-Corrupted Administrator
-Gros Valtian
It was a being that denied the world simply by existing, a being whose existence itself was a contradiction.
“I reject the Tower.”
“I reject order.”
“Everything shall return to me.”
That voice filling the void felt as if it were screaming directly into my ears. This sensation of my entire body aching. It was a resistance against that existence.
I gripped my sword tightly. The blade trembled faintly in my grip. Dark waves of the abyss, as if to swallow even the blazing flame of immortality, were distorting space. Gros Valtian slowly raised his hand. With that single movement, space split, and twisted tentacles surged forth in hundreds of branches, rushing toward me.
Swish!
Quickly pivoting on my left foot, I rotated my body and sliced the tentacle in front with my sword. Red flame exploded from the tip of my sword, burning the tentacle. But that wasn’t the end.
Hup!
I quickly twisted my body. Another tentacle from my side grazed past my shoulder. Whish, I heard the sound of a tentacle tearing through the air, splitting my ears. Even just grazing caused space to rot away. I urgently planted my foot to regain my balance. But cracks appeared beneath me, and the ground itself collapsed.
As expected! I urgently kicked off the air and leaped up. The fragments of the collapsed ground scattered dizzyingly beneath my feet.
“Foolish.”
“You have nowhere to flee.”
At that moment, Gros Valtian’s massive hand tore through the void and appeared before me. With no place to flee, I made a split-second decision, thrust my sword forward, and exploded my Immortal power.
Thump!
The explosive collision sent my body flying backward. A shock that felt like my entire body was breaking washed over me. But I couldn’t stop. I twisted my body in midair, regained balance, and landed.
Phew~
The flame of immortality flickered faintly. The pressure of the abyss was erasing my very existence. But Gros Valtian had also paid the price. A black, charred wound was deeply engraved on the back of his massive hand.
“The power of immortality…”
“But that too is ultimately part of the Tower. Do you believe you can cut me?”
“We’ll see when we try.”
I kicked off and charged forward. Heading straight on, the moment I saw a tentacle swinging, I quickly rolled to the right. Swish The tentacle passed inches above my head. Then I lowered my body and dove under the tentacle.
Slash!
The sword surged from low to high, deeply cutting the tentacle.
Fwoosh!
As the tentacle was severed, black liquid splattered into the air. As Gros Valtian screamed, the surrounding space trembled. I gritted my teeth and swung my sword again.
Crunch!
My hand holding the sword was repelled again. What blocked the second attack was his other hand. As that hand grabbed my sword, the red flame faded away as if absorbed by the darkness.
“It’s over.”
As his voice echoed in my ears, my body was slammed into the ground with immense pressure.
Crasssh!
The ground cracked radially. Pain as if my ribs were broken engulfed my entire body.
Gahk…!
In my blurring vision, he slowly raised his hand toward the sky. A giant dark spear was created in the air. Its tip was precisely aimed at me.
‘But indifferently, I raised my sword.’
Flash!
The flame of immortality blazed up again. The moment he threw the dark spear, I swung my sword with all my might.
Boom!
The two forces collided head-on and exploded. I was pushed back again by the shock, but this time I corrected my stance. My breath grew ragged. The aftermath of the battle dimmed the red flame, and my body was also crumbling. Gros Valtian was still intact. That massive body was now rising high into the sky.
“All is over.”
“I will destroy all order in this world.”
Countless dark spears rose into the air from his body. I cannot avoid it. But I will not avoid it.
Sigh
I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes. I focused all my strength into the hand gripping my sword. I fully opened the center of my being, the source of my soul, the power of immortality. That was a full power I had never shown before. The very end of power that I had been afraid to unleash because it would inevitably shave off my life.
Srrrrr—
The flame of immortality enveloping my body slowly lost its color. The red energy that had sustained my life until now was gradually fading, but I felt no fear at all. Rather, my heart was calm and cold.
“Let’s…end this.”
A low murmur leaked from my lips. Until now, what has my sword been to me? I swung my sword while climbing the Tower, crossing the boundary between life and death, and cut down countless enemies. But not once had I seen the end of the sword. Pushing the power of immortality to its limit, I realized. The power of immortality only extends life. It was not the essence of my sword. Now, at this moment, I existed only as the sword itself.
Woong
The sword in my hand trembled as if resonating. Having had my eyes closed, I slowly lifted my gaze and looked at the sword. And I realized.
‘The sword was me, and I was the sword.’
The reason for my existence, the path I had walked, all the beliefs I had held, rose clearly in the form of the sword. And now, all of that condensed into a single blade.
The Ultimate Secret of the Sword: Sword and Self as One, A Thousand Swords Return to One.
At that moment, my sword emitted light. It was no longer red. A silver light, close to pure white, enveloped the blade and shone through my entire being.
Shwaaaah!
A beam of light rising from the sword shot high into the sky, splitting space. It wasn’t tearing space apart, but returning it as it was to a state of nothingness. Gros Valtian’s pupils trembled.
“What…is this?”
For the first time, a note of panic colored his voice. A source of power that even his existence could not understand. Not the power of immortality, nor the power of the abyss, but pure power of the sword.
‘The end of all swords, the end of all paths. That is the answer I found.’
My arm gripping the sword slowly extended forward. That single simple movement overwhelmed heaven and earth. The whole world fell still, as if frozen.
“No…that power!”
Gros Valtian screamed and showered hundreds of dark spears at me. But I didn’t move a single step.
Inhale
I took a short breath. And with a very small movement, I thrust my sword forward. With a single sword, embrace all the swords of the world.
Kwaaaaaah!
A dazzling silver light exploded, and all the dark spears flying toward me scattered like dust. And in the midst of that explosion, I walked forward very slowly. The world was silent. Even all of Gros Valtian’s attacks and existence lost meaning before me.
“How…your sword…even though it hasn’t touched me…?”
His body trembled. He began to realize. My sword no longer cut flesh or matter. My sword was cutting existence, cutting will, cutting the very source. I walked slowly. With one step, his tentacles were torn; with two steps, cracks began to appear on his body. On the third step, I stood before him.
“It’s over.”
And very slowly, I lowered my sword.
Kwaaaaaaang!
At that moment, all light in the world vanished. An explosion of white emptiness enveloped the entire floor and spread out. That was not violence, but a quiet wave that erased existence.
“Is this…the end of the sword…?”
Gros Valtian’s voice echoed through the void for the last time and scattered. And so…everything ended.
Sreuk
I quietly sheathed my sword. The silver light slowly seeped back into the blade. And a heavy, cold fatigue that arrived belatedly enveloped my entire body.
Ah…
Only then did I put down my sword and kneel. The world grew quiet again, and the 63rd floor returned to its original state. This was the ultimate of the sword that I had found. Beyond the power of immortality, the ultimate secret of the sword that even transcended myself. Of course, as the price, I lost a great amount of life force. But that life force was a symbol of hesitation and doubt. Because I overcame that, I was finally able to reach the end of the sword. And it wasn’t all loss.
Ziiiiing!
What I could finally see after eliminating the Corrupted Administrator. That was the red light of life. It was a powerful light of life created by the gathering of destructive energy, corruption, and the abyss. And its source was the power of immortality that Cain had possessed.
[Cain’s Immortal Set 5th fragment reveals itself.]
A system message rang out. At that moment, something took shape within the red flame. It was not just equipment. A fragment of the immortal authority that only one who overcame the energies of the abyss, destruction, and corruption could obtain.
Bang!
A black vortex split open. What revealed itself from within was a pauldron (shoulder ornament) formed by a mixture of red flame and abyssal waves. A robust shape, as if bearing the oppression of the Tower head-on. The red crest engraved in the center of the pauldron glowed ominously. Every time the crest writhed, space distorted, and a transcending oppression spread out like a wave. I unconsciously reached out my hand. The moment my fingertips touched it, red flame bursting from the pauldron enveloped my upper body.
Woooooom!
The aura of immortality seeped through my skin and penetrated into my very bones. The cold traces of the abyss and remnants of corruption simultaneously dug into my body.
But.
‘…?!’
Something was strange. Amid the aura of immortality covering my whole body, I clearly felt a subtle sense of incongruity. At first, I thought it was a trace of the abyss. But this was different. Deeper, more ominous, and above all, fundamental…it was a trace of corruption.
[Warning!]
[Unidentified contamination detected in part of the Immortal Set.]
[In-depth analysis is recommended.]
The moment the system message rang, a new information window appeared in my vision.
[Cain’s Immortal Set – Contamination status confirmed.]
[All 5 fragments secured so far are eroded by the energy of the abyss.]
[Normal immortal authority cannot be fully manifested.]
[Conditions to resolve corruption: Requires access to the Seal of the Origin on the 70th Floor.]
The Immortal Set was not complete. Under the influence of the abyss and corruption, that power was even now gradually gnawing at my existence.
‘Nepas…’
Of course, that was Nepas’s scheme. He knew of the existence of Cain’s Immortal Set. He knew it all. Of course he would, because the will of the Tower had possessed him. Therefore, he would have thoroughly grasped everything about the immortal being who defied the Tower and its armaments. The reason he allowed this treasure despite knowing it. Of course, he probably had no intention of giving it easily, but in case it fell into my hands, he corrupted the power of immortality. Naturally, I must cleanse that contamination and regain the original immortal authority. Fortunately, I know the clue.
[Seal of the Origin – Where Cain’s original traces and the source of corruption are sealed.]
[Access Condition: Secure at least 5 pieces of the Immortal Set.]
[Caution: Entering that area will be considered an act against the order of the Tower.]
Although incomplete, by securing 5 pieces of the set, I was able to obtain the clue about the source where the corruption can be cleansed, the 70th floor.
Kkwaak
I firmly gripped my shoulder and stared at the crest. The traces of corruption writhed ominously, but there was no longer any reason to fear.
“Nepas. Your plan will ultimately be thwarted.”
To save Leon.
To save humanity.
And to completely break the shackles of the Tower.