A thin line, barely visible, ran across the surface of the barrier surrounding Ji-Han. Then.
CRACK.
The entire dungeon trembled. Valtherion's eyes narrowed instantly.
"What is this…?"
The crack pulsed, and the barrier felt alive. Everyone watching was confused about the scenario but knew something was definitely is happening.
The crack spread. Energy began to leak through. It was heavy and absolute. Valtherion felt its energy; it was pure.
"This… This is different, its divinity?"
Valtherion's expression darkened.
"You dare… ascend in my presence?"
His hand rose, darkness gathered, denser than before. The space around him warped violently.
"Abyssal ruin."
CRACK
The barrier split further, and a pulse exploded outward. Not destructive but absolute, Valtherion's energy stopped. It wasn't blocked, nor was it resisted; it stopped.
"…what?"
Confusion was written on his face. The barrier shattered like glass, dissolving into starlight. And there, at the center, Ji-Han floated, silently, while his eyes were closed, and his body suspended. His wounds were gone, and his breathing was calm and steady.
Then his eyes opened. His eyes are emitting energy, different from before. The pressure in the dungeon changed. Those participant who were under the manipulation were cleansed and healed, though he left them unconscious. Valtherion feared and stepped back instinctively.
"Im… impossible."
Ji-Han slowly descended, feet touching the ground. Slowing and silently. He looked around at the shattered battlefield and at the unconscious bodies. And he moved directly toward them, passing at the side of Valtherion. Neglecting his presence and focusing on his friends and others.
[ACTIVATING SPACE ISOLATION BARRIER.]
He separated them from the battlefield so they won't be caught up in the fight that's going to happen soon.
Valtherion, feeling his presence was neglected.
"… You."
"What are you." He spoke slowly.
Ji-Han didn't answer as he was placing barrier around his teammates.
And everyone watching froze.
"…that's… Ji-Han?"
"No."
"…that's not the same person."
Even Min Jae-woo's eyes widened
"…he changed."
Those who had doubted his ability from the beginning jaw dropped.
"You dare ignore me?" He spoke aggressively
"You think you been ascended can stop me?" he continued.
"Good, show me what you have become, so I will make that your hope tremble more." He laughed.
The ground shattered beneath him, and power erupted.
The true Demon King's aura filled the dungeon.
And for the first time, two forces stood equal.
Ji-Han stepped forward, slow, and steady. With no hesitation.
The air bent around him obediently.
"…you talk too much for a demon king." He sighed while covering his eyes.
That moment, Ji-Han stepped forward—
The space between them collapsed.
Not distance—
Authority.
Valtherion moved first.
A blur.
Faster than before—
Faster than anything he had shown.
His fist tore through the air—
A direct strike meant to crush Ji-Han completely.
But—
Ji-Han didn't move.
BOOM!!!
The impact landed—
The ground beneath them shattered—
Shockwaves rippled across the dungeon—
…and stopped.
Valtherion's eyes widened.
His fist—
Was blocked.
Not by a visible barrier—
But by something thin—
Transparent—
Layered beyond comprehension.
"…what… is this…?"
Ji-Han's voice came calmly.
"…multi-layer barrier."
Not activated.
Not summoned.
Already there.
A pulse—
And the force behind Valtherion's punch—
Reversed.
BOOM!!!
Valtherion was blown backward.
His feet dragged across the ground—
For the first time—
Forced back.
Outside—
"What?!"
"He… pushed the Demon King back?!"
Even the Masters stood up.
Inside—
Valtherion steadied himself.
Then—
He laughed.
Low.
Excited.
"…HAHAHAHA…"
"…GOOD!"
His aura exploded.
Darkness swallowed the surrounding space.
The dungeon walls cracked under pressure.
"You've finally become worth killing!"
His hand rose—
And the air twisted violently.
"ABYSSAL RUIN: OBLIVION DESCENT!"
A massive sphere of compressed darkness formed above—
Rotating—
Distorting—
Devouring everything around it.
The participants below trembled—
Even unconscious—
Their bodies reacting to the overwhelming power.
Outside—
"That attack—!"
"If that hits—everything inside is gone!"
Min Jae-woo clenched his fists.
"…Ji-Han…"
Inside—
Ji-Han looked up.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"…too loud."
He raised his hand.
A faint glow gathered—
Not explosive—
Not overwhelming—
Condensed.
"…Aether Break."
He stepped forward—
And struck upward.
The moment his fist connected with the descending sphere—
Silence.
Then—
CRACK.
The massive attack—
Split.
Not resisted—
Not blocked—
Broken.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The sky of the dungeon exploded into fragments of dark energy—
Dispersing like shattered glass.
Valtherion's smile disappeared.
"…you…"
Before he could react—
Ji-Han vanished.
A distortion—
A shift—
And he appeared behind him.
"Too slow."
A slash—
VOID SEVER.
A thin line passed through Valtherion's body—
Clean.
Silent.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Blood spilled.
Valtherion's body trembled—
His internal energy disrupted.
"…you… cut… through me…?"
Ji-Han stood behind him.
"…your defense…"
"…is just energy."
Valtherion's eyes widened—
Then—
He smiled again.
Wider.
"…HAHAHAHA!!"
Dark energy exploded from his body—
Violent—
Unstable—
"…YES!"
"This is it!"
His wounds—
Closed.
Faster than before.
More violently.
"…you're no longer human…"
His gaze deepened.
Madness.
Excitement.
"…then I won't hold back either."
The ground beneath him cracked open—
Dark pillars rose—
The dungeon began to distort.
Outside—
"What's happening now?!"
"The dungeon structure is collapsing!"
One of the Masters spoke—
"…no…"
"…it's evolving."
Inside—
Valtherion raised both hands.
"DOMAIN OF RUIN ABYSS!"
Darkness spread—
Engulfing everything.
The battlefield changed.
A world of ruin.
Endless.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
"…this is my world."
Valtherion's voice echoed from everywhere.
"In here—"
"…I am absolute."
Silence.
Then—
A step.
Ji-Han walked forward.
Unbothered.
The pressure—
Didn't affect him.
The darkness—
Didn't bind him.
He looked around once.
"…noisy."
He raised his hand.
Light emerged.
Not bright—
Not overwhelming—
Calm.
"…Sanctuary."
A domain formed.
Golden.
Expansive.
Clashing against the abyss.
The darkness—
Stopped spreading.
Cracked.
Valtherion's voice faltered.
"…you… created a domain… inside mine…?"
Ji-Han's eyes glowed faintly.
"…this isn't yours anymore."
The two forces collided—
Light and darkness—
Authority against authority—
And the dungeon shook—
As if it couldn't withstand them.
Though Ji-Han was healed and no injuring. The effect for the previous battle persist, also as his evolution was sudden. So he need immediate rest.
"Time to end it now." He spoke
"You dare. I will defeat you and kill you and everyone from where you came from." Valtherion spoke aggressively.
A dagger flashed in Ji-Han's hand.
Short.
Precise.
Deadly.
Valtherion's claws extended—
Long, dark, tearing through space itself.
CLANG!!!
Dagger met claw.
Valtherion's grin widened.
"…a dagger?"
Ji-Han didn't respond.
He moved.
A step—
Then gone.
Reappearing at Valtherion's flank—
A quick strike—
SLASH.
Too fast.
Too precise.
A thin cut appeared across Valtherion's side.
"…!"
Valtherion countered instantly—
Claws tearing downward—
But—
Ji-Han had already shifted.
"Guard Shift."
A faint distortion—
And he was behind him.
Another strike—
VOID SEVER.
A deeper cut this time—
Valtherion staggered—
Then laughed.
"…you're aiming for the gaps…"
His claws swung wildly—
Faster—
Heavier
The air tore apart with every movement.
But Ji-Han—
Moved differently.
Close range.
Inside the danger zone.
Minimal movement.
Every step—
Calculated.
Every strike—
Lethal.
The dagger shimmered—
Infused with mana and divinity.
"Celestial Edge Flow."
His movements adapted—
Reading Valtherion's attacks—
A clash—
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Dagger and claws collided repeatedly—
Each impact sending shockwaves through the dungeon.
Valtherion's attacks grew more violent—
More chaotic—
"…stand still!"
Ji-Han slipped through his reach—
"Too wide."
A quick dash—
Aether Break—
BOOM!!!
A close-range explosion—
Blasting Valtherion backward.
He crashed—
Then rose again—
Regenerating.
"…you!!! I will kill you"
Ji-Han stood still.
"…you are already dead."
Valtherion's eyes gleamed.
"…GOOD!"
His claws grew larger—
More monstrous—
Energy condensing at their tips.
"Abyssal Rend!"
He slashed—
The space itself tore open—
A massive rift racing toward Ji-Han.
Ji-Han raised his dagger slightly.
"…too direct."
A barrier flickered—
Then—
He stepped through it.
"Lunar Phase Shift."
The attack passed through him—
Like he wasn't there.
Valtherion's eyes widened.
"…what—"
Too late.
Ji-Han appeared directly in front of him—
A mark formed silently—
"Judgment of the Astral Throne."
Valtherion froze.
"…again—?!"
Ji-Han moved.
One step.
One strike.
The dagger traced a single line across Valtherion's body—
Silent.
Clean.
Then—
Energy erupted.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A pillar of celestial energy engulfed him completely.
His claws shattered—
His body breaking under the force—
"…IMPOSSIBLE—!!"
His voice faded—
Consumed by light.
Silence fell.
Ji-Han stood there.
Dagger lowered.
Breathing heavier now.
The strain—
Catching up again.
"…it's over."
Behind him—
The barriers slowly faded—
Revealing the survivors.
Alive.
Ji-Han closed his eyes briefly.
"…this time…"
A quiet breath.
"…I didn't fail." He spoke while he fell unconscious.
Jaw dropped, and yells sounded. It was a celebration for the members who watched. The barrier closing the dungeon opened.
"Everyone, go in and bring in the participant." Min Jae-woo screamed in urgency.
After some time, the participant received emergency treatment and was hospitalized, while others inspected the dungeon, including the higher up, before it closed up.