Chapter 687
If Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath, Nyarlathotep, and Yomaganto are called “Outer Gods,”
then the forces that stand directly opposed to them are called “Elder Gods.”
They share the same 50th floor, but their relationship is like oil and water—never able to mix.
Though they were content to remain within their own territories and reluctant to meddle in the outside world, that didn’t mean they were peaceful or weak.
“Michael-nim?”
Ophelia’s pupils trembled.
She had never imagined Michael would choose to save Alice at the cost of his own life.
“I leave the rest to you.”
Michael gave a gentle smile—something he had never shown before.
Unlike his past, drenched in slaughter and carnage, this smile felt calm and at ease.
“…It was an honor to be with you.”
Ophelia stayed by Michael’s side.
And at that moment.
[The Elder God ‘Oryx’ manifests.]
A light so bright it blinded the eyes poured down.
Rumble!
The ground shook.
If Yomaganto’s Flames of Fear burned everything,
then Oryx was a radiant Flames of Fear—a being wreathed in white and purple fire that wasn’t hot, wielding cold flame.
“Elder…God.”
Yomaganto lifted his gaze to the sky.
The Flames of Fear enveloping his body wavered, and an indescribable pressure settled over him.
“I have come in response to the call. Are you the one who summoned me?”
The colossal light turned toward the unconscious Jinhyuk.
Michael had activated Endless Wayfort, but everything that served as the ritual’s source pointed to Jinhyuk.
Then Jinhyuk—who had been passed out—brushed himself off and stood up as if nothing had happened.
“Contractor. Are you okay?”
“Yeah… no. I woke up because the light was too bright.”
Watching Alice and Medrey break through had suited him just fine, but with Endless Wayfort opened, it was time to end the break.
‘Michael played a big role.’
Honestly, he hadn’t expected him to go that far.
A bitter taste lingered on his tongue, but mourning would have to wait until this was over.
A new card to fight ancient beings.
And his first contact with the Elder Gods.
“Yes. I called you.”
Jinhyuk nodded.
“It’s interesting that a human is fighting the Outer Gods. And I didn’t know someone who knew the ritual to summon me would remain in this dimension.”
That was probably true.
Normally, contact with the Elder Gods only happened after reaching the 48th floor.
If he hadn’t climbed the Tower once before, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of it.
“Don’t interfere, Oryx. If you cross the line, I won’t let it go.”
Yomaganto spat fire.
Whoooosh!
The Flames of Fear, packed with anger, delivered a heavy warning.
“It is our rule to grant the wishes of the human brought by the summoning ritual. I am only following that sacred duty.”
Oryx stated the facts calmly.
Then Yomaganto’s voice sank even colder.
“Even if it means going to war with us?”
The ancient war.
A prelude to the Tower of Trials—and to countless dimensions turning to dust.
“Are you willing to endure everything just to suppress one human? Why go that far?”
Oryx asked back, as if he truly couldn’t understand.
“……”
Yomaganto shut his mouth.
Instead, Jinhyuk answered.
“Because the Necronomicon is at stake in this fight.”
“……!?”
This time, Oryx was the one taken aback.
One of the few means capable of threatening the Outer Gods. It was only natural he’d be shocked when the name of that forbidden book—known to only a tiny few beyond the 50th floor—came from a human’s mouth.
Now he understood why Yomaganto was willing to stake everything on one human.
And as one of the Elder Gods, he felt a deep interest in this matter.
“Was that so.”
Oryx’s radiance intensified.
“I heard something I shouldn’t have heard.”
Yomaganto sensed every remaining option slipping away.
Now that the Necronomicon’s existence was known, Oryx would never back down.
In other words, there was no longer any choice but war.
Everything was unfolding exactly as Jinhyuk intended.
—
[Yomaganto activates ‘Three Flames’ – ‘Burning Planet’!]
Whoooosh…!
Merciless flames began spreading across the canyon and the entire floor.
If everything so far had been little more than an ancient Divinity’s pastime—crushing the insignificant—then from now on, they would have to face each other as equals.
Crack…!
[Oryx activates ‘Frozen Flame’ – ‘Frozen Abyss’!]
Oryx unleashed cold flames befitting his presence, confronting Yomaganto head-on.
A suffocating tension hung in the air.
It was only natural—beings of the 50th floor, who rarely ever fought, were about to collide.
“I will secure the Necronomicon. Can I leave this side to you in the meantime?”
“I don’t care about that, but that book is something humans can’t handle. I hope your role ends with recovering the book. Do you understand?”
He said it indirectly, but the meaning was clear: ‘Once you secure it, hand it over.’
Of course, Jinhyuk had no intention of doing that.
Of course.
Unlike his inner thoughts, the words that left his mouth were completely different.
“That’s what I intend to do. I can’t handle something that dangerous anyway. My only goal is to protect what I cherish. I have no desire to get involved with the 50th floor.”
As a bonus, he raised his voice slightly.
So everyone nearby could hear.
“I understand. I will stop that guy, so you must secure the book.”
“Leave it to me.”
Jinhyuk nodded.
Then he glanced back.
Even so, after doing that much, he should at least acknowledge him, right?
That was when it happened.
Ding!
[The criteria for goodness have been met.]
Another purpose for coming here finally came to fruition.
[Successfully copied Medrey’s Unique Holy Spear: Rainbow Bridge.]
[Rainbow Bridge]
Difficulty of acquisition: Unmeasurable
Contents: You can apply color to objects, including your own body, but the types of colors you can apply depend on your skill level, and if you reach the highest level, you can mix colors to create new colors that did not exist before.
[The copied ability is stored in ‘Memory of the World’.]
The resolve to sacrifice even himself for the spirits.
And the countless people who would give their lives for Jinhyuk.
It would be impossible without true goodness reaching its peak.
At least, Medrey sincerely believed so.
Good.
With this, he had gained another card to fight the ancient beings.
“Alice.”
“Yeah.”
Alice came over to Jinhyuk.
With Oryx handling the rear, he could now focus fully on finding the Necronomicon.
[Sharing of All Things ‘Apocalypse of Revelation’ is activated!]
Jinhyuk’s wings overlapped over Alice’s already tattered wings.
“Hold on tight. We’re going fast.”
“W-What do you take me for? Even if I’m exhausted, I’m not so weak I can’t fly.”
“Then should we go our separate ways?”
“…….”
Alice silently wrapped her arms around Jinhyuk’s shoulders.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Whoooosh!
Yomaganto’s sword thrust forward.
Rumble!
Space opened and countless meteorites began to fall. Each was so absurdly large it stretched hundreds of meters across.
Thousands of them danced through the air, aiming straight for Jinhyuk and Alice.
But before the overwhelming area attack could reach its targets, it was blocked by a gigantic wall.
“I told you. I won’t let you interfere with this person.”
Oryx unfolded a barrier of Frozen Flame.
Boom!
Bam-bam-bam!
Meteorites and blue flame collided across the sky.
The meteorites shattered, and debris sprayed in every direction.
Yomaganto’s eyes darkened to purple.
“If you keep interfering, I will destroy this floor itself so the Necronomicon can’t be handed over.”
“If you can… by all means.”
A full-scale battle erupted between ancient Divinities.
—
How long had they been running at full speed?
Huff…!
They had moved far beyond the battle’s radius, yet it still felt like killing intent was right on their heels.
“Are we there yet? I don’t know about you, but the rest of us are hitting our limits.”
Chun Yoosung, who had joined them at some point, groaned.
As the battle between Yomaganto and Oryx intensified, he judged it was more important to chase Jinhyuk and secure the Necronomicon than to stay behind.
As a result, members of the Veteran Corporation gathered one after another.
“I think we’re close, but I can’t say we’ve come to the right place.”
“What does that mean?”
“We can only confirm the book’s final destination after we first confirm the clues Pesis and 1Person2Chickens are looking for.”
A prerequisite.
Only when the last fragment was placed would the forbidden book’s location be revealed.
“Then shouldn’t we support them first?”
Teresa asked the obvious question.
If they couldn’t accomplish the former, the latter was meaningless. So it made sense to mobilize everything they had to find the final clue.
“Of course, securing the book is the top priority, but that’s not all.”
To truly win this fight, there were things they had to solve together.
Now that they’d used additional cards like Frey and Wolyoung, they had to achieve their goals with their own strength somehow.
Clink.
Jinhyuk pulled out the Old Broken Jewel Box he’d kept in his pocket.
The image of a snake biting its tail continued, and a complex, difficult map surfaced. At first glance, it was impossible to even tell what it meant.
Except for one person.
Except for Jinhyuk.
‘Is it this point this time?’
Unfortunately… the worst of the worst location had been chosen.
Back when he climbed the Tower, he had gone through endless hardship to find the Necronomicon, and there were about three scenarios that were the most difficult.
This was one of them.
Step.
Jinhyuk stopped in front of a massive cliff.
On the surface, it looked like an ordinary cliff.
“……?”
“You said we were in a hurry, so why are we here?”
“It’s a dead end.”
A ‘?’ hovered over everyone’s heads.
But what followed turned that question into an exclamation.
[Entering the hidden route ‘Event Horizon’.]
A purple wave rose, and a passage about five meters wide opened in the middle of the cliff. Jinhyuk swallowed hard.
The reason this route was the worst was—
parts of the passage were connected to the 50th floor.
“You really have to be careful.”
If they made a mistake and fell somewhere on the 50th floor…
…then they’d really need a book like ‘Surviving on the 50th Floor’.