Chapter 470
“Uaaaahk!”
“Ghhhk!”
They were blown back. One man, barely keeping his balance, looked with horror at his shattered liquor bottle.
“M-my drink…”
“That’s what you care about now?!”
Another, weapon drawn, barked at him furiously.
At the center of the explosion, Taesan stood in silence.
“How the hell did you crawl in here?!”
This was the domain of the Old Gods. Even Transcendents ruling the present universe could not easily intrude.
“Die!”
One of them, recovering fastest, charged Taesan. His body warped grotesquely, foul mucus spilling out and defiling the ground.
He swung his entire body in attack. Taesan clenched his fist.
Kuuuuung!
“Ghhhk!”
The attacker was smashed into the ground. With a pained groan, the slime coating his body clung desperately to Taesan.
“Hahaha! Be defiled!”
Even on the brink of death, he cried out in triumph.
The slime burrowed into Taesan’s body, seeking to corrupt and destroy his essence.
“Rot away!”
He was certain Taesan’s death was sealed.
He was an apostle of the Foul Corruptor. The authority granted to him let him wield slime that corrupted all things.
Countless strong beings had been consumed and erased by it. Surely Taesan could not withstand it. He had no doubts.
“So this is that kind of authority.”
But Taesan responded lightly.
Kiiiiiing!
Divinity cloaked his body.
Brilliant golden light burned away the corruption instantly. In moments, Taesan stood untainted as before.
“Divinity purges it easily. Not very threatening.”
“H-how…”
“With this difference in rank, how could it possibly threaten me?”
Taesan spoke flatly and drove his sword into the man. He coughed blood and died.
His body dissolved into a puddle of slime. Taesan retrieved his blade.
“No rise in divine rank. Shame.”
These were bottom-tier Immortals. The gap to Taesan was too great. Conditions for ascension weren’t met.
Taesan raised his gaze.
The others ringed around him hesitated, unable to advance.
“Come on, then.”
He taunted them.
“You said together you could kill me.”
“Y-you!”
“You’ve betrayed us!”
“Not betrayal. I was never on your side.”
Kiiing.
Divinity surged into his blade.
Brilliant golden light gleamed in this world steeped in black.
“To be precise… the betrayers are you.”
Those who had abandoned their worlds for the Old Gods.
Those who slaughtered countless lives and sought destruction.
“You should have at least known you’d die too.”
Taesan moved.
They gritted their teeth and retaliated. Slime gushed from some, black energy burst from others.
Kuuuuung!
The battle of one against nine began.
Darkness, filth, and divinity clashed in violent storms.
Taesan coolly observed their authorities as he parried.
‘Most of them serve the Foul Corruptor.’
Seven of the nine warped grotesquely, slime oozing like the first. As they had said, that Old God intervened most often, and thus had the most pawns.
The remaining two spread darkness, devouring space itself to claim it as their domain and crush Taesan.
‘The Endless Darkness.’
Those two likely served that Old God.
Corrupting flesh and essence. Devouring space and turning it into their own.
Kwaaang!
Taesan swung his divinity. The corruption vanished, the swallowed darkness receded, and the world returned to normal.
“Ghkk!”
They threw themselves at him in desperation, but none could touch him.
At best, they were lower Immortals.
The gap was absolute. The Old Gods’ powers meant nothing in weak hands.
But they refused to accept it.
One hurled himself at Taesan, impaled through the chest, yet clutching Taesan’s arm desperately.
Corruption crept in, spreading. His face brightened—then contorted in horror.
With a mere shake, Taesan cast it off.
“I wield their power! Why?!”
“Because you’re weak.”
Taesan answered flatly.
With Immutable Self, corruption could not affect him.
Crunch.
“Ghhhk!”
Another pawn was skewered and sent flying. The others struck in the opening.
Taesan set his feet upon the ground, drawing its power. Armor of earth rose around him.
Kuuuuung!
Their power crashed against him. The armor shattered—but reformed at once, drawn from the earth.
‘This level isn’t a problem.’
He was testing the two Immortal authorities he had gained.
First, [One Who Treads the Earth]. Not bad. Even if weaklings, they wielded Old Gods’ power. Taesan only resisted because he had black power and Immutable Self. Their destructive power was significant.
Yet with earth alone, he kept blocking. It had limits, but was reliable for defense.
Next, [Master of the Sky].
Taesan’s body rose. The sky bent to his will.
He gathered its energy and swung.
Winds exploded, lashing the pawns.
“Ghkkk!”
They braced, but the storm shredded them with countless cuts.
“…Ghgh…”
They survived, but not unscathed.
“Not bad.”
As a Transcendent, Taesan could wield the stolen authorities well.
Best of all—they had no cost. Standing on earth, or floating in the sky, was enough to activate them. Free to use, endlessly versatile.
Kuuuuung!
He scattered the charging pawns with wind. Despair grew in their eyes.
They couldn’t reach him.
Their desperate strikes were blocked by Immutable Self. His casual swings could kill them outright.
At first they believed they could win. That kept them fighting.
Now they knew.
They could never defeat Taesan.
“H-hold on.”
One stammered.
“When the manager returns, he’ll come here. Just hold until then…”
“Sorry, but I’ve confirmed everything I needed.”
He had no further business with them.
[You have activated Magic Stacking.]
[You have activated Great Collapse: Negation.]
Crkkk.
A jet-black sphere formed. Then another. And another.
Three spheres overlapped, radiating waves.
Their faces turned pale. As they tried to flee, Taesan unleashed it.
[You have activated Magic Liberation.]
“Uaaaahk!”
They fought desperately, cloaking themselves in corruption, raising black domains.
But the magic of negation devoured it all.
One by one, they were swallowed by the spheres, erased completely.
Ten pawns of the Old Gods, destroyers of countless worlds, vanished like that.
Taesan did not rest.
The others had said the manager was away.
Before his return, there was much to do.
—
The clash between Taesan and the pawns reverberated through the world.
All within felt it—an outsider had intruded.
Their reactions varied. Some watched. Some fled as far as possible. Some charged him.
The latter met poor ends.
Kuuuuung!
“Ghkkk!”
Most here were low-tier Immortals. None could threaten Taesan.
“Show me your authority.”
Taesan pressed lightly. That alone forced one pale with terror to reveal his power.
Something unseen latched onto him, trying to steal.
The pawn’s face brightened—then crumbled as Taesan shook it off.
“My… my skill…”
Taesan’s eyes narrowed.
‘He tried to erase my skill.’
To confirm, he hadn’t resisted. The authority had invaded his essence, attempting to nullify part of his skills.
“Interesting.”
Crunch.
“Ghkk!”
The pawn was run through before he could scream.
Taesan kept moving.
He cut down those who approached, then hunted down those who tried to hide.
Along the way, he confirmed several more authorities. Most served the Foul Corruptor or Endless Darkness. A few were different.
“Not bad.”
Each was unique and alien. One even devoured Taesan’s attacks to make them his own. Without preparation, facing such a power would have been dangerous.
But now he knew. Next time, he’d be ready.
“Half done.”
Half the pawns had already fallen. The rest scattered in terror.
Taesan had no intention of sparing them.
His quest was to annihilate the outpost.
Even the Old Gods themselves were blocked by Transcendents above. Already, great clashes raged in the skies beyond.
He had time. He would hunt them all.
Taesan pursued relentlessly.
“Spare me!”
“No.”
Crunch.
He drove his blade mercilessly.
All here had destroyed worlds. They deserved no mercy.
They died as they had lived—like the countless they slaughtered.
“Ah… ahhh…”
As Taesan moved to finish one fallen pawn—
Crackkk!
Space split open.
A massive wave of power burst forth. A being emerged.
It carried rage.
The dying pawn’s face lit with joy.
“At last… he’s come…”
Thunk.
Taesan finished him with a thrust.
Kwaaang!
A bloodstained arm broke through the rift. The figure emerged.
His entire body was drenched in blood.
Even his hair was so crimson with it, its original color could not be known.
“These wretches know nothing of cleanliness.”
At Taesan’s mutter, the figure glared murderously.
“…You bastard. How dare you, while I was away.”
“And what will you do?”
“I’ll kill you.”
Power surged. Taesan smiled and answered.
“Try it.”
The pressure warped time itself.
A system window appeared.
[The Avatar of the Monster that Walks Through Time has appeared.]