Chapter 262: The King of Madness (1)

The King of Madness (1)

A slender, dark figure and a white giant the size of a fifteen-story building.

The description "David and Goliath" is a gross understatement.

The sheer disparity in scale made it obvious that the giant would win any fight, but…

Upon witnessing the scene firsthand, one's perception would inevitably change.

Goooo—

The reason is simple.

The dark aura emanating from the small figure pushed back the giant's imposing presence and enveloped the world.

It was impossible not to think:

That is overwhelming violence that the living cannot resist.

The very embodiment of death itself.

'Ah, this feels amazing.'

At the heart of the dark aura that spread in all directions.

Hans, standing proudly in the center, tilted his head back, relishing the power more than ever before.

Actually, after becoming the complete Immortal King, he'd rarely had a satisfying fight.

His clash with the head of the Buntenkai in Japan was perhaps the closest to an all-out battle, but then he was under various constraints that prevented him from giving it his all.

Furthermore, most of his battles in Auterica were parts of a scenario, and even when his mind was completely gone, didn't he retain a minimum level of sanity, preventing him from killing Heinrich?

In reality, it's safe to say he never fought at full strength in Auterica.

'But this is different.'

The boundary between the surface world and the abyss.

A chaotic realm where everything was twisted and intermingled.

The Revolutionary said his powers were maximized in this space.

But the same was true for Hans.

Kurdduk—

Violent energy surged relentlessly.

The surrounding space twisted under its influence, death intertwined with the abyss bared its fangs in all directions,

and it mercilessly tore at the spot where the giant had stood.

"Pukkuhkut! Ah— Yes, this is what an Immortal King should be! A being destined for the world's end should possess fitting arrogance!"

But the giant was unfazed by this display of overwhelming power.

He repelled the encroaching death with crimson energy and twisted his lips into a sneer.

Then, taking a step back and crouching low…

He vanished from the spot.

Kwaaaaaang!

The impact that occurred right before Hans caused space to distort.

Two disparate energies bared their sharp claws at each other.

[Hoo? Not bad.]

"Khuhut, it's just the beginning!"

Kwaadduk—!

The giant's claws easily pierced the barrier surrounding Hans.

The crimson madness gathered at the five tips tore through the black death, and at the same time, another hand swung.

Kuuoong!

A deafening boom spread with a powerful shockwave.

The flow of the surroundings was tangled by that single attack, and a radius of several hundred meters was overturned at once.

And.

Hans, watching the scene from a distance, nodded.

He thought it was appropriate for its size.

[Puh— Yes, this is going to be fun.]

But there was no sense of crisis.

He only thought that this was only natural for a being from the same Abyss.

He would have been more disappointed if the opponent showed a lackluster performance.

'Of course…'

He had to show the difference in class, as he had claimed.

Hans felt his aura engulfing all directions, and slowly spread his arms to the sides.

His core, his heart, resonated with the abyss at the bottom of the world, causing an unusual reaction.

As a result.

-Keeeeaaaak—!

-Kuaaah!

-Krrrruk— Kkruk—

Along with eerie cries.

All the 'death' within the area where his aura spread began to react and rise.

Freezing to death, burning to death, drowning, exploding, withering, crushing, dying of disease, starvation, etc.

All forms of death in the world emerged from the space and materialized.

Not undead, ghosts, or demons, but something abstract.

Amidst a flood of death, embodied as a concept.

[Then now— Let's decide together.]

The king who rules over them, the Immortal King, declared.

[Your death.]

The execution of the foolish.

When the second Abyssal Gate opened and madness was drawn up.

Most of it failed to fully emerge due to the effects of the imperfect summoning and dispersed throughout the world.

And only one fragment, the core, burrowed into the body of the one who performed the ritual.

That was the seed of madness that became the foundation of the Revolutionary's body.

"Pukikakak! I somewhat expected it, but as expected, it's true to its name. This is hopeless. Fukkuhkut!"

Therefore, madness was perfectly suited to the goal of bringing chaos to the world, but its destructive power as a single entity was somewhat lacking.

He used the Abyssal giants to compensate for this, but even that was clearly insufficient against the Immortal King.

'Madness is a bit lower in class than death.'

Kwaang—

The black and crimson auras clashed again, shattering a large area.

But there was no gain.

The Revolutionary sneered, looking at the Immortal King who retreated leisurely, leaving a trail of dark energy.

His eyes could instantly grasp the flow of energy emanating from his opponent, his ears could perceive the opponent's intent, and the words from his mouth could manipulate the flow of space to create an advantageous situation…

Kwaadduk— Hwalruk!

Then, something distorted that had bitten his left shoulder burst into flames in an instant,

taking a part of his body with it.

At the same time, his right flank was torn open, and his left toes were crushed as if pressed by something.

Such processes continued… repeatedly without pause.

Even if he read the flow of attack and evaded, even if he perceived the intent and responded.

The death that enveloped all directions and the phenomena that stemmed from it would suddenly approach and gnaw on his body and disappear.

Like an unavoidable fate.

Of course, he wasn't passive.

He amplified his physical abilities with madness, boosted his regenerative abilities, and distorted the flow of the world, tearing space to shreds.

'The problem is that none of it worked. Oh Lord! Forgive this incompetence!'

Furthermore, he could only recover his body so many times. In the face of this onslaught of attacks, even that had its limits.

He was still maintaining his sanity thanks to the power of the god.

Otherwise, the madness he had forcibly extracted would have already turned him into a creature of instinct.

In short.

He had no more options.

Wooong—

The Immortal King's attack didn't end there.

Large magic circles surrounded him.

Kurururung—!

The circles, composed of dark abyss, activated, distorting a wide area, preventing escape.

As it had happened many times before.

If this wasn't a boundary world, it would have been a world-shattering battle that would have destroyed a kingdom.

[Indeed, incredibly durable.]

However, the giant didn't fall.

It suffered severe damage and became ragged, but given time, it could recover.

And when the situation reached that point, the Revolutionary discovered an unexpected piece of information.

"Puh huh, so that's how it was? No wonder my sense of smell hasn't returned…"

Licking his lips in the air and muttering the White Giant.

A strange smile appeared on his lips.

"You had that one."

Concentrating on his senses and repeatedly exchanging blows, he realized something.

That the Immortal King and that person were connected.

It seemed to be a rather strong connection, not an ordinary one.

'It would have been difficult without this space, where power is amplified. If only I had my sense of smell, I could have found out sooner. Ah! Oh Lord!'

At any rate, it was fortunate that he had obtained information.

Now all that remained was to somehow cross over to the surface world, recover his sense of smell, and completely release all seals.

If he could do that, even he could fight the Immortal King…

Kwaang—!

But his thoughts were cut short by the ensuing torrent of energy.

[I can hear the sound of your head rolling from here.]

Nothing had changed, no matter what he found out.

Unlike the giant's ragged body, whose regenerative ability was waning, the Immortal King still dominated the space with his imperial aura.

[It doesn't matter what tricks you use.]

Immense energy moved, weaving the mystery of destruction again.

Meanwhile, the death spreading everywhere continued to gnaw at the giant's body.

[You cannot escape me and will die here.]

The giant twisted the corners of his mouth at this declaration.

Leaving this space and moving to the desired location wasn't something that could be done quickly.

The Immortal King wouldn't wait.

It meant he couldn't go to release the seal as long as the opponent was there.

The battle resumed…

Despite maintaining his composure, Hans's thoughts were complex.

The word "sense of smell" the Revolutionary had mentioned brought someone to mind.

'Diana.'

The girl with an uncanny sense of smell, able to detect the scent of souls.

Her abilities were excellent, and he was curious about their origin and had been keeping an eye on her…

'Was her ability related to the Revolutionary? No, it must be related to the imprisoned god.'

Even though he was imprisoned in the abyss, a god is a god.

There was no need to explain how great his power was.

'Then, the power he mentioned must be that. What the giant possessed was other senses besides smell? Then…'

The battle was nearing its end.

While pushing the giant for the final blow, Hans calmly organized the new information in his head.

Just as he was optimistic that the situation would end soon.

"A damned XXX is looking at you."

An unexpected event occurred.

Thump—

As the notification window popped up, a violent heartbeat echoed through space.

It was only once, but it was destructive enough to distort the flow of the world.

The death that had occupied all directions scattered, and the magic circles being prepared shattered.

[Kuk? What is this…!]

It was an abnormal phenomenon like a natural disaster.

Hans hastily tried to recover his energy and restrain the giant from acting rashly…

Thump—

Ignoring his efforts, the successive heartbeats tangled all the coordinates and phases around him.

A powerful wave that threatened to sweep him away despite securing his body with the abyss.

Hans naturally realized its source.

From somewhere deep beneath this world.

The pulsation of someone sleeping deep within the abyss.

'Crazy… To have such an influence?!'

Even though this was closer to the abyss than the surface, that the imprisoned being could exert such influence!

And it didn't end there.

Hans gritted his teeth, feeling his body being slowly pulled downwards.

As he desperately struggled to find a way out of the situation.

"Ah— My Lord! I shall do as you wish!"

The Revolutionary, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion, clasped his hands together, prayed, and turned towards somewhere.

[Where are you going!]

Hans, ignoring the downward pull, fiercely launched sharpened death at him.

'Damn it! What the hell is going on?!'

His attack was like a phantom, passing through the constantly distorting space.

His body suddenly sank down a level as a painful result.

"Puh huh— Immortal King. A wanderer of dimensions that flowed endlessly. A heretic who received the grace of the Lord and defied his will."

Just as Hans concentrated on securing his body and escaping from the pull.

The giant, with its ravaged body, turned around to face him.

"The Lord's will is with me. It seems you weren't my death. Kukukuk!"

After saying that, the giant twisted his face, letting out a rattling laugh, and then disappeared into a crack that emerged from the flow of the world.

The destination was obvious.

[Kh, that insolent fellow dares to…!]

Hans hastily focused his mind to take countermeasures, but he felt his body continuously being pulled down and looked down nervously.

'Damn it, I have so much to do already!'

Staying here would only waste his mental strength.

He didn't have time for a scuffle.

'I'll get you next time.'

Hans's body, sinking downwards like being sucked into a swamp.

Suddenly disappeared from that spot.

Near the Steel Fortress, near the Northern Mountains, on the northern border of the Tulke Kingdom.

Zzzzt—

Something unusual was happening there.

"What's that?"

"Wait… is that…?"

"Emergency! Emergency! Report to higher-ups quickly!"

It was quite far from the fortress, but the soldiers on the wall could see the huge fissure.

No, the abnormality wasn't just the fissure.

Riiip—!

The fissure tore open with a violent sound, like cloth being ripped apart.

Kuung!

A huge giant with a snow-white body emerged from within.

"Khukhukh— Ah, found it!"

The King of Madness had set foot on the surface world.