Chapter 598
Gwooooo….
A deep, resonant roar.
Azathoth’s tentacles whipped through the void with dreadful force, surrounding the man.
Just facing them could shatter one’s mind and erase the very fabric of space.
It was an aura befitting the being who sat atop all life that existed within the Tower of Trials.
The man calmly met that gaze.
Then, he tossed a small crystal orb into the air.
Wuuuuung!
The orb emitted a dazzling light, projecting an image.
[The system issues a severe warning! This footage must not exist!]
As the image began to play, red warning screens and alarms flared repeatedly.
It was something fundamentally forbidden within the Tower — footage that must never be revealed.
“Tch. Meddling as always. This is where it gets interesting, and you just have to interrupt.”
But with a mere flick of the man’s hand, the warning screens vanished as if erased from reality.
[Warning overridden through Lv ‘F’ authority!]
The image continued.
There stood a figure holding twin daggers.
Surrounded by countless libraries — and by even more powers.
Facing innumerable primeval beings without taking a single step back.
That man was none other than Player Kang Jinhyuk.
“This guy is the one who’s wrecking everything you’ve built and climbing to the top. He reached the summit once before, and now he’s doing it again.”
“……”
The countless eyes on Azathoth’s tentacles moved restlessly.
He could not believe what he was seeing.
And understandably so.
On the screen were Shub-Niggurath, Nyarlathotep, and other beings of the Cthulhu pantheon.
Transcendent entities of a cosmic scale.
Each one alone could bring ruin to the Tower.
Yet those primeval apex beings were being crushed — by a single human.
-Kwakwakwaang!
-Tukwaang!
A flood of radiant [Unique Holy Spears] and skills burst forth, dazzling to the point of obscuring vision.
Some of those abilities were ones even Azathoth had never seen before.
“I know how powerful you are. But that man once defeated you. And now, stronger than ever, he’ll strike faster and sharper at your throat.”
Not an exaggeration — pure fact.
The mirror of the past reflected the future.
Azathoth silently watched the projection.
He saw himself and her kin falling.
And he saw the summit of the Tower welcoming a new ruler.
[Playback complete.]
The crystal orb’s light faded, leaving the vast space shrouded in long silence.
It was as if all time in existence had stopped.
After what felt like eternity, the tentacles stirred once more.
Countless eyes asked a single question.
‘How can this end be prevented?’
The man smiled faintly.
“Finally, we can have a proper conversation.”
A smile cruel yet mischievous — like that of the most dangerous trickster in existence.
—
“Kh…!”
In a desolate valley, Nyarlathotep grimaced.
It had already been an hour since he arrived, yet gaining the upper hand proved impossible.
Too many divinities and residents were getting in the way.
“Don’t face him head-on!”
“Scatter his focus! If he catches you even once, you’re dead!”
Heracles and Thor held the deadliest frontline.
Loki, Artemis, and Apollo attacked from range along the flanks.
Meanwhile, Odin combined mental and physical magic to restrain Nyarlathotep with everything he had.
With the field set like this, the Red Dragon clan could finally move more freely.
“He’ll never yield the Lord’s seat to us anyway.”
“Then in that case….”
“We’ll seize our own throne by force.”
[‘Crimson Breath’ is activated!]
From wide-open jaws erupted hellfire capable of burning all things.
Blazing flames surged forth in five roaring lines.
Five [Breaths].
Each a spear of flame fired to incinerate a single target.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
…Boooom!
Nyarlathotep’s shield collided with the [Breaths] head-on.
The layered shockwaves shook the valley violently.
Yet despite the overwhelming force, his shield did not break.
“Lizards… daring to bite their master?”
Murderous intent poured out in torrents.
Nyarlathotep unleashed a storm of violet mana.
Blades of purple energy gathered, piercing through everything around him.
[Odin activates ‘Mist of Domination’!]
This time, Odin made his move.
Gungnir gleamed, and a thin mist spread across the horizon.
It disrupted the flow of mana and distorted the trajectory of attacks.
Nyarlathotep’s blades lost direction and scattered to the ground.
Puk! Puuuk!
A give-and-take exchange.
The precarious balance showed no signs of breaking.
Thanks to that, those facing a primeval being felt their morale rise — even if just a little.
Maybe.
Just maybe.
If they held on a bit longer, they might actually drive back the impossible foe.
Clack!
Mother and the other bounty hunters also fought to suppress their fear, desperate to contribute in any way possible.
The combined strength of ants could threaten a dinosaur.
Most importantly, the system’s constraints continued to stack as time passed.
Grrrind….
Nyarlathotep clenched his teeth.
He’d been thoroughly dragged into their rhythm.
There was no other way to describe it.
‘If they prepared this much… damn it. Tulcha’s side might not have it easy either.’
Even with Crimson and the elite Old Guards, and with golden dragons Altera and Aden — their strength was more than sufficient.
Yet he still couldn’t shake the unease.
Even though Tulcha had far more time and leeway, he couldn’t feel reassured.
Because if it was Kang Jinhyuk… he could overturn that difference.
“This won’t… be easy.”
The situation was bad.
Far worse than even his most pessimistic expectations.
—
Slash!
A clean strike cut through.
“Keuh…ugh?”
A hollow sound escaped the throat of a royal guard.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
Failing to read the impossible movement had cost him his life.
“A… monster.”
Watching from afar, Vanguard, ranked second among the Old Guards, swallowed hard.
He had tried to observe the fight and find Jinhyuk’s habits and weaknesses, but as his subordinates fell one after another, only fear filled his heart.
Even Crimson, the first-ranked Old Guard, hadn’t gained the upper hand.
What could someone weaker like him do?
But retreat was no longer an option.
Behind him stood Tulcha, twisting in her chains.
If he gave in to fear and fled, his fate would be far more miserable.
He had only one path forward.
Wuuuuung!
Dark aura flared at his spear’s tip.
He abandoned all defense and poured every bit of mana into a single point.
Mutual destruction.
Even if he died, he would take the enemy down with him.
“I’ll give you credit for loyalty. To you, pleasing your master’s worth more than your life. Or maybe that lady’s a pop idol in your world?”
“Say what you will. You can’t shake my resolve.”
Vanguard didn’t react to Jinhyuk’s mockery.
He simply stared silently at his target’s vital point.
“Alright. Then I’ll return the courtesy and take this seriously.”
Jinhyuk took his stance.
He crossed his twin daggers and lowered his center of gravity.
To maximize his speed.
A chill ran down both their spines.
Every nerve was focused on the other.
Both Vanguard and Jinhyuk stood at the pinnacle of skill.
They both knew they could cross the gap between them in a blink.
Their legs tensed, ready to launch at full speed.
Abilities activated invisibly as a silent battle of wits unfolded.
A single misstep or miscalculation would mean death.
Then — at the peak of their tension—
Bang!
A sudden gunshot rang out.
A brief silence followed.
“W-what…?”
Confused, Vanguard looked down at his chest.
A neat hole was punched where his heart should be.
“Good work. Perfect timing.”
Jinhyuk gave a thumbs-up toward the rear.
The Extinguisher stood there, glaring at him with a sour expression, glancing between his gun and Jinhyuk.
He’d fired because he’d received the signal — but this kind of dirty feeling was new even to him.
“C-coward…! A one-on-one duel… and you bring another in…! Do you have no honor!?”
“What duel? You think this chaos counts as one-on-one? Honor doesn’t pay the bills. Besides, I’ve always had the lowest honor score.”
Colonel Timo had always specialized in staying hidden and stabbing people in the back mid-fight.
He’d long reached the point of finding joy in being cursed at.
Why take the hard way when the easy way worked?
Thud!
With Vanguard down, the last distraction was gone.
Now it was time to hunt the beast trapped in the cage.
[Subspace Inventory is opened!]
Instead of his twin daggers, Jinhyuk drew the [Spear of the Frost Spirit] and [Balmung], advancing toward Tulcha.
“Don’t come closer! Get away from me right now!”
For the first time in her life, Tulcha — the primeval being — screamed in terror.
Of course she was afraid.
Her body no longer obeyed her, and her attacks were ineffective.
“Finally, this is starting to look doable.”
It was a shame that the most effective [Constraint 172] and [Constraint 33] weren’t yet triggered.
Still, he had at least half the odds in his favor.
[Memory of the World is opened!]
[Unique Holy Spear – Final Genesis is activated!]
Books flew out from the library, and his vision turned blinding white.
A world completely dyed in white.
Kang Jinhyuk unleashed all his remaining mana at once.
Kwaaaaaaang!
Snowstorms and ice pillars created through [Glacial Sculpting] surged toward Tulcha.
The avalanche swelled in size, threatening to consume everything.
“Kraaaaaah!”
Tulcha raised her chained arms.
Vortices of plague mana ripped through the blizzard’s center.
Even with all her constraints, the power was tremendous.
The snow melted instantly, forming massive amounts of water.
“Too bad, melting the snow won’t change the result.”
[Unique Ability – Will of the Currents is activated!]
The droplets gathered, forming a tidal wave.