Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: The Third Night (11)
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In the Tower of Pride, on the stage of the final showdown, Kankun had undoubtedly been eliminated.
He thought he had overcome his fear, but he couldn't surpass Adora, the Death Witch who had awakened "Wish." And due to a misunderstanding, he ended up attacking Park Chan-woo, his comrade-in-arms and benefactor.
As a result, Park Chan-woo was left teetering on the brink of death.
"To you... I offer my heart."
After that, the two heroes ceased their battle and sought to save Park Chan-woo.
Adora offered her Wish. Kankun offered his heart.
Solely for Park Chan-woo's survival, they sacrificed themselves.
Leaving behind a plea to kill the "Black Witch," the enemy of their tribe.
And so, Kankun should have died.
"My heart shall become your sword and be wielded."
It was fine.
Even if Kankun died, his heart would remain eternally as Park Chan-woo's sword.
In his hand, Kankun would be wielded as the sword of eternity.
Just imagining it brought a smile to his face.
Pity the poor Aheta and Black Witch who would have to face this tremendous warrior next.
Then, the moment he crossed death's threshold...
"I saw it. The other death within you."
Originally, Kankun was meant to perish in the "Zero Domain."
By the words of the one offered as sacrifice.
In a world of pure nothingness where nothing could be seen, he would gradually forget himself and fade away.
...But.
At the instant of annihilation, something appeared and seized Kankun's soul.
It was death itself—a being like the apocalypse of the world, far beyond anything the likes of Kankun could fathom.
The existence of beginning and end.
A monster incomparable even to the distant lords of the Abyss!
The absolute one beneath the negative realm, beyond this world of nothingness.
"That" spoke in a voice laced with anger, for some reason.
As Kankun praised Park Chan-woo's utterly radiant talent, it appeared as if to say, "Don't compare us," issuing a stern warning.
And so, Kankun answered.
Yes.
Nothing could possibly surpass Park Chan-woo's talent.
At that, "that" smirked and devoured Kankun's soul.
It granted a slight reprieve to Park Chan-woo's death.
Only then did Kankun realize.
What "that" was.
"That" was...
The existence that would bring an end to Park Chan-woo.
Forcibly limiting his life, driving him toward ruin.
"Park Chan-woo's death."
The true "death."
Kankun's soul had surely been devoured by "death."
But the moment Park Chan-woo set foot in the "Death Temple"...
"Strange. Why is my soul still here?"
His soul began to take on form.
Probably spat out by "death" once more.
And the reason for spitting it out was obvious.
"...Help him? Even if it means my soul's annihilation?"
Park Chan-woo.
Did it consider this "Death Temple" an extremely dangerous place for him?
Or perhaps there was another motive.
The "death" Kankun had faced was so capricious that its intentions were impossible to discern.
However, one thing was certain.
"Interesting."
...After so long, he could finally unleash his true power.
"Orc Lord, huh."
An orc bearing the dignity of an emperor—even Kankun had never seen one before.
Kankun was an orc master, lord of his tribe.
But an emperor led countless tribes.
Just comparing the number of orcs who followed them made it incomparable.
Its strength, too, would be on a level far beyond his control.
Yet he didn't care.
Shring!
Two greatswords materialized around Kankun.
Including the one in his hand, a total of three greatswords—all manifestations forged from Kankun's soul.
"I overcame death, experienced death, and ascended above it."
Wasn't it as good as having lived three lives already?
Through that realization, Kankun had even surpassed the rank of swordmaster.
Perhaps that's why "death" hadn't annihilated his soul.
It still saw some use in him.
That death seemed to value the "talented" ones.
No, more precisely...
"It envies Park Chan-woo."
It coveted his talent.
"Envious to the point of cursing him with a terminal illness."
It had imposed a time limit to prevent his full bloom.
As if to say, no matter how exceptional your talent, can you truly flower within that span?
But Kankun saw it differently.
"Keep up, comrade. My pace will outstrip even your expectations."
Park Chan-woo would bloom in full.
Dazzlingly, enough to fill the entire Abyss.
Kankun fused his three swords into a single greatsword.
Right then.
Krarararak!
He charged fearlessly at the Orc Lord, now transformed into a chimera.
The message announcing the opening of the Legendary Quest.
All who saw it cried out in shock.
But their astonishment was nothing compared to Aheta's.
"How in the world...?"
Aheta didn't even know the activation conditions for the Legendary Quest.
It wasn't a quest he had designed.
It was the original master's trump card, prepared just before being sealed during the reign of the third night.
However, to prevent Aheta from discovering and eliminating it, the conditions couldn't have been simple.
"Archmage... you again?"
Aheta never took his eyes off the mage camp.
The trials had to proceed in sequence, so he evenly monitored the camps, focusing on the humans pushing forward at the vanguard.
If the "Archmage" was in the mage camp, there was no way he could evade Aheta's pursuit.
...Yet.
"Did he choose a different camp after all?"
If it wasn't him, no human could have activated the Legendary Quest.
No race ever had.
He had provoked the man, assuming he'd pick the "mage camp," but apparently not.
Avoiding a direct confrontation, the Archmage had selected another camp and unlocked the "Legendary Quest" in just one day.
The real issue came afterward.
"He... persuaded the warriors of the Death Legion?"
An unbelievable event was unfolding.
In the warrior camp, the test supervisors—including Gula—the "Death Warriors," were now radiating pure white holy power and resolving trials in other camps in reverse.
It was beyond absurd; it was maddening.
"There shouldn't be any way to resolve the death flowers planted by Anubis."
Anubis plants death.
And thereby creates "Death Warriors."
No matter how sacred or holy the target, the "death flowers" Anubis implanted exerted absolute power.
But...
They were all gone.
Every death flower had vanished.
In their places, "flowers of life" were blooming instead.
And that was not all.
Leaving only the persuaded warriors behind, the "Archmage" had vanished.
"Death Temple... so you've slipped inside there, you bastard."
Grind!
Aheta gnashed his teeth.
The bastard had hidden away again.
After stirring up this mess, he had retreated to a place beyond Aheta's sight.
...He had been careless.
He had been certain the Archmage would choose the mage camp.
Instead of scanning the entire third night evenly, he had fixated solely on the mage camp—that was the root of this problem.
Had he paid even a little attention to the other camps, the Legendary Quest would never have activated.
Had he widened his view just a bit...
Even simply checking on the "final trial's" preparations...
"...I must end this."
He couldn't lose territory again.
Besides, this was the land where the "Death Temple" stood.
Among all his holdings, it was the most valuable.
It held "special significance" worth sacrificing every treasure vault to defend.
Of course, the Legendary Quest's difficulty was nothing like the second night's.
...So why this unease?
Even as he thought it impossible to reach, why did he suspect that if it was the Archmage, it just might be?
It had to be the lingering shock of successive defeats.
Aheta ground his teeth.
"...Anubis."
"You called, my lord?"
Anubis appeared at Aheta's summons.
The appearance conditions weren't met yet, but if this continued, all trials would soon complete, forcibly balancing everything.
Forcing a summon now meant bending the rules, consuming a massive amount of coins, but...
"It's your turn. End the 'night' as quickly as possible."
Now was not the time for such concerns.
He had to conclude the "third night" as fast as he could.
That way, the Legendary Quest would end with it.
Anubis nodded.
"Yes. I shall lead them all to death."
Rumble!
The ground trembled.
Soon, the monstrously massive Orc Lord collapsed to the floor and began to dissipate.
"......"
Priest Yan and the orcs stared at Kankun in stunned silence.
Kankun's sword had precisely severed the Orc Lord's head.
The head of the emperor who had commanded tens of millions of orcs—in a single stroke.
"That one is... what in the..."
Stronger than any orc Yan had ever seen.
Not just orcs.
Even the "Death Knights" from the war against death paled in comparison to Kankun.
His overwhelming might, exquisite swordsmanship, fearless charge toward the enemy, and unyielding gaze devoid of fear.
Nothing about him could be compared to the powerhouses they had witnessed.
Whoooosh!
It was then.
As the Orc Lord's form vanished and its soul ignited...
Ding!