Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 335: The Dark Spirit
The change in the world of the mind.
The ability to break the existing rules and select a battlefield that favors the caster is quite rare, even within the Tower of Trials.
Moreover.
“…! This is impossible. Are you saying they were able to manifest power comparable to a skill simply by… mimicking it?”
Nietzsche’s pupils quivered in shock.
Until now, Nihilism had proven to be overwhelmingly effective against not just players, but residents as well.
Even beings like Hyssens and Axion had flinched at his power.
And yet.
All of those certainties…
Were crumbling.
From this very moment.
[‘World of the Players’ is unfolding.]
Screech…
The grand palace that had once been lined with pillars vanished, replaced by a familiar landscape.
The place where they first fought over the ‘Frozen Tears’ within the Hall of the Fallen.
The place where the two first crossed swords after the Tower of Trials appeared in reality.
Jinhyuk glanced around briefly.
Chun Yoosung pressed his lips into a thin line, as if recalling the past.
But only for a moment.
“We have to finish this in one go. There won’t be a second chance.”
Since forcibly activating ‘Battlefield Selection,’ Jinhyuk could feel a severe strain on his body.
Throb! Throb! Throb!
His veins felt like they were burning, and his lips were parched.
His overstrained muscles and bones seemed to be screaming in pain.
He had barely a minute left.
That was the limit for how long this world could be sustained.
“Don’t worry. I intend to finish it in a single strike, even if you don’t say so.”
Chun Yoosung extended his sword forward.
At the same time.
Jinhyuk swung his sword smoothly.
[Unique ability…]
Two paths of swords…
[Unique ability…]
…connected into one.
[A false ‘Song of the Sword’ is activated.]
Two different players.
Naturally, they were perfect strangers with no overlap.
However.
**Soul-Chasing Sword Dance**.
The fluttering end of the sword.
Even without mana.
Even without abilities.
**Eleventh Form**.
The form manifested.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world. The line concluded so naturally.
**Two Swords, One Form**.
This was their sword.
The pinnacle that transcended the system, created because the greatest rivals knew each other’s sword paths better than anyone else.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two swords crossed.
The afterimage of the swords completely vanished.
“This is ridiculous… How is this possible…?”
Nietzsche shouted as he repeatedly activated shields.
However.
The multiple layers of shields made with black magic shattered the moment they touched the swords.
Slash!
Even space itself was cut cleanly.
—
Hiss!
Thick smoke rose from the ground.
The strike was so powerful that even the mental world created by Battlefield Selection couldn’t withstand the shock properly.
Just then.
Ding!
[Warning! Severe impact detected on the players’ bodies.]
[‘Battlefield Selection’ is dissolving.]
[All incomplete abilities are disappearing.]
Crack!
Shatter…
The air cracked, and the scenery shattered like glass.
The mental world that had barely been holding on finally came to an end.
“Huff… Huff… Huff.”
“Whew…”
The heavy breathing indicated just how taxing the recent battle had been.
But then.
“Tch…”
Chun Yoosung clicked his tongue in frustration.
There was no feeling.
The familiar, solid sensation that should have been transmitted to his hand…
“Did he… neutralize it at the last moment?”
Jinhyuk frowned as well.
In the final moment, something had blocked between Nietzsche and their sword strike.
The shields had been cut through, but the most important target had not been struck.
Nietzsche… was still intact.
To prove that point.
“Impressive… Really. I admit, this time, even I was in danger. I never thought I’d have to pull this out.”
Nietzsche walked out from the smoke.
Completely unscathed.
And beside him…
“Heeheehee. I blocked it. I did a good job, didn’t I? Huh?”
There was something surrounded by a dark aura.
A creature with one yellow and one blue eye chuckled incessantly.
‘That is…’
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
It wasn’t an ordinary monster or summoned creature.
It was a spirit.
Not one of the five primary elements, but a spirit with a dark attribute.
This… was another formidable adversary that had appeared.
‘This is getting more complicated by the moment.’
To think he’d encounter such a troublesome enemy at a time like this.
Having poured everything out, he didn’t even have the strength left to lift a finger.
He couldn’t ask for help from anyone else.
Loki and Thor were also preoccupied, fighting the high-level demons and the many beasts that followed her.
Alice, needless to say, was in her own fierce battle.
“Damn it. Is there no clever trick to get us out of this?”
“…Sorry, but there isn’t right now.”
Jinhyuk shook his head quietly.
“If you’re saying that, then it’s really the worst.”
The fact that Jinhyuk, who always acted cunningly and came up with a plan, was reacting this way…
It meant the odds of winning were close to 0%.
“Finally, I can see the look of despair on your face.”
A sinister smile spread across Nietzsche’s lips.
Nietzsche, too, had reached his limit, but as long as he had enough strength left to move a spirit, it didn’t matter.
After all, the final blow would be delivered by the spirit.
“I must see their entire bodies rot and crumble. Start with their hands and feet, if possible, and drag it out as long as you can.”
“Heeheehee! Got it. I’ll make sure to kill them as painfully as possible.”
[The Dark Spirit of Forgotten Elements ‘Blackness’ activates ‘Whip of the Dead’!]
Long whips appeared on either side of the dark entity.
Crackle!
Black sparks flew in all directions.
The ground began to burn.
On the fourth floor of the tower.
This ability had effects similar to ‘Black Death,’ which Pandariel had used.
Even a single touch could cause skin to rot. In the current situation, with their abilities sealed, this was particularly problematic.
Not a single hit could be allowed.
Swoosh.
Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung both took their stances.
It’s coming.
“Here it comes, on your side!”
Whoosh… Boom!
“Ugh!”
Chun Yoosung barely managed to dodge the first attack.
It wasn’t easy to deflect, especially with such incredible speed and added weight.
Luckily, the Flame Dance Sword was a sacred weapon of the Volcano Sect. If it were an ordinary sword, it would have been engulfed by that ominous energy.
“Heehee! Not bad, huh? Can you block this too? How about this? And this?”
Bang! Boom! Bang! Bang!
Whips lashed like a storm.
Chun Yoosung, sweating profusely, darted left and right, barely avoiding them.
And while Chun Yoosung was busy defending.
Thud!
Jinhyuk lunged forward.
His speed was almost embarrassingly slow for closing the distance, but…
His timing was spot on.
He accurately exploited the blind spot created as the two whips crossed.
Having carefully observed Wolyoung’s movement through her shadow assassination technique paid off handsomely.
However.
Crack!
The third whip tightly wrapped around the Fang.
Even the seemingly perfect surprise attack had been thwarted.
“Heehee! Did you call that a sneak attack? I had some hope since there were two of you, but this is a total disappointment. Yup, yup.”
With that, their last hope vanished.
Bang!
“Aaagh!”
Chun Yoosung was once again knocked down to the dirt.
Maybe he had failed to deflect the weight properly; his right shoulder blade shattered from just that one hit.
“One of them is done with this. Next is…”
Blackness’s gaze turned to Jinhyuk.
Boom!
The whip struck the Twin Dragon Sword.
“…!”
This wasn’t a reaction based on sight but on predictions and experience.
Jinhyuk swung his sword with the last of his remaining strength.
Of course.
It was a futile resistance.
No matter how strong one’s mental fortitude, it was impossible to surpass physical limits.
“Now, I’ll finish off both of you.”
Blackness chuckled, gathering its magic.
The whips rose high into the air.
Then they lunged at Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With both of them in tatters, they no longer had the strength to evade.
But right at that moment.
Wooooong!
Several gates began to appear in front of them.
—
“What is this?”
Nietzsche, who had been certain of his victory, reacted to the unexpected development.
He had no choice but to be taken aback.
There was no reason for gates to appear in this situation.
[Multiple spirits respond to their master’s peril.]
The mana wasn’t connected.
Without a supply of mana, there would be no reason for spirits to come into the present world.
For them, a contract was merely a means to experience a new world through the medium of mana.
And yet.
The gates shone more and more brightly.
As if they were about to burst open at any moment.
Just then.
Someone appeared beyond the gate.
“How dare you… Where do you think you’re laying those filthy hands?”
The first to step out of the gate was the Water Spirit, Undine.
Gone was her small and delicate appearance.
A woman with the body of a fully grown adult extended a slender finger forward.
Rumble…
Dozens of water droplets spiraled wildly, emanating hostility toward Nietzsche and Blackness, who had dared to lay a hand on Jinhyuk.
The terrifying aura wasn’t merely due to the powerful mana imbued in the water droplets.
It was the rage directed at those who had harmed Jinhyuk.
Only that singular emotion was in control.
“We will protect our master…”
“Roar!”
Sylphid, with her two pairs of wings fully unfurled, and Salamander, whose body was covered in crimson scales, each began casting different types of magic.
When the wind met the flames…
Whoosh!
A hellish inferno gale raged.
“Roar!”
“Quiet down, everyone. You’re giving me a headache.”
Magic of all five primary elements was being deployed simultaneously.
“Even Spirit Mages rarely contract with this many spirits. Let alone… summon their true forms. Just who… what are you?”
Nietzsche’s veins bulged on his neck as he screamed.
Variables kept appearing at the exact moment he was certain of victory.
Each one was absurd enough to turn the tide of battle.
He no longer knew what to think.
Everything he had been so confident in was falling apart.
‘No matter how powerful Blackness is among elemental spirits, it’s not strong enough to fight these true forms.’
And Blackness would not be summoned in its true form.
Their relationship was purely contractual, focusing on the terms of the agreement.
In that case…
“Tristan! Melena!”
Nietzsche shouted toward the two demons who had been waiting at a distance.
If the two demons could buy some time, he could still escape.
Regrouping and fighting again was the only viable option.
However.
The two who had received his orders made no move.
“What are you doing? Attack those creatures now!”
Nietzsche demanded, but the response was cold.
“Sorry.”
“Unfortunately, your orders aren’t our top priority.”
“If the commands of the leader of the Demons aren’t the highest priority, whose orders are, then?!”
Nietzsche shouted.
“Obviously, mine.”
Jinhyuk dusted himself off and stepped forward.