Seo Jun-Ho opened his eyes and found himself on a chair in the dark train station. It was currently deep in the night, and the cold floor of the train station covered in darkness appeared in his eyes.
â...â
At the same time, memories began to flow into his head like waves.
âSo I got trapped in Paradoxâs Unique Realm the moment I entered the train station.â
Seo Jun-Ho clicked his tongue at Paradoxâs plan.
âParadox placed the entire train station within his Unique Realm because he had no idea who among the people is going after the Chef.â
Paradox had to have thought about what would happen if the train were to depart without any incidents.
âWhich meansâŠâ
Seo Jun-Ho finally realized how Paradox managed to identify him despite his disguise.
- We have received a report that someone who isnât a vampire is in the first compartment.
- Therefore, all passengers in the first compartment must wound their own arms to prove that blood isnât flowing through their veins.
Seo Jun-Ho thought that he had perfectly fooled everyone by acquiescing to the request, but it seemed that Paradox saw through his disguise the moment he wounded his arm because the train was already within the latterâs Unique Realm.
After all, there was no way Paradox would have failed to notice even the tiniest undulation of magic within his Unique Realm.
âHah, hahaha.â Paradox, who was sitting on a chair on the opposite side of the platform, shook his head as he laughed, seemingly dumbfounded. âThis doesnât make any sense.â
Paradoxâs Land of God was a powerful skill. Paradox had never lost in his Unique Realm because he was an omnipotent god in his realm.
âThere is only one way to escape from my realm...â
The opponent had to kill the fake that Paradox had constructed inside them.
âHow did you figure it out?â
The skin was nearer than the shirt. In other words, most people wouldnât usually think that they were the illusion itself amidst the illusions around them.
âBecause I didnât feel anythingâŠâ Seo Jun-Ho muttered with his hand over his heart. He had always been viewing things objectively. Therefore, he had always known instinctively that there was something wrong.
- I reckon that my Imperturbable Mind will shatter like glass the moment I hear that something untoward happened to one of my precious friends.
Skaya was on the brink of dying earlier, but his Imperturbable Mind remained calm. He felt neither sadness nor fear of losing a friend.
And that was when he became sure of itâŠ
âSo I became sure that I was a fake.â
â...â
Paradox remained silent. He still couldnât understand it.
âBut how⊠how were you able to readily give up your life for someone else? You didnât even hesitate,â Paradox asked, seemingly confused.
âBecause that fool has always been that kind of personâŠâ Skaya replied while exiting the nearby ticket booth. There was a huge purple bruise on Skayaâs neck. âI wouldnât have been here if Jun-Ho hesitated for even a few seconds earlier.â
Seo Jun-Ho was a fake earlier, so everyone else aside from him and Paradox would have died in reality if they had died in the Unique Realm.
âHonestly, I was caught off guard. Personally, I think that it was a good experience,â Seo Jun-Ho said.
âYouâre right. What doesnât kill you makes you stronger,â the Frost Queen agreed with a nod.
Seo Jun-Ho had been thinking that he was invincible against all kinds of psychic attacks because of Heroâs Mind. Today, he had learned the hard way that a powerful ability like Paradoxâs Unique Realm could still bypass his Heroâs Mind.
â...â
Paradox looked around without saying anything.
âThree versus one.â
He was obviously at a disadvantage.
âTsk. I should stop here tonight.â
Seo Jun-Ho and Skaya standing in front of him were strong opponents beyond imagination. Paradox figured that he would have to risk suffering severe injuries if he really wanted to deal with them.
âThereâs no reason to go that far. Letâs run away at the right time.â
âRunning away at the right timeâŠâ Seo Jun-Ho muttered.
Paradoxâs eyes widened in surprise.
âThatâs what youâre probably thinking, right?â asked Seo Jun-Ho.
Specter had dealt with so many opponents like Paradox that he could already read them like a book.
âWell, I guess itâs only natural for you to have your own plans...â Seo Jun-Hoâs voice trailed off.
â...!â Paradoxâs wide eyes turned next to him.
âAnd if youâre going to ask me if youâre capable of carrying out your plan. Then, I would say that itâs⊠questionable,â said Seo Jun-Ho.
âWhen did heâŠ?â
Paradox could swear that the seat next to him was empty just a few moments ago, but Seo Jun-Ho was now sitting on that chair.
âHeâs too fastâŠ!â
He could easily track Seo Jun-Hoâs movement in his Unique Realm, but Paradox couldnât do the same in reality. Naturally, it was all because he wasnât an omnipotent god in reality, unlike in his own Unique Realm.
âBut at this distance, I might be able toâŠâ
Seo Jun-Ho was sitting so close to him that he could easily wrap his hand around the formerâs shoulder.
âI might be able to trap him again.â
The biggest reason Paradox managed to become one of the True Vampires was definitely because of his Unique Realm. He had trained himself intensively and had figured out endless ways to activate his Unique Realm.
Swoosh!
Paradox swiped with his sharp nails toward Seo Jun-Ho.
â...?!â
However, all he could see was darkness.
Seo Jun-Ho scattered like a fleeting fog and stared at Paradox like a ghost in the middle of the night.
âTsk. That was a failure,â Paradox muttered.
âI expected that you would be more scared,â said Seo Jun-Ho.
âScared? Me? Scared of you?â Paradox crossed his legs and burst into laughter.
Of course, Paradox was caught off guard.
He didnât expect that a trivial human being could be this strong.
âBut that doesnât mean you can kill meâŠâ
Paradox grinned and asked, âArenât you curious about why Tepes decided to keep a man of great ability like me alive?â
â...â
âHe didnât really choose to keep me alive. He actually tried to kill me dozens of times, but he failed every time.â Paradox lifted his index finger and muttered, âUnique Realm.â
Then, he lightly tapped his chest with the same finger.
âYouâve seen the absurd range of my Unique Realm, so I think you should have also thought about the possibility that I could do the exact opposite as well, am I right?â
â...What do you mean?â
âI mean that my body has now become a Realm itself.â
Of course, Paradox couldnât exercise the power of omnipotence as if he was within his Unique Realm. However, it wouldnât be difficult for him to defend himself.
âIs that so?â Seo Jun-Ho snapped his fingers.
Paradox instantly turned into an ice statue.
Paradox smiled mockingly despite being frozen.
Crack!
The ice imprisoning him was shattered as Paradox emerged from the ice.
âIâve said this earlier, but you really arenât the type to trust others easily.â
Paradox brushed off the dust from his lap and said, âWell, then. Letâs call todayâs brawl a draw and call it a day.â
âAre you out of your mind?â Skaya frowned and mustered her magic. âWho said that weâre going to let you go?â
âIf youâre not gonna let me go, then you better kill me before the other True Vampires arrive here. I wonât stop you.â
Fwoosh!
An arrow made out of chaos pierced Paradoxâs heart.
âKeukâŠ! Arghhhh!â
It was extremely painful, but there was no way that Paradox would die from such an attack. Paradox writhed in pain for a while, but he soon stood up with a grin. âHaha, that hurt like crazy. You guys are very strong. Iâm even doubtful if you two are humans.â
â...â Skayaâs expression darkened. She thought that Paradox was only bluffing, but it seemed that he wasnât lying when he said that he wouldnât die.
âThat attack was strong enough to stop Rahmadat from regenerating for at least a few minutesâŠâ
Skaya turned to Seo Jun-Ho. âWhat are we going to do? Are we just going to let him go?â
âOf course not,â Seo Jun-Ho answered. A flower blossomed over his hand.
Moon Eye.
Seo Jun-Ho held the flower by its stalk and swirled it around.
âThis is actually perfect. Iâve been curious about something for a long time now, and this is the perfect time to test it. What do you think will happen if a spear that can pierce anything collides with a shield that can block anything?â
The effectiveness of either one of the two was bound to be completely disproven.
âI see what youâre trying to do here,â Paradox nodded at Seo Jun-Hoâs question.
Paradoxâs Unique Realm was now his entire body; in other words, he had become the strongest shield that could block anything in the world.
âThe spear will break for sure. I just canât imagine myself dying,â Paradox affirmed.
â...Are you sure about that? It seems that you lack creativity,â Seo Jun-Ho smiled slightly and stared intently at Paradox. âThen, what do you think will happen if the irresistible spear had a special ability?â
âWhat kind of ability are you talking about?â
âThe scornful ability to disregard any defenses.â
â...â
Paradoxâs lips quivered momentarily. With a stiff look, he spoke, âThatâs a ridiculous ability. If the spear has such an ability, then the shield should have a similar ability as well.â
âThen, you should give yourself that kind of ability,â Seo Jun-Ho said. He then casually hurled the flower that he was holding toward Paradox. âFeel free to do soâif youâre capable of doing that, of course.â
Seo Jun-Ho could remember Paradox saying that he had gotten sick of his flowers.
âI infused it with more power to scorn than usual, so itâs an extra special flower.â
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
â...!â Paradoxâs pupils widened.
The flower blossomed and scattered its scornful petals everywhere.
The sight was just as beautiful as the first time he had seen it using Triaâs ability.
âThis isâŠâ
The petals looked as soft as silk. However, every single petal falling on his skin was more terrifying than any ghost stories he had ever heard in his life.
âAh, ahhhâŠ!â
The petals shredded his Unique Realm into nothingness.
Paradox held his tightening heart as he collapsed to the cold floor once again.
However, this time, he couldnât get up anymore.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[All stats has increased by 12.]
[... received from Limit Breakerâs effect.]
After a quick glance at the system messages, Seo Jun-Ho turned to look at Paradox and said, âSee? The spear wins.â
Seo Jun-Ho thought that he should tell Rahmadat about this. He could still remember that they had discussed this topic before.
With that being said, Seo Jun-Ho gently laid his hand on Paradoxâs corpse.
âGive me your memory. All of it.â
***
Rattle.
A simple, rugged casket slowly opened, and a man raised himself up.
â...Paradox.â
He had tried to kill the man countless times before, but he had always failed.
Today, Paradox finally died.
âThe time has come.â
The manâs ambition had always been restrained due to the existence of the strongest shield called Paradox. After all, Paradox had always been wary of the man getting stronger than he should be.
âBut you ended up dying firstâŠâ
The man slowly donned a purple cloak.
His eyes turned red as he stared at the moon beyond the window.
âNothing can stop me nowâŠâ
It was time to establish a brand new world.
***
âThe spear wins.â
â...What?â Rahmadat asked while blinking his huge eyes. âWhat are you talking about?â
âWhen the irresistible spear collides with the immovable shield, the spear wins.â
âThatâs nonsense. The shield would definitely win.â
âNope. I tested it myself.â
âThat means your opponent wasnât the strongest shield.â
Seo Jun-Ho, Skaya, and the Frost Queen returned to the village of the Twilight Claw tribe.
Arnold stared at the three with a stiff look.
âAre you all right? I heard that you went missing,â he asked Seo Jun-Ho.
âWeâre fine. We just ran into an annoying enemy, thatâs all.â
âAn annoying enemy?â Arnold asked, perplexed.
Skaya shrugged at the curious eyes and exclaimed, âLet me give everyone here a quiz! What walked on four legs yesterday and walked on three legs today?â
The confident Orca standing next to her exclaimed, âI know the answer! The answer is human! Yesterday refers to a baby crawling on all limbs, and today refers to a senior who has to walk with a cane. I found the answer in a quiz book.â
âWow, heâs good.â
However, Skaya shook her head. âWrong! It was a great answer, but itâs wrong.â
âWhat? Then, whatâs the answer?â
âThe answer is a True Vampire!â Skaya exclaimed.
â...â
The Arch Warriors staring at her repeatedly blinked. They were obviously confused.
Arnold picked his ears and asked, âIâm sorry, I think there was something in my ears. Can you say that again?â
âTrue Vampire, True Vampire, and True Vampire! We killed Paradox!â Skaya exclaimed.
âTrue Vampire Paradox is dead? Are they talking about that notorious monster who has been reigning half of the city of Trium for the past few decades? Is he really dead?â
The werewolves turned to look at Seo Jun-Ho.
Their expressions seemed like they were saying that Skaya was talking nonsense.
âItâs true.â
However, Seo Jun-Ho nodded and confirmed Skayaâs words.