novelraw Chapter 215: Episode 5 (4)
Chapter 215: Episode 5 (4)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The cheering from Earth grew even fiercer.
The sound of cheering filled entire cities, and the crowds kept growing. Even those who had no interest in the event heard the buzz and joined in, quickly getting swept up in the atmosphere.
Not enough fun?
The cheering is childish?
Then consider whether the prizes might be lacking!
FS Games displayed the majesty befitting the world's number one company.
They introduced a remarkable event policy where the prize list expanded alongside the growing number of participants.
Major cities were painted in cheers, and every sound carried directly to Arsilan.
[URRGHH!]
[HAAAH!]
[NNGGH!]
Behemoth and the other Summons squeezed out every ounce of strength they had and held on.
The cheering gave them tremendous strength.
Lives preserved despite the humiliation Erosion had inflicted upon them.
It gave them the resolve to gladly lay those lives down.
The years spent with the Heroes in Arsilan had been so much fun. Running businesses was fun, and playing the role of Summons was fun too. And along with that joy, they had found people dear to them.
[Just a little more!]
[NNNGH!]
[Hold on until the ships land!]
The mass and force contained in the Wedge were immense.
The tip of the Wedge inched closer toward the sixth Barrier. Mermaids created massive waves in the ocean Leviathan had summoned atop the Barrier, and spirits froze them solid. Ice imbued with powerful mana became a shield over the Barrier.
The large warships drew near.
Their Mana Engines were overheating and catching fire, but the ships flew toward the Wedge like missiles, paying it no mind.
Tiris: The operation can only continue if they land before the sixth Barrier breaks.
Tiris analyzed the situation through the Magic Tower and relayed it to Behemoth.
Could they hold until then?
It was impossibly close.
The ice shattered, and Behemoth and the Summons began sinking downward along with the Wedge.
The tip of the Wedge had not yet touched the Barrier.
Slime King inflated his body to prevent the Wedge from reaching the Barrier. The enormous force contained in the Wedge bore down on the Summons' bodies, and the Barrier dipped inward like a balloon being pressed by a finger.
- That's so damn cool!
- Wow... top-tier Summons!
- Behemoth!
[Heh....]
[This is why you do the Summon gig!]
Behemoth's arms began to disintegrate. The other Summons' bodies burned away as well. Spirits that had expended all their energy shrank and were reverse-summoned back to the Spirit World.
Their efforts were far from in vain.
Just before the Wedge touched the sixth Barrier, the warships reached its vicinity.
Serazade's ship shook violently.
The Erosion energy leaking from the Wedge warped the ship's surface as it drew closer, and flames erupted from the Mana Engine. Every light inside the ship turned red.
SCREEEEECH!
The hangar doors opened with a blaring siren.
The Magic Armors on standby began moving in unison. Raw mana burst from the Mana Engines mounted on the Magic Armors, activating all equipment.
The time had come.
THUD! THUD!
HellDoctor nodded and spread both arms, and the Magic Armors, upgraded with Levannas magitech engineering, charged forward.
"For Arsilan!"
"For the Sillion Empire!"
"For His Majesty the Emperor!"
They shouted mighty war cries and leapt without hesitation.
The capsule carrying NorthernGrandDuke emerged from the ship alongside the Magic Armors. Once all the Magic Armors had jumped, the Heroes and Arsilan-born demons aboard the ship followed after them.
[I wish you good fortune in battle.]
Serazade's voice carried across.
At the same moment, flames erupted from the surface of the large warships. The ships, engulfed in fire, streaked past the Magic Armors plummeting toward the Wedge.
KABOOOOM!
Multiple warships slammed directly into the Wedge and exploded.
Those who witnessed it did not mourn the ships' end.
[Hahaha!]
[Exhilarating!]
[See you down there!]
It was nothing more than a spectacular fireworks display heralding our arrival.
The Magic Armors descended at tremendous speed. Flames shot from the Mana Engines on their backs as they plummeted onto the Wedge's surface like meteors.
The instant before impact, magic circles engraved on the Magic Armors' surfaces activated, deploying shields.
CRASH! KABOOOOM!
Hundreds of Magic Armors landed safely on the Wedge's surface. Thorns filled with Erosion burst from the Wedge's surface, but these were not Heroes who would fall to something like that.
[Landing complete! Moving as planned.]
[The view up here is insane!]
[Gravity's just right, too.]
The moment they landed on the Wedge, the blessing that had maintained Arsilan-equivalent gravity vanished. The Wedge's gravity was weaker than even Arsilan's moon, but it actually made movement easier.
The moment everyone had landed, the Wedge, which had briefly stalled, reached the sixth Barrier.
KRAKOOOOM!
Behemoth and the other Summons were flung in all directions, tumbling down toward Arsilan.
Behemoth gazed up at the Wedge.
The Magic Armors atop the Wedge saw the Summons and raised their hands in salute.
[Good luck.]
Behemoth spotted the sight with his exceptional eyesight and gave a thumbs-up. Half his body had burned away, but he felt more relieved than ever.
Slime King had shrunk into a tiny slime. Leviathan had reverted to her human form, cradling the small Slime King in her arms as they plummeted weakly toward the fifth Barrier. Griffin had become a small eagle, clinging to Behemoth's head.
Their eyes met.
Then they each nodded and reached out their hands.
FLASH!
Squeezing out every last drop of power, they reverse-summoned the other Summons back to the summoning realm. Having spent all his strength, Behemoth's body shrank to human size as well.
[The biggest anticipated release is coming out soon..., what a shame.]
[The sashimi restaurant was doing so well....]
Behemoth and Leviathan said these things as they barely clung to their fading consciousness. Slime King and Griffin felt a pang of regret watching their bodies slowly dissolve.
Arsilan Saga!
It was fun!
They wanted to keep going, but this was the end.
As befitting top-tier Summons, they would accept death with dignity.
[For Arsilan.]
[...Arsilan..., hic...!]
At Behemoth's words, Leviathan choked up.
[AAAAAAGH! I don't wanna die! Save me! Please! Save meee!]
[WAAAAAH! Please save us!]
Behemoth and Leviathan began thrashing around. Slime King and Griffin were tossed about wildly by the commotion. As their bodies slowly faded away...
A massive shell came hurtling from above. It was a shell that had missed the Wedge. Flames spewed from it as it careened toward them. Slime King stretched his body and barely managed to grab hold of the shell, and Leviathan quickly seized Behemoth by the scruff of his neck.
The falling shell veered upward at the last second and skidded to an angled landing atop the fifth Barrier. Once it settled on the fifth Barrier, the occupant inside climbed out.
"Hmm, this doesn't seem to be the Wedge."
It was LifeHunter, the apex of all vampires.
The small window in the cockpit had melted, leaving him blind, so he had been drifting around for quite some time.
LifeHunter's and Behemoth's eyes met.
"Hm?"
"Ah?"
"Uh?"
"Mm?"
"Huh?"
Question marks floated above everyone's heads.
* * *
[The sixth Barrier has been destroyed.]
The sixth Barrier was destroyed.
The Magic Armors moved swiftly, installing equipment wherever shells had struck. The devices fitted with powerful drills were massive mining tools created in Arsilan Defense.
The solid Wedge was carved out like tofu.
The Magic Armors' output made for an overwhelming spectacle. HellDoctor and the Heroes who arrived next installed various equipment on the surface. They then connected it to the capsule and turned to look at NorthernGrandDuke.
When the countless devices embedded in the Wedge activated simultaneously, intense vibrations shook the area. The Erosion energy within the Wedge was converted into mana and channeled into the capsule.
NorthernGrandDuke opened her info window.
There, she could see the names of the countless people who had joined the expedition.
The mana supply was overflowing.
When she activated Bifrost, those who had joined the expedition began appearing on the Wedge.
"We're here!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Whoa! The view is insane."
Haebyul, the Romance Heroes, and the Named Heroes were summoned. Following them, many more appeared one after another. All of them held top-grade equipment made in Arsilan Defense.
Mining deep into the Wedge to weaken it.
Digging so the holy sword's light could penetrate deep inside.
That was their objective.
"The whole expedition has arrived!"
"I'm leaving the party now!"
Those who arrived on the Wedge left the expedition. As vacancies opened, applications flooded in. This was because NorthernGrandDuke had posted the expedition join code on Arsilan Worlds.
Sitting still and just clicking was not her style. But still....
"For Arsilan."
She accepted every expedition application and used Bifrost.
Click! Click!
She repeated this over and over.
Hero's Flowers were planted throughout the Wedge as well. A Hero's Flower bloomed where NorthernGrandDuke was stationed, resonating with Bifrost's light.
[The will of Arsilan resonates with Bifrost. Will you share Bifrost's power?]
NorthernGrandDuke stared at the info window, her expression turning to surprise.
Had she not arrived safely on this Wedge, this prompt would never have appeared.
The ending was not predetermined.
Arsilan Saga was a world they were shaping themselves.
She pressed the accept button immediately.
[Hero NorthernGrandDuke has shared Bifrost's power!]
[You can now travel to the Wedge of Despair through the giant Hero's Flower blooming in Arsilan.]
It was now possible to travel from the giant Hero's Flower connected to the core to the Wedge.
Countless people appeared on the Wedge in showers of light.
"Whoa! This is my first time doing something like this."
"Awesome!"
"Is this like a hidden route or something?"
"Even a noob like me can come!"
"You've played Arsilan Defense, right? Just do the same thing."
"Yep!"
Everyone had already become mining masters through Arsilan Defense. This Wedge was tremendously large, but it was no different from the floating debris they had practiced on.
Shells and Magic Armors had already excavated deep into it, so they just had to start from there!
[Arsilan] Our Festival
*Mine the Wedge to bore holes for Arsilan's light to flow through. Combining the excavated soil has a chance to yield a "Creator God's Prize Lottery Ticket."
*Defend the Barriers from the Lord of Despair.
A "Creator God's Prize Lottery Ticket" will be awarded at regular intervals.
"Oh, ohh!"
"Eeeek!"
"What are these prizes? Better than the lottery."
"You're telling me I get an apartment from playing a game?"
"Apartment, ㅋㅋ that's so last year. Just take Arsilan gold, it's way more worth it. Arsilan gold price is at its lowest today!"
"This is so damn fun! This is what an event should be! This is what a game is!"
Heroes could choose between reality and Arsilan, selecting one of the two for jaw-dropping prizes. Arsilan natives and demons could receive prizes provided by the Sillion Empire.
Lottery tickets were distributed not only to those on the Wedge but also to those defending the Barriers.
"An Alusion grand mansion...."
"That one's mine."
The demons' eyes went wild.
Come on! Let's have some fun!
Fun and rewards, both waiting for us!
Every being in Arsilan began moving like mad.
* * *
The Wedge breached the fifth Barrier and continued its descent.
Only four Barriers remained. Arsilan's light was pushing back against the Wedge, but it still held strong.
Tiris teleported to a position above the fourth Barrier.
Behind her, the Magic Tower's disciples appeared. Unlike the other Arsilan residents, they had not used avatars. Inhabiting an avatar meant they could not fully exert their true abilities. The only being capable of that was their master, the Archmage.
Tiris lowered her gaze to look at Jinwoo, who was pouring out immense power below.
The body of Leon that he inhabited was breaking apart from the inside, and he was outputting such an enormous amount of power that his very soul was cracking. It looked as though he alone was holding up all of Arsilan.
The light flowing from Earth was barely managing to mend Jinwoo's soul.
The agony of the soul knew no limit.
Jinwoo was barely clinging to his sanity amid the endless pain of his soul being ground away. Heina and his retainers were sharing his suffering, but they had reached their limit.
Tiris, who had been commanding from the Magic Tower, realized that at this rate, they would fail. That was why she had led the Tower's disciples here, moving directly above the Barrier.
This calamity could not be stopped without someone's sacrifice.
The notion that everyone would survive was nothing but a dream.
Tiris looked upon the great mages of Arsilan.
"Can you do this?"
Tiris asked the Magic Tower's disciples.
It was a question loaded with meaning.
"Of course."
"We're Magic Developers, after all."
"Playing the role of components? Easy."
We were disciples of the great Archmage.
Magic Developers who had run Arsilan Saga together.
The Magic Developers in their blue robes took positions atop the Barrier. Tiris stood at their center and gazed upward. Space split open, and massive Magic Stones appeared over the Barrier.
"Good thing Master can't see us."
"He'd obviously be furious."
"Haha!"
Jinwoo cherished his disciples to no end.
He would have gladly died hundreds of times more for their sake. Tiris and the disciples felt the same way about him.
"When we were little..., Master used to play with us."
"Back then we were nothing but trouble...."
The Magic Developers each sank into their memories.
The Archmage was a great teacher and a father.
All of them had been taken in by him as children.
"If you don't cry and do good deeds, the spirits will bring you presents."
"Really? Hehe...."
With hearts full of excitement, they helped their master do good deeds.
When an old man in red clothes came and gave them presents, it felt like they had the whole world.
It was an annual tradition.
As time passed, they all figured out that the old man was their master, but everyone pretended not to know.
"Alright!"
"Shall we?"
For Arsilan.
The Magic Developers removed their robes. Blue light erupted from the magic circles engraved on their bodies.
Grand Magic.
Tiris and the Magic Developers were about to cast Grand Magic, a power permitted only to the Archmage.
They could not receive support from the Magic Tower.
All its power was being poured into that Wedge.
They had to cast Grand Magic with only the strength they possessed.
"Commencing."
Tiris began constructing the magic circle without hesitation.
That much was the least one had to do to call oneself the Archmage's disciple.
The multiple massive Magic Stones installed atop the Barrier melted away, supplying an enormous amount of mana. The Magic Developers became catalysts themselves, building the Grand Magic circle.
But their processing power was slightly insufficient, and the construction of the Grand Magic circle was slow.
It was a razor-thin margin.
It seemed they would not finish constructing the circle before the Wedge struck the fourth Barrier. But Tiris and the Magic Developers did not stop. Even if the construction failed, creating even the slightest resistance would still be meaningful.
* * *
After the warship exploded and her avatar was destroyed, Serazade opened her eyes in Arsilan.
Tiris: You are the only remaining disciple of the Magic Tower, Serazade. I leave the Tower to you. Your aptitude is equal to or slightly less than mine, so you will manage just fine.
A message from Tiris had arrived.
Serazade raised her head and looked at the Wedge plummeting toward Arsilan.
A strange sensation washed over her.
She could feel the calculations of Tiris and the Magic Developers carried on streams of mana.
"Grand Magic...."
Grand Magic, which Tiris had spoken of so proudly.
A great miracle that only the Archmage could perform.
Right now, far above, Grand Magic was being cast.
Serazade felt the shortfall. The Grand Magic circle would not be completed before the Wedge arrived.
Serazade summoned her Magical Device.
"Princess."
"We're going too."
The moment her staff members pulled out their Magical Devices, Serazade knocked them unconscious. Her Magical Device, A1, absorbed the staff members' devices.
[If you cross into Arsilan's boundary, your life cannot be guaranteed.]
"I know, A1."
Serazade nodded.
[Survival probability: 0.03%. Even if the Grand Magic activates by some miracle, survival is not possible.]
The unconscious staff members were the most brilliant minds in Levannas. For the future of Levannas, they needed to remain here.
She gripped her wand tightly.
Light swirled around her, and she transformed into Sera's form.
"I still have to go. That's what Magical Girl Sera would do."
[Splendid, Master. You have finally learned to deliver a properly corny line.]
Serazade shot skyward and soared into outer space.
Everyone at the first Barrier could see her, engulfed in light, rocketing upward.
"Sera?"
"Whoa!"
"It's Sera!"
Serazade's speed increased with each Barrier she passed through.
She arrived at the fourth Barrier in an instant and fixed her gaze on the falling Wedge.
"Serazade?"
Tiris looked up at her with a startled expression. Serazade flashed a grin and struck a corny pose straight out of a comic book.
"Magical Girl Sera! Descending with the light! Your hope, Sera, is here, so fear not, everyone!"
It was a line straight from the manhwa.
The light scattered, revealing Serazade's form to all.
"I will put everything into this one strike!"
The will of Levannas.
The hope of the demons.
And her very soul!
She poured all of it into her wand.
Cheers came from Earth. Those cheers set her soul ablaze.
[Energy charge 100%, 200%, 300%...!]
Tiris blinked, then smiled brightly in a way that was unlike her. It was the smile she had only ever shown to her master. The Magic Developers, too, watched with smiles.
"Blaze, starlight! Surge, my heart!"
As Serazade's incantation rang out, light blazed from her body. Arsilan and Levannas would not kneel before a mere Wedge like this.
"This is the power of our bond!"
Serazade raised her wand and aimed it at the Wedge.
"Vanish with the light! Shining Buster!!"
The light exploded.
****
TL Note: Hi, I have picked up a new work by the author of "I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor".
Title: The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry
Link: https://woopread.com/series/the-crazy-mercenary-commander-goes-to-work-in-the-entertainment-industry
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