Daniel turned his head with a sharp frown, and what he saw behind him shocked him. But the next moment, he forced himself to calm down.
"Looks like I really underestimated a False Divine Climber," he muttered. But the archbishop standing alive and well in front of him clearly heard it.
"It’s not your fault. I just enjoy playing with my prey before I hunt them down. But you’re really a fool... did you truly think the gap between a Grand Climber and a Divine Climber was that small?" the archbishop mocked.
"I must admit, you really are the strongest young man I’ve ever seen. Even a normal Half Divine Climber wouldn’t be able to face you.
"But me? I am a False Divine Climber, and I’ve touched and experienced that rank and that level of power. My dimensions of existence are far above yours. That’s not something you can make up for with talent." His tone grew even more mocking and playful.
Daniel didn’t say anything. He really had underestimated his opponent. But it was understandable—he had never faced a False S-rank before.
(For clarity: S-rank = Divine Climber.)
Now he realized the immense difference between them. This wasn’t something that could be solved just with talent and powerful items.
"Now, [Infidel], it’s time for you to be punished." The archbishop raised his hand, and an enormous surge of corruption erupted.
Before Daniel even had a chance to react, it felt like the world lost all color, and a terrifying force slammed him into the mountains.
The mountains cracked open. Blood covered his body, his bones were shattered, and even his vision dimmed.
The archbishop took a step and appeared right before him.
Daniel was on his knees; his armor torn, his body broken and bruised, his breathing ragged—closer to death than ever before.
His armor, already badly damaged, was now truly destroyed. Something he had never expected. Blood dripped from his eyes, and he no longer even had the strength to hold his weapon.
The archbishop looked down at him coldly, his expression full of mockery.
"What a pathetic struggle, [Infidel].
"You’ve learned how to fight... but you still haven’t learned how to accept defeat. Now it’s time for you to return to the embrace of death." His voice was soft yet thunderous, each word steeped in contempt.
He raised his staff and casually drew a hand across the air.
An energy blacker and heavier than anything seen before condensed, like rusted wheels grinding together.
With just a tap of his staff—no grand effort, not even a shout—a wave shot forth, a straight line of absolute corruption through space.
[Final Excommunication]
An absolute command of corruption that disrupted the very core of life. It ignored defenses; even the best armor would shatter with a single touch.
It struck.
Daniel’s burning mana armor completely disintegrated into ash, and his clothes fell apart like paper under corrosive rain. He rolled across the ground, the weight of death swallowing him whole.
He couldn’t get up. He couldn’t even make a sound—only managed one faint glance.
The archbishop bent forward, calm and assured, staring at him with contempt.
"Now is the time for death and judgment." His words dropped like a sermon, his voice echoing in Daniel’s head.
And then, without further nonsense, he delivered the final blow—a short, precise, unavoidable strike that brought Daniel down.
Daniel collapsed, motionless. His breath stopped; the world dimmed for a moment. His body looked lifeless.
Certain that he had finally killed this young man, the archbishop turned away and looked over the corpses of the other Corruption Worshipers. Their deaths were a waste, but there was nothing to be done.
He cast one last glance at Daniel. Despite the [Infidel] curse, it was only a level three curse, not worth anything to him.
If it had been a higher-level [Infidel] curse, he might have carried the corpse to the central headquarters for a reward.
He left, stepping into the sky, ready to head to the central base and give his report.
But then, a sound—a faint sigh—rose from the bloody ground.
[Player has been killed.]
[One extra life has been successfully used.]
[Please select one of your Fallen to be erased.]
Suddenly, Daniel’s body was fully restored, and the breath of life returned to him. His strength and energy instantly surged back to their peak.
The archbishop turned—at first slowly, then with a face twisted in shock, anger, and disbelief.
"How...?" His words faltered, his staff trembling. This resurrection shattered a piece of his mental order.
"I didn’t want to use it... but I have no choice." Daniel sighed. He realized that with normal methods, he had no chance of defeating this archbishop.
His only option was to use one of his trump cards.
He placed his hand on the blade of The Heaven’s Honor and then vanished, rising to his feet.
[Self Transcendent]
The moment the skill activated, a subtle but piercing wave radiated from Daniel. Suddenly, an image of a long river of time appeared, and from it a massive force erupted and entered his body.
His power skyrocketed, and his rank rose to Half Step S-rank. A tremendous amount of energy flowed through him.
It wasn’t just his combat strength—it was his raw rank itself that had reached that level. And because of that, his combat power grew explosively, far beyond a False S-rank.
Now, he truly was the strongest existence beneath S-rank. But only temporarily.
His aura changed, becoming more majestic and awe-inspiring. He felt like he could split mountains or part oceans with a flick of his finger.
The ground beneath the archbishop cracked—not from physical power, but from the existential rift Daniel had created.
The archbishop, who had moments ago thought himself superior, now clearly felt danger. He was no longer the same.
Fear—the raw, undeniable sense of death—appeared in his eyes, something he had never felt before.
Daniel took a step and appeared in front of him. Space itself bent and cleared the way. For the first time, endless fear appeared in the archbishop’s eyes.
"This is your end," Daniel said, calmly but with absolute certainty.
[Eternal Judgement]
The sky turned crimson, and a blood-red sword formed in the heavens. The surrounding space trembled, on the verge of collapse.
The archbishop screamed, instantly summoning his final shield, but this time his hands trembled and his eyes were full of terror. He tried to create a wall of corruption with [Abyssal Citadel], but against Daniel’s power, it shattered like paper.
The sword struck, piercing a massive hole through him. The archbishop’s body broke apart, looking ready to collapse completely.
"You human Infidel, I curse you! I curse you to die a horrible death!" With the last of his power, he strengthened Daniel’s curse, raising it to level six.
His breath faded. The eyes that once held arrogance and power were now empty and afraid. He staggered—one half-step closer to death, and that was enough.
Daniel pointed his bloody sword and struck again, slicing the archbishop in half.
The body fell, and slowly the soul dissolved, annihilated. Until his last moment, he never understood how this young man had suddenly become so much stronger.
Daniel stepped back, breathing heavily, pulling the sword free from the fading corpse.
"It’s over." He lowered his head and let out a sigh of relief.