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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 343
"How the hell did he do it?"
Escanon furrowed his brow.
As he did, he recalled the conversation he had with Abaddon.
<You said you couldn’t track him, right?>
"Yeah."
He didn’t know what method was used, but the guy had erased his presence.
Because of that, Escanon could no longer find him.
<In your opinion, where do you think he'll go next?>
At that question, Escanon fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
The Third Annihilation had not yet begun.
In that remaining time, where would the human protected by the Named head toward?
"The Episode."
<Exactly.>
An Episode that could only be accessed after reaching 99%.
Originally, it was set to open only after the Third Annihilation, but the guy had modified the code and opened it ahead of time.
Which meant he planned to enter the Episode and complete it to 100% before the Third Annihilation even occurred.
"Make sure you kill him."
<I will. But all the sins he possesses, I’m taking them.>
"...Fine."
Abaddon immediately intervened in the Episode Escanon had created, and shortly after, the connection was severed.
That meant his prediction had been right.
'Abaddon, as much as I hate to admit it, that guy is stronger than me.'
With someone like him moving in, the situation would be resolved soon.
* * *
'Mukho, do you have any abilities that can tell me about him?'
Jeong-hoon asked inwardly.
'All of his powers are concentrated on Annihilation.'
Mukho, swallowing his rage, calmly explained the enemy’s abilities.
His signature ability was "The Four Seasons of the Apocalypse."
It was a total of four stages of abilities, but Mukho had died without even enduring the first stage.
Because of that, he could only explain the first stage; for anything beyond that, Jeong-hoon would have to see and judge for himself.
'He must have more than that too.'
He was a Jecheon.
At minimum, on par with Escanon.
Perhaps even stronger.
"Ha, I really like this."
Abaddon licked his lips as he looked at Jeong-hoon.
"What?"
Jeong-hoon frowned.
"I like suspicious guys like you."
"That's a strange taste."
"I’ve changed my mind. At first, I was planning to get rid of you, but now I think it’d be a waste."
"Hmm?"
"Step aside. Eliminate Escanon and take his place."
"……."
Jeong-hoon narrowed his eyes.
What was the real intention behind those words?
"There’s no need to overthink it. All you have to do is get rid of him and hand over all the sins to me."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you’ll have to die here."
"Ah, so if I kill you and take your place instead, that works too."
"What?"
Abaddon, who had been smirking continuously, suddenly wore a chilling expression.
"If I kill both you and Escanon, not only will I take the seat, but all the sins will be mine as well. Isn’t that right?"
This time, Jeong-hoon smiled as he threw the words back at him.
"You're slow to grasp the situation. You think you can kill me?"
"Why? Are you scared? Afraid you’ll be killed by a human?"
"……."
Abaddon's eyes turned murderous.
Was this what it meant when they said someone could kill with just a look?
Even though his level, stats, and class had risen, the fear of death gripped his entire body.
"Puhaha, you don’t need to tremble like that just because I glared at you."
Abaddon immediately relaxed his gaze and laughed heartily.
He was now certain after seeing the guy’s body tremble.
Also, he avoided his gaze and didn’t even try to meet his eyes.
No matter how exceptional he might be, he was still just a human.
No human could remain unscathed after facing his glare.
The statement about killing him was pure arrogance.
<Abaddon, you just want to toy with him, don’t you.>
But unlike what Abaddon thought, Jeong-hoon was actually conversing with Tenebris.
'Yeah. Do you know anything about that guy?'
<Of course. Back when I ruled above, he was one of the Lords.>
'Then tell me about his abilities.'
<Understood.>
Tenebris’ special tutoring session began.
Vwoong—
At that moment, something shot toward Jeong-hoon’s face.
Just like before, Jeong-hoon tilted his head and dodged it.
<That’s not an ability. He's just trying to intimidate you.>
'Okay.'
It was a steel ball, just like earlier.
Jeong-hoon glared at Abaddon.
"I really hate being ignored. So this is your final warning. If you ignore me one more time, screw the deal — I’ll just kill you."
His lips were smiling, but his eyes were chillingly cold.
Jeong-hoon chuckled lightly and shrugged his shoulders.
"I was just thinking for a moment."
"Thinking? Fine. Have you finished your thoughts?"
"Before that, there’s something I want to make sure of."
"What is it?"
"If I hand over all the sins, can you help me eliminate Escanon?"
"Hmm, asking for help? Then I think you’ll have to add a little extra."
"Extra?"
"Actually, Escanon asked me to get rid of you. In return, the sins would fall into my hands."
Jeong-hoon nodded.
He didn’t know the reason, but it was clear that the guy coveted the Seven Deadly Sins.
'There’s something going on.'
That made it all the more impossible to hand over the Seven Deadly Sins.
While Jeong-hoon came to that conclusion, Abaddon smirked and thought of Escanon, who would be waiting quietly.
In truth, he didn’t care whether that guy was eliminated or not.
His only goal was the sins that Escanon possessed.
That was why he stepped in under the pretense of helping.
'If that human wants to make a deal with me, there's no reason to block it.'
Though a human, he was someone protected by the Namebearers.
In other words, if he got in the way here, it would be tantamount to going against their will.
But if he made a deal with him, he wouldn’t have to oppose the higher-ups, and he could still obtain the sins he desired.
It meant there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"Good. What do you want?"
Good.
Escanon.
It's unfortunate, but this is where we part ways.
"Ah, it’s simple. Just hand over one of the divine relics Escanon possesses."
"Divine relic?"
Jeong-hoon tilted his head, and Tenebris answered his question.
<Simply put, it refers to an item imbued with the power of creation. If you’re around the level of a Celestial, you can be granted a divine relic by a Namebearer.>
'Hmm, but why does he want that so badly?'
<Right now, you’re proceeding by seizing the position, not by being granted it. Therefore, you must also seize the divine relic and make it your own, rather than being given it.>
Wow, so the plan was to suck all the benefits dry and just hand over the empty seat.
"It’s an item bestowed by the gods."
"What about anything else?"
"Sorry, but that much is necessary if you want my help. It’s not a bad deal. Anyway, even if you keep that divine relic, it’ll be useless to you."
"Can you guarantee you’ll handle it properly?"
"Of course."
"…Fine."
Jeong-hoon nodded.
"Hmph, since you’re such a cautious one, we should formalize the contract properly."
Abaddon reached out his hand.
At that moment, a contract began to materialize in front of them.
"Yeah. Let’s make it official."
Jeong-hoon smiled faintly and reached out his hand.
Then, the creation engine that had been prepared was unleashed, instantly engulfing Abaddon.
'A new concept will be granted.'
Just like when he modified the code, he was attempting to alter part of the enemy's abilities.
First, he drastically reduced the enemy’s strength, and as for his abilities...
[Intervention is not possible.]
The creation engine that had enveloped Abaddon scattered in an instant.
<As expected, it didn’t work.>
Jeong-hoon had intended to grant a new concept while Abaddon was caught off guard, causing a collision with his original powers.
Unfortunately, the limit was only in reducing his rank and stats.
'That's disappointing.'
<It can’t be helped. The divine relic he possesses can block the intervention of creation power.>
Since he had let his guard down, it was already fortunate that his rank and stats could be reduced.
"You bastard, you never intended to make a deal from the start."
Cracks began to spread across Abaddon's face, and soon after, it shattered.
His true face was revealed.
'So it was a mask.'
Unlike the mask, no emotion could be read from his real face.
Eyes that seemed to swallow the entire universe.
Lips that once freely curved showed not even the slightest movement.
<Be careful. That guy is seriously pissed off.>
'Of course he is.'
Who wouldn’t be furious after being backstabbed?
Jeong-hoon unleashed all his buffs, starting with Black Field.
The skills he had modified using the creation engine were all upgraded, and among them, Black Field and Ultimate Aura even had options to further raise his rank.
In addition, Black Field now had an extra effect that lowered the rank of all targets within its range by two levels.
[True Asura activates. (Time Limit: 300 seconds)]
[Entering Extreme Annihilation.]
Upon entering Extreme Annihilation, ten phantom arms formed behind Jeong-hoon.
He was going all out from the start.
[Seasons of the Apocalypse activates.]
[You are entering the Spring of Death.]
In that moment, the surroundings darkened, and black petals scattered around.
'What is this... this is the Seasons of the Apocalypse?'
Mukho looked around in confusion.
The Spring of Death he had seen before was nothing like this.
"The Ragged One must be quite flustered."
Abaddon's hollow eyes swept over Mukho, which Jeong-hoon was wearing.
"Is this your true power?"
"Yeah. A power I’ve never shown to anyone else."
It was a clear declaration that he intended to eliminate him.
It was proof of just how furious he was.
Jeong-hoon activated the Heavenly Demon Lord’s Dominion as he released the creation engine.
[The effects of all skills are doubled.]
After doubling his skills using the creation engine, he immediately activated the Advent of the Overlord.
[Activating ‘Advent of the Overlord.’]
Entering the Overlord Mode.
[Activating ‘Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword.’]
He aimed the Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword at Abaddon's neck and swung it fiercely.
Abaddon neither attempted to block nor dodge the strike.
He simply stood still.
Jeong-hoon’s Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword clearly cut across him.
'There’s no sensation.'
Jeong-hoon narrowed his brows and widened the distance.
If he had made a cut, he should have felt something in his hand, but he felt absolutely nothing.
"Why are you so surprised?"
Abaddon stared fixedly at Jeong-hoon.
<Now!>
At Tenebris’ signal, Jeong-hoon urgently activated the Rune of Counterattack.
[The Rune of Counterattack activates.]
[You can return absorbed attacks.]
For 15 seconds, all incoming attacks would be absorbed and returned exactly as they were.
If Tenebris’ signal had been even a moment late, the previous attack would have ended it.
Jeong-hoon returned the absorbed attack directly back at him.
Vwoong—
The sword strike Jeong-hoon had just unleashed once again cut across Abaddon’s waist.
"…Interesting."
But just like before, Abaddon remained completely unharmed.
"The real fun starts now."
Jeong-hoon smiled faintly and slammed Overlord Titan into the ground.
Through the last two attacks, he had figured it out.
The reason Abaddon could remain intact was because the Spring of Death was beginning.
The spring that leads everything toward death.
In other words, even if one tried to inflict damage, it would all be absorbed, allowing him to return it at will—a virtually invincible season.
Thus, all he had to do was shatter that season.
<I can crush it.>
Through Advent of the Overlord, the Overlord Domain expanded to a 1-kilometer radius.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
[Activating ‘Wrath of the Overlord.’]
Overlord Titan’s second skill.
Wrath of the Overlord.
As the skill activated, Overlord Titan, which was embedded in the ground, began to glow red.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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