Chapter 609
The air grew heavy—so still that even the sound of the other’s breathing could be felt right beside him.
Wuuum!
Multiple magic circles flared into existence around Jinhyuk.
‘Glacial Sculpting’ and ‘Primordial Flame’—the spells he’d crafted from those forces—unleashed in all directions toward Unknown.
Kraaaang!
The chamber filled with flames and ice dust, their collision producing a destructive roar that could tear the building apart.
But—
“Hm. Mixing your early-game skills together, are you? Don’t you think that’s a rather light start?”
Unknown shrugged casually.
[Heavenly Demon’s Phantom Steps activated!]
Jinhyuk erased his presence, slipping his body through the flame and frost to strike from behind.
“…Then following up with a surprise attack after that feint? Not particularly original.”
In Unknown’s right hand appeared ‘Crimson Lotus.’
A crisscrossing orbit—
Kaaaang!
Two daggers met in midair.
‘Grave of Swords’ and ‘Ancestral Sword’ unfolded simultaneously, their clash at such speed that only afterimages remained, overlapping again and again until both vanished from sight.
Chwat!… Kwoooom!
Three exchanges. Five. Ten.
Attack predicted attack, foresight met foresight, and yet neither had inflicted a single wound.
“Nothing sharper in your arsenal? I’m hurt, truly. I expected more excitement.”
Unknown’s mocking tone grated on every nerve.
That mask—no expression could be more infuriating.
“You talk too much.”
“Haha. Why so serious? Running your mouth mid-fight is our trademark trait, isn’t it?”
“Funny. A fake pretending to say ‘our’ so naturally.”
Kukukuku!
The dagger’s surface turned entirely blood-red.
From above—
…to below—
[Unique Holy Spear – Down Fall activated!]
Kwooooom!
A meteor fell like a thunderbolt.
Kraaaak!
The floor split apart like a turtle shell.
“Ugh…!”
For the first time, Unknown’s body bent into an L-shape, struck head-on by the murderous blow.
Watching him kneel on one knee, desperately trying to disperse the impact, Jinhyuk felt the weight in his chest ease.
Finally, something worth watching.
“Using Down Fall in such a confined space… how reckless.”
“If it bothers you, why not use it too? If you’ve copied everything of mine, shouldn’t that be possible?”
“It’s not about capability—it’s about your complete lack of combat sense.”
Green mist condensed around Unknown.
The power to melt flesh to the bone—‘Thousandfold Venom.’
One of his signature abilities.
The air filled with a deadly poison, a fusion of toxic fumes Jinhyuk had seen before—Crimson Venom and Neurotoxin—refined into something far worse.
Ssshhhhh!
The marble walls hissed as they corroded; bubbles formed on the electronic devices nearby.
Even breathing in that air was death.
“Destroying expensive equipment bought with taxpayer money—seems to me you’re the one lacking combat sense.”
Jinhyuk waved his hand lightly, dispersing the mist.
His mastery of toxins surpassed even the greatest poison masters of the Tang family; analyzing and neutralizing a new poison was child’s play.
Schaang!
One dagger became two—
‘Barnard’ and ‘Crimson Lotus.’
His faithful blades, companions through countless battles.
Scha-chaang!
“I suppose I’ll just have to stab you straight through the heart.”
Likewise, Unknown drew a pair of daggers.
Fzzzt…!
The manifest mana around them ate into space itself.
By now, both understood—no ordinary method could kill the other.
Feints and sudden attacks were useless.
All that remained was to create the perfect battlefield where each could unleash their full power.
[Unique Holy Spear—]
White light shimmered as the mental world began to unfold.
[‘Final Genesis’ activated!]
Wuuuung!
The scenery shifted completely.
⁕⁕⁕
A vast field of white.
Snowflakes fell endlessly across an untouched expanse.
In that desolate world, Jinhyuk and Unknown faced each other.
Here, where every ounce of potential could be drawn out, they could finally fight without restraint.
Jinhyuk summoned both the [Crown of Tyranny] and the [Crown of Swiftness] from subspace.
[Unique Ability – Fusion activated!]
The two crowns merged, forming a new, radiant diadem.
“…!?”
A crack formed across Unknown’s mask.
In that instant—
Tap!
Jinhyuk kicked off the ground and surged forward.
His movement bordered on teleportation.
When dagger met dagger, the air shattered with a roar impossible for such small blades.
Kraang!
Snow scattered in every direction.
Sonic booms tore through the frozen air as the onslaught continued—
Every strike empowered by both crowns, every blow a potential death sentence.
“Urgh!”
Unknown used ‘Glacial Sculpting’ to form dozens of barriers, desperately buying himself a breath amidst the storm of strikes.
But nullifying such defenses was child’s play.
[Unique Ability – Nihilism activated.]
Crackle—!
The ice split and evaporated.
Through the gap, a scarlet flash blazed.
A magic bullet streaked toward Unknown’s heart.
Unknown countered with [Ancient Barrier], barely deflecting its path.
Tch.
Clicking his tongue, Jinhyuk vanished, activating [Shadowstep: Mortal Slash].
Riding through the shadows, he closed in from a blind spot once again.
Ten feints in a single breath—
and then his dagger pierced Unknown’s chest.
Fwoosh!
Flesh tore, bone cracked, blood sprayed.
Yet even landing a fatal blow, Jinhyuk’s face didn’t lighten.
“…So you avoided the vital point.”
“Heh… god, that hurts. I can revive, sure, but how many times have you gone through this madness?”
As long as he didn’t die instantly, ‘Blessing of the Stars’ granted Unknown resurrection—a second chance.
Coughing blood, he activated the trap he’d been preparing.
Took! Took!
Droplets of blood acted as catalysts, drawing a massive hexagram beneath them—
an ancient barrier imbued with spatial restraint.
Using ‘Ancient Barrier’ earlier to deflect the red magic bullet had all been preparation for this.
Ten seconds at most.
But even then, binding Jinhyuk—a certified barrier specialist—wouldn’t last three.
“That’s plenty. More than enough.”
[Unique Holy Spear – Maestro: Hell Buster activated!]
A red target marker appeared on the ground.
A satellite-based bombardment spear—designed to vaporize five square meters.
The smaller the range, the greater the power and duration.
“This will bypass both your invincibility and your Blessing of the Stars.”
Unknown snapped his fingers.
Kukukukukuk!
Crimson fire rained down from the heavens.
A red scar split the white world.
The infernal flames melted every flake of snow around them.
Hwoooosh—Kraaaang!
Three eternal seconds passed.
Steam and scalding air wrapped around the world.
Even the toughest body couldn’t possibly survive that.
Or so he thought.
Step.
Jinhyuk walked through the inferno.
To the onlooker, it was like seeing a demon stride out of hell itself.
‘He’s stronger than expected.’
Unknown bit his lip bitterly.
He had known Jinhyuk was powerful, yes—
but he’d been confident in victory thanks to his countless preparations.
What he hadn’t foreseen was Jinhyuk sending Chun Yoosung as bait while he stormed the main base.
That miscalculation was devastating.
‘I need more time.’
One hour… no, even thirty minutes more would’ve sufficed.
Then he could’ve fully synchronized with Jinhyuk’s abilities—becoming his equal.
At that point, using humanity’s combined power, he would’ve had the overwhelming advantage.
From there, it would just be a battle of endurance.
But now, without perfect synchronization, surpassing Jinhyuk was impossible.
Unknown clenched his jaw.
His pride burned, but he had no other choice.
[Unique Holy Spear – Final Genesis is deactivated.]
The mental realm faded.
“What’s wrong? Not fighting anymore? Or did you finally realize you can’t win?”
“I’ll just say… I’m not in a state to fight at full strength. Yet.”
“Even on death’s door, you still won’t admit defeat. Fine—then finish your excuses in hell.”
With the one-on-one duel buying enough time before the Covenant’s activation,
and his allies still holding out above, things seemed neatly wrapped up.
To end it completely, Jinhyuk drew the [Spear of Frost Spirits].
Fzzzt!
The tip shimmered with the chill of absolute zero.
“Hm. I understand why you think the victory’s yours… but I haven’t even shown my real hand yet.”
This was only the prologue.
The real game hadn’t begun.
[Player Unknown uses special item ‘Thread of Eternal Conviction.’]
[Operator’s Unique Holy Spear – ‘Mind Subjugation’ activated!]
An upgraded form of the item that allowed allies to be summoned from restricted floors—
and now, a power that could enslave S-rank boss-class monsters.
“Now then… let’s make this interesting.”
Unknown’s mask glowed crimson.
⁕⁕⁕
Paf-paf-paf!
Thud!
[Revelation of Cataclysm: ‘Blood Rain’ activated!]
Thousands of spears rained down like a storm.
“Kyaaaagh!”
“Aaagh!”
Even high elves bearing the title ‘Krol’ couldn’t withstand Alice’s awakened assault.
“Damn that pureblooded monster—!”
Only the Archmage Aperman’s presence kept them from total annihilation.
After a fierce exchange, Alice paused to catch her breath.
“Haa… haa….”
Fighting overwhelming numbers with so few allies was exhausting.
But—victory was close.
With word spreading that Jinhyuk had gone below to confront Unknown, enemy forces had grown increasingly divided.
And her comrades were all performing beyond expectations.
‘If he’s really our contractor, those foolish humans will end this fight before he even comes back down.’
Then the misunderstanding would be cleared.
And the Covenant’s threat would fade with it.
That should’ve been the case—
Wuuum!
Suddenly, a sinister power surged up from below.
It wasn’t Jinhyuk’s familiar mana—something darker, stickier, repulsive.
“What… is that ominous light?”
Alice’s pupils trembled.
Something had gone wrong.
Terribly wrong.