Chapter 2011
To annihilate meant to kill and destroy without leaving any traces. The power of the special resource known as Annihilation energy, which could only be obtained by killing a god and old dragon at the same time, was as intuitive as its name.
No matter the target, Annihilation energy would destroy it. Its power had been proven in practice.
Even Hanul, who was a God of the beginning, couldn’t withstand the Annihilation energy and died. The very same energy had smashed through Grid’s armor even though the armor was made out of a mixture of Greed and the fire dragon’s scales.
Even though Garam claimed to be the strongest being after inheriting Hanul’s divinity and absorbing King Sobyeol’s, what could he really do in this situation? Grid’s Chaos Aura weakened Garam significantly. Defying the Natural Order combined with Twilight could even slash through an old dragon’s Absolute Defense and scales.
The power of the Annihilation energy...
Slash!
He cut Garam as if he was a sheet of paper. Garam’s divinity that emerged from his severed arm was different from usual. It resembled red blood instead of golden light. This was because of the Annihilation energy.
Garam, who was already nervous, became very anxious. This reminded him of his past life as a yangban. The last thing he saw before he died the first time was the pool of blood he had spilled... He couldn’t allow the same thing to happen again. He didn’t want to ever experience that anger and fear again.
[It will be different this time.]
Garam was anxious purely because of the Refractive Dragon. He realized he needed to make sure to not draw the dragon’s attention anymore, so he sealed the power of light. This meant he had lost several of the aces up his sleeve.
But this didn’t mean he was at a disadvantage. After all, he was an Absolute. Even though he could no longer rely on the power of light, he could still move faster than sound. There was no way he would be slower than Grid.
Besides, he still had the Annihilation energy. Because of this, he still had a chance. Even though the odds weren’t in his favor, he still had a chance to win.
Garam calmed down. He cut off one of Grid’s arms using the sword made out of Annihilation energy seconds after Grid had done the same thing to him. Now, both Absolutes had only one armed remaining.
Garam bent forward and spun. Meanwhile, Grid corrected his balance by leaning backward and kicking with his leg up. Grid’s kick hit Garam in the left shoulder.
In the midst of the shards of purple Annihilation energy, Garam stabbed Grid in the abdomen with his sword as he was pushed back slightly.
Garam’s knees buckled, so he stumbled slightly. Grid stabbed him in the back.
[...Haha! Ahahahaha!]
Garam, who had been gritting his teeth in rage just moments before, suddenly burst out laughing. This fierce battle was pushing both of them closer to death. This life or death battle was a lot of fun.
“I finally feel like I’m alive again!”
In any case, Garam had been pushed to the brink from the moment the Refractive Dragon appeared. There was little he could do other than resent the situation he was in.
He suddenly realized something. He was grateful for this moment. After all, he used to be dead. His soul had been extinguished and turned into nothingness. Now, he was alive and breathing again. He was an Absolute, and he had the freedom to make decisions for himself, but he stumbled upon the same guy who had killed him.
He still had a chance to get revenge. So why not be thankful for this opportunity and just enjoy himself?
‘It’s fun.’
Grid also laughed. He was enjoying fighting against Garam.
Of course, it was bound that Grid would eventually find a powerful enemy who could predict his movements and intentions and counterattack accordingly. With every action and intention that Garam predicted, Grid became more and more impressed the longer the battle went on. He was motivated to win, and he could feel his enjoyment increasing with every passing moment. He never felt this whenever he slaughtered those much weaker than him, so his adrenaline shot up.
[Don’t disturb me!] Garam shouted nervously while removing the Annihilation sword from Grid’s abdomen.
The hundreds of Treasures taken from cultivators and immortals flashed with mystical characters and moved on their own. They were very powerful, and managed to keep the clone and old dragons from helping Grid.
Garam was unique when it came to the ability to control matter through intent. He could use intent better than anyone else even when he used to be a Transcendent. Garam, now an Absolute, could even reproduce the Heart Sword.
The hundreds of Treasures under his control turned red with killing intent, their power now amplified. Rather than just keeping the clone and old dragons busy, the Treasures went wild with the intent to harm them.
[If you want to kill me, do it with your own hands,] Garam warned Grid while hundreds of Treasures hovered behind his back.
Garam charged. He and Grid continued seriously injuring each other. Both of them kept losing their balance. Now matter how fast an Absolute could heal, wounds inflicted by Annihilation energy didn’t regenerate easily. This meant that this battle would be decided surprisingly quickly.
Every time their swords collided, purple sparks flew, and multi-layered shockwaves dispersed dozens of times per second, making it look like a purple downpour.
“What is this...?”
Hwang Gildong, Old Sword Demon, the rankers who were performing tasks in various parts of the East Continent, as well as the thousands of players moving onto the next location after capturing two Full Moon Fortresses stopped in their tracks. They were all shocked.
The chat box which showed comments from netizens who were watching the events unfold and congratulating the players on their achievements suddenly stopped moving. Everyone was too stunned to type.
In the distance, two gods appeared. It looked as if their blood was turning into rain. Truly spectacular. Ordinary people saw the fragments of purple Annihilation energy as blood.
Someone thought this scenery looked like the beginning of the apocalypse. “Ragnarok.”
Grid and Garam lost their limbs one by one and had stab wounds all over their bodies. They were badly wounded. Nevertheless, seeing a part of the world disappearing without a trace every time they collided was horrifying.
Old Sword Demon sighed. “He always fights difficult battles alone.”
Hwang Gildong looked serious as he muttered, “A god who repays prayers with penance...”
The situation in the East Continent wasn’t that different from the West Continent. Most of humanity there worshiped Grid as the greatest god. He even had more support than the Four Auspicious Beasts, who were the basis of the East Continent’s myths.
This was why Hwang Gildong was sometimes worried and afraid. He had witnessed Grid’s greatness several times, but he knew it was dangerous for so many people to place their faith into a single god. He was worried that, one day, Grid would become the only god and the Four Auspicious Beasts would disappear into the background of history.
Hwang Gildong was afraid that many beings living on the East Continent would forget many things, just like when they believed Hanul’s false myths. Even if that wasn’t Grid’s intention, he felt he needed to be wary of Grid.
However, at this moment, Hwang Gildong let go of all his worries and fears. He came to truly trust and respect Grid, who had already gained a lot of faith, but still claimed to be an ascetic.
“Shouldn’t we help?” the rankers asked, seeing the atmosphere turning grim.
Most of them had their own livestreams going so they could earn some extra money. They couldn’t ignore the viewers who were worried about Grid because he was fighting alone. The people in the chat were urging the rankers to help Grid.
“Um...”
Old Sword Demon was the leader of the group. He hadn’t been selected as the leader initially, but the others recognized his talents during the destruction of the Full Moon Fortresses and appointed him the leader.
The viewers in the rankers’ livestreams also liked Old Sword Demon. Viewers had advised the rankers they supported to believe and follow Old Sword Demon no matter what even before they saw Grid fighting Garam. Old Sword Demon was a very experienced and skilled fighter. He had fought alongside Hwang Gildong against the yangbans.
“Be prepared for battle, but don’t be hasty.”
In fact, Old Sword Demon wanted to help Grid right away. Their bond was deep and old. However, he couldn’t act hastily just because of what he wanted. He was wary of the hundreds of Treasures pressuring the old dragons. Perhaps as soon as he approached, some of them would switch targets and slaughter his group.
It seemed difficult to get into the fight. The red substance resembling blood was raining from the sky, destroying everything it touched. Old Sword Demon witnessed a huge rock disappearing without a trace.
“But...”
The rankers looked a bit reluctant. All of them could see that Grid was clearly on the defensive.
Bang, boom...
Every time Grid and Garam’s swords collided and exploded, Grid couldn’t withstand the shock and he was inevitably getting torn apart. Even his last remaining limb was dangling as if it was going to fall off any moment now. He used the God Hands to pour potions on his wounds from time to time, but it was useless. Apparently, he was suffering from a powerful and irreversible debuff.
Of course, Garam was in a similar situation, but he was an NPC. Assuming that they were both equally hurt, an NPC had an overwhelming advantage over a player. First of all, an NPC’s HP was much higher. And since Garam was an Absolute NPC, there was no knowing when he would suddenly regenerate the damage taken.
“As expected, we need to help him...!”
The rankers finally decided to act, only to once again stop in their tracks in shock. Garam’s sword was now stuck in Grid’s neck. They all imagined the worst.
Fortunately, Grid’s neck was fine. Before he knew it, Grid had reversed his grip on his sword and blocked the path of Garam’s sword. However, Grid paid a heavy price for doing this. Garam kicked him in the chest with his foot, and Grid flew back like a cannonball.
Garam’s intention to pursue him immediately was engraved everywhere.
[This is the end.]
His will was full of jubilation. Garam was obviously confident that he would emerge victorious. However, something unexpected happened.
[...What?]
Garam’s eyes widened. Grid, who had only one arm remaining, just like Garam, suddenly regained his missing arm. It was a black and gold prosthetic limb made from transforming a God Hand. Garam’s Annihilation sword, which should’ve stabbed Grid in the chest, instead slashed at his prosthetic arm. Even the God Hand, forged out of Greed, couldn’t withstand the power of the Annihilation sword. It shattered immediately.
However, that was enough.
In the split second when the prosthetic arm blocked Garam’s Annihilation sword, Grid struck back. This counterattack used the rebound force generated by the prosthetic hand’s explosion, as well as the force generated by Grid swinging his sword.
Slash!
Garam’s head—
Thud.
—fell to the ground.
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