The monsters vanished.
Just like during Vitatitudo, all the monsters perished without even being able to resist.
‘No… this time, it’s slightly different.’
Chief Choi took a deep breath to calm his surprise.
He was one of the few who could grasp the situation.
During the Vitatitudo incident, the bodies remained.
But this time, the monsters were truly being “erased” from existence.
And the one at the center of it all—Kang Hyun.
Even though he was an ally, the scene was nothing short of terrifying.
‘This… is the power of the Word Mage, Kang Hyun….’
A final, distorted noise crackled through the speakers before the transmission was abruptly cut off.
The sound quality had been too poor to identify Kang Hyun through it.
‘Kang Hyun….’
Chief Choi shuddered as he closed his weary eyes.
###
“Master! They’re really all dying! The monsters that filled the ground are completely gone!”
Aden’s voice trembled with shock.
But Kang Hyun didn’t respond.
He was completely immersed in controlling the flow of mana.
‘It worked.’
He wasn’t referring to defending against the invasion of Seoul.
He had successfully deceived the system.
[Awakened Status Check]
Name: Kang Hyun
Rank: EX
Traits:
<Reincarnator>
<Kyle’s Heart>
<Complete Potential Release (1-time use)>
Skills:
<Kyle’s Swordsmanship Lv. Max+2>
<Assassination Lv. 6>
Stats:
Strength: D-
Agility: D
Endurance: D-
Stamina: D-
Magic Power: EX
Even after his latest action, his EX-grade mana remained unchanged.
But what counted as an “action”?
It was the process of forming intent and manifesting it in reality.
Naturally, something as trivial as taking a step wouldn’t be considered an action in this context.
Most likely, an action would only count when mana was used.
In other words, a single action meant manipulating mana to imprint his will onto reality.
Kang Hyun recognized this and attempted something.
‘My action isn’t over yet.’
He controlled his mana and intent with extreme precision.
Before using 【Die】, he had formed a specific flow of mana—
A method that maximized the power of his Words of Power to the absolute limit.
He had used 【Die】 while maintaining that flow.
And that flow had not yet ended.
Then, with a level of mental control close to self-hypnosis, he reinforced his intent.
The purpose of his action wasn’t just to use the Word of Power 【Die】—
It was to protect Earth from this invasion.
In other words, his action had not yet concluded.
It was a feat only Kyle, a master of mana control, could achieve.
And it was only possible because he was a Word Mage, someone who could forcibly impose his will onto reality.
‘The Abyss… I know exactly how it operates.’
A cunning entity that reveled in elaborate schemes.
Its plans always followed a distinct pattern.
That pattern involved dispatching its thought projections.
The Abyss Legion Commander’s true body couldn’t cross over to Earth.
The system would never allow it.
So it had chosen this convoluted method instead.
‘There must be a projection of the Abyss somewhere on Earth.’
It had contacted traitors across nations, granting them the power to corrupt dungeons.
And when the time was right, it would detonate those corrupted dungeons simultaneously.
That thought projection had to still be on Earth.
Since the invasion had just been triggered, it was likely still in place.
Which meant—there was a way to turn the tables.
‘In my past life, I never managed to pull this off. But this time, I can.’
By the time he had developed the skill to use this technique, his throat had already been ruined.
It was a technique that placed immense strain on his vocal cords.
‘But now, I can do it.’
His throat was in perfect condition.
And besides—he had something else.
Kang Hyun reached into his pocket.
A staple he always carried with him.
A “throat lozenge”, a Perfect Clear reward item.
A ridiculous, overpowered artifact that could completely restore any strain on his throat.
Kang Hyun pressed his fingers against his throat.
“Ssshhh—”
An overwhelming surge of mana that could flip the entire world upside down.
And the unparalleled skill of a Word Mage who had reached the pinnacle of his craft.
When those two forces combined—
Even miracles became possible.
【Ah, Ah.】
Kang Hyun expanded his vocal resonance to its absolute limit.
His voice—no, the intent within his voice—echoed across the entire world.
Each word consumed an immense amount of mana, but with the peak specifications of Kyle, it was manageable.
“Uh? Master? Your voice… it sounds strange. It’s reverberating like crazy.”
“【Where are you?】”
“Ah, ah…!”
At this very moment, every single person on Earth heard Kang Hyun’s voice and his intent.
And so did the Abyss’s thought projection, wherever it was hiding.
Kang Hyun closed his eyes.
His consciousness swiftly scanned the targets that received his voice’s intent.
Just as when he had used 【Die】 in Seoul, where the command selectively affected only the monsters mixed within the crowd—
This level of godlike control was something only Kyle could achieve.
And then—
“【Found you.】”
Kang Hyun’s eyes snapped open.
But his gaze was fixed on something far beyond his immediate surroundings.
In his vision, he saw the startled thought projection.
A figure draped in a black robe, sinister octopus-like tendrils writhing beneath it.
Location—London, England.
That thing was currently sharing its consciousness with the Abyss’s true body.
His vision tunneled, drawn deeper into the projection’s eyes.
Through the connection, he traversed dimensions, plunging into the depths of the Thean ocean.
And at last—
Kang Hyun’s sight reached the Abyss itself.
A massive, overwhelming eye.
Simultaneously shocked and utterly enraged.
[You…! How dare you—!]
Enormous tendrils surged toward him.
If this had been reality, Kang Hyun’s body would have been torn apart in an instant.
But this was not the physical world—it was the realm of consciousness.
And here, Kang Hyun was untouchable.
A Word Mage who imposed his will upon reality.
And at the peak of all Word Mages—Kyle.
Even the most dreadful of legion commanders could not oppose him here.
【Listen.】
A Word of Power that imposed restrictions upon the target.
The rampaging tendrils stopped dead in their tracks.
[What… is this…?]
The Abyss Legion Commander reeled in disbelief.
Not only had someone invaded its domain of consciousness.
But with a single word, it had been completely restrained.
【Eyeball monster. If you attempt to invade Earth within the next four years, you will lose 60% of your power.】
This was not like the method he had used back when he was a government broadcast official.
There was no fair trade involved to minimize backlash.
It was nothing but a unilateral declaration—
A declaration of absolute arrogance.
But by pouring nearly all of his mana into it, Kyle made it possible.
[Eyeball… monster…?]
The Abyss flinched.
That familiar insult.
A century ago, a certain nemesis had called it that with the same level of arrogance.
And then—
From the darkness, countless chains erupted, tightening around the Abyss’s core.
[Aaaaaaaagh—!!]
The massive eye quivered violently.
Impossible.
Who, in this world, had the power to impose restrictions upon the most dreadful existence?
A familiar insult.
An almost mystical level of willpower.
The conclusion was obvious.
[You…!]
The Abyss’s enormous eye locked onto Kang Hyun.
[You’ve returned, Kyle!]
Kang Hyun grinned.
【This time, I’ll kill you for real.】
Just wait.
His vision rapidly withdrew from the Abyss.
At the same time, the sound of chains rattling filled the void, and the Abyss convulsed in fury.
[Kyyyyyyyyyle—!]
His sight snapped back to reality.
Aden, completely bewildered, turned to him.
“Master…? What did you just do? Eyeball monster, invasion… what was that about?”
The entire world had heard his voice.
Though they hadn’t heard the Abyss, so they wouldn’t know it was Kyle.
Ding!
[World Quest – The Second Invasion has been cleared.]
[Rewards have been granted.]
Ding!
[World Quest – Earth’s Invasion has been completely cleared.]
[With a successful clear, the Third Invasion has been prevented.]
[Rewards have been granted.]
The time had come for the world to learn of the existence of the Word Mage.
‘Just wait, eyeball monster.’
Next time, we strike first.
###
The world was in an uproar.
[Citizens, an unbelievable event has occurred!]
[The monsters that had filled Seoul have completely vanished….]
[Survivors testify that they all heard the word ‘Die’ through the disaster warning speakers….]
During the First Invasion, the Vitatitudo incident, an S-rank Word Mage had already made an overwhelming impression.
But this time, he had operated on an entirely different level.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Moonshadow, who had been running his mouth, quietly set his account to private and disappeared.
The successor to none other than Kyle—the newly emerged Word Mage.
Kang Hyun had already carried immense symbolic weight, but now, with this unprecedented achievement, his presence had become undeniable.
In this rapidly approaching era of chaos, there was no better unifying figure for humanity.
[GSA establishes EX-rank in the International Standard Awakener Classification.
Korea’s Death God designated as EX-rank…]
Death God.
A nickname earned from the Word of Power 【Die】 and his signature skull-patterned hoodie.
“…I thought I’d been exposed.”
“It must be a coincidence! Who in their right mind would think you and Ghost are the same person?”
It was oddly fitting that his alias resembled that of Ghost.
Watching the ensuing online debates was just as surreal.
└ Shouldn’t we say that Death God has surpassed Master Kyle?
└ That’s absolute nonsense.
└ But Kyle never used anything as absurd as 【Die】.
└ Still nonsense.
└ So can Kyle use 【Die】 or not?
└ Don’t cross the line.
Because of the Word of Power 【Die】, people were speculating that Death God had surpassed Kyle.
After all, there was no record of Kyle ever using such a command.
But the majority strongly disagreed.
Kyle’s achievements were too legendary to be overturned by a single Word of Power.
Was he not the very man who sealed the Black World Tree?
The only reason the World Tree hadn’t wiped out both Earth and Thea was that Kyle’s seal still restricted its power.
That was how absolute his legacy was.
And there was one organization that couldn’t stay silent about this.
└ It’s out! The official statement from Thea!
└ For real? Even those bureaucratic fossils are reacting?
For the first time since recognizing the Saint of Britain, Thea officially acknowledged Korea’s Death God.
As the successor to Kyle.
There had been many who falsely claimed to be the heir of the legendary hero.
But only the Saint of Britain had ever been recognized—
Because Thea itself had acknowledged her legitimacy.
This was why Japan’s Moonshadow had lost his mind in a fit of inferiority.
It was an established precedent.
But unlike the Saint, Death God had presented no evidence whatsoever.
This was the first time Thea had directly monitored an event and taken action.
In truth, Thea had no choice.
The Word of Power 【Die】—
A command that Kyle had never been recorded using.
If left unchecked, the narrative that Death God had surpassed Kyle would spread.
So before that argument could take hold, they acted first.
By officially placing Death God beneath Kyle in rank.
And, of course, no one objected.
The Korean people only celebrated.
There were even movements in Korea’s National Assembly to designate the announcement date as a national holiday—
Just as Britain had done.
But what followed became a nightmare for Kang Hyun.
Kyle-themed merchandise exploded in popularity worldwide—
Especially in Korea.
“Wh-What… is all this…?”
“Tadaaa—! Aden’s bucket list!”
Kang Hyun’s Magic Academy was flooded with Kyle-themed goods.
Posters, bromides, hardcover fairy tale collections, and—
Horrifyingly high-quality magi-tech figurines.
“Back when I was poor, I could only dream of these! But now, with my A-rank finances, I’m fulfilling all my childhood dreams—”
“【Explode】.”
BOOM—
The figurines detonated spectacularly.
“KYAAAAAAH—!! T-that was a limited edition! I can never get it again—!!”
“Bring more of this garbage here, and you’re dead.”
“GRRRR—! DIE, DIE! I CAN’T FORGIVE YOU!”
“You’re actually defying your master now?”
Aden, in tears, lunged at him.
“I CURSE YOU! You will replace everything you destroyed! You will restore the figures!”
“You’ve grown weak of spirit. It must be because your body is weak. Time for training.”
“KYAAAA—! DIE! PLEASE JUST DIEEE—!”
And so, training commenced.
Kang Hyun sat cross-legged on Aden’s back as she did push-ups, watching the news.
‘The global situation is shifting dramatically.’
This event had fundamentally altered humanity’s perception.
Everyone now understood—Earth was in a state of war.
And they were actively preparing for it.
But every change required a focal point.
And now, the Word Mage Death God would become that center.
‘War is coming again.’
Just as it had a hundred years ago—
This time as well, the vanguard commander would be the same.
At the forefront of Earth and the allied forces—
Would stand the strongest Word Mage.
Earth.
Thea.
The Demons.
The Black World Tree.
All would soon bear witness—
To the return of the Great Hero Kyle.
