Chapter 671
It wasn’t simply a disguise or magic.
It had to be something far more high-dimensional and ominous.
Although only the area around his mouth was still recognizable, there was no doubt the opponent was not Tadayoshi Gensuke.
“……”
Chun Yoosung looked at his trembling arm, shaking like an aspen, and for a moment, he couldn’t contain his anger.
‘Am I… feeling fear?’
‘Not even from that bastard, but from someone else?’
‘I can’t accept it.’
‘Having crossed countless life-and-death situations and put in bone-grinding effort….’
‘Having run solely for one goal.’
‘Even if only to not be ashamed of myself!’
[Unique Holy Spear – White Night is activated!]
White snow swirled, and Chun Yoosung’s body became as sharp as a sword. His body vanished like a flash of lightning.
A gust of wind sliced through the air.
The 10th Form of the Soul-Chasing Sword unfolded, and swords rained down with unpredictable trajectories.
Front, back, left, and right.
Swords that crossed between illusion and reality became the ultimate swordsmanship and struck.
But.
Boom!
The sword, swung with the force to cleave even a mountain, was blocked as it was.
Not with a proper Sacred Relic or a named item.
Not even with a steak knife, but with a dessert spoon.
Clang…!
The spoon, coated in purple Mana, could no longer be categorized as a spoon.
“Calm down. I’m not trying to fight you. I actually wanted to have a little chat with you, just the two of us.”
“You… know me?”
“You’re a medical student at Korea University, a two-time winner of the Korea Amateur Kendo Tournament. Your hobby is taking care of stray cats, and you’re showing a maniacal obsession to surpass Kang Jinhyuk, who used to be active under the nickname Colonel Timo. Oh, and of course, I know you’re single with that face.”
“…Wh, who’s a virgin!”
“Ehey. I know everything about you, so don’t bother trying to deny it. Of course, it might be fun to check the truth of each one, but I’d rather invest my time in a more constructive conversation.”
“Constructive conversation?”
Chun Yoosung’s eyebrows furrowed into an inverted V.
It was more than a little suspicious that a suspicious enemy was suggesting a conversation instead of fighting.
But he couldn’t just swing his sword around like he usually did.
Attacking first against an enemy who exuded such overwhelming power even within White Night was no different from suicide.
‘I have to find an opening first.’
What his Unique Ability is. What kind of patterns he fights with, and so on.
In a situation where there was no information, he had to find even the smallest clue.
Chun Yoosung lowered his sword.
The man who had disguised himself as Tadayoshi Gensuke smiled.
With a smile that was somehow familiar.
“Good. It’s good that you’re being obedient. Did you learn how to control your temper properly while hanging out with our Jinhyuk?”
“I can’t help but develop patience when I’m stuck with that damn bastard.”
“Hahaha, that’s true. That guy’s personality is a bit messed up. So, about that….”
Still smiling broadly, the man reached out to Chun Yoosung.
“That wish to beat that guy. If you join me, I’ll grant it.”
A sentence that was too short, too simple.
But the meaning contained within was by no means light.
Literally….
…It pierced the most fundamental and primal desire of the human being called Chun Yoosung.
“I know… you’re strong. But if you’re trying to mess with my pride with that kind of sweet talk….”
Shing!
The Demon Sword ‘Ryuhwa’, which had been sleeping in its scabbard, was drawn, scattering green Mana.
A far more ferocious momentum than before.
A determination that wouldn’t hesitate even with mutual destruction bared itself without restraint.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. I’m not saying we should join forces to stab him in the back or anything like that. I can grow you to be able to fight that guy on equal footing. Maybe even surpass him. I’m saying I’ll let you defeat him with your own strength.”
“…….”
Chun Yoosung’s expression rapidly hardened.
Certainly….
The man in front of him had power at least equal to Jinhyuk.
‘…No, several levels above him.’
He didn’t want to admit it, but the other party possessed a more alien and powerful force than any being he had met so far, including the ancient beings and the main gods.
The Mana, which felt like madness and obsession, had surpassed a point that could not be reached by mere effort and talent.
If someone like that was saying it, it was credible enough.
Small ripples rose in the lake that had been still.
“Actually, the salvation of mankind or all the wealth and glory in the Tower isn’t what you truly want, is it?”
If there was one and only one wish, it was to defeat the ultimate rival with his own hands and prove himself.
He could pay any price if he could achieve that.
The intense desire inside him writhed.
“Overwhelming strength and victory. I know better than anyone how desperate you are for that. So, join me. I’m the only one who can understand you.”
The man wagged his snake’s tongue even more sweetly.
Whoooosh!
Chun Yoosung swung his sword violently and created distance.
“Shut up… with that bullshit.”
He almost fell for it.
But Chun Yoosung, barely holding on to his reason, rekindled his fighting spirit once again.
“Too bad. But tell me anytime if you change your mind. Oh, you can tell everyone that you took care of Tadayoshi Gensuke. It’s a reward for talking to me… you see.”
As if saying that was all for today, the man turned his back without regret.
Chun Yoosung watched him walk away and finally let out the breath he’d been holding.
His chest heaving violently.
He felt as if all his energy had been drained, even though he’d only talked for a few minutes.
‘Is it enough to cause a ripple….’
He was certain he would see him again. The scene of the future was being drawn in that smile that seemed so relaxed.
The problem was that the offer he would make next time would definitely be harder to refuse than it was now.
Crunch.
Chun Yoosung ground his teeth as if they might break, vowing never to succumb to that temptation.
At the same time, it was when the man who had left Chun Yoosung was returning the way he had come.
“Hmm.”
The man’s steps paused for a moment.
Something had been detected in his wide-ranging senses.
More precisely, he had discovered a spectator hiding behind a tree.
Jack Eden, the leader of Swingbat, who had come here on Seo Jeonghee’s orders.
“…Huuueup.”
Eden covered his mouth with both hands.
Like a mouse in front of a giant snake, all he could do was pray he wouldn’t be discovered.
The man tapped his chin with his fingertip.
“I’ve got an interesting idea.”
A little mouse he met in the forest.
If he used Eden, he might be able to create one more variable.
—
Thud!
Thud!
Knights who had covered their entire bodies with shields fell to the left and right.
A streak of light that shattered the strongest defense skills and pierced through.
The light didn’t just pierce all the undead summons—it punched straight through Clemence’s shield as well.
“Cough!”
Red blood vessels surfaced in Clemence’s eyes.
[A large amount of Mana is replenished!]
She had the ability to convert pain into Mana, but this impact was too much to welcome.
The excruciating pain that scorched even her brain fluid exceeded even what adrenaline could endure.
“You said you liked pain or something, but I guess you’re not really crazy.”
A strong person who was always in a superior position while killing and torturing others.
So she probably had no experience being chased by the fear of actually dying.
“How dare you say such a thing in front of me!”
Clemence screamed and raised her staff.
[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Forgotten Empire’ – ‘Holy War’ is activated!]
The great war in mythology, where all the forces of the past empire and the Demon King fought a full-scale war.
From the sky, the land, and even the water.
The great heroes, gods, and Demon Kings who decorated the myth appeared.
Unlike before, everyone was equipped with the Sacred Relics and Full Armament they used during their prime. A crack formed in the jewel at the end of Clemence’s staff.
She was trying to expend all the pain magic she had gathered to the very end of her soul.
[Clemence activates ‘Black Fairy Land’!]
On one side, a special unit made up of a large number of fairies was deployed.
The intention was to limit Jinhyuk’s attack route by making full use of the characteristic that penalties could be imposed if they were killed carelessly.
“Screeeech!”
“Scree!”
A huge number of troops blackened the field of vision.
As expected, to break that Unique Holy Spear, Clemence’s main body had to be dealt with.
“Contractor!”
“I’ll cover you, yes.”
Alice and Frey, seeing Jinhyuk unleash his abilities, took the left and right wings.
To scatter the forces and draw attention.
To create an opening for Jinhyuk to fight head-on in the center.
[Unique Holy Spear – Apocalypse of Revelation – Blood Eclipse is activated!]
[Puppet Play ‘Spear Dance’ is activated!]
The True Ancestor’s bloodline magic completely changed the terrain on the right.
On the left, Frey’s dolls performed a splendid sword dance. Two spears spun like windmills and pierced through the undead monsters.
Boom!
Slash! Crack!
Reliable allies who were doing their part admirably.
‘Okay, then, shall I move too?’
Jinhyuk took out a mint chocolate-flavored Chupa-x from the coin exchange and put it in his mouth.
It was a new product that produced green smoke when inhaled deeply and exhaled.
[Due to adherence to the concept, a 10% bonus is added to attack power and attack speed.]
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Flames spewed from the muzzle.
—
The strongest ranker who conquered the top of the Tower.
Since Jinhyuk used not only pistols but also various Unique Holy Spears, there was no way to withstand it. The knights who had ravaged the continent were annihilated in less than a minute. The high-ranking demons and Demon Kings who had terrified the Empire also vanished without being able to endure the bullets.
Even the fairies that had been scattered to limit the attack radius were handled by only shooting and dropping their wings in an amazing way.
Firepower, speed, and accuracy bordering on acrobatics.
“I said it would be manageable if it weren’t for that coronation or whatever….”
There was no chance of winning like this.
Even if she threw away everything she had, she couldn’t see a way to win.
The vitality slowly drained from Clemence’s eyes.
Since she was going to die miserably anyway….
Her hesitation wasn’t long.
Clemence slowly walked toward the Ownerless Shadow Sapling and scratched her palm with her fingernails.
Drip. Drip.
As the red drops of blood fell, the sapling twitched in response.
[The parasitization of the ‘Ownerless Shadow Sapling’ begins!]
Clemence’s body sank deep into the center of the Ownerless Shadow Sapling.
Creeeak! Heh-heh-heh…
Vines tightly bound the archmage’s body and began to suck out her Mana.
“I… can’t lose. I can’t be defeated by some guy climbing the Tower… I, who destroyed the Empire, can’t lose!”
With a sharp scream, black clouds loomed in the sky.