Chapter 310: Episode 310

[Pope Luminus has cast Behel’s Advent.]

[Archbishop Messiah has cast Wrath of the Earth.]

[SS-rank Guardian Grai, the Guardian of Balak, has cast Sword of Balak.]

[Hasla, the Great Chieftain of the Myoin Tribe, has cast Shatter Binding.]

Four skills that transcended mortal limits manifested. Within the domain, now blanketed by frost crystals, Behel’s divine power, and the aura of abundance, only they could engage in battle without being significantly hindered by the environmental restrictions.

“This is the Sword of Balak!”

“As if possessing the holy sword wasn’t enough, you dare summon a demonic sword onto this continent? Behel will never forgive you!”

“Do not ignore me, Pope!”

Baekho struck the ground, sending debris scattering into the air. As the gazes of the three combatants intersected, Grai kicked off the shattered earth and thrust Ashlanche forward. However, Pope Luminus also possessed a body that had transcended human limits. Wielding the absolute authority of his position, facing two monsters simultaneously wasn’t entirely impossible for him. He blocked the demonic energy with hundreds of layered shields while halting Baekho’s charge using the descended avatar of Behel.

“The only god who can save the Astral Continent is Behel. For a mere Guardian of the Earth to dare rebel against him… Preposterous!”

“You spout more nonsense by the minute,” Messiah retorted. “This time, I will crush you along with the very god you worship!”

Suddenly, massive tree vines shot up from the earth. Coiled like thorny whips, they pierced straight through the Pope’s shields and dug into Behel’s avatar. Pope Luminus glared at Messiah, his eyes bloodshot.

The druids, who had always defied Behel’s will to spread their aura of abundance across the continent, were now laying their hands on Behel’s very avatar. Behel’s pain was the pain of his believers. Inquisitor-General Nepers, who had been assisting the Pope in eliminating the druids, charged forward, unable to contain his rage.

“How dare you thrust your disgusting vines at Lord Behel! You will never leave this place ali—Gah!”

“This is no battle for a small fry like you to interfere in. Get lost, you disgusting wretch!”

The rampaging Inquisitor-General was sent flying into the distance. Baekho snorted lightly, exhaling a puff of air, and turned his attention back to the Pope.

“I’ll annihilate you all at once!” Luminus roared.

“You thure talk a lot,” Grai lisped. “Jutht try it!”

“Grr, you insolent little brat!”

“Who are you calling a brat?!”

No one knew Grai’s true form, as his physical body had regressed to that of a child. Pope Luminus gathered Behel’s divine power, his eyes fixed on the dark energy bleeding from the demonic sword.

A heavy gust of wind tore through the air.

The cloud-filled sky parted, and Behel’s light descended. A divine power so immense that it instilled fear even in the dungeon soldiers stationed at the south gate began to dominate the surrounding area.

“Hey, hey. That’s dangerous. That’s really dangerous!”

“Is he planning to annihilate the entire area along with the capital of Ashlan?”

“Yuslan’s wide-area magic has already caused severe damage, but if an authority like that explodes, our annihilation is certain.”

“Don’t worry. Our Thummon will tholve everything!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the little boy. However, Baekho and Messiah soon shook their heads and sighed. Because his outward appearance was so young, it was hard to put any faith in his words. Grai choked up indignantly and raised his sword high.

“Eek. I’ll thow you the power of my Thummon!”

With that, the Guardian of Balak called forth his true master. Taehyun, who had been in the middle of issuing orders to his faction members, scowled as Grai suddenly appeared before his eyes.

“Hey, I told you to deal with the Pope. When did you get back?”

“No. Thummon, you were thummoned here!”

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, the divine power pouring down from the sky caught his eye. Seeing Hasla and Baekho positioned to his left and right, he realized the boy wasn’t lying. Only then did Taehyun realize he had been transported to the battlefield. He turned his head, only to find an old man glaring at him with wide eyes and murderous intent.

“You bastard Dungeon Master of Balak!”

Taehyun was too stunned to speak.

“Thummon. We need your power, Thummon. We mutht defeat the Pope together!”

It was a well-known fact that the Dungeon Master of Balak directed his soldiers from afar and never directly participated in combat. In fact, his class was ’Commander’, a strictly non-combat role, and even after gaining special abilities, his status had only partially changed. Yet here was his knight, crazed with loyalty, crying out for his invincible lord and dragging him straight into the jaws of death.

“Y-You crazy bastard. Just kill me, why don’t you!”

“Waah. I-It hurth. It hurth, Thummon!”

“Did you want me dead that badly…?”

Just as he was smacking Grai on the head, mana began to surge from his own body.

[The Guardian of Balak has summoned you.]

[You will gain the same stats as Grai for a limited time.]

[You will gain skills and special abilities related to the Knight class for a limited time.]

[Your rank is fixed at SS-rank for a limited time.]

Whether it was a combination of his original mana and these newfound abilities, he could feel a distinct shift in his aura. It was a unique special ability possessed only by the Guardian of Balak—an effect exclusively for the Dungeon Master, one that could only be wielded by a Main Force whose loyalty to the dungeon had reached its absolute peak. Taehyun checked the longswords forming in his hands and examined his status window.

[Name: Summon]

[Age: 22]

[Nationality: South Korea]

[Level: 120 (Temporary)]

[Rank: SS (Temporary)]

[Class: Knight (Temporary)]

[Title: Master of Balak]

[Affiliation: Dungeon Master]

[Guild: Resistance]

[Skill (Temporary): Lord’s Authority, Rally of Balak, Proxy Ability, Summon Valpurgis, Sword of the Lord]

[Special Ability: Summon]

[Strength: 194 (Temporary)] [Endurance: 184 (Temporary)] [Agility: 150 (Temporary)] [Stamina: 145 (Temporary)]

[Mana: 160 (Temporary)] [Affinity: 120 (Temporary)] [Luck: 143 (Temporary)]

It was a jaw-dropping set of stats. The skills and special abilities were also highly unique, seemingly tailored specifically for a Dungeon Master. Taehyun scowled at his name being changed to ’Summon’, then checked the weapons gripped in his hands.

[Sword of Balak x2]

There was no need to check the effects. He instantly recognized it as the skill Grai had just been casting.

[Pope Luminus has summoned the High-ranking Angel, Claire.]

Soon, an angel with two pairs of wings emerged from the light in the sky. The Celestial Race were all creations of divine power, born and raised in Behel’s embrace. Although he couldn’t summon the Archangels located on the highest floor, a high-ranking angel alone was a tremendous force.

“The angel created by Behel will annihilate all of you!”

“Grrr. Damn angel wenches. I must avenge Lord Demonic King Kraktio. What are you doing? Kill her right now!”

The moment it saw a being so diametrically opposed to demons, Ashlanche jumped up in a frenzy. A high-ranking angel belonged to the SS-rank category, but within Behel’s Domain, it was possible for her to exert power on par with Yuslan. Taehyun repeated the name ’Claire’ to himself for a moment before remembering her identity.

“Oho, what a coincidence. They say enemies meet on a narrow bridge, and it seems that bridge is the capital of Ashlan!”

“…This aura belongs to a demonic sword. Furthermore, you are a Dungeon Master. In accordance with my duty as a summoned angel, I will eliminate you!”

Sensing the demonic energy, she raised a large trident. However, at that moment, an unexpected being appeared before her eyes, forcing her to freeze in her tracks.

[Summon has been activated.]

[S-rank Named Guardian, Eclat, the Guide of the Celestial Realm, has been summoned.]

[Due to the influence of your class, all of Eclat’s stats temporarily double.]

Familiar silver hair, a tearful expression, and intensely burning divine power. It was unmistakably Eclat, who had always lived with her in the lower levels of Pletas. Claire looked at her old friend in sheer terror, looking every bit like a condemned sinner.

“E-Eclat…?!”

“Claire, it’s been a whil—”

“I-I couldn’t help it back then. It’s true that you’re affiliated with a dungeon now, aren’t you? Why should we be punished too? W-We just did what was natural!”

“…Even so, I believed you would apologize. I trusted you, at least, since we were friends. This is too much, Claire.”

The memory of the two who had abandoned their friend and fled when the summoning circle appeared suddenly resurfaced. She had been quite shocked back then, but what made her feel even more betrayed was their behavior during the trial in the Crystal Palace. In a way, their actions could be considered natural self-preservation, but she could never forget the stinging sense of betrayal she felt at that time. Claire broke out in a cold sweat as she watched the tearful Eclat. Even an angel was bound to feel the weight of guilt and sin.

Taehyun comforted Eclat and looked up at Claire.

“Are you trying to hurt a friend you’ve already betrayed once again? Please, know when to stop. Whether she’s affiliated with a dungeon or not, the fact that you were friends hasn’t changed. If you feel guilty, go back right now. That’s the only way to atone.”

“…I don’t have to listen to you!”

“I’m not saying this for my sake. I’m saying it for Eclat and for you. You can at least do this much, can’t you? You were only summoned by the Pope anyway. It’s not like there’s any binding force keeping you here.”

Claire fell silent.

A myriad of emotions crossed her face. Claire stared at Eclat’s back for a long time before finally turning away.

“W-What are you doing, Angel!”

“I must uphold the duty of being summoned, but returning midway isn’t impossible either. I’m sorry, but this doesn’t seem like a matter I can resolve on my end. Please settle the continent’s affairs within the continent.”

“A-Are you crazy? A demonic sword has been summoned! How is this just an affair of the continent? Come back right—Eeek!”

Ultimately, the summoned angel returned through the gate. Pope Luminus suppressed his burning rage and looked around. Before he knew it, the Dungeon Master of Balak, Grai, Baekho, Hasla, and Messiah were all glaring at him.

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll do it myself!”

“There’s no beating a good old-fashioned gang-up. Get him!”

“I’ll send you to the side of the Behel you desire so much!”

Amidst such an overwhelmingly disadvantageous battle, Pope Luminus was slowly losing his will to fight.

—

[Pope Luminus has died.]

The ruler of the Holy Kingdom met a miserable end. Ragbolt and Baphunreiter, who had been in the midst of a fierce battle, briefly distanced themselves as they watched Behel’s Domain disappear.

“You’re holding out for quite a long time.”

“Urgh. To think a mere Keeper could wound my body. I’ll acknowledge you. Your Celestial Strike is powerful enough to rival my frost crystals!”

“Don’t make me laugh. Let’s see just how long you can last.”

“From now on, it’ll be a little diffe—What?!”

Just as he was about to cast Frost Armor, an explosion erupted between the two of them. Baphunreiter panicked at the unexpected surge of mana and looked up into the air.

“Oof, my back is killing me. That Guide guy works me like a dog. Tsk, once this battle is over, I’ll need to recuperate in the forest for a while.”

“The Elf Great Elder!”

“I suppose there’s no need for introductions. By the way, I don’t think I’m the only one you should be looking at.”

The branches of the World Tree swayed, and ancient magic manifested. Ragbolt tried to block it by casting the Celestial Strike’s shield, but his attempt was thwarted by the holy knight digging into his blind spot.

[S-rank Attacker Dropin has cast Hero’s Sword.]

[Hamolton, the Great Elder of the Silent Forest, has cast Ancient Explosion.]

[SS-Class Hero Keeper Ragbolt has cast Celestial Strike Wave.]

Three elemental forces churned in all directions. Ragbolt scowled at the stronger-than-expected mana and glared at Hamolton.

“I’ll have to eliminate you first.”

“That will be no easy task.”

“Ugh, what a nuisance!”

Just as Hamolton said, the interference was immense. From behind, Dropin wielded the holy sword, and from the front, Baphunreiter unleashed a storm of frost. Combined with the Great Elder comfortably casting ancient magic from above, it was only natural that his attention was divided. Baphunreiter found the two beings helping him suspicious, but he focused on eliminating Ragbolt and swung his sword again. At that moment, the avatar of Behel appeared behind Dropin’s back.

[S-rank Attacker Dropin has cast Behel’s Advent.]

[The avatar of Behel will appear and fight alongside the caster for a limited time.]

[Behel’s Advent Usage Limit: 1/2]

It was the second time Behel had been summoned, right after Pope Luminus.

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