I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 282 : Transcendence (1)

Rumble rumble rumble.

The earth trembles.

The sky, filled with ink like during the rainy season when the sun doesn't rise, splits open.

The massive rift opened by the [Fragment of the Eroding World].

Through that hole, 'it' appeared.

"It has been such a long wait."

A voice as deep and dark as an abyss shook the earth.

"...A demon."

"It's a demon."

"Aah."

Whether they believed in religion or not, everyone who saw it thought of the name 'demon'.

The demon had deer antlers on its head, goat legs, a snake's tail, human arms, and a bear's torso.

A massive body nearly 3 meters tall.

Limbs and head with bizarre proportions unlike humans.

Vicious muscles and claws that went beyond the dimension of being 'developed'.

The immense killing intent, magical energy, and pressure it emitted bound the gazes of the Execution Force members and Ma-in engaged in battle.

"You worm-like humans."

The demon spoke.

"Go mad and die in indescribable fear."

"Huok!"

"Heuk!"

It was murder through mental image.

Yet with that alone, low-ranked members collapsed unconscious or curled up trembling in fear.

"Kuururuk."

"Aaah."

C-rank, even B-rank members all became incapable of fighting.

"Kuuu."

"What is this...?"

Even Squad Leaders who reached A-rank  found it difficult to withstand that pressure.

Even the Ma-in were busy prostrating themselves with their heads to the ground, trembling like devotees greeting a fearsome and omnipotent god.

"I am Malek, one of the ten Great Overlords who serve Belphegor, King of Nastrond."

"Aah."

That voice hammered into the minds of the humans.

"...We cannot win."

"A devastating power. Impossible to resist..."

Ahn Byeong-jun and Ma Seunggeon.

The two Captains muttered with faces that looked as if their souls had left them.

'...Good heavens.'

Gong I-an.

Captain of the 1st Unit and an S+ rank Awakened who would succeed Ju Taeyang.

He was in despair at the fact that he couldn't even fully measure the power gap between himself and that demon.

'S+ rank? That being is something that cannot be measured by such standards, an existence of a different rank.'

"Carrying out my king's will."

Looking at the humans whose will had been broken by his mere presence, without any resistance, the demon solemnly declared.

"I shall cleanse you worm-like creatures and pave the way for my king to advance."

"...!"

"..."

In the heavy air where no one dared to open their mouth to question, defy, or even acknowledge and revere.

"Are you a dwarf."

Malek, the demon who looked down at Captain Ahn Byeong-jun, said with a voice full of disgust.

"Small and miserable creatures that crawl on the lowest ground. Disgusting to look at."

Malek waved his hand.

"Get lost."

Slash!

Blades of magical energy that appeared in the air attacked Ahn Byeong-jun from three directions.

"Arghh!"

Despite defending with his war hammer and arming sword, overcoming his fear, Ahn Byeong-jun barely managed to prevent his body from being severed.

"Kuheok."

Ahn Byeong-jun, who had instantly received fatal wounds to the point where he could no longer move, fell to his knees.

"Captain Ahn!"

"Good Lord."

Among the astonished members.

"You son of a bitch!"

An enraged Ma Seunggeon charged forward, rider and horse as one.

Neeeiiigh!

Looking at the lance charging of the Pegasus Rider, who increased his speed with fierce wing flaps and intense galloping, Malek waved his hand once more.

"A fly-like creature charging without fear."

Slash!

And that was the end.

The corpse of the Pegasus with its wings severed and legs cut off, and the corpse of Ma Seunggeon with everything above his shoulders gone, fell spewing blood, becoming large chunks of meat.

"...What the hell?"

A Squad Leader who had been watching the scene muttered with a stupefied face.

The Captain he respected.

The dominator of the battlefield.

The knight who always rode the skies in every battle.

He had died without being able to do anything, reduced to a lump of bloody flesh.

"Hee, heehik."

"Huheeheeheehee!"

In the face of unbearable despair and fear, the minds of steadfast warriors who had fought to protect humanity collapsed all too easily.

"Run, let's run away."

"No, let's just die comfortably."

"Someone cut my neck off."

"Me first! Kill me first!"

Madness spread through the crowd.

"Worms, your minds are as worthless as your bodies."

The demon laughed as if quite satisfied with the sight.

With each resounding laugh, more members stabbed their own necks.

"...Good God."

'Divine Spear' Gong I-an.

He could only be shocked speechless at the sight.

'And there are still nine more such beings left?'

And to think there was even a being who commanded the obedience of all of them.

"The world shall be filled with fear, filled with death. You weak inhabitants, bow down crushed by fear or die in agony. No other choices are permitted to you."

Everyone trembled at Malek's declaration.

'So now demons of this level can all cross over without limits on power, rank, or number?'

The great invasion of demons.

In other words, it was a war between worlds.

But humans, who had greatly weakened after going through two long wars against demonic beasts and Ma-in, and who now struggled for individual survival, had no chance of winning.

'...No.'

Gong I-an showed self-derision at his own thoughts.

'Even if humanity had been fully prepared, and by some miracle joined forces with the Ma-in. We couldn't have stood against them.'

The end that Jeong Su-hyeon had spoken of so much.

He realized clearly that it was simply the literal meaning of that word.

"Aah."

That power, that presence.

That authority which overwhelmed the crowd with just one being.

Even Song Yeonhui felt fear while looking at Malek.

'Before their endless power, the most I can do is declare myself a servant of the Great Overlord.'

She was now realizing how insignificant the name Vampire Queen was.

"Song Yeonhui."

Great Overlord Malek's gaze looked down upon her.

"You queen in a well."

"Yes, Great Overlord."

"My king favors faithful servants. If you do not mistake your place and serve diligently, the king will let you enjoy appropriate glory. So I advise you, do not act rashly."

"I will keep that in mind."

"Good."

The sky distorted at the demon's laughter.

"By the way."

His gaze turned to Ju Taeyang, who had been quietly observing all these scenes.

"I heard you are the commander. Are you just watching while your subordinates are brutally killed by my hand?"

Ju Taeyang, who had been quietly concentrating on something, sent his gaze to Malek.

"Are you that afraid of me? It's natural, if natural indeed."

Malek's finger pointed at Ju Taeyang.

"So die without shame."

Then there was an enormous light.

"...What?"

Malek's finger was cut off.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

'Dragon Spear' Ju Taeyang.

After depleting most of his life force in a battle long ago, he had not appeared on the front lines.

'But my level has continued to rise during that long time.'

Just as a master calligrapher can write imaginary characters with one stroke on a blank sheet without picking up a brush.

During the years of reviewing his extensive battle experiences with a dragon's wisdom.

Ju Taeyang's level had continued to rise.

Therefore.

'The power I've been accumulating. The life force I've somehow managed to hold onto despite it leaking away.'

By exploding them all at once, Ju Taeyang could use a power that far surpassed his prime, just this once.

'This is my final battle.'

At this moment.

'I will leave behind no lingering attachments or regrets.'

Ju Taeyang transcended human limits.

Booooom!

The breath attack he shot with his hands together burned the Great Overlord's skin and melted his muscles.

"Kuuuuu!"

With his left hand hanging powerlessly having instantly lost its function, Malek stretched out his right hand to attack Ju Taeyang.

Crash!

A thunderous sound arose.

Flash!

An intense light illuminated the sky.

What Malek wielded was demonic power, and demonic techniques.

Demonic principles that existed beyond human understanding pressed upon Ju Taeyang.

It was an ominous dance, a strange swaying, sometimes reminiscent of a cripple's movements, sometimes of a beast's fighting.

'What kind of fighting is that.'

Watching the scene, Gong I-an could readily sense that if he had been there, he would have been torn apart while trying to respond to those incomprehensible movements.

'The Commander is...'

However, Ju Taeyang's techniques, which had perfected and compiled human techniques, were responding to those incomprehensible techniques.

'What the hell is this human.'

It was a power that surprised even the demon.

'How could a mere human achieve such power, such a level?'

Bam!

The human's fist made the demon's waist bend.

Crash!

Human power was overcoming demonic authority.

"Yooouuu!"

At Malek's cry, the sky trembled and created intense shockwaves.

"How dare a worm-like human like you!"

"Even the lord of all creatures, humans, sometimes die when stung in the head by a wasp."

Ju Taeyang's mana began to squeeze Malek's heart.

"You damn trick!"

Malek's magical energy threw off his dragon-language magic.

'Unbelievable.'

Even while feeling cold anger, Malek coldly regained his reason.

'But it's not a matter of believing or not. I just need to see the phenomenon as it is.'

One demon below, ten thousand demons above.

A being who had attained the rank of a Great Overlord could not allow primitive thinking like relying on instinct.

'Commander Ju Taeyang. You had been honing your final blade.'

At this moment, he was a being who had transcended human limits.

Among humans, only he could stand against Malek.

'...Jeong Su-hyeon. Except for that young human in whom my king has shown interest.'

Malek thought.

'That guy is undoubtedly the most noteworthy force.'

Then it was his duty to kill him with his own hands.

Malek's eyes glowed red.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

Su-hyeon, who had arrived late at the scene, was watching Ju Taeyang and Malek, the dragon and the demon, engaged in a mythical battle at the nuclear power plant complex.

'So Malek took the vanguard.'

The door connecting Nastrond and Earth had opened.

But not all beings could cross over simultaneously yet.

'That's why a Great Overlord takes the vanguard first.'

After they paved the way, Belphegor would finally descend.

'But even handling just Malek, who took the vanguard, is impossible for humans.'

Such a desperate difference in power existed between the two sides.

However.

The scene unfolding before his eyes now exceeded even Su-hyeon's expectations.

'...Originally, Ju Taeyang would have died after exerting his final power before this battle came.'

And with his disappearance, there would be no one to stop the Great Overlords.

'Even I have never seen Ju Taeyang fighting a Great Overlord before.'

Because the timeline had been distorted and accelerated to that extent.

"Amazing."

Su-hyeon muttered.

Great Overlord Malek.

That was absolutely not an opponent humans could defeat.

'Even I had to go through hundreds of gameplay runs to kill even one Great Overlord.'

But Ju Taeyang was different.

Just once.

That the power a human had built up through just one lifetime could be so enormous and brilliant, gave Su-hyeon a kind of reverence.

"Damn lizard making me struggle."

Revealing a calm anger, Malek said.

"You. You've transcended humanity."

"Have I?"

"But it's not true transcendence. It's merely a glimpse of transcendence."

Malek said as he regenerated his body that had been destroyed by Ju Taeyang.

"What a pity. If you had submitted to His authority and become a Ma-in, He would have gained a truly exceptional servant."

"Because I did not do that."

Ju Taeyang, brilliantly emitting his final flame, said.

"I was able to overcome at least the small wall that stood before me."

"Ignorant and blind fool."

The sky, responding to Malek's will, began to pour rain and lightning.

"O outstanding human who has transcended the limits of your species."

Malek spoke with respect for Ju Taeyang.

"But you do not know. The secret of the stars beyond the bonds of mortality."

There were only two beings who knew what he meant by that secret.

Malek and Su-hyeon.