Chapter 367
Ice, earth, and starlight-attribute attacks surged forth. The Emperor hurriedly opened his mouth.
But now, even Taesan knew. That if the Emperor wanted to enforce laws upon the world, he had to declare them aloud.
And the time it took to make that declaration was by no means short for Taesan.
In an instant, dozens of spells manifested in the world. As if destruction itself had taken shape, power exploded and engulfed the Emperor.
“Khugh!”
The Emperor roughly amplified the divinity enveloping his entire body.
The divinity clashing with the spells slowly began to erode.
“In this sacred domain of Horai, you must clasp your hands and pray each time you use magic!”
Enduring the magic, the Emperor declared again. Dozens of spells lost their power simultaneously and vanished.
But Taesan had anticipated everything.
Before the Emperor could finish his declaration, he closed in using [Restricted Blink] and simultaneously activated [Starlight Arrow]. He canceled out the divinity surrounding the Emperor with the starlight arrow and placed his hand on the Emperor’s body.
[You have activated Branch of Despair.]
In an instant, a massive torrent of emotions swirled through the Emperor’s mind.
All kinds of negative emotions tried to dominate him. Taesan activated another skill right after.
[You have activated Forced Fall.]
The Emperor’s movements visibly slowed. Taesan swiftly widened the distance and brought his hands together.
Zzeojeojeojeong!
Magic surged forth.
In accordance with the rules, he manifested magic and black magic. Though the speed was incredibly slow, the Emperor failed to exploit the opening.
“Uuugh!”
The Emperor grimaced under the torrent of emotions.
“Don’t make me laugh!”
He roared with rage.
“I am the Emperor! An Apostle of God! A mere torrent of emotions cannot stop me!”
With overwhelming willpower, divinity surged within the Emperor.
But the torrent of emotions did not disappear.
It continued gnawing away at his mind from deep within.
The Emperor gnashed his teeth.
“What is this! Why won’t it disappear!”
[Branch of Despair] was a skill directly bestowed by the God of Despair.
It was an evolved form of the [Seed of Despair], and in terms of pure value, it ranked among the highest of Taesan’s skills.
Its class did not fall short compared to the Emperor. Even the Guides of Sin, unable to overcome the [Seed of Despair], had chosen to endure it with sheer will.
The Emperor too, overwhelmed by the pain, could not focus on the battle.
Taesan didn’t miss that opening.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
He rushed toward the Emperor in an instant. He dropped to one knee and immediately activated [Leap].
Kaaaang!
“Ugh!”
The Emperor barely blocked it and cried out with a twisted expression.
“I declare! I belong to Lord Horai! Unless Lord Horai permits it, interference with my mind is impossible!”
As the law was engraved, the effect of [Branch of Despair] vanished.
And the law over black magic was also lifted. Taesan quickly gathered [Magi].
Kugugugung!
Black magic manifested in succession.
Chains bound the Emperor, and storming arrows tore through the space. A black wave engulfed the world.
[You have activated Amon’s Jet-Black Spike.]
Zzeojeong!
He struck the Emperor using the spike. With a powerful impact, the Emperor’s body was flung backward.
Grinding his teeth, the Emperor declared again. With the law, black magic lost its power.
“You bastard!”
The Emperor charged at Taesan, his fury unleashed.
With the new law in place, it was difficult to block the Emperor’s attack. That’s why Taesan had no intention of blocking it.
[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]
Taesan’s body instantly moved backward.
At a speed that seemed to leap through space, the Emperor’s eyes widened.
“How!”
Taesan stomped his foot.
Using [Designated Mark Acceleration], he darted through space in all directions. The Emperor was flustered and couldn’t respond properly. It was a power he had never experienced before.
After a moment of hesitation, the Emperor shouted roughly.
“This is Lord Horai’s land! To leap through space, you must first declare the location!”
A restriction on space was applied.
The Emperor charged violently.
[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]
Then Taesan once again moved to the mark’s location.
It wasn’t spatial leaping—it was rapid movement through space. There was no reason for the restriction on leaps to apply.
The Emperor’s face twisted endlessly.
“I said! I’ve laid down the law!”
With the application of a new law, the restriction on spirits was lifted.
[You have summoned the Spirit King of Wind, Minerva.]
“Throwing me out without a word?! That’s just rude!”
Minerva exploded with fury, unleashing a burst of wind. The thickness of the divinity surrounding the Emperor gradually thinned.
Taesan mocked the Emperor.
The Emperor was certainly strong.
Even in terms of pure class, he wasn’t inferior to Taesan, and the enforcement of his laws was an extremely selfish ability.
It was essentially a power that could bind all of his opponent’s limbs during battle.
If he could wield it well, he could block most of Taesan’s actions.
But the Emperor wasn’t doing that. He was only using his laws in the simplest ways, failing to fully grasp Taesan’s powers and wasting his strength.
It was because he lacked far too much combat experience.
It wasn’t strange.
Even those said to be the strongest in the outside world barely reached the 30th or 40th floor. There was no way an Emperor, barely reaching the boundary, could fight on equal footing with someone like Taesan.
Perhaps he had never fought a proper battle since becoming an Apostle.
“The Guides of Sin were tougher opponents.”
If those with countless experiences had possessed the power of laws, they might have truly been able to defeat Taesan. Such was the power of laws.
But power alone meant nothing.
One must learn the best way to use that power, how to respond to their opponent, and how to deal with variables.
Only after mastering all of that can one truly wield power.
That is precisely why the gods created the place called the labyrinth.
Power without experience is not frightening at all. The Emperor banished Minerva again through a declaration. Taesan seized the opening and approached the Emperor.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
He thrust his sword forcefully. Rather than block, the Emperor chose to evade.
[You have activated Guaranteed Strike.]
Crack.
The trajectory of the sword twisted, piercing the Emperor’s shoulder.
“What is this! What is going on!”
The Emperor shouted roughly. He couldn’t comprehend the power Taesan possessed. Ignorance led to panic, and panic slowed his actions.
Crack.
Taesan swung his sword, releasing power.
[You have activated Call of Ruin.]
The power of ruin burst into the world.
The Emperor flinched and wrapped his body in divinity.
[Call of Ruin]—a power obtained by defeating a Demon King in the world of spirits—was far stronger than [Embers of Calamity].
Until now, he hadn’t even been able to properly control it, but now he could wield it to some extent.
Ruin that devoured all things swallowed the divinity surrounding the Emperor. The divinity began to visibly diminish.
“The power of ruin! It cannot be used properly outside its original world!”
The Emperor shouted desperately.
But as a result, the restriction on swordsmanship was lifted.
Taesan slashed his sword fiercely.
[You have activated Blade of Fighting Spirit.]
The Emperor threw a punch.
Zzeoeoeong!
Fist and sword collided. Divinity was chipped away. The Emperor widened his eyes and drew forth more power.
“Die!”
Kuwaaang!
The exploding divinity engulfed Taesan.
But Taesan was no longer there.
He had moved to the side and gathered [Magi]. His preparations for black magic were already complete.
The Emperor charged, grinding his teeth. His fury clouded his mind. He intended to ignore Taesan’s black magic with the divinity wrapped around him and go on the offensive.
Until now, Taesan’s black magic had only eroded his divinity—it had never actually harmed him.
The Emperor charged at Taesan.
Taesan unleashed his [Magi].
[You have activated Beyond the Boundary.]
[You have activated Arrow of the Tempest of Unthought.]
[You have activated Forced Amplification.]
An arrow imbued with power beyond mortality streaked through the air.
The Emperor instinctively realized it.
The power within that arrow could pierce his divinity.
But it was too late to respond. He tried to draw up more divinity in haste, but the arrow shattered it first.
Thwuk.
The arrow of the storm pierced the Emperor’s heart.
Kugugugung…
“Ghak.”
The Emperor coughed up blood. He stared blankly at his pierced chest.
He was an Apostle of Horai. Even with a pierced heart, as long as his divinity wasn’t completely depleted, he could recover.
But the heart pierced by the storm arrow wasn’t regenerating.
The power within the arrow possessed a class higher than his boundary-straddling divinity.
“Hah.”
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh. At this level, with time and focus on recovery, it was still a survivable wound.
But his opponent wasn’t going to stand by and watch that happen.
“Is this all I’ve got?”
The Emperor withdrew the transcendental domain he had cast over the world.
Kiiiiiiing…
The very power of an Apostle was focused into one fist.
All the laws that restricted Taesan were lifted.
This was the power used when cornered.
This was the Emperor’s trump card.
If he could just block that attack, it would all be over.
There was no need to hold back anymore. Taesan gripped his sword.
Tack.
The Emperor leaped. He swung a fist that could shatter everything.
Taesan also raised his sword to meet it.
His sword was dyed black.
Then, gold engulfed the space.
As a result, gray was formed.
Kaaaang!
The power of an Apostle clashed with the boundary. The mixed gray energy opened its jagged maw and devoured the Apostle’s power.
“What is this…”
The Emperor was appalled. As an Apostle, he recognized what that gray power was.
It was a power beyond mortality.
No—perhaps even beyond that.
The thought could not continue. The gray exploded and engulfed his entire body.
* * *
“I’ve lost.”
The Emperor, his entire body mangled, acknowledged his defeat. There was no great rage or despair on his face.
“To return to Lord Horai like this… I must meet and apologize.”
An Apostle was a being who had devoted their soul to a god. For them, death was not the end. It was merely a return, leaving behind the physical form.
From the lifeless body, the Emperor’s soul was released.
“Oooooh…”
The sky opened.
A mighty presence appeared. The energy it emanated was cold—completely devoid of warmth.
That was the God of Discipline—Horai.
“My Lord…”
The Emperor looked dazedly toward Horai.
Horai silently gazed back at the Emperor.
The light in that gaze was utterly cold.
“M-My Lord?”
The Emperor was shaken. Horai’s gaze was anything but kind.
In that moment, the Emperor felt fear and tried to flee, but there was nowhere to run.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Power forcibly devoured the Emperor’s soul. There was no consideration, no warmth, no mercy. It crushed him like a tool that had outlived its usefulness.
The Emperor vanished with a scream.
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated.]
The system window for [Soul Rank Ascension] appeared. Taesan slowly summoned the remaining divinity and restored his body.
“It’s over now.”
“…Ah.”
The child flinched.
Even during battle, the Emperor had made sure not to harm the child. As a result, even amid the ruins, the child was completely uninjured.
Taesan spoke to the child.
“There’s no one left to curse you now.”
The curse had been placed by the Emperor.
Now, the child was simply one who carried the blue blood of the divine—a normal child.
The child blankly stared at Taesan. It still didn’t feel real.
“…Everyone around me is dead.”
The child’s family had lost their lives because of the Emperor.
“The world will still hate me, won’t it?”
Even now, the child was someone cursed by the world.
Perhaps people would believe that the temple’s destruction and the Emperor’s disappearance were caused by the child’s curse—and they might persecute him even more.
“I’m still a cursed child. That hasn’t changed. But…”
The child looked at Taesan.
Taesan had fought the Emperor for him. Not for anyone else—for him.
“Still… I will live on.”
Trials would surely find him again, but for Taesan’s sake, he would continue to live.
That was the decision the child made in the end.
Taesan nodded.
“If that is your choice.”
At that moment, Taesan’s body vanished.
The quest had ended, and he had returned to the labyrinth.
“Sir Taesan?”
The child looked at the spot for a moment before slowly stepping forward.
Though it would be painful and difficult, he would continue to live in this world. The child had made his decision.
But there was a problem.
What would he live for?
He had no purpose.
He had once wished for an ordinary life, but that was now impossible. And at this point, he no longer desired such a life.
While pondering for a moment, a certain place passed through the child’s mind.
“The labyrinth… that’s what he called it, right?”
As they traveled together, the child and Taesan had shared many conversations.
Among them were talks about the labyrinth.
A place where strong warriors from all worlds gathered. A place where, if one could survive, they could become stronger.
Taesan had said he was descending into that place.
“…Maybe.”
The child decided on his purpose for living. With unwavering steps, he moved forward.
* * *
[It’s over.]
“…It would’ve been nice if you had waited just a little longer.”
[Don’t you think that ending is fine too?]
The God of Choice spoke with a satisfied voice, smiling.
[That child will continue to live. He’ll make countless choices before him… and eventually, he’ll come here. It’ll be an entertaining time.]
Maria chuckled quietly.
[You did very, very well. You showed me everything I wanted to see.]
So now, you’ll be given a reward worthy of that.
With those words, Maria flicked her fingertips.
A tremendous power crystallized and began to manifest atop Taesan’s hand.
