Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: The Whimsical Season
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[Forming dimension gates connected to each other across the battlefield.]
Ziiing—
As the season shifted, massive artifacts in the form of dimension gates began appearing all across the battlefield.
Ziiing—
Ziing—
The moment the season began to change, Kang Seol was the first to move.
Pop—!
Why step into such an obvious conclusion? Finn's doll tilted its head and raised a hand.
Paaang—!
Rejection triggered, sending Kang Seol flying backward.
And right where he flew was a dimension gate.
"No!"
Even as Park Chang-shik shouted toward Kang Seol, his figure collided with the dimension gate and vanished.
Whoosh—!
He reappeared from the dimension gate behind Finn.
"Hup!"
Kang Seol swung his fist with ferocious force.
Kwaaaang—!
"...Damn it."
[Record of Pain: Finn Modria uses Blood Veil.]
[Nullifies 75% of physical damage.]
Not a bad improvised strike, but the Blood Veil was a skill that made his opponent curse in frustration.
'It's hard to land a real hit on him alone...'
Even meaningful damage got healed through fresh flesh regeneration—it felt like fighting a turtle hiding in its shell.
Chaaaak—!
A blood spear grazed the bridge of Kang Seol's nose.
Whoosh—!
Kang Seol leaned back to dodge the spear and began resetting the board.
Pa-bat—!
He dropped into a low stance, lunging for a tackle on Finn.
But once again, Rejection sent him flying.
Paaang—!
Seizing the opening, Park Chang-shik targeted Finn.
Chaaak! Chaak!
All that opposed him were blood spears.
But even that was overwhelming for an ordinary user like Park Chang-shik.
"Kgh..."
Park Chang-shik couldn't close the distance to Finn.
Pabat!
Ziiing...
Paaaang!
"Ugh..."
In the ongoing exchanges that followed, Kang Seol felt frustrated. Park Chang-shik simply couldn't keep up with his movements.
Park could only draw attention for a moment; he had no means to deal effective damage to Finn, nor could he neutralize the Rejection.
No, this wasn't Park Chang-shik's failing so much as...
'That's Finn's way.'
It was the method Kang Seol himself used when controlling Finn.
Seal off strong opponents with Rejection, then pick off the weak ones first.
Judging that even in the mage's season, he couldn't land effective hits on Finn, Kang Seol shifted his battle objectives.
Ziing—
Whoosh...
Pop!
While keeping Finn's focus on himself, he began confirming all the dimension gate connections.
'The connections will be the same even when it cycles back.'
The seasons kept turning in a loop.
The initial dimension gate links from the battle's start varied, but afterward, they followed the same pattern as the first ones created.
'Got it, all mapped out.'
Slur...
The season shifted once more.
[Penance: The Shepherd's Season arrives.]
[A Hymn of Glory for you echoes across the field.]
Aaaaaah—
Park Chang-shik glanced around at the majestic sound filling the entire battlefield.
"Snap out of it!"
At Kang Seol's shout, Park Chang-shik's eyes widened as he glared at Finn.
'Here's the chance.'
The first opportunity Kang Seol had been waiting for.
The timing of the first hymn.
In the Shepherd's Season, hymns and requiems alternated, but their order varied each time. Fortunately, the hymn came first, bringing Kang Seol's attack window.
[The Penitent receives the effects of the Hymn of Glory.]
[All of the Penitent's stats increase by 35%.]
"Haaaaah!"
Park Chang-shik seemed to catch on too, unleashing a held-back ability.
[Carry Machine uses Linked 9 Forms.]
[Attack speed increases by 20% with each consecutive strike.]
Shiiik—!
Shiiiik—!
Park Chang-shik's attacks threw Finn off balance.
With his suddenly boosted stats and a never-before-used ability, the power exceeded what Finn had anticipated.
Thraaaaak—!
Finn tried to neutralize it with blood spears.
Chiiik—!
Unlike before, Park evaded with minimal movement, minimizing his actions.
And poured everything into offense.
Thraaak!
Thraaak!
Park's strikes were no longer something Finn could brush off lightly. If Linked 9 Forms completed, even Finn wouldn't escape unscathed.
There was one easy way to counter it.
Paaaaang!
Finn had no choice but to use Rejection on Park Chang-shik.
"Urk..."
Kang Seol appeared behind Park's flying form.
"Huuup!"
Kang Seol pulled back his fist tight, then unleashed it toward Finn.
[Record of Pain: Finn Modria uses Blood Veil.]
[Nullifies 75% of physical damage.]
Kwaaaaang!
'Damn it!'
A turtle through and through.
Impenetrably tough. But Kang Seol wasn't one to give up here.
Kwaang!
Kwaaaaang!
His strikes hammered the barrier frantically.
Thraaaaak!
Thraaak!
Blood spears flew from all directions, targeting his limbs.
Yet Kang Seol pressed his relentless assault.
A thought flashed through his mind.
'Iron Fist Rule... now?'
A single bullet. Miss, and it's death.
The certainty of one shot gripped his heart.
Fail, and there's no next time.
'Not yet...'
The hymn was ending soon.
If the requiem hit in his exhausted state, he'd die for sure. He couldn't waste his one bullet now.
Aaaaaah—
A new melody spread across the battlefield.
[Requiem of Sorrow for suffering echoes across the field.]
[Memory of Pain: Finn Modria receives the effects of the Requiem of Sorrow.]
[All of Finn Modria's stats increase by 35%.]
"Dodge!"
Kwajik!
Karen and Karuna.
And Kang Seol and Park Chang-shik confirmed the shift in their opponents' momentum and switched to defense.
Kwagagagak!
The noise of blood spears slamming in grew much louder.
Kaaaang!
"Kruuugh!"
"Karuna!"
Finn's summons from the Ruby Mirror had their stats boosted too, giving the twin knights trouble.
"Get off!"
Peok!
Stats and skills could be mimicked, but not their bond. The clash dragged on.
"Damn it... he just keeps regenerating!"
Ruby Mirror.
It wasn't called an ultimate technique for nothing, and the reason Kang Seol called it a terrible matchup.
The twin knights were fated to fight the mimics until Kang Seol took down Finn.
'If only Linked Souls hadn't been sealed...'
With the other ultimate, Blocked Flow, if Linked Souls hadn't been blocked, they might have had a shot. The twins could have shaken off the mimics and joined the fight against Finn.
But as always, things headed for the worst.
Pabak!
Finn's attacks were straightforward, so even with the requiem ringing, Park Chang-shik and Kang Seol held on.
'That's Finn's style.'
Never overextending.
Until the very last moment.
Only when the enemy let their guard down and brought their neck right under his chin would he finally emerge from his shell to bite.
Slur...
The requiem ended, and the next season arrived.
The beast holding the treasure chest's eyes gleamed.
[Penance: The Beast's Season arrives.]
[Gale winds rage across the battlefield.]
Huaaaaang—
"Kruuuuuugh..."
"Hold on tight!"
The Beast's Season was a respite on the battlefield.
The gales uprooted the giant swords embedded in the ground, hurling debris and dust everywhere.
Kwaaaaa!
Kwajik! Kwajijik!
Get unlucky and hit by a flying sword or debris, lose your footing, and you'd plummet with it.
Huaaaaaang—!
Defense and offense both impossible.
Every being, including Finn's doll, crouched low against the wind.
'We caught our breath for now... but all seasons need to cycle through quickly.'
After enduring the last Harvester's Season, the Whimsical One's would come.
The Whimsical One's brought random season combos, perfect for creating variables.
'Gotta hold out until the Whimsical One's Season!'
That's when the battle would be decided.
Kang Seol planned to overturn the sealed twins' lost firepower and the bad matchup there.
Kwaaaaa...
Aaaah...
The winds died down. The battlefield returned to its prior state.
Pop—!
Kang Seol and Park targeted Finn as he conjured blood spears to harass the twin knights.
Chaaak—!
Paaaang!
In the end, blood spear to Park, Rejection to Kang Seol.
"Eugh..."
The same scenario repeated. It seemed this deadlock would persist.
But with the next season's arrival, the flow shifted dramatically.
Ziiiiiiing—
The reaper holding the scythe and lantern's eyes flashed.
Whooooong...
[Penance: The Harvester's Season arrives.]
[Soul dolls are generated on the battlefield.]
[Souls from the top of the lantern descend upon the field.]
Soul-like entities gushed from the Harvester's lantern, settling onto the battlefield.
Chalaralak—!
They soon transformed into dolls of the same material as Finn's.
Four in total.
Kikigik...
Kikik...
The dolls came to life.
'To reach the Whimsical One's, we have to survive this...'
The Harvester's trial: soul dolls of the harvested joining the fray.
Broken minds, harmful only to the Penitent.
Kang Seol locked eyes with Park Chang-shik.
Park nodded.
Someone had to handle those dolls—and obviously, it was Park.
If Kang Seol stepped in, he'd smash them quick, but Park would die to Finn's doll in that time.
Kikikik...
The dolls spoke.
【Hyung... why....】
【It's your fault... Chang-shik....】
【Because you abandoned us all here....】
Kikik...
Pop!
Kaaaang!
The dolls were vicious.
Park instantly realized their identities.
"You guys..."
They were comrades who'd challenged the labyrinth with him this time.
Seong Jae-ho toward the Gate of Doubt, Jang Heung-su toward the Gate of Patience, Kim Tae-gyu toward the Gate of Pain.
【Hyung... it's me....】
"Lies..."
Kikikik...
【Why'd you kill me? Why!】
Kwaaaaang!
Kang Seol struggled alone against Finn, but Park was in the worst spot now.
[Mental Contamination Level has reached 85.]
His former comrades wished for his death. As faceless dolls, no less.
[Mental Contamination Level has reached 87.]
How had this nightmare come about?
Park steadied his trembling heart, gripping his sword.
He focused on the immediate threat over the mental torment.
Three dolls of near-equal skill to his own, all at once.
"St... stop, let me out of here!"
One doll tilted its head.
【You? Why should we?】
【You planning to slip out alone?】
【Leaving us to rot here!】
【You promised to take us... with you....】
Park swallowed hard, fighting to stay composed.
"Die!"
Two dolls charged first.
Kaaaang—! Kang!
"Kuh..."
Kang!
Mental shake-ups dragged down his performance, as expected.
Chaaaaak!
"Kaaaaak!"
Kim Tae-gyu's doll deeply slashed Park's thigh.
Not crippling, but in prolonged combat, it'd tear open.
【Yes, suffer more! It's all your fault!】
"Stop it! What do you want me to do?"
【Then... can you save us?】
"......"
No.
The answer was set, but he couldn't spit it out.
They were comrades who'd trusted each other at the start.
It would hurt.
But silence was answer enough.
Seong Jae-ho's doll muttered.
【Knew... it.】
Jang Heung-su's doll, unable to hold back, lunged from behind to stab Park.
【Die! You die too!】
Park braced for the impact, ready to sacrifice a wound to finish one doll.
'If I don't thin their numbers here... no hope!'
One less wouldn't turn the tide, but he had to do his utmost.
For Kang Seol's chance.
Then, something bizarre happened.
Wajik!
The charging doll stumbled and fell with a clatter.
"Kuhuk... what?!"
Park couldn't believe his eyes.
One doll—barely sane—had tripped Jang Heung-su's.
Kwajijik!
"......"
Not content with the trip, it stomped and crushed the fallen doll's head.
'Dolls... fighting each other? And... who is that one?'
Three challengers had died in the labyrinth.
Four dolls appeared.
One extra.
An unknown doll, clearly another challenger, but no face he knew.
【You... what are you!】
Whoosh—!
Kwajik!
The mystery doll's punch exploded Seong Jae-ho's doll's head.
Spinning, it kicked up—toward Kim Tae-gyu's doll's head in the path.
【Why block us....】
Kwajijijik!
Lightning-fast.
A flash, and all three dolls shattered.
The lone remaining doll shook its head in confusion.
That instant, Kang Seol shouted.
"...Toki!"
Kikik...
The doll looked at Kang Seol.
"...You?"
"Toki... is that really you?"
The doll called Toki by Kang Seol snapped its head up as if realizing something.
And charged at Finn.
Unlike with Park, Finn sensed the threat and used Rejection.
Paaaaang—!
"Guhk..."
Toki braced against the ground, flipped, and slid to cancel the knockback.
Chiii...
Dissipating the impact flawlessly, he spoke.
"The Lord prepared me for this place..."
"Toki..."
The wretched saint thrashes even in death.
True to his life, still for others.
"...My purpose remains here."
Ziiiiing—!
Kugugugung...
[Penance: The Whimsical One's Season arrives.]
[All seasons jumble together chaotically.]