Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 337: Liberation (2)
Slash!
With a chilling sound of flesh being cut, Hyacinth’s body slowly crumbled.
“Ah…”
There was no pain.
The blow was too sharp for her to feel anything like that.
Thud!
The battle ended when her body hit the ground.
“…”
Alice stared at Hyacinth with an indifferent gaze.
That made three.
The third head of the family eliminated for revenge.
With Hyacinth’s death, another shift occurred on the battlefield.
Boom!
With a single punch from Thor, the bodies of three charging beasts exploded like fireworks.
“Graaaah!”
“Kyaaak!”
One blow.
The destructive power was so immense it seemed almost absurd.
Thor, his entire body drenched in blood, cracked his joints, looking genuinely excited.
“Since they’re demons, they’re not too bad. But they picked the wrong opponent.”
The more he fought, the less exhausted he became.
Instead, as if his body was only now warming up, he began to rampage even more fiercely.
And with that ferocity…
…even the fearless beasts tucked their tails and whimpered.
“Stop showing off by killing small fry and hurry up. It’s already over there.”
Loki tapped Thor on the shoulder.
“Hmm. That was faster than I thought. I guess there are levels even among the heads of the families.”
“Yeah. If we can win over Kang Jinhyuk, we can bring that Progenitor with us too. It would be a great deal.”
The two gods were even more convinced that they had to recruit Jinhyuk.
Despite having come here and clashing with major powers like the Demon World and the Vampires, Jinhyuk’s appeal was so great that none of that mattered.
‘With him, it might be possible.’
‘We could give the Greeks a hard blow.’
A small spark ignited in the eyes of the two gods.
***
Buzz…
…Clang, clang, clang!
Countless sword strikes crossed paths.
Nietzsche—no, Hecymodium—swung his arms wildly.
However, with each passing second, the tide of battle was visibly turning.
It was only natural.
Even fighting under the same conditions, he was outclassed.
Moreover, a partial manifestation using a human body couldn’t hope to be a match.
“Beriel! You fool. You wasted your domain for such a trivial matter? You will surely regret this!”
To achieve unrestricted manifestation, they had been using demons to find a way to break the seal.
Thus, for Hecymodium, it was incomprehensible that Beriel would sacrifice so much.
“Whether I sell my castles or offer my treasures, that’s my business. If you’re so resentful, why don’t you burn everything you have?”
“Ugh!”
Hecymodium ground his teeth so hard they almost shattered.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he was defeated.
With his soul intertwined in this body, if it were destroyed, even a demon king would suffer significant damage.
In the end…
[Hecymodium has deactivated ‘Partial Manifestation’!]
[The subordinates of the Demon World are retreating to their domain!]
There was only one path left to choose for survival.
Hecymodium and the high-ranking nobles who followed him disappeared into the Demon World.
“At least he knows his place.”
Beriel shrugged his shoulders.
“Thanks. That made things a lot easier.”
“Enough of that. Just keep your promise. This time, the losses were substantial.”
“Well, I’ll try. I’ll really try.”
Now, all that was left was Nietzsche, abandoned where Hecymodium had departed.
Still in shock, with his mouth agape, he seemed unable to grasp what had just transpired.
His deity, whom he worshipped, had been defeated, so his confusion was understandable.
Right then…
Ding!
[You have successfully copied the unique ability ‘Nihilism’.]
[Nihilism – Green Grade]
Difficulty of acquisition: SS
Description: You can seal the unique abilities and skills of enemies around you. However, using Nihilism requires a high level of understanding and delicate control. Using it in conjunction with other skills can cause severe physical damage.]
An unexpected green-grade ability!
Nice.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smile.
‘Got this one too.’
With unique abilities and skills sealed, he had defeated Nietzsche and made the demon king abandon his apostle.
It hadn’t been easy to achieve the two conditions, but he had met his goal.
‘To use it freely like Nietzsche, integrating it with other skills, will take some time.’
He hadn’t avoided using this ability in the past, but he hadn’t made it his main focus.
The drawbacks were substantial as well.
Of course, there was no rush.
Skills could be mastered gradually over time.
What was more important…
…was squeezing the last drop of information from this abandoned hunting dog.
Jinhyuk stepped closer to Nietzsche.
“Ugh…”
Meeting his gaze, Nietzsche’s body trembled slightly.
He no longer seemed to have the will to resist. The confidence he once had was completely gone.
“There are a few things I want to ask. If you answer willingly, I won’t take your life.”
“W-What do you want to know?”
“Still have that sharp tongue, huh? Let’s work on that tone first.”
“Arghhh!”
As the Primordial Flame flared up, a terrible pain shot through Nietzsche’s shoulder.
“If you still think of yourself as the leader of the demons, you’re gravely mistaken. Understand?”
“W-What do you want to know? I’ll answer anything…”
His attitude had become much more submissive.
Now, this made for a much easier conversation.
“The Crown of the Pureblood.”
A heavy name slipped from Jinhyuk’s lips.
“That…”
“What? Don’t want to answer? You should’ve said something sooner. Do you need more of this fire massage?”
Fwoosh!
The flames grew even more intense.
“Wait! Wait! It’s not that I don’t want to answer. I can tell you how to find the crown, but obtaining it is not up to me. That’s why I hesitated.”
“Whether I can obtain it or not is my problem. Just tell me what you know.”
Urged by Jinhyuk, Nietzsche reluctantly opened his mouth.
“One of the family heads, Exension, has a crest. That is the key to finding the crown.”
As expected, Exension was holding the clue…
Now that he thought about it.
“Where is he? Why hasn’t he joined the battle?”
Exension was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t like he was preparing some last-minute strategy.
The battle was already over.
“I-I don’t know that much either.”
Has the cunning bastard sensed something?
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue in frustration.
He thought he had everything figured out.
But the most important one for Alice’s revenge had slipped away.
And with him, the key to the Pureblood Crown.
“Now that you’ve got all you wanted, can I… leave?”
“Of course, you’re free to go. I said I wouldn’t touch you, after all.”
However…
He hadn’t promised to prevent others from doing something.
Jinhyuk took a step back.
Swish.
Melena and Tristan stepped forward as if they had been waiting for this moment.
A long whip and a sharp sword radiated deadly intent.
“W-What are you two doing?”
“Always clean up the mess.”
“The principle you taught us was never to leave any potential threat alive.”
Leaving him alive might lead to who knows what.
With his remaining connections to the demon king, he could betray them at any time.
“No… No…”
Nietzsche reached out, but the two had already made up their minds.
Stab!
Slash!
The sword and whip moved simultaneously, and the leader of the Demon Association finally drew his last breath.
Now, the major events had truly reached a conclusion.
But then…
Crack!
A sound like the world splitting apart echoed.
[The Gate is being unlocked!]
[Shub-Niggurath is manifesting outside the tower.]
Everything was dyed in a blood-red hue.
***
The primordial beings.
They are the ultimate residents of the Tower of Trials, capable of driving their opponents to madness simply by their presence.
And one of the highest among them, ‘Shub-Niggurath,’ had finally begun to manifest.
“Screeeech…”
Throb! Throb! Throb!
Even though it was hundreds of kilometers away, the impact was unimaginable.
Just the gate opening caused the burning magic to sting the skin.
How immense was that raw power…?
…It was beyond comprehension.
“This is quite dangerous.”
Beriel swallowed dryly.
No matter how strong a demon king was, they were no match for the beings of the 50th floor.
The definition of a resident of the tower was those who had been defeated and pushed down to the lower levels.
“Wasn’t there still time left? The Association said we could attack before the gate opened… Why is this happening!”
Chun Yoosung also raised his voice.
Did Exension pull something?
Or was it Hastings, the high-ranking administrator?
Or maybe someone else intervened?
But finding the cause now was meaningless.
It was a matter of response, not preparation.
From now on, they needed to think of the best moves.
Jinhyuk’s mind worked quickly.
By now, what he had asked Yu Yonhwa and Lee Taemin to prepare should be ready.
If the timing was right and luck was on their side… maybe…
Damn it. Could it work?
They weren’t fully prepared yet.
While Jinhyuk was contemplating all sorts of possibilities…
“Kang Jinhyuk.”
Loki, who had approached him unnoticed, called out.
“Ah. I owe you a lot for various things. I want to thank you, but this is a terrible time.”
“Yeah. It’s the worst situation to praise each other’s achievements. So… I want to say…”
Loki continued cautiously.
“I know you’re attached to this world. But now that this thing has appeared, there’s no hope.”
A catastrophe that even the gods couldn’t handle.
Against such an absolute being, there was nothing a player could do.
Like accepting a natural disaster, all they could do was submit.
“Come with us. Even if it’s not here, we can create a place for you to live within the tower. We’ll make sure you can enjoy everything about Valhalla and our mythology. Just let this place go.”
This was… a kind of mercy.
To alleviate the guilt of someone who had no choice but to make that choice in the end.
‘Yeah, maybe that’s the right thing to do. After all, Shub-Niggurath will likely return to its original place once its curiosity is sated.’
However…
He didn’t want to give up.
It wasn’t about the grand goal of saving everyone or protecting humanity.
Simply…
“If I get scared by a challenge of this level, I don’t think I’ll ever sleep soundly again.”
“You call this a mere challenge? Do you even know what you’re facing… The thing coming over is… from the top of the tower…”
“I know.”
When it came to the primordial beings, he knew more than anyone here.
He had fought them.
He had lost.
And finally, he had seen the summit of the tower.
“There’s still something I can do. The odds are slim, but if it’s me… I can do it.”
All his abilities had returned.
[Reading ‘Memories of the World’.]
Beyond the countless appearing pages.
Jinhyuk prepared for the final battle.