Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 423: Apostle of the Thousand Years, Nirasha (2)

Beautiful.

The moonlight cascading through the forest cleared even the darkest shadows.

‘Swoosh…’

A gentle breeze brushed against their cheeks.

“W-what is this? A skill that completely alters the terrain?”

“A field-type skill?”

Nirasha and Kopps murmured in disbelief.

It was their first time encountering a field skill so vast and devoid of inconsistencies.

Only Rakshasa realized the true nature of the ability.

“Is this… conceptual materialization? No…”

If it were merely altering the surroundings to enhance environmental advantages, it could be called conceptual materialization.

But this was different.

“Recreation of myth.”

A fragment of memory from a long-lost myth, known only to the Tower.

And now, it was unfolding here once more.

“Ah…”

Alice von Ataraxia’s lips parted slightly.

The memory of when everything was stained red.

If she had to recall the most intense battle of her life, it was undoubtedly this one.

This was the place where she pushed beyond her limits, sacrificing everything she had.

And now,

Her entire body was reacting to that memory.

‘Vrrrr!’

Her wounds healed rapidly.

The shattered ring flared back to life, more brilliantly than ever.

A pair of crimson wings began to take shape.

Limits to her mana, restrictions on her abilities—none of it mattered anymore.

In her prime.

The head of Ataraxia at the peak of her power had returned.

—

‘Rumble!’

The space around her distorted as the wings unfolded.

The overwhelming mana warped the very fabric of reality.

“So, the difficulty has increased slightly. But I am a deity of the Thousand Years! True Ancestors cannot stand against me!”

“Your voice is trembling, though.”

“What?”

“I get it. A scared dog always barks the loudest.”

Whether it was a deity of the Thousand Years or something greater, it didn’t matter anymore.

She was at her strongest, and the most reliable ally was by her side.

Alice glanced at Jinhyuk.

From the moment they formed their contract until now,

There had been countless hardships, yet he had always been there for her.

She felt both gratitude and guilt.

“Welcome to my world, wretched insects.”

‘Crackle…’

Spears, three times larger than before, appeared.

Their sheer number was beyond comparison.

Alice’s pale hand stretched out.

‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’

A crimson rain followed.

“Arghhh!”

Though Nirasha summoned golden arrows, they were completely different from before.

As she tried to fend off the spears with her chakrams, her body turned into a pincushion within moments.

Alice’s attacks were so overwhelming that even the barrier created by the battlefield selection shook.

‘Terrifying.’

Jinhyuk couldn’t help but let out a quiet exclamation.

The strength of ‘Shared All Things’ lay in mutual understanding.

The deeper the connection and empathy between two individuals, the more complete its effects became.

Jinhyuk had spent so much time with Alice that their synchronization was nearly at its peak.

That’s why the ability demonstrated such extraordinary power now.

But it wasn’t without cost.

Using high-level skills put a tremendous strain on his body.

‘Still, I can endure it now.’

Thanks to monopolizing fortuitous encounters and optimizing his growth path, he could recreate a supreme being’s prime state without his body breaking down.

[Alice activates ‘Blood Bind’!]

Living serpents coiled around Nirasha’s ankles.

“Tch!”

Nirasha clicked her tongue.

She had to break free immediately.

But Alice’s rapier was already closing in on her heart.

At that moment—

‘Bang!’

A miraculous gunshot rang out.

Kopps had timed his sniper shot perfectly to disrupt the attack.

“Just die already, you damned bat!”

Instead of dodging, Alice slashed her rapier toward the air.

‘Rip!’

Space itself was torn apart.

“Th-this can’t be…”

Kopps screamed in disbelief.

The legendary ability of dimensional severance—known as a domain of the gods.

The bullet vanished into the rift.

No matter how deadly the shot, if it didn’t land, it was meaningless.

Kopps’ sniping was no longer a threat.

‘Buzz!’

Alice’s rapier locked onto a single point.

“Ahhh!”

Nirasha poured all her mana into her defense.

‘Clang! Clang! Clang!’

A flurry of blows too fast for the eye to follow.

Nirasha deflected the rapier with her chakrams.

Her agile movements, enhanced with mana, left dazzling golden arcs in the air.

“Huff… Huff…”

Nirasha panted heavily.

Even with the ‘Betrayer’s Salt’ halving their stats, this was the best she could do.

She was barely holding on.

A fragile balance that could collapse at any moment.

The bitter reality crushed her pride.

“This can’t be. I should be the strongest right now…! I should be able to defeat anyone…!”

Why?

Why couldn’t she kill even a single True Ancestor?

[Nirasha activates ‘Avatar’ – ‘Wide Area Absorption’!]

‘Crunch!’

“Aaagh!”

“Ughhh!”

Despite the spatial disconnection of the battlefield selection, Nirasha triggered the markings she had placed on her sacrifices.

Her intent to devour every pirate on the island was palpable.

‘Squirm!’

Thick veins bulged across her entire body.

“Hehe… Let’s see if you can keep that emotionless face now.”

Golden sparks flickered in her heterochromatic eyes.

As the mana infused her beyond capacity, she entered the domain of madness.

[Nirasha unlocks Lv18 ‘Spiral Chakram’!]

A spiraling chakram, over a meter long, gleamed brilliantly.

‘Boom!’

Nirasha charged forward.

She was certain—if she landed even a single hit, she could kill.

The chakram in her left hand was a decoy.

The real threat lay in her right hand, clutching the ‘Shard of Vimana’.

‘Thwack! Thwack!’

Naturally, dozens of crimson spears blocked any attempt to advance.

Though Nirasha barely managed to dodge, closing the distance was proving incredibly difficult.

She needed an opportunity—anything to bridge the gap.

“Kopps!”

Nirasha called for aid.

“Damn it!”

Kopps aimed his flintlock pistol.

He had no desire to meddle in a battle of monsters where even artifacts seemed useless, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

[Kopps activates Lv17 ‘Nine Gallows’!]

A miracle born from surviving nine executions.

Not only did it enhance bullet accuracy, but it also pushed the one-in-three chance of triggering a fatal strike to nearly 100%.

Moreover, the effect of the gallows drastically increased the size of the carrion flies, turning them into monstrous threats.

This should be enough to divert attention.

But then—

‘Click!’

Something was wrong.

‘Click! Click!’

No matter how many times he pulled the trigger, no bullets fired.

“Supporting isn’t my main strength, but I’m still better than most, you know.”

Jinhyuk grinned brightly.

“Don’t tell me… you disrupted my skill?”

“If it’s a skill that requires focus like yours, it’s possible to interfere.”

“Enough nonsense!”

Kopps roared, attempting to activate his skill again.

Coincidence could only happen once.

There was no way someone could intervene in the mechanics of a skill without perfectly understanding it—at least, that was the general belief.

And yet—

‘Click!’

Once again, the flintlock pistol failed to fire.

“A skill like ‘Nine Gallows’ is something you should’ve used covertly, hidden among your subordinates.”

“This… this can’t be…! Are you saying this wasn’t just luck?”

Kopps stuttered.

With Jinhyuk precisely identifying the skill’s name and mechanics, there was no room for denial.

But before he could even process his shock—

This time, Jinhyuk moved.

‘Screeeeech!’

The Scythe of the Wraithwood unleashed a deafening roar.

Simultaneously—

Crimson-black blades erupted violently along the ground.

‘Rip! Rip! Rip!’

The now-enlarged carrion flies were torn apart mercilessly.

An overwhelming area-of-effect spell.

Every tool they had was rendered useless, reduced to nothing but scraps.

Even Nirasha, armed with the blessings of the Thousand Years, was struggling helplessly against the True Ancestor.

If they stayed here any longer, it would only lead to meaningless deaths.

The decision didn’t take long.

“Damn it! Damn it all! Aaaargh!”

Kopps hurled away his artifacts and fled toward the opposite side of the forest in a panic.

“Hmm….”

Jinhyuk didn’t bother chasing after him.

There was no need. Kopps wouldn’t escape this forest.

“You remember the scent, don’t you?”

“Kieeek!”

The corpses, offered as sacrifices through Kopps’ implicit agreement, were filled with hatred from their betrayal. Their bloodshot eyes glimmered with rage.

“Go on and repay him properly—in true pirate fashion.”

It was unlikely Kopps would die peacefully.

Until every ounce of their resentment dissipated, the spirits would not leave this land.

“H-help…! H-help me!”

As if to confirm that, Kopps was soon surrounded by the vengeful corpses.

“G-guys, it’s me! Your captain! Get back! Stay away!”

Kopps’ voice trembled uncontrollably.

“Kieeeek!”

“We’ll… devour you alive…!”

“You betrayed us, you trash! Now you’ll feel the pain we endured!”

“Cackle, cackle!”

The corpses wept blood from their hollow eyes.

—

“Nirasha! We have to retreat immediately!”

Rakshasa once again urged Nirasha to flee.

With Kopps gone, the battle was already lost.

“…Tch!”

Nirasha understood, but it was too late.

The balance had shifted entirely when Jinhyuk joined the fight.

‘Vrrrm!’

A black sigil formed beneath her feet.

A debilitating curse seeped into her mind.

“Aaaaaah!”

Nirasha screamed in pain as her mana faltered for a brief moment.

A fraction of a second—0.3 seconds, to be exact.

Even if it was only an instant, among top-ranked combatants, such a gap was more than enough to decide the outcome.

Alice appeared behind Nirasha in the blink of an eye.

“Looks like our 2v2 coordination is much better.”

Alice’s rapier gleamed with deadly intent.

Nirasha never even saw the blade piercing her back.

‘Stab!’

“Ugh…!”

Crimson blood spilled from Nirasha’s lips.

If Alice withdrew the blade now, the loss of blood would be fatal.

The long-standing feud was finally at its end.

Unless, of course, Jinhyuk decided otherwise.

‘Vrrrm!’

Wounds began to heal slowly.

“Contractor?”

Alice asked, bewildered.

“Why would you…?”

Nirasha, equally confused, struggled to comprehend the situation.

“Don’t give me that look. I’m not healing you because I like you.”

Jinhyuk replied casually as he swung the Scythe of the Wraithwood.

‘Slash!’

“Aaaaagh! I-it hurts! What is this?!”

Nirasha’s shoulder blackened where the scythe struck.

The venom of ‘Melting Heaven’s Myriad Poisons’ began to rot her flesh.

“It’s a decay poison. Excellent for delivering excruciating pain.”

After about a minute—

‘Vrrrm!’

Jinhyuk used ‘Blessing of the Stars’ to restore the wound.

“Huff… Huff…”

“Next comes the Acid Poison. This one’s pretty fiery too.”

There were plenty of poisons left: one that dislocated bones, one that mimicked the effects of narcotic addiction, and more.

With ‘Blessing of the Stars’ to heal her afterward, the fun could go on indefinitely.