The tension was perfectly balanced; neither side held the advantage or disadvantage.
This battle, repeating in endless stalemates, held no trace of excitement or suspense.
A meaningless fight that continued without end.
But that balance was about to break.
[You have acquired Ihan’s Second Form.]
As the harmony rate increased, a new skill was unlocked.
And the moment Ihan’s power intervened, the entire situation changed drastically.
Evan used Ihan’s Second Form.
As he swung his sword, the Aura Blade became clearer and extended in length.
Though it lasted but a moment, it was a highly refined sword aura.
Clang!
The instant Evan’s sword clashed against the Great Demon Mirror Lord’s blade.
Kwahh!
The collision of sword auras sent out a powerful shockwave.
Yet soon after, Evan’s sword split the Great Demon Mirror Lord’s blade in two.
At the same time, Evan’s sword sliced across the lord’s chest.
Shreek!
Where Evan’s blade cut through, the wound was not bloodied but shattered like a broken mirror.
The lord dropped his sword, clutching the deep wound as he roared in agony.
“Graaah!”
“Foolish creature. How could you be distracted in the middle of battle?”
Without missing the chance, Evan mercilessly struck the lord again with his sword.
Swish! Crackle!
Each time his blade cut into the lord’s body, cracks began to spread.
Everything before Evan’s eyes fractured like shattered glass, mirroring the lord’s fragmentation.
Eventually, the lord could no longer endure.
Clang!
He was completely shattered to pieces, and the world itself began to crumble.
As the original world returned, so did the Great Demon Mirror Lord’s true form.
“So you’ve finally revealed yourself.”
The enraged lord’s crimson eyes flashed fiercely.
“The game is over.”
Dark mana swirled and gathered in one of his hands.
A sword formed—crafted of transparent crystal.
Swish!
The Great Demon Mirror Lord slashed the empty air with the summoned Crystal Sword.
A meaningless gesture at first glance.
But soon its purpose became clear.
Where he slashed, a boundary line began to form in the void.
“……?”
The field of vision split into two.
Top and bottom flipped and crossed over.
But it wasn’t over.
Swish!
Swish—!
The lord sliced the air repeatedly with his sword.
Suddenly, the scenery multiplied endlessly, like stepping into a hall of mirrors.
Hundreds, thousands—no, infinitely many reflections appeared.
Among them, the Great Demon Mirror Lord was also multiplied infinitely.
“So he’s using every trick since he can’t handle it alone anymore.”
As Evan finished speaking, the infinite copies of the Great Demon Mirror Lord lunged at him.
“No choice.”
Evan pulled out all the buffs he had bought from the shop in his inventory.
[Defense increased by 15%. (00:10:00)]
[Health increased by 13%. (00:15:00)]
Ten buffs in total.
They were expensive, but this was no time to be frugal.
He also drew Eiren’s Sword and wielded dual blades.
The Great Demon Mirror Lords came charging from every direction.
Evan lowered his upper body and focused all his senses.
The moment they reached him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He parried their attacks with his twin blades.
Even an evasion skill activated.
[Attack evaded.]
He narrowly avoided the storm of sword strikes.
Still, some hits grazed his ribs, arms, and thighs.
Thankfully, the armor’s defense held firm.
‘Damn it. Blocking this is almost a miracle.’
Like facing a horde, Evan was overwhelmed by the endless onslaught.
Plus, the enemy’s bizarre powers made countering even harder.
As the attacks grew fiercer, strikes came from unexpected places.
‘How are they attacking from above?’
It was incomprehensible.
With this distorted vision, he couldn’t tell sky from ground.
It felt like floating alone in the middle of nowhere.
Surrounded by mirrors, he was being attacked from all sides.
Still, Evan gritted his teeth and continued parrying with his twin swords.
Pushed to the limit, he endured until the very end.
‘If this goes on, it will never end.’
Evan expanded his awareness to survey the surroundings.
‘Among these, there is only one true body.’
They all looked identical, but one clear difference existed—mana.
Only the real Great Demon Mirror Lord possessed mana.
Tracking the mana’s flow amidst the storm of sword strikes.
There was only one.
The lord approaching leisurely.
‘Is that him? If he comes close, I’ll finish this in one blow.’
Evan narrowed his eyes.
Suddenly, an uncontrollable power began to surge within him.
Basilisk Slayer.
Ihan’s Heroic Myth rank.
He wasn’t sure if his body could endure the mythic power yet, but if he missed this chance, there would be no other way.
‘I’m much stronger than before.’
Somehow, he felt confident he could withstand it.
But then—
Kwahhh!
A deafening roar shattered the air with a tremor.
At the same time, the advancing Great Demon Mirror Lord’s steps halted.
‘What’s going on?’
Evan turned toward the source of the noise.
The fractured vision made it impossible to see clearly.
But soon, all the visual distortion was restored.
It seemed the lord had stopped using his power.
“What is that?”
A thin beam of light shot toward the sky.
‘What kind of magic causes such mana flow…?’
At that moment, the Great Demon Mirror Lord suddenly slashed the air again.
Swish—!
Space was severed, twisting the vision once more.
In an instant, the lord disappeared from sight.
“Is it urgent for him too?”
Left alone, Evan watched the beam of light.
[World Overwrite in progress. (7% complete)]
[The worlds will merge shortly.]
[Warning! There is a high risk of unexpected collision between the two worlds.]
The message window floating before his eyes contained dangerous information.
The explanation Darwen had given earlier—the fake replaces the original after it’s erased.
“Could it be?”
Evan hurriedly moved.
***
Valles Bell Tower Plaza.
A gigantic magic circle spread across the plaza, glowing brightly.
From its center, powerful energy surged into the sky.
The pillar of light was endless, like a beam reaching heaven itself.
Darwen pretended to assist them while examining the magic circle.
An ancient rune circle.
Darwen only admired it silently.
‘Such a delicate magic circle has never been discovered in any ruin. It’s impossible to recreate one in this era.’
Even the Nervan Cultists only activated the hidden magic circle here.
Frowning, Darwen forced himself to maintain the act.
“How on earth was such a magic circle made?”
He spoke while his eyes and hands kept moving.
He searched for a way to disrupt it.
‘There must be a way to stop this magic circle!’
Then—
A cacophony of noisy static echoed from somewhere.
Darwen raised his gaze from the ground.
In the plaza, numerous knights lay strewn across the ground among Nervan Cultists.
Looking around, he saw priests and Sacred Knights from several cult factions, along with Clyd and his associates.
Yet all their bodies were transparent.
Their voices garbled into static, like phantoms.
Still, they looked at Darwen with wide, surprised eyes.
“What’s happening here?” Darwen asked.
One Nervan Cultist explained calmly,
“Don’t worry. This is proof that the worlds are merging. Those who belonged to the original world are now visible.”
He waved his hand reassuringly and continued, “Of course, they can’t interfere with us yet. Until the worlds fully merge, they can’t so much as touch a hair on us. And once the worlds become one, the Goddess will descend, so don’t be concerned.”
In fact, Sacred Knights had rushed in, slashing at the cultists, but their blades passed right through.
Darwen wiped cold sweat from his brow as he looked at Clyd.
‘I’m afraid the Count might misunderstand this situation.’
He was standing with the Nervan Cultists.
And partially aiding in activating the magic circle.
Misunderstanding was definitely possible.
But he couldn’t reveal his feelings while playing his part.
He only hoped Clyd would understand.
Darwen sent a silent glance to Clyd.
Clyd quietly nodded.
‘…Could it be? Does the Count understand?’
Darwen was surprised but soon smiled.
‘Whatever happens, I’ll explain later.’
He refocused on the magic circle.
But his attention didn’t last long.
Short black hair, brown skin.
Agarrus appeared.
He wore no armor, just like the first time they met.
Darwen’s pupils trembled violently.
If Agarrus showed up here, that meant Evan was defeated, didn’t it?
Anger surged from the top of his head to his toes.
‘No, not yet. It’s still uncertain.’
He forced himself to calm down, believing Evan wouldn’t fall so easily.
Meanwhile, Agarrus approached the cultists.
“How dare you start without informing me? That’s not how the plan went!”
“Look over there.”
A Nervan Cultist pointed ahead.
Turning his head, Agarrus saw Paladins lying dead around the bodies of Nervan Cultists.
‘…They’ve already been wiped out. It’s only a matter of time before they discover this place.’
Agarrus clicked his tongue.
“Incompetent fools. Fine. Proceed immediately. I shall become the master of this world.”
“Yes. Everything is prepared. Enter the place where the light shines and seize the Feather of the Goddess. Then you must fully unleash the relic’s power.”
“If so, will I truly become a godlike master of the world?”
“Yes, you will. The time to fulfill His Majesty the King’s will as master of this world has come.”
“Understood. I will not forget your efforts.”
Slowly, he walked toward the pillar of light.
Before Agarrus, on the beam of light, lay a beautiful feather.
He stepped into the light and touched the feather.
At that moment, the feather seeped into his body.
And he opened all the power of the Great Demon Mirror.
Goooo!
The mana on his left arm rose into the air, growing as large as a person.
Its appearance was like a full-body mirror.
Agarrus gazed into the mirror with trembling anticipation and excitement.
But the moment he looked into the mirror, he realized something was terribly wrong.
His reflection.
It was the breathtakingly beautiful image of a woman.
And the instant he realized this—
“Guaaah!”
Agarrus screamed and shut his eyes tight.
Blood began flowing between his palm and face.
‘M-my eyes!’
He writhed in agony.
Before his thrashing subsided, an even louder scream engulfed the hall.
“Kuaaah!”
An indescribably massive force squeezed his throat.
No, it was like being crushed to death under a mountain.
“K-kill me.”
His consciousness began to be consumed by something.
Soon, runes covered Agarrus’s entire body, and beautiful white wings sprouted from his back.
His body was reconstructed piece by piece, slowly transforming into the beautiful woman in the mirror.
Evan watched this entire process unfold.
And then—
[Main Quest updated.]
[Difficulty has surpassed S-rank.]
[Main Quest has been adjusted to a Transcendent Quest.]
[SS-rank quest Humanity’s End has begun.]
[An absolutely forbidden quest appeared.]
“…This is madness.”