Chapter 668
Two options.
Kang Jinhyuk bit his lip.
‘That exclusive perk I got as the first to conquer the Tower is useless at times like this.’
If there were something mediocre mixed in, deciding would be easier.
But throwing only the best at me and telling me to choose is always a headache.
[Remaining Time: 0H : 0M : 3S]
He hesitated for only a moment before making his decision.
[You have selected ‘Call of Returnee Medrey’.]
Copying was possible depending on the conditions, but finding Medrey—who was deliberately hiding—was nearly impossible.
She kept moving her base, so even Kang Jinhyuk couldn’t pinpoint her exact location.
‘For now, I’ll keep this until the timing is right.’
With the crest-sealed parchment in hand, Kang Jinhyuk looked forward again.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwa!
“What are you doing spacing out all of a sudden! You idiot contractor!”
Alice fired red skewers, guarding his side.
As a bonus, she spread her wings wide and wrapped them around his body.
He’d focused for just a moment and hadn’t even realized how the battle had shifted.
“Sorry.”
“Tch! I can’t say anything when you apologize with that face, can I? More importantly, if you’re back to your senses, move. Those guys aren’t easy.”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The ground shook.
The sight of the Empire’s undead marching forward was surreal.
[‘Ownerless Shadow Sapling’ is nearing full bloom!]
“Kieeeeeee!”
Now over ten meters tall, the sapling let out a bizarre scream.
As ancient Mana was injected into Necropolis, Clemence’s Unique Holy Spear began to radiate a terrifying aura.
“For the Empire… and the Emperor…”
“Tear all humans… to shreds.”
The knights who once protected the Empire.
The demons who fed on human fear and dread.
All of them had become corpses, reduced to obedient tools under Clemence’s command.
“There are too many. Mhm.”
Frey, already wielding a Unique Holy Spear, led her dolls as she fought.
The doppelgangers—precisely coordinated through her puppetry—fought fiercely, but the enemy numbers were overwhelming.
If it weren’t for the ancient Mana, it would have been far easier. With the [Ownerless Shadow Sapling], Clemence’s Necropolis, and Livolt working in synergy, the difficulty had increased severalfold.
Puff! Puff!
Each time a short spear cut through the air, dozens of undead fell to the left and right.
And then several times more surged forward, shrieking as they closed the distance.
“Mogiii!”
In the middle of it all, Goguma’s Breath exploded.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!
A streak of light swept through, and thousands of undead evaporated on the spot.
As expected of an ancient species’ Breath.
“Oh my. How envious. I’ve never killed so many lives in one shot.”
Clemence’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing her blush and tremble all over made disgust rise in Kang Jinhyuk all over again.
Still, the reason she was so relaxed was obvious.
She still had an army.
‘And she’s saving the most troublesome ones.’
First, they had to remove the [Ownerless Shadow Sapling] and destroy Necropolis. Only then could Livolt be freed, and the power of that massive army would be cut in half.
“Cover me, Alice.”
“Are you going to push in there?”
“We can’t end this with a war of attrition. We move while we have the advantage.”
“I understand.”
Alice nodded and split her skewers into even smaller pieces.
The red rain that densely filled the sky turned into a downpour and crashed down.
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
A path slowly opened under the tremendous bombardment.
[Alice activates ‘Blood Field’!]
[The power of the sapling is reduced by 30%!]
The authority of pure blood—strong enough to suppress even ancient power.
When one of the Tower’s absolute beings exerted her full strength, a crimson path stained with the blood of corpses was carved out.
It was hard to believe even while watching it.
‘Now…!’
Wearing the [Crown of Swiftness], Kang Jinhyuk vanished like the wind.
Kwaang!
Only after deep footprints were stamped into the ground did the shockwave catch up.
[Heavenly Demon Divine Sword ‘Great Heavenly Demon Army’ is activated!]
A black, rampaging Aura cut down everything in its path—overwhelming power that made numbers meaningless.
“Hee. So you’re aiming for my heart right away? You’re underestimating me too much.”
Clemence watched Kang Jinhyuk rush in at high speed, utterly at ease.
She wasn’t being careless.
She hadn’t faced him directly, but she’d heard enough from the ancient beings about how dangerous Kang Jinhyuk was.
Not to mention Alice, who had reached her peak.
However.
Clemence herself was also someone who had conquered a world.
That wasn’t something you achieved through luck or effort alone.
Only when a chosen genius blooms every ounce of their potential can they reach the summit.
And with the hidden cards granted by the ancient beings…
Her odds of victory were more than sufficient.
“You said you’d make me experience pain I’ve never felt before, right?”
What an exciting, sweet whisper.
So thrilling she could hardly stand it.
“I’ll give you the same pain in return.”
If the opponent had chosen a frontal breakthrough, there was no reason to hold anything back.
[Fairy’s Serenade ‘Aqua Blade’ is activated!]
A massive whirlpool formed in the spring, and a huge droplet rose above it.
Spinning at an ultra-high speed, the droplet accelerated until it sharpened into the shape of a thin sword.
Cutting power that could slice even diamonds.
Dozens of water blades poured down on Kang Jinhyuk.
At the same time—
Tuk!
Tat!
Knights in white armor, hidden among the undead, leapt out.
‘The Empire’s Swords.’
Every one of them was a Sword Saint who had cut down high-ranking demons or otherworldly Divinities.
Navy-blue Aura blades several meters long crisscrossed the air.
And on top of that—
[Demon King ‘Tarmillias’ activates ‘Yellow Crimson Flame Cannon’!]
[Demon King ‘Murukan’ activates ‘Red Flame Cannon’!]
Yellow and red flames erupted from the six horns on the Demon Kings’ heads.
—
“We need to hurry.”
Chun Yoosung, Behemoth, Jack Eden, Fried, Malang the Azure Dragon, and five Spirit Beasts moved toward another side of the spring.
As they passed through the valley and went deeper, the Mana waves they’d felt earlier grew far more intense.
“That way!”
Gnome, sniffing the soil, pointed toward a tangled section of canyon.
He’d sensed the mixed Mana unique to the Returnees.
“Second, sixth, seventh, and eleventh are dangerous, and the third, fourth, and tenth paths have alarm magic on them. The safest is the fifth.”
Once Gnome grasped the overall direction, Pesis filled in the details.
“Good.”
Chun Yoosung’s eyes sharpened.
A rare chance to prove he could outpace Kang Jinhyuk. This time, he’d let the whole world know who the strongest in the Veteran Corporation really was.
Kwaang!
Kicking off the ground, Chun Yoosung burst forward in an instant.
“W-wait up!”
“Why is he so fast?”
“Miyooo!”
The Spirit Beasts hurriedly chased after him.
“Not bad. Is it because he’s been with that demon? He’s amazing for a human.”
Behemoth admired Chun Yoosung’s well-trained Mana and let out a small exclamation.
“This noble one will help a little.”
“Me too, me too!”
[Malang the Azure Dragon activates ‘Weather Modification’!]
[Sylphid activates ‘Wind’s Aegis’!]
Two winds pressed gently at their backs.
Their steps grew lighter, and their acceleration increased.
How long had it been?
A subtle sense of incongruity prickled in the place they reached, guided by Pesis and Gnome.
Chun Yoosung stopped.
He stood tall and stared into empty air.
“Come out.”
Seureung.
A murderous Aura formed along the blade as he drew his sword.
“Hoo. So you saw through it.”
“Kik kik! Not bad. I was going to cut you down the moment you took one more step.”
Two shadows emerged from the darkness.
A small-framed Asian man with black hair.
And beside him, a muscular man with white hair.
The assassin Tadayoshi Gensuke, who returned from a world of samurai and ninjas.
The human hunter Ian Gregory, who returned from a world ruled by vampires.
Both were monsters with power equal to Clemence.
Dirt and dust clung to them in places, as if they’d been searching for something until just moments ago.
“I’ll take one of them.”
Chun Yoosung lowered his sword diagonally.
From the start, seeing those two together made it clear—they were the type to create synergy as a pair rather than fight separately.
First, he had to remove their advantage.
“Well, that makes it easier for us.”
Ududuk!
Behemoth cracked her finger joints.
Fried spread her wings wide and gathered flaming feathers.
[Chun Yoosung activates ‘Battlefield Selection’!]
[Due to the effect of Duel, all stats are increased by 20%!]
Patztsutsu….
A transparent Barrier unfolded.
Chun Yoosung’s special skill that forced a 1:1 match with one target.
However—
Bbibibic!
The isolated space shattered along with a red status window.
[There are restrictions on the effects of Duel.]
“You’re using shallow tricks. Too bad. My specialty is breaking Barriers and formulas.”
Gregory pulled on gloves marked with a cross.
A predator who grew addicted to blood while hunting vampires, until he ended up devouring both vampires and humans alike.
The half-human, half-beast Gregory snapped his fingers.
Ttaak!
Kwakwakwakwang!
Blood droplets exploded, and thick blood mist spread across the area.
He can’t see.
It wasn’t just sight—Mana signatures were distorted as well.
Clang! Clang!
Starting from that point, the sound of weapons colliding echoed from within the valley.
Chwareureureu… Kwakwakwakwakwak!
Sickle chains, poison needles, and hidden weapons poured down.
It wasn’t one or two traps. It was as if they’d predicted this side would try to ambush them.
Kwaang!
Chun Yoosung’s palm, after knocking away a hidden weapon, trembled slightly.
Heavy.
An unspeakable mass was packed into each throwing star.
[Gensuke activates ‘Invitation to Darkness’!]
Seureureuk….
Black mist swirled up between the red blood droplets.
“I’m not as strong as you in one-on-one combat, but I’m quite confident in ambushes in dark places. Kik kik.”
The light vanished completely.
Sound, smell, warmth, even Mana—every clue was severed.
Darkness that isolated all senses.
……Right rear!
Kwaang!
He predicted the strike aimed at the deliberate opening and deflected it.
Finding distance in the exchange, Chun Yoosung widened the gap in an instant.
His vision returned.
But only temporarily.
The moment he closed the distance again, he’d have to fight while losing his senses.
‘Bad matchup.’
Swordsmanship wasn’t the optimal solution against those two.
The best way to deal with darkness and blood used like that was….
‘Divinity.’
He needed someone with opposing power.
“Damn it.”
Chun Yoosung spat out a curse.
Because Kang Jinhyuk’s face—chuckling in his head—came to mind.
He must have given him that item for times like this.
Even if he didn’t know what abilities those two Returnees had, he’d handed over exactly what was needed, as if he’d foreseen this situation.
Chun Yoosung was furious at the feeling of being a puppet on strings, but there was nothing he could do.
He pulled a single item from his chest.
A badge shaped like a lion.
[Special item ‘Passionate Warrior’ is activated!]
Uuung!
A cheesy, grand 90s song blared as the badge shone in rainbow colors.
“…….”
Chun Yoosung lowered his head with the face of a man who had given up on everything.
If [String Connecting Beliefs] was a rare item that could freely summon companions from the lower floors, then [Passionate Warrior] was an item that allowed you to summon companions to the upper floors if special conditions were met.
However, it had a fatal flaw.
A concept-obsessed Divinity from another world demanded the user have the proper lines and attire to activate it.
[The item user’s clothes are newly customized!]
Blue spandex leggings straight out of a sentai series.
And the sword in his hand had already turned into a lightsaber.
“What… are you doing?”
“Kik kik kik kik kik! Wow, the info said he had a serious personality, but he’s a complete gag character? Kahahaha!”
Gregory and Gensuke’s words pierced straight through him.
He could even see the companions behind him struggling to hold back their laughter.
……I want to die.
But he hated failing the mission and being looked down on by Kang Jinhyuk even more than death.
Chun Yoosung clenched his molars again as he read the instructions written on the note.
One second later, a voice like swallowing molten metal came out.
“…Veteran Corporation Blue. In a moment of utter crisis, I will summon a companion to save the warrior!”
Chun Yoosung struck a pose toward the sky.
[Pparara… Pparabababam!]
The tempo of the music shifted into something solemn.
At that moment—
Kwaaaaaaaa…!
Starlight crashed down from the heavens.
“V-Veteran Corporation Pi, Pi,… Pink! Responding to the call, I will join the battle!”
A pink saint descended, wrapped in golden Divinity.