Chapter 99

099. The Final Destination (1)

In the clash with Kairan, the预备使徒 who serves the God of Proof, my initial impression was simple.

It was that the power was used more effectively for a mud-slinging fight than I had thought.

Kiiing—!

From the broken mirror fragments held in Kairan's hands, beams of pure white light scattered like a prism.

The beams ricocheted off the mirrors in the room, eventually converging on me.

Even though the beams were shot from an invisible angle, I managed to dodge them by twisting my body.

"Skill 'Dragon Eye' activated."

Kairan used the room made of broken mirrors to attack from angles that were impossible to read.

I activated Dragon Eye to dodge and deflect all the beams, blocking Kairan's offensive.

Then, I kicked off the ground with a force that shattered the earth, swinging my sword directly at Kairan's neck.

But—.

As the small, pure white wings on Kairan's back moved, a gale erupted around him.

The fierce gale, which seemed to deny any approach, slowed my movement.

Kairan took advantage of this to stop emitting light from his sword and use a different skill.

The sword flames that flickered like flames on the broken mirror blades were something I knew well.

It was Sword Flame.

Chiiing!

Our swords clashed, slightly pushing each other back, but Kairan immediately moved the broken mirror blades in his hands.

Unlike me, who used only one sword, Kairan wielded two blades, launching a barrage of attacks.

"Skill 'Frenzied Sword Technique (C+)' activated."

"Blade attack speed increased by 12%."

"Current skill stacking progress – 6/10"

Of course, I had a few abilities to increase my attack speed, but...

Kairan fundamentally had two swords, while I had only one.

Because of this, I was pushed back as I deflected Kairan's fierce attacks.

Kairan then flapped his wings again, creating a gale, and shot beams from the two broken mirrors.

At that moment, I finally understood why Kairan had said that no one could defeat him with pure martial arts.

Infallible Strategy.

Kairan's power could only be described as such.

He would bounce the beams to areas where they couldn't be perceived, then suddenly attack.

If the opponent blocked and approached, he would immediately create a gale with the small wings on his back to push them back.

Even if one managed to break through this extreme difficulty and get close, he would overwhelm the opponent with high-level swordsmanship and then create a gale at close range.

If he successfully pushed the opponent back with the gale, he would start the attack all over again.

It was a combo that could be called impossible to win.

Indeed, Kairan seemed to be aware of this, as he still wore a confident smile.

He must be hoping that I would tire and slow down, or even make reckless moves.

Just blocking would tire me to death, and any new attempt without certainty would also lead to death.

The first priest I encountered, Johann, was absurdly difficult, but now I even wonder if this is really the difficulty level of a challenge.

"Administrator 'Black Demon' is surprised by the level of the fighting Apostle."

"Administrator 'Priest of Repentance' is shocked and can't believe this is really an Apostle."

"Administrator 'Overlord of the Sky' is beginning to question the difficulty of this 11th floor challenge."

The administrators seemed quite surprised that my opponent was so strong.

Even those who had never sent me messages were reacting, indicating the situation was quite serious.

"Administrator 'Priest of the Seven Gods' says the Apostle has quite a lot of divine power."

"Administrator 'Hero of the Destroyed World' is enjoying the mud-slinging fight while munching on snacks."

"Administrator 'Seeker of the Divine' says the Apostle's skills are at a level suitable for an Apostle."

However, the administrator who had been sending me messages regularly had fewer reactions.

I'm not sure why, but it seems they're not particularly worried about me.

"Administrator 'Iron-Blooded Monarch' finds the Apostle who is wasting time annoying."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' is looking forward to your actions with shining eyes."

Even the administrators I had contracted with were not much different.

I felt a bit disappointed but quickly wiped away that emotion and looked at Kairan.

He was a highly skilled swordsman, using Sword Flame, and his power was formidable.

However, I confirmed that the wings on his back could only create gales by amplifying and releasing divine power.

Additionally, the broken mirror blades in Kairan's hands could only emit beams.

'Perhaps this is all the power Kairan can use.'

From the administrators' reactions, it seemed that many considered this to be a significant amount of power.

This meant that if he had any more powers, it would be one or two at most.

With a bit more time to analyze the patterns, I could properly counter them.

So—.

"Skill 'Counter Shield' activated."

It was time to put an end to this fight.

Kwaang...!!

Using the Counter Shield summoned above my palm, I blocked the beam shot from the side.

"…!?"

Kairan, taken aback, quickly fired more beams from the two blades.

However, the value of the Counter Shield was not limited to just blocking attacks.

"Charging complete."

"Skill 'Counter Shield' is now in a state to reflect accumulated damage."

Using a considerable amount of mana, I blocked all of Kairan's beams and my eyes sparkled.

And—.

"Skill 'Counter Shield' is releasing accumulated damage in one go."

A beam of light shot from the shield, piercing Kairan like a bolt of lightning.

***

Chiiik...!

The walls of the room made of broken mirrors unexpectedly did not reflect the beam I shot.

The walls, made of broken mirrors, melted under the beam, and the glass fragments melted and dripped.

I'm not sure if it was because the walls only reflected the beams Kairan used or if the beam I shot was more powerful.

But one thing was clear.

"Cough... What... is this...?"

Kairan was now in a state where he could no longer fight.

"It's... impossible... You... You clearly didn't learn magic..."

A large hole was punched through the center of his small body.

Honestly, I don't even understand how he's still talking.

His heart should have been completely destroyed, so how can he still speak so clearly?

But regardless of that, I answered his dying question straightforwardly.

"Everyone has a hidden ace, you know."

Of course, Kairan couldn't easily accept this and his mouth moved.

"Why... Why can a sword fanatic like you use such a dirty magic...?"

"Since you can emit beams with your Sword Flame, it's similar."

Kairan's eyes widened.

"You... You also have... divine power...?"

"That's not the case."

I didn't have the power to randomly shoot beams like Kairan.

If I did, I would have killed him without analyzing his patterns.

But Kairan, perhaps finding this unsatisfactory, frowned and said with disgust.

"Unlucky bastard."

"..."

When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Kairan spoke with effort.

"According to the Law of Proof, you have completed all the physical proofs..."

As if conducting a graduation ceremony, Kairan continued speaking even as he was dying.

"You didn't run away from the fight, and you didn't lose. I recognize your proof."

Kairan, after saying this, changed his tone and looked at me, nodding slightly.

"So, now, get lost... A monster like you doesn't need any proof of challenge..."

Before I could respond to his words, Kairan's breathing stopped.

"..."

At the same time, black smoke rose from Kairan's body and approached me.

"Kairan's soul has been absorbed."

"Proficiency increased by 13%."

At that moment,

"Absorbing a soul stronger than the user has initiated the power extraction judgment."

The new ability of necromancy, which I had forgotten about, activated, and the power extraction judgment began.

"Judgment successful."

I don't know how the judgment was conducted, but it was successful.

"Kairan's soul has been confirmed to contain power."

"Extracting power from the soul."

And—.

"Power 'Divine Power (C+)' has been imprinted on Han Seung-yoon's soul."

At the same time, I felt a new energy settle in my heart and frowned.

"Divine Power?"

I felt uneasy with the unexpected energy.

It was like accidentally swallowing a candy that I had been rolling around in my mouth.

The energy that suddenly settled in my heart was unfamiliar, and I didn't know how to use it or how to move it.

After standing there for a moment, trying to activate the Divine Power, I gave up.

It might be a matter of talent, but it felt like there was a separate method to use this energy.

"Completely different from mana."

I had always thought that mana moved according to the user's strong will.

Indeed, before entering the tower, I had moved mana in this way.

At that time, my mana reserves were so low that I wasn't sure if it even existed, and I didn't know how to properly use it.

But now, with my greatly grown mana, I was confident.

Mana was a force that responded sensitively to the user's will.

This made it harder to handle, requiring a clear will, but it could be controlled.

However, no matter how much I tried to touch the Divine Power, it remained immobile, as if it wouldn't move without the proper procedure.

"..."

The administrators, noticing that I had gained Divine Power, sent messages.

"Administrator 'Priest of the Seven Gods' is surprised by the Divine Power emanating from your body."

"Administrator 'Seeker of the Divine' finds the Divine Power interesting, even though you don't serve a god."

"Administrator 'Priest of Repentance' is terrified by the sudden appearance of Divine Power in your heart."

Their reactions were a bit strange.

Surprised or terrified, I frowned.

Could it be that they didn't know I had used my unique ability to extract Divine Power?

'Do the administrators lack the ability to detect that...?'

However, the administrators were also shocked by other aspects.

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' wonders why Divine Power has entered your dantian."

"Administrator 'Iron-Blooded Monarch' is surprised that there is no trace of a god in the Divine Power in your heart."

They were all perplexed that I had formed Divine Power without believing in a god.

Is it really that strange to have Divine Power without believing in a god?

I thought about it for a moment, but with my current knowledge, I couldn't make a proper judgment.

'Nothing can be done.'

Since I couldn't do anything, I moved on.

"Absorbing Kairan's soul has permanently increased your stats."

"Strength increased by 4."

"Agility increased by 3."

"Health increased by 3."

"Mana increased by 4."

"Endurance increased by 5."

I immediately absorbed Kairan's soul to prevent it from being absorbed by the passive shield.

Then, I entered the corridor where the fifth gate was located.

As I walked down the corridor, the cracks in the mirrors gradually disappeared, and the mirrors became completely intact.

I wondered if there was some connection between the completion of the physical proof and the disappearance of the cracks in the mirrors.

Of course, I dismissed this thought as soon as I reached the end of the corridor and opened the door.

And—.

"Passed."

The fifth gate announced my passing as soon as I arrived.