Chapter 189

Finally, the curtain rose on the true decisive battle.

The surroundings were enveloped in an eerie silence. A stillness where not a single sound of wind or the cry of an insect could be heard.

At the center of it all, Taewoon locked eyes with an overwhelming presence that felt as if it stood on the boundary between reality and unreality.

“…….”

The Apocalypse Society Followers standing behind Taewoon could barely even breathe.

Though they had managed to maintain their formation centered around Taewoon, who was radiating a powerful aura, their gazes could not hide a terror that felt as if their hearts were freezing.

“Huu, hu.”

“Khhk, just what in the…”

How should one define that shape?

It looked like a haze shimmering atop a tombstone, yet also like the abyss itself, where tens of thousands of voices were intertwined.

It had no clear form, but the weight of its presence alone, pressing down on the mind, surpassed all imagination.

“So these are the beings that will bring about the End of Dawn…”

Though they were Bishops of the Apocalypse Society who had faced countless Aberrations, they were still cautious about speaking an answer rashly. That thing was far beyond the boundaries of the common sense they knew.

Breaking the momentary silence, a chilling sound echoed.

Soil stirred across the entire graveyard, and along with the sound of rotting coffin lids shattering, all sorts of dead began to awaken.

Those emitting blue soul-fires, those wandering in search of their own heads, and those with eerie restraints fastened where their arms had vanished.

They were immortal beings brought back to life, led by the thoughts of The Nameless Head while clinging to the grudges of their living years.

‘That is…’

Taewoon let out a low groan as he recalled past memories.

The energy emitted by each of the dead was even more powerful than the ‘Headless Prisoner’ he had faced before. More than twenty such beings were flaunting their numbers, radiating killing intent toward Taewoon’s party.

“…….”

Could the Followers handle this many? For a moment, hesitation flickered in Taewoon’s eyes.

However, as if piercing through that hesitation, Aphrasia dismissed it with a calm voice.

“Those are no problem. Perhaps a being on the level of The Nameless Head is different, but the Followers are well-versed in dealing with anomalies of that level. Just focus on your own task.”

Her voice held an unwavering conviction. Nodding, Taewoon hesitated no longer and focused all his senses on the massive entity before him.

Soon, Taewoon kicked off the ground with power, advancing as he brushed aside the specters at the front.

Barata, coated in red magical power across the entire spear, sliced through the air. Taewoon had simply combined the principles of the Soul-Chasing Eight Ghost Spear to repel the enemies blocking his path, but the result was beyond imagination.

The specters’ sturdy armor was torn like sheets of paper, and their soul-lights flickered violently. Shaken to their very core by a single strike, the specters stumbled and retreated repeatedly.

In essence, it meant Taewoon’s power had entered a different realm than before.

‘It’s possible… if it’s now!’

Taewoon was certain. His current power had reached an unknown territory that he himself had never experienced.

It was the result of perfectly drawing out the power of The Red Man, who had grown by feeding on the Well of Hell and numerous formidable foes.

Taewoon no longer spared a glance for the petty specters. All of Taewoon’s will was directed toward a single enemy.

Leaping from the ground, Taewoon lunged violently toward the haze standing atop the tombstone.

‘From here on… I pour everything I have into this without a second thought!’

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Final Rampart】

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

As Taewoon surrounded the graveyard with a fortress wall, he penetrated The Nameless Head’s blind spot using The Red Man’s unique movement method of folding space and twisting reality.

The gaze of the sinisterly glowing Mask became an Authority that suppressed the very root of existence, constantly attempting to erode The Nameless Head’s domain.

A crimson mist that transcended the boundaries of reality began to warp the surrounding space, attempting to turn the battlefield into one advantageous to Taewoon.

However, The Nameless Head, which had finally begun to stir, was a being far more powerful than Taewoon had imagined.

A voice of unknown meaning resonated through the entire space, and the surroundings, which had been stained by Taewoon’s power, began to be reconstructed into a form even more grotesque than before.

The gaze that suppressed existence collided with an even larger gaze from the sky and shattered into pieces, and the recoil sent a sharp pain piercing through Taewoon’s head.

“Kugh!”

Most of Taewoon’s magic techniques were not working. Rather, it was a situation where only Taewoon’s magical power was being consumed by the extraordinary abilities the enemy unleashed.

The space around the tombstone where The Nameless Head resided was stained with pitch-black darkness. It felt as if something irreversible would happen if one touched that darkness.

Watching a part of the fortress wall he had been standing on just a moment ago vanish silently, Taewoon broke into a cold sweat from the chilling sensation.

“Keshatus!”

Countless bolts of dark-red Lightning of Destruction poured toward the domain of darkness. The moment the lightning touched the darkness, a violent friction occurred, and the enemy’s energy seemed to falter for a moment.

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: Final Rampart】

As the darkness showed no sign of fading, Taewoon constructed a defensive line of golden fortress walls to protect himself and the Followers.

The walls were certainly effective, but The Nameless Head’s power eroded even that defensive line, beginning to scatter its energy in all directions.

The fortress wall, which should have been sturdy, crumbled vainly like a sandcastle on a beach.

‘Divine Authority Release!’

Mitra’s Wings revealed their original form, unfolding wings that seemed to be composed of hieroglyphs. Taewoon’s magical power amplified explosively, and soon, all that massive power was condensed into Keshatus.

“Take this!”

A massive bolt of lightning stained in dark-red light exploded, striking the main body of The Nameless Head directly. It was a powerful blow incomparable to anything before, yet The Nameless Head did not budge an inch.

Rather, as if the exchanges until now hadn’t even been a proper battle, its presence began to swell even larger.

The faint haze was taking on a shape that was still incomprehensible, yet gradually becoming distinct.

‘The gap between us is more extreme than I thought! There’s no hope at this rate!’

The moment Taewoon felt anxiety, he suddenly heard Aphrasia’s shout from the rear.

“Hunter! Open the path!”

Aphrasia pulled a small, black seed from her bosom. It was a strange object that pulsed as if it were alive, much like the seeds of the New Continent he had seen in the previous Theater.

As she threw the seed into the air, it began to grow rapidly, frantically absorbing the aura of death and the grudges emitted by the dead.

The seed sprouted instantly, transforming into a giant, thorned plant. Like a violent predator, the plant extended its vines toward The Nameless Head, attempting to devour its root.

‘Now!’

Perhaps it was because she was one of the four Cardinals; it was support containing a power so potent it surprised even Taewoon.

In response, Taewoon also drew up the magical power within his body to synchronize with her attack, exhausting the power of his second Apostle Transformation to release a chaotic torrent that mixed The Red Man’s magical power with the Lightning of Destruction.

A massive explosion shook the entire cemetery. However, the sight revealed after the dust cleared was desperate.

Aphrasia’s plant had been burnt black and scattered as ash, and Taewoon’s attack had failed to leave even a trace. The Nameless Head simply existed there still, silent and without a single scratch.

‘How can this be…’

The second Apostle Transformation had ended. Extreme fatigue and magical exhaustion washed over Taewoon.

To think that even after drawing out such massive power, he couldn’t land a single proper hit—it was a moment where he felt the extreme difference in their combat power deep in his bones.

‘It’s… getting stronger and stronger…’

It was truly an unbelievable situation. Taewoon had no time; he needed to take more risks and pour in everything he had.

‘…Huu.’

The state of the battle was desperate, but strangely, Taewoon’s mind was clearer than ever. The senses of his entire body were sharpened to the limit, and every single flow of magical power was as vivid as if he could grasp it.

With his current condition, he might actually be able to endure.

‘Anyway… there is no turning back now.’

Without hesitation, Taewoon chanted the spell for the third Apostle Transformation.

In an instant, Taewoon’s consciousness left his body and began to leap into the distant space beyond the Mask.

It was an absolute, unknown space where neither light, sound, nor time existed.

A depth on a completely different dimension from the realm he had glimpsed when attempting the third Apostle Transformation previously. In that deep abyss, Taewoon felt the gaze of someone massive.

‘…Is it the owner of the Mask?’

A presence that did not fall short of The Nameless Head. No, it was a gaze that felt even more fundamental and powerful than that.

That was the true owner of the Wax Mask and the being that served as the source of The Red Man’s power.

He spoke something, but it was still impossible to grasp the full meaning.

However, he could feel the will far more clearly than before. He could perceive that the being wanted to tell Taewoon something.

If before he had merely borrowed power, he could now understand the being’s will, if only a little. It was evidence that Taewoon’s vessel had become that much wider and firmer.

Though he wasn’t entirely sure, it seemed the owner of the Mask judged that Taewoon had stepped into a different realm than before.

Soon, along with his will, a powerful and pure force, incomparable to anything until now, began to pour into Taewoon’s soul.