Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: The Raging Phoenix
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If the conference room hadn't been so spacious, those massive blue flames might have engulfed everyone.
-Yacheon!
When a massive beak surged out from between the flames, Seong-un didn't move a muscle.
It was impossible to harm a god inside the pantheon unless they were in manifested form anyway,
"...Such bad manners!"
Harvester Kaiju leaped in and seized the beak, followed by special forces operative Obin Mavru grabbing the nape behind it.
As the blue flames parted somewhat, the form of a bird emerged.
But the flames didn't go out.
The flames were emanating from the bird's body itself.
The captured phoenix Aruna spoke.
-Let go of me! Mortals!
Marvin said,
"Then stay still, Aruna."
-But that bastard...! No one can force me to summon! Not even a god!
Seong-un ignored Aruna entirely and walked up to the seat higher than the apostles.
Mazhdari said,
"Isn't it because you kept making excuses and never showed up every time we called you, Aruna?"
-I'm busy!
"How could you be busy when you have nothing to do?"
The so-called "Firebird," Aruna, was a divine beast.
Currently, other divine beasts had been recruited into the pantheon as well, but Aruna was the only one who had risen to apostle status.
The reason Aruna had reached apostle rank was simple.
It was strong.
Most divine beasts possessed a variety of abilities, making it hard to simply apply a "strength" parameter.
But some divine beasts weren't like that.
Phoenixes were strong divine beasts in Lost World.
Players cited two main reasons why phoenixes were strong.
One, true to their name, they didn't die. In other words, they could tank.
Two, they burned, so just being nearby applied DoT damage. In other words, as long as they lived, they could deal damage too.
Especially since the phoenix's blue flames could distinguish between friend and foe, burning only the enemy, they could be operated alongside allies. With wings, their movement speed was fast too. Right now, it was in a shrunken state, but its wingspan could reach up to a hundred meters, making it a match for smaller dragons in close combat.
Unlike divine beasts with varying abilities by individual, players generally agreed that any phoenix was worth allying with.
Seong-un didn't entirely agree, but when the phoenix was discovered, not only Runda and Eldar, but RD, Kramphus, Solongos, and even Jangwan had actively pushed for its inclusion. Since a significant portion of the pantheon members were favorable, Seong-un had accepted it.
'But still, maybe I shouldn't have.'
Even after accepting it, the phoenix Aruna had a rotten personality.
Nominally under player Solongos's management, but it didn't listen properly. Everyone cheered when bringing Aruna in, saying how cool it was, but managing it afterward fell to Seong-un. It was like the feeling of parents who brought home a cute puppy only to end up feeding it and cleaning its poop.
'Why do I feel like this...'
Seong-un thought players favored phoenixes not just for strength, but because they looked cool. They weren't strong because they were cool; they were deemed strong because they were cool.
'Still... looking at the stats alone, it's worth putting up with the shitty personality.'
If he thought it was completely useless, he would have ignored the other players' opinions.
Aruna shook off Kaiju holding its beak and Obin gripping its nape, then raised its head.
-Even dragons show me respect!
"Not here, so restrain yourself."
Mazhdari raised his staff.
The gravity-manipulating tattoo on Mazhdari's right hand resonated with the runes on the staff, slamming Aruna's head to the floor.
-Hey, you bastard!
As Aruna lunged at Mazhdari this time, Kaiju and Obin charged again and tackled it down.
-Gahk!
Rakrak chuckled beside them as he watched Aruna wrestle with the other apostles, while Toolbo gazed at Aruna with eyes full of admiration.
Amid the commotion, Dordol spoke up.
"Yacheon-nim, aren't you summoning the fourth seat?"
Seong-un replied,
"The fourth seat is already on the way."
Seong-un pointed to the door, and it slowly opened.
Throwing the doors wide open with both hands was a troll.
Rakrak waved lightly.
"Long time no see, Redin."
Player Wisdom's apostle, Redin Bial Oser.
Wisdom's first apostle Redin had died once, revived at the cost of massive faith resources.
"A waste of resources, Nebula."
Wisdom had opposed reviving Redin.
Redin's revival happened shortly after the war with the Allied Kingdoms began.
Right after appointing Mazhdari as an apostle, talk arose about lacking enough apostles, and Wisdom agreed on that point.
But he opposed reviving Redin.
"I know there aren't enough people immediately ready to become apostles. Most of the divine beasts we've wooed are subpar. But isn't the consensus that apostle revival isn't worth the resources consumed?"
"I know."
Once an apostle dies, they stay dead.
But players could expend significant resources to revive them.
However, apostle revival was generally not favored.
"Apostles draw power from their achievements and renown. But an apostle who's once been defeated and killed..."
"Loses that much honor."
People don't favor the defeated.
Victors are role models worth emulating.
The defeated are not.
"Reviving Redin would just bring him back with demerit skills, right?"
Seong-un had nodded.
"You like theory, so how about another theory?"
Wisdom acquiesced readily to Seong-un's words.
"Fine."
"Lost World had only been out for a year. Plenty played it, but due to the vast data, much remained unexplained."
"True, but."
"So, few players used apostles tagged with 'revival.' Word spread it was bad, and after trying it once or twice, people agreed."
"Not much research done, then."
"Exactly."
"So you have some research, Nebula?"
Seong-un said,
"Not mine exactly. I saw a research post that seemed plausible."
The post Seong-un saw went like this.
Revived apostles inevitably come with penalties due to the revival tag.
But giving the defeated another chance has a positive effect on faith overall.
"So the apostle itself has penalties, but overall it's a net gain?"
"Not many experiments, so not highly credible, but it seemed valid. And while defeat invalidates prior skills to some extent, it also allows building new history. Not entirely bad for that individual."
"...Seems like more to it."
Seong-un got to the point.
"Because there are people hoping for it."
The war between Seong-un and other gods on the Third Continent left a history as glorious as the demon god wars, and Wisdom, who played the biggest role, still had many followers.
Even after all nations unified under the Blacklin Empire, some in Wisdom's former territory of Asbestos Kingdom still honored Redin.
Wisdom said,
"That's your fault, Nebula. You could've cleaned it up neatly."
Seong-un could have.
Wisdom didn't seem attached to his former territories.
"That would've caused backlash. Leaving it reduced rebel numbers significantly, a gain."
"...And now reviving Redin to fully integrate the stray followers?"
"Seems reasonable to me."
There was ample justification for reviving Redin.
The war was intensifying, and a past defeated hero revived to protect his lands and people. Now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a former enemy turned comrade apostle.
Wisdom said,
"...Good. Feels like there might be ulterior motives, but..."
"None."
"Then do as you will."
And so Redin was revived.
In the ruins of Asbestos Kingdom's old castle.
Wisdom personally explained everything to Redin and convinced him.
"I once thought you were my mistake."
Redin agreed.
"But that was my mistake."
Still Wisdom's faithful apostle, when Redin denied it, Wisdom addressed each point one by one.
Those reasons were no different from why Seong-un had defeated him.
"Avoiding you was because I didn't want to face my mistake. But I was wrong. Only seeing you made me realize. You were my greatest knight."
Redin prostrated before Wisdom.
"I shall prove your words."
If Rakrak confronted enemy apostles and Mazhdari created variables, Redin was the legion's wedge.
Redin brought his past renown, charged battlefields with his old knights, shattered all in his path, proving Wisdom's words.
Rumors spread chillingly through the Allied Kingdoms: the Red Knight of the old kingdom had revived to defend the empire.
The "Red Knight" Redin entering the conference room gave a light nod and walked in.
Redin said,
"We don't have much time. We've temporarily repelled Baun, but word is Lightra's coming."
Rakrak stroked his chin with a "hmm."
"With steady Redin gone before... Don't we need to pit Gordius against them at least?"
Dordol said,
"Gordius hasn't recovered from the last battle, from what I hear."
"Then?"
As Rakrak asked, Toolbo raised his hand as if jumping in.
"This time, let me!"
Ignoring him, Dordol replied,
"From Gold-Eyes-nim's message earlier, they'll reinforce with possession."
"The Enraged One?"
"Doesn't seem focused on the battlefield right now."
Seong-un cut in.
"Not just Perfection; other gods will watch this battle closely, so no need to worry."
The apostles looked up at Seong-un.
Seong-un said,
"We need to prepare for defense."
Mazhdari asked back,
"Defense... you say?"
"Yes. It concerns you too, Mazhdari."
The immediate battle was even, but the overall game state was heavily tilted.
If the opponent weren't Hegemonia, one could relax and play leisurely.
Talking defense in this situation left the apostles with puzzled expressions, not understanding.
'They're not players, so of course.'
Any decent player could roughly predict what the opposing player would do and aim for in such a situation.
Builds and strategies were ultimately about executing situation-appropriate tasks.
'And Hegemonia's options in this situation are limited.'
A simple all-out war was possible, but they were already in near-total war.
They could leave minimal forces and throw most available troops into a holy war, but the empire's size made it hard to decide where to strike.
'Switch to undeveloped play to bide time? Possible, but victory odds plummet, and not Hegemonia's style.'
Ignoring ill-fitting or gimmicky strategies, one path remained.
Seong-un said,
"The Enraged One is trying to seal magic."