Chapter 443
Chapter 443
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 443
Chapter Title: Racial War (82)
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The giants' cabin.
The air was heavy, and the atmosphere was hostile.
"Damn it, what the hell is this?!"
One giant warrior couldn't hold back and slammed his fist into the wall.
Boom!
The entire train shook with the thunderous roar, but his rage didn't subside.
Due to their inherently belligerent nature, they honestly didn't like this situation.
The humans had monopolized all the tickets, causing the Eternal Train to veer off its tracks and head straight for the final battlefield.
This was an unprecedented anomaly, something that had never happened in the history of any Racial War to date.
Normally, there should have been a rest stop in the middle.
'Helpers' from the same race would appear, restoring weary warriors, supplying new resources, and delivering encouragement from their sovereign.
A time for reorganization.
But all of that had evaporated entirely because of one variable: Park Chan-woo.
It had been a relentless forced march.
The mental exhaustion from the 'Shattered Truth Station' hadn't fully recovered, and fatigue was gradually building up in the warriors' bodies.
That was when it happened.
Wooooong—
The cabin floor, the ground, and their very bodies and souls began to resonate with a massive vibration.
It was the will of their sovereign, the living world, Hecate.
A majestic voice, like tectonic plates shifting, echoed in the minds of all the giants.
Every giant involuntarily knelt and bowed their heads in reverence.
But the sovereign's command that followed was enough to shatter all their common sense.
"...?"
The giants doubted their own ears.
Help those arrogant humans who had blocked their path and even stolen their rightful rest—help them win?
It was incomprehensible.
But their sovereign's will was absolute.
Even in their confusion, they had no choice but to obey.
Once Hecate's command was given, hostility toward humans was impossible.
Their sovereign, the living world, the one true god—there had to be profound intentions behind her words that they couldn't fathom.
'I don't understand it...'
Hekarim, the leader of the giant warriors, exhaled roughly.
'But if it's the sovereign's will, I must follow.'
He knew better than anyone that their race's belligerent nature made them resent the humans' dominance.
But personal feelings came second to the sovereign's command.
"Everyone, follow me."
At Hekarim's low voice, the murmurs of discontent quieted.
"This is our new mission. Escort the humans and help them win."
Though the order to 'make the new humanity win' was honestly baffling, they decided to comply.
The giant warriors moved their massive feet toward the humans' cabin.
Their purpose was singular.
To relay their sovereign's will to their new allies—the humans they now had to serve—and discuss future plans.
But the moment they approached the humans' cabin, Hekarim and all the giants froze in shock.
They weren't the only ones who had come for the humans.
Dusk Race warriors stood silently, as if emerging from the shadows.
And on the opposite side, Celestial sages emanated a holy aura, wrapped in starlight.
Even beyond them, Qilin Race warriors in the form of divine beast Qilins were visible.
Races representing the Abyss's upper league—races that seemed utterly incompatible—were gathered here, right in front of the humans' cabin.
Their faces mirrored the bewilderment, confusion, and resignation to an irresistible command that Hekarim himself felt.
Hekarim locked eyes with a Celestial sage.
No words were exchanged, but everything was understood.
They too had received the exact same command from their sovereign.
Giants, Dusk Race, Celestials, Qilin.
Four upper races boasting ancient bloodlines, who had always viewed each other as rivals and never truly joined hands.
Now, they stood facing each other before a mere human cabin, sharing a bizarre sense of camaraderie.
The awkward, heavy silence was broken by new footsteps.
Thud. Thud.
Dignified, disciplined steps.
All eyes turned to the end of the corridor where the sound came from.
There, a group with golden manes fluttering approached.
Warriors with lion heads and sturdy builds. Their bodies radiated kingly dignity and solar energy.
"...Golden Lion Race."
Hekarim, the giants' leader, growled their name.
The Golden Lion Race.
They too were a proud, belligerent warrior race upholding one pillar of the Twelve Races.
They were natural enemies of the giants.
The Golden Lions' leader stepped forward.
His eyes held the same bewilderment as the others.
"Giants, Dusk, Celestials, Qilin... Why are you all here?"
Hekarim snorted in response.
"That's what we want to ask you. What brings you to the humans' cabin?"
The Golden Lions' leader hesitated for a moment.
Then, with a defeated expression, he muttered,
"No way... you too...?"
Ah.
No more words were needed.
They were all here for the same reason.
Having received the incomprehensible command from their sovereign: 'Aid the humans.'
Five of the Twelve Races.
Gathered solely to ally with one race: humanity.
This meant that Park Chan-woo's display at the 'Shattered Truth Station' had been seared into the minds of the Twelve Sovereigns as well.
They silently gazed at the human cabin.
Who would open the door first?
Knock knock.
As they pondered, Urkan, leader of the Dusk Race warriors, knocked first.
At that very moment, as they discussed their alliance...
On the other side of the train, an entirely opposite aura prevailed.
Rage, humiliation, and primal fear at their world being denied.
The remaining seven races, the demons, and other upper seed races had gathered together.
They had made the polar opposite choice.
To completely drag humanity—and Park Chan-woo—down from the Abyss.
"This is a blatant rules violation and an insult to the Racial War!"
The Dragon Race warriors shouted in fury.
"A mere human dares to impersonate a god and toy with our great history. We cannot let that arrogant being stand!"
Representatives of the other races nodded.
Demon God Zepar flashed his red eyes and spoke.
"The great Nine Lords have commanded it. Obliterate that outer god disguised as a human right here."
Outer god.
At that word, every being in the room swallowed hard.
They had concluded that this was the source of all Park Chan-woo's miracles.
A calamity from outside the Abyss, devouring worlds.
"We must unite our strength. To stop that disaster and restore order to the Abyss."
They eyed each other.
Beings they had regarded as rivals and enemies their entire lives.
But now, a single common goal burned in their eyes.
How to effectively eliminate the human race—and the calamity Park Chan-woo—in the upcoming final battlefield.
Demon God Bellad the Frenzied added,
"Killing him isn't enough. It's the tickets. We must seize the tickets they hold."
At his words, all eyes focused.
In an instant, a young witch resembling Adora asked sharply,
"If the humans monopolize the tickets and finish it, what happens?"
It was an innocent question.
The demons honestly disliked having these young witches here.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the black witches' creations was humiliating in itself.
But now was the time to unite under a common goal.
Besides, these seven young witches were on a different level from ordinary ones.
Their potential would surely be a great asset in this battle.
As everyone awaited an answer, a being who had remained silent until now finally spoke.
It was Gremory, the Demon God of Mourning.
Her voice was quiet, but it silenced all noise in the room.
"The Racial War will lose its meaning."
"Then what happens?"
"...The Racial War is a means to suppress the Great War. Think carefully, young witch."
The Racial War's purpose becomes even clearer when looking at the process, especially on this 'Eternal Train.'
Trading tickets, forming alliances, checking each other—no one becomes an absolute power.
That was the essence of this long peace.
But if one race monopolizes everything...?
"Ah! If one race monopolizes the tickets, the whole game becomes meaningless?"
Gremory nodded faintly.
"Exactly. The fragile peace our great lords have built over eons will shatter."
Her tone was calm, but the implication was apocalyptic.
"The Second Great War will begin."
Every being in the room swallowed hard.
In their minds flashed the primordial hellscape known only from history.
Heavens torn asunder, earth ablaze, gods, demons, and all races entangled in mutual slaughter—a chaotic era.
Was it to repeat?
But the young witch who had asked remained curious, unsatisfied.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
"That's weird. It feels like that's not all."
The Racial War gives rewards and penalties based on ranking.
That's the Abyss's basic system.
So, simply taking first place versus overwhelmingly dominating all other races, monopolizing everything, and breaking the game itself—an 'absolute first'—couldn't yield the same rewards.
The system would surely grant unimaginable rewards befitting such a feat.
The young witch gathered her courage and asked again.
"So, if humans win while monopolizing the tickets... what exactly do they get?"
At that question, the heavy air in the room froze solid.
No one answered readily.
They only glanced at each other, mouths sealed as if by agreement.
That silence itself proved how immense—and taboo—the reward for a monopolized victory truly was.