The Academy’s Time Stop Player
chapter-164

Whoosh!!

Hajoon's magical power surged wildly.

The wildly fluctuating power rapidly extended around him.

Hajoon infused his enormous will into the power he was emitting.

At least, as she had hoped.

Here, at the heart of the sanctuary called the 'Altar,' he aimed to completely annihilate it.

Boom!!

The ceiling of the sanctuary, the pillars that supported it, and the surrounding walls and floor began to crack under the influence of the golden magical power spreading through the air.

A massive earthquake shook the place.

Amidst this, Hajoon's magic lashed out even more fiercely.

[We're not done yet.]

Hajoon further amplified his magic.

With the intent to completely demolish this vast place so that it could no longer be called a 'sanctuary,' Hajoon filled his magic with immense determination.

[I'll erase everything.]

Boom!

[Shatter.]

With that tranquil proclamation, the place known as the 'sanctuary' of the Altar began to crumble under Hajoon's will.

Boom!!! Crash! Bang!

Ceiling debris fell and turned into golden particles upon hitting the ground, scattering into nothingness.

The surrounding pillars collapsed, disintegrating into dust, unable to maintain their original form.

That was the manifestation of Hajoon's will.

He intended to obliterate this place so that she could no longer even contemplate the Altar.

Then, it happened.

Ssshhh~

An unknown force from afar began to counter Hajoon's destructive magic.

The falling debris from the ceiling froze mid-air, and Hajoon's magic, reaching far, collided with this unknown force, creating massive sparks.

Crackle! Zap!

Soon, Hajoon realized who was behind it.

'A god. It must be that bastard's doing.'

It was clear that the priests, wishing for this temple not to fall, were using their wishes to fend it off.

However, such desperate efforts seemed pitifully insignificant to Hajoon.

They were not at a level to handle his magic.

[Insignificant.]

Hajoon further intensified his magic.

Crackle!! Zap!

At that moment, the force resisting Hajoon's magic began to waver, gradually losing ground amid the growing sparks. If that force was blocking his magic, Hajoon only needed to shatter it.

"Irregular…"

A tense voice sounded in front of Hajoon.

Zehar.

He was looking at Hajoon with a face filled with horror.

"How could you be here..."

Eventually, he had come to this place.

The heart of the Altar, the sanctuary.

Certainly, this place could only be entered through permission granted by the barrier of the gate...

'Could he have broken through the barrier?'

Regardless of the method, Hajoon had to be stopped.

It was the most dangerous situation imaginable for the Altar.

Zehar should never have allowed himself to get this close to the divine intervention.

"Stop that man!"

Zehar's near-desperate cry echoed as he directed it towards Hajoon.

In an instant, countless priests of the Altar rushed towards Hajoon.

All that consumed Hajoon's mind was the need to prevent the sanctuary's complete destruction.

In such a situation, Hajoon calmly raised his magic and looked at the man.

The cause that led him to Haruna's location.

The evidence of the stupidity of this fool who thought of himself as a god was right in front of him.

Thanks to him, Hajoon knew where Haruna was.

Hajoon, watching them charge, activated 'Slow Time's Flow'.

There was no need for time stop or excessive magic.

This ability was convenient for exerting force without strain.

Of course, this skill, even with light movements, could cause destructive phenomena, but Hajoon charged at them with all his might.

Whoosh!! Boom!!

The moment Hajoon vanished, a massive sonic boom erupted, the air burst, the ground shattered, and the surrounding pillars collapsed under the impact.

Simultaneously, the rushing priests of the Altar were swept away by the sonic boom, their limbs twisted, and they were flung in all directions.

Thump!

"Ugh!"

Then, suddenly standing in front of Zehar, Hajoon roughly grabbed his mouth and spoke.

[It seems you've been revived.]

The man Hajoon had killed in the past was now alive and well.

Of course, he had been resurrected for the sake of Haruna's revenge, but it was unlikely that he was fully restored.

He was probably an existence that would disappear once his purpose was served.

However, Hajoon had no intention of letting him off easily.

[You'll regret being resurrected.]

Whoosh!

Golden magic began to flicker in Hajoon's eyes.

That moment.

“?!”

Whooosh!

Zehar's eyes widened in shock.

A horrific scene, unimaginable in this world, unfolded behind Hajoon.

'What in the world is this?!'

A blood-red sky and a space made entirely of bones below it appeared before his eyes.

At that moment, Zehar felt an instinctive fear.

Crack- Crack-

Then, countless hands made of unbreakable bones emerged from the ground, flailing about.

They grabbed Zehar's arms, legs, and head, dragging him down to the ground.

"No, nooo! Stop, stop it!"

Zehar began to struggle.

A face consumed by fear.

With such a painful expression.

His body slowly sank into the bones and disappeared.

Thud-

Finally, as Zehar's screams stopped, Hajoon loosened the grip of the hand holding his head.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, soulless, Zehar collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Soon after, his body gradually turned to dust and scattered away.

Hajoon, seemingly indifferent, stepped over the dust that was once Zehar and moved towards Haruna.

[Don't do anything.]

With those words, Hajoon once again gathered his magic.

The divine force that had been countering Hajoon's destructive magic gradually gave way to his power, sparking and neutralizing.

Boom!!

The destruction resumed.

Above Hajoon and Haruna, the buildings that once formed the ceiling dissolved into light and flowed down.

Hajoon turned his gaze towards the source of that divine energy.

Surely, that's where he must be.

[Rest for now.]

After patting Haruna's head, Hajoon walked towards the location he figured the other was.

After Hajoon disappeared from view.

Haruna slowly lifted her head, staring blankly at the place Hajoon had headed towards.

As Hajoon advanced, the magic spreading around him caused destructive phenomena throughout the space.

The flow of magic centered around Hajoon was gradually overtaking and consuming the area.

Passing through a long corridor in such circumstances, Hajoon finally reached the place where he expected to find her.

-Please, grant us salvation!

-Give us strength!

Below the giant Altar, countless priests were gathered.

Each one of them, kneeling towards the Altar, sincerely wept and prayed. They implored for salvation, for the strength to smite the unbeliever.

In such a scene, a girl was standing at the center of the Altar, illuminated by a ray of light, looking down upon her surroundings.

A distorted face.

A god with a ferocious face was looking down at Hajoon.

-O faithful! Do not let that vile man approach! Fulfill your duty!

She screamed at Hajoon, as if in a final struggle.

-Stop him! Do not let him near!

Upon her command, the priests of the Altar slowly began to rise from their places.

Of course, Hajoon had no intention of letting them move.

Whoosh! Boom!! Clang!!

Hajoon dashed towards them, kicking off the ground.

The ground where Hajoon passed was sheared away, creating a sonic boom.

It was as if a streak of golden light had passed through.

Between these streaks of light, hundreds of priests were twisted and screaming in agony.

It was ruthless violence.

It seemed like a great calamity had swept through the area.

In such a situation, only a man and a woman stood still amidst the rising dust and chaos.

The pillars of the Altar.

The observer, Argo.

The protector, Jillian.

-Argo! Jillian! Stop him!

The god shouted towards the two pillars.

Following the god's command, Argo and Jillian started to rush towards Hajoon.

Behind Argo, hundreds of eyes emerged, and in front of Jillian, a giant cross appeared, forming a massive barrier to protect the Altar.

In this situation, Hajoon activated Time Stop.

Crash!! Whoosh! Crackle!!

Argo, who had been charging towards Hajoon, was flung far away, crashing into a wall.

Jillian, who had been protecting the barrier, shattered it in vain as his body was smashed deep into the ground below.

It all happened in an instant, before they could even react.

The eyes of the god standing on the Altar began to tremble with agitation.

Hajoon approached the god of the Altar.

He climbed the steps slowly, gripping the golden hammer tightly.

[Do you still think you're a god?]

Hajoon asked.

Calmly, his magic aura threatened the 'demon' masquerading as a god before him.

With each step Hajoon took closer to her, her face filled with despair.

-What, what do you want? I said I'd grant you everything! Why are you trying to stop me like this?

She just wanted to exist.

Born from the beliefs of people, she wanted to repay that faith.

-I just want to eliminate injustice and bring equality, to answer the desires of people! Why are you stopping me? The world I'm trying to create is surely the one you humans long for!

It was the first time hearing such ideals from her.

Perhaps, if the game had followed its bad ending, this world would have become what she desired.

However, the process she undertook for her so-called righteous ideals was disgustingly abhorrent.

So much so, that Hajoon involuntarily contorted his face.

[So you ruined Haruna's life for that?]

-Sacrifice is inevitable! And I will repay her beyond that-

[That's enough.]

Hajoon cut her off, his face twisted in disgust.

Simultaneously, he raised Maharazu high above his head.

Whoosh!!

Hajoon unleashed his magic once again.

His magic aura started to surge violently.

All of that power began to converge into the Maharazu he was holding.

Her eyes widened in terror.

[Just die.]

With those words, Hajoon swung down Maharazu with all his might.

That was when it happened.

Click-clack- click-clack-

The sound of footsteps from behind.

Hajoon's hammer, just before it struck her, stopped in mid-air.

Both Hajoon and the god turned their gaze towards the back.

From behind, Haruna Ruel was slowly walking towards them.

-Haruna Ruel!

The god, seeing Haruna, cried out as if pleading.

-I'll give you everything! I'll fulfill your wishes! Please, just stop!

She seemed to see Haruna as her last hope, desperately begging. Haruna, having reached right in front of the god, had a sorrowful and powerless expression, but her face seemed resolved.

-You said you wanted to see your family, right? I'll revive them! If you wish, I can make anything happen.

“......”

Despite her words, Haruna remained unresponsive, simply looking at the god.

Upon hearing her words, Haruna's expression gradually turned sorrowful.

Tears began to form in her eyes.

Watching her, Hajoon slowly put down his hammer.

He neutralized the magic swirling around him and observed her choice for a moment.

Then, suddenly, she began to embrace the god tightly.

-Ah! Aaah!

Hope filled the god's eyes, believing that Haruna Ruel had finally chosen her.

However, sensing something wrong, unlike the god, Hajoon simply turned his back on the god and Haruna.

He slowly descended from the Altar, deciding to respect her choice.

Whoosh!

-Uh, uh?! Wa, wait! Stop! Stop!!

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, the energy of Rune Language emanated from Haruna's body, beginning to burn the god.

Bluish flames surged up, as if intending to incinerate the god's entire body, turning him into ashes that scattered away.

-Stop!!! Please, please stop!! Save me!! Plea, please...

The power that brought to reality everything she imagined.

Hajoon, having descended from the Altar, watched the power of Rune Language that she wielded.

He waited for a brief moment, allowing her to end everything as she wished.

Without intervening as Haruna desired, Hajoon simply observed the unfolding events.