Chapter 416

He had gained everything there was to gain here.

With that judgment, Taesan moved quickly.

Crunch.

He swung his arm. The small beings that kept swarming at him like a horde of locusts were crushed without resistance.

He didn’t even need to use magic or Black Magic. His physical strength alone was enough to break through.

As Taesan pressed forward, the ghost asked,

[You said these aren’t skills you gained in your past life. Have you gained everything worth getting now?]

“Not yet. There are still some truly powerful skills left.”

[Multiplication], [Simple Time Stop], [Skill Cooldown Reset].

Though [Essential Strike] was achievable with enough proficiency, those three skills—he had no idea when he would be able to obtain them.

The acquisition requirements for those three skills were extremely difficult. They were trickier and stranger than any skill Taesan had obtained so far.

Even after clearing over eighty floors, he hadn’t encountered a floor that met their requirements.

‘Will a floor that meets the conditions appear before I clear it?’

He couldn’t be certain. He had no intention of giving up, but the possibility didn’t seem high.

And even if he was given the exact same conditions, there was no guarantee he’d be able to get the skill.

That had been true for most of the skills Taesan had acquired, but those three, in particular, required something far simpler than mastered experience and judgment.

Luck.

No matter how perfect the plan or how thoroughly he accounted for every variable, if he wasn’t lucky, it was impossible to obtain them. Even if he went back to the past and tried again, there was no guarantee he’d get them.

‘What should I do?’

He had no intention of giving up. The value of the skills was too great.

But they weren’t skills he could obtain just by fulfilling the conditions and putting in the effort as he’d done so far.

Taesan organized his thoughts and continued forward.

Annoyed by the small things blocking his way, he waved his hand.

[You have activated Frozen World.]

Crackle!

Magic blanketed the demon’s realm. The attendant beside Belial hurriedly wrapped his body with power.

Crunch.

“Khk!”

The raging cold shattered his power. The attendant desperately gathered his strength, barely managing to hold on.

His eyes trembled with unease.

Taesan had used a skill as if it were nothing, just to get rid of something bothersome.

But the attendant had to defend against it with all his strength.

“……Who are you?”

The attendant asked in a trembling voice. There was no way he didn’t know, having come this far. Taesan stood on the same level as his master—a [Immortal].

“An adventurer.”

Taesan answered indifferently.

“By the way, I wish you’d answer my question soon. When you said the other contractors were qualified, you scoffed at them inside, didn’t you?”

The attendant’s body flinched. Shock showed on his face.

“How did you……”

“That’s not important.”

The attendant thought he’d hidden his emotions perfectly.

But with the [Will of All Things] skill, Taesan could read even the emotions concealed within.

They were scorn and ridicule.

Contempt for those who acted arrogantly without knowing their own place.

“You acted as if they weren’t qualified.”

The demons allowed contractors who’d received the [Lemegeton] to enter their domains. In effect, that meant they were considered qualified.

But Belial’s attendant was certain.

They were not qualified.

“……That’s not something you need to know. They aren’t qualified.”

The attendant glared at Taesan with harsh eyes.

“And the same goes for you. I admit you’re strong, but that’s a different matter.”

“Don’t be like that. If I become the master of this place, you’ll be my attendant, right? Can’t you tell me a little?”

Taesan spoke playfully. The attendant’s face twisted. He leaped away, as if unwilling to speak further.

“Gone, huh.”

Taesan could have chased after him but didn’t care.

“I have some guesses, though.”

Since Baal had acknowledged he could obtain the domain himself, the domain itself was likely obtainable.

But Baal never said he could get it normally.

The castle wasn’t far away. Taesan resumed walking.

—

“Argh!”

The old man gritted his teeth and stomped his foot. The earth rippled and twisted spikes shot up. They struck the tiny beings that were barely visible.

But they didn’t disappear. Knocked away and tumbling across the ground, they staggered to their feet and rushed in again.

“What is this?!”

The old man gnashed his teeth.

He barely made it through the spiky field, only to have countless tiny minions of Belial swarm out at him.

Their numbers were overwhelming, but each one was tremendously powerful.

Even at their full strength, it was hard to take them down.

The grim-looking man raised a trembling hand. A violent wind swept the minions away.

The old man summoned roots to create a path.

They quickly dashed down the newly formed path.

After running for a while, they finally escaped the minions’ attacks.

“Huff. Huff.”

The four contractors caught their breath, sweating. The old man ground his teeth and glared at Halid.

“You!”

“What is it?”

Halid spoke nonchalantly. Compared to the others, he was clearly more composed.

The old man burst out angrily.

“Because of your stupid stunt, one of us died! Why did you do that?!”

While fending off Belial’s minions, Halid had acted suspiciously.

He had deliberately targeted the succubus with his Black Magic.

The succubus, who hadn’t been keeping watch behind her, was pushed into the swarm and vanished.

Halid smiled quietly.

“So that’s what this is about. Why blame me? Shouldn’t you be grateful?”

“W-What?”

“We’re all competitors. Only one of us here can become a demon. I took one out of the running, so you should thank me.”

“You lunatic.”

Halid wasn’t wrong. They were all rivals. Their relationship was destined to break someday.

But at least, while clearing this place, they’d agreed to work together.

And Halid was the one who first proposed that agreement.

The grim-looking man spoke quietly.

“……For now, we’re allies. If you break that, I can’t trust you.”

“Then don’t trust me.”

Halid replied casually, a sly smile on his lips.

“But if you try to push me out, at least one of you will die. I have that much power.”

“Tch.”

It was a blatant threat, but none of them could deny it.

Halid was clearly stronger than the rest.

Not by a huge margin, but still enough to make a difference.

And Halid had conserved more power than the others on the way here. Even if the three of them teamed up, fighting him would likely end badly.

In the end, all they could do was continue together and wait for an opportunity.

‘A snake in our midst.’

“Say whatever you want.”

Halid laughed.

He would become a demon.

He would ascend to a place beyond mortality, to a seat of eternal, undying existence.

He would do anything for that.

They headed toward the castle.

But Taesan had already arrived at the castle.

—

Taesan placed his hand on the massive jet-black gate.

It was the final gate guarding Belial’s castle.

The gate was incredibly sturdy. Such enormous power was concentrated in it that even challengers couldn’t easily break through.

But that meant nothing to Taesan.

He tightened his grip.

Screeeeech!

With the sound of grinding metal, the gate crumpled like foil.

Taesan swung his arm.

Boom!

The crushed gate shattered and flew away.

Taesan stepped into the castle.

And in that moment, the castle began to shake.

The floor, decorations, and walls moved. They twisted and swirled, emanating murderous intent.

Taesan, unfazed, drew his weapon.

All throughout Belial’s domain, Belial’s remnants remained.

Those remnants rejected intruders, and the place where they were most concentrated was this castle.

The castle itself was moving to eliminate Taesan as an intruder. Decorations hanging on the walls sprang at him as if they were alive.

Boom!

Taesan swung his sword and cleaved apart the things rushing at him.

A pillar broke off and flew at him. Taesan blocked it with his sword. A heavy weight pressed against his blade, forcing his body back.

Rumble!

The floor collapsed, and the remaining pieces gathered together, swirling into a vortex.

The vortex rushed at Taesan.

‘Strong.’

Taesan was impressed.

The force assailing him now was only the remnants of the dead Belial.

Yet, the power contained within was monstrous.

In terms of sheer force, it surpassed Taesan.

‘Is this a demon?’

Ainzhar. It was even greater than that power.

‘But.’

It was still nothing more than the remnants of a dead being. All that remained was a fragment. There was no true intent, no will of a living being.

Taesan infused his sword with his own intent and will.

Then he swung at the approaching remnants.

Boom!

The massive concentrated force was blocked by the thin blade. Though the pressure was intense, Taesan did not yield. Instead, he poured even more intent into it and stepped forward.

Crash!

The castle’s remnants collapsed and scattered.

But they immediately reformed and rushed at him again. Taesan declared with resolve.

“Crumble, collapse, and tremble.”

[You have activated Declaration of Collapse, Fall, and Tremor.]

Boom!

The massed remnants quaked violently. They barely managed to hold together and charge at Taesan, but with his next declaration, they completely burst apart.

“Explode.”

[You have activated Declaration of Explosion.]

Boom!

The remnants scattered in all directions.

Belial’s remnants still hadn’t disappeared. The castle’s fragments clattered and rose, once again converging on Taesan.

[You have activated Inner World.]

Taesan’s power and intent engulfed Belial’s domain.

Ordinarily, Belial’s presence would have stopped the [Inner World] from expanding, but as masterless remnants, they couldn’t resist.

As his [Inner World] enveloped the castle, the force in the remnants visibly dwindled and slowed.

Being simply strong is not enough.

In battles beyond mortality, intent was more important than power.

[You have activated Great Collapse.]

Wheeeenng

The [Great Collapse] that destroys all things manifested.

[You have activated Magic Separation.]

The black sphere forming the [Great Collapse] split and scattered in all directions.

Small spheres now filled the space.

Rumble!

As the split [Great Collapse] collided with the castle fragments, they began to disappear. Taesan clenched his fist.

[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

The scattered [Great Collapse] exploded.

A violent force engulfed everything.

When all power subsided, nothing remained.

The once grand castle was gone, not even a single fragment left.

[Even against a demon, it’s only to this extent……]

“It’s just the remnants of a dead demon. If I were still mortal, maybe, but now it’s no problem.”

[True. But even after all this destruction, the throne is still intact?]

“It’s intact.”

Even now, with the castle gone, the powerful force was undiminished.

Taesan walked toward the source of the power.

[Oh……]

The ghost couldn’t help but moan.

On the desolate plain sat a single writhing jet-black throne.

What he felt from the throne was a single, complete presence.

It was Belial’s power itself.

Taesan understood instinctively. If he sat on that throne, he would gain Belial’s power and domain.

The master of Black Magic since the beginning. The demon’s authority.

Taesan took a step forward.