Chapter 595

Sometimes, the world defies all logic.

Rivers turn red with blood.
Flowers bloom in the dead of winter.

But never—not once—had Tulcha witnessed something this utterly deranged before her eyes.

“……”

Tulcha stood frozen, staring blankly at the human before her.

Admittedly, he was strong for a mortal.
No—among residents and even among gods, there was hardly anyone as annoyingly persistent as this man.

And yet, in a battle where total focus was demanded—he was ‘doing that.’

Doom-chit, doom-chit!
Wiggle, sway!

Jinhyuk danced.

To awful music.
Off-beat.
Disgraceful.

This wasn’t just an insult—it was ‘blasphemy.’

To Tulcha, the being recognized throughout the cosmos as the apex of dance, this was nothing short of sacrilege.

Crack—!

Her whole body trembled, unable to contain her fury.

Even knowing it was an obvious provocation, she couldn’t stop herself from falling for it.

“You really are an expert at getting under one’s skin. Fine. You no longer deserve to be treated as an opponent.”

She would show him—what it meant to perform the dance that pleased Azathoth Himself.

[Tulcha activates Unique Holy Spear ‘Primordial Dance’!]

Emerald dust swirled around her body.

Seductive, yet decadent in beauty.
Her every movement became a blazing flame—a transcendent dance, the very embodiment of art.

“Whoa…”

“No way…”

Even the Old Guards and the members of Old Gamer Corporation forgot their fights.
All were entranced by Tulcha’s radiant form.

Their focus blurred as they gazed at her.

[Targets are unknowingly captivated by the dance.]

That was why Tulcha’s [Primordial Dance] was so terrifying.

Once you acknowledged its beauty—once you ‘admitted’ it—you fell into eternal captivity within your own psyche, trapped in her mental domain.

And when that happened, her [Vortex of Decay] would consume your defenseless body.
Death was guaranteed.

It was both a mental and magical execution—a dual kill strike.

Yet amidst them all, only one remained unaffected.

Jinhyuk.

“…How?”

Tulcha tilted her head, confused.

She intensified her dance—fluid, perfect, divine.
But nothing changed.

It couldn’t.

The dance of enchantment could only ensnare those who felt ‘awe.’

And Jinhyuk… simply didn’t.

He truly believed—with his whole heart—that his dance was more beautiful than hers.

‘She’s good, I’ll admit that. But she’s not better than me.’

Snorting, Jinhyuk turned away and—

Doom-chit, doom-chit!
Shamelessly shook his hips, continuing his ridiculous solo performance.

That was why he wasn’t affected.
He wasn’t watching ‘her dance.’
He was too busy performing ‘his own.’

“As expected of a lesser being—no sense of your place. Fine. Then I’ll melt that filthy body along with your ugly little dance.”

Behind Tulcha, countless emerald blades materialized.

Each one coated with the [Primordial Venom]—a poison so potent that even [Ten Thousand Poisons Purification] couldn’t neutralize it.

As the overwhelming sight unfolded, Jinhyuk calmly closed his eyes.

“Kik! Giving up already? Even a nimble squirrel can’t dodge this many blades.”

Tulcha unleashed her power.

Without any propulsion, the daggers shot forward, propelled solely by magical pressure.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The green storm surged forth—each blade as fast and deadly as Zeus’s thunderbolts.

But right then—

The tempo of Jinhyuk’s music changed.

Doom-chit. Doom-chit-chit.

His body moved perfectly to the rhythm, weaving through the barrage like a divine performer.

[Player is in state: ‘Self-Admiration.’]

Another rose had appeared in his mouth—a detail added purely for ‘aesthetic immersion.’

Wham!
Bang!

The blades grazed past, embedding themselves into walls and ground, tearing the entire village apart.

And still, Jinhyuk slipped between them, untouched.

He even began to sing—loud, dramatic opera vocals.

If there were judges, they’d have stabbed their own eardrums.
But that wasn’t his concern.

If it grated on Tulcha’s nerves, all the better.

“GRAAAAH! Stop that vile noise right now!”

Tulcha gathered all her power into one spot.

[Tulcha activates Unique Ability ‘Plague Outbreak’ – ‘Devourer’!]

Vwooooom!

The air twisted into a massive, spinning vortex of green energy.

Within seconds, it would evolve into a hurricane capable of swallowing the entire settlement.

[Limited Apocalypse ‘Collapse’ established!]

This single strike could erase an entire floor.

“It’s… over…”

“Ha… How the hell do we deal with that?”

The Extinguisher and Pesis could only laugh bitterly.

Even with multidimensional navigation scanning every escape path—
there was no way out.

But not everything was hopeless.

[Opponent has abandoned the Dance Battle!]

[Ability Copy Successful!]

That was the moment he’d been waiting for.

Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

His heart raced.

For the first time since reality merged, he had successfully copied the power of a Primordial Being.

As he focused his mana, another hurricane formed beneath the massive one above.

[Unique Ability ‘Plague Outbreak’ – ‘Devourer’ activated!]

“…Impossible.”

Tulcha’s movements faltered.

The strength was only a fraction of hers—but it was unmistakably ‘her’ ability.

She had heard rumors of a player capable of copying powers, but she had never imagined it extended to the realm of the Primordials.

So that was the secret to his strength.

Now she understood.

But her awe soon turned into ridicule.

“You have an amusing trick, I’ll grant you that. But to think a mere copy could rival the original?”

A replica could never surpass the source.
No imitation could match the essence carved through eons of existence.

Tulcha expertly manipulated her hurricane.

The intertwining streams of wind twisted together, devouring Jinhyuk’s storm whole.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

Even the most skilled would’ve struggled to bridge the gap—
but this was a Primordial Being.

A being beyond all gods he had ever faced.

“Kh…!”

Blood traced down Jinhyuk’s lips.

It was an overwhelming force.

Just colliding mana against mana was enough to make his mind go blank.

Thoom!

A gust from the side flung him hundreds of meters away.

He tumbled across the ground, finally stopping after a brutal impact.

That was from a mere ‘glancing blow.’

“A monster… really is a monster.”

If he hadn’t weakened the damage through copied power, he’d have been torn to shreds.

Still—he hadn’t expected ‘this’ much of a difference.

[All Things Shared – ‘Apocalypse of Creation’ activates!]

Two crimson wings unfurled from his back.

Blood-forged spears twisted together behind him.

“Switching to ranged attacks now?”

Tulcha mocked him, extending her hand forward.

A series of emerald magic circles flared into existence.

In that instant—

The blood spear launched.

Boom!

It pierced the first circle.
Then the second.

The ground shook.

The clash of absolute powers was meant for one purpose—to annihilate the other.

“Oh…?”

Tulcha watched, intrigued, as the spear screamed to a halt mere meters before her.

It was impressive.
Worthy of one who stood among the top five below the 50th floor.

Her gaze remained locked forward.

Which was why—

Tap!

—she didn’t notice he was already gone.

[‘Red Hare’s Gallop’ activated!]

[‘Domain of Wind’ activated!]

“Let’s go, Guma.”

“Mogiii!”

At Jinhyuk’s call, Goguma roared.

Mounted on his companion, Jinhyuk shot forward at blinding speed—low to the ground, using the wind to his advantage.

Seconds later, Tulcha realized the ambush.

She summoned dozens of vortices.
Earth and debris shot skyward, green streaks reaching toward the heavens.

Goguma flapped his small wings, darting and weaving through the chaos.

“Like master, like pet—slippery little thing.”

Finding the vortex useless, Tulcha aimed directly at Goguma.

Her fingertip tracked its path precisely.

[Tulcha activates ‘Pest Flare’!]

Green fire burst.

Boom!

The explosion warped space itself.

Unlike a normal blast, it released deadly pathogens across several meters.

Dodging wasn’t enough—he had to get ‘completely’ clear of its range.

“M-Mogiii!”

Goguma narrowly banked away.

But that was only the beginning.

Boom! Boom-boom!

Emerald flares exploded across the sky.

A duel between one who needed only a single hit—and one who had to dodge them all.

“Ahahaha! Keep running if you must! You’ll never reach me that way! If you want to win, stop hiding and come closer!”

Tulcha laughed, tightening her encirclement.

Bit by bit, the space to maneuver vanished.

He was being driven exactly where she wanted.

Minutes passed—

“……”

At last, Jinhyuk and Goguma reached the cliff’s edge.

Steep rock walls rose on both sides, forming a deep hollow.

A dead end.

“Heh. Now what? Nowhere left to run.”

“Looks that way.”

Indeed, it ‘seemed’ he was cornered.

But—

This wasn’t a trap for him.

[‘System Manipulation’ completed.]

[‘Mana Synchronization’ reached maximum compatibility!]

He had been playing the underdog this whole time—
just to set up this single strike.

[All Things Shared…]

Goguma’s jaws split wide open.

So did Jinhyuk’s.

[‘Sword of Judgment’ summoned!]

[‘Sword of Judgment’ summoned!]

Two crimson blades took shape.