Chapter 246. The 100th Floor

Lee Shin had no idea what was going on at the moment, but he could be certain that the God of Chaos was responsible for all of this. His body was soaked in blood, and yet the power within him was overflowing.

‘Metatron…’

Metatron appeared to have driven a sword into his chest, but her body was entangled in the tentacles of the God of Chaos, which extended much like the quills of a porcupine.

The vitality Lee Shin had sensed in her was now next to nothing. Without hesitation, he swiftly removed the ensnaring tentacles from her body.

"Keugh..." Metatron groaned.

Trembling, she clung to the sword's hilt; Lee Shin reached out and held the sword over her hand.

"Please, get up..." Metatron mumbled with a voice of one who was on the verge of death.

The sacred power that could be felt in his chest was undoubtedly the same power that had guided him to where the Immortal Sphere was when he was trapped within the manifestation of the God of Chaos.

‘So was it Metatron who saved me?’

Swoosh—!

Metatron exerted her strength to keep the sword in place, but it was not difficult to pull out the sword, as her strength had greatly waned. Blood gushed out, but it soon stopped.

Lee Shin looked around. Baal was in a near-lifeless state, and the God of Destruction seemed like he was trapped in the barrier of Chaos and continued to be drained of his power. It looked like the other gods had either fled or were dead, and there were no humans in sight.

‘Did she really subdue all the high-ranking gods all by herself?’

If so, this display of power might be as close as one could get to a chief god. After all, the power to absorb everything into oneself was the most formidable. Yet, Metatron could plunge her sword into the heart of that God of Chaos. No matter how great she was, this would have been thought impossible.

"Ms. Metatron," Lee Shin called out.

At his words, Metatron opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Then, she fell to the ground.

"Thank goodness you’re awake,” Metatron said, looking at Lee Shin.

"What exactly happened?" Lee Shin asked.

"As you can see, this catastrophe was created by the God of Chaos who had dominated your body," Metatron explained.

"So, was it you who woke me up?" Lee Shin asked.

"No, I just provided a little assistance. Breaking the chains that held you captive was entirely your own strength," Metatron explained.

In her eyes was a mixture of wonder and astonishment. Even she seemed not to expect that Lee Shin could actually suppress the power of the God of Chaos and wake up.

"But is that even possible?" Lee Shin asked in a confused voice.

"The Heavenly God lent a hand," Metatron said.

"The chief god did? But… does he have a reason to interv—?" Lee Shin asked, confused.

Without even finishing his sentence, Lee Shin turned his head to look at the God of Destruction. If the high-ranking gods had gathered in such numbers, then perhaps it was not impossible for the Heavenly God to intervene.

"The Heavenly God decided to intervene because those high-ranking gods started to use the power from their true forms. Besides, the extent to which he could intervene was very limited. And also, what I did was simply help you regain your senses from the God of Chaos’ manifestation. That was really all I could do,” Metatron said to Lee Shin.

As she spoke, Metatron looked around with a regretful expression. It had only been a very short while, but in that time, the Earth had faced a tremendous disaster, and so did Astria. Lee Shin had a feeling that there would be significant changes in the dimensions after this incident.

"Among the gods devoured by the God of Chaos, there were high-ranking gods. None of them were able to escape from his manifestation. How did you manage to break free?" Metatron asked Lee Shin as if she could not understand.

In response, Lee Shin held up his palm and showed her the skill, Harmony Manifestation.

"This power... is..." Metatron muttered, looking at Lee Shin’s Harmony Manifestation skill.

"If Chaos seeks to seize everything, then I will harmonize with everything,” Lee Shin replied.

“So it’s the power of balance and harmony… This skill might have been effective because it did not oppose Chaos,” Metatron said.

She nodded and muttered to herself before getting up.

"What happened to the God of Chaos?” Lee Shin asked.

"I don't know yet. He’s not responding," Metatron replied.

After regaining his senses, this was the situation that he was in. Lee Shin could only hear Gene’s voice, who had finished assessing the situation a little late. There was no sign of the God of Chaos’ ethereal form, which had taken on the form of a dog, anywhere.

- Lee Shin, have you really come to your senses?

"Yes, I have. I don't really know exactly how things are unfolding, but..." Lee Shin replied.

[Harmony Manifestation]

The next moment, Lee Shin launched the skill Harmony Manifestation and emitted violet light. This power unfurled into the void, toward the God of Destruction. The God of Destruction was utilizing the power of destruction from within the power of chaos to resist as much as he could.

‘But if I have the skill of Harmony Manifestation I should be more than capable…!’

Lee Shin changed the flow of the power of chaos, warping and severing it.

Boom!

"Kuh...!" the God of Destruction gasped.

Not only his divine power, but also his whole body began to be rapidly devoured by his own power of chaos. It was a collapse due to the intervention of the skill, Harmony Manifestation. The recoil was unstoppable, and the damage done onto the God of Destruction began and escalated.

"I will never forget what you did to me today…” said the God of Destruction.

The next moment, the avatar of the God of Destruction disappeared completely. At the same time, an enormous amount of power began to flow into Lee Shin.

‘I can feel so much backlash in my body…’

This enigmatic power called Chaos was not as omnipotent as Lee Shin had once thought. There were a lot of recoils and discord that arose from its insatiable greed and consumption of too many things, which the God of Chaos had tried to suppress, as different things were merged using his divinity class.

‘Now I can tell for sure.’

The end of Chaos was ultimately self-destruction. Wouldn’t the God of Chaos have known this? If it weren't for the Harmony Manifestation that was flowing through Lee Shin’s entire body, he would have already been overwhelmed by this massive torrent of power.

"In the end, Chaos is the distortion of the world, which will ultimately happen. It might have been the solution to clean up the mess of the constant emergence of gods." Metatron looked at Lee Shin and murmured. "The reason why I stayed on Earth was also for the same reason. And it was all for the sake of protecting you, Lee Shin, who had the ability to stop Chaos.”

"Sorry? What are you talking about? It sounds as if you had predicted all of this,” Lee Shin replied to Metatron as if he was confused.

"No, I just looked at the speck of the gods. Besides, no one can guarantee the future of gods. I simply followed the will of the Heavenly God and made movements accordingly following the speck of the gods."

The next moment, she gripped the sword and slashed through the air. A Gate appeared from the void.

"Go back to the Tower, and you’ll just need to clear the 100th floor," Metatron said to Lee Shin.

"What's at the end of the 100th floor?" Lee Shin asked.

He still did not know. He wondered what was waiting at the end of the 100th floor. Would it really grant any wish he desired?

"Fate is what you determine for yourself. If you wish, you can be anything, even if it is to become a chief god,” Metatron explained.

"Hmm… It’s possible to become anything…?" Lee Shin muttered.

He clenched his teeth and looked around. Too many people had died. It was like this in the past, and still was even now—the reason why he climbed the Tower was to protect them.

‘Did I go astray?’

Lee Shin started to wonder what difference it would make if he were to clear the 100th floor of the Tower and find himself in the same position as the four chief gods.

"So then, what will happen to Earth?" Lee Shin asked.

"The remaining lifespan of Earth is not very long. And part of it is because the aftermath of this battle was too great. But I will put my honor at stake to send all the surviving inhabitants of Earth to another dimension to save them," Metatron said.

If Metatron put it this way, Lee Shin was sure that she would definitely do it. But would that have any meaning?

"Understood," Lee Shin replied.

The inside of the Gate started to swirl with shades of blue and white. Lee Shin gazed at it absentmindedly and then walked inside.

***

[You have entered the 100th floor.]

[Please pass the trial of a God.]

[Please select the God you desire.]

[List of divine titles]

# God of Death

# Heavenly God

# Demon God

Once again, the list of divine titles surfaced in front of Lee Shin. Lee Shin agonized endlessly about which god to choose and was lost in his thoughts. What was the right answer and the correct choice? What was he missing? What risks were involved in selecting each god?

His thoughts were still so convoluted, even up to this moment when he had to finally make a choice. Yet, he also knew how meaningless and futile this dilemma was. Investing too much time on this matter will get him nowhere, like a hamster on a wheel.

"Okay, I'll make my choice," Lee Shin said.

[Which god will you select?]

"The God of Time," Lee Shin replied.

After much contemplation, Lee Shin finally arrived at a conclusion. It was to avoid repeating the regrets of the past in this life.

Lee Shin made this decision to wipe the slate clean and cut the ties he had with the God of Time, who had sent him back to the first floor in his past life.

[You have chosen the 「God of Time」]

White clouds spread beneath the vast plateau, and there was an hourglass that was turning very slow. In front of the hourglass was a temple with a modest appearance.

"It's been a while since I was here..." Lee Shin muttered.

He had failed to defeat the God of Time and was sent back to the past. Now, he was back in the same place, but somehow, everything felt a little different.

Thump… Thump…

A figure walked out from the temple.

[You have encountered the 「God of Time」]

"I see that you made the right choice," the God of Time said, looking at Lee Shin.

"Yeah, I did," Lee Shin replied.

He was different from the avatars of the countless gods whom Lee Shin had faced on Earth. Here, the gods were in their true forms.

In the past, Lee Shin could not even be certain about what the God of Time’s true form was; but now, Lee Shin could see him clearly.

"I will test you now," the God of Time said.

[The trial of the God of Time has begun.]

"Defeat me," the God of Time said to Lee Shin.

[Please defeat the God of Time.]

His snow white hair was slightly tinged with gold. His flickering white eyes reflected a sense of ease. The God of Time still seemed very calm and relaxed.

"Now, tell me. Are you aiming to become a chief god?" Lee Shin asked the God of Time.

"Yes, the gods all wanted to see you on the 100th floor so badly. And that was because we could embrace you only on this floor," the God of Time explained.

"Well, are you confident about that?” Lee Shin asked.

"I heard you have dealt with and defeated numerous gods on Earth. However, I’m aware of the fact that it was thanks to the God of Chaos," the God of Time said.

"I don't believe in Chaos," Lee Shin replied.

"Then try it. Defeat me and achieve what you desire!" the God of Time said and provoked Lee Shin.

The next moment, dozens of beams shot out from the body of the God of Time. Each beam contained different attributes of time.

- What a tricky one to deal with.

Some of the beams contained time that was moving faster, while others were going slower. Upon contact, they would slow down to a turtle’s pace, but after passing a few meters, it would accelerate again like a jet. This place was a space created by the God of Time where time moved as he intended.

[Harmony Manifestation]

Lee Shin started to wonder what effect the skill, Harmony Manifestation, would have on the God of Time. This skill was capable of encompassing all powers to create a balance and flow.

Lee Shin sent out the spheres that glowed violet in all directions. They clung to the divine power of the God of Time in the air like magnets and erased them.

"What is this power?" the God of Time seemed to be confused.

God of Time was clearly taken aback when he saw this skill that Lee Shin had. His reaction made sense because this was a power that Lee Shin had created on his own. There was no way that a God who had not experienced this power would be able to handle it properly.

"Test it for yourself," Lee Shin replied.

Lee Shin activated Harmony Manifestation once again. At the same time, a white mana barrier fell from the sky to the ground.

Swoosh—

The world turned to black and white in an instant. All around Lee Shin, who used Harmony Manifestation to defend himself against the power of a deity, the surrounding space had become desolate. The grass had withered, and the terrain had completely changed.

‘This must be due to the acceleration of time…’

For humans, time is an absolute concept. Besides, humans were creatures that could only exist in very short, limited periods. All the spaces that had touched the barrier experienced the passing of time of at least several decades.

‘This is what the God of Time is capable of doing…’

Lee Shin thought this fight with the God of Time was something within his ability because he had had a glimpse of the power of the God of Time in the past. However, looking at this incredible power of a deity, he quickly felt embarrassed by the thought that he could win.

If he had not acquired the Harmony Manifestation but had only faced him with the power of chaos, would he stand a chance?

"That’s quite impressive," the God of Time muttered, looking at Lee Shin’s new skill.

The God of Time made a brief comment. He appeared composed on the outside, but Lee Shin noticed the slight panic in his voice. Then, the second burst of the power of a deity followed without any words. A massive, unknown entity was launched by the God of Time.

‘This is...!’

Woong— Bang—!

It was a shockwave using time acceleration. Although it was a short distance, it was an attack that maximized impact by maximizing the acceleration. The protective barrier was distorted by the physical force at first, and then quickly shattered due to the power of a deity that followed.

"Keugh!" Lee Shin groaned.

The massive barrier blocked his sight for a while, and disappeared. A background of a modern setting came into view.

‘Ah…’

Suddenly, the memories of Lee Shin’s childhood, which he had hidden deep in his mind and tried not to recall, began to play in his head.

"Shin, my dear," said Lee Shin’s mother.

The memories of the incident that Lee Shin had tried so hard to avoid were about to rush back and flood all his senses—a scene filled with flames, the heat that engulfed his entire body and even the burning smoke that tickled his nose.

"Don't worry Shin. Have faith in your mommy and daddy, okay?” said Lee Shin’s mother.

In Lee Shin’s mind, the memories of his house engulfed in flames, and him being helplessly held in his mother's arms as he survived, began to replay rapidly.

"Don't worry. Mommy will definitely save you," said Lee Shin’s mother.

Kugugugugu—

The roaring flames, the falling pillars, and the blazing cement blocks. A cement block on fire tumbled down from a height, almost hitting Lee Shin’s father as he tried to lead the way.

"Honey! Watch out—!" Lee Shin's mother yelled in panic.

[Psychokensis]

Crack—!

Woong—!

Baaaam—!

In the sudden manifestation of this supernatural phenomenon, Lee Shin’s parents stared with bewildered expressions.

"Huh? What’s going on?” Lee Shin’s parents looked confused.

"Mother, Father." Lee Shin spoke up.

It was a strange way of calling them, considering that he was only a seven-year-old boy in this place. The facial expressions of Lee Shin’s parents changed at the sudden shift in the atmosphere, and they looked at Lee Shin with surprise.

"I'm sorry." Lee Shin apologized to them.

With his expression heavily contorted, he unleashed his magic.