Chapter 128 : Clash (4)
Chapter 128: Clash (4)
Through meticulous buildup and knowledge of the past, he derived the outcome with the highest chance of victory.
That was how a veteran survived inside a Forbidden Book.
Of course.
The best plan didn't always lead to the best result.
Just like now.
“……”
Yohan was rendered speechless.
He closed his eyes and opened them again, but the words didn't change.
This wasn't a dream, but goddamn reality.
‘I'm screwed.’
The Collector was currently maintaining roughly 70% anger and 30% interest.
But if Yohan provoked him here, that would turn into 100% anger.
And he would immediately go all out and wipe away the barrier and the Maple Tree of the Boundary.
In other words, a bad ending awaited him either way.
“Lord Yohan?”
Vivian, who had been holding the staff, tilted her head.
Because Yohan had suddenly let go and was about to head somewhere.
“Stay here by yourself for a moment. It doesn't seem like this will end as things are. I'll go have a little talk with that boy.”
It probably wouldn't be good to stay nearby.
With a very high probability.
“Are you finally planning to fight with your full strength? Even the Collector must have reached his end now.”
Vivian's eyes sparkled with reverence.
“Yeah. Well. Something… like that.”
Though it seemed the person whose limbs would be factored apart might be a little different. What could he do?
Once the dice had been cast, he had no choice but to do everything he could.
Even in this situation, Yohan felt a slight wave of self-loathing for maintaining his persona.
He let out a long sigh and started walking.
Kwakakakwaang!
Kagagang!
After crossing through his companions who were fiercely battling, he arrived where the spinach boy stood.
“Hmm. Did you destroy the Gate for the rewards? You're certainly clever. I sincerely hope you received a useful reward.”
A deep smile hung on the Collector's lips.
Usually, this would be where the cliché of ‘You're my enemy, but you're quite impressive. You're worth keeping alive’ kicked in.
Unfortunately, not this time.
Because from this point onward, Yohan had to commit an outrage that would completely twist that smile.
Smirk.
Yohan raised the corners of his lips.
As a bonus, he gave off an air of contempt, as though looking down on his opponent.
His references were Vivian and Scarlet whenever some nobodies asked them to dance. Their expressions as though they were looking at insects had been masterpieces.
“Gramont Dukenheim. You're still pretending to be strong after getting your ass handed to you once.”
Knowing a lot about one's opponent.
That had very clear advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was that fulfilling the Copy Condition itself was practically guaranteed.
The disadvantage was that he'd have to deal with an opponent who was properly pissed off.
“How… does a bastard like you… know my name?”
The Collector's gaze wavered when his True Name came out.
“Isn't the crazy cat lady of the Ancient Species pretty famous? The whole neighborhood's heard about you. Some rotten spinach desperately insisting that his babies don't bite.”
“And apparently you only pick weird ones to tame? I heard that if someone gives them a single treat, they won't even recognize their master anymore, so maybe I should adopt a few Ancient Species while I'm at it.”
Yohan took out a dog chew he'd bought for Sambok and waved it around.
[1 Provocation Stack has been accumulated.]
“You're saying my children would betray me for something like that?”
As expected, it worked perfectly.
Kwakakakakaka!
At that moment, a green blade cut through the air.
Speed far beyond perception.
If Yohan hadn't pulled his arm back beforehand, it would've been severed.
“You… dodged?”
Half of it had been luck.
The other half came from predicting it after analyzing the Collector's patterns and behavior.
‘That was close.’
Exactly 9.95m away.
Too far to call close range, yet awkward to call mid-range. This exact point was where the Collector most preferred using ‘Verdant Crescent Blade’.
If he'd used anything else, Yohan would've died.
If he'd summoned an Ancient Species, Yohan's upper body would've disappeared.
Throb!
His heart ached.
His stomach began hurting from the stress.
After Vivian, he'd sworn never to do something like this again, but it really wasn't good for his mental health in many ways.
Even so, his mouth remained alive and continued dealing maximum damage.
“You still throw tantrums like a little kid. Isn't that why Arianne beat the shit out of you and sent you running? Come to think of it, she told me herself. She said the sight of you desperately scrambling away to save your life was so pitiful that she let you off just that once.”
People usually called it rubbing salt into a wound, right?
Since he'd already committed himself. Yohan relentlessly jabbed only at the places where the bastard had an inferiority complex.
“I-I lost to that lizard? And I ran away to save my life!?”
Judging from his fit, the effect was phenomenal.
[2 Provocation Stacks have been accumulated.]
Swaaaaa.
The atmosphere abruptly changed once again.
To the point that even the surrounding Ancient Species stopped attacking under the pressure of that killing intent. The entire area was swallowed by the Collector's fury.
‘I have to predict it.’
Yohan suppressed his fear internally and calculated the probabilities.
Simply killing him would never be enough to satisfy the Collector.
Therefore, he could eliminate the possibilities of him bringing out ‘Pagras's Arm’ or another treasured possession.
He would choose something that inflicted horrific pain for as long as possible.
‘Corrupted Cordyceps.’
A Skill that slowly devoured the target's internal organs while they were still alive.
The probability of him using that was the highest.
“You'll beg me to kill you. Brat.”
[The Collector activates the Skill ‘Corrupted Cordyceps’!]
Rustle.
Yohan felt something resembling a horsehair worm writhing beneath his feet.
At that moment.
[Void Magic ‘Black Flame’ activates!]
Fwoosh!
The Cordyceps was engulfed in black flames.
Once it touched the body, there was absolutely no way to stop it, but if it was burned before that, it couldn't do a thing.
Its resistance to flames was particularly low, so there was no problem as long as it didn't strike first.
“You sounded so confident. Is this all you've got? Pretty underwhelming. For one of the Strong of the Abyss.”
Yohan smiled leisurely.
“Ah, is it because you're ranked 98th? Well. For someone in the relegation zone, it wasn't bad.”
He didn't forget to get one last jab in.
[3 Provocation Stacks have been accumulated.]
[The condition has been fulfilled!]
Done!
It had been a gamble with his life on the line, but he'd crossed the first hurdle anyway.
Now one of the Traits would be copied at random.
It absolutely had to be [Memory of Glory].
That was the only way to survive.
Shrrrr!
One of the golden cards flipped over.
[The Trait ‘Plant Encyclopedia’ has been copied!]
Damn it.
Failure.
This damn Forbidden Book treated bullshit misfortune as naturally as breathing, yet it absolutely refused to grant him even the slightest bit of luck.
Fortunately, it wasn't completely over.
This Event gave him another chance to try.
A kind of gacha.
The difference from ordinary gacha was that ‘Titles’ were offered as materials.
[Knight's Token]
[Orc Slayer]
[Sorrow of the Half-Blood]
He currently possessed a total of three Titles.
Naturally, he had to sacrifice the most useless one first.
‘Before that. I should prepare for that side too.’
Yohan gathered Void Magic at his fingertips.
Then he drew a Magic Circle in the air.
[Distortion] [Conversion] [Inversion]
The basic formula was completed.
[The Title ‘Orc Slayer’ is offered as a sacrifice!]
Shrrrr!
The golden cards spun once again.
[The Trait ‘Plant Encyclopedia’ is replaced with ‘Sleepwalking’!]
Ah.
To be frank, this one made him hesitate a little.
[Sleepwalking] doubled Natural Regeneration and Evasion whenever he lost consciousness.
From an enemy's perspective, it was a Trait that would drive them insane.
‘It's a shame, but I have no choice.’
Even if he obtained this, he'd die all the same, so he had to swallow his tears and give it up.
He needed to challenge it once again, but before he could, the Collector, who had lost his reason, moved first.
Kukukukuku!
Green flames surged violently.
As though declaring that playtime was over. He unleashed Magic on a completely different level from anything he'd shown until now.
He intended to blow away this entire area.
He couldn't be late.
There was only one thing capable of blocking power on this scale.
[The Title ‘Sorrow of the Half-Blood’ is offered as a sacrifice!]
There was no more time.
Yohan bit his lip and challenged his final opportunity.
Shrrk!
The golden cards spun.
Amid the radiating light, a familiar image appeared.
[The Trait ‘Sleepwalking’ is replaced with ‘Memory of Glory’!]
[Memory of Glory: You can reproduce a body part of a target you have encountered before. However, the target's Favorability must be 70% or higher, and a body part can only be reproduced once per target.]
Finally, success.
Now that he'd even passed the second hurdle, his chances of survival had risen dramatically.
Though that only meant they'd gone from about 0.1% to 10%.
Still.
That was more than enough.
Odds like these were sufficient for a gamble.
[The horn of the Ancient Species ‘Arianne Ignite’ is reproduced!]
A single black horn emerged from Yohan's head.
Naturally, unlike Arianne's, it was much smaller and thinner.
Drip.
Blood ran from his nose.
His vision was blurry as well.
As the price for reproducing the power of such an absurd existence. His entire body was overloaded.
Well, he was used to it.
Enduring pain, at least.
Whatever else might be said, his mental fortitude wouldn't lose to anyone.
Fwoosh!
Red flames intertwined with Black Flame flickered.
Yohan placed the black light gathered at his fingertips against the empty air.
[Open]
The Runic Word placed the final period.
And with that.
Kukukung!
Dimension connected with dimension.
Wooooong!
An ominous and unknowable Magic fluctuated violently.
[Void Magic ‘Gate of Chaos’ activates!]
Crrrraaack!
A black rift split open above and below.
From within the endless Void beyond it.
Wriggle!
Gigantic black hands began emerging outside.
＊＊＊
The Gate of Chaos had been created by investing nearly all of the 750,000 Durability.
Clatter!
Black hands bound in chains spread their palms toward the sky.
And almost simultaneously.
Green flames swallowed everything.
Tukwakakakakakaka!!!
It was as though the entire world had been dyed green.
[The Maple Tree of the Boundary is burning!]
The barrier shattered in a single blow.
Vivian couldn't withstand the impact and lost consciousness.
The situation wasn't much different for the other members.
Thud!
Boom!
They collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut.
“God… damn it. For the one and only savior… of the world to fall in a place like this….”
Even the Blessing of Spirituality couldn't protect Seo Changhee.
Only one person.
Yohan was still holding on.
If not for the hands that had emerged from the ‘Gate of the Void’, everything would've turned to ash long ago.
Even so, the situation continued worsening by the second.
[Vitality has fallen below 90%.]
[Vitality has fallen below 50%.]
[Vitality has….]
Red Status Windows appeared one after another.
Warnings of danger relentlessly stimulated his instincts.
‘Just a little.’
Just hold on a little longer.
Only by blocking this could he create an opportunity to counterattack.
Yohan desperately clung to consciousness.
[Vitality has fallen below 10%!]
A message appeared, informing him that he'd crossed his limit.
At the same time.
[Special Effect ‘Weakling's Counterattack’ activates!]
[Magic and Casting Speed each increase by 100%!]
The special ability of the Wristguards he wore was unlocked.
A full twofold increase.
New power surged from within his body.
The dying light blazed fiercely once again.
1 second. 2 seconds. 5 seconds.
He endured.
Even if it was something impossible.
10 seconds. 20 seconds.
The earth's axis twisted.
The parched atmosphere had lost even the last trace of moisture to evaporation.
25 seconds….
Kwakakakakaka!
Finally.
The green flames completely disappeared.
He had defended against a blow unleashed by one of the Strong of the Abyss.
With that, offense and defense switched places.
Now!
Yohan immediately commanded the black hands.
Tukwaaaang!
Kwaaaang!
Their targets were the Collector's arms and legs.
“……!?”
The chained black hands seized the Collector's limbs in an instant.
Dark-red Magic Circles spread without end.
[Final Incantation - ‘Infinite Binding’ activates!]
A trap capable of restraining a Transcendent was created.
If he could send the Collector into the Void Dimension, then even the Collector would be trapped there for several days.
“Get lost.”
Yohan released every last bit of his remaining strength.
A gigantic eye appeared within the unseen Abyss.
At that moment.
Clank! Clank!
Purple chains embedded themselves into the ground.
As though determined never to let him go. Various restraints and Barrier Arts overlapped, binding the Collector even more completely.
As the Void took physical form, the very concept itself began to harbor hostility.
It was a magnificent spectacle reminiscent of a scene from mythology.
Kwagagak…!
The Collector's body was dragged toward the Gate of Chaos.
One step. Then another.
The Transcendent of the Abyss moved against his own will.
“…You keep surprising me. That horn on your head, don't tell me it's Arianne's?”
The Collector muttered in disbelief.
The fact that something like this was happening at all made no sense.
A mortal who had only just entered the opening stages of the Episodes couldn't possibly wield Authority at this level.
If this incident were told to the other Strong of the Abyss, every last one of them would've called it nonsense.
“I've changed my mind a little. If you come under me, I'll let you live. No. Beyond that, I'll let you walk the path of a king rather than a muddy road.”
“Heh. You're trying to negotiate now?”
“I'm giving you an opportunity. In recognition of your potential.”
“Sorry, but I have no desire to work under a monster who plucks body parts out whenever he pleases.”
If you got fired from a normal company, you could at least have a shot of soju.
If the Collector fired you, an exhibition of human anatomy opened immediately.
“Then it can't be helped. I'll simply have to collect you cleanly without leaving behind a single drop of blood or scrap of flesh.”
The Collector smacked his lips regretfully.
One might have thought it was merely a bluff while he was being dragged away by the power of the Void.
But the Magic emanating from his body was far too vicious for that.
Damn it.
It's coming.
And from somewhere very deep.
Kwaaaang!
A gigantic Ancient Species that had been hiding beneath the ground burst out and slammed into the Gate of Chaos.
The Gate warped, and the black hands were flung in every direction.
“Grooooar!!!”
Yohan couldn't see it clearly, but it was a higher species even stronger than Behemoth.
It possessed such an absurdly high rank that this single creature alone could completely overturn the state of the battlefield.
That must mean it was a hidden card the Collector treasured that much.
[Ancient Species ‘???’ activates the Skill ‘Frozen Time’!]
Crackle….
Ice flowers bloomed, and everything became trapped beneath pure-white crystals.
Yohan couldn't move so much as a single finger.
“To throw away your only opportunity. That was a foolish choice.”
Pat. Pat.
After brushing the dust from his body, the Collector gave the Ancient Species one additional command.
“Take the one who uses Spirituality as well. Remove the heart separately. I have a use for it.”
“Groar!”
But just as the Ancient Species was about to move.
“Hmm. That would be troublesome.”
Within a space where no one could move.
Step.
A girl wearing a hood with shark teeth approached.