Angie, Ereta, Phey, Tiamat, Lumel, Richard.
The moment those six appeared, Aslan knew the battlefield would change.
It would be different from before when they were barely holding on, lacking just half a step and without time to catch their breath.
It seemed that some members of the traveling party had noticed this fact the instant they entered the battlefield.
Of course, some were still trying to assess the situation, but that didn’t matter.
Whether they understood the situation or not,
the traveling party wasn’t made up of fools who would stand around blankly.
As they descended to the bottom of the Abyss, the party charged forward.
Some ran across shadows, others wielded weapons, and a few kept an eye on the enemies while calculating distances.
The Abyss surged toward the descending party.
Aslan stared intently at the Abyss and the party.
Regenerating his shattered left arm with purity, Aslan saw the tyrant dragon roaring.
—!
Dozens of heads howled in unison, shaking the heavens violently, while possessed beings darted through the screams to charge at the party.
The moment the running enemies and allies clashed, a thunderous sound erupted.
Kwaang!
And the tyrant dragon was pushed back.
Unable to withstand the fierce impact, the monstrous dragon’s body bent backward as it was forced to retreat. In that gap, Angie wielding a greatsword could be seen.
Wherever the blade resembling flames swung, countless black scales fell off, and black blood flowed from the dragon’s head.
Even as it bled and tilted, the tyrant dragon continued its assault. The possessed beings rushing below were met by the party.
Chheeng!
Among them, Richard stood out the most.
Richard was throwing punches.
While maintaining his center of gravity, he stepped forward and threw punches in movements so rapid they were nearly simultaneous, each punch carrying decisive force.
Bang, Kwagang!
A deafening roar that no human fist should produce. A punch pierced abdomens, an elbow smashed heads from behind, and another kick split heads apart.
But none of these actions belonged to Richard himself.
As if having learned something moments ago, Richard unleashed newly acquired strikes mercilessly upon the possessed beings.
Even bullets raining down couldn’t stop him.
Catching the flying bullets with his hand, he casually flicked them away, turning the automatic pistols of the possessed into Swiss cheese.
Phey made good use of her agility.
Tchhah-zah-zah-jak!
No matter how skilled a possessed being might be with a legendary sword, they couldn’t catch the elven girl.
The girl infused her mobility not only into her movement but also into her swordplay.
Accelerating instantly to maximum speed, she slashed, then halted and spun with great force to swing her sword again.
Though it seemed unstable at first glance, the flexibility and agility unique to elves turned even this instability into power.
Everywhere her crimson slashes passed, heads were severed, arms cut off, legs severed, and waists broken.
As chopped-up possessed beings rained down like rain, the girl accelerated and drop-kicked a possessed being charging towards Tiamat.
Despite receiving such active protection, Tiamat remained calm.
He held his bow steady, tapping the arrow shaft lightly with his fingers as if gauging something, then drew an arrow.
Placing the arrow on the string, he pulled it back and released it.
Though his stance was closer to a casual one, it was so orthodox it felt reverent.
Thus, the arrow predictably pierced through the enemy.
Kwaaaang!
The arrow flew and struck the dragon’s jaw. Its head tilted, and the pierced head sagged.
Phey seized this opportunity and approached swiftly.
Reaching supersonic speeds, using the air as a wall, she accelerated repeatedly to close the distance.
Upon reaching close range, the girl swung her sword. The swinging blade was red and ash-gray.
A storm and flames scattered wildly.
Her blade precisely embedded itself between scales, carved a line, and withdrew.
She repeated this action at astonishing speed, creating deep cuts wherever her crimson wind passed, causing dark blood to pour like waterfalls.
Goo-ooo-o-o-o-o-o—
Cheeeer-eek!
A few intact heads screamed briefly as they gathered breath for a breath attack, but before they could release it, Angie’s greatsword struck the heads, leaving them grotesquely mangled and scattered.
Still, the remaining heads unleashed their breath attacks.
The power of destruction that erased everything it touched. Aslan waited for this moment and swung his Abyssal Sword with perfect timing.
Kwoooouuuuung!
Between the shockwaves spreading in a circle, there was no life-or-death crisis.
The possessed beings charging toward Aslan were swept away by the shockwave, but Phey had moved to a safe distance, and Angie resisted the force and attacked again.
The void and chaos coldly analyzed this sudden situation.
An intense battle visible to anyone was unfolding, centered around Aslan.
This absurd exchange ratio was maintained because of Aslan.
The void and chaos tried to intercept Aslan using agile possessed beings, pulling a few from the darkness and pushing them toward Aslan.
However, the possessed beings failed to reach Aslan.
Instead, the moment they approached, a woman descended upon them from above.
Kwajik!
A golden spear, imbued with lightning, pierced through. The possessed being, impaled from the crown to the groin, slumped over.
The woman pulled her spear sideways and blocked a group of possessed beings.
“Huff, haa!”
Exhaling, the woman blocked a descending axe with her sword.
Before the ringing metallic sound faded, the spear butt struck the abdomen.
The blow was powerful enough to naturally tilt the possessed being’s body, and as soon as it tilted, the spearhead severed the neck.
Before the head hit the ground, the spear pierced another possessed being, gutting them.
The motion paused as the possessed being was impaled, but Lumel’s inherited family treasure, which he wielded, cleanly decapitated the target. The thick blade sliced through the neck, which dropped heavily to the ground.
While Lumel protected Aslan, only Ereta managed to pass through him.
“Ahslan.”
Ereta, drenched in blood, placed her hand on Aslan’s back, and vitality flowed into his body.
“Er… Ereta.”
Even though the wounds could be healed with purity, the vitality Ereta injected gave Aslan additional stamina.
Enough stamina to swing his sword a few more times.
Aslan nodded gratefully, and Ereta smiled faintly, nodding twice playfully.
With the party joining forces, Aslan gained more than just the stamina Ereta provided; he now had a better chance of victory.
In that case, there was no need for many words.
Aslan trusted the party.
“Let’s go.”
Thus, words were unnecessary.
Lumel, who had been blocking possessed beings in front of Aslan, nodded upon hearing those words and immediately reversed his grip on the spear.
“Haa!”
With a shout, he planted his foot on the ground and thrust his arm forward.
Along with the extended arm, the golden spear flew.
Pa-chik, pa-jijik, krrrrr!
The spear, enveloped in lightning as it flew, accurately pierced a possessed being charging towards Angie from behind.
Even with armor, the possessed being was easily pierced. Without hesitation, Angie grabbed the spear shaft emerging from the possessed being’s body and swung it around.
Kwaang!
The possessed being was sent flying, scattering like blood mist. Angie then reversed her grip on the spear and aimed it at the dragon’s head.
“Hryaap!”
A typical war cry mixed with an atypical sound. With a spinning step, a harsh roar accompanied the spear’s launch.
Although it was far from a third-rate javelin throw, the force imbued within it surpassed even the best.
The flying spear violently gouged and pierced through the dragon’s head. Along with the violent tearing, chunks of flesh-like matter fell heavily.
Goo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!
The dragon, seemingly writhing in agony, attempted to unleash a breath attack, but Aslan swung his Abyssal Sword before it could.
Once again, a circular shockwave spread, along with the dragon’s scales. Between the gaps, Ereta blocked the Abyss’ spines targeting Aslan.
Ka-ga-ga-kang!
Holding the axe handle with both hands, crossing them, she deflected the spines with the axe blade and handle, then hardened the Abyss with the erupting flames.
The Abyss next targeted Tiamat, but the result was the same.
“This sensation is really unpleasant!”
Tiamat was being protected by Richard.
He effortlessly deflected all incoming spines with his hands, smashing them with punches, deflecting them with more punches, and kicking them away, destroying them with simple actions.
Thus, the following counterattack was justified.
The plasma arrow Tiamat drew burned fiercely, and his massive mouth opened wide.
‘Mountain Breaker.’
Krrrrrrrung!
Thunder imbued, the plasma shot forward. The dragon didn’t even notice, let alone block, the incoming plasma.
The fire of mana traveling in a straight line through the Abyss was imbued with lightning.
The verdict discharged the imbued mana as lightning.
Pajijijijijjik!
Suddenly, the Abyss glowed with a golden light. Intense lightning flowed out.
As the dragon roared in pain and stopped, Phey took advantage of the pause in the lightning and flew forward.
Thoom, kicking off the air.
Whoosh! Kicking the head of a charging possessed being, shattering it as she leaped forward.
Flying in, she wreaked havoc.
Bolren’s sword imbued with storms and Enomoto’s sword filled with flames successively hacked away at each of the dragon’s heads.
Black blood sprayed everywhere as Angie ran through the rain of blood.
Dragging her greatsword along the ground, gathering strength, she unleashed the trained brute force upon the world.
The explosive power, akin to a volcanic eruption, struck the dragon’s leg.
The leg was severed as if roughly torn off. Losing balance and becoming paralyzed, the dragon leaned.
Aslan targeted the leaning dragon and plunged his purity into the ground.
Pulling back the Abyssal Sword held in his left hand.
Originally, to bring down the Abyss, it would have required either the time or firepower to burn the entire Abyss.
Or such measures would have been necessary.
After all, firepower capable of burning the world isn’t common.
Aslan realized now was clearly easier.
For every power the Abyss uses, the Abyssal Sword consumes an equal amount.
Thus, the Abyss could only rely on emptiness, chaos, and the possessed beings.
And the party, knowing they had a worthy opponent and that their attacks landed, wouldn’t fall behind.
Their level had already reached that of high priests or upper-level priests.
Therefore, there was no defeat.
Finally stepping the missing half-step, Aslan caught his breath once.
Then he swung the Abyssal Sword.
Following the swing, the wind howled loudly, a tremendous roar echoed, and the Abyssal Sword became a blade hundreds of meters long, striking the dragon’s neck.
The dragon resisted by sprouting new heads and gathering breath for another attack.
Kwajik!
The concentrated destruction inside the mouth.
However, Angie’s thrown victory pierced the dragon’s jaw faster.
The breath scattered with the victory’s strike, and Phey, approaching swiftly, seized the victory.
Though normally impossible to accelerate and grab, it was possible now due to her pre-acceleration.
The elf whose agility could be judged by strength, especially the one who had reached its peak, infused her acceleration into the sword swing.
Kwa-dde-dde-ddek!
Thus, the dragon’s neck was cleanly severed, the head falling to the ground. Simultaneously, the Abyssal Sword advanced.
Kwajik!
The head struck the ground, and the Abyssal Sword crushed and squeezed dozens of heads together.
The collapsing dragon. The Abyss still twitching with life.
Retrieving the purity he had planted for balance as the Abyssal Sword traced a large arc and diminished, Aslan declared:
“Star Cutter.”
The retrieved purity blazed.
From within his body, an otherworldly concentration consumed itself for one final strike.
[Remaining fighting spirit: 0]
Finally revealing its true form, the sword now bore a star.
A dying star, burning brightly like a supernova, now resided within.
A single strike capable of severing even the divinity of an evil deity. Aslan unleashed it within the evil deity.
Kwagagagagagagagaga!
A vertical upward slash. For an instant, the world turned white, and the dragon’s massive body split in two.
Goo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!
The dragon screamed as it collapsed.
Gya-aa-a-ack!
The remaining possessed beings simultaneously cried out, clutching their heads and rolling on the ground.
Retrieving the purity he had swung, Aslan thought.
Divinity is the sole resource that sustains this world, the Abyss.
By severing it now, the Abyss must be experiencing the pain of its existence vanishing.
If it ended here, it would be good, but it probably won’t.
Aslan knew it wouldn’t be that simple, seeing the possessed beings dissolve and pour into the dragon.
“What the hell now?”
“Everyone, regroup!”
Angie muttered, while Tiamat shouted fiercely, sorting arrows with his hands.
Amidst his companions, Aslan silently glared at the Abyss.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue immediately upon realizing the situation.
The dragon and the possessed beings merged, and the Abyss violently churned.
This wasn’t the last agony of something dying.
Since the Abyss lacks self-awareness and only has a survival instinct,
Aslan’s strike had stimulated that survival instinct, prompting it to begin digesting what it truly consumed.
As evidence, the system window lingering at the corner of Aslan’s vision, filled with quests equivalent to a list of high priests and priests, rapidly decreased.
[Ongoing Main Quests]
[High Priest, Defeat the gods of Emptiness and Chaos]
[High Priest, Defeat War Hero Rebecca Clark]
[High Priest, Defeat Tubul Goryu]
[High Priest, Defeat Reincarnated Sage Enomoto Jun]
[High Priest, ? ■]
…
…
When the shrinking list finally left only one entry, the letters seemed overlapping.
Letters wriggling as if alive. Aslan frowned as he read them.
[Ongoing Main Quests]
[ ! Surrender to the Abyss to end the game]
Countless overlapping letters wriggling grotesquely.
A system message far from normal.
It was nothing less than a Dark Ram’s urging.
Looking at it, Aslan faced the front.
It was the Abyss.
A revolting sight, a congregation of abominations.
What occupied the place where the dragon’s body and head should have been was no longer ordinary.
Hundreds of arms, legs, and heads, connected chaotically with organs not belonging to humans.
Such reinterpreted bodies and heads of the Abyss replaced them.
That monstrosity unworthy even of the title “evil dragon” gleamed blackly.
Surrounding that monstrosity, the Abyss swirled.
Seeing this scene, Aslan gripped his purity and Abyssal Sword tightly.
Smirking as he twisted the corner of his mouth.
Mocking both the Abyss before him and the flock observing this situation.
And mocking the fact that he wasn’t being manipulated as expected.
That Aslan, who should’ve died long ago, was still alive and moving.
Feeling an unpleasant stirring from the flock,
he told them.
“Tsk.”
He wouldn’t play along any longer.
Resolving thus, Aslan gripped the Abyssal Sword even tighter.
Kurrrrrr!
The Abyssal Sword then violently swirled, devouring the Abyss.
As Aslan’s hair fluttered, his emerald-green eyes ignited between the strands.
The Abyssal Sword then surged towards the Abyss.
