Chapter 543: Tragedy..

Rules for fights had always been simple.

The stronger one wins.

That was the unspoken law carved into every battlefield, every dungeon, every clash of steel and fang.

But even the simplest rule was never without its hidden edges.

Strength alone was rarely enough.

There were always conditions—terrain, stamina, timing, skill, even luck—that determined whether one lived or died.

The same principles applied to leveling.

At its core, it was about dominance: crush the foe, reap the reward.

But the gains never came as easily as one would hope.

“Fuck…”

SSWWWISSSHHHH!!!

My blade carved through the air, cleaving cleanly into the [Para Abyss] in front of me.

The monster shrieked, its inhuman voice gurgling as ichor splattered across the cracked stone.

Its grotesque frame—roughly the size of a warhorse—shuddered, its many limbs thrashing.

Its body bore twisted humanlike features, its eyeless face splitting open into a maw lined with shadowy teeth.

Tentacles snapped outward like blades, each one razor-sharp and glistening with darkness itself.

One more strike. Its body split apart, collapsing into a grotesque heap before dispersing into ash.

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

I exhaled sharply, brushing away the system window. Two levels. Just two.

My brows furrowed. “Tch… bullshit. I’ve cut down at least a thousand of these things already, and that’s all I get?”

[Para Abyss].

Mid-tier monsters.

Depending on their size and mutation, they ranked anywhere between B and A.

They were supposed to be formidable prey—monsters that even trained knights dreaded.

And yet, with the sheer number I had slaughtered, I should’ve jumped several levels by now.

At least five. Maybe more.

Instead, the system treated my efforts like scraps.

BOOOOM!!!

I spun and drove my fist into the chest of another charging beast.

Its ribcage collapsed inward under the blow, flesh and bone detonating in a wet explosion.

Blood misted the air as its remains scattered across the cavern floor.

And then, like ants spilling from a nest, more came. Dozens of them, their shrieks layering into a maddening chorus as they swarmed.

For an instant, I stood still, watching them pour toward me.

There was one good thing I’ve realized in this ordeal though…

And it was stronger than I had ever realized.

My muscles carried more force than warriors who boasted S-rank strength.

My blows shattered bone and tore through carapace like parchment.

Even my lungs and heartbeat, even the way my body resisted fatigue—stamina that most A-rank endurance fighters could only dream of.

CRACK! THUD! SPLATTER!

One punch. One kick. Every strike crushed the monsters around me.

Granted, it wasn’t infinite—nothing ever truly was—but the moment I tapped into my mana reserves, it might as well be. For most battles, at least.

But right now, I was deliberately holding back, letting my body do the work while my mana lay dormant.

Using mana here, against these fodder monsters, was nothing but wasted effort

Keeping it up much longer wouldn’t benefit me in the slightest.

Lavine’s distraction wouldn’t last forever.

When her decoy collapsed, Stacia’s party would inevitably regroup, and they’d be here in no time.

And the moment that happened, the board would shift against me.

I exhaled slowly, parrying another strike with the barest twitch of my wrist.

My body moved on instinct, weaving around claws and blades like the monsters were puppets dancing to a tired song.

The real problem was timing.

If I activated my divinity, even for a moment, Emilia would notice.

She always did.

Her senses, sharp as a predator’s, would zero in on me the instant that divine presence surged outward.

But maybe… maybe that was fine.

it could even work as bait.

I chewed the thought as my body flowed through the monsters’ attacks.

Blades and tentacles sliced empty air, my footwork carrying me between them without conscious effort.

My mind was elsewhere.

Lucas.

The moment his holy sword reunited with its other sequence—that would be my cue. The linchpin of this whole board.

The [Ultimate Skill [Charity], an exclusive for Lucas that allows him to chare his stat and growth rate with the people he cares about should be unlocked by then….

And yet… even with that sword in hand, even with the sequence complete, I doubted it would ever be enough for what was to come.

He was strong, yes.

But strength wasn’t the same as inevitability.

Still, Lucas was one of my many assurances. A piece I needed on the board.

That’s why…. I need him to get something more than [Charity] his other [Ultimate Skill: Justice]

I’m sorry dear little sister of mine but this is a chance for you… to grow stronger with the protagonist of this world.

I need you to rile him up….

[Note: An Evil Entity has been identified within the user’s current area.]

[Scanning surroundings…]

[ULTIMATE SKILL: DIVINE WILL — ACTIVATED.]

[Number of Evil Entities detected within a 200-meter radius: Confirmed — ???? Targets.]

[Extra Effect of [Ultimate Skill: Divine Will] will now take effect.]

— [Commanding Presence: Activated!]

— [Evil Entity Enhancement: Activated!]

— [Divine Ascension: Activated!]

[User’s current stats will now be upgraded beyond mortal limitations.]

[Initiating Divine Mortification…]

[Recalculating level…]

[Base Level: 186] → [+930]

[Temporary Level: ????]

[Divine Authority and Name: Unknown!]

[User Divine Blessing Sequence Error!]

I dropped into my martial stance… the world slowed, almost pausing as the restraints on my mana came undone.

VOOOOOOOSH!!!

The air cracked—dense, heavy—like the weight of the heavens pressing down.

The monsters nearby didn’t even get the chance to scream; their bodies caved in under the crushing pressure, bursting into clouds of misty, dark blood.

Golden lightning danced, wild and alive, crawling across my arms and shoulders like living serpents.

[Hidden Blade Technique – First Form]

[Blue Moon]

A single strike. That’s all it took.

The blade cut through the abyssal dark, erasing everything in front of me in one flash of golden light.

[Congratulations! You have defeated one of the Great Evils of the Abyss: Drakuth!]

[You have leveled up!]

The system’s cold voice rang in my ears, but I barely paid attention.

The dungeon master was down.

Now… it was Stacia’s turn to burn that ridiculous clown down.

I adjusted the black mask over my face, feeling the cold fabric settle into place.

My fingers brushed the small enchanted bracelet on my wrist—click—activated.

“Ah—Ah…”

My voice twisted, shifting into something deeper, laced with jagged tones that crawled with false poise. Perfect.

I just hope Lavine isn’t pushing them too far…

…

Meanwhile, on the 6th floor of the dungeon.

“Haaaah!!!”

[GOLDEN SHOWER!]

Lucas’s blade erupted in a flurry of radiant arcs—three strikes unleashed almost at once, each infused with searing divine light.

They tore through the barrage of mana bombs and flaming arrows, melting them into nothingness.

His sword sang through the chaos, his body moving like a phantom blur, dodging and cutting in perfect rhythm.

His eyes locked on her—Lavine.

She floated with an infuriating calm, weaving through his ranged sword strikes like they were no more dangerous than drifting embers.

His speed was greater, his strength undeniable, but every time he surged forward, space itself bent.

The gap between them stretched wider, mocking his efforts.

No matter how fast he pushed, he could never close in. It was like trying to chase a mirage across a desert horizon.

Her defensive magic twisted reality itself. Even for Lucas—blessed, chosen, armed with divine light—this was unfamiliar ground.

A celestial mage. A dangerous one.

[Low-level — Celestial Magic]

[Spatial Disrupt]

Lucas’s mana sense screamed danger. His instincts flared, forcing his body into a blur as he twisted left, then right.

Space itself rippled around him—distorting, contracting, collapsing in strange pulses that threatened to swallow him whole.

From the warped air, an arrow shot forth, jagged and unstable, like a flaming shard of a star tearing reality open. Lucas reacted on instinct.

[SUNSTRIKE!]

His blade carved down in a vertical arc, channeling divine light until it burst forward in a beam of pure radiance.

The strike howled across the dungeon floor, cutting a clean line of destruction in its path—straight toward Lavine.

And then—gone.

Space twisted again. The beam bent, pulled apart, distorted into nothingness before it could reach her.

Lavine tilted her head, eyes gleaming faintly as she hovered just out of reach. Her voice came soft, casual, mocking.

“Wow… you really are powerful.”

Lucas’s jaw tightened, his teeth grinding in frustration. “Stop playing games, demonic worshipper. Where did you take the others?”

Lavine giggled lightly, covering her mouth like she was enjoying a private joke. “Who knows~? Wherever I sent them, I doubt your lovely little lovers are having a pleasant time.”

“You—!” Rage flared in Lucas’s chest, divine light bleeding faintly from his blade. But she didn’t flinch, only floated higher, the warped space keeping her untouchable.

It had already been hours since Lavine had taken the girls.

…

“…H—Hnn?”

A groan escaped Emilia’s lips. Her eyelids fluttered open, vision blurry, body heavy—like every drop of her strength had been drained out and scattered across the floor.

Her breath was shallow.

The air here smelled strange—thick, damp, metallic.

Unfamiliar stone walls surrounded her.

She forced herself to whisper, “…What happened?”

The memories hit her like shards of glass, jagged and merciless.

That woman.

That sudden presence.

Her aura had been all wrong—twisted, suffocating. A demonic worshipper.

Emilia had tried to resist, to invoke her divinity, but—then came the sensation of falling. A void opening beneath her feet.

The next thing she knew, she was here.

She pushed herself up, wobbling, her knees weak.

Every nerve screamed against the effort.

“You’re awake…”

The voice came from the shadows.

Deep. Dark. Commanding.

Emilia’s head snapped toward it, her heart lurching.

There he was—sitting casually in a chair, one leg crossed over the other, his posture relaxed, almost mocking.

A black mask concealed his face, the dim glow of the dungeon firelight casting sharp lines across his frame.

A demon worshipper. Same as the woman.

Her heart hammered, but she didn’t hesitate—her divine power surged, her blue eyes glowing bright white as holy energy rushed to the surface.

But then—

Cough!

She choked.

Blood splattered across her lips as her chest convulsed. Her glow flickered violently, then died.

She collapsed to her knees, gasping, pale.

The masked man tilted his head, his voice dripping with cruel amusement.

“It’s useless, Saintess. I’ve already drained every drop of your divinity.”

Her breath hitched.

Horror flooded her chest.

She reached inside herself for even a spark of holy light—but nothing answered.

Empty.

Her heart sank as the truth crushed her. She couldn’t even muster an ounce of her power.

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