Chapter 524 - Warrior Corps (10)

[This area is at the fringes of the Tower.]

[Your location cannot be confirmed by the Tower.]

[You have left the Tower without permission!]

[You have left the Tower!]

[Warning! For unknown reasons, you are in an area far outside the Tower. Since player ###’s intention to retire has not been specified, the status ‘Temporarily Suspended’ has been applied.]

[This area is outside the influence of the Tower’s system. If this status is maintained for a prolonged period of time, the Tower’s system will consider this as an implicit resignation, which will result in the removal of your qualification as a player. We recommend that you return to the stage as soon as possible.]

[You will not receive the Tower system’s support or use its functions while in a ‘Temporarily Suspended’ state. All support and functions related to player ### have been suspended.]

The person resembling Yeon-woo chased after the Crawling Chaos and arrived in a world that could only be described as darkness. However, up ahead, there was an array of lights in different colors. Some were crowded together, others glowed on their own. The overall effect was colorful and beautiful. When he looked more closely, the lights turned out to be stars. He had entered space.

Yeon-woo had been plopped into the middle of the universe, a place far away from the Tower—a place where there was almost no air, no gravity, and no system. Ordinary beings wouldn’t be able to breathe here, but Yeon-woo raised his magic power and Consciousness to their limits to counteract the inhospitable environment.

His body, which was on the verge of being damaged by the difference in pressure, immediately stabilized, and he regained his clear consciousness and homeostasis. Moving around also wasn’t a problem since he didn’t need oxygen while his enormous reserves of magic power sustained his life systems.

Once he spread his Consciousness through the vast space, Yeon-woo could sense huge lifeforms dissolved within the dark matter that filled much of the universe. However, could they really be called lifeforms if their sizes exceeded that of a star?

The Earth’s star, the sun, was 109 times the size of the Earth. Considering that the sun was relatively small compared to the other stars in the universe…the lifeforms were comparable to entire solar systems, star clusters, or even galaxies. A mere human was nothing more than a tiny grain of dust. ‘Is this the Crawling Chaos’ true form?’

In terms of size, he seemed to be much larger than the Military King of Totalitarianism who made up the Demonic Sea. Yeon-woo had a better understanding of why the otherworld gods, including the Crawling Chaos, regarded mortals like humans as little more than insignificant worms. It wasn’t even possible to compare their sizes. No matter how sensitive a human was, it was impossible to converse with bugs or bacteria.

Of course, not all the otherworld gods were such an absurd size. Still, Yeon-woo could tell why they viewed the Tower with condescension and anger. The Tower was filled with lowly mortals, which was why the otherworld gods naturally perceived it as an insignificant place. However, they couldn’t make any headway breaking into and destroying the Tower. It must be an infuriating situation.

His mind jumped to another thought: that meant that there was a being or beings within the Tower who could match, or even surpass, the otherworld gods’ powers. Perhaps they were in the highest realms of power, like the progenitor gods or creator gods.

Even the great Mother Earth, who was comparable to the Crawling Chaos, had been sealed within the Tower by the Heavenly Demon, which illustrated just how powerful the Heavenly Demon must have been. As he contemplated this, Yeon-woo could not help questioning the identity of the Tower again.

However, none of these thoughts made Yeon-woo shrink away from facing the Crawling Chaos. Now that he’d fused with the Demonism, he was dead set on challenging the Crawling Chaos. The sight of the Crawling Chaos’ huge body only made him wonder why the Crawling Chaos was so stupidly big. He thought that the size only wasted energy and was inefficient.

Yeon-woo released more of his Consciousness and magic power. Swish! His Consciousness seemed to expand to the edges of the universe before stopping abruptly. Yeon-woo could now fully perceive the Crawling Chaos. Now that Yeon-woo could comprehend the entirety of the Crawling Chaos, rather than just bits and pieces of its surface consciousness, he felt that they were both on a level playing field.

『You came…all the way…here? Very…fun…guy.』

Yeon-woo could also understand the Crawling Chaos’ thoughts to some extent. Although it was impossible to fully understand him, at least dialogue was possible. 『I already told you, right? Prepare for your death and wait. Are you hard of hearing?』 Yeon-woo smiled coldly as he replied to the Crawling Chaos, making sure his intentions were communicated properly.

Ku-Oh! The Crawling Chaos let out a bizarre cry. The cry was not really a sound, since they were in a vacuum. Instead, it was a vibration that was powerful enough to make the dark matter resound. The Crawling Chaos seemed to be smiling.

Tens of thousands of years…or had it been hundreds of thousands of years? Maybe even longer than that. The Crawling Chaos had been the supreme existence of the universe for millennia. No one had dared challenge him like this during that time, and even the viceroy of the inside, the Resident of the Border, had never confronted him directly.

He was relishing his impending clash with Yeon-woo. Not long ago, Yeon-woo was only an insignificant being, despite all the achievements and legends he’d collected. It was unprecedented for an insignificant being to evolve so much in such a short period of time, and the Crawling Chaos was determined to relish this opportunity to toy with this interesting creature.

His thoughts were sent to Yeon-woo directly.

『Let’s see if you’ll still be smiling at the end.』 Yeon-woo smiled coldly and slammed Vigrid down.

[The true hidden name of ‘Vigrid—???’, ‘Excalibur’, is released.]

[Folklore: Liberation of the God King]

While the Demonism resided in Vigrid, it had awakened several warriors one after the other. Now that Yeon-woo had merged with the Demonism, he could bring out these previously sealed names and folklores.

Blazing and crackling with sword energy, Vigrid shot out a splendid light that cut through the center of the Crawling Chaos.

‘I don’t have much time. I need to kill him as quickly as possible.’ If the Tower’s system decided that he was retired, Yeon-woo wouldn’t have any way to get back inside. He had to kill the Crawling Chaos before that could happen.

Bam! Bam! Bam! In an unknown area within the vast space of the universe, the collision of two absolute beings began. Countless lights and explosions shook the universe.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time…

『What kind of being is our god?』

The half-giants trembled violently. The commotion that the Crawling Chaos had caused left them shocked and confused. However, a sudden strong intention from their god, sent through their Channels, made their backs straighten.

They couldn’t tell where their god was, but they could sense the entity that he was facing and how he was fighting. Their god was challenging an opponent who resided far beyond the stars! This realization greatly inspired them. It seemed like the beginning of a glorious legend or a myth.

Valdebich felt this the most. As Yeon-woo’s Apostle with the responsibility of taking care of the warrior corps, Valdebich felt Yeon-woo’s influence the most. His god was fighting such a mighty being, so how could he stay dazed and confused on the ground like this!

There were still many otherworld gods on the hidden stage. Even though most of them were severely injured, they healed faster than the half-giants since they were conceptual beings. Even if the Crawling Chaos hadn’t given them any direct orders, the otherworld gods would move on their own. They were flummoxed to no end that they’d been injured by creatures they saw as livestock.

Valdebich forced himself to stand using his greatsword as a crutch. His body made loud, creaking sounds, but he had to refocus his attention on rebuilding the half-giants’ front.

『Damn it! To think we’re in this predicament! I knew I shouldn’t have joined hands with that stupid player!』

『But in the end, doesn’t this work out, too? We’ll be rid of many troublesome beings.』

The whispered conversation made Valdebich instinctively twist his body and swing his greatsword. Bam! The explosion he blocked was so loud and enormous that it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if the greatsword had shattered from the impact. The divine power that charged through the greatsword made Valdebich’s intestines twist. He threw up blood, but without even wiping it from the corners of his mouth, he stared at the envoys who had encircled the warrior corps. They were all aiming their weapons at the half-giants, their auras bloody and a killing intent oozing from their auras.

『You all…are you all planning to betray us?』

『Betrayal? That’s laughable.』 The representative of the envoys snorted. 『From the beginning, didn’t you treat us like your hunting dogs? You’re just a bunch of livestock. You should know that if you use hunting dogs, you have to always be careful that the dogs might bite back.』

Once the odds had grown unfavorable, the envoys turned their backs on Yeon-woo and his people as if they had been waiting for this moment all along. Crack! Valdebich had no choice but to grind his teeth. The other half-giants did the same.

However, despite his clear anger, Valdebich kept his composure. It was necessary for him to quickly assess the chaotic situation. They could only take countermeasures once they knew how many casualties they had, recognized who the traitors were, gauged the strength of their enemies, and understood who their allies were.

About sixty percent of the envoys had joined up to betray them. The fact that they were moving so quickly and in a coordinated fashion despite their injuries meant that they had probably been discussing this for a long time.

Among the forty percent who had not acted, roughly three-quarters had taken a step back, still contemplating their options. The others stood next to the warrior corps, but they seemed passive and unmotivated. Furthermore, they were all seriously injured, and it was hard to tell if they could even contribute if a fight broke out.

Agares, Fenrir, and Erlang Shen, who had been the most active in helping Yeon-woo, showed no signs of movement, as if they were simply observers. This gave the traitors more courage and determination, and they’d already decided that they would gain victory.

『So, the revelations are no longer important, is that it?』 Valdebich tossed out a question to the traitors to buy some time while he checked the movements of the otherworld gods, who were gradually regaining their strength, as well as scanned the condition of his people.

『No way. We can’t return empty-handed after suffering through this level of embarrassment. So, choose.』

『Choose? Choose between what?』

『If we turn our backs, you and your people are as good as dead. You have just awakened your powers, and you wouldn’t want to die so pointlessly, right? Give us the revelations that you possess.』

『What?』

『The revelations that your ancestors left behind—hand them over. After all, we were the ones who provided the information about the ruins, explored and excavated them, and helped things reach this stage, so we’ll take our fair share.』 The boy who was speaking on behalf of the betraying envoys twisted his lips into a smirk. 『Since we’ve fought on the same side and shared hardships together, we’ll at least let your people live. We may even allow some of you to become our servants. What say you? It’s a deal for you guys, right?』

『You assholes…!』 At this moment, Valdebich began to understand what the traitors were thinking. Although the gods and demons had some negative experiences with the giants in the past, they seemed to have changed their minds after seeing the warrior corps fight. Rather than exterminating the half-giants, they had decided to use them as slaves.

Just as Valdebich and his people were escaping the oppressive clutches of the Crawling Chaos, he was being told to walk into another life of servitude. That’s what these divine beings were talking about!

The traitors looked at the fuming Valdebich and smirked in mockery. Since Yeon-woo was not around, they felt that they could do anything. Also, they didn’t think Yeon-woo would come back since he’d chased after the Crawling Chaos.

『Do you not care if you all die?』 Valdebich asked.

『Die? Who’s going to die? We can just go back to the heavens, but you guys are bound to this place.』 The traitors’ representative smiled coldly. 『So, what are you going to do? Are you going to die here like your foolish ancestors, or are you going to offer up the revelations and live?』

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a flurry of curses from the half-giants.

『These stupid bastards…!』

『We shouldn’t have expected anything else from these dumb bastards. Gods, demons, and whatever, they’re all the same as the Crawling Chaos.』

The half-giant warriors expressed their anger and raised their weapons at the same time. Nearly half of them were dead, and the other half was severely wounded. There were less than twenty half-giants who could fight properly, but they were determined not to succumb. Even if they died, they would take at least one traitor to the Underworld with them.

『You don’t know what’s good for you. You reject a helping hand and choose death instead.』 The traitors’ representative was about to give an order of attack in an irritable voice when Valdebich, who had been staring at the traitors, burst into laughter. 『Haha! Hahaha!』

『What’s so funny?』 the representative asked as he furrowed his brow, disgusted that Valdebich had lost his marbles after seeing his people’s impending doom.

However, Valdebich only smiled broadly. 『It’s just too funny. How can you be so predictable? Does living as a transcendent being for such a long time make one’s thoughts so dull and obvious?』

『What?』

『I knew that you guys would betray us. However, I thought it would be in the thick of battle. I was just surprised that you guys chose this moment to hit us on the back of our heads. It’s a little sooner than I expected.』

The traitors faltered. There was something unsettling about Valdebich’s appearance and the aura he was exuding.

『You said that everything would be all right for you guys since you can return to the heavens at any time, right?』

Boom! Valdebich thrust his greatsword onto the ground and shouted,『Go ahead and try!』

『What’s going on? How come nothing is happening?!』

『My Channel with the heavens has been disconnected. How did this…!』

[The last of the Crawling Chaos’ holy territories and his ‘Great Temple’ has been recaptured!]

[All the conditions of the Scenario Quests (Proof of Gods and Kings IV) have been completed.]

[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished. Additional karma will be provided.]

[You have acquired 150,000 karma.]

[You have acquired 200,000 additional karma.]

…

[As a reward…]

[Based on your achievements, the hidden stage on the 60th floor, ‘Land of the Fallen Giants’, will be transferred from ‘Crawling Chaos’ to Player ###.]

[Warning! The stage’s current environment is bad. No living beings can reside on the stage.]

[Build a great temple in the center to reinforce the holy territory.]

[A number of beings have infiltrated the holy territory without permission from the owner.]

[The connection with the holy territory’s owner is unstable for an unknown reason.]

[In the absence of the holy territory’s owner, his Apostle shall assume full control of the holy territory.]

[Current manager of the holy territory: Player Valdebich]

The envoys’ expressions stiffened. A holy territory did not simply represent a personal realm for a transcendent being. It was also a place where faith was born and where divinity operated. It was the foundational area that allowed a transcendent being to work freely. In other words, the holy territory represented the transcendent being itself.

Within a holy territory, the owner was nothing less than a creator god. All laws in the space revolved around the owner, and it was suicidal to break into such a place. As long as the hidden stage belonged to Yeon-woo, the traitors’ hands and feet were bound.

Since the envoys’ true bodies had already descended, and their connection with the heavenly world had been cut off, it was impossible for them to return. They found themselves isolated and confined to their enemy’s territory.

『What do you mean? What’s going on…』

Valdebich glared at the traitors and smiled coldly. 『You guys are all fucked. That’s what’s going on.』 His smile reminded everyone of Yeon-woo.