BXBX NOVEL Chapter 224. The 90th Floor
‘Back then, Gene Ebrium’s soul never even considered waking up.’
The gods had destroyed Gene’s soul, but he had now awakened.
‘After witnessing this, the story the Spirit King told me back then makes sense.’
The gods did not own the Tower\'s power; they merely utilized it. Lee Shin doubted that the gods would have desired the awakening of Gene Ebrium, a former transcendent being.
Besides, the gods could not even see the first floor, so they were likely unaware that Gene Ebrium was the first floor’s boss. They probably only knew that there was a crazy necromancer ruling the first floor. However, when Lee Shin left the first floor, the gods must have realized that Gene Ebrium was on the Korean Tower’s first floor.
How would they react if they encountered Gene Ebrium directly?
[The Corps of Immortality have awakened.]
[Soldiers have been summoned to guard the Undermost for balance purposes.]
As the system message appeared, soldiers, wearing iron armor with engraved white patterns, materialized all around. Thousands of soldiers were positioned below the castle walls, while defensive mechanisms emerged within the castle itself.
"Commander! We are fully prepared for the approaching enemy!" shouted a knight.
An armored knight approached Lee Shin and reported. The knight exuded an uncommon sense of chivalry, and Lee Shin detected a trace of divine power as if this soldier was specifically tailored to combat the undead.
"Get ready." Lee Shin ordered.
"Yes, Sir!" the knight replied.
[The God of Divinity looked at Lee Shin with pride.]
[The God of Light expressed his interest.]
[The God of Time was lost in thoughts.]
[The God of Death awaited for war.]
[…]
Messages from numerous gods flooded in suddenly, their intentions becoming clear. The opening of the first floor and the appearance of Gene Ebrium, who had remained hidden, had drawn their attention.
The gods found it intriguing because no Korean challenger had ever reached the 90th floor and tried to clear the first floor again.
‘Now that it\'s the ninetieth floor, the gods\' karma should also decrease.’
Even though Lee Shin stood still by the castle wall, it felt like he could feel the gods\' gaze. He wondered how many gods were watching this place and what would happen after this stage ended.
‘No, I don’t have time for this. Let\'s not dwell on useless thoughts. First, I need to think about how to defeat Gene Ebrium.’
Fortunately, Lee Shin had taken away Gene Ebrium’s body. Therefore, Gene wouldn’t be able to use all his abilities.
[Gene Ebrium has appeared.]
A colossal beam of light descended from the sky, revealing a familiar figure standing at the far end of the open field.
"Here, I have binoculars," said a soldier.
The soldier standing beside Lee Shin handed over the binoculars. Lee Shin used them to look at Gene Ebrium. He was wearing glasses and had his long hair loosely tied back. He was muttering something while holding a book in one hand.
‘Hmm… He will get here soon.’
Gene Ebrium adjusted his glasses and extended his hand into the air. Instantly, sinister black mana radiated from his palm.
‘That is…’
The black mana seeped into the ground, instantly spreading across the entire surface.
‘Shadow space...!’
From within it, countless undead monsters emerged one by one, from small Skeletons to Orcs, Trolls, Cyclopes, Giants, and even Dragon Tribes.
"That must be the Corps of Immortality,” Lee Shin muttered, looking far ahead.
He was aware that they were not just ordinary undead. Their power was extraordinary; some Skeletons were even exuding unbelievably malevolent mana.
Booo—!
A thunderous beeping sound filled the battlefield. The soldiers and knights gathered in front of the castle wall began to move as one.
"Everyone—!" shouted the commander.
Clang— Clang—
The clash of armor resounded in unison, their level of training so exceptional that they moved like a single entity.
"Charge forward—!" yelled the commander.
The commander\'s booming voice made the soldiers spring into action; simultaneously, Gene Ebrium’s Corps of Immortality rushed toward the soldiers.
Yeah—!
Let’s kill those monstrous creatures!
We are going to win!
Protect Undermost!
The shouts were thunderous as the soldiers fought the Undead.
Clang! Clang!
At the front lines, the shock troops blocked the Undead attacks with shields and crushed them with swords, axes, and maces. Their strikes seemed infused with divine power, reducing the Undead to dust with each blow.
Although it seemed that the soldiers were winning at a glance, that wasn’t the case. The shattered remains of the Undead were vanishing into the shadows, only to reappear elsewhere after being defeated on the front lines.
"Is he collecting bones to resurrect them?"
The Corps of Immortality had that name for a reason: They kept returning even after being slain. In contrast, humans grew weary with every battle, especially when their bodies were damaged. Recovery was clearly challenging for them.
Thud!
Suddenly, with an earsplitting roar, a Giant from the Corps of Immortality shot up into the sky and crashed amidst the soldiers.
Babababam—!
The soldiers’ formation broke instantly. Several soldiers were crushed to death under their shields as the Giant\'s enormous bony fist came down.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
It was not just one Giant. Other Giants also leaped in, infiltrating the ranks of the soldiers. Skeleton Dragons took to the skies, gathering dark mana in their mouths before unleashing it, instantly obliterating hundreds of soldiers with a single breath.
‘Maybe, it’s time for me to step—’
A massive divine shield had appeared in the sky, blocking the breath attack of the Skeleton Dragon.
"Continue to fight! Don\'t be afraid! The divine power is with us!" A knight adorned in resplendent golden armor raised his sword high, and a brilliant golden flash shot up into the sky.
Bababam—!
A semicircular golden barrier centered around the golden pillar materialized amid the clouds. Inside its protective embrace, fallen soldiers began to rise again. Minor wounds healed instantly, severed arms grew back, and even those decapitated could be restored if their heads were nearby.
"Wow..." Lee Shin let out an exclamation subconsciously.
He never expected to witness such healing in this battle.
"Continue to fight! With divine power, we are invincible!" the commander shouted.
Yeah—!
The soldiers\' morale increased drastically in that short amount of time. As a result, the Undead were dying at a faster rate. The Giants were subdued with maces and fell to their knees, while the Skeleton Dragons above were pinned to the ground by arrows launched by Dragon hunters.
Deep inside his heart, Lee Shin wanted to step forward and bring down the Corps of Immortality himself. However, sensing the chilling gazes from the far end of the battlefield, he simply could not move.
‘He is watching me.’
Lee Shin was positive that Gene Ebrium was waiting for him to make a move because Gene did not do anything else after summoning the Corps of Immortality.
‘Does he still remember me?’
Lee Shin could not be sure, but he thought he could figure it out once this war was over.
"Nevertheless, I can\'t just stand by and watch others fight," Lee Shin muttered, looking at the battlefield.
He knew that the Paladin\'s impressive healing power could not be used indefinitely.
‘First, I’ll try to take down those bothersome Skeleton Dragons.’
Lee Shin activated his mana and sent a bright blue flash into the sky.
Rumble—
Lightning energy manifested within the white clouds. The Skeleton Dragons, sensing something amiss, tilted themselves upward.
[Thunderbolt]
Babababam—!
A powerful lightning strike descended from the sky, its target being the Skeleton Dragon. The strike was so potent that it reduced the dragon\'s thick bones to ashes. The dragon crashed onto the battlefield, writhing in pain as its neck contorted.
Thud!
Dust scattered in all directions, and the ground shook vigorously. The eerie gleam in the dragon’s eyes, which had been flickering wildly, slowly dimmed. The soldiers had been fighting like madmen, but they stopped and suddenly turned their attention toward Lee Shin.
"The commander is on the move!" the soldiers started to shout.
"The Skeleton Dragon is down with one hit! Continue to fight! We can win this battle!" the soldiers shouted again.
Waaaah!
The soldiers\' morale soared instantly as if that single lightning strike had signaled the true beginning.
"Hmmm… he\'s still calm," Lee Shin muttered, looking at Gene Ebrium.
Gene Ebrium stood still on his spot like a statue, showing no signs of surprise even after the Skeleton Dragon had crashed.
"I don\'t know what he\'s aiming for..." Lee Shin muttered again, looking at Gene Ebrium.
Lee Shin was determined to make Gene Ebrium witness the annihilation of his Corps of Immortality if he just kept standing there doing nothing.
Rumble— Crack!
"Drop!" Lee Shin ordered, looking at the clouds.
[Thunderbolt]
Babababam! Bababababam! Bababam!!
A golden bombardment descended from the sky, raining upon the Corps of Immortality. Despite the Skeleton Dragons increasing their flight speed to evade the attack, they could not escape the lightning strikes. Soon, two Skeleton Dragons were struck and crashed to the ground.
"Watch out for the Skeleton Dragons falling!"
"Watch your heads! Don\'t worry about the sky! We have the commander with us!"
“Just destroy the Undead in front of us! Crush them completely, so they can\'t come back to life!"
Every time the thunderbolt struck, the soldiers\' morale soared. What was once a war filled with despair now had a flicker of hope.
‘Hmm...?’
After tossing the binoculars aside, Lee Shin used his mana to enhance his vision to see Gene Ebrium. Gene’s black mana moved, and he spoke something under his breath.
"Did he just say ‘go?’" Lee Shin muttered.
From Gene Ebrium’s shadow, a new Undead emerged. The Undead swordsman exuded a threatening aura; soon, a blue gleam appeared in his empty eye sockets.
"Wait a second! That Skeleton is...!" Lee Shin’s eyes opened wide.
Behind the Skeleton holding a crude sword, a translucent soul floated. Lee Shin could clearly see the soul, thanks to Martyr.
‘There used to be so many souls on the first floor…’
Undoubtedly, that soul was the soul wandering on the first floor, utterly ruined and aimless. Back then, it had been in tatters, wearing a broken suit of armor and holding a broken sword as it floated through the area. Although its appearance looked better than before, it was the same soul.
"Did he bring the souls trapped on the first floor?" Lee Shin wondered.
Lee Shin was ready to see just how strong they had become.
[Thunderbolt]
Babababam—!
A lightning bolt fell on the Skeleton Knight, but the undead deftly dispersed the electrical discharge by slashing it with his sword.
"Huh…" Seeing that, Lee Shin let out a bitter laugh.
The knight’s shimmering blue eyes stared at Lee Shin, seemingly looking forward to the next challenge.
"Is he trying to say this level of attack isn’t anything for him?” Lee Shin muttered, looking at the Skeleton Knight.
When Lee Shin was on the first floor, he discovered thirty-two souls there. He had taken May and Warrie and implanted one into the boss\' body, so twenty-nine souls should have remained there. If Gene Ebrium had brought all those souls here, he had to fight at least twenty-eight opponents of that caliber or higher.
"Very well... I never expected anything less anyway," Lee Shin muttered.
[Shadow Space]
"Show me how much you\'ve improved, Warrie," Lee Shin took Warrie out of the Shadow Space.
A Skeleton Knight emerged from Lee Shin’s shadow. Warrie, with his flickering red eyes, stood on the castle wall and stared at the enemy.
"It won’t be an easy fight, Master,” Warrie said, looking at his enemy.
"Are you not confident?” Lee Shin asked.
"Hahaha! Master, when have I ever not been confident? Just trust me," Warrie replied confidently and burst into laughter.
After adjusting his grip on his sword, he sprinted up the castle wall. The enemy Skeletal Knight also rushed through the chaotic battlefield simultaneously.
Clang—!
In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged blows dozens of times. Their swordplay was rapid and fierce. Witnessing their intense battle, Gene decided to push home his advantage by calling out all the other twenty-eight Undead.
"I guess he is finally serious,” Lee Shin muttered.
[Shadow Space]
"Come out, all of you,” Lee Shin said, looking at the Undead in his Shadow Space.
"The sunlight is strong. It\'s a good time for the shadows to appear."
As Dexter emerged from the space, the thick shadows enveloped his white bones. The mid-level boss of the eighty-fifth floor was now Lee Shin’s subordinate, wielding a sword. Following Dexter, various bosses that Lee Shin had defeated by clearing various stages emerged from his shadow.
"Keheheheh, the battlefield is overflowing with the dead," Gene Ebrium chuckled.
Niberius, a Skeleton with multiple skulls embedded all over his body, and Astaroth, a massive creature with fluttering wings, were among the Great Devils and monsters that Lee Shin had slain so far. And they were all appearing before their master.
"It won\'t be easy, Gene," Lee Shin smirked, looking at him.