Chapter 455
- No... this can't be happening.
- Ashoka arrived in this state... Is it really the end?
- That constellation can turn back time. Did the Martial God summon him to truly torture us?
Ashoka, the third disciple of the Martial God.
Viewers who watched him in the tournament were plunged into complete despair.
If he, who showcased unmatched strength even unbefitting a Level 8 Constellation, interferes now,
Seong Jihan, who stands with no hope, will surely meet his end.
[...Why are you here? I did not summon you.]
However, the Martial God did not welcome his arrival.
Ashoka didn't appear while Seong Jihan was resisting.
Only now, after the Martial God had suppressed him by merging with the star, did he show up.
If he had come earlier, the Martial God wouldn't have needed to merge with the star to subdue Seong Jihan more easily.
'It's already concluded. What do you intend to do now?'
As the Martial God's two eyes in the sky began to glow red,
"There are too many spectators this time. It has become impossible to reverse the great flow."
Ashoka spoke an unexpected truth.
[You say, it cannot reverse the flow...]
Though Ashoka framed it as an inability to reverse the great flow,
The Martial God quickly understood that this hinted at regression.
"Yes. Too many are observing this place through Seong Jihan's channel. Moreover, among them, all administrators are included, making it impossible to ignore the spectators and reverse the flow."
"So, it means regression isn't possible?"
Seong Jihan, embedded in the ground, smirked at the conversation.
"Then you've blocked infinite regression. That's fortunate?"
[Infinite regression? How do you know about that...]
At Seong Jihan's words, the ground aggressively engulfed his body once more.
As if binding weren't enough, the earth began to crush all his tissues.
The overwhelming pressure on Seong Jihan would have killed an ordinary player many times over.
[Stat 'Eternity' decreases by 1.]
His body, already torn and regenerated countless times, consumed another point of Eternity.
The Martial God could kill him in an instant if he wanted to.
Seong Jihan contorted his face upon seeing the message about the decreasing Eternity stat.
"If you press me like this, I can't answer."
[...Speak now. Immediately.]
The ground's pressure eased slightly.
It wouldn't consume Eternity for now.
Though, as soon as he answered, the Martial God would likely resume his crushing pressure.
'To buy a little more time, I should say something.'
Thinking this, Seong Jihan recalled Ashoka, who revealed the secret of infinite regression.
'Ashoka didn't help at all this time...'
Though he promised to cooperate with Seong Jihan and Dongbang Sak against the Martial God.
Instead of helping, Dongbang Sak nearly became an obstacle earlier.
Still, the situation might not have been favorable for cooperation.
"Your infinite regression was told to me by the ghosts sacrificed to you."
[...Could it be the Abyss owner?]
"Yes."
Seong Jihan sold out the already dead and vanished Abyss owner.
After all, it wasn't entirely false.
And in response.
[...That troublesome guy even in death. I'll take care of the Abyss in the next regression.]
The Martial God, eyeing Seong Jihan, turned his gaze back to Ashoka.
[So, what's the plan?]
"We need the administrator's hand for now."
[Right. It's time to retrieve the hand.]
Rumble...
The Martial God dragged Seong Jihan out from the ground.
Szzzz!
"Ugh..."
He severed Seong Jihan's right arm in one swift motion.
Though the administrator's hand was much sturdier compared to Seong Jihan's body,
The Martial God's power, after merging with the star, was overwhelming, cutting it off effortlessly.
The floating hand and arm quickly ascended up to where the eyes of the Martial God were.
Once the severed arm reached near the Martial God's eyes,
Whoosh!
The administrator's hand began to burn with intense red flames.
[This is...]
Amidst the Martial God's moment of confusion,
Boom!
The administrator's hand exploded near his eyes.
The explosion was significant, momentarily engulfing the Martial God's eyes in flames.
And then,
Ssss...!
Seong Jihan's severed right arm rapidly regenerated.
"Now! Do it now!"
The flaming hand then spoke with a red eye.
* * *
"What the... I thought you were severed? Why are you back?"
"My main body and I are now inseparably linked. We are connected as one!"
What on earth is this nonsense?
Had it fused with his body so thoroughly?
To the point where severing it was useless?
"That's... quite disturbing."
"Disturbing? Main body, you're too harsh."
"Too harsh? Because of you, I'm in this mess."
Pop!
Seong Jihan jabbed the eyeball on the right hand with his left finger.
Fzzz...
The flames wrapped around the right hand weakened, and the administrator's hand spoke apologetically.
"Uh, sorry. The Martial God was stronger than I thought. I didn't expect he wouldn't give you time to press the switch."
"Are you crazy? Sorry doesn't fix this."
"Instead, I'll delay him so you can push the button. Watch this."
Whoosh!
Flames flared up from the hand again, and destruction codes floated around.
Layers of destruction codes, even more concentrated than before.
Though it couldn't completely fend off the overwhelming power of the Martial God,
"This should buy enough time to press the ignition device!"
Plenty of time to hit the button.
"Inventory."
Seong Jihan immediately took out the World Tree ignition device from the inventory.
A red button protruded on a purple plate.
According to its description,
Pressing it would ignite the World Tree on Earth, consuming all of humanity in sacred flames and transferring their red stats to Seong Jihan.
By pressing it only once.
He could ascend to become the red administrator.
'...My instincts, stronger than ever, are telling me.'
The intuition guiding Seong Jihan so far was urging him to press the button strongly upon seeing it.
That he'd survive only by doing so.
That no other choice existed.
'With my current level, I can't contend with the Martial God's strength.'
The Martial God had amassed power through infinite regressions, stockpiling in relics.
These weapons, already countless.
Mobilizing all this power and merging with the star made victory impossible by any means.
To escape here,
And to ultimately triumph over the Martial God, pressing the button was the only means left.
[Dare you struggle here...!]
Crackle!
The destruction code was quickly vanishing under the Martial God's relentless pressure.
With the Martial God merged with the star,
The world itself turned against Seong Jihan.
As the Martial God's crushing pressure continued, even the destruction created by the red hand would soon dissipate.
"Main body! What are you doing? Why didn't you push it yet?! We'll all die like this!"
"..."
"Are you worried about humanity burning? We're not sacrificing them. They'll all become part of the transcendence!"
- ?? What's he talking about?
- Why would we burn?
- Yeah, what happens if he presses that...?
Confused human viewers began to get an idea from the red hand's outcry.
"Oh, come on. If you hesitate, I'll press it!"
With Seong Jihan merely holding the device in his left hand, his right hand started to move toward the button on its own.
The red hand, acting on its own will, guided the right hand.
But.
"Stop."
As Ashoka approached from behind Seong Jihan and spoke,
Ssss...
The hand withdrew, returning to its original position.
The power of Ashoka, who could turn back time, manifested.
[Ashoka! Well done!]
The Martial God, anxious about the button being pressed, exclaimed in joy.
Szzzz...!
The destruction code began to disappear at an accelerated speed.
Seong Jihan seemed about to be caught by the Martial God's power again.
- Ah... it's over.
- Would it have been better if Seong Jihan had pressed the button...?
- No, I don't want to die...
- Die and be revived?
- Is there any guarantee of being revived?
As the final hope dissipated,
Viewers felt the end approaching.
Then,
"Seong Jihan, even in this situation, you didn't press it."
"Well, yeah."
"Why?"
"Well, if I became a permanent administrator and..."
Seong Jihan looked at the button.
A device that could save his life.
Even now, if he extended his left finger, the World Tree would immediately burn.
But.
"Would I have revived my family, humanity, if I became a Administrator?"
"You wouldn't have. As a permanent administrator, you would surpass the self called Seong Jihan. As the red administrator, you would see this as a foolish mortal thought and forget humanity."
"That's why I didn't press it."
Humanity existed to make the red administrator a permanent administrator.
Burning them to become a permanent administrator meant fulfilling the purpose of their existence.
So, a permanent administrator, Seong Jihan would never revive that race.
No.
Once becoming a permanent administrator, the self called Seong Jihan would cease to exist.
"...But, it might have been different. You could have fully retained yourself and revived humanity. You might have even crushed the star. You gave up those possibilities."
"Is that so? Thinking that way makes it seem regrettable."
Crunch!
Underneath the button on the World Tree ignition device,
Seong Jihan tightly gripped the plate.
It quickly cracked,
Boom...!
The World Tree ignition device shattered.
"To abandon regrets, I must destroy it."
Ssss...
From the shattered ignition device,
Massive void and red power surged out, touching Seong Jihan's body.
[Stat 'Void' increases by 150.]
[Stat 'Red' increases by 50.]
Absorbing only a portion of the energy from the ignition device resulted in significant stat increases.
However, considering it meant giving up becoming a permanent administrator,
This was too small a reward.
[Ha ha! You're insane. Truly insane...! Sacrifice your race? Family? You give up becoming a permanent administrator for such things?]
The Martial God laughed in triumph.
"Ah... insane... I can't believe this is my main body... ha... let's die. Just die."
The red hand closed its eye in despair.
But then.
Step. Step.
"...Sorry. I tested you until the end."
In front of Seong Jihan,
Ashoka walked forward.
"You broke the device, showing your will."
Ssss...
Behind him, a golden wheel appeared.
"So I shall respond."
Szzzz!
From there, dark red shadows began to spread.
"Thousand Hands, Thousand Eyes."
Soon, a thousand shadowy hands rose,
Guarding Seong Jihan's front.