Chapter 398
“U, uwaaaaah!”
A cry of denial burst out.
The Lion King gripped his sword and charged. He swung his blade with all the rage and hatred he could muster.
Taesan answered in kind. All sorts of [buff skills] activated. Swords clashed and a tremendous crash erupted.
Kuuuuung!
Power collided. Taesan’s [stats] were now nearing forty thousand. Even so, the Lion King was not easily pushed back.
‘Acurus’s authority.’
Not only [rank], but power and speed were pushed to the extreme.
The Lion King grabbed his greatsword with both hands and stepped forward.
Clang!
The greatsword had a long reach. Keeping distance in battle was advantageous. The Lion King used that strength well.
His movements were direct and overwhelmingly aggressive. At a glance, his swordsmanship looked full of openings, but closer inspection revealed every opening was a trap. If targeted, you’d fall for a counterattack.
“Uoooooo!”
The Lion King let out a beast-like howl and brought his sword down.
[The Lion King has activated All Forces Combined.]
[You have activated Strong Strike.]
[You have activated Acceleration.]
Taesan didn’t back down. He instead charged, colliding with the greatsword with amplified [power] and [speed].
Kaaang!
“Khhk!”
Both were slightly pushed back. The Lion King gritted his teeth, reset his stance, and charged again.
Rough but powerful, full of openings yet with none—that was the Lion King’s swordsmanship.
‘He’s strong.’
It was a nearly flawless style.
It could compare to [Stormscar’s swordsmanship]. In swordsmanship, the Lion King had reached a higher realm than Taesan.
“But I’m stronger than you.”
His main technique was [swordsmanship]. Taesan had already analyzed it. He exhaled and raised his sword.
His movement was extremely smooth.
[You have activated Deflection.]
“Urgh!”
The Lion King’s sword trajectory twisted. He quickly corrected it. He’d seen [Deflection] in Taesan’s fights with other core members.
Knowing about it didn’t mean he could counter it.
The Lion King bared his teeth, about to retaliate.
A thick surge of [Magi] poured out from Taesan.
[You have activated Arrow of the Tempest of Unthought.]
A black line pierced through the Lion King.
By instinct, he raised his greatsword. The beast-like instincts that had helped him descend the labyrinth acted on their own.
Because of that, his heart wasn’t pierced, but his body crashed into the wall.
[6,357 damage to the Lion King.]
“Kuhak!”
[You have summoned the Spirit King of Wind, Minerva.]
“Minerva. Attack.”
‘…A lot has changed since I last saw you. Got it!”
Minerva replied spiritedly, unleashing [wind].
The Lion King roared and stood up.
“How dare you! A mere [Spirit King]!”
“That’s unfair! I’m still a [guardian of the world], you know!”
[Wind] and [sword] collided. The [wind] was cut apart, but held out long enough.
Summoning the [Spirit King] was limited by the summoner’s [power], but Taesan, now an [immortal], could summon Minerva in her full state.
[You have activated Asmodeus’s Chains of Decay.]
As the Lion King swept away the [wind], [chains] lashed at him. He shook his whole body, trying to throw them off, but couldn’t escape easily.
[You have activated Gaf’s Massive Boulder.]
The ceiling opened and a [boulder] dropped.
The Lion King poured [strength] into his body, rage boiling, as the [boulder] fell at nearly zero distance.
[The Lion King has activated Monster’s Power.]
Crash!
The [chains] shattered. The Lion King gripped his [greatsword] with both hands and swung. The [boulder] broke apart and collapsed.
But the Lion King didn’t come out unscathed. Falling debris crashed onto him.
“Aaaaah!”
[The Lion King has activated Unstoppable Will.]
[The Lion King has activated Target Designation.]
He ignored the debris and charged at Taesan.
He forced his way through [Minerva’s wind], thrusting his [greatsword] at Taesan.
Taesan raised a finger.
[You have activated Forced Exclusion.]
Kuuung!
A fierce [wave] slammed into the Lion King.
A force that wouldn’t allow him to approach tried to push him back.
“Ugh!”
Veins bulged across the Lion King’s body. He braced his feet and slowly advanced on Taesan.
Before he knew it, he was right in front of Taesan.
Just as he pulled back his sword to thrust, Taesan raised his hand.
“Good effort.”
[You have activated Naberius’s Golden Sword.]
With his desperate determination and [power] rendered meaningless, the Lion King’s body crashed to the ground. Small cracks spread like shattered glass.
“…Uwaaaaaa!”
A scream burst forth.
Inside it was only denial.
Taesan responded.
[Magic] and [Black Magic] surged. That alone kept the Lion King from reaching Taesan. Even with [Acurus’s authority] greatly increasing his [health], he was driven to the brink of death.
“This…can’t be…I’m—”
The Lion King hadn’t relied only on [divine power]. He’d prepared much, recalling his fight with Taesan.
But it was all meaningless.
Taesan gazed at him calmly.
“You’re strong…but that’s all.”
The Lion King had certainly transcended [mortality].
But he’d reached that state by sacrificing himself—a twisted, unstable realm.
In contrast, Taesan had crossed the threshold with [divinity] as a foundation, making his own state stable, and even his pure [strength] and [experience] surpassed the Lion King’s.
Now, the gap between Taesan and the Lion King was absolutely insurmountable.
“Farewell.”
Taesan gripped his [sword] and approached. Fear filled the Lion King’s eyes.
“N-no…”
He stammered, voice trembling with terror.
“No! No! I don’t want to! O [god]! Please save me! Please!”
[Pathetic.]
The ghost clicked his tongue.
It was a disgrace unimaginable for someone who had been in the labyrinth for so long.
The Lion King shouted to the sky.
“I will give everything, so please! Let me escape from this place now!”
Then, laughter echoed.
Power flowed from the altar, completely unaffected by the battle.
“Ah.”
The Lion King’s face froze for a moment.
The divine power within him surged violently.
“Sa, save…”
That power swelled, using his ego as fuel. The Lion King’s wish to escape was granted. His self and intelligence were swallowed up by power, vanishing without meaning.
[Acurus’s authority manifested. As the price, Acurus’s sphere of interference is diminished.]
[Acurus’s servant loses reason and intelligence.]
“Hm.”
[Wait.]
Taesan stopped in his tracks. The Lion King’s eyes lost all light. Instead, power befitting him surged violently.
It was a power that even Taesan could not ignore.
[An enhanced trial? But he didn’t get this guy’s consent!]
Before the ghost could finish, the system window gave a warning.
[Enhanced trial proposal……@#[email protected]$]
[Acurus’s order collapse triggered. Acurus’s sphere of interference is diminished.]
The warning system window shattered.
Law and order collapsed.
[What?]
“I expected this, but you’re really pulling this.”
The trial of Rakiratas encountered on the 2nd floor. Rakiratas had forced an enhanced trial on Taesan with no agreement. The ghost called it extremely unfair and self-centered, something no other gods did.
But that only meant other gods were fully capable of it.
Not all gods favored Taesan. There were surely some who disliked him. He’d always expected this might happen someday.
But there was something different from the time with Rakiratas.
Now, not a few gods favored Taesan.
[Lucifer’s Mother of Darkness activated. Lucifer’s sphere of interference is diminished.]
Space opened and a demon descended upon the earth.
Power burst from Acurus’s altar. It was filled with confusion.
A black-haired girl set foot in the labyrinth.
[I generally don’t interfere with events inside the labyrinth.]
A clear voice rang out. The power of darkness softly enveloped Taesan.
[I’m fond of him, but hardship and trials are all his own. Even if I meddled, it would do no good for Taesan or for me. But this is different.]
The demon sneered.
[Did you really want to shatter our expectations so much that you used your authority, Acurus?]
[…You.]
A voice rang out.
It was filled with anger. It was a voice that drained all vitality from existence.
[You dare interfere with me?]
Power exploded.
It was the true intent of a transcendent being.
Even now, Taesan could never resist—it was law itself.
The demon’s darkness collided. There was no shockwave, no cacophony.
[That’s what I should be saying. Shouldn’t you at least uphold the minimum rules?]
The demon smiled.
Rage lingered on her face.
[You dare try to pull something on the one I care for?]
[Magi] violently swept over the world.
A world of darkness appeared where light vanished.
[He is my saint. He may not be my apostle, but he’s precious to me. Don’t cross the line. Keep the rules.]
The demon waggled her finger.
[Still, I don’t deny what you did.]
Kugugung.
She revived the collapsed [Magi]. A system window appeared before Taesan.
[Acurus proposes an enhanced trial.]
[If the conditions are fair and consent is given, a trial is always proper. Whether to accept it is up to the adventurer. What will you do, Taesan?]
The demon looked up at Taesan. In her gaze was only
conviction.
“I’ll accept.”
Taesan answered.
If the demon acknowledged the trial, then the trial itself was just. There was no reason to refuse. The demon smiled, as if she’d expected it.
[That’s enough. See you soon, Taesan.]
With that, her body vanished into darkness.
Acurus radiated irritation and anger.
But further interference was impossible. In the end, Acurus quietly suppressed his presence.
[Acurus’s Trial: Defeat Acurus’s Sword.]
[Acurus’s Sword has appeared.]
“A sword, huh.”
Neither servant nor apostle, but a sword.
It was the first time encountering such an opponent, but it wasn’t hard to grasp the essence.
Even the name Lion King disappeared. All that remained was Acurus’s authority. Nothing else.
It was twisted into nothing but a tool to express Acurus’s authority.
And so, the power contained within it was virtually identical to Acurus’s own.
But it didn’t matter.
For Taesan now, it was nothing to worry about.
The tool in the form of the Lion King moved.
The sword moved and charged Taesan.
[Acurus’s Sword has activated Collapse.]
And all things crumbled.
The labyrinth’s walls shook with the impact. Cracks began to spread.
Taesan enveloped himself in [divinity].
A light so bright it blinded the eyes swept over the labyrinth.
