Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode

Not far from the molten nest, within the broken remains of a crumbled house, Ray’s eyes snapped open the moment the pressure descended from above.

As his body reacted before his mind fully caught up, his senses flaring sharply while the air felt heavier as if something vast had settled over the entire city.

He sat up slowly. His hand instinctively reached for the Demonic Sword resting beside him. His gaze moved upward even though the shattered ceiling above only showed fragments of the sky.

"What the hell is this?" he muttered under his breath.

The sword pulsed faintly. A voice echoed in his mind, low and calm, yet carrying a strange weight.

"This is the final scenario. To pass, you must defeat the entity that has descended."

Ray’s eyes narrowed slightly as irritation flickered across his face.

"The final scenario?" he repeated, his voice rough. "Wasn’t the condition to kill the Apex first?"

There was a brief pause before the sword responded again. "I also do not know what happened."

Ray clicked his tongue in annoyance as he pushed himself to his feet. The faint frustration in his expression grew sharper as he tightened his grip on the weapon.

"So even you don’t know," he muttered.

He stepped out from the wreckage of the collapsed house, moving into the open as the pressure pressed harder against his body. His instincts were already screaming at him to be cautious.

Then he looked up.

For a moment, he didn’t move.

It turns out that the sky was no longer a sky.

Darkness stretched endlessly above him, shifting and alive as if it breathed, while countless massive tentacles spread across the horizon in every direction. Each one of those tentacles were large enough to dominate entire sections of the city as they moved slowly with a weight that distorted everything around them.

Ray’s eyes widened slightly.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," he said quietly.

He had expected something strong. Something dangerous.

But not something like this.

Not something that felt like it could swallow the entire world.

His grip on the sword tightened as his jaw clenched.

"I thought it wouldn’t be this big."

The words came out low, almost forced.

For the first time since all of this began, clear and huge doubt crept into his mind.

Ray let out a slow sigh, then cursed under his breath.

"Tch. I’m not even sure I can kill that thing."

—

Far above the ruined city, beyond the perception of those struggling below, a vast white room stretched endlessly in all directions. Its surface was smooth and pristine as if untouched by anything that existed within the world it observed.

At the center of it, the World Master sat comfortably.

Before him floated a massive screen that displayed everything happening below in perfect clarity from the trembling city to the struggling figures scattered across it.

He watched, and then he laughed.

A low chuckle escaped him first, before it grew louder and more amused, as his eyes gleamed with satisfaction while he observed the reactions of the humans beneath him.

"Look at them," he said, his voice filled with mockery. "So fragile and so helpless."

On the screen, the Celestial Abyssal Beast loomed over everything, its presence crushing and absolute.

The World Master leaned back slightly and rested his chin against his hand as his smile widened.

"This is what happens when weaklings are forced to face something beyond their limits," he continued, his tone almost delighted. "They are filled with struggle, despair, and fear."

His gaze shifted slightly, focusing on one figure in particular.

Clyde. Or rather, the body he was using. The body of a young man named Jack.

A faint smirk formed on his lips.

"This time you won’t be so arrogant, kid," he muttered.

In his mind, this was the perfect setup.

A situation where even someone like that boy would be pushed to the edge, where his confidence would break under the weight of the thing he could not overcome alone.

"And when that happens you’ll be far more willing to cooperate." The World Master continued softly, his eyes narrowing with interest,

He leaned back fully now, clearly satisfied.

After all, he had paid a price for this. A large one.

"I spent quite a number of Coins just to bring that thing down here," he said with a quiet laugh. "This is a stronger version of a fake Outer God... just for you."

His laughter echoed again through the empty white space.

But to him, it was worth it. Every bit of it. Because watching them struggle like this was far too entertaining to pass up.

—

The four of them stood near the mouth of the molten nest, the intense heat behind them clashing against the overwhelming pressure that pressed down from the sky above.

None of them spoke as their gazes focused upward toward the thing that now covered the sky.

The Celestial Abyssal Beast loomed far beyond the ruined city with its massive form stretching across the sky like a living catastrophe of darkness. Its countless tentacles moved with a slow and deliberate motion that carried immense weight, as if each movement alone could crush the world beneath it.

The air itself felt distorted under its presence, and even from this distance, the pressure it released made it difficult to breathe.

Mina’s grip on her daggers tightened slightly, though her expression remained controlled.

Connor, on the other hand, did not bother hiding his reaction as his face paled visibly while he stared upward.

"That’s what we’re supposed to kill?" Connor muttered, his voice strained.

Sean stood beside him, his eyes fixed on the creature as well, but his expression was more focused despite the tension in his body.

After a moment, he shifted his gaze toward Clyde.

"Do you have any idea how we’re supposed to deal with that?" he asked.

Clyde did not answer immediately.

He stood still, his eyes locked onto the massive entity above.

Unlike the others, there was no fear in his expression. His gaze was sharp and steady as if he was not simply looking at the creature but analyzing it. Thinking.

Silence followed.

Clyde had fought things like this before. In a different time. In a different life.

He knew exactly what kind of fight this was.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he spoke.

"We just need to attack it," he said calmly.

Sean frowned. "What?"

Clyde did not turn to face them as he continued.

"We hit it with everything we have," he said. "Until it weakens."

There was no hesitation in his tone. No doubt.

"And then we will kill it."

Silence fell immediately after.

Mina blinked, her brows knitting slightly as she processed his words.

Connor stared at him as if he had just heard something completely absurd.

"Are you serious?" Connor said with disbelief clear in his voice.

Sean did not speak, but his expression tightened as he looked at Clyde, trying to determine whether he was joking.

He wasn’t.

Clyde remained completely still, his focus still directed at the sky as if what he had just said was the most obvious answer possible.

Mina sighed, her eyes shifting between Clyde and the monster above.

Sean finally let out a quiet breath.

"You’re insane," Connor muttered under his breath.

But even as he said that, none of them could deny that there was no better plan they could think of.

—