Just when it seemed like things were going to take a turn for the worse...

Quarrng!!

From the sky, a massive black lightning bolt struck down.

Or more accurately... it would be more appropriate to say that a human engulfed in lightning was propelled towards Maizen.

"Argh...!"

The shockwave was so intense that Baek Yu-Seol had to roll on the ground several times before he finally regained his footing.

And then... a calm darkness enveloped the area. It wasn't as destructive as Maizen’s dark magic, nor was it filled with negative emotions.

Instead, it evoked the image of a giant, chilling iceberg.

"... Mayuseong...!"

Baek Yu-Seol heard Maizen’s startled voice. He barely turned his head and looked towards the origin of the dark magic.

There, Mayuseong, clad in sparks of black, had Maizen’s neck in his grip.

He gazed at Maizen with emotionless eyes.

Crack! Zap!

"Hahaha...!"

In an instant of contact.

The current Mayuseong’s only condition to activate [Dark Domination].

The effect was clear as Maizen struggled, unable to properly release his magic.

'An opportunity.'

There was no more time to hesitate.

Maizen’s level was significantly higher, which meant his dark magic was still returning sharply.

Gripping the Vengeance Branch tightly in his right hand, Baek Yu-Seol sprinted forward without hesitation.

The wounds from earlier, the stinging pain on his thigh and ankle intensified, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

One step, two steps.

He advanced toward Maizen.

*Zap! Zap! Zap...!!

Mayuseong gritted his teeth and forcefully withstood Maizen’s powerful dark magic.

It was as if he knew there would be no chance to kill him if not now.

Swoosh!

However, even while being restrained, Maizen instinctively recognized that he couldn't allow Baek Yu-Seol’s approach.

He extended stems and thorns to attack Baek Yu-Seol.

Still... Perhaps due to the influence of Dark Domination, his attack pattern was monotonous and his speed was slow.

Baek Yu-Seol leaped over while tumbling, slid past the whip aiming for his waist, evaded the thorns of the three stems blocking his path with a Flash, and prepared for the final leap.

Thud!

Maizen finally broke free from Mayuseong’s domination and forcefully drove him into the ground.

Kwakwong!!

The forceful impact sent Mayuseong crashing with a shockwave that would have shattered the body of an ordinary human into pieces.

However, there was no time to worry about him.

Maizen, who had escaped from Dark Domination, focused all his attention on Baek Yu-Seol.

The distance was 25 meters.

Dozens of stems and thorns surged towards him.

Baek Yu-Seol had no choice but to use a skill he never wanted to use.

[... Breath of the Spirit, Form III.]

Mayuseong was prepared to be consumed by darkness, and if it was Baek Yu-Seol, there was nothing he couldn't do.

[Senses Enhanced by 147%]

[Divine Assimilation Increases]

**[... Effect significantly amplified due to the influence of the location] **

[Divine Assimilation greatly increases]

'Kuk!'

This was completely unexpected. The assimilation increased simultaneously with the effects due to the spatial conditions of the Divine Realm.

But it was fine.

In an instant, Baek Yu-Seol’s senses were elevated to the level of a Class 5.

The duration would be a mere 15 seconds. However, during that time, both his 'sensory perception' and 'cognitive acceleration' were enhanced to abnormal levels...

It felt as if the world around him was flowing in slow motion.

Fluttering leaves seemed to freeze, and he could discern each individual grain of sand swirling in the air.

Even the trembling pupils of Maizen.

Every attack that surged towards his head, shoulders, feet, waist, and abdomen seemed to play out in slow motion.

In the slowed-down world, Baek Yu-Seol twisted his body to evade the stems.

With a subtle tilt of his head, he dodged the thorns aimed at his neck.

Baek Yu-Seol grabbed the stems charging towards his waist and used them as leverage to propel himself forward.

Using Flash amidst countless obstacles would be suicidal.

However, it was no longer a difficult task.

'I can do it. Find the opening.'

In the slowed-down world, his eyes captured the openings amidst the dozens of stems Maizen unleashed.

Towards the opening that even Maizen himself had failed to notice, Baek Yu-Seol launched himself, diving in with his entire body.

"...!"

Maizen appeared greatly bewildered, as if he couldn't believe Baek Yu-Seol would attempt such a reckless act.

Nevertheless, this would appear to be a suicidal move. He rushed into the midst of Maizen’s stems, and now the attacks converged on him from all directions.

Maizen clenched his fists as if resigning himself to the situation.

In that moment when all the stems were surging towards Baek Yu-Seol.

Distance: 12m.

[Flash]

Penetrating through all the stems to approach, Baek Yu-Seol thrust the branch into Maizen’s chest with all his strength.

Pwook~!

[...Contact with the target of vengeance has been made.]

[The maximum value of Vengeance unfurls.]

"... Ah?"

Immediately after, Maizen uttered a puzzled sound and staggered back.

All the stems of dark crystals came to a halt, and no more thorns sprouted. He seemed perplexed as he felt his own body, then gritted his teeth and released his dark magic.

However...

Crash!

Every motionless stems of crystal shattered into pieces and scattered to the ground.

Baek Yu-Seol watched Maizen silently. He stared at the breaking crystals with a dismayed look, then contorted his face and extended his trembling right hand towards Baek Yu-Seol.

"Y-you, you, you... this..."

Thud!

But before he could do anything, his right arm melted away.

"Huh?"

Next, his shoulders melted, followed by both legs, and then his waist.

He could no longer support his upper body.

"Ah, a-a... aaahhh...!!"

Maizen let out a grotesque scream as he swung his remaining arm towards Baek Yu-Seol.

However, unable to even emit magic anymore, he couldn't reach him.

"You, you...! I-I'll kill you... kill you...! I'll kill you~!!"

Thud!

He shrieked with esentment, anger, hatred towards him.

All those complex emotions swirled and shot towards Baek Yu-Seol. However, none of those emotions reached him; they shattered into pieces.

Thud!

Even the last remaining arm melted away. "Ah, aaah, aaahh... I... don't want to die..."

Like that.

Maizen Tyren met his end, excreting his vile emotions until the very end.

[Episodes 7-8 'Familiar Contract and Dark Magic Corruption have been completed!]

[To you, who led the story in the most ideal direction, 'Constellation Project' promises additional rewards.]

Sigh.

Slumping down against a nearby rock, Baek Yu-Seol tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

Perhaps it was the strain of the recent events, but drowsiness washed over him.

Nevertheless... Regardless of what happened, he had overcome the most fearsome and dangerous adversary and managed to save everyone.

It seemed like he could finally get some peaceful rest.