Suho's movements were a living catastrophe. Leveling-up again, from the very beginning. But the one moving the body was someone with a history of struggle, forged by facing innumerable dangers.
Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish!
If the Suho before leveling up moved through the most efficient path like a precise machine, piercing the fanatics' vital points, the current Suho was a storm. And at the center of that storm, he was pulverizing his enemies. Wherever he passed, streams of black blood burst forth like fountains. And the monsters wearing human masks fell. As death piled upon death in this world…
Flicker— Flicker!
The frequency at which this world flickered like a screen with static increased. The scenery of the peaceful campus and the hideous Outer God's cave, covered in slime, ceaselessly interchanged.
[Well done! Very well done!]
Kandiaru shouted in a voice full of ecstasy.
[Kill more! The more of them you kill, the bigger the amount of experience points! And then a hole will be pierced in the law that upholds this world! Just like that!]
"…!"
Crackle—!
Just then, the moment the two flickering worlds overlapped, the back of the Awakened one Suho had just defeated suddenly split in half with a crack!
Splaaat!
[Finally, the sturdy law has begun to break!]
From within, a hideous tentacle covered in thorns shot out, lashing at Suho like a whip. Kandiaru, as if waiting, opened his mouth wide and…
Chomp!
He swallowed the tentacle flying towards Suho mid-air.
That was the signal.
Crack! Crunch! Splat—!
Here and there, the bodies of the fanatics who had been wearing human skins began to split and burst on their own.
Groooaaar!
Kyaaaaaaaaak—!
Like an insect shedding its skin, from within them, their original forms, grotesque, hideous and misshapen monsters began to emerge. Then, they began to attack Suho with an erratic and chilling momentum, incomparable to when they were human. But Suho had grown just as strong. As he faced them, Kandiaru, still chewing on the tentacle, continued his explanation.
[If this were Earth, this would be called contamination, or perhaps corrosion. But whatever the process, the result converges to one thing. A dimensional rift, that is, a Gate!]
Ruuuuuuumble!
Before Kandiaru's words could even finish, the heavens and earth vibrated as if they would collapse. In various places of the world hastily created by Itarim, dimensional holes began to open due to the aftermath of all the fierce battles. And then…
[And then, a Dungeon Break!]
Crrrackle! Kururung!
From within those numerous gates, as if waiting, 'alien beings' began to pour out. A 'Cataclysm'! The beginning of the end that had once occurred on Earth was being identically reenacted.
[But there is just one difference here!]
However, there was one thing clearly different from that time. The protagonists. Kandiaru, admiring the result he had designed, burst into an immensely satisfied, mad laughter.
[Behold! I have designed it so that 'other beings,' instead of the denizens of chaos, invade this place!]
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
'…?!'
Kandiaru's design was perfect. What poured out from the gates were not magical beasts. Though their appearances varied, they were all immortal warriors, riding avatars bearing the name 'Sung Jinwoo.' Specifically, 'all of humanity'!
"Commence battle!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The billions of 'players' who poured out from the gates roared and charged all at once. The 'false peace' of this world was already shattered, and the enemies had returned to their original, hideous monster forms. There was no need to distinguish who was an enemy. Everything in sight was an enemy, so they attacked whatever they could. Just like the magical beasts that invaded Earth.
Moreover, the '2x EXP Event' was still applied to them.
"Kill them all! They're all experience points!"
"Can't pass up a 2x EXP event!"
They were all players who had completed their training in the Tower of Trials and been granted the name 'Sung Jinwoo.' This bizarre battlefield was the ultimate hunting ground for them. The fear of death had, at some point, transformed into the thrill of leveling up. And from the perspective of the people of Earth, who had until now been powerlessly invaded, they were now in the exact opposite position, counter-invading the world of these monsters. At their very forefront, Sung Suho, who had been the first to shatter the laws of this world, shouted.
"Let's go!"
Waaaaaaaaaah—
At Suho's cry, billions of humans began the main game of 'Solo Leveling: Ragnarok.' This was no longer a lonely journey where one fought alone. It had become a strategy game where everyone invaded an alien dimension together.
Thus, billions of players, alongside Suho, began to overwhelm the monsters on the ground. And the more they fought, the larger the world's rifts grew. Then, finally…
Crrraaaackle—!
The final finale of the Dungeon Break. The so-called 'boss mob' appeared.
[Grrrr!]
[Master!]
[We have come!]
They were beings of a rank overwhelmingly higher than the players who had emerged earlier. Precisely, the 'Monarchs' who had inherited the 'Primordial Darkness,' forcibly widening the narrow rifts, began to reveal themselves one by one.
[Kieeeeeek!]
Just then, hearing Beru's shriek, Monarchs all raised their heads. High in the heavens, Beru was single-handedly ravaging the legions of countless gray angels.
[That side looks much more fun!]
[Then I shall take the ground!]
The Monarchs' eyes gleamed as they began to exert their respective authorities.
Grrrrrrr—!
Gray, boosting the morale of his allies with a Battle Roar.
Sirka, planting Nightmare Trees to create a Blizzard of Disaster.
And Arsha, spreading Void Insects far and wide, commanding this entire chaos and leading the battle to their advantage.
[Army of Hell! Gather before me!]
And the King of Demons, Esil, summoned the Hell's Army.
Flash!
Then, the demon ships, including Alfheim, appeared, breaking Itarim's laws, and took flight all at once. They began to fight the numerous gray angels alongside Beru. But…
Boom—
The true disaster was something else. Among the Monarchs, the one with the most immense presence.
[Kuhahahahahaha!]
As the rifts widened further due to the battle, finally, the 'King of Giants, Monarch of Conquest, Thomas Andre' broke through and revealed himself! Alongside the 'King of Monstrous Humanoids, Monarch of Trials, Ammut'!
[Where is Itarim hiding—!]
As soon as they appeared, they briefly checked on Suho's well-being and immediately began to search for the strongest enemy.
[Come out, you coward! What is a so-called god doing, hiding behind these small fries!]
A thundering roar shook the heavens and the earth. But the only response was silence. Instead, more powerful and numerous monsters swarmed towards them. Then, Thomas Andre immediately raised a giant fist. His lips splitting into a mischievous grin.
[If you're going to keep hiding, I'll make you crawl out on your own!]
Fwaaak—!
Boom-kwa-kwa-kwang!
With just a light swing of his arm, all the monsters that had been rushing at him were swept away and scattered.
[If I smash all your hiding places, you'll come out on your own!]
Shweeeeeeeeeeeek—
Finally, the King of Giants' fist descended vertically. Towards the very ground he stood upon.
Ku, kwa-waaaaaang—!
The entire land was overturned. A single punch, thrown without a thought for the consequences. With that one blow, everything in sight began to crumble and split apart. A truly immense earthquake! At that catastrophe, the humanity fighting diligently on the ground remembered…
'Thank goodness… that giant is on our side.'
'Thomas Andre, that crazy old man…!'
[Kuhahahahahahaha!]
Thomas Andre. Even before becoming a Hunter, he was already a very famous maniac, known as the Bad Boy of the Ring, no, the Devil on the Ring. If he hadn't used his powerful physical might for sports, he would have, with a very high probability, become a major criminal long ago.
Yet, a powerful weapon called the 'Primordial Darkness' had fallen into his hands, an event that was a misfortune for some, and a great chance for others.
[Kuhahaha! I quite like that this isn't Earth!]
Thus, the maniac who had become the King of Giants, Monarch of Conquest, began a true 'conquest.' He paid no mind to the small fry. He was simply in a frenzy to split this land, no, this entire planet apart.
Kukwakwakwakwakwakwa!
[Kuhahahahahahahaha!]
He began to hammer the entire land, swinging his giant fists randomly.
"Th-this is crazy!"
"Someone stop him!"
"We're going to get caught up in it…!"
The players were horrified and appalled, but who would dare stop that mad giant? In fact, even Kandiaru was so shocked by that absurd act that his jaw dropped. But that too was only for a moment. Soon, Kandiaru nodded.
[Crude, but certainly effective.]
Flicker! Flicker!
Thanks to Thomas Andre's crazy actions, their progress accelerated. Each time the land was shattered, the speed at which the world flickered grew faster. Then, half of the gray angels that had been fighting Beru changed direction and flew to interfere with the King of Giants.
Kyaaaaaaaaaaoooo!
Ammut single-handedly blocked the path of those endlessly surging, sacred and ferocious angels.
[Krk. You interfere? Then we must do more.]
The King of Monstrous Humanoids, Monarch of Trials, Ammut, was merely satisfied with all of Thomas Andre's actions. Thomas Andre was the first to climb the Tower of Trials that Ammut had created. A player who had overcome all the trials within and proudly seized the Primordial Darkness. From Ammut's perspective, Thomas Andre was his most admirable and prized student.
[I will block them.]
Boom-kwa-kwang—!
Ammut, who had pushed his Iron Body technique to the extreme. At his power, the gray angels that had been surging like a tidal wave were swept away. And finally…
Crack— Crrrraackle!
The law of Itarim that had been upholding this world finally, completely collapsed.
Shatter!
Shards of the shattered sky rained down like pieces of glass. Then, the scenery revealed beneath was a sky covered with a vein-like membrane and a land covered in slime. The false peace tore away like a shed skin, revealing the hideous true face beneath.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaa—!
To that, the roar of humanity was added. Thanks to the King of Giants running wild, all the monsters on the ground had disappeared. The reason the players were able to remain unharmed in that crucible of chaos was none other than the Void Insects. The numerous clones of Arsha, one attached to each player, had assisted them in continuing their hunt even amidst the world-ending earthquake.
"Now, all that's left is the heavens, I suppose."
At the center of them all, Suho raised his head and glared at the gray angels thick in the sky. Even amidst all this, the number of angels was still endlessly increasing. For every one Beru slaughtered, Itarim was continuously creating new angels. But that tense tug-of-war was now over. Since the ground war had ended in victory, if all forces now boarded the demon ships and fought against the angels…
It was then.
Unable to watch any longer, Itarim finally descended directly.
[Enough.]
Crack—!
A single word. That was sufficient. The movements of everything that had been rampaging wildly froze on the spot.