Chapter 637
Twenty-four hours had passed since the Covenant began.
Inside and outside the Tower, a brutal struggle for survival raged on.
The 5th floor where Andrea fought, the 7th floor where Karakal held his ground, and countless other floors were locked in desperate battles against the ancient beings.
And among them, one of the fiercest battlegrounds was the domain where the ‘Empire and Murim’ resided.
‘Something’s wrong….’
Tulcha, fighting within Murim, tilted her head.
This was clearly a mid-tier floor of the Tower.
Unlike the upper levels, this was an ordinary stage with no room for elaborate tricks.
Under normal circumstances, with just one gesture from her, an overwhelming plague should have consumed the entire region, forcing all living beings here to cough blood and die in agony.
But the core enemy force, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, wasn’t collapsing as it should have.
Even though she had inflicted a fatal wound on the only troublesome figure—the Heavenly Demon—and forced him to withdraw.
‘Those leech-like pests….’
The silhouette of the Heavenly Demon, who had fought for nearly ten hours, replayed in her mind.
A ferocious opponent who rampaged with Demonic Martial Arts.
The elite Demonic Cultists who charged without fear of death, and the few stragglers from the Empire—including that annoying Grand Swordmaster Abraham—were equally maddening.
Individually, they were insignificant creatures, but they were willing to throw away their lives for the Heavenly Demon.
However—
Their difficult moments should have ended already.
Once the Heavenly Demon suffered internal injuries, the rest of the battle should have been trivial.
At least, it should have been….
“What is going on! I told you to wipe this place out within a day!”
Tulcha snapped at the subordinates behind her.
A group of succubi, dressed like dancers similar to Tulcha, stood before her.
“Well… they’re using an unknown poison.”
“Poison?”
“Yes.”
“You’re telling me some random poison is affecting you here? Even the Tang Clan’s toxins only work on humans with internal energy.”
The Empire’s poisons were nothing special. Even the most renowned poisons of the Sichuan Tang Clan belonged solely within the realm of humans.
To those living on the 50th floor, even infamous poisons like Crimson Crane Venom or Lifetaking Void Powder were nothing more than after-meal drinks.
“W-We have no excuse.”
“We are sorry, Great One.”
The succubi bowed their heads.
Even they felt how ridiculous the excuse sounded, but it was the truth.
The number of succubi who had died attempting to infiltrate the mountain had already surpassed three digits.
“You idiots. It’s my fault for relying on you for this.”
Tulcha clicked her tongue and rose.
It irritated her to no end that she now had to intervene personally for something so trivial.
But she was unaware of one thing:
In her recent battle with Jinhyuk, he had used Korna, one of the Tails of the Plague, on her.
And that very Korna would become lethally toxic to ancient beings when Tulcha activated her own plague abilities or combined them with other toxins.
In other words—they were poisoning themselves.
Yet Tulcha and the succubi had no way of knowing this, and simply assumed the Empire and Murim were employing some strange strategy.
—
Woooooong!
Dazzling stars floated in the night sky.
The 12 Zodiac Constellations surrounded Gros.
A scene so mysterious and beautiful it resembled a painting depicting the universe’s countless phenomena.
“Hm.”
Gros clicked his tongue.
Despite living countless years, this was his first time witnessing such a sight.
The murderous boredom he had carried until moments ago faded away.
A new stimulus—interest—had entered his long, stagnant life.
“I see. Now I understand why that man is so interested in you. I never thought a human could surprise me twice in such a short time.”
That man.
The name surfaced again.
He had a rough idea who it referred to, but it was too early to be sure.
There were too few clues.
“I’m glad you’re interested. I’d like to take my time too, but this is a race against the clock for me. I need to end it quickly.”
“I decide when it begins and when it ends.”
Gros raised his greatsword.
Crackle!
Space tore open as the One Eye Moon attempted to manifest.
No—it was about to manifest.
Wooooong!
Starlight surged forth, instantly filling the fissure.
The One Eye Moon vanished.
“What…?”
Gros’s pupils widened.
He saw several serpent-like lights coiling around Jinhyuk’s body—then Jinhyuk released Mana that far surpassed what he had shown before.
But at the same moment he noticed, Jinhyuk’s figure vanished like smoke.
Kwaaaang!
A crushing impact struck Gros’s flank.
Balmung, which had shattered Gros’s shield earlier, slammed into his waist.
“Kuaaaak!”
A painful scream burst from Gros’s mouth.
The unfamiliar, unprecedented sensation shook the reason he had always held tightly.
Before he could recover, countless sword strikes hurled down at him.
Balmung traced line after line, so light it seemed to have no weight, yet each cut carved into Gros’s flesh.
Kakakakaka… kwakwakwakwang!
[The Zodiac Constellation ‘Sagittarius’ awakens!]
[The Zodiac Constellation ‘Pisces’ is opened!]
Space twisted, and arrows forged of starlight poured forth.
They could not be blocked or avoided.
Their trajectories were unpredictable, and their numbers overwhelming.
A festival of constellations unfolded, and countless small wounds appeared across Gros’s body.
‘It’s finally working.’
Jinhyuk trembled slightly at the sensation in his hand.
His heart pounded violently, Mana surged, and everything made him feel vividly alive.
[Due to the effect of the Zodiac Constellation ‘Libra’, the gap between the ancient beings and the Veteran Corporation is minimized!]
If Final Genesis was about realizing one’s mental world, then Call of Starlight was about summoning the world of actual celestial constellations.
A divine realm—difficult to control.
But if used properly…
It forced upon ancient beings an unfamiliar, alien sensation.
Blue waves of power crashed one after another.
The blessings of countless constellations gave Gros no time to comprehend what was happening.
But—
Kwaang!
Even amid the overwhelming barrage, Gros distinguished between lethal and non-lethal attacks, adjusting his breathing as he created a small opening.
Arrows and sword strikes were gradually blocked, sparks scattering everywhere.
Soon he even forced enough space to retreat.
Tat!
He leapt backward.
“…….”
His face twisted with shock.
He had escaped the range of the attack, but that wasn’t what mattered.
What mattered was that his shield—his invincible shield—had been pierced.
And his One Eye Moon’s summoning had been nullified.
‘You can… cancel it?’
The authority of ancient beings?
Impossible.
He had never heard of such absurdity.
It was natural, of course.
Ancient beings stood above all.
Crushing, ruling, devouring—that was the law of the Tower.
But that long-held truth shattered in an instant.
—
Shh…!
Shh shh!
Snakes wrapped in shimmering light coiled around Jinhyuk.
These were divine beasts created by the opening of the 13th constellation.
[While the constellation is open, attack power, speed, and defense increase by 200%.]
[Mana consumption increases by 200%.]
[If more than half the constellations are maintained, one enemy ability can be sealed.]
[Due to ‘Serpent Road’, all attacks may receive assistance from serpents.]
The authority of the ancient beings—
The Call of Starlight could imitate it.
Its greatest strength was the ability to seal powers.
It served as a perfect substitute for both the Necronomicon and Napoleon’s Crown.
But it came with a price.
Throb!
Excessive Mana consumption tore through his body, far beyond what normal level-ups could restore.
It felt like summoning a Unique Holy Spear with every attack.
‘I need to end this fast.’
Now was the only opportunity.
If Gros adapted even a little, defeating him would become impossible.
Jinhyuk awakened every cell in his body.
“Hoo….”
He focused, calming his breath.
Perfectly.
Even more perfectly—
Until everything aligned into one.
At that moment, he melted into the shadows.
High-speed movement—Shadow Killing Art.
Swish!
Jinhyuk appeared behind Gros and aimed for his back.
Kwaaaang!
Gros reacted at the last possible instant, blocking with his greatsword.
The clash produced a deafening sonic boom.
[‘Serpent Road’ – Banquet of Snakes is activated!]
Large and small serpents coiled around Balmung, pushing the sword’s stats to their limits.
Sssst…!
A venomous Black Mamba lunged for Gros’s ankle.
A massive Anaconda curled wide, aiming to crush Gros’s bones.
“Petty tricks…!”
Gros swung his greatsword.
Swish!
The snakes were sliced apart instantly.
He wavered for a moment, then stabilized.
The authority of the ancient beings wasn’t responding freely, but that was just one ability among many.
He would show Jinhyuk the darkness so vast that even the brightest starlight could not illuminate it.
“From here on, I will fight you on equal footing with the Elder Gods.”
[Gros opens the ‘Roots of Shaggai’!]
Shaggai—Gros’s homeworld.
The greatsword forged from its core crystals revealed its true form.
Kieeeee!
The blade split horizontally, revealing a grotesque single eye.
Dozens of purple tentacles burst from the ground.
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
Even the power of the 13th constellation trembled before Gros’s pressure.
Jinhyuk gritted his teeth as the heavens and earth distorted.
‘…A monster is still a monster.’
This was why he should have prevented the Covenant.
Fighting such an irregular existence without full preparation was suicidal.
But—
‘I have to do it.’
He could entrust this to no one.
Whether divine, winged, or crawling, no resident or player could stand against the apocalypse now unfolding.
Jinhyuk felt the dwindling time pressing on him.
One by one—
The constellations dimmed.
He had improved his proficiency through countless barriers, but handling all this without job advancement was nearly impossible.
So—
Jinhyuk gripped Balmung tightly.
The radiant constellations in the sky faded.
All their light gathered into a single constellation.
[The 12 constellations retreat.]
[The power of ‘Asclepius’, master of the 13th constellation Ophiuchus, is opened!]
The starlight reshaped itself into a massive serpent.
Huge fangs emerged from its open maw.
[Unique Holy Spear ‘Planet Devouring Serpent’ is summoned!]
He would finish it with this.