Bodies were scattered everywhere.
The stench of blood was suffocating, crawling through the city's alleys and clinging to the shattered walls. The explosions never stopped, as if the sky itself had joined the madness. There were no longer civilians or soldiers… everyone was fighting, and everyone was falling.
Ryo wiped the blood flowing from his mouth and hand, a weary smile forming on his face.
He spoke in a broken voice, yet filled with admiration:
"This is truly amazing… even after all my attacks, you haven't been affected at all. This is the bare minimum expected from someone at the Hidden Level."
The man stepped toward him with calm strides.
There wasn't a single scratch on his body, not a drop of blood. He looked as though he had just walked out of a battle that never even began.
He said coldly:
"I'll be honest with you. You're very strong for someone at the Existence Level, but… it's not enough to defeat me."
Ryo smiled when he heard those words. He tightened his grip on his sword and charged forward without hesitation, as if he didn't know the meaning of fear.
"Blood Art — Second Form — Spider Threads."
The moment he spoke the name, thin threads of blood burst forth from Ryo's sword, stretching through the air like a living web pulsing with killing intent.
The threads shot toward the man as Ryo rushed after them.
Three threads sank into the ground, while three more rushed straight at him. The man began dodging them lightly, as if they were nothing but air.
Ryo suddenly appeared in front of him and swung his sword, trying to split him in half.
The man retreated and began to fly, but before he could escape—
a blood thread erupted from beneath the ground, wrapped around his leg, and violently dragged him downward.
Ryo lunged again.
Three threads surged forward: one toward the man's head, two toward his shoulder and leg, while Ryo focused his thrust directly at the man's heart.
Just before the strike landed—
The man smiled.
Then—
An explosion.
---
In the northern part of the city, the scene was different.
The ground was covered with corpses, all killed by precise arrows. This wasn't a battle… it was a massacre.
The sound of rapid footsteps echoed.
Jack was running through the ruins, killing without hesitation using his bow, his eyes devoid of mercy.
Explosion!
Jack suddenly stopped and turned his gaze south.
"What happened there?… That's the southern area, where Ryo is. I need to go help him—fast."
The moment he finished speaking, a flash appeared behind him.
Blood scattered.
Anger flared in Jack's eyes as his neck began to bleed.
"If I hadn't dodged at the last moment… my head would've flown off."
He raised his gaze toward the source of the flash.
There stood a boy, around Ryo's age. He had short hair, cold blue eyes, and wore elegant clothes that didn't belong on a battlefield.
Jack's eyes widened in shock as he thought to himself:
"This is impossible… he's from the Bone Clan… the clan that rules the Bone Kingdom."
The boy was holding a sword made of bones in his hand.
The sword began to slowly evaporate, like white smoke dissolving into the air… then vanished completely.
The boy spoke calmly, with a hint of mockery:
"This is interesting. You alone have killed so many people… how about joining us?"
Jack didn't reply.
Instead, he drew three arrows at once, pulled the bow with all his strength, and released them without hesitation.
The arrows shot forward like a storm.
The boy laughed softly and instantly summoned another bone sword. He swung it through the air, and before the attack reached him—
The arrows disappeared.
The boy's eyes widened.
"Huh? They vanished? Where are they… where—"
His voice stopped abruptly.
"B—behind me!"
He turned quickly and slashed, shattering two arrows in midair, but the third pierced his hand and lodged itself deeply inside.
He stared at his hand in shock as blood flowed between his fingers.
"This is the first time I've seen a skill like this… who are you?"
Before he could finish his question, Jack had already fired three more arrows.
The arrows flew.
The boy swung his sword again—
And they vanished.
His pupils shrank.
"One arrow above me… two behind me. The best solution is to jump and block the single arrow."
He jumped at the same moment and shattered the arrow in midair.
He landed on the ground.
He lowered his head slightly, his voice emerging as if from the depths of a grave:
"Skill Transformation."
The next instant… the earth screamed.
White bones burst from the ground, shattered, then reformed.
They wrapped around his body in a terrifyingly slow manner—
rib by rib, bone by bone—
until he stood encased in armor that was not forged… but born.
Jack froze in place.
"This is Skill Transformation…" he thought.
"When all techniques merge together and release their full power at once. A complete fusion… at a cost."
He stared at the bone armor.
"All techniques merge, and with that power, the body sometimes changes… but there are consequences. Every time you use Skill Transformation, your body breaks apart."
Jack grabbed three more arrows and drew his bow.
Fwoooom!
The arrows shot out at terrifying speed.
The boy didn't move.
He simply stared at the incoming arrows with an eerie calm.
They vanished.
Then appeared behind him.
But when they struck his body… they failed to pierce it.
They fell to the ground, completely ineffective.
"His Skill Transformation grants him extremely strong armor…"
Jack muttered to himself as he stared at the bone-armored boy.
"Do I use my power?"
The boy laughed confidently, his voice echoing against the ruins:
"Don't even try. My defensive power has become far stronger. All that awaits you now… is defeat before me."
He lifted his chin slightly, as if declaring an undeniable truth.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Antakio, and the King of the Bone Kingdom is my uncle. As a noble… I officially invite you to join the Bone Kingdom."
Before he could finish—
Three arrows flew toward him.
They struck his body and fell to the ground without effect.
Antakio didn't move a single step.
---
Elsewhere in the city, darkness reigned.
Debris was piled high, dust filling the air.
A girl hid behind a pile of rubble, gripping a spear with trembling hands.
"Hey, hey… come out. There's no point in hiding."
A man said this as he held a sword, searching through the wreckage.
He took one step… then another.
The girl's body began to shake, sweat dripping from her face, yet she remained frozen.
He moved closer.
A faint sound.
He advanced without hesitation—
And in an instant, the girl burst from her hiding place and drove the spear into his head.
She froze.
Shock and fear consumed her at once.
It was the first time she had killed someone… the first time she had seen life leave a body before her eyes.
Her breathing grew tight.
Before she could move—
An arrow pierced her head.
Men rushed forward, with terrified civilians behind them.
The city was no longer a city… it had turned into groups.
Each group killing the other.
---
"This… is truly fascinating."
A man spoke loudly from the sky.
Above, those of the Hidden Level were fighting.
Wounded bodies, blood everywhere, and some had already fallen.
One of them charged forward without hesitation, his sword gleaming.
---
In the south—
Ryo was kneeling on one knee while the man floated in the air before him.
Ryo thought to himself:
"There are two groups that rule this world…
The lawful group: eight kingdoms and one family.
And the second group: the Five Sects, the Haytham Organization, and the Sound Killing Organization."
He raised his gaze.
"And the man before me… is undoubtedly from the Sound Killing Organization."
The man descended to the ground.
Ryo smiled coldly.
"The Sound Killing Organization… an organization of assassins for hire. Are you here to kill someone?"
The man laughed lightly.
"As expected of you. You recognized who I am. But no… the target has already been killed. I was just on my way back and passed through here."
Ryo slowly stood up, his eyes searching for an escape route.
"Then… what do you want from me?"
Before the man could answer—
A body fell from the sky.
It slammed into the ground with force.
It belonged to one of the Hidden Level fighters.
Ryo suddenly smiled and rushed toward the corpse.
The man's eyes widened in shock.
"What is he doing?"
Ryo placed his hand on the body.
It began to be drawn toward him… fading little by little, as if being devoured from existence.
Within seconds—
It vanished.
Ryo laughed loudly while the man still couldn't understand what had happened.
Then Ryo said calmly, in a terrifying voice:
"Skill Transformation."