Devouring the Yatagarasu
Yata Crow descends for this mission.
The Sun God's messenger is a powerful ally. It will provide significant assistance in the fight against the demon worshippers.
The massive one-legged crow spread its beak wide.
A dignified voice flowed out from between its beak.
Yatagarasu. The messenger of Amaterasu, who reigns as the sun god in Japanese mythology. A phantom species and constellation that carries the sun’s will down to the earth.
The Egg of the Strange Bird was the sacrificial offering used to summon Yata Crow, the helper for clearing the forty-first floor. It was a trick for using the Abandoned Altar that wouldn’t be discovered until seven years from now.
Of course, my reason for summoning this thing was slightly different.
“I don’t need your cooperation.”
“No. There’s one more thing you can give me.”
My nails stretched out like blades. With Sharp Claws active, I walked toward the Yata Crow.
“That body of yours.”
The Yata Crow that appeared in the mission was a degraded copy, a watered-down version that had borrowed its concept from the Swamp Demon King I’d faced in the tutorial. On top of that, the difficulty correction for the fortieth-floor range was applied in reverse, weakening it even further.
Where else would I find an opportunity like this?
It couldn’t compare to the essence of the original Yatagarasu constellation, but it was still the essence of a phantom species.
The Yata Crow’s eyes flashed with anger.
“Why? Is it because of the rank difference?”
Holy light descends.
All attacks directed toward the Yata Crow are nullified.
Power of holy-attribute and light-attribute attacks increased by 100%.
I drew up my dark mana. I rearranged the negative-dimension energy gathered at my fingertips, concentrated the wavering black current at my nail, and pointed it at the Yata Crow.
A reverse cross emblem carved itself onto the creature’s forehead.
Hierarchy Descent
The target’s rank drops by one stage.
The light surging from the Yata Crow’s wings faded away. An ability extracted from a fallen angel’s essence. It was the perfect counter for a high-ranking opponent like this.
“Looks like you’re finally willing to fight properly.”
The Yata Crow spread its wings wide and unleashed the full power it possessed as a phantom species.
Its entire body glowed brilliantly. Intense light covered every black feather with flawless white. It was the power of the sun, borrowed from Amaterasu.
You are facing a high-ranking entity.
Deicide has activated. All stats increased by 200%.
Rank difference nullified. All attacks now apply at 100% effectiveness.
Heh heh heh.
An essence I could never obtain before the regression. The ability extracted from the god-slaying sword Mistilteinn, specialized for use against constellations, had awakened.
Dragon power surged throughout my body. Laughing at the boiling strength, I clenched my fist.
“If that’s what it looks like?”
“You talk too much. Are you planning to fight with that beak of yours?”
The Yata Crow flew straight at me, flapping its massive wings. The heat wrapped around its body was so fierce that the surrounding scenery warped. It was on par with a solar explosion.
The internal energy stored in my dantian flowed into my forearm according to my will. Black scales covered my skin. The moment I prepared to unleash the Dragon Emperor Fist that mimicked the concept of ‘dragon,’ my body—which had already partially manifested the concept of the primordial dragon—responded in kind.
I stepped forward with my right foot and threw a punch. Swirling fist energy took the shape of a black dragon ascending to heaven, biting at the sunlight. It looked exactly like a dragon holding a yeouiju in its mouth.
“Whether it’s crude or not, you’ll find out soon enough.”
When martial arts reach the pinnacle of enlightenment, even constellations can be touched. I hadn’t reached that level after regressing yet, but Deicide’s correction let me imitate it perfectly.
Crack—! The ground beneath my feet split in several directions, unable to withstand the shockwave of the two clashing forces.
The light the Yata Crow emitted had weakened considerably, but I couldn’t follow up with Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts.
That’s what you think.
While using Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts, I had already prepared my second move.
Brain Lightning Technique - Brain Net
A lightning net dozens of meters wide wrapped around the Yata Crow in a dense web of electricity.
“How’s that? Feeling more awake now?”
The Yata Crow flapped its wings with all its might. The lightning energy created through Seon Magic began to be pushed back by the sun’s power. Still, binding its movements was enough.
Void Mirror
Urkan’s trace is reflected in the mirror.
Transforming into the recorded soul state.
Wings burst from my back. Using Urkan’s wings, I soared into the air.
“Stop screeching and just disappear already.”
Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out continuously. The Yata Crow, now focused on evasion, used the sun’s energy for defense rather than offense. While flying, I couldn’t unleash the full power of Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts, so the battle turned into a war of attrition.
“You have no idea how much practice it took to get this good.”
It was flight training I had endured while getting spat on by Night Gaunts. The practice had been worth it.
Not only that.
Wind Path
In terms of pure speed, dashing with Wind Path was sometimes faster than flying. I alternated between flight and leaping through the air, steadily draining the Yata Crow’s energy.
The sunlight grew increasingly turbid. One hour after the battle began, the Yata Crow was foaming at the mouth.
The Yata Crow crashed to the ground.
You have acquired a massive amount of experience points.
Your level has increased.
The once-arrogant creature rolled across the dirt, now covered in dust.
“It actually worked.”
A surge of satisfaction filled me. The opponent was a phantom species. Even though the Tower’s system had weakened it, the class difference had still been overwhelming. I had lowered its rank with Hierarchy Descent, yet the gap remained enormous.
If I hadn’t devoured Mistilteinn, I doubt I could have seized the advantage even after hours of attrition.
Deicide was an ability that didn’t reveal itself outwardly. They might understand Hierarchy Descent since it came from a fallen angel, but they must be wondering how I managed to land effective blows on the Yata Crow.
That said, Odin’s interest is a little worrying. The root of Deicide is the god-slaying sword Mistilteinn. Given its history of nearly killing Baldur, I’ll need to stay cautious of Odin’s gaze.
Even after defeating the Yata Crow, the sub-mission showed no change. The Abandoned Altar existed to exchange offerings for other materials. Defeating the forty-first floor’s helper didn’t grant any special reward. If anything, it was a bug that deviated from the designer’s intentions.
“Humans leave behind their names. Phantom species leave behind their hides when they die.”
I smirked and placed my hand on the dirt-covered corpse of the Yata Crow.
◈ Absorption Rate: 100%
◈ Perfect absorption of one essence type completed.
Solar Incarnation
Grade: ★★★★
Type: Active
Releases the power of the sun throughout the entire body.
A skill whose description alone didn’t give much of an idea. But I already knew exactly how to use the Yata Crow’s power.
The moment I manifested the solar power dwelling in my heart—
Kwaaaaaaaa!
Just like the Yata Crow had done, the power of the sun erupted past my skin.
“Lucky me.”
A smile rose naturally at the overwhelming strength.
* * *
The Corridor of the Forgotten.
It was the only place that never changed amid the periodically reassembled underground floors of the Tower. The space where the ‘System’—the very foundation of the Tower of Babel—resided. The Old Gods intervened in the Tower’s operation through this corridor.
“How strange.”
Lurain.
The Old God who had played the greatest role in constructing the Tower system, once called the God of Magic. She frowned as she stared at the figures displayed by the System.
“What has the God of Magic so upset?”
“Hyperion, I am working right now.”
“You really are stiff as always.”
“I have no time to entertain your dark motives.”
The first sun god, Hyperion. He approached Lurain’s side and grinned.
“Don’t be like that. There might be something I can help with, no?”
Lurain sighed. Knowing Hyperion was the biggest philanderer among the Old Gods, she had no desire to speak with him.
However—
“Then I shall ask for the Sun God’s wise opinion this time.”
Contrary to her thoughts, Lurain answered positively.
“What’s this? You always cut my words like a blade.”
“Because right now I’m in a position where I’d like to hear even your opinion.”
“Oho, the renowned God of Magic is showing weakness.”
“What do you think of this player?”
Lurain ignored the jab and went straight to the point. A player status window shimmered in the air.
“Is there anything strange about it? The first Great Erosion is already over, so it’s only natural for a Diamond-rank player to appear.”
“They say he was just promoted to Gold rank.”
“Wait. Gold?”
Hyperion scanned the status window again and widened his eyes.
“What? Did an error occur?”
“Impossible. The Tower system cannot produce errors.”
“No, still… this is excessive.”
“Yu Jinho. He may become a variable in our plan to absorb the Earth dimension into the Tower.”
Lurain glared at the status window with wary eyes.
The Tower of Babel had taken root across many dimensions. Among them were dimensions designated as [absorption candidates]. Earth was a strong candidate that had lost the competition against other worlds.
“If he bothers you that much, shall I take care of him?”
“Hyperion, have you forgotten that we cannot interfere with the outside world until the third Great Erosion?”
“Kuk. This is why they call you model students. Just wait a little longer.”
Hyperion smiled with deep meaning.