Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Blue energy swirled violently.
"This meager power! I shall return it to you!"
Star Pieces. Dozens of Outer Gods jewels were forcibly implanted into Sung Il-Hwan's body. The mana of the outer universe, emanating from them, condensed into two daggers in his hands and exploded.
[How dare you-!]
Ziiiiing - The blue beam shooting from the enraged statue's eyes split the wall in half.
[You insignificant mortal-!]
Rumble! Crash!
The chapel began to collapse under the statue's extreme rage. But that no longer mattered. The Debuff: 'Rules of the Cartenon Temple' that had been controlling the chapel was broken.
Whoosh! Finally, the force that had been restricting Suho's mana disappeared.
"Good." His eyes gleamed ominously, gaze meeting Sung Il-Hwan's, who was blocking the statue from above, in mid-air.
Silent words were exchanged… 'Now, show me.'
How much he had grown! Despite the sudden turn of events, Sung Il-Hwan had grasped quite a lot the moment he saw Suho. How could he not? He was the father who raised Sung Jinwoo, the most extraordinary person. And even if no one acknowledged him, he was a warrior who fought alone to protect his son in secrecy. Therefore...
'No explanations are needed.' Sung Il-Hwan could already see it clearly.
'Show me your strength.'
The great shadow beneath Suho's feet, connected to the deep darkness.
'Show me how deep is your darkness!'
How much his grandson, whom he always thought of as a child, had grown!
"Arise!" Suho's command fell.
Fwoosh!
[Shadow Extraction successful.]
[Shadow Extraction successful.]
[Shadow Extraction successful.]
At his forceful command, new Shadow Soldiers rose from the corpses of the Outer Gods' Cult members who had been melted by the statue's beams.
[Shadow Fanatic Lv.1]
[Shadow Fanatic Lv.1]
[Shadow Fanatic Lv.1]
Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!
The new soldiers, brought back from death, were truly demonic. They radiated intense hatred for the false god who had exploited and betrayed their blind faith during their lives.
"All forces, charge."
Charge! At Suho's command, the Shadow Army roared in unison and surged towards the statue of Itarim.
[The stats of Shadow Soldiers fighting within the caster's shadow are increased by 50%.] The Monarch's Domain amplified their power.
[Khahahaha! Despicable Outer God! I'll crush you!] Kim Chul, who had been the most zealous follower in life, now led the charge towards the statue.
[You're back, Iron!] Beru cheered and commanded the battlefield from above Kim Chul, or rather, Iron's head.
Rumble! The statue's giant foot mercilessly crushed the Shadow Soldiers.
[Harman uses Skill: 'Thorn of Pain'.]
[Harman uses Skill: 'Damage Amplification'.]
Boom! Suho also unleashed all his power.
[Skill: 'Iron Body Technique' activated.]
'Skill: 'Giant's Armor' activated.]
[The spirit of Pet: 'Gray' possesses the Priest's body.]
[Skill: 'Grasslands Wind' activated.]
[Movement speed temporarily increased by 30%.]
[Attack speed temporarily increased by 30%.]
Fwoosh!
Suho's body grew larger, and his hair, now silver, fluttered like a lion's mane.
"Huh." Sung Il-Hwan couldn't help but be surprised by Suho's transformed appearance. When did his small grandson grow so big…?
[Skill: 'Storm Slash' activated.]
Rumble!
The storm of blades swirling from Suho's swords was just as powerful as his appearance, fiercely attacking the statue.
"Uaaagh!"
"Run...!"
As the chapel crumbled, the remaining Cult members scattered in panic. And the demons outside were also bewildered.
[My servants! Fight!]
Whoosh! Their expressions, which had been filled with confusion, changed at the statue's roar. They had long lost their original selves, corrupted by Itarim's divine power, and only their instilled faith remained. The god's command was absolute to them. They rushed back into the collapsing building with blue demonic energy in their eyes and attacked Suho's army.
However, the Hunters who were innocently using the black market were different.
"Wh-what's that?!"
"A moving statue...!"
Their eyes widened at the sight of the giant statue that suddenly emerged from the collapsing chapel. Even though they came here for tax evasion, they were still active Hunters. They instinctively channeled their mana and prepared for battle without anyone giving orders.
But.
Flash!
"...!"
The Stardust necklaces around their necks suddenly emitted a blue light in response to the statue's presence. The light was faint compared to the Star Pieces, but it was enough.
"Gah?!"
"...!"
"Wh-why is the necklace...!" The Stardust necklaces they were wearing were holding them in mid-air like shackles, as if possessed by evil spirits.
"W-what is this――!"
"Gasp! Gasp!" The Hunters struggled in mid-air, desperately trying to remove the necklaces that were strangling them with a strange energy.
And then.
Bang!
"...!" Blood splattered. The Hunter with a gaping hole in his chest had bloodshot eyes.
Hwang Dongsoo nonchalantly pulled his fist out of the body and shook off the blood.
Thud!
He clasped his hands with a solemn expression as he looked at the person that had just lost his life and collapsed before him.
"I offer this sacrifice to the great god."
Fwoosh! At that moment, the mana remaining in the dead Hunter's body scattered like light dust. And that power was absorbed by the statue of Itarim as a 'sacrifice.'
"Gasp...!" Witnessing the shocking scene, the Hunters struggled with all their might to rip off the necklaces.
Snap!
"I-I did it...!"
Bang!
"...I offer this sacrifice." Another sacrifice was added.
Unlike Sung Il-Hwan, Itarim's divine power completely corrupted Hwang Dongsoo. His eyes, filled with blue demonic energy, glared at the non-believers who were fiercely fighting the statue of Itarim.
Smirk. "How dare these blasphemous wretches!"
He jumped into the battlefield with a ferocious aura, intending to kill all the Hunters before him and protect the statue.
Flash! Just like Sung Il-Hwan, blue energy surged from his body.
But then.
Thud!
"It seems you haven't learned your lesson."
Hwang Dongsoo glared at the white-haired old man, Sung Il-Hwan, who was blocking his path, and gritted his teeth.
"Sung Il-Hwan!"
"Don't interfere with my grandson's business. Why don't we old folks play amongst ourselves?"
"Don't be impertinent! I was just careless earlier!"
"Really?" Sung Il-Hwan simply smiled faintly at Hwang Dongsoo's enraged shout.
"Do you really think so?"
The conversation couldn't continue. Hwang Dongsoo lunged at him with all his might.
Boom!
The S-rank villain who became Itarim's High Priest and the S-rank Hunter who broke free from the false god with his own will. As their powers clashed, the mana of the outer universe tore through the air.
[Little Monarch! The statue's power grows stronger every time someone dies!]
As Beru said, the statue of Itarim was absorbing the power of the Outer Gods' Cult members and the Hunters wearing Stardust necklaces whenever they died. Even the cracks and damage it had sustained from the Shadow Army's attacks were rapidly regenerating.
'This won't end like this!'
Suho calmly assessed the situation even while fighting. One thing was certain. The giant statue here wasn't the real Itarim.
'There's no way my father would allow them to come to Earth.'
In other words, this thing was merely a moving statue with a portion of Itarim's power residing within it.
'It's probably just an avatar like Arsha. And the fuel that powers it, is that blue mana!'
Suho maximized his senses. Then, he saw the flow of mana from the dead converging towards the statue of Itarim. And at the end of that flow...!
"Found it!" While attacking the statue, he suddenly changed direction and soared upwards.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
[...]
Suho, running vertically on the statue's massive body, was aiming for its neck! There, a large necklace that seemed like a mere decoration was carved, and the energy of the dead was converging towards it.
Ziiiing - The statue, flustered, shot blue beams to stop him and shouted at Hwang Dongsoo.
[High Priest! Stop him!]
But Hwang Dongsoo wasn't in a position to follow that solemn command.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
Sung Il-Hwan was pinning him down with brute force.
"Kuh...!" Blood spurted from Hwang Dongsoo's mouth. He hated to admit it, but he had no choice. This white-haired old man who was supposed to be the second High Priest after him...!
'He's strong!'
'Overwhelmingly so!'
'Why?! We're in the same situation!'
Despite being helplessly pushed back by Sung Il-Hwan's power, Hwang Dongsoo gritted his teeth in frustration. What was the difference between him and this old geezer?
"We're both S-rank, and the number of Outer Gods jewels implanted in us is the same! Why is there such a difference in strength...?!"
"You ask the obvious." Sung Il-Hwan replied calmly, pushing back the enraged Hwang Dongsoo.
"It's the difference in vessels."
"What... Nonsense!"
To Hwang Dongsoo, who didn't remember his past life, those words would sound like nothing but nonsense. But from Sung Il-Hwan's perspective, there was no simpler answer. Even though this man was once an S-rank Hunter, and later, one of the noble souls who fought to protect the world as a soldier under his son, Sung Jinwoo. The mission bestowed upon him was on a different level. The moment Sung Il-Hwan raised his fist, it was enveloped in the mana of the outer universe. Hwang Dongsoo's eyes widened as if they were about to split at that tremendous power.
Fwoosh!
The primordial light. The 'Fragments of Brilliance,' now called 'Rulers.' They once entrusted their power to Sung Il-Hwan to stop the Shadow Monarch's advent. But when the situation changed, they gave a new order.
[Protect the Shadow Monarch.]
And to achieve that goal, the level of 'mere' national-level Hunter was absolutely insufficient. Who was the Shadow Monarch? He was the 'Greatest Fragment of Brilliant light,' the strongest of all Rulers. And at the same time, he was the King of Darkness, the most powerful of all Monarchs. To stop him, or to protect him, just how much...
"How much power do you think was needed?"
"...!"
With those words, a fist plunged towards Hwang Dongsoo. That's right. Sung Il-Hwan. He was the most brilliant Hunter, who fought a lonely battle, pushing himself to the limit until his body crumbled, with the sole determination to protect his son. And the vessel of his soul, which had experienced that noble yet terrible end and was revived...
"It's still not enough."
The mana of the outer universe? Outer God Stones? Such meager power hadn't even filled half of his vessel.
Bang!
"...!"
"Return in death."
That was Hwang Dongsoo's last memory.