Chapter 70
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Elite Player
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- I'm going to restore this world to its original state.
One day, during the Heroic Sword Chronicles, Tarsiyo had said just that.
- And after that, I'm going on a journey.
A dream so resolute, one that everyone else had given up on, a dream they dared not even mention in jest.
- When that day comes, will you come with me?
It felt like the world was shaking.
It was the first time I'd heard it, yet strangely, it made sense, as if I had been hearing it all along.
[The Young Mistress entered a state of cryogenic sleep in 'CODE: 737,' the Ark, at the age of seven. It was a decision made by the Master to prepare for the invasion from the outer universe.]
“That means I was in the capsule you brought to the Papal Office back then. For two thousand years. You saved me.”
“No, that’s….”
They said it was a Light Dragon's egg.
Was it all just to conceal such a massive secret?
She always felt like someone from another world… It wasn't just because she was the second coming of the Yongsa.
“So, Tarsiyo, you were the daughter of [The Ones Who Came].”
Maxensia, the Pale Moon, one of the four moon goddesses… Yes, the daughter of the sun and the moon.
Her very status is different.
A different class from the moment she was born.
Tarsiyo hurriedly opened her mouth, as if to make an excuse or offer an explanation.
“Kaisen, I….”
But that feast of revelations was merely a prelude.
A prelude to a cosmic nightmare….
Just as Tarsiyo was about to continue, sharp, jarring echoes struck my mind.
[Your Excellency Thunderous Fragrance! Th-this is…!]
[What is it?]
[It's the shadow… Th-the shadow is rushing in! It's g-g-getting inside my body! No, stop! Get out! G-get out of my bo-daaaaaaaaargh…!]
“What's happening? Your Excellency, can you hear me? Your Excellency!”
The connection wasn't going through… I swallowed hard, my throat dry and hot.
Is it because we're underground?
No, is it because of the force field the Elite Sorcerer is creating?
“I have a bad feeling. Let's talk later.”
The presence of that nightmare, first heard, now assaulted my sense of smell.
A wave of sweltering heat rushed out the moment Kadyuel opened the third door.
It was a mix of the metallic tang of blood and the stench of pus… Someone staggered out of the heat, collapsing with a thud before I could even draw my sword.
“Betrayal… The Elite Sorcerer, that bitch… she… all of us….”
A chill ran down my spine, making the hair on my body stand on end.
What happened to his back…?
It was horribly torn apart, as if something had exploded from within, leaving his entrails and bones fully exposed.
[Be careful. This is the shadow of Ryuinien, the Dark Star. You must stop the apostle of the outer universe before Ryuinien's power causes the facility to collapse.]
“Dark Star?”
“It's a world ruled by Rwajagyul, one of the five absolute gods enthroned in the outer universe.”
For a moment, I was silent.
Ever since a moment ago, Tarsiyo had felt like a person from a completely different world.
[According to the Library's data, the shadow of Ryuinien mutates and collapses the structural providence itself.]
Suddenly, my mind went cold.
An alien darkness, a shadow, was approaching from ahead.
In less than an instant, I stepped in front of Tarsiyo and swung Aradamanthel.
“!”
But the shadow, sliced in half, writhed and then knitted itself back together.
‘Aradamanthel can't cut it…?’
My instincts screamed danger.
The moment I startled back in shock.
In that split second, as the reformed shadow lunged at me.
Vmmm….
Gaumris emitted a glow.
That light also flashed within my mind.
‘You want me to use you, Gaumris?’
Right, Gaumris's special ability is Light Pressure Annihilation….
A power that could eliminate even formless enemies by overwhelming their entire surface area. That was the power I needed now.
The moment I gripped the hilt of Gaumris, which extended over my shoulder.
One fell swoop.
An explosion of radiance brilliantly illuminated the far end of the passage, which had been swallowed by darkness.
A raging torrent of light, a runaway flood of light.
As the shadows were obliterated by a light that could only be described as a mighty current of power, Kadyuel spoke in a surprised tone.
[To annihilate the power of an absolute god with such a low-grade weapon… your skill is astounding.]
“Right? Kaisen is amazing. What you just saw was nothing. Judge him after you've seen more.”
Tarsiyo nodded emphatically.
Why are *you* so excited?
[Even so, in the current situation, it would be more appropriate to use an 11th-tier weapon like the Sharrilion worn by the Young Mistress.]
“11th-tier?”
[The weapons you have equipped are all 7th-tier, which are insufficient to face the power of an absolute god head-on.]
So, if I'm understanding this right… 7th-tier weapons are the Supreme Holy Swords, and 11th-tier weapons are the True Holy Swords?
A self-deprecating sneer formed on my lips. They were both holy swords, yet there was a four-tier difference between them.
Perhaps it was only natural. I'm the fake, and she's the real one.
“These suit my station.”
I'm already wielding more power than I deserve with just these.
And I have no intention of using anything else. I liked the weight of the Supreme Holy Swords pressing down on my body.
It felt like I was carrying their dreams, their wills, forward in their stead.
[I see. However, it is not advisable for you, the Young Mistress's bodyguard, to exert yourself in every battle.]
“Why is that?”
[The Young Mistress has inherited the genetic traits of Lady Maxensia and is quite frail. Therefore, your strength must be preserved.]
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Don't say it, Kadyuel.”
[Understood. In that case, I will have the Rasephins assist in combat.]
Rasephins?
Crevices in the inner walls opened, and beings shaped like warriors made of steel and light appeared and knelt.
That wondrous sight was my first encounter with the angels who were said to have served the gods and fought the Abyss in the age of gods.
[The Rasephins will buy you time against the shadows. Please hurry to the control room.]
Echoes of Another World,
The True Face of Religious Innovation (5)
[Individuals from other worlds with promising talents like yourself are selected as 'Elite Players.' They can be considered potential risk factors.]
The underground facility was like a mineshaft, dimly illuminated by a light from an unknown power source.
Brightly lit areas were safe, while places where the lights were broken and flickered ominously were where the shadows lurked.
Even without seeing the light, I could determine their presence by the stench of mutilated corpses.
There was another way to tell. Wherever shouts and screams could be heard, there were shadows.
The Players, the Rasephins, and the shadows were locked in a three-way battle. Since the Players were all incredibly skilled, we could move without much fighting if we used the situation to our advantage.
“I just don't get this 'Elite Player' thing. What is it? Are they chosen just for being strong?”
I pressed forward, tearing apart the shadows in the darkness with beams of light from my holy sword.
[Let me offer a suitable analogy… Suppose you are reading a book.]
A book….
The memory of Roveris talking about books surfaced, and I felt a pang of sadness.
[Suppose you become so engrossed in that book that you read it hundreds of times, until you have memorized the entire flow of the story. But what if the contents of that book were the complete account of another world?]
“That's not possible.”
[Then you haven't just memorized a book; you have mastered the fate and causality of an entire world. Those who can sway the destiny of a world—such individuals are selected as Elite Players.]
I mulled over those words for a moment.
It was a bizarre contradiction.
If they were so engrossed in a book, wouldn't that mean they loved its contents, its characters?
“And yet now they're leading the charge to destroy it?”
Tarsiyo answered, her expression somewhat sorrowful.
“The loss of humanity. The absolute gods of the outer universe rejoice in seeing the traces of creation fade from humans.”
[All [The Forgotten Kings] are Elite Players who survived to the very end of a game just like that one.]
“What?”
Everything was a mystery, but we weren't in a position to continue our long question-and-answer session.
A dull vibration ran through the facility, followed by a shockwave as if something massive had been launched.
Then, desperate laments echoed through the Thunderous Fragrance Mind-Resonance Formation.
[How could this… oh my god….]
[Th-the sun…?]
[Your Excellency Thunderous Fragrance, the sun is falling…!]
The sun is falling?
What does that mean? No, how is that even possible? I couldn't even imagine it.
[The three suns and four moons that illuminate this planet are all artificial satellites created by the Master. The Starlink has been lost, causing them to fall out of their orbits.]
The next moment, a violent tremor rocked the inside of the tunnel, and dust rained down from the ceiling.
I don't understand what's going on.
I don't understand what's going on, but I know what I have to do.
“We have to find the Elite Sorcerer before it's too late, is that it?”
[Warning, Starlink with Maks-227 is also being disconnected.]
“I don't know what that means, so just tell me to hurry up!”
The control room was located where seventeen passages converged.
[What is it, what's falling this time?]
A massive celestial map undulated like a melody of light, and at its center stood three people.
[It's a moon! A moon is falling!]
One person was the sun.
There was no other way to describe him; he commanded a radiance even more brilliant than Setsunen of Thunderous Fragrance.
[Kaisen, can you hear me? The surface is in chaos! The second sun is falling! Kaisen, Kaisen?]
Another was a boy.
He had the light purple hair of the Page family and was bound by shadows.
One of his arms had been severed and was gushing blood.
‘And the other person….’
For a moment, I had a hallucination, as if my mother or Ratel were standing before me.
Elegant black hair and red eyes.
But the resemblance was only superficial… her presence was so chilling and grotesque, unlike anyone else's.
“Eos!”
Tarsiyo shouted.
Eos, who was clutching some sort of key and being forced against the control equipment, turned his head.
“Tarsiyo… I had no choice… To save my disciple….”
Eos, that man of the sun, was the key to skipping the scenario.
According to Kadyuel, Eos was the son of Shurigan, the Blood-Rain Sun, and Maxensia, the Noble Moon.
He also said that the only two people who could currently control the Tarhye Rondel system were Eos and Tarsiyo.
[It appears she took the boy hostage to threaten Lord Eos. This is because only the two of them can manipulate the Starlink.]
At that, the black-haired sorceress, Luxeria Ludwick, chuckled.
“That's right. If I use him to create an age of darkness, the scenario will instantly enter its final phase.”
“……?”
“And my power is shadow. In a world of nothing but darkness, I'll become so powerful no one can stop me. Perfect. It'll be perfect to kill that pile of bugs and you, who've deviated from the original scenario, right here!”
Something that had been festering in my mind turned cold and hard.
Scenario, she called it….
That wasn't the language of this world. It was the voice of someone mocking this world's fate from afar. It was the cackling laughter of the stars in the sky on the day my mother died.
“The deaths of everyone I ever knew were just part of a scenario to you?”
“Yeah, you didn't know? You were originally nothing but a pile of data! Just data particles in a game! Why did a bug like you suddenly show up and get in my way? Why me? Why me of all people! There are other Elites! Because of you, I had to sacrifice all my raid members! To receive the power of a VVIP!”
She's barking like a dog.
She was speaking human words, but the thing in front of me was less than a beast. Not worth listening to.
“The greatest misfortune of your life is that Her Excellency Thunderous Fragrance is not here.”
Vmmmm….
Resonating with their wielder's fury, the four holy swords erupted with radiant flames, unleashing an explosive killing intent.
“Because there is no one here to stop me from killing you.”
That killing intent was so immense, so profound, that the very air trembled.
Sensing the danger, Luxeria Ludwick flinched and moved her hands.
“Tarsiyo, you protect those two. Don't let them be taken hostage again.”
Just then, Tarsiyo stepped forward.
“You're being deceived! This isn't just a story in a game. It's a real, existing world!”
“Hmph, is that so? And what of it?”
“You knew?”
“What do I care! Get lost! You're all just sacrifices! Sacrifices to grant my wish! Game or reality, what does it matter to me? Nothing changes either way!”
Luxeria's eyes blazed red, and a white heptagram bloomed within her pupils.
Bel Quirius.
The secret art of the Ludwick family, said to have elevated them to the pinnacle of battle mages.
The wielder of Bel Quirius could see through the world's providence and bend it to their will.
Now, the empty space where Luxeria's gaze fell distorted, as if the entire dimension were being corroded by shadow.
“Ha, ahahahaha! Yes! This is amazing, absolutely amazing! So now Bel Quirius can even be activated with the power of shadow!”
What is this…?
The hair falling to my shoulders, light as it was, couldn't help but lag half a beat behind as I dodged.
The strands that fluttered to catch up were instantly devoured by the shadow.
“You see this and you still don't get what kind of game this is? This power! Can you even imagine where this incredible power comes from? The absolute gods! VVIPs, there are five absolute beings!”
Shhhhrrrk… Again, the dimension was torn asunder by the shadow.
So this is the power of an absolute god.
Kadyuel said the power of an absolute god was a type of poison… Indeed, I couldn't get close.
“If they wanted to, they could wipe out all the humans, elves, and demi-humans, and still have power to spare! To them, everyone is just prey! It's useless no matter how much you struggle!”
It was the kind of power gained by sacrificing one's humanity in exchange for immense strength.
“The only way to end this game is for all of you to die! You don't believe me? Then go ask that silver-haired bitch over there!”
Was I mistaken?
For a moment, it looked as if Luxeria was crying.
[Theoretically, the divinity of the absolute gods cannot reach the world of creation. That is why they require the relaying ability of Yotiatos, the master of the Abyss.]
“Right, Yotiatos! That executive administrator! I heard he was originally an absolute god too!”
[Therefore, it is not necessary to defeat all five absolute gods of the outer universe. You only need to eliminate Yotiatos to end it.]
One chance.
The unidentifiable pressure was growing stronger. It was clear that the more she adapted to that power, the slimmer my chances of victory became.
Tarsiyo shouted.
“You hear the truth and feel no change of heart?”
“That's right! Nothing changes! It's much better to get rid of you than to face an absolute god! It's so much easier! How many times do you think I've seen that ending? I tried to stop it, but I never could! That's the reality!”
One time.
Just one.
“If, just if, you had a wish you desperately wanted to come true, and all you had to do was finish one task to achieve it—a task you've already done countless times—would you really hesitate?”
The next moment, holding my breath, I threw Solang's shield at Luxeria.
Claaaaang—!
As the fiercely spinning shield was repelled by the shadow, I threw Scherpang, Gaumris, and Solang into the air above me, one after another.
It's a race against time.
Meanwhile, shadowy monsters squirming from all directions surged toward my feet.
“Before this game started, the administrator asked me!”
Twice as fast as those shadows could swallow my boots.
The feet inside the boots.
The very skin and bone of my soles.
“‘If you could have your wish granted, could you destroy a world?’ he asked!”
Supreme Holy Sword Aradamanthel.
I placed my right hand on its hilt.
“My answer is the same now as it was then! What choice is there! Not when my wish can be granted!”
Thunderclap Draw.
Dozens of slashes raged like a storm, scattering the shadows in all directions.
“If you won't die quietly, then I'll just have to kill you painfully! The greater your pain, the more the VVIP will favor me!”
And immediately after.
I snatched the free-falling Scherpang from mid-air and, following its trajectory, unleashed a single flash.
A slash that transcended space-time, cutting through the dimension itself, through the very space being corrupted and torn apart by Bel Quirius.
“Wha—”
The storm-like flow of power caused a backlash, tearing apart every muscle fiber in my right arm as a price.
A pain so intense it blacked out my vision.
Suppressing the agony, I released Scherpang and grabbed Gaumris, unleashing a strike of light pressure, a tidal wave of light that cracked the control room floor as it crashed down on Luxeria.
“—at?!”
What protected Luxeria, who should have died from that blow, who had let out a scream of bewilderment just before death, was… a shadow.
It was a shadow that vaguely resembled a three-headed dragon… and it was cradling Luxeria with nine arms.
The wind pressure and oppressive aura its power commanded were more than enough to overwhelm the entire space.
Was she surprised herself?
As Luxeria looked up at the shadow, the bewilderment on her face vanished, replaced by a triumphant smile that began to spread.
“Ha, haha, ahahahahahahaha! What, with the power of an absolute god, I can use this too? Even the Asura Silhongyeong, an un-implemented skill for the sorcerer class?”
Asura Silhongyeong.
The legendary power said to have been used by Yonghyeon Rain Ludwick to seal the Spider Lord Ashron.
This meant it was a modern embodiment of the power of Karenden, the Black Sun, who had fought head-on against [The Forgotten Kings] in the age of gods.
The Asura protects its master to the end with its nine arms, and unless the Asura is defeated first, all attacks against the master are nullified.
‘In that case, I just have to deal with them both at the same time, before it's fully formed.’
Before Luxeria's laughter could end, the last holy sword descended into my hand.
Supreme Holy Sword Solang.
I reverently gripped its hilt with both hands and raised it high above my head.
“No.”
The blade, forged to a colossal size, was spewing forth a transcendent, radiant flame.
Thanks to Solang's special ability, Impact Transference, the blade was long enough to reach the high ceiling of the control room.
The answer lay with Solang's shield, which I had thrown earlier.
I hadn't thrown it just to keep her in check.
I had simply made it absorb the full power of Aradamanthel, Scherpang, and Gaumris.
In other words, Solang had now absorbed the power of all three holy swords, weaving them into one.
“Now you'll never use that again.”