Chapter 573
Kwakakakakak!
A surging crimson tide.
Alice violently circulated the mana within her body.
An immense storm of blood swept away every enemy in range at once.
Hundreds, thousands were torn to shreds.
“Guaaaah!”
“Kieeeek!”
The temporary coalition of angels and beasts.
A pact unworthy even of being recorded in myth had been forged, but it was still powerless before a single absolute being.
Simply strong.
Overwhelmingly.
The true ancestor of Ataraxia, mistress of all blood, was releasing her power without restraint.
“A monster…”
“She’s worse than Berial…”
Those who had tried to test her limits had long since perished.
Those who had believed her strength would eventually run dry were drowning in fear.
No matter how many troops they threw at her.
No matter how hard they fought.
The idea of reaching her domain was beyond imagination.
Even Uriel, who had been confident of victory, was shaken.
‘There should be restrictions to her using her prime….’
Through countless channels, he had pieced together information about Alice’s contract with Jinhyuk.
Even if some trick had been used, with the contract severed, that bond should be gone.
So how could she still be fighting as if untouched?
⁕
Kwakakakakaka…Kwooooom!
“Haaah….”
After another devastating wave, Alice took a deep breath.
She wanted to end it quickly, yet the fight dragged on.
The period in which she could manifest her prime had already ended.
But she could still display such overwhelming might thanks to one absolute relic of the Tower.
The [Crown of the Pureblood].
A hidden card she had prepared was serving its purpose well.
Of course, it was a double-edged sword.
If its location was exposed to the enemy, the consequences would be irreversible.
‘I mustn’t let it be discovered.’
Alice adjusted the semi-transparent crown once more.
The Zodiac Jinhyuk had set upon her—[Capricorn].
Like a peaceful grazing herbivore, it concealed its effect from outside eyes.
As long as her head wasn’t struck directly, the barrier would hold for several more minutes.
More than enough time to slaughter the rest.
[Alice activates the Unique Holy Spear ‘Genesis of Revelation’ – ‘Red Skull’!]
Behind Alice, countless storms surged forth.
If [Blood Rain] was a shower,
then [Red Skull] was a sky blotted out with crimson blood.
More.
Even more.
She had to annihilate as many enemies as possible, even a second faster.
Alice drew every ounce of the crown’s power.
The Red Skull grew stronger, but the barrier Jinhyuk had set weakened.
Pachik!
The droplets turned into harpoon-like javelins.
There was nowhere to run.
Every place her eyes could see was within the skill’s range.
Kwakakakaka!!
Kwakwang!
In the storm’s onslaught, all scrambled for survival.
“Retreat at once!”
“Don’t fight, run!”
To remain was death.
But one man alone.
Uriel faced Alice directly.
“So that’s how it is. I thought you’d keep it safely hidden.”
Through the faint veil of bloodstorm, something gleamed.
Few could observe her closely amidst the chaos, but Uriel, who never shed his suspicions, caught it in that instant.
The crown.
At last, the mystery was solved.
And a new path to overturn the battle appeared.
The crown was no longer just a matter between Berial and Diablo’s territorial war.
It was something that would draw the eyes of all the Demon Kings.
Even the Demon God who ruled above them.
Eden would surely move as well.
Uriel’s hesitation was brief.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Yes. If it’s come to this, then I’ll raise the stakes. Better to die in chaos than wait here.”
Wooooong!
His mace shone fiercely.
[Uriel activates the Unique Holy Spear ‘Altar of Isaac’!]
The essence of holy power was sacrifice.
Offering what was most precious to achieve something even greater.
Crack!
…Craack!
Fissures raced across the mace’s surface.
His weapon of millennia was on the verge of destruction.
But not yet.
It would endure until its final duty was done.
‘One strike. That’s all I need.’
With all his mana poured into it, Uriel heaved back his shoulder.
And hurled the mace toward a single target.
Baaang!
Sonic booms exploded as a beam of light shot through the air.
“…!?”
Sensing danger, Alice reflexively gathered blood into a shield.
[Lv??? ‘Blood Shield’ is activated!!]
But the mace empowered by the Altar of Isaac could not be stopped by an ordinary shield.
Kwoooom!
The impact pierced through.
“Aaagh!”
For the first time, a scream burst from Alice’s lips.
The mace grazed her head and vanished into the clouds.
“You dare… put a scar on my body?”
Alice touched the blood running down her cheek.
A wound from holy power would not heal so easily.
“But you failed. Throwing away your only weapon for nothing. You should have used it for another chance instead…”
Alice froze.
Something was wrong.
If he wanted another chance, there had been better opportunities.
Why such a reckless gamble?
The thought led to one conclusion.
No…
Alice slowly reached toward her head.
Sparks crackled.
The Crown of the Pureblood was fully revealed.
“My target was never you.”
Uriel stared, not at Alice herself—
but at her crown.
“That crown was my goal.”
A perfect strike.
One that could change the tide of the entire war.
[All beings of the Demon Realm fix their gaze upon Alice von Ataraxia.]
[The Demon God ‘????’ perceives the Crown of the Pureblood.]
Notification after notification rose.
The silent ones had spoken.
And why not?
Facing the entire Veteran Corporation was not worth the risk.
But the chance to kill Alice alone and claim the crown—
that was different.
Kukukukuku!
Power of all colors erupted across the Demon Realm.
—
In the Olympus mansion where the Veteran Corporation was resting.
The fruit incident had passed.
He had paid tenfold for his pranks, but it was over.
“Ow, ow. Can’t even take a joke, huh?”
Jinhyuk dabbed ointment on his bruised skin.
The sting made him groan involuntarily.
“Be grateful I didn’t kill you.”
Chun Yoosung still glared, eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Teresa and Andrea only laughed at the two of them.
‘At least we got some rest out of it.’
They had slept, eaten.
Most importantly—
They had secured one of the most critical items.
Jinhyuk fiddled with a ruby-red fruit.
The pomegranate.
A fruit deeply tied to Hades and Demeter in myth.
It was said that anyone who ate the food of the Underworld could never leave without the master’s permission. Persephone had eaten it and was bound forever.
But Demeter had intervened, granting her three months outside, giving her a sliver of freedom.
This pomegranate had been enshrined in Olympus as a memento ever since.
‘I got a good card.’
He could’ve fed it to Chun Yoosung to lock him in the Underworld forever…
But for victory, there were better uses.
Jinhyuk’s mind raced, weighing possibilities, variables, and the potential of every ally.
At that moment.
The sun began to rise.
The long battle was nearing its end.
“So, are we splitting up again today?”
Teresa recalled their clash with Demeter.
They had felled many, yet numerous chief gods remained.
Zeus, Hera, Persephone, Hephaestus, Hermes, Aphrodite.
Not to mention great heroes like Achilles and mythical beasts.
Breaking through with a small force meant someone had to serve as bait.
She had intended to set the stage for Jinhyuk’s duel with Zeus.
“No. Zeus knows he can’t afford to lose more chief gods. He won’t split his forces.”
“Are you saying he’ll avoid fighting?”
“That’s absurd. You mean he’ll just let us climb to the top?”
Chun Yoosung added his doubt.
“He will.”
“And we’ll arrive without battle?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it. That’s your explanation?”
Chun Yoosung frowned at Jinhyuk’s calm face.
But he couldn’t refute it.
Jinhyuk had never once been wrong about the Tower.
Soon, the group finished their preparations.
Jinhyuk led, the others followed.
Hours passed.
Not a single enemy appeared.
Until they reached the summit.
“A bloodless entry… it’s true. What are they thinking?”
Chun Yoosung looked incredulous.
“Don’t relax.”
“What now?”
“Now is when the real game begins.”
Zeus hadn’t deployed troops because he didn’t need to.
Rather than waste soldiers—
…it was far more effective to kill the intruders after they had walked straight into the deepest part.
“Jinhyuk-nim! Over there…!”
Andrea, standing atop a boulder, spotted something.
At the summit’s entrance, a giant figure stood.
“……”
Even just facing him, the air shifted.
Hercules.
The strongest demigod who had annihilated the Titans.
Kukukuku!
An overwhelming pressure pressed upon their skin.
Demigod in name only—his power was such that even chief gods could be crushed.
Jinhyuk gripped both the Frost Spirit’s Spear and Crimson Lotus.
And he walked straight toward Hercules.