Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Greed's Vault
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KWAAAAA!
It was something that had never happened before.
No matter how imminent the Break was, he knew there was only one way to accelerate it.
The deaths of countless Players inside the Gate—their Player Cores and mana accelerating the Gate Break.
KWA!
But now, Go Yohan had triggered the Gate Break from the outside.
BOOM!
Monsters emerged.
"Ents, Hellhounds, Black Trolls. Quite the variety."
It was then that the corrupted creatures began pouring out of the Gate in droves.
The helicopters fled in panic, leaving only drones behind.
In the distance, he could sense the Association members and others on standby growing flustered.
"Greed."
"Yes, Captain."
Greed replied haughtily, her eyes gleaming.
A brilliant golden light.
THUD!
A vibration echoed through the air.
Among the Apostles, no one surpassed Yun Seung-ah in magic.
By Travania's standards, she had already exceeded the realm of Grand Sorcerer, capable of devising and manifesting her own original spells.
But.
KUKUKUKUKU!
When it came to barriers, no one rivaled Greed.
SHWAAAA!
With the vibration, a golden light poured down from the sky, forming a thin membrane that enveloped the Black Gate.
"Ahh."
Someone let out a sigh of admiration at the beautiful sight.
A mesmerizing golden glow that captivated the eyes.
It was like a cage of gold.
No.
"Greed's Vault."
It was a prison and vault crafted to ensure nothing could be taken away.
Nothing within Greed's Vault could interfere with her.
BOOM!
But for those trying to escape it, it served as an absolute barrier granted by her Authority.
The moment the surging creatures collided with the golden barrier, they were flung back with a deafening roar.
Yet Greed's Authority wasn't merely for containment.
ZING!
As Greed's eyes deepened to a richer gold, small golden cubes formed above her outstretched hand.
And those cubes.
FWIP!
Shot out like bullets, slamming into the monsters.
SPLAT! THUD! THUD!
The monsters began exploding as if struck by some heavy, blunt force.
Greed's Vault also possessed absolute mass.
Proportional to Greed's own greed—and to the greed of those under her command—its weight and strength varied.
HUMMM!
Greed spread both hands wide, expanding the golden cubes.
The moment dozens of monsters were trapped inside the thinned barrier.
KWANG!
The golden cube compressed in an instant, reducing everything to a small rectangular shape.
TATATA!
Footsteps rang out beside her.
"No fair! You were just supposed to make a barrier! Starting without me?!"
Envy, dual swords already drawn, charged forward, tearing up the ground.
Among the Apostles, Envy's abilities were the most versatile and practical.
Her growth rate was unmatched by any other.
*Accelerated Growth.*
Where others gained 1 mana in a given time, Envy gained 5 or more.
TA!
That growth applied equally to all her stats, and when needed.
SHWAAAAK!
She could unleash double—no, more than double—her stats in a burst.
Her mana never faltered, her body swelling as if about to burst.
The speed of the accelerated Envy.
SHWISH SHWISH SHWISH!
Rivaled Go Yohan's.
—Incarnation of Envy.
Envy grew faster than anyone, even copying the stats of those she envied.
As long as she aspired to be like Go Yohan.
"...The Captain lives at this speed every day, huh?"
Her growth was virtually infinite.
Envy had already reached the opposite side of Greed's Vault.
At that moment.
PLOOSH!
Every monster along her path exploded in unison.
"Getting a bit too excited there?"
Greed remarked nonchalantly.
THUD.
Part of the ground was engulfed in thick darkness.
In the next instant.
PLOOSH!
Massive hands erupted from the darkness, devouring the monsters.
Flames surged up as a wall, lightning tore through, incinerating the beasts.
ZING.
With a faint resonance, thousands of magic arrows materialized behind Yun Seung-ah's back.
Flame, water, lightning, rock—each bearing the attributes conjurable by magic.
THUD.
They spun fiercely, amplifying their rotational force.
Snap.
At Yun Seung-ah's gesture, they rained down, pulverizing the monsters.
"...Sis is more fired up than I thought. Must have a lot pent up lately."
It was efficient, yet devastating.
That was when it happened.
Fizzle.
A shadowy figure rippled into view.
She appeared at the ceiling of Greed's Vault.
TA.
She kicked off it once more.
SCREEEEE!
Plummeting toward the ground.
In her hand writhed a grotesque longsword that seemed alive.
Her true weapon, never shown before.
Her target.
"......!"
A massive demon with four horns, emerging alongside the monsters.
The dazed demon snapped to attention, thrusting out both hands.
Roiling flames and darkness, compressed to a level no ordinary Player could withstand.
SLASH!
It all split apart in an instant.
A vertical line carved into the demon's flesh like a zipper.
And then.
PLOOSH!
The demon burst apart entirely.
No corpse remained—only some blood staining the ground.
A furious wrath directed at the demon.
WHOOSH.
In front of Go Yohan, Lee Jae-kyung drew his sword.
As the Sword Ghost, he had prided himself on swift swordsmanship akin to Envy's.
Dozens, hundreds of strikes per second—extreme speed he believed was the pinnacle of his art.
However.
KUKUKUKUKU!
Meeting Go Yohan changed the Sword Ghost's blade.
Surging mana, compressing air.
"Urk."
Even Lee Jae-kyung groaned under the mounting pressure as he drew his sword.
But the moment his blade cleared the sheath.
KWAAAAAAAA!
A vivid crescent sword beam tore through everything in a straight line.
"Huff! Huff!"
Drained of mana, Lee Jae-kyung gasped raggedly.
"Who told you to dump it all out like some brute?"
Go Yohan shot him an incredulous look.
"...You said to make it flashy."
Lee Jae-kyung grumbled, sounding wronged.
Truth be told, he still couldn't fully wield the swordsmanship Go Yohan had taught him.
That brutish style was less swordsmanship and more destruction—no.
*Annihilation.*
It bordered on annihilation.
Normally, he'd have used his original style, but knowing this scene was being broadcast live, he opted for Go Yohan's.
By now, the thousands of monsters were nearly eradicated.
What remained.
"This is bad...."
Two four-horned demons and about ten three-horned ones.
Having opened via the lives and souls of demons, it was only natural this Gate spewed more demons than any other Black Gate, save Russia's black lands.
As stated, this was a reward for the onlookers—for those who would take his side.
And on a smaller scale.
"...Fuck!"
An execution.
The demons spat their curses.
It was then.
THUD.
The traces of Yun Seung-ah's magic split apart entirely.
KUBOOM!
Greed's Vault tilted and crumbled.
And.
PLOOSH!
Every demon trapped inside was bisected at once.
All Go Yohan had done was swing the Great Sin in his hand diagonally.
"Aaagh! Captain!"
Far off, Envy yelped in surprise, dodging in a bizarre pose.
Before her.
KUUUUNG.
A scar like the world itself had been rent asunder.
*
*
*
The Seongdong Black Gate incident—where Go Yohan tore apart the survivors of Geo and Viren and beheaded Association Chairman Gu Seunghun—had shocked the world.
It was hailed as the first emergence of a true villain since Emperor, once the worst criminal.
And after the Mapo Black Gate incident.
"......"
The public fell silent.
In truth, it felt like they had all shared the same dream.
A nightmare dreamt simultaneously by most of the world.
CRACK.
In Russia, stripped of its Association privileges, Ivan clenched his fist.
"...Nikolai."
The man called a machine, Ivan, rarely showed emotion.
But now, his eyes were bloodshot with something surging deep in his chest.
"This is that Lord's reward to us."
"......"
Did it have to come to this? Was this truly right?
Such doubts had been raised by Russian President Nikolai.
He stared blankly, speechless.
When he finally spoke.
"...Ivan, once again... you... were right."
One could sense him swallowing a torrent of emotions.
At that time, in America.
"Puhahaha!"
Samuel burst into mad laughter.
"Haa, haa...."
Unable to control his trembling body, he slumped into his chair.
"Samuel!"
Richard rushed over, concerned, supporting him.
"Insane.... This is completely insane!"
Heat laced Samuel's voice.
"The world... the world is changing. The order will be reshaped! Everything will crumble! Richard!"
"Samuel, you're too worked up right now."
Richard, who usually acted the madman, seemed normal by comparison.
"We! Goldian will stand at the center of it!"
Samuel shouted.
"Race? That shit means nothing now. Nationality won't matter either. A new... a new world is opening. Richard."
CRACK.
"I want to see that idiot William's face."
William—the current U.S. President's name.
He had resisted Goldian's demands to the end, playing tug-of-war with the Association.
In the end, it was Vice President Logan who acted, so America's pressure on Korea was deemed unofficial.
"Will He permit it?"
Samuel's face flickered with madness as he spoke.
"Changing the U.S. President, I mean."
"Samuel, how about some coffee.... No, let's just calmly have some tea first."