novelraw Chapter 174: A New Possibility (2)
Chapter 174: A New Possibility (2)
Translator: Dreamscribe
A new possibility that had never existed until now was opened. During Episode 3, the power of darkness briefly appeared, but the heroes were not able to use it.
The words that symbolized heroes were light and miracles. Because of that, handling the power of darkness was unimaginable, and it was thought not to suit them.
However, it was regrettable.
There were many romantic professions that came to mind when thinking of darkness, such as Dark Mage, Necromancer, Dark Knight, Witch, and so on.
“It is regrettable, but it cannot be helped.”
“We are on the side of light after all...”
“Come on, how could we take those kinds of jobs?”
While saying such things, the heroes had sealed their romance toward darkness deep within their hearts.
When Arsilan was suffering from Erosion, how could one possibly take an interest in the power of darkness?
They believed it could never be added because it did not seem to fit the worldview of Arsilan at all, but the heroes had underestimated the Creator God too much.
By accepting their reversed selves, they became able to choose such professions.
Moreover, through the power of possibility delivered by the future Arsilan, it could be manifested through the crystal of light that had grown within their souls.
This was narrative coherence and world setting.
It was an unbelievably beautiful story.
“My heart is pounding.”
“Khh!”
“I am getting motivated...”
“The second job advancement was hard, but I guess I should do it.”
At present, many heroes had not completed their second job advancement. It was difficult, and it required quite a lot of preparation.
With only first job advancement skills, they were already strong enough, and it was a level that could be covered with levels or items, so most stayed at the first job advancement.
However, starting from the third job advancement, everything became completely different.
Whether to become complete light, or to acknowledge one's instability, accept oneself, and become the darkness for Arsilan!?
“The darkness of Arsilan..., this romance is insane.”
“Would something like Undead be possible too?”
“Wow. I cannot resist that.”
“Let us go. First, let us level up!”
Level up. Third job advancement.
Their eyes had completely changed.
The morale of the heroes soared to the sky, and their motivation exploded.
That Legion of Darkness was the largest bundle of experience points in Arsilan Saga. Faced with the suddenly changed momentum of the Legion of Light, the Legion of Darkness could not help but be flustered.
-Let us quickly reclaim the reversed Leon and liberate LA.
The Legion of Light passed beyond the Seoul field and entered LA. It had taken quite a long time to reach LA after the previous defeat.
[The light of the Holy Sword blocks harmful energy.]
Unlike before, the air of LA felt pleasant. The faint golden glow surrounding the bodies of the heroes completely purified the thick darkness that blanketed LA.
That was not all.
[The light of the Holy Sword nullifies immediate resurrection.]
The light of the Holy Sword, which was more than 50% complete, prevented the Legion of Darkness from immediately resurrecting. The reversed Leon was still sitting arrogantly. It was as if he were saying that you would never reach this place.
“Wow, they are here!”
“Wooooah!”
“Kya!”
“It is like a movie.”
Many tourists and citizens were waiting for the Legion of Light while wearing Soul Glasses. There were also an enormous number of LA citizens watching through broadcasts. When the Legion of Light arrived in LA beyond the split space, they cheered passionately.
Kwaaaaa!
Whether it was to celebrate the re-entry into LA, or to show off military power, a formation of fighter jets flew over the split space.
The number of viewers was enormous, and many people were on site, so it looked like a global festival that went beyond the Olympics.
There is an old saying that watching fires and watching fights are the most entertaining things in the world.
Cutting through space, the airship of the Helby Lovers Group revealed itself. The heroes aboard the airship scattered bombs, and the mages cast Fireball. A barrage of flame magic and bombs that decorated the sky rained down over the city.
Kwagagaga!
Upon hitting buildings and structures, they exploded and began to burn. The flames caused by magic had a different form from explosions on Earth. They were more splendid and beautiful.
Amid the collapsing debris of buildings and structures, the Legion of Light advanced while unleashing skills and magic. Named heroes even fought in the air, stepping on the rubble.
“Wow...”
“Gives me chills.”
“No wonder the film industry is struggling.”
The tourists who were watching while holding beer could not take a single sip until the beer went cold.
They were able to enjoy, right in the middle of it and without any damage, the fire-watching and fight-watching said to be the most entertaining things in the world.
There was a reason the global film industry was watching Arsilan Saga carefully. Whenever there was a large-scale event like this in Arsilan Saga, movie releases were postponed.
People who had experienced Arsilan Saga had become unable to be satisfied with flat screens anymore.
[Arsilan’s influence increases.]
As the Legion of Darkness began to be pushed back, changes came to the reverse world as well. Starting from the territory where the Legion of Light was located, things were returning to their original appearance.
The more battles were fought, the light of the Holy Sword possessed by the heroes and the people of Arsilan grew more complete. The gap in combat power with the Legion of Darkness continued to widen.
“True Magic Stone!”
“If you take down named ones, you get high-quality True Magic Stones.”
“Oh! That over there is Dark Haebyul.”
“Let us kill her.”
Among the reversed heroes, the named ones were good prey.
The “True Magic Stone”, which first appeared in Episode 4, was becoming an enormous topic even though the war was not yet over. HellDoctor, upon confirming the True Magic Stone, ran around the battlefield excitedly, saying she had found the material of her dreams.
Dark Haebyul stood out especially.
She wore an outfit that stood out on her own, and she took seductive dances and poses as if tempting the heroes. Around Dark Haebyul, there were many reversed named heroes as well, making it difficult to approach.
“Anyone want to go kill that crazy bitch? I will give a reward to the one who gets the last hit.”
When Haebyul shouted, the ears of the high-level heroes nearby perked up.
“Then, instead of a reward, please do Haebyul Bunny for two hours.”
“That is..., all right.”
“Ah! Please do it at Solis Plaza.”
“U, ugh! I will do everything, so please help me!”
-Haebyul, oh dear...
-She has been consumed by rage.
-Getting rid of her is important for now.
-ㅋㅋ her viewer count is getting crushed twofold by Dark Haebyul, so she lost it.
-Grrr! I will kill her!
Haebyul only wanted to eliminate that crazy bitch right now.
If she left her alone, it was obvious that clips would be uploaded to Arsilan Worlds and comparisons would be made. The high-level heroes grinned and took up their weapons. It was the moment the Dark Haebyul raid party was formed.
“But if Haebyul-nim does a third job advancement on the darkness side, does that mean we can see Dark Haebyul?”
“That is right. It says it is about accepting your reversed self and awakening the power of darkness.”
“Oh, that sounds convincing.”
The people of Arsilan who were listening to the heroes’ conversation nodded and looked at Haebyul. Mia’s eyes also shone.
“Haebyul unnie, then would not your viewer count increase even more?”
“Mia..., I am going to walk the path of light...”
Mia looked regretful.
Haebyul vowed that she would never become the same as Dark Haebyul.
The tide of battle was completely reversed, and the front line was pushed back to where Leon was. Leon, who had been sitting on the throne, finally rose to his feet. As if irritated that he had to step in himself, he frowned and extended his hand.
Just the appearance of the demonic sword instantly changed the atmosphere of the battlefield.
When Leon swung the demonic sword, black aura filled with enormous energy burst forth and swept across the Legion of Light. Thousands were reduced to ashes and vanished in an instant.
It did not seem like something that could be opposed at all. However, none of the heroes or the people of Arsilan felt despair.
They knew clearly what had to be done, and they realized that staying in despair would accomplish nothing.
Those they had met in the past, and the many heroes who had sacrificed themselves for them, might be laughing at them from the sky.
“Everyone, prepare yourselves!”
There was also an operation prepared to deal with Leon.
At Heina’s shout, the Helby Lovers Group, which had been pulled back, began to move busily. HellDoctor and HandGenius were also moving frantically while working on a gigantic airship.
“Heina-nim, will this really work?”
“It is something His Majesty told us, so we have to trust it.”
Heina answered the hero’s question like that and nodded. The airship was loaded full of countless white paper flowers. Using the strategy of the Romance-North Party, the heroes and the people of Arsilan had brought countless paper flowers from the past.
There were so many that only after removing many parts of the airship was it barely able to fly.
HellDoctor nodded as he looked at the prepared airship.
“It is my first time using True Magic Stones as fuel, but..., anyway, it will take off!”
“Is there no risk of explosion?”
“Of course it will explode.”
“Yes?”
At HellDoctor’s words, HandGenius was flustered.
“Before that, we just need to scatter the paper flowers, do we not?”
“That is true, but...”
“To begin with, this airship does not have a landing function. Hahahaha!”
As HellDoctor suddenly started laughing, HandGenius stepped back. WingGenius, who was in the front pocket, shuddered as if feeling a chill after seeing HellDoctor’s appearance.
“I do not think we should get close to that hero.”
“Y, yeah.”
At WingGenius’s worried words, HandGenius nodded in agreement.
When Hellhound, who knew nothing about the condition of the airship, boarded it, the magic engine activated, and the gigantic airship slowly began to rise into the sky.
It was the first time in Arsilan’s history that an airship of this scale had been launched.
“Oh! It is flying!”
“Kya!”
Several airships followed as if guarding the massive airship loaded with paper flowers. Numerous defensive spells were cast on the airship, but it was still unsettling. Heina ordered an all-out attack to divert attention.
As if sensing something, Leon looked toward the approaching airship. He infused the demonic sword with tremendous energy and swung it toward the airship.
Kwaaaa!
The airship that was leading the way split apart and fell straight down.
“Trivial.”
As if intending to wipe everything out at once, Leon gathered overwhelming power into the demonic sword. The heroes looked up at the sky. The dark clouds filling the sky began to ripple and then started to swirl.
The black clouds that had covered the sky of LA became a gigantic typhoon.
“A typhoon...?”
“Ah...”
The wind blew.
The wind gradually grew fiercer and began to grind buildings and structures as if they had been thrown into a blender. The scale was so enormous that even the Legion of Light was left stunned. Even though it was merely preparation for an attack, it displayed such a sight.
The airship was also swept up by the wind and shook violently. In the end, it had no choice but to lower its altitude.
Black currents flowed out from the eye of the typhoon and settled into the demonic sword. The typhoon that had been grinding the city away gradually disappeared, and all the energy seeped into the demonic sword.
“Disappear, all of you.”
Leon swung his sword to erase everything before his eyes. A massive tidal wave made of darkness began to surge forward, annihilating everything in its path.
“Defensive sacred techniques...!”
Heina’s urgent command was buried by the approaching darkness and could not be heard. It was an attack so great that it threatened not only LA but even the Seoul field beyond the opened space.
Just as the erasing darkness surged forward like an eraser, about to reach the Legion of Light, a huge Dimension Gate opened before them, and someone appeared.
“Giant race?”
“Huh?”
“They are the priests of Evanth!”
“Saintess-nim!”
The giant tribe’s chief Sank, the priests who had been protecting Evanth, and Saintess Airi revealed themselves. Airi gazed straight ahead.
“I am sorry we are late. It took some time to connect the Giant Realm and this place.”
By Airi’s side stood enormous priests, as if they themselves were giants, guarding her.
The priests of Evanth.
They were the elite priests who acted solely for Airi. Valuing physical beauty, Airi’s priests could all become giants and undergo gigantification.
They were not as large as the giant race, but they were more than twice the size of ordinary heroes.
“Hahahaha!”
“At this level, it will be worth blocking!”
The giant race laughed loudly as they looked at the surging tidal wave.
When Airi extended her hand, an overwhelming divine power erupted and descended upon the giant race. Golden light burst forth from their bodies and grew larger than buildings.
“Fall back behind us!”
“We are the wall of Arsilan!”
The giant race stood in a line and became a fortress wall. Holding enormous shields, they faced the incoming darkness. Under Heina’s command, the Legion of Light moved behind the giant race.
Kwaaaa!
The giant race collided with the tidal wave of darkness. The shields melted under the tremendous power, affecting their entire bodies, but the giant race stood firm and endured.
The wall of Arsilan.
The final guardians who stood firm until the very end.
The heroes once again realized what that meaning truly was.
“Wow!”
“This is the giant race.”
"So fucking cool!"
At the heroes’ enthusiastic praise, the giant race endured while grinning.
Airi also deployed protective sacred techniques and blocked the tidal wave. The faint golden light that had seemed as if it would vanish into the darkness did not disappear. Instead, it burned even more fiercely.
When the darkness faded, the heroes looked around. The surroundings had all become flat land. The buildings were completely erased without leaving even traces of melting behind.
Fortunately, the airship carrying the paper flowers was not destroyed. It was merely floating in the air while barely maintaining a magic engine that looked as if it would shut down at any moment.
In this state, they could not reach Leon. HellDoctor examined Leon. Leon, having expended an enormous amount of power, was temporarily unable to use the demonic sword.
After a brief moment of consideration, HellDoctor looked at Sank.
“Hey there!”
“Hm?”
“Could you throw that airship for us?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Then first, bring it down to the ground since we need to do some maintenance.”
Sank immediately understood HellDoctor’s words, grinned, and nodded. Sank lowered the airship that was barely floating in the air down to the ground.
Hearing the conversation, Hellhound swallowed nervously.
“Doctor? Th, this is not a ball, it is an aircraft.”
“Either way, it flies, does it not?”
“That is true, but still.”
Hellhound, who was riding the airship, trembled after hearing HellDoctor’s words. HellDoctor approached with a smile filled with madness and removed the safety belt.
“I do not have to ride it, right? That is a relief.”
“What do you mean? If you do not ride it, then who will?”
“Then why are you removing the safety belt...?”
“If you are going to die anyway, there is no need for it, so removing it is correct. It only adds weight.”
Ah.
It was logically correct.
HellDoctor even removed the control stick and the magic engine.
Then, as HellDoctor looked at Sank, Sank grasped the airship with his massive hand.
“Hellhound. When it gets near Leon, the paper flowers will be dropped automatically, so you can relax.”
“Th, that is a relief.”
“It is a technology I paid special attention to.”
Hellhound felt reassured.
If something went wrong here, everything they had done up to now would come to nothing. All the blame would pour down on him. Fortunately, that would not happen, so he could feel relieved.
Then, as if realizing something, Hellhound looked back at HellDoctor.
“Huh? D, Doctor Hel?”
“What is it?”
“If it drops automatically, why am I riding it?”
At Hellhound’s urgent question, HellDoctor averted his gaze.
“As an experimental subject..., ahem, think of it as a sacrifice for a great invention to come. Now! Sank, throw it already!”
“Hoh ho ho! I suppose it is time to properly show the power of the giant race.”
Before Hellhound could say anything, Sank lifted the airship and looked at Leon. Leon flinched when his eyes met Sank’s and raised the demonic sword.
Sank’s muscles swelled enormously. As the chief of the giant race, he possessed power that surpassed all other giants.
Sank hurled the airship toward Leon with all his might.
Kwaaaaaa
It lightly broke the sound barrier and flew toward Leon like a fired bullet. The airship carrying Hellhound became the fastest thrown object in the history of Arsilan Saga.
[Hero Hellhound has achieved the highest speed in the history of Arsilan Saga!]
[You have acquired a title.]
[A] The Fastest One
A title that only the fastest person in Arsilan can bear.
*Arsilan Contribution Points +300
“U, aaaaaah!”
Hellhound screamed at the unexpected and tremendous speed.
However, the speed was so great that no one heard his scream. Leon swung his sword to intercept it, but it had already arrived above his head.
Kwaaaaaa!
The airship exploded precisely above Leon’s head, scattering the paper flowers it carried exactly as intended. Countless white paper flowers swayed in the wind and began to fall like snow.
They were nothing more than paper flowers.
Erasing mere paper flowers would have been effortless for Leon, who was tainted by darkness. Without even swinging the demonic sword, simply releasing his energy would burn them all away.
Flinch.
Leon, who was about to erase the paper flowers, flinched and staggered. His body trembled slightly, as if it would not move properly. He tried to swing the demonic sword irritably, but it ended as nothing more than an attempt. The Legion of Darkness, which had been about to advance again, also came to a complete stop.
The Legion of Light looked at Leon in that state.
Paper flowers piled up thickly around Leon, and countless paper flowers were still fluttering beautifully down from the sky.
Each and every one of those flowers carried the narrative of Arsilan, and everyone’s feelings within them. It was the deep mourning toward the heroes that the heroes had shown to Arsilan in the era before the Hero’s Flower existed.
Golden light began to ripple from the heroes and the people of Arsilan. It was the light of the Holy Sword. The light of the Holy Sword illuminated the surroundings, rose one by one, and moved toward the paper flowers.
Paat!
As the light of the Holy Sword settled into the paper flowers, the paper flowers disappeared, and in their place bloomed the Holy Sword’s Flower, imbued with golden light.
“O, oh...”
“This is...”
“It is beautiful.”
It was beautiful.
Just watching it was enough to make one feel enchanted.
From the flowers that filled Leon’s surroundings, golden particles flowed out and began to gradually purify the city stained by darkness.
Leon swung the demonic sword, trying to cut down the golden flowers, but the dark energy dissipated and could not advance.
“Huh?”
“That is...?”
The golden particles gathered in the air transformed into various forms. They were beings that all the heroes knew.
The boy Leon, whom they had seen through an illusion in the collapsed castle, appeared. The boy Leon was holding a book and smiling. Beside him, the traveler Leon who had been seen during the Early Access period revealed himself.
“That is the old Leon-nim.”
“Was that when there were three thousand users connected?”
“I am jealous of the vanguard.”
When Leon had first appeared before Haebyul back then, he had been dressed plainly, but his beauty had made him a huge topic of discussion. The praise sticker Leon gave became the symbol of the vanguard and had been the object of everyone’s envy ever since.
Leon before crossing the Magic Barrier, Leon who sacrificed himself by forging the Holy Sword with his own soul, resurrected Leon, and Leon wearing a crown also appeared. All of them were versions of Leon that remained in the memories of the heroes.
As long as Arsilan remembered him, the light of the Holy Sword would not disappear. Even if the light could be extinguished, the history that had been built up until now could not be denied.
All the forms of Leon turned into light and burrowed into the reversed Leon.
“Keugh...!”
Cracks formed in the body of Leon stained by darkness.
Intense light leaked out, making it impossible for him to steady himself. Leon dropped the demonic sword and tried to block the light with both hands, but instead, the cracks in his body only increased.
“Kuaaaaak!”
Leon collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony. At that moment, his body split apart and brilliant light poured out. At the same time, the flowers that had been piled thickly on the ground disintegrated and settled into the radiant light, forming a single shape.
“Leon-nim!”
“Keugh!”
“Wow...”
The incarnation of the Holy Sword, and the king of Sillion.
Leon, who had created Arsilan Saga together with the heroes, was perfectly resurrected with the help of Arsilan.