Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: ACT.41 Angra Mainyu (1)
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"...It's hard to even call this the West Sea."
It was no longer a sea.
It was filth, ready to overflow at any moment.
If it were merely dirty, that would be a relief.
For that was death itself, stealing all life the moment it touched.
"It's real...?"
Sie, who had traveled with me to the coast of the West Sea, looked around in wonder.
"We're near the disaster, yet there are no undead."
Of course.
The temple where Dahaka had been summoned was just a stone's throw from the coast.
And the place where I'd planted the 'Cradle of the Dead' was also nearby.
The undead in this area all flock there, only to be absorbed and vanish into Dahaka.
Dahaka, despite absorbing them, would be struggling, unable to recover due to the encroachment of the Black Flame.
It must want to help its master, the Heaven-Defying Disaster, as soon as possible, but that was impossible.
"The residential areas must be in an uproar, though."
"..."
A meaningful smile flickered across her face for a moment before vanishing.
I deliberately pretended not to see and looked away.
If not for the disaster's effect of disrupting all communications, I could have had Sie order the Song of the Dead to stop.
With things as they were, it was hard to call it intentional.
'And one more person.'
If I was in the middle, then on the opposite side of Sie was a fidgeting man.
It was Seon Woo-jin.
"Kim Se-hyeon. What in the world is going on?"
Seon Woo-jin kept glancing at Sie with a displeased expression.
"This isn't what we agreed upon."
"I've already made an agreement with Sie, so you don't have to worry. Look. She's not paying you much mind, is she?"
"That... seems to be the case, but."
"Besides, cooperating in the fight against the disaster wasn't something to be done after fulfilling the promise; it was a condition for making the promise. It's separate from whether or not I protect you from the Bonghwang Guild."
"No, it was clearly a condition for me accepting the promise!"
"Right. And I'm keeping that promise, aren't I? Sie won't lay a single finger on you. Even if I left the two of you alone and walked away. I can guarantee that."
Sensing the strong conviction in my voice, Seon Woo-jin nodded with a reluctant face.
I could tell just by looking at Sie's face.
But inwardly, she was laughing heartily.
She wasn't holding back from capturing Seon Woo-jin here because she couldn't, but because she knew what would happen to him.
'Well, that's a story for after we've dealt with the disaster, I suppose.'
I tilted my head back slightly, taking in the full form of the Heaven-Defying Disaster.
Up close, it's damn huge.
Did it have this much presence in the game?
'Angra Mainyu.'
The pinnacle of all evil, the supreme evil god.
The fortunate thing is that's not the god's true body.
It's merely an avatar, possessing only a fraction of its power.
Yet, the fact that it displayed this much power was so absurd it was almost laughable.
'This is different from the Disaster of Verdure or the Disaster of Solitude.'
Not an otherworldly being that didn't exist on Earth.
But a being from 'mythology' that had existed on Earth from the beginning.
The implications of this disaster's appearance were immense.
Until now, our enemies were only alien things from gates, but now we had to face all sorts of monsters and transcendent beings that existed on Earth.
'This is why the angels and demons are bound to freak out and cause a ruckus.'
And not just the angels.
Even the gods who had been watching from the sidelines without offering much support would start to make their moves.
[The 'Angel of Benevolence' prays for you who fights against the disaster.]
[A faint light settles upon you.]
Can't say I'm surprised.
Still, thanks to the Angel of Benevolence's prayer, I received a small buff.
I checked the light swirling around my hand and clenched my fist.
Then, I took a short breath.
"Listen up. The objective is simple."
Sie and Seon Woo-jin also gulped and stared at Angra Mainyu.
Shhhk.
The Army of Darkness, led by Alpha, rose and fell into neat formation.
Normally, Alpha would have said something, but sensing Angra Mainyu's presence, its eyes glinted coldly.
"To make sure that monster never reaches the surface."
The moment it comes ashore.
That will mean our defeat.
***
"You persistent bastards!!"
Someone let out a scream-like shout and thrust their spear.
Flesh flew, and blood that wasn't red splattered.
But, even so, they rose again.
[Guaaargh!!]
As if it were nothing.
As if nothing had happened.
Who wouldn't grow weary watching these things instantly recover and charge again?
Fortunately, the Bonghwang Guild players who had come to Korea were all skilled, so the front line held firm without being pushed back.
The S-rank players from Bonghwang were also performing admirably, but since they had no way to permanently destroy the undead, their reactions were similar.
'The Koreans.'
A woman, sweating profusely as she slowed the undead's advance, glanced over her shoulder.
'Casualties are inevitable, so it would be best to ensure the Koreans, our original targets, are the ones taking the brunt of the attacks.'
She wasn't the only one who thought so.
They had followed Sie's orders to the western residential area of Seoul and formed a united front with the Korean players, but the devil's quest was still active.
If they "accidentally" killed a Korean or two while pretending to fight the undead, they'd get coins.
A few more deaths wouldn't change the situation anyway.
And the Korean players had noticed this as well.
'Look at the way they're looking at us. I can see exactly what they're thinking.'
'You can only trust those who are trustworthy.'
Just because they had a common enemy didn't mean former foes had become true allies.
An invisible battle.
Atop a glass bridge that could shatter at any moment.
However, the glass bridge was threatened not by either side.
But by a third party.
[Graaaaaah!]
[Guaaaaaaargh!]
An additional attack from a swarm of undead, like ants, leaving no empty space.
Just like before, more of them crawled out from the ground within the residential area.
Among them were even B-rank or higher players, and the tide of battle began to turn in an instant.
Kwwaaaaa!
A storm of crimson flames swept through the charging undead.
A peculiar sight, where the scattering flames resembled flower petals.
Only one person could create such flames.
"Retreat! Get inside the residential area!"
As Lee Min-hwa shouted, the players simultaneously turned and began to flee.
Everyone now knew that the undead couldn't be killed.
From the start, the alliance's goal had been to slow the undead's advance, not to defeat them.
The fleeing Bonghwang players exchanged glances.
"Sorry, my bad!"
A trap they had set for the undead was activated, and the ground collapsed into a deep pit.
A width so great that low-rank players wouldn't dare try to cross.
Below was a deep pit lined with countless bamboo spears.
Naturally, those following behind them turned pale.
"Wh-what is this?!"
"It was a mistake, a mistake! But you guys can cross that, right?"
"If you can't even cross that, you're bound to die sooner or later. Ah, but it'd be annoying if you died now and came back as undead, so please don't die. Seriously."
Players from guilds like Jamryong and Hongryeon seethed at their blatant provocation.
Lee Min-hwa was holding back the undead's advance with her flames, but they would catch up soon.
They had to cross this pit, where one misstep meant being impaled on bamboo spears.
Kwaang!!
At that moment, the ground nearby suddenly exploded, and a mound of earth collapsed to form a ramp.
Elsewhere, uprooted trees flew one by one to serve as a bridge.
The guild masters had stepped forward, each taking action to rescue the players.
Choi Dae-han, carrying another tree under each arm, laughed heartily.
"Hurry and escape! We'll buy you time! ...Hmm?"
Sensing something, Choi Dae-han leaped away from his spot.
Immediately after, a rusty sword shot up from the ground.
If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he would have been impaled.
Choi Dae-han narrowed his eyes.
"Tsk. The dead are not only useless, they can't even manage their own bodies."
It wasn't just within the residential area.
It was everywhere. Undead were crawling out from the ground all over the place.
The sneering Bonghwang players who had been fleeing were also surrounded by suddenly appearing undead, unable to move.
Having been wronged, the Korean players, who now only needed to break through the front, jeered at them, thinking it served them right, and passed them by.
All except for one person.
Chwaak!
As Jeong Ha-yeon's sword flashed, the tight encirclement broke, creating an opening for the Bonghwang players to counterattack.
After a moment of confusion as to why she had helped them, they, not wanting to miss the opportunity, screamed and tightened their grip on their weapons.
"Nuna! They're bad guys! Why are you saving them!?"
"Seeing Yeong-jun made me realize something again."
A golden light began to swirl around Jeong Ha-yeon's sword.
A light so intense it went beyond warmth.
"It's not right to kill anyone recklessly. Bad people should be judged. Worse people should receive stronger punishment. They must atone for their sins while they're alive. They must."
Jeong Ha-yeon continued calmly.
"Therefore, I will save everyone."
Fwaaat!
A pair of golden wings flashed into existence behind Jeong Ha-yeon.
At the same time, her eyes turned a brilliant gold.
The Eyes of Justice.
It was proof of the power one acquires when 'Blade of Conviction that Destroys Evil' awakens once.
"R-Right!? Our lives come first!"
"Help us too!!"
Golden sword energy swept through the surroundings.
The undead were swept away in one blow, and unlike before, they struggled, unable to recover immediately.
This was because it possessed a faint absolute power against the unholy, much like the Sa-in-cham-sa-geom.
Jeong Ha-yeon's low, steady gaze turned to the Bonghwang players.
A golden sword-shape appeared above the heads of those who were celebrating being alive, then broke into light and vanished.
"Huh?"
"What was that just now...?"
"The Stigma of Judgment. Proof that you are sinners."
Jeong Ha-yeon's eyes scanned them thoroughly.
Eyes that could read a person's entire life and determine whether they were good or evil.
Those who met her glowing golden eyes flinched and involuntarily looked away.
"From now on, you will be watched by the 'Valkyries'."
"V-Valkyries...?"
"The moment you commit even the slightest evil act from now on."
Rummble...
Above the head of one sinner, the heavens parted, and a colossal light revealed itself.
A spear of light the size of a six or seven-story building.
Those who saw it could only move their mouths, unable to speak.
"That spear will pierce you."
Jeong Ha-yeon said it as if daring them to try.
Watching this, Jo Min-ah seemed to make a decision, closing her eyes and extending her hand.
"Don't!"
"You scared me! Wh-what's wrong?"
"Don't use that."
"How do you know what I was about to do?"
"It's that thing you used to help Lee Seong-chan hyung pass on, isn't it? Don't. Hyung told you not to use that power, remember? I don't want you to use it."
"...Why?"
"I just... have a bad feeling about it."
Jo Min-woo lowered his head.
He didn't know why, which only made it more frustrating, but Min-woo had never felt such a strong intuition before.
Jo Min-ah looked at him and smiled faintly.
"Alright. I won't use it. It's not like I can control it anyway."
***
The churning black mud spilled over the tidal flat.
Angra Mainyu's first pattern, the 'Heaven-Defying Wave'.
Merely getting close to that mud would drain one's life force and rapidly dehydrate them; contact for more than a certain amount of time would be fatal.
'If only that were all.'
[Guaaaaargh!]
I sliced off the head of an undead charging at me with the weapon it used in life, then kicked it far away.
The headless undead seemed bewildered, then ran to retrieve its head.
Though it didn't get far before it collapsed.
I clicked my tongue lightly.
"Kim Se-hyeon! This is different from what you said! Why are undead showing up?!"
"Because this pattern is supposed to strengthen the undead."
Though this also seems to be stronger than in the original.
It's beyond what the Cradle of the Dead can handle.
Even if Sie and Seon Woo-jin bought a Cradle of the Dead now, it would be difficult to go plant it somewhere far away.
Planting it nearby would only attract more undead to attack them.
The Cradle of the Dead acts like a beacon, drawing them in, not like a tank's taunt.
'It should be about time...'
The moment I had that thought.
The clear, grating song that seemed like it would go on forever.
The Song of the Dead suddenly stopped.
The undead froze, and Angra Mainyu's movements grew sluggish.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
'Now.'