NOVEL WEB Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Flinch-!
“Did you feel that, Akad?”
“Just now?”
“Yeah. That explosive power.”
“There’s no way I couldn’t have felt it.”
The two were closely watching the dungeon where Eckelart had headed.
Greed and his subordinate, Aita.
“The output just now exceeded the transcendental level… Could it be a True Name contract?”
“No, I don’t think so. That kind of situation wouldn’t have arisen in the first place. Both sides should be trapped within the dungeon’s rules.”
“Then how do you explain this absurd output?”
“Power that clearly surpasses transcendence… It is indeed strange.”
“Could it be that he’s contracted with some unusual demon?”
Akad replied with a yawn.
“All demons are strange, Aita. You know that.”
“Ah… They are all strange, aren’t they? But to reach the level of transcendence…”
“I know. It’s when an ordinary species sheds its skin and undergoes metamorphosis. That’s the general perception. However… demons don’t exactly belong to ordinary species, do they?”
“Without a True Name contract… could he have drawn power from Hell?”
“I doubt it.”
In response to Aita’s question, Akad shared what he thought.
“In this case, it’s actually the opposite. The demon’s talent bloomed on the surface.”
“…Does that even make sense?”
“You’ve seen it often enough to know, right? Just how absurd the demon species is. After all, it wasn’t the angels beside him but the demons that Solomon used to conquer the continent.”
“……”
“It is curious, though… that he can wield power of a higher dimension with a body that’s forcibly restricted.”
They didn’t know exactly what this energy was, but the power Peshua had just displayed while killing Eckelart was undeniably astonishing.
It was an event no different from a bird without wings successfully taking flight.
“If that power just now wasn’t a coincidence… this could get interesting.”
“I agree.”
“He wielded transcendental power without reaching the level of transcendence or making a True Name contract. So… what would happen if he actually reached the transcendental level?”
“A transcendental being above a transcendental being… No, in this case, he might be able to draw all of Hell’s power.”
Akad’s thoughts grew complicated.
“Originally, I was only interested in the blood flowing through Faust’s body… but the situation has changed.”
“Even for you, Akad?”
“There’s something strange about his demons too. It sounds ridiculous to call any demon ‘ordinary,’ but they’re different from typical demons.”
“When we reach Malasis, everyone will be after him. He might die before he even has a chance to blossom.”
“I’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen…”
“Akad, you always take on troublesome tasks.”
“Aita, you’ll be handling this from now on.”
“…Kill him?”
Whooooooosh…
KABOOOOOM-!
Another explosion.
This time, it was from the direction of the dungeon.
“In this case… it must be Eckelart’s side.”
“Right? …The mana wavelength is much larger than I expected.”
“Has he really become a Transcendent?”
At Aita’s words, Akad nodded.
“It seems certain. Foolish guy… Awakening from the seal with mana surpassing a high-level Transcendent, yet clinging to the power he had before becoming one.”
“He must have suffered severely and then realized it.”
“It’s like someone who can wield a steel sword obsessing over a stone axe. Now that he’s realized it, he’s definitely worth subjugating.”
“But… how do we suppress him now?”
“His mana is becoming excessively massive… Can we even handle him?”
* * *
Crack…
Crackle, crackle…
Eckelart’s corpse, charred and blackened like burnt charcoal.
Fwoooosh…
KABOOOOM-!
Eckelart, who in the previous battle had merely shed his skin, now shattered the burnt shell in an instant and awakened.
“Huff… Huff…”
Peshua effortlessly claimed his life, as if it were only natural. However, there seemed to be some restriction on that power, as Eckelart barely regained his breath.
Instead, he used the power of the Purple Key.
He unleashed all the sealed power and potential.
He had expected an overwhelming fury to take over, but what came to him was emptiness. In the torrent of mana, the things he had been chasing after disappeared like bubbles—leaving only a void.
And… the realization that none of it had any meaning.
Whhooosh…
Wrapped in the cold of the frozen wasteland, Eckelart finally understood.
The realm of a true Transcendent… was far different from what he had imagined.
“…Thank you.”
The mana of the cold he had accumulated over the long years in his sealed state. It was due to this overwhelming mana that he had suddenly ascended to the realm of a Transcendent.
And yet, he had been living in the past.
He had been stuck in the past, using human sorcery with this overflowing mana.
‘A Transcendent… should wield power befitting a Transcendent.’
The sorcerer of the extreme cold had finally awakened to his true power after a bizarre battle with a demon. With this, Eckelart had come to possess even more vast mana.
This was both good news and bad news for Faust. If they could subjugate him, they would gain a true Transcendent, but the path to that goal had become much more difficult.
KABOOM-!
The door leading from the 3rd layer to the 2nd layer shattered. Due to the narrowing nature of the Frost Nest dungeon as one ascended, it wasn’t long before they encountered the demon guarding the area.
“…I had a feeling it would come to this.”
Amon sighed as he confronted the true Transcendent.
“Seems like at this point, this body will have to clean up all the mess.”
[A boss battle is commencing.]
[Amon, the Thunder Demon, unleashes lightning to block the retreat.]
Amon instantly saw through Eckelart’s condition.
“You’re exhausted. Whose doing is this… the redhead? The white-haired one? Or… both?”
“…Annoying.”
“I should have revised the plan when I had the chance. Was I too cautious?”
Amon muttered to himself, then clapped his hands.
Smack-!
“Let’s proceed with the original plan. I’ll explain the rules.”
“Rules?”
Kwaaaaaang-!
An ice spear immediately flew like a convulsion and struck the spot where Amon had been standing.
“So impatient….”
“Do you think I’ll follow your rules?”
“Yeah, yeah… How could a transcendent being like yourself not know? Around this time, they all tend to live in their own worlds. Still, I’ll explain it to you. Otherwise, this won’t be a fight but some bizarre dance routine.”
Amon calmly began to explain.
“I’ve reclaimed Albinus. Though, it’s in a slightly… different form.”
“Al… binus? Are you saying that old relic still exists?”
“The witches seemed to treasure it quite a bit… Anyway, it’s so old that it can only be used once, and the method of use has changed significantly. It used to be a cannon, right?”
“If you keep spouting such nonsense….”
“From now on!”
She grinned slyly.
“Every time I touch your body, Albinus will charge a lightning bolt.”
“Touch my body?”
“It’s like setting spatial coordinates… something like that. It’s the process of guiding each bolt to a fixed point. Tracking the target….”
“…Have you finished your nonsense?”
“Don’t come back later complaining that I didn’t explain properly. I’ve seen more than enough of that, and it’s utterly exhausting.”
Whooooooo…
[Eckelart uses the Golden Art: Beneath the Frozen River.]
[For 3 hours, sorcery can only be used through ritual.]
[When the duration ends, you will be buried in an ice cocoon and sleep for 3 days.]
A power with great risk.
However, Eckelart no longer had the luxury to hesitate.
If she took damage close to death now, she would truly die.
Giiiiiiiing-
[Amon uses Unarmed: Hands of Duty.]
[A pair of hands resonating with Amon’s mind are summoned.]
Crackle…
“It’s a shame… It’ll take some time to recreate them….”
Amon instinctively knew that her mechanical hands would be destroyed in this battle.
“In that case, I’ll make sure to use them well, so there’s no regret.”
Giiiiiiiing-
A pair of small mechanical hands enveloped Amon’s hands.
Dagrrrrrrrrrr…
“Why must we move? Why does labor exist in this world…? When will the greatness of the Combat Noodle Eater be known to the world?”
Creak-
Amon closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
“Let’s begin.”
Kwaaaaang-!
Kwaaaaaaang-!
Both kicked off the ground at the same time, charging toward each other.
Kwaaaang-!
Kwack-!
The sound seemed to blend into a single moment, but three collisions occurred in the blink of an eye. Amon suffered from two of the impacts, while the final clash ended in a draw.
‘A true transcendent.’
The aura she had felt from below was incomparable to what she felt now. Amon lamented why she alone had to face such a monster.
[Amon uses Lightning Speed.]
[Amon triggers thunder to move faster. Applies to all actions, including movement, counterattacks, and evasion.]
Crackle-!
Her movements scattered lightning in every direction.
Finally, Amon’s speed became comparable to Eckelart’s.
Paaaang-!
She grabbed Eckelart’s fist,
Swoosh…
Thud-!
and slammed her palm into his abdomen.
[The first lightning bolt’s target is set.]
“That’s one.”
Baaaaaaang-!
Eckelart kicked at Amon, but the blow landed on her guard. The subsequent pursuit was blocked by the giant Hands of Duty.
Kwaaaang-!
In the previous fight, those Hands of Duty had seemed so reliable, yet now they were deflected in less than two seconds.
Whoooong-!
With just a thought from Eckelart, the area around Amon’s feet froze.
Clap clap clap clap-!
As the small mechanical hands clapped in unison, sparks flew.
Crackle-!
The complex formula of the sorcery quickly tangled and was canceled, allowing Amon to regain her freedom in no time.
They clashed again.
Kwaaaang-!
“Ugh….”
Eckelart’s overwhelming force was incredible. At this moment, he showed no fear of close combat.
If he had appeared in the fourth or third layers like this, Ipos would have been helpless, and Peshua wouldn’t have landed a single blow.
But that was all hypothetical; it was Eckelart’s own doing that led to this. He hadn’t realized that the first step to true transcendence is giving up what one possesses, and that’s why he had suffered.
Though the past couldn’t be changed, the future could. Each strike from Eckelart carried that intent.
Whoooong-!
Amon bent her waist backward to avoid his punch.
Thwack-!
As Eckelart’s other hand transformed into a blade-like shape to strike down,
Kwaaaang-!
A Hand of Duty struck him.
‘Where…!?’
The impact of the punch caused him to lose track of Amon’s position for a moment.
Above? Or behind?
Crackle-!
Amon appeared behind the Hand of Duty.
“I expected that….”
Kwaaaang-!
But then, another Hand of Duty struck his back.
“You didn’t expect this, though.”
Bababak-!
In an instant, three touches were made.
[The second lightning bolt’s target is set.]
[The third lightning bolt’s target is set.]
[The fourth lightning bolt’s target is set.]
Flinching-!
Amon’s pupils dilated as she reached out with her hand.
Paaaak-!
Eckelart grabbed her head with one hand and slammed it into the ground.
Kwaaaaaaang-!
Kwaggagagagagaga-!
Eckelart ran, dragging her along, maximizing the impact.
Whoooong-!
The Hand of Duty moved to pull Amon out, but…
Kwaaaaaaang-!
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
An ice pillar shot through the center of the Hand of Duty’s palm.
Giii… Giiii…
Thud…
The massive hand was now useless.
“Pathetic.”
Amon hung limp in the air, her head still gripped.
Tap, tap…
Amon’s hands lightly tapped Eckelart’s arm, as if signaling him to let go.
[The fifth lightning bolt’s target is set.]
[The sixth lightning bolt’s target is set.]
“Come, Albinus.”
“Enough with the games.”
“…Did you catch on?”
Amon extended her left hand toward Eckelart, mimicking the shape of a gun with her fingers.
Giiiing-
“Bam….”
Slice-!
Her left hand, where a strange energy had been gathering, was cleanly severed and fell to the ground.
“…Any last words?”
“…Did you get a good look?”
“What do you mean?”
“The last sight you’ll see before you die.”
“…Such worthless bravado.”
Crack-!
Amon’s body went limp.
[The boss battle is over.]
……
Whip-!
Eckelart tossed Amon’s crumbling corpse aside.
“All that’s left… is the Dungeon Keeper.”
Now a true transcendent, Eckelart stood before the door to the heart of the first layer, the Frost Nest.
Even without touching it, his mere presence caused the door to slowly open.
Rumble…
An empty space.
It felt even more so because the ceiling was completely open, making it seem like the night sky, dotted with stars, would pour down at any moment.
At that moment, a voice echoed.
– …Come forth.
A witch’s voice.
Clear, yet ominous.
– Come forth, cursed one….
“This….”
It was a phrase he had heard before.
– Come forth as a great evil. And thus, upon this land….
A memory from long ago, just before he had been sealed away. The dreadful sword, and the puppet that wielded it.
– Devour the evil. Cursed one.
Whoooooong…
Finally, he saw someone emerging from the darkness, holding a sword wrapped in cloth. As they slowly stepped forward, the cloth around the sword began to unravel.
“That sword….”
The Cursed Sword, Mislante.
Whoooooosh…
A thick, blood-red aura engulfed Faust. He assumed a stance, wearing Satan’s Mask.
“…Let’s begin.”
The curse energy flowing from the eyeholes of the mask sent a chill through Eckelart’s heart.
[Dungeon: Final battle at the Frost Nest is commencing.]
[Critical situation! The enemy has reached the heart of the dungeon.]
[Faust manipulates the Dungeon Core to block all escape routes.]
……