Chapter 654
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Woo-oong!
Firm trust, forged through a contract.
A bond strengthened by countless shared experiences.
[Sharing of All Things – ‘String of Fate’ is activated!]
With my Mana depleted and the power of the Coronation exhausted, I can’t destroy this gem.
But Alice, restored to her prime, might be able to pierce that hard surface.
I gambled everything on that possibility and made my move.
Patzitz! Pachichik!
A special function of Sharing of All Things that only activates when mutual trust reaches its peak—‘Location Swap.’
In an instant, Jinhyuk’s vision went black.
Nausea surged as dizziness shook his entire body, but he clenched his teeth and endured.
How many seconds passed?
When he opened his eyes, everything before him had changed completely.
⁕
“How did you get here…?”
Unknown stood there, panting.
His mask trembled as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Looks like Alice was giving you a good beating. Sorry, but I sent her away for a bit. She’s got business over there.”
“……Sharing of All Things. I see. So that’s what it was.”
Unknown muttered, finally piecing it together.
He meant to use Alice at her peak to destroy Azathoth’s Palace. Given the terrifying power she’d shown, it wasn’t impossible.
However—
“The idea wasn’t bad. The timing is just too late.”
Kukukukuku!
The palace’s form was now noticeably clearer.
Detailed runes and ancient language were already engraving themselves into it. At this point, even Alice would struggle to destroy the gem.
Not until the final shackle in the north was broken.
“No. Even if Alice only leaves a slight scratch on the outer gem, it’ll be enough.”
“Hahaha! You must have a lot of faith in your comrades outside. You don’t even know what’s happening over there right now.”
“Did you set up another trick?”
“Hehe. You can check that later. For now, focus on your fight with me. I was getting tired of dealing with the True Ancestor.”
Unknown regained his composure.
That calmness was irritating.
As if he were saying the battle on this side was already decided.
“Geez. You live long enough to see anything. It’s been a long time since someone spoke to me like that in this Tower. That’s why the Tower of Trials is so fun.”
Jinhyuk flexed his wrist.
The Serpent Sword wriggled as if it were alive.
Chwaaat!
The blade snapped toward Unknown’s face in a single motion.
He wanted to see what kind of face was hidden behind that mask.
But before it could even graze the surface—
Unknown’s figure blurred and vanished.
A movement technique only possible for someone who had reached the Transformation Realm.
In the same breath, Unknown appeared behind Jinhyuk and struck.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’ve already grasped your patterns.”
Another Serpent Sword shot for Jinhyuk’s heart.
Puhpuhpuh!
The blade pierced straight through his back and protruded out the other side.
But not a single drop of blood followed.
“Blink…?”
Unknown immediately widened the distance.
A movement technique similar in effect to Murim footwork, yet executed through a completely different method.
“Your patterns are obvious. You really thought you’d catch me by slipping in one feint?”
“……Of course not. I’ve got plenty prepared for you too. I’ll entertain you properly.”
Kukukukuku!
Purple mist streamed from Unknown’s body. The power he had fully absorbed was about to be unleashed in earnest.
And since he no longer needed to waste Mana dealing with Alice, he could pour everything into Jinhyuk.
A brief silence followed.
Both of them measured distance, calculated every possibility, and searched for the most advantageous moment.
And the instant each judged their odds to be over half—
Two Serpent Swords carved different trajectories.
Kakakakakang!
A brutal exchange erupted.
Blades screamed as they tried to tear each other apart.
‘Glacial Sculpting,’ ‘Primordial Flame,’ ‘High-Speed Sword.’
Each time a power was drawn from the library, a new variable detonated into the fight.
‘First, I need to lock down his movement with a wide-area technique.’
‘To stop that annoying movement skill, I’ll have to use something bigger.’
Jinhyuk formed a vast swamp.
In response, Unknown summoned a fireball that contained the power of the sun.
…As Eight Swamps and Flare Eclipse collided, poison and flame scorched the air itself.
Chi-eeek!
Thick smoke billowed up.
Even with shields, anyone lingering in the center would melt away.
When the brief magical clash ended, desperate close-quarters combat followed.
Kwakwakwakwang!
Black and red Mana filled the sky.
Purple flames scattered, and Jinhyuk and Unknown cut through them at high speed.
“Hahaha! The effects of that great Coronation are almost gone now, aren’t they?”
Unknown’s mask opened, and grotesque laughter poured out.
What the hell.
The black mask stretched like wet mud.
“You’ll bite your tongue.”
Jinhyuk crossed First Blade in both hands, then twisted hard.
[Kang Jinhyuk activates Blood Serpent – ‘Blood Arturas’!]
“Kieeee!”
A red snake opened its mouth wide enough to swallow a person whole.
At the same time—
[Unknown activates Black Serpent – ‘Black Drayden’!]
“Keuoooo!”
A black-fanged serpent lunged in from the side.
Puhpuhpuhpuh!
The snakes collided.
They raked the ground with bared fangs, frantically hunting for openings.
And the essence of each individual’s job—optimized to maximize the same abilities—was layered over the clash.
[Zodiac Constellations – ‘Constellation Banquet’ is activated!]
Twelve constellations raised a massive Barrier, dimming the sky.
Dazzling starlight wrapped around the serpents, and their ferocity multiplied.
Sword strikes and sword strikes.
Snakes and snakes.
Everything rampaged from every direction.
Every graze carried enough lethality to end a life.
How long had it been?
The total number of exchanges easily surpassed three digits.
Yet neither side found the final blow.
It was Unknown who broke first.
Unable to crack the tense balance, he erupted in anger.
‘What… the hell! What’s the problem?!’
It made no sense.
Everything should have been in his favor.
His base stats were superior. The number of stored skills and abilities was overwhelming.
Above all, he had memorized patterns for every situation through endless information and data.
He should never lose a 1:1 fight.
‘And unlike Alice, that guy doesn’t even have his old equipment properly…’
He didn’t even have the pistol he once treated as his favorite weapon.
Even if he had transmuted the purple-grade First Blade into the Serpent Sword, it couldn’t compare to the past—when he had fully reinforced it with enhancement stones.
Yes.
The difference in power should have been so insignificant it wasn’t even worth calculating—
“You…! What did you do?!”
Unknown shouted.
Jinhyuk didn’t answer.
He simply neutralized Unknown’s attack with sharper precision.
Kaang!
The weakened Black Serpent dipped its head.
‘He’s shaken.’
The speed and power were clearly slipping.
It was natural.
Back then, he had higher levels and better equipment. Compared to his strongest days, he was inevitably lacking.
However—
There was one thing.
One thing that was better than in his prime.
Experience.
The experience of climbing the Tower of Trials in the past, layered with everything he’d gained since, had refined his technique and proficiency to an entirely different level.
Enough to cover the gaps in power and stats.
Combat sense.
Seogeok!
At last, a red line appeared across Unknown’s body.
The pain arrived a few seconds later—because the cut was that clean.
“Kuaaaak!”
Unknown, faced with a result that shattered his expectations, threw away his dagger.
“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you. I’m going to kill you!”
He gathered every remaining thread of Mana and condensed it into a single light.
[Unique Holy Spear ‘Ad astra’ is activated!]
A new power born from combining abilities taken from an ancient being and an Operator.
A one-hit kill—its output incomparable to dragon breath or even a main god’s Unique Holy Spear—flickered into being.
…It’s coming.
Sensing the absurd Mana compressing, Jinhyuk realized the end was near.
At the same time, he calmed his violently pounding heart.
The opportunity he had been waiting for was finally here.
[Copy Condition: ‘Limit Break’. In order to copy Unknown’s ability, which has extraordinary power, he must use an ability that did not exist before and then eliminate the opponent.]
The most troublesome enemy he had faced so far.
He had held back—waiting to copy the power Unknown possessed.
If he could get this after Velus, every hardship would be repaid.
‘Just get past this.’
[Unique Holy Spear ‘One Eye Moon’ is activated!]
Jinhyuk unleashed the power he had copied from Gros.
—
‘Good….’
‘It’s worth a try.’
‘As expected, the combination of Kang Jinhyuk and Veteran Corporation is powerful.’
‘Better than expected.’
The senior managers watching the screen swallowed hard.
Restoring Alice’s prime.
Mobilizing allies outside to stop Azathoth’s Palace.
Then using Sharing of All Things to swap positions and create the optimal build-up.
Everything about the plan was flawless.
Even Berial and the Egyptian side trusting Jinhyuk completely, without betrayal, convinced them that they could compensate for Celestial Order turning on them.
“Hm….”
The man seated in the chair tapped the table repeatedly.
“Are you anxious?”
Rick took a sip of coffee and asked.
It sounded casual, but in a situation this sensitive, it was a dangerously sharp remark.
“Does it look that way?”
“It is commonly said that repeating the same action rapidly expresses anxiety.”
“Hehe. Rick, you’re still sharp. Well, I understand why you’d think that. It seems the plan I prepared isn’t working properly.”
“It is happening.”
Rick shot back.
The man only shrugged, as if it didn’t matter.
“I’m looking at the bigger picture. Victory or defeat in a single battle isn’t what matters. What matters is how fun a game we can create—and how we end the overall war in victory.”
This time, after a brief pause, the man tapped the table again.
Ttaak.
The mirror split in half, revealing a scene from a completely different place.
It wasn’t where Jinhyuk was.
It wasn’t where the alliance was fighting.
It was a third location, entirely removed from the battle.
And there, something was unfolding—something that would bring a massive change to the Tower.
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