Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!
Fierce footsteps pounded toward the Butcher Monk.
Immediately, the Monk raised one arm to block the golem’s punch.
“Quite heavy.”
Although the golem was smaller than the one Jun had summoned previously, the density of the mana compressed within it was on a completely different level.
So much so that even the somewhat-exhausted Butcher Monk furrowed his brows.
However, that wasn’t the only reason his expression tightened.
Thud—!
Something heavy dropped onto the sandy beach.
It was the Butcher Monk’s arm.
I’ve been had.
It wasn’t that he had let his guard down.
The Monk never took the act of killing lightly.
To him, it was a matter of honoring the sacrifices laid beneath the world he sought to create.
Had Jun heard that, he would’ve cursed at the sheer absurdity and felt utterly disgusted.
But Jun had no time to spare a thought for the Monk.
“Sir Thaerdin…!”
He rushed to the fallen knight and checked his condition.
In exchange for taking the Monk’s arm, Thaerdin’s shoulder had been utterly crushed.
And that wasn’t all….the deathly energy of [Blood Mountain Reincarnation] was eating away at his entire body.
Its effect wasn’t limited to just where it touched. It spread like a cancer, corrupting him from the inside out.
“Damn it!”
Jun quickly poured a healing potion over the wound.
But the injury showed no signs of healing, and blood gushed out like a waterfall.
And this was despite using a highly potent potion.
He’s already grown this strong?
Faster than anything in the game’s original timeline.
This kind of technique hadn’t shown up in the Silent City either.
Is this another change because of me?
A string of curses sprang to mind.
All he had done was fight to survive. So why did new variables keep cropping up?
But rage wouldn’t help him in this situation.
Instead, Jun pulled a golden potion from his dimensional bracelet.
Eleanor nearly died making this thing.
She had sternly warned him to only use it in truly desperate situations.
And now, he had no choice but to use it.
Jun carefully poured the golden potion into Thaerdin’s mouth.
It was a masterpiece infused with Eleanor’s divine power. An artifact of her recent obsession with enchantment magic.
It’s working.
The cursed energy of the Butcher Monk’s mana began to gradually dissipate from Thaerdin’s body.
But Jun didn’t stop there. He used [Wind Cutter] to sever Thaerdin’s mangled arm.
The limb had already been destroyed beyond repair, with all nerves dead. Worse yet, it had become a malignant tumor of sorts, spreading the aura of [Blood Mountain Reincarnation].
It’s working, at least to some extent!
Its effect far exceeded that of a regular healing potion. No wonder Eleanor had clung to it all day, proudly calling it her magnum opus.
“The arm’s regeneration… whew. Is it going well?”
Golden particles shimmered where the arm had been severed.
The potion, created by Eleanor based on the concept of the Ariklotus Church’s sacred grounds, used the subject’s remaining biological information to restore their original body.
Even hearing about it sounded absurd….but naturally, compared to the sacred ground itself, this version was still a degraded imitation.
Still, the fact that it can regenerate a completely severed arm is insane.
Given that a high-ranking priestess like Eleanor had spent a full fifteen days praying nonstop to complete this potion, its performance was nothing short of incredible.
Of course, that didn’t mean the situation had become favorable.
Whoooooooosh—!!
A sandstorm surged again.
As Jun turned his head toward it—
The golem he had summoned lay at his feet, utterly destroyed.
“You’ve grown far stronger than you were a year ago, Benefactor.”
“I should be the one saying that. How are you even handling that many vengeful souls?”
“I borrowed the power of the late Enverman. Through his technique, I implanted a demon’s heart fragment into this body.”
The Butcher Monk pointed to the back of his own head as he spoke, and Jun clicked his tongue.
A fragment of a demonic monster’s heart… implanted into his skull?
It was such insane lunacy that even Jun couldn’t muster up a word of awe.
“So now, Benefactor, you’re all alone.”
“Tsk…”
Thaerdin who had held the front line so valiantly was now incapacitated….though he had taken the Monk’s arm with him.
And the golem Jun had sent to protect him was now in pieces.
There was no one left to block the Butcher Monk’s advance.
Sorry, but…
However, a seasoned Blackout gamer must always be several steps ahead.
Planning for the absolute worst-case scenario and moving accordingly.
Especially for a mage like Jun, someone for whom even the slightest mistake could mean death….this was all too familiar.
“Who says you’re unstoppable?”
“Hmm?”
Only then did the Butcher Monk glance around.
The spells Jun had cast earlier he thought had already been destroyed were still active.
Dozens of [Iron Fists] lay shattered on the ground, and the steel fortress surrounding the area still stood tall, like a prison wall.
No way…
Were those spells not just meant to support that knight after all?
“This one’s a first for you. Consider yourself honored.”
[Earth Gravity]
Jun raised his hand toward the ground, and the sand in the area began to rise against gravity, floating into the air.
Countless grains of sand froze in midair, suspended as if anchored to the void.
Sensing something ominous, the Butcher Monk attempted to leap toward Jun through the rising sand.
[Iron Rampart]
But the steel walls summoned by “Illusia” blocked his path.
At the same time, Jun clenched his hand.
Creaaaaaaaaaaak—!!
The floating sand instantly compressed inward, converging around the Butcher Monk like a crushing vice.
Shrrrrrrrrk!
And not only that, using the aid of his spellbook, Jun infused metallic properties into every grain of sand.
“What kind of absurd strength is this…?”
The Monk was barely held in place, but as he raged within the compressed sand to break free, his mana bled out like a burst dam.
“Ugh… It’s been a while.”
His mana circuits began to glow blue.
He was experiencing mana overheat for the first time in ages.
Even with the spellbook’s help, drawing that much elemental mana may have been too much.
It was the first time he’d used this technique in actual combat and adding elemental enhancements on top of that made even maintaining the spell a heavy burden.
But—
Hoo…
This was the most efficient spell for the current environment. And Thaerdin had staked his life to buy Jun this window of opportunity.
He had no intention of wasting it.
Jun immediately began preparing [Heavenly Thunder].
[Multicasting]
[Volcanic Tornado]
[Ice Break]
Flames spiraled into storms in all directions, while the ground was consumed by vapor.
The sudden clash of heat and cold rapidly gave birth to a dense cloud of steam.
And from above that mist, storm clouds began to gather.
[Lightning Call: Transformation – Thundercloud]
A massive firestorm steadily closed in, and ominous rumbles echoed intermittently from the sky.
However—
“Ugh?!”
In that instant, Jun clamped a hand over his mouth.
The blue glow of his mana circuits burning across his skin abruptly shifted to a vivid violet.
For some reason, the rate of mana consumption had far exceeded his expectations.
And the reason was, of course, the Butcher trapped within [Earth Gravity].
“You’ve truly grown, young master.”
Despite losing an arm and having Thaerdin’s aura invading his body to suppress his strength, the Butcher still spoke calmly from within the compressed sand.
That lunatic…!
Aura charged with killing intent struck against the sand.
But a closer look revealed….it wasn’t just a simple strike.
He’s generating shockwaves with aura!
How much overflowing mana would it take to pull off something so insane?
Like the infamous “Tongbei Fist” from martial arts films, every movement of his fists sent the magic pattern itself trembling violently.
The sudden surge in mana consumption stemmed from that very act.
“Shit!”
In the end, before he could fully cast [Heavenly Thunder], Jun made his decision.
Even unfinished, he had to unleash it.
Cutting off mana flow and imagery at once, he hurled [Heavenly Thunder] down toward the sand sphere that imprisoned the Butcher.
Creaaaaaaaaaaaak—!
Kwaaaaaaaang—!!
Incomplete or not, the spell’s destructive power was far from weak.
But the Butcher shattered [Earth Gravity] at the very last moment and broke free.
Still, unless he could move at the speed of light, avoiding [Heavenly Thunder] should have been impossible.
“……”
“To be honest, I’m impressed.”
Yet from within the rising dust, the Butcher emerged, staring at Jun as he walked forward….without so much as a burned thread on his clothes.
“Just one year. Only a year ago, if I’d been given three seconds, I could’ve snapped your neck without effort.”
“…You monster.”
“Quite true. I’ve heard that word countless times. In the midst of my sins, they screamed and called me a monster.”
“So what? Are you telling me you feel remorse?”
“Hardly. I don’t even have the right to repent. And if you’ve seen this power with your own eyes, benefactor, then you already know that.”
He was right.
The Butcher.
His current form was exactly that of the level 8 powerhouse Jun had once seen in the game.
“[Mountain of Corpses, Sea of Blood]…”
The Butcher’s entire body was drenched in a crimson-black glow.
That technique was supposed to appear only years later in the game’s storyline after the Butcher’s defeat at the hands of the protagonist, Adrian.
In other words, this was his “second phase” as a boss.
But according to the game’s dialogue, that skill shouldn’t have been anywhere near complete yet…
Things had gone off track.
Realizing that the future he once knew was steadily falling apart, Jun bit his lip.
He had expected some deviations ever since the day he first met Aiden, but the sheer scale of the changes his presence had caused in this world was far beyond what he’d imagined.
In contrast, the Butcher Monk widened his eyes at Jun’s reaction.
“So the benefactor is well-informed about my [Blood Mountain Reincarnation]. How did you come to know that name?”
“That’s none of your business…”
“Indeed, it is not. The higher-ups have deemed you a new vessel.”
“A vessel? Don’t tell me….a vessel to contain some damn outer god?”
“So you knew even that. As you say, your body has been judged a perfect vessel to house a god.”
“And what, I’m just supposed to hand it over? Sell my body to some alien god?”
“The higher echelons of the church seem to think you should. But I, benefactor, do not agree.”
“……”
In his eyes, now dyed with the same crimson-black as his body, Jun saw pure, unfiltered killing intent.
Looking into those eyes, Jun felt a desperate urge to escape this space at once….even if it meant dying to do so.
“You intend to kill me.”
“Correct. In my eyes, you are a vessel of rebellion. One who has shattered the order of the world.”
Rebel against the heavens.
A being who defied the will of the gods.
From the Butcher Monk’s perspective, such a threat had to be eliminated. No matter what.
But so what?
Just because someone wanted him dead, did they expect him to lie down and die?
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no intention of dying so obediently.”
“You’re saying that because you trust in that bizarre gauntlet of yours?”
At that, Jun gave a bitter smirk.
So he knows about it, too.
The “Devourer” could be considered his extra life, in a way.
But considering the gap between us, it won’t be nearly enough.
And so, Jun provoked him further, trying to rattle him.
“Please. But you’re not at full strength, are you?”
“……”
Of course he wasn’t.
He had forcibly stepped into level 8. Though Enverman’s procedures had helped suppress the recoil, the side effects hadn’t vanished entirely.
On top of that, he’d taken a direct hit from Thaerdin’s will-infused attack. The aftereffects of that strike still lingered, even now, as he continued to draw on power beyond his limits.
But the Butcher Monk didn’t seem to care.
“You remain lost in delusion. Even so, killing you would be easier than twisting a chicken’s neck.”
“Yeah? Then how about we test that theory?”
The moment the words left his mouth, “Illusia” activated [Earth Burst].
“You think a petty smokescreen like this will work on me?!”
Dust burst upward from beneath his feet as [Earth Burst] detonated, momentarily obscuring the Butcher Monk’s vision. But in the very next instant, a sharp pulse of aura cleared the haze in one swift motion.
“There you are!”
The Butcher instantly threw a punch toward the direction of the detected presence—
“…….!”
—but Jun, who should have been skewered by that strike, vanished like mist.
“””See? Your focus is already slipping, isn’t it?”””
Front, back, all around… dozens of illusions of Jun surrounded him from every direction.
Seeing this, the Butcher Monk muttered under his breath.
“…Illusion magic.”
“””Ding ding. Correct.”””
[Mirror of Mosilas].
Normally, this wouldn’t have worked at all on someone of the Butcher’s caliber.
A typical level 8 user would have already awakened their Mental Construct, or in other words, their own will.
Which meant illusion spells like this would be instantly dispelled or outright ignored.
But not in this case.
The Butcher Monk who was still suffering from the aftereffects of forced advancement wasn’t operating at full capacity. Even now, his mental resistance was barely holding together.
Not that I expect it to hold him for long…
Still, Jun had no choice but to buy time….however he could.
“Asura Salvarta… Seems the benefactor has gravely underestimated me.”
“””What?”””
[Blood-Sea Style – Blood Burst Implosion]!!
Blood began to gather in the Butcher Monk’s open palm, swelling rapidly until it grew to the size of a human head.
The moment he clenched his fist—
Jun was already on the move.
He understood all too well what that blood orb was about to unleash.
Craaaaaaaak—!!
Booooooooom!!!
The orb, saturated with the Butcher’s killing intent, detonated in a deafening blast.
But Jun had anticipated this too.
Immediately, using Illusia, he summoned [Iron Ramparts] in every direction around the Butcher, forming walls of steel.
“There you are!”
But the Butcher Monk, like a beast sensing blood, honed in on the faint trace of mana Jun had left behind and launched his fist in that direction.
The steel walls reinforced with magic crumbled like soft tofu.
And from within them, the Butcher Monk leapt forth.
[Enchantment: Mind Boost]
Jun activated a thought-acceleration spell, focusing all of it into his eyes.
He’s even faster up close!
Already swift, the Butcher Monk who was enhanced further by the [Blood-Sea Style] moved so fast that even with accelerated thinking, Jun struggled to track him.
And worse, even when his eyes could follow…
…his body couldn’t.
Which made perfect sense.
Jun was a mage.
But still…!
If he were truly someone Jun had no way of dealing with, he would’ve decided to run from the very moment they first crossed paths.
Whooooooosh!
[Rapid Cast]
[Fire Wall]
[Shield]
[Enchantment: Support]
[Enchant Spell: Strength Concentration]
[Enchantment: Elemental Armory]
[Attribute Enchantment: Gold]
[Enhancement: Elemental Body]
[Attribute Enchantment: Gold]
[Enhancement: Strengthen Body]
I’ve got at least a few ways to handle someone in close quarters!
Walls of flame erupted to either side of the Butcher Monk, and a [Shield] manifested in the narrow gap between them.
By sealing off the left and right, Jun restricted the enemy’s movement, forcing him to attack only from the direction Jun had prepared for.
“Cheap tricks!”
The Butcher Monk wasn’t blind to what Jun was doing. But rather than avoid the trap, he charged in head-on, intent on smashing through it.
He’s coming!
A fist filled with raw, physical killing intent hurtled toward him.
A [Shield], strengthened twice over and then further enhanced with dense mana through sheer force of will.
And yet, that [Shield] shattered in less than a second.
[Enchantment: Support]
[Shield]
But in the time it took to blink, another [Shield] was summoned.
Each new [Shield] appeared at 1 cm intervals, only to vanish the moment the Butcher Monk’s fist touched it….again and again, in rapid succession.
Still, the force behind that fist never slowed.
A monster, truly. But in Jun’s accelerated vision, he could see it all.
The chest!
A precise blow aimed straight at his heart.
Jun raised the “Devourer” in that direction.
And thanks to that, with a single move—
He managed to block the Butcher Monk’s fist.
But…
Jjjjuuuuuaaaaaap…!!!
What the hell is with this guy’s fist…?!
The Butcher Monk’s strike was far heavier than Jun had expected. So much so that even the Devourer seemed overwhelmed.
Craaaack!
Boooooooooom!!
In the end, with just that one blow, the Devourer hit full capacity, and the remaining shock passed straight into Jun’s body.
“Guh…!!”
Had he not reinforced his body with those two enhancement spells, his arm would’ve been crushed like Thaerdin’s.
And worse….the aura of [Blood Mountain Reincarnation] that clung to the Butcher Monk’s fist pierced into his body in an instant.
Now, he could understand why Thaerdin lost consciousness in just one hit.
“Khk…!”
Level 5 and Level 8.
In a way, the fact that he survived even a single blow was nothing short of a miracle.
But the aftermath was far too brutal to call it that.
After rolling across the ground multiple times, his knee had twisted in an unnatural direction.
And both arms, which had taken the Butcher Monk’s attack head-on, had torn muscles hanging in shreds.
As waves of unbearable pain threatened to knock him out at any moment, it was only [Iron Will] and [Unshaken Heart] that barely kept Jun conscious.
I stopped him… once.
He looked like a wreck.
Every part of his body was screaming for mercy.
And yet, Jun smiled.
“So in the end… I endured that.”
On both sides, the [Fire Walls] still burned.
And in between them, the Butcher Monk loomed over him with a chilling expression.
But despite his murderous aura, he wasn’t able to move to finish Jun off.
Looking up at the Butcher Monk, Jun gave a crooked grin.
“You bastard… I told you. I’m not dying so easily…”
At the tip of Jun’s fingers, a thin black thread was strung.
[Mental Type: Marionette Line]
A mental-type spell he had once used on the golem deep in the Black Forest.
It was only a third-circle spell. So weak that it wouldn’t work on a Level 1, or even an average person.
But thanks to the purity of mana in the [Mana Body], and the years of research Jun had poured into it, the spell could be powerful enough under the right circumstances.
Your mind’s wrecked, isn’t it?
The Butcher Monk had pushed his mental strength to the limit with constant bloodlust and killing intent, making him the perfect target for the “right circumstances” Jun had envisioned.
“But even so, what can you possibly do to me like this?”
The Butcher Monk’s biting words struck deep.
Just as he said, Jun’s body had been ruined by that one strike.
He didn’t even have the strength to push himself up from the ground.
Both arms were completely blackened and dead. He couldn’t even open his dimensional bracelet to take a healing potion.
He was restraining the Butcher Monk with [Marionette Line], but it only limited his movements. It didn’t immobilize him.
Continuing this standoff would only work against Jun, whose body was still deteriorating by the second.
“Kuh… You thick-headed bastard… Did you already forget what you said earlier?”
“Hmm?”
“Why stall for time? You asked? Well…”
It’s because even now at this very moment someone dependable was charging in from the other side of the island.
[Charge]
[Wind Storm]!!
Just moments later…. a wild wind, infused with destruction, enveloped the blade and slammed into the Butcher Monk’s chest.
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