Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 339: Liberation (4)
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The mightiest punch.
The ground all around was upturned, and a streak of light pierced the sky.
It was the culmination of the Dark Emperor’s ultimate technique, the essence of the *Dark Heavenly Demon Art*.
It was as if a meteor shower had collided with the earth.
The dust from the upheaved soil filled the air.
However…
“…Hmph.”
A heavy groan escaped the Dark Emperor’s lips.
He thought everything had been perfect…
Throb!
Why was it that his attacking fist was the one in pain?
“Did it break…?”
While he had shattered the branches with countless mouths, the moment his fist touched the main body, everything went wrong.
…It was solid.
More solid than any eternal steel.
No matter how much internal energy he poured into it, the idea of breaking through that outer shell didn’t even cross his mind.
“Humans, you were not bad for mere insects.”
Shub-Niggurath moved its body lightly.
Then…
*Boom!*
With a deafening noise, the Dark Emperor’s body disappeared from where he stood.
*Crash… Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
“Keuk!”
The Dark Emperor’s body, having been thrown back, crashed through buildings like they were toothpicks, flying across the city.
It was impossible to tell how far he was sent flying.
“Ugh!”
Teresa, witnessing the outrageous blow, hurriedly summoned the power of the “Call of the Stars.”
Countless stars descended towards the ground once again.
“This time, it’s a woman human wielding holy power? Pathetic. So very pathetic.”
Shub-Niggurath looked up above its head.
*Hehehe!*
*Hehehehehe!*
A purple magic circle appeared from the mouths of the branches.
And at that moment…
“This can’t be…”
Teresa’s pupils quaked.
They disappeared.
As if they had never existed from the start, the meteors evaporated from the sky.
“Did you think you could purify me with that paltry amount of holy power?”
[Shub-Niggurath activates ‘Primordial Language’!]
A brilliance manifested, so radiant it caused chills, entirely different from Teresa’s holy power.
“This is what you so-called holy power…”
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
“Ah…”
A short gasp escaped Teresa’s lips.
It was inevitable to despair.
Everything she had built up until now had been denied.
Simultaneously…
A massive beam of light struck where Teresa had been standing.
If she were to take that hit directly…
She would not survive.
[Teresa activates ‘Corruption’!]
Teresa burned all the magic she had left.
Her once snow-white armor turned black.
The sacred aura became sinfully tainted.
“You foolish simpleton! What do you think you’re doing, suddenly summoning me against something like that?”
The corrupted version of Teresa screamed as she saw the light approaching her face.
The previous persona often summoned her in extreme situations, but…
This was the first time she found herself in such an absurd situation.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Enough! What more can I expect from a fool who can’t even speak up to the man she likes?”
It was a bizarre scene of the same person yelling and apologizing in two different voices.
Thankfully, with the use of Corruption, all her stats had dramatically increased.
Perhaps now she could withstand the attack.
*Rumble!*
Teresa gripped her sword, now imbued with a dark crimson aura, with both hands.
“Here I go!”
And she swung horizontally toward the approaching light.
***
The clash of two great forces.
*Sizzle!*
Just from the contact of these opposing powers, the terrain of the cityscape transformed entirely.
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
Teresa looked down at her now tattered armor.
Fortunately, she managed to deflect the attack, but continuing the battle was impossible.
Her internal magic had been completely depleted.
An overwhelming power that shattered all conventional wisdom.
This was the strength of a divine entity from the 50th floor.
‘Indeed, ordinary tactics won’t work…’
Jinhyuk gritted his teeth.
He hadn’t anticipated that his master and Teresa would fall apart so quickly.
He had thought they would hold out for at least a minute…
If things continued like this, even the unique attack prepared by Alice, using her holy spear, might not work.
As Jinhyuk was running through countless scenarios in his mind…
“Master! It’s dangerous!”
Wolyoung’s urgent shout pierced his eardrums.
Shub-Niggurath, seeking a new prey, was already heading toward where Jinhyuk stood.
As the massive body moved, buildings began to collapse in droves.
Wolyoung, who had activated the *Shadow Blade*, stood in front of Jinhyuk and set up a sword barrier.
Slash!
Swords moved chaotically in all directions, slicing the air.
The concrete debris falling toward Jinhyuk was cut into tiny pieces.
“What are you daydreaming about? If you stay like this, we’ll all die! If you need time, just say it. I’ll do whatever I can.”
Chun Yoosung, standing next to Jinhyuk, also drew his sword.
As always, while they might grumble in ordinary times, these swordsmen were reliable in moments like this.
Jinhyuk glanced at Alice.
She had her eyes tightly shut, focusing her mind.
The distinct Ataraxia emblem was clearly visible on the crimson spear.
It wouldn’t be long before it had sufficient power.
“The closer we get, the faster it’ll become. How… can we avoid everything?”
“Are you asking me that?”
“I was just worried. Not doubting you.”
“Don’t go acting stupid and getting yourself killed. I didn’t train all this time just to watch you die to something like this.”
Chun Yoosung clicked his tongue coldly.
“Yeah, yeah. With our great Sword Saint here, what is there to fear?”
Jinhyuk chuckled.
“Master, I’ll try to get you both as far inside as possible.”
Wolyoung sheathed her sword and stood between the two.
*Screeeech!*
*Hehehe!*
The laughing branches drew closer, little by little.
A formidable foe that was terrifying just to look at.
Frankly, it was a monster against which even scratching it seemed impossible.
But the thought of having to charge into the midst of it now felt overwhelming.
Needless to say, the goal wasn’t to win the fight.
The priority was simply to survive.
‘Just 30 minutes… If we can hold out, the gate will close again.’
This meant that Shub-Niggurath could remain in this realm for a maximum of that time.
Of course, 30 minutes was also more than enough for it to turn the entire world into ashes.
“Wolyoung.”
“Yes, I’m going.”
Wolyoung reached out and grabbed Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung by their collars.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Numerous purple magic circles appeared from the branches, initiating a carpet bombing.
*Boom!*
*Bang!*
Crater after crater formed wherever they landed.
Even a graze meant instant death.
But just as the beams of light were about to swallow them all…
[Wolyoung activates the unique ability ‘Shadow Blade’!]
Shadows connected with shadows.
In an instant, their field of vision changed.
They found themselves right in the middle of the branches.
Inside Shub-Niggurath’s embrace.
“Master! Now!”
Wolyoung used her body as a stepping stone.
Tap!
Thud!
To maximize acceleration.
Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung pushed off Wolyoung’s body and dashed forward.
In less than a second, the two, who had dived quite deep, swung their swords.
*Slash! Slash! Slash!*
The sword extended, slicing through the sides of the branches.
*Screeech!*
Bodily fluids splattered everywhere.
“These pests!”
Immediately, Shub-Niggurath reacted.
The dozens of branches coming from the left had no discernible pattern.
The encirclement closed in, perfectly blocking any retreat or possible direction of movement.
“Left!”
“I know!”
Jinhyuk redirected the trajectory of the lasers coming from the right.
Chun Yoosung deflected the beams coming from the opposite side.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The swords moved freely, and the bullets from Kruger made holes in the joints of the branches.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded wildly.
Every nerve in his body sharpened to a burning point. Accordingly, the sword techniques of the Soul Chaser became even more refined.
One strike.
Two strikes.
And a third strike.
The two swords, increasingly attuned to each other’s rhythm, merged into a unified flow.
[Field selection.]
They had been in sync like this several times before.
A realm only the mightiest players could reach.
This was…
A newly altered world.
[The ‘World of Players’…]
No, they believed it had changed.
Crack!
Crrrack!
The imaginary world they had manifested cracked.
Through the shattering fragments like broken glass…
“What an amusing trick.”
Shub-Niggurath appeared.
This time, the very existence of the chosen battlefield was denied.
Just like with Teresa, Shub-Niggurath had activated its ability to turn imagination into reality.
“Not yet, not yet.”
Without hesitation, Jinhyuk used his second prepared card.
The unique ability ‘Ancient Barrier’ and various runes floated chaotically.
Zodiac Constellations.
This was the strongest ability of a Barrier Mage who had faced countless strong foes.
*Wooong!*
[Zodiac Constellation ‘Aquarius’ is being activated!]
Stars formed a constellation in the sky.
Aquarius, responsible for illusions and hallucinations, worked on the realm of sensory deception.
However…
“Didn’t I tell you? No matter how much you struggle and fight, it’s useless.”
Even the stars lost their light.
The sky began to darken like pitch black.
Field selection.
Even the supreme barrier of the Zodiac Constellation was ineffective.
From the start, against Shub-Niggurath, such abilities were merely trivial tricks.
Right then…
“I’m ready!”
Alice shouted.
The finishing move she had been preparing while gathering magic all this time.
The fully formed crimson spear shot across the sky as if it had been waiting for this moment.
*Boom!*
Eleven sonic booms erupted, splitting the clouds.
A surprise attack, taking advantage of the fact that all eyes were on Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung.
*Screeeech!*
*Roar!*
The spear tore through the branches and reached Shub-Niggurath’s main body.
But…
That was as far as it got.
[Shub-Niggurath activates ‘Primordial Time’!]
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
As a black storm arose, everything it touched lost its life.
That included Alice’s unique holy spear.
The spear thinned and eventually disappeared altogether.
“The game ends here, mortals.”
Everything turned to nothingness.
The city, now burning, and the piling corpses.
There was no way to stop it.
No way to resist.
“Kang… Jinhyuk.”
“Master!”
Chun Yoosung and Wolyoung’s voices blurred.
“Ah…”
Alice, too, sighed, a mix of despair and fear.
And so…
One world came to an end.
***
“How tedious.”
Shub-Niggurath muttered in a bored tone.
A scene turned into a wasteland.
There were no more living beings left to kill.
But then…
“…!?”
On the face of the primordial god, usually devoid of expression…
A change appeared for the first time.
“…How?”