Chapter 60.
Squelch!
Yellow liquid oozed out from the pressure.
I had clearly crushed the Revolving Elixir, but what actually appeared was a larva-like Gu.
This was the true nature of the Pill of Immortality.
The form called the Revolving Elixir was an illusion.
In reality, it was not a pill, but an insect with special abilities.
Once consumed, the Gu would penetrate the brain through the nose, turning the person into a puppet who followed only Qin Shi Huang’s orders.
Ah, of course, it wasn’t without its merits.
The Gu burrowed into the brain and secreted a special venom, granting eternal youth—the so-called immortality.
*So what? You just stop aging. Getting stabbed by a blade still kills you all the same.*
The Gu’s role was limited to not aging.
Since getting beheaded or stabbed in the heart still meant death, immortality alone wasn’t a particularly great advantage to me.
“What… is the meaning of this?”
The palace shook with Qin Shi Huang’s rage.
What did I have to fear?
“What do you think? It means eat shit.”
Szzt!
I opened the backpack.
At that moment.
Whoosh!
My companions—Yeongung, William, Yeil, and Jeong Do-hwan—who had been inside the backpack burst out.
“Huh?”
The startled Qin Shi Huang sucked in a sharp breath.
“Your surveillance was rather lax.”
I informed him of the reality and quickly surveyed the surroundings.
The Changping Army that had been positioned on the front lines until just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
*As expected.*
Just as I had anticipated.
Without panicking, I assumed formation.
“How insolent! How dare you bring uninvited vermin into this sacred palace!”
A red aura began gushing out from him, growing denser.
What had initially looked like fog now writhed like tentacles, fully formed.
Sss, ssssss!
It was no simple aura.
It transformed rapidly and began taking on a distinct shape.
“My God!”
The group cried out in surprise.
For some reason, it seemed like only two young men were actually surprised, but I’ll let that slide.
It was certainly a spectacle that couldn’t help but astonish.
What the red aura created were a human head, arms, legs, and a torso.
That alone was astounding, but even more shocking was that each body part began attaching itself to Qin Shi Huang.
[Jieshen (Spiritual Attachment)]
Qin Shi Huang’s special trait.
He attached human body parts to himself to wield the abilities they had possessed in life.
*Bai Qi’s head, Meng Wu’s arms, Yang Duanhe’s legs, and Wang Qi’s body.*
The great generals who had been positioned on the front lines just moments ago.
Their body parts had attached to Qin Shi Huang and become one.
Looking at the composition:
The head of Bai Qi, the field marshal renowned for his intellect.
The arms of Meng Wu, who had contended for the title of the strongest under heaven.
The legs of Yang Duanhe, who had swept across battlefields with overwhelming speed.
The body of Wang Qi, who had endured dozens of blades piercing him with tremendous durability.
Through Jieshen with each body part, Qin Shi Huang obtained the ultimate combat power.
“I am the greatest under heaven!”
He roared boastfully.
Hmm.
I’d like to call it nonsense, but it was no empty boast.
Having obtained the body parts of the great generals who represented the Warring States period, he certainly possessed the ultimate body.
But so what?
“There are five of us.”
If I had come here alone, it would have been dangerous.
But by using the backpack’s dimensional space, I succeeded in deceiving the Changping Army.
From there, the match was as good as decided.
“Ah! Not five.”
Correction.
To be exact, it wasn’t five.
Ziiing—
Yoon Seo-yeong revealed herself from a green magic circle created on the ground.
She was Jeong Do-hwan’s exclusive summon, a powerful undead who demonstrated abilities incomparable to the death soldiers and knights.
“Your command…”
Simultaneously, the summoned death soldiers and knights surrounded the area.
Through Jeong Do-hwan’s trait, our insufficient forces were sufficiently reinforced.
“William!”
I threw him Seungyeong, the sword I had taken out from the backpack.
“I reinforced it beforehand, so use it.”
I had used the spare time to reinforce Seungyeong in advance.
Precisely for this very moment.
[+99 (★★) Seungyeong (Bearer of Shadow)]
Type: Sword
Grade: Lowest-grade Treasure
Durability: 250/250
Unique Effect: Creates an invisible blade visible only to the user
Reinforcement Effect (9/99): Invisible blade length increased by 5cm
Reinforcement Effect (15/99): Invisible blade damage slightly increased
…
Max Effect: Invisible blade length 10cm, damage and sharpness slightly increased
Transcendence Effect (★): Low chance for invisible blade length to increase by 1m
Transcendence Effect (★★): Damage massively increased when sunset reflects on the blade
Along with Seungyeong, Jeoknoe in my left hand had also completed rational reinforcement.
The Sword King, holding two blades in both hands—one Treasure and one famed sword.
Did I even need to bother explaining what that fighting strength meant?
And on top of that.
“Those who seek life shall die, and those who seek death shall live.”
I raised our allies’ combat strength through the Twin Dragon Sword’s aura.
At that moment.
“Death!”
“Rest…”
The Death Knight, having received Jeong Do-hwan’s command, charged at fierce speed.
“Insolent!”
Qin Shi Huang beheld the Death Knights charging from all directions.
Bwoong!
Wang Qi’s signature weapon, the Crescent Blade, cut through the air.
Splat!
The moment the Crescent Blade bisected the Death Knight.
“Hah!”
William seized the opening and charged.
Accurately grasping the gap between attacks, William dug into Qin Shi Huang’s bosom.
Clang!
However, William’s sword failed to cut Qin Shi Huang’s flesh.
The Emperor’s Armor worn beneath the Dragon Robe blocked it—a powerful Treasure capable of repelling ordinary attacks.
The price for the futile attack was steep.
Kwaaang!
Unable to overcome the power of the Crescent Blade, William flew like a kite with its string cut.
Thud-thud-thud!
He failed to stick his landing, rolled several times, and barely rose.
“Kuh….”
It seemed groans escaped him involuntarily from the impact.
He certainly wasn’t an easy opponent.
*The cunning of Bai Qi, the strength of Meng Wu, the speed of Yang Duanhe, and the durability of Wang Qi. Because he’s a monster combining all those elements.*
And that wasn’t all.
The Emperor’s Armor and the Heaven-Shaking Crescent Blade.
Armed with two Treasures, his strength was more than the current William could handle alone.
The same was true for Yeongung.
Whoosh!
He could only retreat hastily without landing a single proper hit against the rampaging might of the Heaven-Shaking Crescent Blade.
*Are they still lacking?*
I had wanted to buy some time using the death forces and those two.
I had no choice.
Tremble, tremble.
My hand was shaking.
Tuhtuk. A clump of hair was caught in my trembling hand and fell away.
It was the aftereffect of the anabolic steroids.
Reinforcement could have allowed me to ignore it with a low probability, but luck didn’t always follow.
Though penalty reduction effects meant the aftereffects wouldn’t last long, they didn’t seem like they’d disappear immediately.
It explosively raised physical power in an instant, but the aftereffects were equally severe.
*Since my opponent is a foreign god, I couldn’t help but use it.*
Knowing Qin Shi Huang remained in the back, I had wanted to save it if possible.
But because my opponent was a deity and the great general of all under heaven, I had no choice but to use my trump card.
I had intended to buy some time to overcome the aftereffects somehow, but Jeong Do-hwan, Yeongung, and William were still far too lacking to face Qin Shi Huang, who had achieved Jieshen.
*No other choice.*
I had no choice but to take out what I had been saving.
From inside my clothes, not the backpack, I took out a syringe I always carried alongside the steroids.
[+99 (★★) Morphine]
Type: Consumable (Medicine)
Durability: None
Unique Effect: Suppresses all pain for 1 hour
Unique Side Effect: Overdose causes hallucinations, vomiting, and addiction symptoms
Reinforcement Effect (9/99): Pain suppression slightly increased
Reinforcement Effect (15/99): Adrenaline secretion slightly improves physical ability
Reinforcement Effect (20/99): Pain suppression slightly increased
…
Reinforcement Effect (99/99): Pain suppression moderately increased
Max Effect: Pain suppression and recovery adrenaline secretion moderately increased
Transcendence Effect (★): Physical ability improves the more severe the pain
Transcendence Effect (★★): Extremely low chance of Foresight activating while hallucinating
Description: A narcotic analgesic and the main component of opium. It acts directly on the central nervous system, suppressing the secretion of neurotransmitters that relay pain stimuli to reduce pain. It is also highly effective for sedation, cough suppression, and hypnosis.
-Highly addictive; tolerance builds with repeated use, making it easy to become dependent. Potential for abuse is high, so it must be used under medical supervision; designated as a narcotic.-
Morphine.
A type of drug that is the main component of opium.
Of course, rather than being a simple drug, it is a medicinal substance used to suppress the pain of illness.
Ssshhhuk!
I plunged the syringe into my left arm and injected the solution.
The moment the morphine entered.
“Good.”
The negative symptoms of Berserk and steroid aftereffects—stamina depletion, bleeding, cell destruction—completely stopped.
My body, previously heavy like waterlogged cotton, felt much lighter, of course.
*The heat is rising.*
Physical strength began surging as if an engine were heating up.
Feeling a special sensation that I could do anything right now.
Swoosh—
I once again used Berserk and steroids, abilities of Mordred.
Berserk in a state where pain was suppressed by morphine.
Honestly, it was dangerous.
When the morphine wore off, I didn’t know what state my body would be in.
But.
*If that’s the only way to eliminate Qin Shi Huang, there’s no reason to hesitate.*
In another situation, maybe, but Qin Shi Huang was right before my eyes.
I had no choice but to exert my full strength using Berserk, morphine, steroids—everything.
“Fall back!”
I pulled back the two who were struggling as best they could.
Of course, leaving the Death Knights and Yoon Seo-yeong in formation, I stepped into the one-sided battlefield.
“You—”
Bwoong!
Qin Shi Huang’s Heaven-Shaking Crescent Blade surged toward me, venting his rage.
Being near him, I could definitely feel it.
He was strong.
His blow was far more powerful than Meng Wu, whom I had faced moments ago.
But the same went for me.
Baaam!
I blocked the attack with the sword bearing the strange pattern.
Screech—
My body was pushed back slightly, but there was no impact transmitted to my flesh.
No, to be exact, I couldn’t feel the impact due to the morphine.
*I can do this.*
His attack failed to penetrate the morphine and transmit through.
If I was fine now, I didn’t care if my bones were shattered later.
And so.
Kwaaang!
We clashed.
A concise, all-out strike tracing the optimal trajectory.
K-boom, kwaang!
Every clash produced explosive sounds and shook my body.
Without morphine, I might have stumbled, unable to offset the bone-shattering impact.
But right now, I was a Berserker who knew no pain.
“Hah!”
That was why I didn’t retreat.
I let out a fighting yell and poured more power into the offense.
But Qin Shi Huang didn’t retreat either.
“Insolent!”
Habitually spitting out that word again, he swung the Heaven-Shaking Crescent Blade.
He was strong.
And.
Swoosh!
He was fast.
Having obtained Yang Duanhe’s speed, he had already dug into my blind spot and swung the Crescent Blade filled with monstrous strength.
Kwa-ang!
But I blocked it, barely.
Thanks to the experience of having survived the end of days and led battlefields of carnage to victory.
I didn’t panic when he vanished into my blind spot.
I didn’t lose focus until the end, and I thought about where and how his blade would come flying.
Ka-kwang, kakakakwang!
The Heaven-Shaking Crescent Blade and the sword with the strange pattern clashed ceaselessly.
“Kuhk!”
I gritted my teeth.
I was being pushed back.
Even now, using all sorts of drugs and Berserk, facing Qin Shi Huang who had achieved Jieshen with the great generals was overwhelming.
But.
“Death!”
The Death Knights commanded by Jeong Do-hwan interfered and bought me time intermittently.
If not for those fleeting gaps, I might have collapsed long ago.
“Huu—”
I took a breath and gazed forward.
“I am the greatest under heaven!”
The cold rationality he had maintained with Jieshen was gone.
His condition wasn’t exactly normal either after the continued close combat.
It was understandable.
How could there be no side effects from forcibly attaching others’ body parts to oneself?
*If it’s now.*
It seemed possible.
Flash!
The gem of abilities—the sky-blue gem embedded in its center—shone brilliantly.
“The Sword of Promised Victory!”
I spat out the words I had been holding back and raised my sword high with all my might.
With the activation phrase, a strange power was engraved into my body.
The aura of Excalibur appeared.
[Absolute Victory]
The aura of Absolute Victory combined with the great fortune dwelling within me.
[Fortune-Heaven Certain Victory]
“If fortune reaches the heavens, victory is certain.”
I completed an absolute aura that bizarrely beat the laws of causality.