Chapter 624
Heimdall’s fatal mistake caused the situation to flip once again.
The Ishukra Marsh was easy to hide in, but once one’s location was exposed, it became a hell with no way out.
“To think he exposed the most important secret while trying to save Gabriel.”
“For us, it turned into an opportunity.”
“Krhahaha! Finally, this damn fight will come to an end. Really, if your head is stupid, your body suffers.”
Mockery burst from the divine beings.
Now they only needed to shift their wide-spread barriers and spells entirely toward the Ishukra Marsh, then slowly hunt them down like a herd and squeeze the enemy’s throat.
Certain of victory, the atmosphere turned festive.
“Maybe… he showed it on purpose.”
Brahma murmured to himself.
Even if this wasn’t Eden, the idea that the archangel Gabriel would fall in a single strike was strange.
From his long-past battles, archangels were never this weak.
Which meant this:
He must have been hit on purpose to lure them in that direction.
‘We have to assume the consecutive defeats also had intent behind them.’
It was hard to believe they’d dug traps in the swamp.
Even if they ambushed with all their forces, the difference in numbers was overwhelming.
A few times more could be overcome with strategy, but not several thousand times more.
Which meant the enemy was targeting something completely different.
Most likely…
‘He’s trying to save his comrades.’
A small elite group capable of toppling a grand mythology. The deep source of that strength was the aid of Veteran Corporation.
This time as well, they were clearly trying to create another twist through that power.
No matter how monstrous his information-gathering was, there was no way he knew about the other thing in the temple.
“Indra.”
Brahma spoke toward the main god left behind in the temple.
⁕⁕⁕
“It’s annoyingly huge.”
Chun Yoosung clicked his tongue while wandering inside the temple.
It had already been half a day since they’d been captured, yet they still couldn’t grasp the full scale of the temple.
The tangled maze showed no end.
They needed to eliminate the remaining troops and capture the base as fast as possible. But all they encountered were small fry.
There wasn’t even a trace of a main god or divine beast. They couldn’t even find the “Crystal Room,” which controlled the entire temple.
“If Pesis were here, this would’ve been way easier.”
Teresa muttered in regret.
“Should we just trust my drones now?”
“Yeah. It’s not too late yet…”
Even Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeonhwa were begging at this point.
There was a reason they were lost like this.
No matter how big the temple was, it made no sense for a group experienced in ruins and dungeon raids to get lost.
But they were this thoroughly stranded because…
“This is definitely the right way. My great senses are telling me so.”
It was all thanks to Alice von Ataraxia, the great head of Ataraxia, who was leading them from the front.
She had nearly zero sense of direction, yet absolutely refused to admit she was wrong—leading to this disaster.
Alice confidently pushed forward.
Judging from her twitching nose, she seemed to be tracking traces of blood…
But no one knew what logic she was using.
“There’s a smell. Definitely a smell of blood mixed with something unpleasant.”
Just as Alice rounded yet another corner—
Vrrrrm!
A strange magical surge revealed a massive crystal sphere.
It appeared in a location no one would ever expect.
“What in the world…”
“You really found it?”
The others shouted in shock.
“See? Didn’t I tell you? All you needed was to trust my incredible senses!”
Alice strutted forward proudly.
But—
Thud!
“Agh!”
Her forehead slammed into an invisible wall.
A transparent barrier blocked the way.
Her forehead turned red.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
“How dare something block my path…”
[‘Blood Spears’ has activated!]
Blood-formed red spikes slammed into the barrier.
But—
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAANG!
Even with a full-power magic strike, the barrier didn’t budge.
“If magic won’t work…”
Strong magic gathered in Yoo Yeonhwa’s foot.
A ‘back kick’.
One of Taekwondo’s strongest strikes exploded against the wall.
A heavy shock spread across its surface.
“We’ll have to try anything we can.”
“At least we don’t have to worry about breaking the place, right?”
Clang! Kakak!
Teresa’s holy-powered sword surged forward. Lee Tae-min’s drones launched magic missiles.
Boom! Boom! BOOOOM!
Blinding light and explosions filled the corridor.
A massive shockwave shook the entire temple.
Yet the result was the same.
The transparent wall remained completely intact. Not even a scratch.
“How can a wall be like this…”
“We have to get through to go inside.”
“I wondered why no guards were stationed here. Now I understand.”
It was a perfect fortress.
After unleashing every type of attack imaginable, nothing happened. It clearly wasn’t something that could be destroyed with damage alone.
At that moment—
[The gate is opening.]
A very familiar figure appeared before them.
“Huh? Why are you all gathered here?”
Wearing an innocent expression and tilting his head—
It was Jinhyuk.
“Hyung!”
“Oppa!”
“Contractor!”
“Jinhyuk!”
They hadn’t been apart long, but after everything that happened, seeing him was several times more heartwarming.
Except for one person.
“Tch! You didn’t die and crawled back alive.”
Chun Yoosung, as always.
That guy would probably gnaw and chew Jinhyuk even if they met in hell. One wondered how someone with that much constant hostility could live normally.
“Why are you here instead of fighting?”
“I set up traps and lured them away. But I need to return quickly. The friends acting as bait aren’t in great shape.”
The Ishukra Marsh shown through Heimdall.
Brahma might find it suspicious, but he’d eventually bite.
Before then, they needed to finish the job here and regroup—otherwise, the coalition would be wiped out.
In other words—
From now on, it was a race to see who could strike the other’s back first.
– “Then we’ll hold out over there as long as we can. When you return, you and your comrades should be able to make your own way back, no?”
– “I’ll bring a stylish ride, so don’t worry.”
– “I have no idea what that means… but if you say so, it must be fine. Very well.”
Heimdall turned as he closed the gate.
Once Heimdall disappeared, Jinhyuk spoke again.
“Still, you guys managed to find the Crystal Room?”
“It was all thanks to me. But for some reason, no matter how hard we try, we can’t get inside.”
“You won’t break it with normal means. Ranged magic won’t work at all. It can only be cut with extremely refined pure sword energy. Step aside for a second.”
‘Grave of Swords’ and ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art’ unfolded as a razor-thin aura coated his dagger.
Fast and precise.
The key was slicing it in a single clean strike.
Slash!
Jinhyuk’s sword cut through the air.
But—
“…!?”
Only a thin red line remained where the blade passed. Nothing dramatic happened.
“This… is weird. Why isn’t this working?”
Cold sweat dripped down Jinhyuk’s face.
His fingertips even trembled.
“Hah, as expected… skipping training every day and wasting time must have made your skills rot.”
Chun Yoosung clicked his tongue, unsurprised.
He patted Jinhyuk’s shoulder and stepped forward.
“Move and watch closely. I’ll show you how much stronger I’ve gotten.”
Crackle…!
[Unique Holy Spear – White Night has activated!]
[Unity of Body and Soul – Soul-Chasing Sword is manifesting!]
This time, he would cut it for sure…
And surpass Kang Jinhyuk.
He wouldn’t forever cling to the shadow of an idle, complacent veteran.
In a space where even breathing faded away, Chun Yoosung unleashed his fully compressed strike.
KA-KAKAKAK!
A slash powerful enough to tear the temple apart.
But—
No matter how much he struggled, the result was unchanged.
“Pfft!”
Jinhyuk failed to suppress his laughter.
“Grr!”
Chun Yoosung’s neck flushed red.
“To think even our mighty Sword Saint gives the same result. All that bragging about training every dawn—you must’ve gone to a PC café instead!”
“Shut up! There’s no way I can’t do this. One more time… just one more time…!”
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAANG! KAKAKAK!
His sword moved like madness.
He no longer cared about anything behind him.
And while watching Chun Yoosung strain himself, Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.
‘Swing all day. It won’t even crack.’
Sword energy was useless.
This barrier had resistance not only to magic but also to physical attacks.
Whenever an intruder tried to break it with power, it absorbed that power and converted it into its own energy.
Which was why they needed someone who could pour in as much energy as possible—and luckily, a perfect idiot had been standing right next to him.
After several minutes—
Thud!
Chun Yoosung dropped to one knee.
Thousands of swings in a short time had drained all his mana and stamina.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Even breathing looked like torture.
This should be enough mana.
‘Then it’s time to get moving.’
Jinhyuk casually stepped forward.
Humming to himself.
[Unique Ability ‘Ancient Barrier’ has activated!]
His master-level barrier arts effortlessly unraveled the dozens of intertwined defensive layers.
“Y-you…!”
Chun Yoosung’s pupils quaked.
If he had even a sliver of strength left, he would have cut Jinhyuk down instantly.
But what good was murderous intent when the game was already over?
“I’ll never forget your noble sacrifice.”
Jinhyuk stood before the crystal sphere.
There was a reason he took the risk to come here.
On the surface, it looked like just another decent base.
But the temple held a secret known only to the highest gods of the Celestial Order.
Tap.
He placed his finger on the crystal sphere and rearranged the complex ancient runes.
[Stored damage is converted into mana.]
[The aerial fortress ‘Vimana’ is activating!]
The slumbering aerial fortress began to move.
One of the strongest holy relics the Celestial Order possessed.
Now it was time to give the enemy an unforgettable surprise.