Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 304: Seventy-Fifth Floor, the Old Man and the Spirits (9)

Chapter 304: Seventy-Fifth Floor, the Old Man and the Spirits (9)

[Resolve the old man’s regrets. Time remaining: 8 hours 37 minutes.]

It happened in a flash.

An axe flickering with blue lightning traced a crescent in the air. A series of concentric arcs followed it, the afterimages carving the earth like a series of lightning moons. Beneath the torrent of lightning, the remnants of the Creeping Madness, the first Evil, split in half and spilled out.

Only a handful of people on the battlefield could even make out the faintest trace of the axe’s trajectory.

Oh, God.

Muk-Hyeon was among them. Even he couldn’t fully perceive the strike from beginning to end, but that hardly mattered. He stood, mouth agape, gazing out across the plain.

The sphere of lightning that had gouged the earth was fading away, its glow growing dim.

Muk-Hyeon let out a soft sigh as a heavy sense of longing settled over him.

Boom—!

A moment later, a dull shockwave erupted. Swept up in the gale that burst forth from the heart of the Creeping Madness, monsters were flung into the air.

Unlike the chaotic battlefield, the top of the fortress wall was quiet.

That was until someone cried, “Th-the god has struck down the Creeping Madness!”

A cacophony of cheers erupted.

“Waaaaaah—!”

“Uaaahhh!”

Soldiers were caught between joy and release from despair, and they screamed in all sorts of ways. The wave of cheers surged so powerfully that it felt as if the steadfast fortress itself could collapse.

Standing before the roar of hundreds of thousands of voices caused goosebumps to crawl across Muk-Hyeon’s skin.

In that desperate moment, just when all hope seemed lost, a god-like being had appeared. It felt straight out of a fairytale.

For sure.

Now that he thought about it, something had always seemed strange. Though people spoke of gods, there weren’t any records of gods truly appearing in the world.

Muk-Hyeon silently wondered whether a god had watched over them in the distant past. Perhaps humanity had done something wrong, and the god had simply turned away for a time.

What on earth did the ancestors do to deserve such a fate? Ah, no.

Muk-Hyeon shook his head. Whatever had occurred in the past was irrelevant; what mattered most was the present.

Looking at the heart of the matter, the situation was rather simple. They had called upon a god, and a god had answered their plea. At this moment, he couldn’t afford to indulge in regretful sentiment.

“Waaaaah—!”

“Waaah!”

Even some civilians had climbed up onto the fortress wall, cheering in awe at the unexpected descent of a god. The soldiers, stunned by the spectacle unfolding before their eyes, were too dazed to stop them.

“Oh, god of lightning!”

“Oh, god of the axe!”

“Waaah!”

“Great Lightning Moon!”

As voices rose around him, calling out to the god with countless names, Muk-Hyeon turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

The vanquisher of the Creeping Madness hadn’t stopped yet. He continued striking down the horde without pause. Countless foes, overwhelming in number, were cut down like leaves in the wind.

Muk-Hyeon couldn’t remain idle. They had already received more help than they deserved.

He climbed onto the fortress railing and shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice strained and hoarse, “Snap out of it! The time is now! Charge through the gates!”

With half the continent already consumed, only a few seasoned veterans managed to grasp the situation. The inexperienced recruits remained dazed and disoriented.

“We’re advancing through the gates!”

“Grab your weapons and move!”

“To the gate! Take up arms!”

“Get down there, now!”

As fresh soldiers echoed commands bellowed by the squad leaders and centurions, the fortress wall erupted into chaos.

Rumble— Boom!

Suddenly, thunder crashed overhead, and the sky lit up in a blinding flash.

Muk-Hyeon turned quickly.

The plains before the gate became awash in a radiant storm of blue and gold. Though he couldn’t make out the details, he could clearly sense that a lightning storm was tearing through the battlefield with terrifying force.

“Wh-what is that?”

Soldiers running along the wall and descending the stairs froze mid-step. Even the veterans, who should have been motivating them to move, stood gaping in stunned silence.

Boom! Boom!

Lightning rained down with a relentless fury. Beneath the brilliant strikes, shadows surged like rising waves, leaving pierced monsters in their wake.

At the center of it all, where the tempest of lightning and the sea of shadow collided, the god moved like a living bolt of divine wrath. He streaked across the battlefield in blinding bursts, practically a bolt of lightning himself.

The storm and shadowy sea surged forward at a terrifying speed.

The monsters that had filled the plain were being executed on the spot, vanishing as if erased from existence. Wherever the god passed, monsters stood for a fleeting moment, scorched black, then crumpled to the ground like broken marionettes.

How long has passed?

No one atop the fortress wall could tell. Everyone had lost track of time as they were entranced by the divine performance unfolding before their eyes.

Far in the distance from atop the battlements, the princess was no exception.

Only the prince, long blind from countless battles, was unable to witness the spectacle. “Wh-what in the world is happening?”

The princess stood motionless, her mouth ajar as she gazed across the plain. She fought to hold on to her slipping consciousness, but how could she even begin to explain what she was seeing?

It wasn’t merely a scene from myth. It was a myth itself, happening in real time before her eyes.

When the storm of lightning and shadows finally cleared, only charred corpses remained strewn across the field.

The god, who had shone like a source of light at the heart of the storm, had disappeared without a trace. Only a handful of monsters remained, cowering in fear with their faces pressed to the ground.

An appearance just as sudden as his disappearance.

In mere tens of minutes, the war had come to an end.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s myth has been inscribed into this world's history. His hold over this world’s faith has increased.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok currently holds seventy-three percent of this world's faith, completing the hidden mission ‘World Unlock.’」

「Invisible message: Planet B-98311, previously bound to the Tower of Ordeal, is now unlocked.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has acquired sixty percent of Planet B-98311’s shares.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok will be granted ownership of these shares upon conquering the Tower of Ordeal. If the challenger fails, the shares will revert to the tower.」

「Invisible message: The fifth-class provisional god ‘Defier of the Current’ has been granted ten percent of Planet B-98311’s shares. Defier of the Current has been promoted to a fifth-class god.」

「Invisible message: The fifth-class god ‘Defier of the Current’ has been designated as the temporary overseer of the world.」

「Invisible message: However, as stipulated by the Tower of Ordeal’s contract, Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok is forbidden from engaging in divinity-accruing acts until the tower is either conquered or failed.」

***

[Resolve the old man’s regrets. Time remaining: 8 hours 5 minutes.]

A groan slipped unconsciously from my lips. “Ugh.”

I was completely drained. Since training with Angelina, this was likely the most exhausting trial I had faced.

It wasn’t because the enemies were strong. They were imbued with corrupted divine energy, sure, but they weren’t true apostles. If anything, Quinthaveren, Endless Furnace’s apostle, had been far stronger.

The problem was their sheer numbers. Even though my abilities were well-suited for large-scale combat, handling nearly a million enemies at once was another matter entirely.

On top of that, I had to keep up a domineering presence, too.

I had already demonstrated overwhelming force, but I had wanted it to look undeniably absolute.

That is why I pushed myself even further after killing the Creeping Madness.

I used up nearly all of my divinity, saving only what was needed for my return to the present.

The same went for my mana. I poured out every last drop in a single burst, leaving just enough to avoid mana sickness.

Thanks to the gauntlet, I recovered quickly, but it had still taken its toll.

Normally, I would have used it in moderation and recovered as needed. However, using it all at once left me physically worn out, even after my mana returned. It felt as if the paths my mana circulated through had been scorched.

Still, I couldn’t complain. I was exhausted, yes, but the result had been more than worth it. There would be plenty of time to rest once I returned to the waiting room.

I turned my gaze toward Hyun, who stood in front of me. “Did it work?”

He nodded with a bright smile. “Yes, it went perfectly. Better than I could’ve imagined!”

His expression was tinged with emotion, and it sounded as if he was speaking more to himself than to me. His eyes shimmered slightly as he spaced out for a moment.

Suddenly, he stepped forward and hugged me without warning. “You truly went through so much. Thank you.”

I wasn’t exactly eager for a hug, but it wasn’t the sort of moment where I could easily step back or push him away.

Instead, I awkwardly leaned back, wearing a sheepish expression as I tried to create some distance.

“It’s fine. It was something I had to do anyway,” I responded, though he didn’t seem to be listening.

After giving me a firm pat on the back, Hyun took a step back. “I’ll be sure to repay you.”

I gave him a subdued nod. “Alright.”

Although I didn’t know what exactly he meant by repayment, if a deity wanted to offer me something, I wasn’t about to turn them down.

Still, one question continued to linger in my thoughts.

I didn’t know if he would answer, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “Will you be taking ownership of this world again?”

“I can’t speak on that.”

“I see. My divinity isn’t going to disappear with time, is it?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. Your feats, your myth, your divinity, your followers. They’ll all remain intact. I’ll simply become a part of that.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t give you the full picture. But you’ll understand soon enough once you complete all your tasks.”

Hyun drew a firm line with that answer.

Still, I was relieved knowing that my divinity wouldn’t fade.

By the way, based on the fact that he said he will be ‘included’ in it...

It sounded like this world could end up with two gods, especially since he said I would learn more later.

Maybe I need to conquer the tower first before anything else can happen.

In any case, it was over.

The plains stretched out clearly beyond the hut, lit by sunlight. Even the fortress, which had been half-destroyed in the third event, now stood tall and solid, gleaming under the sun.

I looked up at the sky. The trial had seemingly ended, yet no notification window had appeared.

Is something still left?

It wasn’t a matter of unfinished tasks. I had completed all that was meant for me to finish. Therefore, there had to be some kind of additional reward.

Hyun grinned as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. “Oh, right. There’s something I need to give you.”

Of course, just as I expected.

Feigning nonchalance, I asked, “What is it?”

“Do you remember the souls?”

“The souls? Oh.”

At first, I didn’t understand what he meant. Something immediately came to mind, though.

Soulbound.

My axe was forged from the souls of fallen companion weapons, and Hyun had shown me the souls he held within himself. It sounded like he intended to give them to me.

“I’ll infuse the souls I’ve been carrying into your weapon. They want that as well,” he added, his expression tinged with sorrow.

Even though I had saved countless lives by altering the past, many had still died.

I couldn’t deny I felt conflicted. Some of those souls probably existed because Hyun held me back at a critical moment.

Looking back, I suppose it was for my benefit...

Regardless, I didn’t know which side was right. The sacrifice of a few for the sake of many had always been a subject of debate.

Still, I can’t exactly refuse now.

It wasn’t something I could easily turn down, especially when the souls themselves wished for it. If I were being honest, I figured they were better off with me than with Hyun.

Once someone starts gambling with fate, it is hard to stop.

There was no telling what Hyun would do next.

“Alright.”

As I nodded, he spread his arms wide. I held out my axe. From his open embrace, countless souls poured forth and rushed toward Soulbound.

A spiritual shock rippled through me. I could feel something entering the weapon, undeniable and vivid. A pulse I had never experienced surged through my fingertips, making them tremble slightly.

Huh?

At that moment, I realized Soulbound was changing.

Within the pale-gray mist that radiated from it, the weapon’s form began to twist and shift, morphing as if reshaping itself in real time.

What is happening?

It caught me completely off guard.

As the seconds passed, Soulbound slowly began settling down. I found it deeply strange that the transformation had been triggered by absorbing the souls. Until now, it had only ever changed to reflect my fighting style.

While I stood frozen in confusion, the mist dissipated, and Soulbound finally revealed its new form.