Chapter 391: Those Who Cling to Life Will Die (1)
Keter and Rukan’s eyes met. A stillness fell over the scene, as if time itself had stopped.
“…”
Taragon, who had been guarding Keter’s back while disguised as a swordsman, placed his hand on the crossbow at his waist.
Though he had not reached the level of a seven-star Prime, he had attained the realm of a six-star Grandmaster. For the past ten years, he had lived with death as if it were his constant companion. His former clumsy self was gone. He had become someone who could respond to any situation, and he believed he would surely be of help to Keter.
At that moment, Keter pointed straight at Rukan.
Crash crash crash!!
At the same time, arrows poured out from inside the carriage Keter was standing on. Or rather, he assumed they were arrows, as Taragon couldn’t even tell if they truly were arrows.
I can’t follow that speed, even with Sefira’s eyes?
The eyes of Sefira’s bloodline were special. Their dynamic vision was over twenty times sharper than that of an ordinary person. The difference became greater as one’s power increased, but even to Taragon—a six-star—Keter’s arrows appeared only as afterimages.
I need to join in…
His hand was already on the crossbow. All he had to do was aim and fire… or so he thought. The next moment, Taragon was already in the air.
Huh?
He hadn’t registered it. He hadn’t even blinked, and yet, he was suddenly floating mid-air. It was as if the process had vanished and only the result remained. His senses belatedly screamed that something was wrong, but it was already too late. An overwhelming sense of weightlessness and the violent wind told him he hadn’t just risen one or two meters.
And it wasn’t just Taragon. Hundreds—no, thousands—perhaps everyone was all lifted into the air without even knowing what had happened.
Taragon quickly regained his balance. He was now skilled at stabilizing himself midair. Keter had shown it often enough and had always emphasized being prepared for variables during sparring.
Creating a foothold in the air, Taragon steadied himself. But soon, his eyes widened, along with his mouth.
We didn’t rise into the air.
The ground had disappeared. That was why it felt like they had been lifted. A vast expanse of land, too large to take in at a glance, had vanished completely. There was no way to even estimate how much land had disappeared. But one thing was certain: the ones responsible for this phenomenon were Keter and Rukan.
Seeing that what had once been solid ground had turned into a cliff from a single clash, Taragon shook his head.
From my perspective, it looked like just one collision.
High above, Keter and Rukan were fighting. That was all he could tell. Flashes of light burst, and things presumed to be arrows streaked in every direction toward something presumed to be Rukan.
The Dawn Army focused solely on surviving. No one dared think of interfering in a battle between Keter and Rukan.
Taragon nearly dropped the weapon in his hand out of helplessness. The sheer difference in level he felt from their fight was overwhelming.
I thought if I risked my life, I could at least help…
It was arrogance. Even if he threw himself into that fight, he would only hinder Keter.
Then I’ll do what I can.
It was a battlefield, like a clash between gods. Yet almost no one had died from being caught in it. This meant that Keter was unconsciously protecting them, which showed that he didn’t see them as a burden. Keter wouldn’t have saved them if they were. He knew everything they did, so there had to be a reason.
There must be something we’re meant to do.
Unlike before, Taragon’s will was unshakable. He immediately rushed to rescue allies in danger, and he wasn’t the only one. At the very least, Sefira’s knights all did what needed to be done—saving their comrades and pulling back.
Even in the midst of fighting Rukan, Keter glanced at them and smiled.
* * *
Rukan’s attacks had no technique. He simply unleashed Ether, the chaotic power he possessed, indiscriminately. However, that alone was enough. Rukan was proving that if one had overwhelming speed and destructive power, technique was unnecessary.
Keter’s arrows were strong, fast, and ever-changing, but they could not pierce Rukan’s Ether Shields. It wasn’t because Ether itself was superior to Ein Sof, the divine power. Though named differently, Ether, Ein Sof, and divine power shared the same origin: the power to create something from nothing and return something to nothing. In other words, it was the power of creation and destruction.
The difference lay in what they sought. Ether leaned more toward destruction, Ein Sof was neutral, and divine power leaned more toward creation. Regardless, all three were still considered the power of gods, and here lay the vast gap between Keter and Rukan.
Keter wielded divine power, but he was still human. Rukan, however, had abandoned his humanity. Because of that, he suffered almost no backlash from using divine power and could draw upon Ether nearly endlessly. In contrast, the more Keter used divine power, the less his body could endure it.
There was a limit to using divine power within a human body. Instead of becoming a Transcendental being and gaining immortality, Keter had chosen to age and die naturally as a human. That was the burden and price he had accepted to wield divine power.
Even so, Keter could fight Rukan only because he possessed a special body—one containing the genes of all species, granting him far greater vitality than an ordinary human. Still, no matter how great his vitality was, life itself was part of creation. A contest of power against a purely spiritual entity was fundamentally impossible.
An opponent I absolutely can’t beat…
Keter felt it too. At this rate, he would self-destruct. After all, Rukan was completely at ease. His offense and defense were flawless. There were countless openings, but he covered them with nearly infinite Ether, leaving no answer.
So that’s why he appeared here so confidently.
Of course, Keter was confident as well. After escaping Liqueur’s underground, he was certain he had reached the eight-star realm, becoming an Irregular. However, Rukan was clearly beyond that; he was at least nine-star, a level without even a proper name.
So, what now?
Keter still had trump cards. He still hadn’t used Misteltein, the god-slaying arrow, or the Authority-nullifying power from Eslow’s arm.
Even if I use Authority nullification, it only lasts a moment. Plus, I can’t use it twice in a row.
Rukan wasn’t foolish. He didn’t just have a single layer of defense; he had hundreds of Ether Shields stacked. Even if one were pierced, countless more remained behind it.
Authority Nullification won’t work. Then, Misteltein is the only option left.
Misteltein was feared even by the Heavenly Venerable, someone who was clearly at the nine-star level, perhaps even higher. If he used it, he could certainly kill Rukan.
However, Misteltein also killed its user. When Keter had threatened the Heavenly Venerable, claiming he might be an exception, it hadn’t been out of certainty; it was just a bluff.
Suddenly, Keter chuckled.
In the past, I wouldn’t have hesitated to use Misteltein.
Back then, he had nothing to lose. He had always fought, ready to die, and his enemies would back down first in fear. Now, he had too much to lose. There were too many things he cared about—things he didn’t want to give up. Keter knew this feeling was a weakness. He had once thought it foolish to openly cherish something precious. Even now, that hadn’t changed.
I’m a fool, so I’ll fight like one.
Without hesitation, Keter drew Misteltein into his palm.
Shhh….
Smoke rose from his hand. When he first obtained Misteltein, it had only stung slightly because he couldn’t control divine power well, but now…
“…!”
For the first time, Rukan stepped back the moment he sensed Misteltein. His shields multiplied from hundreds to thousands.
Though it looked like a crude arrow made of branches, Misteltein was far more than that. It invoked an instinctive fear in divine beings, something even Rukan felt. However, instead of firing Misteltein, Keter unleashed Milky Way.
Until now, he had refrained from using it to avoid harming allies. Now that they had all retreated, he didn’t need any restraint.
Boom boom boom!
Rumble!!
Massive explosions erupted in chains, enough to disperse even the fog of Liqueur. Hundreds of arrows were fired per second, all of them being Milky Way. It was destructive enough to erase an entire city from the kingdom in under five seconds.
Yet even that could not fully break through Rukan’s Ether Shields. More formed faster than they were destroyed. Rukan remained unharmed, but his tension spiked.
I can’t see him.
Having become a spiritual entity beyond physical limits, Rukan no longer relied on sight. However, with Ether surrounding him and Milky Way explosions consuming everything, he couldn’t even sense Keter’s presence.
That arrow he held… What is it?
Rukan didn’t know Misteltein, but he felt its fear. And that made him deeply uneasy.
“Are you there?!”
Rukan thrust out his hand. A spike of Ether pierced through the explosions, but Keter wasn’t there. Only a humanoid doll made of Ein Sof was pierced.
An opening formed in Rukan’s defenses as he attacked. Keter appeared instantly through that gap. Rukan anticipated it and launched a second strike…
Craaaack!
A spear-like spike grazed Keter’s torso. It had aimed for his neck, but Keter had dodged it. He avoided instant death, but it was a fatal wound. Keter fell powerlessly toward the ground, but Rukan didn’t pursue.
“I don’t trust a deceitful man like you.”
Clenching both fists, Rukan unleashed a barrage toward the ground. Ether formed into fists and rained down, crushing even the cliffs already created by their battle and collapsing the earth hundreds of meters deep.
Whoosh….
The air violently surged, as if a hole had been punched through the world itself.
Soon, the explosions faded. Standing in the sky was not Keter but Rukan. By all appearances, Rukan was the victor, but he didn’t relax.
That arrow could come from anywhere.
Still wary of Misteltein, Rukan descended. The crater was so deep that it took time to reach the bottom.
Keter lay there, limbs intact, but he was drenched in blood. For the first time, Rukan spoke.
“Even with that kind of power, you still cling to your physical body.”
Rukan was spotless. He couldn’t even be wounded. Though he appeared human, it was merely a facade. His body contained no blood, only energy.
Keter replied while lying down, “What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s flawed. A physical body can die from the smallest wound. It’s the breeding ground of weakness.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Keter repeated himself.
Rukan frowned. Keter stood up, shaking off dirt and blood.
“So, how does it feel to be a perfect being?” he asked.
“I am filled with a satisfaction you will never know.”
Rukan had wanted to humiliate Keter as the victor, but Keter did not react the way he wanted. So, Rukan decided to carry out his original plan and reached out his hand. He would cut off Keter’s arms and legs, take him away, and torture him forever. No additional motion was needed. His will alone executed the attack.
Blades made of Ether targeted Keter’s arms and legs. There was no visible launch, only the result.
Thud.
Keter’s left and right arms fell to the ground. Of course, a Transcendental could fight without limbs, but it was far from insignificant. It was a massive loss of combat power. More importantly, Keter hadn’t defended, which meant he was exhausted.
When Rukan was about to achieve complete victory, he turned his head. A branch-like arrow—Misteltein—grazed his face and embedded itself in the wall. Keter’s decisive strike had missed.
Rukan smiled. He had avoided the arrow he had feared. With both arms severed, Keter seemed to have lost the will to fight. Even if it was deception, it didn’t matter. There were no variables. He had won completely. Just as he was certain of that…
Squelch.
…a sword pierced through his back.
