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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 344
As the sword turned crimson, the surrounding air changed.
The space, once thick with the scent of death, instantly turned into a sharp blade aimed at Abaddon.
At the same time, the darkness that had enveloped the area lifted.
"The Spring of Death was broken?"
Abaddon looked up at the sky with hollow eyes.
Despite the fact that one of the Four Seasons of the Apocalypse—Spring—had been shattered, he was only slightly surprised and showed no significant emotional reaction.
"I told you, the real fun starts now."
Jeong-hoon smiled faintly and pulled Titan from the ground.
Then, stepping into the Heavenly Demon Lord’s Dominion, he instantly arrived in front of Abaddon.
"Ridiculous."
Abaddon muttered briefly, then activated his ability.
[Welcome to the Summer of Pain.]
Spring fades, and Summer arrives.
And the pain of Summer is something no one can endure.
Whoosh—
As Summer unfolded, flames surged upward.
But not outside—inside Jeong-hoon's body.
‘Hot.’
Thankfully, he had cloaked himself with the Genesis Machine.
If not for that, the heat would have turned him to ash in an instant.
‘My divine power isn’t responding.’
It had been unresponsive, as if broken, ever since the Spring of Death had been unleashed.
Death.
In other words, his divine power, which inherently resists death, was being blocked from functioning.
That wasn't the only issue.
Since the Spring of Death began, his life force had been gradually decreasing.
It was eating away at him so subtly—at a rate of 0.1% per second—that he wouldn’t have noticed without intense focus.
Had he not activated Tyrant’s Wrath to seize the domain, he would have realized it only after his life force had been completely drained.
Tyrant’s Wrath.
It forcibly nullifies all abilities of any target within the Tyrant’s Domain.
That was the only reason the Spring of Death could be neutralized.
‘But that doesn’t apply to Summer.’
Tyrant’s Wrath was still active.
Even so, the overwhelming heat, intent on erasing Jeong-hoon entirely, was burning through his entire body.
‘Unlike Spring, it’s draining my life force, mana, and divine power.’
If Summer continued like this, he would lose all his energy and die.
But Jeong-hoon wasn’t someone who would just sit and take it.
Tyrant’s Wrath didn’t merely nullify abilities.
As befits a God-class skill, it could forcibly inflict damage on targets within the domain.
[Activating 'Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword.']
Just like earlier, Jeong-hoon activated the Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword.
And Abaddon didn’t even try to dodge the strike.
Slice.
"What a pointless act...!"
Abaddon’s once hollow eyes widened sharply.
As his neck was slashed, blood began to flow from the wound.
Even though it was intended as a clean cut, it ended only as a scratch.
‘Still no sensation.’
There was no feeling in his hand.
Even so, the only reason Abaddon took damage was because Tyrant’s Wrath had been activated.
"How does it feel? Hurts a bit, doesn’t it?"
Jeong-hoon aimed the tip of Titan’s blade at Abaddon.
"...You really must die here."
A murderous gleam flickered in Abaddon’s previously lifeless eyes.
"If you think you can, then go ahead and try."
Jeong-hoon drew out his rapidly draining mana and swung Titan once more.
Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword.
Having confirmed that damage was dealt, Abaddon had no intention of receiving the sword strike passively again.
For the first time, he raised his hand and blocked the blade.
At that moment, the phantom arms holding sacred weapons all struck Abaddon at once.
Slice.
The phantom arms, with their attack speed doubled.
Jeong-hoon used the Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword to lock down Abaddon’s hand so that the phantom arms could land their attacks.
As time passed, wounds began to accumulate on Abaddon’s body.
Blood flowed from the injuries, soaking his clothes, and the exposed wounds began to fester and rot rapidly.
That was because the sacred weapons held by the phantom arms were imbued with the attribute of Death (死).
"You bastard...!"
Perhaps his pride was wounded—Abaddon grimaced.
It was the first change of expression since his mask had shattered.
"Didn’t I tell you? I’ll kill you and take your place."
"What an arrogant declaration!"
"Arrogant? You really think you can afford to say that after seeing how things are playing out?"
Jeong-hoon sneered as he pressed in on Abaddon.
On the surface, he seemed composed, but inwardly, Jeong-hoon was growing increasingly desperate.
‘The consumption rate is too fast.’
He was trying to expel the heat by discharging the Genesis Machine, but every time he did, the flames raged violently and tormented him.
His remaining life force was now below 50%.
He had to defeat Abaddon quickly.
[Welcome to the Autumn of Erosion.]
Then Autumn began immediately.
But the flames rampaging within Jeong-hoon’s body still remained.
If so, what new threat would Autumn bring?
‘Aaaaagh!’
‘Aaahh!’
At that moment, Mukho and Anima screamed.
"You two! What’s wrong?!"
‘My body! My body!’
‘Grrrgh…’
The two couldn’t continue speaking.
Jeong-hoon’s gaze dropped downward, and he seemed to grasp the cause of their screams.
‘They’re being corroded…?’
All sacred weapons and armor, including Mukho and Anima, were undergoing erosion.
[Mukho’s abilities are being nullified.]
[The Dragon Anima’s original bow’s abilities are being nullified.]
[The Grip of the Sovereign’s abilities are being nullified. Buffs granted by it are removed accordingly.]
[The abilities of the Stat Amplification Ring are being nullified. Buffs granted by it are removed accordingly.]
[The abilities of the headdress containing the soul of the Divine Beast are being nullified. Buffs granted by it are removed accordingly.]
[The abilities of the Shadow King’s Spear are being nullified.]
…
Weapons and armor.
Everything that had made Jeong-hoon overwhelmingly powerful was rendered useless by a single one of Abaddon’s abilities.
As their abilities vanished, Mukho and Anima beside him disappeared entirely, making communication impossible.
"You’re not done yet. Creation, I’ll make sure you die in the most painful way possible."
[Welcome to the Winter of Nothingness.]
It hadn’t been long since Autumn arrived, yet Winter came in an instant.
Then, the flames raging inside Jeong-hoon’s body suddenly went out.
‘Hup!’
The places the flames had passed over began to freeze solid, and his entire body stiffened.
Tap.
Titan fell from Jeong-hoon’s hands as he dropped to his knees.
"Do you still think you can kill me?"
Abaddon sneered at the kneeling Jeong-hoon and picked up the fallen Titan.
Crackle—
Sparks flew from Titan as it violently resisted Abaddon, and in the end, he couldn’t endure it and let the sword go.
"Damn weapon. So it can’t even be held unless it’s by its rightful owner."
Abaddon clicked his tongue.
"You bastard…"
Jeong-hoon glared at Abaddon as if to kill him.
"I’ll give you some credit. I never imagined a creation would unleash all four seasons."
“…Kuh.”
"What a shame. And to think you were a human I had chosen to protect."
"Protect?"
"Yes. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have even proposed a deal to you."
"Then let me ask just one thing."
Jeong-hoon, his face pale as death, stared at Abaddon.
"So many questions for someone about to die."
Now that Winter of Nothingness had arrived, once his entire body was overtaken, his very existence would be erased.
But since this creation had seen even Winter, answering a single question wouldn’t hurt.
"The Seven Deadly Sins… what’s your reason for coveting that thing?"
"Hmm, that’s a hard one to answer."
"……."
"Well, to put it simply, it’s because he possesses a Divine Relic."
"A Divine Relic…?"
"Right. You can probably guess whose place Escanon took, can’t you?"
Jeong-hoon weakly nodded.
"The Seven Deadly Sins…"
"Correct. He took that guy’s place."
"That doesn’t make sense. If the one from the Seven Deadly Sins has the Divine Relic, why did you demand Escanon’s Divine Relic?"
Abaddon had clearly said he would help eliminate Escanon in exchange for the Divine Relic he supposedly held.
<What is this? A Celestial Demon can only possess one Divine Relic, right?>
Even Tenebris looked confused.
"Because before he was sealed, that bastard stole a Divine Relic."
"Stole it?"
"Yeah. What I want is to reclaim the Divine Relic that he stole."
"…Then Escanon probably doesn’t know about the Divine Relic."
If he had known, he would’ve tried to take it long ago.
And Abaddon likely only realized later that the one from the Seven Deadly Sins had stolen the Divine Relic.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have waited around for so long.
"You really catch on quick."
Abaddon grinned slyly.
It was the first smile he had shown since his mask shattered.
Crackle.
A chilling sound rang in Jeong-hoon’s ears.
His entire body had frozen over, the cold creeping up to his face.
<Hey, if this keeps up, you’re seriously going to die!>
Tenebris stared at Jeong-hoon with a grim expression.
He knew.
Just a little more freezing, and his life would be lost.
His health had dropped below 10%, and his mana and divine power were completely depleted, with not a trace remaining.
A true dead end.
"Why are you so obsessed with the Divine Relic…"
Jeong-hoon barely managed to ask, panting.
"Hooh, you still had the strength to ask that?"
"Tell me…"
His vision was already blurring, to the point where he could barely see.
He didn’t even have the strength to raise his head, and it dropped limply.
"To climb higher."
"……."
Jeong-hoon said no more.
His unfocused eyes stared blankly at the ground.
The land, once stained red, had returned to its original state and froze solid.
Because Winter was still ongoing.
"That’s truly an incredible weapon. It even withstood Autumn without a scratch."
Abaddon licked his lips as he looked down at Titan.
A Divine-class weapon.
A weapon that could never be wielded unless it acknowledged its master.
He had no idea how something like that could have been completed by human hands, but he couldn’t help but covet it.
"First, I’ll kill him and take it for myself."
Abaddon snapped his fingers.
Crash!
Jeong-hoon’s body shattered violently.
If the boy had accepted his offer, it would have made for an amusing show.
A bit disappointing.
‘I’ll have to endure the consequences.’
He had mercilessly eliminated the human he had chosen.
Even interfering in a dimension managed by another.
But he wasn’t afraid.
If he were, he wouldn’t have started this in the first place.
‘Now then, let’s see you give it up.’
Abaddon reached toward the shattered ice fragments.
But why?
He had eliminated the target—so the Sin of the Seven Deadly Sins should have been reclaimed.
Yet there was no sign of retrieval, not even a reaction.
"What… What the hell is going on?"
Abaddon reached out again.
[The Four Seasons of the Apocalypse has been activated.]
[You are entering the Spring of Death.]
What is this…!
As Abaddon hurriedly stepped back, the frozen ground instantly melted and was dyed red once again.
The Tyrant’s Domain had been activated, and Wrath had descended.
[All abilities are sealed.]
[Your true body is forcibly manifested.]
What the hell is all this!
"Grrrk…!"
Abaddon groaned and collapsed to his knees from the searing pain that engulfed his body.
It was from the wound he had received from the boy.
He had felt almost no pain while his true body was separated, but now, with it forcibly brought forth, the agony surged in.
‘Damn it… How did he do this?’
He tried to summon his Divine Relic to forcibly shut down the ability, but it didn’t respond.
"Ha… that really hurts."
"N-No way…"
At that voice, Abaddon muttered in disbelief.
The one who should have become ice shards in Winter was staring down at him, completely unharmed.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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