Chapter 339: Liberation (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 339: Liberation (4)
Rumbleeeee!
The ultimate straight punch.
The surrounding ground was completely torn up as a pillar of light pierced the heavens.
The technique, which could be called the very essence of the Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art, had reached its climax.
It was as if a meteor shower had collided with the earth.
A thick cloud of dust kicked up from the soil, blanketing the air in a hazy shroud.
However...
"...Hmph."
A heavy groan escaped the Dark Emperor's lips.
He had been certain everything was perfect, yet...
Throb!
Why?
Why was he feeling pain in the very fist he had used to attack?
Did it break...?
He had shattered the branches covered in countless mouths, but the moment his fist made contact with the main body, everything went wrong.
...It was hard.
So hard that even Myriad-Year Cold Iron couldn't compare.
No matter how much internal energy he poured into it, he didn't have the slightest inkling that he could break this outer shell.
"Human. Still, you did not do poorly for a mere insect."
Shub-Niggurath shifted her body slightly.
Then...
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the Dark Emperor's body vanished from the spot.
Crash... Boom! Crash! Ba-ba-boom!
"Cough!"
Buildings shattered like toothpicks as the Dark Emperor's body was sent flying across the city.
It was impossible to even estimate how far he had been blown away.
"Ugh!"
Witnessing the absurd blow, Teresa hastily channeled the 'Call of the Stars'.
Once again, a countless swarm of stars began to rain down toward the earth.
"A human female wielding divine power this time? Insignificant. Utterly insignificant."
Shub-Niggurath looked up above her head.
Giggle!
Giggle, giggle!
Purple magic circles manifested from the mouths of the branches.
And in that instant...
"How... how can this be?"
Teresa's pupils shook violently.
They were gone.
The meteors had evaporated from the sky as if they had never existed in the first place.
"Did you truly believe you could purify me with such a minuscule amount of divine power?"
[Shub-Niggurath activates 'Primordial Language'!]
A brilliant, shudder-inducing radiance coalesced—one entirely different from Teresa's divine power.
"This is what you call... divine power."
Rumbleeeee!
"Ah..."
A soft gasp escaped Teresa's lips.
She had no choice but to despair.
Everything she had built up until now was being utterly denied.
At the same time, a massive pillar of light struck down toward where Teresa stood.
If she took that head-on...
She would never survive.
[Teresa activates 'Corruption'!]
Teresa burned through her remaining mana.
Her snow-white armor stained pitch-black, and her holy aura was seductively defiled.
"You stupid softie! What were you thinking, summoning me all of a sudden against something like that?!"
The corrupted version of Teresa screamed as she watched the light hurtling toward her face.
While her original personality often summoned her in reckless situations, she had never faced anything this absurd.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Forget it! What more can I expect from a fool who can't even squeak a word to the guy she likes!"
It was a bizarre spectacle—the same person shouting and apologizing in two completely different voices.
Fortunately, because she had activated Corruption, all of her stats had risen exponentially.
Perhaps, just perhaps, she could withstand it now.
Rumble!
Teresa gripped her sword, now brimming with a dark red energy, with both hands.
"Here I go!"
With a mighty shout, she swung her sword horizontally at the approaching light.
* * *
The collision of two colossal forces.
Sssssss!
The mere friction of these opposing powers completely reshaped the city's landscape.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Teresa looked down at her tattered armor.
Fortunately, she had succeeded in deflecting the attack, but continuing the fight was out of the question.
The mana in her body had been completely depleted.
An overwhelming power that shattered all common sense.
This was the power of a deity residing on the 50th floor.
As expected, ordinary attacks won't even scratch her.
Jinhyuk grit his teeth.
He hadn't expected his master and Teresa to fall so helplessly.
He had thought they would hold out for at least a minute...
At this rate, even the strike from the unique holy spear Alice was preparing might not work.
It was just as Jinhyuk was running through countless scenarios in his head.
"My lord! Watch out!"
Wolyeong's urgent shout pierced his eardrums.
Shub-Niggurath, searching for new prey, was already heading toward Jinhyuk's position.
As her massive body moved, buildings began to collapse in heaps.
Activating Shadow Extreme Kill, Wolyeong stood in front of Jinhyuk and deployed a sword barrier.
Slash!
His swords moved in all directions, wildly slicing through the air.
The concrete debris falling toward Jinhyuk was shredded into tiny pieces.
"What are you spacing out for?! We're all going to die if we just stand here! If you need to buy time, just say the word. I'll do whatever it takes."
Cheon Yu-seong also drew his sword beside Jinhyuk.
For all their cold grumbling on normal days, these swordsmen were incredibly reliable in times like this.
Jinhyuk glanced at Alice.
She was concentrating with her eyes tightly shut.
The unique crest of Ataraxia was vividly etched upon her crimson harpoon.
It wouldn't be long before it gathered enough power.
"The deeper we penetrate, the faster her attacks will get. Do you think... we can dodge them all?"
"Are you asking me?"
"I was just asking out of concern. Not because I doubt you."
"Just make sure you don't die grinning like an idiot. I didn't train all this time just to watch you get taken down by a thing like that."
Cheon Yu-seong clicked his tongue coldly.
"Right, right. With our great Sword Saint here, what is there to fear?"
Jinhyuk chuckled.
"My lord. I will do my best to guide you both as deep inside as possible."
Wolyeong sheathed his sword and stepped between the two.
"Kieeeee!"
"Giggle, giggle!"
The madly laughing branches gradually closed the distance.
A formidable foe that inspired terror just by looking at her.
To be honest, she was a monster that seemed impossible to even scratch.
Yet, the realization that they had to dive straight into her grasp sent a crushing pressure weighing down on his entire body.
Of course, they didn't need to fight and win.
The absolute priority was simply to survive.
If we can just hold out for thirty minutes... the gate will close again.
That was the maximum amount of time Shub-Niggurath could remain in the mortal realm.
Of course, thirty minutes was also more than enough time for her to reduce the entire world to ashes.
"Wolyeong."
"Yes. Let us go."
Wolyeong reached out with both hands and grabbed the collars of Jinhyuk and Cheon Yu-seong.
Rumbleeeee!
Purple magic circles manifested from countless branches, and a carpet bombardment began.
Boom!
Crash!
Craters formed wherever the attacks landed.
Even a mere graze would mean instant death.
But just as the pillars of light were about to swallow them whole...
[Wolyeong activates his unique ability 'Shadow Extreme Kill'!]
Shadow connected to shadow.
In an instant, their field of vision shifted.
They materialized right in the middle of the branches—deep within Shub-Niggurath's embrace.
"My lord! Now!"
Wolyeong offered his own body as a stepping stone.
Thud!
Dash!
To maximize their acceleration, Jinhyuk and Cheon Yu-seong kicked off Wolyeong's body and lunged forward.
In less than a second, the two had penetrated deep into the enemy's ranks and swung their swords.
Slash-slash-slash!
The whip-sword extended, sweeping across the flanks of the branches.
"Kieeee!"
Fluid splattered in all directions.
"Insolent flies!"
Shub-Niggurath reacted instantly.
There was no pattern to the dozens of branches whipping in from the left.
They formed a tightening dragnet, completely cutting off any path of retreat or movement.
"Left!"
"I know!"
Jinhyuk deflected the trajectory of the lasers approaching from the right.
Cheon Yu-seong also parried the flashes of light coming from the opposite side.
Clang! Cl-cl-clang!
Their swords danced wildly, and bullets fired from Kruger punched wind tunnels through the joints of the branches.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart beat at a frantic pace.
The senses of his entire body sharpened to a burning edge, and in response, the forms of the Soul-Chasing Sword grew even more precise.
First strike.
Second strike.
And third strike.
The two swords gradually synchronized their breathing, merging into a single, unified strike.
[Battlefield Selection.]
An imagery they had shared multiple times already.
A realm that only the strongest players could reach.
This was...
The new world that had changed.
[The 'World of Players' is...]
Or rather, they believed it had changed.
Crack!
Shatter!
Cracks rippled through the manifesting mental world.
Amidst the fragments collapsing like glass...
"An amusing trick."
Shub-Niggurath's figure appeared.
This time, the very existence of Battlefield Selection was denied.
Just as she had done with Teresa, Shub-Niggurath had activated an ability to manifest her own mental imagery into reality.
"Not yet. Not yet!"
Without hesitation, Jinhyuk played his second card.
His unique ability 'Ancient Barrier' and various runic words floated up in a dizzying array.
The Zodiac.
The ultimate ability of a barrierist, which had allowed him to face countless powerhouses.
Hummmmm!
[Zodiac 'Aquarius' is unlocked!]
Stars in the sky wove together to form a single constellation.
Aquarius, which governed illusion and hallucination, controlled the realm of sensory illusions.
However...
"Did I not tell you? No matter how much you struggle... and writhe... it is futile."
Even those stars lost their light.
The sky began to dye pitch-black.
Neither Battlefield Selection nor the Zodiac, a high-tier barrier, worked.
In the first place, before Shub-Niggurath, such abilities were nothing more than parlor tricks.
Right then...
"I'm ready!"
Alice shouted.
Her ultimate move, which she had been preparing by continuously gathering mana.
The fully formed crimson harpoon sliced through the air as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.
Boom!
Eleven sonic booms erupted, parting the clouds.
A surprise attack utilizing the moment when all attention was focused on Jinhyuk and Cheon Yu-seong.
"Keeeeek!"
"Aaaargh!"
The harpoon tore through the branches and reached Shub-Niggurath's main body.
However...
That was as far as it went.
[Shub-Niggurath activates 'Time of Antiquity'!]
Rumbleeeee!
As a black, scorching wind swept through, everything touched by the smoke lost its life.
Alice's unique holy spear was no exception.
The harpoon grew thinner and thinner until it vanished completely.
"The playtime ends here, mortals."
Everything was reduced to nothingness.
The scorched city ruins and the mounting corpses of the dead.
There was no way to stop it.
There was no way to resist it, either.
"Kang... Jinhyuk."
"My lord!"
The voices of Cheon Yu-seong and Wolyeong faded.
"Ah..."
Alice also let out a sigh filled with despair and terror.
And just like that...
A world met its end.
* * *
"Boring."
Shub-Niggurath muttered in a voice devoid of interest.
A scene turned into utter ruin.
There were no longer any living creatures left to kill.
And yet...
"...?!"
For the first time, a change appeared on the expressionless face of the ancient deity.
"...How?"