Chapter 218: Outer Gods and Defying Heaven (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Outer Gods and Defying Heaven (2)
“What a coincidence, seeing you here!”
As Alon wore a bewildered expression, Elivan greeted him with somewhat exaggerated enthusiasm.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“I know, right? I didn’t expect it either!”
Elivan, beaming brightly, bowed his head toward Yutia, who stood beside Alon.
“Hello, Cardinal. It’s a pleasure to see you here.”
“Indeed. Have you been well, Elivan?”
“Of course.”
Alon looked at the man, whose face was practically split by a grin, and asked, “I heard you were over in Ashtalon. Why are you here? And where are your companions?”
Until recently, Alon had heard news that Elivan was dealing with the Strange Gates appearing in the Ashtalon region. He found it strange that the man was now in the North.
“My companions are on standby back at the base. I just came up north for a bit of business.”
“Business?”
“Yes!”
It was a cheerful reply.
Did Elivan have business in the North?
Alon briefly sifted through the information in his head.
‘…Well, it’s not like there’s nothing.’
If things followed the original plot of Psychedelia, Elivan would have plenty to do once a bit more time passed. There were the Strange Gates appearing in the North, of course, but the bigger reason was the appearance of the barbarians and the Outer God, ‘Uultultus.’
However, that was only if things went according to the original story. Alon had already defeated Uultultus several years ago. In other words, from the moment Uultultus fell, there were no major threats left in the North as far as Alon knew. The only remaining nuisances were the occasional Strange Gates.
‘Just as the Horizon became accessible in the DLC, maybe there are other quests that popped up when the DLC was added…’
When Alon’s silence stretched on, Elivan continued the conversation.
“I heard there’s a hidden dungeon in the North, so I came to clear it.”
“A hidden dungeon?”
“Yes. I was asked to retrieve an item from inside.”
“I see.”
It sounded like a quest from the DLC. Having guessed the general reason for his presence, Alon didn’t pry further. Soon, they headed inside the outpost.
* * *
“In summary, that is the current situation in the North.”
Immediately after entering the outpost, the knight guarding the base gave a briefing to Deus. Alon, listening alongside him, found one particular detail strange.
Specifically—
“…You’re saying the Divine Possession phenomenon has occurred?”
“Yes.”
The phenomenon was appearing among the monsters of the Snowy Mountain.
Divine Possession. It was a phenomenon where bizarre crystals grew on monsters, often serving as a precursor to the appearance of an Outer God. Hearing that this was happening, Alon couldn’t help but frown inwardly.
‘…Divine Possession, suddenly at this point?’
As far as Alon knew, since Uultultus—the Brute God—was gone, no other Outer God was supposed to appear at this stage.
‘Furthermore, the fact that Divine Possession was first observed in the North means there’s a high probability the Outer God will manifest here.’
While the Divine Possession phenomenon generally affected the entire continent when an Outer God appeared, it manifested first in the region where the god intended to descend. And as far as Alon knew, there had been no reports of the phenomenon in any other region recently.
In other words, the knight’s report pointed to one fact: an Outer God was descending upon the North.
As soon as he realized this, Alon’s mind grew complicated. Once the Divine Possession phenomenon began, it wouldn’t be strange for an Outer God to descend at any moment.
But what confused Alon even more was the fact itself—that an Outer God was coming to the North.
‘Who on earth is descending?’
According to his knowledge, the only Outer God meant to descend in the North was the Brute God. While there were about three more Outer Gods added after the Kailas arc, they were supposed to appear in places other than the North.
‘…Were more Outer Gods added in the DLC?’
There were two possibilities Alon could consider. One was that one of the Outer Gods he knew was descending to the surface here. The other was that an Outer God he didn’t know, added in the DLC, was coming down.
After a moment of thought, Alon dismissed the latter. The Psychedelia DLC, which Alon hadn’t purchased, was intended to lower the game’s difficulty by adding extra quests and various demi-human powerhouses who would become the protagonist’s allies when facing the Five Great Sins. It was unlikely they would add an Outer God that would only increase the game’s difficulty.
That left only one option.
‘One of the Outer Gods I know is descending here. If so, the only one who would appear at this point, with the Brute God dealt with, is…’
The Outer God Neltar.
Alon felt a slight chill as the name crossed his mind. With four arms and demonic black skin, Neltar boasted unique abilities even among the Outer Gods. He was a late-game boss in Psychedelia, notoriously difficult to deal with and incredibly powerful.
If he were to appear now, it was uncertain if Alon could win, even assuming he could land a clean hit with a prepared spell.
‘No—’
Strictly speaking, it would be extremely difficult for the current Alon to defeat Neltar. It wasn’t just a difference in power, but a matter of compatibility. Alon was far too vulnerable to that Outer God’s specific abilities.
Thinking that far, Alon took a deep breath to cool his head. Any speculation at this point was meaningless. There were already too many discrepancies between his knowledge and the current situation to try and deduce every unforeseen circumstance.
Therefore, Alon decided to focus on the task at hand.
‘How do I enter the Horizon?’
As far as Alon knew, the method to enter the Horizon was simple yet difficult. It was simple because the path was out in the open, but difficult because one had to fight the barbarians. Since the barbarians were blocking the path to the Horizon, conflict was unavoidable no matter how one moved.
‘…Should I have Reinhardt help me launch down from the air like last time?’
After the brief briefing concluded, Alon fell into thought as he returned to his room.
Just then.
“Teacher.”
“…Yutia?”
Yutia’s voice reached him.
“You mentioned before that you had business at the Horizon of the Snow Mountain, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Have you found a way to get there?”
“Strictly speaking, I have—but honestly, it’s not a great method. I’d have to clash with the barbarians.”
As if she could see right through Alon’s mind, Yutia took a step closer.
“Then, shall I tell you about a path?”
“…A path?”
“Yes. If you go that way, you should be able to reach it directly without having to fight the barbarians.”
“Such a path exists?”
When Alon asked back in surprise, Yutia nodded.
“Yes. Actually, I only heard the details after arriving here.”
“…About a shortcut to the Horizon?”
“Yes. I heard the priests who arrived here earlier discovered it.”
Recalling the priests he had seen at the outpost earlier, Alon asked Yutia, “Is the Pope’s command related to the Horizon?”
“Strictly speaking, it seems we are concerned with a cave that connects to the Horizon.”
“I see, so the connecting path is a cave.”
“Yes, but the information is reliable.”
Alon hesitated for a moment before nodding. “…Then I’ll take you up on that help.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“No, I feel like I’m always receiving help from you. Is there anything you want?”
Yutia gave a bright, beaming smile. “Are you going to grant it?”
“Within my capabilities, yes.”
“Hmm—”
At those words, Yutia seemed to think for a moment before saying, “Can I tell you next time?”
“There’s no reason you can’t.”
“Then I’ll tell you later. Hmm—after I’ve collected a lot more.”
“…Collected?”
“Yes. I want to help you even more and collect a lot of Teacher’s gratitude. Then, when I finally ask, maybe I can ask for something a bit more… significant.”
“Well—I’m willing to grant quite a lot even now, but—”
Yutia paused for a moment. Then, her eyes, still curved in a smile, gazed at Alon.
“?”
While Alon tilted his head at her reaction, her voice broke the short silence.
“Is that so—”
Her voice vibrated through the air.
“Then, I have some business to attend to, so I’ll head out first today, Teacher.”
Yutia left first. Alon watched her retreating back for a moment.
* * *
The next day.
Early in the dawn, Elivan headed for the dungeon, and Alon moved with Yutia toward the shortcut that would allow him to avoid the barbarians.
Deus, who moved a bit later, soon arrived at the boundary line where they were confronting the barbarians, but—
“?”
A small question sprouted in his mind. The reason was simple.
‘There are no enemies?’
Not a single barbarian, who should have been visible across the boundary, could be seen. It was as if they had all evaporated into thin air.
Deus muttered in confusion, “…Is it an ambush?”
However, his adjutant shook his head. “No, sir.”
“Then where did all those barbarians, who were swarming like goblins, go? I don’t see any of the chieftains either.”
“According to the soldiers’ reports, they all headed somewhere in a hurry early this morning.”
“…Headed somewhere?”
“Yes.”
At the adjutant’s report, the confusion on Deus’s face deepened.
At that same moment.
“Is it here?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Alon looked up at the massive cave before him.
“…It’s huge.”
“If you pass through this cave, you’ll immediately see the Horizon you were looking for, Marquis.”
Nodding, Alon suddenly remembered something and asked Yutia, “By the way, isn’t this… barbarian territory?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure about that part, but I heard the barbarians didn’t come here when the priests were investigating.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So don’t worry and go ahead.”
As Alon naturally moved to step forward following Yutia’s send-off, a question occurred to him.
“…Wait, aren’t you coming with me?”
“No. As I mentioned yesterday, my investigation site is strictly around this cave.”
“I see.”
“Take your time. I’ll be doing my own work in the meantime.”
Yutia waved her hand casually with a smile. Alon hesitated for a moment, but then spoke.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
He left her behind and stepped into the cave.
Yutia continued to wave until Alon’s figure disappeared. Then—
“You all arrived earlier than I expected.”
She wiped the smile completely from her face and turned around.
Before her eyes—
“…Wench.”
The barbarians stood there.
And it wasn’t just one.
Dozens. Hundreds. No—
There were so many barbarians surrounding Yutia that they were the only thing distinguishable in the otherwise uniform ashen world.
Nearly tens of thousands of eyes looked down at her simultaneously. The killing intent and fighting spirit radiating from their bodies were aimed directly at Yutia.
Then, the chieftain of the strongest of the eight barbarian tribes—the man who was effectively the leader of all barbarians in terms of martial prowess—stepped forward.
Ruraka, a giant standing over eight feet tall, took a step toward her.
“Are you the one who did this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I am asking if you, wench, are the one who broke all the blessings and spells that have descended upon our sanctuary for the past thousand years and set foot in this forbidden holy ground.”
His voice was incredibly rough. However—
“What if I am?”
Yutia asked back nonchalantly.
“Do you even realize what you have done? You have severed the noble sanctuary and spells that our entire race has protected since we first began living in this barren North!”
Watching Ruraka tremble with rage, Yutia let out a soft laugh.
“Oh my, that’s… a shame. But I had my reasons too.”
“Rea… sons?”
“Yes. I needed a path to the Horizon. This is the easiest way for him to get there without running into you people, isn’t it?”
“…What??”
“Did you not understand me?”
“For such a trivial reason, you recklessly destroyed the sanctuary and spells we have protected for over a thousand years?”
Ruraka gripped his massive axe tightly, as if he could no longer endure it. But Yutia’s red lips did not stop moving.
“Trivial? It’s important to me. He found it tiresome to deal with you people.”
She spoke without a hint of fear.
“So, you think that fool won’t run into us?”
“A fool… I see.”
In that moment, silence descended upon the area. Yutia rolled the word Ruraka had spat out in her mouth for a moment, then nodded.
“Of course. From the moment you said that—”
She looked up.
“—you’re all going to die here anyway.”
As she slowly raised her hand and extended her index finger, the countless barbarians—enough to fill the ashen world—charged at her.
It was an overwhelming sight. The barbarians’ killing intent took physical form, staining the ashen world a dark red, and their madness was focused entirely on one person.
The weapons they held were also aimed solely at Yutia. Finally, just as those blades were about to reach her body—
Swish—
Her slender index finger moved slightly. From left to right. Just once.
And then.
Tick—
A small sound, like the ticking of a clock’s second hand, escaped Yutia’s lips. At the same time—
Flash—
The ashen world was dyed with flowers of blood.
“—”
Everyone fell silent. No, they were silenced.
The bodies of the charging barbarians no longer existed. All that remained were red blood and scraps of flesh. Other than that, nothing existed.
A massive red circle had been drawn with the girl at its center. The blood left behind by the vanished barbarians painted a picture of death, and their fragments awakened the survival instincts of their remaining comrades.
The barbarians’ killing intent instantly turned into tension, and their madness bloomed into an eternal terror.
And standing in the center, the girl, Yutia Bloodia, looked toward those who had mocked him and were now drenched in fear. Once more—
“Tick—”
She spoke indifferently.
A sentence of death.