Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: The End of Gotham
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Boom!
Kuuwaaa……!
The green light enveloping the world began to fade.
And then.
Things slowly came into view before my eyes.
The first thing that entered my sight was the battlefield, now free of fog.
- Gruk!
- Keeieeek!
Monsters.
The sacrificial victims of the Malicious Gu, with about half still alive, were swarming in droves.
“Fight!”
“Drive out the evil and protect our families!”
“Don’t fall back! Show those mafia bastards why we’re Idam!”
The members of Idam blocking those monsters were fighting fiercely and desperately.
When they grew weary, they used my sturdy skeleton soldiers as shields.
The wounded were being healed by Dana’s subordinates stationed everywhere.
And.
Right in front of my eyes.
“Krheeeuk!”
There was Andrei, clutching a deep gash in his chest and letting out a raspy groan.
That shock must have shattered the formation.
“……Hah!”
The old man who had watched my battle let out an exclamation of admiration.
“How in the world did you do it? Dang Hwi-pyeong’s formation is one of the top techniques in our world, rivaling the best under heaven…… And you saw through it just by feel, without even looking?”
‘I told you I’d show you.’
Whoosh!
I shook the blood off my sword and let it hang loosely at my left side.
My right cheek stung from the impact.
But in the end, my Poison Flash had triumphed over his fist.
This was all thanks to Kapu.
[Guide: Good job, Hoon.]
[Skeleton King: No problem.]
Heh.
As I smirked.
“You bastard…… You damn……!”
Andrei staggered to his feet, trying to do something again.
Thwack!
But I stepped lightly and kicked him square in the gut.
“Gah!”
From that lightning-fast strike.
His chest caved in as he flew through the air, tumbling across the ground.
Dust billowed up.
Andrei lay there in a pitiful heap.
And standing unscathed over him was me.
“Woooah!”
“Uooooh!”
The frontline troops who saw it erupted in cheers.
“What!”
“What’s going on?”
“The Skeleton King kicked Andrei, and Andrei went flying with a yelp! And Andrei looks in bad shape too?”
“Does that mean the Skeleton King…… took down the Assault King? Ranking 69……?”
The word spread like wildfire to the rear lines.
“Woooah!”
“We won! We beat Gotham! The Russian devil’s leader is down!”
“The Skeleton King saved us!”
Soon, everyone was cheering.
They gripped their weapons tighter, and with that momentum, they began driving back the monsters.
[Absolute Unrivaled: Impressive.]
Maxie let out a hollow chuckle from the center of the battlefield.
Monsters lay dismembered around him.
[Absolute Unrivaled: Even on the brink of death, he’s our team leader, huh? Well, I never thought we’d lose when we joined this fight. Doesn’t make sense, right? Our leader losing to someone.]
[Water Witch: Still, to beat ranking 69 in a 1-on-1…… Hoon really is a legend.]
[Spring Apostle: Don’t let your guard down yet! There are still plenty of enemy rankers left!]
The rankers in the fight redoubled their efforts.
The monsters, troops, and skeletons were evenly matched.
But in terms of rankers, Idam was definitely outmatched by Gotham.
“Alright then.”
I nodded.
“Shall we turn the tide even more?”
Corpses littered the area.
Unfortunately, some were Idam’s troops.
And some were the monsters created by Gotham.
Fwoosh!
I transformed the sword in my hand into a staff.
‘Though.’
Until just now, I’d fought only with the power of a myriad of techniques.
My true innate ability is Skeleton King.
A necromancer who commands the dead.
Now it was time to show them my true nature.
Thud!
I slammed the transformed staff into the ground.
[Using skill, ‘Resurrection of the Dead’ (A-rank).]
[Using 50 stamina.]
Then.
Crack-craaaack!
The flesh of the dead bodies split open.
Bones rose in unison from within, standing their bodies upright.
And also.
[Using skill, ‘Roar of the Dead’ (A-rank).]
[Using 50 stamina.]
Kiiiiieeeeeee!
The Roar of the Dead filled the world with terrifying sound.
The tide turned.
Even Gotham’s mad monsters hesitated.
The skeletons’ eyes gleamed with fierce light.
“C-Crazy?”
Idam’s troops were stunned.
The ones they’d fought so hard to kill were rising again, now as allies.
And grabbing hold of those horrific monsters to fight them.
“The skeletons…… The skeletons are multiplying!”
“Woooah!”
The hunters shouted in excitement.
They could see the momentum shifting with their own eyes, igniting everyone’s hearts.
How grueling had it been until now!
How much suffering from the baseless persecution and torment!
The time to settle those dark moments was almost here.
“……!”
Vladimir, who had been commanding from the center, shot to his feet.
He sensed there was no more need for control.
And also.
Perhaps he too wanted to avenge the loss of his family?
He grabbed his staff and joined the fray.
Toward the rankers making their last stand, he unleashed the trickiness of spatial magic.
“Hraaaaaah!”
As Idam’s leader.
He vented the excitement and sorrow he’d had to suppress.
Swinging his staff like a madman.
* * *
“Gotham’s executives!”
Andrei made one last desperate stand.
“Gather here! We have to stick together to survive! I’ll somehow revive the formation…….”
Swoosh!
Before he could finish, I kicked off the ground and charged.
‘Sorry, Vladimir.’
But Andrei’s life is mine.
I can’t hand him over.
Lest the ranking system weirdly judge it and steal my achievement.
‘All the way to number one.’
Every ranker above me is mine to monopolize.
I figured it was fair compensation for my help.
“……!”
Fwoosh!
At the same time, my staff turned back into a sword.
The moment I closed in on Andrei.
I thrust the drawn-back sword forward swiftly.
“Th-This!”
Andrei paled and bolted upright to flee.
But.
I had started first.
Could he escape the acceleration still clinging to me, having only just taken off?
‘No chance.’
Slash!
Godslayer.
The weapon that kills even gods beautifully and lightly severed his leg.
“Gaaaah!”
Needless to say, a creature without legs can’t stand.
Panicked, Andrei rolled on the ground, staring incredulously at his leg.
“Uh, ugh…… Uwaaaah!”
He pushed against the dirt with his remaining two hands, wailing.
“Why, why! Why are you doing this to me! Once you become a ranker, you could live like kings in your own country for generations! Why come all the way to Russia and stir shit up!”
Then he spat curses at me.
Why, indeed.
What a joke.
In front of the tens of thousands of victims visible on this battlefield.
And the innocent citizens who died without reason, was that something to say?
“I always say.”
The old man muttered.
“There’s no need to explain anything to a worm. A worm…….”
‘Yes.’
“You just crush it. Got it?”
‘I’ll keep that in mind.’
Stab!
So I pierced his throat.
“Gurk!”
Compared to what he’d done, it seemed too easy a death.
But I didn’t want to torture or torment him for payback.
‘Because it’s a worm.’
I just didn’t care.
Schluck!
I pulled out the blade indifferently, and blood sprayed.
At the same time.
His motionless body slumped limply to the ground.
[Ranking has been updated.]
[Refer to the World Ranking Board.]
A message appeared in the air.
[Your ranking has been updated to 69th.]
By taking down Andrei.
From 78th to 69th.
Jumping nine places in one go.
* * *
Andrei’s death improved the situation even further.
First.
- Kuek?
- Grrr?
The Malicious Gu embedded in the monsters’ brains began dying off.
With the parasites that devoured their hosts gone.
Plop, plop!
The monsters spewing madness started collapsing one by one, drained of strength.
With the bulk of Gotham’s forces—the monsters—gone, only rankers remained.
“Sh-Shit?”
“How did it come to this……!”
No space to flee.
My skeleton legion had already seized the area.
“Phew.”
I left them alone.
Shouldn’t I give Idam a chance to vent years of pent-up rage?
“Those guys…… At least those ones.”
Whoosh!
Vladimir clenched his teeth, shaking off his staff right in front of me.
Behind him stood Idam’s rankers and elite fighters.
“I’ll tear those ones apart with my own hands.”
With Vladimir’s mutter.
“Let’s go! Time to avenge the dead citizens!”
“You trash! I’ve dreamed of this day every moment!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Thud-thud-thud……
The entire force charged together.
Toward the clustered Gotham rankers, they unleashed ultimate moves with all their power.
Kaboom!
An explosion rocked the center soon after.
From red.
Orange, yellow, green, blue…… and more.
A whirlwind of brilliant skills of every kind.
No matter how high-ranking, they couldn’t withstand the merciless barrage alongside thousands of skeletons.
[Ranking has been updated.]
[Refer to the World Ranking Board.]
[Ranking has been updated.]
[Refer to the World Ranking Board.]
[Ranking has been updated.]
[Refer to the World Ranking Board.]
…….
“Ahh.”
I looked up at the countless status windows floating in the sky.
The end of the war.
The world rankings would shift by as many as the dead rankers.
And that many new ones would join.
And then.
“Hey, boss!”
Zzzap!
Floa approached, wiping sweat from her forehead.
“What should we do with this one?”
“This one?”
Oh.
Right, Bong Jae-young.
I looked where Floa pointed.
- Gruk, grrruk!
There he was, foaming at the mouth with green blood.
“Hah.”
The old man marveled.
“Impressive, truly impressive. To think that guy survived even after the Malicious Gu in his brain died?”
Malicious Gu is vicious.
When it dies, it completely drains the host’s life force.
That’s why.
Not a single monster here had survived.
But.
- Gruk!
Bong Jae-young was different.
Despite expending so much power, he clung tenaciously to life.
“Truly, you have to live long to see such bizarre sights…… Looks like his brain is made of steel or something…… Hah. It’s just astonishing no matter how you look at it.”
A stone head.
And he survived.
“What do we do? Kill him?”
Floa looked at me with an innocent expression.
Crackle, crackle!
High-voltage current flowed through her knuckles, ready to crush him at a word.
No, saying “kill” with that face was a bit scary.
“No need.”
I shook my head.
My judgment on Bong Jae-young was simple.
‘No need to save him, but no need to kill him either.’
Just that level of connection.
“Oh.”
I turned from Bong Jae-young to Floa.
“By the way. You said you joined our workshop, right?”
Things had been too hectic.
I hadn’t even properly greeted her.
“Yeah, with Uncle Maxie.”
She nodded.
“So, once this is wrapped up, you’re coming to Korea?”
“Why state the obvious? I’m a ranker in your guild now, so of course I’m coming! Treat me well, punk.”
Hmm.
Treatment, huh.
I left that to Kim Jin-ah.
Anyway.
“……I don’t know why a big shot like you bothered coming to our little workshop.”
After today.
She’d be quite helpful.
“For now, welcome.”
I extended my hand to Floa.
As thanks for approaching me first without a wish slip and helping out.
“…….”
Floa tilted her head for a moment, then grasped my hand.
“Yeah, you punk of a boss.”
She smiled brightly.