Kukukukukukukuku—
Even now, faint explosion sounds could still be heard far in the distance.
The aftermath of the nuclear explosions was overwhelming.
In an instant, the Celestial Realm had turned into hell.
A scene of devastation created by Rajiks at Ju-hyeok's command.
Normally, with explosions on this scale, Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings shouldn't have survived either.
So many nukes had gone off.
By all logic, you die and I die—everyone dies.
But because of Crackers' potential explosion triggered by the whistle,
his infinite turbo blink flight was practically at the speed of light.
Flash! Papapapapat!
And he didn't even move in a straight line.
Flash! Papapapapat!
Zigzagging, circling the city once—
Flash! Papapapapat!
After confirming that Rajiks had dumped every last nuclear warhead from subspace, he fled straight ahead at full speed.
By estimation,
at that speed, he'd covered at least half the circumference of Earth.
The potential explosion lasted ten minutes.
Only about five minutes had passed.
Even so, they were already far beyond the nuclear blast radius.
Only now could they breathe easy.
The green bomber hovered in stationary flight.
Gwangma clicked his tongue and spoke.
"From now on, don't say things like mountains of corpses and seas of blood or the most vicious in the martial world about this old man. The real thing is someone else."
As he said that, Gwangma looked at Rajiks.
"From today on, mountains of corpses and seas of blood belong to the dimensional farmhand."
"Hoe?"
"With my crescent sword aura, how many could I kill, really? Compared to what the dimensional farmhand has done, this old man is nothing."
"Hoee…"
Ju-hyeok didn't feel at ease.
Staining Rajiks's hands with blood—
wasn't that something he had ordered?
But—
"Elder Gwangma, compare things that should be compared. Did the dimensional farmhand drop nukes on the human world? This corrupted and filthy world is nothing but a Black Tower auxiliary and accomplice."
As expected of Gyeondallae.
Such a sharp, wise perspective.
"Our dimensional farmhand merely cleaned up insects diligently. Mountains of corpses and seas of blood? If you put it that way, every pest control company on Earth would be villains."
"…Mm, that's not what I meant."
Kosak shook his head side to side.
"Tsk tsk, I knew it'd be like this. Your pride's been too high lately. Why're you suddenly judging right and wrong?"
"N-no, when did I ever say Rajiks was wrong?"
"Enough!!! Get a grip! Just because you got a little immortal energy, did you think you'd become an immortal? You old menace of the martial world!"
"You damned bastard…?"
But the tide had already turned.
An onslaught poured down as if they'd been waiting.
"Has the old man's gall burst? How dare he call the dimensional farmhand mountains of corpses and seas of blood?"
"This is insubordination. It can only be seen as an attempt to overthrow the top dog and seize power."
"So how strong did he really get? Wanna try me?"
"A warrior is confident."
"One-on-one is unreasonable. Gobang, just hold him down. I'll finish it."
"Confident you can dodge sub-light-speed rounds?"
"Young master, please punish Gwangma with the Judge's Hammer."
"Hueeek!"
Gwangma retreated step by step.
His face looked deeply wronged.
In truth, he hadn't meant anything bad—he'd meant it as praise.
Ju-hyeok let out a light sigh.
He'd wondered why they hadn't fought lately.
He changed the subject.
"Mr. Crackers."
"…Huff, huff—y-yes, s-speak, summoner."
He looked exhausted.
No surprise, after detonating his potential.
"You can put us down now."
Flap, flap.
Crackers landed.
As Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings climbed down from his back—
Poof!
He polymorphed back into human form.
Ju-hyeok took out a ticket from his inventory.
A ticket that instantly removed all penalties and status effects affecting a single summoned being.
Rip!
[All penalties from the potential explosion affecting the summoned being Crackers have been removed.]
Whaaaaat!
A cluster of light seeped into Crackers.
That should do it.
Probably.
'The mission seems finished too. Feels like it's time to leave.'
The countless system messages he'd heard while fleeing.
They definitely included completion notices.
Something-something fallen archangel defeated, something authority angel defeated, inverted angel defeated, various buildings destroyed, temples destroyed, Great Mission Completed, Great Mission Completed, Great Mission Completed…
Roughly ten times?
If he had to guess,
the mission area from the 96th floor upward was the corrupted divine land of the fallen Celestial Realm.
You complete various objectives here—
find some place, destroy some thing, kill someone.
And they'd wiped all of that out in one go with nuclear bombs.
It was similar to the Demon Realm.
Back then too, they'd cleared the main mission area, the Demon Realm, in one shot—
even while facing the demon army.
Could it really be one-shot again this time?
Highly likely.
At that moment—
Ding!
A message notification sound.
"Mission clear?"
"Probably…"
[The Punishment Angel Ronseraphim, ruler of the Corrupted Divine Land, appears.]
Nope.
Punishment Angel Ronseraphim appears.
"He's not dead yet?"
"Persistent."
"A cockroach?"
"A holy cockroach. Novel."
"If it's an angel cockroach, that's vulgar."
"If a great archangel shows up, that's jackpot."
"Is Gwangma a mad-pot?"
"Jephet's a vampire, so blood-pot."
"…Let's stop."
"Yes, yes! Mm, Summoner, you're modest."
Honestly.
"Sorry."
At that moment—
Gwangma lifted his head as if he'd sensed something.
"There he is."
He raised his hand and pointed at the distant sky.
A small object could be seen there.
It was slowly descending.
Getting closer.
Click!
Major Bae finished preparing sub-light-speed rounds.
"Shall I fire? Just give the order."
Hmm.
End it before he lands?
But—
"I sense no killing intent. He likely wishes to talk."
Talking was fine.
Ju-hyeok subtly took out the Judge's Hammer.
This might be the chance to use it.
"He seems stronger than a great demon, but not beyond handling."
"And he doesn't appear whole either, so there's no need to worry."
The summoned beings formed ranks.
Gwangma at the front, with Bardin and Gobang on either side.
Next were Kosak, Baek Danya, and Manyear.
At the very back, the rest of the summoned beings tightly surrounded Ju-hyeok.
Sssssh!
In the meantime, the Punishment Angel Ronseraphim fully descended to the ground.
Now his appearance was clearly visible.
It was a mess.
Truly miserable.
Almost pitiful.
A broken left wing, a missing left arm, a melted left side of the face—
as if half his body had been swept away by the nuclear blast.
He had only one eye left.
The right eye.
And that right eye was fixed precisely on Ju-hyeok.
Whether it was simply looking or glaring, it was impossible to tell.
—Was it you who brought the fire of purification down upon the Celestial Realm?
It wasn't purification.
It was radiation.
Nukes.
Not sure you even know what those are.
—Indeed. Thanks to you, the veil of delusion has been lifted.
Huh?
There was a strangely friendly tone in his words.
A sudden sense of unease passed through Ju-hyeok.
Is this… a good angel?
Crap! That's bad.
At this rate, he might have to use the Judge's Hammer on himself.
"Sorry for going a bit too far—"
—Thank you. For giving me a chance to atone.
—I am a sinner. I lost my god after falling for the temptation of a heretical existence. Before you, I offer my repentance. Please forgive me.
Suddenly?
Why are you repenting in front of me?
—It was a miserable Celestial Realm. A world where laws collapsed as punishment for losing our god, where pitiful, twisted beings were born from the remnants of creation's authority.
He was talking about the fallen micro angels.
—Thank you for granting them rest. And for opening the eyes of me and my comrades as well.
Mm.
Never thought he'd be thanked for dropping nukes.
—Your benevolent will and indomitable courage have led the Celestial Realm to salvation.
Uh… no matter how you look at it, nukes aren't salvation.
Did radiation mess with his head or something?
—Chosen one, move forward. At the final destination, all answers await you.
"N-no, wait!"
At that moment—
Wooooooong!
White flames blazed fiercely from the Punishment Angel's body.
Like—
'Radiance?'
Bardin trembled and spoke.
"An authority of self-sacrifice…"
What?
Sacrifice?
—I shall bestow a blessing upon you and your companions with the fragment of divine power I have left.
Whaaaaat!
—O light!!! Illuminate the path before them!!!
Kaboom!
The Punishment Angel's body exploded in an instant,
then turned into light and vanished.
Paaaat!
Brilliant radiance spread outward.
Holy power seeped deep into their bodies.
And then there was the harmonious immortal energy that generously welcomed and embraced the holy power.
What is this now?
A shower of radiance?
No— a holy power shower?
It seeps in.
Since it's holy power, it divinely seeps in.
This wasn't a one-time thing that entered and disappeared.
It took root inside the body, asserting its presence as a permanent current of holy power.
That's right.
Now holy power had entered his body as well.
How many kinds of energy were inside him now?
Internal energy, immortal energy, the magic power of a dragon heart, nether energy, and now holy power.
The holy power shower continued.
Every kind of energy had its own affinities.
The summoned being who had grown the most from the Great Demon Heart Enhancement Elixir—earned as the reward for conquering the Demon Realm—was Diamat.
Then what about the holy power shower?
As expected, it was the holy knight Bardin.
With both arms spread wide and kneeling on one knee, he received the dazzling radiance of holy power in its entirety.
Meanwhile, Diamat and Jephet frowned deeply, rejecting the holy power shower.
Bardin's going to get really strong.
Is he going to turn into an angel?
That's exactly what happened.
"Ah!"
Radiant wings sprouted from his back.
They fluttered.
Bardin's body began to rise into the air.
And then—
Ding!
[Defeated Punishment Angel Ronseraphim 1/1]
[You have completed the ninth stage of the Great Mission.]
Mission complete.
Another jump.
The ninth stage, no less.
The Demon Realm went up to the fifth stage.
Here it went through the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth.
Ding!
[Achievement: You have purified the Corrupted Celestial Realm.]
Not just purification—nuclear purification.
[Achievement reward granted.]
[A sprout of holy power blooms on the 17th floor of the White Tower. A divine blessing is bestowed upon all life living on the 17th floor.]
The achievement was expected.
But a divine blessing?
Now the ambient energy on the 17th floor was a mixed bag—
magic power, immortal energy, and holy power.
Ding!
[Achievement: First player to subjugate a Punishment Angel.]
Again?
[Achievement reward granted.]
[A one-time-use skill allowing the summoning of a Transcendent (Beyond) summoned being has been registered to your status window.]
"Uh…"
[Summoning a Transcendent (Beyond) summoned being requires 30 Platinum Badges.]
[The one-time Transcendent (Beyond) Summon skill will be deleted from the status window after use.]
"It finally appeared! Transcendent summon!"
"Transcendent, sir?"
"Welcome, oh Transcendent One."
"Will the Sword Immortal come again?"
"Is the Sword Immortal the only Transcendent? Someone else will come."
"Then Yama?"
"That one's getting old."
Ding!
[Returning to Black Tower Floor 96 on Earth No. 675.]
It was over.
Time for the reckoning.
Spot!
Ju-hyeok and his party arrived in the 96th-floor waiting room.
The verdict?
[World Announcement: You have achieved EX clear rank on Floor 96 of the Black Tower (Germany).]
That's one.
[EX Clear Reward: Player traits will be enhanced.]
Right.
Of course they would give it.
EX clear reward.
"Pla— what?"
Did he mishear?
Not Platinum Badges, but trait enhancement?
Ding!
[Additional clear records have been discovered.]
[Entering Black Tower (Germany) Floor 97.]
Spot!
[World Announcement: You have achieved EX clear rank on Floor 97 of the Black Tower (Germany).]
[EX Clear Reward: Player traits will be enhanced.]
"…Huh?"
Seriously?
Trait enhancement again?
[Additional clear records have been discovered.]
[Entering Black Tower (Germany) Floor 98.]
[World Announcement: You have achieved EX clear rank on Floor 98 of the Black Tower (Germany)…]
[EX Clear Reward: Player traits will be enhanced.]
"Wow!"
[Additional clear records have been discovered.]
[Entering Black Tower (Germany) Floor 99.]
[World Announcement: You have achieved EX clear rank on Floor 99 of the Black Tower (Germany)…]
[EX Clear Reward: Player traits will be enhanced.]
It was so absurd he was speechless.
The summoned beings were the same.
"Is this backlash from causality?"
"I-it seems so, sir. They must pay the price for blocking entry in the first place."
The clear rewards were insane.
Four trait enhancements?
That meant—
[Level]: 100 LV
[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 20)
[Trait Skills]: Designated Summon / Random Summon / Dismiss Summon / Transcendent (Beyond) Random Summon (1 use)
"Yes!!!"
Ju-hyeok raised both arms high, reveling in joy.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
A storm of applause poured down.
Up to the 99th floor complete.
Only one remained.
The 100th floor.
"Climb it right now?"
Hmm.
There wouldn't be a problem even if they did, but—
"Let's rest a bit. And check how the White Tower's 17th floor has changed."
"Yes, sir!"
Take it slow.
Calm down the excitement.
They'd probably need more supplies too.
[Exiting the Black Tower (Germany).]
Black Tower management room, Earth No. 675.
Three people sat in machines shaped like massage chairs.
The Designer, the Engineer, and the Maker.
Administrators were originally guaranteed immortality.
Bodies created by the god.
No disease, no disability.
What if they suffered an accident?
They regenerated quickly and healed right away.
Unless their head was severed or their heart ripped out,
they would live forever.
That was the reason they'd applied to be administrators in the first place.
If not for immortality, who in their right mind would volunteer for administrator dispatch duty?
Not even their home base—
but an unfamiliar parallel-universe Earth.
For a period that might be 100 years, or 200.
They had to serve continuously.
But the Designer's condition was no longer intact.
He was dying.
[Designer?]
[Ghrrk… khk… grrrrk…]
[Haah… this is driving me insane.]
There was nothing wrong with his body.
But his soul was being erased.
How?
The only thing that could forcibly damage a soul was divine punishment.
The cause of the Designer's condition—
when he met the summoner from Earth No. 1,001 as a hologram in the 96th-floor waiting room to block his Tower climb.
That bastard went on about your sins condemn you and swung a wooden hammer.
Unbelievably, the hologram was bound.
How was that even possible?
No matter how linked it was to the main body, a hologram was essentially an illusion.
The power of the wooden hammer traveled backward along the hologram link and struck the Designer's soul in the management room.
That was why he was in this state now.
An even more shocking fact—
the secrets of the Black Tower had been laid completely bare.
Worse, branded with the mark of sin karma.
Sin karma?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Was managing the Black Tower as the god commanded a sin?
Was collapsing the Black Tower as the god commanded a sin?
Was destroying worlds as the god commanded a sin?
What were they supposed to do?
The administrators had merely fulfilled their roles faithfully.
The Engineer and the Maker were furious.
They could never forgive that summoner player who painted them as criminals.
So they manipulated the system and forcibly severed the connection between the 96th floor and the mission area.
He wouldn't even be able to enter.
For at least three months.
Sure, the storm of causality was frightening.
But so what?
All or nothing.
Let whatever happens, happen.
But even that was broken through.
The bastard was freely coming and going from the 96th floor.
And now—
96th floor cleared.
97th floor cleared.
98th floor cleared.
99th floor cleared.
[ ...… ]
[ ... ]
A madman.
The 100th floor was next.
[W-what do we do?]
[…c.]
[The summoner will enter the 100th floor. We can't just let that happen.]
[And do we even have a way to stop him?]
[Hmm… ]
[It was a mistake from the start to accept dispatch duty to Earth No. 675.]
[Damn it!]
[Yeah. Let's just curse.]
Because that was all they could do now.
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