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nChapter 94 Abyss (3)

nA void. It wasn’t completely dark because lava was flowing like a river under the cliff…but that didn’t mean it wasn’t gloomy.

n“Screeeeeeeech!”

nIn the lava, thousands of seemingly dead people were reaching up and screaming.

nThud.

nYoon-seok walked forward with the utmost caution. He didn’t need to wander around to find the right direction. It was natural since a dark red portal was floating in the center of the void; even though the width was narrow, there was still a long way to go to reach it.

n“…”

nA bridge cut over the void, leading to the portal floating in the center. No, it was more like a naturally cut rock path than a bridge. Yoon-seok would’ve thought the same if there weren’t randomly rammed dinosaur bones in the sides as if they were handrails.

n‘Did someone intentionally decorate it like this?’

nInstead of preventing the crosser from falling into lava, it seemed more like the owner’s preference. Soon reaching the end, Yoon-seok looked into the portal. The atmosphere was the complete opposite of Heaven. There was a jade at the end of the long red carpet…

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nAnd an empty throne.

nYoon-seok raised his Bloodseeker Energy and pulled out his sword as he entered the portal.

n“I’ve been waiting! You son of a bitch!”

nA black sphere fell from above his head.

n‘Force Shield.’

nIt was blocked with a defensive skill, but the impact was great, consuming plenty of energy. Yoon-seok saw a person through the remnants of gas wafting around his shield. Two horns were sticking out over their head, sharp fangs poked out from his mouth, and a giant sword was held lightly in one hand. He looked to be about four meters tall and appeared like a mixture of a vampire and demon.

n‘Is this the King of the Abyss?’

nThe question was quickly answered.

n「Destroy the Great King of the Abyss.」

nYoon-seok looked up at the king. The man was above Yoon-seok’s head. He had been hiding and preparing for a surprise attack…it might be prejudice on his part, but unlike the title of King, he was cowardly and filthy.

n“You’re more cowardly when you attack while others speak!”

nCould he also read minds just like the God in Heaven? He didn’t say anything, but he answered in a fit of rage. Well, something else bothered him even more than that.

n“…?”

nTo be honest, he couldn’t understand at all. Of course, Yoon-seok’s old habit was to move his sword first when the other person focused on talking. He was sure this was his first time meeting the king, but why was he talking like they had met before? Wasn’t that a little strange?

n「Twelve swords are being used. Magic stat increases by 1.」

nThe situation wasn’t good enough for him to think of such things, as his opponent suddenly mounted a surprise attack as soon as he had entered. Yoon-seok first activated King of All Swords. But…

nBoom, boom, boom!

nTwelve black spheres sticking out of his opponent’s hand collided with the Bloodseeker Swords and disappeared. He’d immediately created more, but it was the same.

n‘Huh?’

nIt was strange. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be attacked, so he was getting rid of the Bloodseeker Energy, but it was more like it was his goal to get rid of it. He wouldn’t have known how to retaliate if he didn’t know about the increase of King of All Swords. Although it felt out of place, Yoon-seok grew more aggressive instead of retracting.

n‘…I don’t know what it is, but let’s kill it quickly.’

nYoon-seok approached his opponent. And…

n「 To Lady’s Commandment, all beings within the realm cannot leave.」

nHe used Lady’s Commandment at a fifteen meters range. The reason why he used the law under these conditions was very simple.

n‘Judgment of the Ruined Monarch.’

nThis condition alone made it impossible to avoid the skill. The light of destruction shot from above.

n「By the effect of Descent, all stats increase by 1 for 10 minutes.」

nYoon-seok was immune due to the effects of Descent, but the opponent was different.

nBoom!

nHis opponent disappeared into thin air by the light. No, that was what he thought. A sword flew in from a blind spot.

nSwelpppp!

nIt punctured his heart. Was his equipment related to wound deterioration? A massive amount of Bloodseeker Energy was required to restore it. Defending with Force Shield while using the Judgment of the Ruined Monarch in a lessened state, half of his maximum amount was consumed in seconds. And this time, after healing his heart, somehow only about a fourth of it was left.

nHowever, Yoon-seok focused more on other things.

n“…”

nWho was he? How did he survive the attack? He saw that he couldn’t avoid it and was hit.

n“Keuhahahahaha! You scum! It was my clone that I had prepared in advance!”

n“…?”

nThis time, he’d read Yoon-seok’s thoughts and answered. If he could read the opponent’s thoughts like that, he could’ve blocked King of All Swords or known what skill Yoon-seok was planning to use. But…

nStill, it didn’t make sense to prepare clones in advance unless he prepared after looking into the future.

n‘…Well, looking into the future does make sense.’

nFor example, one of Elle’s powers was clairvoyance. He might have a similar ability. The out-of-place feeling deepened after exchanging several more blows.

nWhik! Whoosh! Boom!

nIf he wielded his sword, he would avoid it in advance as if he’d known it was coming. He thought it was possible if he could read his mind anytime. But it wasn’t like that.

n‘Head.’

n‘Aim for the heart.’

nTo prevent this, he tried moving while using Yin and Yang to have two thoughts at once.

n“Do you think I’m going to fall for it again?!”

nIt didn’t work. One was blocked with a sword and one with a black sphere created over his palm.

n‘Wait…did he say again?’

nIt was an expression that didn’t fit the current situation, but Yoon-seok decided to postpone the problem. It wasn’t the time yet.

n「 To Lady’s Commandment, all beings within the realm cannot read the thought of others.」

nHe didn’t seal him knowing the exact technical name. Because of that, he was worried it might not work properly. But…

n“…!”

nSeeing his puzzled face, it must’ve worked. As if he also couldn’t see it in the future, the frustration was evident on his face.

nWhoosh!

nYoon-seok swung his sword. The king struggled to keep him back. As the attacks continued, he started to take injuries. If it wasn’t for that ability, what else would it be? The moment he thought about it, his opponent smirked.

n‘Was it acting…?’

nPerhaps the law worked properly. However, the frustrated expression was just acting.

n“It’s over now! I’m sick and tired of you!”

nA black sphere of overwhelming size popped out of the palm of his hand. Only one. Yoon-seok gathered his remaining Bloodseeker Energy and used the Heavenly Devil Sword.

nSwaaaaaaaaaa.

nA red tidal wave emerged from the edge of his sword. But the moment the sphere was about to be devoured by the tsunami…

n“…?”

nThere was a translucent barrier between the two, and both the tidal wave and the sphere were swallowed up. It reminded him of the defensive mechanism Eternal Gate used by the demon he’d met on Earth, though it was different. It wasn’t just defending by making a dimensional passage but also attacking, like the reflective effect of Vajra Mirror.

n‘Damn it.’

nHe could feel the energy that disappeared before his eyes now forming behind his back. The translucent barrier was spewing out the tidal wave and black sphere at the same time.

n‘Vajra Step.’

nYoon-seok’s feet left the ground. And at that moment…

n「All damage is disregarded temporarily.」

nThe tidal wave and black sphere touched Yoon-seok and disappeared without any reaction.

nTadak.

nHis feet touched the ground after falling back from the air. So the characteristics of the Vajra Step were triggered.

n「Reflects all accumulated damage.」

nDid he already know about this trait?

n“Disappear into the abyss!”

nA crack broke under his feet, swirling like a black hole, and he began to suck everything up.

n「The souls of the ancient hunters protect the User from unknown dangers.」

nThe gloves flashed blue, protecting Yoon-seok from being dragged into the whirlpool.

n“That damn glove! You can even stop this?”

nThe opponent was genuinely angry, but that was why he was surprised. He even knew about Arch Hunter’s hunting gloves. No matter how much he could read his thoughts, this didn’t make sense.

n“But let’s see, since you have no magic left!”

nThe opponent shouted proudly. But he was right. As he said, Bloodseeker Energy already reached its limit. He couldn’t use magic-consuming skills anymore, such as Judgment of the Ruined Monarch or Lady’s Commandment.

nBut that was half of it.

n‘That doesn’t mean there’s no way to fight.’

nDid he think he was completely cornered? The opponent had narrowed the distance with a black sphere in one hand and a sword in the other. Yoon-seok summoned both Violet Mist Energy and Azure Dragon Energy. Unlike Bloodseeker Energy that was converted into magic, these energies accumulated in his body in the form of a third source. This alone was enough for him to get through.

nHowever, perhaps he read his mind after Lady’s Commandment was lifted…

nThe opponent hesitated and tried to widen the distance again. Of course, he didn’t intend to stand and watch. One sword infused with Violet Mist Energy and Azure Dragon Energy in the other, Yoon-seok sprinted forward.

n“Darn it, you monster!”

nThe distance narrowed in an instant. Yoon-seok moved his sword, relying on his senses at the moment so that his opponent couldn’t read and react to his thoughts. It was possible because he spent thousands of hours wielding his sword in the waiting room every day.

nBoom! Boom! Boooom-!

nThe opponent was immediately cornered, unlike before. Yoon-seok instinctively poked into the gaps he saw. It seemed impossible to block or avoid. But…

n‘Why do I feel so uncomfortable?’

nYoon-seok checked the other person’s eyes. There was no fear in his eyes, even though the sword flashed toward his throat. Not being afraid of death itself wasn’t something he couldn’t understand. However, it wasn’t clear why he seemed almost happy.

nWhoosh!

nYoon-seok twisted his wrist with force. Then the sword grazed his opponent’s neck and passed sideways.

n“…?”

nThere was a flustered look on his foe’s face. It wasn’t acting this time. He was genuinely flustered that he didn’t die with this blow. As a result, the out-of-place feeling that had been piled up so far quickly began to materialize in his head.

n“If you die, do you come back to life?”

nYoon-seok looked into their eyes.

n“…”

nHis head was shaking as if it was the case, but his mouth opened and closed. The lie was blocked by the Eye of the Executor.

n‘So he does come back.’

nHis opponent’s face turned white at his internal conviction. Yoon-seok looked at his opponent’s equipment, specifically to an antique pocket watch around his neck. He noticed it earlier. It didn’t even look like battle equipment, so why was he wearing this annoying thing around his neck?

nWell, he didn’t know what to say if it was a sentimental item, but…he didn’t look like the type to wear something like that.

n‘Ah, this is it.’

nHe had a hunch. Perhaps because Yoon-seok’s thoughts could be read in real-time, his opponent’s expression changed every second. Yoon-seok quickly reached out and ripped off the watch. The opponent reached out to block it, but his hand was cut off mercilessly.

nSlashhh!

nHe didn’t know if he was immune to pain or out of his mind, but his opponent didn’t even scream. But that was the same for Yoon-seok.

n‘Appraisal.’

nYoon-seok examined the watch in his hand.

n*Vintage Pocket Watch (Rank SSS ) – Rewinds time back ten minutes before death.

nHave you ever seen such a crazy, fraudulent item?

n“Do you know how many times I have died, for you to say…!”

nHis opponent stopped abruptly.

n「The duration of Descent is over, and the increase in stats disappears.」

n“N-no…it’s already…!”

nHe also knew this. Well, there was no reason for him to bother anymore.

n「The King of the Abyss has been destroyed.」

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nAfter a flash of Light of Destruction, not only the equipment the opponent was wearing, but also his body was crushed and had disappeared. The same occurred with the watch in his hand. Not by the light but by the system.

n“Ah…”

nHe couldn’t help but sigh, but it was inevitable even for Yoon-seok. Rewind ten minutes before death? Come to think of it; there was no way that such items could be easily handed to the challenger in the Tower. Still, he felt it was unreasonably snatched from him.

nHowever, because he couldn’t keep worrying about it, Yoon-seok decided to lick his lips and opened the box in the center of the room.

nCreakkkkkk.

nUnlike the previous colorful boxes, it was a very gloomy one. The color was dull, and there was a dreary sound when opening it. But as soon as he checked the contents, Yoon-seok’s eyes widened even more.

nThe pocket watch, which belonged to the King of the Abyss, was in a piece of black fabric.

n*Vintage Pocket Watch (Rank S ) – Rewind to 5 minutes before death. Wait 720 hours for re-use.

nEven though the rank and effectiveness were reduced and the penalty was a long wait for re-use, he acquired an unbelievable item.

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