"Begin the final pursuit. Do not let a single one escape—kill them all," ordered the Darkblind Summon.

Swarming across the plains, Balak's soldiers chased down the fleeing demons and unleashed a massacre.

"Run! I said run! If we get caught, we're dead!"

"D-dodge! Arrows are flying—"

A lower-ranking demon who had turned tail to flee collapsed with a sharp gasp.

The surrounding demons panicked at the sight of the arrow lodged in his neck.

During the initial engagement, the demons had been tearing the angels limb from limb, driving the battle in their favor. But the tide had turned the moment Balak's soldiers arrived.

The endlessly surging dungeon soldiers were terror itself.

Before long, the demons cast aside the prestige of the Demon Realm, scrambling for their lives.

[SS-rank Soldier Reaper of the Shadows Bellamichi has cast Gift for Eternal Rest.]

[Fires an arrow stacked with 4 status effect conditions at the designated target.]

Soon, the reaper of the plains began her hunt once again.

Perched atop a tree, Bellamichi boasted pinpoint accuracy, delivering the most outstanding performance in the pursuit.

Meanwhile, the strongest mercenaries overtook the demon troops, putting on a stellar performance of their own.

"Stab! Stab! Kill! Long live Balak!"

"God's wrath! God's wrath! Punishment!"

"Raaagh!"

The slaughterers of the battlefield howled.

The mercenaries, their eyes dyed blood-red, hunted down the demons one by one, leaving pools of blood in their wake.

These were the soldiers of the Pargal Tribe, who had once proven the true value of their mercenary tactics in the skirmish against the Secret faction.

Their numbers had visibly dwindled against the constant influx of new, powerful enemies until they were ultimately annihilated—but not anymore.

With exactly thirty of them fully revived, they banded together once again, wielding various weapons.

"Hahaha! My speed has gotten even faster. At this rate, I might even be able to cross dimensions!"

"Useless! Useless!"

"A-are you ignoring my speed right now?! Now I can attack like this, too!"

A figure, bathed in green light, blurred across the plains.

Berard, reborn as the King of Speed, overtook the remaining demons and delivered dozens, then hundreds of rapid-fire strikes.

A flurry of heavy thuds and brutal thwacks echoed out.

The surviving demons collapsed under the barrage of punches fueled by his superior speed.

Balak's soldiers, arriving belatedly, savored the joy of victory and howled loudly.

Berard also smiled proudly, wiping his nose. With this, the battle in the last remaining terrain was effectively concluded.

The Pargal Tribe soldiers, who had been hacking away at the corpses, tilted their heads as other Balak soldiers began gathering around them.

[SS-rank Named Guardian Absolute of Space Raviz has cast Dimensional Gate.]

[A gate is generated to the upper plains terrain.]

Soon, the sixth gate materialized. Bellamichi climbed down from her tree, staring at the wide-open portal.

"Looks like only the final enemy is left. Shall we go shoot the finale?"

The Demon Realm Grand Army was annihilated, and the Main Forces of the SS-rank Dungeon Masters had lost their lives long ago.

Now, with the remaining dungeon soldiers dealt with, only the final enemy remained.

Bellamichi and the other Main Forces hurried their steps, converging on the center of the battlefield.

---

The massive monster collapsed with a deafening roar.

Tayvolk had been the only one not caught in the Eternal Silence, but he soon lost his life to Grai and Dropin's combined attack.

With this, all the enemy Main Forces had been dealt with. Grai flicked the blood off his Demonic Sword and inspected the corpses scattered across the ground.

They were all Main Forces who had fallen victim to the Eternal Silence, but among them was also an SS-rank Dungeon Master.

'Make sure to deal with the Dungeon Master of Dios as well. So she can never run that arrogant mouth again.'

A woman with her limbs severed came into view.

It was Baek Hee Cha, the Dungeon Master of Dios, who had toyed with Balak's Main Forces using Pilseus during the Dispel Dungeon incident.

To others, it might have been a gruesome sight, but having messed with Balak, she had brought this upon herself.

"We've finally taken them all out. Is there only one left now?"

"My little brother said there were two of them. Oh, come to think of it, he mentioned one wasn't a demon."

"It doethn't matter. My lord will exthecute them himthelf. My lord ith..."

The loyal little knight began to recite a hymn of praise.

Balak's Main Forces gathered around shook their heads and looked forward.

"...Just how did he raise their ranks? Taehyun shouldn't have had any mana stones left."

A demon with blue horns slowly walked over. He was the second ruler who had reigned over the Demon Realm after Demonic King Kraktio disappeared.

The very instigator who had summoned Dungeon Masters and obtained partial authority through the Dimensional Rift incident was now revealing himself directly.

Duke Nikunbel scanned the gathered angels and Balak's Main Forces, his face twisting into a scowl.

"This is a completely unexpected result. I don't know how you obtained the rest of the Authority of the Dimension, but at this rate, I will lose my life as well."

"How do you think I got it?"

Duke Nikunbel was too stunned to speak.

The true master of Balak asked. Taehyun revealed himself directly, standing alongside Demonic King Kraktio, who was slumped over in exhaustion.

The Main Forces nearby were greatly flustered, seemingly not having expected Taehyun to appear in person.

Looking at Kraktio, whose demonic energy was mostly depleted, Duke Nikunbel finally remembered the Demonic Orb.

"I see. You absorbed all of Demonic King Kraktio's demonic energy and used the Demonic Orb itself as a material for the special ability."

"That's right. Thanks to that, the Demonic Orb has shrunk to this tiny bead. But what's with that look on your face? Evolution and Remake are both special abilities you gave me. This is a result you brought about in the first place, so why are you glaring at me like that?"

"...How did you obtain the rest of the Dimension Management Authority?"

"Oh, that. I just made a contract with the gods of the Divine Realm. It was easy once I pulled Demonic King Kraktio himself into Balak's affiliation. So, on a whim, I made a deal with the Divine Realm. What do you think? Quite the paradigm shift, isn't it?"

The Contract in his hand fluttered.

It was the deal he had struck with the entirety of the Divine Realm Paonir, designating the God of Contracts, Morpina, as the proxy.

It was a novel attempt that even Duke Nikunbel, who had been setting the board for twenty years, couldn't have dared to predict.

Finally learning the truth, Duke Nikunbel asked with a blank expression.

"Making a contract with the Divine Realm... Do you even know that if an ordinary human uses the Dimension Management Authority, their soul becomes bound to the Divine Realm?"

"Well, I heard about it. Dimension Traveler, was it? They said I wouldn't be able to live a normal life."

"It's not just about a normal life. If you revived this many soldiers and Main Forces, that servitude will exceed thousands—no, tens of thousands of years. Do you think you, who have constantly aimed for a Return to Modern Earth, can endure that eternity?!"

A Dimension Traveler was an agent of the gods who traveled through various dimensions to complete missions on behalf of the Divine Realm.

Even if he safely returned to the modern world, he would have no choice but to spend most of his time living in the Divine Realm due to the designated duration.

Yet, Taehyun had made a deal with the Divine Realm, risking tens of thousands of years.

Considering how he had struggled solely for a Return to Modern Earth since his early days, it was a completely unbelievable choice.

Taehyun drew the Sword of Balak, which had been created through Summon Lord, and asked back.

"You know what? When a person fights tooth and nail, doing all sorts of crazy shit just to barely survive, and then someone comes along and knocks down the entire tower they've built up... Do you know what that feels like?"

Duke Nikunbel remained silent.

"It's incredibly hollow. It's so empty it drives you crazy. On top of that, the very person who dragged me here never had any intention of sending me back in the first place. They just wanted to play with me in the palm of their hand from the very beginning. But..."

He gritted his teeth.

"But when these motherfuckers now want my life on top of that, how can a person not go crazy? My soul bound to the Divine Realm for tens of thousands of years? I don't care. If I can just kill you bastards, I'd gladly sell my soul. If I can't get compensated for everything I've worked for so far, I'd rather just lose my mind."

Duke Nikunbel's mistake was underestimating humans. No, he had severely underestimated the single human named Taehyun.

The Dungeon Master who had continuously grown Balak for the sake of a Return to Modern Earth.

Having used and discarded others just to survive, he knew that desperation better than anyone else.

'That must be why he offered me a Return to Modern Earth. That's why he didn't expect me to make a deal with the Divine Realm. That's exactly why he couldn't foresee me sacrificing myself to this extent.'

The prejudice that he was solely fixated on a Return to Modern Earth had acted as a fatal miscalculation. Now, it was time to show the true meaning of Balak, which he had cultivated for three years.

"I'll make you realize firsthand that all the suffering I've gone through wasn't in vain. With the dungeon you assigned me, the items and equipment you gave me, and the special abilities you provided, I've reached this point. Let's see if you can handle it, you son of a bitch."

At last, the battle signaling the finale was about to begin.

---

Over twenty thousand soldiers were visible. Every single one of them had undergone Evolution, reaching S-rank or higher.

Including the five thousand angels and Archangels in the rear, it was a force that could never be underestimated.

Furthermore, over forty of Balak's Main Forces were taking a combat stance.

With the Demon Realm Grand Army and the SS-rank Dungeon Masters annihilated, facing them alone was nearly impossible.

"What are you going to do now? The Dimension Management Authority is mostly unusable because it's clashing with that bastard Taehyun's. You need to come up with something quickly!"

"...Hehehe."

"What are you doing right now?!"

"Hehehehe. Bwahahaha!"

A long burst of laughter followed. Duke Nikunbel slapped his knee, laughing like a madman.

The angels facing him from the opposite side trembled, flustered by the unfamiliar demonic energy.

"I-I've never felt demonic energy like this before."

"Just what is that guy's true identity? He doesn't look like an ordinary mid-level demon."

"Everyone focus. Even if he's the only one left, he's the ruler of the Demon Realm. We don't know how he'll attack!"

A strange current swirled across the battlefield. After laughing uproariously for a while, Duke Nikunbel ignored Beirimp's words and looked at Taehyun.

"It is definitely my mistake. An unexpected result indeed. As you said, Taehyun, I was so caught up in the prejudice that you were obsessed with a Return to Modern Earth that I couldn't even consider this variable. But so what?"

"Have you lost your mind? You've lost. Why don't you just admit it?"

"No. I'm not finished yet. The special ability called Evolution that I handed over to you. Do you really think it was given to only one person?"

"...Don't tell me?!"

"That's right. Just as I gave it to you, I possess it myself. And just as the authority of regeneration lies solely within your management authority, the management authority I possess also has a special ability. Would you like to see?"

Soon, messages popped up before their eyes.

[Duke Nikunbel resets the system grade limit.]

[The limit grade that was restricted has been unlocked.]

[Ruler of the Demon Realm Duke Nikunbel has cast Evolution.]

The sky slowly began to turn black.

The angels, having detected the unfamiliar demonic energy early on, quickly rushed in to stop the Evolution, but it was useless.

"Gaaaah! Y-you bastard. What are you doing right now?!"

"God of Desire, Beirimp. I had long since noticed that you siphoned off some of your divine power in advance. If the mana stone I currently possess and your remaining divine power are combined, how strong will I become? Take a guess."

"Y-you bastard, as expected?!"

"The seat of a demigod. Did you think I would be satisfied with just that? You were going to eliminate me when the time was right anyway. I'll need you to perish now."

The dark form began to be sucked in like a whirlpool. Duke Nikunbel quickly offered the mana stone as a material and attempted the Evolution.

[Evolution Successful!]

[Evolution Successful!]

[Evolution Successful!]

[Evolution Successful!]

Whether he had set it up in advance or not, he succeeded in evolving consecutively without a single failure.

Reborn through the mighty demonic energy and Beirimp's inherent divine power, Duke Nikunbel instantly swelled in size, revealing a colossal presence.

[Demon God Duke Nikunbel]

[Level: 302]

[Rank: EX(?)]

Soon, a Demon God who had transcended the limits appeared before their eyes. Duke Nikunbel, whose entire body was composed of black smoke, looked down with glowing red eyes.

"You probably judged that I had no more moves left and revealed yourself, Taehyun. But that is nothing more than a delusion. Now, what will you do? I have already broken through the rank limit and stepped into a new realm. Aren't those your precious Balak soldiers? Come at me."

"Eeeek. Duke Nikunbel!"

"Archangel Jeri-el. You haven't changed a bit since back then. You, who are nothing more than a supporting character, are no longer needed. Disappear now."

The Archangel, who had been drawing his bowstring, collapsed. Jeri-el trembled, staring at the black crystal embedded in his abdomen.

The surrounding angels urgently tried to remove the black crystal, but due to the powerful demonic energy, they couldn't even approach him.

"I'll handle him myself!"

"Damn it. I'm going in too!"

Two people who had been quietly observing the situation stepped forward. The two knights, owners of the Demonic Sword and the Holy Sword, charged head-on and thrust their swords.

[SSS-rank Guardian God of Balak Grai has cast Sword that Cleaves Legends.]

[SS-rank Attacker Saint Dropin has cast Sword of Behel.]

Demonic energy and divine power intersected from left and right. The two skills, known as single-use skills, instantly dug into Duke Nikunbel's figure.

At that moment, a massive barrier unfurled in front of the black smoke.

[Demon God Duke Nikunbel has cast Abyssal Barrier.]

[A barrier composed of demonic energy and divine power protects the caster.]

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 19,842,124/20,000,000]

[Abyssal Barrier Usage Limit: 1/1]

The Abyssal Barrier simultaneously blocked the demonic energy and divine power, revealing durability on a completely different level.

Taehyun checked the durability value of the barrier itself and issued commands.

"Bigdream. Activate the Mist of Phantasmal Dreams. Shieldbearers, maintain the vanguard within the mist and get into formation. Eclat, squeeze out every last drop of your remaining divine power and reactivate the Spear of Judgment."

The winning move would only come after the Abyssal Barrier was destroyed. Thus, Balak's soldiers plunged into battle against their final enemy.

---

[SS-rank Named Guardian Great Fairy of Balak Mederia has cast Magic Bullet Bombardment.]

[Great Elder of the Silent Forest Hamolton has cast Ancient Explosion.]

[SS-rank Attacker Yuda has cast Judgment of Disaster Pointing to the End.]

The skills of the Main Forces, who had undergone repeated evolutions, poured down. They were the ones he had gathered while operating Balak for a whopping three years.

Some had joined Balak for other purposes, but right now, they were fighting for a single goal.

[The Spear of Judgment has been activated.]

[Divine Power Amplification Rate: 352%]

[The Spear of Judgment is being charged through Archangel Captain Eclat's divine power.]

Soon, the final Spear of Judgment struck the barrier.

Thanks to the steady concentration of firepower, the durability value had now been reduced by half, but it was still not enough.

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 9,264,112/20,000,000]

'Even the Spear of Judgment can only shave off about a million points?'

It was a durability value on a completely different level from other shields and barriers.

Because of that, the Abyssal Barrier was treated as a single-use skill, but they were struggling to destroy it even once.

At least Bigdream's Mist of Phantasmal Dreams was reducing the power of the skills, but it couldn't completely nullify them.

"You really don't know when to give up. Bigdream is also one of the Main Forces I set up in advance. If he takes even the slightest damage, the effect of the Mist of Phantasmal Dreams will immediately dissipate. Just like this."

"Zighart!"

"Yes, Summon!"

Black crystals rained down from the sky. Zighart, having received orders in advance, swiftly protected Bigdream and minimized the damage.

[SS-rank Hero Keeper Myth of Balak Zighart has reached a state of moderate injury.]

This was already his fifth injury.

While taking turns protecting Bigdream alongside the other Keepers, the only uninjured Keeper left was Tartarus.

'Just a little more. Just a little more!'

Deshkar, who was in the rear, began to hurl mana stones.

At the same time, the remaining Archangels also gathered their firepower, but the Abyssal Barrier still didn't have a single crack.

"Damn it. Just crack a little!"

"Hang in there a little longer. We can definitely do this!"

"Black crystals are pouring down from the left. Everyone dodge!"

The flow of the battle slowly began to take a strange turn.

Duke Nikunbel, having become a Demon God, was leisurely casting skills as if toying with Balak's Main Forces.

He must have thought they had no chance of winning due to Demonic King Kraktio having exhausted all his demonic energy.

Since Taehyun hadn't acquired mana stones fitting for the SSS-rank level either, such carelessness was perhaps natural.

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 5,634,431/20,000,000]

"Aaaah!"

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 4,124,953/20,000,000]

"Everyone dodge!"

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 3,564,253/20,000,000]

"There's not much left. Everyone push forward!"

Casualties began to occur one after another.

The Main Forces, who had reached critical injuries following moderate ones, charged in again even while being pushed to the brink of death.

"You seem to think that destroying the Abyssal Barrier will solve everything. But unfortunately, that is impossible. The only ones who can damage my body, now that I am a Demon God, are those of an equal rank or those possessing divine power. I wonder if Balak's current Main Forces can even scratch me."

Taehyun stayed silent.

"Just give up. In the end, this battle will end in my victory, and the remaining Dimension Management Authority you possess will also fall into my hands."

"...Bullshit."

He had lost everything and come to the Celestial Realm. He had even rejected the sweet offer of a Return to Modern Earth and put his soul on the line.

He had sacrificed his own life to revive Balak's soldiers; he couldn't give up here.

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 843,892/20,000,000]

"I, the one you toyed with."

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 551,924/20,000,000]

"Will show you exactly how I'm going to kill you."

[Abyssal Barrier Durability: 219,752/20,000,000]

"Watch closely with your own eyes."

[The Abyssal Barrier has been destroyed.]

Soon, the barrier that had been holding firm shattered into pieces. Duke Nikunbel instantly gathered his demonic energy and prepared another limited-use skill.

"I'm getting tired of this. It's time to end this."

"I agree. Thank you so much for unlocking the grade limit, Duke Nikunbel."

"Bluffing until the en...!"

Just as he was mocking Taehyun, a beam of mana shot out from the rear.

[SS-rank Named Guardian Controller of Mana Dien has cast Double Drain.]

[Absorbs mana and life force from Balak's soldiers on the upper field.]

[Double Drain Usage Limit: 1/1]

The only Guardian who wasn't originally one of his Main Forces.

She was also the Main Force whose affiliation he had received from Seonghun via a Contract during the Dispel Dungeon incident.

Dien absorbed the vitality and mana of all the soldiers except the Main Forces and glared at Duke Nikunbel.

"Seonghun practically died because of you. If it weren't for you, the mastermind behind all these plans, things wouldn't have turned out like this!"

"Don't tell me you bastards?!"

"Don't change your tone of voice this late in the game. It's awkward. You motherfucker."

Soon, the Demonic Orb in his hand began to absorb the mana.

Although the size of the bead had shrunk significantly, the mana left behind by Demonic King Kraktio was still intact.

'Before that, write up a Contract. It's Dien, who has assisted me my entire life, not just any other Main Force. I want to keep her alive, at least.'

Taehyun recalled Seonghun, a Tarantula faction member, and activated Evolution.

[Evolution Successful!]

"It's the dungeon I operated."

[Evolution Successful!]

"Even if you assigned it to me, I'm the one who led it this far."

[Evolution Successful!]

"Watch closely."

[Evolution Successful!]

"See exactly what kind of dungeon Balak is!"

The Demonic Orb in his hand disappeared. At the same time, the activation of Evolution was also canceled, but it didn't matter.

Three beings had already transcended their limits and been reborn into a new rank.

"D-don't come closer. I said don't come closer!"

A fear he was feeling for the first time in his life.

Duke Nikunbel, who had surpassed the realm of a demigod and even reigned as a Demon God, hurriedly cast a limited-use skill to annihilate the Main Forces.

[Demon God Duke Nikunbel has cast Annihilation.]

[EX-rank Guardian Grai has cast Phenomenon Destruction.]

[EX-rank Attacker Dropin has cast Purification.]

However, the demonic energy imbued with absolute force was blocked in mid-air and vanished in vain.

"I will show you the will of Balak!"

"I'll pay you back for everything we've suffered so far."

"Gaaaah. You motherfuckers!"

The two, now of the same rank, began to apply pressure.

With even the titles attached to their names gone, their abilities were already peerless.

"We can't just stand still either!"

"We have to at least draw his attention. Let's cling to him and be a nuisance."

"Get all buffs and enchantments ready."

The Main Forces who hadn't been targets of evolution approached while trying not to get in the way and cast their skills.

And centered around Karon, buffs, enchantments, and magic imbuments followed, boosting Grai and Dropin's firepower.

"Urgh. You insignificant runts!"

They didn't reply.

"I will never die. No, I cannot die. I will definitely annihilate all of you and take over this dimension!"

"...Phew."

The Demon God's final desperate struggle began.

No matter if there were two EX-rank Main Forces, taking down Duke Nikunbel, who harbored divine power, in a single breath would be impossible.

Taehyun took a step forward, recalling his own reflection in the Demonic Orb.

Duke Nikunbel, who was in the midst of fighting Grai and Dropin, sensed an opportunity at the sight of Taehyun approaching out of nowhere.

"If I just kill you!"

Black crystals shot out from the black smoke.

Although his class had been changed to Knight through Grai, it was a demonic energy that an SS-rank Dungeon Master could never block.

However, Taehyun didn't even think of dodging and swung the Sword of Balak just like that.

[EX-rank Dungeon Master Taehyun has cast Sword of Balak.]

[Nullifies all energy in the front.]

[Sword of Balak Usage Limit: 1/3]

The black crystals vanished cleanly right before his eyes. It was a sight hard to believe was the ability of an SS-rank Dungeon Master.

Duke Nikunbel belatedly checked the message and realized the target of the final Evolution.

"Y-you bastard, don't tell me you evolved yourself?!"

"It seemed like you tampered with the evolution probability in advance, so I gave it a try. It's actually pretty good."

"Youuuu baaaaastard!"

"Let's end this now, Duke Nikunbel."

With this, three EX-rank beings had gathered.

In a way, the match was decided the moment the system's inherent grade limit was unlocked.

[EX-rank Dungeon Master Taehyun has cast Lord's Authority.]

[Temporarily enters an invincible state.]

[Invincible State: 1 minute]

[Lord's Authority Usage Limit: 1/1]

Soon, his entire body was bathed in golden light.

"D-don't come closer!"

[Automatically resisted due to Lord's Authority.]

"I said don't come closer!"

[Automatically resisted due to Lord's Authority.]

"Don't come..." he choked out a gasp.

The Demonic Sword and Holy Sword pierced the figure of the Demon God, who had been distracted.

Grai and Dropin simultaneously detonated their demonic energy and divine power, inflicting massive damage from the inside.

"Welcome. You have been selected as a Dungeon Master."

"I suddenly became curious about what you, who survived the faction war, will do. And how much longer you will live."

"How long are you going to sit there like that? Wasn't the demons' ultimate goal the Demonic King? If you were going to despair this easily, I wouldn't have placed my expectations on you in the first place. Tsk. Pathetic."

Countless memories flashed through his mind in a space where silence flowed as if time had stopped.

As the lone Dungeon Master took a step forward, the sword he held high was dyed with mana.

[EX-rank Dungeon Master Taehyun has cast Finale.]

[Concentrates all mana into the final sword and unleashes a strike.]

[Finale Usage Limit: 1/1]

Finally, the ultimate strike to signal the finale erupted.

Grai and Dropin tied down the Demon God's feet to the very end, buying time, and soon the slash dug precisely into the black smoke.

As the figure instantly swelled up, the Main Forces began to evacuate the area. A white beam of light slowly spread across the entire upper level.

Feeling his vision fading, Taehyun squeezed his eyes shut.

"...It's over."

And so, the Celestial Realm Pletas, engulfed by the power of the Finale, saw its entire tower bathed in white.