The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Encroachment led Seol and Jamad to learn more about the previously misunderstood circulation of multiple Primal Powers.

Their prediction that achieving Primal Power circulation was key to advancing to the next threshold proved accurate.

Whoosh…

Their Primal Powers started spinning ferociously without any further hindrance. Like flames, a huge amount of Primal Power radiated from the Night Crow’s body.

"Bron!"

Paf—!

Upon sensing the overwhelming energy from behind, Bron quickly deflected Irizard's power and leaped away from his position.

BOOM—!

And the Night Crow took Bron's place.

Immediately after the clash, some of Irizard's ice started to melt. It was due to the power emanating from the Night Crow's body.

- …

The precarious battle resumed with the clash of power as a signal.

Splash—!

[Bron used Waterfall Shamanic Spell: Turbulent Wave.]

[Create a large wave that strikes your opponent.]

Splash—!

The wave surged toward Irizard like a blade.

Creak—!

Irizard's grip easily crushed the wave. However, simply buying time was enough for the wave to fulfill its role.

BOOM—!

- Ugh…

BOOM—!

The Night Crow's movements became incomprehensibly faster than before. Irizard struggled to endure the assault, staggering backward repeatedly.

At first glance, Seol's group seemed to have the upper hand, but Irizard still had reliable resources to rely on.

"Ugh, Jamad!"

Bron had frozen.

"Damn it."

Paf—!

The Night Crow retreated and touched with Bron.

Crack…

Although the fight had returned to a neutral state, it was clear that Seol's group would only become more disadvantaged as time went on.

'Chill slowed down thanks to the circulation… But it will eventually reach its limit. However… I just felt a strange sensation again…'

As their bodies touched to unfreeze, another shiver went through his body. Seol still couldn't grasp what the sensation meant.

While breathing heavily, Bron said, "Haa… haa… our Primal Powers can’t recover fast enough to keep up with the battle."

"This isn't good.."

This meant that merely continuing the fight wouldn't do them any good.

- How foolish.

"What…?"

Irizard mocked them.

Whir…

Irizard's power extended in all directions, turning the entire corridor transparent and revealing the outside.

"Smash its head!"

"KAAAK!"

"Oof… Oof…"

The sights and sounds from outside reached them.

- Do you not feel anything from this?

While waiting for his Primal Power to recover, Bron responded.

"Just that it's intense."

- This is a fight that didn't need to happen.

"…"

- All of this is nothing but artificial suffering created by your struggle. It's the result of your refusal to accept that the Old Gods stand above and rule over you. ȓ

"So you're saying this hardship is of our own making?"

- That's correct. Are you going to deny it?

Bron scratched his chin and replied.

"No, it's true. I won't deny that it's our own doing."

- Then…

"But I will never accept it. The Old Gods oppress and possess us. Since birth, I, Bron, have never once…"

Grin…

"…blindly obeyed anyone's orders."

"Haha… In that sense, we're similar."

Jamad chuckled even amidst the dire situation.

"Old Gods, let me ask you something. After all the years we've served you, if we now refuse your domination, can you accept it?"

- Even beasts know better than to speak their minds so recklessly. I will severely punish your defiance and pull every tooth from your jaws. However, mistakes are the fate of the foolish. Bow your heads and…

"I see. As expected…"

The two trolls grinned like demons.

"We refuse everything."

- Only death will await you.

"That's fine."

While having Irizard before them, Jamad asked Bron.

"What do you think?"

"I want to crush her face."

"Same here."

- Your clumsy intellect will stain your future in blood.

Whoosh…

Irizard's body began floating into the air.

[Irizard used Blizzard.]

[Create a raging blizzard that engulfs a wide area.]

- Then, perish.

Whir…

A merciless blizzard swirled within the fortress.

"Ugh…"

"Haha… To think I would be able to fight to the end, what a rare fortune this is."

The Night Crow froze once again.

Thud…

Bron placed his hand on him, making him regain his senses.

Crack…

"I can't give up…"

Clap—!

[You used Mountain Shamanic Spell: Mud Turtle.]

[You protect yourself in a shell made of mud.]

[The shell absorbs all damage 50% of all the damage you take, but your movement speed is reduced by 20%.]

Jamad surrounded him and Bron with a mud shell.

"Oof… Oof… That's better."

"We must come up with a plan…"

"Haha… I can't think of anything." Bron said with a grim expression. "We lack power."

Jamad shook his head.

"She isn't absolute either. She's already spent a lot of energy. Didn't you notice from seeing how her form changed?"

"Her form… Different… That's right!"

Bron recalled how Irizard's body had slightly melted during her clash with Jamad.

And the last time he had seen her… Irizard's lower half was blurred and ghost-like.

"Yes. In the end, she’s also an incomplete being. We can take her down if we can harness enough power and land a decisive blow."

"Can we…? Time is running out."

"That's…"

Seol interjected.

"There's one thing I want to confirm."

"Confirm?"

"Yes. A bit earlier…"

A sensation both Jamad and Bron had brushed aside due to the heat of battle. When Seol shared his theory based on that sensation, their reactions were unanimous.

"That's insane."

"A horrifying idea to solve a horrifying problem."

Seol nodded.

"It circulates. Even bigger."

"Circulating my Primal Powers with Bron's…? This doesn't even leave room for a last will."

Seol deduced that the sensation he felt upon contact was the beginning of circulation. He wondered if it could be the start of a bigger circulation.

However, it was a suicidal act. It was like replacing someone else's blood with your own and forcing it to flow through your veins.

"Do you want to try it?"

"Let's do it."

"I'm in."

"What about the signal…?"

"There's no need for that."

Soon, the shell started to shatter.

Crack…

BOOM!

Bron struck the Night Crow's hand, as the Night Crow froze along with the explosion.

Tap—!

At that moment, Bron's Primal Power flowed into the Night Crow's body, breaking the freeze, and Jamad's Primal Power flowed into Bron in return. They exchanged Primal Powers.

In other words, it was an impossible act.

"AGH!"

"AAGGHH!"

CLANG!

The chains surrounding their forearms extended, linking the Night Crow's left arm with Bron's right arm.

[Your Primal Power is going berserk.]

"AGH!"

Jamad let out a piercing scream.

Seol couldn't share the pain Jamad was feeling from the Primal Power.

Instead, he focused on what he could still do.

"Jamad, you can do it."

Seol took full control of the Night Crow. Right then, Irizard charged straight at him.

[Irizard used Crack in the gap.]

[Send a shockwave that collapses the target area.]

CRACK—!

The shock rippled across a vast area, from the ground beneath the Night Crow's feet to the fortress itself. The Old Gods possessed power more suited to facing armies than individuals.

'Perhaps this is why we're still holding out.'

WHOOSH—!

With agile movements, Seol escaped the collapse and dashed toward Bron.

This was a fight against time, and he couldn't afford to make a single mistake.

"Agh…"

Crack…

While running, Seol struck Bron's frozen palm.

In that instant, another exchange of Primal Power occurred.

"Agh!"

"Ugh…"

- How fun.

Whoosh—!

Seol extended his hand toward Irizard's jaw but couldn't reach it. And soon, he would be frozen as well.

After thinking quickly, Seol pushed Irizard away and yanked the chain forcefully.

Pang—!

Staggering from pain, Bron was pulled along by the motion.

Paf—!

Crack…

The frozen Night Crow collided with Bron, instantly regaining their energy from the impact.

Although Bron and Jamad were enduring immense suffering, Seol was no joke. Not only did he have a near-divine combat instinct, but he also had an impressive talent that allowed him to navigate toward the correct answers.

Irizard began to notice how extraordinary Seol was.

- You… just who…

PANG—!

- Ugh…

Irizard staggered backward after being hit in the chest by Seol.

Surprisingly, Seol was on the offensive despite having one arm bound to Bron by the chains and without Jamad's assistance.

- Although your effort is admirable, this isn't a battle you can win.

Whoosh…

Irizard's hand stretched toward Bron. Seol's instincts screamed in warning upon realizing what the fallen Old God was attempting, so he quickly moved to block her.

- It's useless.

It was an invisible power. One that humans couldn't grasp.

Crack...

However.

- You blocked it…?

The power directed at Bron was similar to the mental torment he encountered in the Ruins of Watala. This malevolent power, seething in vicious energy, tried to penetrate Bron's mind and shatter his already weakened psyche.

But it had been stopped by Seol.

- How could a human…

"Oof… Oof…"

Seol was single-handedly holding back Irizard, someone who had a strength akin to an entire army—he was buying time.

Upon realizing that breaking through Seol wouldn't be easy, Irizard found herself intrigued by the human standing before him.

- What are you waiting for?

Seol answered with an exhausted look.

"Circulation."

WHOOM…

"Jamad!"

"Bron!"

Jamad and Bron were teetering on the edge of life and death. Having exchanged their Primal Powers, it was no surprise they could barely stand.

They were at the place where their Primal Powers resided—the Primal Power that Jamad wielded and the one Bron had on top of that. Before them, an enormous water wheel filled their view.

"It's freezing."

Irizard's power and the rampage of the Primal Powers caused the waterwheel to freeze. At this rate, it would stop spinning, and they would all perish.

Jamad and Bron urgently tried to break the ice encasing the wheel.

"Oof… Oof…"

"Ugh…"

But they weren't in a good condition, and Seol was starting to get pushed back.

"Jamad…"

"What?"

Crack…

Crack…

The freezing of the waterwheel was accelerating at an alarming pace.

Bron's expression darkened.

"Did it fail?"

"Considering you're still spouting nonsense, I'd say we haven't failed yet."

"Haha... I was being serious."

"Serious?"

"Yes. Seol should have fallen to Irizard by now. The waterwheel is freezing much faster."

"…"

Crack…

Crack…

They were desperately trying to shatter the ice. But breaking the ice on such a massive waterwheel with just the two of them was an incredibly daunting task.

The word ‘impossible’ was etched into their minds.

But at that moment…

Swoosh…

"Need some help?"

A group had suddenly appeared by their side.

"You all are…"

Jamad's brothers from the Pointy Thorn Tribe were standing before him. Next to them was a troll engulfed in flames—it was Magra, the Scorching, glaring at him with disdain.

"To think you'd crawl your way here. How big of an ambition is this?"

"Old man…"

And next to him, the one who breaks the ice.

"Ungus."

The former leader of the Black Thunder Tribe, Ungus, was faintly smiling at Jamad.

"Look at the size of your Primal Power. Jamad, you've truly devoured a lot. And now, you're even dragging my resurrected offspring to death with you?"

Even Branka had arrived.

They had all appeared and were surrounding Jamad.

"What do you want?"

One of them asked Jamad.

"Do you still think you can set us free?"

The answer was very easy for Jamad.

"Shut up and help me fix this."

"You crazy bastard."

"Crazy? I might be."

Jamad didn't cling to the path he had already walked.

"Hurry up. I don't have much time."

"Hahaha! You're still the same, Jamad."

"I have a long way to go."

"For what?"

Jamad paused momentarily and answered.

"To bury every Old God into their coffins and finally become free."

Without looking back, Jamad resumed breaking the ice stuck to the waterwheel's connections.

The Shamans who were watching him closed their eyes and said.

"He really hasn't changed."

"He's still the same as ever."

Whoosh…

As if they were a mirage, their spirits started to fade.

Tsss…

Heat began swirling around the waterwheel.

"Unbelievable…"

Bron quickly rolled away from the waterwheel to the ground.

Flames burst forth from his and Jamad's waterwheels alike.

Tssss!

Fwoosh…

Now free from the ice, the waterwheel started to budge.

Clank…

Creak…

Creak…

Soon, his Primal Powers filled the entire space.

* * *

"Oof… Oof…"

- This is the end.

Thud…

Seol glared at Irizard while coughing blood.

Just like Jamad mentioned before, Irizard had also been using and draining her strength. She was far from being unscathed.

However, reaching her still seemed impossible. This was probably his limit.

- Why do you resist so much? Even after bringing you to death, I will still have that doubt.

"Haha… Things wouldn’t have turned this way if I knew the reason. Don't you think?"

With an indifferent gaze, Irizard replied to Seol.

- Perhaps.

Step…

Step…

Irizard slowly approached the Night Crow.

Although her intentions were unclear, it was most likely to finish him.

However, Seol had no intention of willingly giving up his neck. He forced himself into a ready stance, preparing for Irizard's next move.

"What…?"

- …

Seol mumbled with his eyes wide open.

"What is this power…?"

Bron, who had been slumped over, slowly raised his head. An unfamiliar radiance surged from his eyes—the same radiance that poured out of the Night Crow.

Whoosh…

[You have achieved Great Circulation.]

[A great step forward! Jamad’s rank has improved to Supreme!]

[A Meteor Shower is raining down! Once the battle is over, Enlightenment will follow.]

[Enlightenment! Jamad has awakened a new ability.]

[Jamad has learned a Great Shamanic Spell.]

…

[A great step forward! Bron has taken the first step into the Supreme Stage!]

…

Following Jamad, Bron too.

What was Great Circulation that it had changed both so much?

After waking up, Jamad answered that question.

"Aah… This…"

Bron smiled.

"How much of a satisfying power this is."

The power emanating from both of them was on a completely different level from what they wielded when they first clashed with Irizard.

- …

Just as Seol's group had anticipated, Irizard had been exhausting her strength. That was why she could no longer guarantee victory if they were to clash again.

Paf—!

Irizard's power erupted upward, shattering the ceiling.

BOOM—!

Irizard tried to soar through the gaping hole.

Jamad and Bron converged and murmured in unison.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Their Shamanic Spells resonated.

WHOOM…

WHOOM…

An overwhelming strength was exercised against the ground.

Jamad formed a peculiar hand shape and made an upward pulling motion.

CRACK—!

[Jamad used Great Shamanic Spell: Shaman's Hand.]

Bron mirrored him, conjuring a counterpart hand made of water.

[Bron used Great Shamanic Spell: Shaman's Hand.]

After widening the already shattered ceiling, the giant hand hovered beside the already ascending Irizard.

- Wh-what the…?!

"A Shaman…"

Jamad and Bron clasped their now unchained hands.

CLAP—!

"Dominate the curse."

The huge hands made of Shamanic Spells slammed into each other, with Irizard caught in between.

BOOM—!