Floria refused to back down.

Despite knowing he couldn’t win, he kept moving, searching for any opening.

But impossible was impossible.

---

Boom!

“Urgh!”

---

Floria was slammed to the ground, his body battered and bloodied.

As Taesan brought his sword down to finish him, Floria gritted his teeth and activated a skill.

---

**[Floria has activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]**

**[You have activated Restricted Blink.]**

---

“This is getting old.”

---

As Floria accelerated, Taesan teleported directly above him.

He had already figured out where Floria would move in any situation.

Floria raised his sword too late. Taesan’s blade pierced through his chest.

---

Crunch.

“I can’t believe… this is how it ends…”

---

**[You have defeated Floria.]**

**[You have leveled up.]**

**[You have leveled up.]**

**[Due to the Dark God’s contract, you cannot recover health or mana from leveling up.]**

---

Floria was defeated.

But it hadn’t been easy.

Taesan had continuously activated *Dekarabia’s Twisted Vegetation* to restrict Floria’s movement.

In response, Floria had used every piece of equipment he had to push through.

As a result, Taesan’s dark mana was nearly halved, even if his health remained relatively unaffected.

---

Rumble.

---

No sooner had Floria fallen than another wave of attacks came at him, offering no time to recover.

Taesan raised his sword.

---

**[You have activated Forced Duel. For the next 12 seconds, only Gloria can deal damage to you.]**

**[Forced Duel skill proficiency has increased by 1%.]**

---

The other attacks dissipated. His next opponent was Gloria, the Warrior of the Great Saint. She was a woman with golden hair, clad in radiant golden armor. With a hardened expression, she raised her sword.

---

“Light, guide me!”

---

**[Gloria has activated Blessing of the Saint.]**

**[Gloria has activated Chosen One.]**

**[Gloria has activated Holy Avatar.]**

---

A divine light enveloped her, and Taesan recognized it as sacred power.

With sword and shield, Gloria braced herself against Taesan’s attack.

---

Clang!

---

The impact rocked Taesan.

---

‘She held her ground?’

---

Taesan frowned. His stats were over 20,000—far beyond any normal adventurer. By all rights, Gloria shouldn’t have been able to withstand his power.

But she was holding her ground, shrouded in holy light, swinging her sword with fierce determination.

---

Slash!

---

**[Gloria has activated Divine Judgment of the Sacred Sword.]**

---

The air split as beams of light descended, striking all around him. The relentless onslaught triggered Taesan’s immunity skills.

“I am a warrior of the gods! A creature like you cannot touch me!”

With a shout full of conviction, Gloria charged at him.

Though Helia had advised stalling for time, Gloria had no intention of following that advice.

Taesan had expended a significant amount of energy in his battle with Floria. She believed she could win if she gave it everything she had.

---

Clang!

---

Taesan analyzed her attack patterns as he blocked her strikes.

Her power wasn’t entirely her own. The holy energy enhanced her strength and speed.

In that case…

He had learned how to counter divine powers in the specter’s realm.

---

Hum.

---

A radiant light emitted from Taesan, mirroring Gloria’s but deeper and more potent.

“What…?”

Gloria, who had been charging forward, froze.

The power of the gods emanated from Taesan.

“How…?”

Before she could even voice her disbelief, Taesan’s holy power enveloped her.

---

Crack!

“Argh!”

---

The golden light around her shattered like glass. Her divine protection vanished.

“How…?”

She looked at Taesan in utter bewilderment.

The entire room was now infused with Taesan’s divine power.

“It works.”

Taesan muttered to himself. Divine power could only be countered with divine power. And the holy energy surrounding Gloria was not her own.

Taesan, on the other hand, wielded his own divine energy. It was far stronger and was able to shatter Gloria’s protection.

Taesan leaped forward. Gloria quickly raised her shield in panic.

---

Clang!

“Urgh!”

---

Unable to withstand the force, Gloria was pushed back, sliding across the ground.

What followed was a one-sided battle. With her strongest defense gone, Gloria had no means to resist.

“What…?”

The other Guides watching could only gasp in disbelief.

“He shattered Gloria’s divine power? How is that possible?”

Gloria’s abilities weren’t particularly special. Her speed wasn’t extraordinary, nor were her skills unique.

But her unwavering faith was unmatched.

She believed that no one else’s devotion to the gods could match her own. And with that faith, she had received divine protection that few could break through.

Her divine shield was known as the strongest defense among the Guides, a near-impregnable barrier.

And yet, Taesan’s divine power had broken it.

“It doesn’t matter. It was always expected that he would be stronger than us.”

Helia’s voice was cold, though a smirk played on his lips.

“But he used up his divine power in that fight.”

With holy energy of that magnitude, Taesan likely couldn’t use it again.

“In the end, we will still win.”

With each battle, Taesan’s strength would diminish.

Eventually, he would have to fight with every card expended.

Gloria endured as best she could, her recovery skills allowing her to hold out a little longer.

But that was all.

---

Crunch.

---

Taesan’s sword shattered her armor.

Blood poured from her mouth as she collapsed.

“God… if only you…”

---

**[Your level has increased.]**

---

This battle had forced Taesan to use his divine power, meaning he couldn’t rely on abilities like *Threshold* or *Boundary Counter* now.

His health had also taken a hit, and to end things quickly, he had even used his Blade of Resolve and *Copy*.

But there was no time to rest. His next opponent was Cliff, Ruler of the Abyss.

The power he wielded was an endless, unfathomable darkness.

---

Rumble.

---

A vast, deep abyss spread out. Taesan activated a spell.

---

**[You have activated Frozen World.]**

---

With multiple spells layered, the *Frozen World* was a power bordering on the limits of mortality.

But as soon as it touched the primal darkness, it was swallowed and vanished.

“Magic, dark magic—they may be divine powers, but they are wielded by mere mortals. Such things cannot touch me.”

Cliff, clad in black, spoke calmly, gathering even more darkness.

The darkness enveloped the room, consuming everything.

Taesan tried using dark magic, but even that was swallowed by the abyss, pressing down upon him.

His immunity skills triggered as he realized something.

‘It’s neither magic nor dark magic.’

It was a completely different kind of power. And the darkness was devouring all of Taesan’s abilities.

After exhausting all three immunity skills, Taesan understood.

Cliff wielded the power of destruction.

Like the Demon King, who was tasked with annihilating worlds, Cliff’s ability was a power to consume and obliterate everything. This was why magic and dark magic had no effect on it.

Taesan didn’t know how a labyrinth adventurer could wield such a power, but he had a countermeasure.

If Cliff was using the power of destruction, then Taesan would do the same.

---

**[You have activated Ember of Catastrophe.]**

---

A blazing fire surged forth—the power of the wolf that had once scorched the world. Cliff sneered.

“A paltry mortal power like that won’t touch me.”

Taesan was indeed strong. The way he had defeated Floria and Gloria was remarkable.

But in the end, it was merely the power of a mortal. Impressive, but not more than that.

In contrast, Cliff’s power was an absolute force of destruction that no mortal could comprehend.

‘If he still had his divine power, then perhaps…’

Divine power could counter his destructive force. But Taesan had already used up his divine energy in his fight with Gloria.

He had no cards left to block Cliff’s power. Confident, Cliff unleashed his darkness.

But as the *Ember of Catastrophe* clashed with the darkness, his face twisted in shock.

“What…?”

Taesan summoned more strength.

---

**[You have activated Call of Destruction.]**

---

The power that had once annihilated the specter’s world materialized.

Cliff’s darkness was crushed and erased. Cliff panicked, drawing more power.

“No! This can’t be!”

He was the sole survivor of a world engulfed in endless darkness.

He had absorbed the remnants of that world’s destruction, wielding the power of annihilation itself.

His only vulnerabilities were running out of energy or a mental attack, as the cost of his power was immense.

But Taesan was pushing back his strength with sheer force.

“How can a mortal wield the power of destruction?!”

Boom!

The explosion of power tore open the space around them.

---

**[You have activated Acceleration.]**

**[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]**

---

Taesan pushed off the ground, charging toward Cliff. Cliff scrambled to muster his strength, but Taesan used *Restricted Blink* to appear behind him.

“Teleport!”

Darkness surged toward him.

Taesan braced himself, swinging his sword.

Piercing through the darkness, his blade struck Cliff’s

 neck.

“Urgh!”

He had managed to close in.

Since Cliff had relied on his power of destruction to descend the labyrinth, his physical prowess was lacking. Once Taesan had breached his defenses, he had no chance.

Soon, he was overwhelmed.

---

“…He had the power of destruction as well. No matter.”

Helia collected himself, suppressing his shock.

Divine power and destructive energy—Taesan’s abilities were unexpected, but Helia’s resolve remained.

He believed Taesan would continue exhausting his powers, leading to their ultimate victory.

The next challenger was Esteban, Master of the Echoing Valley.

With a grim expression, Esteban raised his hand. Numerous beasts emerged from the shadows as the space around him split.

---

**[Esteban has summoned the Biting Wolf.]**

**[Esteban has summoned the Dreadful Beast.]**

**[Esteban has summoned the Rat Hidden in Shadows.]**

---

Twisted creatures with distorted forms charged toward Taesan.

While Taesan had been battling the other Guides, Esteban had prepared his forces. The summoned beasts were formidable, presenting a genuine challenge.

“Fighting personally… a crude method, don’t you think?”

“Really?”

Taesan countered his summons with his own.

---

**[You have summoned Minerva, Spirit King of Wind.]**

**[You have summoned Varkaja, the Shield of Many Colors.]**

---

A gust of wind scattered the approaching beasts, and Minerva grinned wickedly.

“So predictable!”

Boom!

A fierce whirlwind tore through the space. Esteban’s face hardened.

“…More than I anticipated.”

Minerva was a frenzied spirit who had absorbed the power of the Fire Spirit King. She was now much stronger than when she had fought Shayan.

Wind and beasts clashed, exploding on impact.

Esteban gritted his teeth, summoning even more power.

---

**[Esteban has summoned the Master of the Valley.]**

---

A massive serpent appeared from another dimension.

It was a creature at the peak of mortality, Esteban’s lifelong companion, and his ultimate symbol.

“Oh?”

Minerva’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she gathered her strength.

The wind and serpent collided, creating massive shockwaves.

Minerva was strong, but the Master of the Valley was also a trump card, holding its ground against her.

Boom!

As the two forces clashed, Taesan did not remain idle.

He charged toward Esteban.

Esteban tore open another portal, unleashing more beasts. A gigantic gorilla smashed its fists, and a wolf-like creature lunged at his throat.

There were too many to deal with individually.

---

**[You have activated Spell Overload.]**

---

A layered *Frozen World* spell surged forth, freezing the entire area. Taesan summoned even more power.

---

**[You have activated Forced Amplification.]**

---

Crack!

The intense cold enveloped the room, and the beasts screamed as they were frozen solid.

A frozen wasteland formed almost instantly.

---

**[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]**

---

The arrow shot straight toward Esteban, who quickly opened another portal, summoning more beasts to block it.

Taesan annihilated the endless stream of creatures with his spells.

The Master of the Valley was locked in battle with Minerva, and the other beasts were strong but no match for Taesan.

---

Screech!

---

“Not so fast!”

The serpent attempted to aid Esteban, but Minerva unleashed a whirlwind to hold it back.

The battle raged on.

“…”

Helia could no longer say that Taesan was merely exhausting his strength, nor could he claim they would win. He simply watched the battle in silence, his face tense.

Taesan tore through the beasts, crushing them, and finally plunged his sword into Esteban’s chest.

Coughing blood, Esteban shouted,

“You may have won… but I won’t die quietly! You monster!”

---

**[Esteban has activated Forced Recall of All Summons.]**

---

Rumble!

---

“Urgh!”

In an instant, Minerva and Varkaja’s forms began to waver. Esteban’s final act was to forcefully recall all summoned beings within the designated space.

Minerva fought back, resisting, but the spatial power pressing down on her was overwhelming.

“I can’t fight any longer. I must leave. Win this battle, master.”

“I will.”

Minerva and Varkaja disappeared.

Taesan raised his sword.

“Next.”