Days passed, weeks came, and reunitement was found–everything seemed to come together as Gangcheori was reformed, but once it was time to face the ultimate challenge of the first floor, all optimism was crushed.
[Yinlong Royal Throne Room]
Gangcheori was together in completion, and had grown through their obstacles on the first floor.
"Are ya ready?...This is it," Yeong-Un asked nervously, thought tried to hold himself together.
"Ready? As much as I'll ever be, I guess," Sol replied.
"Just stay focused. We're here together–we've got each others' backs," Jeong-Hui added.
[Jeong-Hui | Level 40 | 6000/6000]
[Yeong-Un | Level 38 | 6200/6200]
[Sol | Level 36 | 5800/5800]
[Korain | Level 40 | 8000/8000]
[Ma-Ri | Level 44 | 7700/7700]
[Eunji | Level 35 | 6200/6200]
[Xiaodan | Level 36 | 6000/6000]
Now, together alongside the other players who managed to reach this far, they found themselves at the final obstacle of the first floor. It was forged of exuberant marble, vast and rich in scope and built on a foundation of power.
[Archie | Level 38]
[Tsukikage | Level 45]
[Guozhi | Level 50]
[Mallan | Level 50]
They weren't the only players left; the others that had joined the raid were busy holding off the generals and other forces of the Yinlong Empire. Though it was questionable if they would be enough once the foe before them revealed their level:
[FLOOR KING Recognized: "Great Emperor Jiao-Long" | Level 100]
The royalty dressed in snow-white scale-like armor stood as his jet-black, flowing hair cascaded down his back. There was true, refined power that exuded from him, almost as if he himself was a divine existence.
I've never felt something like this…This is what we have to defeat? Jeong-Hui thought, I can't think too hard about his level. Skills are what matter–
Just as he thought that, he froze in completion as the Great Emperor vanished from his view. Everybody present in the chamber froze as well, unable to move out of the overwhelming fear that gripped their limbs.
The fair-faced emperor, with an inhuman height of three meters, had already appeared between all of them, "...Did you believe I'd be easy prey once my generals were separated from me?"
All of them were still, only able to listen to the calmly spoken words that left the Great Emperor's lips like silver. However, the first to move was Xiaodan, who clenched his fist and roared out as if trying to hide his own fear.
"Xiaodan, no–!" Jeong-Hui yelled.
As the silver-haired martial artist went for a swift kick aimed for the draconic emperor's chin, his leg never reached its target.
"Huh…?" Xiaodan looked towards his own leg.
It was gone.
In an instant, faster than anybody there could perceive, the limb belonging to the young man was torn away, held in the Great Emperor's grasp before he tossed it away without a single change in his expression.
"Argh…!" Xiaodan whailed.
As if annoyed by the cry of pain, the emperor swept his hand, splitting Xiaodan's neck open in a merciless movement.
"Silence," Emperor Jiao-Long whispered.
Such a dreadful sight at the result of an attack further froze the combatants in the room. Though anger boiled from their comrade being wounded, the utter dread was overpowering. Again, the first to attack was Korain, who bolstered himself–
"Abandon: Stage Four!"
Bulking up as his muscles bulged and his complexion turned red with his blood boiling in his veins, the veteran of Gangcheori burst forward with his claymore clad in a spiraling wind, swinging it towards the calm emperor.
"Raaaaagh–!!!" Korain roared.
Again, a futile effort.
With swift footwork that almost looked as if space itself was warped around the quartz-scaled emperor, Emperor Jiao-Long passed by Korain seamlessly with his hand extended, held in a spear-like shape.
SQUELCH.
Blood sprayed from Korain's throat as a deep cut had been left across it, spilling onto the exuberant floors before the emperor swiped the crimson from his fingertips.
"How vulgar; staining my divine domain with your putrid blood," Emperor Jiao-Long commented.
Witnessing the man who stood as one of the pillars of Gangcheori fall was finally the breaking point as everybody moved into action, desperate but fueled by anger and dread.
"Korain–!" Ma-Ri screamed.
They all followed Ma-Ri, who was the first to move as tears were in her eyes, drawing her rapier and leading the charge.
"C'mon…!" Jeong-Hui shouted, getting Sol, Archie, and Yeong-Un to follow beside him.
From the Australian man's will, stalwart Defects were summoned, clad in snow-white hide with claymore arms, jumping in first and foremost to hold the Great Emperor off.
Such a diversion only lasted a second as the seraphic royalty tore the Defects' heads from their bodies the moment they approached, though it was enough for Ma-Ri to dash in with a thrust of her rapier.
"A female warrior? Don't insult me," Emperor Jiao-Long said.
Before the tip of the flashing rapier could meet the emperor, he reacted to the leader's monstrous speed with a back hand of his fist, slamming it against her cheek and sending Ma-Ri flying across the chamber.
"Ma-Ri!" Sol yelled.
Seeing the leader be treated so brutally, courage overcame Sol as he rushed in, overcome with anger as he thrust his spear forward with enraged might.
Though to Jeong-Hui's eyes, he witnessed altered perception and simply read the battlefield, he realized how drastically wrong everything was going.
We're falling apart…There's no order! It's not even that, though…even if we worked in perfect synch–this guy is just too strong! He thought.
The Great Emperor didn't flinch as he simply deflected the spear with his knuckles before swiftly grabbing the hazel-haired adolescent by his throat, lifting him up as his feet dangled above the quartz floor.
"It's difficult to believe that this is the vanguard that breached through my empire. I will have to rebuild it–stronger and better," Emperor Jiao-Long spoke calmly while holding Sol by the throat.
Seeing their comrade in the grips of the monstrous emperor, both Jeong-Hui and Yeong-Un dashed in together desperately.
"Let him go…!" Yeong-Un yelled out, swinging his dual blades.
"Grrrh–!" Jeong-Hui roared, slashing swiftly with fluid movements.
The Great Emperor stood there like a stalwart statue; unmoving to their attacks as they were nothing more than the buzz of flies by his ear.
"Vermin like yourselves should know your place; that is the one thing expected of lowly species," Emperor Jiao-Long casually remarked.
As the immutable grip began to squeeze, Sol struggled, holding onto the emperor's arm while flailing and kicking, gasping out. There was nothing that seemed to work to harm the level one-hundred foe, causing Yeong-Un and Jeong-Hui to attack more desperately as they felt utter dread–
"Die–"
Just as the emperor invoked such words, the exuberant royalty dropped the spear-wielder and jumped back to avoid a slash that seemed to bend space around it.
Landing between Sol and the emperor, the flashy man with white-and-pink hair stood his ground, wielding a cosmic claymore.
"Tsukikage…?" Sol said quietly, caressing his bruised throat.
"On your feet, Sol!" Tsukikage yelled.
There was still no emotion present on the draconic emperor's expression as he stood in supremacy within his domain. Throughout all of their effort in the first clash, not a single blemish had laid itself on the snow-white skin of the emperor.
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