Chapter 499
The rage did not subside immediately after the battle ended, and my hands trembled violently. The holes that were formed throughout the World of Souls made huge voids, and Arukuda’s powerless corpse showed signs of being sucked into one of them. I pulled out my spear and slashed it across its body.
The moment Arukuda’s body was sucked in and disappeared, the things I collected while retrieving the spear flew into my hand.
The first thing was this:
[Doom Arukuda’s Mana Stone 1 (Ingredient)
It contains the powerful life force of a monster that once challenged divinity.
“Doom Man was looking into the future. If only I could take that power!”
Cla.s.s: SSS]
[Extractor has been activated.]
[You have gained six billion XP.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
As it was about to disperse into powder, the second mana stone rushed in.
[Doom Arukuda’s Mana Stone 2 (Ingredient)
It contains the powerful life force of a monster that once challenged divinity.
“I cannot see a way out. I am going to die like this. Death… What is death?”
Cla.s.s: SSS]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
The third one was similar.
[Doom Arukuda’s Mana Stone 3 (Ingredient)
It contains the powerful life force of a monster that once challenged divinity.
“His persistence precedes my greed.”
Cla.s.s: SSS]
Then, the fourth and so on were the same. All ten mana stones shattered into powder as soon as I grasped them.
[Level: 682]
Entering the Overlord section!
The headaches that kept p.r.i.c.king deep in my temples were remnants of the past, and I sensed that my time in the Realm of the Ultimate had increased. The tremors throughout my body grew stronger at the end of the ten consecutive extensions. I could not control my shakiness, and it was certainly not coming from joy.
Instead, I was furious that Arukuda had only left this much after its death! It had used all its might to escape from the prison of time. If it had not resisted that fiercely, then it would have left more mana stones!
Huff, huff.
The incessant hot breath that kept grazing under my nose drove me crazy. Although holes had appeared all over the place, the red hue that was staining the whole world was still prominent, and I was not sure if this color was provoking me or not.
I looked toward one of the gaps in the ceiling. It exposed the sky outside the World of Souls, and it was a place where the moonlight shone, making the inside bright.
s.h.i.+ck!
[You have defeated the feeding horde of evil spirits.]
My vision became clear after cleaning up the annoying spirits, but the effect was insignificant. Even then, hundreds of past illusions were crossing my mind. Those that had shown me all the ways to defeat Arukuda seemed to have found new prey.
They stimulated my intent to murder more. If I let my guard down for a bit, then it felt like my body would move on its own toward Gold recklessly. Therefore, I forcefully spoke each word at Gold, who had collapsed on the ground.
[System Administrator Odin: I will annihilate you even with a slight move.]
[The Great Gold’s Soul: Grrr…]
It became pretty quiet, but it didn’t do so because it understood what I was saying.
***
As the voids closed and the moon became no longer visible, it was no longer hot under my nose. My breath had calmed down, and I was no longer huffing involuntarily.
I felt as if I had finally regained myself, but I was heavy-hearted somehow. I could not believe I had been engulfed by such anger. I knew better than anyone else that this should not have happened, but it was something I could not control. The moments when I fought Arukuda were not clear, as if it had all happened in a dream.
I, too, was a slave of time, moving only with the single-mindedness to defeat Arukuda. If this continued, then I would become like Doom Kaos, the corrupted one whose existence was nothing besides the greed to become the strongest…
It felt like the time when I had eaten soft tofu stew at Jonathan’s mansion a long time ago. Yes. This was a curse. f.u.c.k.
[System Administrator Odin: Gold.]
[The Great Gold’s Soul: Grrr…]
The cry of Gold came out mixed with a groan. Even after checking again, I could tell it was not in a normal state. It was nothing more than a beast with only survival instincts remaining. There was something left to do before I gave it a permanent rest.
[You have used Gate Formation.]
[Destination: Woo Yeon-Hee’s room on the mainland.]
She appeared in an unexpected way. Her top was exposed, and her wrinkled scars were also visible. Yeon-Hee quickly looked around and started putting on the s.h.i.+rt she had in her hand. Then, she said as she popped her face out of the s.h.i.+rt, “What is this h.e.l.l?”
Even Yeon-Hee, who had said the Spirit World was a nightmare, saw the World of Souls in that way. She naturally moved her gaze toward the soul of Gold.
“Gold?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She remarked, “Its mentality is totally broken now.”
“That is why I called you. Let’s see if there are any usable memories.”
“What about Arukuda?”
“Did you not receive any message?”
“Message?”
She trailed off, then asked with widened eyes, “Did you kill it? Arukuda?”
She began to take in her surroundings again. Only then did she seem to have fully grasped the gaps in the ceiling, the spirits that were terrified of me, and the quiet Gold. She now scanned me from head to toe, and her eyes twitched slightly. It was a look of sympathy.
However, I wondered why Doom Kaos did not inform the lords about the death of Arukuda. When I asked if she knew about the situation at Star Dragorin, she answered with determination in her eyes, “The signs in the sky are unusual.”
“...”
“Investigators concluded that it is not a natural phenomenon. The command center ordered a retreat from the dangerous area.”
She said there was a clip in the headquarters, but I could not leave Gold’s soul here.
Anyway, the phenomenon in Star Dragorin was bound to be closely related to the two culprits. Who else could have exerted such influence other than them? Arukuda was dead, and Gold was lying in front of me, having lost its spirit. The only ones left were Red and the Spirit Kings, but they did not have the power to affect the entire sky of Star Dragorin.
I said while turning my back toward Gold, “I should hurry.”
“Its mentality has been destroyed. Especially the mentality of such a thing is…so difficult to peek in. Seon-Hu, you just finished the battle.”
Yeon-Hee was concerned about me. However, she was also in the same boat. It felt like it had been a long time for me, but she was just whipped a few hours ago. It was not me who had to pull myself together. She needed to take care of herself now.
“There are two things that we must check from it.” I continued, “We should find out where the Old One’s actual body is and where the Great Red’s resting place is.”
I could tell she was slowly losing confidence as I added, “Even in that state, it never took its eyes off Star Dragorin. There must be something left in it. I need a competent guide in its mental world, and you are the only one who can do this, Woo Yeon-Hee.”
***
“I told you not to wake me up… Huh!”
Seong-Il woke up from his sleep, then frowned as he scratched his head because of the black bruise there. Emperor Exile was not only the ruler of the eastern region but also a great swordsman.
Seong-Il could not tolerate the emperor cras.h.i.+ng his manly pride, and he had to defeat him as a captain to break the morale of the Imperial Army. Therefore, he fought one on one and almost died. That had happened more than a week ago. Yet the curse that weakened his regeneration skill still remained.
“There is something you should see.”
“What is it? Do you really have to make a fuss at night?” he snapped.
“...It’s not night.”
Then the division commander showed the clock that was definitely pointing to the morning hours. Seong-Il got up, habitually fondling his gold breastplate.
[Caliber Kwon Seong-Il’s Gold Breastplate]
It was a divine object that had saved his life and was a symbol of victory in Corps One.
When Seong-Il moved to the window, the heavens filled with pitch-black darkness that could have been mistaken for night came into view, along with the furious movement of the swirling ocean wave.
“When did this start?” he asked.
The division commander responded, “It has been four hours.”
Slap!
Seong-Il slapped the division commander’s back. No matter how much he tried to weaken his strength, it happened at the end of his fingertip and the power that surpa.s.sed the challenger section appeared. The defensive barrier that flashed from the division commander’s armor instantly became dim, and he was thrown back.
“Stop whining and get up. Hurry. Did the headquarters not say anything?”
The division commander shook his head. “It was not just us. It seems like the entire outer s.p.a.ce is like this. As to whether to declare this area as a danger zone or not…they said they would respect your opinion, Mr. Caliber.”
Seong-Il asked, “Is it that bad?”
The division commander grimaced. “It looks like there are quite a few places that have been directly impacted by the disaster.”
“I am fine, but will you guys be able to sleep?”
Seong-Il was talking about the loot that they had not collected yet. Indeed, the division commander did not answer when Seong-Il asked that.
Bam!
Then, Seong-Il suddenly pushed the division commander. The blood spurted on the spot where the division commander used to stand, but it was not his blood. The flow of blood even started wriggling as if it was alive. Seong-Il knew what this was.
“What the heck are you doing? I could have been killed!”
Seong-il blasted at the intruder after confirming that his division commander had gotten up. From then on…
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of a heartbeat started to resonate throughout the room. It was coming from the mysterious whip that grew in the intruder’s hand. Seong-Il’s gaze s.h.i.+fted from that whip to the intruder’s face. It was undoubtedly a face that made his spine chill. Two cold eyes were staring at him above the nose that was immersed in darkness.
Seong-Il made a decision quickly.
[You have used Caliber Kwon Seong-Il’s Gold Breastplate.]
Seong-Il distanced himself significantly from the intruder by bursting golden light with the breastplate. No…he thought he did, but the moment he felt the pressure clutching his ankles, his center of gravity crashed.
The whip was wrapped around his ankles. It soared high and resounded in the air with a terrifying noise.
Thud.
One heartbeat.
Snap!
Then, the whips came down endlessly.
Tell him not to do foolish things. Tell him.
Seong-Il clenched his teeth to hold back a scream. Even if his teeth broke from the pain, he had no intention to scream in front of the traitor.