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nThis is an uphill battle!

nWith my strength, I am honestly doubting I can last a minute against Noir. Unlike mindless demons like before, the opponent is human, after all. Outsmarting him would be difficult.

n“Then all I need to do is go agll out from the start!”

nI lit the Flame of Evolution on my right palm and the Flame of Regression on the left. As soon as both flames roared, they covered my body and started providing me with an almost bottomless amount of energy.

n‘But the amount of karma I have to burn will last me half a minute at most! 40 seconds if you add the time before the flames disperse!’

nThat was still twenty seconds short of what the girls needed, but we’re not alone here anyway. Given 40 seconds, Blanc and Alpha should finish patching up Zeshion, letting him return to the fight.

nI waved the sword forward, smashing the tentacles that were approaching. At that moment, I could feel several buffs landing on me. Hekate, who finished her part with the shell, was providing me with support.

n“Thanks!”

nAlthough it’s like a drop in an ocean, her buffs could make me last a few seconds longer, I hope.

nAt that moment, Noir’s tentacles attacked two targets simultaneously. The majority of the tentacles were clustered against the god tamers, while only a few dozen were attacking Fatima and the girls. He must’ve noticed that we’re preparing something to take him down with.

n“Not on my watch!”

nOf course, I didn’t stand by and let the tentacles reach them. Minerva did set up a psychic barrier, but that wasn’t enough to stop the tentacles’ attacks.

nI took a large step forward and swung my sword, tracing a circular path and leaving afterimages of the sword around me. The afterimages multiplied in numbers, creating a large array of armed swords floating around. They then started taking on a physical form and flew straight to the nearest tentacles, slicing and dicing the tough crystals covering them.

n“Myriad Phantom Blades, Second Form! Sword Peacock!”

nI was reluctant to use these sword moves, but right now wasn’t the time to be picky. While the phantom swords were attacking the incoming tentacles, I gathered a large part of my energy from my legs and arms, jumping forward and closing the distance between Noir and me.

n“You brat! You’ve destroyed my plans over and over; now, it’s time for you to die!”

nNoir, as expected, could still follow my movements even after I used my fastest dash. As proof, three crystallized tentacles quickly intercepted, aiming for my head, heart, and thigh.

n“You’d need more than that if you want to land a hit on me!”

nI waved the sword, imbuing it with as much energy as possible, and sent it flying forward with a horizontal sweep. The energy wave went forward, destroying everything along its path, including the tentacles, and further flew toward Noir’s face.

n“…!”

nWith a slight panic, Noir waved his hand and made the ground before he surged upward, creating an impromptu barrier to protect him.

n*BOOOOM!*

nThe wave and the wall met, causing a large explosion and sending fragments flying here and there. The entire dungeon shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

nBefore the dust and smoke settled, I reached Noir’s side and swung my sword down, aiming to cut his head in half. However, just as he couldn’t see my figure clearly, the same applied to me. Other than the large energy signature that was surging inside his body, I had no other landmark to identify his location with low visibility.

n*CLANG!*

nAnd just as I thought I hit him, the sound of my blade hitting something hard reverberated. My hands felt slightly numb from the impact.

n“Fool, did you think I didn’t know about how you can see energy?!”

nNoir’s voice echoed, and a moment later, I felt chills running down my back. I let my body move out of instinct, waving the sword a few times around and sending the attacking tentacles crumbling down to nothing.

n‘The tentacles have no energy signature?!’

nI was surprised upon noticing this change. Before, I could still predict their path by observing the changes in the energy inside them, but now they’re completely invisible to my eyes.

n*SHIIIK!*

nAnd suddenly, a fleshy sound echoed. I was clueless at first, but noticed it a second later as the pain started spreading all over my mind.

n“ARRRGH!”

nA tentacle, covered in rough crystals on its surface, was piercing through my body. I, who was used to pain, actually couldn’t hold back my voice as I screamed in agony. This pain wasn’t simply from the wound but also from the curse-laden crystals covering the tentacles!

nI urged my hand to move, slashing the tentacle poking through my back and through my stomach. Although I quickly shattered the tentacle, it left a gaping wound where blood was flowing like a river. Like this, I would die in less than a minute!

n“Kuh!”

nHaving no choice, I utilized half of my energy to heal myself. Thankfully, the bleeding stopped immediately, but the wound refused to close. The curse was preventing me from completely healing it!

nSo this is what got Zeshion too, huh? It feels weird that the wound refused to close, but I have no choice but to resume fighting. Not even 15 seconds had passed, and I was already at a clear disadvantage.

nThe tentacles didn’t stop attacking even while I was healing, so I had to focus my attention on the incoming attacks, especially those coming from my blind spot. One after another—no, it was more like five at once—anyway, I waved my sword tirelessly as I resisted the incessant attacks.

nAfter the twenty-second mark passed, two more tentacles managed to slip through my defense, landing a hit on my right shoulder and my left thigh. I fell to my knees from the pain, causing me to be open to attacks.

nAt that moment, a congregation of tentacles appeared right before my eyes, aiming to smash my head to bits. My right arm refused to move from the damage to the bones, muscles, and tendons, so I passed the sword to my left hand and blocked the incoming attack.

n*PING!* *CRASH!*

nA resounding echo, followed by my body slamming hard against the wall. Air was knocked out of my lungs, making me lose concentration for a brief moment. In that instant, four tentacles landed and pinned my arms and legs against the wall.

nRather than the pain, I was more concerned that, like this, I would be unable to block the next attack!

nAs if to prove my worries, more crystallized tentacles came aiming for my head. Having no choice, I used all the defensive skills I had, hardening my face, and even focused all my energy there in hopes of surviving the attack.

nThe tentacles merged before landing a direct hit on my nose. I felt like my head would be squished like a pancake or explode like a watermelon, but I was only embedded deeper against the wall. My last-ditch effort at defending paid off!

nHowever, at the same time, I could feel death knocking. My nose was smashed, my vision was blurry, and even my ears were ringing. My senses were all out of whack, making it impossible to dodge if another attack from Noir came.

nFurthermore, before I noticed it, the combination flames died out, stopping the almost infinite flow of energy I had. This situation is really bad. Wouldn’t I die from this…? No… I can’t die yet! .

nAt that moment, even though my ears were ringing, I heard the loud and clear but indifferent voice of the system.

nSystem Message: Imminent Death confirmed.

nChecking for credentials… System’s Crowned Successor confirmed.

nActivating the System’s 20th Function: Life and Death Simulation… Success.

nAt that moment, my vision started fading to black…

nWhen my consciousness returned, I was already in a different place than the dungeon. All around me was nothing but darkness, which seemed to spread infinitely in all directions.

n“This place…”

nFor some reason, I felt the place was extremely familiar. It was as if I had been here before, for an extremely long time.

n“Ugh…”

nA dull pain was felt in my head, making me feel dizzy for a moment. Just as I thought it had passed, the pain suddenly escalated.

n“IT HURTS! Argh! AAAAAAAAAAH!”

nMy head felt like it would burst; the pain was enough that I felt dying would be a good choice. No, it seems like I did die from the pain—not once, but multiple times in a row. .

nI lost track of time, but a while later, the pulsing pain in my head faded. In exchange, a flood of memories appeared in my mind. Rather than unfamiliar, I could feel that all those memories were something I had before but got sealed away to protect my mind. In an instant, it felt like I became a different person altogether.

n“Millions of deaths…”

nAgainst those stupid worms, I died millions of times before I could get out. I turned behind me, where a mixture of green and red letters started mixing, creating an unbelievable sight. Noir, along with the dungeon’s wall, was recreated fully.

n“This time, I’m against a god tamer with no flames? It looks like a recipe for a billion deaths.”

nIt took me hundreds of years to conquer those worms. I wonder how long it would take for me to get out this time?

nWithout giving me a chance to rest, the same crystallized tentacles came attacking. However, now, with my full memory of training over millions of deaths, the attack seemed too slow and full of openings.

nI clapped my hands.

nAt the same moment, the tentacles crumbled like they were made of dust. I tilted my head in wonder upon seeing this happen.

n“Wait, that’s it?”

nMaybe I wouldn’t be stuck here as long as I initially estimated. I saw how the tentacles faded into nothing with a single clap. However, despite all that, one problem remains.

n“My memory of this place would probably get sealed again…”

nLike that, most of my experience would end up being forgotten once more. I need to let my body recall the senses instead, even without my mind recalling them!

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