[Nergal has succeeded in manifesting.]
[Halphas has failed to manifest.]
[The King of Seven Hells has failed to manifest.]
…
Yeon-woo felt a spike of dizziness. It was a ludicrous thing to attempt the manifestation of 666 gods and demons through their channels with the help of the death wing. He’d seen Poseidon forcibly manifest through Benteke, and many gods had already manifested through Yeon-woo’s own body, but none of those experiences could be compared to a manifestation with this staggering number. He wasn’t even sure if it was possible.
If he didn’t have the throne of the Underworld, and they weren’t bound to one category of the death wing, he never would’ve attempted it. The feeling of the will of so many gods and demons already forced down an intense pressure on him, and his soul felt as though it would be crushed.
Although he had grown, he was still tiny in the face of these divine beings. It was only thanks to the power of the throne that Yeon-woo managed to bear it without collapsing. When his body reached a critical point, dragon scales erupted on his skin. This time, they were thicker and sturdier than ever, and they covered his entire body like armor. His dragon wings and tail finally grew completely.
Whoosh. The pressure that emanated only from the Draconic species burst out of him like a wave, and he now exuded the true energy of a dragon, beyond that of a Dragon Human or Polymorph because of the change inscribed in his heart.
His heart shook turbulently, breaking and recovering over and over. After this process, his heart slowly took on the form of a bead. The heart was the center of life and pumped blood out through countless veins; it was also a magic power organ that created and distributed all magic power.
His heart was now rapidly changing, evolving from its original function to a superior organ, modifying the Magic Circuit along with it. Thump! Thump! Still in the shape of a bead, his newly recreated heart pumped fiercely, sending his blood around his body faster and releasing greater amounts of magic power.
The symbol of the Draconic species and root of all the powers they possessed was finally born—a Dragon Heart. It was on a completely different level from what Yeon-woo had possessed before and lived up to its fame as the most efficient magic power organ.
It was so grand and mighty that it felt as if the mana stream of the fourth step of the awakening had been forced into his body. It was the fifth step of the awakening.
[The fifth step of the awakening has been released.]
[Power: Element Establishment]
[Element Establishment]
[Description: The ancient dragon Kalatus set up an eight-step process to help the contractor adjust to the Dragon Body quickly. This is the fifth step.
The magic power that arises from the Dragon Heart is put into contact with the mana stream in the atmosphere and this flow allows you to use and establish any elements in your domain at random.]
[*Heart
The center of the dragon, the heart can take in magic power and emit it outside the body. The magic power used during this process interferes with ideas. Magic can be established according to your will and proficiency.]
[*Breath
You can now integrate the element in the mana according to your preference. The elements that are condensed during this process allow you to implement magic more efficiently and can also be used for elemental attacks.]
His Dragon Heart was more than enough to support his Demonic Draconic Divine Body, which had just been strong hardware. And not only that, the Philosopher’s Stone began to resonate with the pumping of the Dragon Heart. The Magic Circuit created from the two magic power organs took on the form of a Mobius strip and burst with amplified strength. His Demonic Draconic Divine Body tensed one more.
Yeon-woo wanted to laugh out loud. This was it—the moment he’d been waiting for! When he had first acquired the Philosopher’s Stone, he had wondered how much power he could display if he possessed both the completed Philosopher’s Stone and Dragon Heart.
The Dragon Heart was a necessary component since he wanted to become a dragon, and he had seen for himself how far the Summer Queen fell after losing hers.
The Philosopher’s Stone was a well-known magic power organ that was said to be as powerful as a Dragon Heart. If they resonated together, he was sure something incredible would happen, but this exceeded even his wildest expectations.
Was his power amplified twice? Three times? It was impossible to calculate because it could be even more, depending how he used it.
[Halphas made another attempt to manifest. He has succeeded.]
[The King of Seven Hells made another attempt to manifest. He has succeeded.]
…
The gods and demons who had failed to descend previously now managed to enter his strengthened body.
『Ha. Pretty good.』 He could hear the faint laughter of what he assumed to be the Demonism.
As the manifestations continued, he could feel the strength of the category growing clearer. The vague power of the throne became vivid, and Yeon-woo was struck by a sudden understanding of the divine ability he possessed. This was death, the only concept that affected all living and non-living beings equally.
Of course, Yeon-woo was too small to completely understand the profoundness of the concept, but it was a great accomplishment to even grasp its form. Yeon-woo transferred his newly added power into the Ruyi Bang.
[All powers have been released.]
All three pairs of Sky Wings unfurled, and black flames blazed on Vigrid, still attached to the tip of the Ruyi Bang. The highly-concentrated magic power shook up the sturdy shape of the Aura. Yeon-woo clasped his spear and created a Vortex in the air, lashing Ruyi Bang to the side. This was the power of the Draconic species he’d learned after the fifth step of the awakening.
[Breath]
The Draconic species could attack by gathering a specific element in their mouths then blasting it out. Since it was the condensed form of an element, Breath was always potent.
However, the Breath Yeon-woo shot out was a bit different. The Draconic species used their mouths for Breath because of their physical forms, but Yeon-woo felt more comfortable using the weapon in his hand.
The Aura shot out of the tip of the Ruyi Bang and turned into Breath. It split the approaching tsunami of darkness in two. Although the darkness quickly reformed, it was clear to Yeon-woo that the tsunami had slowed.
‘It works!’ His eyes flashed as he clutched the Ruyi Bang tighter. He began to shoot Breath one after the other. “Enlarge, Ruyi!”
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! The Breath that started from the Vortex poured down on the tsunami of darkness like heavy rain.
[Osiris has succeeded in manifesting.]
[Izanami has succeeded in manifesting.]
…
As the manifestations continued, the firepower of the Breath became stronger. Flames grew to towering heights, creating the terrifying sight of darkness and fire assailing each other as though they would make the world shatter.
Yeon-woo just gritted his teeth. Although the awakening and manifestations had made him temporarily forget his physical limits, he couldn’t keep it going forever. It was already an incredible feat to maintain the manifestations and bear the weight of so many gods and demons despite being a mortal. Even with the power of the throne, it was impossible without an iron-clad mentality.
Boom, rumble! As Yeon-woo blocked Mother Earth on his own, most of Dis Pluto disappeared beyond the column of light. Finally, the twelfth corps, the last of their soldiers, finally left. Kahn, who stayed until the end to guard them, frantically called Yeon-woo through Open Speaking. 『Cain!』 He had to hurry.
Yeon-woo nodded. His body was already overheated beyond endurance, and he had finally met his limits. He was already risking the explosion of both the Dragon Heart and Philosopher’s Stone, and his scales had turned red, exhaling steam.
Yeon-woo swung the Ruyi Bang from below once more, his teeth clenched. The earth was torn up, and it shot tens of meters up to the sky. The sparks created a large Wave of Light, and more Fire Lightning than ever seemed possible rained down from the sky.
Rumble! Beautiful Blood Flowers bloomed with Vimalacitra’s Black Gubitara at the spots where the bolts fell and ate away at the darkness.
[Vimalacitra is overjoyed at your performance.]
[Cernunnos watches your performance with tranquil eyes.]
The tsunami of darkness smashed against the blazing fire and stopped. Meanwhile, Yeon-woo’s wings spun around as he quickly retreated to the column of light. A deep wail rose from the tsunami of darkness. Give it. That. Is mine.
Tentacles rapidly lashed through the netting of fire towards Yeon-woo, determined not to let him go. Rumble!
Releasing his Breath once more, Yeon-woo roughly pushed back the tentacles. When Kahn entered the column of light, he quickly jumped in, as well. Instantly, the world changed.
[You are out of the hidden stage, Tartarus.]
[You have entered the designated location, the 35th floor, gate of Thunder.]
“W-what’s going on?”
“Where are all those people coming from?”
“The Hoarder? Isn’t that the Hoarder?”
“He’s been lying low for some time, what’s he done now…?”
The commotion drew many people to the stage, surprised by the large portal that discharged so many mysterious-looking soldiers.
Yeon-woo had asked Brahm to transport them to the thirty-fifth floor. After receiving the throne of the Underworld, he now had the ability to change the settings of Tartarus, so he gave this authority to Brahm so he could set the coordinates.
Yeon-woo had cleared thirty-four floors so far, and it was possible to enter the thirty-fifth floor since he was scheduled to arrive, anyway. At first, they had been planning to exit to the Outer District of the Tower, from where Yeon-woo had entered Tartarus. However, he’d ended up choosing the stage because it was under the administration of the Guardians. The heavenly world couldn’t interfere here, and even Mother Earth’s strength would be weakened. ‘And I can also clear the thirty-fifth floor easily while I’m here.’
Darkness shot up at the portal. The stage shook violently as a wave of fury burst through. Give it.
But Yeon-woo just smirked and shot his Breath again. Vigrid’s blade cut through the darkness as though it were butter. It cried out loudly, as if it were trying to force itself through the portal.
[The system has been alerted that a godly being is attempting to interfere in the stage.]
[A Guardian has been dispatched.]
“W-what is that? I-I’m scared!”
“Mother Earth? What the…!”
“What has he done?”
“Ohyohyo! Looks like our mischievous ### has caused another large problem. Spectacular. Ohyohyohyo!”
High Guardians appeared in the sky, all looking surprised to see Mother Earth. Tartarus was a divine territory that Guardians couldn’t observe, so they hadn’t known what was happening there.
However, when Yvlke saw Yeon-woo gasping for breath in the distance, he adjusted his monocle and burst out laughing, immediately understanding the situation. At the same time, the Guardians began to move.
[Control is being administered.]
[The interference of the being has been blocked.]
[The interference of the being has been blocked.]
The High Guardians transformed into light once they landed on the ground and the laws of the stage began to act. The colossal portal that connected Tartarus and the thirty-fifth stage began to close.
No. No. Mother Earth’s darkness resisted violently, still trying to enter, but Yeon-woo clutched the Ruyi Bang and shoved it through the closing portal. Crunch! “Yes.”
Along with the wailing screams of Mother Earth, the connection to Tartarus was cut off just like that. The noisy thirty-fifth floor became silent once more.
Ding.
[All trials have ended.]
[Will you go to the 36th floor?]
