NOVEL WEB Chapter 397
Chapter 398. To Live by Dying (3)
Authority is the power of the gods.
When two authorities clash, the winner is determined by their priority.
So, which authority wins? The one with the stricter conditions takes precedence.
Keter’s “Unchain” holds the highest priority among authorities. Unless the opponent imposes a “restriction,” Keter’s authority is as good as nonexistent.
Moreover, activating Unchain doesn’t grant Keter any significant advantage. It merely frees him from restraints.
Thus, Keter’s Unchain is prioritized over any other authority.
However, Unchain did not activate against Akra’s power to stop the universe. While there was a difference in scale, Akra’s “Universe Stop” also had conditions as stringent as Keter’s.
Namely, the “restriction” that this was the last time.
Thanks to this, Akra’s Universe Stop was powerful enough to affect even other gods, and it could ignore Keter’s Unchain.
So, Keter imposed a similar “time-limited restriction” to maximize Unchain’s power, allowing him to move within the stopped universe.
Stopping the universe and moving within it are feats not easily accomplished, even for a “god.”
But then, the Grand Duke moved. In a situation where even the gods were bound and unable to act.
Seizing the moment when all of Akra’s focus was on Keter, he completely took control of the situation.
Keter saw the Grand Duke’s movement with his eyes, but his body couldn’t follow. And the same went for Akra.
Thud.
The Grand Duke placed his palm on Akra’s back. Then, he laughed ominously.
“Akra. You designed the world’s forces to gather in one place because of me. I knew it but pretended not to, making you think I was dreaming of counterattacking rather than being defeated by them.”
Keter knew why the Grand Duke was explaining everything so kindly.
‘The Grand Duke only talks a lot when he’s 200% sure of his victory.’
As expected, a mist-like substance flowed from Akra’s body and was absorbed through the Grand Duke’s palm.
“I wasn’t preparing for the gods who were playing the role of human kings. It was you, Akra Nachach. I’ve been aiming for you from the very beginning.”
“…Alkione.”
“No need to worry. I also dislike gods and favor humans. It’s just that my methods differ from yours. I will take all the gods’ power and become the only god. That is the path for humanity.”
“Bullshit!”
Keter didn’t just watch the Grand Duke’s ramblings. Forcing his body to move despite it cracking all over, he threw a punch at the Grand Duke.
In the stopped universe, even “energy” had ceased. Thus, this punch wasn’t just a simple punch.
The power of Eslow’s Prosthetic Arm—
A strike imbued with “Authority Nullification” at its maximum.
Crash!
The Grand Duke’s face was blown away by the punch. But there was no blood or flesh splattering.
-Hahahaha.
The Grand Duke’s voice echoed. But it didn’t come from his face or body. It was as if the “world” itself had a mouth, with the Grand Duke’s voice coming from all directions.
The Grand Duke, now headless, slowly floated up. His body shed its shell like a molting insect. And from within emerged—a young man.
A youth who appeared to be in his prime, around twenty years old. His appearance was strikingly similar to Keter.
-I am now complete.
Alkione, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion, looked down at his own arms. Keter stared at him, who looked so much like himself.
The hair and eye color were different. They were black, like the original Grand Duke’s. But aside from that, their appearances were nearly identical.
“I didn’t know you liked me that much, Grand Duke.”
-Didn’t I already say? I liked everything about you.
“Even so, copying me? No matter how handsome, you’re just a knockoff.”
-Haha. That would be true if someone who knows you were still alive.
“You said you’d do things differently from Akra?”
Keter’s tone shifted to informal, but the Grand Duke didn’t mind.
-In a world where billions live, what difference does it make if tens of thousands die? Don’t worry. I’ll give you plenty of time to regret.
The Grand Duke’s gaze turned to the kings of various nations. It was as if Keter was beneath his notice. His intent to deal with the gods gathered here was clear. The Grand Duke had no intention of hiding it from the start.
Then, the universe’s time, stopped by Akra, began to flow again.
Twitch, twitch.
The first to react were, of course, the gods. They moved first, staring at the Grand Duke.
Their once relaxed expressions had hardened. The Grand Duke’s “level” had transcended dimensions.
-I’ve had the main course. Now, it’s time for dessert.
The Grand Duke reached out toward the kings and slowly clenched his fist.
With that action, the world began to collapse from the outside. The Grand Duke’s will could now interfere with the very fabric of the universe.
Truly, the power of a god.
As evidence, the kings of each nation couldn’t even resist and seemed to be swallowed whole by the Grand Duke’s grasp.
But—
Snap.
With a crisp sound, the Grand Duke’s grasp slowed. No, it wasn’t just the Grand Duke. The universe began to stop once more.
-What is this…?
Akra had been absorbed by the Grand Duke. So how could the universe stop again?
The Grand Duke’s gaze, without hesitation, turned to Keter, and Keter, as if waiting—
Click.
Raised his middle finger.
*
Keter’s authority isn’t just Unchain.
Reverse Battle.
A secondary authority that allows him to use the opponent’s authority under certain conditions. Keter used this to stop the universe’s time.
But the cost was not light.
-I knew you were crazy, but I didn’t think you were stupid.
Keter’s already time-limited life was halved again. Just like Unchain, the cost for amplifying Reverse Battle’s scale.
In other words, Keter would now vanish in 30 minutes. No chance of revival.
-Did you think stopping the universe would stop me?
The Grand Duke had no restrictions on moving even if the universe stopped. He had prepared for it, and after absorbing Akra, he had become immune.
But Keter never intended to stop the Grand Duke by stopping the universe.
Keter spread his arms wide. In his right hand, a bow formed, and in his left, an arrow.
He nocked the arrow, aimed at the Grand Duke, and smoothly drew the bowstring.
The Grand Duke watched the series of actions and sneered.
-You’re thinking of using archery in this situation? Have you forgotten? Even before I became complete, your archery had no effect on me.
“That was then, this is now.”
Keter released the bowstring.
In a world where everyone was frozen, Keter alone began his battle with the Grand Duke.
-I’ll fulfill Rukan’s wish.
The Grand Duke already knew the speed and power of Keter’s arrows. They would have no effect on him.
The Grand Duke ignored the arrow and aimed straight for Keter’s limbs. Just as Rukan had wished in life.
The Grand Duke was a being who could achieve anything with just a thought. The moment he decided to tear off Keter’s limbs, the “phenomenon” occurred instantly, regardless of movement or speed.
In other words, the Grand Duke’s attack was as fast as light.
But.
Keter’s arrow was faster than light. It struck the Grand Duke’s forehead before he could even perceive it.
-…!
The Grand Duke touched his forehead. No wound. No arrow. The arrow Keter shot had been absorbed into his body.
-Your arrow is faster than me?
Keter, who had blocked the Grand Duke’s attack with the Authority Nullification of his left arm, nocked a second arrow and replied.
“Tachyon. An arrow faster than light.”
-Nothing in this world is faster than light!
“That’s your opinion.”
Keter released the bowstring again. Last time, he ignored it, but this time, the Grand Duke opened all his senses and focused on the arrow.
-Archery is just a crude act of using a bow’s elasticity and human strength to shoot an arrow. Such a primitive technique can’t possibly be faster than light!
If he could block Keter’s arrow, it would prove that Keter’s arrow wasn’t that fast.
Thud!
Whoosh.
Two sounds rang out simultaneously. The sound of the arrow piercing the Grand Duke’s head, and the sound of the Grand Duke’s hand swiping at empty air.
Before, he could have excused it as not knowing, but this time, the Grand Duke couldn’t block Keter’s arrow even though he knew it was coming. Keter’s arrow was truly too fast. Fast enough to feel faster than light.
-I admit your arrow is fast. But even so, it can’t affect me. My body is a microcosm. You’re essentially shooting an arrow at the universe.
“Shooting at the universe. Sounds poetic.”
Regardless, Keter shot another arrow.
The Grand Duke could have ignored the arrow and attacked Keter, but he wanted to crush Keter’s pride. Killing Keter was easy, but if he killed him, he could never crush his pride again.
-I may not be able to catch the arrow, but I can block it.
As long as Keter used a bow, the direction he aimed was obvious. The first shot, the second shot—both aimed at the same spot. His forehead.
If he created a wall in that path beforehand, Keter’s arrow would be blocked.
Whoosh.
The sound of thousands of papers tearing simultaneously.
The Grand Duke had surrounded himself with tens of thousands of layers of Ether Shield, yet Keter’s arrow pierced through and struck his forehead again.
-…What did you do this time?
“Tusk. I saw that adding rotation to an arrow increases its penetrating power. The stronger the rotation, the greater the penetration. In other words, with infinite rotation, there’s nothing it can’t pierce.”
-That’s nonsense… Just yesterday, your technique couldn’t pierce even a hundred layers of Ether Shield.
“That’s why I said it. That was then. Just because I couldn’t do it then, why do you think I can’t do it now?”
-I’m tired of your excuses. Die.
The Grand Duke, though possessing the vessel to wield divine power, remained within the realm of human thought. Thus, he didn’t believe in “human potential that can achieve anything.” How could a human do what even a god couldn’t?
In the end, the Grand Duke decided to kill Keter in one blow.
He was a god. And gods must be omnipotent. Yet, Keter had discovered something even he, a god, didn’t know. He didn’t want to let Keter live even a second longer.
The Grand Duke’s will manifested in the form of an attack. He erased a 100-meter radius around Keter from existence.
An absolute power of death that no one could defend against or evade.
…Or so it should have been.
Thud.
Keter’s arrow struck the Grand Duke’s forehead again.
The Grand Duke had erased space. It was undoubtedly effective. Yet, for some reason, the space Keter stood on remained intact.
“Ivan’s Three Thousand Worlds enveloped me. This universe belongs to no one, so you can erase it, but my world cannot be erased by anyone.”
Keter’s “Reverse Battle” mimics the authority of “opponents he has fought.” In other words, it doesn’t matter when he fought them. If he survives the authority, he can use it at any time.
-Even so, your death has only been delayed by one second.
If erasing space couldn’t kill Keter, then he would attack in another way.
Of course, Keter kept shooting arrows, but the Grand Duke now completely ignored them. After all, Keter’s attacks had no effect on him.
The Grand Duke reached out into the void. The void split into the shape of a sword and fell into his hand.
The Grand Duke wasn’t a master swordsman, but he was a genius who could understand and replicate any technique after seeing it once. His sword embodied the secret techniques of all the world’s greatest swordsmanship schools.
Heavenly Sword Style – Sky Cleaver.
Demon Sword of Heaven – Thunderclap.
Blackwood Style – Surging Wave.
108 Sorrow Swords – Slaughter.
?
It wasn’t just copying secret techniques. Like Belferio, each technique contained the “power to split the world.”
In other words, even Keter’s Three Thousand Worlds could be cut.
-Let’s see you block that. Haha… huh?
The only way to block a world-splitting slash was to possess a “microcosm” like himself. And Keter hadn’t obtained a microcosm. Thus, he was certain Keter would die—yet Keter trampled on his certainty.
Whoosh, whirl!
He was dodging. In the storm of sword techniques that seemed to have no gaps. Twisting, lying down, jumping up.
What good is a world-splitting slash if it doesn’t hit?
-You’re dodging this?
Of course, the Grand Duke hadn’t considered the synergy between sword techniques. But even so, each technique was a secret art, and he had unleashed 17 of them.
It was hard to imagine that someone could find and evade the gaps in all those secret techniques on the spot.
-Do you have no pride?
Rolling on the ground to avoid slashes, even taking ridiculous poses. A being with the power of a god.
“Does pride feed you?”
Keter performed acrobatics, shooting arrows while in a handstand. The arrow struck the Grand Duke’s forehead without fail.
The Grand Duke didn’t continue his attack. The enemy had completely disappeared.
-Keter. I absorbed Akra, the Mother of Gods. Meanwhile, you only strengthened your authority. How can you stand against me?
There was no need to answer the enemy’s questions. But Keter kindly replied.
“Grand Duke. You once said. The strongest person in the world is the one who has nothing to lose.”
-So you made yourself a time-limited being with no way back, pushing your talent to the limit?
“I used to agree with you. But not anymore. The strongest person in the world is the one who has a hell of a lot to protect.”
-……
“And one more thing, you made a big mistake.”
-Hahaha. Your arrogance has made you talkative. Go ahead, babble all you want. You’re a dead man anyway.
No matter how much Keter could survive the Grand Duke’s attacks, he couldn’t escape natural death.
“Ruquer’s survival principle. It’s not over until it’s over. You shouldn’t forget that, Grand Duke.”
-Bluffing… huh?
The Grand Duke felt something off with his outstretched arm.
His body was a microcosm. An endless void. Yet, in his palm, he felt a faint but unmistakable spark.
And that spark was growing in real-time.
-What is this?
The Grand Duke hastily observed his microcosm and was horrified.
It was an explosion. An explosion within the microcosm. Light spreading through the darkness. And within his microcosm, Keter’s voice echoed.
“Milky Way. A beacon to light the darkness.”
The arrows Keter had shot into the Grand Duke’s body were continuously exploding. The explosions consumed each other, expanding infinitely, faster than the Grand Duke’s microcosm could expand.
The Grand Duke’s microcosm reached a point where it could no longer contain the light, and it escaped his entire body. And in the blink of an eye, it swallowed the world.