Kantos and Fabio didn't feel like they had hit anything. Their attacks had missed.

"Keep attacking!" Kantos yelled coldly.

"But...!" Fabio hesitated.

It wasn't just Kang Oh in there; their ally, Taker, was inside the darkness too. What if Kang Oh was using Taker as a meat shield?

"You're a Master. Act like one. Do nothing and we might be next!"

Kantos relied on his senses, and repeatedly thrust his spear.

Fabio bit his lip and followed suit.

Stab!

It felt like they'd hit something.

However, they had no idea who it was. Had they hit Kang Oh or Taker?

At that moment...

Something popped out of the darkness.

Kantos and Fabio instinctively thrust their spears at it.

They had once again hit something. However, it felt like they were stabbing a viscous liquid.

Stab!

A red dress fluttered within the darkness, and a pale, red-haired beauty came out.

"You little...!"

Two spears had pierced Tasha's sides; she looked absolutely furious, and opened her hands.

Hatred Spike!

Sticky, blood red spikes rose around her.

Fabio backed off while swinging his spear. On the other hand, Kantos pushed the blood spikes away and charged at Tasha.

However, Kantos wasn't focused on Tasha. He was still wary of Kang Oh, who was just waiting to strike from within the darkness.

Swoosh!

Someone else came out of the darkness. They gave off such bloodlust that it couldn't be Taker, who was grievously injured.

'It's Kang Oh!'

Kantos unleashed a skill in his direction.

Butterfly's Revenge!

Red butterflies hovered around the shaft. At the same time, powerful energy rose from his spear.

Whoosh!

However, Kantos quickly twisted his spear around. A purple longsword came flying at him. He was forced to block the violently spinning blade with his spear.

If that was just his weapon, then where was Kang Oh?

Tada!

Kang Oh came out of the darkness and aimed for Fabio. He wasn't assuming his Dual Demon form; instead, he was in his Jet-Black Demon form. His black tail fluttered behind him as he swung Ubist at him.

Abyss Predator!

His jet-black greatsword unleashed a deluge of darkness.

Fabio gritted his teeth and used his most powerful skill.

Thunder God's Fury!

Crackle!

His lightning-shaped spear transformed into an actual blue lightning bolt. At the same time, he unleashed a ton of electricity everywhere.

Boom!

Darkness versus electricity.

The two energies clashed head-on.

If the abyss was a swamp, then electricity was a sharp drill. The darkness completely devoured the lightning blast.

"Fabio!" Kantos urgently yelled, and threw his body towards his son.

Meteor Spear!

He unleashed red energy from his spear, which resembled a falling star, and struck the widespread deluge of darkness.

At the same time, Fabio swung his spear downwards. The movements of his spear could make the electric discharge even more chaotic.

However, Kang Oh wasn't alone. Tasha had gotten behind Fabio.

"Die!"

She transformed her hands into blood red drills, and stabbed Fabio's sides. Tasha had done exactly what the father-son duo had done to her.

"Get away from him!" Kantos yelled furiously, leapt into the air, and swung his spear downwards at Tasha.

However, four frozen beams came flying at his side.

It was Sara. Four sapphires floated around her.

Kantos' body glowed with intense light.

Warrior's Hymn!

This skill would unleash one's latent potential. It would increase the user's strength, speed, and even elemental resistance.

Kantos took the ice beams head-on, and followed through with his attack.

"Kyaahk." Tasha screamed like a cat, and fell to the floor.

Kang Oh swung Ubist at Kantos. It was quick, precise, and sharp!

Kantos gritted his teeth.

There was no way he could block or dodge it. The best he could do was counterattack afterwards.

However, an unexpected ally came to help him.

Combination Attack: Thunder Bomb!

It was Black Wolf, who had waited patiently in the air for the opportune moment to strike. The duo's (master and pet) lightning and blade winds melded together, producing an electric blast that came straight for Kang Oh.

The attack was too powerful for Kang Oh to ignore.

Kang Oh stopped himself, used Abyss Shield, and pulled his body back.

The Thunder Bomb instantly tore through Abyss Shield, causing it to disappear in a plume of black smoke. However, it had slowed down the attack just enough for Kang Oh to retreat.

Then...

Kyaaahk!

Waryong roared, transformed into a red meteor, and attacked Black Wolf and his Death Eagle.

The archers and mages that remained atop the castle's walls also barraged the Death Eagles with arrows and magic. Of course, they weren't able to hit them, as Death Eagles were a class apart.

'It would be nice if I had Rudy right about now.'

Rudy would be able to end them in a single hit!

However, Rudy had used all of its power protecting the airships. It was currently resting within a private nest for pets, which was tucked safely in the corner of his inventory.

It would probably sleep for several more days.

"Save Mr. Kang Oh!"

"We're here."

The castle gates opened, and reinforcements came flooding out. Soon enough, they were fighting the Iron Horse Squad in earnest.

"You bastard!" Kantos barraged Kang Oh with attacks.

Ubist unleashed a ton of darkness. It was as if it'd spat out squid ink.

However...

'I won't fall for that again!'

Kantos thrust his spear at Kang Oh, relying on his other four senses and his intuition.

Stab!

He definitely felt something on the other end.

Unfortunately, what appeared beneath the veil of darkness wasn't Kang Oh, but Taker. Several green veins were visible on his face.

Taker had been poisoned. Taranturus Poison was considered one of Arth's ten most dangerous poisons, and was also called Puppet Poison!

The Snow-White Dress, which Kang Oh had used for Gluttony, gave him the ability to use 'Taranturus's Poison'; he could control anyone he landed a hit on.

As a result, Taker, who was fully under his control, had taken the hit for him.

"Go!" Kang Oh said.

"Uoh..." Taker sloppily swung his spear at Kantos.

Kantos' eyes became even colder. 'Get out of my way!'

Butterfly's Vengeance!

Stab!

His spear pierced Taker's heart.

"Guooh." Taker moaned pitifully, and then slumped onto the floor. His face had turned gray. It was game over for him.

"I'll kill you no matter what!"

Kantos was truly pissed now.

God Spear Style: Four-Leaf Clover!

Four sharp spears appeared behind his back.

This technique is why he was called the God Spear!

The four spears flew into the air, and then fell from the sky like falling stars one after another.

However, Kantos was making a huge mistake.

Kang Oh and Kantos.

Who was stronger in a one-on-one fight?

Kang Oh was.

Kantos was on the same level as Burkan. Dukeram had beaten Burkan, and Kang Oh had gone on to beat him, so he was inevitably stronger than Kantos.

Mad Wind's Sword.

Kang Oh repeatedly swung Ubist, and repelled all four of the spears.

Then, he deflected Kantos' spear, closed the distance, and pierced Kantos' heart.

"Father!" Fabio yelled. He was engaging both Tasha and Sara.

"I'm the God Spear!"

The four spears violently spun through the air like a vortex, and came straight for Kang Oh.

At that moment...

Dragon's Fury!

Ubist unleashed a massive amount of gray energy, which soared into the air.

Boom!

There was a massive explosion.

The spears were swept away by the resulting shockwave, and Kantos hadn't come out unscathed.

"Run... away," Kantos, who was sprawled on the ground, said.

"God Spear, you were a strong opponent."

The least he could do for such a strong warrior was end his life painlessly and as quickly as possible. He deserved that much.

Although Kang Oh did whatever it took to win, he would still show respect to truly strong opponents.

"Father!" Fabio's desperate yell rang out.

His face crinkled like an evil spirit. Then, he repelled both Tasha and Sara's attacks, and charged right at Kang Oh.

It was a foolish decision.

Fabio was physically a Master, but his mental fortitude wasn't up to par. He was far, far weaker than his father.

Transcendent Blade!

Ubist cleaved Fabio in half.

"I'll get my revenge, even in death..." Fabio kept staring at Kang Oh till the very end.

Kang Oh didn't look away; it was his way of showing respect to a powerful warrior before they passed on to the underworld.

"R-Retreat."

Since Taker, Kantos, and Fabio had been killed, Black Wolf had no choice but to retreat.

He had to at least save the five Death Eagles they had left.

"The Iron Horse Squad will retreat too. This operation is a failure!" The Iron Horse Squad's Vice-Captain yelled.

The squad quickly retreated every which way on their horses.

"Tasha, come over here! Sara, stop the eagles!"

Kang Oh grabbed Blood, transformed into the Dual Demon, and flew into the air.

Sara used Yuki-Onna's Breath and her Ice Beams on the Death Eagles.

However, the Death Eagles were masters in the air. If they decided to run away, then the only thing that could stop them was Sephiro and Waryong.

Black Wolf's Death Eagle flew at the front, and the remaining four Death Eagles followed him in formation.

'No, there's still another way!'

Kang Oh got into position in midair.

Blood Emperor!

His snow-white blade turned blood red and unleashed an Emperor's Strike. However, he hadn't intended on hitting them; he was merely trying to buff himself. He just carelessly shot it in a random direction.

"Hoo." Kang Oh took a deep breath, concentrated, and then swung Ubist horizontally.

Divide the Sea!

It was an absolute technique that cut through anything!

His blade unleashed a line that cut through space and divided the blue sky in two.

The technique cost 90% of his Stamina, so Kang Oh momentarily felt powerless.

However, he soon heard something that raised his spirits.

Kyaahk!

The Death Eagles screamed!

It was as if someone clipped them with scissors; all five of them were cut into pieces and plummeted to the ground.

Black Wolf and a squad member were lucky enough to avoid his attack. They quickly used the special clothes that'd been prepared for them. The clothes itself looked like a flying squirrel.

However, they weren't able to survive.

Kyaaaa!

The black-armored Waryong flew over, grabbed Black Wolf with its talons, and ripped his upper body apart.

Kang Oh smiled at the sight of that.

'Kantos, Fabio, Taker, and Black Wolf! That's 1.5 million gold for me.'

It'd been a long time since he'd made such good money!

* * *

The Lord of Lenoc Castle reported that they had not only defeated the 3rd Corps, but that Kang Oh had killed Kantos, Fabio, Taker, and Black Wolf.

Then, Golden Road Fortress sent them good news in return.

While Kang Oh was fighting against the four Masters, the 3rd Corps had sent a force to prevent them from reinforcing them.

However, Ould had seen through Kantos and Fabio's scheme, and had led his forces against the 3rd Corps, dealing a huge blow to their enemies.

As expected of the Tactical Genius.

With this, the Elephant Corps had come out victorious.

"Let's go." Kang Oh got on top of Waryong's back.

"Where are we going?" Sephiro asked.

"The Eagle Corps' main forces are staying in a city called Iceram, right?"

"Probably."

"Then let's go."

"Why?"

"There are still three days before the siege of Saw Rock Fortress, so let's go over and kill Dalton."

Gheor paid him handsomely, so he would likely pay him at least 500,000 gold for Dalton's head. After all, he was called the Arabas Empire's Guardian God.

Kang Oh's bounty hunting wasn't over yet!