Chapter 471
“How dare you. You killed the apostle of the Foul Corruptor, stole a fragment of the World Breaker, and now you dare to target the place I manage?”
Furious hatred and rage poured out from his voice. From the apostle’s words, Taesan gleaned a piece of information.
‘So this one knows who I am.’
The apostle’s face twisted.
“I am the apostle of the Monster that Walks Through Time. Paradise. I’ll kill you.”
“Try it.”
Taesan replied casually.
Paradise raised his hand toward the sky.
At that moment, Taesan immediately moved.
He already knew that when dealing with an apostle of the Foul Corruptor, the apostle could receive the Old God’s authority. He had no intention of letting that happen.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
Taesan charged forward. With both acceleration skills activated, his speed increased nearly fourfold. Paradise momentarily lost sight of Taesan’s movements.
“You—!”
In the blink of an eye, Taesan aimed to drive his blade into Paradise’s neck. Paradise hastily retreated in panic, but Taesan’s speed was enough to catch up.
Yet, Taesan realized something strange.
As he approached Paradise, his body grew slower and slower.
Paradise widened the distance with ease.
“…So rude and ill-mannered. Not that I’d expect better from a fool who defies the Great Ones.”
‘What is this?’
Taesan adjusted his sword. The sensation was strange—too abnormal to be just slowed movement.
Paradise lifted his hands high.
“I am the apostle of the Monster that Walks Through Time! Your servant prays in this place! Please, descend upon me with your authority over time!”
Kuuuuung!
The heavens opened, and a massive power descended upon Paradise’s body.
“Huuuu…”
Paradise opened a rift in the air.
In his hand appeared a short musket pistol.
“Even if you stand at the edge of transcendence, it doesn’t matter. His authority kills even transcendents.”
Paradise spoke arrogantly.
“I’ll show you a great power.”
The Monster that Walks Through Time.
As the name suggested, its power must have been related to time.
First, he needed to analyze that authority. Gathering mana, Taesan activated every buff skill he had.
[You have activated Great Collapse [Divine].]
[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
Kugugugung!
A golden sphere shot toward Paradise. It was meant as a light probe, yet the power contained within was nearly absolute—enough to endanger even high immortals if hit directly.
Depending on his opponent’s response, Taesan planned to activate either [Guaranteed Strike] or [Magic Explosion].
But Paradise’s reaction was none of what Taesan had imagined.
He simply stood still.
And Taesan saw it.
The closer the [Great Collapse] approached Paradise, the slower it became.
Paradise easily evaded it. Taesan frowned.
[You have activated Magic Explosion.]
Kuuuuung!
The explosion spread its golden remnants in all directions.
But the closer it came to Paradise, the slower and weaker it grew.
Paradise effortlessly avoided every wave of destruction.
“If it doesn’t reach me, it’s meaningless.”
Paradise extended his hand into the air. Space and time twisted, forming a single bullet.
He inserted it into the pistol with deliberate care, as if performing a sacred ritual.
Click.
The loaded gun aimed at Taesan.
‘A gun user?’
A type of opponent he had never seen before. Compressing time and space into a bullet—this was no ordinary firearm. For now, he observed. He had to gauge its speed and power before forming a counterstrategy.
Taesan quietly watched the barrel.
The trigger was pulled, and Taesan instantly moved. A pitch-black bullet shot forth.
It was fast—so fast that his eyes barely followed it.
But not unavoidable. Taesan twisted his body; the bullet grazed past him—
Zzeoong!
At that instant, the bullet distorted, leaving afterimages behind.
A sharp impact struck his chest. His body slid backward.
[…What?]
[Master?]
Taesan clicked his tongue.
The black bullet clattered to the floor from his chest. Paradise growled.
“You rat… You dare wield His authority?”
Click.
With a furious face, Paradise removed the spent bullet.
Thanks to [Immutable Self], Taesan had taken no real damage. But one more shot like that, and even [Immutable Self] would shatter. That bullet carried immense destructive power.
A confused voice echoed.
[But Master clearly dodged it.]
[I saw it too. What just happened?]
“So that’s it.”
It wasn’t a concept that distorted vision or perception. Nor was it sheer speed like Shaiyan’s string of annihilation.
‘It loops back.’
A power utterly foreign and bizarre.
So far, Paradise had shown two types of authority.
Taesan analyzed both.
[You have activated Mark Designation.]
[You have activated Restricted Blink.]
In an instant, Taesan moved above Paradise’s head.
Immediately, he felt it—his movements had become incredibly slow.
‘This is…’
It wasn’t simply that his body slowed. If that were the case, gravity would’ve affected him normally.
Yet he fell in slow motion, as if the world itself had been slowed down.
Paradise smirked and drew a dagger, aiming for Taesan’s neck. At that moment, Taesan activated another skill.
[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]
[Designated Mark Acceleration]—the ability to accelerate instantly toward a marked location.
Taesan’s body surged forward. Though still slow, it was faster than Paradise expected; the dagger missed.
The farther Taesan moved from Paradise, the faster he became. Landing on his marked position, he quickly regained form.
[You have activated Baal’s Designated Space Collapse.]
Uwoong!
The space around Paradise twisted—but again, the distortion moved slowly. Paradise calmly sidestepped the attack.
“Pointless.”
Paradise sneered.
Taesan organized what he had learned.
‘Got it.’
He was certain now. One of Paradise’s authorities interfered with time itself within a set radius.
Outside that zone, there was no effect—but the closer one got, the more time slowed. At point-blank range, time almost stopped, allowing Paradise to evade any close-range attack.
A power that essentially rejected melee combat.
“You’ve got quite the troublesome ability.”
Click.
Paradise reloaded and aimed again.
This time, Taesan didn’t dodge.
[You have activated Guardian’s Three Shields.]
[You have activated Brilliant Blue Barrier.]
[You have activated Astaroth’s Darkness Infiltration.]
He summoned the power of the earth to protect his body.
Dodging was meaningless—the attack would still hit. So he would overpower it head-on.
The trigger was pulled. A pitch-black bullet streaked toward him. Taesan conjured [Great Collapse] to intercept it head-on.
Kagagagak!
The bullet collided with [Great Collapse].
It trembled, producing countless afterimages. Then it tore through the divine sphere, breaking every barrier surrounding Taesan one by one.
Taesan infused his sword with divinity and swung.
Sword and bullet collided.
Kagagagak!
The force pushed Taesan back. The bullet’s power was immense.
But Taesan didn’t yield. He drew out even more divinity. Blinding golden light engulfed his blade.
Once more, the bullet traced afterimages—time looping endlessly, repeating the same moment.
And then, almost as if by fate, it struck the slightest gap in Taesan’s defense where his divinity thinned.
The bullet hit his arm.
Zzeoong!
[Immutable Self] shattered.
Taesan clicked his tongue.
The bullet twisted upon impact—as if time itself was reversing—finding the tiniest weakness to pierce through.
‘A thousandfold probability—something like that, huh.’
He still needed more confirmation, but the general idea was clear. Paradise’s powers were all extremely troublesome.
Yet Taesan’s expression wasn’t dark. His eyes gleamed.
“Not bad.”
He steadied his stance. Paradise clicked his tongue at his composure.
“You can neither block nor overcome His authority, yet you still cling to foolish hope. Truly pathetic.”
Paradise smiled darkly.
“Then I’ll crush that hope myself.”
He spread his arms wide.
The world began to twist.
Something vast was being distorted—the very laws of the world breaking apart.
Paradise shouted,
“My lord! I offer this world to You! Defile it as You please!”
Kiiiiiiing!
A strange, grating sound spread as powerful waves rippled across the surroundings.
When Taesan tried to move in response—he realized.
He couldn’t move.
No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t.
Time itself had stopped.
‘What—?’
Taesan was shocked. All time within the area had frozen—even himself.
‘This is…’
He recognized the effect immediately.
Paradise laughed aloud.
“This is my authority! The supreme power bestowed upon me by the Great One!”
The apostle drew a dagger and dashed in, aiming to stab Taesan’s chest.
“Die!”
Taesan tried to react—but he couldn’t. Mana, Magi, his body—none of it moved. Ordinary powers couldn’t manifest in frozen time.
Only forces of the same rank could act.
Within the still world, divinity and darkness stirred faintly.
Those two forces barely moved, unable to break completely free from the frozen time, yet still flickering.
Taesan merged them into one.
In the still gray world, power erupted.
Kwaaaang!
Paradise hastily leaped back. The authority shattered, and time resumed its flow.
Taesan immediately widened the distance.
Paradise narrowed his eyes.
“You can resist within His authority? I see why They might be wary of you. But that’s all.”
The apostle grinned.
“My authority is the manipulation of time itself! No matter how you struggle, you can never defeat me!”
To twist and command time—the ultimate concept. Such was the authority granted to him by the being he served.
Convinced of victory, the apostle looked at Taesan, expecting despair.
Instead, his pupils quivered.
A smile curved across Taesan’s lips.
It was a laugh he could barely hold back—one filled with genuine amusement.
“You…?”
He had just frozen time—a perfect, absolute power that no being of this world could resist. Yet Taesan wasn’t despairing or even surprised.
His face was as though the effect was something all too familiar.
“No, seriously.”
Taesan’s grin deepened, unable to hide his delight.
“Thank you.”