Barbarian in a Failed Game

323. The End of the World (1)

The sanctuary’s doors were wide open, inviting anyone to enter.

‘Come in, it says.’

Khan smiled coldly. Light, death, and magic.

Whatever the three highest gods were plotting inside that sanctuary, leaving the main gate open like that showed immense confidence.

‘Of course, you would be like that.’

Clomp- clomp-

Even as a mortal, he had driven the Scion of the Arch Demon, Esperus, to the brink of annihilation and chased him away. He would not doubt his own victory for a moment.

Khan placed his hand on the sanctuary’s door. As if it had been waiting, he was sucked inside, but he did not panic in the slightest.

Now, not even the impact of crossing dimensions could harm his senses. It wasn’t just a matter of becoming accustomed to it. His nearly perfect body could withstand the pressure of the dimensions.

“Impeccable. Honestly… it’s astonishing.”

“How about you wipe that grin off your face and speak plainly?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Khan said nothing, merely staring at Karyan. The aristocratic man with dark hair met his gaze with slightly curved eyes.

“Understand this. Among my descendants, there hasn’t been anyone who even reached my feet. Your father… no, your physical progenitor, Gordi, was the best among them. Yet even he couldn’t reach it. But you are different.”

Karyan’s ashen eyes gleamed. Khan didn’t need to read his eyes to understand the meaning of that light. A hint of surprise, deep interest, and a burning competitive spirit.

Because of that.

“Do you find this situation amusing?”

Khan’s mouth twisted as he spat out the words. It was only natural.

“You can’t be unaware of the chaos outside….”

“Of course, I know. How could I not? The one who summoned that is right behind here.”

“The Sorceress.”

“Yes. Although, I’m not entirely sure calling him a Sorceress is accurate.”

It was an enigmatic statement. But Khan didn’t bother to nitpick or ask what he meant. It wasn’t immediately important to him.

“So. Are you going to stop it?”

Gray threads naturally unraveled from his body, spreading out. It wasn’t just to prepare against Karyan’s power. The moment Karyan showed any sign, all the threads would transform into gray lightning and strike him down.

“Don’t be so hasty. Everyone has their circumstances, right? The one holed up inside, you, even me.”

I see.

Karyan turned his gaze back with a peculiar expression.

“First… I’ll give you a choice. One, you quietly leave. I’d prefer this option… but I doubt you’d take it.”

Khan nodded, knowing he wouldn’t leave. Karyan smiled knowingly, turning back with a grin.

“The next option is to take a test.”

“A test? What kind of nonsense is that…?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Everyone has their roles. You’ve probably guessed there was some sort of arrangement between me and the Sorceress, right? She got her clues from me. That was part of the Sorceress’s plan, and my blocking your path now is an extension of that.”

Part of the Sorceress’s plan?

It sounded as if Karyan blocking the way was all part of the Sorceress’s scheme. But that didn’t make sense. The time when the Sorceress made an agreement with Karyan was long, long ago.

“I can see what you’re thinking. It’s not some omnipotent foresight. It’s just that there’s a condition that anyone from the outside must pass the ‘proof’ to enter the sealed area.”

“…Don’t tell me!”

“Yes, exactly that.”

Khan’s face twitched slightly. The proof Karyan mentioned was something every warrior of Hoarfrost Gorge knew.

“The Proof of Valor…!”

“Didn’t you know? There are cases where holy power becomes exceptionally strong under ‘certain conditions’. In my case, the seal of the divine realm itself is my power. Though it doesn’t quite match the title of the Warrior God.”

Karyan’s words were similar to what the Knight God had told E-Urel.

Holy Lance Reletalrasa.

The divine artifact Reletalrasa of the Knight God shows its true power in the hands of someone with a noble spirit of sacrifice. That was the condition Karyan spoke of, and his own condition was….

“No one who has not proven themselves can invade my divine realm. That’s the condition I’ve set as the Warrior God. In other words, you need to pass the proof to get your entry ticket.”

“Did the Sorceress pass that proof too?”

“Who knows? What do you think?”

Khan remained silent. In ancient times, Karyan and the Sorceress fought during their first encounter, and the battle was inconclusive.

In the present day, the Sorceress, now known as the Apostle of Truth, had secretly maneuvered to become the God of Magic, wielding the laws of the world. Now, Karyan, despite his divine status, was bound by the laws.

If the two had fought, neither would remain unscathed.

“So, he was beyond needing such proof?”

“Well… understanding it that way makes it easier. All I’m asking is for you to prove that you’re a warrior.”

Prove that you’re a warrior. It was a vague statement, but Khan had already undergone one such test before. This wasn’t just about proving the extent of one’s physical prowess.

“Then, there’s no need for further discussion. I’ll just take that damn test again.”

“Ha…! I like your spirit. But, you should be aware.”

Boom!!

“This test won’t be as easy as the last one.”

The air trembled.

‘No, it’s not just the air…!’

The entire sanctuary was shaking. The dimension itself couldn’t withstand the aura Karyan was emitting!

Shock and action happened simultaneously.

Boom─ Crack!!

The gray threads spreading from Khan’s body transformed into lightning. His vision blurred, and the world distorted and started to tear apart. It was an acceleration beyond the comprehension of his senses.

It wasn’t too much. Against Karyan, even an uncontrollable acceleration of the domain had to be invoked!

“Oh. Your speed is impressive!”

Clang…!

The sound was unbelievable for a collision between a bare fist and the Dragon Slayer’s sword. But the real impact came immediately after.

Boom──!

The red aura bursting from Karyan’s fist shattered the gray lightning. As Karyan opened his fist, a red vortex transformed into lightning, sweeping over Khan.

“Gah…!”

Even strength that had brought high gods to their knees was useless. The force behind Karyan’s blow was enough to crush entire mountain ranges.

Boom! Bang!

Every swing of Khan’s sword and axe to dispel the aura carved deep furrows beneath his feet. The sanctuary was collapsing under the impact of their clash.

‘Dodging is….’

Impossible.

Even though the red aura had left Karyan’s grasp, it moved as if it were alive. Before Khan could even think of evading, the red aura unleashed an unimaginable pressure.

It was as if his intentions were being read before he even moved….

Karyan’s eyes!

“Damn it!”

“You have it too, don’t you?”

Right. He had been using it from the start. But reacting and fighting against someone who could track his every move with Karyan’s eyes was impossible. Perhaps he would never be able to reach him….

‘Is that really the case?’

A sudden doubt crossed his mind.

If Karyan could truly read his moves and respond perfectly, the fight would have been decided at their first clash. Yet, Karyan had deliberately met his fist with Khan’s sword and chosen to explode his power and create distance.

Given Karyan’s usual temperament, he would prefer a straightforward brawl!

Crackle!

The moment Khan vanished from his spot, sparks of red vortex and gray embers erupted from where Karyan had been standing.

Boom─!!

In the clash of energies, it was clear that Khan held the upper hand.

The red vortex shattered into fragments, and amidst the scattering debris, Khan, bloodied but grinning fiercely, emerged victorious.

“You’re struggling too, huh…!”

Crash!

Karyan dodged the wide arc of the Unyielding Axe’s blade, his body moving swiftly. It took less than a blink for him to retreat dozens of steps. Even so, it wasn’t enough. Karyan’s pupils dilated.

Whoosh! Bang-!

‘A throw?!’

He realized it too late. The axe was already upon him. Instinctively, Karyan thrust his fist forward. The incoming axe couldn’t withstand his power, splitting apart and embedding into the ground.

Thud…!

A hole was punched into the sanctuary’s floor. Blood that Karyan couldn’t swallow seeped from between his lips. The sanctuary was integrated with his very being. It wasn’t fatal, though.

The real danger lay elsewhere.

‘Impressive─’

His admiration was fleeting. A blade, descending like lightning, struck Karyan’s collarbone. Crack!! Astonishingly, the sound was akin to rock being chipped away.

Karyan’s body wasn’t cut. Instead, the ground beneath him cracked and split like parched earth. Karyan, his hand positioned like a beast’s claw, tore at Khan’s upper body.

Slash!

Blood sprayed. Khan’s already mutilated body was pierced by the red aura, deepening the grievous wounds. Anyone could see it was a mortal wound. But—

Both men stepped forward simultaneously.

Thud─!!

Like the steps of giants shaking the earth, the sanctuary trembled at their advance. With blood at the corners of his mouth, Karyan laughed.

“Yes. If you stop there, you’re no warrior-!”

What is a warrior?

“A warrior is one who fights and conquers─!”

Boom!

Karyan’s fist slammed into Khan’s side. The force alone ruptured his organs, creating a deep gouge that nearly brought his front and back together.

Slash─!

A deafening sound, as if felling an ancient tree, erupted. It was the noise of the Dragon Slayer scraping Karyan’s neck, leaving a wound deep enough to expose his spine. Karyan roared with laughter.

“What is valor!”

Rumble…!

Thunder erupted from Khan’s tightly clenched fist. Yet, the gray lightning did not manifest externally.

It hadn’t disappeared. The lightning compressed to its limit within his body was roaring silently.

At that moment.

Karyan’s eyes began to blaze white-hot. In that instant, Khan knew. This was the moment Karyan’s true power would be revealed!

“Valor means that if you have something to conquer, you must be willing to sacrifice your very life for it─!”

Suddenly, Karyan appeared gigantic in Khan’s vision, like a titan from mythology. It was no illusion. It was the expansion of his conscious realm. The consciousness that had been confined within Karyan’s body was now one with the sanctuary.

Karyan had used himself as a vessel to seal the void monster, and to suppress the effects of its corruption, he had to strengthen the sanctuary. To achieve this, he had fused himself entirely with the sanctuary.

Therefore.

From the beginning, the sanctuary was Karyan himself.

『Prove yourself─!』

Khan realized. What he had to endure was not merely Karyan’s punches or kicks. The very dimension he stood upon. The entire sanctuary was his enemy.

Rumble!

The ground he was standing on vanished. His body, about to plummet into the void, was held aloft by a wind spirit.

Finally, the true form of the sanctuary, or rather Karyan’s true body, was revealed.

An entity of such overwhelming scale that it couldn’t be contained by the term highest divinity. A being that seemed to defy the laws of the world from birth.

That was Karyan.

Karyan’s true form, shaped as he achieved divinity, was colossal. One might even doubt if the giant kings of old were this enormous. His size was so immense that it was hard to comprehend with human eyes, barely able to observe his ankle.

A crimson giant of such magnitude that even observing a part of his body was challenging. Such an excessively large vessel had formed into this shape as it became divine.

Khan first felt a sense of vastness. The consciousness that even the primordial dragon spirit could barely fathom, and the immense body that seemed impossible to destroy.

But he did not despair.

He had known from the start.

That it would never be easy.

With a fierce smile, Khan retrieved the Unyielding Axe and shouted.

“Alright, it wouldn’t be satisfying without a second phase─!”