Chapter 430
‘For exiled beings, they sure have been popping up a lot.’
Taesan wasn’t surprised. The Old gods were baring their ambitions toward the world and trying to cross over by any means necessary.
If the Transcendents had truly banished the Old gods perfectly, they shouldn’t have been able to appear in this world at all—or at the very least, driving them out shouldn’t have required his help.
But the gods needed Taesan.
It meant the Old gods’ power was growing stronger.
“In this world, nothing is eternal. In the end, everything fades. Even the Transcendents’ seals are no different.”
The man twisted a smile.
“But they’re different! Their power and rank are eternal and immutable! The Transcendents couldn’t defeat them and resorted to exile as a temporary solution! This world belongs to them!”
His voice rang out, filled with conviction.
Taesan replied flatly.
“So you offered yourself for that.”
“Isn’t it smarter to worship eternal, unchanging beings than ones that’ll fade eventually?”
The man grinned.
“Abandon this frail world and worship them. That’s the proper course.”
“If they’re so great, they shouldn’t need someone like me.”
Even if Taesan was strong now, he was only at the level of an Immortal. He hadn’t reached the level of a Transcendent. At a glance, it didn’t seem like he’d be of any particular interest to the Old gods.
“I thought the same, but apparently they think differently.”
The man looked genuinely puzzled.
“My master said this: You are the key. With you, many things become possible.”
The key.
Whatever Taesan possessed was evidently very attractive to the Old gods.
And it wasn’t hard to figure out what that was.
‘The Boundary Line.’
A fusion of divinity and blackness, a force that shatters laws, a kind of power even Transcendents couldn’t comprehend.
What the Old gods wanted from Taesan was undoubtedly the [Boundary Line].
“Come to us, Taesan.”
The man extended his hand.
“They’ll promise you eternity. If you wish, they’ll even offer you a seat at the far end of greatness.”
“That’s all?”
“Of course not. If you want, they’ll stop interfering with your little world. Even the labyrinth can be yours if you ask. In a world ruled by them, you’ll get everything you desire.”
The man whispered seductively.
“Even if they rule the world, your surroundings will remain the same. The people you know will live happily—and die. Strangers you’ve never met don’t matter, do they?”
“Sounds tempting.”
Neither Taesan nor the people close to him would be harmed. Only unknown others would suffer.
“If you’re offering so much, how about adding a condition that you don’t touch the Transcendents either?”
“No.”
The man shook his head, his tone firmly resolute.
“Every single Transcendent will die. Their domains will be tainted, and their names erased from the minds of all. That one thing is absolutely non-negotiable.”
“So the Old gods’ ultimate goal is the Transcendents.”
“They see mortals as toys anyway. Why bother caring about them?”
Taesan stroked his chin. The man waited patiently for his response.
After a moment, Taesan spoke.
“You didn’t actually think I’d accept, did you?”
“Of course not. I’m not that foolish.”
The man laughed mockingly.
“My master told me to make the offer, so I did. But as someone who once reached the level of an Immortal, I know. Someone like you would never accept.”
“You know me well.”
Lee Taeyeon, Kang Junhyuk, Geum Jung-geun, and the people of Earth.
All of them were killed by the Old gods.
“I don’t think the Transcendents are necessarily good. Most of them just see mortals as playthings. I won’t deny that.”
Taesan drew his sword.
“But that doesn’t mean I’ll side with you.”
His answer had always been rejection. The only reason he asked questions was to gather information.
The Old gods’ goal was Taesan’s [Boundary Line]. And the death of all Transcendents.
He had learned enough.
“Of course. That’s why I’m deciding what to do.”
A powerful aura erupted from the man.
“I can’t kill you. But someone like you won’t submit mentally either. So I’ve decided to keep it simple.”
The man smirked and moved. He grabbed the hilt of a sword embedded in the temple floor.
“I’ll turn your mind into a blank slate!”
Rumble!
As the man pulled the hilt, the temple began to collapse. The ceiling shattered, and the floor gave way.
Taesan quickly escaped outside. The man was buried beneath the crumbling temple.
[Self-destruction… not quite.]
Rumble!
The collapsed temple began to tremble.
Then it revealed itself.
In the man’s hand was a sword—but not just any sword.
A pitch-black greatsword, shaped like a bastard sword, soared into the sky.
Taesan had to crane his neck all the way back just to see its tip.
It was literally as massive as a mountain.
The man looked like an ant in comparison.
[…Wow.]
“Hoo.”
The man caught his breath and raised the sword. The mountain-sized weapon moved smoothly in his hand.
“I am the Avatar of the Empty Entity! The traitor who sided with the Old gods, slayer of countless Immortals, and destroyer of worlds!”
The man laughed—a smile overflowing with madness.
“I am the one who grips the world in his hands and swings it! Come, dog of the gods! Be the cornerstone of this damned universe’s end!”
[The enemy is an unbeatable foe.]
The greatsword slashed toward Taesan, cutting through everything.
[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Chaos Stained in Black].]
[You have activated King’s Vessel.]
[You have activated Enemy of the Old gods.]
Countless system windows filled his vision. Taesan launched himself forward with sword in hand.
—
The incoming greatsword created a massive storm by itself.
Taesan didn’t retreat. Instead, he charged toward the greatsword.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Strong Strike.]
He gripped his sword with both hands and swung toward the greatsword.
KAAANG!
A deafening noise rang out.
And it was Taesan who was flung back.
More accurately, he wasn’t just pushed—his body was blown away, unable to endure the force.
[You have activated Landing.]
He forcibly grounded his flying body far in the distance. He drove his feet into the ground and held firm.
CRACK!
The ground split and shattered. The earth crumbled as if in an earthquake.
“A monster.”
Taesan abandoned the thought of winning through direct confrontation. Even with stats exceeding 50,000, he was still overpowered.
A sword as massive as a mountain.
It didn’t feel wielded—it felt like it was wielding the man.
How much mastery could he have over it?
[You have activated Perfect Fairy Wings.]
Taesan’s body soared into the sky. He accelerated quickly toward the man.
“Hmph!”
The man sneered and flicked his wrist.
A very slight movement—barely noticeable.
But it shifted the trajectory of the greatsword.
It slashed straight toward the airborne Taesan. He barely evaded, but he couldn’t keep it up for long.
The sword was enormous. But on the flip side, if he could close in within its range, the fight would become easier.
He accelerated every movement. The greatsword smoothly followed his path. After luring it to the edge of its reach, he leapt.
[You have activated Restricted Blink.]
Taesan instantly closed the distance to the man.
He activated Landing and arrived right in front of him.
The man sneered and moved his arm.
CLANG!
He blocked all of Taesan’s attacks with just the sword’s hilt.
“Everyone thinks close combat is my weakness. It’s actually quite convenient for me.”
Thanks to the sword’s size, its hilt was as long as a typical spear. The man shoved Taesan away and spun the sword. He aimed to crush Taesan using the blade itself.
[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]
Taesan gained no advantage and had to widen the distance.
But the sword was as big as a mountain.
Creating distance was virtually impossible.
So Taesan changed tactics. Instead of dodging and defending, he chose to go on the offensive.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
[You have activated Mana Storm.]
[You have activated Great Collapse.]
[You have activated Marbas’s Pitch-black Wave.]
Magic and black magic manifested in quick succession. Taesan clenched his fist.
[You have activated Magic Separation.]
The spells split into dozens of branches.
[You have activated Guaranteed Strike.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
And he charged toward the man.
A storm of power surged from every direction.
The man bared his teeth and drew his arm back.
The air distorted. The sky began to tremble ominously.
The man swung the arm he’d drawn back.
The greatsword swept across all directions.
The atmosphere exploded. The blackness within the sword surged everywhere, crushing all of Taesan’s manifested skills and charging straight at him.
There was no space to dodge. It was like a solar flare incinerating the ground.
He could block it. But doing so would cost him a great deal.
Taesan made a swift decision—he abandoned both defense and evasion.
[Your First Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]
The attack was nullified.
The man exclaimed in admiration.
“What an interesting ability. But if that’s all you’ve got, you’ll never beat me!”
“Seems that way.”
Taesan nodded.
He couldn’t deny it.
The man was stronger—undeniably so.
In terms of level, he seemed equal to Ainzhar.
He wielded the massive sword as if it were an extension of his body. If it were just brute force, Taesan could have dealt with it, but that sword carried the man’s rank. Most likely, the weapon itself was his authority as an Immortal.
And that wasn’t all. [Great Collapse] was an advanced spell. Even Ainzhar couldn’t block it easily. But the man deflected it effortlessly.
The reason was simple. The greatsword contained the blackness.
‘It’s similar to magic of negation.’
Absolute superiority in all matchups.
Unfortunately, Taesan could no longer use [Magic of Negation]. He had already used up all the materials required for [Partial World Alteration].
The odds of victory seemed slim.
If the man swung that sword at full power again, Taesan would be defeated without being able to do anything. Both of them understood that.
“They’ve thrown you away. Fools. They didn’t recognize your worth and discarded you like this. Why risk your life for beings like that?”
The man raised his sword.
Depending on Taesan’s answer, he was ready to bring it down immediately.
“It’s not too late. Join my master even now.”
“No.”
Taesan replied. It was instant—without a trace of hesitation.
“Unfortunately, you and I are nothing alike.”
The man had said he nearly lost everything due to a Transcendent’s meddling and that the Old gods saved him.
For Taesan, it was the opposite. It was the Old gods who forced him into this hell mode and nearly killed him.
And it was the Transcendents who cherished him and granted him power.
They were the ones who bestowed blessings upon him.
Taesan offered a prayer to them from the depths of his heart. The gods answered that prayer.
[Rakiratas has bestowed upon you the Master of Wailing Struggle.]
It was Rakiratas’s blessing.
His authority.
Struggle itself imbued Taesan’s body. The man’s pupils widened.
“Rakiratas’s blessing?”
A blessing was a divine authority bestowed by a god.
It consumed the interference domain of a Transcendent.
Transcendents were extremely selfish. They almost never spent their interference domain—even when it came to their own Apostles. And even then, it was rare.
That’s why the man couldn’t help but be shocked.
Taesan didn’t appear to be Rakiratas’s Apostle. A god granting something to someone unrelated? It was unthinkable.
“…Looks like you’ve offered quite a few tributes.”
After some thought, the man came to a conclusion.
Taesan must’ve offered all kinds of tributes to Rakiratas and barely received a blessing in return. That was his answer.
“But a single blessing won’t be enough to reach me.”
“I know.”
A god’s blessing was powerful, but the gap between them was even greater.
And Taesan hadn’t received just one blessing.
[Maria has bestowed upon you Unwavering Choice.]
The blessing of Maria, the God of Choice.
[Zervand has bestowed upon you the Fundamental Elements of the Universe.]
The blessing of Zervand, the God of Magic.
[Lucifer has bestowed upon you the Precious Child of Darkness.]
The blessing of Lucifer, the Demon God.
[Ehillie has bestowed upon you the Master of the Sword.]
The blessing of Ehillie, the God of Swords.
[Aphrodia has bestowed upon you the Despair Nestled in Darkness.]
[Baltazaha has bestowed upon you the One Who Seizes Victory.]
[Pride has bestowed upon you the Infinite Trial.]
One after another, the blessings poured down.
The man stared blankly.
He was so stunned, he couldn’t even think to attack during the opening.
“Why are the gods…”
“They favor me. Unlike you.”
[The Labyrinth’s Magician has bestowed upon you the Labyrinth’s Blessing.]
Lastly, the blessing of the magician of the labyrinth was bestowed.
“Hoo.”
Taesan took a breath.
The blessings of the gods dominated his entire body. He had reached the threshold of a realm of great power and rank.
“Let’s try this again.”