Chapter 58 Counterattack
Counterattack
Episode 59
Seven days ago.
Hayase, who had been eliminating evildoers in Seoul, reunited with Park Si-hyun.
No—strictly speaking, Park Si-hyun had used his Read skill to locate Hayase and sought her out. But Hayase believed it was fate regardless.
The joy of seeing her beloved, whose absence even for a single day would leave her restless, was short-lived.
Park Si-hyun announced that he would go to the Great Peace Sect—to save his kidnapped younger sister and to save people.
"If we leave things as they are, there will be no survivors left in Seoul."
Even the members of the Striking Sword Way, including Han Hyeok-do, found it hard to believe.
The sudden disappearance of the zombies was one thing, but while the current situation was clearly abnormal, there was no definitive proof that such a future would come to pass.
But Hayase was different.
Her clear gaze didn't waver even once as she took in every word he said, listening quietly and attentively.
"The deity worshipped by the Great Peace Sect is the Lord of Corpses. As the name suggests, she is a corpse. Naturally, her subordinates wouldn't be called such unless they, too, were corpses. That Lord of Corpses will likely try to claim every person in Seoul as her own—turning them into corpses. In other words, she intends to perform human sacrifices, offering the living to transform them into the dead."
The appearance of zombies was already surreal enough.
And now, the conversation had abruptly escalated to the divine.
Human sacrifices, no less?
These were stories difficult for ordinary people to accept.
Han Hyeok-do asked:
"How do you know such critical information?"
Without hesitation, Park Si-hyun bluffed with perfect composure.
"The ability to foresee and comprehend the future. That is my power."
His confident demeanor solidified Hayase's resolve.
"What should we do?"
Park Si-hyun looked at Hayase with satisfaction and answered:
"Annihilate the corpses."
She had already resolved to follow Park Si-hyun for the rest of her life—she would not doubt him now.
"If that is your will, Si-hyun... I will follow."
That was Arikawa Hayase's pledge of devotion.
#
Hayase descended from the podium, letting the Demon Man's Blade hang loosely at her side. Her breathing was steady.
Her expression was eerily calm—so much so that it was hard to believe she had just dashed across the giant's arm at high speed.
And what of the swordplay she had just displayed? It was elegant. Even the way she landed silently on the ground was flawless.
Then—
Wooong—
The sword in Hayase's hand let out a clear, resonant hum. It was as if one were witnessing a beautiful sword.
Not the blade she wielded—but rather, her aura, her beauty.
As if the sword were being drawn in of its own accord, Hayase sheathed it. Even that motion was beyond reproach. A simple act of sheathing, yet when performed by her, it resembled an art form.
Watching from the side, even if one couldn't comprehend it with reason, they could feel it with their senses.
Nobility.
Though usually gentle beyond measure, when it came to the sword, she possessed a refined nobility that no one could match.
"Good timing. You arrived just in time."
Her black ponytail, stiff with dried blood, swayed awkwardly. Her blue eyes turned toward me.
The delicate beauty I had fallen for in the game—that serene smile—entered my vision.
[Status Window]
Name: Arikawa Hayase
Level: 28
Height: 165.2 cm, 55 kg
Race: Human
Title: Perfect Sword
Occupation:
Gender: Female (23)
Origin: Earth
Sexual Experience: 0 (0 men)
Three Sizes: 98 - 64 - 95
Status: Focused
+Stats
[Strength 78] [Agility 102] [Stamina 77] [Mana 54]
+Abilities
[Cleave]
+Skills
[Sword Movement (Heroic)]
[Single-Minded Focus (Heroic)]
[Sword Aura (Rare)]
The moment I finished reading Hayase's status window—
Pahng!
A line formed behind Hayase.
It was the trajectory of the sword she had swung.
The zombies that had tried to rush past her were cleanly bisected along that line.
Chop, chop!
The severed remains fell at her feet. Horrific splatters of blood continued to spray. Yet, Hayase's beauty remained immaculate—utterly unblemished.
Even if blood had splashed onto her, her beautiful face remained unchanged, her eyes fixed solely on me.
Meanwhile, the marks left by Hayase's sword continued to expand.
[Cleave]
Originally, a sword strike should have vanished after being swung once—yet this one lingered in space.
In Tower Journey, it was the strongest offensive skill—one that could cut through anything.
A zero-tier ability that could cleave whatever its wielder desired.
The strongest damage dealer—and in the future, the Divine Sword who would surpass even Park Ha-rin in swordsmanship.
Hayase's [Cleave] had severed spacetime itself—the very fabric of the world's central concept.
Turning her back on the remnants of the space she had sliced, Hayase stood straight and faced me.
Kwakagakagak.
Slowly, the severed cross-section of space left by [Cleave] began to mend.
<Hmm...?>
The Lord of Corpses twitched an eyebrow.
"Just as you said, Si-hyun."
The Lord of Corpses, who floated leisurely in the air, unbound by the laws of nature.
The weary girl's eyes met Hayase's.
"It's a power with no end in sight."
Hayase placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
She lowered her knees, bracing her strength, and assumed an iaido stance.
"Huu..."
She bowed her head, taking a deep breath. Yet her gaze remained fixed straight at the Lord of Corpses—Hayase's spirit converging into a single point.
『Hayase activates Single-Minded Focus (Heroic).』
The phenomenon of the scenery tilting toward Hayase. An overwhelming pressure radiated from her, making it impossible for anyone to approach. The moment everyone witnessed the distortion of space, they gulped in unison.
『Sword Movement (Heroic) is activated.』
Every motion of Hayase's became as sharp as a blade.
『Sword Aura (Rare) is activated.』
A skill superior even to the Normal-grade sword aura that geniuses only acquired after passing the fifth floor coalesced along her blade.
At the tip of her sword—
The power of Cleave split the world apart.
Piiiiing!
No one could even properly track the motion of her draw. Every factor that stood in her way—gravity, air, light, space, the limits of matter—was severed by the force of Cleave imbued in her sword. Even the concept of distance was no exception.
The moment the Lord of Corpses widened her eyes—
The swung blade scattered a flash of light.
A line grazed the Lord of Corpses.
A supreme martial technique that cut through distance, through time, through all obstacles—selectively cleaving its target by first cleaving everything that stood in its way.
When Hayase fought at full strength, even Park Ha-rin had no choice but to evade in earnest.
<......!>
There was no sound. Only the Lord's hollow chuckle could be heard. A single line now connected her temple to her pelvis at a slant.
The Lord's body began to split along that line. The two halves of her form flickered like ghosts before scattering like dust.
The Lord of Corpses had been bisected—and vanished.
The believers' souls nearly left their bodies.
A being so oppressive, so divine, had been carved apart as if she were mere meat.
'What in the...?'
Even the Inquisitor seemed to struggle to believe what had just happened, his breathing ragged.
Yet the one who had caused this phenomenon—Hayase—wore a darkened expression.
Tzzzt—
Sparks crackled along the severed space.
Then, like a reversed hologram, the girl flickered back into existence.
From the empty void, the hem of a ghostly robe fluttered into view before her translucent form fully materialized.
The Lord of Corpses reappeared, completely unharmed.
Her tangled black-and-grey hair floated weightlessly. Her robes had also returned to their original state.
However—a faint mark remained on the back of her hand.
A thin scar, as if sliced by a blade of grass.
A trickle of violet blood, saturated with the miasma of the dead, glimmered faintly.
<Wheeeew... That was suuuch a surprise... I never expected so many rough gems to appear just because this is the last Tower...>
The Lord of Corpses, having turned her gaze back toward the chapel, stared intently at Hayase.
<This time... I can afford to be excited... Hehehehe...>
A shadow of frustration flickered across Hayase's otherwise pristine face.
Meanwhile, I maintained a calm exterior—though internally, my head was ringing from sheer shock.
I knew the zombies in the Tutorial had grown stronger, accelerating people's growth. But still.
I never expected her to leave a wound on a Tower Administrator.
Suppressing my bewilderment, I forced the most composed smirk I could muster.
"Hah... Haha... Starting to believe me now when I say killing you isn't just empty boasting?"
Hayase, looking ashamed, slumped slightly.
"I'm sorry, Si-hyun... I wasn't good enough to cut her down properly."
...No, that was an unwinnable boss fight from the start. Whatever. Best not to say anything.
Shwaaak—
Hayase, who had seemed exhausted, steadied her breathing. Without looking back, she swung her sword.
Her blade carved a crescent through the space behind her.
A spatial slash tore through the approaching zombies.
It was like watching moths swarm into a bonfire.
After briefly holding off the zombies, Hayase looked up.
The Lord of Corpses was watching us with keen interest.
"...No wonder they call her a god."
"She's not a god. Just worshipped as one."
I corrected Hayase's misconception.
In Tower Journey, there were no gods.
The Tower Administrators were merely beings close enough to be revered as deities—but they weren't true gods.
Which meant Hayase could surpass her one day.
Just not now.
Honestly, leaving a wound on an Administrator this early was already absurd.
So there was no need to drown in defeat.
Besides, my goal wasn't the Lord of Corpses herself to begin with.
—GRRROOOAAARRR!
Her presence had amplified the zombies.
「Total Stats [120] → [253]」
The stronger the zombies, the more of their permanent stats I could steal.
If they had remained as weak as before, I wouldn't have been able to take anything at all.
But.
'The zombies have been strengthened by the Lord of Corpses. This is both an EXP event and a stat-boosting event.'
It was the perfect event for me, whose growth had stagnated after dealing with all the villains.
True to our agreement, the zombies targeted only me. They didn't even glance at the people around me.
Though the zombies had become harder to kill than before, taking them down yielded far more experience.
'By no means is this a losing deal.'
The Lord of Corpses had turned a blind eye to that much and accepted my proposal.
All while wishing only for herself to draw closer to death.
Since I'd fulfilled her expectations to some degree, I could now enjoy this without reservation.
I met Hayase's eyes and nodded before charging into the zombies alongside her.
* * *
The chapel was a crucible of chaos.
The Great Peace Sect, whom they had trusted as allies, turned out to be a cult that had intended to sacrifice them all, and some lunatic had drawn the zombies' aggro onto himself.
As a result, the believers were trampled underfoot by zombies exuding a thick miasma of darkness, collapsing in heaps.
Among them was Lee Ji-hun.
"A—Aaaah!"
As his life teetered on the brink from being stomped by the zombies, just as Read had foreseen, Holy Sword Obsession activated.
A new holy sword manifested in Lee Ji-hun's hand.
『"Holy Sword Obsession" has summoned the "Holy Sword of Judgment."』
An antique golden greatsword, forged to judge demons.
Right then—
Park Si-hyun, who had been pulverizing zombies, turned to look at Lee Ji-hun. Their eyes met in a daze.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh...?"
"I saved you, so shouldn't you show some gratitude?"
"......?"
Why did ominous premonitions always come true?
Living up to expectations, the shameless Park Si-hyun reached out. His wicked gaze clung greedily to the holy sword.
Squeezed under that stare, Lee Ji-hun trembled and glanced around frantically. The believers were screaming and scrambling across the floor in panic. It seemed like he really couldn't afford to lose the sword...
No matter how many zombies the beautiful black-haired kendo practitioner in her uniform mowed down, there was no end to the ones flooding in to replace them.
After careful consideration, it seemed necessary to keep the holy sword as a safeguard for emergencies.
But Park Si-hyun couldn't care less.
"Hand over that shiny-ass sword."
"N-No, but this is my ability—"
"What?"
Glare—
Park Si-hyun's eyes turned murderous. He crushed the skull of a zombie lunging at him with a single punch. His blood-dripping fist inched closer to Lee Ji-hun.
"!"
Meeting those vicious eyes sent tremors down to his very cells.
The spots where he'd been beaten relentlessly over the past few days throbbed in phantom pain.
But if he lost this brand-new, freshly summoned holy sword, he'd truly have nothing left.
Could he really back down here...?
"You little shit! I'm busy as hell—who's got time for you to think?!"
A sudden dropkick buried itself deep into his face. In the same motion, the sacred greatsword slipped from his grasp and was snatched away.
Thud.
Lee Ji-hun had truly lost everything.
'M-Motherfucker...!'
He swore revenge. Then, he noticed a zombie's head flying straight at him.
"Huh?"
That was the last thing Lee Ji-hun remembered of the Great Peace Sect.
—KIIIIEEEEEEH!
The zombies swarmed, piling onto Park Si-hyun from behind.
Right then—
Hayase's gaze shifted toward them. Her sword followed her line of sight.
The Demon Man's Blade, which had descended from the fifth floor alongside Do Ro-rang.
The beautiful slash of the sword unleashed the power of Cleave.
CRACK!
A single strike sent dozens of zombie torsos and lower halves flying.
A clean line lingered in the air as a remnant of the slash.
The blade continued to sever the charging zombies without pause.
The bisected upper and lower halves of zombies piled into hills.
CRUNCH-SPLATTER!
Yet hands still burst from the ground. Zombies emerged in droves, trampling over the remains of their fallen kin.
Amidst it all, the cult leader looked up.
He couldn't understand his mother's intentions.
She still only had eyes for Park Si-hyun, ignoring everything else.
"......"
A sense of deprivation welled up.
Nothing else mattered.
But he had been the one serving her for years.
So why...?
"Do not place your faith in that man."
Jealousy fueled the power boiling within him.
"I... am the savior of this world!"
The cult leader roared at the remaining believers.
『Alexandros activates "Corpse Command."』
『"Forced Dark Attribute Correction" has been activated.』
The power bestowed by his mother intensified the darkness of the corpses.
—KIIIIEEEEEEEEH!
But Park Si-hyun remained unfazed.
WHOOSH!
He simply swung the Holy Sword of Sacrifice, unleashing its Sacred Power.
The divine power that had swept away thousands of tutorial zombies like nothing. But now, these zombies had been strengthened by the Lord. They weren't as easy as before. Yet he swung regardless.
Whoosh!
A crude slash incomparable to Hayase's refined strikes. But the form was more than sufficient to amplify the sacred power's might. Zombies bathed in holy light turned to ash and scattered.
The darkness permeating the space quickly sapped the light's strength.
In that moment, Park Si-hyun glanced back at Park Se-eun and Kim Seon-hwa.
"Here."
He handed the Holy Sword of Sacrifice to Kim Seon-hwa and the Holy Sword of Judgment to Park Se-eun.
"Why are you giving me this...?"
When Park Se-eun asked in confusion, Si-hyun simply looked at the approaching zombies.
"You and Seon-hwa will wield these better than I could."
Enhanced zombies would be difficult to face bare-handed or with abilities alone. But for Park Si-hyun, it was no challenge.
"You have a debt to settle with the cult leader. That's for you to repay."
Park Se-eun froze when she met Si-hyun's deep gaze.
Debt.
That word twisted her expression into something fierce. She gripped the sword larger than her own body tightly.
There was no weight. Instead, a scorching power surged through her palms.
Se-eun twisted her lips just like Si-hyun and spoke.
"Obviously. I can't just let this slide. That bastard sexually harassed me—I won't be satisfied until I turn him into a eunuch."
Seeing this dark glimpse of Se-eun's personality, Si-hyun broke into a cold sweat and nodded. No need to mention the cult leader was already a eunuch.
"Right. You're insanely strong as long as you have mana, so don't waste it. Someone like the cult leader..."
He shot a glare at the cult leader, who was shrieking in jealous rage.
"...you can take him down yourself."
"Was already planning to."
Se-eun answered confidently and stood beside Si-hyun. The massive holy sword felt light even in her slender wrists.
Her eyes gleamed blue, sharper than ever.
"I'll make him regret even thinking of laying hands on someone my age."
Then the cult leader was hers to handle.
To his left, Kim Seon-hwa approached without a word. She raised the beautiful holy sword and took her stance.
『Kim Seon-hwa has borrowed 「Sword Proficiency」 from Park Si-hyun.』
She was ready too.
Si-hyun clenched his bloodstained fists.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on the despondent people still in the chapel. He meant to ignore them, but they kept nagging at his vision.
Finally, he spoke.
"Don't want to die as sacrificial offerings? Then running away like this won't change anything. Your lives are already forfeit, and with every second, your chances of survival vanish."
Just then—
Shiiing!
Lines of force tore through space. The spatial slashes Hayase had left behind as she passed through.
"Only if I win here will you live!"
The cultists, who had been floundering until now, looked at Si-hyun. Then at the zombies swarming toward him.
Even from the side, their grotesque, terrifying forms were horrifying. And their numbers—how many were there?
But if Si-hyun, their shield, fell, these zombies would turn on them next.
And then their families would be torn apart by undead hands.
"...What are we supposed to do?"
Despair weighed heavy.
The Lord of Corpses, their god, still loomed above.
Watching their struggle with that same ominous smile, unchanging.
Her presence alone darkened the distant sky—what more needed to be said?
They shouldn't dare defy such an existence.
And yet, Si-hyun, so much smaller, fought back. Just to survive.
That sight began to shake their resolve.
"We... have to do something."
"We can't just die like this."
One by one, those paralyzed by fear stood up.
A father who lost his wife prayed his young son and daughter wouldn't die. A young man caring for his elderly mother wished she would live. Compared to the Lord of Corpses' oppressive might, their thoughts and hopes were pitifully small.
But they stood.
Each was weak, but they resolved to fight with what little they had.
Even empty-handed, they had to lend Si-hyun their strength to survive.
—Kreeee!
Zombies with tattered limbs lunged at Si-hyun. Unflinching, he charged right back.
As long as Si-hyun didn't die, they could live.
Hell, this was far more manageable than when the Tower first appeared and unleashed the zombies. The hesitant began to change.
Watching this, even Park Se-eun's eyes flickered as she stared at Si-hyun's back.
"HYAAAH!!"
Si-hyun slammed through the horde with his shoulder. Not once did he falter. Drenched in blood, he kept going—fists and feet never stopping as he pulverized zombie after zombie.
Blood erupted like geysers in the sea of undead, and where Si-hyun plowed through like a battering ram, gaps formed, connecting into lines.
Se-eun tightened her grip on the holy sword.
'Right. Oppa is acting as bait for us. Oppa... I can't let him die like this.'
Now, even if just moved by Si-hyun's unyielding stance, it was time to act.
Amidst it all, Si-hyun smirked.
"Come at me. EXP bags."
The grotesque zombies lunged.