Chapter 357
Floria did not retreat.
Even knowing he had no chance of winning, he kept moving, looking for any opening in pursuit of victory.
But of course, the impossible remained impossible.
Boom!
“Gah!”
Floria was slammed into the floor. His body was covered in wounds.
As he writhed in pain, Taesan brought his sword down toward him. Floria endured the agony and activated a skill.
[Floria has activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]
[You have activated Restricted Blink.]
“This is getting old.”
As Floria accelerated, Taesan teleported above his head.
He had already figured out in what situations and to which locations Floria would move.
Floria belatedly raised his sword, but Taesan’s blade pierced through his chest.
Crunch.
“So this is how it ends for me…”
[You have defeated Floria.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[As per the Demon God’s contract, recovery via level-up is restricted.]
Floria was defeated.
But it wasn’t easy.
Taesan tried to block Floria’s movement using [Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation].
And Floria broke through it by using all the equipment he had.
As a result, Taesan had to keep reactivating [Decarabia’s Twisted Vegetation].
His health hadn’t suffered much, but nearly half of his Magi had been consumed.
Boom!
The moment Floria fell, a surge of force came his way. As if not intending to give him a moment to recover, the attacks poured in.
Taesan raised his sword.
[You have activated Forced Duel. For 12 seconds, no one but Gloria can deal damage to you.]
[Forced Duel proficiency has increased by 1%.]
All attacks targeting Taesan vanished. The Warrior of the Great Saint—Gloria—was the next opponent. Taesan charged at the golden-haired woman clad in shining armor. Her face hardened as she raised her sword.
“Light, heed my call!”
[Gloria has activated Blessing of the Saint.]
[Gloria has activated The Chosen One.]
[Gloria has activated Holy Incarnation.]
Light enveloped her. Taesan immediately recognized it as divine power from a god.
With sword and shield in hand, Gloria responded to Taesan’s attack.
Clang!
The shockwave struck Taesan.
‘She withstood it?’
Taesan frowned. His current stats were over twenty thousand—far higher than even Lee Taeyeon. Someone like Floria should not have been able to match him in a power struggle.
Yet Gloria was not being overwhelmingly pushed back.
Clad in divine light, she swung her sword with ferocity.
Clang-clang-clang!
[Gloria has activated Divine Sword’s Judgement.]
The air cracked as blades of light rained down in chaos. Taesan couldn’t dodge them all, triggering his [Attack Nullification].
“I am a warrior of the gods! Lowly beings that crawl on the earth cannot reach me!”
Gloria charged at Taesan with a cry full of unwavering faith.
Helia had told them to stall for time, but Gloria had no intention of following that advice.
Taesan had already expended significant energy against Floria. She believed that if she gave it her all, she could win.
She truly believed that.
Clang!
Taesan blocked Gloria’s attack and quickly grasped the situation.
It wasn’t pure strength. Her high divine power was enhancing her strength and speed.
In that case…
How could someone else’s divine power be countered? Taesan had learned in the Ghost’s world.
Szzzzing!
Light erupted from Taesan.
It looked similar to the golden glow that surrounded Gloria, but denser and of a higher order.
“Huh?”
Gloria, who had been charging recklessly, flinched.
Godly power was radiating from Taesan.
“What in the—”
Before she could even finish her question, Taesan’s divinity washed over her.
Crack!
“Urgh!”
The golden light that surrounded her shattered like glass. Divine protection was gone.
“H-How…”
She looked at Taesan with a stunned expression.
The entire room was now enveloped by Taesan’s divinity.
“So it works after all.”
Taesan muttered. Divine power could be countered with divine power. And the divinity Gloria was using wasn’t her own—it had been granted to her.
In contrast, Taesan’s was his own divinity. Because it was of a different caliber entirely, he was able to break through Gloria’s divine protection.
Taesan leapt. Gloria, startled, raised her shield.
Clang!
“Gah!”
Unable to withstand the shock, Gloria was pushed back, sliding across the floor.
After that, it was a one-sided battle. With her greatest power—divinity—gone, Gloria had no way to stand against him.
“What is that…?”
The other Guides watching groaned.
“He destroyed Gloria’s divine protection? How is that even possible?”
Gloria’s power was not that impressive. Neither was her speed, and none of the skills she gained while clearing the labyrinth were particularly special.
But she had deeper and more sincere faith than anyone.
She believed that no one had stronger faith than her. And in reality, among all who believed in the gods, none could even match the tip of her divine power.
When she invoked her divinity, even other Guides had difficulty breaking through. A shield of steel. Unlike the Shaman, she was a different kind of wall.
But now, that wall was being shattered by Taesan’s divine power.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s only natural that he’s stronger than us.”
Helia said coldly. But the corner of her mouth curled up.
“He used divine power in this fight.”
With divinity of that magnitude, Taesan wouldn’t be able to use it again.
“In the end, we will be victorious.”
The longer the battle dragged on, the more Taesan’s strength would be consumed.
Eventually, he would have to fight without any cards left in hand.
“Grrgh!”
Perhaps even prepared for absolute judgment, Gloria continued healing herself and endured.
But that was all.
Crack.
Taesan’s sword shattered her armor.
She collapsed, coughing up blood.
“G-God… Are you watching me now…?”
[Your level has increased.]
In the previous battle, Taesan had used divine power. Now, [Boundary Line] or [Boundary Recoil] were no longer available.
His stamina had also been drained significantly, and to finish the fight in one blow, he had used both [Blade of Fighting Spirit] and [Replication].
There was no time to rest. The next opponent was the ruler of the black abyss—Cliff.
What he wielded was a darkness with no bottom.
Boom!
A deep, endless abyss surged forth. Taesan cast a spell.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
This was [Frozen World] stacked with magic amplification. The power within it was clearly at the edge of mortality.
But the moment it touched the beastlike surge of darkness, it was buried and disappeared.
“Magic and Black Magic are indeed powers of gods, but they are wielded by mortals. They cannot reach me.”
Cliff, clad in pure black, spoke as he drew more power.
Darkness engulfed the world.
Everything was dyed and swallowed.
Taesan activated black magic next, but even that was consumed and crashed down upon him.
While enduring with [Attack Nullification], Taesan thought.
‘It’s not magic. Not even black magic.’
It was an entirely different kind of power. And the power Cliff wielded was devouring all of Taesan’s.
After consuming all three [Attack Nullifications], Taesan understood.
The power Cliff controlled was the power of annihilation.
Like the Demon King, it was a power bestowed upon those with the duty to destroy the world. A power that devoured and erased everything. That’s why neither magic nor black magic worked.
He didn’t know how an adventurer of the labyrinth had such power, but—
If that’s the case, then he had a card to play.
If the enemy used the power of destruction, then so would he.
[You have activated Embers of Calamity.]
A flame beast burst forth. It was the power of the wolf that burned the world. Cliff sneered.
“The pathetic power of a mortal cannot reach me.”
Taesan was undeniably strong. The way he defeated Floria and Gloria had been astonishing.
‘But still…’
It was mortal power. Impressive, but no more than that.
In contrast, what he possessed was annihilation itself—something mortality could never even hope to touch.
‘If he had divine power, it might be dangerous…’
Divinity was the power of the gods. It could definitely counter the destructive power he wielded.
But Taesan had already used divine power in his battle with Gloria.
He had spent all his cards capable of blocking Cliff’s power. Cliff unleashed his darkness with certainty.
The flame beast surged and clashed with Cliff’s darkness.
“…What?”
Cliff’s face stiffened. Taesan once again gathered his strength.
[You have activated Call of Ruin.]
The power of the Demon King that had destroyed the Ghost’s world was unleashed.
Cliff’s darkness was crushed and erased in an instant. Cliff panicked and summoned more power.
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
He was the sole survivor of a world destroyed by endless darkness.
He had wandered through the ruins of annihilated worlds, devouring the remains of destruction.
The power he possessed was that of ruin itself.
To defeat him, one had to either endure until his power was spent, or attack his mind. Due to the high cost of his power, he could not fight for long. That was his weakness.
But right now, Taesan was pushing back Cliff’s power with raw strength.
“How can a mortal possess the power of ruin?!”
Boom!
The forces exploded, tearing open space.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
Taesan kicked off and charged at Cliff. As Cliff hurriedly gathered power, Taesan used [Restricted Blink] to appear behind him.
“Move!”
Power surged toward Taesan.
He planted his feet and swung his sword.
Piercing through the darkness, his blade ran through Cliff’s neck.
“Gah!”
He had closed the distance.
Cliff, having relied entirely on the power of ruin to descend the labyrinth, had little to show in terms of movement. Once Taesan closed in, he had no chance. He began to get overwhelmed in an instant.
“…So you also had the power of ruin. It doesn’t matter. You’ve spent it in this battle.”
Helia barely collected herself.
Divine power and now even the power of ruin. It was unexpected, but nothing changed. Taesan had consumed even more power. As long as he kept using up his strength, they could still win. That belief had not yet crumbled.
Next was the master of the Echoing Ravine—Esteban.
With a rigid expression, he waved his hand. Space opened up, and countless beasts poured forth.
[Esteban has summoned a Biting Wolf.]
[Esteban has summoned a Monstrous Beast.]
[Esteban has summoned a Rat Hidden in the Shadows.]
Distorted creatures surged toward Taesan.
Apparently, Esteban had prepared everything while Taesan was fighting the other Guides. The summoning was endless, and each creature was extremely powerful. They weren’t enemies Taesan could defeat easily.
“To fight with your own body… don’t you think that’s a rather foolish method?”
“Is that so?”
Then Taesan would respond with summons as well.
[You have summoned the Spirit King of Wind, Minerva.]
[You have summoned the Multi-Colored Shield, Varkaza.]
A gust erupted, sending the charging beasts flying all at once.
Minerva grinned.
“Easy to understand!”
Rumble!
Wind shook the surroundings. Esteban’s face stiffened.
“…More than I expected.”
Minerva had absorbed the remaining power of the Fire Spirit King after defeating the crazed spirit. She was clearly much stronger than when she fought Shaman.
Wind and beasts clashed and exploded.
Esteban ground his teeth and pulled at the air.
[Esteban has summoned the Master of the Ravine.]
From beyond space, a massive serpent appeared.
The power it carried was at the edge of mortality.
Esteban’s lifelong companion. Never defeated, never yielding. The very symbol of Esteban himself.
“Oho.”
Minerva burned with fighting spirit and gathered her power.
The clash began.
As wind and serpent clashed, a massive shockwave of power spread outward.
Minerva was undoubtedly strong, but the Master of the Ravine was also a hidden trump card held by a deep-layer adventurer.
He would not fall easily.
Boom!
Power collided. Both Minerva and the Ravine’s Master gave it their all, and Taesan did not stand idly by.
Taesan charged toward Esteban.
Esteban opened a rift in space.
Countless beasts surged forth. A massive gorilla slammed its fists while a wolf-like beast aimed for his throat.
There were far too many to take down one by one.
[You have activated Magic Stacking.]
The stacked [Frozen World] surged forward. Taesan drew more power.
[You have activated Forced Amplification.]
Crackle! Crack-crack!
The freezing cold engulfed the entire area. The beasts screamed and fought back, but the frost froze their every resistance.
A space of stillness formed in an instant.
[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]
The arrow shot toward Esteban. Panicking, Esteban opened another rift and summoned more beasts.
The endless wave of beasts was swept away by Taesan’s magic.
Esteban’s hidden trump—the Master of the Ravine—was locked in battle with Minerva. The other beasts were not weak, but none could match Taesan.
[Screeeee!]
“No, you don’t!”
The Master of the Ravine tried to assist Esteban in his moment of crisis, but Minerva unleashed a burst of wind to suppress it.
The battle continued.
Helia could no longer speak words like “Taesan has spent his strength” or “we can still win.”
She merely kept her mouth shut, watching the battle with a hardened face.
After crushing and wiping out the beasts, Taesan pierced through Esteban’s chest.
Coughing blood, Esteban cried out,
“The victory is yours. But I won’t go down quietly! Monster!”
[Esteban has activated Forced Return of All Summons.]
Rumble!
“Urgh!”
In an instant, Minerva and Varkaza’s forms distorted. All summons within a designated space began forcefully returning to their realms.
Minerva spread her power to resist. But Esteban’s final strength, which engulfed the space itself, continued pressing down on her.
“I can’t fight anymore. I must return now. Be sure to win, Master.”
“Understood.”
Minerva and Varkaza vanished.
Taesan raised his sword.
“Next.”
