Chapter 440:

Chapter 440:

Kang Yu-hyun unlocked every story held within the White Lotus all at once.

With only thirty percent of its power, he defeated hundreds of Divine Spirits simultaneously, and now he unleashed the remaining seventy percent.

Measured purely in numbers, this force was more than 2.3 times stronger than before.

Unlike the situation where he had faced hundreds at once, this time he was focused solely on destroying one single being, concentrating his power to a density beyond imagination.

"Go ahead, die at the hands of a mere creation you looked down upon."

The White Lotus's full release wasn’t enough on its own; he hadn’t even expected Logos to fall to something like this.

The Mask of Aporia settled over Yu-hyun’s face, with four crimson eyes blazing and the power of four demons infusing the White Lotus.

A story compressed from myth-class artifacts, layered with the tales of Aporia’s demons.

‘One more.'

Before the battle began, the Divine Spirits hadn’t only given him their weapons.

They had each entrusted Yu-hyun with their most significant and certain stories.

[Fate-Piercer], [Golden Flame Vision], [Earthly Palm Seal], [Divine Spirit of Jade Mirror Mountain], [Radiance of the Silver Arm], [Yesod of the West], [Love of the Mechanisms], [Builder of the Myriad Demons], [Heaven-Sinking Sword Technique], and more.

In addition to these, the stories granted by numerous Divine Spirits.

A total of 268.

All of them gathered into the White Lotus.

Rumble.

An awe-inspiring scene unfolded as a massive torrent beyond its limits condensed into the single, small sword of the White Lotus.

A treasure containing the essence of the Salio Empire made this miracle possible.

The reason the Foundation intervened to erase the Salio Empire, the myth-class artifact that tipped the scales decisively.

Though it had not disappeared and remained to this day, it now aimed its sharp fangs at Logos's neck.

[Oh?]

Logos made no move to counter Yu-hyun as he gathered his power.

Instead, he observed with interest, as if encouraging him to go ahead and try.

[So, that artifact I thought I had eliminated entirely still remains.]

The moment Logos set eyes on the White Lotus, he discerned where it originated.

That sword was no longer from the present universe but a remnant carried over from a previous universe he had discarded and obliterated numerous times.

Because of its indestructibility, perhaps. He never expected a mere sword to survive even in the annihilation and creation of universes.

‘More so, the faint trace within that sword—is it imbued with a human soul?'

Intriguing.

Was it a soul embedded in the sword that guided it to Yu-hyun?

Moreover, some of the stories Yu-hyun wielded belonged to beings once known as the former usurpers, now dubbed myth-class Bookworms.

Due to the Bookworms’ characteristic of annihilating stories themselves, simply retaining their original tales must have been an enormous ordeal.

In the end, they had entrusted their legacy to a human.

‘Not just from the present universe but from those of the past, extinguished universes.'

Now, that force aimed to claim his life.

Such a sense of crisis was something he hadn’t felt even when he first attempted to pen the Codex.

‘How delightful.'

In this otherwise tedious process, Yu-hyun’s presence was a refreshing rain during a drought, a spice added to his dull life.

So, he continued to watch Yu-hyun’s full effort.

Just how impressive would it be? To what extent could the first human to reach this place as a mere creature show?

Now, go ahead, show me. Make this more entertaining.

That vigor reached Yu-hyun, transcending space.

"Your leisure will cost you your life."

Though his enemy was practically inviting the attack, allowing it bruised Yu-hyun's pride, but he felt grateful as well.

After all, it meant he could unleash his mightiest blow, something rarely possible in real combat, at this crucial moment.

The story’s condensation was complete.

All that remained was to release this unified power toward a single target.

The story, compressed to its utmost, glowed white, its radiance pure beyond description, forming a blade untouched by any stain.

Yu-hyun raised the blade and thrust it toward Logos.

[Hahaha! Come!]

Logos welcomed it with joy.

The blow, carrying everyone’s desires, pierced through Logos’s heart.

And it didn’t end there. The compressed story expanded explosively, devouring Logos from within, corroding him as it spread.

A white flame composed of letters engulfed Logos's body.

Yu-hyun withdrew to avoid being swept up by the power's storm. At this intensity, even he wouldn't come out unscathed.

[Ohoho. So this is the power born from those rejected and abandoned by me!]

Logos twisted within the white flames as if writhing in agony.

If that unsettling possibility were true...

No one needed to ask what that massive structure casting a shadow over the sky was.

Clunk!

With a rattling noise, the structure casting the shadow opened at its center, pouring out light.

While the light was sacred and beautiful, the beings descending in its shadow were not.

Elohim.

Logos’s loyal subordinates, cursed angels devoid of self-will.

Seeing them descend, the First Generation Divine Spirits of the allied forces wore expressions of despair.

"There was... another Foundation?"

No, it wasn’t just one.

As cracks spread across the sky, gateways to a pocket dimension opened, and one by one, more of the Foundation’s fortresses emerged.

A total of five.

Including the existing Foundation, six Fortresses now blanketed the Har-Mageddon battlefield.

And each fortress opened its doors, releasing Elohim.

Like white ink being poured into water, Elohim swiftly filled the sky.

"No..."

Despite someone’s desperate plea.

Red rain began to fall from the sky.

As if mocking them.

* * *

[Do you see it?]

Above the battlefield where red rain fell, the screams of life echoed.

But even those soon vanished, swept away by the explosion of crimson spears that followed.

[This is the world's punishment upon you worthless creations.]

On the screen, the allied forces' forces were shown gradually being overwhelmed.

Even Yu-hyun’s party, fighting alongside the other Divine Spirits, was beginning to suffer injuries.

[Watch as those people you hold dear perish.]

"You...!"

He had to stop Logos.

At that thought, Yu-hyun rushed forward, but Logos reached out his hand toward him.

Thud! Yu-hyun’s movement came to an abrupt halt.

[Do you know where you are? This is my book. My world.]

Only then did Yu-hyun realize that the floor beneath him wasn’t just an empty, white space.

It was paper.

Blank, with nothing written on it.

Paper on which anything could be written.

A pure white page.

[What did you think a mere character could do on the book I wrote?]

Squelch.

Black ink started bubbling up from the white page like a fluid organism, crawling toward Yu-hyun.

Yu-hyun gritted his teeth and attempted to use the power of the Codex he possessed.

[Foolish.]

The Mask of Aporia that he wore dissolved like smoke.

[Who do you think the true owner of the Codex is?]

The power of the four demons that comprised the Demon of Aporia faded like an ebbing tide.

Not only that, but all the Fragments he had gathered up until now left his body, returning to Logos’s hand.

Overwhelmed with weakness, Yu-hyun sank to one knee.

The writhing ink began to engulf him.

[Stay still, and be absorbed by the Codex, becoming the fodder for my ultimate story. Although it’s unpleasant to have a disruptive element like you in my Codex, such a minuscule amount is hardly worth worrying about. Your unpredictability merits some regard, so it may take some time for you to fully disintegrate, but that is all.]

After all, it was only a matter of time.

Saying so, Logos turned his back on Yu-hyun.

Yu-hyun struggled to break free from the ink attempting to swallow him, but it clung to him with an adhesive grip.

"You bastard! Don’t make me laugh!"

Like someone sinking deeper into a swamp with every struggle.

The ink absorbed Yu-hyun faster.

From his feet to his waist, then over his chest.

Soon, Yu-hyun was entirely submerged in the ink, plunging into the depths of a dark abyss.