Chapter 672: The Darkest Moment

Archive.

As its name suggests, the Archive collected, wrote, and preserved countless records throughout different ages.

This has been ongoing for over a thousand years.

Consequently, the number of books and records the Archive now holds is nearly infinite, beyond anyone’s ability to count.

However, even endless infinity had a beginning.

Merlin opened the first, oldest book the Archive had ever preserved.

[Chapter 0. Archive].

This book was written by the first person to ever create the Archive.

It contained the true mission of the Archive and the power needed to carry out this mission.

Merlin opened the book that had been sealed for a thousand years and injected the power of the first Archive into his body.

It was a power stronger than any other Archive, but one that no Archive ever wanted to use.

Using this power, Merlin restored his shattered body and took those around him to a safe place beyond the reach of human perception.

This ensured their safety.

Once Merlin confirmed this, he pushed away Oliver, who had just broken out of his shell and hadn’t yet adapted to his new level.

Oliver, who acted awkwardly like a newborn, was pushed aside.

Using that moment, Merlin unleashed the Archive’s authority, splitting the sky and summoning the ocean from between the cracks.

A sky enveloped by the vast blue sea.

Merlin pulled out a book from thin air and tore a page from it.

It was a page that had captured the past moment of a sea monster, Leviathan.

He tossed that page toward the sky sea, bringing Leviathan back into the world.

The sea monster, which Merlin had previously split into head, torso, and lower body, emerged from the page.

It was in a state that was no different from being dead.

However, Merlin used the power of the first Archive not only to restore Leviathan’s body but to grant it new life.

Suddenly, a whirlpool roared in the sea of the sky, and from its core, Leviathan, a jade-colored sea monster, burst out, opening its massive jaws toward the earth.

Its mouth was so enormous that its overall outline couldn’t be captured by the eye.

A size beyond human comprehension.

Its sheer size alone was enough to induce terror, but Oliver, whose hair had turned completely white, could only stand rooted to his spot, staring.

With eyes that resembled an abyss with no visible bottom.

Just as Leviathan prepared to swallow Oliver, the ground where a shadow had fallen began to ripple, and something shot into the sky.

It was a dragon.

A dragon with fiery red eyes, enormous jaws, jet-black scales densely packed together, a body as massive as a mountain, and wings.

The dragon was actually the Flesh Cook.

He appeared larger and stronger than Merlin remembered from the past, opening his massive jaws toward Leviathan.

The Leviathan and the dragon-formed Flesh Cook collided in their respective realms of the sky sea and the earth.

The resulting shockwave caused space to distort, the sea and land twisted.

Kuhuhuhuhu…!!!

Screeeeeeeech—!!

Amidst the distorting winds, the sea monster and the earth monster brandished their teeth at each other.

Whenever the monsters attempted to bite one another, the earth split and tidal waves rose.

A scene that appeared as if destruction and creation were happening simultaneously, like in a mythical story.

In the middle of that scene, Leviathan and the dragon-formed Flesh Cook tangled tightly, forming a giant circle.

Leviathan opened its massive mouth, and the dragon-formed Flesh Cook swiped with his claws.

The dragon’s sharp black claws tore through Leviathan’s jade scales.

In response, Leviathan unleashed a massive tidal wave, throwing the dragon off balance and then creating multiple waterspouts to bind the dragon’s neck and torso.

The Flesh Cook, trapped by the sea, let out a horrendous scream and roared, unleashing a wave of searing flames from his enormous jaws that burned up the waterspouts.

Sssssssss—!!!

A sharp, ear-piercing sound followed, as scalding steam engulfed Leviathan and the Flesh Cook in an instant.

The heat was unbearable, to the point that merely being near it would sear flesh and incinerate airways.

Amid the steam, several figures could be seen.

These figures were none other than the undead servants of the Pied Piper.

They pushed their way through the apocalyptic battlefield and climbed onto the dragon-formed Flesh Cook.

Despite having bodies that could not die, this act bordered on madness.

“Rest… Rest at… last…!”

“Ughhhh—!”

“Please… save us… aahhhh…”

The reason for this insane behavior was to find rest.

They sought rest from Oliver, who had denied the Pied Piper.

For that rest, they charged headlong into a battlefield that made it feel like their bodies would shatter at any moment, heading toward Merlin who stood on Leviathan’s head.

For Merlin, who was still battling Oliver, who had yet to fully adapt to his new level.

“Aaaah!!”

The undead screamed.

Because of the intense heat of the steam that could boil a person alive.

Because their bodies shattered with each collision between Leviathan and the Flesh Cook.

Because they misstepped and plummeted to the ground, leaving their bodies in pieces.

Even after experiencing all of that, they still could not die.

To escape all this suffering, they crawled up the dragon’s body once more, heading toward Merlin with their broken forms.

While the endless procession of undead continued, about a hundred figures appeared on top of Leviathan’s jade scales.

These figures were Merlin’s Wooden Golems that he had once commanded from his home.

As soon as they materialized in the air, they rushed toward the approaching undead.

At the same time, beams of magical energy burst forth across the scales of Leviathan and the Flesh Cook, with explosions of fire, lightning, and waves tearing through the air in rapid succession.

Whenever this happened, the undead were burned, shattered, and sent plummeting to the ground, breaking beyond recognition.

“Ah… we… need rest…”

They still couldn’t find rest, however.

KABOOOOM!!!

As the Wooden Golems and undead waged a small war atop the scales of the two giants, a massive explosion resonated, and the two monsters trembled.

The dragon-formed Flesh Cook gathered his fury into his wings and unleashed a powerful slashing windstorm.

A tornado infused with dark slashes swept across Leviathan’s body.

Kuhhh…!!

Leviathan let out a cry of agony as the storm of slashes tore through one side of its enormous body, revealing soft flesh and red blood beneath.

Fragments of jade scales and blood sprayed across the surroundings.

Leviathan shuddered in pain, exposing a vulnerability.

The Flesh Cook seized the opportunity, driving his massive claws deep into Leviathan’s jaw like a hooked fishing line.

Seizing Leviathan, the dragon thrashed it about violently across the sky sea and earth.

The sky sea trembled, waves surged, and the earth crumbled into massive craters.

Leviathan, now defenseless, was flung wildly from one place to the next.

Because of this, most of the Wooden Golems and undead fighting atop their bodies couldn’t withstand the impact and either shattered or were flung far away.

The only ones unaffected were Merlin and Oliver.

As if defying the laws of this world, they moved freely across the chaotic battlefield — atop Leviathan and the Flesh Cook — continuing their own battle.

[…]

Oliver, with a pure yet awkward smile, swung his arm silently.

Merlin, surrounded by pure white light, dodged Oliver’s attack, tore a page from his book, and struck Oliver with precision.

Snip!

It was as if he had spent his entire life mastering swordsmanship.

Merlin’s skill was no illusion; every strike landed accurately, cutting through Oliver.

The cut areas included his neck, chest, abdomen, and both legs — five in total.

The five slashes extended beyond Oliver and even struck the dragon-formed Flesh Cook.

[GROOOAAAR!!!]

The scales thicker than iron armor shattered, and the flesh beneath was sliced, causing the Flesh Cook to let out an inexpressible cry and lose his grip on Leviathan.

Leviathan then broke free from the dragon’s grasp and retaliated with a powerful kick.

The world trembled again.

Mountains rose up and collapsed.

Waves surged and split apart.

The shattered waves and land collided mid-air.

Some of this debris even flew toward Merlin, but as if blocked by an invisible hand, the fragments never reached him.

Perhaps because of this, Merlin continued to focus only on Oliver amidst the chaos.

Oliver remained standing even after taking a blow that even made the dragon writhe in pain.

Did the attack not affect him?

That wasn’t the case.

Since he still hadn’t fully adapted to his new level, Oliver’s body bore wounds.

No blood flowed from these wounds, and they quickly healed.

No, ‘healed’ wasn’t the right word; it was more like the concept of time was reversed, restoring him to his original state.

Even though this wasn’t an issue, the speed at which the injuries closed was becoming a problem.

It was getting harder to buy time, and Oliver was gradually adapting to his level.

Then it happened.

While Oliver awkwardly moved through space, yet unable to display a proper response, he clenched his hand.

And something appeared between his fingers.

It was Paper.

The Paper appeared in mid-air… No, it was created.

Oliver didn’t manifest the Paper as an illusion; he created it out of nothingness.

With the Paper in hand, Oliver took his stance.

It was the same stance as Merlin. And then…

Snip!

Oliver swung the Paper, perfectly replicating the swordsmanship Merlin had displayed, more precisely, the swordsmanship of the first Archive.

Five slashes, the same as before.

As soon as Oliver swung the Paper, Merlin, who had already leaped through space, dodged the attack.

But Leviathan, due to its immense size, couldn’t avoid it and suffered the same fate as the Flesh Cook, with its body being cut.

With a terrible tearing sound, jade-colored scales scattered through the air, mixing with blood like rain.

Leviathan howled in pain, and the Flesh Cook, in retaliation, bit down on Leviathan’s neck with his massive jaws.

Entangled like two serpents biting each other, they formed a giant circle.

Oliver and Merlin circled around the creatures, exchanging blows.

Merlin primarily launched the attacks.

He executed every skill accumulated by the various Archives over a millennium to launch a vicious onslaught.

He sliced through the air with his Paper.

He used every gap, leveraging his lifelong training in swordsmanship and martial arts.

He unleashed all the magic, Dark Magic, and curses passed down through the generations.

The power was so overwhelming that Leviathan and the Flesh Cook collapsed onto the ground.

It was only natural, as Merlin was using the power of the first Archive.

However, Oliver remained unscathed. On the contrary, the more he was attacked, the more naturally he moved.

It was as if he began to understand his new level through the power of the first Archive. As more time passed—

-Rustle.

Merlin’s attacks were no longer able to inflict even a scratch on Oliver.

Yet, Merlin didn’t stop, continuing to search for an opening in Oliver’s defenses.

Just a little more time—

[What do you see me as?]

Oliver, who blocked Merlin’s attempt, asked through a telepathic exchange.