The roar of black lightning dominated the dark sky covered by clouds.
Cold winds swirled around the area where Van stood, but they couldn’t enter because of Van’s invisible space, originally created to protect against mosquito bites.
Van kept his head tilted toward the sky, where a wooden ship that should have been sailing across the sea was instead flying directly above him and Beluga.
The survivors began waking up because of the thunder, while a black dot leaped from the ship, surrounded by black lightning.
The dot grew larger as it drew closer to the ground. It was Bartaz, crackling with black lightning as he leaped from a height that would make anyone tremble.
Van clicked his tongue. He did nothing.
Beluga did nothing either.
Meanwhile, Bartaz raised his black lightning-covered axe with both hands. He intended to throw it at Van, but instead he slammed into something invisible, causing him to frown slightly.
Beluga furrowed his brow.
"Ouhhh..."
Van smiled faintly. He almost laughed even though Bartaz was now suspended above them, trapped by the invisible space that had originally been created to keep mosquitoes out.
Bartaz exhaled, smoke pouring from his mouth.
He roared to vent his embarrassment.
He repeatedly struck the invisible barrier with his black lightning-covered axe.
The barrier trembled as though it were firmly anchored into the earth.
The survivors fully woke up, only to be greeted by Bartaz repeatedly striking something invisible above Van and Beluga.
The children began crying, thinking Van was about to be hurt.
Yet the one standing in the most dangerous place was casually chatting with Beluga.
"You said today would be my unluckiest day... wouldn’t it be more accurate to say it’s his?"
Beluga giggled like a dolphin.
"Be patient... the day isn’t over yet."
Van stared at Beluga with a blank expression while the noisy pounding from Bartaz continued without end.
Van turned toward the survivors and raised his hand, signaling them not to come closer even though the prince and the others had already equipped themselves.
"Gather closer together!!"
The survivors looked at one another in confusion, but they still moved closer to each other.
Van then created an invisible UFO like one he had once seen on television.
The survivors suddenly began floating into the air, leaving them utterly stunned.
Arsy, who had been worried just moments ago, immediately cheered with excitement.
"Big Sis!! We’re flying again!!"
Arsy’s words gradually stopped the other children from crying, while the adults became even more worried.
Van smiled faintly at their confused expressions while Bartaz remained above him, still trying to shatter the invisible space.
"Watch how a god fights... and pray for me."
Van moved the invisible UFO carrying the survivors, opening part of the invisible barrier so it could pass through.
The UFO silently flew away, climbing into the dark sky covered by black clouds toward a place where they could watch safely and comfortably.
Beluga whistled in admiration.
"So, are we analyzing their language or not? It’ll take time..."
Van nodded once before turning his gaze toward Bartaz, who was becoming increasingly furious.
Bartaz raised his axe with all his rage. In his mind, this would be the strongest blow he could possibly unleash just to destroy a single invisible barrier.
His black lightning seemed endless, while the roar of the bull echoed like a war horn.
Bartaz swung his axe downward at tremendous speed.
But in the split second before the axe struck the invisible space, Van dismissed it.
Bartaz immediately crashed face-first into the ground right in front of Van.
Van shook his head.
"Good grief... this really seems to be the worst day for this angry bull."
Bartaz glared at Van with eyes filled with black fury. Not for even a single second did he extinguish the black lightning surrounding him.
Yet, contrary to his appearance, he immediately leaped backward, retreating even after finally reaching the ground he had been trying so hard to land on.
Seeing Bartaz’s unusual behavior, Van and Beluga instinctively looked up.
A sharp hissing sound cut through the air.
Van saw the elephant descending from the sky with both fists clenched, his hands shaped like those of a human.
The elephant trumpeted through his trunk as a battle cry.
Van stepped backward as quickly as he could.
Unfortunately, the flip-flops he was wearing slipped on the dew-covered grass.
"Shit!!—"
Van clearly watched the elephant’s descent.
He could already imagine the impact.
The moment the elephant’s feet struck the ground, the earth erupted into a massive shockwave.
Van and hundreds of unsuspecting trees were instantly swept away, followed by a thunderous upheaval that obliterated what had moments ago been a campsite and a lively feast.
From the sky, the survivors witnessed destruction beyond anything they could have imagined.
A thick cloud of dust rose into the air, completely hiding Van from view.
The prince pressed his hand against the invisible barrier, gritted his teeth, and repeatedly pounded on it.
"My lord!!!"
The others hurried to calm him.
"Your Highness!! Be careful, you could fall!!"
"We should pray instead..."
The prince became even more frantic as he saw three more figures descend from the wooden ship into the billowing cloud of dust.
From within the smoke came the crashing sounds of tree trunks colliding after being torn from the ground.
Van lay buried beneath several tree trunks. He created invisible hands to lift them away, the veins on his forehead bulging with effort.
Meanwhile, Beluga’s head emerged from beneath the ground. He shook his head as he watched Van struggle to push the tree trunks aside.
"See...? I told you. It’s your unlucky day."
Van stood up. His clothes were still perfectly clean despite having fallen onto the ground, which was already turning muddy.
He looked around and found himself surrounded by the thick dust cloud created by the elephant’s landing.
Van clicked his tongue. He took off both of his flip-flops and threw them away.
"Stupid flip-flops!!"
Beluga swam out of the ground and floated around Van as the constant jingling of his jewelry echoed through the air.
"Do you want to make another wish? You know, it looks like they’re ganging up on you... but we could perform as a duo again, just like last time."
Van remained silent for a moment. After Beluga spoke, all he heard was silence.
What he didn’t realize was that around the place where he stood, dozens... then hundreds... of corpse flowers no larger than a child’s thumb were quietly blooming.
"Wait a second. Let’s check the situation first."
Van immediately began floating upward.
He started flying toward the sky.
But from the very spot where he had been standing, a root suddenly shot toward one of his legs.
The root wrapped itself around the invisible space surrounding Van.
Yet it paid no attention to the barrier.
Instead, it simply yanked Van downward with overwhelming force, slamming him face-first into the ground.
Van tried to stand again.
Only then, at ground level, did he finally notice the hundreds of tiny corpse flowers.
Van frowned.
The flowers didn’t make a sound.
They simply released yellow smoke that quickly engulfed the entire area around Van.
Van shook his head with a sigh before standing once more.
Meanwhile, the yellow smoke continued pouring out until it reached his chest and slowly covered his face.
A sudden sound made Van turn his head.
He saw nothing.
He tried to take flight again, but his gray eyes were drawn to something disturbing.
The invisible space covering him like a raincoat had begun to melt.
Van froze.
From that very process came the same sound that had made him turn earlier.
’Huh?’
Van swallowed hard as cold sweat spread throughout his entire body.
At last, the yellow smoke broke through Van’s flawless defense, one that had never before been breached.
The moment it entered his nose, a scorched, putrid stench assaulted his senses, instantly making him nauseous.
Van coughed several times.
Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes as he dropped to his knees amid the countless corpse flowers still releasing yellow smoke.
His coughing became increasingly violent.
What had first been ordinary fluid soon turned into blood.
He rubbed his eyes repeatedly as tears continued pouring down until they became bloodshot.
On the final wipe, blood from his eyes smeared across his face.
Van groaned on the ground while clutching his face.
Beluga merely clicked his tongue as he looked around.
He was completely unaffected.
A striking contrast filled the battlefield.
Against Van’s agonized screams, a beautiful song naturally echoed through the silent forest.
Only Van’s cries had ruled the silence...
Until that voice began to sing.
Van ignored it, because this was the first time he had ever felt pain other than having his limbs cut off.
Meanwhile, Beluga turned toward the source of the voice. There, a figure flew while raising his sword, propelled by shoes with small wings.
His beautiful chant never seemed to stop.
The figure became clearer. It was Ryu, stroking his sword while singing.
"O crimson spirit, lend me your tranquil light. Cloak this blade with sorrow that comforts."
A crimson glow shone from Ryu’s not-so-long sword. His eyes stared coldly at Van, who was writhing in pain, a sharp contrast to his gentle voice.
"If blood must flow so that goodness does not perish..."
Beluga swallowed.
He tapped Van repeatedly with his tail even though his voice had become much calmer.
"Hey... adapt quickly... or you’ll end up as roasted human."
Van gritted his teeth.
He raised his head to look at Ryu.
His gray eyes were still shedding a few tears while the blood around them had already dried. The blood at the corner of his mouth was still visible.
His gray eyes lit up.
He exhaled, then greedily inhaled even though the yellow smoke still surrounded him, as if he was taking revenge against it.
Van began to stand, but Ryu’s chant had already reached its final verse.
"Let this flame bear witness to the sorrow we have left."
Ryu’s sword burst into fierce flames.
He immediately slashed it toward Van.
Reflected in Van’s gray eyes, a wave of fire rushed toward him.
’Shit!! The invisible space will melt-’
Van took a deep breath.
His stomach, which had been nauseous moments ago, suddenly turned cold.
He then exhaled, releasing hundreds of thousands of ice particles that immediately collided with the blazing flames.
An explosion of heat and cold erupted.
White steam spread even thicker while the yellow smoke continued trying to maintain its dominance and suppress Van.
Van flew out from the cloud of smoke.
Roots chased after him, forcing him to keep dodging, while Beluga continued following him like a dog being taken for an evening walk.
Van shouted at Beluga in anger.
Burn marks were now carved across his face.
"Oi!! Is it done yet?! He sang for quite a while, damn it!! Isn’t it ready y-"
Van’s words were cut off as Ryu closed in to slash him with his flaming sword.
Without thinking, Van created a shield from his invisible space, while the roots began blooming corpse flowers that immediately sprayed yellow smoke, melting Van’s invisible-space shield.
Ryu’s blazing sword stopped just inches in front of Van’s face.
Van formed an ice cannon in his right hand and immediately aimed it at Ryu’s face.
The ice cannon fired, blasting both of them away and once again turning the battlefield into a clash between heat and cold.
Van was thrown backward.
He looked around as white and yellow smoke still blocked his vision, while Beluga swam through the ground, watching him.
Van tried to fly again, but a silhouette rushed toward him.
He turned his head, and a gigantic boulder slammed into his entire body, sending him flying before crashing heavily to the ground.
Blood gathered in Van’s throat once again.
His ears rang while his vision gradually blurred.
At the very moment his ears should no longer have been able to hear clearly, an explosion of black lightning pierced through the ringing, allowing him to hear once again.
Van turned and saw Bartaz charging toward him in a zigzag pattern that prevented him from reacting properly.
Bartaz slammed into Van’s body, making it feel as though all of his organs were about to burst out through his mouth.
Bartaz grabbed Van’s head, causing several strands of Van’s golden hair to fall out.
He did not allow Van to fly after taking the impact of his attack.
He punched Van in the stomach until both of Van’s knees struck the ground.
"Pathetic..."
Bartaz gave Van no chance to rest.
He yanked Van back up and shoved him forward, while Beluga merely peeked and swam through the ground around Van.
He watched as Van staggered, his vision becoming increasingly blurred.
Van tried to locate where Bartaz was, but a blast of cold wind reached him first.
Cheetah slashed across Van’s abdomen, leaving his skin blistered and exposing part of his intestines.
He unleashed slash after slash across Van’s entire body.
Van, who was beginning to lose his patience, tried to track Cheetah, who kept moving at incredible speed.
With the little strength he had left, Van tripped him, causing both of them to crash to the ground.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Bong walked closer, dragging a massive boulder behind him, ready to throw it just as he had before.
Meanwhile, roots began surrounding them, continuously releasing yellow smoke from the corpse flowers growing along them.
And from the sky, blazing flames radiated from Ryu’s sword.
Van was surrounded on every side.
He had not even fought all of his opponents directly yet.
The one who had been regarded as a god was now beaten and battered in the middle of the yellow smoke.
Yet instead of screaming, he laughed.
Van kept forcing himself to breathe to stay conscious.
Even while surrounded, he searched for something.
He searched for Beluga, who was merely peeking at him like a cowardly dog.
Van raised his head once as Bartaz, Cheetah, Bong, and Ryu closed in with their respective attacks.
Bartaz reignited his black lightning.
Bong, the largest among them, moved first with his fist.
Ryu, soaring in the sky, put on the most spectacular display with his flames.
Meanwhile, Cheetah, the fastest of them all, waited patiently to deliver the final strike.
And Van, the target of all of them, was instead still arguing with Beluga using sign language.
They finally reached an agreement at exactly the right moment.
Beluga emerged from his hiding place.
He spun rapidly through the air.
As he spun, droplets of water slowly scattered outward, forming a water tornado that continued growing larger.
Bartaz, along with his black lightning, was swept into it, creating a lightning tornado.
The moment Ryu’s flames touched the water, an even thicker cloud of white steam erupted.
The water tornado continued expanding until it reached the dark clouds above.
Its winds shook the wooden ship, forcing it to retreat before it too was swept away.
Meanwhile, the survivors inside the invisible UFO could still clearly witness the largest water tornado they had ever seen in their lives.
A tornado that uprooted even more trees than Bong had shaken loose earlier.
After several minutes of enduring the terror of the tornado, the sound of cracking roots echoed as a wooden shell slowly split open.
Walking out from inside it was Elena, wearing light armor over her white dress.
Elena frowned.
She then pulled her roots back from the ground where they had spread in every direction.
The roots returned carrying Bartaz, Ryu, Bong, and Cheetah, all of whom had been injured after being swept away by the tornado.
Elena sighed and shook her head.
The wind blew through her white hair, causing her to look up at the sky, which was still filled with mist.
From above, Kalula slowly descended with a pair of black wings extending from her back.
Her reptilian eyes glowed crimson.
Elena was about to speak when the sound of clinking metal echoed.
Everyone turned toward it.
Out from the mist before them, a large figure walked forward while whistling.
The figure carried something enormous in his right hand, resting it on his shoulder.
As the white mist gradually thinned, the figure became clearer.
Everyone who saw him frowned.
The figure was a man with thick white hair reaching his waist.
He carried an enormous toy water gun in his right hand.
His eyes were hidden behind diamond sunglasses, while his entire body was covered in jewelry, the most eye-catching being a gigantic diamond necklace hanging around his neck.
The man lowered his sunglasses, revealing his blue eyes.
He smiled brightly.
"Finally!!"
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
Then, from behind the man, Van stepped out.
His golden hair was messy and falling out.
His face was covered with burns, while his entire body was stained with blood and wounds.
He crouched beside the man and let out a heavy sigh.
The man nudged Van with his foot.
"Hey... use your regeneration potential. Your face is hard to look at."
Van smiled and almost laughed despite the pain.
"You crazy whale! Focus on your job, damn it!! I still can’t speak their language!!"
The man’s chuckle was now deeper than before.
He looked at the group staring at the two of them and licked his lips, while Van wore a faint smile despite his exhausted expression.
"Yeah... this is kind of fun. I mean, this is one of my first real fights against someone other than the old man..."
"This counts as experience, right? So I’m going to enjoy it."
Van nudged the man’s giant water gun with his foot.
"Of course, that’s only if I can survive long enough to start speaking their language, Beluga."