Chapter 423

Wham!

The instant the heavy blow sent the Arch Lich hurtling toward the ground, I drew up my internal energy and kicked off the air.

Bang!

Compressed air exploded beneath my feet, launching me at terrifying speed toward his plummeting figure.

The Skeleton Warlord let out a cry that might have been a scream or a cheer.

“You did it, human! Hurry and finish it!”

Finish what?

Unfortunately, he was wrong. Having driven my fist directly into the Arch Lich’s jaw, I knew that better than anyone.

He cast a defensive spell in that split second…!

Before my all-out Flame-Extinguishing Divine Fist could connect, he had covered his face with a Bone Shield.

Considering the force behind the blow, he could not have escaped completely unharmed, but this was not enough to bring him down.

And sure enough, the Arch Lich abruptly stopped in midair after plummeting like a meteor. Immense mana rippled through the atmosphere.

“Darkness Hold.”

Fwoooooosh!

A pair of enormous hands burst out of thin air. At a glance, they looked similar to Dark Hand, but as its name implied, Darkness Hold was a spell designed solely to bind its target.

I brought my spear down toward the two hands hurtling at me.

I can see it.

Everything had a grain. Living creatures had one. So did the wind, and even invisible energy.

Opening my Middle Dantian had allowed me to sense and see the core and grain of things.

Just like now.

Shhk!

Flames blossomed, and the darkness split apart. The black hands writhed as if in pain before dissolving into mist, and the Arch Lich’s eye-lights flashed.

The next instant, his hand of dark, weathered bone clawed through the air.

“Dark Claw!”

Fsssssh! Shhk!

The dispersing black mist transformed into a beast’s claws and rained down.

Countless attacks hurtled in from every direction, each tracing a different path. I could have blocked them easily enough if I committed to it.

But then I would lose the Arch Lich after finally closing the distance.

I have to choose.

I could not catch two rabbits at once—especially when the other side was not a rabbit, but a tiger.

I made my decision in that brief instant and hurled White Flame with all my strength.

Not at the magic surrounding me, but at the Arch Lich.

Fwoooooom!

Wreathed in blue hellfire, White Flame cleaved through everything in its path like a streak of light.

The Arch Lich cried out with more urgency than ever before.

“Bone Shi—”

Too late, you son of a bitch.

Fwoooooosh!

Blue hellfire swallowed the Arch Lich whole.

His half-formed bone shield turned to ash and crumbled before the blistering heat.

Crunch!

White Flame’s spearhead punched through the Arch Lich’s chest. Impaled like meat on a skewer, he plunged toward the ground with a shriek unlike any sound I had ever heard from him.

At that moment, I felt a chilling wind slicing in from every direction.

“Human, danger…!”

I already knew. I did not need the Skeleton Warlord’s warning.

I had known and done it anyway. To take the bones, I had to give up my flesh. Even knowing I would not emerge unscathed, I had believed this was the right decision.

As I watched the claws of mana rain down from every direction, a thought crossed my mind.

…Maybe I should’ve just blocked them.

But there were no take-backs now.

Shh-shh-shh-shh-shhk!

A violent gust swept over my entire body.

It was not an illusion like Bone Spear, nor was it slow enough to block. I twisted my body as much as possible and gathered my internal energy, but there was a definite limit.

Shhk! Shhk! Shhk! Shraaaak!

Shoulder, side, thigh, arm…

Countless claws of mana slashed and raked across my entire body. Blood burst from the deep gashes in my skin, and overwhelming pain crashed over me.

Damn it.

It hurt. Enough to kill me.

Enough to make me want to die.

No matter how many times I experienced it, pain was something that was difficult to grow accustomed to.

My vision blurred, and the strength drained from my body before I realized it.

The agony lasted only a moment, yet seemed to stretch on forever.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was an enormous pile of concrete looming right in front of me.

“Get a hold of yourself, human!”

“……!”

The Skeleton Warlord’s frantic shout snapped me back to my senses.

I forced internal energy into my stiffened body. Along with the tearing pain in my acupoints, the senses that had fallen asleep awakened.

Now!

Without a moment’s hesitation, I flipped over in midair.

Crash!

A thunderous roar rose with a cloud of dust. Violent vibrations and pain slowly crawled up the leg with which I landed roughly on the concrete pile.

“Urgh.”

As I clenched my teeth against the pain, the Skeleton Warlord spoke.

“Human, you do not… appear to be all right.”

I answered between ragged breaths.

“Huff. If you know that, huff, then shut up. My head’s ringing.”

I was not exaggerating. It really was.

The System notifications drilling into my ears were enough to make me want to throw up.

Beep.

System

• The status effect Severe Injury has been applied!
• The status effect Excessive Bleeding has been applied!
• Due to severe injuries, your physical attributes have been drastically reduced!
• Strength, Agility, and Stamina have each decreased by 200 points!
• You have suffered severe injuries! Immediate treatment is required!

Yeah. I thought so, too.

Whether from losing too much blood or the relentless agony coursing through me, my vision was hazy and my thoughts barely worked.

But even in that state, there was one presence I could not forget.

“The Arch Lich. Where’s the Arch Lich?”

At the sound of my cracked voice, the Skeleton Warlord roared.

“Have you gone completely insane, human?! Treat yourself first!”

“I haven’t gotten a kill notification yet. That means he’s still ali—”

“Who cares about your kill notification?! Treat yourself first!”

“Hngh.”

I told you not to shout.

Dizzy, I leaned against the pile of concrete. Blood dripped from my body, leaving me soaked from head to toe, while my arms and legs trembled like aspen leaves beyond my control.

Damn it.

I had really taken a beating.

My one consolation was that the Arch Lich had to be in even worse shape than I was—or at least no better.

“You stupid human!”

I know. I know.

With his shout reverberating through my head, I slowly opened my palm and muttered inwardly.

Inventory open. Summon.

Pop!

The thought became reality at once.

I drew out an item from the subspace pocket that had once belonged to Lee Jungryong and now belonged to me.

A Top-Grade Potion.

Had Lee Jungryong ever imagined that both Top-Grade Potions he had brought along just in case would end up being used on me?

My hand trembling, I uncorked the potion and raised it to my lips, ready to gulp it down like the elixir of life.

Or rather, I was just about to.

Tap! Fwoooooosh!

“……Huh?”

It happened in an instant.

A black thorny vine sprang from between the slabs of concrete and struck my wrist. In the slowed world, the Top-Grade Potion flew from my hand and vanished beyond the pale haze.

I stared blankly at the few drops of potion scattered through the air as they soaked into the ground. Then I suddenly spoke.

“Dark Vine.”

Someone’s all-too-familiar magic.

The Skeleton Warlord muttered like he was groaning.

“It is him.”

I slowly raised my head. Beyond the dense fog, a pair of red eye-lights blazed like torches as they drew closer.

A three-meter¹ body with a black sheen emerged through the mist with heavy steps. He resembled a human, but no one could have called him one.

“You, human.”

His low voice seethed with unmistakable fury.

Deep within my Inventory, the Skeleton Warlord trembled. I smiled faintly.

“You son of a bitch. You stole the food right out of my mouth.”

“Your futile struggle ends here.”

Shhk! Snap!

I did not even have time to reach out. The Arch Lich snapped his fingers, and Dark Vine swept up Lee Jungryong’s subspace pocket—an ordinary-looking leather pouch—and flung it far out of sight.

“No more cheap tricks will work.”

The mana surrounding the Arch Lich reacted to every word he spoke.

But just as I had suffered a severe injury, the power he emitted was also weaker than before.

The White Flame piercing the center of his chest had to be the decisive cause.

I can do this.

I forced myself upright. As I reached out, a spear summoned from my Inventory landed in my hand.

“That spear in your chest looks good on you. Want me to plant another one?”

“Will you have the chance?”

“Of course. Looking at the state you’re in, I’d say my chances are pretty good.”

“Humans never know the difference between courage and recklessness. How foolish. Truly, how foolish.”

The Arch Lich laughed aloud and spread his arms.

His robe had been reduced to ash by my earlier attack. In its place, pitch-black mana poured from his entire body and took shape.

That’s…

A vortex of mana that felt ominous just to look at.

I instinctively realized what the Arch Lich was trying to do.

A Gate.

It was unstable, as if it might explode at any moment, but it had unmistakably taken the shape of a Gate.

The Arch Lich’s next words confirmed my suspicions.

“It is not yet complete, but… if I can merely bring you down, I should be able to complete everything.”

At the same time, a low voice that seemed to come from the heavens reverberated through the space.

“Descend upon this place. Gate Open.”

“……!”

I had to stop it somehow. But pain slowed my body, and the change had already begun.

I stared wide-eyed at the sight that unfolded the next moment.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

The few faint rays of sunlight piercing the ash-gray sky vanished completely.

The sky split with a thunderous roar, and a storm swept in every direction. In the void left behind, a mass of darkness rose like an ancient giant climbing to its feet.

Fwoooooosh!

The churning darkness surged from the heart of the ruined city.

As tall as a high-rise and wider than a soccer field, it dwarfed every Gate I had ever seen. The mere sight of it filled me with fear that seeped into my bones.

“Ah… ahh.”

Even the Skeleton Warlord, an undead monster, trembled before it.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open, staring blankly at the Gate. Then I suddenly realized something I had forgotten.

I have to stop it. No matter what.

The Gate might still be incomplete, but if this continued, an uncontrollable disaster would begin.

Millions—perhaps tens of millions—could die.

And among them…

Some might be my people.

Team Leader Choi, out on the battlefield. Xiao Shen, whom I had grown attached to despite our short time together.

If the Arch Lich moved beyond China and reached the Korean Peninsula… the members of the Peace Guild and even my beloved family would be in danger.

I have to go.

Will drove my body, paralyzed by pain and shock, back into motion.

I dredged up every last ounce of internal energy. My acupoints, already ravaged by internal injuries, screamed in pain, and blood burst anew from wounds all over my body.

But I did not stop.

I needed only one chance.

Just one.

Flamefire Path.

My battered leg pushed against the ground. A path of flame opened amid shattering pain.

At its end stood a single being.

The one who had started all of this.

The one who could end it all.

Die.

One Annihilation.

In the slowed world, I drew my spear back as far as I could and thrust.

The vortex unleashed with all my strength reached the Arch Lich.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

And amid the blue flames filling the world, one laughter-laced word pierced my ears.

“Blink.”