Chapter 69: Decapitating Death Blade – Azrael

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Under the crushing assault of the Fallen King’s powerful Soul Pressure, Riven combined several of his skills into a single devastating synergy ability to finally finish the ancient foe off for good.

Decapitating Death Blade – Azrael.

The embodiment of death itself was summoned in that critical moment. For a single second Riven’s aura transformed completely, taking the shape of a tall, black-feathered angel of death that held an enormous scythe in its hands. His handsome face was partially covered by a dark cloak, and the Fallen King saw true death finally coming for him with nowhere left to run.

"You can only escape death for so long, Fallen King."

SLAAASH!

Riven’s divine weapon transformed for that single instant, turning into a giant black scythe that quite literally reaped away the Fallen King’s soul and destroyed his Ghost Heart in one clean, merciless motion.

"A-AH....! N-NO...! MY... KINGDOM...!"

The King’s ghostly soul rapidly turned smaller and smaller, returning to his original humanoid form as he fell from the skies. His eyes were filled with a mixture of deep sorrow and lingering madness. Tears of pure ethereal energy fell from them while Riven looked down on him with cold contempt.

"Rest in peace, old man."

As the fallen ruler continued to drop, his entire soul slowly dissolved into particles of soft azure flames. His gigantic spectral form that had loomed above the ceiling disappeared as if it had never existed at all. The crystallization of his soul, the Ghost Heart, shattered into countless glittering pieces that scattered across the dungeon floor.

When Riven finally landed back on solid ground, he felt completely exhausted. His body ached everywhere from the strain of the fight. It had been a relatively quick battle, yet one where he had been forced to put everything on the line and use almost his entire repertoire of skills and techniques just to secure the victory.

"Even C Rank Monsters from other dungeons, or their bosses, are usually weaker than this," he said while walking slowly toward Daniela. "I suppose we’ve defeated a boss not many hunters have ever faced to begin with. Most people ignore this place completely, despite its third floor being comparable in difficulty to a full C Rank Gate."

"Yeah...! But anyway, we did it!!!" Daniela celebrated cutely, raising both arms high and even breaking into a little spontaneous dance out of pure excitement.

"Hahaha," Riven laughed as he watched her. She looked utterly adorable, especially while still wearing her bright Golden Pierrot outfit. "Ugh..." Then his strength finally gave out and he collapsed to one knee.

"R-Riven?!" Daniela gasped in panic. Noir barked worriedly beside her as both of them rushed over to help him. "Riven!" She quickly forced a recovery potion into his mouth without waiting for permission.

"Guugh?!" he groaned as he nearly choked on the liquid. "Cough! Hey! I’m not dying, I’m just tired!"

"A-Ahahah... is that so?" Daniela chuckled nervously, pulling the empty bottle away. "Sorry..."

"Still, where’s the notification?" Riven wondered aloud while wiping his mouth and trying to stand properly again. "Have we not met all the conditions yet, or—"

FLASH!

Suddenly, as if answering his unspoken question, a giant system screen appeared before their eyes, flashing with bright blue light that illuminated the entire area around them.

[Congratulations, Ascendants, for successfully completing your first Dungeon Conquest!]

[Ascendant Riven, Ascendant Daniela. You have been granted the special chance to gain an incredible, tailor-made reward specifically designed for your Authorities.]

"It’s happening— Wait, I’m included?!" Daniela screamed in pure disbelief, her eyes wide and her voice cracking with shock. "H-HOW?!"

"I guess you did help a lot," Riven said with a warm smile, gently patting her head. "Well done. You were incredible out there."

"O-Oh!" Daniela’s eyes shone brightly like those of a happy puppy. "R-Really? I wasn’t a bother at all?"

"You would never be a bother," Riven replied, his smile growing even warmer. "I’m glad I met you."

"Rivennnn!" Daniela cried out emotionally and threw her arms around his stomach, hugging him tightly. Her tears and sniffling completely covered the front of his clothes.

"Ugh?! Hey, cut it out! You’re covering me in all your stuff! Agh!" Riven groaned while trying to gently push her away, though he did not put any real force into it.

"I wish you were my real dad..." Daniela cried softly, her voice growing quieter as she averted her gaze from him in sudden embarrassment.

"..."

Riven’s expression softened. He smiled lightly and hugged her back without hesitation.

"Well, I sure as hell am doing a better job than the real one, aren’t I?"

"Heheh, yeah!" she answered with a small, watery laugh.

The system messages continued to appear, now glowing in a rich golden color as they displayed the winners of this Dungeon Conquest.

[Number 1 Winner: Riven / Total Points: 101229]

[Number 2 Winner: Daniela / Total Points: 36023]

[No other participants have been found. Familiars do not count within the calculations.]

Noir let out a sad little whimper from the side. The Abyssal Wolf pup had clearly been looking forward to seeing his own name appear on the list as well.

Suddenly, two glowing lights materialized in the air directly in front of them.

FLASH!

Daniela received her reward first. The light slowly descended into her open hands and took the solid form of an elegant mask. One half of the mask showed a laughing face while the other half displayed a sorrowful, crying face.

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[Jester King’s Mask (S+ Grade)]

One of the masks worn by the King of Jesters. When worn by a Class under the Court Jester’s Authority, grants the ability to copy a skill from someone else for 24 hours. After the time limit, the skill disappears.

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"Eh?! This thing has Skill Copy?!" Daniela exclaimed in amazement as she turned the mask over in her hands.

Riven was equally impressed. "That’s a really good one! Oh, here comes mine..."

What was gifted to Riven was not a piece of equipment or any conventional item. Instead, the glowing light in front of him constantly shifted in size and form, twisting and reshaping itself until it suddenly began to solidify into something entirely unexpected...

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