One year.
In just one year, the world turned into hell.
At least, in the eyes of Antiphus, it was hell. There was no hope in sight.
‘What should I have done?’
He could guarantee that he had done everything possible. He had pulled every connection from Earth he could find and forcibly changed laws to prepare for the end. He had spared no expense in researching Abyss Energy. He had never slept more than three hours a day. He had utilized every possible medium to push his Reputation Points to the limit.
He had stopped counting his gathered skills through the Dominator trait once they exceeded 100. He had three top-tier skills and dozens of high-tier ones.
“And yet…”
Despite all that, he could not stop it.
Five failed raids in a single year. While the last two were due to the Empire abandoning the conquest altogether, the first three were undeniable failures.
‘What was the problem?; His martial power was sufficient. Vitalianus was there, and other top-tier First Awakened like himself had supported the Imperial Army.
They had frequently moved to conquer by relaying information and actively utilizing the logout function.
Yet, the result was failure. There were excuses, of course. This was a hideously unfair fight to begin with. It was a war where even if one succeeded dozens of times, a single failure would deal a devastating blow.
However, he could not make excuses. Antiphus Praman—he was now the one who bore the weight of the world. He was the person who had to light the flame of hope in a world shrouded in darkness. Hope was something that could not be allowed to go out, not even for a single moment.
It was fortunate that the social system had not collapsed yet. This was only possible because they had intentionally blocked information regarding Abyss Energy.
They desperately hid the fact that just touching it would lead to a slow death with no cure or countermeasure; that was the only reason order was being maintained. It was why people still held onto hope despite the countless deaths caused by Abyss Monsters.
Unaware that it was a false hope, they struggled to survive, thinking that a bright future would somehow come if they just endured.
‘But wasn’t that over now?’
— The world is finished.
Antiphus’s gaze was fixed on the small smartphone screen in his hand. On the screen, a man was surrounded by countless cameras and microphones.
— The high-ranking bastards among the First Awakened are hiding secrets.
The man speaking on the screen was also one of the First Awakened. He wasn’t a top ranker, but as a First Awakened, he was quite famous on Earth. He was one of those who had suddenly disappeared about two years ago.
— Antiphus… no, Phil Knight! Daphne! Nam Tae-min! I’m saying those guys are hoarding all the information and won’t release it!
The man shouted as if screaming, his eyes sunken with dark circles and his body haggard, looking unlike an Awakened. He was in despair. He was raging on behalf of those with terminal illnesses who were living day to day on false hope. He was crying for those who didn’t even know they were dying.
…’Was that truly for their sake?’ Antiphus could not find an answer.
— Jijoncheonma is dead! Every First Awakened knows how horrific this is! But I only managed to find this out recently! Why? Because those at the top, like Phil Knight, were controlling everything!
Antiphus looked away from the screen for a moment and scanned his surroundings. High-rise buildings and bright lights were visible everywhere. This was the landscape of a metropolis he had desperately protected, even at the cost of abandoning small rural towns.
This was the order that must never be broken. For that to happen, hope had to be maintained, even if it was a lie.
— Jijoncheonma? Among the First Awakened, he’s practically a god. He’s someone incomparable even if you combined Phil Knight, Daphne, and Nam Tae-min… and yet, they concealed his existence and his death along with everything else! Why? Because they have to be at the top of the world! Because they have to mold the world to their own tastes!
Even without looking at the screen, he could imagine the man’s expression based on his voice, which was filled with fury.
Of course, most of his words were true. Antiphus, Daphne, and Nam Tae-min had hidden information from everyone except their closest associates. To prepare for the Abyssal Depths, they had forcibly passed various laws and spent massive amounts of wealth to secretly research Abyss Energy.
They quickly abandoned and sacrificed cities where Abyss Gates appeared, concentrating all their forces only in major cities.
There was heavy backlash, but what could a single, powerless citizen do? Even if they gathered with guns and started a riot, there were Awakened in the big cities.
And behind them were the First Awakened. Eventually, the residents of the abandoned cities pointed those guns at the emerging Abyss Monsters… but there was no way that would work.
They simply died like that. Cruelly, tragically, and helplessly.
— “I understood up to a point. We knew the world was in a great crisis, and we agreed that power needed to be centralized for that reason. But… I naturally assumed that Jijoncheonma would be there with them, leading them!”
The peaceful landscape of this city was built upon their blood. Other cities without the First Awakened were surely enduring hellish days even at this very moment.
— “But it turns out Jijoncheonma acted alone and was even in conflict with Phil Knight! To think that such a man died over a year ago while blocking the Abyssal Depths by himself! How could they hide such a fact from us!”
It seemed there was a whistleblower inside. That man, who hadn’t even broken into the top 100, couldn’t have known that information otherwise.
— “Therefore, I intend to reveal all the truths they are hiding right here.”
‘Who was it?’
‘Who spread the information?’
A few faces came to mind, but he quickly cleared them from his head. It no longer mattered.
— “You are all going to die.”
The camera shook violently. The atmosphere in the video, which was already loud, became several times more chaotic.
— “You all know that black Gates appeared and became the current catastrophe. If so, then the black energy coming from them…”
The man on the screen truly exposed everything. Regarding Abyss Energy. He revealed that not only those who touched it but even those who unknowingly inhaled a single breath would die without exception.
He stated that the First Awakened had predicted this and researched it for years but ultimately failed to find a countermeasure.
Thus, not only those present but also the citizens of major cities and most humans in the entire world were on the verge of death. They would die faster than they would from a monster’s attack.
After those final words, the video briefly showed the press conference turning into a scene of utter carnage before ending.
The man who was once a First Awakened—it was not difficult to guess the aftermath his revelation would bring. No, even without guessing, it began to manifest immediately.
*K-boom!*
An explosion erupted in the middle of the city. Startled screams and angry shouts followed.
‘How would people feel when they learned their lifespans were nearly over?’ When they realized those symptoms were actually occurring? He could guess that as well.
It would probably be the same as back then. Back when he was losing his abilities day by day, crushed under the name of Jijoncheonma. ‘Wouldn’t they be just as angry? Wouldn’t they be just as afraid?’
Therefore, the riot happening now was an expression of terror. The explosions were screams let out in fear, and the gunshots were the sound of order collapsing. False hope crumbles so easily the moment its true nature is revealed, and a system barely holding on collapses in an instant.
The city burns, and people scream. There was no beautiful end, like holding family close or whispering final words to a lover. The end was chaos, screams, and despair.
Normally, it would be right to step forward to explain or suppress the situation, but Antiphus did not do so. Daphne and Sirbert, who were busy protecting several large cities, likely wouldn’t either. As mentioned before, it had all become futile.
**[You have failed the raid on Abyss Floor 70.]**
Because a real hell was about to arrive. A collapsing Gate began to appear in Antiphus’s vision.
**[The Abyssal Depths are invading.]**
**[Strange Entities are appearing.]**
The Abyssal Depths began to swallow the city, which was already plunged into chaos.
***
**[Skill: Blink is activated.]**
Using Blink in front of Kreutzvalt was practically a taboo, but he had no choice.
*K-boom!*
**[Skill: Celestial is activated.]**
**[Skill: Thunder Emperor is being activated.]**
He had no choice but to wrap himself in Celestial almost simultaneously with Blink and then use Thunder Emperor to kick off from his position again.
*K-boom!*
Kreutzvalt’s full-scale assault was truly insane. There was no time to catch his breath or a single gap for thought. How should he dodge, and how should he endure? He was already pouring out power near his limit just with those thoughts.
*K-boom!*
He had awakened Ideation and learned how to imbue it into his magic and skills, but that didn’t mean he could defeat Kreutzvalt immediately. Kreutzvalt was the Master of the Abyss, one who freely manipulated the Abyssal Depths and commanded Strange Entities like his own limbs.
He was a monster who was a Magician with immeasurable Magic Power and could cast several high-Circle spells simultaneously. He could see Magic Power with his eyes, and his technique in handling Ideation was clearly a level above.
A black hand suddenly surged up, trying to snatch Hio. Hio, who had already sensed the movement of Magic Power, tried to move away by becoming a lightning bolt, but a black veil blocked his path. The lightning carrying Ideation clashed with the veil imbued with Ideation.
*K-baaaaang!*
Despite the shock that rattled his body, he had to snap back to his senses immediately. Acid that could melt bone was sticking to the ground, targeting his legs, and a monster shrouded in hellfire was reaching out to tear his arms off.
**[Skill: Blink is activated.]**
**[Skill: Celestial is activated.]**
He dodged with Blink while simultaneously wrapping himself in Celestial. Then, another shock followed.
*K-baaaaang!*
**[Skill: Explosion is activated.]**
**[Skill: Wind Blade is activated.]**
**[Skill: Wind Blade is activated.]**
**[Skill: Wind Blade is activated.]**
He also launched counterattacks whenever he found a gap. Three Wind Golems appeared and swung their blades. The sound of Explosion was ear-splittingly loud, and its massive effect swept toward Kreutzvalt, but compared to its flashy appearance, it had no effect at all.
“Tsk.”
Kreutzvalt waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. The light-green rock golems that had soared into the sky were shattered into pieces, and the smoke from the explosion cleared in an instant.
**[Skill: Blink is activated.]**
**[Skill: Celestial is activated.]**
Spells targeting Hio continued to pour out without pause. Meanwhile, Kreutzvalt drew out separate Magic Power to summon a distinct sub-space. He was the Master of the Abyss, a pioneer of black magic, and a great Necromancer. The greatest masterpieces among the undead he had created and collected over 1,300 years were about to appear.
*Riiip—*
The sky split with a sticky sound. A giant head emerged from the fractured black space, followed by an even more massive body. Along with it, a chill that froze the core of the body leaked out. It was the most dignified creature remaining as only bones, the guardian of a dead world.
*Grrrrr—*
It was a Bone Dragon.
A total of three Bone Dragons emerged in a line from the space behind Kreutzvalt. That alone made the sky feel completely full. A deep shadow cast over the ground, and their breath was thick with frost and death.
Though they had lost their reason and only possessed powerful physical bodies, they had been enhanced by Kreutzvalt’s Necromancy. Their speed would rival the Thunder Emperor, and they were the type of creatures that wouldn’t even flinch at most skills. And there were three of them.
“Bring me Pavlenko.”
The Bone Dragons moved at Kreutzvalt’s command. They lunged toward Hio at speeds unbelievable for their fortress-sized bulk. He couldn’t face all three of them at once. However, if he tried to dodge with Blink, he would surely be turned into a pulp by Kreutzvalt’s magic, as the latter now had room to spare. The same would happen even if he dodged using Thunder Emperor.
In an instant, a Bone Dragon reached him and swung a foot as large as a house toward Hio. However, a green brilliance soared as if it had been waiting.
**[Skill: Dragon Summoning is activated.]**
The last Dragon remaining in this world answered Hio’s call.