“Ugh, aaaah!”
A scream filled with denial erupted as the Lion King clenched his sword and charged, swinging it with all the fury and hatred he possessed.
Taesan t him head-on. Nurous buff skills activated as their swords clashed, creating a deafening roar.
---
*BOOM!*
---
Their powers collided. Taesan’s stats were approaching 40,000, significantly higher than the Lion King’s, yet the Lion King wasn’t easily pushed back.
*‘The power of Acurus...’*
The god’s power had boosted not only the Lion King’s strength but also his speed to the absolute limit.
The Lion King gripped his massive sword with both hands and stepped forward.
---
*Crack!*
---
The sword’s long reach gave him an advantage, allowing him to maintain a moderate distance during the fight. The Lion King was utilizing this edge skillfully.
His style was a powerful, straightforward swordsmanship that appeared full of openings. However, each apparent vulnerability was a trap. Any attempt to exploit it would have surely been t with a deadly counterattack.
---
“Roooooar!”
The Lion King let out a beastly roar, slamming his sword down with trendous force.
---
**[The Lion King has activated the Gathering of All Power.]**
**[You activated Strong Strike.]**
**[You activated Acceleration.]**
---
Taesan didn’t back down; instead, he rushed forward, clashing with the Lion King using amplified strength and speed.
---
*CLANG!*
---
Both fighters staggered slightly from the impact, but neither was deterred. The Lion King gritted his teeth, regained his stance, and charged again.
It was rough, forceful, and full of openings yet flawless in its execution.
This was the Lion King’s swordsmanship.
---
*‘He’s strong.’*
---
It was nearly perfect, a style comparable to the devastating swordsmanship of Stormscar. In terms of swordsmanship alone, he had even surpassed Taesan.
“But I am stronger than you.”
The Lion King’s primary technique was his swordsmanship, and Taesan had already analyzed its patterns. Exhaling steadily, Taesan raised his sword.
His movents beca incredibly fluid.
---
**[You activated Flow.]**
---
“Hnng!”
The trajectory of the Lion King’s sword twisted. He quickly corrected it, having witnessed Taesan and the other leaders use Flow in battle. Understanding it, however, didn’t make it impossible to counter.
Just as the Lion King was about to counterattack, a dark energy surged from Taesan.
---
**[You activated Storm of Arrows from Beyond Thought.]**
---
A streak of darkness shot toward the Lion King.
He instinctively raised his sword. His beast-like instincts, honed over countless battles in the labyrinth, saved him.
Although his heart was spared, the attack launched him into the wall with brutal force.
---
**[The Lion King took 6,357 damage.]**
---
“Gah!”
---
**[You summoned Minerva, the Spirit King of Wind.]**
“Minerva, attack.”
“A lot has changed since we last t, I see. Alright!”
Minerva responded enthusiastically, releasing a powerful gust.
The Lion King rose with a furious roar.
“How dare a re Spirit King!”
“Watch your mouth! I am a guardian of this world!”
Wind clashed with the Lion King’s blade, dissipating upon impact, yet managing to withstand his attacks.
Summoning a Spirit King required significant strength from the summoner, but Taesan, having reached the level of an immortal, could fully summon Minerva in her complete form.
---
**[You activated Asmodeus’s Chains of Decay.]**
---
Chains wrapped around the Lion King as he fought off the wind. He struggled violently to break free but couldn’t shake them off easily.
---
**[You activated Gaf’s Unyielding Boulder.]**
---
A boulder dropped from above, descending almost directly onto him.
In a rage, the Lion King summoned his power.
---
**[The Lion King activated the Power of the Beast.]**
---
*Crack!*
The chains shattered. The Lion King gripped his sword with both hands, swinging wildly as the boulder broke apart above him, though fragnts of it still managed to strike him.
“Aaaah!”
---
**[The Lion King activated Unstoppable Will.]**
**[The Lion King activated Target Lock.]**
---
Ignoring the debris, he charged toward Taesan, tearing through Minerva’s winds with his own body and aiming his sword straight at Taesan.
Taesan raised a finger, calmly watching his advance.
---
**[You activated Forced Exclusion.]**
---
*Boom!*
A powerful wave washed over the Lion King, attempting to repel him and deny him any approach.
“Graaah!”
The Lion King’s veins bulged as he pushed forward, inching closer to Taesan, his muscles trembling under the strain.
He was almost within striking distance when Taesan raised his hand.
“Well done.”
---
**[You activated Naberius’s Golden Sword.]**
---
With Taesan’s attack, the Lion King’s desperate resolve and power were rendered aningless as his body was driven into the ground. Cracks spread across the floor like shattered glass.
“Grrrraaah!”
Another roar erupted, laced with denial.
Taesan responded without hesitation.
Magic and dark energy swirled, bombarding the Lion King, preventing him from closing the distance. Though Acurus’s power had significantly increased his stamina, he was now nearing death.
“This... this can’t be... I...”
The Lion King hadn’t relied solely on divine power; he had carefully prepared for this battle, strategizing based on his previous encounter with Taesan.
Yet, none of it mattered.
Taesan looked at him calmly.
“You are strong, but... that’s all.”
The Lion King had transcended mortality, but it was a twisted, unstable level achieved through sacrifice.
In contrast, Taesan had surpassed his limits through divine grace, reaching a stable and pure state. His strength and experience were far greater.
An insurmountable chasm separated Taesan and the Lion King.
“Farewell.”
Taesan approached, sword in hand. Fear filled the Lion King’s eyes.
“N-no...”
The Lion King stamred, his voice trembling with terror.
“No! No! Please, God, save ! I beg of you!”
**“How pitiful,”** the ghost sneered.
It was an unbecoming display for soone who had dwelled within the labyrinth for so long.
The Lion King cried out to the heavens.
“I’ll give you everything! Just free from this place, I beg you!”
Then, a mocking laugh echoed.
Power surged from the altar, untouched by the battle around it.
The Lion King’s face froze.
The god’s power within him swelled violently.
“No, s-save...”
The power expanded, consuming his consciousness as he desperately clung to his desire to escape. His will and intellect were devoured by the overwhelming force.
---
**[Acurus’s power activated. Acurus’s domain of influence has diminished.]**
**[The servant of Acurus has lost all reason and intellect.]**
---
“Hm.”
---
**“Hold on.”**
Taesan stopped in his tracks. The light in the Lion King’s eyes had faded, replaced by a fierce, burgeoning power.
It was a force that even Taesan couldn’t disregard.
---
**“An enhanced trial? But he didn’t get his consent!”**
---
Before the ghost could finish, the system issued a warning.
---
**[Enhanced Trial Proposal......@#!@$]**
**[Acurus’s Authority of Ruin activated. Acurus’s domain of influence has diminished.]**
---
The system warning shattered, the laws and order breaking down.
---
**“What?”**
“As expected, they went to these lengths,” Taesan murmured.
He rembered the trial of Lakhiratas on the second floor, where the god had forced an enhanced trial on him without his consent. The ghost had ntioned that such selfish actions were rare, even among gods.
But this also implied that other gods could do the sa.
Not every god favored Taesan. So surely harbored resentnt. He had anticipated that a situation like this might arise soday.
However, there was a difference now compared to the trial with Lakhiratas.
Taesan had earned the favor of more gods.
---
**[Lucifer’s Mother of Darkness activated. Lucifer’s domain of influence has diminished.]**
---
Space opened, and a dark being descended onto the ground.
---
---
Power surged from Acurus’s altar, tinged with surprise.
A dark-haired girl stepped into the labyrinth.
**[I don’t usually interfere within the labyrinth,]** a clear voice rang out as the darkness enveloped Taesan protectively.
**[Though I cherish him, his struggles and trials are his own. My interference wouldn’t benefit either of us. But this... is a different story.]**
The dark being chuckled mockingly.
**[Did you really think we’d let you undermine our expectations, Acurus?]**
---
**[...You.]**
A voice resonated, laced with fury, a chilling tone that sapped the life from everything it touched.
**[How dare you interfere with ?]**
Power exploded forth.
This was the true force of a transcendent god.
A force that even Taesan, at his current level, couldn’t resist—a law unto itself.
Darkness clashed with the godly power. There was no sound, only a shift in reality.
**[You’re one to talk. At the very least, respect the basic rules.]**
The dark being laughed, its face hardened in anger.
**[You dare to ddle with the one I cherish?]**
Dark energy
surged, blanketing the world in a shadowed realm.
**[He is my chosen. Even if he’s not my apostle, he’s one I hold dear. Do not cross the line. Follow the rules.]**
The being waved its hand.
**[But I won’t deny your trial itself.]**
---
A rumbling filled the air.
The dark energy restored the shattered order, and a system ssage appeared before Taesan.
---
**[Acurus proposes an enhanced trial for you.]**
**[Trials conducted under legitimate conditions are always just. Accepting it is the adventurer’s choice. What will you do, Taesan?]**
The dark being looked up at Taesan, awaiting his answer with a steady gaze.
“I will accept it.”
Taesan replied.
The fact that the dark being had acknowledged the trial ant it was legitimate. There was no reason for him to refuse.
The dark being smiled, as if it had expected this all along.
---
**[Good. We’ll et again soon, Taesan.]**
---
With that, the being vanished into the darkness.
Acurus exuded irritation and fury but could no longer interfere. Eventually, Acurus’s presence receded quietly.
---
**[Acurus’s Trial: Defeat the Sword of Acurus.]**
**[The Sword of Acurus has appeared.]**
---
“A sword, then.”
Neither a servant nor an apostle—a sword.
Though he hadn’t encountered such a foe before, Taesan imdiately grasped its nature.
The na “Lion King” had ceased to exist. What remained was solely the power of Acurus—an entity twisted into a pure instrunt to channel Acurus’s power.
The might contained within it was no less than Acurus’s own.
But it didn’t matter. For Taesan, this was no longer an obstacle.
The figure shaped like the Lion King moved. Its sword swung as it charged toward Taesan.
---
**[The Sword of Acurus activated Ruin.]**
---
And everything began to crumble.
The walls of the labyrinth quaked, cracks spreading outward.
Taesan shrouded himself in divine light.
A blinding radiance engulfed the labyrinth.
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