Chapter 200

(3)

4.

The moment Ulan stepped beyond the pond in pursuit of the Phantom Knight, his world was instantly engulfed in pitch-black darkness.

Along with a feeling of plummeting into an endless abyss, violent waves of darkness surged in.

‘Abyss.’

This marked the second time in this life that Ulan had set foot into the abyss.

The first was to save Laurea, and this time, his goal was to completely wipe out the last surviving member of the Phantom Knights.

“Huff!”

Ulan soon held his breath tightly.

He was trying to adapt to the environment of the abyss by slowly regulating his breathing. If he didn’t do that, his body wouldn’t last long.

Meanwhile, the Phantom Knight, who was initially his target, took off running without looking back.

‘Trying to find a safe zone, huh?’

To restore the knight order, he had to absorb the power of the abyss, and for that, he would have to enter a sort of cocoon state.

‘And in the cocoon state…’

He would lose all means of fighting.

Completely defenseless.

Remembering this information, Ulan cautiously stepped further into the abyss.

A visibility not even a hair’s breadth ahead.

In the darkness that swallowed even light, Ulan’s eyes lost all functionality.

But he didn’t have to worry.

‘Jumping straight into the abyss like this.’

‘Is it bravery or ignorance?’

‘I’d like to pretend I didn’t know, but…’

‘Be grateful I came along because Fertisha asked!’

For the spirits were beside him now.

The light emitted by spirits and ethereal beings couldn’t be swallowed by the abyss’s darkness. Thanks to that, Ulan resumed his chase after the fleeing Phantom Knight.

‘The space keeps changing.’

The abyss was an unstable world.

Was that why? Gradually, as time passed, the space twisted, creating a greater gap between Ulan and the Phantom Knight.

But that wasn’t a problem.

As long as he could catch up to it faster than the speed of the warped space, it was fine.

‘Transcendent Domain.’

A technique that intrudes into a realm and transcends space itself. Ulan immediately used the Transcendent Domain to catch up to the Phantom Knight.

In quick succession.

The cost of this was significant.

“Hey, you’re gonna get a nosebleed!”

“Blood is coming from your mouth and ears!”

“Isn’t this going to kill you?!”

As the spirits exclaimed, Ulan was gushing dark red blood. It was the price of using the Transcendent Domain continuously, which put a strain on his body.

Additionally, after the battle in Zone 5, Ulan’s Spirit was nearly depleted.

‘I did hear Fertisha’s song, but…’

That didn’t mean the Spirit would recover.

On top of that, the immense pressure caused by the extreme environment of the abyss was not to be ignored, and soon an overwhelming pain engulfed his entire body.

But Ulan endured.

He grit his teeth, resisting the pain that felt like it could shatter him and didn’t stop using the Transcendent Domain.

‘I can’t back down now!’

From the moment he stepped into the abyss chasing the Phantom Knight, he had already readied himself for pain.

If he could take down this last remaining foe, he could completely annihilate one of the Lords of the Abyss.

So he desperately repeated the Transcendent Domain and finally reached his target. He locked eyes with the Phantom Knight’s glowing blue gaze.

【───?!】

Just after meeting Ulan’s gaze.

The blue glow flickered like a candle in the wind, as if it had seen a ghost.

Meanwhile, Ulan grinned.

“Gotcha.”

With that triumphant word, two axes flew through the air, crossing like they were slicing through space. At the same time, Ulan squeezed out every last bit of Spirit into the axes.

The flow of Spirit naturally wrapped around the axes as well. In no time, a threatening strike was completed.

【What the hell―!】

The eyes, trembling with panic.

The Phantom Knight hurriedly tried to block it with his shield, but to no avail. Ulan had already entered the Transcendent Domain.

In other words, before the knight had any chance to brace for defense.

Ulan’s axe pierced through space, reaching the very core of the Phantom Knights. It ripped apart the defenseless essence of their existence.

Crash! Smash! Crunch!

Following that, the power of the abyss that had dwelled within the essence erupted like a dam breaking. As the knight felt his power rapidly diminishing, he cried out in desperation.

【No, no!】

Wailing in despair, he frantically attempted to gather the magic. But that too was a futile struggle.

Just like trying to pour water into a broken jar, the essence that made up the Phantom Knights had already shattered into pieces.

【This cannot be! I refuse to accept this outcome! My, our knight order’s glory can’t just end here!】

The form was rapidly collapsing.

The essence of the Phantom Knights was turning to ashen remains.

Did he finally recognize reality? With a voice tainted by distrust, he mumbled.

【The future we saw, ■■ showed us, there never was an enemy like this…】

The voice slowly faded away.

The moment he mentioned the word future, it piqued Ulan’s curiosity, but that was all.

Snap!

Ulan twisted the axe embedded in the core, and the knight fell silent. With the core completely shattered, his entire body turned to ash.

Ulan’s own body also began to crumble.

“Kugh!”

Pain like his insides were twisting.

The aftershock of repeatedly using the Transcendent Domain swept through him. But he still had things to do, so he gritted his teeth.

‘…The core of the Phantom Knights.’

Absorbing the shattered pieces of the core.

He needed to take the power contained within them as his own. However, much like the shapeless Phantom Knights, the essence of this core was also formless.

Smoke drifting through the air.

Ulan took a deep breath, pulling the smoke into himself. The horrible stench numbed his sense of smell, but he still struggled to absorb the power.

How long had it been?

“Huff.”

Ulan digested all the power.

His Spirit now close to 4-star.

Just a bit more absorption, and he would reach the 5-star realm he had in his past life. With a short sigh, Ulan turned his body.

Having accomplished his objective, he intended to leave the abyss. But that was not to be.

‘My feet…’

They wouldn’t move at all.

Not only that. As time passed, it wasn’t just his feet; he couldn’t move his entire body.

‘Is it because I’ve been in the abyss for too long?’

Staying too long in the abyss without the spirits or ‘Einar’s gem’ would trigger various side effects.

Symptoms like his hands and feet going numb were among them. Ulan knew well because he had experienced it in his past life.

‘But this feels different.’

It wasn’t just numbness; it felt like something was forcibly holding him back. His arms and legs couldn’t move, but his fingers did, which was evidence of this.

‘What the heck is this?’

As he pondered, he turned his gaze to figure out what was restraining him. But at that moment, his vision was once again drenched in pitch-black darkness.

The light of the spirits had vanished.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Since some moment, he hadn’t heard the spirits’ voices. Probably since the moment he defeated the Phantom Knight and began absorbing the core.

As he realized he was alone, suddenly, whispers emerged from the void of the abyss.

【The remnants of the anomaly.】

A dark, heavy, and gloomy voice that was both strange and familiar. It was a voice he had heard before.

When did I hear this?

As he searched his memory, Ulan soon recalled the moment when he had heard that voice.

‘When I took down the Frost Dragon.’

Source of Magic, Zone 2.

At that time, inexplicably, the Abyssal Rift had opened, revealing one of the Lords of the Abyss, the Frost Dragon Glessia.

After barely defeating it, before the Rift closed, Ulan had caught a glimpse of the abyss beyond, and he had heard that very voice then too.

The voice had said,

‘On the day the two worlds merge.’

That it would come to find him first after passing through the Gate of the Abyss. Thus, Ulan had growled back that he was hoping for it.

Anyway, the voice he was now hearing was that same voice from back then.

But there was something curious about it.

‘This isn’t the voice of a Lord.’

None of the Six Lords of the Abyss that he remembered had such a voice.

So whose voice is this?

Just as questions bloomed in his mind, the voice spoke again.

【Third Star, Ulan Bator.】

【Great Warrior of the Prairie.】

【Giant Slayer.】

【Red-eyed Barbarian.】

【Great Clan Leader.】

A whisper that burrowed deep into his ear.

Simultaneously, Ulan’s eyes widened.

“……!?”

He couldn’t help but be shocked.

The nicknames just mentioned by the voice referred to ‘Ulan from his past life.’

In fact, in this life, Ulan hadn’t yet faced and defeated any giants, nor had he ascended to the position of Clan Leader.

“Who are you?”

Ulan looked at the darkness of the abyss where the voice echoed, not concealing his surprised expression.

Yet the answer he sought didn’t come back.

The mysterious voice ignored his question and simply continued its speech.

【You exist in this world―.】

【The seed of change.】

He didn’t know who the voice belonged to.

At least among the Lords of the Abyss and monsters he remembered, none had such a voice.

But one thing was certain.

【Within the countless cycles of repetition.】

【The only one to recall a trace―.】

This being was dangerous.

Ulan’s instincts whispered that to him.

This entity was a greater monster than any lord he had faced before.

And at that moment.

It quietly whispered.

【―The Regressor.】

It was as if it was speaking right next to him, its whispers ringing clear in his ears. The moment he recognized that, shadows wrapped around Ulan’s body.

5.

Meanwhile, at that time.

Noa and her party had finally broken through Zone 3 upon entering the Source of Magic. It was an easy entry since they had been there once before.

But the problem lay beyond that zone.

It was a completely unknown place, a zone they had never set foot in. The entire area was shrouded in darkness and fog.

Particularly, known for experiencing magic overload whenever spells were used, Noa swallowed nervously.

“I’ll take the lead.”

At that moment, Ivella volunteered to take the front.

Unlike Noa or Delia, she possessed keen senses that allowed her to navigate properly even in the dark.

“Let’s all hold hands and move together.”

In an instant, a formation was established.

Ivella was at the front, Delia behind her, and Noa in the middle. This was because the two girls had expressed their unwillingness to hold each other’s hands.

After getting into formation and moving,

a phenomenon visible only to Noa occurred. It was a notification message sent from the system.

【Achievement unlocked.】

Again? What achievement now?

Suppressing her racing heart, Noa focused on the message that appeared before her. Soon, the details of the achievement were revealed.

【Achievement】: Legendary Exorcist

【Condition】: Defeat of Phantom Knight ‘Arcek’

【Reward】: Elixir

“……!”

Noa’s eyes widened dramatically.

Her expression filled with astonishment. She was so surprised that she almost forgot to keep walking for a moment.

“Noa?”

“Why did you suddenly stop?”

“No! Ah, it’s nothing.”

Noa hurriedly shook her head in response to the puzzled voices of her companions. Then she resumed walking while fixating on the message content.

‘Ch-challenged it?’

The Phantom Knights? How on earth?

For Ulan, the knight order should have been the worst match-up, akin to the relationship between a sorcerer and a Frost Dragon.

Questions swirled in her mind when suddenly, a theory struck her.

‘Ah! Could it be…….’

Thanks to the contract with Fertisha?

This guess must be the most accurate.

If Ulan could use the spirit’s power after forming a contract with Fertisha, then even he might have been able to deliver effective blows to the Phantom Knights.

‘Even so, taking down the 3rd ranked lord of the Phantom Knights by himself…’

It must have been an extremely challenging opponent.

Reflecting on these extraordinary feats made Noa marvel. However, upon contemplating all that had happened recently, it also made sense.

Ulan, remembering his past life.

He had already taken down two Lords of the Abyss and reached the realm of a 3-star Master.

Not only that?

He had obtained two bottles of the Elixir of Protection, countless Hidden Pieces, and even the fraudulent treasure known as Hero’s Enchantment.

‘At this rate, he’s become several times stronger than in the original story.’

If he were to add in the two new Elixirs he had obtained and reap meaningful results?

‘He would definitely become absurdly powerful.’

This would open up ways to evade the fated paths and, moreover, potentially halt the invasion of the abyss.

Just when she was brimming with hope,

Delia’s voice suddenly rang out.

“Up ahead, there’s a sound.”

Hearing that, Ivella’s eyes lit up. This meant they were nearing their destination.

The group hurriedly quickened their pace, and soon the darkness began to thin. After a while, they arrived at a place that was completely different from before.

“What is this…?”

The sky and the ground, along with the surroundings.

Everything was bathed in a unique shade of ashen grey. Meanwhile, Ivella took notice of something else.

“Looks like there was a battle.”

The irregular state of the ground.

Upon closer inspection, traces of spearheads piercing the earth could be faintly seen. After scanning the surroundings for a moment, Ivella turned to Delia.

“Which direction did the sound come from?”

“Over there, beyond the hill, I heard it.”

Given this situation, there was no need to dwell here.

Ivella dashed over the hill without a moment’s hesitation. Noa and Delia followed closely behind her.

After a while,

a small pond appeared before the three of them. A pond so deep that its depth was unfathomable.

However, what caught their attention wasn’t the pond itself but the silver-haired girl loitering around it.

“Tisha Lapidis?”

“What are you doing here…?”

Just then, a familiar figure came into view.

It was the White Wolf circling next to her.

The moment they saw this sight, Ivella and Delia shared the same thought.

‘Could it be that she’s the objective instead of Ulan?’

It was a reasonable thought to have. As they finished that line of reasoning, Ivella and Delia frowned.

Just then, Fertisha, who had spotted the three girls late, shouted with a pale expression.

“H-help me!”

“Help you? With what?”

Delia replied with a blunt demeanor.

However, with Fertisha’s ensuing cries, the three girls’ faces stiffened.

“Ulan has fallen into the water!”

Chapter 46. I’ll give chase till the end!