Chapter 108: Kali Yuga (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Kali Yuga (2)
False Appellation (假號).
A fake name.
The "Blessing" of the Sword God was, so to speak, a camouflage screen. After all, wasn't it ridiculous? I was the God of Sword in the first place, so why would I look down upon and bless myself? The picture just didn't make sense.
So, the Blessing of the Sword God was closer to a wordplay created by the Counterforce to fool me. If I had released the blessing at my own whim, I would have turned this world into complete mush. Case in point: when my Blessing of the Sword God was stripped away on Avallon Island by Agor, the 5th Corps Commander. Even with the World Tree Yggdrasil acting as a catalyst, the planet had almost overloaded back then, hadn't it?
‘Thank goodness 「Divine Blessing of Regeneration」 and 「Divine Blessing of Transfer」 spread at just the right time...’
In the worst-case scenario, the entire Avallon Island would have evaporated into thin air. That was how much of a double-edged sword lifting the False Appellation of the Sword God was. Even now, having completely awakened my memories and power as the God of Sword, controlling it was a heavy burden.
‘I try not to release the blessing if possible.’
...Or so I intended.
[Blessing of Healing manifests.]
[Holy Power is added to it.]
[Blessing of Healing — Awaken manifests.]
Episode. Kali Yuga
Pee-ree-ree-ree-t!
The requiem squeezed out by Weapon echoed vast and wide. I could vividly picture him blowing into his recorder as if his lungs were about to burst.
"Honestly, that guy is way too hot-blooded."
Still, in the midst of everyone's exhaustion, I was benefiting quite a bit thanks to you, Weapon.
Offering my silent thanks, I half-lowered my eyelashes. Dark embers flickered within my half-closed eyes.
Shiver.
Goosebumps rose all over my skin. Not out of fear. It was because an unknown hormone rushed through my entire body. It surged up my spine and took over my brain.
A little pain.
That was why it felt so vivid. I felt alive.
Damn it! But what could I do if a smile crept up anyway?
I didn't bother hiding my grin.
Let's admit it. Back during Ragnarok and even now, I secretly craved crises like this.
It's my private inner thought anyway, so no one's going to find out.
Just as I was about to kick off the air with that thought—
"......?"
My eyes locked with Ryozo's. Her wide, rounded eyes blinked back at me.
What is it?
Why are you making a face like that? As if you just read my mind...
[Detected the presence of Code. Yggdrasil.]
[Can be used as a catalyst. Would you like to proceed?]
Flash—
[ Y / N ]
Without realizing it, I nodded.
[ Y ]
▲
Light-green particles scattered abundantly. The particles originating from Ryozo's skin drifted away, soaking into the earth as if embracing it.
[Personality - Using Code. Yggdrasil as a catalyst enables a temporary elevation of Rank.]
Immediately after, an auspicious energy ebbed away from me.
Divine Blessing of Painlessness.
Divine Blessing of Transfer.
Divine Blessing of Regeneration.
It was strange. The situation was strikingly similar to when I slaughtered the 5th Corps Commander Agor. Yet there was a difference. I don't just mean the location. How was this possible without Yggdrasil...?
Don't tell me.
Fragments of context began to gather one by one. The puzzle, previously full of gaping holes like an old man's gums, began to draw out a blueprint.
"Ryozo, you..."
"Let's talk later, Geomma."
Ryozo dismissed the conversation with a shake of her head. She was wrapped in a light-green aura of resolve.
"The enemy in front of us comes first."
"......"
I agreed.
I stopped thinking and surrendered my body to a bottomless sense of intoxication.
* * *
Gulp.
Ryozo moistened her parched throat as she watched Kang Geomma. Although she had told him to focus on the battle for now, she was also considerably shocked.
It seems I...
It seemed Yggdrasil had been planted deep inside Ryozo. As for when, it had to be during that incident on Avallon Island. Ever since her conversation with Mesther, the Holy Mother of the Ancients, something strange had been happening to Ryozo.
This sense of unity... Geomma and I are connected.
Was that all?
Ryozo, too...
Could see the floating text that previously only appeared in Kang Geomma's sight.
Her mind was tangled in knots. Right now, she couldn't make heads or tails of anything. Even if she wanted to wrack her brain, wasn't the survival of humanity currently on the line? With the situation so dire, the added confusion made her eyes and brain feel like they were about to explode.
"One thing I know for sure."
She must not distance herself from Geomma—whether emotionally or physically. The current Kang Geomma needed "Ryozo, unified with Yggdrasil."
As if reading its master's intent, the Mad Dragon carried Ryozo closer to Kang Geomma. Rather than a physical mount, this was possible because it was a thought-form.
She arrived within arm's reach of Kang Geomma. Ryozo floated in the air, standing back-to-back with him. Instinctively, the others followed her lead.
They maintained a certain distance from Kang Geomma. Securing a safe buffer zone so as not to get caught in the collateral damage, they exchanged glances.
‘Our role is rear security.’
‘Okay, Saki-chan! That’s my specialty!’
‘...What are you planning, Ryozo?’
She didn't know.
Ryozo intended to silently do what needed to be done.
Because...
Goooooo...
Everyone's blood ran cold. Though they hadn't coordinated it, all of them coincidentally turned their gazes to Kang Geomma at the exact same moment.
"Huh, why... can't I see Geomma-kun?"
Rachel rubbed her eyes with her wrist guard and opened them again. Even so, she couldn't see Kang Geomma clearly.
The outer contour of Kang Geomma was warping like a heat haze. It was Aura. Purely through his sheer momentum, he was distorting the dimension around him.
Leon's lips burned dry. He was someone who had personally experienced Kang Geomma's strength firsthand. Moreover, Leon was someone who could claim to be the strongest of the era—excluding Kang Geomma.
Tick.
Cold sweat soaked his back.
Tock.
In an instant, the hero's intuition and the laws of the universe acted as one.
Slide.
Kang Geomma's shoulders moved. Murasame was raised. A dark light slithered down the blade.
Slash—!
He swung down. No battle cry, no named technique was required.
Just a simple cut. Nothing flashy. Lifting the sword and letting it fall. That was all. As far as anyone knew, it was the simplest action, yet the ultimate pinnacle of swordsmanship.
=...!=
The giant eye, Kali Yuga, finally reacted. Across its horizontally split retina, cross-shaped cuts fractured endlessly.
十 十 十 十 十 十 十 十 十 十
十 十 十 十 十 十 十
十 十 ㄨ 十 十
十 十 十 十 十
十 十 十 十 十 十 十
十 十 十 十 十 十 十 十 十 十
The beams of light that Kali Yuga sprayed like scattered seeds were sliced apart all at once. With a single strike, Kang Geomma neutralized the cluster of rays.
Abel and Leon gasped simultaneously.
"That's..."
"That's..."
It was martial art (武), and at the same time, nothingness (無).
People often say that those who reach the absolute peak in any field end up trying to empty themselves instead. That single slash was no different.
Ryozo, Abel, Leon, Rachel, and Medea felt absolutely nothing from Kang Geomma's slash. It wasn't just because of the vast gap in strength. Kang Geomma had infused nothing into his sashimi knife.
The giant, dazed eye winced violently. Everyone covered their ears.
=Do you truly... reject the end?=
He ignored it.
Kang Geomma quickly cast his gaze downward. Yoo Se-in, who looked like a tiny speck far below, gave a slight nod.
Yoo Se-in clasped her hands together in prayer. A divine halo cast over her head.
Moving her lips softly, she sent a telepathic message to Kang Geomma.
[I'm going to project a quest window through the rift in the world you created so everyone can see it.]
[You'll be able to see it too, but consider this a heads-up. Ideally, I'd like to broadcast it to every cultural region... but that's beyond my abilities, so we'll start with Hawaii Island.]
Kali Yuga had manifested by borrowing the framework of a game. Its intention was to separate people from reality. The bastard's insidious scheme was to shatter public support for Kang Geomma and usurp the resulting void in human perception.
‘Overwrite a game with a game.’
This was the plan Yoo Se-in had desperately concocted on the spot. Frankly, it was absurd. Even though Balor Joaquin had provided a clue, it was like telling someone to sail around the world with nothing but a compass.
However, the feasibility rose exponentially in an instant. It was thanks to Ryozo. Her unification with Yggdrasil was an unexpected wild card.
[Tsk. If 'that girl' were here, it would've been easy, but there's no way she'd cooperate. Anyway, Kang Geomma, just rampage however you want. I've set the stage for your blade.]
Kang Geomma kicked off the air repeatedly, charging toward Kali Yuga. In the next instant, a reddish light condensed right in the center of the massive eye. It intended to concentrate the randomly scattered rays into a single focused point.
Thwip!
An arrow stabbed straight into the eye socket. Although it was no more than a tiny needle prick to something of its size, Kali Yuga grimaced. Its decisive strike had been interrupted.
That opening—
There was no way Kang Geomma would miss it.
He drew a massive arc with Murasame, which sparkled with sword light. A pitch-black trajectory surged toward Kali Yuga.
Left with no choice, Kali Yuga spread its beam into a flat disc. The disc and the sword strike collided, shattering into pieces.
It certainly wasn't an easy target. He had unleashed the strike with the intention of cleaving the target apart like the sky itself, yet it defended with a beam shield? Agor had had her limbs severed by an attack not even a quarter of this power.
"That's some insane defense."
Nothing else for it. Kang Geomma pulled out the EX-rank Sashimi he had been carefully keeping in his pocket.
[Now!]
Yoo Se-in had just finished her preparation as well.
Kang Geomma realized vaguely.
I always hesitated to give it a name.
Only now do I understand why.
[Starting the Sword (劍) Slot Spin.]
[Maintenance)(Emergency Maintenance)(Regular Maintenance)(Extended Maintenance]
▲
≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫
With a whirring sound, the characters passed by at high speed.
[...gency Maintenance)(Regular Maintenance)(Extended Maintenance)(Emergency Maintenance]
▲
≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫≫
The speed slowed down.
[Maintenance)(Regular Maintenance)(Extended Maintenance)(Emergency Maintenance]
▲
At a distance where he could almost ram into Kali Yuga's house-sized cornea, the dial finally ground to a halt.
[...gular Maintenance)(Extended Maintenance)(Emergency Maintenance)(Maintenan...]
▲
[The Sword Name to be used for 1 minute has been determined.]
Bzzzzz—
[Executing Emergency Maintenance (緊急 點劍).]
Kang Geomma wiped the bewildered look off his face. A laugh escaped his lips.
"This really is a decisive weapon against the apocalypse."
An apocalypse masquerading as a game would shudder in horror at this above all else.
=...!!=
Kang Geomma slashed forward. Kali Yuga deployed a barrier, but—
Schwing!
The strike connected by a hairsbreadth.
The eyeball burst.
An oil-black fluid gushed from the tear.
=Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!=
"You have to pay for deceiving the players."
"You piece of shit."
The strike of Emergency Maintenance chopped the enemy to pieces.
* * *
At the same time, Joaquin Academy.
Balor Joaquin burst into Storage Room 1 without even taking the time to look around at the legacy he had left behind.
Gaining entry was easy thanks to Choi Seol-ah accompanying him. She bypassed the security system for him. Balor Joaquin paced briskly through the storage room.
Storage Room 1 was a treasury filled with ancient treasures. Most were arms and armor he had used during his active years.
Brings back memories, but...
The world was in utter chaos, leaving no room for nostalgia. Balor suppressed his urgency and looked around.
A moment later.
"Here it is."
He stopped in a corner of the storage room. He pulled aside a dust-covered curtain. A magnificent set of heavy armor and a sword were displayed inside a glass case.
Shatter!
Without hesitation, Balor broke the glass. He looted the items with a skill that would make even a grave robber bow and call him boss.
That guy's the Hero of the Origin?
He's just a grave robber, isn't he?
Just as Choi Seol-ah was trying her best not to look stunned—
Flash.
A holographic window took over a corner of her vision.
* * *
NOTICE
Hello. This is Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd.
Due to an unexpected error, our game will be undergoing "Emergency Maintenance" for a brief period.
As we have been operating without major issues until now, we presume many of you may be surprised, but we will make every effort to resolve this quickly...(rest omitted)
* * *
Clang.
"It has begun."
The sound of clashing steel awakened her dazed eyes. Before she knew it, Balor Joaquin, clad in his armor, grasped the hilt of his sword.