Chapter 146
Aurum stretched his body.
Before he knew it, the traces of battle were scattered all around him.
Even after five hundred spirits had been reverse-summoned, his body still felt stiff.
It was the long, drawn-out boredom that caused it.
He couldn’t even remember the last time he had truly stirred up a good fight.
Aurum knew what he was lacking.
‘Tension.’
This dullness came from the absence of tension.
There were no enemies in the Fox Den that could threaten him.
“…Finally, you’ve come.”
And then it appeared—
The presence that could make him tense.
He could feel it.
A powerful wave of mana.
The total amount of mana was less than his own, yet the magic that being used defied the very laws of mana quantity.
Perhaps… a power close to divinity.
It meant that the ability to refine and efficiently use mana had reached the realm of art itself.
Not only that.
‘He has enchanted the Holy Sword.’
He saw it.
He saw it clearly.
The manifestation of [Heaven’s Wrath] wrapping around the Holy Sword.
However, the Holy Sword within the Fox Den was a weapon meant solely to strike down demons.
It had no other function, nor could anything be added to it.
From the start, “Magic Enchantment” was an art deemed impossible by common sense.
Magic was activated by igniting mana.
To grant that ignited mana to something and sustain it—was an entirely different story.
Such a thing could hardly be called “magic.”
Likewise—
‘One who made the impossible possible. But that’s true for me as well.’
Aurum possessed a similar ability.
He could not use magic himself, but by controlling spirits, he could accomplish feats comparable to magic.
“Spirits.”
Whoooosh!
Countless spirits were summoned and began to dwell in his hand.
If the challenger—the ability of the Ten-Tailed Fox—was [Magic Enchantment], then Aurum’s ability was [Spirit Enchantment].
He could bestow spirits upon whatever he desired to strengthen its power.
And beyond that—
“Become a sword.”
Fwoooosh!
The spirits merged and transformed into a single shape.
Soon, they became a sword.
Thus, Aurum could create a [Spirit Sword] by using spirits.
If ordinary spirit summoners saw this, they would have been terrified.
Spirit summoners could, at most, summon spirits and command them.
Transforming them into another form, or enhancing one’s body with them—such things were beyond their imagination.
‘This should be fun.’
A battle of abilities.
And a long-awaited moment.
Aurum had remained here without moving a single step until the Ten-Tailed Fox cleared every trial.
He had been waiting for the challenger to come and confront him of their own will.
Would this new challenger, the Ten-Tailed Fox, accept the Final Battle?
‘You will be different from Yoo Jin-seo.’
Yoo Jin-seo had never once done it.
She always ran away.
‘Don’t disappoint me.’
If the new challenger fled as well, Aurum intended to destroy this Fox Den.
He would slaughter all the foxes, become the master of the den by force, and then step out into the world.
And annihilate it.
Aurum looked up at the sky.
For a brief moment, his gaze met that of the divine beast.
‘Tempting.’
It had been a long time since he felt such desire.
Aurum was one who achieved everything by his own power.
He had never once desired something that belonged to another.
Yet that divine beast—he coveted it.
He didn’t know why, but that beast felt like the answer he’d been searching for.
Yes, it felt as though… he could become a ‘king.’
As if he could become something beyond the Ten-Tailed Fox—the true master of foxes.
And so, he intended to take it.
Along with the heart of the Ten-Tailed Fox.
—
Ding!
《1,130 challengers follow you.》
《1 ‘Nine-Tailed Fox’ follows you.》
《70 ‘Foxes’ follow you.》
《The stats of the ‘Holy Sword User’ have greatly increased!》
《Achievement ‘Faith of All’ accomplished.》
《Hidden Scenario completed. 10 ‘Black Stars’ have been added as a reward.》
《As a reward for completing the Hidden Scenario, your stat levels have been adjusted to match ‘Aurum.’》
Preparation was complete.
With Yoo Jin-seo’s full support, he had finally earned the faith of everyone within the Fox Den.
Not just the Holy Sword users, but even the other foxes—
Including Hoya the guide of the trial, and those watching from afar.
“…Let’s capture Aurum together.”
Yoo Jin-seo spoke, her eyes brimming with resolve.
For the first time, she intended to confront Aurum—the awe-inspiring Nine-Tailed Fox.
If they failed, there would be no turning back.
Aurum would certainly kill Yoo Jin-seo.
Now that they had come this far, they couldn’t just stand still and await death.
However, Park Chan-woo shook his head.
“I’ll do it alone. Everyone, withdraw beyond the boundary.”
“…Aurum is far stronger than you think. The spirits he commands are unlike ordinary ones. You can’t face him alone.”
Yoo Jin-seo’s voice trembled with concern.
But he already knew.
He knew Aurum’s spirits were not ordinary.
They were a breed evolved alongside him over countless years.
Normal spirits had weak egos—they followed commands but nothing more.
Transformation or creative adaptation was impossible for them, but Aurum’s spirits could act entirely on their own.
“Aurum will come alone.”
Park Chan-woo was certain.
Aurum would not summon spirits to interfere.
Rather, he would fuse with them and become a stronger being.
Since Cygnus had seen and told him so, there was no reason to worry about the spirits.
Only—
‘Aurum is stronger than I imagined.’
What made Aurum most terrifying was his [Spirit Enchantment].
He could imbue spirits into himself and grow infinitely stronger.
Humanity’s strategy to subdue Aurum came only in a distant future.
After the Nine-Tailed Fox Yoo Jin-seo became the master of the Fox Den, she captivated humanity and gathered the strongest of them, including Han Shin, to launch an assault.
Nine carefully chosen elites.
Among them, only four survived after facing Aurum.
‘Their average level was over 80.’
At the time, both Han Shin and Yoo Jin-seo must have been above level 90.
Even the strongest raid party barely managed to overcome Aurum.
And now Park Chan-woo had to face that monster alone.
‘This kind of solo strategy was only discovered much later.’
By maximizing the Holy Sword’s function and making everyone follow him, he could reach power comparable to Aurum.
But that was theoretical. Practically impossible.
Because—
“I’ll fight alone.”
He had to fight alone amid everyone’s blind faith.
No matter how much Yoo Jin-seo had bewitched humanity, the strongest were different.
Especially Han Shin—he would never believe in her.
That man was a degenerate attention-seeker.
His obsession went beyond fascination—he’d rather take the fight alone himself.
The Fallen Saint Yoo Jin-seo would not yield either.
‘Right now, it’s possible.’
Only now, while they still believed he was the Ten-Tailed Fox.
Only now, before Yoo Jin-seo had truly fallen—
Before she viewed humanity as sacrifices to exploit.
In this moment of confusion, with her mind focused solely on conquering Aurum—Park Chan-woo could face him alone.
Yoo Jin-seo’s eyes trembled faintly.
“But…”
“Trust me.”
Of course she was worried.
But he couldn’t tell her about the Hidden Scenario.
If he said his power had risen to match Aurum’s, her faith in the Ten-Tailed Fox would shatter.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
And then Yoo Jin-seo nodded.
“…I’ll believe in you.”
Honestly, it was hard to believe this was the same Yoo Jin-seo he knew—
The mad saint who nailed humans to crosses and tortured them to death.
The one who led people into the hellish Abyss and delighted in their screams.
‘Once Aurum dies and the Fox Den is cleared, all the foxes will vanish as well.’
They were gravely mistaken.
They believed he would save the foxes and set them free.
But Park Chan-woo thought differently.
He had no intention of letting the foxes escape into the world outside.
He had already experienced firsthand how horrifying their cruelty was.
That pure malice was on a level far beyond that of any Incarnation.
He would never allow the foxes to leave.
He intended for them to perish along with the Fox Den.
Park Chan-woo shook his head and spoke his final words.
“Trust me. I am the Savior of the Fox Den.”
Not the savior of the foxes—
But the savior of the den itself.
The meaning was entirely different.
As everyone slowly withdrew beyond the domain, Park Chan-woo was left alone.
He steadied his breath.
The time had come.
Swoooosh—!
Aurum’s domain unfolded.
A blue veil surrounded Park Chan-woo.
Soon, the scenery changed.
Lush forest, a flowing stream, and a small cottage-like house.
…This was the land of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Aurum.
Ding!
《‘Aurum’s Domain’ has been fully deployed.》
《‘Final Battle’ begins!》
Step.
Step.
Park Chan-woo turned toward the approaching presence.
From afar, Aurum approached—his body infused with all his spirits.
In the original timeline, ten Holy Sword users, Yoo Jin-seo, and nine of the strongest joined forces to defeat this monster.
Now, he had to handle that same monster alone.
Those who had once fought Aurum all spoke the same.
—He’s… a monster that never stops growing.
—Never again! I’ll never fight that thing again!
—…He was impressive.
Even the arrogant Han Shin had acknowledged him.
If Aurum had merely been a high-level monster, Han Shin would never have admitted it.
It meant Aurum’s raw skill itself was an insurmountable wall.
It was the first time Han Shin ever recognized an “Abyssal Monster.”
‘A pure combatant.’
It was said that his swordsmanship rivaled Han Shin’s—or even surpassed it.
Although that was before Han Shin’s perfection, his swordsmanship had already reached a level admired by even the “Ancient Beings.”
His talent and instinct with the sword had always stood out, unmatched from the very start.
So, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t curious.
‘Will my sword reach him?’
Park Chan-woo was a mage.
But he was also a swordsman.
…Their stats were now roughly equal.
What remained was pure skill alone.
And then—
“Ten-Tailed Fox. Entertain me.”
Tap.
Aurum stood before him.