Chapter 581
The Beast of Boundary was fully unleashed.
It forced its way through the narrow passage and revealed its complete, whole form.
Rumble!
The Beast of Boundary shook the Domain itself. The Thing from Beyond tried to crush Boundary. The Domain moved to trample it.
But that was impossible.
The Beast of Boundary let out a greedy roar and asserted its own Domain.
Boom!
The Domains collided and pushed against each other. Neither side yielded easily.
“You’re bigger and stronger, that’s true.”
Taesan muttered.
“But my Boundary isn’t weak either.”
Boundary was something that existed between the universe and the Thing from Beyond.
Even if the opponent was the Domain of the Old Gods itself, the fact that Boundary held a superior affinity did not change.
Craaaack!
The Beast of Boundary gradually expanded its body. As if it found true liberation joyful, it expanded its Domain.
But soon, it hit a limit.
From a certain point onward, the Beast of Boundary could no longer grow larger.
‘Well, that makes sense.’
There was clearly a limit. Even if he had unleashed the true Boundary, his opponent was not one that could be easily defeated.
Still, that did not matter.
From the very beginning, what he wanted was not victory.
“I wish.”
Divine Power.
The effect of Transcendence [Broken Wish].
Just once, whatever he desired could be realized.
Whatever it might be.
Taesan spoke his wish.
“That you can never interfere with the universe again, and that you can never crawl out of here for all eternity.”
Not just the main body, but even minor interferences would no longer be able to affect the universe.
The wish was spoken.
The Divine Power activated to fulfill it.
Rumble…
The Beast of Boundary moved. The being with a sense of self swelled according to Taesan’s wish.
Ripple.
Thinly, and widely, it spread out. Like a membrane, it wrapped around the Domain of the Old Gods.
And separation began.
The Domain of the Old Gods, and the universe.
Rumble!
The moment it realized what was happening, the Thing from Beyond raged. The Domain itself moved and struck at the Beast of Boundary. It was resistance like a child having its toy taken away.
“You don’t like this, do you?”
Taesan laughed.
“But that doesn’t matter. It’s what I want.”
Whether the Thing from Beyond wanted it or not meant nothing to Taesan. Just as it had always been until now when the Thing from Beyond played with the universe.
Craaaack.
Boundary spread farther and farther. The Thing from Beyond tried to stop it, but it was impossible.
The Beast of Boundary stood on equal footing from the start. On top of that, [Broken Wish] had been activated. What Taesan desired would absolutely be fulfilled.
Creak. Craaack.
Little by little, the Beast spread wide, separating them.
And finally,
the Beast of Boundary perfectly separated the universe from the Domain of the Old Gods.
“It’s over.”
Rumble!
The Thing from Beyond raged beyond the point of rage. The Domain itself began twisting into a bizarre form.
Taesan watched that sight indifferently.
“It was nice meeting you.”
Taesan politely bowed. Like a gentleman.
“And goodbye. We won’t see each other again.”
Taesan crossed beyond the spread-out Boundary.
The Thing from Beyond unleashed its full power. The Domain itself moved to strike Taesan.
But Taesan had already crossed beyond Boundary.
The power of the spread-out Boundary and the Thing from Beyond collided.
Boom!
Boundary trembled.
But that was all.
Boundary held its place firmly.
Tap.
And Taesan arrived in the universe.
There, numerous Transcenders were waiting for him.
Gazes filled with astonishment.
Taesan spoke calmly.
“It’s over.”
Taesan took a sip of tea. In front of him sat Arilnan, the Magician, and Rakiratas.
“So… how did you do it?”
“I used the Beast of Boundary to separate the universe from the Domain of the Old Gods.”
[I understand that much, but I’m asking how you did it.]
“It wasn’t anything special. I simply intercepted the very concept of crossing over completely.”
A Domain was extremely vast. Enveloping the whole thing was impossible even for Taesan.
But the reason the Old Gods could cause minor interference was because they used such concepts, not because they crossed over physically.
Then all he had to do was intercept that concept.
“I spread it like a thin membrane. Like how water and oil can’t mix, I created a layer like that.”
[Is that possible?]
“If it’s Boundary, it’s possible.”
If it was Boundary, which already stood between the two from the beginning, then it could definitely fulfill that role.
Above all, Boundary had gained life through circulation.
Even if a Rift were to appear in Boundary, the Beast of Boundary itself would restore it.
“They’ll try all sorts of ways to break it, but it’ll be meaningless.”
The Thing from Beyond was the Domain itself.
It could no longer become stronger or weaker. That was its limit.
Then there was nothing it could do about the Beast of Boundary. Because the Beast simply existed there, not attacking or devouring the Thing from Beyond. The Thing from Beyond did not possess the power to trample even Boundary in that state.
“As long as I don’t die, they’ll never be able to interfere with the universe again.”
“Does that mean…”
“It’s over. Everything.”
===
Taesan answered calmly.
Taesan returned to Earth.
The people of Earth were simply celebrating.
They likely didn’t know what Taesan had done. They were enjoying their victory without knowing the truth.
The only one who knew was Lee Taeyeon.
“Is it over?”
Taesan nodded.
Everything was over.
In the truest sense.
Lee Taeyeon smiled.
“You worked hard, Taesan.”
After briefly looking around Earth, Taesan returned to the Labyrinth.
A space with no one there but himself.
No. Not completely alone. Bardray and Akasha were with him.
But the two had now become so familiar to Taesan that it almost felt like being alone.
Taesan stared blankly at the ceiling.
Everything was over.
He felt a sense of exhaustion. It was like a racehorse collapsing after running to the finish line with everything it had.
Taesan closed his eyes.
If he slept now, it would be the first time in this life he could sleep without worrying about anything.
But.
Taesan opened his eyes.
“I should do the last thing before I rest.”
He got up. Looking into the empty air, he spoke.
“You can come out.”
Rip.
Space split apart, and a woman appeared.
It was the Green Witch.
She politely bowed before Taesan.
“Congratulations. For bringing everything to an end.”
“So you know too?”
“I am one who resides in the Labyrinth. The Magician told me personally.”
The Green Witch remained bowed, unmoving.
Seeing that attitude, Taesan understood.
“Have you decided?”
“…Yes.”
The Green Witch’s wish was to become a Transcender.
She wanted to rule over a single, pure concept alone.
But she was an Immortal. She had reached that position and struggled endlessly, yet she could not become a Transcender.
The reason was simple.
Because everything she had built from the beginning had been structured in a way that could never reach Transcendence.
Unless that problem was resolved, she could never become a Transcender.
The issue was that it was impossible for her to discard everything she herself had built.
Taesan was the unusual one. If a person cast themselves away, terrible despair would overwhelm them the moment they did so.
Enough to kill them.
No one could do it by themselves.
But Taesan could.
With the power he possessed, he could usurp everything the Green Witch had built up.
“Are you sure?”
But in the end, she would have to discard it. Everything of herself.
The Green Witch nodded.
“Yes. I have decided. I will discard myself.”
“If you’ve decided that.”
Taesan placed his hand on the Green Witch’s head.
Her body trembled.
Anxiety, fear, and dread at having to discard everything she had built.
But she did not pull back.
She entrusted herself to Taesan’s hand.
Divine Power activated.
[You activated Spiritual Rank Usurpation.]
Everything the Green Witch had built was usurped by Taesan. The Green Witch let out a groan without realizing it.
“Ah…”
Craaaack.
Everything she had desperately built, everything that made her who she was, was usurped. The Green Witch’s body trembled.
Rumble…
And before long, all of it became Taesan’s possession.
[You have obtained the Soul Skill [Interference of the World].]
“Ah.”
The Green Witch collapsed.
Taesan caught her falling body.
“Thank you…”
“How do you feel?”
“…Not good.”
The Green Witch staggered back to her feet.
After looking briefly at her own hands, she let out a bitter smile.
“It’s been… a very long time since I felt like this.”
She had now become an ordinary human.
The immense power to crush mountains, split seas, and tear apart the sky had vanished without a trace.
Now she was a frail woman who could not even break a single tree.
She had lost everything.
“But…”
The Green Witch clenched her fist.
“I sincerely thank you. Great one.”
“You have nothing to thank me for.”
If anything, he had done the worst possible thing to her.
“What will you do now?”
“First… I suppose I need to find the right method.”
A method to become a Transcender.
“To do that, perhaps I’ll try becoming an Adventurer.”
The Green Witch smiled faintly.
“I’ll set out on a journey again. Someday… I hope a day comes when I can stand before you again through my own power.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
The Green Witch left.
After briefly watching her retreating figure, Taesan muttered,
“Was this what you wanted too?”
“From my perspective, no.”
A voice rang out. Splitting space, the Magician appeared.
“She was still a contractor, after all. A loss is a loss for me. But… I suppose it isn’t an important issue anymore.”
The Magician muttered that, then looked at Taesan and spoke.
“Taesan. You know what this place is, right?”
“The 100th floor.”
The end of the Labyrinth.
Its final destination.
The Magician nodded.
“You have magnificently conquered the Labyrinth.”
[100th Floor Cleared.]
“And… now I must give you your reward.”
The message one saw upon first entering the Labyrinth.
[This is a Labyrinth created long ago by a great Magician. Rumors say that to the one who conquers it, one wish is granted.]
A wish granted to the one who conquered it.
Lee Taeyeon had not had her wish granted. Because she had cleared the Labyrinth through a shortcut.
She had not conquered the Labyrinth.
Conquering it did not merely mean clearing the 100th floor.
One had to truly, completely conquer the Labyrinth.
Had there ever been anyone who fulfilled that condition? A condition whose existence itself was not even truly known.
But now, Taesan had conquered the Labyrinth.
And perfectly, to a degree that allowed no objection.
“Then. Conqueror of the Labyrinth.”
The Magician, as master of the Labyrinth, asked Taesan,
“What is your wish?”
The Magician of the Labyrinth asked the conqueror of the Labyrinth for his wish.