The clash between my sword and Hades' created a shockwave that made me slide slightly backward. I looked toward the portal to make sure Taehyun and Yoon Jiyeon had made it through.
From the start, I knew someone had to stop Hades from reaching us. Escaping him was impossible. That's why this path was classified as 'S+' rank.
['The Witness Burdened by regrets' is warning you.]
Hades looked like a tall, broad shadow, whose only contrast was two glowing, bloodshot white eyes.
His obsidian sword scraped against my frail blade. He stared at me with a look full of hatred, as if furious that I had stopped him from reaching his two other targets.
[The concept 'Hades' harbors deep hostility toward you.]
['The Witness Burdened by regrets' is warning you.]
I know. I don't need to be reminded. I just need to hold him off long enough to get through the portal.
Vwoom!
I turned my head toward the strange noise.
The portal had just closed.
Fucking hell.
[Skill 'Arcane Eye' Lv. 1 has been activated.]
[Due to the amount of ether around you, range has been reduced.]
Hades growled as the force with which he pushed against his sword increased. I felt my feet sliding backward, unable to stop it.
Despite my skill, all the threads I could see were concentrating around the concept.
The concept's smile grew so wide it became disturbing.
This concept was central to all possible outcomes of this fight.
One of the ether threads suddenly became extremely bright.
In a split second, as if he had only been playing with me until now, the force with which he resisted became colossal.
His sword swept me away, slamming me against one of the room's walls.
Kuaaack!
Intense pain shot through my spine.
In the middle of the room, he stared at me mockingly. His pearly teeth twisted into an unnatural grin. His hair — if it could be called that — twisted in the air around him, as if tortured by his own hatred toward me.
A golden flash from one of the threads warned me just in time. As if time had stopped, I reacted in panic.
[You have used 100,000 stellaron.]
[Your agility increases.]
[Your agility is now 200.]
I jumped to the side, narrowly dodging the blade that had been coming down on my skull.
In just a few tenths of a second, he had crossed the distance between us and nearly killed me.
I was no match for him.
['The Witness Burdened by regrets' is warning you.]
['The Witness Burdened by regrets' is blaming the path.]
As the skeletal hand of Hades' concept grabbed my shoulder, a flood of memories came rushing back.
「[An entity filled with regret also thinks you should remain discreet.]
It was that entity again. I still couldn't get used to the idea that someone could read my thoughts, even the darkest ones.
[An entity filled with regret shudders and covers its eyes at your impudence.]」
「You approach one of the orbs, reaching out a hand toward the gently glimmering sphere. When your fingertip makes contact, you flinch and immediately pull your hand back. The orb drifts back down, merging with the water. For a fleeting moment, you felt as if you had become someone else.」
Blood leaked from the wound forming beneath Hades' fingers.
[Unknown class (calculating…).]
I grabbed my sword and pointed it at the heart of the concept.
[Unknown class (calculating…).]
[5% of your class has been integrated by the system.]
[New skill obtained.]
[Skill 'Dark Ether' Lv. 1 has been activated.]
A dark, black matter began to emanate from my sword as it pierced through the concept's body, which let out a scream of pain.
「"It is better to rule in me than to serve in heaven!"」
Caught by surprise and pain, the concept leapt back and retreated to the center of the room. Its grin now twisted into an indescribable grimace.
I looked at my sword.
Its blade was surrounded by a kind of energy that shimmered slightly. It didn't shine — it was as if cosmic darkness had concentrated around my blade. Tiny glowing dots shimmered and moved inside, like a starry sky.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!
A shrill cry from the concept echoed in the room and the flames of the torches flickered.
[The concept 'Hades' is raising his cosmos against you.]
A powerful aura struck me, forcing me to kneel. The unpleasant sensation that had been manageable until now surged.
I vomited.
My body, my mind — everything in me told me to give up.
That's when I remembered.
I opened my inventory and quickly searched inside.
It was there!
I grabbed the item and placed it on my head.
[You have equipped 'Hahoe Mask'.]
[All your skills have been enhanced.]
[Skill 'Arcane Eye' Lv. 1(+1) has been activated.]
[Skill 'Dark Ether' Lv. 1(+1) has been activated.]
The dark substance on my sword became more translucent and covered me entirely. The unpleasant sensation lessened and I was able to stand, staring down the concept that still hadn't moved.
I could feel it — it was afraid.
One of the threads spinning around the concept stretched in my direction.
I had a chance to win.
I raised my sword and charged at the concept.
Thanks to my greatly increased agility, I covered the distance between us in just seconds.
My sword shot toward the heart of the concept, which blocked it instantly. The clash caused a powerful shockwave, but this time I didn't falter.
I stepped back and immediately lunged again, this time striking at the creature's neck.
Unable to react in time, the creature screamed and kicked me hard in the abdomen, sending me flying backward.
The concept didn't bleed. The gash I had made at its neck closed as if nothing had happened.
And as easily as it had appeared, the favorable ether thread dissolved into the air.
I lifted my head to realize, in sheer terror, that the concept was standing right in front of me.
['The Witness Burdened by regrets' is warning you.]
Before I could react, its skeletal hand grabbed my jaw and lifted me into the air. My feet slowly left the ground.
Time stopped.
The concept raised my eyes to the level of its hollow stare and its mouth opened slowly. An inhuman sound emerged. A sound that was understandable, but could not come from anything alive.
"You a re jus t a chi ld."
!
How could he…
Kuaaack!
I felt intense heat spread through my stomach.
I looked down to see that my abdomen had been pierced by the concept's obsidian sword.
I looked back up at Hades.
He smiled at me with a wicked grin.
Blood dripped onto the floor. The environment grew darker and darker.
['The Witness Burdened by regrets' is begging you to stay awake.]
My eyelids grew heavy, and then I fell into darkness, even as the pain flared ever more intensely.