The pocket watch ticked as its second hand spun rapidly. It was the SS-rank Exclusive Item, Time Reset, which reverted specific effects to a desired point in time.

Although it was impossible to turn back the overall source of an effect, the specific conditions tied to it could be rewound.

The effect Taehyun targeted was none other than Necro-Engraving Stage 7.

[You have used Time Reset.]

[The Stage 7 effect of Necro-Engraving has been changed.]

[The Stage 5 effect of Necro-Engraving has been applied.]

Soon, Pilseus's white-dyed armor shifted back to its original brown.

The Stage 5 effect of Necro-Engraving reset all use-limited skills, but the targeted timeframe was entirely different.

[You have been afflicted with the Silence status.]

[The limit count of all use-limited skills has been reset.]

[The effects of all applied items have returned.]

He had reverted the clock to the exact moment he used the Effect Confusion Card upon entering the Silent Forest.

Struck by the Silence status, the Absolute Slash cleaving the air instantly vanished. The Absolute was now completely unable to use skills.

Taehyun watched the pocket watch crumble to dust and raised his head.

"It's been almost three years," he muttered.

"That's how much time has passed since I was summoned to this continent and took charge of Balak. The path to return to modern Earth is still far, far away. And you expect me to just die here? By the hands of a single bastard like you?"

"Grr!"

"I refuse to accept it. No, I can't. From beginning to end, my only goal was to return home. I haven't looked back once."

"I've used and sacrificed others to get here, and I absolutely will not tolerate an ending like this. Even if the gods themselves decreed this fate, I reject it."

He remembered being assigned the worst dungeon. He remembered the first time he faced Junhyun.

He remembered the creation of the second Balak, the invasion of the Ain Kart Holy Kingdom, the forging of his territory, his victory in the faction war, and his invitation to the royal succession ceremony.

He remembered every single conversation he'd had with his Main Forces.

He could never forget the journey that had brought Balak to this point. The current Balak existed solely because of those trials.

The three Keepers stepped forward, dropping into their combat stances.

Grai and Dropin, positioned in the rear alongside Yuda, split off to cover the left and right flanks in preparation for the final clash.

Standing behind his Main Forces, Taehyun glared at Pilseus and issued his command.

"There's only one enemy. Right now, he's locked out of his skills thanks to the Silence effect. Pour out everything you have and kill him before it wears off."

This was the final raid defense. It might very well be their last battle within Balak. The Main Forces nodded and charged at the Absolute.

[S-rank Attacker Dropin has cast Behel's Advent.]

[SS-rank Guardian Grai, Guardian of Balak, has cast Descent of the Guardian God.]

[S-rank Named Mercenary Eclat, Guide of the Celestial Realm, has activated the special ability 'Serenade Illuminating the Dawn'.]

A barrage of techniques poured out. First, two figures surged forward, wielding a strange combination of the Holy Sword and the Demonic Sword.

Stripped of his skills, Pilseus clashed directly with the Main Forces, relying on his raw stats to push them back.

However, as Raviz and the Keepers layered their binding skills, even the SSS-rank Attacker was inevitably forced into a one-sided disadvantage.

The Stage 7 effect of his Necro-Engraving had been downgraded, currently applying only the Stage 1 effect.

Although the Time Reset had restored his use-limited skills, the Silence status made casting them impossible.

Meanwhile, Hyena fired a volley of arrows around Pilseus and began triggering traps.

"Argh! I will… I will definitely kill you!"

"I'll avenge Eleonora! For her sake… I'll kill you for her sake!"

"You don't know! That smile she barely got back… You'll never know!"

Following suit, the three members of Eleonora's raid party ramped up their firepower, drastically increasing the damage Pilseus took.

"Raaargh! For Hasla!"

"How dare you do that to Hamolton! He always protected us!"

"I will never forgive you for touching Ameria, the God of Nature!"

Soon, the non-human races spat out their fury and charged. The High Elves fought for Kadum, the World Tree, and Hamolton.

The Beastmen chieftains risked their lives solely to avenge Hasla.

[Binding Trap has been activated.]

[SS-rank Guardian Grai, Guardian of Balak, has cast Sword of Balak.]

[S-rank Attacker Dropin has cast Hero's Sword.]

Divine Power and Demonic Energy crossed left and right. Digging under his guard in an instant, the two thrust their swords simultaneously, delivering a critical blow.

With a loud crack, fractures began to form across Pilseus's armor.

Unable to withstand the impact, Pilseus was pushed back. Sensing the tide of battle turning against him, he pulled out an item.

[SSS-rank Attacker Pilseus has used Position Transfer.]

[You have used a Neutralization Item.]

[Position Transfer failed!]

[The Position Transfer item has been neutralized.]

It was the Position Transfer item that Hyacinth's Raid Party had first showcased.

Surrounded by soldiers, it was one of the only ways he could close the distance to the Crystal Sphere.

Taehyun had been saving the Neutralization Item all along, anticipating this exact maneuver.

As the damage taken by the shadow trapped within the stele gradually approached its maximum, the battle's momentum fully shifted to Balak.

Just then, the Silence mark floating above Pilseus's head vanished.

[The duration of the Silence status has ended.]

[All of Pilseus's skills are available for use again.]

He had recovered from the Silence status. With a red glint flashing in his eyes, Pilseus swung his blade in a wide arc.

[SSS-rank Attacker Pilseus has cast Wide-Area Sword Draw.]

[Slashes entities that have entered a certain range.]

Instantly, the three Keepers were knocked back.

Fortunately, they avoided instant death because only the Stage 1 effect of Necro-Engraving was active, but they still suffered moderate injuries.

"Argh! It's hot and painful. I can't stand it!"

"Raaargh!"

"Die!"

Tartarus slammed his massive body down from the air. The heat he had been holding back erupted in an instant, making the ground sizzle.

However, Pilseus easily blocked the strike with the flat of his blade and shoved back with overwhelming force.

"W-What?!"

"Tartarus! Dodge, quickly!"

"Guaaagh!"

The heat-spewing cinders were extinguished. Tartarus's massive body was instantly cleaved in two, signaling his death.

Liashu, standing behind, summoned top-tier spirits to preemptively block his breakthrough, but it was useless.

Pilseus had already kicked off the ground, leaping into the air to cast Absolute Slash once more.

[SSS-rank Attacker Pilseus's Absolute Slash has been cast.]

[A slash unaffected by items, skills, or special abilities has been fired at the target.]

[Absolute Slash Use Limit: 1/1]

The second slash was finally fired. It was the Annihilation Skill, restored when his use-limited skill counts reset.

Without any SS-rank Exclusive Items left, dodging the slash was impossible.

At that moment, Lost Arthur stepped into the line of fire, blocking the front.

[S-rank Guardian Lost Arthur has cast Grasp of Hatred.]

[A grasp imbued with hatred surges forward.]

He was the new Main Force of Antelos, summoned after Badon's death.

Having previously redirected armor-piercing shells with a counter technique during Hyacinth's raid, he intended to do the exact same to the Absolute Slash.

'Lost Arthur's Grasp of Hatred doesn't affect the Absolute Slash itself. It merely forces a change in the slash's trajectory. The power and effect remain exactly the same.'

Soon, the massive grasp caught the Absolute Slash and began to spin it around.

It added rotational force without altering the attack's inherent power.

The Absolute Slash, which possessed a homing function, reversed direction and hurtled straight back toward its owner.

The entire room shook violently with a deafening boom.

The Annihilation Skill, cast to obliterate the Dungeon Master, had ended up striking the caster instead.

Taehyun stared into the thick smoke before checking the shadow's status.

[Pilseus's Shadow]

[Necrotic Energy Blocked Status]

[Black Plague Infection Status]

[High-Grade Poison Applied Status]

[Damage Taken: 4,543,124 / 5,000,000]

The damage had finally crept close to its absolute limit.

If they poured everything into an all-out offensive with the remaining Main Forces now, even the Absolute would surely fall.

Confident of victory, Taehyun turned his head. But as the smoke cleared, an eighth skull revealed itself.

[SSS-rank Attacker Pilseus's Necro-Engraving Stage 8 has been applied.]

[The Necrotic Energy is beyond what the body can handle.]

[All stats increase by five times for 5 minutes.]

[The power of all skills increases by five times for 5 minutes.]

[Invincibility status is maintained for 5 minutes.]

[Upon release from the effect, the body will automatically collapse.]

His armor was dyed pitch black, Necrotic Energy radiated from his entire body, and the red glint in his eyes burned even more intensely than before.

The monster, having shattered its limits, slowly stepped forward.

"Damn it. You son of a bitch. I'll kill you!"

"S-Stop! Sihan!"

"Diiiie!"

Unable to contain his anger, Sihan was the first to charge. He was a Wave Swordsman who had grown significantly stronger through Evolution and Remake.

However, he was utterly powerless before an Absolute who had surpassed his limits. Pilseus grabbed the surging shortsword barehanded and let out a roar.

"Raaargh!"

"Ugh… Daaamn iiit!"

Waves imbued with various elemental powers swirled around them. Sihan struggled, desperately casting all his skills.

However, Pilseus lightly resisted the elemental onslaught and pierced Sihan's abdomen.

[S-rank Mid-level Attacker Sihan has sustained a fatal injury.]

Extreme pain followed. The merciless blade was ripped from his abdomen, inducing massive bleeding.

Hendy and Turner, positioned in the rear, urgently cast skills at Pilseus, but their attacks had no effect.

"Ugh…"

"Sihan!"

Slumping down, Sihan spat blood and shook his head. As long as the invincibility status remained, no amount of damage would matter.

Thinking of Inhye, Sihan raised his head.

"Inhye… I can't send you off alone. I'll be there soon, so wai—"

With a brutal slash, a fountain of blood sprayed into the air.

Hendy and Turner stared at Sihan's severed head on the floor with devastated expressions.

"Aaaah!"

Turner was too stunned to speak.

Wailing echoed through the silent room. Before they knew it, Pilseus trampled over the corpse and charged at the remaining Keepers.

---

[Angelina has died.]

[Turner has died.]

[Hendy has died.]

[Liashu has died.]

Death messages popped up one after another. Most of the Main Forces guarding the final room had been annihilated.

Pilseus had entered the final stage of Necro-Engraving.

They had managed to draw out two of his skills using Time Reset and Lost Arthur, but his invincibility rendered all their efforts useless.

[Invincibility Status: 2 minutes 35 seconds]

Now, only about seven Main Forces remained. Checking the invincibility timer, Taehyun instructed Grai.

"Grai, summon me."

"B-But!"

"Do it now!"

"…Underthtood!"

Grai, who had been blocking the monster, cast his last resort.

[The Guardian of Balak has summoned you.]

[You gain the same stats as Grai for a certain period of time.]

[You gain skills and special abilities related to the Knight class for a certain period of time.]

[Your rank is fixed at SS for a certain period of time.]

Taehyun grasped the Sword of Balak with both hands. The Summon Lord skill allowed him to gain the abilities of an SS-rank Knight for a limited time.

With all the Keepers dead, he had no choice but to step onto the front lines himself. Seeing his target appear right before his eyes, Pilseus went into a frenzy and charged.

"Raaargh!"

"Your breath stinks. Back off!"

"Thummon! I will thupport you!"

The four knights began to clash simultaneously.

Taehyun bought as much time as possible, boosting his Main Forces' stats through Lord's Authority.

However, holding out against a monster whose stats and skill power had increased fivefold was no easy task.

[S-rank Attacker Dropin has cast Ice Barrier.]

[Dungeon Master of Balak Taehyun has cast Lord's Sword.]

[SS-rank Guardian Grai, Guardian of Balak, has cast Dimension Rend.]

Slowly, the entire room began to crumble. The three knights panted heavily as they stared at Pilseus.

He showed no signs of exhaustion, perhaps having replenished his stamina through the drastically increased Necrotic Energy.

Eyeing Pilseus's partially cracked plate armor, Taehyun raised his sword again.

At that moment, Pilseus suddenly shook the three of them off and charged straight toward the Crystal Sphere.

"Damn it. Stop him!"

"Taehyun, I'll stop him!"

"What?!"

Songyi suddenly caught his eye.

Having slipped out of the Master Room at some point, she used short-distance teleportation to block the path to the Crystal Sphere.

[A-rank Dungeon Master Songyi Han has cast Call Mercenary.]

[S-rank Mercenary Knight Dream has been summoned.]

The doll she held in her hand opened its mouth wide. Knight Dream immediately revealed its predatory instincts, lunging to swallow Pilseus whole.

"Thanks for the meal!"

"Raaargh!"

"Kweeeek!"

However, Pilseus cast a dark explosion that burst the mercenary's insides, killing it gruesomely. Songyi trembled as she looked up at Pilseus.

"I-I will protect Taehyun."

"Grrr!"

"Songyi!"

Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, she felt the warmth of a body. Songyi carefully opened her eyes and saw Hyena embracing her.

"W-Why?!"

"I-I don't know either… Why I'm doing… this."

Having suffered a deep sword wound to her back, Hyena collapsed. Taehyun, arriving at the Crystal Sphere a moment too late, screamed in fury and swung his sword.

"You son of a bitch!"

"Raaargh!"

The two blades clashed in mid-air. In terms of raw power, Pilseus had the upper hand, but Taehyun refused to back down.

Instead, he fiercely drove his opponent back, trying to force him as far away from the Crystal Sphere as possible. Just then, Pilseus's blade began to resonate.

[SSS-rank Attacker Pilseus has cast Tracking Sword.]

[Moves behind the designated target and aims for their heart.]

[Tracking Sword Use Limit: 1/1]

The fatal skill he had showcased inside the Blood Battle Arena was cast. Pilseus instantly vanished, reappearing behind Taehyun to thrust his sword straight at his heart.

It was an unavoidable skill that even Hasla had only managed to block by sacrificing the Ancient Chains. It was impossible for Taehyun to evade it now.

[Antelos Dungeon Master Songyi Han has cast Short-Distance Teleport.]

[Moves behind Taehyun Yoo.]

Before he knew it, Songyi was clinging to his back, the sword blade piercing straight through her heart with a sickening stab.

An utterly incomprehensible situation had unfolded.

"T-Taehyun… you must never die."

Taehyun was too stunned to speak.

Songyi collapsed to the floor. With a devastated expression, Taehyun looked back and forth between the lifeless bodies of Hyena and Songyi.

"Thummon! Dodge!"

"Hey! Taehyun!"

The Absolute's blade was slowly digging into his neck. With this, his life as a Dungeon Master would also end.

Anticipating his own annihilation, Taehyun stared blankly at Pilseus. Just then, a woman materialized behind the monster.

[The God of Nature has cursed Pilseus.]

[Petrification status is applied for a certain period of time.]

It was none other than Ameria, the God of Nature. Maintaining a translucent, spectral form, she glared at Pilseus, who had hardened into stone.

"I told you a god's curse would fall upon you. You finally set foot in here."

"…You."

"Ugh. I still can't get used to you being a demon, but since you are the Guide, you must not die. Although I was annihilated in this dimension, my main body in the Divine Realm was not. Guide. I hope you achieve your desired wish."

Taehyun fell silent.

The God of Nature, Ameria, who had descended through the World Tree.

She had been annihilated in this dimension when Pilseus slashed her Divine Power, but her true body existed safely in another dimension.

Taehyun looked around the room with a despondent expression.

He had poured everything into his goal of returning to modern Earth, but most of his Main Forces had been sacrificed. He had lost everything instead.

[Hera has died.]

[Antelos's Dungeon Master Songyi Han has died.]

No matter how many times he checked, the death messages didn't change.

Grai and Dropin, arriving belatedly, kept their guard up against the petrified Absolute. But thanks to the god's curse, he showed no signs of waking up.

[The duration of the Necro-Engraving Stage 8 effect has ended.]

[The Necrotic Energy has disappeared.]

[Pilseus's body begins to collapse.]

[The Necro Armor has been unequipped.]

[Pilseus's rank returns to SS-rank.]

[Pilseus's affiliation returns to Free Status.]

[The Evil Dragon's control has been released.]

Soon, Pilseus, who had been hardened like stone, slumped to the ground.

As the Necrotic Energy dissipated and he was released from the mind control, his plate armor flaked away.

Looking down at the man whose eyes had returned to normal, Taehyun asked.

"Alright. Let me just ask. Who the hell are you? Who are you to invade all the way here just to annihilate me?"

The man remained silent.

"Answer me right now, you son of a bitch!"

Pilseus himself was not at fault. He had simply been captured by the Dungeon Master of Dios and forced to follow orders.

That was the undeniable truth. But even knowing that, Taehyun couldn't accept it. He wanted to deny it.

Pointing his sword at the man's neck, Taehyun waited for an answer.

"…Taehyun."

"I don't know you. Don't say my name like we're friends, you bastard."

"Taehyun. Listen carefully. When I'm annihilated, you must head straight to the Celestial Realm. Nikunbel's remaining targets are you and me. And Demon King Kraktio. You have to stop that bastard Nikunbel from killing the Demon King no matter what. And…"

"No. No. I decide what I do. Right now, you just need to answer my question."

"Don't forgive me, Taehyun."

Pilseus stood up and grabbed his shoulder. The two knights nearby quickly moved to swing their swords but hesitated.

The man who had just been the Absolute was looking down at Hyena's corpse, shedding tears.

"Never. Never forgive me. And remember this well. You must go to the Celestial Realm and stop Nikunbel. Demon King Kraktio must never die."

"…Why?"

"You can do it. You've always only failed, but you made it all the way up here. It's definitely possible."

"…Why are you doing this? Who on earth are you to give me advice like that?"

"I was always sorry. I should have paid more attention to you. I'm truly sorry, Taehyun."

Gradually, parts of his body were turning to ash and scattering into the air.

He was a true powerhouse who had once been active as an SS-rank Attacker on the continent.

However, after being endlessly manipulated by the Dungeon Master of Dios, he was now meeting a pitiful end.

"At least you… At least you have to go back. You raised your dungeon to SS-rank just to return to modern Earth. You can do it. You'll definitely be able to stop Nikunbel!"

Taehyun was at a loss for words.

"Don't make such a dumbfounded face. It's okay. I've already lost the right to go back, so an end like this is fitting for me."

"Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, and thank you, Taehyun."

"I said, who are you!"

"You must go to the Celestial Realm…"

Soon, Pilseus's body was completely annihilated. With a blank expression, Taehyun checked the system message that popped up before his eyes.

[SS-rank Attacker Taehwan Yoo has died.]

It was a name completely absent from his memory. He assumed the man was just one of the Attacker players summoned from modern Earth.

He stared at the spot where the man had vanished.

And just like that, Taehyun had barely managed to kill the SSS-rank Attacker and thwart the final raid.