Chapter 381
“……What are you talking about?”
Ainzhar couldn’t understand what Taesan meant.
“There’s no such method. I’ve read every book in this place and even asked the administrator of the labyrinth.”
It wasn’t as if he had done nothing. He had tried everything he could to restore the goddess.
But none of it worked.
Even other Transcendents couldn’t touch the goddess in her current state.
However, Taesan continued.
“There is a method only I can use.”
“……You’re joking.”
Ainzhar’s face twisted. Just as he was about to speak with fury, power surged out from Taesan’s body.
It was black.
Ainzhar reflexively drew his sword and swung it at Taesan’s neck.
“Ugh!”
Realizing at the last moment that it was Taesan, he barely stopped himself, but his eyes trembled greatly.
“That power…?”
The power of the Old Gods that devoured the goddess.
It was flowing out of Taesan.
Taesan infused it with divinity. Blackness mixed with divinity, producing a grayish power.
Screeeeech!
“Ah……”
Ainzhar uttered a sound.
The power Taesan was showing now was similar to the state the goddess was in.
Taesan extinguished the boundary line.
“Do you believe me now?”
Ainzhar stared blankly at Taesan without answering.
—
Taesan waited for a while.
After a few minutes, Ainzhar returned with a composed expression.
He asked Taesan how he had come to possess such power. Taesan answered his questions.
About Earth.
About the Old Gods that invaded Earth.
And about the faith he received.
As the story progressed, gasps and exclamations of shock continued. Taesan concluded his explanation.
“I possess the power of the Old Gods. And I also possess divinity. By combining the two, I can wield a different kind of power.”
“……Hah.”
Ainzhar let out a hollow laugh.
“You… You’ve been through far more than I imagined.”
“Do you believe that my power holds potential?”
“Yes.”
Ainzhar nodded. The power Taesan showed resembled the goddess’s condition. But it was far more stable and under Taesan’s control.
In other words, it meant the goddess’s condition could potentially be controlled as well.
The method was unknown, but the possibility was clear. Taesan spoke.
“Then let me ask something on my side. Why did the goddess end up like that?”
Ainzhar remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
“First, I must explain properly about myself.”
Ainzhar gripped a golden sword. A strong power surged from him, enveloping the space.
“I am Ainzhar. A devotee of the great and beloved goddess, Levinenov, and her sworn guardian.”
Feeling the power that enveloped the space, Taesan was convinced. Ainzhar was a monster among monsters—someone even he couldn’t defeat.
Ainzhar looked up at the ceiling with a dazed gaze.
“Our world was a peaceful place protected by Lady Levinenov. It was full of love, and no one hid it. Those who loved each other were bound together, and even those unloved came to be loved by someone. It was all thanks to Levinenov’s grace. But… at some point, everything became twisted.”
“The Old Gods.”
Ainzhar nodded.
“It was a situation similar to your world. The Old Gods invaded our world.”
The goddess, as the planet’s guardian, repelled the Old Gods.
Ainzhar fought alongside her, crushing the monsters one by one.
At first, it wasn’t difficult. The goddess was a Transcendent, and Ainzhar was a top-tier Immortal. Even monsters on the level of apostles could be defeated.
But time became the problem.
The invasion of the Old Gods did not end.
The world grew more desolate, and lives rotted away. It was impossible to drive out the Old Gods without casualties. Their world was slowly being consumed and dying.
“If there had been help from other gods, perhaps things would’ve been different, but back then, it was a time when the Old Gods were launching large-scale invasions. The gods had no leeway. As a result, our world slowly met its end.”
Then Levinenov’s divinity began to falter.
Levinenov was the planet’s goddess. When the planet perished, the goddess would collapse as well.
“I drove out the Old Gods with Lady Levinenov. But that was nearing our limit. I tried to sacrifice myself to save her… but instead, she tried to save me.”
Ainzhar spoke with a somber face.
“In that gray world, she told me: for a god who has lost the world they must protect, there is no meaning. That it was only natural for her to perish with this world. But she told me to forget everything and live on.”
“But you didn’t do that.”
“Do you think life holds any meaning for a follower who has lost the god they serve?”
Ainzhar shook his head.
“After being forcibly cast away by Lady Levinenov, I searched everywhere for her. But I couldn’t find any trace of the goddess anywhere. One might think she had vanished, but her power still remained within me. That meant she still existed in this world. So I desperately searched for traces and clues.”
Ainzhar exhaled deeply.
“From there, you know the rest. I discovered that the goddess was in the labyrinth and entered this place. Thanks to you, I was able to see Lady Levinenov again.”
The story ended. Ainzhar grabbed Taesan’s hand with a desperate expression.
“So please, I beg you. I will give you everything I have. Please, please… save Lady Levinenov.”
Taesan nodded.
“Can I ask exactly how you plan to save the goddess?”
“Well. I can’t say for sure yet. But, I do have one method in mind.”
His boundary line was a mix of divinity and blackness—just like the current state of the goddess.
The difference was that he could control it, while the goddess could not.
Then the plan would be to use the boundary line to absorb the corruption that had consumed the goddess.
Ainzhar’s eyes lit up at the explanation.
“If that’s the case… it might be possible.”
What prevented Ainzhar and the gods from intervening with Levinenov was that her corruption stemmed from a type of power they couldn’t interfere with.
But Taesan was already mastering a power called the boundary line. For someone like him, it wasn’t impossible.
“It won’t be easy right now.”
While the goddess’s condition resembled the boundary line, he couldn’t interfere just yet. Her essence itself had been damaged, and that required specific conditions.
If the corruption was forcibly erased, the goddess might not endure it and could perish.
“……The goddess was resisting the corruption of the Old Gods, wasn’t she?”
She wasn’t fully corrupted. Ainzhar nodded with a gloomy expression.
“Perhaps because I’m still alive. My faith is protecting her and tormenting her at the same time.”
Ainzhar had transcended mortality. His faith alone held an elevated rank. That might be why the goddess, despite losing her world, was still barely hanging on.
Then—
After a moment of thought, Taesan spoke.
“Is there any way to restore even a bit of the goddess’s mind and stability?”
The primary issue was with the goddess herself.
In other words, if her condition stabilized even slightly, it might be possible to make contact.
“Is it possible, then?”
“I don’t know yet. It’s just a hypothesis.”
But it was within the realm of possibility.
“Wait a moment.”
Ainzhar quietly pondered. After a while, he murmured slowly.
“The 84th floor… If you take the hidden path there, you should be able to reach it.”
“Reach where?”
“The goddess’s world, which was devoured by the Old Gods. But as you know, it’s extremely dangerous.”
Ainzhar bit his lip.
“If you’re not qualified and strong enough, you won’t survive. I cannot leave. Lady Levinenov periodically suffers in agony. As her sole believer, I must remain by her side or it could be disastrous.”
Taesan had to be the one to go. After a moment of hesitation, Ainzhar made his decision.
“Taesan. Will you be alright?”
Ainzhar drew his sword.
“I’m grateful that you’re willing to help, but I can’t send you off to your death. I know you’re strong. But I can’t know your true power until we cross blades. So let us duel, and I’ll decide after confirming your strength.”
“Understood.”
Taesan had no reason to refuse.
Ainzhar grinned and called out.
“Jorge!”
Jorge appeared shortly after with a reluctant expression.
“What is it?”
“I’m about to have a duel with him. Set up a barrier, if you would.”
“You troublesome bunch.”
Clicking his tongue, Jorge waved his hand. The bookshelves parted, and a private space expanded around them.
Ainzhar drew his sword.
“Be serious. Give it your all. I’ll be fighting with the intent to take you down.”
“I will.”
Taesan activated all his buff skills. In an instant, he reached a level of high rank in both [rank] and [stats].
Ainzhar smiled and stomped his foot.
At that moment, an explosion burst forth.
His sword aimed for Taesan’s neck.
It carried monstrous strength.
Stronger than the test punch he’d thrown when they first met.
Taesan instinctively raised his sword. With a loud crash, his body slid backward.
“Ho! You blocked it without flinching! Impressive!”
Ainzhar let out a shout of admiration and leapt.
The golden sword slashed through the air.
It was a swing without any form or technique, but it was enough to threaten Taesan’s life.
Taesan clenched his teeth.
This was the power of an Immortal—an upper-tier one at that.
Boom!
Their swords clashed. Explosions that couldn’t possibly come from mere blades rang out continuously.
Taesan was pushed back, but he still managed to block it.
Ainzhar couldn’t hide his amazement.
Even if he was holding back, for Taesan to block his attacks to this extent—it was something even adventurers in the upper 80s floors couldn’t do.
“Try blocking this.”
Light exploded across Ainzhar’s entire body. It gathered at his sword, forming a massive golden blade.
Ainzhar swung it.
Taesan instinctively realized—this was the Immortal’s true intent. A mortal could never block this strike.
Only with the boundary line could he respond.
But not anymore.
[You have activated Eternal and Undying Faith.]
The space opened and connected to faith.
A sense of omnipotence dominated Taesan’s body. He flicked his sword. Upon impact, Ainzhar’s body was pushed back slightly.
A mortal body blocked the strike of an Immortal.
Ainzhar’s eyes widened.
“……The faith of a complete world?”
He recognized what kind of power Taesan now held.
He was momentarily startled but soon smiled.
“You just might… be able to do it.”
He stomped again.
Watching from outside, Jorge clicked his tongue and reinforced the barrier. Any lapse in concentration and it would shatter from the impact.
“Monster.”
The muttered words scattered into the air, target unknown.
Taesan fought Ainzhar and proved his strength. Ainzhar was deeply satisfied.
“You’ll be able to survive even there.”
Ainzhar handed Taesan a quest.
[Sub Quest Started.]
[Ainzhar wishes to save his broken goddess, Levinenov. Having fallen into deep despair, he had nearly given up—until your power gave him a new ray of hope.]
[Travel to the goddess’s world, destroyed by the Old Gods, and retrieve the relic imbued with her power.]
[Condition: Restore the goddess’s condition to its complete state.]
[Reward: Everything Ainzhar can offer and the goddess’s blessing.]
“There’s no need to rush. Her condition is gradually worsening… but as long as I’m here, she can endure. I’m in no position to pressure you when I’m the one asking.”
As Ainzhar said, Taesan didn’t depart immediately.
He remained on the 78th floor and continued to duel with Ainzhar.
His opponent was a top-tier Immortal. Thanks to that, he was able to greatly increase the proficiency of various [combat skills], including [Airach Martial Technique].
He had yet to find all the secret rooms. Relying on vague memories, he scoured the vast Library of All Things endlessly, so it naturally took time.
Taesan continued to accumulate knowledge and uncover the secret rooms one by one.
He slowly organized all the things he had acquired and made them his own. With so much obtained, just sorting it all out took quite a bit of time.
He offered the rewards he acquired as tributes and gained new magic and [Black Magic] as well.
He never skipped his duels with Ainzhar. Whenever he had time, he sparred with him and accumulated more battle experience.
And one month later—
A quest window appeared before him.
[Special Quest Started]
[Return to Earth.]