Cutting through the wind, Taesan charged towards Vishnu. Vishnu swung her arm. Flames erupted, obscuring the view.
Taesan infused his sword with spirit power and slashed toward the surging crimson flames, cutting them apart and creating a path.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Taesan rushed forward. Vishnu roughly waved her hand, launching a spear of flame through the explosion.
Taesan swung his sword, altering the trajectory of the spear.
Fwoosh.
Vishnu continued to unleash flames. The fire, as though intent on burning the world, divided the space between Taesan and Vishnu.
Taesan halted his charge, calmly assessing the situation.
This was merely a probing match. Both Taesan and Vishnu had many hidden cards. Rather than revealing his hand first, it was more efficient to wait for Vishnu to make her move and then respond accordingly.
‘A foe who controls flames to dominate the space and press me.’
Yet, thanks to the difference in their ranks, it wasn’t difficult to fend off the flames.
“Apostle Transformation, and the vessel of a king...”
Vishnu frowned. Taesan’s rank was clearly higher than hers at this moment.
Still, she sneered.
“I am the Spirit King. The mere rank of a human cannot reach me.”
[Vishnu has activated Nature’s Incarnation.]
Fwoosh.
Flames began to rise from her body. As if she had become fire itself, her entire form blazed.
Vishnu waved her hand, causing an explosion of flames. Taesan swung his sword.
Clang!
These flames were different from before. Taesan’s sword couldn’t easily push them away.
Crack.
Instead, the flames began to press against him as if they carried weight.
Taesan kicked off the ground to widen the distance, and Vishnu gathered more power.
Whoosh!
The flames began to engulf everything around them. The Broken Man distanced himself with an annoyed expression. The entire space was enveloped in fire.
“Can’t you do something like that?”
Taesan asked Minerva, who was trying to push back the flames with the help of Barkaza’s wind.
“That’s a method of drawing power by identifying oneself with nature. Sorry, I can’t do that yet. I haven’t lived that long.”
Minerva groaned.
“Spirits usually get stronger the longer they live. And the spirit before us is likely one of the oldest I’ve ever known.”
“Surrender, human.”
Vishnu declared proudly. The flames became tangible, trying to devour Taesan and the surrounding space.
[You have activated Strong Blow.]
Taesan scattered the flames with a powerful slash. Minerva burst through with a gust of wind, creating a path.
Yet the flames still pushed back. The space was dominated by fire, and the blaze obscured his vision.
It felt as if he had fallen into a world made entirely of fire.
In a pure contest of strength, Taesan was being overwhelmed.
But it wasn’t an insurmountable challenge.
“Minerva.”
[You have activated Frozen World.]
A freezing cold stormed forth. Though it melted instantly against the flames, the continuously activated Frozen World began to cool the surrounding heat.
And within that moment, Minerva unleashed her power. Wind surged, fiercely pushing the flames away and creating a path to Vishnu.
Taesan charged forward.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
Vishnu detonated more flames, but this time Taesan did not stop.
systeM-start
[You have activated Frozen World.]
[You have activated Magic Focus.]
system_end
Shatter!
Frost spread ahead, cutting through the weakened flames as Taesan brought his sword down toward Vishnu.
Vishnu raised a barrier of flames. Taesan applied more force to his sword.
[You have activated Absolute Judgement.]
The moment his sword touched the barrier, it disappeared.
Vishnu’s pupils widened. Taesan swung his sword fiercely. Just as he was about to cleave her head, Vishnu’s body vanished.
[Vishnu has activated Shoes of Spatial Transference.]
“Humph.”
Vishnu landed far away, sending a cold glare his way.
“So that’s why Shaman lost... You have a skill that ignores defenses, huh?”
She had suspected as much. Given that Shaman, who boasted unparalleled defenses, had been defeated so quickly, it was inevitable.
But for her barrier to disappear without any resistance at all?
“How does someone like you, who hasn’t even reached the deeper levels, possess such a skill?”
Clicking her tongue, Vishnu condensed the flames. The red flames gathered, changing color as they did.
There was no reason for Taesan to simply watch, so he immediately leaped, intending to pierce Vishnu’s chest with his sword.
[Vishnu has activated Shoes of Spatial Transference.]
But once again, Vishnu’s body disappeared far into the distance. Taesan frowned.
“No cooldown?”
“The exploration is over. Your power isn’t all that special.”
While undeniably powerful and formidable, its foundation lay within the Labyrinth’s system. Unlike the Spirit Kings or dragons, Taesan didn’t fully command his own power.
In that case, overwhelming force would be enough.
“Witness.”
The condensed flames had turned white.
“This is the world granted to the Spirit King... my world.”
The white flames exploded, consuming the space.
With the vast amount of information he gathered, Taesan used a catalyst on his wrist guards.
Seeing this, Vishnu swung her flames aggressively.
But Minerva wasn’t easily pushed back.
‘Annoying.’
Even though Minerva was young, she was still the Spirit King. As the ruler of the wind itself, she could hold her ground in the domain of flames when she gathered all her strength.
And Taesan was also a thorn in her side.
‘Why isn’t he taking any damage?’
This place was her domain. Any unauthorized being should have suffered horrendous damage just by standing in it.
Yet Taesan wasn’t taking any damage at all.
It was only possible to protect his body through Absolute Protection and the twisted tuning of spirit energy, but Vishnu, who was unaware of this, found it extremely bothersome.
‘I can’t give him any more time.’
She didn’t know what he was doing, but it wouldn’t be something that would help her.
She decided to end it quickly.
Vishnu gathered flames.
The fire that had been spreading as if it would burn the world suddenly surged, sweeping over everything like a storm.
“Ugh!”
Minerva wrapped herself in wind to protect Taesan and then exploded outward. The violent gusts scattered in all directions.
Taesan also activated a skill.
[You have activated Greed of Destruction.]
system_End
A fierce power surged from the bracelet on Taesan’s arm, swallowing the flames.
Though the flames couldn’t withstand it and were crushed and broken, they were steadily devoured by the bracelet’s jaws.
Vishnu frowned.
Despite consuming a considerable amount of power, neither Taesan nor Minerva had fallen.
“Ha, haha...”
Minerva slowly collapsed. Her entire form began to disintegrate, unable to withstand the overwhelming power, and she was forcefully unsummoned. Barkaza had already been unsummoned.
“This should be enough... right?”
“It’s enough.”
Taesan nodded. Minerva grinned widely.
“Then that’s fine. Good luck.”
With those words, she disappeared.
Vishnu floated arrogantly in the air, looking down at Taesan.
“Is your final struggle over?”
Although it was impressive that they had endured, her power was still intact. On the other hand, Taesan had lost the Spirit King, Minerva.
The situation was still overwhelmingly in her favor.
“In that case, die there.”
The flames rushed forward.
Every part of his vision was filled with crimson fire.
“This is the first time I’m using this like this, so it was a bit tricky.”
Taesan muttered as he watched the approaching flames.
He had the knowledge in his head. But knowing and using it were two different things. Moreover, analyzing the Spirit King’s domain and activating the corresponding skill took a considerable amount of time.
However, thanks to Minerva’s efforts, he was able to finish everything.
The roots wrapped around Taesan’s arm squirmed. He swung his arm forcefully.
[You have activated Partial World Transformation.]
Suddenly, the roots surged.
The laws of the world, which had been under Vishnu’s control, began to distort. Vishnu’s expression hardened.
“...What is this?”
The world she had overlaid and the twisted laws she had imposed were being pushed back by another world. The flames gradually died down, and her domain started to disappear.
“What is this madness!”
She was shocked. The space she had created was vanishing.
“I am the Spirit King! This is my domain!”
“So what?”
Vishnu explosively unleashed her flames. Taesan responded accordingly.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Crack!
A freezing cold stormed forth.
The power it contained was clearly different from before.
The rushing flames were frozen in their tracks as the cold consumed the space. The walls of the labyrinth froze instantly.
Vishnu, sensing the cold approaching her, hastily covered herself in flames and detonated them. The ice couldn’t reach her.
However, the air around her froze in an instant.
Ice and fire divided the 70th floor.
At first, Taesan had to activate Frozen World multiple times to push back Vishnu’s power.
But now, things were different.
Vishnu, on the contrary, had to expend her strength just to fend off Frozen World.
“What is this?”
Taesan raised his sword. The Spirit King was indeed strong.
In terms of pure strength, she surpassed Taesan.
But what he had unleashed was, though incomplete, the domain of an immortal who transcended mortality. In terms of rank, he was clearly above the Spirit King.
Taesan spoke to the bewildered Vishnu.
“And there’s someone who holds a grudge against you.”
He unleashed what had been simmering within his sword ever since he encountered the Spirit King.
[You have activated Wrath of the Acknowledged One.]
The insane spirit that had long slumbered within began to awaken.