Chapter 411: Eighty-Ninth Floor, Demigod (4)

[Assist the Giant Resistance in creating a homeland for their people. Time remaining: 24 hours 3 minutes.]

Deruope’s roar signaled the start of battle.

As soon as it moved, the air itself changed. The pitch-black darkness now contained a stinging pressure, like needles pricking into flesh, choking off both mana and divine energy.

I had provoked the demon boldly, but not because I thought this fight would be easy. In truth, I wasn’t certain I would be victorious. Even so, I had pushed its buttons because I believed that rage would leave it vulnerable.

It isn’t fully sane.

Whether from ages of confinement or from learning of the Primordial God’s death, I didn’t know. Either way, it was far from stable.

In a fight between equals, even the most minor emotional instability led to impatience, and impatience could lead to openings.

If my provocation failed, so be it, but it was worth a try.

I twirled Lung Shark's Dagger once with a flick of my wrist.

The spare axe is worse than useless against this thing.

Even if I wasn’t as skilled with the dagger as the axe, I would have to rely solely on the dagger.

Tentacles lashed out from the darkness. Although the demon was small, the tentacles extending from it weren’t. Each one rivaled a spear.

They blended seamlessly with the darkness, expanding or contracting at will. It could seemingly change the mass of each one, as well.

I tilted my head, then sidestepped.

Half a step left, a full step right.

Another tentacle sliced past, missing by a hair’s breadth.

The last one had moved more quickly than the previous. As I dodged, I angled my dagger into its path. I didn’t bother activating Divine Power and only channeled my mana into it.

Clang!

Damn it. Though I had struck the tentacle, it didn’t cut cleanly through it. In fact, it was as if I had tried to cut into metal.

I had damaged the tentacle slightly, but it was extraordinarily durable. Even if I had suspected as much, it still annoyed me.

Soulbound still hasn’t returned.

The trial had started over two days ago, but still nothing. I would likely have to return to the waiting room to retrieve it.

Against such a formidable opponent, its absence stung. In a battle like this, even the smallest edge could decide everything.

However, frustration wouldn’t bring Soulbound back.

For now, I can only rely on the dagger.

At least it had one distinct advantage: speed.

I dodged and deflected the incoming tentacles. All the while, Deruope’s body weaved through the darkness, but remaining just within the range of my perception. Tracking its next strike, I angled myself diagonally and successfully parried the tentacle.

Another one coming in at my eleven.

I traced the next tentacle’s path. Though still unable to use my vision, my perception remained sharp.

I need to go faster.

Turning into a streak of lightning, I accelerated as far as I could push myself. Since my battle against Endless Furnace, I had definitely grown stronger, but even I hadn’t tried to go this fast during a real fight. It felt as if the atmosphere was crushing me.

The air fought back as I moved, but I cut through it regardless.

Deruope loomed right in front of me.

A flick of the wrist later, and the dagger was aimed directly at its head. It still hadn’t reacted, unable to keep up with my speed.

Imbuing the killing blow with divine energy, I thrust the dagger forward.

The demon noticed me at that exact moment.

What?

Something was wrong. The dagger should have pierced it already, but the blade swept through empty air.

Deruope had already retreated two steps and instantly counterattacked with its sword in a piercing thrust. The sword was no thicker than a finger, but its Aura wasn’t so limited.

Sensing the incoming strike, I twisted to the left.

The thrust flowed seamlessly into a slash, so I lifted my dagger to deflect it. The shadowlike blade met my lightning-infused weapon.

Clang—!

The force behind the collision left my palm stinging.

I had knocked the sword aside, but the demon’s assault didn’t end there. Five tentacles came at me from every direction in an unblockable formation.

Kicking off the ground, I leapt backward.

Shit.

Another tentacle that I hadn’t sensed came shooting toward me. It struck me that it had emerged from thin air, literally conjured out of nothing.

I twisted midair again.

The tentacles’ attack patterns changed. Now, if one grazed me, it would instantly sprout several more.

I imbued divine energy into my lightning. Sweeping my dagger in a figure-eight, I managed to cleave through the tendrils and open a path for myself.

It no longer felt like I was fighting tinies; instead, it was like facing a monster made of tentacles.

The barrage stopped. A moment of stillness followed, and I steadied my breath.

“So you’ve resorted to parlor tricks,” it echoed from everywhere in an attempt to disorient me.

It was referring to my lightning form, but I ignored it and focused fully on my perception.

Keeping a safe distance, I calmed my thoughts as I couldn’t afford to make a hasty move. I had to understand what had just happened. Without that, I couldn’t land a meaningful hit.

Unfortunately, Deruope wasn’t about to give me that time. I parried with the dagger, fending off the slew of attacks coming from my right, left, front, and back.

All the while, I kept thinking.

There is no doubt. That attack should have landed.

That moment felt like a rupture in reality. Deruope had vanished in an instant, only to reappear two steps away. It had somehow teleported the moment it perceived me.

Years of battle-hardened instincts told me this wasn’t just reaction time—it was the darkness. The darkness was its domain.

Deruope was a demigod, not an actual god. Perhaps Natalie hadn’t warned me because it was a demigod.

It closed in again, weaving through its tentacles. Our blades clashed, and its small sword struck with savage force.

I couldn’t allow the close-quarters combat to drag on. The tentacles approached again, and I deliberately widened the distance.

I still hadn’t found a solution.

“What was that just now?” I asked—just in case—but as expected, it didn’t answer.

It only laughed.

“

Khhkhk.

”

The sound echoed through the dark like a snare. The all-encompassing darkness seemed to thicken.

Suddenly, my sense of space warped. Only a moment ago, I had sensed nearby city buildings. Now, I felt nothing.

The darkness was an issue.

My hunch had been correct; everything within the darkness was under its control. I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed that as a demigod, Deruope could act freely within it.

It had to have limitations, though. After all, it was a demigod.

If it were an actual god, I would already be dead.

It likely couldn’t take my life outright.

Within my mind, an idea took form. If the darkness was its domain, then I needed to create a domain of my own, just like I had when protecting the giants.

With my spatial senses scrambled, however, my perception couldn’t stretch as far, limiting my ability to create a domain even more.

On top of that, Deruope’s attacks had grown stronger and more unpredictable. My reactions bordered more on instinct than perception at this point.

I would evade the moment I sensed danger. Without an innate gift for combat, I would have already lost an arm.

Even though I had countermeasures, now wasn’t the time. It would be wasteful to use them prematurely. I still needed to learn more about my enemy. These tools weren’t meant to be squandered on defending myself; they were meant to be trump cards.

Damn it.

Not only had the interval between its attacks shortened, but another crisis had arrived.

Controllers began to emerge from the darkness once more. Even by a rough estimate, there were thousands of them. The same swarm from earlier had rejoined the battle.

As I remained focused on the tinies, a tentacle lashed out from empty space. I reacted as fast as I could, but not quickly enough. It caught my dagger.

The impact sent me tumbling through the air. Rushing to defend myself, I unleashed a mass of lightning to drive back the approaching army.

Tch. Mob tactics? That is cheating.

I wanted to object, but realistically, from their standpoint, it was only reasonable. Only a fool wouldn’t exploit every advantage.

Fighting against a horde meant I needed to carve out space for myself, but that was proving difficult.

Each one of them was only the size of a fist, so they weren’t bound by the same spacing constraints something larger would face. Naturally, this meant a larger number of enemies could attack me at once.

There was no helping it. Even if it strained me, I would have to draw upon more of my divinity. I needed to end this as quickly as possible.

After all, I am already expending energy by maintaining the lightning domain for the giants.

At the same time, I could only hope that the Earthlings and fallen climbers watching me would grow more resolute in their faith.

To be honest, the situation didn’t favor me. My skills and experience kept me composed, but I couldn't think of a solution. Moreover, I was having a hard time adjusting to the flow of battle. Even if I did manage to establish a domain, I was up against a demigod.

My plan wasn’t guaranteed to succeed.

If things went poorly, I could end up burning through all my resources without generating the opportunity I needed.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought of an alternative. Even though I hadn’t been this hard-pressed since facing Endless Furnace, it did nothing but ignite my competitive spirit.

So what if it is a demigod? It isn’t a god, and I have killed one of those before. Whatever. Time to see how this goes.

With my mind set, I began to summon the divinity I had been saving.

The world stopped.

However, it wasn’t because I activated Flash Strike, nor was it one of Deruope’s tricks. It was the Tower of Ordeal.

A message appeared in the darkness.

[Soulbound’s satisfaction has reached one hundred percent. Soulbound is synchronizing with Kwon Su-Hyeok’s soul.]

In that instant, I felt something connect with a part of my soul. The sensation was oddly familiar, just like when I had connected with Seorden’s forest.

From a distant place, I heard Soulbound’s howl.

The spirits that once dwelled in the Companion’s Sanctuary, along with those given to me by the shaman on the seventy-fifth floor, were now crying out for battle.

So that is what the satisfaction stat is for. I bet it hasn’t reached one hundred percent for no reason.

The master artisan had probably finished upgrading it only recently. I wondered if, as it grew stronger, its satisfaction had increased.

Regardless, it worked out well for me.

Of course, this moment of calm wouldn’t last. I stretched my perception outward.

Hundreds of controllers and tentacles were now closing in on me from all directions. Caught unleashing my divine power, I summoned Soulbound.

As I extended my hand into the darkness, a brilliant streak of blue-gold light appeared, momentarily illuminating my surroundings.

In the next instant, Soulbound was in my hand. Out of habit, I tightened my grip around the axe’s handle.

This cold, weighty sensation...

It didn’t suit the urgency of the moment, but a mischievous thought suddenly popped into my mind, and I laughed quietly—that was how glad I was to have Soulbound back.

I was almost certain that the tower had orchestrated this dramatic timing, though.

Gripping Soulbound, I circulated my divine energy, and blue-gold brilliance burst through the dark.

Time began to move again.

In the end, a domain was my only option. If ten units of power only produced two units of effect in this darkness, then I would simply pour in a hundred.

With that mindset, I unleashed divine energy without reservation. The golden-blue domain began to spread.

Tinies and tentacles rushing toward me came into contact with divine energy.

“

Kyaaagh!

”

“

Krrgh!”

Controllers shrieked as if their nerves had snapped under the current. Tentacles convulsed violently.

The domain surged outward.

The darkness tried to smother the light, but it couldn’t because of how much energy I had conserved. As soon as my collection of condensed divine energy erupted, I swung Soulbound, sending a clean, massive bolt of lightning shooting forward to join the domain.

The force of my own strike surprised even me.

With Soulbound and my bond strengthened, along with the attached divine horn, it had become undeniably stronger. So had I.

Soulbound now guided my movements as well, helping me find the optimal pathing.

Even the divine horn doesn’t reject me.

On the contrary, it willingly lent me its divine energy.

Just as Deruope had claimed the dark as its domain, everything illuminated by the blue-gold light was mine. Seizing the moment, I kicked off the ground and charged into the dark. The expanding golden light ahead of me matched my speed perfectly.

My domain was driving back the dark.

I cut down dozens of writhing tentacles. There was no longer any need to hold back.

Let us see if you can dodge me this time.

The air pressed down on me as it had before, but that pressure only fueled my acceleration. Its reaction time remained unchanged, but this time, it couldn’t escape; this was my domain now.

Deruope tried to retreat deeper into the darkness by dodging a few times. However, it couldn’t overcome the momentum I had gained. Unlike before, it couldn’t weave in and out of range at will.

Abandoning retreat, it swung its sword.

To my surprise, it wasn’t all that skilled. My issue had always been that I couldn’t reach it, not that it was better than me. Now that I had drawn on all my power, I didn’t need to worry about what was around me.

Maybe this is the limit of being born a demigod from the start.

Perhaps the tower had given me this trial just to teach me the concept of domains.

It slashed its sword down. Catching it on my axe’s edge, I twisted my wrist clockwise and deflected the attack. That flung its blade to the side, leaving its chest wide open. Driving my axe downward, I pierced the divine horn through the fist-sized creature.

“

Kugh!

”

Darkness exploded outward, but that was it. The surge faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

My vision returned, and I found myself suspended in the air above the city. Deruope hung limp, skewered on the divine horn.

It was a pitiful death.

Dark blue blood dripped steadily from the horn. The blood that had splashed across my face and trickled to my fingertips was shockingly cold.

A trace of its intangible power still lingered in the air, and I quietly accepted it.

Silence filled the city.

The remaining tinies hovered in place, unmoving. They clearly didn’t understand what had just happened.

It was time to end this; for the giants and for the nation they had dreamed of reclaiming.

I released a small pulse of power, and lightning surged in every direction.

Bzzzzzt—

The sight of the electrocuted controllers tumbling from the sky looked like a horde of mosquitoes dying.

I turned to face the giants. They stood frozen, their expressions blank with disbelief. Mouths agape, they simply stared.

“What are you waiting for? I just took back your homeland. You should be cheering.”

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has defeated the demigod Deruope, one of the Primordial God’s creations. Godslayer! All stats increased by 25.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok was drenched in demigod blood. He has acquired the potential of a demigod.」