Ch-83
—
**Claaaang!**
At the same time, the body of the Supreme Dragon stiffened like stone.
*Tap! Crack-crack-crackle!*
The hardened body shattered and fell apart, piece by piece.
The Supreme Dragon was dying.
It was accepting its death.
It had realized that its duty as the final seal had come to an end.
And with the satisfaction that it had been able to convey its will at the very end, it met its demise.
Thenâ
**ăYou have resonated with the Supreme Dragon.ă**
**ăThe âDragon Swordsmasterâ class is being elevated to the âDragon Knightâ class.ă**
**ăYou have inherited the âDragon Knightâ class.ă**
**ăThe âDragon Knightâ class removes the sword mastery cap up to Lv 28.ă**
An elevation to the Dragon Knight class!
The inheritance had been completedânot from Riley, but from the Supreme Dragon.
He had, in effect, secured the Dragon Knight class for certain.
**ăThe final seal has been released.ă**
**ăâThe One Who Is the Abyss Itselfâ is being born!ă**
**ăForced Erosion is beginning.ă**
Zeeeeingâ
In that instant, a massive warp gate opened.
And on the opposite side of the warp, Earth could be seen.
A massive city on Earth.
*Kyakyaak!*
But the warp froze in place.
Hel had rejected the erosion that would occur through the warp.
Yet one final trial remained.
The One Who Is the Abyss Itself.
Fail to surpass that trial, and the erosion would proceed as is.
âIf I am wrong⊠prove it.â
Before anyone realized it, Riley stood where the Supreme Dragon had been.
Before becoming the Abyss Itself, Rileyâs soul had moved his body.
Like the Supreme Dragon, he could self-destructâbut before that, he wanted to confirm something.
The will of the Supreme Dragon that he had learned through the resonance just moments ago.
Whether that will was true.
Whether he had truly been wrong.
âYou. Your name?â
Riley asked for a name.
At this moment, I was moving purely according to the memories of the Star.
Therefore, the name I had to answer was already determined.
âWilhelm.â
âYour title?â
âKnight King.â
âI see. So that is what you were called!â
Riley burst into hearty laughter.
As if he now understood.
The skill he had witnessed in that brief moment was indeed worthy of being called the Knight King.
Then, conjuring a Dragon Sword in his right hand just as I did, he spoke:
âWilhelm, Knight King. Riley the Sword Saint seeks a duel. âŠWouldn’t it be a shame to end it here?â
âYou ask the obvious.â
âAs expected! Had we met long ago, we might have been great comrades.â
âIf we had met long ago, youâd be buried in the dirt, not the Abyss.â
âHa! That wouldâve been nice too. And soââ
Rileyâs cheerful smile turned icy, as if it had been a lie.
ââlet the victor be the one who is right.â
A statement of absolute truth.
*
*
**- Phase 5âŠ
* Phase 5⊠is this real?
* The One Who Is the Abyss Itself? So this must be the final phase.
* Itâs Randolph.
* Is it really Randolph?
* Iâve got goosebumps.
* Iâm changing my underwear.
* Gracia, the Empire, even Mint Choco couldnât do itâbut Randolph did??
* Well yeah, Randolph is Wilhelm and Wilhelm is Phantom.
* No but seriously⊠does this make any sense?**
Player Talk flipped in an instant.
The divided opinion completely reversed the moment Phase 5 began.
It was really Randolph.
Randolph was conquering the labyrinth!
**- But isnât the final phase going to be hard?
* Isnât it only possible because previous challengers drained all the HP?
* Mint Choco spent over a day on it. Heâs just stealing the credit.**
There were still negative voices.
But those negative opinions were drowned out almost instantly.
Because nearly everyone else was cheering.
**- See? I told you he was the real Randolph!
* Uwoooooooooo!!!!!
* The REAL one has arrived!!!!
* Mom! When I grow up, I want to be Randolph! Mom! I WANT TO BE RANDOLPH!!
* Please! Please! PLEASE!
* We trust in Phantom God!
* O Phantom God! Show these fools what is truly real!!**
—
—
**Claaaaang!**
Every time their swords collided, a clear, ringing sound echoed.
Two bodies with identical abilities.
A pure contest of swordsmanship.
ââŠI lost.â
Yet the duel did not last long.
Before they exchanged even a hundred strikes, Riley lowered his blade.
âYou never meant to win from the start.â
It wasnât over.
I had no intent to end it yet.
But Riley shook his head.
âNo, I gave my all. Though it is regretful we did not cross blades to the end, this much is enough. I know already⊠that you surpass me.â
The moment their swords first clashedâat the very first exchangeâRiley knew.
No, he had already known since facing the Supreme Dragon.
His own insufficiency.
That what he witnessed was **not** Wilhelmâs full strength.
âYouâre hiding your true power. Even while fighting the Supreme Dragon and me, you didnât reveal everything. A sign that we were not strong enough to draw out your full capabilities.â
âŠIt seemed Riley was greatly misunderstanding something.
He believed I wasnât showing my full strength because he was weak.
When I had truly been doing my best.
It was simply that I lacked the ability to draw out Wilhelmâs entirety.
Riley slowly clenched his fist.
âThough we have failed, you may very well be able to defeat the Doom. You, the master of the Throne of Light, must be a noble one. For humanity, that is a blessing.â
A look filled with deep emotionânostalgic, almost tender.
Even though he had lost, he held hope that the man before him might succeed.
âHow embarrassing.â
There was no need to tell him that Iâd already killed the Demon King once.
Because technically the victory wasnât complete yet.
âAbove all⊠thank you. For giving me the chance to end myself before becoming the Abyss Itself. For delivering the Supreme Dragonâs will.â
Rileyâs body began to harden.
Just like the Supreme Dragon before him.
He had chosen to self-destruct before becoming the Abyss Itself.
Riley smiled faintly.
âTo meet you at the very end of my end⊠I am glad. It was an honor to face a warrior like you. If someday we meet again, then surelyââ
A voice filled with regret.
But Riley never finished his sentence.
*Thud.*
*Crack-crack!*
His entire form turned to stone, shattered, and sank into the Abyss.
Time had been short from the very beginningâerosion had been progressing every second.
Soon, Riley vanished without a trace.
And at the same momentâ
**ăYou have successfully eliminated âThe One Who Is the Abyss Itselfâ!ă**
**ăForced Erosion has been terminated.ă**
**ăYou have completed the Hidden Quest.ă**
**ăThe âDragon Knightâ class ascends to the Hidden Class âDragon Sword Sovereignâ.ă**
**ăThe âDragon Sword Sovereignâ class removes the sword mastery cap up to Lv 30.ă**
**ăA Hidden Skill has been created.ă**
My eyes widened.
My pupils quivered.
ââŠA Hidden Class?â
The Hidden Classâ**Dragon Sword Sovereign**!
I had obtained a qualification two full tiers beyond what I expected.
Recognized by both the Supreme Dragon and Riley.
Perhaps this was the Extreme-class that Riley himself should have completed.
Across time, it had finally been fully inherited by me.
But that wasnât the end.
**ăYou have cleared the âAbyssal Labyrinthâ!ă**
**ăThe Abyssal Labyrinth rises into the sky.ă**
**ăYou have become the âMaster of the Labyrinth Cityâ.ă**
**ăA warp gate is forming in the Labyrinth City.ă**
âŠ
**ăThe Astral Seats of the White-Ever Shrine who watched from afar are joining.ă**
**ăAll Seats are paying attention to the myth you have completed.ă**
**ăThe completion of a failed myth! They cheer your deed that turned falsehood into truth.ă**
**ăAll Seats are greatly pleased by the peaceful repose of the Supreme Dragon and the great Sword Saint Riley.ă**
**ăBy unanimous agreement, all Seats vote to raise your reward tier!ă**
**ăBeginning survival settlement.ă**
**ăYour total reward varies depending on the Broken Golden Scale fragments used.ă**
**ăYou have used 1,407h 37m.ă**
**ăUpon seeing the time used, several Seats are beginning to panic.ă**
Survival settlement.
âHm?â
*Tap!*
âHmm.â
*Tap!*
âHnnnghâŠâ
*Tap!*
Watching Saintess Seia faint repeatedly, Isaacâs expression stiffened.
Isabellaâs sheer brutality in knocking her out with only a flick of presence was terrifying.
âI know itâs an order, but still⊠sheâs the saintessâŠâ
They were following Randolphâs order to guard and incapacitate Saintess Seia.
But Isaac could not bring himself to lay hands on her.
Saintess Seia.
Among saintesses, she was the most devoted, dignified, and pure.
Even a rough, uneducated thief like Isaac knew well the sacredness of a saintess.
Any human would naturally revere such a being.
But Isabella seemed utterly unmoved by any of that.
ââŠâŠâ
She didnât even answer.
She simply stared at the saintess, emotionless.
âGood thing I learned pressure-point techniques.â
Isabellaâs lips curled faintly.
Seeing that, Isaac felt chills all over his body.
Was she⊠enjoying knocking the saintess out?
âI hated learning that stuff as a kidâŠâ
Though that wasnât the actual reason.
Isabella was simply remembering her past.
As a childâ
When she came to her senses, she was already in the desert city of Faisalmer.
She woke among half-naked children in the darkest, dampest slums.
There, countless children died competing against one another.
To survive, Isabella had to learn every dirty trick imaginable.
She hated it with every fiber of her beingâbut she had no choice.
For she had to catch the eye of the Desert Queen.
That monster.
âArenât you worried?â
ââŠ?â
Isabella tilted her head at Isaacâs question.
âI mean His Successor. Seeing as how the other challengers all failedâŠâ
âHe wonât.â
âHe wonât?â
Nod.
Isabella nodded, then returned her attention to the saintess.
Duty over concern.
Of course.
Because she truly felt no need to worry.
Randolphâs victory was already a matter of fact to Isabella.
Even in the face of the Desert Queen, he felt no fearâhe mocked her, taunted her, and crushed her.
The very existence Isabella feared more than anything.
The ruler who reigned like a god over the desert.
Seeing that look in her eyes, Isaac clicked his tongue softly.
âSheâs becoming a fanatic.â
To Isaac, Isabella was turning into Randolphâs religious zealot.
Endless trust. Blind faith.
And after their one-year service ended, when it came time to part waysâŠ
Isaac knew from experience that such faith rarely ended well.
Which made him slightly worried.
âWho am I to worry about anyone though.â
He shook his head.
If Randolph truly cleared the Abyssal Labyrinth, the events that would follow were beyond imagination.
*
*
How much time passed after Phase 5 began?
Those who denied Randolphâs appearance could say nothing now.
**- Abyssal Labyrinth clearedâŠ
* Iâm seeing it with my own eyes but I still canât believe it
* Itâs real⊠the real one has appearedâŠ
* WOW!!!!!
* RANDOLPH! RANDOLPH!
* PHANTOM GOD! PHANTOM GOD!
* LONG LIVE THE PHANTOM FAITH!!!
* We allow Phantom cultists to take over the boards today
* Gracia got destroyed, right? Master âAnyhitâ couldnâtâ**
Take that fake heroes hahaha
PHANTOM GODDDD!!!