Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 15.
Ha Gyeong recalled a harrowing memory.
How many of his comrades had fallen to that mad assault?
Each downpour of needles carried tremendous force within it.
A single graze would have rotted the flesh from his bones.
Ha Gyeong’s expression hardened like stone.
‘Damn it, I hate to admit it….’
The terror of the past seemed to descend upon him once more.
Of course, the Remnant’s Authority had degraded considerably.
Normally, the Mana Suppression Effect should have reached ninety-nine percent.
And the deluge ought to have been catastrophically vast.
Its momentum was nothing like before, yet it could not be dismissed lightly.
A single hit would be fatal.
Ha Gyeong calmly swept his right hand through the air.
‘I can do this. One step at a time.’
[Abyss Challenger’s Distortion Authority warps space]
Crack!
The bundle of crimson rain-streaks vanished in an instant.
A violet disc appeared in the void at once.
The deluge Authority had been turned back upon the Abyss Ruler.
Splash-splash-splash-splash-splash!
The bloody streaks pierced through the thick flesh relentlessly.
Yet the Abyss Ruler merely offered his observations without emotion.
―Ah! So this is the Authority I once lost.
The Abyss Ruler’s back was tattered and torn.
Countless holes wept dark blood in torrents.
But the creature simply unfurled five pairs of arms without concern.
Ha Gyeong clenched his teeth.
‘Damn it. What kind of thing is this that can take that and still….’
Then radiance poured forth from the Abyss Ruler’s hands.
[Abyss Ruler’s Extreme Heat Authority erupts in a sea of flame]
[Abyss Ruler’s Storm Wind Authority spawns a whirlwind]
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
A massive column of flame-wind formed, scorching everything around it.
Ha Gyeong sprinted across the Wasteland.
‘Damn it. That infernal combination.’
How many of his comrades had been sacrificed to that overwhelming technique?
He could not stop moving.
The moment he believed himself safe—
He would be drawn in.
But then came the thought.
A sudden insight flashed through Ha Gyeong’s mind.
‘That’s right. Back then too. Four of its arms were torn clean off, and it barely reacted.’
He had not dwelt on it then.
Fear had consumed his thoughts.
Now, in retrospect, the creature’s behavior admitted two interpretations.
First: pain immunity, like the Spirit Cloak.
And second….
‘It’s simply enduring.’
Ha Gyeong glanced back at the Abyss Ruler.
The dark mask obscured its face entirely.
He could discern no expression.
But the possibility was strong.
The Abyss Ruler regarded Awakeners as dust.
Would such a contemptuous thing show pain to insignificant vermin?
Such an arrogant monster?
Ha Gyeong abruptly changed direction.
‘My striking power is sufficient. If I can drive one sharpened True Soul Cutting straight through, just once—’
The Abyss Ruler deployed its Extreme Heat and Storm Wind whenever in crisis.
Did that not suggest its wounds were grave?
As Ha Gyeong closed the distance, he extended his left hand.
[Kinfolk Predation skill targets locked]
[Target: Abyss Ruler’s Remnant]
Whoosh!
Ha Gyeong’s entire frame blazed white-hot in an instant.
But his movement stopped abruptly.
Mid-sprint, he was forced back and tumbled ungracefully.
Ha Gyeong exhaled heavily.
“Ugh!”
An Abyss Energy far too vast had pierced his entire body.
The Abyss Ruler caught Ha Gyeong easily.
Then tilted its head as if amused.
―How curious. Stealing another’s strength to wield it. A most unusual technique. And quite useful too, provided you can endure it.
Ha Gyeong had poured everything into a single blow.
It was the obvious choice.
The Abyss Ruler’s power would be truly overwhelming.
But the force was too ferocious to bear.
Even the Spirit Cloak could not dull the agony.
Ha Gyeong’s eyes had turned completely white.
“Argh!”
A groan tore from his throat unbidden.
As though he had swallowed pure poison.
In truth, little differed.
The Abyss Ruler’s power was beyond any Awakener’s capacity to withstand.
Ha Gyeong squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.
And glimpsed what might have been a smile behind the dark mask.
The Abyss Ruler was suffused with mockery.
Lightning crackled through Ha Gyeong’s mind.
‘This bastard…!’
Fury manifested, threatening to burst from his chest.
Ha Gyeong forced his trembling arms upward.
His movements were so pitiful that the Abyss Ruler paid no mind.
It seemed merely to ponder how to finish him.
Then his arm fell slowly.
Like an artisan carving a sword-stroke, deliberate and unhurried.
The Abyss Ruler nodded.
―Your resolve alone deserves acknowledgment. Yet such alone accomplishes nothing.
[Abyss Ruler’s Heavenly Pierce Authority summons a lance of inevitability]
Whistle-whistle-whistle-whistle-whistle!
A golden, elongated shape descended from the sky.
As the Abyss Ruler flexed a finger, the spear-point locked onto Ha Gyeong.
Click!
The Abyss Ruler then intoned:
―A remarkably spirited death-struggle, for a mere worm.
Boom!
A thirty-meter golden spear drove downward with crushing weight.
Nothing struck by such a thing could remain whole.
But at that very moment—
Brilliant light erupted from Ha Gyeong’s Karambir.
He overcame the overwhelming pressure, drawing his arm down to its limit.
A cutting stroke imbued with soul.
True Soul Cutting itself.
Screech—! Boom!
A vast pale disc flew forth.
Ha Gyeong’s True Soul Cutting cleaved the lance apart and soared onward.
Then embedded itself directly in the Abyss Ruler’s chest.
Crack-crack-snap! Deafening roar!
A terrific shockwave detonated outward.
Ha Gyeong was hurled far away.
He clawed his way back to his feet.
‘The strike landed cleanly. So then….’
A True Soul Cutting more powerful than any he had ever drawn.
The sensation of piercing flesh-deep had vibrated through his grip.
A direct hit, surely.
Ha Gyeong clung to fragile hope and looked up.
But an unexpected system message bloomed.
[Abyss Ruler’s Regression Authority restores its shattered form]
Ha Gyeong stared blankly at the settling dust.
Soon the Abyss Ruler’s silhouette emerged.
Its form was ravaged beyond recognition.
Crack! Squelch!
But it was mending at astonishing speed.
In a crude, blunt fashion.
Ha Gyeong tried to hurl himself forward.
‘I must sever its breath before full recovery.’
But his legs buckled immediately.
Ha Gyeong dropped to one knee.
Thud!
‘Damn….’
No matter how hard he strained, his body would not respond.
The backlash of channeling power beyond his limit.
Tremendous Abyss Energy roiled through him.
Ha Gyeong vomited a mouthful of dark blood.
“Cough! Retch!”
After expelling it, the writhing in his gut eased slightly.
Yet his condition remained grave.
As Ha Gyeong hesitated, the Abyss Ruler completed its restoration.
It seized him at once.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Ha Gyeong moaned under its terrible grip.
The crushing force was beyond imagination.
His bones felt ready to crumble.
The Abyss Ruler curled its lips and spoke:
―Remarkable. For a mere insect to drive me to such straits.
A voice of genuine wonder.
But no mercy dwelt within it.
Only the intent to annihilate.
Pure, thick killing intent.
Ha Gyeong met the Abyss Ruler’s gaze and spoke:
“A shadow lecturing me? How rich.”
―What?
“You’re not even real. Yet you strut about like the true body.”
―The insect has lost all sense of fear.
The Abyss Ruler’s killing intent intensified.
Yet it seemed not truly angered.
Why waste wrath on vermin?
Ha Gyeong, for his part, smiled with grim satisfaction.
‘Now I can fight again.’
[Tyrant’s Bracelet activates]
[Body recovers rapidly]
Whoosh!
He had not opened his mouth idly in such a moment.
He had spoken to buy time—time for the Tyrant’s Bracelet to mend his frame.
And so Ha Gyeong seized the chance once more.
‘Abyss Energy in abundance. One more True Soul Cutting, and—’
Point-blank range.
An off-guard Abyss Ruler.
The perfect opportunity.
And his artifacts amplified his power further.
[Reactive Magical Armor activates]
[Spirit Cloak activates]
The moment for a decisive blow had arrived.
Ha Gyeong gripped the Karambir tight.
But his body halted mid-attack.
‘Wait. Can I even survive this?’
Drawing in such transcendent Abyss Energy could not leave him unscathed.
Ha Gyeong had managed his last strike thanks to the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
His body could be destroyed yet he would live.
But he had already used its rapid recovery once.
To use it again required time to pass.
Ha Gyeong clenched his fists.
‘I might die. But when have I ever spared my life while exploring the Abyss?’
Of course, he could exit this dungeon anytime.
But he could not turn his back on a mortal enemy standing before him.
Ha Gyeong’s gaze began to harden.
Then he shifted his grip on the Karambir.
‘I must break through. Contentment achieves nothing.’
The opponent was merely a Remnant, after all.
Could he not overcome even this trial?
He would never meet the true Abyss Ruler’s eyes otherwise.
Ha Gyeong released a harsh shout.
“Hraaaaah!”
The Abyss Ruler scoffed.
It believed his struggle meaningless.
―Another futile effort. No different from any other Awakener.
But then the Abyss Ruler’s eyes widened.
Pale light exploded from the hand it had been gripping with such force.
Slash!
―Wha—?
The Abyss Ruler’s severed fingers scattered downward.
In that same instant, Ha Gyeong’s form dove inward.
A pale disc buried itself in the creature’s chest.
A True Soul Cutting far vaster than before.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
The spinning disc carved through the Abyss Ruler’s body.
Meanwhile, Ha Gyeong twisted the Karambir sideways.
The pale blade remained even as the disc had launched forth.
He drew the edge across the creature’s arm.
Spinning his body, he unleashed a howling stroke.
Ha Gyeong felt something profound stir within him.
‘Father…. Uncle…. And to all my comrades who walked beside me. This stroke carries all our wishes.’
The faces of his fallen guild members flickered before his eyes.
As though they wielded the blade alongside him.
Ha Gyeong released a cry that was almost inhuman.
“Uuuaaah!”
Blood spilled continuously from his mouth, driven by the roiling Abyss Energy.
Yet Ha Gyeong did not relent.
The completed True Soul Cutting finally pierced the Abyss Ruler’s wrist.
Burst!
Ha Gyeong’s target was the left-center arm.
The one bearing the Regression artifact.
Sensing grave danger, the Abyss Ruler cried out harshly:
―Y-you madman!
“That’s right. Never let your guard down against a madman!”
As Ha Gyeong plummeted, he continued his assault.
Deep wounds carved into its flank and left leg.
Then the Abyss Ruler collapsed to one knee.
No—it simply fell sideways.
Boom!
The True Soul Cutting that had pierced its chest.
The pale disc shattered, tearing through everything in its path.
Then Ha Gyeong and the Abyss Ruler’s eyes met.
―”Beast” suits better now than worm, I suppose.
“Then you lost to a beast.”
―Destroying one shadow and calling yourself victor. How presumptuous. But delusion is free, I suppose.
“….”
Ha Gyeong watched as the creature crumbled to dust.
There was indeed a significant gap between this and the true Abyss Ruler.
Had this been the genuine article, he could never have matched it.
Not in the might of its Authorities.
And not in raw physical ability.
Soon the Abyss Ruler’s Remnant faded almost entirely.
From within the scattering dust, a fanged grin appeared.
―See you again, beast.
Tearing open the Gate
Author |
Morae Tob
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7F, Gwangsung Building, 28 Bongeunsaro114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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