Chapter 597
Clank… clank!
Tulcha’s once light and powerful legs came to a sudden halt.
Chains scraped harshly as they tightened around her entire body.
“Damn it… this pathetic…!”
[‘Eternal Flare’ is activated!]
[‘Void Breaker’ is activated!]
Kukukukuku… kwakwakwakwang!
A green vortex swallowed the chains whole.
The sound was so loud it seemed to split heaven and earth.
In fact, even the entire floor, including the Hermit’s Village, shook under Tulcha’s rage.
But—
“Tsk tsk. Trying to brute-force your way through the constraints? When your head’s empty, your body always ends up paying the price.”
Not even a scratch appeared on the chains.
Their shine and weight remained the same, continuing to press down on Tulcha without mercy.
“Graaaaaaah!”
Tulcha roared until her throat bled.
* * *
‘Is this… really possible?’
The Extinguisher froze in place.
Trembling pupils, stiff limbs.
Something hot rippled through a chest that had gone cold long ago.
A dream he thought he’d never reach — that no one could ever reach.
To face and even overpower the invincible primeval being — there was no other word but awe.
Strong.
No— not merely strong.
It felt as if that man possessed the power to enforce victory in any situation.
‘If it’s him… he might really do it.’
To surpass even Nyarlathotep, the strongest resident of the floors, and Shub-Niggurath, the Mother of the Primordials….
Perhaps even reach Azathoth, ruler of all floors.
And just thinking that filled his hands around the gun with strength.
At that moment—
Thunk!
Tulcha’s head snapped backward.
Barnard, thrown by Jinhyuk, struck squarely in the forehead.
The sound was enough to make one think her skull had shattered.
However—
Crack!
Tulcha slowly reset her head upright.
Her eyes glowed with killing intent as she ground her teeth.
Even after infusing the throw with aura through the [Grave of Swords], all it did was make her bleed a single drop.
“What, did you get steel Botox on your forehead? Normally you’d be cut or pierced a little. This is why people call this game trash.”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue in exasperation.
Honestly, with this many constraints in place, he thought he’d be able to deal significant damage.
No matter how powerful a primeval being was, with their hands and feet bound, their level was bound to drop.
But, as expected, a name has weight for a reason.
Seems this much still wasn’t enough to kill her.
‘Well, it’s fine. Time’s on my side anyway.’
Jinhyuk calmly watched Tulcha.
As the grains in the hourglass fell faster, the time Tulcha could remain on this floor rapidly dwindled.
And given how recklessly she was burning mana in her rampage, that time would accelerate even faster.
Just a bit more, and Jinhyuk could take her down.
Tulcha, too, realized the situation had completely flipped.
She had never once imagined her life could be in danger.
To ravage, to plunder, to rule — that had always been the law, the norm.
But as all of that grew precarious, her composure vanished.
“What are you all doing!?”
Tulcha bellowed, veins bulging in her neck.
He kept shouting at the Old Guards and the royal guard units fighting all around.
“Y-yes, understood!”
“Assist Lord Tulcha immediately!”
“Urgh!”
The Old Guards, who had been focused on fighting Alice, Chun Yoosung, and Andrea, quickly turned.
Of course, the Veteran Corporation wasn’t about to let enemies show their backs unpunished.
“Do you take me for a scarecrow?”
“Thanks to that stupid commander, things just got a lot easier.”
“Buffs… incoming!”
“Hehe. Time to land a clean hit!”
Pow! Bang!
Various buffs formed from holy power overlapped, and a massive cross dispelled the darkness.
Paaang!
Riding the wind, Andrea hurled her fox bead.
Chun Yoosung’s gleaming sword flashed whenever an opening appeared.
And above it all—
Countless stakes rained down like a torrential storm.
A single command from Tulcha had broken the fragile balance.
“Kraaagh!”
“Gaaah!”
Blood-soaked royal guards fell one after another.
Even the Old Guards barely managed to fend off the relentless assault.
“Captain! At this rate…!”
“I know! Forget us, get to Lord Tulcha!”
Crimson swung his dark spear and took position at the rear.
To stop all of them, the strongest one had to hold the line.
The spear, imbued with a faint purple light, shattered every incoming stake.
“……!”
“Urgh!”
Andrea and Chun Yoosung, charging without hesitation, both stopped short at Crimson’s range.
An ominous energy sent chills down their spines.
The violent aura of a beast soon solidified into a form.
[Crimson activates Innate Domain – Phase 2: ‘Knight of a Fallen Nation’!]
Ssshhh….
Dark smoke gathered, shaping into a dragon.
Between its black pupils flashed a crimson gleam.
Crimson, astride its head, gripped a ten-meter spear.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
As the spear strike erupted, Alice instinctively stopped attacking and dodged.
Her instincts screamed that even her shield couldn’t block it.
“No one passes this point.”
A hound bred to hunt absolutes.
Among them, Crimson was the monster who had pierced the most hearts.
—
Thanks to Crimson’s fierce defense, some of the Old Guards and royal guards managed to regroup — but even so, it wasn’t enough to break the chains or subdue Jinhyuk.
“Hah… hahah!”
Like a nimble raccoon.
Dancing and darting away, Jinhyuk slipped through the Old Guards’ encirclement with ridiculous ease.
Unless it was Crimson himself, no one could catch that slippery bastard.
Meanwhile, the chains binding Tulcha grew heavier and heavier.
She should’ve already returned to her original floor, but now she was paying dearly for missing that timing.
“Did you not hear it from Nyarlathotep!? Only by wiping them out do you earn a Lord’s seat! If you stand idle, I’ll tell him everything!”
In the end, Tulcha called out for help from Altera and Aden, who were half-heartedly skirmishing and watching.
It hurt her pride, but there was no other choice now.
“……”
“……!”
Lord.
The word of their clan’s long-cherished desire made Altera and Aden’s brows twitch.
Originally, they had planned to stand back, caring little whether Tulcha lived or died, to maintain loyalty to Nyarlathotep.
After all, Nyarlathotep held the authority to appoint Dragon Lords.
But now that Tulcha had taken that stance, they could no longer stay still.
Above all—
Jinhyuk and his allies weren’t the only ones pressing them.
“Miyoooo!”
Fried spread his wings wide.
Scorching flames burst in all directions, forming a massive barrier of fire.
“Dragons from another world, huh.”
Malang the Azure Dragon altered the atmosphere, spreading Fried’s flames even wider.
With the synergy of wind and fire, an overwhelming heat filled the air.
“Let’s roast these lizards till they’re crispy!”
“Or soak them till they turn to dough!”
“They’re still ancient-grade dragons though, right?”
“Still weaker than our master. Getting burned by their [Breath] is probably warmer than getting hit by him.”
“That’s true.”
“Quiet down, everyone. You’re giving me a headache.”
The phoenix and the eastern dragon.
And five elemental spirits beside them.
They didn’t match at all, yet together they made an intimidating force.
“Big Sis….”
“Yeah.”
Altera nodded with hollow eyes.
“I guess this isn’t a simple hunt after all. We should’ve realized this was going to be a life-or-death war.”
“We can’t back down now.”
“No, we can’t. We’ve already crossed a river we can’t return from.”
Each had reasons they couldn’t abandon.
No matter what, one side had to fall.
Of course, in polymorph form they couldn’t win.
Their opponents weren’t weak enough to allow that kind of leisure.
So—
They unleashed all the mana they had compressed and contained until now.
[Altera and Aden manifest in their true forms!]
Wuuuuung!
A golden surge rippled.
“Kroooooo!”
“Gwooooo!”
Gigantic ancient dragons opened their maws.
High-tier 10th-circle spells, activated through draconic incantations, filled the air.
Each one was lethal, overwhelming — grand sorcery only dragons of the Ancient or higher rank could use.
What followed was a war that overturned everything.
A battle fought to crush the enemy and seize victory.
With everything each side had.
—
At the same time.
In an unknown floor of the Tower, endless darkness lingered.
For countless ages beyond measure, no light had touched this place.
No being dared disturb the slumber of the one who slept here.
Not even the highest gods or senior administrators — not even Nyarlathotep or Shub-Niggurath.
But then—
Crack.
Space shattered, and blinding light pierced the blackness.
“Hmm. Not a bad place for hibernation.”
A man calmly surveyed the interior.
His tone and movements were far too relaxed for someone who had stepped into a tiger’s den.
And then—
“Grrrrrr….”
Something ancient stirred, awakened by the intrusion.
Countless eyes — and even more tentacles — writhed to life.
Violet waves surged like a tide, and mana beyond comprehension rose from the fractured rift.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. I get that you’re cranky from being woken up, but I’ve got a reason for this, you know?”
The man quickly waved his hand.
But excuses like that would never work on Azathoth.
Even the mere feeling of displeasure was reason enough to destroy a world.
Flash!
Everything in sight evaporated.
Just that single emotion — annoyance — erased part of the floor.
If Azathoth had truly desired, he could have erased not just a portion but the entire Tower.
The only reason he didn’t was because this alone was more than enough to deal with a presumptuous insect.
However—
Cough! Cough!
Amid the smoke, a presence stirred.
A figure, covered in dust, stumbled forward.
“Man, you really have a nasty temper. Ugh. My whole body aches.”
“……”
He put on a show of groaning, but there wasn’t a single wound on him.
To have survived that attack — and still act so casual — was beyond astonishing.
All of Azathoth’s eyes turned toward the man.
He didn’t speak, but his intent was clear.
‘State your purpose for coming here.’