Chapter 106
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Sea Emperor Vepar
Yang Jun-gyu's scream echoed through the comms. The Black Dragon began evasive maneuvers, dodging the streams of water. The violent movements sent the group gathered near the drop bay hatch tumbling across the floor once more.
“Agh!”
It was impossible to tell who had screamed. As the Black Dragon banked, the window they were next to temporarily became the floor. Kang-seok quickly turned. He spread his arms to catch Seong Yu-jin, who was tumbling down.
It was chaos. He managed to catch Seong Yu-jin, but the Black Dragon changed direction again, shifting the floor. Now falling from the window-turned-ceiling, Kang-seok desperately twisted his body once more. He shielded Seong Yu-jin, absorbing the impact of the fall with his back.
“Gah!”
“Aaaaaah!”
“Agh!”
First came Kang-seok's choked gasp, followed by a duet of screams from Kim Kang-san and Park Han-yeong, and finally, Oh Ha-na's shriek.
Kim Kang-san, clutching the small and slender Park Han-yeong tightly, rolled around like a ball. Oh Ha-na, on her own, managed to hold on by grabbing onto railings and handles on the hatch.
The Black Dragon continued to gain altitude. Thankfully, the rain had stopped after the tidal wave magic was dispelled. The lightning that had sporadically rattled the sky also became far less frequent.
Kang-seok gasped for breath, holding Seong Yu-jin in his arms. The Black Dragon returned to a normal flight path, causing them to roll across the floor again, but by now, that was a minor inconvenience.
The sound of water pillars tearing through the sky continued. The sound grew louder, suggesting that to reach the higher-flying Black Dragon, the number of water streams had been reduced to increase their power.
[Mr. Choi Kang-seok, Ms. Seong Yu-jin. Are you okay? Can you hear me?]
[Ms. Choi Yu-ra is reaching her limit. She still has over five minutes of summoning time for Gigantes, but the weapon's energy is nearly depleted. Since it absorbs bio-energy, she could technically fire again, but it's not recommended. She could collapse from exhaustion.]
Her voice was much steadier than when Kang-seok had charged toward the sea, but a hint of anxiety remained.
Kang-seok took another deep breath. Looking past Seong Yu-jin, who lay motionless with her head buried in his chest, Kang-seok pulled back his left arm to look at Morning Glory, the Divine Artifact of the Yellow God.
The instructions for using the artifact surfaced in his mind.
It couldn't turn the tide in a single blow. But he would do it anyway. He would see it through to the end.
Kang-seok closed his eyes. Fatigue weighed down his entire body. He wanted to just fall asleep.
But he opened them. The situation was still unfolding.
“Iris, tell Yu-ra I'm sorry, but ask her to hold on for just a little longer.”
[Mr. Choi Kang-seok?]
After the fight with the Earth Dragon Andras, Choi Yu-ra had continuously invested Kron into strengthening Gigantes. Thanks to that, its summoning duration had increased from five to ten minutes. It was a harsh demand, but she could still fight a little longer.
He needed to draw Sea Emperor Vepar's attention. For that, he needed Choi Yu-ra's attacks.
“Hana, do you have any Kron left?”
He asked without even looking toward Oh Ha-na. But he could imagine her expression. Her voice, on the verge of tears, said it all.
“I'm tapped out… Hwaaa… Fine, I can probably summon them one more time. I can do it!”
It was almost a scream.
He hadn't had a chance to check Oh Ha-na's abilities properly in the chaotic fight, but summoning two fighter jets twice must have consumed an enormous amount of Kron.
Kang-seok felt incredibly sorry for making such a request. He could only hope that Oh Ha-na wouldn't have to summon the Grim Reaper jets again.
Finally, Kang-seok looked at Seong Yu-jin in his arms. Exhausted and dazed from being thrown around, she was half-unconscious. He shook her shoulders. Barely coming to her senses, Seong Yu-jin looked up at him.
Kang-seok faced Seong Yu-jin, who now even had a halo above her head as if she were a real angel, and gave a bitter smile.
“Yu-jin.”
“Ah, yes?”
“I need you to hold me, one more time.”
Seong Yu-jin blinked.
***
“Hold on tight! Tighter!”
The stern of the Black Dragon.
Seong Yu-jin spread her wings of light and soared into the air. Kang-seok was plastered to her body, his arms and legs wrapped around her like an octopus.
The wings of light weren't so much real wings as a symbol that enabled free flight.
Seong Yu-jin had just over ten minutes of transformation time left.
It was enough. It would suffice.
Sea Emperor Vepar was bound to the island created by the Thunderclap, unable to move. This wasn't due to any magical force, but because part of Vepar's lower body had been caught when the island formed. To put it simply, it was like having its feet stuck in a pile of concrete.
The Black Dragon maintained a certain distance from Vepar, positioning itself opposite the Shangri-La Navy's airships, which were unleashing a barrage of fire. Choi Yu-ra couldn't fire indiscriminately like before, but she intermittently launched attacks to get on Vepar's nerves.
Pillars of water and tentacles shot up ceaselessly from the sea's surface. Vepar fought the airships while twisting its entire body, trying to break free from the island. Each time it moved, the island shook violently, signaling its escape was imminent.
With Kang-seok holding on tightly, Seong Yu-jin flew straight up. Vexed by their flight, which focused solely on gaining altitude, Vepar quickly shot out its tentacles, but Seong Yu-jin was already too high. Furthermore, Choi Yu-ra and the Shangri-La Navy did not let Vepar's assault go unanswered.
How high had they climbed? At an altitude where even the sound of cannon fire from below felt distant, Kang-seok reached out his hand.
Morning Glory, the Divine Artifact of the Yellow God.
There, close to the heavens, a golden light erupted. A dazzling radiance tore through the darkness.
The storm that began with the appearance of the Demonic Beasts.
The dark clouds that covered the sky.
All of it was swept away. The sight of the dark clouds, which had covered an area several kilometers wide, clearing away all at once was truly a spectacle. The raging sea grew calm, and the howling wind lost its edge.
The sky was revealed. And a silver moon, shining as brilliantly as the sun.
Under the pouring moonlight, Sea Emperor Vepar screamed.
Iris exclaimed excitedly.
[It's working! Demonic Beast Vepar is in pain!]
It was somewhat different from a vampire fearing sunlight.
Defeating Vepar with moonlight alone was impossible.
But it could be weakened, even if just a little. And this wasn't the only effect of Morning Glory.
The Yellow God, the goddess of water, love, and beauty.
The divine magic of the Yellow God's cult consisted mainly of healing spells. The light emanating from the Divine Artifact shone upon the ground, invigorating the living.
Inside Gigantes, Choi Yu-ra, who had been panting and drenched in sweat, felt her breath steady.
It wasn't just the naval airships and the Black Dragon. The Players fighting on the island of Sicily were also affected by the light.
Kang-seok clenched his fist. The Divine Artifact of the Yellow God, emitting its brilliant light, still had plenty of power left. The plan Kang-seok had devised the moment he learned of its effects still had one final step. But now was not the time.
Vepar let out a grotesque scream. A mixture of pain and rage, it shook the atmosphere, and water pillars several times more powerful than before shot toward Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin.
Kang-seok held onto Seong Yu-jin again. Gritting her teeth, Seong Yu-jin flew higher.
The water pillars split the sky. Beautiful moonlight illuminated the ground, and Kang-seok turned his gaze. He looked past the shattering water pillars toward the island of Sicily.
Seong Yu-jin now also understood what Kang-seok was aiming for, what he was waiting for.
And as if in response to their expectations, letters of light appeared in their minds.
[Quest Cleared]
[Quest: Defeat the Demonic Beast Murmur]
[Quest MVP: Christian (M)]
[Quest VP: Li Liling (F), Asai Natsuko (F), Venice Napolitano (M), Julien Christophe (M), Lee Se-ra (F)]
[One of the Demonic Beasts has fallen! Christian landed the finishing blow!]
What they needed was time.
Just as the Demonic Beast Allocen had sneered.
The great stalling tactic.
It wasn't the Players who were being chased.
It was the Demonic Beasts who were on the defensive.
They wait for power to gather.
They create the time for that power to gather.
Seong Yu-jin spread her wings of light. Kang-seok put away Morning Glory and waited for the right moment.
New letters of light appeared in both their minds.
***
[Quest Cleared]
[Quest: Defeat the Demonic Beast Caim.]
[Quest MVP: Nekki Basara (M)]
[Quest VP: Go Min-gu (M), Mylene A. Jenius (F), Sally Saint Ford (F), Igarashi Rei (F), J.J. Saint Fox (M)]
“Woooah!”
“Encore!”
“We won!”
“Listen to my song!”
The Players who had been fighting the Demonic Beast Caim roared in celebration. About half of them were hoarse from shouting so much.
Go Min-gu was the same. Not only was his throat raw, but his entire body felt so heavy he could collapse at any moment. But he didn't stop cheering. The charismatic Player who had, at some point, started leading the Players in a 'chorus'—the MVP, Nekki Basara—raised his electric guitar high and expressed his joy.
A similar scene was repeating itself not far away.
“Did you see that?! This, this is the victory of great magic!”
“Waaaaah! Long live the 11th Unit!”
“The god of magic is Morgana! She's a goddess!”
“Mages are the best!”
The 11th Unit, having finally brought the Demonic Beast Decarabia to its knees, cheered like mad. The physical-type Players who had coordinated with the 11th Unit to attack Decarabia laughed along with them.
It was true that a tremendous magical duel had unfolded.
The Demonic Beast Decarabia had created hundreds of spells, and the mage unit had fought back, coughing up blood, against Decarabia's superhuman casting speed. Dozens, hundreds of spells were nullified and vanished before they could even manifest in this world.
An invisible war.
But its intensity was clearly felt. Each time the magical constructs interlocked and were destroyed, the world itself trembled.
The tattered Demonic Beast Decarabia could no longer float. It lay sprawled haphazardly on the ground, and Daniel Kim delivered the final blow. The sharp edge of his battle axe split Decarabia's core.
[Quest Cleared]
[Quest: Defeat the Demonic Beast Decarabia.]
[Ques-]
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor didn't read all the letters of light. He dismissed them before they could fully form, focusing only on the opponent before him.
Allocen, the Duke of Warriors.
At some point, the great and seasoned warrior had given up on coordinating the entire battle. He focused solely on the formidable foe before him, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor, and thanks to that, he fought him to a standstill despite his grievous injuries.
But that, too, had its limits.
The wound he had sustained from Kang-seok's Knight of Knights reopened. His silver armor, already crushed and broken, could no longer protect Allocen.
Allocen let out a ragged breath. He cast aside the now-cumbersome silver armor and burned his final flame.
His left arm would no longer rise. The world reflected in his burning eyes was blurry, and all he could do now was throw his right fist one last time.
That was enough.
Allocen wasted no more words. As the Duke of Warriors, he was a fighter, and he threw himself into his final battle.
Allocen pulled back his fist. Instead of dodging, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor pulled back his own.
A clash.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor was not pushed back. The energy wave erupting from his outstretched fist blew away the flames that sought to consume him. Allocen's right arm could not withstand it and was pulverized with a dull, thunderous sound.
That was the end. Allocen's body burst into flames. The final, great flame flickered out into nothingness.
[Quest: Defeat the Demonic Beast Allocen]
[Quest MVP: Heavenly Dragon Emperor (M)]
[Quest VP: Choi Kang-seok (M)]
Only after Allocen's presence had vanished did the Heavenly Dragon Emperor let out a long breath. The Heavenly Dragon Emperor was not unscathed either. His right arm trembled, and his internal energy was nearly depleted.
[Number of Players challenging the quest: 401 / 531]
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor looked up at the sky. Moonlight poured down from the cloudless heavens, and from far away, a golden light as bright as the sun washed over him.
His ragged breathing calmed. New internal energy filled his depleted core.
“Dark Destiny Lord.”
And the one he was facing, Sea Emperor Vepar.
The roar of the Demonic Beast Orobas echoed. The Players focused all their might on the remaining Orobas and monsters.
The battle on the island of Sicily was about to end. But that did not mean the end of the second World Quest.
What still remained.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor looked at Sea Emperor Vepar. Following the golden flash pouring from the sky, he kicked off the ground.