Chapter 494
“The… the promise…”
Sylphid appealed to Yeon-Hee for help. The movement of its panting breath showed the extreme pain he was suffering. As he had entered in a form that mimicked the appearance of a human, his face had actually turned pale.
When I threw him on the ground, he began to take in deep breaths for a long time while clutching his throat. I kept my promise to spare his life. Of course, only because it was a promise made to Yeon-Hee.
***
[You have activated Gate Formation.]
[Destination: The Great Gold’s Escape Point]
I armed myself before entering the gate. Yeon-Hee was staring blankly at me at that time. It appeared like she wanted to go with me, but she knew that she would only be a burden in her current state.
When I turned towards the gate, I heard her urging me to be careful of Arukuda from the back.
Whoos.h.!.+
At first glance, there were no traces of civilization. The land was so vastly filled with reddish-brown soil up to the horizon, so it was very different from the dwarves’ continent, which was full of primitive life. Right then, I noticed something at the very edge of the corner.
[You have discovered a group of wandering souls of the Baclan Corps.]
Indeed, it was a place deeply involved with Doom Arukuda.
[Wandering Souls of the Baclan Corps (Tribe)
They are under the rule of Doom Arukuda.
Number of ent.i.ties: 1410
Level: 120~145]
When they were close enough to spot me, they began to flee. It was ridiculous how they feared death even after they died, but their backs were too pitiful to laugh at.
However, they all fled in the same direction. It meant that there was something they believed in that way, and it appeared sufficient to use as a landmark. I walked for a long time, but still could not feel anything from the Great Gold or Doom Arukuda.
Just as my eyebrows started to furrow at the thought that this place could be as gigantic as Star Dragorin, I saw figures that fled, walking from the opposite side. A huge Baclan soul came out, guarded by several soldiers. The ones who had fled from me also joined behind them, and the procession that followed formed a large-scale formation on both sides, reaching a level worthy of being called an army. Although they were dead and only their spirits were left, their afterlife seemed to follow their old lives faithfully.
I looked at the one who seemed to be their leader. A howl like the wail of a ghost flowed from him. At first, all I could feel was that he was on high alert, and I could not understand what he was saying.
Nonetheless, it did not take long for me to realize that it was a problem that could be handled within the privileges of the System Administrator. The System was activated.
[Leader: What are you? How did a living thing get in here? What in the world is that inside you?]
He must have felt the soul of the Great Silver inside me. The leader had a pretty good insight into that, but that was about it. He had made the mistake of not recognizing me, but it would have been useless anyway.
[System Administrator: You guys were the ones who blocked me first.]
Wooong-
I focused on the power of the Overlord on one hand. It was a power that even the Great Black’s soul could not withstand. With each step I took, the distortion in s.p.a.ce began to expand. Then, the power of that oppressed s.p.a.ce exploded at one point.
Just like a crack in a gla.s.s window, the fractures that tore through the void stretched out while distorting all sorts of backgrounds. It was like a black hole.
The screams of the souls that blocked me scattered and disappeared. I had been concentrating just in case, but as expected, the souls left no power and no XP upon annihilation. I had learned this early on in the orc continent. The power that composed these dead ent.i.ties vanished immediately upon being struck by ma.s.sive force.
If the dead’s spirits were contained in a physical vessel, or if the power was so great that the souls could lose their vessels, then a third party could extract their strength. However, it was useless in this state. Even the System Administrator could not do much, so it would be the same to Arukuda. That was why Arukuda had been hunting only powerful souls.
The souls that blocked my view were completely cleared away. Then, one of them caught my attention. It belonged to a rather strong one. It did not waver even when it witnessed its subordinates being exterminated all at once.
[You have completely seen through the subject.]
[The Legendary Soul of the Old Baclan King, Baclan (Tribe)
The owner of the spirit has once unified multiple tribes into one when he was alive. The current name of the clan originated from his name, and he is one of the few spirits that continue to take place in history after death. The Kings after him submitted to him even after their deaths.
Level: 560]
Yeah, that should be the perfect material for XP. I heard his voice from afar.
[King Baclan: Doom Arukuda says…]
However, it was different from its minions. It was not moving at all from its spot. When I landed in front of it, it actually moved to the side instead of running away. He was showing such a reaction because he had not been able to escape Doom Arukudua’s constraints even after death, and he must have trusted his backer, Arukuda.
Then, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d seemed to have read my gaze and threw out something.
[King Baclan: He says that if you attack his subordinates, he will hold you responsible. He also invites you in. For a bipedal G.o.d like you, it shouldn’t be a far distance. Please go ahead.]
Regrettably, I had to pa.s.s him by as I had not come here to fight Arukuda. My sole purpose was to confirm the Great Gold’s presence with my own eyes. However, considering the circ.u.mstances, expecting a twist seemed far-fetched.
I increased my speed to the maximum and went on for a while. Countless souls of the Baclan Corps were found, but due to Arukuda’s decree, none of them stopped me.
Soon, a red boundary appeared, connecting the sky and the ground. It was different from the boundaries that occurred during Absolute Warzone or raids. It was similar to what was formed at the entrance of the ancient shrine and was a portal to another dimension.
[You have discovered the entrance to the World of Souls.]
[Information has been updated.]
[Wandering Souls of Baclan Corps → World of Souls Guard Troop]
[The Legendary Soul of the Old Baclan King, Baclan → World of Souls Watchman, Baclan]
[The map ‘World of Souls Entrance’ has been added.]
[* Warning: Please check your Spirit Resistance before entering.]
***
[1. Crimson Flame s.h.i.+eld: 50%
2. The Great Silver: 35%
3. High-ranking Shaman Yapoon’s Transmission Necklace: 23%]
Arukudua’s real territory began once past the boundary. As I felt I was inadequately armed, I prepared one more thing.
[You have activated the blueprint ‘Insignia, Time Reversal.’]
This way, I could instantly create the insignia and turn back time if necessary. The Old One and Doom Kaos would surely guard against such a power, but I could not afford to be mindful of them in a crisis.
I put my body into the boundary, and it was a very thin gap that separated two different sides. The first impression I got as soon as I broke through was that h.e.l.l was not just a fantasy. The entire area was crawling with evil spirits. Screams, cries, and laughter constantly clashed.
Yeon-Hee described the Spirit World as a nightmare, but this place actually suited that t.i.tle better. It was h.e.l.l and a world of chaos. Everything seemed red to the naked eye, possibly because the entire sh.e.l.l surrounding the world was colored red. Also, it was because there was no distinction among evil spirits.
However, the real cause of the creepiness in this world was at the center. I found the soul of the Great Gold there. All the things that clung closely to it were evil spirits. Doom Arukuda was sitting on a throne where it could look down upon all of these. It was still smacking its lips.
Kuaaaaaa!
Gold was screaming. The soul was being ripped away brutally, and its pieces were gulped by Arukuda. Then, Arukuda’s gaze pinpointed me.
“You have claimed the Gold.”
As expected, there was no twist. Although there were countless evil spirits, the resistance of the Great Gold seemed too weak. It appeared to be the result of what had been acc.u.mulated over a long period.
I could not think of a way to s.n.a.t.c.h the Gold from Arukuda. What was certain was that once Arukuda swallowed the Gold, it would become stronger.
I then wondered why Arukuda had allowed me to enter the world.
Could it be that Doom Kaos’s gaze did not reach here? Or was there an order from Doom Kaos to eliminate me?
Arukuda narrowed its eyes.
“I invited a guest for you.”
It was my first time hearing Arukuda’s voice. Soon, a familiar energy intruded from one side. It was an out-of-place handsome man in this interspatial world. But the flaming energy in his eyes did not feel alien here.
Joshua!
He stood in front of Arukuda.
“You are guilty of destroying Doom Arukuda’s scythe. Our master forgave you, but Doom Arukuda has not forgotten. Because of you, he cannot stop doing this tiresome act.”
Joshua said and looked toward the Great Gold.
“Punishment is one of the values you hold in high esteem. That is why I am asking. What do you think about Doom Arukuda punis.h.i.+ng you? Is that justified or not?”
“...”
“I warned you not to do such a silly thing, but you did not listen. You walked right into this.”
After finis.h.i.+ng his words, Joshua slightly lowered his head towards Arukuda. A whip was formed in his outstretched hand.
Thump! Thump!
I heard the sound of Entegasto’s heart that had been taken away by Entegasto.
“I will settle the past with today.”
Joshua put a period to his words to Arukuda as well.
“I am ready, Lord Doom Arukuda.”