Chapter 411
Taesan was now protecting himself not only with magic and Magi, but also with divinity.
However, the three Great Collapses that had descended upon [The World] pierced through even that divinity and began to affect Taesan’s body.
If not for his immunity from Aegis’s Shield, it would have killed him instantly.
Rumble…
The three orbs of collapse advanced toward [The World].
Beeeeep!
[The World] did not retreat but faced them head-on. It launched a rainbow-hued orb, condensed with the essence of [The World], toward the orbs of collapse.
The orb flew at the Great Collapse, unleashing its power.
Rumble!
Wind, earth, fire, water, and all the elements that made up [The World] swirled together. And that wasn’t the end. The power that erupted synchronized with [The World], continually gathering more and more strength.
Everything in existence was gathering at this place.
Crack!
The power erupted so violently that the orbs of the Great Collapse began to distort. Though they were still advancing, the overwhelming force of [The World] was shaking them.
[The World] gathered even more power.
Rumble…
The fierce shards of collapse spread in all directions, shattering the space and blocking the view with the abundance of natural power.
[The World] shuddered with joy.
It had blocked the power of that wretched outsider. It was the master of this world, and no one could oppose it.
And then, it happened.
Crunch.
Devouring the scattered shards of collapse and the remnants of nature, the two remaining orbs of collapse flew in.
[The World] was startled. It was certain it had blocked the Great Collapse. Then what was this?!
“Sorry, but you only blocked one.”
Taesan muttered calmly. [The World] reflexively stepped back.
If it were swallowed by that, it would cease to exist.
For the first time, [The World] felt fear.
But [The World] did not retreat.
It was the master of this world. This land, this domain, everything belonged to it.
To run away in fear from such an outsider? Its ego as a world would not allow it.
All the power of [The World] gathered and charged toward the Great Collapse.
Beeeeep!
The Great Collapse, which had advanced without resistance, came to a halt.
Seeing this, [The World] gathered even more power.
Now, it was using so much power that it could barely maintain itself as a world.
Rumble.
Yet the Great Collapse began to advance again.
Like a compactor, slowly but surely, it moved toward [The World], crushing and grinding everything in its path. [The World] swung its power in desperation, but it could not stop the Great Collapse.
Only belatedly did [The World] think of running.
But it was already too late. The Great Collapse was nearly upon it.
As the Great Collapse devoured [The World], an explosion occurred.
—
A massive explosion caused by the two orbs of collapse.
As the force of collapse swept in, Taesan drew his shield.
[You activated Aegis’s Shield.]
Immune to all damage for 1 second. The moment the shield was activated, destruction engulfed Taesan.
“Ugh—”
Even in a state of damage immunity, he felt the pressure. His vision turned black. The only thing he could sense was the power of collapse.
A second passed in an instant, but the destruction did not stop.
Taesan wrapped himself in divinity. Then he used magic and Magi.
Rumble!
But it wasn’t enough.
[You took 21,230 damage.]
[You took 11,212 damage.]
[You took 14,543 damage.]
His HP dropped to less than half in an instant. This was just the aftermath, but it was this powerful. Realizing he couldn’t block the aftermath with his own power, Taesan gripped his sword.
Black and gold mixed to become [Gray].
Taesan activated Boundary Line and swung.
Crash!
The force of collapse split at the [Gray], scattering in all directions.
“What monstrous power.”
Only by handling Boundary Line could he block the aftermath. Even the ghost was shocked.
[…So you can even copy advanced magic with the Copy skill.]
“I had a feeling, but I didn’t expect it would go this far.”
Taesan was always thinking.
A skill that doubles the results of an action: Copy.
In his previous life, all he did with Copy was double his damage, since his [Easy Mode] self didn’t have skills like magic.
But things were different in this life.
He had gained magic, Magi, and [black]—various powers.
So what if he copied them?
At first, Taesan tried to copy Boundary Line or [black].
But those two were impossible.
He could copy them, but the power was too much for him to handle.
Since he still couldn’t control them perfectly, he couldn’t use Copy for those.
But magic was different.
Magic was a power Taesan received directly from the God of Magic—a power he could control perfectly. So copying it was entirely possible.
The only problem was that there wasn’t much value in using Copy for this. Rather than doubling mid-tier magic, it was better to copy attacks to double the damage, like in his previous life.
So Taesan had used Copy only to increase damage.
But the Great Collapse was advanced magic.
The power it contained was close to a law of nature.
And it was a power Taesan had received directly from the God of Magic, under his control.
So he could copy the Great Collapse. He was almost certain, and in reality, it worked.
And the result unfolded before his eyes.
[The World] was destroyed.
Heaven and earth, and even deep underground, everything was collapsing and disintegrating.
Space twisted, matter lost its original form and melted.
The very concept that made up [The World] was falling apart.
“Good.”
A smile formed on Taesan’s lips.
He was finally using Copy not just to duplicate damage, but in line with its true effect. Taesan was satisfied with that.
Taesan moved forward. Nothing remained intact in the collapsed world.
“It didn’t disappear.”
Below the shattered surface, he could see [The World]’s form.
Perhaps it had succeeded in defending itself, for [The World] staggered to its feet.
But it looked miserable. Its entire body was melting away, and its once immense power was all but gone.
“I’ll put you at ease.”
Taesan drew his sword.
[The World], dazed as it stared at Taesan, erupted in rage. Power burst forth.
Taesan answered in kind.
Rumble!
Natural power erupted. Taesan had also expended a great deal. The mana consumption for the Great Collapse was immense, and despite his high intelligence stat, it hardly lessened. His mana was almost depleted, and his HP had dropped significantly.
But [The World] was already on the brink of death.
[You activated Flow.]
He diverted the erupting power by moving his sword. Then, using [Restricted Blink], he moved behind [The World].
[You activated Asmodeus’s Chains of Decay.]
He bound [The World], trying to escape, with Magi and reached out his hand.
[You activated Branch of Despair.]
The emotion of despair spread through [The World]’s mind.
Taesan gripped his sword, filled it with [Gray], and stabbed forcefully.
[You activated Addition.]
[You activated Blade of Fighting Spirit.]
[167,544 damage to [The World].]
[Gray] swept over [The World]. It gathered all its remaining strength to hold on, but it wasn’t enough. As [The World], in human form, collapsed, all the power within it dissipated.
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated.]
[Concept Skill [Will ??? Strike] proficiency increased by 25%.]
[Concept Skill [Will ??? Strike] evolved into Concept Skill [Will of All Things].]
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated. Word Of Command proficiency increased by 5%.]
[You have killed [The World]. You have obtained the special always-on skill [World Slayer].]
[You have obtained the Core of [The World].]
At the same time, the world began to change.
The air, once filled with hostility toward living things, slowly settled. The shriveled land turned to powder and drifted into the void, and the ashen sky slowly crumbled.
With the fall of [The World]’s master, this world became a dead world.
“That ended faster than I thought.”
Haphran’s world had not been weak.
The rainbow-hued orb [The World] wielded could neutralize the doubled Great Collapse through layered magic.
But in terms of battle, not raw strength, [The World] was sloppy.
If it could teleport, it should have used that ability more freely. If it had kept its distance from the start, pressuring Taesan, and teleported away whenever he approached, it would have been much harder.
But [The World] didn’t fight that way. It stubbornly attacked head-on, failing to use its advantages.
Taesan had a guess as to why. [The World] was, quite literally, a world. It was the master here.
During its destruction, no one had resisted it. Having never fought an equal opponent, it was bound to be clumsy in battle.
With this, it was all over.
Perhaps because of Soul Rank Ascension granting a new skill, a strange sensation ran through Taesan’s whole body, but there was something he had to do first. Taesan returned to the labyrinth.
* * *
“Already?”
Haphran’s eyes widened. Taesan nodded.
“It’s over.”
“…Come with me. I need to check.”
Haphran took out a black gem from his pocket. Taesan and Haphran’s bodies moved together, returning to his destroyed world.
“Ha.”
Arriving in his world, Haphran let out a hollow laugh.
The air was dead. The land turned to dust. The sky was collapsing.
“You really did defeat it. Did you find what I mentioned?”
“You mean this, right?”
Taesan handed him [The World]’s will.
It was a shimmering, rainbow-hued orb.
[Core of [The World]]
[All of [The World]. The entire world resides in this tiny orb.]
Haphran, clutching the orb with trembling hands, burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Yes! Perfect! Finally! Finally! I can achieve my wish!”
In the dying world, only Haphran’s laughter echoed.
[Sub Quest Complete.]
* * *
After a while, Haphran’s laughter faded. He gripped the Core of [The World] tightly.
“Alright. There’s nothing more for us here. Let’s go back.”
“What about the other materials?”
This was Haphran’s world. There were plenty of useful materials here. But Haphran shook his head.
“If our goal had been to subjugate [The World], we could have taken them. But our aim was to defeat [The World]’s will. Now, this is a dead world.”
The planet itself was growing cold. Looking up, the atmosphere was gradually disappearing.
Soon, this place would become a giant rock abandoned in space.
“If [The World] is dead, everything inside it dies as well. Even if you managed to bring something back, it would lose its power before you could make it into equipment.”
In the end, they had to give up on many materials here.
It was a pity, but not a big problem. Any equipment made from materials of this world wouldn’t be all that impressive for Taesan at this point anyway.
They left the dying world and returned to the labyrinth.
Haphran played with the orb, his face full of joy.
“I’ve always wanted to make outstanding equipment. Perfect gear that no one could find fault with, equipment that only a few could even handle. With this, with your help, I can create equipment that transcends mortality.”
He grinned slyly.
“You said you wanted to combine the Twin Rings into one. Take out the other materials.”
“Here.”
Taesan took out the materials one by one.
A fragment of will, essence of [The World], crystallized divine blood, proof of struggle, thread of collapse—
Materials he’d obtained long ago, but hadn’t touched due to lack of ability.
“I will use these to combine the Twin Rings into one.”