Chapter One: The Last Scion of Humanity
The air on the hundredth floor of the Tower of Beginning felt like frozen blades scraping Jae-hyun's lungs. Alone. The word echoed in his mind, a cold, desolate truth. All eleven champions, legends in their own right, had fallen before him. Now, only his ragged breaths disturbed the silence of this vast, unnervingly white chamber. He clutched Soulrender, his ancestral sword, his knuckles white against the dark hilt. His heart hammered, not from fear, but from the sheer, overwhelming weight of the world's desperate hope.
Before him, suspended in the unnatural glow, was the Angel. Its form, impossibly beautiful, radiated a pure, blinding light. Immense, feathered wings unfurled, stirring no breeze, yet Jae-hyun felt the oppressive pressure. Its very presence was suffocating divine power. This wasn't just a guardian; this was a perfect barrier, an immutable servant of the tower's will.
The Angel's luminous eyes, once serene, now sharpened, fixing on him. A voice, clear and chilling like a young woman's, resonated from the very air. "So this is what your world has to offer after climbing the Tower of Beginning? One warrior left. Pathetic. But at least I shall have something to play with before the inevitable." Jae-hyun felt a jolt of anger at the dismissive word, tightening his grip on Soulrender.
This is it. One chance. Their last hope. My last breath.
[System Alert: Entering Final Chamber - Tower of Beginning, Floor 100]
[Warning: Guardian Presence Detected - Angelic Class]
[Warning: Imminent Threat Level: Catastrophic]
Jae-hyun didn't speak; he didn't have time for words. He exploded forward, a raw, desperate roar tearing from his throat. "Damn you!" His tired muscles screamed, but he pushed past the pain. Soulrender cut through the air, leaving a shimmering trail as it streaked toward the Angel's chest.
The Angel reacted with impossible speed. It didn't move in the traditional sense; it simply shimmered, a ripple in reality, and Jae-hyun's blade passed through empty space. Too fast! It's like fighting a ghost!
The Angel reappeared behind him. Jae-hyun spun, muscles screaming, bringing Soulrender around in a wide arc. The Angel merely dodged again, its form blurring with effortless grace. Then, a hand glowing with pure divine energy was raised. Jae-hyun felt an invisible force slam into him. He stumbled, barely catching himself before he fell. The Angel wasn't truly attacking, not yet. It was countering him, toying, evaluating.
"Your movements are clumsy, mortal," the Angel's voice echoed, tinged with boredom, like a young woman amused by a child. "Such effort for no result."
It thinks this is a game? Jae-hyun gritted his teeth, anger mixing with desperation. He attacked again, a desperate, frantic flurry of strikes. Faster! Come on, move! Soulrender glowed faintly, draining his meager mana. The Angel continued its effortless dance of evasion, its movements fluid, almost mocking. Each time his blade even got close, she would shift slightly, making his attacks utterly useless. This is impossible! My attacks can't touch it!
[Champion Status: Last Stand]
[Health: Moderate]
[Mana: Low]
Then, the Angel's demeanor changed. Her cold eyes sharpened with a distinct, almost human interest. She'd seen enough.
"Enough of this child's play," the Angel declared, her voice now cold and firm, devoid of its previous boredom. "Time to end your struggle."
Here it comes. Jae-hyun braced himself.
The Angel moved, not to dodge, but to strike. Her radiant blade materialized in her hand, glowing with blinding intensity. She swept it down in a swift, devastating arc. Jae-hyun barely managed to bring Soulrender up to block. A deafening clang of divine power against ancient steel ripped through the air. Jae-hyun's arms screamed in agony. He was pushed back, skidding across the cold stone floor, with sparks flying. The sheer force of the blow was unimaginable.
[Damage Taken: 35% Max Health (Holy Strike)]
[Status: Stunned (1s)]
[Warning: Critical Damage Sustained!]
Before Jae-hyun could even comprehend the pain, the Angel was upon him. She didn't use her blade this time. She moved with blinding, inhuman speed, her fist, glowing with pure light, slamming into Jae-hyun's chest. He felt his ribs give way with a sickening crunch. A sharp, excruciating pain exploded through him, stealing his breath, stealing his very will. His vision tunneled into a pinpoint of white-hot agony. He was thrown backward, crashing hard against a colossal pillar. Blood erupted from his mouth, spraying across the pristine stone. His vision swam, blurring into a kaleidoscope of agony.
This is it. I failed. Everyone... the world...
[Health: CRITICAL!]
[Status: Near Death]
[Warning: Champion Failure Imminent! World State: DOOMED!]
As darkness threatened to consume Jae-hyun's blurring vision, a colossal, ancient presence filled the chamber. It wasn't light, but an overwhelming, oppressive shadow that devoured the Angel's radiant glow, like a black hole swallowing a star. The very air grew thick, heavy with an unimaginable malevolence. This new power was beyond anything Jae-hyun had ever felt—ancient, vast, and terrifying.
The Angel, who had just moments ago been triumphant, froze. Her luminous form flickered violently, her immense wings spasmed as if shocked by an unseen force. Her face, once serene, was now twisted into an expression of profound shock and dawning, utter fear. Her radiant sword wavered, its light dimming rapidly.
[System Alert: Unknown Entity Detected!]
[Entity Class: Cosmic / Demonic Lord]
[Danger Level: Absolute Catastrophe - UNMEASURABLE]
[Warning: Containment Seal Destroyed! Tower Protocol Violated!]
"No... this cannot be! You are free?!" the Angel cried out, her telepathic voice, still young-sounding, now trembling with raw terror and disbelief. She backed away, fear palpable. "They would come for you!"
From the encroaching darkness, a voice erupted. It was deep and resonant, yet distinctly that of a young woman, filled with a terrifying, seething anger and the cold echo of ancient betrayal. "Are you surprised, little angel? Did you truly think their paltry chains could hold me forever?" The Demon Lord's presence swelled, radiating a chillingly meticulous power, tinged with a cunning amusement that bordered on senile glee at the Angel's fear. Her fury was directed not just at the Angel, but at something far older, far deeper. "Those other 'lords' who betrayed me will learn the true meaning of eternity in despair!"
The Angel, desperate, lunged towards the new entity, ignoring Jae-hyun. "The price is too great! The Tower of Beginning's purpose will be undone! The world... it will fall to shadow eternal!"
The Demon Lord let out a silent, bone-chilling laugh that seemed to echo directly in Jae-hyun's disintegrating mind. "It is undone. And the world shall fall. You cannot stop what I have become."
A searing, unbearable pain ripped through Jae-hyun's dying body. His very essence felt like it was being stretched, pulled, then forcibly reshaped by an alien will. An overwhelming, cold power, vast and beyond comprehension, surged through his every cell. It felt like his core identity was being violently seized, overshadowed by an ancient, suffocating force. He convulsed, his life force rapidly consumed, his consciousness flickering. He was dying. He knew it.
[System Alert: Hostile Entity Attempting Possession!]
[Warning: Soul Integrity: Compromised!]
[Warning: Essence Overload Detected!]
As his final breath hitched, and the darkness claimed his sight, a cold, powerful command echoed directly in his dissolving consciousness. It was the Demon Lord's voice, firm and commanding, yet still with that distinct young female tone.
"You are summoned, Champion. Rise, for your Queen. My pawn, my instrument, my eyes in the new age. I will be back."
Jae-hyun's body hit the cold stone floor with a dull thud. His eyes were lifeless, staring blankly at the ceiling. Soulrender clattered uselessly beside him.
[System Message: Champion Jae-hyun: Deceased]
[System Message: Quest Failed: Defeat the Guardian]
[System Message: World State: Doomed]
Far below, across the world, the protective wards powered by the champions' hopes flickered and died. The sky, once clear, began to weep black rain. Ancient seals that held bigger evils across the lands cracked and crumbled. The last champion was gone. The world was doomed.