[No Title Provided]
The world boss Sertina had one terrifying trait against human wave tactics.
"She's tiny!"
"I can't see her!"
Slash!
"Gaaahhh!"
A handful of players crumpled under the swing of my blade. I carved through the battlefield like a tempest, furrowing my brow.
...Something feels off.
This wasn't the same irritation from the Communists' threats and provocations. It was something more primal... something that pricked at my pride.
"Hmph..."
Boom!
The ground cracked along my charge, a vortex of blood trailing in my wake. Rumble! Sweeping my sword horizontally sent a fan-shaped swath of lives flying.
"Kwaaaah!"
The razor-sharp sword wind sliced through players even in the rear ranks. One swing claimed dozens. Low-level players were shredded like paper from the sheer air pressure, even at a distance.
"Hup!"
I slammed my foot into the earth, forcing a sharp turn. A tangle of spells from every element erupted right in front of me, swallowing my vision in an explosion.
That was close!
The counterattacks pouring back were no joke. The firepower was overwhelming. Apocalypse Meteors rained down every second, while spells and explosive arrows were beyond counting. Most were negligible, but potent strikes were mixed in here and there. My ironclad HP began to chip away bit by bit.
I can't dodge everything.
Players and skills blended into a downpour from all sides—front, back, left, right. In the slowed time of my hyper-accelerated senses, I gauged their numbers. Hundreds filled my sight alone. Including those on the edges of my perception, they were beyond counting.
If I hadn't studied each class's skills beforehand, even I'd be in danger.
Cold sweat beaded on my skin as I bit my lip. Two bus-length blood swords shot from my sides, skewering players.
"Gurk!"
A squad of assassins stealthily closing from the rear got caught in the sword wind and bisected.
"Arrrghhh!"
In the midst of it all, I spotted something amid the seemingly chaotic battlefield.
What is it? The reckless chargers are all weaklings.
The wild-eyed fanatics screaming about Communists looked like nothing more than bait—meat shields to draw attention. Yet high-powered attacks kept coming from somewhere.
Which meant...
The strong ones are holding back?
I heightened my senses to survey the field. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. Taste was useless for analysis here. Touch was muddled by constant vibrations. Amid the deafening blasts and choking smoke, hearing and smell failed too.
Only sight remained. I focused every sense into my vision, scanning the entire battlefield. In the accelerated time of my thoughts, an unnatural formation caught my eye.
Aha, those must be the main force.
A small hill. Encircled by tanks, over a hundred ranged classes hammered me relentlessly. Their high-end gear screamed elite unit.
Time to smash that first.
Target locked—I moved.
Blood Reversion
I extended my hand toward the scattered corpses. Blood overflowed here—more than enough. An enormous volume surged from the bodies, coalescing midair into a massive fist. Positioned right above the clustered elites.
"Fall."
I pointed downward. The blood fist plummeted, ignoring air resistance, with earth-shattering speed.
Kaboooom!
"Hiiiiaaak!"
"Th-this is 3rd Company! Ranged line annihilated! Retreating immediately!"
The tanks lost their charges in an instant and scrambled back. Their shields and armor were in tatters—major damage.
"Now! 7th Company, full assault!"
At the commander's shout, hundreds of spells ignited simultaneously.
"Waaaaahhh!"
"Die, Sertina!!"
Mad roars brought a massive barrage from the opposite side too. Amid the chaos, the players were regaining formation.
The pressure's mounting. I'm not the only one adapting!
I realized as the player tide surged like waves: Sertina's skills alone couldn't hold them. I needed something to buy time until the phase 3 skill readied.
Guess I'll have to get serious.
I didn't just have Sertina's skills. I knew player class skills inside out. And beyond that—techniques from Pandela.
"Keep pressing!"
Sword, spear, and axe wielders mixed with Techno Masters' mechs charged. Mana-wreathed blades hummed with menace. Without hesitation, I kicked off the ground and soared.
Thud!
Tens of thousands of skills chased me skyward. Beams from the ground converged on one point. Ignoring them, I thrust my hand high.
"Activate."
From Pandela's chronicles: Alzarap Kingdom Annals, Chapter 4 Epilogue. The light of death that razed the royal knights.
Light Annihilation Bombardment!
Thousands of sun-bright light orbs bloomed in the sky. As I lowered my hand, superheated beams rained down.
Kaboom boom boom!
A million-candela flash melted the ground into lava. Players vanished without a scream. I caught my breath.
Even in Pandela, 50,000 at once was my limit...
Over the charred ridgeline, hundreds of thousands more players swarmed.
How many left?
I checked the mana pulse I'd activated pre-battle. The spreading waves still detected endless players.
No choice. Gotta keep dancing.
I gripped my sword hilt. Mana reserves were ample.
"Switch to AoE from now on!"
Blood Eater's overcharged blade erupted violently. Players pressed on relentlessly. Damage that could melt world boss Ketehon hammered me every second.
Korea Command Center.
Kim Jin-woo and Cha Eun-joo peered anxiously at the monitors. Jin-woo gnawed his nails, voicing his unease.
"Shouldn't we help?"
He couldn't believe Sertina was being pushed. Scratches multiplied visibly on her body—HP dropping.
But Cha Eun-joo, staring stone-faced, shook her head.
"Just a bit longer. The phase 3 skill she mentioned hasn't appeared yet."
"Huh? But those light beams..."
Jin-woo pointed at the screen. The scene defied his knowledge—a divine wrath of thousands of eerie beams.
Undeniably surpassing Ketehon's ultimate. Not phase 3?
Cha Eun-joo explained.
"Remember? Her unique ability is blood-related."
Jin-woo swallowed.
"R-right..."
"Do those beams look blood-related?"
Staring intently, Jin-woo shook his head silently, turmoil etched on his face.
"So let's watch a little more. I trust Sertina."
She placed a hand on his shoulder—firm, trembling slightly. This tomboy's anxious too, Jin-woo thought, managing a wry smile as he turned back to the monitor. Vowing to stake his life if needed.
Wounds accumulated. Declining HP weakened my defenses. Warm blood trickled down my cheek—not others', mine.
Stings a little...
I bit my lip, swallowing the pain. An endless sea of humanity. I thought culling some would scare them off. Wrong. They were tenaciously beyond reason.
"Diiiieeee!"
"Sertiiinaaa!"
Even I, veteran of countless battles, was appalled.
These aren't undead—why act worse than undead?!
Mindless undead follow commands mechanically. They charge regardless of comrades exploding beside them, no matter the odds.
That's undead.
...I never imagined humans fighting like that. I'd already slain hundreds of thousands by rough count. The earth soaked in gore. Blood stench pierced my nose.
They knew death awaited my approach. Yet they charged—over severed limbs, over screaming, burning comrades not yet dead.
With death-defying mad eyes, embracing oblivion. And died.
Humans treating themselves like undead fodder.
Is this right? Really?
I asked with my glare. Their answer:
-Die!
No reasoning. Kaboom! Hundreds of strikes hit direct. Numbing pain eroded my body. Smirks spread among the players, victory assured.
"Not much left! She's about to fall!"
"What's the Sertina subjugation reward?"
"Grab the 100 billion gold bounty first!"
Wiping the blood from my burst lip with the back of my hand, I knew: this was annihilation war. One side must die to end it.
Fine. I'll kill you all. Not one spared!
In that instant, I focused. No more players entering the mana pulse range. All actors onstage. The show was ready.
I brought my palm to my face.
"You missed your last chance."
Thud!
The mood shifted. Ten million heartbeats pulsed clearly. Their lives were mine to claim.
"Now watch."
Once started, the performance can't stop. Until curtain falls, lights dim.
Actors vanish at finale. Empty stage remains.
"Why they call me the End of Life!"
Blood-red eyes blazed fiercer through my fingers, sole light in darkness.
"Time to crown the finale."
My final note melted into air.
[Stage of Death]
The shocking, horrifying phase 3 skill activated.
And in that moment, every life on the field felt it.
The primal terror any living being could know.
The true End of Life had awakened.