novelraw Chapter 214: Episode 5 (3)
Chapter 214: Episode 5 (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
It crumbled down.
It fell.
It poured down in countless pieces.
The Lord of Despair, having crossed a thousand years, approached to annihilate everything!
The Lord of Despair appeared as a black sphere.
The Erosion energy flowing out while dominating space refracted everything heading toward the black sphere. It looked as if a hole had been punched through space itself.
The discs surrounding the writhing black sphere spun even more violently. Everything that had once formed Levannas had become those massive discs. Mixing with the Erosion energy gushing from the black sphere, they took on a thick, dark crimson hue.
All of Arsilan watched the spectacle in silence.
Those watching from Earth held their breath, gazing up at the sky in a daze. The cosmic spectacle, far surpassing any natural disaster, filled everyone with a suffocating, chest-tightening sensation.
Jinwoo wore a deep smile on his lips.
"What a magnificent sight. Now what are we going to do when the fireworks at the Grand Festival feel boring by comparison?"
At his words, Heina and the other retainers laughed. The laughter spread to the knights, the soldiers, and even the Heroes. It was the kind of laughter that seemed to mock the Lord of Despair itself.
"At this point, anything less than that is just going to look like a candle."
"Right?"
"Ugh! I'm shaking!"
The Heroes' banter carried a peculiar power.
It was lighthearted, yet never felt frivolous. It dissolved the heavy, sunken atmosphere and transformed the crushing tension weighing on their bodies into the heart-pounding thrill of anticipation.
Did the Lord of Despair sense that shift in mood?
The discs that had been spinning rapidly around the black sphere stopped abruptly.
Jinwoo raised the Holy Sword.
"Here it comes."
It had finally begun.
All preparations were complete.
There were ten layers of massive Barriers, and various defensive installations and devices had been efficiently positioned. The Hero's Flower, realized through Sacred Magic and every ounce of Arsilan's power, would not lose its light until Arsilan itself ceased to exist.
The discs began merging into a single mass.
Like clay being kneaded into dough, they all converged before the black sphere. Since everything that had comprised Levannas went into it, the resulting mass was staggeringly enormous.
CRRRRACK!
The Erosion energy flowing from the black sphere merged with the mass, stretching out long to form a colossal wedge. The instant the wedge was complete, a shockwave burst outward and shook the very fabric of space.
The Authority wielded by the Lord of Despair filled the wedge to the brim.
The ten layers of Barriers blocked the shockwave, leaving Arsilan unscathed, but the shockwave radiated outward in every direction, carving gashes across the surface of the moon orbiting Arsilan.
"I'm speechless."
"I-is this a game? Is this really... a game?"
"How am I supposed to watch sci-fi movies after this?"
"The Creator God will figure something out."
"Haha!"
The tip of the wedge slowly rotated until it was aimed directly at Arsilan.
The wedge was covered in inscriptions bearing the curses the Lord of Despair had etched into it. Those curses took physical form, becoming veins of blood that coiled around the wedge.
In that instant, everything stopped as if time itself had frozen.
The shockwaves sweeping the area, the rippling of space, all of it vanished.
The moment stillness descended,
GOOOOO!
That colossal wedge, laden with terrible despair, began falling toward Arsilan's core.
The wedge was so enormous that its movement appeared sluggish, but its speed was tremendous. A mass the size of a small satellite hurtling at such velocity became an Authority of destruction that easily surpassed grand-scale magic.
The wedge reached the outermost Barrier, the tenth.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACK!
Light rippled outward.
Its speed seemed to slow for just a moment before the tip of the wedge drove straight through and pierced the Barrier.
The Barrier that had seemed capable of stopping anything shattered like a pane of glass and vanished. The sound that rang out as it broke was a horrific noise, as if the sky itself were collapsing.
[The 10th Barrier has been destroyed.]
[The wedge of Despair approaches Arsilan.]
The Magic Tower automatically displayed information windows to relay the current situation.
Erosion energy erupted from the wedge as it plummeted toward the next Barrier. The Lord of Despair poured fury into its will and pushed the wedge onward.
They had to stop it.
They had to hold back the annihilation bearing down on them.
Jinwoo had fully anticipated an attack using a mass weapon like this. Multiple countermeasures and battle plans had already been prepared.
For Arsilan.
Jinwoo poured everything he had into the Holy Sword with all his might and thrust it toward the wedge. A brilliant light erupted from the Holy Sword and flowed into the massive Hero's Flower. At the same time, light surged from the Hero's Flower and streaked toward the wedge.
With each Barrier the light passed through, it amplified and grew larger.
The light collided with the wedge.
It kept pouring forth as if to push the wedge back, but only managed to slow its speed slightly.
The Magic Tower, the Soul Gate, and every ounce of Arsilan's power focused on Jinwoo. It was such an immense amount of force that even Leon's body could barely endure it.
Ella and Helby stepped up behind Jinwoo's back.
The two looked at each other.
"This is our first time properly combining our power, isn't it?"
"...Hmph."
"Just follow this big sister's lead. I'll make it feel good."
Ella beamed and extended her hand toward Helby.
Helby stared at her with a look of displeasure, but eventually let out a small laugh.
"You lunatic. You've been watching weird stuff somewhere again. Shut up and just lead."
Helby took Ella's hand.
When Ella's fingers slid between hers, Helby shuddered as if it gave her chills, but she didn't let go.
Their Authorities and power merged into one. Golden light and starlight glimmering from the abyss blended together, creating a beautiful aurora.
Surprisingly, the two's energies were highly compatible.
They perfectly complemented each other's weaknesses.
"Let's go! For Arsilan..."
"...For Arsilan."
Ella and Helby placed their hands on Jinwoo's back.
FWAAASH!
Golden light and starlight swirled together, enveloping the beam of light extending toward the wedge. The wedge's speed seemed to slow a little more.
Until this light bored deep into the wedge.
Until it purified the Erosion.
They had to trust in everyone.
The expressions on Jinwoo, Ella, and Helby's faces were unwavering, calm.
FWOOSH!
But the Lord of Despair did not sit idle either. Erosion energy erupting from the black sphere reached the rear of the wedge and pushed it forward even harder.
Before long, the wedge had reached the 9th Barrier.
[The 9th Barrier has been destroyed.]
The 9th Barrier protecting Arsilan was destroyed with frustrating ease. The wedge cleaved through the light being fired by the Hero's Flower and continued its descent.
"The wedge has entered firing range!"
"Let's go too!"
"Yeah!"
The Heroes moved in perfect coordination under the Magic Tower's command.
The wedge smashed through the 9th Barrier and plunged inward.
Haebyul watched the falling wedge for a moment, then ducked inside a massive gun turret.
It was a colossal turret built atop the 8th Barrier.
HandGenius had designed it based on Levannas technology. The moment the Hero's Flower appeared, vast quantities of supplies had been brought in from Alusion to stock it.
"Turn it!"
"Nnngh!"
"Why is this thing manual?!"
The Romance Heroes turned a large lever in sync with HandGenius's instructions. The massive turret rotated and the barrel moved, locking onto the wedge.
"Because it's romantic!"
"Two more turns to the right!"
Beside HandGenius, WingGenius, who had transformed into an SD Character, continuously called out coordinates in real time.
The fairies had transformed into the SD Characters provided by Arsilan Defense. In SD form, they grew to roughly child-size, which made it easier to help out.
- Manual controls are kinda romantic tho.
- Why bother making it automatic when you guys are right here?
- If you make it all fancy the firepower drops
- It's in our range now too! Do your thing people! The whole world's watching.
- We're literally stars now!
Currently, hundreds of millions of viewers were watching from Earth, gazing up at the sky as if enjoying a festival in cities around the world.
They couldn't afford to look pathetic.
Besides, if they stood out here, they could become superstars!
- Look at those outfits lmao.
- ㅋㅋ they really stand out tho.
- Kinda... embarrassing ngl.
The Heroes were dressed in eye-catching, unique getups.
When HandGenius raised his hand, Haebyul, UruBear, and the Romance Heroes rushed over, lugging a massive shell. It was the size of a small building.
"Aaaargh!"
"Q-quick, put, put it in!"
"Ugh! You in front, get it in properly!"
"I'm too short, I can't reach!"
It was so heavy that even the high-level Romance Heroes had to throw themselves at it together.
BOOM! CLANK!
When they loaded the shell, its weight made the entire turret ring. Haebyul caught her breath and looked at HandGenius.
"That was disgustingly heavy. What kind of shell is that?"
"Have you seen the movie Armageddon? It's similar to that."
"Oh, the one where they drill a tunnel?"
"Basically, we're securing a position for the follow-up troops."
Haebyul and the Romance Heroes nodded.
[For Arsilan!! AAARGH!]
A war cry came from inside the shell. Haebyul flinched in surprise, blinked, and shifted her gaze back to HandGenius.
"We didn't have the time, technical capability, or capital to install an auto-guidance system."
HandGenius explained kindly.
Hitting a wedge plummeting that fast with nothing but analog calculations and no guidance system was an extremely difficult task.
"So that means..."
"Yes. There's someone inside who's very hard to kill."
HandGenius immediately nodded at Haebyul's guess. The guidance system inside the shell was a Vampire. Even beaten to a pulp, they wouldn't die easily, making them a remarkably durable component(?).
When HandGenius gave the signal, WingGenius pressed the launch button.
BOOOOOM
A round fired from the massive barrel. As it streaked toward the wedge, the outer casing separated.
The round became a missile fitted with a pointed drill, hurtling toward the wedge at tremendous speed. The Vampire riding inside clenched their teeth and adjusted the trajectory toward the wedge.
"Heh, heheh...! One hell of a big catch...!"
The instant it embedded itself dead-on into the wedge, the Vampire vaporized and vanished.
KABOOOOOOM!
A staggering explosion rivaling a nuclear bomb split the wedge's surface open. The attached drill, propelled by the blast's force, bored deep inside.
But the wedge was so massive it barely showed a scratch.
"First round, direct hit!"
"It works! Fire ours too!"
"Fire!!"
"Direct hit!"
"Reload! Pour everything into it!"
Thousands of such shells cut through the vacuum of space, racing toward the wedge.
Before the wedge reached the 8th Barrier, something changed.
The wedge suddenly began to spin. The thick Erosion oozing from its surface became whips that lashed out, detonating everything in their path.
When the wedge struck the 8th Barrier, a massive shockwave blasted outward and obliterated every turret.
"Ugh!"
"No way..."
"Just run!"
Heroes scrambled out of the collapsing turrets and sprinted like mad. If they died here, they'd respawn down below after a set amount of time. There was still too much to do; they couldn't afford to die here. They had to escape while the 8th Barrier held, even if only for a moment.
Haebyul and the Romance Heroes ran along the paths built on top of the Barrier.
"Aagh!"
"Dodge!"
A building-sized whip crashed down on top of the Romance Heroes. UruBear and the tankers barely managed to block it. The Arsilanians who had spent a long time alongside them in the Romance territory cast spells to bridge the crumbling path.
"Haebyul. I'm heading down first. Heh, I think I look pretty cool right now."
"My lord, go ahead!"
"We'll be waiting!"
UruBear and the Arsilanians said that as they looked at Haebyul. She nodded immediately and boarded a ship standing by.
Aboard the ship, members of the Demon Race were preparing for takeoff.
[The 8th Barrier has been destroyed.]
The instant Haebyul and the Romance Heroes boarded, the 8th Barrier shattered and everything on it vanished. The ship was caught in the shockwave, but barely managed to regain its balance.
"The fleet at the 7th Barrier has completed all preparations! We'll fall back and join them!"
"A drastic change in the wedge has been confirmed. At this rate, approach will be extremely difficult!"
Demons who had served in the Defense Force relayed information to the fleet standing by at the 7th Barrier with practiced efficiency.
Haebyul gazed out through the ship's windows.
The colossal wedge was advancing toward the 7th Barrier at high speed. It showed no signs of slowing; it seemed impossible for a ship to catch up.
At the 7th Barrier, turrets capable of tremendous firepower stood in a line, and tens of thousands of large warships built through Arsilan Defense were arrayed in formation. The small vessels numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
It was a fleet commanded by Serazade and her staff officers.
Inside the large warships, tens of thousands of Heroes, Arsilanians, and Demons were in the midst of preparations.
"More, more! That's it!"
"Stop!"
At the Dwarves' hand signals, mechanical devices whirred to life and moved heavy equipment into place.
The Dwarves bustled about, attaching equipment to massive Magic Armors. Hundreds of Magic Armor units piloted by Dark Knights waited in hangars.
NorthernGrandDuke finished gathering her gear and took up her twin axes.
NorthernGrandDuke: Did you make it out?
Haebyul: Yes, barely.
NorthernGrandDuke: Join my expedition party.
Haebyul: Yes!
NorthernGrandDuke sat inside the capsule housing her Magic Armor. The moment she and the Magic Armor unit reached that wedge, she planned to summon her expedition members via Bifrost.
Every Named Hero had temporarily joined her expedition party, or her territory.
As her level had risen, her Third Class Change skills had strengthened as well. As long as NorthernGrandDuke had sufficient Mana, she could transport any number of people through Bifrost regardless of headcount.
THOOM!
The ship rocked violently.
She watched the approaching wedge through the information window. The countless whips attached to it spun alongside it, destroying everything in their path.
'This isn't good.'
It was not a favorable situation.
As expected, the operation wasn't going according to plan.
KRAKAKAKOOM!
Firepower from the fleet at the 7th Barrier poured toward the wedge. They were beams packed with enormous energy.
"We're gonna get breached before we can even land!"
"How do we get close?"
"Damn it..."
"Brace for impact!"
The wedge reached the 7th Barrier.
Serazade was anxious.
The large warships under her command carried things capable of inflicting damage on that mass weapon. But the countless whips whirling around as if shielding the wedge made it impossible to get close.
[The 7th Barrier has been destroyed.]
When the 7th Barrier was destroyed, the barrage-firing fleet was swept up, ships exploding or being flung away.
Serazade's ship was fortunately unharmed.
They had planned to land while the 7th Barrier held the wedge at bay, but the plan had gone badly awry.
That was when it happened.
[Cheers from Seoul Field have been delivered.]
- Whoa, this is insane.
- Looks like it's falling on Earth ㅋㅋ
- We can win this, right?
- Huh? My hands are glowing.
- Is that a special effect?
The people gathered in Seoul watched with fascinated expressions. Through their Soul Glasses, they could see the wedge plummeting as if they were right there in Arsilan.
It was the same in fields across other cities.
That joy became light, passing through the Soul Gate and reaching the massive Hero's Flower.
[Arsilan's Transcendent Beings are being summoned.]
A Summoning Circle materialized before the massive Hero's Flower.
The first to appear were the dragons of Starlight Valley.
The dragons unleashed their breath with everything they had, incinerating the whips clinging to the wedge. Then they wrung out every last drop of their dragon hearts, bombarding the wedge with offensive magic.
It wasn't quite on the scale of grand magic, but it was high-level magic that even Heroes with a Third Class Change would struggle to replicate.
"Dragons...!"
"Whoa!"
"Huh? What's that..."
Those waiting at the 1st Barrier couldn't help but be astonished.
"Spirits!"
"Yeah!"
"This is what a game should be!"
After the dragons appeared, Spirits from the Spirit World tore through space and emerged.
Every Spirit from the Spirit World unleashed a variety of elements before the 6th Barrier. The higher Spirits locked eyes with the dragons and nodded.
[Oh, you've already become an adult dragon.]
[The third-gen Reincarnated Heroes really do grow fast.]
[I think I might become a Spirit King soon?]
[Didn't they say gen five is coming soon?]
[Yeah, probably after Episode 5.]
[Heh heh! Am I finally getting out of being the youngest? Once gen five shows up, they're done for.]
[The hierarchy in the Spirit World is pretty brutal, yeah.]
The Reincarnated Heroes wanted to protect this beautiful future of Arsilan, where many more Heroes would one day be reborn.
They poured everything they had at the wedge.
The wedge's speed gradually slowed. But it was still fast enough to smash through Barriers with ease. The moment the 6th Barrier shattered, an enormous Summoning Circle filled the void of space and revealed itself.
[Supreme Summon Behemoth is being summoned.]
[Supreme Summon Leviathan is being summoned.]
[Supreme Summon Griffin is being summoned.]
[Supreme Summon Slime King is being summoned.]
.
...
.....
Countless messages appeared as the Summons that had forged so many of Arsilan's myths revealed themselves.
Behemoth rose to his full, colossal body atop the 6th Barrier. Fully unveiled, his size was like that of a towering mountain. Griffin and Leviathan were much the same.
Leviathan formed a vast ocean atop the 6th Barrier, and the Merfolk were summoned.
[GROAAAARGH!]
Behemoth raised his hands and seized the wedge as it bore down right in front of him. Every Summon latched on in an instant. Behemoth's entire body warped and ruptured under the strain, but he did not let go.
A new dating sim was about to be released soon.
It was the most highly anticipated title of the year.
He couldn't give up until he got to play it.
Belzerad, watching the situation from the 1st Barrier, gazed at Behemoth in admiration.
"Truly, a love of grand proportions."
The power of love was great indeed.
* * *
Everyone was pooling their strength, holding on with everything they had.
NorthernGrandDuke's eyes reddened at the majestic sight. The Heroes riding in their Magic Armors, and the countless Arsilanians and Demons alongside them in the fleet, felt the same.
They would win.
They would absolutely win.
Everyone's fighting spirit soared.
[Attention, bravest warriors aboard this vessel. From this point on, this ship will land on the wedge.]
Serazade's voice rang out.
Now, while the wedge was held at the 6th Barrier, was the golden opportunity.
[Survive by any means necessary and carry out the operation. For Arsilan! For Levannas!]
Let's go! For Arsilan!
The ship shot toward the wedge like a missile.
Hans, carrying his gear, approached NorthernGrandDuke.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Never thought I'd end up following you all the way here."
Hans smirked, then sat down beside the capsule she was in. A bond that began in a small village had carried them all the way to this moment. Hans considered being assigned the role of guard captain for Gron Village one of the greatest blessings of his life.
So much had happened.
And surely, much more was yet to come.
Tap, tap!
Hans tapped her capsule a couple of times and gave a thumbs-up.
"See you down there."
At his words, NorthernGrandDuke smirked and nodded. Neither of them said it out loud for fear of raising a Flag, but they had agreed to meet, just the two of them, in Seoul Field after Episode 5 ended.
"Better finish this quick."
NorthernGrandDuke murmured, gripping the handles of her twin axes tightly.
Her ears were a little red.
* * *
The ice cream in their hands had melted.
The snacks they'd brought to munch on while watching hadn't shrunk at all, even as time passed. Countless people were gathered in one place, yet it was so quiet you couldn't even hear a breath.
Everyone was too busy watching the decisive battle of Episode 5.
"Insane."
"Wow..."
Then an information window appeared before them.
It was visible even to those not wearing Soul Glasses. It was a holographic information window projected through the Soul Gate.
[The Arsilan Cheer Event has begun!]
[Event] Cheer for Arsilan!
Follow the information window's instructions and cheer for Arsilan! Pour your heart into cheering for Arsilan, and you just might deliver a miracle! Participants will be entered into a raffle for a variety of prizes!
[Prize List (Seoul)]
Banpo Osung Apartment (1 winner), Osung Motors top-of-the-line sports car (10 winners), Osung Hotel VVIP Suite 10-year free stay (15 winners), latest model Soul Link (10,000 winners), 500,000 Platinum Coins (50,000 winners)...
"Oh, ohhh!"
"Whoa!"
"Now THAT'S an event!"
The prizes were incredibly generous!
Each city had a different selection of prizes prepared.
People cheered and roared, following along with the cheer displayed on the information window.
Joy filled the entire world!