CH 498

Arukuda’s fidgeting spirit was growing as much as the confusion. It finally seemed to be ready to reveal its true self.

But fuck…it suddenly knelt down.

My Lord Doom Kaos.

It ignored me and mentioned the name of the real villain. Regardless of the reason, it must have come to the conclusion that it would be more beneficial to request judgment than to continue this fight.

“Are you running away, Arukuda?”

Despite the provocation, it did not react at all. However, nothing happened for some reason. It was too quiet.

Arukuda was getting up, and its expression at that moment was welcoming. It also seemed as satisfying as I was.

I will take that as permission to kill him. 

It started when a streak of saliva dripped from its tiny mouth. It was finally disclosing its true form.

[Warning: Doom Arukuda has used the Unique Power ‘Lord of the World of Souls.’]

I was waiting for you, Arukuda.

[The blueprint ‘Doom Arukuda’s Unique Power, Lord of the World of Souls’ has been added.]

A dangerous power began to emerge from all directions, including the floor, ceiling and a far distance that I could not even see. They were huge red claws. The movement of them stirring in all my sensory networks other than my vision was truly horrifying.

The entire World of Souls changed into a life form with hundreds of arms. I cut whatever I could and smashed the ones I could not pierce.

However, there was no set number of them. New ones grew to fill the void unfailingly, and Arukuda did not just stand either. The demons it fired off exploded everywhere.

Yet, when I managed to close the distance to it while retaliating, I saw its shoulder moving annoyingly. Its two eyes were glowing. It was the look of claiming to be a strong warrior in itself as the Lord of the World of Souls, controlling demons. Its confidence was about to be manifested into a tangible power.

I did not expect to see its swordsmanship. It was completed as the end of its fist, rising with the power raised with holiness and its original force.

[Warning: Doom Arukuda has used the skill ‘Fierce Attack of the Combat God.’]

The sight was filled with its attack. The forces that emerged from the end of its fist, the demons that burst out of its eyeballs, and even the red claws reaching out from all sides in the midst of it made the situation chaotic.

The distance I believed had been narrowed was expanding with each strike against my shield. I thrust the claws that rained from above and kicked away what surged from the ground. I blocked its attacks that came from its fists with my shield.

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Zap!

A single claw appeared from the left of my sight, swept across to the right, then disappeared.

[High-ranking Shaman Yapoon’s Transmission Necklace has been destroyed.]

[Warning: Please check your Spiritual Resistance.]

As expected, the claw grew across the space and pierced through me. It not only destroyed the items but also reminded me of the brutal memories that I wished to forget. Damn it. This always happened whenever the necklace was broken!

[Time has been reversed.]

I removed the claws that poured down from the ceiling, kicked away the ones popping up from the ground, and blocked its fist attacks with my shield again. Then, a claw barely scraped past my eye as I shifted my center of gravity backward. When I tried to regain my balance by ripping the claw apart with the edge of my shield, Arukuda’s relentless assaults were rushing toward me.

Doom Caso's real name was Karaktu. There must have been a name Arukuda was called before it became Doom. Also, the title of a great warrior would have always been called before its real name, but…

This fight was not a warrior versus warrior. It was not about who had the superior battle swordsmanship. It was about who had the higher deity.

[Time has been reversed.]

I dodged.

[Time has been reversed.]

I clashed to create a gap.

[Time has been reversed.]

As I turned my head, one of Arukuda’s attacks sliced past my cheek.

[Time has been reversed.]

Finally, I could take one complete step.

***

At a point when the distance between us was narrowing, its face crumpled and its gaze started to fill with disbelief and embarrassment. The greed that used to mire its eyes was nowhere to be found.

However, my face was even more distorted than Arukuda’s. To Arukuda, I must have looked like the avatar of a god, but the fucking process of getting this close to it was incalculably difficult.

"Dieeee!"

I already knew what kind of counterattack it would retaliate with.

I thrust my spear toward Arukuda. The tip of the spear rendered the space, fragmenting the frontal landscape into a mosaic. Therefore, its eyes appeared like dozens of pupils.

Nonetheless, this was just a vision. Within the sensory network, it existed only as a single entity, allowing a counterattack. This time as well, a demon exploded right in front of me, trying to maintain a distance that was beneficial to it.

It did not stop there and even vomited out a dragon demon, and that was why I had to rewind time twice before that moment. Otherwise, I would end up shoving my face into the dragon’s jaw.

This time, throwing the spear and thrusting it was my plan. The moment I let go of the spear…

Sheeeeek!

The spear pierced through the dragon’s maw and flew toward Arukuda. Instead of charging at it, I kicked the ground first. The giant claw of the demon that was being formed there was instantly torn apart.

This was precisely why I had to reverse time just before this happened. Only then could I throw myself at it, gritting my teeth.

Although it received a strong impact, it tried to grip the spear in that brief movement. I charged toward it again as I watched its actions.

[Time has been reversed.]

"Dieeee!"

[Devi’s Sword has been created.]

I just needed to momentarily interrupt its actions. I threw Devi's Sword on the trajectory I had planned when throwing the spear. As I kicked off the ground, tearing apart the demon's giant claw and flying in, a moment was created when it flinched from trying to grip the spear.

I gripped the spear as I threw my body. Then, I put more strength into it. The spear pierced through its abdomen and came out the other side. At the point when I felt pain from my hand grabbing the spear, I turned downward as if I was striking the ground.

Woosh-

The tip of the spear was lodged firmly at its abdomen. A momentary scream burst from it, but its eyes were intact. The soul of the dragons it had devoured writhed in its eyes, waiting for a command. The giant claws rushing in from all directions were also waiting for the order.

However, one thing that never changed about it was that it could no longer escape from this fucking situation. All I had in front of me was a beast pierced by a spear, lying down like a skewer, inside the prison of the time that infinitely rewound.

[Doom Arukuda: Unique Power, Lord of the World of Souls (Blueprint obtained)

Unique Power, Limitless Power (Blueprint obtained)

Trait, Warrior’s Boiling Blood (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Evil Spirit Explosion (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Unholy Soul (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Fierce Attack of the Combat God (Blueprint obtained)]

“Is that all?”

[Warning: Doom Arukuda has used the skill ‘Evil Spirit Explosion.’]

The evil spirit of the dragon trying to jump out screaming from its eyes was also stopped at that moment.

[Time has been reversed.]

“Is that all?”

I asked again.

[You have used Evil Spirit Explosion. (Material: Evil Spirit of the Great Silver)]

[Warning: Doom Arukuda has used the skill ‘Evil Spirit Explosion.’]

It looked terrified for a split second, but it was already too late. What I started first collided inside its eyes. The thought of not losing the spear and protecting my body with a shield collided in my brain. The experiences embedded in my flesh were faster than my thoughts.

[* Storage box]

[High-ranking Shaman Yapoon’s Transmission Necklace has been added.]

I put strength in the action of covering the front with a shield and tightly holding the spear, but my sight and sensory network all crashed.

[Warning: Your Physical Defense and Magic Defense have been exhausted.]

[Warning: Odin's Crimson Flame Shield is on the verge of destruction.]

“Ugh…”

A groan came from both of us, and there was no need to distinguish whose it was. I could not see well, and my sensory network was also exhausted just to maintain the Realm of the Ultimate.

When I barely managed to open one eye, I had to suppress the pain to see ahead. I checked as I put the necklace back on. Both fists holding the spear and the shield had the flesh torn off and exposed my bones.

Meanwhile, Arukuda was bleeding nonstop from not only the eye where the explosion occurred but also the other eye that was closed.

Suddenly, the fist holding the spear felt extremely painful. It was clear evidence that Arukuda had not lost its will despite the situation.

[Warning: Doom Arukuda has used the skill ‘Counterattack of God.’]

It was preparing to counterattack me with its fist.

[Time has been reversed.]

After blocking it by hitting its arm with my shield, I opened one eye. There was spare power left in Devi’s Sword, and that was enough.

[Devi’s Sword has been removed.]

[Devi’s Sword has been transformed into Indra’s Sword.]

It started as I thrusted Indra’s Sword in its body.

***

I continued to block the counterattacks. If I didn’t reverse the time and stop it from creating a large ax using a part of its own body or attempting to slip out of the spear with its entire body, it might have been winning by now.

Its greed was naturally replaced with an unstoppable will to survive, and it was manifested as a fighting spirit, affecting the red claws growing from every corner of the World of Souls! Those drove me crazy.

It was not just Arukuda who was trapped in the prison of time. I, too, could not escape from here. So, just die!

[Time has been reversed.]

Red claws grazed over my head.

[Time has been reversed.]

I dodged and tore its claws, then struck Arukuda’s chin. Then, the red claws enveloped me again.

[Time has been reversed.]

‘Time has been reversed. Reversed!!!’

Thousands of past illusions raged in my brain, and the message kept ringing inside my head. Every moment of reversing time made my blood boil and caused excruciating pain as if something was gnawing my eardrums.

Fucking hell.

Even now, I had nothing but the desire to beat it to death. There were no warnings in the system window, but I knew the truth. I was engulfed in a frenzy. Even though I was recovered enough to fully open both of my eyes, the fact that my fists continued to expose bones was because of that.

Bam!

[You have inflicted severe damage on Doom Arukuda.]

Arukuda got stuck in the spear and collapsed, losing its movements.

[Doom Arukuda: Unique Power, Lord of the World of Souls (Blueprint obtained)

Unique Power, Limitless Power (Blueprint obtained)

Trait, Warrior’s Boiling Blood (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Evil Spirit Explosion (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Unholy Soul (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Fierce Attack of the Combat God (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Counterattack of the Combat God (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Rage of the Combat God (Blueprint obtained)

Skill, Roar of the Combat God (Blueprint obtained)]

[You have removed Doom Arukuda.]