Chapter 201

“Magic Sword King.”

I pulled out Hyperion once more. And with that…

I would create a spare sword charged for battle.

Crack!

The ground beneath the Magic Sword King’s feet began to crack. The monster tried to shake off my sword and escape, but such a one-sided struggle of strength could only end in retreat or death for the weaker side.

It at least needs to knock me off balance.

Naturally, I knew this.

Graaaah!

In an instant, a black energy exploded from the sword the monster was holding. It transformed into an enormous raven-black giant, aiming to strike me down.

“Hyperion.”

The black energy that had exploded from Hyperion likewise formed into a giant, blocking the strike from my other self.

Thwack!

Thanks to this, I was able to continue the power struggle without interruption.

Crunch!

A menacing sound came from the Magic Sword King’s shoulder. His face distorted from relaxed to snarling in an instant, and thick veins bulged out.

He’s holding up well, though.

The Magic Sword King’s physical abilities were truly remarkable. Then again, by the time one became an absolute master, their external martial aspect would invariably reach extraordinary levels. With internal energy enveloping one’s body, even a child could rip through complex gloves as easily as tearing paper, so perhaps this was not entirely unexpected.

But it’s not enough.

No matter how strong he might be, he couldn’t hope to overcome the force of one capable of ripping apart dimensions with bare hands.

Creeeak!

As I removed my left hand from Hyperion, the blade, which had been overpowering the Magic Sword King with my full strength, began to waver. However, my opponent’s posture was now completely shattered, leaving him unable to shake off the weight and rise to his feet.

“Yes, you…!”

“First, one blow.”

Splat!

My left fist struck the Magic Sword King’s face. I had intended to smash his head, but his gathered qi acted as a shield, blocking the blow. It was an excellent defense, but the problem remained: there was no change in our positions whatsoever.

Grrrunch!

Once again, my left arm was pulled taut. Muscles contracted, and the tendons made sounds like twisting steel cables. The qi that had been surrounding my body to strengthen it now concentrated on my fists.

“Another blow.”

Splat!

The shield of qi blocked the blow again. This time, however, the Magic Sword King’s head lurched to the side, indicating that it wasn’t a complete defense.

Tom Holiday’s voice entered my mind through the telepathy channel we had established earlier. I also sent a telepathic message:

I severed the telepathic connection and raised my left hand again.

Crack!

Blood erupted from the Edge of Chaos’s nose. His eyes, now crimson and swollen, brimmed with a terrifying murderous intent. Just as I prepared to strike his head once more…

Heavenly Demon God Art:

Heaven Destruction.

Shhhk!

A cut appeared on my neck, followed by a gush of blood.

The lifeline of countable flips from the Heavenly Demon God Art—a desperate sword strike that turned the tide between victory and defeat, piercing through both Gang energy and extreme earth-based defenses!

Thwack!

The moment my posture crumbled, the Magic Sword King sprang into action, her movements fluid and unstoppable as she soared towards the heavens.

“You insolent brat! How dare you be so audacious, relying solely on your physical strength…”

Thud.

Yet, mid-leap, she halted. My left hand had snaked out to seize her ankle.

The Magic Sword King, a master of evasive maneuvers, attempted to slice through my grip with a powerful slash, her blade infused with spiritual energy. But against my fortified body, honed by years of rigorous training, such a half-hearted strike stood no chance.

Shiiing…!

Had the wound been fatal, I would have logged out. I’d have transported to Ardenia, received healing, and taken ample time to rest before returning. But now? I had no need for such measures. The cut on my neck was already knitting itself back together. Not even the curse-like power coursing through the blade could halt my remarkable regenerative ability.

“I get it now. Your level.”

In other words…

There was no need to even log in against this opponent.

“Boring.”

I grabbed his ankle and let loose with a barrage of kicks.

Kwagah!

The earth trembled as if waves were crashing over it from the force of the impact. Even the Magic Sword Monarch, enveloped in his gang energy, couldn’t completely neutralize the blow and coughed up blood.

”…”

To be honest, I wanted to release my hold on him. I desired to give him ample time to rest and then engage him again when he was in peak condition. I wanted to ascertain just how far I had progressed in strength—how much I could truly achieve now.

“Hmph.”

But with a chortle, I dismissed these idle thoughts. I was here on a mission.

Great talents mature late and shine bright.

Klang.

With a sudden crack, Hyperion had split the Magic Sword Monarch’s head open. No one, not even myself, could fully comprehend the speed at which it happened.

And then, in the very next instant…

Boom!

A deafening explosion rocked the area, sending shockwaves in all directions.

“Aargh! Somebody save me!”

“Kyaa! Kaah!”

“Wh-what’s going on?!”

The soldiers surrounding us were sent flying, tumbling chaotically across the ground as they were hurled great distances away. It was only thanks to the Magic Sword King’s formidable defensive aura that I managed to dissipate much of the physical force. Had I unleashed this sword strike fully, they would all have perished instantly.

“It’s… over… And now… Kasim.”

At the mere invocation of his name, Kasim materialized from thin air. His purpose required no explanation.

Chiiing!

Around ten items materialized into view.

In that exact moment…

Zzzz!

The Transcendent Weapon, ZeroSum, began to shine brilliantly.

A confirmed Hyperion!

Fwiiish!

The items vanished as soon as they appeared.

Instead of opening my inventory to check the items, I climbed onto Kasim’s back. The purpose of summoning Kasim was to retrieve the items, but I couldn’t make it too obvious.

Thump!

As always, it was a rough takeoff.

From Kasim’s back, I reactivated the telepathic link.

…Wow. What’s with the speed?

No time to apply buffs. Moreover, wounds heal too quickly, so no need for healing…

I flew high into the sky, listening to the voices of Han Sukdu and Shin Jiyeon.

“Kiii?”

“Pi pi pi pi pi!”

“Rejoice! Rejoice! We struggle with joy! Praising Him ceaselessly!”

Outside the city, monster waves were crashing like tidal booms.

Fortunately, the soldiers and police of Route Planet were putting up a good fight.

“Keep shooting! Don’t let them get any closer!”

“Open fire!”

Kaboom!

Thud!

The incoming monsters fell helplessly under the hail of bullets.

They’re holding them off better than I thought?

The distribution of monster levels in this situation wasn’t incremental.

Levels 8 to 10, then straight to 20 for Transcendent Rank monsters.

There was no middle ground. In Revenge terms, it was like going from Regress or Hero rank directly to Mythical rank, skipping Legend entirely.

It was the opposite of the situation in Ardenia, where only legends roamed the fields.

There aren’t many types of monsters either. Most of them overlap to some extent…

In fact, on Earth-34, there were cases where only Transcendent Rank monsters swarmed forth, with no lower-level mobs in sight.

It was truly a spectacle of utter indifference.

It’s as if these creatures are mere scraps, fallen from the creation of something transcendental or even beyond that…

Just as this thought crossed my mind…

Whoosh.

A gust of wind swept by. I was flying through the skies when an enormous head brushed past me.

“Huh?”

[Hahaha!]

A tremendous giant leaped among the swarming monsters with a hearty laugh. His colossal frame dwarfed the ants below.

Boom!

“Is he using a growth spell?”

[Don’t worry about those pests. Kats is the expert in dealing with them.]

Surprisingly, it was Kats’ Gigas, Carlin. The Gigas that had only ever grown to tens of meters had now skyrocketed to hundreds!

Considering that if a Gigas became too massive compared to an Iron Heart’s output, it would struggle to receive spiritual energy, this size was highly abnormal.

At first glance, his Gigas seemed even larger than the Land Worm. As it stomped across the earth, monsters were swept aside like ants. But that wasn’t all.

Kaboom!

Any monster that somehow breached the barrier and crossed the line had its head explode like a deflating balloon. The sheer force of this entity was overwhelming even for the animals that had screamed at the sight of approaching enemies.

Along with this…

“Ow… Ow… Huh?”

“The wounds…”

Injured soldiers who had been groaning on the ground began opening their eyes one by one.

Nightingale, who had been deeply hidden underground, was casting healing magic like a sniper across a radius of several kilometers.

I whistled in amazement.

I chuckled at the growing chatter on the communication channel.

After ending the communication, I gazed at the sky from Kasim’s back as we flew towards the northwest.

So it’s that guy again, I thought.

At that moment…

He looked at me.

Thud!

In an instant, I realized I was no longer on Kasim’s back, but standing on a plain covered with corpses.

“Oh, a mental attack.”

This was my first experience with such an attack, and I found it fascinating. It’s a situation that relatively weak-bodied individuals, including bio-energy cultivators, fear the most.

However, as an absolute master and an Atman, I’m not as vulnerable.

“Let’s reverse this.”

There’s an even easier method than engaging in a fight.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud!

I closed my eyes and focused on my wildly beating heart.

Thump. Thump. Thump…

The heartbeats gradually slowed.

Thump.

Finally, they came to a stop. The Dimensional Awl Heart ceased its operation for a moment.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, I found myself back in reality.

“Ah… It’s been a while since I felt this.”

Like a madman failing to recognize a protective talisman, the Transcendent’s psychic interference fell apart just as easily.

Of course, from past experiences, I know this won’t work on Transcendents above intermediate level, but…

For now, there were no problems. I restarted my heart, which had stopped momentarily, and then opened my inventory.

It was time to check something more important than the Deep Eye’s random attacks.

Pop!

I ignored the inventory window that appeared, shining with gold. Sure, it’s great to see legendary items, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Determine, Hyperion!”

I uttered the command while inspecting the mythic item.

Call of the Frost (Level 20)

Mana Coefficient: 2.0

Eternal Ice (Epic)

Soul Freeze (Epic)

[Empty]. [Empty]. [Empty]. [Empty]. [Empty].

”…Huh?”

But there was no sign of Hyperion. Instead, a bracelet that seemed completely unrelated to the Magic Sword King was lying there. Its appearance was too simple to be Hyperion.