Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Unthinkable Betrayal
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An unbelievable event had become reality. Before I even arrived, the Vietnamese players had been completely wiped out by demons.
It took about fifteen minutes to come from the south to the west through the inside of the cathedral.
Mammon shouldn’t have appeared yet. What the hell happened?
I checked the Vietnamese players collapsed at the bottom of the stairs.
They were all dead.
Or so I thought, until one of them, barely clinging to life, trembled and whispered.
“H-Here….”
I rushed to him and propped up his upper body.
“What happened?”
“It’s….”
Hold on?
I looked around. The demon soldiers hadn’t arrived yet. I emitted my aura to stay vigilant. With Satan gone in this game, there were no demons sneaking in aside from the round monsters.
So who the hell attacked from the west?
The Vietnamese player struggled to speak.
“Jap… an….”
“Huh?”
“Japanese players… attacked us….”
Japanese players attacked from the west?
No way.
They had no reason to attack here. With Satan gone, that Hanjo guy couldn’t make deals with demons anymore.
Did they just kill for no reason?
“Japanese players attacked you?”
“Ugh…. Yes….”
“Why?”
“We don’t…. know…. *cough*!”
Blood poured from the Vietnamese player’s mouth. His health bar showed he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Can you keep talking?”
“Haa….”
“Did Japanese players really attack you?”
“Yes…. They…. did.”
Thud.
The player’s head dropped.
His red health bar turned gray. I placed my hand on his head and quietly chanted the spell.
“Revive.”
I resurrected every Vietnamese player here. Their uninfected bodies couldn’t be turned into vampires.
They were just undead with human flesh.
The revived Vietnamese players gathered in front of me. I asked them the same questions in order.
“Describe what the Japanese players who attacked this place looked like.”
That was the first question.
“Do you know why they attacked?”
That was the second.
Finally, one more question.
“When did they attack?”
The answers to all three questions were identical.
They didn’t know the reason, but Japanese players with bandages—samurai—had come and attacked them indiscriminately.
The attack happened ten minutes before I arrived.
Time for a break.
‘…Did Japanese players really attack?’
It made no sense.
Attacking the Vietnamese would leave the west open for demons to assault the cathedral.
Why?
It wasn’t like they wanted everyone to die together.
“…Damn it.”
I wanted to confront Hanjo right now, but demons were swarming toward the cathedral.
Stone, steel, silver, gold.
Colossal golems of various materials lumbered toward us slowly.
Boom!
Each step shook the ground, their bodies so heavy.
I positioned the Vietnamese players at the bottom of the stairs.
“Prepare for battle.”
At my command, they drew all sorts of weapons.
Staves, swords, spears, axes.
A motley assortment.
I wondered if those weapons would work on golems with such sturdy bodies, but that thought vanished in an instant.
The Vietnamese players, reborn as undead, charged swiftly and began dismantling the golems.
They targeted the joints, not the tough bodies.
Tiny imps leaped out from the disassembled golems. Low-intelligence minions controlling the golems.
Whoosh—crunch!
A spear blade pierced an escaping imp’s chest.
The golems started falling one by one.
Watching them, I thought.
People with this level of combat ability wouldn’t go down easily, let alone in just fifteen minutes.
I tilted my head as I observed their fighting.
Their skills were incredibly refined.
Not pinpoint accurate, but most seemed to be close-combat types—gladiators or warriors.
They couldn’t use skills, suggesting they were players who’d wielded holy power.
As undead now, they couldn’t anymore….
I pondered as more golems approached. Could I leave the west to them and step away?
I needed to inform the Korean players as soon as possible.
Don’t trust the Japanese players.
“…Recall.”
[Forcibly relocating all subordinates of player ‘Kim Cheonjae.’]
Whirr.
Space distorted,
Rumble!
And all my summons flew in from the west.
Gawain and Park Gyuhwan looked around in confusion.
“Gawain, this is the west side of the cathedral. Got your bearings?”
“Yes, sir!”
“No time, so I’ll keep it short. While I’m gone, take the Vietnamese players and skeleton soldiers over there and guard this entrance. I’m giving you command.”
Gawain nodded.
“Leave it to me.”
“Good. Park Gyuhwan, you’re coming with me to the south side of the cathedral.”
“Yes, sir!”
“You can’t enter the barrier, so circle around outside.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s move.”
Park Gyuhwan ran south.
I dashed into the cathedral at a brisk pace.
If not for the holy barrier guarding it, Park Gyuhwan wouldn’t have to take the long way around.
Too bad.
Thud thud thud thud.
At the south side of the cathedral, I saw Korean players battling demons.
At the center was a warrior consumed by rage.
“Ma Jeongwoo!”
Ma Jeongwoo fought the golems in a fury. Unlike the Vietnamese targeting joints, he smashed them with raw power.
Stone golems shattered.
Steel golems crumpled.
He snapped out of his frenzy at my voice and turned.
“Huh? Kim Cheonjae.”
“Emergency—Japanese players betrayed us.”
“…What?”
Ma Jeongwoo tilted his head. He couldn’t believe they’d betray at such a crucial moment.
“Hanjo attacked the Vietnamese players. If I’d been a bit later, demons would’ve broken through the west and wrecked the cathedral.”
“What the…. You saying Japanese players betrayed the alliance?”
“Yeah. They were all dead, so I revived them.”
He wiped blood from his forehead and ran over.
The Korean players who overheard us grew restless.
- W-Wait, Japanese really betrayed us?
- Those bastards crazy?! Betraying now? Makes no sense!
- Whatever! Deal with these golems first. Don’t wanna die!
I waved for them to calm down.
“Everyone, stay calm. Even if they betrayed us, we stick to the plan.”
Their reaction was understandable.
Boss fight still ahead, and we hadn’t taken down this raid’s main event, ‘Mammon of Greed.’
We planned to soon, though.
Jeongwoo, arriving at the cathedral stairs, asked me.
“You sure?”
“Pretty sure. Revived the dead ones—answers were all the same.”
“But…. It doesn’t make sense.”
“When does anything?”
“So what now?”
“What else? I’ll hold the west. You watch for Japanese and hold the south.”
“…Okay. But what about Michael? If Japanese betrayed, north might not be safe either?”
It hit me like a hammer to the head. If they ditched the west, they might’ve ditched north too and gone elsewhere.
Just to quit the game.
“…Doesn’t failing this round kill everyone?”
“Yeah. Hell games can’t end midway.”
“So they won’t just watch the cathedral fall….”
Would Japanese sacrifice their lives to attack Vietnamese?
No—attacking us Koreans and Chinese in round four fit their betrayal plan better.
“…Jeongwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“What’re the odds Japanese teamed up with Chinese?”
“Zero? Wang Tianma and Hanjo hate each other’s guts. After round four, worse than us.”
“Right?”
“Yeah.”
Then the answer was clear.
Hanjo, knowing the final round boss Leviathan was dead, betrayed us all.
Knowing we’d block Mammon, he waited for a chance to take us out and clear the round solo.
All speculation, of course.
Highly likely speculation….
Boom!
A massive explosion from the west. Gawain was there, so no huge worry, but it made me anxious.
“Plan change. Ma Jeongwoo, I’m heading west now. You go east and brief the Chinese players.”
“What? Then here?”
“My summons like Park Gyuhwan and the others will hold it. All top Korean players here—no need to worry.”
Jeongwoo glanced at the Korean players. True to a gaming powerhouse, they fought calmly even now.
Minus a few panicking.
“Got it. What do I tell them?”
“Japanese betrayed the alliance and attacked Vietnamese.”
“And?”
“Tell them to brace for possible attacks. Even Wang Tianma can’t handle a surprise.”
“…Okay. After briefing Chinese, I come back here?”
I gritted my teeth.
“Yeah. Be careful, just in case.”
* * * *
North side of the cathedral.
Players in samurai garb clashed bloodily with golems. They sweated, the fight far from easy.
Swords for slashing, not thrusting—awkward skills struggled to damage golem bodies.
Whoosh—
A samurai swung his katana,
Clang!
It shattered against a stone golem’s skin.
“Damn it!”
Hanjo, watching, drew two blades from his waist and charged the golem pack.
One short as a dagger. The other a long sword shaped like a blade.
“Nitoryu.”
[Song of the Wind]
Hanjo danced through the golems, stabbing and slashing their joints repeatedly.
Golems disassembled like Lego and collapsed.
Clearing the area, Hanjo shouted for all to hear.
“Take these down, and our era begins! Everyone, stay sharp!”