Chapter 107
Park Hyeong-sik, having finally shattered the chest of the Demonic Beast Orobas and driven a powerful blow into its heart, roared. The Players felt their strength returning. They followed the brilliant golden light with their eyes and saw the battle beyond Sicily, the fight between the airships and Vepar. The Shangri-La Navy had suffered many casualties. But they knew the fight was not yet over. The number of monsters that had swarmed them endlessly had dwindled, and now that five demonic beasts had fallen, many had lost the will to fight and were fleeing
The Shangri-La Navy knew instinctively. Now was the time to fight on the sea, not on the island of Sicily. The Players looked to the sea. A distance of several hundred meters lay between the island of Sicily and Sea Emperor Vepar, a gap impossible to cross by conventional means. But they couldn't just stand by and watch. There were Players who stepped forward. TCG Players summoned flying monsters. Summoners called forth their mounts, and those who could fly on their own kicked off the ground and soared into the air
And at their head was the Heavenly Dragon Emperor. Heavenly Demon’s Reigning Steps. Unleashing one of the seven secret techniques of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, he dashed through the empty air. A dragon soared. Players mounted monsters whose backs broke the surface of the sea. Winged Players formed squadrons. There was even one who propelled himself with a jetpack that gave off a strong sci-fi vibe. An airship descended from the sky. It was the one the Heavenly Dragon Emperor had arrived on
It wasn't a combat warship like the Black Dragon, but the mere fact that it could transport Players was enough. When Evangeline appeared on the deck, Players equipped with ranged attacks swarmed aboard the airship. Jang Tae-san watched the entire scene unfold. Like Oh Ha-na, Jang Tae-san was an RTS Player, but he came from a fantasy-based, production-focused RTS game, so he couldn't summon units at this very moment. Thus, Jang Tae-san continued to do what he had always done, what he did best. <1st and 2nd Squads, disperse left and right.> <3rd Squad, moving to the airship.> <11th Squad, begin ranged covering fire.> He immediately designated new squads and relayed orders
They were very basic commands, but even that was a great help. The Players demonstrated the same teamwork they had when fighting the demonic beasts. Over a hundred Players had already lost their lives. The Shangri-La Navy's losses were even greater; it was clear that at least five hundred had been killed or wounded. They had to win. They had to defeat not just the five demonic beasts, but also Sea Emperor Vepar, and lead the second World Quest to victory. Cannons roared in succession. One of the Shangri-La Navy's airships broke from the front line and headed for Sicily to pick up Players
The remaining airship and the Black Dragon continued to circle Vepar, never ceasing their fire. Yang Jun-gyu praised himself again and again for his near-acrobatic flying. *Amazing! Awesome! No one else could do this!* It was the act of a half-madman, but he couldn't endure it otherwise. Yang Jun-gyu was under extreme stress every time one of the dozens of relentlessly extending tentacles and water jets grazed the Black Dragon's hull. In between her prayers, Sekhmet praised Yang Jun-gyu and even made the incredibly dangerous promise to grant him any wish if they made it back alive
Choi Yu-ra had a nosebleed. Less than a minute remained on Gigantes’s summoning time. Her head was spinning. Her vision was blurry, and her whole body had long been drenched in sweat. The light emanating from the Yellow God’s divine artifact, Morning Glory, had certainly restored her stamina to a certain level, but over the course of about four minutes, Choi Yu-ra had exhausted an enormous amount of stamina and mental power. It was because of the energy-recharging armaments she had chosen to free herself from ammunition limits
With each shot fired, it felt as if a chunk of her stamina and mental power was being drained away. The initial charge had been completely depleted in less than three minutes after summoning, so Gigantes was replenishing the energy needed for its bombardment from Choi Yu-ra. Choi Yu-ra let out a ragged breath. The nosebleed stained the seat and the control stick. Her hands trembled violently, and nausea rose to her throat. Still, Choi Yu-ra endured. She did not hesitate to pull the trigger. Kang-seok had told her to hold on
So, it was certain that Kang-seok would somehow take care of things. As always, Choi Yu-ra decided to trust her prince. Even amid the terrible pain, Choi Yu-ra managed a smile. She felt so embarrassed just thinking it now; what on earth was she thinking when she said something like that back then? The plasma siege cannon mounted on Gigantes's shoulder fired once more. And this time, its bombardment was not alone. “Combination magic! Absol… Ah, whatever! Unlimited Power!” Salome, the leader of the 11th Squad, shouted haphazardly as she was the first to activate her magic
Combination magic that could merge the spells of Players from different games didn't exist. However, it was entirely possible to create a de facto combination attack by simultaneously casting spells with similar or synergistic effects. Salome had chosen lightning-attribute magic. The mages of the 11th Squad cast every lightning-attribute spell they knew. With over thirty Players casting magic at once, its power overwhelmed the cannon fire, never falling short. The FPS Players didn't just watch either
Among them were some who, like Choi Yu-ra, had come from playing *Gigantes Down*. There were a total of seven *Gigantes Down* Players. Two of them activated their treasured Gigantes Descent skill. They were on a magic carpet summoned by a TCG Player over the vast, open sea, so they had no intention of piloting them from the start. Two Gigantes became a single streak of light, crashing down upon Sea Emperor Vepar. There was a saying that even a light drizzle will soak your clothes. And the Players’ attacks could hardly be dismissed as a light drizzle
Vepar’s force field shattered. The attacks poured in from all directions, creating an unintentional delay between them, leaving no time to generate a new force field. The bombardment tore Vepar’s tentacles. Lightning strikes invaded its colossal body, and the burning Giganteses falling from the sky struck both Vepar and the island beneath it at the same time. Sea Emperor Vepar thrashed about. It finally managed to pull its body free from the island created by the Red God’s divine artifact, Thunderous Roar
But that didn't change the situation much. There was still an island beneath it, and to dive, it had to move its body off the island. That, however, was not easy. The attacks pouring in from all sides restricted Vepar’s movements. Pain wracked Vepar’s mind. Vepar extended its tentacles and shot jets of water in all directions. Some of the Players were shot down by the attack, but Vepar’s situation did not improve. The Shangri-La Navy’s airship, which had gone to pick up Players from Sicily, returned to the front line
Over a hundred Players now surrounded Vepar. *If we keep attacking like this, we can win. We can defeat this giant monster.* The Players thought so. That thought could hardly be called overconfidence. But they had underestimated Sea Emperor Vepar. Sea Emperor. That was Vepar’s title. A huge wave rose. Forming a semicircle, it protected Vepar from the Players’ attacks. Vepar didn't think of borrowing the power of the five demonic beasts. Nor did it expect help from the Demonic Beast Crocell, who was presumed to have fled
Vepar put forth all its strength. It gathered its hatred and unleashed a decisive blow. KWWWWAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGG! It couldn't be described as a mere jet of water. The pillar of water that shot up from in front of Vepar was like a beam of light. Thick and unyielding, it pierced through the front of a Shangri-La Navy airship. It destroyed the massive, hundred-meter-long airship, sending it crashing down. There were not a few Players on board. It was unlikely that all the Players inside had been killed instantly, but it was certain that the Players’ combat power had just dropped by nearly thirty percent in a single blow
Sea Emperor Vepar thought about its next move. The last attack had taken all its strength, making it difficult to even move its body, but this was its only chance. It had blocked the attacks from the rear with the wave and halved the frontal assault by destroying the airship, thus creating an opening to act. It had to dive into the sea now and buy some time, however brief, to recover its strength. It was the right decision. If things went as planned, it would have a chance of winning. But Vepar couldn't dive toward the sea surface
To be precise, it tried, but the attempt was thwarted by another. Directly in front of Sea Emperor Vepar’s massive body. There was one Player who had fearlessly rushed to that spot. Without flying or riding a mount, he had reached it by kicking off the sea surface and the air with only his two legs. He thrust a palm toward Vepar’s body as it tried to leap. “Heavenly Demon’s Divine Palm!” The Heavenly Dragon Emperor. He poured his last ounce of strength into this blow. The energy wave that began from his palm grew as if it belonged to a giant
It pushed back Vepar's entire body as it tried to lunge. Its momentum, thwarted. Someone was watching it all from high above. She had hoped Vepar would forget her. She had waited patiently, enduring for the moment when it would be so distracted by other things that it would fail to notice even her, whose presence was so overwhelming. And at last, that time had come. Seong Yu-jin threw Kang-seok, whom she had been holding in her arms, high into the air. She was the same as Choi Yu-ra. She did not doubt for a second that Kang-seok would perform another miracle
Kang-seok kicked off the empty air. He soared upward. He even kicked off the force field of his Sky-Walker Boots to fly higher. The battle in Raum’s Tower. The divine power of the Yellow God emitted from the Hero’s Necklace had saved Kang-seok’s life. The divine power that remained had empowered Knight of Knights, greatly helping to defeat the Divine Bird Raum. That memory. Kang-seok raised Durandal, clutched in both hands, high. He gathered all the remaining divine power from the Yellow God’s divine artifact, Morning Glory
And so, he unleashed the technique. The giant sword that had split the Divine Bird Raum in two! Knight of Knights: Incandescent Sword of Glory. A golden light erupted from Durandal. It formed a massive, colossal sword of light. It could no longer be described as him gripping a sword. It was as if Kang-seok himself had become the sword’s hilt. The Heavenly Dragon Emperor, who had been thrown back to the sea surface by the recoil from his Heavenly Demon’s Divine Palm, naturally looked up at the sky and burst out laughing in disbelief
The other Players were no different from the Heavenly Dragon Emperor. They couldn't help but turn their eyes to that immense presence. A sword descending upon Sea Emperor Vepar. A sword of light that seemed to split the very heavens, its length spanning dozens of meters! Sea Emperor Vepar saw it too. But there was nothing it could do. It had no strength left to create a new force field. Having just been crushed by the Heavenly Demon’s Divine Palm, it couldn't move its body. Gigantes’s summoning time ended
The Gigantes vanished into light, and Choi Yu-ra collapsed onto the deck of the Black Dragon. She felt like she was dying. But Choi Yu-ra smiled. Watching the sword of light cleaving through the darkness, she cheered, if only in her heart. “Finish… it…” She clenched her fist. And Kang-seok answered. The sword that splits the world. The sword of light poured down. It tore through the darkness, splitting and shattering it until it reached Sea Emperor Vepar’s massive body. It didn’t stop. It continued its advance
KWWWWAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! The island was split. The sea surface was shattered. Sea Emperor Vepar’s massive body was unbelievably torn in two. The divine power of the Yellow God, one of the Four Great Gods. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Sea Emperor Vepar abandoned its massive body. The naked form of a beautiful woman, which had been sprouting from the tip of the sea monster’s head, shot up into the sky. The true form of the Demonic Beast Vepar. A slender body, a far cry from the colossal monster that had been dozens of meters tall
But it was a demonic beast nonetheless. Vepar glared at the sky. Beyond the pouring moonlight, instead of the vanished golden light, she saw wings of pure white light. She reached her hand toward Seong Yu-jin as if in a final, desperate struggle. And toward that Vepar, Kang-seok charged. He had exhausted all the Yellow God’s divine power. There was none left. But he did not hesitate. Kang-seok used the last force field from his Sky-Walker Boots. He kicked off the empty air, adjusting the speed and direction of his fall
Sea Emperor Vepar saw the tip of the black sword Durandal aimed at her. Kang-seok roared. He thrust Durandal forward. →↗↑↖← + HS Knight of Knights! The sword of light pierced Vepar’s upper body. The sigil of light struck her. Sea Emperor Vepar’s body, pushed to its limit, shattered. It hardened like rock, then broke into pieces and scattered in the wind. Vepar looked at Kang-seok with wistful eyes, and beyond him, at the beautifully shining moon. Her final murmur scattered with the wind. “Kang-seok!” Seong Yu-jin quickly spread her wings of light and caught up to the falling Kang-seok
She embraced him with all her might. [Quest Cleared] [Quest: Defeat Sea Emperor Vepar.] [Quest MVP: Choi Kang-seok (M)] [Quest VP: Choi Yu-ra (F), Seong Yu-jin (F), Yang Jun-gyu (M), Oh Ha-na (F), Heavenly Dragon Emperor (M)] [Second World Quest Cleared] Kang-seok let his body rest in Seong Yu-jin’s arms. He smiled at the glowing text that appeared in his mind. [It’s over! You did it! You won!] Iris shouted with joy. She wasn't wrong. Sea Emperor Vepar. The second World Quest. Kang-seok and the Players were victorious.