1129——————==

Soul of the Evil God

As Mangnyang jumped in, our bodies suddenly shifted.

Boom!

Wiying

When we arrived on the battlefield, we stood on a fragmented lava cliff where yellow and red waves rippled. Just before the heat from the lava hit us, a cool breeze swept through, and a bright blue barrier appeared around our bodies.

‘What is this?’

With the blue barrier forming, the heat from the lava was entirely blocked, and we found ourselves floating effortlessly in midair. It was undoubtedly some kind of sorcery, and I quickly realized this was a defensive barrier conjured by Mangnyang using the Corpse Dissolution Technique. Mangnyang pointed towards a massive pillar in the sky.

“I can see its feet! We should get closer.”

Boom!

A moment later, our bodies shifted again into the air, landing atop a huge, dark, undulating mass. I quickly realized this wasn’t just land.

‘…It’s on top of a giant crow!!’

This crow is enormous. I can confidently say it’s much larger than the Sea God. If you can’t even make out its outline from the cosmic stratosphere, isn’t that a given? Did Yeodong-bin feel the same when he saw the great dragon? I felt a chill run down my spine as I murmured.

“Damn. What good is slashing at a creature this big….”

Even if a master of the Absolute Realm could unleash dozens of Sword Qi, would it even leave a scratch? The sheer size made it intimidating.

“When we faced off against 70th-floor giant monsters, we thought that way too in the beginning. But there are ways to deal with them.”

Mangnyang yelled.

“Let’s go!”

Ohh!!

At Mangnyang’s shout, the masters of the Absolute Realm behind me all burst forth with radiant light. As the light waned, I was taken aback.

“…?! Artificial treasure?!”

Clang –

They had all equipped the artificial treasures the Tactical Forces Agents of the Great Bear Empire used on the surface! All donned in armor-like artificial treasures, I panicked.

“You don’t need to chant the activation phrase to equip the artificial treasure?”

“I’ve assisted all that with the Corpse Dissolution Technique. No need for that.”

Is that even possible with the Corpse Dissolution Technique?

While I was still processing that, the Master of Shadowless Sword leaped in with a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha! This guy seems to have lost a lot of energy compared to before. Today’s the day we catch him!”

Boom!

The sword of the Master of Shadowless Sword glowed with a faint red-yellow hue. As his eyes glided through the air, the Mind Control Technique from the masters of the Absolute Realm unfurled.

Absolute Realm

Shadowless Thousand Blade Annihilation

Buzzing

With a sound reminiscent of a swarm of bees, countless sword qi created by the Master of Shadowless Sword filled the sky in an instant. The translucent sword qi was so dense it seemed impossible to count, easily surpassing several tens of thousands. As he hurled his sword forward, a resonance erupted from the void.

Chiririri! Kiiing!!

“……!!”

As the sword qi responded to the resonance, cracks formed in the air, and from the many sword qi, more cracks and slashes erupted!

Boom boom boom!

“Ugh….”

A powerful wave surged forth, exploding in a blinding light right before my eyes, leaving me momentarily blinded. The vast space quickly swallowed what was once the dark body of the crow, as the energy of the Shadowless Thousand Blade Annihilation whirled like a whirlwind, consuming everything. It felt as if a typhoon was about to hit, and the Master’s laughter echoed.

“Hahaha!! We’re going up!”

Kuoouuu

In the eye of the storm, it seemed like the Master of Shadowless Sword was controlling the Mind Control Technique and leading the massive sword storm skyward.

“Shall we go?”

“Take your time and follow along.”

And behind him, both Gukhho and Jin Guk-jun unleashed their incredible speed as they executed the Heavenly Destruction Step and Divine Techniques respectively, far surpassing even the realm’s top tier masters on the ground.

I turned to Mangnyang beside me.

“Mangnyang, where are they going up to?”

“I don’t care what kind of monster it is; there’s a core in its head. They’re heading for the head to crush that core.”

“Core?”

Mangnyang nodded.

“The problem is, the resistance against striking that core is so strong that even masters can’t hit it with a single blow. Hence, we’ve battled for a long time, destroying parts of the crow’s body. Once parts are destroyed, the defense around the core weakens, giving us the chance to strike.”

“Hmm…!!”

“Hold on. I feel something coming….”

Murmuring, Mangnyang suddenly swung Baek Woong to the left and right.

Clang!

Kukwaquakwang –

As soon as Mangnyang’s motion finished, a wall of sorcery unfurled, and a colossal beam of light surged toward us from the wall. The beam briefly burned everything around it before disappearing without penetrating Mangnyang’s wall. I asked Mangnyang.

“What was that just now?”

“Sometimes, it attacks like this without warning. Like when a flea bites, the body twitches.”

I shook my head at Mangnyang’s remark.

“No, I sensed it just moments ago. How did you manage to anticipate and block an attack with no warning signs?”

What shocked me wasn’t that this monster crow unleashed an unexplained beam of light. It was that Mangnyang, despite being an expert in sorcery and not possessing great physical strength, was able to notice an instantaneous attack that required detection through the Mind Control Technique before it even happened. A human’s reflexes could not possibly explain that.

Then Mangnyang expressionlessly pointed Baek Woong forward and said.

“…I’ve just gained the ability to properly utilize the artificial treasure Baek Woong over many years.”

“What?”

“It’s not the time to be discussing Baek Woong right now. We need to ascend quickly.”

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, we flew into outer space. There, a mesmerizing sight unfolded, as stars shone brightly like a river flowing through the universe, encircling the massive crow’s body in the northern hemisphere of a planet.

But upon a closer look, this river of starlight wasn’t just beautiful scenery; it was a mass of dozens of thousands of shooting stars zooming by at terrifying speeds around the crow. At such speeds, even a brush could trigger massive explosions miles away on the ground. In this vicious space, countless Mind Control Techniques erupted alongside the white light.

Kukwakwakwang!!

One of the white lights shot through and seemed to collide with a shooting star, yielding a huge explosive sound. However, moments later, a bolt of lightning erupted from that white light.

Sword Thunder

Shocking Dragon Blade

Slish –

In the blink of an eye, the path of lightning became a translucent thunderous sword, and hundreds of thunder swords whipped and slashed rapidly at the crow’s chest. Given the crow’s immense size, that thunderous sword barely caused a scratch, but at least it seemed the crow was incapable of blocking the blade.

With a thrust, a visible wound appeared on the crow’s body, and Jin Guk-jun, who had arrived, shouted.

[Shoot – !!]

Bang!

As if punching through, the Shocking Dragon Blade struck the wound made by Jin Guk-jun with a fierce blow. It was an attack made at an exceptionally narrow moment, before the crow could conjure a black sorcery defense, which only displayed Jin Guk-jun’s impeccable timing. The crow staggered under the relentless consecutive attacks from the masters of the Absolute Realm.

Puffbububang!!

However, contrary to the instincts of revealing a weakness, a pitch-black barrier formed around the crow, protecting its massive body. I was baffled as I observed.

“That was a perfect opportunity… What is that?”

“Such bad luck… that’s a barrier it’s had activated at all times. It took our team a long time of fighting to finally break through the barrier and gain a chance to strike at its main body, and it seems it regenerated that barrier just in time.”

“……”

Hearing that, I felt a chill down my spine.

“This monster… is it stronger than the Sea God?”

“In terms of physical defense and stamina, it’s many times stronger than the Sea God. However, that monster can’t use sorcery or techniques and lacks divine powers, so simple comparisons are impossible.”

“Dammit. Why is this so hard….”

I felt despair wash over me. The stark difference in experiencing the overwhelming stamina of this creature compared to what I previously heard struck me hard.

‘So at the 76th floor, to reach the 99th… we have to take down 24 of these kinds of monsters including this one?’

This is a hellishly difficult challenge!

Mangnyang gritted his teeth, seemingly resolved.

“I’ll assist you as much as possible with the Corpse Dissolution Technique, so let’s fight however we can.”

“Hmph. I’ll try to hit this guy once too. Maybe the Great Liberation would work?”

“I’ll do my utmost to help you reach the core.”

I grumbled.

“Ugh. I’m not confident I can catch such a massive creature… I’d like to deal with this more easily….”

“We have no choice. It’s nearly impossible to catch such a creature that invests wholly in physical strength easily.”

I anticipated that capturing something with even greater stamina than the Sea God would be an enormously taxing, grueling, and wearisome endeavor, prompting me to complain.

“No matter what, I’d want to go a little easier… that I’d have to block, dodge, and hit it thousands, if not tens of thousands of times…?”

“That’s how it will be.”

“No easy way out…”

In that moment, a strange thought popped into my head.

‘…Could it work?’

I wasn’t sure why I felt that instinct.

But somehow, it felt achievable.

After a hundred years of training, perhaps I had finally gained an instinct as a prodigious martial artist?

“……”

No, this wasn’t a martial artist’s instinct.

In my effort to finesse an easier way, this idea just suddenly flashed in my mind…!!

And this instinct seemed more like that of someone from a different profession.

‘Damn!’

Feeling bitter about the concept, I shouted toward Mangnyang with renewed motivation.

“Mangnyang! To break that barrier, we need to inflict corresponding damage, right?”

“That’s correct. The Absolute Realm masters must hammer it day and night for dozens of days.”

“Then should we break it first and then steal, or steal first and then break?”

“……!!”

I had spoken ambiguously, leaving little room for explanation, but it seemed Mangnyang quickly grasped my intent. He spoke with admiration.

“Impressive. Baek Woong, how did you think of such a thing?”

“I’d used it before; it just came back to me…”

“Let’s go with the latter. That monster’s power is likely related to its size.”

“Help me avoid its interception when I get nearby. I’ll need to focus to use it.”

Mangnyang nodded.

“Understood.”

Tak!

I kicked off into the sky and with all my might, launched the Heavenly Destruction Step. The distance to that crow didn’t seem far at a glance, but in outer space, it was incredibly vast. The only way for me to close that distance effectively was through the Heavenly Destruction Step.

Whoosh!

As I narrowed down to within half the distance of the crow’s barrier, a surge of crimson light erupted around, unleashing thousands of beams toward me. I thought about deflecting each of those beams, but then a voice echoed in my head.

[Advance!]

Corpse Dissolution Technique!

Boom thud thud

Blue barriers crafted by Mangnyang surrounded me, their brightness intensifying, effortlessly absorbing all the beams as I didn’t even have to flinch or block. I could feel assurance that Mangnyang was indeed backing me up with a double layer of defense.

‘Alright.’

Wham!

Once again, I soared through space with the Heavenly Destruction Step, closing in on the dark barrier. In an instant, I was moving at a speed that spanned an entire nation, and with a stop, I reached the very front of the crow’s barrier, extending my hand to concentrate.

“Ugh…!!”

In a state of extreme concentration, I mustered through with precision. I had to summon the Mind Control technique by picturing it clearly in mind. Then, I needed to perform the Ultimate technique utilizing that thought.

Boom thudding

Thud

The sounds of beams hitting the barrier reverberated all around. I desperately tried to ignore those sounds and focus, but soon cracks began to sound from the barrier. No matter how robust the barrier of the Corpse Dissolution Technique, it couldn’t withstand a relentless onslaught forever.

‘Oh no! My thoughts aren’t coming together yet…!!’

As I sensed disaster creeping up, I pondered whether to employ a martial technique then.

Ultimate Technique

Spirit Absorbing Sword Spirit

Twelve Flower of Chaos

Whoosh –

It felt as though balls of fire danced around me, but soon I realized they were actually sword flowers. The splendidly blooming sword flowers moved as if alive, forming a screen of twelve swords around me, creating a much more powerful barrier than any ordinary barrier from the Absolute Realm.

Whoosh –

The one who created this barrier sent a Six Harmonies Assembly to me from afar.

[Baek Woong, I’ve heard from Mangnyang.]

[……!!]

That voice!

I jolted at the sudden sound.

[Trust me, concentrate. Only you can do this!]

Then I shall!

The moment I heard those words, I felt my previously scattered mind unite, solidifying into a point like the tip of a needle. I sensed the massive black barrier of the crow right before me, its size feeling as if it was being drawn into my palm.

This is the sensation.

I hate to admit it, but it was sharper than when I was gripping a sword… an indescribable feeling that a master thief possesses welled up inside me.

Even though I felt a twinge of bitterness, I had to do what I could. So I concentrated as best as I could.

“I’ll steal…”

In the next instant, I stretched out my hand. I could feel that the Spirit Absorbing Sword Spirit was nearing its end, and this was my first and last chance.

Technique of All Things

“Such a damn enormous size!”

Boom!

In an instant, something [conceptual] was pulled into my palm, and the massive body of the enormous crow that had filled the cosmic space vanished! This sudden occurrence felt like magic, but soon I realized that it wasn’t.

It looked like a dot in the distance.

Even if it appeared as a dot, up close, it would still be about the size of a room. As I gazed at the small crow that appeared in the vastness of space, I felt a flutter in my stomach.

‘Hmm. Seems I couldn’t completely reduce it…’

Is this the limit of the Technique of All Things? That it could only reduce its size to one where it could contest with martial strength…

Swoosh

And one by one, all the explorers who had been fighting alongside Mangnyang swarmed around me. Almost simultaneously, the master clad in white appeared beside me, chuckling softly.

“That was close. I didn’t know if you could hold till you finished concentrating, as you’re not accustomed to using the Spirit Absorbing Sword Spirit for defensive purposes.”

“No, you were a tremendous help.”

Seeing him again after a long time made me genuinely happy, though I forced myself to pull my emotions together.

“Master of Sword Demon.”

“…Hehe. You’re still calling me Master.”

“Don’t you have five hundred more years under your belt?”

“This life, perhaps. But soon you will attain five hundred years as well.”

“Don’t curse me.”

“By the way, that was some impressive strength you used.”

While I grumbled, the Sword Demon spoke up.

“I never thought you could steal the size of that monster with the Technique of All Things…”

Exactly.

What I had conceived was to reduce the enormous creature’s size using the Technique of All Things!

For divine beings like the Sea God, this sort of trick wouldn’t work, but given that this creature had minimal divine powers, I inferred that it likely wouldn’t have much resistance against the Technique of All Things. If I could reduce its size to a more manageable level, the encounter would become more favorable.

‘In fact, I’d managed to shrink a divine spirit once before, so I thought it might just work…’

Without that previous experience, it would’ve been hard to come up with such a thought.

Kuuuu….

The monstrous crow was hovering in the distance, and moments later, it began to dash toward us quickly.

[Kiiiii!!]

“It’s coming!”

“Prepare yourself.”

As everyone began to gear up for battle against the crow, I realized its encompassing black barrier remained a headache.

‘Damn. I’ve shrunk it, but if the defensive power of that barrier remains unchanged, we’re still in for a time-consuming battle…’

That’s why I had asked Mangnyang if it’d be more efficient to shrink its size first or break that defense first. Although Mangnyang likely thought reducing size was the way to go, I found the barrier to still be tricky right now.

Should we utilize the Great Liberation and go full power to break it?

As I pondered, the crow’s form diverted my thoughts.

‘Crow… Bird….’

It reminded me of Shao Hao Jin Tian.

That annoying little pest had given me endless troubles…. Someday, I’d pay him back.

“Hmm?! Hold on….”

In that moment, I focused my sight on the charging crow.

“……?”

“What are you….”

As a bright light began to congregate in my eyes, feeling almost painfully bright, I clenched my teeth and shouted.

“Light – Beam!!”

Kukwakwakwang!!

As destructive light surged from my eyes, the black barrier encircling the crow cracked like shattered glass. Mangnyang beside me was thrown into confusion.

“W-What is that?!”

“Ohohoho…!!”

I held firm, sending beams out continuously.

[Kiiiii?!]

Noticing the continuous rupture of the barrier, the crow seemed momentarily stunned and faltered in its charge, giving me the chance to unleash my final power.

“Light – Beam!!”

Kwang!!

The moment the barrier shattered, the crow flapped backward.

“It broke.”

“Finish it!”

With that, the masters of the Absolute Realm that had been sharpening their swords surged in unison, unleashing their techniques upon the crow. Various skills erupted forth as they began to slash ferociously at the crow, but with its innate stamina and defense, it managed to endure for a time despite the onslaught.

Sizzle

Kukwakwakwang

[Ku…rrr…k….]

As the crow’s neck was severed, its form began to slowly dissolve away. And right where it had vanished, a quiet blue dimension door appeared in the galaxy. Seeing that, Mangnyang remarked.

“It seems a door to the 77th floor has appeared.”

“……”

I felt tears streaming down as I opened my eyes. My vision was completely darkness, likely due to the barrage of light beams earlier.

Is this the side effect of using too many beams?!

“…Ugh. What kind of power was that?”

“Somehow, Shao Hao Jin Tian granted me the ability to unleash destructive beams from my eyes.”

“……”

Was he taken aback by such absurdity?

Mangnyang stared at me, momentarily speechless before finally saying.

“It seems the Corpse Dissolution Technique won’t heal you instantly. Maybe it’s a different class of power. In any case, let’s first cross over to the 77th floor before returning back to base.”