Chapter 376

**Chapter 376**

**Chapter 67: Rewards from the Past (2)**

‘Seems like everything fell apart the moment Senoa disappeared.’

Senoa, who used to hold the monster back by its ankle, had found a way to leave, and his absence only accelerated the invasion.

However, if someone asked whether the current situation was the worst, well…

‘Although I might not be strong enough to secure an upper hand…’

Facing multiple replicas rather than meeting the main body head-on seemed a better strategy.

Being within the material realm also played in my favor.

“Kerax.”

As soon as I stretched out my hand to summon Kerax’s spear, I spread mana all around.

When blue sparks seized the surroundings, screams echoed from every corner.

I could sense the crowd panic and flee.

Though this was a rather aggressive approach, it was necessary to drive civilians away, making it easier for what was to come.

“You too, get away.”

When I said this towards Rice Cake, who was growling beside me, he began to whimper.

But after a firm glare from me, he drooped his ears and retreated.

The replica, watching my actions silently, wore a bright smile and spoke.

– I didn’t come to fight.

“Don’t expect to return unscathed once you’ve been spotted by me.”

If he had wanted to, he should not have crawled all the way to my front yard in the first place.

– Today was supposed to be a greeting…

“Cut the crap.”

A greeting, my foot.

Wasn’t it obvious why he tried to make contact with me right after Senoa’s disappearance?

‘He’s probably after my authority.’

My authority is specialized for destruction.

It’s incredibly handy for battles, so it’s no surprise he’s after it.

From his standpoint, after conquering Earth, he’ll have to attack another dimension.

He might be trying to reinforce his power to prepare for that occasion.

Confiscating my power right away would certainly help in invading Earth.

Or perhaps he intended to use this chance to get rid of me today.

Whether he claimed not to have come to fight or to greet; there was no need for me to heed the words of such an invader, who was fit to be ripped apart.

‘Getting captured should be seen as the end.’

Raising my vigilance, my body tensed up to its core.

The replica, meanwhile, dispelled its artificial smile and began to shake its head side to side.

– I planned to pass by quietly…

Then, sweeping its eyes past my shoulder, an unnoticed black beam shot out suddenly towards—

‘Rice Cake!’

It was Rice Cake who had been lurking not far away.

‘I told him to retreat, why didn’t he listen!’

Gritting my teeth, I leaped from the ground.

I planned to block its path and personally deal with the corrupted divinity.

But before I could reach my destination, a shadow that had been lying in wait came charging at me.

Was it thanks to the repeated training of this Scenario thousands of times?

Almost immediately, I bent my waist, sensing the faint shadow at the edge of my vision.

With my upper body lowered, Omby’s hand grazed over my head as it aimed for my neck.

*Swish!*

In an instant, I layered the crystalline puppet on my spear and sliced off its arm.

Black blood mixed with flesh splattered to the ground.

In that moment, the corrupted divinity shaped like a blade lunged at my abdomen.

I intercepted it with my spear.

*Boom!*

The sound was closer to a thunderous explosion than the mere clash of metals.

The force of divine authority was powerful enough to produce such destruction.

‘Relax, now.’

Opting to use the force to push back, I aimed to minimize close combat.

The impact left my insides twisting.

As my body was flung back, it felt as though my organs couldn’t keep up with my speed and entangled with one another.

“Ugh!”

Naturally, I coughed up bloody spittle from the internal injuries.

Meanwhile, Omby, in frustration, threw corrupted divinity at Rice Cake.

*Crackle!*

At that moment, Rice Cake emitted lightning, protecting itself.

Though the mana was a notch below divinity, it wasn’t powerless.

Thanks to this, it diverted the course of the corrupted divinity.

“Bark! Bark!”

What would have been a fatal strike to Rice Cake’s torso only ended up piercing its hind leg.

Having bounced off near Rice Cake, I created a mana platform in mid-air to launch off.

It was to reach right in front of Rice Cake.

Upon reaching him, I hastily shouted and flung the pup aside.

“Don’t interfere!”

Keeping this one around wouldn’t help me in this battle.

As Rice Cake’s massive body flew through the air, torrents of corrupted divinity began pouring upon me from behind.

Instantly, I spread out the crystalline puppet to shield us both.

A semi-transparent wall gleamed like glass, shielding Rice Cake and me.

It wasn’t a defensive maneuver I favored often due to its high divine cost.

Plus, it made losing track of the enemy easy.

Regardless, it was necessary for Rice Cake’s safety.

I intensified my senses, striving to locate the now unseen Omby.

*Shuffle shuffle.*

Only then did I detect the figure of a black shadow emerging from the edge of the crystalline barricade.

I swung my spear at the approaching figure.

At the same time, I crystallized the puppet to counter the presence from above.

*Swoosh swoosh!*

Spears, swiftly conjured from the crystalline puppet, shot out.

Not wielded, but sent forth merely with a flick of my hand.

Ten spears zigzagged their way through the air, targeting Omby.

‘Authority is wielded through will.’

The efficacy of authority can vary significantly based on the user’s capability.

As with the crystallization I’d perfected over time.

Manipulating it in midair to target the enemy was the fruit of my labor.

‘I didn’t solely train for evasion.’

Though not adept enough to use it liberally…

It should be enough to check an opponent on a direct line, especially one so close by.

As the vision of malice and murderous intent surveyed above, Omby hastily wielded a corrupted divine sword to evade my attack.

A whip-like strike aimed at my side, already deflected by spinning onto my spear.

‘I will slice its remaining arm…!’

Eagerly I lunged toward the foe, thrusting my spear towards him.

The spear imbued with fierce puppet calculations barely missed his armpit.

A bit faster and I might have split the shoulder joint!

Having missed my mark, it was now Omby’s turn to target my opening.

Gritting my teeth while retrieving my spear, Omby reached towards me with his black claws.

From its gaping mouth, a black tongue projected, intent on ensnaring me.

I wasn’t about to fall for it!

Like Rice Cake earlier, I expelled the puppet from every fiber of my being.

That destructive force burned the tongue to cinders, turning it to ash.

The brief dissipating of the puppet was soon replaced by an apparition of a gigantic shadow.

Fleshy tendrils gushed out of Omby’s body, extending in all directions.

All crafted from corrupted divinity.

Unintentionally, I bit down on my lip.

It was a demonstration of just how adept he was at manipulating divinity.

With this many moving entities in play, it wasn’t feasible to counter each one with authority.

Identifying and dealing with objects at both short and long distances was a challenge.

In that case…

‘I’ll only fend off those getting too close.’

Raising my spear, I prepared to deflect the definite threats aimed my way.

*Clang! Clang clang! Clang!*

Limited by human hands, I made use of the sharp spearhead, long shaft, and blunt end fluidly.

Every advance of my spear see threw strands flying away.

Meanwhile, Omby landed, grounding himself.

Seizing the opportunity, I used my authority.

The sky-bound puppet struck its target dead on.

*Boom!*

Though a thunderous sound erupted, it wasn’t a significant blow.

Tendrils churned out by Omby had tangled, shielding him overhead.

At the same time, the puppet assaults from both flanks burrowed towards his sides.

“Hyung, now!”

“Let’s go for it!”

Yang Taeho and Kim Yul, who had silently awaited their turn, supported our attack.

Even before their words faded, I was already charging towards Omby.

No further instructions were necessary.

We had battled together thousands, if not tens of thousands of times.

Given we faced a common enemy, everyone instinctively knew their role best.

Kim Yul’s magic disrupted the wriggling tendrils.

Yang Taeho’s magic stymied Omby’s steps and robbed its sight.

Illuminating puppets ran amok during the chaos.

I poised to capitalize upon this gap brought forth by joint effort.

And slice away the single arm Omby had left, I succeeded.

Severed by a spear handle to the back of his knees, he buckled down.

*Thud.*

With Omby on his knees, I tightly bound him with crystalline puppets.

I didn’t stop; I skewered his body, anchoring him to the ground.

Like meat on a skewer.

“Phew.”

In a fleeting moment, the battle reached its end.

I calmed my disordered breathing, glaring at the restrained enemy.

Thankfully, he was weaker than the replica I encountered in causality.

‘Were they modulating the puppet’s strength due to the cost of bringing it into the material realm?’

Questions piled up. At the top of the list was, undoubtedly…

‘I need a method to track down the main body.’

Should I resort to torturing this thing?

It was unlikely to yield any answers willingly.

Yet, I was prepared to go to extremes if necessary.

No longer could I rely on Finelpenia’s power of reading past records.

‘All the hierarchy of other apostles has already been reclaimed.’

From now on, everything had to be handled through my power alone.

I took a deep breath, striving to shake off the escalating anxiety.

What choice would truly be the best?

As I wracked my brain seeking solutions, a cautious approach drew my attention.

*Thud thud.*

The irregular patter of footsteps immediately revealed who it was.

Having returned to the battleground, despite leg wounds, was Rice Cake.

“Hey, Rice Cake? Are you hurt?”

Upon noticing his wounds, Kim Yul hurried over.

I, standing behind Kim Yul, shot a stern glare at Rice Cake.

I’d clearly given the order to fall back, yet Rice Cake’s continuous lurking disobeyed my command, which irked me.

There is a time to hold back and a time to step in.

Fortunately, he only ended up with a leg injury this time; it could have been fatal otherwise.

In an ordinary monster hunt, perhaps, but in a battle entailed with divine powers, Rice Cake wasn’t noteworthy.

Understanding my state of deep frustration, whether he did or not, Rice Cake limped past Kim Yul and approached me, whimpering and nudging his head against me.

“You…!”

Hastily trying to plead after all the chaos, I was about to scold him.

“……!”

Yet, before I could continue, my sight flipped, unveiling yet another world Rice Cake perceived.

A scene dramatically displaying the process of power circulation.

Omby’s silhouette within it was shocking.

A mass of writhing energy trapped in a black outline.

The energy didn’t circulate naturally alongside the body nor emit light like a living entity.

Rather, in a bizarre movement, it absorbed light outwardly, retracting consistently, like consuming itself, evoking a visceral discomfort.

Extending from his head, the uncanny spectacle stretched long, like thread.

In that moment, it became clear why Rice Cake risked danger to linger close to me.

Damned System

**New Elements and Characters:**

– Senoa (세노아) – Not specifically named in the text, but is implied to be absent, causing consequential changes.

– Rice Cake (백설기) – He

– Omby (옴빈) – Na