Chapter 394
Chapter 394
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 394
Chapter Title: Interspecies War (33)
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No warriors from any other species disembarked at the 'Earth Sector'.
It was because an agreement had already been reached.
They had decided to drop the humans off at the Earth Sector.
This was due to the declaration from the Dragon clan's warriors.
Ataraxia had been the first to claim the 'tickets', and it was agreed that once he returned, all the 'tickets' would be shared with the other species as well.
"A species that incurred the wrath of the dragons, huh."
"Tch, they've got it rough now."
Inside the Eternal Train or in their private observation rooms, the upper league species' warriors watching the惨 spectacle unfolding in the Earth Sector smirked.
To them, humanity was nothing more than expendable fodder to absorb the dragons' fury and an amusing sideshow.
Humans perishing in despair was just the predetermined course of events.
As their gazes returned to the screens, the Dragon of Despair, Ataraxia, finally began to move.
The [Dragon Words of Despair] spilling from Ataraxia's maw instantly blanketed the battlefield, and even through the screens, its overwhelming pressure seemed palpable.
Images of human warriors staggering or collapsing flashed across one after another.
"Starting off with Dragon Words? No mercy at all."
One warrior said, arms crossed.
"At this rate, it won't even be a proper fight. Too boring."
"Oh ho?"
But at that moment, a few humans were barely holding out against the Dragon Words' pressure, showing signs of resistance.
Especially the swordsman at the forefront, Lee Hyuk-soo, caught their eye.
"That swordsman guy's not bad. Standing firm after taking Dragon Words head-on. Must have some serious mental fortitude."
"He's holding up better than expected, isn't he?"
"Adora... looks like a witch. Why's a witch fighting for the humans?"
"She must be using the Black Witch's powers."
"Could she be the successor to the 'Black Witch'?"
"The witches are participating too, but why side with humans? Aren't they famous for being reclusive?"
The witches were also participating in the interspecies war's upper league.
However, unlike humans, this wasn't their first time.
Long ago, the witches had a history of joining the interspecies war.
A few warriors who knew this watched Adora's presence with interest, wondering what variable she might bring to the human team or how it connected to the witches' overall intentions.
Witches wielded the darkness of the abyss and used forbidden black magic without hesitation, making them objects of loathing for other species.
The fact that such a witch—suspected to be the successor to the Black Witch no less—had allied with lowly humans was prime gossip material for them.
"Does the Black Witch have some scheme in mind?"
"Or maybe this Adora witch is acting on her own. Witches are capricious by nature, after all."
"Either way, thanks to that witch, the humans are lasting a bit longer. Makes the show drag on, which isn't bad."
Though they still looked down on humans, they acknowledged Adora's existence to some degree.
Especially the powers of death she wielded—they were something even these warriors had to be wary of.
Thus, all the warriors were gazing at the vivid footage of the Earth Sector floating in the center of their respective cabins.
"What the hell is that?"
"Extreme Demon?"
"An evolved form of a True Demon?"
"I've heard rumors lately about avatars running rampant..."
"That's a pretty intriguing form."
Han Shin's 'Extreme Demon' transformation momentarily lit up the eyes of the upper league warriors who had been growing bored.
The pitch-black flames devouring magic and the Death Spirit Eyes tracking Ataraxia's movements were undeniably impressive.
"Outright sending an avatar into the 'Interspecies War'? Humans have lost their minds."
"Doesn't look like a contract with some run-of-the-mill demon lord."
"Demon King, maybe?"
"Hmm, it's definitely beyond a True Demon. But..."
"Level's too low."
"Still, controlling demonic power that well? Not your average guy."
"Those eyes seem to be seeing the magic circuits."
"But the opponent's way out of his league."
Han Shin put up a fierce struggle, successfully dismantling several of Ataraxia's ultra-high-tier spells and even landing some wounds, but his resistance didn't last long.
As Ataraxia unleashed a barrage of wide-area annihilation magics like 'Meteor Shower of Despair', even the Extreme Demonized Han Shin let out a wretched death cry and vanished into a massive crater.
"As expected... there's a limit."
"Was fun while it lasted."
"Gotta admit, his ability to handle variables is top-notch."
Han Shin's defeat reaffirmed humanity's limits for them once more.
At the same time, the emergence of this new variable called 'Extreme Demon' began slightly skewing their predictions.
It showed that the human species wasn't simply weak—they could evolve and resist in unpredictable ways at times.
Of course, that was it.
Their attention was more focused on Adora than the human warriors.
"King of Evil Spirits, huh."
When the 'Evil Spirit King' that Adora had summoned with everything she had revealed its grotesque form on screen, the observation rooms buzzed once again.
"Not just a mere aggregate of evil spirits. It's a writhing catastrophe incarnate."
"Seems beyond what a witch can handle. With that level of resentment, the caster might get devoured instead."
The upper league species watched with eyes mixed with shock and intrigue, anticipating the fresh feast of despair and death about to unfold.
And as if meeting their expectations, Ataraxia on screen finally reacted.
A sinister aura incomparable to before erupted from his massive draconic body, and blood-red patterns began vividly emerging on each of his scales.
"That's... the 'Mark of Despair'!"
"The ultimate self-enhancement spell! Who knew Ataraxia had reached that realm!"
"Did Sepiro personally grant him the power, or did he awaken it himself? Either way, it's the worst for the humans."
In an instant, Ataraxia's very existence became a massive lump of despair, crushing the surrounding space.
Neither the Evil Spirit King's curses nor Adora's death could touch him.
"...Predetermined course."
"Yeah, no hope for humans."
"Wiped out right after entering upper league."
"Once you've pissed off the dragons, it's over."
Everyone shook their heads.
Lee Hyuk-soo's bold charge, cursing himself with death to close in, was impressive, but that was all.
The last breath escaped from the dying Lee Hyuk-soo.
No human warriors remained standing on their own two feet.
Just as all believed it was over.
Whoosh!
Something appeared.
Forcing its way through a rift.
"...What is that light?"
"A divinity. One on an unprecedented level...!"
"Weren't all the gods gone?"
"A new god born?"
Crackle! Static!
"Wh-what?!"
"Why's the screen...?"
Suddenly, the footage froze.
All screens broadcasting the Earth Sector from within the Eternal Train halted.
This meant one thing.
All magic had been severed.
Without a sound.
Without any warning.
Simply by 'that' descending, all mana and magic in the surrounding area had been cut off.
One warrior muttered in disbelief.
"...What the hell just appeared?"
It was a quiet night.
Perhaps the quietest night since humanity's dawn.
In the ICU special room, Kim Ji-yeon clutched her frail hands tightly over her chest, staring up at the massive screen covering the hospital room wall.
No, the screen that had been showing something until moments ago was now dead, displaying only black void like an extinguished universe.
"Hyuk-soo... my Hyuk-soo..."
Her son's name faintly leaked from her lips, as if crawling out.
Just moments ago, that black screen had been unfolding a scene from hell.
Her son, Lee Hyuk-soo, had fought and fought until his body was shattered.
He had fallen again and again before grotesque monsters she'd never seen and the Dragon of Despair blotting out the sky, yet he always rose once more.
She couldn't fully understand why her son had to endure such horrific battles.
She writhed in agony each time she saw his twisted face and blood-soaked body, her heart feeling torn to shreds.
'No... please... stop, Hyuk-soo...'
She screamed it thousands, tens of thousands of times in her mind, but her voice never reached her son on the screen.
In the end, her son had burned himself out like a final spark.
He shouted something at the red-eyed female mage, then embraced a black aura akin to death itself.
And like a mythic hero—or a reckless moth—he soared toward the massive dragon's heart.
That was the end.
Lee Hyuk-soo, exhaling his final breath, suddenly stopped breathing.
In that instant, her world seemed to halt as well.
Crackle. Static.
And as if mocking her despair, the broadcast screen went pitch black.
How much time had passed?
A nurse came in to change her nutrient bag, checked her condition with worried eyes, and left, but Kim Ji-yeon didn't stir.
Her gaze remained fixed on the blackened screen, toward the invisible sky beyond.
She clasped her hands to pray.
But she didn't know what to pray for.
For her son to return alive?
He had already stopped breathing before her eyes.
Or for the 'Prophet' her son so trusted to resolve everything?
Even that now felt too vague and hollow.
Hot tears flowed from her eyes.
Soundless tears.
When she awoke from her vegetative state and reunited with her son, she had felt like she possessed the whole world.
But that happiness was all too brief.
Her son had ventured back into that dangerous world, leaving her powerless in this hospital bed, watching what might be his final moments.
'Hyuk-soo... where is that safe world you spoke of...?'
She recalled the world her son so desperately wanted to create.
A world where his mother could live ordinary days without worry.
But all she saw now was her son's sacrifice and endless despair.
"Please... please, that Prophet... save our Hyuk-soo..."
Her final prayer dispersed weakly into the ICU's silent air.
Kim Ji-yeon let the endless tears flow beneath her closed eyelids.
A profound despair, as if all hope had turned to ash.
Her son's final image lingered like an afterimage, making even breathing laborious.
She could do nothing now.
She could only hope this horrific night would pass—or that it was all a nightmare.
That was when it happened.
Hiss—
With a faint sound, the massive screen in the room, black as death, flickered with dim light.
Kim Ji-yeon reflexively looked up.
Once, twice.
The irregularly blinking screen soon spat out distorted footage amid harsh noise.
Like a distress signal barely received in a storm.
Then, suddenly, the noise faded, and a single frozen frame filled the screen.
It was still the hellscape of blood-red mist and shattered earth.
But amid that wretched scenery, a solitary figure stood quietly.
Behind him, golden mana particles scattered like a galaxy, as if filling the broken space.
Kim Ji-yeon swallowed.
The man wore a helmet.
The helmet worn by the female mage called Adora.
And in his hand.
The sword her son Hyuk-soo had gripped until the end was clearly there.
In his other hand was a staff, beautiful and mystical, as if starlight was shattering from it.
It was identical to the one used by the red-eyed female mage, Adora, who had stayed by Hyuk-soo's side on screen.
The gear of her son and Adora had returned to their original owner, donned just like that.
Enveloped in them, the existence stood silently in the ruins of the battlefield.
'Ah...!'
Kim Ji-yeon's heart seemed to stop.
She knew instinctively.
No, her soul was screaming it.
Who that being on screen was.
'The Prophet!'
The one Hyuk-soo trusted and relied on so deeply—the one she had pinned her last hopes on in prayer.
It had to be the 'Prophet' her son had spoken of countless times, the key to everything.
Unknowingly, she struggled to lift her upper body from the bed.
Her frail arms trembled, but she couldn't tear her eyes from the screen.
He had appeared.
Truly, he had returned.
On screen, the being called the Prophet quietly extended a hand into the air.
From his fingertips, faint golden particles flowed out, drifting over the battlefield like dandelion seeds.
Where the particles headed was the empty wasteland where her son Lee Hyuk-soo had last stood, now utterly destroyed.
As the particles settled there, an unbelievable sight unfolded.
And at his touch.
Thump! Thump!
"Hyuk-soo...!"
Lee Hyuk-soo's stopped heart began beating again.
"Ah... ahhh..."
Kim Ji-yeon could no longer speak, reduced to sobs.
A torrent of emotions—joy, sorrow, uncertainty if it was a dream—shook her entire body.
The ICU's vital monitor blared warnings at her erratic heartbeat, but she ignored it.
Only her son on screen—unconscious but breathing.
And the Prophet's mystical silhouette, who made it all possible, filled her vision.
Then, the Prophet slowly turned his head, gazing at the screen as if looking straight at Kim Ji-yeon beyond it.
His face was still shadowed by the helmet, but she could feel it.
That gaze was directed at her.
A warm, profound comfort, as if saying it was okay, that she could rest easy now.
Kim Ji-yeon covered her mouth with trembling hands.
Thank you. Thank you...
A voiceless prayer of gratitude burst endlessly from her heart.
Her son was alive.
That alone made her feel like she had gained the whole world.
What unfolded before her eyes was no longer despair.
It might not yet be the 'safe world' her son dreamed of, but as he had said, hope existed at least—and in this moment, she felt it with her entire being.
The Prophet.
Hope like a miracle, brought by that nameless existence.