Chapter 245: The Upper Deity (2)

[Would you like to open the ‘Sanctuary Library’ of the deities?]

A single sentence.

It was the first time Jinhyuk saw the third privilege for the one who had conquered the tower.

His heart was pounding so hard that he had to put all his effort into calming it down.

And there was a reason why he couldn’t help it.

While the privileges he had received so far could certainly be described as overpowered, this one exceeded them on a whole new level.

“Yes.”

Jinhyuk nodded his head.

[The third privilege has been disclosed.]

[Unique Sanctuary Chant (固有聖唱) – Degradation (劣化).]

-You can reproduce the degraded version of the unique sanctuary chants held by superior beings. However, it can only be activated while you are sharing mana with a superior being. (The duration of the copied degraded chant varies with proficiency, and a unique sanctuary chant once used cannot be used again through the third privilege.)]

The ‘Sword of Conviction’ that the true form of Sweet Potato had demonstrated when manifested.

The ‘Sanctuary Library’ felt like a lower version of universal sharing, but the activation conditions were actually simpler.

It worked simply by sharing mana, without the need for maintaining a deep bond.

‘It’s a shame that it can only be used once, but as an instant ability, it’s the best.’

Jinhyuk immediately gathered all his mana.

Kukukuku!

His already thick claws started to darken even further.

[The decaying heart, Berial’s ‘Unique Sanctuary Chant (固有聖唱)’ is being reproduced.]

A bizarrely shaped spear appeared between the claws. An absolute judgmental nightmare that can’t be blocked by any sturdy armor or thick shield.

The black spear ‘Kishan’, the unique sanctuary chant of none other than Berial.

＊＊＊

The air changed abruptly.

The deities were the first to sense the anomaly.

[That ability…!?]

Shiva’s voice echoed lowly.

There was no way they couldn’t know.

How could they not remember?

Merely a thousand years ago, during the great war among the deities, the power that the Demon King Berial possessed.

The black spear ‘Kishan’, known to be the most heinous among demonic lances.

Though the power it radiated was a fraction of what it once was, the mere fact that this ability was being reproduced in the hands of a player was shocking enough.

[You… what exactly…]

Even Berial could not hide his astonishment.

The gaze that carried fear beyond curiosity was now reaching the back of Jinhyuk’s neck.

However, there was no time to entertain the reaction of these two.

Ududuk! Kwaduduk!

The blade of Kishan was already starting to crack.

It was collapsing.

Even the degraded version contained too mighty a mana.

‘There’s only one chance.’

Jinhyuk gripped the spear as if it might break.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be easy to maintain Kishan for even 30 seconds.

That moment.

Patztsu…

The air compressed, an illusion-like feeling forming.

The shoulder pulled back sharply and mana compressed.

The suffocating silence was by no means an illusion.

The extreme concentration of black energy along the tip of the spear brought forth ancient runic barriers.

Runes meaning ‘Acceleration’, ‘Maintain’, and ‘Penetrate’ began to appear.

“…Guk!”

Nirasha reconstructed the golden shield through her mandala that she had produced moments before.

Almost simultaneously, at a moment as good as any.

Kwang!

With Kishan half-broken, Jinhyuk threw the spear.

A weightlessness that betrayed its mass.

Yet what was more astonishing than its speed was the spear’s ability.

[The mandala won’t work! We have to dodge!]

Shiva yelled, but by then, the spear had already broken through the outer wall of the mandala and drilled inside.

“How, how is this possible!?”

Nirasha hastily increased her mana to its peak.

Kwakwakwakwa!

One layer, two layers, and then three.

Complex formulas and divine powers overlaid on incantations were all shattered.

Finally reaching the last barrier, the core of the mandala, considered the most solid.

Dangerous.

At that moment of realization, Nirasha released her unique ability.

[A Thousand Years of Protection ‘Supreme Mandala (極尊曼茶羅)’ blooms!]

Twelve petals reminiscent of lotus flowers scattered.

The fully bloomed Supreme Mandala resisted the spreading darkness, emitting a golden radiance.

Kukukuku!

An unimaginable clash of mana and mana.

The entire tomb vibrated violently.

Nirasha’s legs, failing to withstand the weight, began to sink below the ground.

“This trifle… Only this much…!”

Nirasha clenched her teeth.

She was the granddaughter from India’s largest conglomerate.

It was herself who had monopolized the information about the Tower of Trials, thanks to her enormous capital.

On the day the Tower of Trials appeared, it was herself who hogged all the replicas permeated with mana leaking from the tower.

‘There can’t be anyone stronger than me.’

She was certain that she had garnered the favor of the deities and obtained both the best route and the supreme power.

But.

‘…I’m being pushed back.’

Pakag! Kwaduduk!

The lotus shattered.

The spear, though visibly collapsing, was breaking down the mandala at a much faster rate.

[Absolute Judgment ‘Breath of Corruption’ is eroding the target.]

The lotus was tinged with the blade.

The struggle between the piercing spear and the warding shield.

The outcome had just been decided in this very instant.

Thwack!

The half-shattered spear pierced through Nirasha’s abdomen.

Along with a chilling sound of flesh being pierced, a clump of blood spurted out.

“Keuk…”

Nirasha’s body bent like the letter ‘ㄱ’.

No…

It seemed that way until the figure of Nirasha, penetrated by the spear, blurred and disappeared.

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

“Not bad. You managed to synchronize the Vajra Ground and the Supreme Mandala to reach that realm.”

To be able to manifest the mental world through the mandala was unexpected.

Indeed, behaving like a player that India was fully backing.

Of course.

Given its power to warp space to this extent, the aftermath was bound to be severe.

“Huk… Huk. Huk.”

Nirasha gasped for breath a few meters away, her face streaming with cold sweat, distorted with anger and humiliation.

To think that the ‘Supreme Mandala’, considered the strongest shield, wouldn’t even last a few seconds.

A look so flabbergasted, as if she never dreamed she could lose.

[You’ve surpassed the limits of humanity… Berial, how did you manage to obtain such a monster?]

[Not even I expected him to be such a monster…ahem. Did you see that? This is the level of a player backed by the demon realm. This guy is particularly dear to me.]

Astonished exclamations of disbelief escaped the lips of the deities.

The fact that Kimchi was presumptuously indulging in it by itself was already infuriating, but right now, what mattered was finishing the fight.

“Do you look like you’re having a hard time, how about it? Will you continue?”

There was a high probability of self-destruction if she continued to force mana throughout her body, which was already under strain.

In martial arts, it’s commonly called demonical obsession.

A lack of reason, spewing blood from the seven orifices, was definitely not a pleasant sight.

Nirasha knew this, and dared not make a further move.

“…It appears I’ve lost this fight to you.”

Nirasha admitted defeat with a click of her tongue.

“A wise decision. I’m not keen on wasting energy on a decided fight either.”

His primary target was not Nirasha, and dealing with all the ranks of the Gandara Guild alone would be an overreach.

Though he presented a relaxed demeanor, using power beyond his limits was true for him as well.

The situation turned strange and urgent, leaving Beinshuteln in panic.

“Ni, Nirasha! You’re giving up? What do you mean by that? We… we had a deal, didn’t we? Are you planning on giving that up?”

“I really do want that item, but not as much as my life. Since, after all, another opportunity will come in the future.”

“How can this… Wait. Just wait a moment.”

Beinshuteln reached out desperately, but Nirasha had already made up her mind.

“We’ve lost today. Honestly, I did not expect to lose so cleanly. As for the empire, I have no choice but to let it unfold as you wish.”

Nirasha surrendered.

With that…

The battle within the tomb came to an end.

…

At least, for the moment.

＊＊＊

The rebellion instigated by the nobles was quelled in just one day.

The speech of the first Reinhardt threw a big question at the greedy nobles, and most lost their will to fight from the shame they felt.

An event that concluded swiftly.

Reinhardt III pardoned most of the nobles, bearing partial responsibility for the rebellion, deciding that the empire’s prosperity and the well-being of its people were more important than anger and injury, just as the first had spoken.

Undoubtedly, not everyone benefited from such mercy.

“You, you scum… Do you know who I am? Let me go. Let go, I tell you! I am Duke Beinshuteln of the empire. Aaaah!”

“Please, I beg you to save me!”

“We just did as he told us. So please, I beg of you!”

“Correct. It was all organized by the duke… that damned traitor.”

“You, what was that?”

“What ‘what was that’? Weren’t you the one who instigated the assassination of His Majesty with your forked tongue?”

Beinshuteln, being the principal culprit of the rebellion, and the high nobility wriggled like worms, their bound bodies.

They desperately tried to save their own lives while blaming each other.

But they were not facing an executioner who would listen to such excuses.

A rough hand shoved a fat noble onto the block.

Clang!

“No…”

Druruk… Kwang!

“Not like thiiiisss…!”

As the guillotines fell in succession, the pleas for life gradually faded away.

＊＊＊

As the wounds from the rebellion began to mend, Reinhardt hosted a grand party in the name of solidarity and comfort.

All expenses for the party were covered by the seized finances of the Beinshuteln dukedom.

Countless nobles dazzled in the grand banquet hall.

“Ha ha ha.”

“Ho ho ho.”

Laughter and chatter filled the interior.

Right then.

“Cough! Hem! It’s a great honor to introduce the heroes who saved the empire to our esteemed guests!”

With the clearing of the butler’s throat.

A door on the second floor swung open.

“Miss Elis fon Ataraxia!”

“Miss Teresa de Lorencia!”

“Miss Andria!”

Following the butler’s introduction, three women began descending the stairs into the hall.

At that moment, everyone in the banquet hall held their breath.

Nerves worn thin by endless parties and social gatherings.

Nothing common could satisfy their refined tastes.

After all, the heroes were just invited guests for a while. Weren’t they outsiders from beyond the tower or dwellers of the lower floors?

It was unthinkable that they could have the grace or poise of the nobility.

Thus, they were convinced of their superior standing in society, if not in battle.

Yet.

Their arrogant self-assurance shattered into smithereens right at that moment.

“Gasp!?”

“Those outsiders from beyond the tower seem even more noble than… our noble daughters.”

“So beautiful…”

Dresses and accessories of different concepts.

Yet attire that so perfectly suited each of them elicited awe from all who saw.

It was as if three goddesses had graced the party with a visit, each stepping so dignified into high society.

“Following them we have Jinhyuk Kang and Yuseong Cheon entering!”

The subsequent entrance of Jinhyuk and Yuseong created another spectacle.

“Phew. I really don’t like this kind of thing; it feels stuffy. You seem surprisingly at ease. Did you use to attend parties like this often with the med students?”

“Maintain some dignity in a formal setting. Even you look passable if you keep your mouth shut.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“It means you’re not bad-looking.”

Yuseong’s naturally impeccable appearance meant any attire would be overshadowed, but even Jinhyuk caught everyone’s attention in his carefully tailored outfit.

“My goodness…”

“How can it be…”

“Oh my, just looking at them is a pleasure to the eyes. Ho ho.”

The noble daughters glanced at the two men.

A neat back-swept hairdo and an elegant black suit.

An attire of harmony and balance left little else to say but perfection.

The spotlight remained on them for a good while before they could finally catch a break, a few tens of minutes later.

Amidst the noisy party.

“Take this.”

Jinhyuk handed over a wine glass from the table.

At the same time, he lowered his voice substantially.

Now seems a good time to start getting into it.

“Don’t react. Just listen in silence. I’ve cast a barrier, but there could still be someone eavesdropping.”

What he had to say next must not reach the being above them.

Especially considering that this entity was more troublesome than Shiva or Berial.