The Nailmaster upon the Holy Land

The magnificent holy sun gilded the clouds, then streamed through their gaps like a heavenly ladder descending upon this arena of gods.

Countless Nails stood silently around the arena, reflecting a cold, stern gleam beneath the golden sky.

Amid this forest of Nails fashioned from bone, a figure sat in the arena.

A white crown of bone rested upon his head, and a ring of long black fur encircled his neck. His gray cloak fluttered in the wind, revealing two legs clad in purplish-red armor. (Image)

An inexplicable presence enveloped the entire arena, silencing the clamorous fools. The King of Fools, who usually rested his head on his hand, straightened and looked down at the two below.

On the Pale Throne, the dozing Little Knight tilted his head as though sensing something, then sat up as well.

"Whew, this atmosphere is a bit much," Shen Yu remarked, looking at the Nailmaster in the center.

At that moment, Oro raised his head, turning his pitch-black eyes toward Shen Yu.

(Gou wala mai, chulu) "Hello, I'm Oro. I heard you, and the voices of those strange things you carry.

"Oh, did you see that little fellow at the very top? He's my student. Quite accomplished, isn't he? Though that puts a lot of pressure on me as his master."

Oro took a deep breath and slowly rose. His dull gray cloak fell aside, revealing the brilliant purplish-red armor on his chest. The Nail at his waist flashed onto his broad shoulder plate with a faint ring.

(Fei lai luo) "I lack my elder brother's talent. Faced with a barrier I couldn't overcome, I chose to leave myself a way out. Later, here, I witnessed my student's unwavering resolve to press forward...

At this, Oro closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, then opened them and looked at Shen Yu before him.

"That reminded me of my own honor. Come, let me witness your conviction!

"Yasuo-!"

A surging blast of air swept across the entire arena, throwing up clouds of dust around him. His long, ringing battle cry pierced the heavens.

All the fools shrank back in terror, fear filling the faces behind their masks. A chill crawled up their spines, and every joint in their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Some fools dropped straight to their knees, their six quivering, slender legs unable to support their weight.

The Godseeker's tribe, however, suddenly grew excited.

(Kala wei) "Listen, that ringing voice which transcends the mortal world!"

Shen Yu felt an immense weight pressing down on his soul. Even the resonance of his E.G.O. abruptly ceased, leaving only one booming voice echoing within him:

The Nailmaster upon the Holy Land-Oro.

(Kala si) "Golden bug, I have to admit you do have your ways," the Fool King said, leaning forward to look down.

At his words, the Godseeker chuckled and lifted her head toward the sky.

(Wo duo pu lai) "This is the ultimate manifestation of the Gods of the Temple's power concentrated into a single point. Should the challenger defeat him, their very life will ascend beyond mortal existence."

(Wala yi) "Defeating a being like that... what a cruel choice for a challenger." The Fool King looked at Shen Yu, who seemed tiny and fragile beside Oro. "Outsider, can you bring us a miracle?"

Damn, Godseeker, you really are something. I was wondering why it had been so easy before. Shen Yu grumbled inwardly and immediately pulled the trigger.

Amid a continuous volley of gunfire, a blood-red serpent lunged toward Oro.

The moment Shen Yu raised his gun, Oro made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he bent forward with his Nail at the ready. Pale motes of light instantly gathered around the weapon, while violent currents of air surged beneath him.

Half a second later, the raging air erupted, blowing away the approaching bullets. Oro then thrust forward at incredible speed, while the bullets fired at him were swept aside by a barrier formed from his Sword Aura.

Confronted by that unstoppable Sword Aura, Shen Yu immediately leaped high into the air to evade it.

Yet the instant Shen Yu went airborne, Oro stamped his left foot down and shot upward, swinging a Dragon Rising Slash at him.

Seeing this technique, completely different from before and beyond anything in the game, Shen Yu found his fears confirmed and immediately reacted.

Whoosh! Pale sword light instantly overwhelmed the golden sunlight, illuminating the sky above the arena.

A blood-red figure plummeted and skidded across the ground. Shen Yu's right hand, which gripped the Meat Cleaver, shook violently. The outer layer of the blue membrane covering his body had shattered.

Just moments earlier, Shen Yu had reverted [Crimson Scar] to its original form and blocked with the Meat Cleaver, retreating with a well-practiced Aerial Thrust, yet he still failed to stop Oro's sword light.

Of the five points of protection provided by the blue Lifeblood, that single slash had already stripped away two.

Moreover, he did not have the Little Knight's cap on damage taken. Had that attack landed without Blue Blood protecting him, he would probably have been cleaved in half at the waist.

As though sensing the presence of a powerful foe, [Crimson Scar] resonated with excitement. The Meat Cleaver and Flintlock trembled together, and the blood-red cloak on his body began to ripple.

[Crimson Scar] attunement: 20% → 30%

At the same time, a voice suddenly arose in Shen Yu's mind:

"With a steel-backed blade clenched in my right hand and a short gun packed with gunpowder in my left, what is there here for me to fear?"

"Are you talking to me?" Shen Yu asked in surprise, looking at the E.G.O. weapons in his hands.

In response, Little Red Riding Hood's E.G.O. weapons trembled even more fiercely. The Meat Cleaver opened and closed on its own, and the Flintlock's trigger shifted slightly.

(Kuoluo) "Resonance in the midst of danger. Faced with a powerful creature, it feels neither fear nor apprehension, but a burning desire to hunt. Hoho, it seems that Abnormality is the ultimate hunter."

The Godseeker chuckled, looking down.

Heh, I can't let my weapons outdo me. Shen Yu gave a soft laugh. Disregarding the side effects of his E.G.O., he immediately activated coordinated combat.

E.G.O. manifestation:

[Frost], [Spiderling]

The instant he activated them, the ice spear behind Shen Yu transformed into a longsword of crystalline ice, releasing a surging wave of cold. The scattered golden sunlight was gradually obscured by icy clouds.

Then snowflakes began drifting down throughout the arena.

At the same time, the eyes on [Red Eyes] in both his hands erupted with blood-red light, and four bulges suddenly appeared on Shen Yu's body.

With a wet squelch, four black Spiderlings emerged amid a gush of blood and growled at Oro ahead.

(Ga luo wei lai lai) "I never thought I would see frost and snow here as well. Outsider, your weapons truly are wondrous." Oro looked up at the icy clouds, sensing the bitter cold seeping into his body and slowing his movements.

"But this bitter cold cannot suppress my will to fight." Oro looked at Shen Yu ahead and unleashed another dashing slash.

Because [Frost] had slowed Oro, when Shen Yu leaped into the air and Oro followed with another Dragon Rising Slash, he was able to escape at high speed using Spider Silk.

He then clung to the arena wall and pulled the trigger of the Flintlock in his left hand, shooting Oro in the head.

After landing, Oro drew a Nail from the ground with his left hand and hurled it at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu immediately used Dash to evade it. With a crack, the Nail pierced straight into the arena's structure, which none of his previous opponents-not even the False Knight-had been able to damage.

Meanwhile, Oro had already predicted where Shen Yu would land. He launched himself toward that spot, swinging his Nail down.

Shen Yu immediately released [Lonesome Dust], enveloping Oro's head. While Oro was caught under its control, he slashed fiercely at his neck.

Boom! Oro and Shen Yu landed, and the Spiderlings attacked Oro together.

Just then, a piece of information appeared in Shen Yu's mind:

[Crimson Scar] attunement: 30% → 40%

E.G.O. manifestation: [Scar]

Meat Cleaver

Attack increased: 9-12. Each slash inflicts 1 stack of bleeding. Throwing it deals 7-13 physical damage and inflicts 3 stacks of bleeding.

Flintlock

Attack increased: 15-18

Deals additional damage equal to the target's bleeding stacks × 5, then resets their bleeding stacks.

Cost: The wielder enters a belligerent state. Attack speed increases threefold.

Shen Yu said, "You're seriously calling that a cost?"