Chapter 286

Chapter 286
Chapter 286

—

The Supreme Blade of the Empire

“What are you saying, that there are no further challenges, kawk?”

I barked my protest at the God of Ill-Omen and the God of Calamity.

I had struggled through the Paradox of Fate and successfully liquidated the ‘Terrible Ill-Omen,’ so their claim that the trials had concluded felt incredibly fishy.

In response, the God of Calamity spoke with a hint of hesitation.

—Hmm, it was quite startling that you managed to wipe out the ‘Terrible Ill-Omen,’ kawk.

I see.

It appeared they never envisioned me employing the ‘Spear of Longinus’ to shatter the boundaries they had established and strike down the Terrible Ill-Omen directly.

Consequently, they were either lagging behind in constructing the next hurdle or hadn’t bothered to design one at all.

To be honest, I couldn’t blame them for being caught off guard.

It was as if I’d been entered into a race, but instead of running, I simply took out the other runners.

If I were in their position, I’d be wondering what kind of bloodthirsty lunatic they were dealing with.

“If that’s the case, why not just release me, kawk?”

—Not yet. A definitive ‘weighing’ has not been achieved, kawk.

“You’re just being difficult now, kawk.”

Clearly, merely consuming the Terrible Ill-Omen wasn’t enough to satisfy their requirements.

From where I stood, it was nothing but pure pigheadedness.

By this stage, they should have been able to hand the win to the God of Calamity by default.

As the realization dawned on me, a particular doubt began to form.

“Could it be that you two simply don’t want this to end, kawk?”

The thought occurred to me: did these two actually have no desire to finish their feud?

After clashing for untold eons, perhaps they had developed a strange bond.

But if their conflict remained unresolved, I was stuck in this ‘Gap’ indefinitely.

I pressed them further.

“Are you two actually secret friends, kawk?”

All at once:

—Kaaak! Absolute drivel!

—Kaaak! The things a young fledgling will say!

They were livid.

Their voices boomed with enough force to rattle the foundations of the world and ring my ears.

Their words were dripping with genuine loathing.

‘Well, the hatred seems real enough.’

The pair clearly detested one another.

Yet, they were equally reluctant to see their struggle reach its finale.

It was a classic “dog with a bone” scenario—it wasn’t worth much, but they couldn’t bring themselves to drop it. A complex love-hate dynamic.

“…Alright, I get it. You hate each other’s guts. Just settle down, kawk.”

The tension suggested they would never confess to any lingering attachment.

As I offered a mild apology, their fury slowly began to evaporate.

—Spout such idiocy again and I’ll swallow you whole, kawk.

—Offspring of Calamity, do not group me with such a revolting creature, kawk.

—Revolting? Your own face is a walking catastrophe, kawk.

—A rare bit of flattery from you, kawk.

—I’m done talking to you, kawk.

—Fine, I’ve had enough of your grating voice anyway, kawk.

It was like watching toddlers bicker.

I waited for the silence to settle before asking one more thing.

“By the way, if a winner is finally chosen, what happens to the loser, kawk?”

I was genuinely curious about how this would wrap up.

A duel to prove superiority.

Once a victor and a loser were established, there had to be consequences.

—The loser is erased.

—They cease to exist forever.

……Wait.

I was momentarily stunned into silence.

I had assumed it would end with nothing more than bragging rights over who was the stronger deity.

‘So that’s why they’re stalling.’

It made more sense now why this immortal feud had dragged on for eternity.

They had sworn an oath.

The loser would face total annihilation.

And for gods, an oath is an unbreakable law of the universe.

I could empathize with their predicament.

However, if they didn’t reach a conclusion, I was the one paying the price by being trapped here forever.

Unforeseen variables kept popping up.

They were clearly rattled by the way I was smashing through their impossible tests.

If they kept throwing challenges at me, a ‘conclusion’ might actually be forced upon them.

So, if they were too hesitant or lacked the imagination to give me a proper trial……

“Call forth the King of Ill-Omen for me, kawk.”

I would simply have to force their hand.

—

“Is the small talk finally finished?”

Step.

Cutting through the quiet, a man moved forward.

Every person present naturally shifted their focus toward him.

Actually, they had been tracking ‘his’ every move from the start.

Lyca.

The legendary Knight King whose reputation spanned all of Pangaea as the Empire’s Greatest Sword!

‘He isn’t here.’

Despite the escalating drama, Lyca remained indifferent.

Randolph’s hidden past meant nothing to him.

His sole focus was finding ‘Hyun of Adrium,’ who had to be in the vicinity.

The prodigy who had successfully mended the Mirror of Life and Death—the ancient goal of the Eight Excellence Knights—the moment he laid eyes on it.

That master was within this very Tower.

Lyca was determined to track down Hyun of Adrium at any cost.

Of course, Randolph’s situation wasn’t entirely dull.

The idea that he’d masked his true self, sneaked into the beastly city of Kramdel, and climbed the ranks to become the 5th Patron was somewhat entertaining.

But it was a side note.

What value was there in Kramdel?

That desolate northern territory was ignored by everyone.

The Empire felt the same.

“Since you’re done talking, let’s get on with it. I’m dying of boredom.”

He gave a wide, lazy yawn.

The figures gathered in this place represented a force capable of toppling multiple nations.

Yet, Lyca didn’t hesitate to insult them collectively.

Even with his life force waning, the martial prowess he had spent a lifetime honing wasn’t going to fail him now.

In the eyes of a warrior of his standing, you aren’t truly gone until the final breath leaves your body.

And so.

“If you won’t make a move, I will.”

Lyca began to loosen up his muscles.

Scanning the crowd for his first target to demolish, his gaze landed on a specific woman.

‘Serengeti. The Pure White Knight and the right hand of Knight King Wilhelm.’

Word had reached him that she recently bested King Friedrich, the monarch of the Iron Kingdom, in a duel.

And Friedrich was a Demon of Pride.

‘She forced Pride to retreat. That implies her talent is on another level.’

Pride.

That specific demon was notorious for his arrogance and his hatred of losing. Yet he had backed away.

Why?

He wasn’t the sort to retreat just because an opponent had some skill.

‘Those youngsters… they are Dragon Gods.’

He realized it instantly.

Lyca could sense the true nature of his opponents.

The two children were terrifying beings holding the rank of Dragon Gods.

Unless someone discovered their specific vulnerabilities, they were effectively untouchable.

Much like the Blade Dragon Queen.

They were the perfect counters to the Demon of Pride.

A complete mismatch.

Facing his natural predators, Pride wouldn’t have been able to let his ego run wild.

A small smile played on Lyca’s lips.

It was a fascinating group.

This motley crew was far more intriguing than any ordinary monsters.

So.

Whoosh!

Lyca surged forward.

Serengeti, the Pure White Knight.

Would she actually live up to the stories?

In a heartbeat, Lyca was on her, delivering a casual strike of his blade.

Clang—!

She caught it.

She actually reacted in time.

Sheee-ik!

As Lyca’s momentum shifted back from the clash, she immediately tried to exploit the gap.

A concentrated energy surged from Serengeti’s blade.

‘Sword Force (Geom-gang).’

Truly fascinating.

Had the mastery of Sword Force become such a common skill these days?

She was rumored to be Wilhelm’s protege, and it seemed she had been trained well.

‘However.’

Kwaaaaang!

Force is only defeated by a superior Force.

A more refined and powerful energy will always overwhelm a weaker one.

“Heup……!”

Serengeti gasped, her brow furrowing in concentration.

If she hadn’t twisted her frame at the last second to redirect the kinetic energy, she would have been broken.

Her own Sword Force had been pulverized in a single contact.

“It looks like you’ve only just touched the surface of Force. Regardless, that was impressive.”

It was good.

But also a bit of a letdown.

Was this the limit of the woman who stood closest to Wilhelm?

With only a single exchange of blows, Lyca had already measured the depths of Serengeti’s skill.

She was powerful for a human, but she had a ceiling.

She didn’t feel like the kind of warrior who could challenge a Demon King.

‘Or perhaps my own strength has grown too great.’

Upon reaching the threshold of his own demise, Lyca had managed to transcend his previous limits.

He had smashed through the ceiling that once restrained him.

Even so, he couldn’t evade death itself.

Swish!

Jjeong!

Serengeti’s entire frame rattled once more.

Without a sound or a warning, she had somehow parried another strike that moved faster than the human eye could track.

Clang—!

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

That was merely the opening act.

The movements were invisible.

There weren’t even traces left in the air.

Yet, the speed continued to accelerate.

‘He is terrifyingly strong……!’

Serengeti gritted her teeth.

Lyca was simply playing with her, testing her endurance.

He truly was the Empire’s Greatest Sword.

The title of the continent’s strongest was no exaggeration.

Even her Star-given ability to swap positions failed to trigger.

It was completely inert.

‘He can suppress the power of the Stars?’

She wasn’t sure how, but Lyca appeared to have the means to nullify Stellar influence.

It explained why she couldn’t even swap places with the other monsters nearby.

But Serengeti was a veteran of countless wars.

She wasn’t about to hand her life over to Lyca’s blade without a fight.

‘Danger……!’

In a heartbeat.

Serengeti’s instincts screamed, and she threw herself backward.

“Oho.”

Lyca chuckled.

Had she stayed her ground for one more second, she would have been dead.

“Your intuition is sharp. Did Wilhelm teach you that as well?”

“……”

Serengeti remained silent.

She couldn’t afford to speak.

The sensation of ‘Instant Death’ she had just felt was lingering.

She didn’t know the exact nature of the threat.

All she knew was that she was completely outmatched by Lyca at this pace.

Chwa-ak!

Suddenly.

A snow-white whip lashed out, instantly entangling Lyca’s body.

‘Snake’s Bind.’

A Stellar power designed to completely immobilize a target.

This wasn’t just any ability; it was the power of a named star, Yormungand.

Instead of being alarmed, Lyca’s smile only grew wider.

“Is this your true shape?”

……From the start.

From the moment they set foot on the 25th floor, Lyca had been aware of Isabella.

He wondered why she was accompanying them.

Why the woman who had vanished into the Abyss with a goat was standing here now.

He was curious, but he didn’t feel like asking.

“I have many questions for you, Isabella von Dercian.”

He knew she would talk eventually.

—

Aria.

Having entered the challenge against Eternal Randolph, she found herself paralyzed the moment she arrived.

It wasn’t because she had realized who Randolph really was.

It was because of the ‘thing’ standing right in front of her.

Tap.

Tap, tap.

It was an ant.

But it was nothing like a common insect.

It was massive, and a thick, mud-like fluid was oozing from its frame.

Aria recognized the substance immediately.

‘It’s…… shedding?’

The ant was in the middle of molting.

It was casting off its old shell to evolve into something even more formidable.

But such a transformation required massive amounts of energy.

Swoosh.

The ant’s gaze locked onto Aria.

“……!”

Aria’s heart skipped a beat.

She couldn’t draw a breath, and she couldn’t even manage to shiver.

She was being terrified by a simple ant.

But the creature before her was something that defied standard classification.

It was a nightmare.

A predator that lived to consume and improve itself.

The true form of Ant King Pheromone!

She had no idea why he had taken this shape, but—

Thump!

Her legs gave out, and she slumped to the floor, unable to stop her knees from shaking.

‘I need to warn the Patrons……’

She had to tell them.

They could not fight this thing!

It was a source of pure hopelessness.

A monstrosity that fed on warriors to fuel its own evolution.

But her thoughts were spinning.

The instinct to flee was suppressed by sheer terror.

As if she were under a spell.

Gape.

The ant unhinged its maw.

Aria felt her consciousness begin to fade.

In that moment.

Thump!

Something slammed into the ant’s side.

The creature’s movement came to a halt.

The ant clicked its mandibles in frustration and retreated to its original spot.

The person who had intervened.

Before blacking out completely, Aria looked at him, her eyes wide with shock, and managed to whisper one final thing.

“Y-you are……!”