Chapter 86 – Transcendent Species

Pheidippides, possessing a Taiji Constitution that transcended time and space, discovered the source of the problem through his gaze.

‘The space in the middle of the Sun Tree is distorted!’

With it like that, there was absolutely no way to reach the top by simply climbing the tree.

The fact realized through Pheidippides was conveyed to Duren through Lee Hanseong.

“The space is distorted…?”

At Duren’s muttering, Andrei, who had been climbing upward without hesitation, paused his ascent for a moment.

Alternating his gaze between below and above, gauging the height he had come from and the height remaining, he frowned as he realized the words were true.

Then, suddenly, advice left by senior heroes of the past surfaced in his mind.

―Form a celestial body using the distortion as a reference.

An incomprehensible piece of advice left alongside the advice to gather 100 million points.

“Space distortion? …Kehaha! So this is what the seniors were talking about!”

Andrei, who seemed to have realized something, opened his eyes wide and laughed heartily, activating Celestial Body Transformation.

Although it was a latent state as a Vocation Awakening Skill, having experienced the 7-Star realm once through the Sanctuary’s Blessing, activating it itself was not a problem.

The problem was that using the Vocation Awakening Skill Celestial Body Transformation at the 6-Star level would lead to death as its conclusion.

An end where, not knowing its limits, he would continue to expand until his entire body ruptured at the atomic level.

Fwaaaat—!

Originally, that should have been the conclusion that arrived.

If only the place where Andrei was wasn’t the trunk of the Sun Tree where spatial distortion was unfolding.

Thwoom.

Andrei’s endlessly expanding celestial body and the distorted space in the middle of the Sun Tree interlocked like puzzle pieces.

Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!

The celestial body, whose form was not yet fixed, was in a state where matter and waves overlapped. So, as the framework of distorted space appeared, it adjusted itself to fit within it.

A cycle where expansion and regression repeated within a certain range: if the scope of expansion exceeded beyond the distorted space, it would return to the center of the space and regress into a celestial body.

As that cycle repeated, the uncertainty of the celestial body gradually decreased, becoming closer to matter than waves.

If the form of the celestial body became completely fixed like this, Andrei would become a complete 7-Star giant.

‘In the end, the difference between a Vocation Awakening Skill and a General Awakening Skill is a difference in control.’

Lee Hanseong, who was watching the moment of Promotion together through Duren’s eyes, muttered inwardly.

The reason one dies upon unleashing a Vocation Awakening Skill is because they used an ability of a level their current Grade cannot handle.

‘Originally, Awakening Skills themselves are abilities obtained through the Constellation’s Blessing that one would normally only gain several stages later.’

A Vocation Awakening Skill is essentially pulling such an Awakening Skill one stage earlier, so it was natural.

Therefore, to properly use a Vocation Awakening Skill, one must either possess a Resurrection Ability that can bear the Life Consumption.

Or, there’s no other way but to transform the Vocation Awakening Skill itself into a General Awakening Skill using an ability that amplifies one’s Grade, like Transcendence.

At least, that’s what he thought until he saw the spectacle that just occurred.

‘Just because one cannot control it with their own power doesn’t mean there’s no method.’

If, like this time, external factors can be used to offset the dangerous elements of a Vocation Awakening Skill, then sacrificing one’s life isn’t necessarily required.

And since this is essentially the same as the Vocation Awakening Skill transforming into a General Awakening Skill.

Reversing the order could also lead to Promotion and even Awakening.

Fwaaaat!

While Lee Hanseong continued his thoughts, Andrei’s celestial body finally achieved stabilization.

At that moment, his Grade, which had remained at 6-Star, also rose to 7-Star.

As predicted, unleashing the Vocation Awakening Skill without Life Consumption led to Awakening.

“Kehahahaha!”

Andrei’s enormous laughter resounded far and wide.

The world was dynamic at the birth of a new giant.

The awe that the lives of the Great Flood held for the giant race flowed into Andrei as well, forming his Divinity.

That series of processes led to conviction regarding his previous choice.

‘As expected, turning Pheidippides into a Transcendent Species was the right answer…!’

The Prerogative of a Transcendent Species was greater than expected.

The legends spread across Arcadia about Transcendent Species like High Elves, giants, and angels, and the awe stemming from them, were shared by the entire race and aided in the formation of Divinity for newly born members.

Even without newly accumulating awe, simply becoming that race was enough to complete Divinity at the 7-Star level.

‘So this is a Transcendent Species.’

What Lee Hanseong had thought was borrowing existing awe through identity with legends.

He hadn’t expected that the legends of Transcendent Species would represent the entire race from the start.

Thanks to that, Andrei’s 7-Star Promotion, having rapidly condensed Divinity, was almost at the final stage, but one more thing remained for completion.

“Polarity Reversal.”

As expected.

<Ironclad Treasure Body>, which became a Skill upon reaching 7-Star, reached its extreme and reversed into its great opposite.

“《Iron Armor Shatter》.”

An ability that implements destructive power that shatters armor by reversing the concept of armor from Ironclad Treasure Body, which Treasure Body-izes the entire body.

A translucent, heat-haze-like energy shimmered around Andrei’s celestial body.

Tat— Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeong!!!!!

Following the space he shot through, the spatial distortion that acted as armor protecting the Sun Tree, no, the Sky Island, shattered.

Having become gigantic, Andrei instantly escaped the range of the distorted space and soon disappeared above the clouds.

Whether he forgot Duren in the excitement of Awakening or simply didn’t think of those behind him, he went straight to the Sky Island.

Trying to follow him quickly, Duren also attempted to escape the distorted space.

Srrrrrr—

The shattered distortion instantly repaired itself, blocking Duren.

Seeing the damaged part he tried to pass through repair quickly, it seemed following someone else to pass through wasn’t allowed.

“Tsk. So I have to pierce through the distortion with my own power alone.”

Left alone in the distorted space, Duren paused his climb for a moment and pondered a method to break through the distortion.

The suction force of the Grand Heavenly Cycle?

Attempting it based on the idea that immense gravitational force warps space, but the distorted space showed no particular change.

“This won’t work.”

Then, like Andrei who already succeeded, shattering the spatial distortion itself with destructive power?

Jjang-jjang-jjang-jjang-jjang-jjang-jjang!

He filled the entire distorted space with Cross Gang Qi using the immense Internal Energy originating from his Golden Core.

The Cross Gang Qi carrying the Single Flash’s power appeared in places deviating from his intention due to the distortion, but he somehow adjusted it and slashed through the distortion.

Chwa-jwa-jwa-jwa-jwa-jak!

However, no matter how many sword marks he carved, they were merely lines, so the distortion quickly repaired itself.

There was no time to escape.

Then…

“Supreme One Golden Core. Rope!”

Creating a sword orb at the tip of his sword using the principle of forming a Golden Core, he shot it out with Sun Stab.

Peeeeeeng—!

The sword orb touching the boundary of the distorted space bounced out beyond the range as if nothing happened.

Even though no hole was pierced in the distortion.

At that moment, he found the answer to escape the distortion.

“Indeed. That was it.”

Speed.

The moment he shot the sword orb as a Rope, he felt it.

If one exceeds a certain speed, the Sun Tree’s spatial distortion cannot pull them back.

‘The problem is how to reach that speed.’

At times like this, he really missed Shrinking Earth.

With a glance filled with regret towards the point where Pheidippides might be, Duren suddenly recalled an anecdote.

A legend from a story about a knight-errant he saw in his childhood.

A sword immortal flying on a sword was said to have shown speed like a ray of light.

“That was called Sword Levitation Technique.”

It was definitely the same swordsmanship that Dice had newly learned.

Of course, Duren wasn’t talented enough to learn someone else’s swordsmanship just by seeing it once.

But he was lucky.

Because now he was in a state that fulfilled the conditions to learn Sword Levitation Technique.

“Supreme One Golden Core.”

Oong,

Once again, a sword orb was imbued into the Single-Heaven Sword.

This time, not at the tip, but as if seeping into the inside of the blade.

Srrr.

Gang Qi is a Vessel that contains Will.

Then what is a Gang Orb formed from condensed Gang Qi?

Something born from the convergence and condensation of the Will contained within Gang Qi.

That is an Elemental.

Hoo-oong—.

Therefore, Sword Levitation Technique is making the sword move by itself using a primitive elemental born from the swordsman’s Will as a sword spirit.

The Single-Heaven Sword, having gained freedom, separated from Duren and flew through the void.

Drawing the straight sword path Duren often displayed.

[Conditions fulfilled. Unique Skill <Sword Levitation Technique> Blooms.]

It was the moment Duren awakened a Sword Levitation Technique slightly different from Dice’s.

If Dice’s Sword Levitation Technique focused on others rather than himself, treating other knights as swords to wield.

His Sword Levitation Technique was a swordsmanship focused on himself, treating the sword as another self to wield.

Since the sword spirit was ultimately no different from a part of him, even if the physical distance from the sword increased, the spiritual distance became even closer.

Tat.

Duren leaped from the Sun Tree trunk into the void.

Srrr.

Naturally, the Single-Heaven Sword positioned beneath his feet became a foothold.

The sole of his foot clinging to it and the sword surface were firmly connected as if they had been one from the start.

“Rope. Single Flash.”

And the sword shot forth.

Sword flight shooting like a ray of light towards the sky, carrying Duren.

That speed clearly exceeded the limit the spatial distortion could block.

Pit!

The sword shot forth as a thrust, and the body split the air with a slash, killing resistance.

The next moment, Duren was outside the range of the distorted space.

Although he stopped his will to advance, by inertia, he pierced even the clouds and ascended to the Sky Island.

The back of Andrei, who had ascended first, briefly entered his sight.

Tat. Ta-dak.

Slowing his speed, the moment he barely set foot on the Sky Island.

[Feat, ‘Standing in the Heavens’ achieved.]

[The Golden Constellation records your Feat and Altered history.]

[6th Awakening Skill 《Life-Severing Asura》 Blooms.]

[Duren Spirit’s 6-Star Promotion is completed.]

The consciousness of Lee Hanseong dwelling within Duren’s body was ejected and returned to the consciousness dwelling in Pheidippides.

Following Hanna, the Historical Alteration regarding Duren also ended.

* * *

At that moment, inside the Sun Tree.

“Kuh.”

Pheidippides, who had watched Duren ascend above the clouds, released the gaze he had sent outward as he no longer had the leeway to maintain the Aerial View further.

Then, the negative thoughts inside the Sun Tree, which had already contaminated half of his consciousness, began to overflow into the still intact other half.

While observing the outside, the consciousness in charge of the inside had almost reached its limit.

―Let’s become comfortable together…!

Whispers originating from himself, making them even harder to resist, surged.

But it wasn’t for nothing that Pheidippides had observed the outside situation.

He intended to find a clue to escape this situation while glimpsing Andrei and Duren’s Promotions, and he ultimately found it.

“Comfortable? If I wanted that, I wouldn’t have fought in wars my whole life from the start.”

From the Battle of Marathon as Athens’s messenger to the Battle of Thermopylae, the Battle of Salamis, Mycale, and the Battle of Plataea. Recalling his own history of going through numerous wars, he honed his will.

And after Dimensional Shifting to Arcadia, recalling the history he changed together while dwelling in Hanna and Duren, he believed he had already accumulated sufficient Achievement to complete 7-Star.

Finally, referencing the Sun Tree’s ability that distorted space, he determined the form of Polarity Reversal.

“Though it is at a footstep’s distance, it is like the edge of heaven.”

Polarity Reversal. 《Footstep Heaven’s Edge》.

Shwaak!

He unleashed an ability that expands distance by reversing Shrinking Earth, which shortens distance.

Leaving the life force reconstructing his body as is, he only distanced the negative thoughts.

Even thoughts that appeared so close as to seem overlapping were actually separated by a vast distance.

Even the thoughts that had contaminated half his consciousness were distanced the same.

―Now… my mind has finally quieted.

The Sun Tree’s Trial could no longer threaten him.

Fwaaaa…

Perhaps because resistance against the Sun Tree’s thoughts was no longer needed, the reconstruction into a High Elf was rapidly concluding.

How much time passed as he entrusted his body to the torrent of light like that.

As Rebirth completed, he could comprehend the essence of a High Elf.

“Ha. Isn’t the name Sun Elemental more fitting than High Elf for this?”

Dominance over an attribute that should simply be called the sun, not fire, light, or life, was flowing from his inner Divinity.

And the next moment.

Crack— Hwaak.

The bean pod enveloping Pheidippides split open, and the scenery outside the Sun Tree welcomed him.

It seemed that while being reborn as a High Elf inside the trunk, his body had been transferred to the bean pod on the outside.

[Feat, ‘Avatar of the Sun Tree’ achieved.]

[The Sun Constellation records your Feat and Altered history.]

[Pheidippides’s 7-Star Promotion is completed.]

[Historical Alteration will end shortly.]

Thus, the long fourth Historical Alteration also came to an end.