Since ancient times, all humans have feared the darkness.

    No—more precisely, they feared the unknown.

    What lay beyond their perception, their understanding, or their strength was what truly terrified them.

    Darkness embodied this very concept.

    It concealed what lay ahead, erased what could be felt, and drowned the world in a sea of terror.

    In a world consumed by darkness, all light was stolen, leaving nothing discernible.

    A realm filled solely with darkness was void of even a single glimmer, as it crept outward, engulfing everything.

    A chilling thought emerged: Had even one’s existence been erased?

    This fear only deepened as the darkness grew thicker, more oppressive, converging into a single focal point.

    All the darkness in the world began to gather and condense into Seong’s sword.

    Was this what it meant to give form to darkness?

    It surged, viscous and heavy, as if alive.

    “So this is what an Almighty-grade skill looks like?”

    Even Seong couldn’t hide his astonishment.

    The effects alone were extraordinary, unlike anything he had seen.

    If Seong was shocked by the skill’s outward effects, those observing him were overwhelmed by the sheer power embedded within it.

    It wasn’t just the overwhelming visual impact—it radiated an aura capable of severing anything and everything.

    “W-what is this!?”

    Noctrynnium, transfixed, stared at Seong’s sword, forgetting even its own pain.

    It was as if Seong had become the master of all darkness, bending it to his will.

    But it wasn’t just the power emanating from the sword that struck fear into Noctrynnium.

    Although Noctrynnium couldn’t comprehend it, Hindel recognized it instantly.

    From the way Seong gripped the sword to his precise posture, Hindel could see the depth of masterful swordsmanship.

    This wasn’t apparent during their previous battles.

    Or perhaps... it had been there all along, concealed just beneath the surface.

    Hindel had already acknowledged Seong’s extraordinary skill in wielding a blade, but he hadn’t revealed his swordsmanship techniques.

    “He had a swordsmanship skill this whole time!?”

    Even though it hadn’t been visible before, Hindel wasn’t disappointed.

    If anything, he felt relieved.

    The power contained within Seong’s blade, the immeasurable depth of darkness—it could have been more devastating than any explosive force he had witnessed before.

    Grateful that the blade was not turned against him, Hindel reflected:

    “Even my Galaxy Sword Dance, one of the finest techniques, might fall short against this.”

    Though both were classified as Almighty-grade, their depths and contained power were on entirely different levels.

    The Galaxy Sword Dance had been passed down through generations of heroes and was considered among the world’s greatest techniques.

    But no matter how much Hindel thought about it, he couldn’t envision a scenario where his technique could triumph over Seong’s swordsmanship.

    To Hindel, Seong was like another sky above the heavens.

    “Perhaps he possesses power akin to the master of this Dark Castle...”

    Hindel’s subconscious whispered the answer, though he didn’t know if it was correct.

    “The darkness... it’s all gathered.”

    “For that to even be possible... Hindel’s swordsmanship might not even compare...”

    “...It’s stronger.”

    The awe-filled exclamations of Hindel’s companions echoed around him.

    But for Noctrynnium, the blade pointed at it only brought terror.

    The master of darkness? That was impossible.

    To Noctrynnium’s knowledge, only its master could truly wield the power of darkness.

    Then what was this swordsmanship before it?

    Though it had admired Hindel’s swordsmanship before, this was in a completely different realm.

    With fear-filled eyes and a face twisted in fury, Noctrynnium glared at Seong.

    As Seong leaned forward slightly, Noctrynnium’s form tensed.

    “...!!!”

    Seong’s figure vanished.

    It wasn’t speed—it was a profound manipulation of mana.

    Noctrynnium swiftly braced itself, predicting where Seong would appear.

    And then it realized—he was directly in front of it.

    Seong emerged from the darkness, his sword cleaving through the air.

    Slaaaaash——!

    “Kuhk!”

    Before Noctrynnium could react, the blade struck.

    Noctrynnium wanted to deny it.

    It wanted to scream that no one could stand on equal footing with its master.

    But it couldn’t.

    The terror consuming it left Noctrynnium trembling uncontrollably.

    “H-heh, heh...”

    “The one we were struggling against...”

    “To think it could be subdued so easily... It’s incredible...”

    “...Unbelievable.”

    Hindel and his companions were struck with disbelief, their strength drained by the sheer absurdity of it all.

    The being they had barely managed to fend off with everything they had—Seong had completely overpowered it with minimal effort.

    Though they knew Seong was powerful, witnessing it firsthand left them utterly dejected.

    The realization of the gap between their strength and his was crushing.

    But their despondency didn’t last long.

    The party shook their heads, each thinking: Even if Seong is strong, we still have our role to play.

    Just as they were about to spring into action—

    “Hmmm, that’s quite the impressive swordsmanship~”

    A playful yet sultry voice rang out.

    They turned to see a woman with luscious red hair and an enchanting smile stepping through a tear in space.

    She strolled leisurely through the air as though on a casual walk.

    Her presence was jarring.

    No aura, no oppressive energy emanated from her—yet a primal survival instinct screamed within them.

    Run.

    You’ll die.

    There’s no resisting her.

    But even as their instincts howled, their bodies refused to move, frozen in place.

    “W-what is... happening...?”

    “M-my... senses are slowing...?”

    “T-this is... terrifying...”

    Though the woman exuded nothing, her very existence felt like it could crush them.

    She spoke again, her gaze fixed on Seong.

    “With swordsmanship like that, even I’d have a hard time~ I’d better retreat before things get dangerous~”

    This woman, a figure who invoked fear across the world, casually spoke as if she were in an advertisement.

    The tone was odd, but none of Helena’s subordinates could perceive this.

    All they could think was how extraordinary Seong’s swordsmanship must be.

    Of course, Seong noticed everything.

    He even caught the playful wink and thumbs-up Helena directed solely at him.

    Seong covered his face with his hand, exasperated by her antics.

    Fortunately, no one else noticed.

    Helena, feigning nonchalance, took the nearly incapacitated Noctrynnium and floated into the sky.

    “Then, I guess it’s time to run away?”

    “N-no! If he continues to grow, it will spell trouble for the master!”

    Noctrynnium’s panicked protests only made Helena frown deeply.

    “Oh, hush. It’s a good thing if he surpasses me. Isn’t that obvious?”

    Noctrynnium couldn’t possibly understand her perspective.

    Helena shook her head and added:

    “It’s fine. He doesn’t seem interested in being our enemy anyway. If he were, you wouldn’t still be alive.”

    “...Ah?”

    “Anyway, I’m leaving now. And you, hero—stop bothering me. It’s annoying!”

    With a mischievous warning, Helena clenched her hand in the air.

    Kwooooom——!

    The very space where the Dark Castle stood tore apart, lifting the mountain and castle into the air.

    It was incomprehensible.

    Not just the castle, but the massive mountain beneath it had been uprooted and suspended in midair.

    How powerful must one be to accomplish such a feat?

    Helena glanced at Seong and said with a smirk:

    “I’d better vanish without letting you figure out where I’m going.”

    Her playful smile lingered as she disappeared into a massive turquoise portal, the castle sucked into its depths.

    Seong, watching the portal, recognized something.

    “That’s...”

    Before he could complete his thought, Helena waved at him, her eyes filled with bittersweet longing.

    “Goodbye.”

    Her words were brief but heavy with unspoken emotions.

    Seong felt a pang of regret, sensing the same wistfulness in himself.

    As Helena’s theatrical exit concluded, system messages flooded Seong’s vision like the ending credits of a film, listing an array of rewards.