"I shall fight you with everything I have starting now."
"So prepare yourself."
Asterion truly looked serious this time.
A single glance at his face was enough to prove it.
The moment Jackson saw how serious the old man had become, he released everything he possessed without hesitation.
An overwhelming amount of aura exploded from his body as he rapidly burned through his mana reserves at a terrifying pace.
His aura became jagged and violent, constantly shining while creating a raging storm around him. At the same time, his Giant Heart pulsed ferociously as well, supplying him with even greater power and durability.
In that state—
He looked mighty and invincible.
To the point where injuring him seemed utterly impossible.
This was the strength of those who had reached the King rank.
'His power can't be measured by ordinary King standards…'
'He's close to the peak of the rank.'
Ethan's thoughts echoed within his mind as he watched through Wise Crow Eyes.
Jackson had reached level sixty-seven.
Which meant he stood extremely close to the peak of the King rank, while his powerful physical blessing amplified his strength even further.
'It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's stronger than most Elders of the same rank…'
Ethan slowly turned his gaze toward Jackson's opponent.
'But right now…'
'He's standing against Asterion Heart of all people.'
The old man did not appear affected whatsoever by the monstrous aura pressure Jackson unleashed.
Instead—
He looked completely calm.
His motionless stance confused everyone.
He did not release any additional aura to respond to the overwhelming explosion of power his opponent displayed.
The uncrowned Emperor had no need for flashy displays.
Nor any of that nonsense.
Jackson stood directly before him.
And for a single instant—
The giant blinked.
Only for Asterion to vanish from before him alongside the eyes of every Hunter present, none of whom managed to understand what had happened.
"What?"
Jackson's eyes widened when the old man suddenly appeared beside him, erasing the distance with near-instantaneous speed.
Even his senses as a King failed to track his opponent.
Asterion calmly raised his sword high toward the sky, preparing to swing it vertically down upon Jackson.
The giant Hunter immediately crossed both arms before his chest to receive the attack after realizing it was already too late to launch any counterattack.
By concentrating all of his aura into one specific area instead of his entire body, the giant Hunter was confident he could block the attack without suffering severe damage.
But what happened next completely shattered that belief.
The instant Asterion's sword was about to strike him—
An overwhelming amount of crimson aura exploded outward.
A terrifying quantity of aura beyond imagination itself.
It made Jackson's golden Aura Armor appear tiny and insignificant in comparison.
Asterion swung.
And a deafening explosion of aura swallowed Jackson whole, painting the world around him crimson red.
That sword strike annihilated everything in its path.
The ground behind Jackson split apart, buildings were cleaved in half, and the shockwave of the strike traveled endlessly into the distance until a massive trench of destruction formed across an enormous stretch of land.
A gigantic scar carved itself into Old Ashvarn.
Turning an enormous portion of the city into complete ruin.
At the beginning of that trench of devastation—
Jackson collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat, before slowly turning his head backward to witness the destruction caused by his opponent's sword.
Tension was written clearly across his face.
Then he quickly examined his own body—
Only to discover himself completely free of wounds or scars.
"Why…"
"Why am I still in one piece?"
He asked unconsciously, fully aware that an attack like that should have split him clean in half.
And yet—
He survived without even a scratch.
Asterion laughed lightly upon hearing the question before pointing toward his sword, from which crimson aura vapors still rose endlessly.
"There's no need to be so tense."
"I told you I'd fight using the back of my blade, didn't I?"
The old man looked toward the distant horizon, glancing at the destruction he had caused.
"If not for that…"
"You would already be dead."
"I hope you achieved what you wanted from this, because I cannot use any more strength against you without killing you."
Asterion spoke while giving Jackson a cold look.
And the giant Hunter instantly understood how serious he was.
Jackson slowly lowered his head slightly.
Acknowledging his defeat.
"I've seen enough…"
"I apologize for doubting you, Asterion Heart."
The uncrowned Emperor nodded in satisfaction before returning his sword to its sheath.
The Hunters remained frozen in place, staring with wide eyes and open mouths, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
For a single sword strike to create that amount of destruction—
Was pure madness.
"Impossible…"
"Can someone truly cause something like this with only a single sword strike?"
Gustav spoke in shock while everyone else shared his disbelief.
"This…"
"…is the power of the strongest Hunter."
"One of the three strongest knights on the continent."
Moon added with a stiff expression after witnessing her grandfather's true power for the first time.
Very few people truly understood Asterion's fighting style.
And Ethan found himself deeply astonished.
Unlike Jackson, who continuously used his aura at maximum output throughout the entire fight—
Asterion only used the precise amount necessary to match his opponent.
Yet he could release it all at once through a single sword swing, creating an overwhelming torrent of destructive power capable of producing devastation like this.
A level of destruction that appeared utterly impossible in their eyes.
This…
Was the strength of a knight who had reached the peak of the High King rank.
'The road before me is still incredibly long…'
'If I truly wish to reach a level like this…'
Ethan smiled faintly, finally understanding what true power actually looked like—
A kind of power he could never properly comprehend while merely playing behind a screen.
After the battle between them ended, Asterion showed obvious interest toward Jackson, curious about where a Hunter with such strength had come from.
The old man was sharp-minded.
He had already realized Jackson belonged to one of the previous generations of Hunters.
Yet he could not understand how the giant still appeared so young despite supposedly being older than himself.
Jackson showed willingness to reveal everything he knew once they retreated from the depths.
And that answer seemed to satisfy the old drunkard, who naturally took command afterward.
Ethan approached Jackson shortly after that with a mocking smile drawn across his face.
"This is the first time I've ever seen you this obedient…"
"The old man completely kicked your ass."
Jackson shot Ethan a sharp glare after hearing that, though he eventually let out a long sigh.
"What you all said about him wasn't exaggerated…"
"He's absurdly strong."
Jackson spoke before turning his head toward the Cathedral.
"But I still don't know whether he can defeat the Golden Dawn Knight…"
"Because my fight against that man wasn't much different from what just happened."
Ethan's smile slowly faded upon hearing those words.
Even after the terrifying display of power they had just witnessed—
It still wasn't enough to make Jackson admit Asterion's superiority.
True, he had lost to the old man effortlessly without landing even a single blow.
But the exact same thing had happened when he fought the Golden Knight in the past.
The only difference—
Was that while Asterion dodged his punches…
The Golden Knight had received one directly upon his armor without moving an inch.
"It's too early to be optimistic…"
"But at the very least…"
"We have a chance now that he's here."
Jackson spoke before rising back to his feet.
"The next raid…"
"…will decide everything."
The Hunters withdrew shortly afterward, deciding to rest one final time before advancing toward the Cathedral and entering it to fight the final battle and conquer the Legacy Dungeon.
The moment they retreated from the depths, Moon informed her grandfather of everything that had happened since their arrival, along with every secret surrounding the ancient city.
Jackson occasionally intervened as well, adding extra information whenever necessary, and before long, Asterion had fully grasped the situation.
Which caused him to sink into deep thought.
What he heard was far from simple.
"So time is nearly frozen here…"
"And the Mother Flame protects us from turning into monsters…"
Asterion let out a long sigh after realizing all the Elders could have entered without fearing transformation.
"Everything would have changed had I known this before entering."
The old man was visibly irritated by what he heard, though he accepted reality quickly before moving to the second matter that bothered him even more.
"Of all people…"
"To think the boss of this Legacy Dungeon would be the Golden Dawn Knight."
"Do you know him?" Jackson asked curiously.
And Asterion nodded.
"He is one of the Clan's legends."
"So of course I know him. I was compared to him countless times in the past."
The old man frowned before adding in a heavier tone—
"If he truly possesses the strength they described…"
"Then defeating him will not be easy."
Everyone's expressions stiffened upon hearing that.
Even the strongest Hunter alive could not confidently declare victory.
"Well…"
"There's no point dwelling on it."
"I'll be marching to fight him soon enough anyway. Time is running out for us."
Asterion spoke calmly before narrowing his eyes slightly.
"The royal family is already aware of what's happening here."
"And if we do not clear this Dungeon soon…"
"They may decide to move personally."
And if that happened ...
The Hearts might stand upon the brink of yet another massacre.