside for the moment, Zeon turned his gaze toward Deioden.

"Heh heh! Elf bitch, where is Elharun?"

He was holding a mangled lump of flesh beyond recognition.

That lump had once been the female elf who commanded the Elf Rangers.

Around her lay countless crushed remains—

all of them Elf Rangers and Dwarf warriors.

While Zeon had struggled against Hammerson, Deioden had slaughtered every last elf and dwarf.

Deioden casually tossed the elf's corpse aside like baggage. She had already stopped breathing.

His gaze then shifted to a short, stocky dwarf lying on the ground.

It was Gofrey—the one who had led the Dwarf warriors.

Gofrey's limbs were horribly crushed.

"Ugh…"

He looked at Deioden with terror in his eyes.

His opponent was a monster—one against whom even mana particle cannons were useless, and who had shrugged off the combined attacks of Elf Rangers and Dwarf warriors.

Even in Elharun, there was no such monster.

Deioden crouched in front of Gofrey and spoke.

"Hey, shorty. You talk."

"Ghk!"

"Where is Elharun?"

"That's…"

"Tell me, and I'll spare your life."

"R-really?"

"Heh. What use would I have for your worthless life?"

"Then…"

For a brief moment, hesitation flickered in Gofrey's eyes.

Just as he was about to speak—

Bang!

His head suddenly exploded.

Blood and brain matter splattered in all directions.

Deioden's face was smeared with it as well.

He casually wiped it off and muttered,

"Looks like they placed a restriction—if he tries to reveal Elharun's location, he dies. Damn filthy non-humans."