The Monarch's Last Stand
An explosion that evoked the end of the world.
The white light vanished almost instantly.
The duration of Deus Ex Machina has ended.
Hyperion’s movements froze.
A constellation forged from metal.
Its form might have been convincing, but the source that had granted it life was my own mana.
The moment Hyperion hurled its spear, the mana I had converted through Demonic Power finally ran dry.
A metallic taste surged up my throat.
When I opened my mouth, a mouthful of regurgitated blood poured out.
“I have heard the tale, yet how truly pitiful you look.”
Instead of making a fuss, Nyx gently stroked my back.
Mana Overload.
It was the recoil that came from deploying a skill that had surpassed the user’s limits.
I had been prepared for this much.
The Hyperion I had manifested was not the same as the one from my days as the Fallen Constellation who had lost its name.
This was its complete form—the one that had regained both its lost ‘name’ and its full dignity after the Tower of Babel finished synchronizing perfectly with the world.
Of course manifesting something like that would trigger mana overload.
I calmly steadied the flow of my mana.
The Primordial Dragon Heart possessed overwhelming dominance over mana.
On top of that, I had recently gained the Master of Mana ability. As long as my willpower held, controlling something like mana overload should have been…
“Blarghhh!”
Another surge of blood came up.
“Master! You said you could control mana overload!”
Yes. I had said I could control it. I never said it would be easy.
The pain that felt like it would kill me was just an optional extra.
Still, the stomach-churning agony had been worth it.
The spear Hyperion had thrown and the Supernova it carried had completely vanished once the mana supply was cut off.
Even so, an attack infused with the dignity of a Constellation could not end with a single strike.
The lingering echo of divine power.
It was Hyperion’s attack, rooted in the concept of the Sun.
The blazing heat scorched the leaves and left massive scars on the tree bark.
The sun’s power saturating the air interfered every time the Klyphoth Tree tried to gather dark mana.
In other words, the Klyphoth Tree would be unable to fulfill its role for at least half a day.
“Blegh!”
So I just needed to calm my stomach a little.
“Let’s move in.”
Incredible.
Ellen’s body swelled up.
Her unique ability that infused every single muscle fiber with mana to strengthen them.
With her at the lead, the entire party pushed forward, unleashing their full capabilities.
“Stop them! Do not let them approach Mother Tree!”
“This shall not be permitted any further, invaders!”
The horde of Klyphoth followers that had multiplied like a plague.
The monsters summoned from the other side of the world.
And even the player forces of Arme Rouge.
It was as if Rene Davis had foreseen the final battle at the Eiffel Tower—he had gathered all his remaining troops beneath the tree.
Hyperion’s divine power had been entirely consumed nullifying the defensive barrier the Klyphoth Tree had erected.
The enemy had preserved their numbers.
We were outnumbered, but when had we ever fought under favorable conditions?
“Serve my master by dying, all of you.”
“Kyaaaaah!”
Ark, riding atop the Bone Drake, summoned his legion of the dead.
Lexy’s roar intimidated the otherworldly monsters.
The insufficient numbers were somewhat compensated for by Ark’s necromancy.
In terms of firepower, our party completely overwhelmed Arme Rouge.
“Come forth, War Golem!”
A steel giant tore through space and emerged.
The early model of the Titan—the War Golem—had descended onto the battlefield.
That guy Enrique. He actually managed to summon it.
It seemed he had finally completed the War Golem using the Ancient Mana Core I had commissioned Mors to procure.
The Titan we obtained during the Tower mission still wasn’t at a usable level, but the War Golem alone was a powerful weapon capable of shifting the tide of battle.
Unique Ability – Clone.
The numerous clones of Ping Lei scattered across the battlefield, sowing chaos everywhere.
Swish—!
Karla leaped across space and slaughtered the Klyphoth followers.
“I can’t possibly fall behind my juniors!”
Shin Junseok and the rest of Team Mugeuk charged forward in a straight line, carving a path.
Their martial arts consumed a great deal of internal energy, but their destructive power far surpassed that of close-combat players.
Hong Yunsu’s Team Yellow Storm widened the path created by Team Mugeuk.
“Envelop them, O storm!”
The wind spinning around both his legs erupted forward.
The gale Hong Yunsu unleashed tore through the Klyphoth formation, widening the breach even further.
Crushing the shattered formation was left to the Golden Circle and Sergei.
“We are the shield of France. To think we would be defeated by mere American dogs… Gahk!”
“Hah, you call yourselves a shield? After pulling crap like this?”
Ellen’s fist, harder than stone, turned an Arme Rouge player’s body into minced meat.
Dragon Lightning.
The lightning condensed in Sergei’s fist flew forward in the shape of a dragon.
Wow.
Three of humanity’s six Monarchs.
Not to mention the other famous High Rankers working in perfect coordination. Just watching them made my blood run hot.
“Kraaah! Attack! Keep attacking!”
There were also monsters that flew past our party toward me.
Polar Night’s Power.
Vibration Barrier x 10.
Blades forged from darkness sliced the monsters apart.
Multiple layers of solid shields blocked the enemies’ approach.
Spear and shield.
Polar Night’s Power could adapt flexibly to any situation.
And the defensive power of Vibration Barrier was among the highest of all barrier-type skills.
On top of that, I had already learned the techniques that would only be discovered years later in the original timeline, which further increased its defensive capability.
The comrades I had gathered after my regression.
Trusting in them, I suppressed the mana that was trying to rampage wildly.
“Hoo…”
I barely managed to calm the mana that had been trying to spread throughout my body.
Going all-in on the magic stat with Demonic Power had helped stabilize the situation.
Magic governed not only the total amount of mana but also the ability to control it.
After using the Primordial Dragon Heart to suppress the rampaging mana, I activated the regeneration ability I had been holding back and restored my battered internal organs.
“Are you alright, my partner?”
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
“Master, I’ll clear the path.”
Vibration Barriers spread out on both sides, blocking the monsters’ approach.
“Goddess, please return to your spirit form.”
“Contractor, will it truly be fine to leave only Jiyoung behind?”
“She’s my disciple. She can handle at least this much.”
“That’s right. So please trust me.”
Lee Jiyoung smiled brightly at Nyx.
“Mister Yu, is it really okay for you to rush ahead already?”
“More or less.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. We’ll take the lead.”
“Ah, about that—can you help me get up onto the Klyphoth Tree?”
Base-defense monsters and followers had climbed onto the Klyphoth Tree and were continuing their magical bombardment.
Because of the energy the tree emitted, neither Shrink nor Blink could be used to approach it.
“Wouldn’t it be better to take down all the enemies here first and climb slowly?”
“Rene Davis won’t just be sitting on his hands.”
Though incomplete, the Klyphoth Tree had descended into this world.
The ways it could be used were virtually limitless.
There was no telling what kind of schemes Rene might pull.
“The longer this battle drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us.”
“If you put it that way… Hey, Mister Kim!”
“I heard the entire conversation.”
Kim Youngsoo relayed the previous discussion to everyone.
“Junior, leave this to us.”
“Kuk, there’s no way I can miss out on something this fun!”
“Guild Master, please go on ahead.”
“Master, I’ll catch up soon, so please wait for me.”
The members who had been fighting in separate teams gathered in one place.
You have been removed from Kim Youngsoo's command.
Kim Youngsoo had expelled me.
Right after, I fiddled with the crown on my head.
A powerful light leaked from the jewel embedded in the crown.
Giant King’s Crown – Internal Skill
Desperate Charge
A golden light enveloped the party.
A powerful skill that doubled the stats of players under command.
However, it was a double-edged sword that drastically reduced defense-related options and skill effects.
Kim Youngsoo had obtained everyone’s consent before playing this decisive card.
“Hahaha! This effect is pretty good!”
“I’ll sweep all of you away!”
An extreme buff that abandoned defense and poured everything into offense.
Its effect appeared immediately.
A bloody mist dyed the air bright red.
A wide-open path.
I sprinted down the path my comrades had created using my movement technique.
“Block him! Do not let him climb!”
“We cannot allow him to interfere with Guild Master Rene!”
“Glory to Klyphoth!”
The followers whose souls had been twisted.
And the players belonging to Arme Rouge threw themselves forward to block me.
Because of their sheer numbers, even with the Desperate Charge buff, I couldn’t push them all back.
“They’re swarming like moths to a flame.”
Giga Impact activated.
Explosive Demonic Energy activated.
A dark-red wave of energy spread out, pulverizing every enemy that charged at me.
Even more are coming.
“It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”
Memorize Skill – Avalanche released.
Memorize Skill – Solar Explosion released.
Eclipse activated.
The large-scale spells I had stored in advance for the decisive battle against Rene Davis.
The moment the two orbs collided, I maximized the repulsive force.
I leaped high over the path my comrades had created, soaring above the Klyphoth Tree.
Passing through the area still tinged with Hyperion’s divine power, I reached the very top in a single bound.
Bare, skeletal branches.
The supernova explosion had burned away every last leaf.
A landscape that truly evoked the era of apocalypse.
Rene sat in the center of the tree with his eyes closed, driving out the sun’s energy.
“Well, it’s nice to see you again.”
“You… somehow made it all the way here.”
“My abilities are pretty impressive, after all.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen an ability that can manifest the power of a Constellation.”
He opened his closed eyes.
Surprisingly, I didn’t sense any anger or killing intent from him.
Instead, a sticky, negative emotion.
Blatant greed was entangled in his gaze.
“What, are you coveting my ability?”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise. After all, creating Constellations is one of the Church’s goals.”
The artificially created Constellation, Bael.
It resembled the leader of Pandemonium, but it was still one step short of a true Constellation.
Even during the battle in the Sahara, I had exploited that imperfection to secure victory.
“If you want it, come and take it.”
“Since you’ve come all the way here on your own two feet, I suppose I don’t need to hold back anymore.”
Whoosh!
The branches, now completely stripped of leaves, spread out wide.
World Severance activated once again.
A powerful dimensional barrier that completely cut off all external interference separated the inside and outside of the branches.
“I shall teach you what true terror is.”
Rene Davis’s face twisted into something demonic and hideous.