Chapter 384: The End of War
Chapter 384: The End of War
Fwoooosh!
The moment I shouted, “Domain Declaration,” a dazzlingly pure flame painted the sky. Even though I had enhanced my vision with magic, the light was so intense that for a moment, I thought I'd gone blind.
I squeezed my eyes shut reflexively. Only when the light subsided slightly was I finally able to see what was happening.
Woooosh…
The sky above had been dyed the color of a red twilight. It seemed to have a gentle rhythm, like soft waves rippling through the air.
The scene before me was, in its entirety, the flow of Eternal Flame.
“You bastard! What trick are you trying to pull now?!” Nergal’s shriek echoed, as if he too sensed the ominous aura.
But as if to tell him it was already too late, Eternal Flame began its next move. The brilliant luminescence that had been rippling through the air began to spread out in a circle and descend, forming a barrier.
At the sight of what looked like the red sky itself falling, Nergal yelled in a panicked voice.
“Crimson Tempest!”
Ruuuumble!
The storm of fire swirling around Nergal intensified. The vibrations in the air grew stronger and its rotation sped up, looking as if it would be unleashed at any moment.
Just then. Thwump! The pure light slid down like a wave and slammed into the earth. Nergal and I looked up at the same time. And we saw it.
The now-complete "Domain Declaration" had taken the form of something like an overturned glass bowl, tinged with a faint red light. And…
“Wh-What is this?!” I heard Nergal’s bewildered voice. A glance at his face showed pure astonishment. The storm of fire had come to a complete stop.
“Crimson Tempest!”
“…”
“Crimson Tempest! Crimson Tempest!”
“…”
“Cr-Crimson Tempeeeest!”
The sight of him flailing his hands about was beyond ridiculous; it was almost pitiful. I was tempted to watch a little longer, but I immediately raised my left hand.
"Domain Declaration" was an ability that placed an immense strain on my body. Even if I had received a ‘Miracle,’ I had to consider the backlash that would follow. The more time I wasted, the more disadvantageous it would be for me.
It said it would follow my will…
“Y-You cowardly human! Release this at once!”
“Idiot.”
After my simple reply, I aimed my raised left hand at Nergal. Then, I spoke softly.
“Be dyed.”
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
As soon as the words left my mouth, the color of the dark red flames surrounding Nergal instantly changed. They now held the pure light of Eternal Flame.
The moment I confirmed it, I spoke again.
“Explode.”
In that instant. BOOM! The stationary storm of fire erupted violently.
It was a massive explosion that filled my entire field of vision. I instinctively frowned at the deafening roar, but this time, I didn't look away. I couldn't hide my inner astonishment at the scene that followed.
I had only uttered two words.
Yet the pure flames before me were soaring high into the air, easily over twenty meters tall.
That wasn't all. A large, deep crater had been carved into the ground where Nergal had stood. Dust and dirt billowed into the air, only to be instantly melted away by the flames that consumed everything.
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh!
Nergal? He was nowhere to be seen. Not a scream, not even a splatter of blood.
The explosion had been so intense that the Eternal Flame still lingered in the air. It asserted its presence like a shimmering heat haze, resembling a complex tangle of electrical wires.
Perhaps five seconds passed like that.
Just as a deeper twilight hue settled over the already red sky, I saw a single, faint wisp of black smoke rising.
Only after seeing that did I let out a soft breath and release "Domain Declaration." The translucent barrier immediately vanished, and the blazing Eternal Flame in front of me died down in an instant.
“…”
Nothing remained where Nergal had stood. Only the molten earth and slowly settling dust bore witness to the explosion.
He had been blown away in a second, without so much as a squeak.
Of course, I had aimed for the moment Nergal was at his weakest. Still, even I was surprised by the result.
Did it say I could handle Eternal Flame if I raised my Stamina to 101?
I made a mental note to think seriously about this issue when I got back, and then I slowly started walking forward.
The battle wasn't over yet.
Just as in the fight with Belphegor, demons fundamentally have two lives. In the first playthrough, I hadn't known this, and there were plenty of times I’d let a demon go after killing it only once.
By that logic, Nergal should have revived one more time.
However, when I checked Nergal’s status with the Third Eye, no information appeared. This was proof that the Eternal Flame’s explosion had killed him completely.
There are two ways to kill a demon for good.
The first is the troublesome method of killing them twice, once for each life.
The second is to use an attack so powerful that when you take their first life, it obliterates their second one at the same time.
I chose the second method. That was why I went through the process of “Be dyed” instead of just “Explode.” My desire to finish him as quickly as possible, combined with the unique properties of Eternal Flame, had instantly annihilated Nergal. The result was a judgment that had taken both of his lives at once.
In any case, Nergal was dead. Having confirmed it with the Third Eye, it was an undeniable fact.
Just then, a thought occurred to me.
What will Beelzebub think when they find out about this?
I didn't know what path Simon had walked until now. Why he became like this, or how he received the ‘Demon Seed.’ But he must have gone through his own Rite of Passage; he couldn't have been like this from the start.
One thing was clear, however. Unlike Belphegor, who was summoned by chance, Nergal was likely part of a meticulously planned process.
I didn't know how long their plan had been in the making, but I had stopped it through this war. I was quite curious to see how the Lord-class demons would react when they learned of this.
“Hoo…”
I let out a long breath and raised my head.
The sky, which had been stained red just moments ago, had already returned to its blue hue.
As I stared blankly at the clouds drifting by, a sharp spell of dizziness hit me.
I smiled bitterly through the dizziness. Even though my body had been at its peak, it seemed it still couldn't handle "Domain Declaration."
Thunk!
I stabbed Victoria’s Glory into the ground to support my collapsing body. I wanted nothing more than to fall down and sleep right there, but I desperately fought to stay upright. Trying to appear calm, I evened out my breathing.
Perhaps because I had prepared for it, I was able to endure it, albeit with difficulty, unlike the times I'd collapsed helplessly before. It was a blessing in disguise.
Because, as I said, the battle wasn't over yet.
Rustle!
Just as I was catching my breath and trying to recover some strength, I heard a rustling sound. I cursed inwardly but decided to take the initiative and spoke quietly.
“Come out.”
—…
“…Out.”
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
For a moment, I worried if I'd used the right word. But soon I heard the sound of footsteps on dry leaves. Thankfully, it seemed they had understood (or perhaps, chose to understand).
Before long, a woman strode forward and revealed herself. I mustered my remaining strength and pointed my sword at her.
The woman, however, immediately raised both hands high in the air. And she spoke.
—Wait. I surrender. I have no intention of fighting you right now.
I swallowed at her fluent Korean. But I soon nodded in understanding. She looked like a mage; she must have used translation magic.
“Surrender?”
—That’s right.
I stared intently at the woman, who nodded lightly.
For someone who was surrendering, her attitude was remarkably confident. At the same time, she was quite beautiful.
Her charming, fine, wavy hair looked as if it were spun from molten gold, and her fair skin, characteristic of Westerners, stood out. Her eyes sparkled with a bright orange light as if they held the sun, and her lips were as red as ripe cherries.
Though she was spattered with blood here and there… it did nothing to diminish her beauty. She was that stunning.
I stalled for time by looking at her face. I needed to conserve enough strength to swing my sword properly at least once.
“How long have you been hiding?”
I had actually noticed her presence the moment I activated "Domain Declaration." At my question, the woman blinked once or twice and answered in a calm voice.
—By the time I managed to break through the encirclement, the Commander-in-Chief was already gone. I tracked him down, and as it turns out, he was impaled on a tree.
“So you’ve been watching since then?”
—That’s right.
“How amusing. You just watched as your master was being killed. And now that it’s all over, you surrender.”
At my taunt, the woman shook her head.
—No. I was about to step in. But just as I was about to move, the Commander-in-Chief suddenly began to transform. I couldn’t help but be shocked by the monster that appeared. What in the world was that? A demon from the myths?
“In that case…?”
I was about to respond to her words but immediately stopped myself.
She could be hiding it, after all.
—And…
The woman glanced at me before speaking calmly.
—Perhaps. You… are you that monster from before?
“Monster?”
—During the siege… there was someone who blocked the Spirit Breath I unleashed. Judging from what I just saw, I suspect you might be that monster.
“‘The one I unleashed’? Spirit Breath?”
I tilted my head at her strange phrasing. But then a thought flashed through my mind, and I quickly brought up the woman’s Player Status with the Third Eye.
Player Status
1. Name: Marcia Yesica (Year 4 User)
2. Class: Fire Elementalist (Secret, Fire Elementalist, Master)
3. Nation: Nebula
4. Clan: Tyrant
5. True Name · Nationality: Blessed by the Dragon · USA
6. Sex: Female (25)
7. Height · Weight: 171.2cm · 54.7kg
8. Alignment: Neutral · Belief
[Strength 26] [Durability 38] [Agility 42] [Stamina 37] [Magic Power 92(+2)] [Luck 87]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
(Currently near a state of exhaustion due to excessive use of magic power. Further strain may result in the side effect of decreased stats. Sufficient recovery is required.)
Ah.
I exclaimed inwardly. The moment I saw her Player Status, my mind started spinning.
Why hadn't I made the connection when I saw the Dragon Flame? I must have forgotten about it in the midst of Eternal Flame’s sudden awakening.
“Even so… surrendering so suddenly. It’s a bit inconvenient for me.”
—I understand. But when I escaped, my comrades had already scattered. And I witnessed an unbelievable sight… My mind is in turmoil right now, and I need time to think. I just figured it would be better to surrender and become a prisoner than to be relentlessly hunted down.
“…”
—You may think it shameless of me, the invader, to say this, but I hope you will understand with a victor's magnanimity. I will endure any punishment that follows.
The translation magic wasn't perfect, as I could hear some awkward phrasing here and there, but it wasn't difficult to understand her meaning.
A moment later, after finishing my calculations, I looked at the woman again. She was still staring back at me with her beautiful golden eyes, her hands held high.
Just then.
『User’s Stamina is below 30%. TOPG’s latent ability, Rage, is activated.』
『Strength, Stamina, Durability, and Agility will be slightly increased for a short time!』
With the ability activating at the perfect time, I felt a surge of strength return to my eyes. So, I slowly lowered my sword. As I gradually sheathed it, I asked in a subtle tone.
“Are there any comrades nearby like you? People who are willing to surrender.”
Perhaps taking my reaction as a positive sign, a bright expression flashed across the woman’s face. All the while, I continued to scan her body with the Third Eye as I slowly approached.
—No. There are none. There were a few comrades who escaped with me, but they scattered along the way, or fled the moment they saw the monster.
“I see. Understood. You can put your hands down now.”
At my words, the woman lowered her hands with a sigh of relief. Seeing me approach, she offered her slender hand with a faint smile.
—Thank you. My name is Marcia Yesica. Despite the circumstances, it’s a pleasure to meet you. And thank you again for accepting my surrender.
I reached out my own hand and gathered my magic power. At the same time, I replied in a gentle voice.
“I’m Kim Soohyun.”
—I see. To be honest, ever since that day, I’ve been extremely curious about who blocked my ability…!
And my outstretched hand went right past Marcia Yesica’s, plunging into her right breast.
Stab!
I felt the sensation of my fingertips digging through soft flesh.
—Ah…?
Marcia Yesica looked up at me with a puzzled expression. I twisted my hand once and whispered quietly in her ear.
“Surrender? Are you crazy?”
And then, I ripped out the orb I had grasped in my hand.
Rrrrip!
—Aaargh!
A thin stream of blood spurted out with her scream. In the brief moment her eyes, filled with disbelief, turned to me.
I swung my left hand at Marcia’s head without hesitation, with all my might.
SPLAT!
Perhaps because I used my full strength, Marcia’s head exploded without resistance. A torrent of blood burst forth, and a mixture of blood and brain matter trickled down her beautiful hair.
Soon, all that was left was a corpse with more than half of its face blown off. I threw the still-warm body to the ground.
Thud!
In the remaining half of her face, Marcia’s eye was still wide open. I turned away with a deep sigh.
『Fire Crystal』
Thick blood dripped from the orb in my hand. I stared at the crystal for a moment before slowly putting it away.
The spoils from this war: three Secret Classes.
In a way, war is good. There’s so much to gain.
But it is also sad. Because there is just as much to lose.
…
With this, everything was over. Of course, I wouldn't know if the war itself had ended until I returned to the battlefield, but as for me, I had accomplished everything I set out to do.
…Which meant it was time to face the reality I didn't want to accept.
Enough… Let’s go back…
Finally, I began to walk slowly back the way I came, stumbling as I went.
Through the forest path splattered with blood, an unfittingly bright silhouette could be seen.