HBWnovel Chapter 522: Eighth Return, Earth (7)
Chapter 522: Eighth Return, Earth (7)
Crunch.
The Servants’ bodies were crushed. The immense physical force utterly destroyed their original forms.
Screech!
The Servants unleashed their powers. As Servants of the Malevolent God, they were the scourge of countless worlds. Their strength was absolute, rivaled only by beings at the level of transcendents.
The two Servants combined their might, summoning black auras and reshaping their bodies to resist the overwhelming physical force bearing down on them.
Crack.
But it was futile.
The raw physical force rolled over them like a steamroller, crushing their resistance. These entities, existing beyond conventional concepts, were torn apart by sheer physical power.
[4,561,159,434 damage dealt to #@!!!!.]
[4,561,159,434 damage dealt to #@!!!!.]
[4,112,111,688 damage dealt to !@%^&&&.]
[4,112,111,688 damage dealt to !@%^&&&.]
The Servants’ defenses were completely shattered, and the physical force threatened to spill outward into the world.
Rumble!
The collision of force and earth caused the crust to collapse.
The mantle began to show as the foundations of the planet were exposed.
At this rate, the very planet of Earth itself was in danger of disintegrating.
Taesan raised his hand.
[You have activated Inner World.]
A domain forged from pure power and force expanded outward. It contained the rampaging physical energy, preventing it from affecting the world outside.
Boom!
The concentrated energy exploded within the confines of the domain, causing a cacophony of sound. Taesan casually flicked his sword.
“Done.”
Before him, the two Servants lay sprawled out.
They weren’t dead. It was impossible to kill them with physical force alone.
But he had rendered them into a critical state.
The two Servants could no longer act. They were completely incapacitated.
[...This is terrifying.]
Though lacking a physical body, Bardray shuddered in awe.
Until now, Bardray had considered Replication a powerful skill.
Duplicating a skill without penalty was impressive, a game-changer that could turn the tide of battle.
However, he had always thought it was inferior to Addition or Enforced Duel, largely because of its long cooldown and its limited application to magic or dark magic—things that didn’t hold much value for Taesan in his current state.
But he had been mistaken.
Replication revealed its true power when combined with Multiplication.
In this synergy, its value far exceeded Addition or Enforced Duel.
“Excellent.”
Taesan hummed in satisfaction. The Malevolent Gods hadn’t foolishly sent just any Servants—they had chosen ones optimized to counter physical force.
However, against attacks amplified by Multiplication and Replication, their compatibility advantage became meaningless.
The Servants were by no means weak. Even if Taesan had fought them using the Boundary Line, the battle would have taken considerable time. Yet he had rendered these formidable opponents incapacitated with just two strikes.
Taesan activated the Boundary Line.
Crack.
He finished off the Servants. A massive burst of energy erupted as their essence was absorbed into him.
[Your Spiritual Surge has activated. Black Aura proficiency increased by 3%.]
[Your Spiritual Surge has activated. Black Aura proficiency increased by 4%.]
As for the one sent hurtling into space, it was likely handled by the transcendents. Taesan deactivated the Inner World.
And what greeted him was the sight of a sky entirely filled with monsters, so densely packed that there was no room for empty space.
“Quite a lot.”
The sheer number suggested the Malevolent Gods were determined to gain the upper hand. Among the monsters, several S-rank entities could be spotted.
Though the defenders were fighting desperately, the endless waves were slowly pushing them back.
Watching this, Taesan raised his hand.
“Perfect timing.”
Mana surged from his body.
[You have activated Radiant Multicolor Charge.]
The magic, forgotten by many but bestowed upon him by the labyrinth’s creator, materialized.
Seven streams of multicolored light burst into existence.
“Is there even a floor in Alone Mode that satisfies the conditions? Or, wait—are we talking about some absurd minimum stat threshold that allows exponential damage?”
“Not in Alone Mode.”
So, Taesan had turned back time.
He pulled out a shard of Ouroboros. Lee Taeyeon’s eyes widened as she watched.
“That’s...”
“I obtained it as a material during the floor-clearing process.”
“Ha.”
Lee Taeyeon immediately understood what he had done and where he had obtained it.
She let out a laugh, equal parts incredulous and impressed.
“You rewound time just to get Multiplication. That’s absurd.”
It was an utterly reckless solution. But given that there was no other way to acquire Multiplication, it was also the correct one—even if it bordered on the impossible.
Her face reflected pure admiration and awe.
“You’re truly incredible. So, can you turn back time whenever you want?”
“No.”
Rewinding time required an enormous amount of energy. While it was possible that the energy could recharge over time, it was far from a certainty at the moment.
“That’s a shame. Then how did you convert the damage into physical force?”
“I got a skill from Balbabamba.”
“A skill granted by an administrator. Makes sense, considering it’s something no one else could obtain.”
Reaching a conclusion, Lee Taeyeon gave Taesan a new look of respect.
“So now your damage can reach tens or even hundreds of billions?”
“Exactly.”
“Hah.”
She let out a laugh. But her expression soon shifted to one of acceptance.
“...Yeah. That makes sense.”
Multiplication.
A skill that exponentially multiplied damage, an ability that surpassed the boundaries of what was considered possible.
Yet Taesan hadn’t been able to fully utilize its potential before. With his underdeveloped stats, no matter how much effort he put in, it was nearly impossible to achieve damage in the billions.
The true value of Multiplication was far greater than what had been displayed before.
Trapped in the constraints of an Easy Mode body, the skill had been reduced to a fraction of its potential. Lee Taeyeon had always found this deeply regrettable.
Now, at last, the extraordinary skill was demonstrating its full power under the rightful stats and conditions.
“Everything’s finally falling into place.”
Lee Taeyeon muttered softly.
Time passed.
Monsters continued to emerge, and the defenders continued to fight.
But no major crises arose. The monsters that appeared were ones the defenders could handle even without Taesan’s direct involvement.
Thus, time flowed relatively uneventfully. The pillar of light sealing the rift grew larger and stronger.
“...What?”
Taesan frowned.
Since sending the three Servants, the Malevolent Gods had shown no further movement. At this rate, the rift would be sealed entirely, yet their silence was deafening.
[Maybe they’ve given up? Honestly, now that you have Multiplication, there’s not much they can do.]
Bardray’s voice echoed in his mind.
The Malevolent Gods had attempted to deplete Taesan’s Boundary Line for an unknown purpose, likely to destroy the divine disc.
But thanks to the physical force enabled by Multiplication, Taesan had been able to defeat the Servants without relying on the Boundary Line.
The Malevolent Gods’ plan had fallen apart. Their strategy to tie Taesan’s hands had backfired, and now he had effectively gained wings to soar freely.
They couldn’t have anticipated Multiplication, and from their perspective, it was a perfect betrayal of their expectations. Bardray wasn’t wrong.
Yet something felt off.
“That doesn’t mean they should be doing nothing.”
Gatekeepers might not descend, but something at the level of fragments or shards should have been sent by now.
Even as the pillar of light expanded, covering more of the rift and making it harder for the Malevolent Gods to interfere, they made no moves beyond the three Servants.
“....”
Something was happening.
This couldn’t be the end. The unease Taesan had felt ever since hearing Akrasian’s explanation only grew stronger.
“Let’s find out.”
Taesan stomped his foot. His body launched into the air.
In the blink of an eye, Taesan disappeared from Earth.