Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Invasion
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"Ah. I feel so refreshed. I've been putting on that ridiculous act for so long, it was quite the ordeal for me too. Well, there was some fun in watching the cute hero swallow every word without a shred of doubt."
"Wh-, why..? Why on earth..?"
-Tremble tremble tremble
My hands started shaking uncontrollably, but I had no spare moment to stop them.
The shock of being betrayed by Erdel was that immense,
and on top of it,
"N-no.. Um, up to where was it a lie? What exactly.."
most of the information I had came from Erdel or was connected to her, so my brain could barely function.
"Hmm.. I've lied so much that even I'm confused what's real and what's fake. Want to just assume it was all lies?"
"Th-then Earth.."
"Aha. That one?"
-Smirk
"Of course it was a lie. Why would I bother dragging the hero all the way here just to send you back to Earth?"
"Ah.. Ah..."
-Thud
"You?!"
My legs gave out in an instant, and Yeo Socheon barely managed to catch me as I collapsed to the floor.
"You've been too naive from the start, Hero. With zero information on your opponent. How could you so innocently believe every word I said when you had no way to judge its truth?"
"...You. What have you done?"
"Nothing much? Sure, I've lied a lot, but the goal of keeping you alive and bringing you to our world was pure truth, not a single lie."
"What for exactly.."
"Hmm.. To reclaim the hero who stole half my soul from the moment we met and fled back to his original world?"
"...You're truly insane."
Even Yeo Socheon looked appalled, forgetting to use polite speech.
"I thought there was some other reason, but you're saying you devoured the god you served and wrecked the world just to find one man?"
"Ha, is it wrong that I chopped off the heads of those gods who deemed the world they'd barely saved beyond repair, scraped together the remaining resources, and tried to flee to another world?"
"..."
"Remember this: gods are ultimately selfish beings who couldn't care less about their creations and only look out for themselves."
-Stare..
I couldn't even properly follow what the two were saying.
'Can't go.. back to Earth..?'
I'd come all this way to return to Earth, and now it was a lie.
That left just two choices ultimately.
I had to pick between the current murim world or Erdel's world,
'But she said it was a lie..?'
and Erdel's world had plunged into even deeper mystery about its current state.
One thing I could guess was that it might be in far worse shape than she'd claimed.
"But.. have you still not noticed?"
"...What other trick is this.."
"When the opponent reveals their true colors like this, it's because they have good reason. Like, say, no longer needing to keep up the act."
-Flinch!
Yeo Socheon seemed to sense something, gripped her sword, and charged at Erdel, but
"Too late."
-Boom!
The moment Erdel slammed her spear into the ground,
-Shaaaa..
the countless gold coins scattered around began crumbling into powder and vanishing.
It was the familiar effect of gold coins converting to points that I'd seen several times before, but
"H-hand didn't touch them..?"
I hadn't even touched the gold coins.
"Truth is, it doesn't have to touch the hero specifically."
"Ah.."
-Kwang!
"Kyaaak?!"
Erdel confessed to yet another lie, then swung her spear to bat away the charging Yeo Socheon.
-Flash
"Now then, Goddess of this world? I'll make one final proposal."
Erdel, no longer in an unstable form of white light but in the complete shape of a human, spoke while emitting light from the radiance unfolding behind her back.
"Will you hand over the hero willingly? Or shall I destroy this world first and take him? Pick one."
-Blink blink
Around the same time
-Rumble!!!
"What's that noise?"
"Earthquake..?"
"The ground isn't shaking though?"
The massive roar from cracks forming in the barrier enveloping the dimensions spread across the entire Central Plains, leaving people puzzled, and in that moment
-Clatter
-Clatter
"Groooar.."
"...What.. is that...?"
Strange events began occurring simultaneously across the Central Plains.
Bones appearing from somewhere and moving as if alive, or something that looked like nothing but a rotting corpse with decayed flesh shambling while making eerie sounds,
-Hehehehehe
"Wh-what? Why do I hear weird noises in my ears?"
"Sounds like a woman laughing.."
or an unfamiliar woman's voice echoing from empty places.
Unexplainable phenomena by murim common sense were happening here and there.
And it was the same for the three heading to the Demonic Cult, chasing Yeo Socheon while twisting through space.
-Groooar!!!
"...This is bad."
"Phew. Finally made it through. How long were we stuck between barriers because of that weird bitch with the blue lightning?"
"Oh my. The kids in this world aren't bad at all? That one with the fox ears is super cute. She has banshee potential."
"...This just got annoying."
-Hiss..
A pair of man and woman blocked their path.
Unlike ordinary humans, with rotting skin or translucent bodies, it was obvious at a glance they weren't human but monsters,
-Writhing writhing
"Hey. Manage your minions properly. They're keep trying to possess my minions."
"Cut them some slack. The kids worked hard crossing over. They're just empty shells without souls anyway."
The hordes of moving corpses and ghosts stretching to the horizon behind them made victory uncertain, no matter how confident the women were in their skills.
With the vampire precedent, there was no room to expect friendliness from these beings.
"Where's Barshutain? I sense his energy nearby, but."
"What, he crossed over way ahead of us. He's probably fine."
"You never know. He might've been wiped out already."
"Ehh. That'd be a hassle. Without him, I'd have to come up with strategies."
"We don't need strategies. Just overwhelm with numbers."
The forces of the undying from the past were divided into three legions:
The 1st Legion relied on overwhelming numbers led by zombies and skeletons.
The 2nd Legion crumbled enemy forces with mental attacks led by banshees and phantoms.
The 3rd Legion, vampires, operated as elite few, focusing on assassinations of key figures or inciting internal divisions.
-Slash
"I'll ask upfront, but you don't plan to turn back now, right?"
"...Of course not."
"N-naturally!"
They'd already nearly reached the Demonic Cult, and with things like this, they couldn't be sure of their target's safety.
No way to know what was happening in this world, but blindly assuming he was fine was laughable.
"Socheon and I will clear the path, so the Tang girl goes ahead first."
"...You sure you're okay?"
"Whether we are or not doesn't matter."
-Fwoosh..
"If it must be done, considering anything else is pointless."
-Boom!!
In that instant, massive pillars of fire erupted from where the corpse piles gathered and where the leaders stood,
-Whoosh!
and as the three deployed lightness skills to carry out their roles,
-Clang!
"Where do you think you're going, Master?"
"Soyeon?!"
Blocking the Sword Empress's path was someone who shouldn't be here.
"How.. are you here? And what's with that appearance."
"...Someone proposed a deal."
"What does that mean? Wasn't.. it all over?"
Just yesterday she looked perfectly human,
but now Sword Flower's form was unmistakably that of a vampire.
Red eyes. Red sword. And red wings.
"Like a larva entering a cocoon to become a butterfly, I merely slumbered."
-Ching
She wielded a gorgeous sword none had seen before, aiming it at her master.
"Don't look so sad. You've already suffered so much because of me—still can't let go?"
"I.. thought you'd finally come to your senses."
"Strange words. What does regaining my senses have to do with forgiving past sins?"
-Crunch!
A sword flew from somewhere and embedded around Sword Flower.
"I met a woman. She looked like me and proposed a deal."
"...And that deal hammers another nail into your already worn master's heart?"
"...Once betrayed, twice isn't hard."
-Crunch! Crunch!
Strange swords continued embedding around Sword Flower.
Swords the Sword Empress didn't recognize, but each enchanted with countless spells and curses from another world—legendary blades.
"I realized what I wanted. And what to do if I can't have it."
"...I'll hold no more lingering attachment to you."
"Just what I hoped."
And so, in one corner of the battlefield, countless swords flew and clashed.
And far farther away from there.
-Whoooosh..
"...Hoh."
[...]
A skull with three heads wearing a jet-black crown, shrouded in a massive cloak,
stared at the Heavenly Demon with empty eye sockets.