Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Last Stand Before Conquest
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046
The final moments before South Korea's Black Gate was conquered.
“Uwa, uwa….”
The orc high priest letting out sounds like some ancient incantation.
“Krurr.”
And the red aura pouring from the Black Orc's entire body, as if influenced by that sound.
Dozens of Black Orcs and the high priest.
That was Go Yohan's final battle inside the Black Gate.
In other words.
“Kartul isn't here, is he?”
The orc great chieftain he'd been waiting for, Kartul, had not shown himself.
Crack!
The high priest with his shoulder crushed, eyes bulging wide.
His face was.
“Krack! Krack!”
Smeared with something akin to ecstasy.
“Krack! Krack!”
It wasn't a call for Go Yohan.
“Ograck Krack!”
They were calling for their great warrior, Kartul.
Crack!
He shattered the high priest's chest.
At that moment, Go Yohan was.
“Is that so.”
Smiling.
“Just as I expected.”
It was then.
“Krack! Ograck!”
The high priest crying out for the great warrior and their god together.
[Orc summoning ritual is in progress.]
Unlike the demons of the past who had no idea Go Yohan was here, the demons now knew he was present.
There was no way such beings would attempt to target this world again with such a small-scale, shabby method.
Woooong!
It was no exaggeration to say the gate's interior was completely sealed from the outside.
Entry from outside was permitted, but escape was not.
And that meant.
Woooong!
The souls and spirits of those who died inside couldn't leave either.
Through his divine sight, Go Yohan could see the souls of everyone who had died in the Black Gate rising up.
Crack!
Go Yohan, having just broken the high priest's neck last, reached out toward the empty air.
With his current power, could he even tear those souls apart?
[Orc summoning ritual links.]
But Go Yohan slowly lowered the hand he had extended.
“It's been a while since I'll see you again.”
The sky slowly distorting.
[Black Gate is destroyed.]
With the Black Gate's destruction, Go Yohan and the other players inside would be pushed back to their world.
“Kartul.”
When he opened his eyes.
“Players!”
“The Black Gate has been conquered!”
He could hear cheers like those from Association members.
The place where Go Yohan emerged was the same Buyeo Gate entrance he'd gone in through.
He'd fought the final battle alone.
“Ugh, is it over?”
But when he came out, he was with Baekgang and Shield, the ones who'd entered with him.
Go Yohan's sunken gaze began to slowly relax.
And then.
“Why do you all look like that?”
He unwittingly made a bewildered face.
Most of Shield, including Kim Cheon-seok, and Yu Baek along with most of Baekgang had stripped off their upper garments, exposing their bare skin.
Even though players' bodies were generally toned, the sight was quite grotesque and amusing.
“W-We had to check for some tattoo or whatever!”
Kim Cheon-seok yelped in surprise and hurriedly put on his shirt.
“We were all stripped bare, checking every nook and cranny.”
“Puhahat.”
In the end, Go Yohan burst into laughter.
“Good thing there weren't any more.”
“They told us to check everyone coming to camp later.”
“How could we do that?”
Yu Baek spoke confidently, as if he weren't embarrassed to be shirtless.
“After seeing how serious the potential threat was with our own eyes.”
That was a relief, then.
“Still, put some clothes on first.”
Flash flash flash!
Far off, though they couldn't get close due to Association control, reporters waiting nearby were snapping photos of Shield and Baekgang.
“By the way, this isn't the end yet.”
At Go Yohan's words, Kim Cheon-seok and Yu Baek froze simultaneously.
They'd just come out of that insane place, and it wasn't over?
“I should go see.”
Go Yohan turned away before the reporters could swarm.
“Uh... what is it.”
Kim Cheon-seok called out to him.
“Don't worry about what happened inside.”
“......?”
“Anyone with a sound mind will know it wasn't wrong.”
Only then did he understand.
The Hojo Guild members.
It seemed to be about punishing those who'd sold players to the orcs.
“It wasn't villainous.”
“I never said it was.”
“Hyungnim!”
At Kim Cheon-seok's words, Go Yohan and Yu Baek spoke at the same time.
“In war... that's what makes a hero. Anyway, thanks. Because of you, me and my boys all survived.”
Go Yohan walked away without responding further.
Swoosh.
His figure vanished like a mirage, startling those around him once more.
“Why say something like that?”
Yu Baek spoke as if frustrated.
“Just...”
Even Association members were pushing through as reporters approached.
“I feel sorry for him. The kid.”
*
*
*
South Korea's Black Gate was the fourth to be conquered.
Compiling the players' accounts, there was no doubt that South Korea's Black Gate was larger and more formidable than any other in the world.
The first to conquer a Black Gate was Russia.
-Under the noble sacrifice of our great Russian players, we have finally succeeded in conquering the Black Gate.
They had conquered it early and were flooding the media with press releases.
Even though three thousand players had been sacrificed, the key point was their success.
-It was a demonic realm, swarming with red-skinned orcs. They were completely different from the known orcs.
Russia's Black Gate had been.
-A single orc village that we successfully conquered.
An orc village.
Orc village.
Unlike South Korea's gate with seven villages and their rituals, they'd only faced one.
The other conquered Black Gates were the same.
Afterward, details about South Korea's gate emerged.
-South Korea's Black Gate consisted of a cluster of seven orc villages.
-Ahem.
-Gasp.
Reporters at the press conference couldn't hide their shock.
Considering the scale of other gates already conquered, it was overwhelming.
-Casualties: 381...
The number of sacrifices was overwhelming in another sense.
What was amusing was.
-Russia's Black Gate was a single massive village with ten thousand Red Orcs.
Russia stepped forward indignantly.
As if saying we were greater!
-Our great players feared no death...
It was then.
“It was two thousand.”
Yun Seung-ah, who had greeted Go Yohan, spoke.
“They pushed in their national players to claim credit. Three thousand died just like that.”
The one who had conquered Russia's Black Gate was none other than Yun Seung-ah.
Contrary to Russia's announcement, there were two thousand Red Orcs, and even with Yun Seung-ah there, the three thousand casualties were due to their own stubbornness.
“It must sting.”
Yun Seung-ah said with an emotionless face.
“After offering unit-level rewards to conquer the Black Gate.”
They weren't even their own national players.
-The guild that made the greatest contribution to the conquest is the one called 'Shins,' whose identity is still...
-The 'Shins' suspected to be the monopoly force from the last Black Gate.
For Yun Seung-ah, that was the extent of what they'd promised under the name Shins.
The situations with other Black Gates were similar.
“You did well. Any injuries?”
At Go Yohan's words.
“...None.”
Only then did Yun Seung-ah smile faintly.
*
*
*
Most Black Gates had been conquered.
For places the Apostles couldn't reach, Goldian had leased out three hundred unique items for a fee.
There were also stories of obscure guilds suddenly shining and succeeding in conquering their nation's gates.
And.
-It was hell.
The true nature of the Black Gates began to reveal itself bit by bit.
-Orcs that charged even with arms severed seemed less like orcs and more like undead.
Worldwide, the casualty numbers were far from low.
The monsters encountered there were overwhelmingly powerful.
“We need to hurry releasing the elixirs a bit more.”
Yun Seung-ah nodded at Go Yohan's words.
“Isn't Gluttony working too hard?”
He'd said it out of worry for the still-young Gluttony.
Snicker.
Yun Seung-ah couldn't help but laugh at that.
Really.
‘He sees us just as ordinary people.’
Only Go Yohan viewed them that way.
The Apostles, who had nearly become vessels for demons.
In that place where time flowed differently, only their bodies hadn't grown.
“......”
Their minds had been tortured for years, decades, to become suitable vessels.
Age meant nothing to Apostles.
Moreover.
‘Barbarians.’
That was what Russia's players had called Yun Seung-ah after she single-handedly swept three hundred Red Orcs.
From what she'd heard, Kim Sion's case was even worse.
His appearance was just a boy of about fifteen.
-M-Monster... Aaaah!
They'd fled from him like he carried plague, even after he'd cut down Red Orcs for their sake.
Afterward, not a single player supported the Red Orc village; they'd just shoved in Kim Sion alone.
Yun Seung-ah's gaze darkened as she thought of that nation.
But Go Yohan was different.
“It would've been nice if you could go to school too.”
He saw them purely as children, boys, girls.
“Thank you just for saying that.”
Between Apostles and Go Yohan.
There was no lust there.
Only a parent's love as if looking at their children, and awe mingled with respect.
‘Still...’
Yun Seung-ah quietly gazed at Go Yohan.
‘I'm older than him...’
It was then.
“Seung-ah, you've noticed too, right?”
Go Yohan's sunken gaze.
“......”
Yun Seung-ah's eyes sank to match.
“This isn't the end.”
Most Black Gates had been conquered.
The next gates opening?
That wasn't the issue.
Go Yohan's divine sight, and Yun Seung-ah's...
‘Demon Eye.’
Yes, that's what she'd named it.
The two with their extraordinary vision could sense it.
“Kartul is coming.”
That something enormous was approaching.