The Beat of Annihilation
A majestic sound like war drums thundered across the battlefield of the Otherworld War. Boom—! Boom—! Boom—! The noise that shook the entire space was far more than mere sound. It was neither an explosion nor a lightning strike, yet it carried an immeasurably dangerous and colossal threat.
What was even more absurd was that the sound emanated from the Black Flame Absolute’s entire body. Moreover, unlike the previous pulsing of Exploding Blood that had originated from his heart and threatened only the immediate surroundings, this one visibly encroached upon distant areas.
The movement of the muscles gripping the Guide of the Origin—the staff driven through the Dimensional Mage God’s heart—had triggered the sound. The blood that had been gushing from the pierced heart was now completely sealed. Every muscle across his body throbbed as if it had become a second heart.
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than the contraction and expansion of muscle fibers. But the Grey Absolute’s eyes widened in shock. Boom-boom—! Boom-boom—! Boom-boom—! The pulsing of the ever-expanding muscles sounded exactly like war drums signaling an army’s advance.
Despite a destroyed heart, the body was regaining strength instead of dying. No—it was preparing to unleash power that surpassed even the full-force strike of the Thunder Sound Pahoton.
Third stage of Exploding Blood. The heart is obliterated, yet the entire body’s musculature becomes the engine of absolute violence.
So this is Extinction Sound—! A technique that allows him to exert power through every muscle in his body even after his heart—the core of the Black Flame authority—is shattered? Replacing the heart with the entire muscular system as a tool for physical reinforcement? Such an absurd authority actually exists?
As the Grey Absolute, he knew every publicly revealed authority. Even with the powers of magic and dimensions at his command, he could replicate most of them. Yet he had never known of this one.
Muscles can mostly be controlled by conscious will. There are countless techniques and secrets that convert unconscious muscles—like the heart and internal organs—into voluntary ones. I can do it too.
But to forcibly circulate blood by manipulating the entire body’s muscles in place of the heart, while simultaneously strengthening physical ability? This goes beyond common sense—it completely shatters it.
Normally, one would accelerate blood flow using both the heart and full-body muscle movement? What kind of muscle manipulation technique is this? Gruuuugh—!
The restraining force of his Ego Ayuta-enhanced blade catch was collapsing. The blade of Pahoton biting into his forehead touched the skull with a chilling scrape. His knees buckled involuntarily as his body was pushed backward.
Clang-clang-clang—! Sparks of black flame flew from both palms where they gripped the edge of Pahoton. The destructive power of Ego Ayuta was breaking down.
The Dimensional Mage God tried to ignore the blood streaming down his forehead and move his lips to begin a chant, but it was impossible.
The price for using the Guide of the Origin at full power to pierce the Black Flame Absolute’s heart was too great.
At 8th-circle, he had been sent flying the moment the Thunder Sound Pahoton activated and had lost consciousness. Even after ascending to 14th-circle and gaining the highest evasion and lethal counterattack capabilities, he had still only been an 8th-circle mage at heart. After briefly crossing blades with the Black Flame Absolute by surpassing his limits, he had been driven to the brink of self-destruction.
The present is powerless. The past has collapsed. All that remains is the future—myself.
Only his future self remained, blood flowing from his forehead as the merciless blade of Pahoton drove in, knees on the verge of buckling. Yet he refused to accept such a pathetic defeat after enduring those endless years of training. There was simply no way out. The moment he relaxed even slightly in either hand, he would be sliced in two.
Boom-boom-boom—! Boom-boom-boom—! Boom-boom-boom—! The sound of Extinction grew faster and faster. The blood flowing from his forehead increased. Finally, a voice dripping with murderous intent escaped his lips.
“Huuuuh—! You damn Black Flame bastard… you’ve pushed it this far….”
The Black Flame Absolute’s face, already on the verge of collapse from the immense strain of activating Extinction Sound with a shattered heart, twisted in horror. For the first time in his life, he felt a crisis so severe that even Always Coin Heads was warning him of his own death—a gruesome end in which his entire upper body would be shredded.
The culprit behind that vision was the swarm of Absolute Distance Koa that erupted from the Grey Absolute’s forehead. Countless secrets capable of blowing away the version of himself that had descended into the Dimensional Mage God’s body were stored inside his brain.
“You insane grey bastard—! You’ve been storing ‘Koa’ inside your skull!”
Any further hesitation and his upper body would be completely torn apart. The Black Flame Absolute abandoned the Pahoton that could have ended the fight with just a little more force and hurled himself backward.
From within the Grey Absolute’s forehead, the Koa detonated. It literally ground the Pahoton to pieces while carving countless black lines across the space before it. The world shattered endlessly.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—!
The black lines fired from his forehead erased anything they touched—whether it was the Pahoton, said to possess the greatest power in the Absolute Realm, or anything else. Even the Black Flame Absolute’s body vanished as if evaporating the instant they grazed it.
“Guaaaaagh—!”
The black lines that had been fired even tried to swallow the Grey Absolute himself. Yet they gathered in front of his forehead, shaping themselves into the form of a mage’s staff before beginning to collapse into an indistinct shape. The Grey Absolute’s right hand seized that moment of transition, forcing the staff into perfect form.
His right hand now held the staff, but bright red blood was gushing like a fountain from the wound on his forehead that his left hand was desperately pressing. The blood dripped between his fingers, spattering the ground.
Drip—! Drop—!
The sight was eerily similar to the present Dimensional Mage God barely standing with a hole in his forehead after using the Guide of the Origin as a decisive hidden weapon. The only difference was that, unlike the deathly pale Dimensional Mage God, this version radiated murderous intent while wearing a smile that said the real fight was only now beginning.
Absolute Skill
Gray Absolute’s unfinished ultimate weapon. A fusion of countless Koa created within the brain, shaped into a staff that annihilates concepts and space itself.
“This is the Grey Absolute’s ultimate skill, Idea, that I was creating with my own ‘Koa.’ It’s still incomplete, but it can easily shatter a body like the Black Flame’s. Do you like it? Then allow me to continue the hospitality. Receive the continuous barrage of Absolute Distance Koa.”
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—!
The moment the Grey Absolute’s grip released a swarm of Absolute Distance Koa from the staff called Idea, it once again lost its shape. In exchange, it transformed the surrounding space into countless black cutting lines that sliced, shredded, and rewrote everything they touched.
The Black Flame Absolute bared his teeth as he watched the swarm of black lines spreading their area of effect, attempting to engulf him from every direction.
Damn it! The power is ridiculous enough, but the method of creation is utterly horrifying.
Creating bombs inside his own head and fusing them into an absolute skill? It’s insane.
He was condensing Koa—space-time bombs that don’t merely destroy the world but mutate and corrupt it—inside his brain to forge his own absolute skill?
The power would obviously increase, but the slightest mistake would cause self-destruction. And yet there’s a madman who actually does this?
But there was no time to be shocked. As if to prove that Idea was worth risking such danger, the absolute skill easily pierced and completely destroyed the Black Flame Absolute’s body, which was supposed to be the strongest in the Absolute Realm. Even a single hit had blown away his upper body; if dozens struck him, even he would be reduced to dust and erased.
“Kuaaaaaaaaah—! Resound—! Extinction Sound—! I’ll tear this insane grey bastard to pieces!”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!
The war drums of muscle now beat at a speed like two armies about to collide. The newly recreated Pahoton had grown to a size and sharpness never seen before. It swept in every direction, beginning to shatter every approaching line of Koa.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang—! Pa-ga-ga-gak—!
The endless black lines pouring from the Grey Absolute’s Idea targeted the Black Flame Absolute, while Pahoton pulverized every last one of them. The two gradually drew closer. Naturally, the closer they came, the more frequent the collisions and the greater the danger, yet both advanced as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was a contest between a sage’s speed of authority activation and a warrior’s speed of swinging a weapon. Normally, a warrior who only needed to move muscles would hold an overwhelming advantage over a sage who required complex calculations. Yet they were evenly matched.
The Koa aggregates created inside his brain and perfectly fused with his body generated endlessly through sheer will, hammering the Black Flame Absolute’s flesh and Pahoton. No matter how much fighting spirit and murderous intent had materialized Pahoton, it could not face Koa—which destroyed and recreated the world itself—without consequence.
The constant repair of its dulled and shattered blade left the Black Flame Absolute with no breathing room, even while maintaining Extinction Sound.
“Grrrrrrr—!”
“Huuuuuuuh—!”
Groans escaped the lips of both battered figures. The Grey Absolute’s condition was critical. The Black Flame Absolute had taken a blow to the heart, while the Grey Absolute had suffered a head wound. Forcibly expelling the Koa that had been fusing inside his brain could not leave him unscathed. For a sage class that required high-level calculation ability, brain damage was fatal.
The damage far exceeded what the Black Flame Absolute—who had repeatedly pushed himself beyond his limits—had suffered.
My vision is gradually blurring. I can feel the number of black lines being emitted from Idea decreasing. The Black Flame Absolute, who had been approaching while only defending, is regaining composure and slowly preparing a lethal strike.
The Grey Absolute ground his teeth at the realization that he was going all-out while the Black Flame Absolute still had energy to spare.
Damn it—! I shouldn’t have brought out the unfinished Idea. But I have no more moves left.
The battle had become utterly hopeless. The 8th-circle version of himself that he had summoned hoping for close-combat ability had focused on evasion and speed. Upon ascending to 14th-circle, his offensive power had been enough to trouble the Black Flame Absolute for a short time. However, his endurance and defense had become critically flawed.
While he could gain a temporary advantage and win a short fight against the Black Flame Absolute, the moment the battle dragged on, he collapsed.
So this is what ordinary talent looks like. Focus on one thing and everything else falls behind. The price of drastically strengthening evasion to fight multiple high elf queens is a body as fragile as glass that shatters at a touch. How ridiculous.
The current version of himself had managed to blow away the Black Flame Absolute’s heart, but now seemed to lack even the strength to move. On top of that, even after bringing out his unfinished absolute skill, the Black Flame Absolute still had reserves. After losing his heart, the man had simply converted his muscles into a replacement heart and was now wielding even greater power.
Of course, such unnatural bodily control could not be maintained for long and the side effects would be severe, but it looked more than enough to finish him off.
And the most terrifying part was that this was not the end.
The stages of Exploding Blood were Explosion Sound at the first star, Thunder Sound at the second, Extinction Sound at the third, and No Sound at the fourth, correct? So there are stages beyond that as well. What a monster.
No Sound would likely be an authority connected to the divine spirit, but even Extinction Sound was already too much for him to handle in his current state. The Black Flame Absolute, whose rage had reached its peak after falling into repeated traps, would not show any mercy to his past or present selves. Everything would end.
It did not matter that he had done everything he could. What worried him was the present Dimensional Mage God, who had become the Lord God and was trying to find happiness. He had dragged the man into this while he was desperately trying to change something.
I feel just a little sorry.
Feeling the nearly depleted Koa inside Idea, he looked at his present self one last time. The Dimensional Mage God was gripping something tightly with a trembling hand. His gaze darted back and forth between himself and the Grey Absolute as he clenched his teeth, his face a mask of desperate calculation.
Hm? What is it? Does he still have a card left? His divine power and magic are completely exhausted—he shouldn’t have any strength to attack. More importantly, why hasn’t that guy run away yet?
Even though he himself had brought out Idea, the present self should have realized it was nearly a final desperate struggle. If it had been his past self, he would have already fled from such a disadvantageous situation, yet the man was still guarding the battlefield.
The moment their eyes met, the Dimensional Mage God’s face froze completely. He bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.
“Eat this—! Future me—!”
The orb he had gripped with the resolve never to let go suddenly exploded, releasing divine power and magic. Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
The black magic met the golden divine power and transformed into grey light. It was immediately absorbed into him. The fusion authority of divine power and magic that permeated his body belonged to the Origin of the Mage God. It was a perfect life that completely denied any and all reality.
“...You really have changed, present me.”
All injuries vanished in an instant. Even his depleted divine power and magic were fully restored. Before an authority that nullified death, extinction, and erasure itself, mere wounds were trivial.
Yet this was one of the three Perfect Lives that the Dimensional Mage God had desperately protected through countless near-death experiences. He knew that his future self only lived for revenge and secretly wished for his own death. All the present self needed to do was escape this battlefield where defeat was certain. If it was a request bearing the Origin of Dimensions’ signature, he could receive it later through the Yuil Yongsinje.
Yet, as always, instead of running away, he had used one of his precious Perfect Lives.
As the Grey Absolute’s head spun from the incomprehensible situation, the Dimensional Mage God’s trembling voice reached him.
“W…win.”
“Kick—! Of course I will.”
Neither the future self nor the present Dimensional Mage God could understand the action, but they both understood the emotion. The Dimensional Mage God was clearly heartbroken at having to use it; anyone who couldn’t see the tears welling in his eyes would be a fool.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—!
The black lines of Koa pouring from Idea now erupted like a volcano. The Black Flame Absolute was momentarily blasted backward by the sudden onslaught of the fully restored Grey Absolute. Then Idea began to change.
The Koa that had maintained the form of a mage’s staff while firing continuous barrages scattered in an instant. They expanded into the shape of a black sphere and soared above his head. The sight evoked an unprecedented sense of danger. The Black Flame Absolute’s swinging of Pahoton stopped.
“I will show you perfect ‘Koa’ and my ‘Idea.’ If you don’t want to be erased, show me the Silent Sound stage of Exploding Blood.”
The Grey Absolute’s declaration—half provocation, half incantation—began. Even without Always Coin Heads, the Black Flame Absolute could tell. That power was something fundamentally different from mere destruction or creation. It was an alien force that the current him could not overcome. There was not even the slightest opening in the chant.
The moment I try to approach, I will be torn to shreds and disappear.
He did not know how the sage Grey Absolute could wield such power, but there was only one way left for the Black Flame Absolute to win.
“Silent Sound (無音)….”