|Heeheeheehee!!|
Above the clouds.
In the high sky, Luna’s sinister laughter echoed.
Below, her four Great Spirits were advancing towards Elvenguard under the command of the Transcendent Being.
Surrounded, the Elves were too frightened to flee and could only await their own deaths.
|Finally! We’re going to destroy Elvenguard, which Kali couldn’t! We can even wipe out the superhumans gathered here, making this the scenario we’ve always dreamed of! That man never cared anyway; this was the original goal!|
Muttering to herself, Luna started making excuses for not being able to kill Yoo Jin.
She thought he was nothing but a handful, and she still believed that now.
As a Transcendent Being that transcended human lifespan and physical limitations, she couldn’t admit defeat in a brute-force or firepower battle.
But for some reason.
The moment Luna faced Yoo Jin, she felt a chilling sensation running down her spine.
A deep and heavy aura of death!
Luna believed that as a spirit long dead, she wouldn’t fear death anymore.
Yet, she instinctively shrank back and trembled at the deathly aura emanating from Yoo Jin.
It’s ominous.
And most of what Luna felt ominous was indeed genuinely dangerous.
She had survived and lived according to her instincts until now.
Though her pride took a little hit, it seemed she had to follow that instinct this time too.
This was why Luna was high in the sky, avoiding Yoo Jin.
|Rather than killing that guy, it would be far more entertaining to wipe out his surroundings…! Heehee!|
Desperately deceiving herself that not caring was a sign of maturity, Luna laughed madly.
Soon, Elvenguard would perish.
And the Transcendent Being would absorb all the power of the Undead Legion and become whole.
There had been adversities when the superhumans united to attempt to conquer the dungeon.
The Great Demon even dropped out, but they overcame everything.
Now, with the power of this Transcendent Being, who had become god-like, conquering the current world alone, without the help of ‘that person,’ was entirely possible.
Just then, at that moment when Luna firmly believed that.
Her eyes twitched with a suspicious feeling.
|Huh?!|
Meanwhile.
On the ground, Elvenguard was under emergency.
Surrounded by Great Spirits, Elvenguard was isolated.
Only a tiny number of Elves managed to escape.
Most had not yet fled.
From afar, a giant spiritual body was approaching, consuming forests and houses, manifesting in all directions.
“Everyone! Don’t worry! I’m currently persuading the Great Spirits, and they’ll stop soon!”
“We’re done for! Elvenguard is doomed!”
“The Great Spirits, chosen by the World Tree, are enraged…!”
“You’re lying about convincing the Great Spirits, aren’t you, Priestess?! Huh?!”
“Uh…”
In front of the terrified Elves, Mia trembled her lips.
She had to reassure the people somehow and suppress the chaos to maintain control.
There was simply no way to captivate the crowd, which was now close to a hundred thousand, cornered and on the brink of death.
Until now, she had ruled them under the faith in the World Tree.
But now, with the Great Spirits trying to trample the World Tree, all governing ideologies were collapsing.
‘We must believe.’
They had to believe in Yoo Jin.
Trust Yoo Jin, trust his companions.
Thinking that made Mia feel a little more at peace in her heart.
Now was the time to take decisive action.
“Alright. I’ll speak honestly. We’re currently executing an operation to physically subdue the Great Spirits.”
“Yes…?!”
The gathered crowd stirred uneasily.
Mia shut her eyes tightly.
She listened closely to the short-range communication magic flowing through the Mana.
“Captain Rex! The flames are not diminishing!”
“The Frost Duchess is about to unleash her maximum Mana! Wait for that moment to destroy the core of her spiritual body!”
“Huh? If the core is destroyed, the Great Spirit will perish…!”
“Shut up! What’s more important, the Great Spirit or the life of a hundred thousand Elvenguard citizens?! I’d cleave through even a god if it meant saving my people!”
“Understood!”
They may not be visible from afar.
But even now, warriors of Elvenguard, the Frost Duchess, the Witch, and the Priestess were struggling hard to subdue the Great Spirit.
There was nothing more disgraceful than a tumult in the interior when they were fighting for their lives to protect Elvenguard.
As they put their lives on the line, at the very least, it had to not be in vain.
“How can you dare to…!”
“Isn’t that betraying the World Tree?”
“The Great Spirits are not in their right minds now. There were similar events before, but that time the Flame Great Spirit had no intention of causing casualties. But now, they are only advancing for slaughter. The Great Spirits have lost their composure. The heavens haven’t forsaken us yet. Even if the Great Spirit betrays us and we lose the World Tree, the fate of the Elves won’t end here. The fate of the Elves is not determined by the World Tree. It is something we choose and carry on ourselves. At least I, Priestess Mia, will never give up on you, my Elves. Even if we lose the protection of the Great Spirits, the World Tree, and Elvenguard, I will not surrender. What about you?”
“………”
The commotion subsided, and silence fell over the crowd.
Mia suggested starting anew even if they lost the World Tree.
The Elves’ expressions seemed somewhat shocked.
Elves, unlike humans or beast-folk, were less resilient beings.
Having lived only in Elvenguard, blessed by Mana and divine creatures from birth, many Elves didn’t understand the concept of venturing into the barren land.
But that was merely unfamiliarity.
It didn’t mean that Elves lacked something that humans or beast-folk possessed.
If they wanted to, there was nothing they couldn’t do.
Many Elves adapted to live on human ground, so that was only natural.
Even if they were said to be abandoned by the gods, then by that logic, humans and beast-folk were already forsaken by the gods from the beginning.
“The land where Elves reside is Elvenguard. Thus, Elvenguard will not perish. It will merely change its form a little. The gods haven’t forsaken us. We are stepping out of their embrace. It’s time to leave the cradle behind and face the world.”
Elvenguard had stubbornly adhered to a policy of isolation.
Because of that, they could maintain peace without strife, but they were technologically and culturally detached from the outside world.
Even though they were an inland country not touching an ocean, they functioned as if they were an island nation.
In a positive light, they were preserving traditions well.
Negatively speaking, they continued to fall behind as time passed.
This opportunity was rather a chance to reduce their dependency on the Great Spirits and the World Tree.
Until now, it was unimaginable to break free from the World Tree and Elvenguard.
But now that Elvenguard was physically perishing was the perfect chance to uproot everything and start anew.
“If you’re afraid of even that, then I can do nothing more. Elves! Are you afraid of the world? Do you think that land, which you’ve looked down on, cultivated by humans and beast-folk, is something Elves cannot cultivate? Do you think Elves cannot do it?”
“No way!”
“That’s not true!”
Responses erupted from here and there.
The eyes of the Elves, once filled with fear, began to fill with determination.
Although still terrified of death.
They were no longer naive sheep that didn’t know what to do.
To survive, they were ready to crush anything that stood in their way, wild beasts.
Elves were no longer a weak species draped in the garment of refinement.
At this, Mia smiled faintly.
Now, the fate of the Elves lay not in the hands of gods or the World Tree, but in their own.
“Elvenguard, may you live forever.”
“Waaah!!!”
Even though it was a desperate situation.
The greater it became, the stronger hope grew.
“Ah! Master!”
Meanwhile.
On another front, at the forefront of the battle against Ifrit.
Taesu and Gui Ho lay collapsed, covered in burns.
As the energy of the Great Spirit approached, burning with flames.
Seo Gong cradled his unconscious master, sobbing loudly.
He could just abandon this Elf’s land and flee.
Why had he pushed himself to help instead of fleeing and suffered these injuries?
“Run! You’ll die under the Great Spirit!”
“Ah…”
Rex yelled.
Only now did Seo Gong look back in shock.
Seo Gong, who had desperately tried to pick up his master and flee.
“Ugh…?”
With a sudden resistance, Seo Gong hesitated.
Gui Ho’s hand remained stuck to the ground and wouldn’t budge.
Even unconscious, Gui Ho was manipulating the formation on the ground to slow the advance of the Great Spirit.
It wasn’t impossible to forcibly tear him away and evacuate.
He could carry his master like this and run away.
But Seo Gong couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Gui Ho had the resolve to keep the formation going even if it meant dying.
As a disciple, he couldn’t shatter that resolve.
“Ha, damn it… I really don’t want to…”
“What are you doing?!”
“If Master’s hand comes off the ground, flee for me! I’ll buy you some time!”
Sobbing uncontrollably, Seo Gong moved forward.
To crush his master’s resolve to risk his life would be rude.
So there was only one way to save his master.
To help and complete the formation was the only option.
“Ughhhh…!”
With one knee to the ground, Seo Gong touched the pulse of the formation beneath him.
Together with the weak Mana of the unconscious Gui Ho, Seo Gong’s strong Mana created a continuous flow.
Soon, the whole formation began to shine brightly and wrapped around the Flame Great Spirit.
It was clearly a sealing spell.
But the Great Spirit’s momentum was so powerful that it couldn’t fully seal; it merely slowed slightly.
But that was enough.
If they could buy time, that was more than sufficient.
“Graaaaaah!!!”
However, for Seo Gong, it slightly came too late.
Just before the formation was completely formed and served its purpose.
The Great Spirit’s energy reached Seo Gong, engulfing him in flames in an instant.
The pain of burning flesh screamed through Seo Gong, but she held on and continued manipulating the formation.
The agony of being burned alive was a painful experience she had suffered with Yoo Jin before, and it was bearable.
“Ugh…”
Finally, when the formation was completed and it had fulfilled its purpose.
Seo Gong had completely turned white and had turned to goo, disappearing.
Rex, watching with his mouth agape, wiped his tears and held Gui Ho close before turning to flee.
“Damn it…! What am I doing while a girl so young is sacrificing her life to hold them off…!”
Unaware that the one who had just died was merely Seo Gong’s avatar.
“Time has been bought! Thanks to the sacrifice of the Witch, Taesu, and Seo Gong, the formation will hold for about 10 more minutes…!”
“Ah! Mana Exhaustion! Ahhhh! My legs are numb! Waaah!…”
“And with the Frost Duchess’s cold, I’ve bought another 5 minutes.”
“………”
“………”
As the Priestess wrapped everything up, silence hung heavily in the command center.
For now, all that could be done was to scrape by, buying time.
Hoping that Yoo Jin would manage to pull it off, stretching out their lifelines bit by bit.
But now even that was reaching its limit.
It had already been 20 minutes since Yoo Jin entered the dungeon.
Inside the dungeon, the chills kept surging, and soon the cold had burst through the stone doors and out into the open.
The ground surrounding the dungeon was frozen, progressing until it had turned the outskirts of Elvenguard into a snowy area.
The Great Spirits showed no signs of stopping.
“Soon it’ll be 30 minutes… Once the 30 minutes are up, I’m going to rescue Yoo Jin, just so you know.”
“Wasn’t it 30 minutes after the Great Spirit stops?”
“Then why aren’t they stopping? Are we supposed to wait until we’re stomped to death by the Great Spirit?”
“………”
If need be, she’d rescue only Yoo Jin and escape together.
The Frost Duchess had certainly said so, but no one stopped or blamed her.
No one could call saving her loved one selfish when there was no chance for the others.
Both the Witch and the Priestess were leaning that way too.
“I’ll take the lead and be the ruthless, selfish one. Elvenguard isn’t my land, and the Elves aren’t my people. Dying here would be a pointless death. I’ve done my best, and it’s just that there wasn’t any answer. Once it hits 30 minutes, I’ll rescue Yoo Jin from the dungeon and then create an escape route for a few people. Anyone who wants to follow can come.”
“………”
Rex muttered with a somewhat resigned look.
At this, Jill and Yulia bit their lips, conflicted.
It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Yoo Jin.
They knew he would certainly pull it off.
But what if he was even a little late?
What if the Great Spirit only stopped after leveling all of Elvenguard?
Just thinking about that almost brought tears to their eyes.
“I will remain here.”
“Huh?!”
“The Witch and the Frost Duchess should escape first. I am the one who conveys hope to humanity. It doesn’t change whether it’s humans or Elves. I will stay and help the Elves not lose hope until the very end.”
“Priestess…!”
It was her professional duty.
On a personal level, she wanted to flee.
But as a Priestess, she couldn’t.
Though Jill was surprised that the cowardly and timid herself made such a decision.
She also began to understand Yoo Jin a bit.
At times, when one fears losing, there are moments when risks must be taken.
“I-I too, I too will stay… The Magic isn’t completely exhausted yet…. I’ll wait and believe in Yoo Jin…”
“Seriously! If you both do this, what will happen to me?! I’ll also stay! For the remaining 10 minutes, I’ll refill my Mana and try to release it again!”
“Thank you… really, thank you…”
With tears in his eyes, Rex bowed his head.
In a desperate situation, people’s true nature is said to reveal itself.
The reason superhumans are superhumans is not just physical strength.
‘Being strong physically is not everything…’
He recalled the time spent burning away 800 years of lifespan in an attempt to win a duel against a human.
What truly mattered was not strength.
What truly mattered was the mind that wielded that strength.
Rex bowed his head, feeling an overwhelming respect grow for these three superhumans.
|Huh?!|
“Ah?”
Just then.
A rumbling vibration traveled through the ground.
The expressions of those checking the Great Spirits’ movements brightened.
The Great Spirits had halted their advance.
Not only that.
[What… have I done…?]
The Great Spirits regained their sanity.
“We’ll need to wait another 30 minutes now.”
“Yes…?”
Success.
Yoo Jin had done it.
.
.
.
|Oh heavens oh heavens oh heavens oh heavens oh heavens oh heavens oh heavens oh heavens!|
A figure fell from the sky.
Luna flapped her wings repeatedly, but they merely cut through the air.
The Transcendent Being couldn’t slow down at all and crashed to the ground.
|Ugh…!|
Soon, Luna’s Transcendent Being stood up, covered in mud.
Her body felt heavy, and she no longer felt any omnipotent powers.
The undying who did not age anymore was no longer a Transcendent Being.
She had become the mere body of an ordinary human, slightly tougher than others.
|Why?!|
Luna’s scream resonated.
The energy transfer of the Undead Legion was proceeding smoothly.
Then, looking back toward the dungeon, Luna’s expression filled with horror.
The lush trees of Elvenguard had transformed into a pure white snow country.
Surrounding the dungeon, a vast snowy plain spread out in a circular shape.
The moment Luna stepped into it, she felt a cold, deep vengeance penetrate to her bones.
|Ughh! What has this sneaky little brat done to my dungeon!!!|
Luna forced open the unmoving stone door and stepped inside.
The Undead Legion that should have been defending the dungeon had long frozen into statues.
Shivering, Luna kept descending deeper and deeper with frost clinging to her entire body.
Nothing hindered her entry.
It was a place suitable for defense, akin to a labyrinth.
Yet her opponent abandoned all traps, seemingly inviting her inside.
As Luna found it strange and ventured into the innermost room.
When she entered the hidden dungeon underground.
She spotted a figure that made her body become rigid.
“Oh. You’re here? I thought I might freeze to death waiting for you.”
|……….|
There sat Yoo Jin on an altar.
Embracing a Blood Ghoul girl, he smiled wickedly while stroking her hair.
An aura of death seemed to linger around the white breath escaping his lips.
