Kim Jihoon of the Shining Guild. One of the five pillars leading the Shining Guild. He was an executive of the Shining Guild and a promising superhuman who had reached the 5-star+ rank.

When he first joined this raid team, he had little concern. He had heard about the dangers of mutated gates, but he wasn’t overly worried. Considering the raid team's overwhelming power, it was understandable.

The participation of Kang Hanil, a 6-star superhuman. In addition, a total of thirty superhumans ranked 5-star or higher. Among them, nearly ten were at the 5-star+ rank.

With such power, this was arguably the strongest raid team that could be assembled in the country. Therefore, even though it was an A-rank mutated gate, he believed there would be no problem.

“As long as we don’t recklessly expose ourselves to unnecessary risks, there’s no reason for us to fail.”

He had said those words during the briefing. That was how confident he was. Everyone in the team was experienced, and there was no one who would make such rookie mistakes that could ruin the raid.

But there was one thing Kim Jihoon had overlooked. He had assessed their strength in relative terms.

Indeed, their power was the strongest that could be gathered within the country. However, the monsters appearing within the gate were not bound by such limits. At any moment, a monster stronger than their entire team could appear and wipe them out.

“Th-this can’t be….”

He only realized this after facing the Thunderbird before his eyes.

At first, they struggled slightly against the Thunderbird. But then Kang Hanil awakened. Following that, the raid team’s continuous attacks forced the Thunderbird to crash to the ground.

Up until that moment, Kim Jihoon was optimistic about their victory. And it wasn’t just him—every member of the raid team probably felt the same.

But when the Thunderbird suddenly awakened, and Kang Hanil fell—only then did he finally understand. That they could actually lose.

A single strike of black lightning from the awakened Thunderbird brought down several raid team members.

Among them were the trio from the Nati Guild, who were also at the 5-star+ rank. Regardless of their personalities, they were fighters he could trust based on skill alone. Yet, they had been retired from the fight by a single bolt of lightning.

“Ah… Ah….”

It was a despairing situation. He could feel the overwhelming waves of magic radiating from the monster against his skin. It was enough to drain the will to resist.

“W-we’re doomed. We’re all going to die….”

And it wasn’t just him. The other superhumans around him were panicking as well.

The one who had just spoken in despair was also a high-ranking superhuman at the 5-star+ level. Normally, he exuded unshakable confidence and an indomitable spirit. Yet even he had lost that composure.

His body trembled violently. He could already picture himself collapsing just like Kang Hanil and the Nati Guild trio.

‘G-god….’

Though he had always claimed to be an atheist, in the face of despair, he desperately prayed for divine intervention. And perhaps, his prayer had reached the heavens. A miracle unfolded before his eyes.

—Flash.

A brilliant light burst forth, and a lone figure shot toward the Thunderbird. The arc of the man’s sword carved a deep wound across the Thunderbird’s chest.

“Kiiieeeeek—!”

With a shriek of pain, scales tore away from its chest and fell. The Thunderbird writhed in agony and hurriedly took to the skies.

“O-oh….”

Watching this, a sliver of hope ignited within him. Perhaps… just maybe….

On that day, a god was born in Kim Jihoon’s heart.

‘Hmm, that was a bit shallow.’

It was a slightly disappointing sensation.

—That thing is faster and more perceptive than it looks.

‘Indeed….’

He had believed it to be a perfect ambush that would decisively turn the tide, but it had failed. A mere superficial wound. All he had done was strip away a few scales from the Thunderbird.

“Everyone, help the injured and retreat.”

Heo Sungshik bought time for Team A to gather their wounded and fall back.

Technically, he could have launched a series of follow-up attacks immediately after his first strike. However, since his initial attack had failed to end the fight, escalating the battle into a chaotic brawl could have resulted in Team A’s superhumans getting caught in the crossfire. Instead, he chose to secure time for them to regroup and withdraw.

—Aren’t you being too leisurely?

Heaven-Splitter spoke with some disapproval. It was true—if it had been Heaven-Splitter, he wouldn’t have cared about collateral damage. He would have simply taken down the Thunderbird in the most efficient manner possible.

‘It’s not that I’m deliberately taking my time….’

In a way, it was true that he was taking it easy.

But it was because he was brimming with confidence. He could instinctively tell. Even though the Thunderbird had awakened, it wasn’t his match.

—Tsk, what a hassle because of these useless people….

Heaven-Splitter grumbled, and Heo Sungshik chuckled softly. He was now convinced—Heaven-Splitter truly was not human, but a sword.

The heart that cannot stand idly by in the face of others’ misfortune. Most people naturally possessed such compassion.

This was no different. If the situation had put him at a disadvantage, perhaps he would have considered otherwise. But right now, there was no harm to him at all. If anything, the benefits of saving these people far outweighed any potential losses.

‘Well, let’s set those thoughts aside for now.’

He cleared his mind and focused entirely on the battle. It had only just begun. Now, he had to prove that his confidence was justified.

—Crackle, crackle.

At the same time Heo Sungshik focused, the Thunderbird, hovering in the air, scattered a barrage of black lightning.

‘I see it.’

Every single bolt of black lightning racing toward him was clearly visible.

Lightning-based attacks were among the fastest and most destructive of all elemental assaults. Their speed alone made them difficult to follow with the naked eye.

But Heo Sungshik’s ash-gray eyes—those were the Heaven-Splitter Eyes.

With those ashen eyes, he could perceive every single strike.

“Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, Second Form—Law-Breaking Strike.”

The Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword radiated a strange power as it absorbed the approaching bolts one by one, shattering them.

—Crackle. Crackle.

As the massive sparks dissipated, some of the scattered lightning was quietly absorbed into the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

Though the explanation was long, all of this happened within the span of mere seconds.

Seeing the more than ten strands of black lightning, splitting them apart and absorbing them—this was not something just anyone could do. One had to possess the same eyes as Sungshik and be able to move faster than the black lightning itself.

Among those watching, the only one who could somewhat properly follow those movements was none other than Kang Hanil.

“M-My god.”

Having briefly lost consciousness after taking a direct hit from the Thunder Bird’s attack, Kang Hanil woke up and could hardly believe his eyes as he witnessed Sungshik’s movements. When he had reached 6-star+, he had thought for a moment that he had caught up to Sungshik or perhaps even surpassed him—but that was merely an illusion.

‘That man… was a transcendent beyond 7-star.’

The gap between them felt overwhelming. As someone who had just reached 6-star+, Kang Hanil could now truly grasp just how insurmountable the wall of 7-star was.

“This is insane.”

The words left his mouth in awe. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how that man had reached such a level.

The Celestial Realm. The domain of the world’s top-tier powerhouses. Kang Hanil himself had only dipped his feet into that realm briefly when he had first ascended to 6-star.

That’s right—Sungshik was not someone confined to the small pond of Korea. He was destined to stand on the grand stage of the world.

Though not to the same extent as Kang Hanil, a few of the nearby superhumans who caught a glimpse of Sungshik’s prowess shivered in fear. That was how breathtaking the scene of him blocking the black lightning barrage was.

“KIIIIEEEKK—!”

Having its attack thwarted so effortlessly, the Thunder Bird let out a desperate, frenzied cry.

“Urgh—”

Superhumans clutched their ears in pain from the deafening roar.

—Resisting the Thunder Bird’s Fear.

A notification rang in Sungshik’s ears.

‘I see, so that’s what it was.’

He now understood why the raid team had momentarily fallen into collective panic when the Thunder Bird had awakened.

The inherent power of ‘Fear’ possessed by dragons. A force that weakened the abilities of those below them and instilled them with terror. The Thunder Bird had partially awakened the power of dragons, unleashing that very force.

However, it had no effect on Sungshik. His rank was not lower than the Thunder Bird’s to begin with, and his Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword had the ‘+20% Mental Attack Resistance’ option. As such, the very idea of him being affected by its Fear was simply inconceivable.

The Thunder Bird itself seemed to have never expected its Fear to work on Sungshik in the first place.

Crackle—

Along with its roar, an immense burst of sparks erupted from its entire body. Simultaneously, dark clouds began to gather in the sky.

‘This is…’

It was similar to the attack he had seen before entering the boss room. However, there was a key difference.

Rumble.

This time, the sheer volume of lightning was overwhelmingly greater, and it was all concentrated on a single target.

CRACKLE—!

More than dozens of strands of black lightning raged toward a single person—Sungshik.

It was an overwhelming sight that none who witnessed it would ever forget. It was as if the wrath of nature itself had descended upon a single individual.

Indeed, a boss monster wielding the higher attribute of ‘Thunder’ demonstrated far greater power than other monsters of the same rank.

However, it had chosen the wrong opponent.

‘I think… I can do it.’

Normally, he wouldn’t have taken the risk. No matter how powerful Sungshik was, if he were to take on all of these black lightning bolts at once, the damage would be immense.

Yet, for some reason, today he had a strong feeling that he could manage it.

Sungshik’s gray eyes deepened. As he focused his mind, the world around him seemed to slow down.

At that moment, a notification sounded in his ears, but he was so immersed that he barely registered it.

—Ding. The power of Chronos’ ‘Pocket Watch’ reacts with ‘Heaven-Splitter Eyes.’

—‘Heaven-Splitter Eyes’ temporarily ascends to ‘True Heaven-Splitter Eyes.’

The entire world slowed. The black lightning bolts that had been striking down at the speed of light now seemed to crawl like slugs.

Within this seemingly frozen world, only Sungshik’s thoughts remained sharp and unhindered.

‘Frustrating.’

While his mind was fully active, his body, like everything else around him, moved sluggishly.

‘Move. Faster.’

Within the flow of time, Sungshik’s powerful will reached his body. His body responded to that will. He could move just a little faster than before.

‘For now, this is enough.’

Though still frustratingly slow, being able to move even at this pace was sufficient. It was enough to cut down every bolt of black lightning before him.

In this slowed world, Sungshik’s body moved relentlessly. Slashing, cutting, slicing. He cleaved through every single black lightning bolt raining down upon him. A feat that would have been impossible under normal circumstances.

When all the lightning had been blocked, the world returned to its original state. The countless black lightning bolts had completely vanished.

Crackle—

The Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, overflowing with mana, discharged an enormous surge of sparks.

“Wh-What just happened?”

“What… was that?”

“All I saw was flashing lights, nothing else…”

No one had properly witnessed Sungshik’s miraculous feat. Not even Kang Hanil had been able to follow his movements.

‘D-Does that mean he wasn’t even using his full power earlier?’

The realization sent chills down Kang Hanil’s spine. He could not fathom the limits of this man.

Ignoring the gasps and shock around him, Sungshik steadied his breath.

“Hoo.”

That sensation just now—it was something he had never experienced before. Not even when he had trained in the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts and reached the realm of enlightenment.

The feeling of time itself bending to his will. Though brief, it had been an electrifying experience he would never forget.

However, perhaps this power was not yet fully his to wield. The backlash was greater than expected. A wave of intense mental fatigue hit him, and he could feel his muscles screaming in protest.

Yet, he did not find it unpleasant. It felt as if he had just surpassed a personal limit. As if he had just carved open a new path to an unknown realm.

A smirk formed at the corner of Sungshik’s lips.

“Since I had such a great experience, it’s only fair that I give a gift in return.”

With those words, he swung the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, overflowing with immense mana.