Chapter 167
"AAAAARGH...!!!"
Arthur staggered backward in agony.
The muscle cells around the upper half of his destroyed body writhed like worms.
But...
[Regeneration ability has drastically decreased.]
[Cells are refusing to regenerate.]
[Warning! A tremendous amount of Rank is being lost due to the recent damage.]
Red warning windows appeared one after another.
No matter how hard Arthur tried...
His cells refused to obey.
They only writhed more violently.
His exposed Mana Heart...
The ruptured muscles around it...
The sight was grotesque.
Thud.
Arthur finally dropped to one knee.
He ground his teeth.
Then looked up at Suhyeok, who stood calmly in front of him, with eyes full of hatred.
"LEE SUHYEOOOOK...!!!!!"
"What did you do to my bod──!"
He froze.
For some reason...
The words wouldn't come out.
The moment he faced Suhyeok again...
Every time he tried to speak, his mouth convulsed.
His cells resisted even harder.
Step. Step.
The sound of footsteps approached.
The shadow around Arthur grew larger.
Closer.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump-thump-thump.
His heart pounded harder than it ever had before.
His trembling head lowered on its own.
His palms became sticky with some unknown liquid.
Step.
The footsteps stopped.
The shadow now completely covered Arthur.
Slowly...
He raised his stiffened head.
Suhyeok stood before him.
Both feet firmly planted.
Something was wrong.
This hadn't happened before.
Suhyeok had been nothing but an insect.
Then why...
Did he look so enormous now?
In Arthur's eyes...
Suhyeok had become something so massive that his face couldn't even be seen.
Only a vast shadow remained.
"So it ended up like this again."
"Just like back then."
"...!"
Suhyeok's words instantly pulled Arthur back to the 40th floor.
To the memory of his defeat.
That had been the first time.
The first time in all his long existence ruling over the Tower...
That he'd felt fear toward someone.
The first time he'd experienced death.
Huff... huff...!!
After his neck had been severed and he'd returned to the 99th floor...
Arthur had awakened inside his true body.
The very first thing he'd done was touch his neck with trembling hands.
He'd been gasping for breath.
Cold sweat had soaked his body.
The body that had been severed had only been the vessel used for the sacrifice.
And yet...
The sensation of Suhyeok's final sword cutting through his neck remained vividly engraved in him.
It wasn't just the sensation.
His true body had been left with scars that would never disappear.
And one-third of his soul had been torn away.
I-Impossible...
Me...
I lost to a mere Player...?
He was a noble descendant of the primordial Black Dragon bloodline.
The final boss of the 99th floor.
The existence known as the Dragon of the End.
That was why he'd found it even harder to believe.
Why he'd denied it.
The fact that he had lost.
The fact that, just before death...
He had instinctively recognized Suhyeok as a predator.
Unable to accept it...
Arthur had destroyed everything he could see.
He'd reduced the 99th floor itself to ruins.
Then...
System had visited him again.
Wow.
You look awful.
I thought the Dragon of the End would be a little different.
This is worse than I expected.
BOOOOOOM!
Still consumed by rage...
Arthur had attacked System with a Black Breath the instant it appeared.
You bastard...!!
You knew this would happen to me, didn't you?!
Everything that had happened on the 40th floor had been designed by System.
Arthur's incomplete summoning.
The restrictions that prevented him from using his proper strength.
His defeat.
All of it.
System had effortlessly neutralized the attack.
Whoa, whoa.
Calm down.
You're right.
I'm the one who put you in that state.
But I never intended to end things there.
You don't want that either, do you?
"..."
System had gently stroked Arthur's face in his true form.
Then smiled.
Before long, a stage will be prepared where you can go wild.
All you have to do is use your full strength there.
And why should I believe you?
Can you guarantee I won't end up like this again?
You should be grateful I can't tear you apart right now.
Arthur had tried to turn away.
But System stopped him.
Don't worry.
Everything's already prepared.
All you have to do is act.
And if something like this happens again...
Back in the present...
Arthur remained on one knee.
Looking up at Suhyeok.
Shake. Shake.
He stared at his trembling hand.
The same.
Just like back then...
He was afraid again.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH──!!!!"
And just like back then...
He denied everything.
He threw a punch at Suhyeok.
Tap.
He'd intended to crush Suhyeok's heart.
To blow apart his entire upper body.
So why...
Had the punch come out so weak?
"AAAAARGH!!"
"DIE!!"
"DIEEEEEE...!!"
The overwhelming force he'd once released...
The kind that distorted space itself...
Was gone.
Only pathetic strikes remained.
Tap. Tap. Thud.
Suhyeok didn't move at all.
Arthur continued hitting him.
Again.
And again.
By the time he stopped...
Every finger in his hand was broken.
So was his wrist.
All he received in return...
Was Suhyeok's cold gaze.
"...Are you done?"
SLAP.
"...!"
A single slap across the face.
Then...
Something inside Arthur snapped.
[Crackle── Dragon of the End ‘Arthur Valkheim’ suffers mental collapse.]
[Special clause of ‘Oath of the End’ activates.]
[All control over Dragon of the End ‘Arthur Valkheim's’ body is transferred to System.]
The muscle cells that had been writhing like worms turned black.
An ominous energy surged through them.
The destroyed flesh instantly fused back together.
Arthur released Polymorph.
His body rapidly expanded.
His true form emerged.
[Dragon of the End borrows the power of an Outer God through System.]
"ROOOOOAAAAAR──!!!!"
The instant he roared...
A massive shockwave erupted.
Everything nearby was swept away by the violent wind pressure.
Arthur now radiated the same disturbing energy as Lee Seha after transforming into Indura.
His will was already gone.
He moved like a puppet.
[Several Constellations are overwhelmed by the energy.]
[Even Constellations with immense Rank begin to regard the Dragon of the End with caution.]
[Residents of the Tower worry about Lee Suhyeok.]
...
The air flashed.
Leon appeared in a panic.
[Lee-Lee Suhyeok, what do we do now, nya?!]
[That bastard's completely gone berserk, nya!!]
[The contamination around him is getting even worse, nya!!]
Just as Leon said...
The contamination rate was rising sharply.
Contamination itself came from the Outer Gods.
And now Arthur was using that same power.
Worse...
Lee Seha had already transformed into Indura through an Outer God.
The contamination speed had become absurd.
It had been in the eighty-percent range.
Then in an instant...
It climbed into the ninety-five-percent range.
[Taesu and Yumi are at their limit too, nya...!]
[If this keeps up, they might actually die!!]
[A-And even you might be in danger against him in that state, nya...!!]
But despite all that...
Suhyeok didn't lose his composure.
If anything...
He looked as though this was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
"So it finally happened."
"I've been waiting."
[W-What do you mean, nya?]
Ding!
[Dragon of the End has lost his will.]
[Due to all body control being transferred to System...]
[The Trait Plunder target has changed to ‘System’, the entity holding control.]
[Trait Plunder is available.]
Just as expected.
Suhyeok had been thinking about Arthur's abnormal regeneration throughout the entire fight.
That regeneration came from System.
That was why Arthur could use the power of an Outer God.
The power of an Outer God was strong enough to nullify even the Dragon Slayer title.
And Arthur's own combat power was already overwhelming.
That was exactly why Suhyeok had used the Golden Goblin Pendant...
And spent every Coin he possessed.
Because he knew...
If he pushed Arthur to the brink of death...
System would intervene.
Ding!
[The Plunder target possesses a higher Rank than the user.]
[The number of Traits that can be Plundered from the target is limited to ‘1’.]
[Trait - System]
[Condition: Extinguish Dragon of the End Arthur Valkheim in a single strike.]
That Oath of the End was almost certainly the contract with System itself.
And bound beneath it...
Were Lee Seha and Arthur, the Dragon of the End.
[Trait - Oath of the End (EX)]
Inherits the contract between System and the Outer Gods.
Upon activation, contact with the Outer Gods becomes possible.
The moment Suhyeok stole it...
He, rather than System, would have to form a new contract with the Outer Gods.
And since the Outer Gods were the origin of everything happening now...
This was the only method capable of bringing down System.
Suhyeok glanced at the Golden Goblin Pendant's remaining duration.
Around thirty seconds.
The condition wasn't simply to kill Arthur.
He had to erase his existence in one strike.
In other words...
Arthur's very Rank had to be removed from the Tower itself.
And to do that...
Suhyeok had to control the attack precisely enough not to catch Bong Taesu or Lee Yumi in it...
While still erasing the Dragon of the End completely.
[Constellation ‘Player Lee Suhyeok’ consumes a tremendous amount of Rank.]
[The output completely exceeds the standards of this floor...]
[And surpasses the amount of Rank permitted by the Tower.]
[Warning! Warning!]
[You are at risk of being extinguished along with the 50th floor.]
RUMMMMMMMMMBLE!!
Arthur opened his mouth as though preparing a Breath.
Dark-blue flames began gathering inside.
At the same time...
Golden energy surged around Suhyeok's body.
It flowed down his arm...
And wrapped around Seong-a's blade.
"Now it's your turn."
[I was waiting.]
[Kukuk.]
[Contract with Demon God activates.]
[Temporary control of the body is transferred to Demon God.]
The Rank of both Suhyeok and the Demon God poured into the golden energy.
It burned even brighter.
"This much Rank..."
"It's been a long time."
The Demon God paused.
"No."
"I think this might actually be my first time handling this much."
"Even when I fought System, it wasn't on this level."
He laughed.
"As expected."
"You're an absurd bastard."
[Demon God consumes a massive amount of Rank and approaches the law of causality.]
A message appeared.
At that same instant...
Arthur's enormous Breath swallowed the Demon God whole.
Shing.
"It's been a while, so I don't know whether my control is still sharp."
"But I'll show you personally."
The sword moved.
"A true strike of the Demon God."
In that instant...
Time seemed to slow.
No.
The Demon God had simply moved so quickly...
That it only felt that way.
Stab.
Before Arthur's Breath could even reach the ground...
The Demon God's figure had already vanished.
And the tip of Seong-a...
Was already buried near Arthur's heart.
[Overwhelming Rank alters the law of causality governing the target.]
[The target is erased from this world.]
Rustle.
BOOM.
Arthur collapsed lifelessly.
The sword slid free.
Then...
His body slowly turned to dust.
The wind carried it away.
"It's over."
"Deal with the rest yourself."
The Demon God laughed.
"It's been a long time since I used this much power."
"Even my Rank took some damage."
"I took the burden in your place, so you'd better be grateful!"
"Hahaha!"
[Control of the body returns to Lee Suhyeok.]
"Haa..."
"Is it over?"
Ding!
[Trait Plunder successful.]
[You have Plundered Trait ‘Oath of the End (EX)’.]
[Due to the contract with System being terminated, Indura is also extinguished.]
Suhyeok looked toward the direction where Indura...
No.
Lee Seha had been fighting.
That ominous energy had completely vanished.
Along with Lee Seha's presence.
"...So this is how it ended."
Then...
[You absorb the Rank possessed by the Dragon of the End.]
[Trait ‘Oath of the End (EX)’ activates.]
Suhyeok's vision darkened.
Everything around him vanished.
He found himself in a space filled entirely with darkness.
A place that felt extremely familiar.
And standing in front of him...
Ruzian casually waved.
Beside Ruzian stood someone else.
Someone Suhyeok had never met directly before.
The figure's expression was twisted.
Its composure completely gone.
At last...
System.
"Finally..."
Its voice was cold.
"I get to see that smug face of yours in person."
