The Bones of Origin merged with Seol’s shadows, forming a bone-like armor with a muted sheen. The minimalist look of Night Crow was now changed, taken over by the imposing presence of the Bones of Origin.

Even at a glance, Seol appeared far stronger than before, surpassing even his former full power. And there was no way Phantom wouldn’t have noticed this change either.

Phantom recognized that trying to fight Seol the same way as before would simply lead to his defeat.

Therefore, he had to make a decision as well.

Fwoooosh…

Phantom quickly expanded his domain.

Woooosh…

However, something opposed him.

It was Seol’s domain.

Through that, Phantom was able to make a decision.

- I will unleash every bit of my power.

“Wouldn’t that delay its recovery, then?” asked Seol.

Kieeeeeee!

The darkness writhed as it grew once more.

- That doesn’t matter.

[Intermediate Insight activates.]

[Phantom unleashes his powers.]

[Phantom’s sealed skills are unlocked. Phantom’s stats have increased.]

[However, Phantom’s recovery rate has decreased by 40% as a side-effect.]

Rumble, rumble…

Phantom was now powerful enough to cause the earth to quiver with just his existence.

"Still, he’s Immortal-rank. I mean… Shade was Immortal-rank too, so it wouldn’t make sense for Phantom, who just woke up, to be higher ranked than them."

Phantom, who was previously as strong as someone in the early Immortal-rank, was now as powerful as someone in the mid Immortal-rank.

‘Incomplete as well.’

There was no need for Seol to worry as Phantom was still not whole.

Rumble, rumble!

[Phantom used Twist.]

[The surrounding terrain changes greatly.]

After temporarily recovering his power, Phantom’s skills were enhanced as well.

Twist was able to affect a larger area, far more intensely than before.

Rumble, rumble!

Rumbleeee!

Seol, eyes still closed, dodged a pillar of stone rising from the ground. However, he was soon caught up by the transforming terrain.

Crush!

A pillar of stone pierced through Seol’s shoulders.

[Bones of Origin consumes the impact.]

[Bones of Origin currently has an empty stomach.]

[Bones of Origin digests all of the impact.]

- …Petty tricks!

Though it upset Phantom that Seol took no damage from the attack, he also knew that it didn’t change the situation all too much.

He was also just beginning to use the powers he had stored, after all.

[Phantom used Darkness Slash.]

[If the target fails to perceive this attack, this attack’s cooldown is refreshed.]

With his powers fully unsealed, Phantom had 10 blades he could use with Darkness Slash.

It was on a completely different level than the three blades he had used earlier. Considering that a successful sneak attack would recharge his blades, Phantom was essentially capable of attacking endlessly.

Tensing up, Seol began deflecting Phantom’s blades one by one.

Phantom had returned his swords to the straight blades they were earlier.

Clang!

Fwip, fwip!

Clang, clang, clang!

‘I’ve caught up to him!’

Despite struggling to react to Phantom’s attacks before, Seol could now expertly deflect all of Phantom’s blades one by one.

Seol was rapidly growing stronger.

And with the Bones of Origin surrounding his body as his insurance, he was practically an entirely different person.

Claaang!

Clang!

Like someone performing a sword dance, Seol and Agony displayed outrageous movements.

Claaang!

[Phantom used Blind Spot.]

[A blade forms in a place where the opponent cannot perceive.]

It was a combination of Blind Spot and Darkness Slash.

Blades forming in a place where the opponent cannot perceive, with the skill refreshing whenever the attack successfully strikes, was a vicious combination that took the lives of countless warriors.

Claaaaang!

- …You shouldn’t be able to perceive it, though?

“That’s why I told you, it’s two.”

Seol used Karuna's senses to compensate for the gaps in Sense Domain. That was the sole reason Seol wasn't being one-sidedly beaten down by Phantom's Blind Spot.

However, unsatisfied, Seol shook his head.

‘Not like this…’

While Seol avoided damage from his blind spot by preparing Karuna’s keen senses, he recognized a problem with this method.

‘If I use Night Crow like this… it’s pointless.’

There was no reason for them to combine if they were going to work separately. In fact, if they were going to do so, it would be much more efficient for Seol to summon Karuna instead.

‘The two of us have to become one.’

The two of them needed to become one.

Through that unity, they became as capable as three, if not more.

Night Crow’s true strength stemmed from that philosophy.

However, the way they fought did not reflect that at all.

Even if they did defeat Phantom like this, it would only be a half-victory at best. The victory would have been claimed through a temporary measure, not a foundation they could build upon.

Fuuuu…

Seol cooled his thoughts.

Now that he was aware of the problem, he simply needed to find an answer.

‘...I feel like I’m about to reach something, though.’

Just as Seol fully ingrained Jamad's hand-to-hand combat abilities, he also had to adopt Karuna's swordsmanship.

Currently, he was only borrowing it, not making it his own.

Fwooosh…

A black, viscous energy exuded from Agony’s edge.

It was Black Wave, Karuna’s powers.

Faaaade…

However, Phantom's domain encroached upon it, causing it to scatter. The darkness was swallowed by an even deeper darkness.

This meant that even Black Wave was useless within Phantom's domain.

Then how could Seol use Black Wave?

He thought for a moment, thinking about what he could do.

Fwirl!

Claaaang!

All while deflecting Phantom’s attacks, of course.

Phantom's blades had been rendered useless some time ago, and he knew it as well. So, Phantom opted for a different method.

Rumble, rumble…

[Phantom used Twist.]

[The surrounding terrain changes greatly.]

‘Is he changing the terrain again?’

Seol did not understand Phantom's decision, as he had also rendered that skill useless a long time ago.

However, sensing that Twist was now being used differently, Seol quickly withdrew.

Seol was surrounded by a jail made of stone.

He then felt an incredible pressure growing inside it.

- I’ll crush you!

[Phantom used Ghost Pressure.]

[Apply pressure to your target equal to the amount of ghost energy you possess.]

Creaaaaaaaak!

Crack…

The pressure was so intense that Seol couldn't even breathe.

[Bones of Origin consumes the impact.]

[Bones of Origin is slightly full.]

[Bones of Origin digests a portion of the impact.]

The pressure was more than enough to fill up Bones of Origin’s capacity quickly.

As if he were an animal trapped in a cage, Seol was unable to stand up straight at all. He quickly realized the dangers of being unable to move.

By feeling his hands and feet restrained, he came to understand their importance and shape.

‘Right… the hand! The hand!’

Craaaack!

A piece of the Bones of Origin shattered off.

‘First, I need to concentrate my power, and…’

Grit….

- Die!

‘...fire it all off at once!’

Baaaaaaam!

Although a portion of his bone armor was destroyed, Seol managed to escape from the stone prison.

Phantom quickly prepared more attacks upon realizing that he hadn't inflicted much damage.

Fwooooosh!

The space around them began to rumble as Phantom prepared another attack.

[Phantom used Erode.]

[For a short while, blades will form endlessly around you.]

Phantom used this skill with the intent of putting Seol in a state from which he couldn’t regenerate.

Fwip, fwip, fwip, fwip!

Swords began to rain from the ceiling.

Claaang!

Clang, clang!

Claaaaang!

Although it should have been natural for Seol to be exhausted after deflecting so many attacks, the Blood of Origin circulating through his body replenished his energy.

Now, the question was who would become exhausted first: Phantom, who was firing the blades, or Seol, who was deflecting them.

Fwip, fwip!

Suddenly, for some reason, Seol showed an opening.

In his attempt to deflect a sword, he lost his balance, and his stance was thrown off.

Not missing a beat, Phantom attempted to finish it.

[Phantom used Blind Spot.]

[A blade forms in a place where the opponent cannot perceive.]

Fwip!

However, as the blade came flying toward him, Seol dashed toward Phantom, ignoring the blade coming from behind.

- You fool!

Wooooosh!

The blade pierced Seol’s back.

“Krgh…”

[Bones of Origin consumes the impact.]

[Bones of Origin is completely stuffed.]

[Bones of Origin is unable to digest the impact.]

Craaaaaaaaaaack!

The embedded blade utterly destroyed the Bones of Origin.

Seol was sent flying from the impact, but this also allowed him to avoid having his backbone cut off.

No longer equipped with the Bones of Origin, a single attack from Phantom was now all it took to decide their battle.

Phantom grew more confident, sure that he would become the victor.

“Pffft…”

Seol laughed at the thought.

“I reached you.”

- …What?

Phantom quickly assessed his body. A part of his body was fading, yes, but it was only a scratch at best.

It was completely unthreatening, contrary to his expectations.

- Pointless. Compared to the damage you took…

“Damage? Who?”

Woooooosh!

Seol sprouted another imaginary arm from his back.

[Night Crow: Sense Domain's proficiency increases.]

Seol had said these words earlier.

- ...Thanks for the advice. But I’m the type that learns from being knocked down.

He had told no lies.

Sense Domain, derived from Shadow Hand, was a skill that allowed one to sense their surroundings through imaginary hands.

And so far, Seol had gained a new imaginary hand each time he took a big attack.

Phantom asked Seol a question.

- …Did you intentionally take the attack?

“You can think of it however you want.”

With his four imaginary arms, Seol now had a total of six arms.

This was the moment when everything would change.

[Night Crow: Sense Domain is completed!]

[Awakening! You have awakened a new skill.]

[You have awakened Exceptional Skill: Passive: Asura’s Sixth Sense.]

[Exceptional Skill: Passive: Asura’s Sixth Sense is born!]

Woooosh…

Seol’s four imaginary arms faded away.

In their place, a spherical domain pushed back the darkness around Seol.

Fwooooosh…

Black Wave continued to radiate from Agony's edge, revealing its dark luster even within Phantom's domain.

- …I will admit it.

Fwooooosh…

Phantom’s domain was being slowly pushed back.

- You are a worthy opponent.

Fwooooooooosh!

The darkness finally revealed Phantom’s true form.

He was a swordsman, wielding a sword in each hand.

[Phantom used Unique Skill: The Unseen.]

[Phantom becomes invisible for a certain period of time.]

[This skill's duration increases based on your opponent's fear.]

[Each successful attack will activate Darkness Slash.]

[Each successful Darkness Slash will immediately activate Blind Spot.]

Seol slowly opened his eyes.

After all, there was no longer a reason for him to keep them closed. Though dulling his other honed senses could be an issue, there was no reason to worry now that he had completed Sense Domain.

“I can see you much better now, you know?”

- You won’t be able to see me.

“I wonder about that…”

Fwip!

Fwip!

The two moved at the same time.

However, Seol wasn’t fully sure as he couldn’t see Phantom.

Claaaaang!

Phantom’s sword was much faster than the blades he shot from the darkness.

Even so, the sound of clashing swords made it clear that things weren't going according to Phantom's plans.

- …How are you able to block my attacks?

“......”

- It matters not.

Clang!

Claaaang!

Phantom’s swordsmanship was far from ordinary.

Not only were the attacks invisible, making it impossible to tell where they began, but their presence was also so faint that detecting them was a challenge.

Still, somehow, Seol could keep up with them, wielding Agony in his hands.

In fact, Phantom's Unique Skill hadn't activated even once.

Clang!

Claaaang!

Claaaaaang!

Phantom quickly leaped back as Black Wave began to emanate from Seol's sword, recognizing it as a dangerous power with a significant threat.

However, he also began to sense something strange the more he crossed swords with Seol.

It was almost like he was fighting two swordsmen at the same time.

If Phantom's strengths were his rapid combinations of attacks and fierce, overwhelming blows, then Seol's strengths lay in his abnormally strong defense and his keen, precise attacks.

“We’re finally even now,” laughed Seol.

- ......

“What are you doing? Let’s go again.”

Fwip!

Fwoosh!

Claaang!

Clang!

Seol continued to think as he crossed blades with Phantom.

More accurately, he was trying to think of something.

Phantom’s endless blades, for some reason, seemed infinitely slow.

Karuna and Seol were no longer watching each other’s backs, but watching the same place.

Their senses were beginning to combine.

As Asura's Sixth Sense extended its perception around them, Seol and Karuna faced the threat together.

They worked together to find a more precise path for their swords, channeling greater strength into each attack.

Seol found this process exhilarating.

Although he was overflowing with strength, he was doing his best to restrain himself.

Just as Seol had broken through the wall known as Dae Ha, he was now striving to overcome Phantom.

Claaaang!

Claaang!

Clang…

……

The sounds gradually grew quieter.

First to vanish from their battle was the clamor of their swords clashing.

Even so, the two continued to exchange blows.

Next, the sensation of gripping their swords began to fade.

After that, it was the recoil of their swords striking each other.

From Seol's perspective, the space around them began to turn white.

And within that space, he saw a small Phantom.

The two crossed swords.

Suddenly, Phantom vanished and was replaced by Karuna.

Claaaang!

In Phantom’s place was Karuna, fighting Seol, wielding Breath in his hands.

As he swung upward, he immediately followed it with a downward strike.

After drawing the horizon with his blade, Karuna immediately drew the sun upward.

This is how you move your body.

This is how you move your sword.

It was as if Karuna was teaching Seol every detail, one by one.

Just as his old master taught him those details, Karuna taught Seol the same.

Karuna’s black sword, radiating with Black Wave, clashed against Seol’s.

The chick, confined within its egg, must shatter its own world to be born. It is an unavoidable path.

This imaginary world, conceived by Seol, was now a wall that he faced.

Seol sensed Karuna gathering an immense power within him.

His movements… Seol remembered them.

Slaaaaaaaaaash!

Karuna unleashed a devastating attack, staining the white, snowy world with his black ink and creating a sea of night. It was an unavoidable onslaught.

However, within it, Seol also saw light.

It was as if there were a lighthouse, sending out a beam of light.

Perhaps… Karuna was there.

That… was a path.

It was a line drawn in the sand, drawing Seol closer toward it.

Agony began to hum.

[Ahhhhhhh! What is this?!]

Seol was trying to show Agony the path that he had seen.

With Agony in his hands, Seol drew a line straight down.

SLAAAAAAAAAAAASH!

Seol cut through the white world, cleaving the night sea with his own dark streak.

[You used Exceptional Skill: Night Sea.]

[Awakening! You have awakened a new skill.]

[You have awakened Exceptional Skill: Link: Darklight.]

[Exceptional Skill: Link: Darklight is born!]

Seol cut down the wall in front of him, Phantom.

- I see.

Faaaaade!

Phantom’s body began to slowly fade.

- I lost. However…

Fwoooooosh!

Phantom’s darkness began to swell once more.

And then, it began to suck in everything around him.

- You will one day become a nuisance to Hwagmu. I will take you with me.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Was it because Seol had used one Exceptional Skill after another?

It felt as if his strength was entirely drained from his body.

Seol's body began to hover above the ground, along with the rocks surrounding him.

Although he knew it would be dangerous to be drawn in, he couldn’t resist at all.

But then…

“No!”

Thunk!

A massive hand appeared to grab Seol. Thanks to it, he was able to resist Phantom’s pull.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

As the earth continued to shake, the large hand began to pull Seol in more tightly.

Faaaade…

Phantom’s powers began to slowly fade.

Not too long after, the ghost energy that made it difficult to breathe also faded.

As Seol fell to his knees, he turned to face the large machine, which held him securely in its embrace.

He then noticed Seol Hong, looking at him from the Large Soldier’s cockpit with teary eyes.

As Seol Hong began to cry upon seeing Seol's bloodied body after he exited the Night Crow form, she placed a hand against the cockpit’s reinforced glass.

The Large Soldier began to malfunction, likely due to the residual effects of Phantom's lingering powers.

- Hello, World! I…

- Hello, World! I…

Seol had safely returned to Seol Hong’s arms from a world that seemed impossible to escape.

“Let’s go back,” said Seol Hong, responding to Seol’s smile.

Seol gave a big smile before also reaching his hand out to the cockpit.

Though it was a distance he could not reach, Seol felt as if he could feel Seol Hong’s hand reaching out to him through the reinforced glass.

- Hello, World…

Hello, World.

[You have defeated Phantom.]

[You have earned the special achievement 'Fearless'.]

[You have earned the special title 'Darkness Banisher'.]

[You receive an interim settlement for the extensive journey.]

[You have received Evil Ghost’s Remains as a reward.]

…