Chapter 290
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 290
Chapter Title: The Form of Death (2)
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"If it doesn't react the way the captain wants... we're just going to bail?"
"Yeah. This isn't some empty threat. If it doesn't budge until the end, we head straight out of Merdaine without hesitation."
"No..."
Jun's firm resolve cast shadows over his comrades' faces.
If they really left like this, those left behind would be in real trouble.
In truth, it was a massive gamble for Jun as well.
It was obvious that if they just fled, the White Whale Mercenary Corps' hard-earned reputation would crumble like a sandcastle.
But Jun had no doubts.
The God of Death would surely descend to the earth.
Even if it left him in a somewhat unstable state, there was no way it would let Eleanor slip away right in front of it.
"Is that the boundary of Merdaine?"
"I can't say for sure if it's precisely as marked on the map, but the God of Death's influence clearly extends exactly that far."
A haze rising endlessly from underground, piercing toward the sky without end.
It was a scene Jun had witnessed in the game, matching perfectly with the holy knight's description from his communication with the saintess.
Cross that line, and they could escape the illusory world created by the God of Death.
"......"
Eleanor, looking somewhat tense, headed toward the boundary first, with Bern standing guard at her side.
The group followed behind her for a moment.
Then hesitation crept into Eleanor's steps.
"......Are we really going?"
"Don't stop. The longer you hesitate, the more time it gives him."
"......Damn it."
Thinking of the people desperately holding out against countless undead even now, Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut and removed the black eyepatch covering them.
Her golden eyes gazed up at the sky, riddled with holes like shattered glass, before she finally took a step forward.
Just as her foot was about to cross the hazy boundary, one step at a time.
Jun grinned and looked up at the sky.
"But tell me this. Are you really so sure I can't break through this boundary from the outside?"
His voice was directed at someone not present.
And at that very moment.
Rumble...!
From beyond the cracked sky, a ominous roar echoed in response to Jun's words.
The God of Death.
It was the sound of his patience finally shattering.
"Damn it, a hole's opened up over there! Do something about it!"
"You bastard, do you think that's the only one? There are holes everywhere!"
"Aaah! Please, please spare me!"
"No, Nolan!!"
"Aaah! O God, look upon us with mercy!"
Screams and shouts erupted from all directions.
Just as many undead hordes were ravaging the Sun Church followers, survivors, and Merdaine's victims.
Endless waves of undead pressed in without end.
Yet the saintess closed her eyes, summoning her holy power to maintain her composure.
The intense sunlight invigorated the wounded and set the holy knights' blades ablaze with sacred energy.
"Fuck these bastards!"
"How are these things shrugging off holy power?!"
But the undead, empowered by the form of death, took no damage from holy power.
And the deathly aura they emitted sapped strength from anyone it even grazed.
A few more battles like this, and defeat was inevitable.
If the White Whale Mercenary Corps hadn't left behind vast supplies from their subspatial pouches, they wouldn't have lasted this long.
"Eleanor......"
Suddenly, the image of the high priestess from the White Whale Mercenary Corps flashed in the saintess's mind.
A woman who bore a powerful divine aura like her own, yet felt fundamentally different.
Even the saintess, known as God's apostle, had sensed an aura she couldn't touch.
If she had been here, would things have been different?
'Foolish thoughts.'
Imagining what-ifs that weren't happening was pointless; minimizing casualties was the priority.
'Lord Lars......'
She called out to the god she served.
Even as his apostle, she had never once heard his voice.
She always felt connected to him, yet it was as empty as an echo in a cave.
But this time, had he truly heard her?
Or was it a miracle born of her desperation?
The saintess couldn't distinguish between the two.
Because high above in the sky.
A massive eyeball emerged from the void in the torn heavens, gazing down below.
And at that instant.
"Wh-what?!"
"What is this?!"
"The undead......?"
"Damn it, what's happening now?!"
The undead that had relentlessly oppressed them dissolved into puffs of smoke and vanished.
The sight of horizon-filling hordes of undead vanishing in an instant was something no one had ever witnessed.
Everyone fell silent in awe, their gazes naturally turning skyward.
"Jun......"
The words of that mercenary mage, which had sounded so absurd, had become reality.
What kind of magic had that mage wielded to produce such a result?
Pushing aside the unanswerable question, the saintess shouted urgently.
"Anyone who can move, lead the wounded and go now!"
How do you hunt a bird without ranged weapons?
You wait for it to come down to the ground.
Jun had prepared an enticing bait for that purpose, dangling it temptingly, signaling that the prey would vanish if it didn't come soon.
The bird's patience wasn't long, and it finally descended.
But a new problem arose.
What if the bird that came down wasn't a sparrow, but an eagle?
And what if that eagle was monstrously large enough to devour a person whole?
'I expected as much.'
An immense malice emanated from it.
The God of Death.
He had manifested in the mortal realm.
Jun had long pondered, from the saintess's flashback in the game, how this being would appear in this world.
In the game, its form had been hazy, shrouded in mist.
And right after arriving in this illusory world, he had found a clue.
'There were children, their mothers, restaurant owners, and customers.'
Soldiers protecting those residents, knights commanding the soldiers.
Even nobles who had once lived in Merdaine.
But one person was missing.
The soul of the most important figure in old Merdaine.
Even his children and wife were there.
The one person who should have been defending his castle during Merdaine's fall.
Duke Melen.
His soul was nowhere to be found.
A body at the cusp of level 8, that of a true powerhouse.
It must have been a vessel worth using, even for the God of Death.
"......"
Long legs, flawless attire without a single wrinkle. A staff embedded with a magic stone in one hand.
A middle-aged man of striking beauty appeared before them without warning, utterly impeccable.
As the man slowly opened his eyes, abyssal black pupils were revealed.
The God of Death.
He had possessed Duke Melen's body and revealed himself in this illusory world.
"Not bad for a god. All dressed up nicely."
Jun spat the words provocatively, but cold sweat trickled down his forehead anyway.
He had appeared without any presence, yet once noticed, his overwhelming existence crushed the area.
Resisting it alone was overwhelming.
Yet Jun sneered again.
"Looks like even you were desperate enough to possess a human body."
Only then did the God of Death tear his gaze from Eleanor and turn to Jun, the cause of all this.
"Indeed."
......!
The god's first words were affirmation.
Everyone but Jun was stunned.
"I was impatient. Afraid of losing my world once more."
"That's awfully human for an almighty god."
"Do you know the difference between god and human?"
"No clue."
"A difference in rank. Nothing more."
"......"
"I lost my world once, and after long ages and repetitions, I reached this point."
"Repetitions?"
"Yes."
Could he glean more from this conversation?
Despite the atmosphere where his head could roll any second, Jun shook off the pressure and pressed on.
"What kind of repetitions?"
"For countless ages, I repeated time to reclaim my world. Many gods know this. It was the gods of this world in their final desperate struggle. And that struggle was tenacious. I grasped my world in these hands countless times, only to lose it again and again."
"......"
Didn't this sound just like a game?
Even after seeing the ending, returning to the start for a second playthrough.
"But in this repetition, I failed. I couldn't reclaim my world, and one failure cost me everything."
"......"
"How could I not grow anxious?"
This god was so profoundly human. With the foe admitting it so cleanly, Jun was at a loss for words.
"But now I mean to correct that failure, so do not stand in my way."
"Sorry, but that's not happening."
"That choice doesn't exist for you."
Words carry power, they say.
The God of Death's utterance pressed down on the group like a divine decree.
A pressure that pinned them immobile, unable to take a single step.
Then, Bern, at the forefront, spoke.
"Jun."
"Yes, Bern."
"How many?"
"Pardon?"
"How many of its attacks can I block before you unleash your plan?"
"......"
Everyone knew.
Jun wouldn't have lured such a being here without a plan.
Meeting their expectations, Jun barely raised a single finger.
"Once. Just block it once."
"A simple task."
Bern, radiating golden holy power, smiled serenely.
"Foolish. Arrogant."
"Indeed, God of Death. As a human, I am foolish and arrogant. As you acknowledge it, so do I."
"......"
"After the gods fell silent in slumber, I dared disturb His deep sleep to right a chaotic world."
In the past, Bern had yearned for divine descent more than anyone.
But it was sheer hubris, a human error blinder than the sightless.
"That arrogance led me to commit an unforgivable sin and pay the price."
Attempting to transfer Ariclotos's soul into Eleanor's body had failed, and that wish reached the God of Death, unleashing calamity upon the mortal world.
Bern had been forced to end his own family's lives with his hands.
Yet had the price for that hubris been fully paid?
Unwashable sin still weighed on his shoulders.
"Are you not afraid of death?"
"I am. But more than that, I am glad."
"......"
"For now, I have the chance to atone for sins I thought irredeemable."
His battle hammer and tower shield, unsteady like a lost child crushed by guilt, steadied and found their place.
"How could I not be joyful?"
"Know your place."
Death descended upon the head of the man bowed by his past errors.