Chapter 188

“Wake up! If you let his energy consume you, there will be no turning back!”

Aphrasia shouted urgently, waving the branch in her hand. A pitch-black energy surged forth, enveloping the fallen followers, but their condition showed no sign of improving.

Whoosh!

The strange characters carved into the tombstones glowed faintly, as if binding their souls.

Even with Thousand-League Perception pushed to its limit, Taewoon could not detect the presence, let alone the main body, of The Nameless Head.

It felt as if this entire cemetery was one giant living organism.

“Where is it?”

“…I don’t know. But it is definitely here. It would be more reasonable to think that this space itself is its domain.”

As Aphrasia’s expression hardened, Taewoon gripped Barata and Keshatus in both hands, staying alert in all directions.

If the opponent refused to show itself, he had no choice but to drag it out first.

‘Keshatus!’

Rumble!

K-boom—!

As Taewoon reached toward the void, dark-red Lightning of Destruction tore through the sky, striking indiscriminately across the cemetery.

Graves were unearthed and clouds of dust rose, but The Nameless Head still showed no reaction.

Instead, the tombstones of the fallen followers grew more vivid, and the speed at which they drained their vitality only increased.

‘…Is it useless? It doesn’t seem to be affected at all.’

Aphrasia clicked her tongue softly and waved her branch to create a black shield-shaped energy. Simultaneously, she shouted to Taewoon.

“We must preserve as many followers as possible! If we exhaust our full strength now, I can’t guarantee what will happen afterward!”

That was true.

He had to protect them and establish a minimum combat formation to utilize the strategies they had prepared.

Without hesitation, Taewoon took out the Red Wax Mask and put it on. At the same time, he drew upon the power of Apostle Transformation and began to crave strength from the entity beyond the mask.

“──!”

Sizzle.

Sizzzzzle.

The first Apostle Transformation. A Crimson Mist wrapped around Taewoon’s body, beginning to separate his existence from reality.

In Taewoon’s vision, now entered into a higher dimension, something faintly shimmering was captured.

It was rising like a haze atop the oldest tombstone in the center of the cemetery. It had no clear form, but he could guess that it was a horrific shape.

“There it is!”

Taewoon immediately deployed the Flying Ring Step and charged toward it.

Simultaneously, he began to violently circulate the Magical Power within his body with all his might.

‘Eight Ghost Spear: Eighth Form, Soul Destruction Strike!’

Swoosh—!

K-boom—!!

The Magical Power condensed at the tip of the spear exploded, piercing the form of The Nameless Head.

However, the entity didn’t even scream. Rather, as if mocking Taewoon’s attack, the scattered form instantly coalesced again, regaining its original shape.

[────.]

A voice that sounded like tens of thousands of voices mixed together struck Taewoon’s mind directly.

While Taewoon faltered for a moment from the shock that shook his consciousness, The Nameless Head unleashed its power once more.

Every tombstone in the cemetery glowed simultaneously, shooting strange patterns into the air, which intertwined to form a massive array.

Standing at the center, Taewoon and Aphrasia’s expressions hardened as they began to sink to the ground.

Rumble.

Rumble rumble.

“What… what kind of Bounded Field is this? I can’t seem to shake it off!”

Aphrasia urgently waved her branch, trying to create a gap in the Bounded Field, but the barrier remained steadfast without a single scratch.

[────.]

The powerful will of The Nameless Head began to dominate the entire space.

The bodies of the fallen followers began to melt slowly from their extremities, turning into a black liquid that wriggled and was sucked into the tombstones.

The tombstones emitted an even more sinister light, using that life as nourishment.

“Urgh!”

“Why is the protection of the seal…”

The followers, witnessing their own bodies beginning to melt into droplets, fell into terror. They tried to preserve themselves using every means available, but even that seemed difficult.

“This… is a bit different from what I expected… Hunter! Is there any way?”

“Kh.”

At Aphrasia’s cry, Taewoon grit his teeth and began to rotate his mind at high speed.

‘Such an intense presence! To reach the essence of this thing, I’ll need power on a completely different level than before…’

Taewoon refined his mental image once more. This time, he intended to push the Intent of the Soul-Chasing Eight Ghost Spear to its absolute limit.

A spear technique that pierces the soul and summons ghosts.

Just as it had been with the Well Ghost in the past, if this thing possessed the attributes of a spiritual entity, Taewoon could certainly deal a meaningful blow depending on how he executed it.

Zap—!

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

Zap—!!

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Soul Chasing Path Destruction】

Swoosh!

Fwoosh—!!

Eight streaks of Spear Shadow embroidered the sky with an aura incomparable to before. A characteristic red Magical Power completely covered the firmament.

A single Technique containing will and obsession in each Spear Shadow—the most outstanding one even considering all of Taewoon’s memories.

The Spear Shadows ignored the Giant Force pressing down on Taewoon and pierced the form of The Nameless Head, but once again, there was no sign of it taking damage.

Seeing this, Taewoon quickly changed his target and began charging toward the tombstones standing before the followers.

‘If that doesn’t work, I’ll start with these first!’

Zap—!

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Soul Chasing Path Destruction】

Swoosh!

Fwoosh—!!

Taewoon’s Spear Strikes shot across the ground, piercing the tombstones, and this time, tangible results began to appear. Cracks formed across the tombstones, creating small gaps in the surrounding Bounded Field.

“Well done, Hunter!”

Aphrasia did not miss the opening; she readjusted her stance and drove her branch deep into the ground.

As she chanted a strange Spell, a faint flute-like sound echoed, beginning to neutralize the sinister energy spread throughout the area.

“O source of all things, grant the glorious first root here.”

A black-light energy erupted from the branch embedded in the ground and spread through the earth, and the tombstones lost their light as the cracks began to widen further.

[────.]

The Nameless Head pulsed silently and immediately cast its presence over the entire graveyard.

Rumble.

Rumble rumble.

It felt as if the ground of the cemetery itself had begun to move.

Soon, soil and bone mixed together to form the shape of a giant hand, which began to move, ignoring the other followers and targeting Taewoon and Aphrasia.

“Dodge it yourself.”

K-boom—!

Taewoon avoided the giant hand with the Flying Ring Step and swung his spear, then focused his mind to activate a familiar Cinema Skill once more.

Zap—!!

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Blazing Sword Judgment】

A formless sword of judgment cleaved through the air. Intense heat combined with the Magical Power of The Red Man, and a Sword Qi in the form of crimson flames began to slice through the giant hand in an instant.

Fwoosh!

The flames did not go out, continuing to burn the hand and spreading throughout the graves.

[────.]

Indeed.

Though it was an entity from beyond the heavens that he had never encountered in the Theater, the current Taewoon possessed the power and will to oppose that massive Divine Power.

Slide.

Finally, as if it had begun to perceive Taewoon as a singular entity, the blurred presence of the creature became whole, and Taewoon felt a massive gaze scanning him thoroughly.

The owner of that gaze was as deep and dark as an abyss, emitting an intense suction that felt as if it would swallow his soul just by looking at it.

Truly… it was an unimaginably terrifying and powerful existence.

“Hunter! You must not be captivated by that gaze!”

Aphrasia shouted urgently, but Taewoon instead looked straight into those eyes, planting his feet firmly on the ground with a will as steady as a mountain.

‘These are… the beings I will be facing from now on.’

──!

His mind had already fallen into a state of selflessness, and Taewoon drew out the power of the second Apostle Transformation to its fullest, covering his entire body in red Magical Power.

The Crimson Mist completely enveloped the surroundings, and Taewoon’s existence began to fluctuate precariously on the boundary between reality and unreality.

Swoooosh—!!

The spear leaving Taewoon’s hand cleaved through space without sound or light.

It was no longer a physical spear. It was Taewoon’s will itself taking form.

‘Go.’

The spear accurately pierced the center of the massive entity, and this time, there was a definite sensation of impact.

[───.]

No sound was heard.

However, at that moment, a clear emotion of hostility began to emerge in the center of that previously emotionless gaze.

For a split second, Taewoon felt an intense pressure, as if his very existence was about to be erased from the world.

‘Whew…’

But having pushed the power of Apostle Transformation to the limit, Taewoon was already half-detached from the boundary of reality, and thanks to that, the creature’s gaze could not crush his existence.

“Cough, do not lose track of its presence!”

“I drive the wedge of engraving into this land, dragging the demon deeper and bleaching its hideous spirit…”

Some of the Bishops, who had barely managed to recover their stance, took out divine artifacts brought from the main temple and prepared to target The Nameless Head. Aphrasia also approached Taewoon’s side, preparing for the ensuing battle.

Her face, as she gazed at Taewoon, was a mixture of awe and surprise.

“You have enough strength left, right?”

“…Of course.”

Taewoon raised his head straight and looked at The Nameless Head, which had begun to establish its existence enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Did the creature actually consider Taewoon and the Apocalypse Society followers as a threat?

Since it showed no sign of being damaged or in pain, it was honestly impossible to guess.

‘In that case… I’ll drag you down until we are on the same level.’

Sizzle.

Sizzzzzle.

Having renewed his fighting spirit, Taewoon began to slowly approach The Nameless Head, causing an overload of existence in a mosaic-like form.

Step.

A desperate struggle where everything was on the line.

It was the beginning of a life-and-death battle that might mark the end of the 1st Cycle.