novelraw Chapter 199: Perseverance (5)
Chapter 199: Perseverance (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Levannas shook violently.
Large and small earthquakes continued to occur, shaking everything on the surface. Far from subsiding, the tremors only grew stronger as time passed.
Kugugugugu!
The seal was gradually breaking, and the Higher Being of Erosion was regaining its will. Through the widening crack in the seal, powerful Erosion energy spewed out and dug into the interior of Levannas.
It was like witnessing the Dark Breath that nearly destroyed Arsilan during the Great War, an enormous energy was breaking apart the interior and heading toward the surface.
There were dozens of such energies.
Just the crack in the seal was enough to show such power.
‘It’s definitely in a different league.’
It was fundamentally different from the Lord of Greed.
There was even a difference in the density of energy. If the Dark Breath used by the Lord of Greed through the Invasion Gate was like a gas, then the energy currently being emitted by the Higher Being of Erosion felt like a liquid, like a swamp.
Kwaaaa!
Jinwoo dodged the Erosion energy that came right up to him. Getting caught in that would result in his body being completely annihilated. Even Leon’s body would struggle to endure its power.
“That was close.”
After a brief thought, Jinwoo decided to name it Erosion Vomit.
Smirking, Jinwoo continued to descend.
Ella was following on his right. She created a golden protective barrier that blocked all attacks except for the Erosion Vomit.
It was incredibly reassuring to have her, she who had brought light to Arsilan, by his side.
And to his left...
“Where’s Helby?”
“Huh? Where did she go?”
Helby, who was supposed to be following on the left, was nowhere to be seen.
Ella tilted her head as if she didn’t know either. Before she could speak, Helby appeared, cutting through space. She looked to be in quite a good mood. Ella frowned as she looked at Helby.
“Did you go to the bathroom or something? I thought you said you were constipated...”
“Your filthy jokes that don’t even land are only increasing.”
Ella tried to provoke Helby, but as always, no fight broke out. Helby was generously letting it slide. Jinwoo, who had been preparing to intervene in case of a quarrel, blinked in surprise at the unexpected scene.
“Have you matured?”
Living long enough, anything could happen.
Looking at Helby with eyes full of doubt, he let out a sigh and looked below.
“There must be tens of billions of Erosion Insects. Looks like it's really pissed.”
“It has every reason to be. Its daughter suddenly fell in love with some womanizing demon, then backstabbed it and locked it in a room for over a thousand years. On top of that, it even got its property stolen.”
At Jinwoo’s explanation, Ella nodded as if she understood.
"I completely understand!"
“Hm, it sounds like a sugarcoated metaphor, but it makes sense.”
As Helby said, it was indeed a very sugarcoated metaphor.
First of all, it wasn’t a daughter but its own avatar, and their positions were fundamentally different.
If one were to interpret the Higher Being of Erosion from a human perspective, it was like its own avatar fell in love with a cockroach, fed it poison, and then locked it away in the depths underground for over a thousand years.
Even though it was just an avatar, it was still part of itself, so there must have been a degree of self-loathing from falling in love with a cockroach.
“The power of love is truly amazing. Belzerad, I see him in a new light.”
Ella still didn’t hold Belzerad in high regard, but she considered the miracle he brought about to be noble.
“Let’s clean up as we go.”
Jinwoo summoned the Holy Sword and swung it at the Erosion Insects climbing up along the Erosion Vomit. Ella emitted light, and Helby burst the Erosion Insects with magic made of starlight. Pulverizing the Erosion Insects in this way, they quickly reached the center of Levannas.
At the center of Levannas was a massive space.
It was where the Higher Being of Erosion was sealed.
Like the core of Levannas, the Higher Being of Erosion could be seen trapped within a giant spherical seal. Like a new life form being born, it was trying to tear the sphere apart.
“It’s torn.”
Part of the seal Jinwoo had placed was torn.
It was a seal activated with a tremendous amount of mana and layered high-level magic, but it hadn’t lasted long. Through the torn gap of the seal, the Higher Being of Erosion was visible.
Was that an eye, a hand, or some other horrifying body part?
Its form was beyond comprehension, and just looking at it brought an intense sense of revulsion. It was a vast concept that shattered the very framework of evil. Since that concept did not exist in Arsilan, not even Jinwoo, Ella, or Helby could fully grasp it.
From the torn gap in the seal, enormous energy continued to flow out, and Erosion Insects were forming as if dividing from it and heading toward the surface.
Jinwoo took out Wedges from Subspace and handed them to Ella and Helby. The small sticks transformed into Wedges of Light, scattering colorful light as they turned into particles of light in their hands.
Sensing the Wedges, the Higher Being of Erosion raged and spewed its fury.
Ella looked at the scene and nodded.
“To put it in a metaphor, it’s like the friends of the guy who seduced your daughter suddenly showed up and blocked your escape plan right as you were about to slip out through the crack in the door, right?”
“Close enough. And they’re even reinforcing the old wooden door with a steel one. Very thoroughly, too.”
At Jinwoo’s added explanation, Ella once again understood perfectly.
As Ella and Helby drove the Wedges into the sphere, chains made of golden and starlight began to form and coil around the sphere.
Because the Higher Being of Erosion was resisting, the formation of the chains was slow.
Ella and Helby continued to pour Sacred Power and mana into the Wedges with full concentration. Jinwoo’s Holy Sword and Arsilan continuously replenished their energy.
Gugugugu!
Jinwoo looked at the gaping crack and smirked.
“We can’t keep calling it the Higher Being of Erosion forever....”
Might as well give it a name.
As he reached out, a massive tentacle appeared, cutting through Subspace. It was the Lord of Despair that the Heroes had defeated on the field of the Dimension Gate. Jinwoo had made it out of True Magic Stone, and it had performed excellently as a boss. Even the storyline of it fleeing after losing in Arsilan was perfect.
Jinwoo stuck the massive tentacle into the crack in the seal as if taping it shut. Since it was made of True Magic Stone, it adhered tightly to the creature’s body and melted into it.
“From now on, you’re the real body of the Lord of Despair.”
The final boss of Episode 5, Lord of Despair (True Body), was born.
“Sounds like a solid setup.”
“A fitting name.”
Ella and Helby smirked and agreed with Jinwoo’s words. Jinwoo pulled out the last remaining Wedge and overlaid it with the Holy Sword. Then, he drove it into the center of the sphere.
“It’ll take quite a while for the seal to complete.”
Jinwoo raised his head and looked up.
Dozens of massive holes had opened in the ceiling, connecting to the surface. By now, Erosion Insects would be pouring out onto the surface.
Until the seal was complete, Jinwoo, Ella, and Helby couldn’t move from this place. But none of them were worried about Levannas.
“I wanted to see the Heroes arrive in Levannas!”
“That is a bit disappointing.”
Because the Heroes would soon arrive.
At Ella and Helby’s words, Jinwoo grinned.
“I figured you’d say that, so I came prepared.”
Jinwoo pulled a square box from Subspace and tossed it, causing a giant information screen to rise.
The landscape of Levannas unfolded. Jinwoo took out cans of beer and tossed them to Ella and Helby.
“Nice touch.”
“Not bad.”
Ella smiled brightly and chugged her beer, while Helby caught her can and fell into thought for a moment. Then she manipulated the camera connected to the screen and pointed it toward the royal palace.
“Ah! Don’t change the channel!”
“Hmph.”
Helby ignored Ella’s words completely.
She had moved the camera to watch Sera in action. Unaware of this motive, Ella just frowned.
Jinwoo looked at the raging Lord of Despair, then shifted his gaze to the information screen.
“They’ll be here soon.”
A miraculous light that would burn despair in an instant.
The Heroes, Arsilan’s greatest force, were about to descend upon Levannas.
***
The Named Heroes had finished preparing to head to Levannas. With millions of eggs being launched at once, many Heroes would be able to reach Levannas.
The eggs were created beneath the shell, and when first formed, they were soft. After removing all the contents from inside the eggs, various equipment was loaded into them. The people of Arsilan actively assisted in the process.
Heroes over level 150 were to board the eggs first. If they successfully landed in Levannas, the rest of the Heroes would follow afterward.
“To think we’d be boarding flying eggs.”
“Who would even believe this story?”
“Oh! There are even seats installed inside. It’s more comfortable than I expected.”
The Heroes of Alusion’s workshop and the people of Arsilan installed seats and safety devices inside the eggs. Magical devices were also attached to ensure the eggs could land on Levannas’s surface. They were made in a rush, so accuracy might be lacking, but arriving safely was what mattered.
The larvae inside were packed generously as combat rations.
The Heroes entered the eggs and took their seats.
HellDoctor moved around actively, checking the condition of the eggs.
“Are all the Magic Armors loaded?”
“Yes, the Death Knights are secured inside the eggs.”
Inspired by Sera’s actions, HellDoctor had significantly upgraded the performance of the Magic Armors and installed several new devices. Although the Magic Armors had grown larger in size, the eggs were fortunately big enough to fit both the armors and various auxiliary equipment.
HellDoctor entered the egg along with the Heroes of the Helby Fan Club. The interior was large enough to comfortably seat hundreds of Heroes. After sitting down and fastening their seatbelts, they waited for launch.
“Doctor, we’re going to crash into the planet at high speed. Will we survive?”
“We’ll cast Protection Spells on the egg’s surface, so if you’re a level 150 or higher Hero, you should be fine. Your durability stat will carry you. Of course, if you’re unlucky, you might lose a limb or two.”
Second-class promoted clerics had also boarded, allowing them to cast Protection Spells on the eggs. Despite the warning about losing limbs, the Heroes nodded as if it were nothing serious.
“Those under level 150, just endure it with grit.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll endure no matter what!”
“Once you land, the Hero’s Flower will be deployed right away, so make sure to register before you die.”
“Oh, good!”
The egg began to tremble as it rose onto the shell.
A support-type magician who had undergone third class advancement cast a spell, generating an information screen that allowed them to view the outside scenery. A magic circle functioning as a camera had been created on the egg’s surface.
“We’ve reached the top!”
“Ooooh!”
At that moment, a message popped up in the Levannas Expedition Team’s group chat.
[Notification from the Control Crystal Center: One minute until launch. Countdown will begin from ten seconds.]
[10! 9! 8....]
Thanks to the Heroes’ analysis of the crystal, they could now accurately predict the egg launch time.
“3!”
“2!”
“1! Let’s go!”
Dudududududu!
The egg carrying the Heroes shook,
Kwaaaaaa!
Then launched at tremendous speed. The overwhelming gravitational acceleration, incomparable to that of Earth’s rockets, pressed down on the Heroes, but they all endured with smiles on their faces.
“Ugh! I’m gonna puke!”
“No! If you puke in here...!”
“Bleuugh!”
“You crazy bastard! Ugh, what the hell did you eat?”
Many Heroes, lacking in durability stat, began vomiting, but they were still alive nonetheless. HellDoctor continued experimenting even mid-flight.
Next to HellDoctor, HellHound looked at the surrounding scenery displayed on the information screen.
“It really is a spectacle.”
The sight of countless eggs soaring toward Levannas was truly a spectacle. Thanks to the Protection Spells and magic, all the white and blue eggs carried Heroes inside.
Caught up in the atmosphere, HellHound became filled with solemn determination. The Heroes around him felt the same. But not everyone shared that sentiment.
“Guys, do you think we’ll get to meet Sera once we reach Levannas?”
“Man, I’m hyped. I’ve got to get her autograph.”
“I’m actually a Karin fan. I even bought a lightstick.”
Some Heroes were treating it like a fan signing event. They wore T-shirts with Sera printed on them and carried various merchandise.
It didn’t suit them at all.
Because they were all Undead.
Over the Death Knight’s armor was Sera’s face, and various goods were hanging from them.
“That’s cool.”
HellHound, who had long been a devoted fan of Helby, genuinely thought it looked cool.
***
Outside the Protective Barrier was hell.
The defense forces stared blankly at the countless holes opening on the ground. Each and every one of them was a tunnel on the scale of a B-rank or C-rank threat.
“Ah…”
“T-There’s too many…”
Even though all the defensive troops of Levannas had gathered, the never-ending appearance of new tunnels drained their will to fight. Before they knew it, the tunnels had become so numerous that they densely filled the area within the Protective Barrier. Staring into those darkness-filled holes brought a creeping terror, as if their souls were being sucked out.
This is the end.
Levannas would fall today. That fear took hold of their entire beings, and all hope disappeared.
Drdrdrdr! Kwaaaa!
As if a faucet had been turned on, a countless number of Erosion Insects spewed out from the holes all at once. The entire land in front of the Protective Barrier was overrun with Erosion Insects, forming a horizon.
Thud!
The defense troops lost their will to fight, dropped their weapons, and collapsed to the ground. How could they possibly deal with more Erosion Insects than the bullets they had been supplied?
The airships dropped bombs at full power, and the turrets fired shells without rest, but it felt like tossing pebbles at a sandstorm.
“Hold the line!”
Serazade shouted loudly.
They had to hold until the Heroes arrived.
That was the mission.
Floating in the air, Serazade unleashed light at full power. Karin and Mira joined her, unleashing magic at the Erosion Insects.
The Erosion Insects approaching the Protective Barrier were momentarily pushed back by the magic, but they soon overwhelmed the barrier with sheer numbers and clung to the shield.
The barrier that Jinwoo had reinforced was not easily pierced. But almost as if they had anticipated that, massive Erosion Insects emerged from the tunnels.
They were large-scale Erosion Insects that fired powerful energy blasts.
When thousands of those large Erosion Insects simultaneously fired energy rounds filled with Erosion, holes began to appear in the barrier.
“Block them!”
Serazade flew toward the holes and bombarded them with magic. Karin and Mira eliminated the Erosion Insects that had made it inside the barrier and somehow managed to hold them back.
“U-Uh! W-We’ll…!”
“Damn it! Open fire!”
“Aaaaaah!”
The defense troops, having regained their senses, unleashed all their firepower. They were barely maintaining the situation when.
The area around one of the holes collapsed, and a colossal, beetle-like supermassive Erosion Insect revealed itself. It was so large that its height alone nearly reached the top of the wall.
Kugugugugu!
The supermassive Erosion Insect charged toward the barrier. The barrier was torn apart instantly, and it continued forward, crashing into the Protective Wall. Serazade quickly flew over and exploded with light in an attempt to push it back.
Kirik! Kiriririk!
But the supermassive Erosion Insect’s overwhelming mass and thick shell withstood her magic. Karin and Mira joined Serazade and poured their mana into the assault.
Finally, the supermassive Erosion Insect was pushed back, but only part of its shell was destroyed, it was still intact.
Serazade, having poured out all her strength, was barely staying afloat in the air. Karin and Mira were also barely floating, holding onto each other. Having exhausted all their mana, it felt like their transformations would soon be undone.
The supermassive Erosion Insect raised its head again to charge once more. It felt like they wouldn’t be able to stop it this time. If that happened, the Protective Wall would fall, and an invasion into Levannas would begin.
Sera felt a wave of despair but shook her head and raised her staff toward the supermassive Erosion Insect.
Even if she died, she would stop it.
Just as she steeled her resolve.
[Thank you for your efforts, everyone.]
Suddenly, Tiris’s voice echoed.
That voice was transmitted not only to Serazade but to all the defense forces.
[Raise your heads and look to the sky. In response to the hope you’ve protected-]
Serazade and everyone else lifted their heads to look at the sky.
Countless eggs engulfed in flames were falling toward the surface of Levannas.
[The light of Arsilan descends.]
The light of Arsilan.
The Heroes who defeated Erosion and protected Arsilan were finally descending upon Levannas.
*****
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