Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Infiltration, Gangbuk-gu Papal Court Fierce Battle (7)
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12.
“[Mountains of Madness]……!”
Mountains of Madness……?
「Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!」
Black suddenly swelled to gigantic size.
He whipped his head around in every direction, growling. There was a terror in Black’s growls unlike anything I’d ever heard before.
Even I began to feel afraid.
This world, where my bones felt like they were freezing solid and the air itself was thin…… what the hell was it……?
That was when I saw it.
From the direction where the nauseating stench and flute-like sounds were approaching.
Was that…… a familiar of this place?
A transparently clear sphere.
It was about three meters in diameter, with pale steam swirling around it.
The moment I laid eyes on it.
The sphere shot up like a cliff face and barreled toward me like a train.
What…… the……?
I might have died right then and there. But at that instant.
[?????, the Ice Dragon King’s Stigma activates 《7th Stigma》!]
Xerinia……?
The stigma engraved on the back of my hand.
If it hadn’t spat out a field of pure white that enveloped me.
Woooong…… woooong…… woooong…… woooong…….
The thing that collided with the field.
Let out a roar that threatened to tear my eardrums and reformed into a mass of steam.
Milky-white slime scattered around it. It writhed and moved like an independent organism.
I stomped it under my combat boot.
A truly insane stench…… my nose is rotting……
「Shakeliiiiir…… ri…… Shakelriririiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii……!」
The ‘impossible existence’ began circling around the field.
This…… is no joke.
One moment of carelessness, and I’m dead.
As my heart pounded wildly in terror, its voice echoed across the snowy mountain.
“……Sherashul’Toryak, my Abba Father! Forgive this wretched and pitiful soul…….”
What…… do I do with this?
More are coming…… dragging this out won’t end well.
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…….”
The next moment.
I dispelled the 《7th Stigma》’s field, which had been flickering weakly.
“……Whose eyes are blinded by the abyss, unable to comprehend the gospel of salvation granted by the stars……!”
At that instant.
The monster reared up again and charged───
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…….”
───and I gripped the Dawn Sword with both hands and pulled.
《Dawnlight Yeomyeong Sword》.
Fortunately, I still had some control over time manipulation.
A fleeting moment of temporal leeway.
In that one instant, I could examine the thing closely.
My God.
Oh God, what a world this is.
It was horror itself—repulsive and spine-chilling.
When it shifted from sphere to foam blob…… countless eyeballs emerged across its entire body.
Writhing. Writhing. Writhing. Writhing. Writhing.
The sight of those eyeballs ceaselessly seeking prey…… goosebumps erupted all over my skin.
But…… I can still cut it down.
“Pierce────”
I fully unleashed 《Holy Dawn Sword》 in an instant and thrust at it.
“──────Holy (神聖)!”
Focus and explosion. Wedge-shaped sword aura.
The dawn’s storm concentrated at the blade tip, exploding in a single point.
“……Praise…… the land of eternal winter. The one who has held pure white since time immemorial……!”
The ultimate technique, exploding the Dawn Sword’s power to its limit in one moment.
Chyarararararararang!
The supreme storm whirled radiantly, vaporizing the foam blob in a blinding flash.
Come on out if you dare.
If you want to counter, you’ll have to show yourself.
But as expected…… it wasn’t that stupid.
Even as I caught my ragged breath, Song Chan-un didn’t appear. His mad laughter just swirled through my skull.
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…….”
I wanted to plug my ears, but I didn’t have the luxury.
「SHAAAAAAAAARIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAATOOOORIIIIIIIIIIII!」
Again.
The transparent sphere dissolved into a foam blob and surged toward me.
“Black, stay up high!”
I swung the great dawnblade.
And bisected the charging slime mass.
“……Kuh!”
Then I staggered back for a moment.
It was clearly a foam blob…… but the pressure transmitted to my wrist and shoulder was no joke.
“……With all our heart, all our mind, all our life, let us worship…… our lord…… [Sovereign of Silent Chaos]……!”
In this flickering instant…… on this snowy mountain of death…… only Song Chan-un’s insidious laughter…… echoed eternally.
Growing stronger…… and longer.
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…….”
Chyaaaaaaaang──!
Third, fourth, fifth…….
The monster slime splattered like blood onto my [Shadow Exoskeleton Battle Robe] and [Monster Bone Helmet].
“……Aaaaaaaaah! Abba Father……!”
Before it could hiss and corrode, I had to brush it off quickly with my hands.
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…….”
Damn it…….
Because of its voice…… my mind…… my mind is gone. No room to breathe……
“……Having beheld one reborn as a demigod by the grace and power of the Father…….”
As its words swirled madly, Black shouted urgently.
「Left! Left! Left! Left!」
Instinct moved my body in an instant.
I kicked off the ground and leaped back…… then charged forward, bringing the Holy Dawn Sword down with all my might.
Puhwaaaaaak───!
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.”
Catch your breath, Kim Baek-jun. Breathe.
And don’t listen. Don’t listen…… it’s all part of its strategy.
I have to find it.
A way out of here. Fighting forever won’t end this.
[Unique Skill, 《First Liberation: Dawnlight Yeomyeong Sword》 usable time: (3) seconds]
[Unique Skill, 《Second Liberation: Holy Dawn Sword》 usable count: (1) time]
Above all…… I’m nearing my limit now.
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…….”
That was as far as I could think.
Five formless monsters lunged at me all at once.
Five?
I remember retreating briefly, planning to handle them starting from the left.
But that was it.
In that one instant, from my blind spot.
The sixth monster slammed into me, and my mind went blank for a moment.
“……The love you have bestowed upon us…….”
The horizon…… in my vision…… spinning…….
“……May it become the lamp preparing the way for Your only begotten Son…….”
I flew through the air like I’d been hit by a truck, tumbling wildly into the snow.
Breathe…… breathe…… hurry.
Psshik……
When did it attach?
The slime writhed on my finger, the sound of flesh melting away, and I screamed in agony.
Cut it, cut it off.
Before it devours my whole body.
Combat instinct drew the steel dagger from my waist in an instant…… and I severed my left middle and ring fingers.
“Ah…… Aaaah…….”
Even the spurting blood froze solid. Despite clenched teeth, screams escaped.
My tongue…… tastes of blood.
[?????, the Ice Dragon King’s Stigma activates 《7th Stigma》!]
If Xerinia’s gift hadn’t triggered then, I would have died.
「Shakellllllllllri…… riri…… Shakelllllllri…… riririri……!」
The six monsters hissed alien words as they circled the frost barrier.
“……Like Rishar Hua and Choi Sin-yul, I too yearn for that transcendent baptism…….”
The enemies are endless.
Endless foes…… that must be the greatest strength of this [Mountains of Madness]……
If I keep fighting here, I’ll die.
But how…… how do I escape? From this labyrinth?
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…….”
Right then.
Zing…… the Dawn Sword in my grip pulsed strongly once.
This pulse…… could it be……?
It was hard to believe.
For ‘this’ to be detected…… doesn’t that mean this isn’t the dream world?
“……Lord, I beseech You, grant this servant too the holy rank, the ascension to divinity, as them……!”
Song Chan-un’s incantation.
At the same time, the frost barrier began flickering like it might vanish.
No time to hesitate……
I hauled my crumbling body upright and gripped the Dawn Sword.
Ziiiiiiing─────
The frost barrier vanished in an instant.
Monsters dissolved into foam blobs from all sides and charged.
First, the two in front.
I cleaved down on the first, then twisted the blade’s momentum to stab the one behind.
《Dawnlight Yeomyeong Sword》.
Then shifted behind the one trying to swallow me. I jammed both blades into its massive eyeball.
「KEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLRHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKK!」
As all creation regained its time.
I saw its body染 in dawnlight, crumbling to ash.
“……Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, aha, ahahaha, ahahahahaha, ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha……!”
I put maximum distance from the remaining three.
Raised the broken greatsword high.
And swung it around wildly, like metal detection.
No time.
Where…… where are you……?
Right then.
The moment I pointed the blade northwest, the Dawn Sword pulsed again.
Zing, zing, zing, zing, zing, zing, zing.
Ah……?
The next moment. The alien snowy mountain sky tore open beyond the horizon, and ‘it’ flew in.
A fragment of dawn.
Gangbuk-gu, like Jongno-gu, was a paradise that hunted and annexed the Exalted Ones. Of course, fragments exist.
And the Dawn Sword had the attractive force to draw them.
Shuwaaaaaak───
The fragment arced in dawn’s trajectory, flying in…… and merged with the Dawn Sword in ecstatic light.
──────Chaeaeaeaeaeang!
“What…… was that……?”
[Secret Achievement: Dawn Fragment (2 / 7)]
- Unique Skill, 《First Liberation: Dawnlight Yeomyeong Sword》 duration increased by 14.3%.
- Unique Skill, 《Second Liberation: Holy Dawn Sword》 power increased by 14.3%.
Truly dazzling……
The blade blazed with even more radiant light and heat than before.
But what caught my eye wasn’t the duration or power boost. It was this.
[Unique Skill, 《Third Liberation, Divine Resonance Dawn Sword (神鳴 - 黎明劍)》 acquisition complete.]
[Master of the Broken Dawn].
In this situation, the skill you wanted to give me…… is this?
Divine Resonance Dawn Sword……
The moment I wondered what it was.
Combat memory imprinted the usage in my body.
Such…… such power exists?
「SHATORIIIIIIIIIIIISHIATORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!」
Then, with a chilling shriek, an octopus-like thing lunged at me. I rolled desperately to evade.
Yes……!
It’s do or die. Let’s try it.
I spun the Dawn Sword into reverse grip, then slammed it into the ground.
And then…… there was light.