Chapter 648

               

Kukukukuku… Kwakwakwakwang!

The Barrier surrounding the area shook violently.

Mana waves exploded as the two forces fought with everything they had, so immense that the aftermath spilled past the Barrier.

Even from far away, you could feel the subtle reverberations.

In an empty lot about a hundred meters from the lodging, Chun Yoosung was training alone, sword in hand.

“…Hoo.”

He drew in a ragged breath.

Two hours had already passed since he’d started—silently drilling his body while everyone else enjoyed the festival.

The newly learned Unique Holy Spear was already complete enough to be used in real combat.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

But his heart wasn’t pounding from exertion.

With this—

With swordsmanship this overwhelming, he might finally be able to beat that damn old-timer.

“Heh… heh… Heh heh heh….”

A strange laugh slipped out of him.

In his mind, scenes of Jinhyuk sobbing at his feet and begging for forgiveness played on and on, like endless sequels.

Then—

Twitch.

Something snagged on his senses, sharpened through brutal training.

On the surface, nothing seemed wrong.

Peaceful air. Familiar scenery. Exactly what he’d seen countless times before.

But—

Pachijik!

Faint sparks crackled. The air quivered subtly. Even the dry heat against his skin felt… off.

A deep unease gnawed at his nerves.

Could it be…?

Chun Yoosung narrowed his eyes.

There was something here.

Something only someone with truly razor-sharp senses could perceive.

“Damn it!”

It wasn’t hard to guess that whoever could pull this off hadn’t come with good intentions.

The moment he reached that conclusion, Chun Yoosung launched forward like a released spring.

Kwaang!

He kicked off the ground and reached the lodging in an instant.

He tried to enter—

—and slammed into something invisible, his body rebounding.

Seogeok!

He swung his sword, but the result was the same.

A Barrier.

“It can’t be that guy’s doing.”

Jinhyuk liked pranks, sure, but he wouldn’t do something this reckless.

And yet, despite how tightly sealed it was, the killing intent inside chilled Chun Yoosung to the bone.

‘If the enemy launched a surprise attack, things in there won’t be good.’

Most of their allies were still celebrating after the festival. No reinforcements would reach the lodging.

Meaning they were isolated.

The only one who could help right now was him.

And honestly, it wouldn’t be bad to create a debt while he was at it.

More than anything—

“I can’t allow that bastard be defeated by Unknown.”

Only one person was allowed to bring down the mountain called Kang Jinhyuk.

Not the main gods of massive forces, not ancient dragons, not Primordial Beings…

Only—

“Me…!”

Pacheutcheutseu…!

Blinding white sword light surged along the blade.

Beautiful snowflakes spiraled and danced around Chun Yoosung.

Kukukukukuku!

A storm compressed toward a single point.

The aura riding the sword extended several meters outward.

[Unique Holy Spear – White Night One-Heaven Sword Form 8: Sun and Moon Snow, Forgotten Radiance]

Like a flame that pours out everything it has—then vanishes.

A strike that poured every last drop of Mana into a single blow.

Chun Yoosung focused his entire mind into one point.

The hand gripping his sword went still.

Even time seemed to stop.

—

[Unknown activates the special skill ‘Black Centipede’!]

Chwachwachwachwachwa…!

The Serpent Sword turned black, wriggling as it transformed into the shape of a centipede.

“You know better than anyone how dangerous this is.”

Unknown flicked his wrist.

The Serpent Sword moved along a path that was impossible to predict.

Left to right, then again—curving, looping, drawing parabolas as it surrounded Jinhyuk.

It moved with bizarre timing at absurd speed, impossible to read.

But—

Kakakang!

Jinhyuk deflected it without even shifting his stance.

The Serpent Sword’s reputation as the epitome of the heterogeneous was thoroughly disgraced.

“For someone who chugged a potion, that’s disappointing. Surely that’s not all you’ve got?”

Jinhyuk sneered.

“…Of course not.”

Grinding his teeth, Unknown pulled another ability from Memory of the World.

[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Flowing Moonlight’ is activated!]

[Special skill ‘Centipedes’ Nest’ is activated!]

Seuseuseuk….

Unknown’s figure split into dozens.

Naturally, the Serpent Sword in his hand multiplied into dozens as well.

“You can block one by reading it with your senses. But can you block this many?”

“You really can do everything.”

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue, almost impressed.

It was surreal—seeing his own abilities copied and turned back on him, like fighting a mirror.

And it made him understand, from the enemy’s side, just how unfair it was to face someone who could pull out any ability at will.

Still—

Even if you can use the same tools, chaining them naturally is a different matter entirely.

[‘Memory of the World’ is opened!]

[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Chrono Spear’ is activated!]

[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Thunder God’ is activated!]

[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Wind God’ is activated!]

Status windows flashed one after another.

Cheutcheutcheut…!

Different powers manifested through Jinhyuk’s gun and dagger.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

The battle exploded into motion.

Dozens of Serpent Swords scythed across the ground in chaotic arcs while Jinhyuk sprang through the openings, targeting Unknown’s clones.

Tatatatatang!

Streams of light poured from the gun.

Chrono Spear, combined with Thunder God and Wind God, tore toward the main body at the very rear.

It was hard to believe he could distinguish the real one from identical clones, but survival came first.

Before the thought could even finish forming, the clones threw themselves in front of Unknown.

Peopeopeok!

“Kuaaak!”

“Kulk!”

A red rain of blood burst outward.

The bullet stopped spinning only after tearing through five clones.

“Kueuk….”

Unknown brushed dirt from his body. He’d thought he’d absorbed the impact properly, but the shock still rattled through him.

‘Even with the Bloodstone, he’s this strong?’

Overwhelming power. Overwhelming insight.

It was worse than he’d expected. He couldn’t see a way to win alone.

The clones created by Flowing Moonlight were only buying him time.

At best, they could last a few dozen minutes.

But—

‘In the end, time is on my side.’

Azathoth’s palace was slowly beginning to take shape. At the same time, the Mana flowing from Jinhyuk was steadily weakening.

Proof that the time limit on Napoleon’s Crown was rapidly approaching.

‘He’s extended the duration beyond the original three minutes… but pushing it dramatically higher seems impossible.’

Unknown adjusted his cracked mask.

Then he nodded to the side.

Velus, who had been waiting, immediately rushed toward Jinhyuk’s blind spot.

“Stop!”

“Your opponent is us.”

“You won’t have time to look away, Ataraxia’s head.”

Alice tried to intercept, but Shade Reaper and the remaining knights pinned her down.

With Alice blocked, no one could stop Velus.

“I’ll tear you apart and kill you!”

Velus, radiating killing intent, swung his claws like a madman.

He aimed precisely for gaps the Serpent Sword couldn’t cover.

Jinhyuk, having activated ‘Demonic Heavenly Army’s Advent,’ pushed his speed up another level.

Peopeopeok!

Twukwang!

Bullets and blades from dagger and gun shredded Velus’s body into rags.

[The Immortal Body begins to regenerate!]

“Kuaaaak! It hurts! It hurts! I’ll kill you! It hurts!”

Even as he screamed, Velus’s vitality was as stubborn as a cockroach.

“Stop whining and push harder. Your job is to take the hits from the front.”

“Damn it. Easy for you to say when it’s not your body. Fine—just smash that bastard properly. I won’t be satisfied until his limbs are torn off.”

Unknown and Velus tightened their combined assault as time bled on.

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk’s Mana supply from the Crown continued to drop, and small cracks began to show.

Koong!

Jinhyuk’s back struck a wall.

He’d been dodging and searching for openings, but he’d finally been driven into a corner.

“Kikik! Good. Now I can finally see tension on that face.”

Velus burst into wild laughter.

Almost at the same instant—

Kwaaang!

Velus’s claws ripped through Jinhyuk’s chest.

“Keo… Eok!?”

Jinhyuk’s body folded at a right angle.

—

“Contractor!”

“Mogiii!”

Alice and Goguma cried out together.

The Jinhyuk they believed could never fall had taken a fatal blow.

No—his upper body had been completely severed. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say survival was already impossible.

Flesh torn to pieces—

But the fragments weren’t blood and meat.

They were fake ice.

Glacial Sculpting—paired with illusion and optical trickery.

Jinhyuk’s voice came from behind Velus.

“You’ve finally burned through all your Mana.”

A bitter smile hung on his lips.

He had forced Velus to pour everything out, then shaped the flow of the fight until victory was guaranteed.

Bringing the gun to his chest, Jinhyuk released the power he’d been saving.

[Lv???? ‘Dimension Bullet’ is activated!]

The first bullet had been enough to send a knight flying.

But the light gathering now was more than ten times stronger.

[Unique Holy Spear ‘Seraphim’ is activated!]

Another pair of wings unfurled behind Jinhyuk.

A replica of the Divine Crown appeared, hovering a few dozen centimeters above his head.

Just like Teresa.

[Seraphim – ‘Divine Scent Marksman’ is activated!]

[Apocalypse of Revelation – ‘Blood Spears’ is activated!]

Red and white Mana flowed from the mismatched wings and fused into the bullet.

Compressed. Compressed again.

The strongest shot.

Tang!

A single gunshot pierced straight through Velus’s heart.

The sonic boom rippled in hundreds of waves and slammed into the far side of the Barrier.

“Kkeueueu… Kkeuaaaaaak!”

Velus screamed.

But it didn’t last long.

“You… fool! Did you forget I have an Immortal Body?”

Gasping, Velus forced himself upright.

As he said, the wound began to regenerate—slowly, steadily—just as it always had.

He should’ve been sick of that immortality by now.

Yet Jinhyuk’s tone stayed leisurely.

It couldn’t be helped.

“Of course I know.”

From the start, the goal wasn’t to kill him with one shot.

He had driven him to the limit, waited for regeneration to slow, and then mixed plague cells—taken from Tulcha—into Velus’s regenerating flesh.

More precisely, into the section forming the core of the heart.

……!!!!????

Velus’s face warped.

He had endured wounds that should have killed him thousands—tens of thousands—of times.

But this pain was on an entirely different level.

“An immortal body… what an enviable ability.”

A life that never ends. Living forever.

A blessing no mortal could truly imagine.

Of course, only when you were living long and healthy.

“Kkeuaaaaak!”

It was different when you were forced to experience the agony of dying hundreds—thousands—of times every minute, every second.

Velus convulsed, twisting violently.

He wanted to be freed from the pain immediately—

—but his immortal body wouldn’t even allow that mercy.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Jinhyuk applauded, admiration written across his face.