Chapter 611
[‘Bookmark of the Unfinished’ will take 10 minutes to activate.]
Shrrr—
The pages began to flip rapidly backward.
The [Bookmark of the Unfinished] was an item that reproduced things one had failed to wrap up perfectly in the past. Depending on how one used it, its possibilities were endless—an absurdly overpowered item.
However, the fact that this item belonged to the ‘Untradeable’ category also implied an outrageous degree of coercion.
‘This should be fun.’
Kang Jinhyuk’s lips curled upward.
He could already picture, vividly, what would happen in a few moments.
That sight pricked someone’s nerves.
“What are you grinning at? Is this situation funny to you? Or do we look that easy?”
Kumar glared at Jinhyuk as if to kill him.
It wasn’t the simple emotions of wanting to crush an opponent, anger, or competitiveness.
It was a far thicker and darker emotion.
‘Inferiority.’
One of the most primal instincts in humans.
It was only natural.
He bore the title of the strongest player in a great nation that boasted a population of over 1.4 billion—the largest in the world.
After Nirasha had tarnished Gandhara’s name, he had clenched his teeth and climbed his way to the very top.
Especially after his Apostle Contract with the [Celestial Order], even the master-class leaders of major foreign guilds had to concede a step to him.
Except for one.
‘Kang Jinhyuk’—an enormous mountain he could not cross.
The countless feats built since the Tower of Trials appeared.
To defeat a ranker who had stacked up a mythology beyond anything a human could conceive, there was no way but to conquer the summit of the Tower first.
But that was close to impossible.
At least at their current level, the idea of felling bosses in the 40-floor range was beyond hopeful thinking.
In that case…
‘I have to kill him here. With all the support pouring in right now, the chances are real.’
That was the only way to surpass that myth.
Kukukukukuk!
Terrifying mana gathered.
[Mandala] and [Union of Body and Soul].
The authority of the [Celestial Order] manifested through the chakrams in Kumar’s two hands.
“You look pretty mad. Ever heard you should keep calm in a fight?”
“I’ve run countless simulations to hunt you. Even without composure, there are no variables.”
In a 1:1, he would never have won.
The opponent was a monster who had once hunted even a major god alone.
However.
This wasn’t an honorable duel. This was favorable hunting through superior numbers.
“Go.”
Kumar nodded to the comrades beside him.
“Understood.”
“So this is that famous ranker-hunt… can’t wait.”
“We’ll put an end to a legend with our own hands.”
Gandhara’s rankers took positions in different directions.
Even knowing how strong Jinhyuk was, they felt no fear.
‘So they’ve prepared something…’
At the same time—
[Limited Unique Holy Spear – ‘Trimurti’ activates!]
Pzzzt…!
Golden light linked them together.
Mana resonated with mana, spewing tremendous heat.
It wasn’t merely amplifying abilities.
Rather…
Jinhyuk gripped his dagger and moved.
At that moment—
[‘Creation of Myth’ has been established!]
[Dimensions are connected!]
Mana exploded, and the whole world was dyed in gold.
“Kh—!?”
Jinhyuk raised an arm to shield his eyes from the pouring radiance.
⁕⁕⁕
The heat that felt like it would scorch his eyeballs lasted for several seconds.
And when the temperature finally returned to normal, everything was completely different.
Over a vast, vast lake,
Pink lotuses floated in peaceful clusters.
The scenery preserved the beauty of untouched nature, and around it stood countless wooden pagodas and various buildings in rows.
He already knew where this was.
The 45th floor of the Tower of Trials.
The place where the divine beings of the [Celestial Order] resided.
To be exact, it was proper to say this was a third world that imitated and reproduced that floor.
“Synchronizing four people’s mana and manifesting it as a single Unique Holy Spear is extremely rare…”
To think they actually pulled it off.
He’d known it was theoretically possible, but this was the first time he’d seen it in person.
They were certainly worthy of being called India’s top rankers.
“How is it? In here, that vaunted Veteran Corporation of yours can’t lend a hand.”
Kumar spread his arms wide with confidence.
A mental world that was modern yet not of the modern day.
Just like the [Unique Holy Spear – Final Genesis], this place was also severed from the outside.
Moreover—
Splash.
Someone approached through the lake’s thick mist.
Mana on a different scale from before. The stench of blood so chilling it numbed his sense of smell.
“…Hoo. You’ve really outdone yourselves.”
Jinhyuk let out a long sigh toward the source of the heavy blood-reek.
Of course, in the stronghold of the [Celestial Order], there would be those who lived here.
A super-colossal myth across countless ages—the number of gods would be enormous.
The terrifying divine being soon pierced the mist and revealed itself.
[‘Goddess of Death’ Kali manifests!]
From her dark-blue skin and the long tongue she let hang, a nameless, ominous smoke rose.
At Kali’s sides stood a ‘lion’ and a ‘snake’ as if to guard her.
“It has been a while, insolent human.”
“Imagine that. A shabby guest in a shabby place. We were going to have some fun among ourselves—do you really need to butt into a human fight?”
“For a ‘human fight,’ quite a lot is at stake.”
Kali’s eyes flashed sharply.
To be precise, she was eyeing the crown above Jinhyuk’s head with ravenous greed.
Besides that, he could sense multiple powerful manas just a few hundred meters away.
With Jinhyuk’s arrival, the divine beings of the [Celestial Order] had begun to move in earnest.
“So after all that posing like you’d handle this on your own… your plan was to win with help from the divine beings?”
“Manifesting main gods through a Unique Holy Spear is also our ability. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. More importantly… worry about yourself. The divine beings of the [Celestial Order] are anything but merciful.”
“Wouldn’t expect otherwise.”
Jinhyuk slowly redistributed mana throughout his body.
That was the cue.
Vwooom!
The enemy moved.
The start was Deshmukh on the flank.
A massive halberd cut the wind and charged.
It looked powerful, but it was slow.
Kraang!
Jinhyuk knocked the halberd aside in an instant and drove deep into Deshmukh’s chest.
One down—
So he thought, when—
“Shiiik!”
Kali’s snake skimmed over the water and lunged.
Its vast jaws gaped, razor-sharp teeth snapping out like razorblades.
Kang!
Crimson Lotus met fang.
Even filled to the brim with sword aura, the fangs didn’t so much as chip.
“Die!”
Antia aimed for Jinhyuk’s back.
[Mandala – ‘Lotus Fire Orbs’ activates!]
Dozens of flower-shaped orbs were fired.
Pupupupung!
The golden spheres turned the spot Jinhyuk had just been standing into a beehive.
By a sheet of paper, Jinhyuk avoided the attack and blasted a back-kick at Deshmukh.
Thwack!
“Graaah!”
Deshmukh’s body bent into a right angle.
An attack that combined [Blue Celadon Wave] and [Penetration Arts].
The thick armor that covered him from head to toe didn’t serve as any shield.
“My turn now, right?”
Using that opening, Jinhyuk unleashed a second strike.
[Unique Ability ‘Monstrous God-Hand’ activates!]
Four arms appeared behind him.
Fists overlaid with [Mandala] and [Blessing of the Stars] converged on a single point.
[Blitz Thunder Crushing Fist].
Condensed mana drove into the unguarded face.
Kwakwa—kwa—KWAANG!
Deshmukh flew back, skimming the lake’s surface, and slammed into a pagoda.
That wasn’t enough; he smashed through the pagoda behind it, and the next, flying for quite a while longer.
No matter how tough his body was, he wouldn’t be unharmed.
But before he could savor the relief of taking one out—
Thoom!
A tremendous impact crushed down on his head.
Bwooo!
A colossal frame.
The main god of the [Celestial Order] in the form of an elephant—Ganesha.
“Go on a… diet, will you? What the hell do you weigh…”
Crack—! Crunch!
Ganesha pressed more and more weight onto his legs.
The ground under Jinhyuk’s feet split with sharp cracks.
“You did well enough alone… but you can’t face all of us. Not within this domain.”
Kali lightly rested her scythe on her shoulder.
[Within ‘Trimurti,’ ‘Lotus Illumination’ has fully bloomed.]
[All stats are reduced by 50%.]
Either make every lotus wither,
Or eliminate Kumar, who was maintaining this mental world.
Only by doing one of the two could he escape the debuff.
He could use [System Manipulation] to create variables on the spot, but using it now would be the same as discarding a trump card he needed to kill Unknown.
Besides, the constant use of the two crowns had drained a considerable amount of mana.
Not only Ganesha and Kali, but Brahma and Vishnu would have to be considered afterward as well.
“Ordinarily, someone of your caliber would be worth recruiting… but we also have to survive in the Tower.”
Kali raised her scythe high.
All manner of curses and death condensed on the scythe’s surface.
Just then—
[Remaining Time 0H : 0M : 0S]
[‘Bookmark of the Unfinished’ activates!]
The last page of the quickly flipping book opened.
At last, the long-awaited moment arrived.
⁕⁕⁕
Demon Realm.
A place where all the evils of the world gathered, and at the same time, the floors where the Demon Kings—apex of demons—made their abodes.
And now.
In the royal palace of Berial, who possessed the greatest influence among all Demon Kings, a late-afternoon after-tea party was underway.
“Fufu. The tea is steeped very deep. A flavor perfectly befitting this noble self.”
Berial sipped a mouthful of thick black tea.
The sweet brew, rich with all sorts of fragrances, gently unraveled the fatigue piled across his entire body.
When he paired it with soft tiramisu and strawberry tart, he found himself thinking, so this is the happiness of living.
The gloomy sky of the Demon Realm and its drab weather.
Even the other Demon Kings, who ran wild every day, were unusually quiet.
Everything made for a perfect day.
Until a message popped up before his eyes.
[Due to the special item ‘Bookmark of the Unfinished,’ you will be forcibly transferred outside the Tower of Trials!]
“…Huh?”
Had he just seen something strange?
An illusion?
Surely it had to be.
Forcible recall? Who would dare bid the great Demon King of the Demon Realm come and go?
Above all, to his knowledge, forced transfer without the subject’s consent was impossible.
However—
Pzzzt…
Berial’s body began to crumble into powder and fade away.
“Who in the world aaaaaare you!”
With that desperate scream, one of the Demon Realm’s Demon Kings vanished completely from the Demon Realm.