159. Apotheosis (3)
Heart Sword.
This terrifying technique that can deliver death without any warning had an unexpected principle.
It is exercised through divine power, which was thought to have no independent use without authority or mythology.
He gave me a fresh shock, and soon I was able to learn the principle while watching the Heavenly Demon.
The learning principle itself was absurdly simple.
as soon as….
‘Processing the inner divinity with the magical power refined in the will.’
It is to use magical power as a medium to spread will to divinity.
Of course, if this principle is wrong, the heart could explode.
It felt like divinity had a repulsive property against magical power.
However, I realized while observing the will of the Heavenly Demon.
Just like the qualities given to Sword Flame, the magic power to be used as a medium can be given a separate quality.
And the fact that through its properties, it can reduce the repulsion with divinity and use mana as a medium for transmitting will.
‘But this won’t be enough.’
However, just learning the mind sword could not completely turn the tide of battle.
The mind sword uses mana as a medium for will transmission to create an unrecognizable divine blade.
The Heavenly Demon was so proficient that it could be said that he had mastered the creation of this mind sword, but…
Currently, I have just opened my eyes to the mind sword, so my proficiency itself is very lacking.
Even after knowing the principle of the heart sword, those who use the heart sword knew that it was meaningless.
That would be too…
‘If the mind sword is a processed form of divinity, the perception through divinity cannot be fooled.’
The divinity in the heart only needs to be operated little by little throughout the body and expand the divinity sensing ability.
That alone is enough to resist the mind sword, so the Heavenly Demon won’t be attacked by my heart sword either.
“It’s enough to be qualified to put swords into each other.”
Before he knew it, the Heavenly Demon was quietly putting his hand on the sword wave, suppressing his excitement.
It was as if he would pull out his sword and wield it right away.
“I hope you can make it a little more fun.”
In the midst of using the heart sword, do you even avoid the sword that the Heavenly Demon wields directly?
That would be a near-impossible skill.
“No expectations.”
so….
“Now that I’m done dealing with you as a plaything.”
「The nameless god’s holy orb (S+) exclusive effect ‘absolute seal’ is activated.」
“Please specify the opponent who will use the ability seal.”
Now it was time to use the hidden number.
“Designation complete.”
「The most powerful ability possessed by the Heavenly Demon ‘Cheonyusul’ is sealed.」
「The special authority ‘Heavenly Demon Body’ is temporarily sealed.」
「Divine operation and use of some skills are banned.」
“< 00:29:59 > left until the seal is lifted.”
Cheering…!
「The Nameless God’s Sacred Orb (S+) will disappear.」
The moment the divine orb held in the left hand made a clear sound and was reduced to particles of light.
“Wow…! What the hell is this…!?”
The bloody jet-black aura that flowed from the Heavenly Demon shrank.
“They said everything was sealed until the cessation of the upper division battle…? What the hell is this nonsense…!”
Arrogant, lofty, overwhelming…
For the first time, the Heavenly Demon, who possesses unmatchable power, showed a wave of emotion.
This means that now is the best time to defeat her.
Whoa-!
‘White Sword Guancheon.’
「The skill ‘Gale Blade’ is activated.」
「By the skill ‘Steel Blade (C+)’, the wind attribute is given to the blade.」
The technique corresponding to the 2nd second of the seven ceremonies of the white sword was unfolded through the Blood Heaven Demon Sword.
As the sword flame condensed into the sword, the will was sharpened, and a new property was endowed at the tip of the sword.
It was such a truly devastating quality that it penetrated defenses.
But this wasn’t enough.
‘I have to prepare for the Heavenly Demon to block it with sword flames.’
Due to the characteristics of Geomyeom, the maximum additional properties are only two.
In the first place, since the sword skill is an absolute cutting property, it cannot be removed, and since the defense penetrating attribute is also added, the ability to counter the sword skill is reduced.
But I gritted my teeth and pushed my mind to the limit.
The Heavenly Horse is the strongest among the strong.
If the ability to resist swordsmanship is weak, this blow will be blocked without meaning.
「Activate True Blood Demon Sword’s < Imprint Skill: Strengthen Intention (B+) >.」
His tenacity transcends the fixed boundaries and succeeds in endowing him with the third quality.
The Blood Heaven Demon Sword was roaring accompanied by black thunderbolts and was fired…
「The exclusive effect of the skill ‘Soul Source Demonic Sword 混元魔劍’, ‘Double Combustion’ is activated.」
Kwaaaaang…!!
The skill, which was completed by raising all abilities, was pierced by the Heavenly Demon while amplifying its power.
But the results were not very good.
“The Heavenly Demon ‘Cheon Yu-seol’ uses the skill ‘Self-defense.’”
“…This is what it’s like to have at least two Danjeons sealed.”
strong wind.
Dark red starlight shone softly and protected the body of the Heavenly Demon.
It was completely different from Namgoong-hyeok’s clumsy Geomgang I saw before.
“…”
It was armed with a kind of law interference concept.
The surrounding energy itself reacted to the Heavenly Demon, dispelling all of my thoughts.
Feeling goosebumps at him, I quickly distanced myself from the Heavenly Demon.
Close combat at close range is meaningless now.
In the case of self-defense, all my intentions will disappear in close proximity.
‘…wasn’t that the strongest ability?’
It was absurd.
I thought that most of the abilities of the Heavenly Demon disappeared after the ability of the Heavenly Demon was sealed…
As it turned out, I had enough skills to overwhelm me even if I excluded them.
‘Damn it.’
There was no time to use up one’s heart in the belated sense of disappointment.
“I was a little disappointed this time…”
That would be too…
“From now on, I will have to make her a little more enjoyable.”
It was because the Heavenly Demon’s ink-colored longsword, which I hadn’t used before, was aimed at me.
What that meant was simple.
“Otherwise she might inadvertently kill you.”
From now on, only the fight for survival begins.
***
Kagagak—!
The twin swords in my hand trembled violently as a reaction against the one sword that looked like a giant mountain.
Whoops—!
Unable to withstand the shock, his legs bent and the floor of the cave was dug like a hook.
“Hehehe…”
I let out a groan and quickly stepped back as if throwing a blade away.
Even though all of his stats had risen by dozens, his whole body was creaking.
“It is a famous sword. A sword that doesn’t break even with a single sword… It’s really been a while.”
The Heavenly Demon arrogantly looked down at me, who was barely holding on, and smiled softly.
“But that’s not enough. She doesn’t want to see the opening sword, she wants to see you.”
It wasn’t like a battle.
“Ego. show me A sword that can make a woman happy.”
It’s just a joke.
“…”
I gritted my teeth and pulled out the twin swords as gently as possible, then quickly retreated to the rear.
It’s not the time to be like this.
I’m not sure how many minutes have passed, but the ability sealing itself won’t last forever.
So, I have to drive the Heavenly Demon to the corner as quickly as possible…
‘I can’t see any cracks…’
I didn’t think I could break through that iron fortress-like aura.
No, even if it wasn’t self-defense, the Heavenly Horse was an opponent who had mastered martial arts.
Unlike me, who learned martial arts through her sideways glance, she had a great understanding of martial arts.
I could feel it vividly in this battle that was close to being played.
as soon as….
「The Heavenly Demon ‘Cheon Yu-seol’ uses the skill ‘Young Heaven Demon Sword’.”
like now.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-!
A sword with pitch-dark aura was swung, and belatedly, the sword spirit was agitated and covered my eyes.
Eventually, the sword spirit swelled to the point of covering her eyes, and soon began to rage like a tidal wave.
It was an overwhelming figure as if shadows made of swords were covering the cave.
‘…shit.’
Hide the truth and show the false…
It was a number that faithfully mixed the logic of fantasy.
I was able to immediately recognize the reality of Maehwa Swordsman’s transformation that I saw in Solitude of Cheonmugo, but…
As if the Heavenly Demon was playing a prank on her, the sword spirit was so elaborate that its true nature was unknown.
It was worth it.
Because all of the sword spirits boasted unmatched toughness, just like the real ones.
‘I don’t know which one is real.’
The number of inspections of plum blossoms seen at Cheonmu High School was not to this extent.
A feeling of hopelessness swept over me.
The shaking of not being able to see the reality gave the fear of death.
But the despair didn’t last long.
―The illusion sword deceives the eyes. But that’s all. A shadow is only a shadow, so it can feel like the real thing, but it can’t give you the same impact as the real thing.
Damcheonwu, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.
It was a serious voice that didn’t suit him, but rather it made his mind clearer.
―If you can’t see it, close your eyes and focus on the sensation.
Close your eyes.
―You are a rookie as a warrior, but as a challenger, you are a strong man who has reached full maturity.
And focus.
-Concentrate. I have a mind eye. You will soon see where reality is coming in.
Dam Chun-wu’s words were only correct in every word.
「The skill ‘Fire Dragon’s Eye’ is strongly activated.」
Concentrating my mind on the skill, I looked at the shadow of the flying sword.
OK….
「The skill ‘sixth sense’ is activated.」
I was able to realize that those were not real swords.
It was just an intuition, but the activation of the sixth sense, a skill, had a simple meaning.
‘This intuition is well worth serving as evidence.’
Standing still for a moment, watching the flying sword spirits…
Shih!
Suddenly, a strange movement was detected in the sword spirit.
And it felt as close to the real thing as my sixth sense told me.
「The special effect ‘Blade of Light’ for the island magic technique (S+) is activated.」
「Consumes holy power to create multiple islanders.」
Seomin Neungbeopgi (閃刃能法器).
Using the treasure received from the light sword emperor, he shot a blade of light at the sword that was assumed to be the real thing.
As a result, the Heavenly Demon must have noticed that I had seen through the real thing, so I didn’t hide the truth and ejected as my opponent.
Kwaaaang!
It was a blade of light that showed an absurd performance of ignoring the durability value, but…
It collapsed so easily that it was absurdly like a mere mirage in the sword river.
In response, I created magic with special properties in my heart and stimulated my divine power.
‘Heart sword.’
If sword flames and items do not work, you can only respond with divinity.
In fact, the sound of a violent collision could be heard within the mind sword, probably because it was a higher grade than the sword sword.
Awesome—!
It sounded like something was cracking, but I couldn’t take it positively.
because….
‘My sword has been destroyed.’
The reason I won was because it wasn’t the sword I created, but the sword of the Heavenly Demon.
The cause of extinction was also self-evident.
Even if you know the principle of mind sword, it is a technique that is unreasonable to have equal skills at once.
So, even if I had a high score in swordsmanship, I wouldn’t have been able to win in a clash as much as my skills were low.
I quickly swung my twin swords to prepare for the next sword attack, but…
Kwajik-!
「The Guardian Bracelet of the Nameless God (S+) exclusive effect ‘Preemptive Defense’ is activated.」
「The bracelet handles the unstoppable blow instead.」
“The number of uses remaining is 1.”
Failed.
‘We have to prepare for the next…’
Kwajik-!
「The Guardian Bracelet of the Nameless God (S+) exclusive effect ‘Preemptive Defense’ is activated.」
「The bracelet handles the unstoppable blow instead.」
“The number of uses remaining is 0.”
Failed.
“The Nameless God’s Guardian Bracelet (S+) will disappear.”
Paste….
The green bracelet on my wrist was scattered like dust.
“They said that dealing with them as toys is over, so how long are you going to be fooled by women?”
The voice of the Heavenly Demon resounded in the spirit of the sword that had not yet disappeared.
“If I don’t have anything to show you now, I will have to prepare for death.”
After those words, a terrifying aura suddenly appeared in the air.
「The Heavenly Demon, ‘Cheon Yu-seol’, uses the skill ‘Phacheon Sura Sword(破天修羅劍)’.」
‘What else is that…’
Overwhelmed.
The black blade that suddenly appeared in the air was a mind sword, but it was not a mind sword.
I got goosebumps when I found out that Shimgum had the magic of Geomgang (劍罡).
I couldn’t understand how to use the mind sword when it should have blocked the divine operation itself…
‘Could it be that mana has been replaced with divinity…!?’
Soon, I realized how I was able to use the mind sword in the awkwardness that seemed to have just been processed.
Magical power processed into divine.
It’s a technique I’ve tried before, but never succeeded.
Even though I was watching the technology creation right in front of my nose, I still couldn’t figure out the principle of processing magic into divinity.
‘driving me crazy.’
I felt an intense sense of crisis.
If you can’t stop that, now even the place to completely retreat will disappear.
At least this time, fatal wounds should not be allowed.
「The skill ‘Pacheon 破天’ is activated.」
「The limit on what can be broken disappears.」
He generously invested all of his mana, which he had gained through Yonginhwa, into his sword.
Because it is a powerful angel that destroys the essence itself, it may be able to stop the Heavenly Demon’s sword strength.
It was only a very small possibility, but there was nothing I could do about it because I felt like grabbing at least a straw.
-…come.
As soon as Dam Tianyu’s murmur ends, a black blade created in the air strikes down like thunder.
At the right timing, I swung my twin swords as if crossing them, and soon the blades collided with each other.
Kaga River…!!
However, the clash was only short-lived.
Kwajangchang—!
Pacheon was also an ability close to the nature of sword fighting, and in the end he couldn’t overcome sword fighting.
It was because sword steel was capable of interfering with the laws of other sword techniques.
and….
“ah….”
hooked!
The black blade finally pierced my heart.
***
「The skill ‘Last Resistance’ is activated.」
“The fatal wound inflicted on you is nullified.”
「All senses are temporarily amplified and all skills are compensated.」
「This skill is given a cooldown of one week.」
As if time had turned back, the piercing wound in his heart had disappeared.
However, I couldn’t be happy even though I was alive in a situation that should have led to death.
That would be too…
“I think that will be the last.”
It was because the Heavenly Demon was looking at me with her sword spirit reaping.
“Then let’s finish it now.”
Intuitively.
“As Yu-hee, he was extremely satisfied. Well, it was more dependent on objects rather than on one’s own ability.”
The fact that now I will really face death.
“Still, she made me happy, so she’ll give you three meals for the last bit.”
There was no hope.
All of her hidden paddles were used, and she never learned sword steel.
However, I was able to catch a clue about the principle of the composition of the sword.
“…”
Without answering the Heavenly Demon’s words, I put my thoughts into the twin swords.
The power of the sword is probably the same power as divine control through a medium of will transmission.
The difference is that it has to be strong enough to affect the magical energy around it with the sword energy embedded in the sword…
‘It’s worth a try.’
After taking a moment to catch your breath.
fault!
Without hesitation, he rushed at the Heavenly Demon, strengthening her will as much as possible.
Then, using the sword flame dwelling in the sword as a medium for transmitting will, he resonated with the surrounding magic power…
“The achievement ‘Beginning of Transcendence’ has been completed.”
「The Authority ‘Geomjinjikyung 劍炎之境’ grows into the Authority ‘Geomgi Seonggang 劍气成罡’.”
…Soon, a group of brilliant lights never seen before dwelled in the twin swords.
The dark red shining sword river rushed at the Heavenly Demon, bending like a snake.
However, it did not reach the Heavenly Demon.
“…It’s amazing that you learned the sword, but it’s not a passing grade.”
Quadduck—!
Her darkened Heavenly Demon’s heart sword blocked her twin swords before they could reach her.
When Geomgang collided with the black heart sword, it was ripped apart with absurdly simple steps.
「The skill ‘Star Light Starlight’ is activated.」
Nevertheless, she shook off the feeling of defeat that weighed down her shoulders and shot a black starlight at the Heavenly Demon…
Whoops!
“This is not a passing grade either.”
Even that could not penetrate the self-defense force and perished as it was.
“Since you used two of the three moves you gave up, you must now have one move left.”
The Heavenly Demon glanced at me with a tired tone.
“Seeing that you rely more on objects than on your own abilities…”
At first glance, empty eyes that seemed to contain nothing.
“There is nothing to look forward to now.”
But it…
‘contempt.’
It was a look I knew better than anyone else.
He felt the sense of defeat weighing down on his shoulders faded for a moment.
Before I became obsessed with climbing the tower, that was the starting point that led me to my obsession.
Suddenly, the words of the hero of the destroyed world came to mind.
—That feeling is just a motive. It doesn’t determine the destination. You are no different from a lump of pure desire.
The repulsive feeling that started with that contempt led to the journey as a challenger.
I can tell from the start, but from the middle on, I don’t know what drew me to it.
what the hell keeps me from stopping
It seemed that he had just realized it.
‘I am….’
I didn’t want to be scorned by anyone.
I didn’t want to lose to anyone.
I didn’t want to be oppressed by anyone.
The reason I climbed the tower and couldn’t stop the urge was because I couldn’t fill that deficiency.
Maybe this wouldn’t have happened if I had stayed on Earth instead of the Tower.
‘Because the earth is no better than a narrow well.’
As a Hunter, he would have reached the top and been recognized by everyone.
But the top was different.
As the number of floors goes up, the enemies that appear gradually become stronger.
The challengers of the other world used technologies that had never been seen on Earth.
It would have been a fact that I wouldn’t have been able to know all of it if I had been watching the thin sight in a narrow well.
But I’ve come to realize that narrow wells aren’t everything.
From then on, it was decided that this would happen.
‘I met a lot of beings of different ranks.’
But all of them are like natural disasters to me.
The goodwill and hostility shown by the gods should be considered death.
This still hasn’t changed.
It was just a small wish not to be oppressed by anyone.
…But it was so difficult to achieve.
「Condition satisfied.」
That hopeless reality urged me intensely.
“The quality of a Shinigami is beginning to be perfected.”
fault!
「The authority ‘divine power’ is strongly activated.」
Suddenly, both eyes were stained with black divinity.
The moment the invisible black flow came into view.
Unlike before, the world spread like a watercolor and my heart beat loudly.
As everything slows down, everything blurs.
In a world that seemed to have been smeared with paint, black currents stirred.
Lines that had not given much meaning so far gathered, and soon they became one path and pointed to a certain point.
and….
At the end of the road, there was a black dot that remained clear.
Instinctively, following the black flow, I thought while drawing a sword path.
‘I don’t want to lose.’
Know.
Even if you get out of a narrow well, the fact that what you can achieve is limited.
At best, it would be the end of eating the fruit the tower gives and becoming a god.
But I still wanted to prove it.
‘what?’
If you seize the opportunity, you are not left behind by anyone.
‘To whom?’
to me.
‘why?’
Because I don’t want to regret it.
Perhaps it could be an endless proof.
As they got stronger and stronger, the new powerful enemies that appeared seemed truly endless.
But the end point was clear.
‘Without being oppressed by anyone.’
A sword cuts through the flow.
‘Without being disturbed by anyone.’
It’s not light or heavy, but…
‘To be able to stand alone.’
Suddenly, instinct was whispering with a strange certainty.
This means that self-defense equipment can be easily destroyed.
‘And moving forward on the desired path without wavering.’
An eternity-like moment flows, and the sword strikes a black dot at the end of the flow.
next moment.
‘That was what I wanted.’
Kwajijik———!!
The Heavenly Demon’s self-defense flag was broken and the Blood Heavenly Demon’s sword pierced her heart.
