Chapter 337
The Demon King was designated as the target of the Forced Duel.
“Oh?”
The Demon King, an existence that had transcended the limits of mortality, immediately sensed what Taesan had done.
A mysterious force had enveloped him.
“A barrier? A restriction? You think such a petty trick will restrain me?”
The Demon King unleashed a surge of darkness, a power meant to consume and annihilate everything in existence.
Yet, the force that bound him did not waver in the slightest.
The Demon King frowned.
“…What is this?”
A power that even he could not shake off.
Taesan planted his feet firmly.
“See for yourself.”
He leaped forward, gripping his twin swords tightly as he charged at the Demon King.
The Demon King waved his hand. A torrent of darkness rose, rushing to engulf Taesan.
And Taesan—did not resist.
He let the darkness consume him.
“What?”
The Demon King’s voice trailed off.
Because Taesan emerged unscathed, cutting through the darkness as if it were nothing.
The moment he swung his sword, the Demon King hurriedly raised his greatsword to block.
Kaaaang!
The late reaction caused the Demon King to be pushed backward.
Forced Duel.
Its effect prevented anyone outside of the designated targets from interfering in the battle.
But due to Ability Sword, an additional effect had been applied—
As long as both fighters wielded swords, they could use nothing else.
Kagak!
Taesan pressed forward, forcing the Demon King back.
The Demon King attempted to wield his darkness, but Taesan didn’t even bother to defend against it.
The moment the darkness touched him, it became meaningless, as if it had never existed in the first place.
The Demon King finally realized—
Taesan had done something.
His darkness could no longer harm him.
What is this…?
The Demon King was quietly shocked.
The darkness he wielded was the power granted to him for the purpose of world destruction.
Until he fulfilled that task, he could wield it infinitely.
But now, that very power had become useless.
“Hmph.”
The Demon King blocked Taesan’s strike while gathering darkness once more.
From the abyss, a monstrous figure emerged.
[Uooohhh!]
One of the forces bestowed upon the Demon King for destruction—the summoning of his minions.
A colossal giant-like creature charged at Taesan.
And just like before, Taesan did nothing to stop it.
[U… uoooh?!]
The creature was flung back without even making contact.
Taesan kept advancing, cornering the Demon King.
The Demon King swung his greatsword in defense, but his trajectory twisted, the blade grazing his own arm.
He quickly retreated, clenching his fist.
A surge of darkness shot forward like artillery, crashing into the battlefield where humans and monsters were locked in combat.
Kuuuung!
The ground shattered, creating a massive crater—a force akin to a natural disaster.
Yet, no one was harmed.
The humans and monsters who should have perished stood there, confused but completely unharmed.
“I see.”
The Demon King nodded.
“You and I… we can only interfere with each other. And our interference is limited solely to swords.”
Quick to catch on.
Taesan had hoped for more hesitation, more mistakes, but the Demon King had grasped the situation after only a few exchanges.
Yet, that didn’t mean he wasn’t disturbed.
“What is this power?”
He understood that Taesan had done something to him.
Something that rendered all other attacks ineffective except for those using swords.
The problem, however, was that the Demon King was the Demon King.
The only ones capable of defeating him were heroes who had fulfilled the prophecy.
No amount of brute strength alone could kill him.
Because he had been created that way.
The prophecy dictated that when fulfilled, the hero would be able to defeat the Demon King.
Conversely, if the prophecy was not fulfilled, neither death nor even sealing him away was possible.
But now, Taesan had imposed a condition—
A battle where no one else could intervene, and where only swords could be used.
That could only mean one thing.
The power Taesan wielded was superior to the very laws that bound the Demon King’s existence.
And the only beings capable of overriding such fundamental rules were those who had long surpassed mortality.
Would the gods truly grant such power to a mere mortal?
The Demon King observed Taesan.
Though he had activated Apostle Transformation, he did not feel like a true Apostle.
Unaware of the labyrinth’s existence, the Demon King found this incomprehensible.
But his confusion faded quickly.
It didn’t matter what Taesan was.
The Demon King had only one role—to bring about destruction.
And Taesan, as the Hero, stood in his way.
That was enough reason to fight.
The Demon King gathered his darkness, condensing all his power into his blade.
“Not bad. Let’s see how you fare… as a pure swordsman.”
Kaaaaang!
Their swords clashed again.
Taesan swiftly adjusted his stance and lunged.
The Demon King swung his greatsword in a wide arc, intercepting the strike before countering with a slash toward Taesan’s neck.
Taesan took a step back, dodging just in time, before slamming his sword downward.
The Demon King raised his blade to block.
Kugugugung!
Swirling darkness seeped into the world.
The Demon King’s sword radiated an ominous will, surging forward like a rampaging beast.
Taesan matched him blow for blow.
He suppressed the force within the Demon King’s blade while extracting every ounce of power he could wield.
[You have activated Forced Duel.]
Forced Duel had a short duration.
Taesan had to keep reactivating it frequently.
Fortunately, it didn’t consume much mana.
Kaaaaang!
Their swords collided once more.
This time, Taesan was the one pushed back.
The Demon King didn’t miss his chance.
He ducked low and thrust his greatsword into Taesan’s shoulder.
[Your First Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]
The Demon King’s attack was erased.
But the Demon King did not panic.
He had already begun to understand the scope of Taesan’s power.
“Let’s see how much you can erase.”
The Demon King’s sword exploded into motion, cutting through every possible trajectory, relentlessly pressuring Taesan.
[Your Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]
The skill triggered again, negating the Demon King’s strike.
Taesan seized the brief opening, but the Demon King, unshaken, blocked his counterattack effortlessly.
Even though he was restricted to using only his sword, the Demon King showed no signs of weakness.
Instead, the longer he fought, the faster he absorbed Taesan’s movements—becoming stronger by the second.
Kak!
The final Absolute Attack Nullification was triggered.
“Hahahaha!”
The Demon King burst into wild laughter, his swings tearing through the earth and distorting the very air.
“This is exhilarating!”
For the first time, a hero was fighting of his own will—choosing to defeat him by his own power rather than relying on fate.
The Demon King was truly enjoying this battle.
“Come, Hero! Fulfill your role and bring me down!”
He charged forward.
The sheer force behind his strikes was overwhelming—Taesan could barely keep up.
Kagagak!
Taesan was forced backward.
The Demon King was simply stronger than him.
To make matters worse, Taesan had been preoccupied with suppressing the overwhelming force within his sword, preventing him from focusing fully on combat.
Wounds began to accumulate across his body.
At a glance, it was clear he was losing.
Kak!
Taesan parried and stepped back, putting distance between them.
His expression remained calm.
Despite his injuries, none of them were fatal—only shallow cuts.
“It’s about time.”
Until now, he had been restraining his sword, preventing it from going wild.
But that was no longer necessary.
The Demon King had told him—
To fulfill his role and bring him down.
And Taesan had decided to oblige.
Forced Duel prevented the use of any abilities unrelated to swordsmanship.
However, Ability Sword allowed Taesan to turn skills into sword techniques.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
Kagagak!
His attacks quickened.
The Demon King momentarily faltered at the sudden burst of speed but quickly adapted, reading Taesan’s movements and pushing back.
[You have activated Strong Strike.]
Kaaang!
The Demon King was forced back.
Before he could regain his stance, Taesan stepped forward.
[You have activated Raging Gale Dash.]
His sword stormed forward—like a hurricane.
Unable to withstand the relentless onslaught, the Demon King made a decision.
Kwachik!
Taesan’s blade grazed the back of his neck.
The Demon King closed the gap, preventing Taesan from swinging freely.
Likewise, there was no space for the Demon King to use his greatsword effectively.
Instead, he aimed the pommel of his weapon at Taesan’s chest.
Taesan barely managed to shift his grip—pommel clashed against pommel.
Twisting his wrist, he aimed for the Demon King’s throat.
The Demon King raised his sword to block.
[You have activated Counter.]
Kwachik!
“Gah!”
Taesan’s sword bypassed the Demon King’s guard, slicing into his neck.
The Demon King clutched his throat, staggering back. Darkness swirled around his wound, sealing it.
Yet, he bared his teeth in a grin.
Even injured, he seemed exhilarated.
He lunged again.
Taesan raised his sword to meet him.
As their blades clashed, system messages flickered before Taesan’s eyes.
[Ability Sword proficiency increased by 1%.]
[Airach Martial Technique proficiency increased by 1%.]
[Strong Strike proficiency increased by 1%.]
Ability Sword.
A technique derived from the ghost’s swordsmanship, enhanced by the labyrinth’s system.
Yet, he had rarely used it recently.
There were few opponents who required him to move solely with his sword.
He had learned to wield divine power, abyssal magic, boundary techniques, and countless other forces.
His reliance on pure swordsmanship had naturally waned.
But now, Forced Duel left him with nothing but his sword.
And in this situation, he could refine his skills even further.
[You have activated Strong Strike.]
Kwaduduk!
Even though Taesan was suppressing the force within his sword, it still assisted him.
With both fighters at near-equal levels, each Strong Strike pushed the Demon King back.
Kang! Kang!
Repeatedly, their swords clashed—each exchange triggering another Strong Strike.
The Demon King refused to retreat without a fight.
He infused his blade with darkness, swinging fiercely.
A blast of darkness erupted, obscuring his vision.
[You have activated Stealth.]
Taesan vanished.
The Demon King lost track of him for a brief moment.
In that instant, Taesan slipped beneath him, slashing upward.
[You have activated Leap.]
With a powerful kick off the ground, Taesan soared.
Then, he brought his sword down with crushing force.
[You have activated Impact Landing.]
“I am the Demon King!”
Even as he was driven into the ground, the Demon King refused to yield.
He braced against the overwhelming pressure and tried to push Taesan back.
Taesan gripped his sword tighter.
[You have activated Blade of Fighting Spirit.]
Blade of Fighting Spirit.
Its effect—tripling the force behind each strike.
With a thunderous roar, the Demon King was slammed into the earth.
Taesan followed through with a relentless barrage.
Kagagak!
Each impact pressed the Demon King deeper into the ground.
[You have activated Endurance.]
The force of their clash momentarily dissipated.
Seizing the opportunity, Taesan altered the trajectory of his sword—driving it into the Demon King’s chest.
The Demon King grabbed the hilt of the sword embedded in him, preventing Taesan from pulling away.
With his free hand, he thrust his greatsword toward Taesan.
[You have activated Slip Away.]
“Ngh.”
The Demon King’s grip loosened for a brief second.
Taesan swiftly withdrew his blade, dodging the counterattack.
The Demon King chuckled, despite his wounds.
“You possess truly fascinating abilities.”
Despite being on the losing end, he was enjoying the battle.
Once more, he charged.
Kwooooosh!
The fight raged on.
The Demon King had yet to fall.
Even as he suffered wounds and was impaled by Taesan’s blade, the Demon King shrouded himself in darkness and continued to charge forward, clashing against him again and again.
Taesan, too, had to endure the consequences.
A sword pierced his arm, and a deep gash opened across his thigh.
Yet, he gradually gained the upper hand.
With Ability Sword, he relentlessly pressured the Demon King—until the moment came for the finishing blow.
Kwachik.
His sword ran the Demon King through.
Taesan pushed forward with all his strength, driving the Demon King into the cliffside.
Kuuuururung…
[Ability Sword proficiency increased by 1%.]
The cliff, unable to withstand the force, began to collapse.
Darkness seeped away from the Demon King’s body, dissipating into the air.
“Congratulations, Hero.”
The Demon King smiled.
“You have succeeded in protecting this world.”
Despite failing his own purpose, the Demon King did not look defeated.
Rather, he seemed… pleased.
“This is exactly what I wished for. Victory doesn’t matter. What I wanted was a battle where both the Demon King and the Hero fought with everything on the line.”
He had fulfilled his wish.
“But… there’s one thing that leaves me unsatisfied.”
The Demon King clicked his tongue, gazing at Taesan for a moment.
“The one who saved this world… is an outsider.”
Taesan was not a resident of this ruined world.
He was merely an outsider who had come from beyond.
The Demon King’s gaze shifted toward the hidden Ghost.
“It would have been preferable if you had been the one to fulfill the prophecy… But I suppose this is good enough. Rejoice, humans. Your world has been saved.”
With those final words, the last remnants of darkness scattered from the Demon King’s body.
And some of it… began to settle into Taesan.
—
[System Messages]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. Your HP permanently increases by 7,581, Strength by 789, Agility by 662, Intelligence by 643.]
[Craving for Victory has been activated. Your HP permanently increases by 1,166, Strength by 558, Agility by 303, Intelligence by 229.]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. ??? proficiency increased by 3%.]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has been activated. You have obtained the special activation skill “Call of Ruin.”]
[You have single-handedly triumphed against a Mechanism of Destruction. You have obtained the permanently active skill “Nemesis of Ruin.”]
[You have resisted an overwhelming force that sought to consume you and maintained your will. You have obtained the permanently active skill “Rank of Will.”]
[You have obtained “The Will That Calls for Ruin.”]
—
The warriors who had been fiercely fighting against the monsters suddenly froze.
The creatures that had plagued them—melted away into nothing.
“Huh?”
“Wait… did we…?”
And then, when they saw Taesan emerge from the battlefield, their eyes widened.
The silence broke into an explosion of cheers.
“Waaaaah!”
“Hero! Hero!”
“We won!”
“We survived!”
Tears of relief and joy filled the air as people embraced one another.
The ones who had endured the brink of destruction now celebrated with hope and anticipation for the future.
It was a sight the Ghost had never seen before.
From the shadows, the Ghost simply watched, hidden—observing the joy of those who had been saved.
