Chapter 156

Focusing once more on the power beyond the Wax Mask, Taewoon chanted a spell, and a massive amount of power began to pour down from the connected passage.

Unlike the previous two Apostle Transformations, a much more refined and condensed magical power violently shook Taewoon’s body.

It felt as if he were borrowing power from a higher dimension. Accordingly, a red mist and particles of light began to scatter around Taewoon, and a sense of omnipotence—the feeling that he could do anything—clouded his mind.

‘Is this the second time…?’

When Taewoon had used the third Apostle Transformation previously, he had gained cognitive abilities and a sense of space that surpassed his previous limits.

But the feeling he had now was on an entirely different level.

Inside Taewoon, something that had been suppressed for a long time was trying to awaken.

‘Actually, there’s one thing I’ve been wondering about for a while.’

Cinema Skills and Artifacts—the abilities and rewards Taewoon had obtained from the Theater—had provided him with great courage and help in overcoming adversity thus far.

However, they had clearly defined limits, and in fact, the Final Rampart skill or the power of Barata were not contributing much to Taewoon at this stage.

Taewoon himself had grown and become so strong, so why couldn’t he use the power obtained through the Theater’s help more effectively?

While there was the method of upgrading via coins, Taewoon—who had experienced changes in the Red Man’s skills and the Wax Mask and had continuously developed the power of Apostle Transformation—could notice the subtle gap that existed.

‘For example, coins are similar to the “Seeds” here. They use the Theater’s power to forcibly accelerate growth, replacing the effort or triggers necessary for evolution.’

In other words, if Taewoon put in the effort in the right way, he could pull the power of other Cinema Skills or Artifacts to a higher dimension as well.

He simply hadn’t realized the method until now.

‘What is the difference between the power obtained from the Red Man Theater and the power obtained from the Theater of the Final Rampart?’

It was something he had thought about vaguely until now, but now he felt he could give a definitive answer.

The power of the Red Man and the power of the Wax Mask came from a higher being. From the start, the limits were not just what Taewoon had witnessed in the Theater.

‘That’s why I was able to contact the being who was the Origin through the event in the Recollection Room and draw out even more powerful strength.’

On the other hand, no matter how much of the underground’s power Barata contained, it was merely a single weapon made by the Empire’s blacksmith. Similarly, the Final Rampart was a technique created by the young Theogenes of that time; therefore, there was no potential beyond Taewoon’s perception.

‘But that alone won’t determine the limit.’

Think about it.

The Theogenes of that time handled power and techniques judged to be Level 3-rank, but if he had survived and continued to train, wouldn’t he have surely evolved into a more powerful being?

In other words, unlike the Red Man skills, the Final Rampart Cinema Skill was an ability whose evolution Taewoon had to achieve with his own hands.

Ultimately, it meant that he had to understand the “correct Origin” to pull the power of the skills and Artifacts obtained from the Theater beyond their limits.

‘I mustn’t be bound by the mold. I must find a way to make this power completely my own.’

Taewoon sequentially recalled the figures who had used similar abilities within the Theater.

Reje, who created shimmering bubbles in the air to pull opponents inside; Aquila, who used Gemini to deploy a protective barrier in a specific space; Hongyeon, who used phantom beasts as a medium to create a special space advantageous to herself; and finally, Kaira before his eyes.

Taewoon had watched how numerous characters in the Theater handled and utilized power, and he had acquired sufficient knowledge and experience.

“…”

Soon, Barata, held in Taewoon’s hand after completing its restoration, began to create a strange resonance, scattering intense magical power in all directions.

‘Yes, the energy of the underground contained in the spear is no longer a help, but a hindrance to me.’

Taewoon sucked in and absorbed all the underground magical power contained in Barata, and then began to fill that void with his own magical power.

‘If I previously summoned tree vines growing from that place using the underground’s magical power, in my case…’

The Theater of All Things—that is, the essential power of Taewoon’s magical power—possessed the properties of reproduction and manifestation.

Artifacts were like that, and Cinema Skills were like that. This meant it was not at all impossible to instill such properties into a target through Taewoon’s magical power.

‘Then, I just need to reproduce the Theater of the Final Rampart remaining in my memory exactly as it was.’

Having finally found the answer, Taewoon slammed Barata into the ground, and from that point, a storm of magical power unlike anything seen before began to rage.

▶【Divine Spear Barata (★)】

• Grants a Level 3 Equivalent strength correction effect upon use.

• Grants a Level 3 Equivalent vitality absorption effect upon use.

• Allows the use of a Level 6 Equivalent ‘Fortress Wall Construction’ ability upon use.

▶【Cinema Skill: Final Rampart (★)】

• Generates a Level 6 Equivalent Semi-Automatic Protective Zone upon activation.

• Grants a Level 6 Equivalent mental immunity effect upon activation.

• Grants a Level 6 Equivalent Chaos Resistance Effect upon activation.

• Grants a Level 6 Equivalent morale boost effect upon activation.

‘With this, I will… completely flip the surrounding battlefield!’

【Condition 1: A target to protect with a sincere heart must exist】

【Condition 2: A threat or crisis toward the target of protection must exist】

【Condition 3: Use ‘Divine Spear Barata’ to take the appropriate casting posture】

【Condition Fulfilled】

▶【Cinema Skill: Final Rampart】

【Generating a Level 6 Equivalent Semi-Automatic Protective Zone targeting a radius of 100m!】

From the seabed beneath the cliff, sturdy fortress walls suddenly emerged, and towering bastions and fortifications completely blocked Kaira’s path of retreat.

Soon, staring at the Golden Barrier that surrounded it all, Kaira tilted her head with a somewhat surprised expression.

It was because she had not expected Taewoon to suddenly wield this level of power.

“You still had something left… truly astounding.”

“…”

Taewoon had already prepared himself for the collapse of his physical body, but strangely, it was much more bearable now than before.

If so, he simply poured all the surging power into his opponent without hesitation.

As Taewoon swung Barata, the fortress walls rising from the ground blocked Kaira’s movement, trapping her inside like a prison.

Soon, heat like that of the sun swirled and the walls began to melt, but the speed was not as fast as before.

It meant that Taewoon’s power, using the third Apostle Transformation, was reaching a point where it could clash with Kaira to some extent.

“What…”

Kaira frowned as if she couldn’t understand, but she wasn’t given the luxury to ponder.

Seoyoon, who leaped up by stepping on the walls Taewoon had created, transformed the axe in her hand into a giant greatsword and precisely sliced the remnants of the melting walls in half.

“Whew… is that all?”

As Kaira swung the spear in her hand, dark blue lightning swirled and struck Seoyoon’s body directly.

However, even a blow that had silenced Gorgo didn’t seem to deal a significant hit to the current Seoyoon.

Due to repeated battles against opponents of a higher rank, her Trait was also drawing out even more powerful strength.

“…I can still get a bit stronger. When that time comes, I’ll be able to pierce through your shield too.”

“How laughable. Go ahead and try!”

An infuriated Kaira flew into the sky and began to summon twelve pillars of fire upon the ground, and as the walls Taewoon had created melted, hairline cracks began to appear inside the barrier.

‘Ugh… truly an incredible power!’

Kaira, with all her power unleashed, was undoubtedly a being who surpassed the average even within Level 7.

Taewoon’s walls, which seemed as if they would not yield to any external pressure, began to crumble one by one, and a massive amount of magical power was being consumed to repair them.

However, the current Taewoon was clearly a different being than before.

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Soul Chasing Path Destruction】

At the strike that drew a strange trajectory as if leaping through space, Kaira hurriedly evaded the spear and cast a hostile gaze toward Taewoon.

The current Taewoon was certainly a threat even to Kaira.

It was no longer the time to worry about being held back or delaying.

Kaira decided that she would use all her strength to definitely take Taewoon’s head here.

“I admit it. You are the fifth person to give me this much trembling. However, you won’t be able to maintain power that exceeds your vessel for long.”

With a violent sonic boom, Kaira arrived in front of Taewoon in an instant, clashing her spear and scattering dark blue lightning in all directions.

But as mentioned before, Taewoon was by no means a weakling compared to Kaira in the realm of technique.

Rather, in the current situation where his lacking power had been raised, it wouldn’t be strange if Taewoon’s skill surpassed Kaira’s.

“You’re not there yet!”

Kaira struck down powerfully with her spear and grabbed the handle of the folding sword in mid-air to swing it at Taewoon, but the attack came to naught, blocked by Seoyoon who had anticipated it and calmly stood in the way.

In the standoff, Kaira’s expression gradually distorted, and a belief in victory began to bloom on the faces of Taewoon and Seoyoon.

After finishing a fierce exchange and creating distance from each other once, the massive flames and the Golden Barrier clashed again, causing a torrent of magical power to swirl everywhere.

“…”

The barrier was heavily damaged as if it would break at any moment, but this time too, Taewoon did not collapse.

At that fact, Kaira’s steel-like aura began to shake slightly.