A few seconds earlier, Leander had heard an unusual request from Darian.
"Attack exactly the spot above Matteo's head. That's where the power of that blessing inside the artifact is weakest."
"What?" Leander snapped back. "Sure, her blessing isn't perfect. But guessing the weak point at random is impossible."
Darian said flatly, "Just hit that spot. Then, send another attack toward Raon. I'll intercept him and stop him from knocking those two out."
"Don't be stupid! You're a support..."
"We don't have time. Got a better plan?" Darian cut him off. "I know Raon has the Eclipse Blessing. Its effect hasn't kicked in yet, so right now he's just a regular High Human. I'll keep him busy. The mage and the support can't move either. All you guys have to do is attack. That way, their tank and fighter will have to protect the weak point that'll show up. And the power from those two's artifacts and blessings will run out in two minutes."
Darian had skimmed through some notes on famous blessings in another universe's library. It was quick—he didn't even spend twenty minutes on it. Just a few lines summarizing the effects.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough for anything... but just a moment ago, he saw the actual use of that blessing—and all the others in this battle—he saw it in Raon's past, saw that exact fight during the mission where Oliver died.
So now, saying he was familiar with this famous blessing wasn't hard to explain.
The Eclipse Blessing was well-known, but almost nobody ever picked it. Its power was eye-catching and brutal. The user got a sudden boost in speed, strength, and durability—strong enough to be nearly unbeatable against those at the same level or even a bit stronger.
But the blessing only worked with outside help or in super rare situations. After all, who'd want a blessing that needs others to even work?
During the day, the Yang from the star flooded the area, and at night, the Yin of the universe took over. So the condition to activate the blessing was simple: the battlefield had to have its natural light or elements blocked.
In other words, anything that drastically interfered with the Yin and Yang of the surroundings could trigger the power. It couldn't be something small—it had to basically eclipse everything around.
Of course, once activated, it burned a lot of the user's inner energy, so it couldn't be kept up forever, even if the conditions were met. If the user couldn't win before the energy ran out, it was game over.
Leander quickly said, "Raon's still someone who's fought in tons of missions. You're a rookie and a support. You'll get dropped before—"
"Who? That spoiled Young Master bastard?" Darian cut in coldly, his body suddenly radiating a bloodthirsty aura that made both Veyle and Leander widen their eyes. "He's a pampered brat who never fights unless everything's been set up perfectly for him. His plan failed, so just do what I said, damn it."
They both went silent. That whole conversation had lasted just ten seconds. Then Raon moved, laughing:
"Hahaha, it's over!"
"Fuck it, let's do it," Leander snapped, activating his blessing and moving the flying swords.
*CRACK!*
The attack was fast and dead-on, hitting exactly where Darian had said. Right after that, Veyle and Leander's hearts pounded like drums.
It was real—there was a flaw in the enemy's blessing. Cracks spread across the space like spiderwebs. A huge breach opened up, giving direct access to the two vulnerable enemies.
Leander followed up fast, sending another strike toward Raon.
The moment Raon blocked it, Darian was already five meters away, charging in.
It happened so fast the enemy tank and fighter didn't even react.
When they finally realized and tried to move toward Darian—
They stopped. Flying swords pierced the air, and a misty cloud drifted toward the breach in the space.
The two widened their eyes and bolted to stop it. That breach was like a wide-open window, leading straight to their exposed support and mage.
Their previous trap had made it impossible to target the support and mage. It was a trade: their mage and support for the tank and fighter. Everyone got locked out of the fight.
That would've left Leander's group with just a support, a mage, and him—a Mystic. How the hell would they survive that? It'd be the end.
But now, Darian had locked down Raon, and an opening in the enemy's support and mage protection had appeared.
If the enemy tank and fighter ran toward Leander and Veyle or toward Darian, the two farther back could strike through the gap and take out the support and mage, freeing their teammates.
That made the two enemies focus on guarding that gap. One of the reasons was...
In the end, the whole fight rested on Raon.
He had to take Darian down fast. That way, he could cover the weak spot and free up his Fighter to finish off the fragile mage—and then Leander.
A support wasn't someone who fought directly and barely had any real combat power. Sure, experienced supports always had some kind of emergency trick. But this rookie?
It was simple...
"Just you?! Hahaha!" Raon shouted through laughter, fully aware of the current situation.
He charged in with a dagger in hand.
But...
Darian just stepped to the side.
The strike hit nothing but air.
"Oh? What were you aiming at?"
Darian's mocking voice echoed across the stadium, making everyone uncomfortable.
Darian wasn't just some setup guy anymore. He'd fought desperately against the Risen for fifteen days during the test, learning to predict their moves through karma.
Raon? To him, Raon was like a lighthouse, radiating karma way darker than any of those Risen. Even with his eyes closed, Darian could predict and dodge his attacks.
Another thing was that Darian had thrown himself into extreme situations over and over. Whether it was everything he'd been through in that other universe, or inside the Array. It gave him the mindset only seasoned warriors had.
Raon though? He was exactly like Darian said—an idiot who picked that blessing just because he could use others as meat shields, counting on a pile of expensive artifacts to back him up.
He'd never fought while actually feeling danger. He always stayed back, waiting for a safe and guaranteed moment to wipe out his enemies. Honestly, it was hard to imagine how he even got to level one of the Seven Elemental Star Physique.
"DIE!"
Raon screamed and slashed with his dagger again and again, going for the kill.
But...
"Wait. You're serious?"
Darian dodged effortlessly, just stepping side to side.
"BASTARD!"
Raon yelled in rage and pulled out a crystal—another artifact. Now he was throwing everything into one attack, ready to kill no matter the cost.
But Darian had already seen this move before, in the memories. He knew exactly what that artifact was. Raon always saved it for when he couldn't rely on his blessing.
Back when Oliver died, Raon had pulled the same trick right before ordering his teammates to rush forward without hesitation, plowing through the enemies.
That left Leander's group, who was further behind, in a horrible spot.
To save them, Oliver had used everything he had to raise a barrier of light and buy his team time to escape. The cost? His lonely death.
It was obvious—if Raon had just stayed and both groups fought together, they would've had an 80% chance of winning. But would he risk even a little? Of course not.
So now he used the same artifact to boost his power, planning to rush Darian with a series of close-range strikes that pierced through space.
But Darian was ready for it. He knew exactly what was coming.
*BANG!*
Suddenly, a brutal kick came from below—a ruthless, merciless blow for any man… landing directly between Raon's legs.
The impact sent him flying three meters back.
Raon hit the ground, writhing in agony.
Ridiculous sounds came out of his mouth, like a pig being slaughtered. The sharp pain spreading between his legs made everything even worse.
The people in the stands just stared in total silence.
Raon's humiliation had hit an entirely new level, happening right in front of everyone.
Darian stepped forward and picked up a small artifact the idiot had dropped… the gesture reminded him of something he'd done in the past, during his first real fights.