Chapter 144 - Episode 20. God of Yesterday (8)
Chapter 144: Episode 20. God of Yesterday (8)
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That day, an overwhelming flood of messages poured in all at once, enough to bring the system of 《Little Brother》 to a momentary halt.
[The Dragon God ‘Droyan’ opens their mouth.]
[The God of Renown ‘Bergetz’ widens their eyes.]
[The God of Mortality ‘Thanatos’ feels enraptured.]
[The Red Dragon God ‘Drake’ cannot hide their shock.]
······.
The endless stream of messages went on and on.
One of them came from the God of Flames, Ignis.
“Ignis-nim, I don't think that bastard is in his right mind.”
Ignis's Vicegerent, Karavan, muttered as if dumbfounded.
[A total of 197,412 gods have died on 〈Metaverse〉's Seventh Floor.]
Gods dying was not the problem. Gods died all over the place whenever a Holy War broke out.
But nearly two hundred thousand gods had died at once.
And all from a single Stab.
Karavan muttered again.
“I knew it, but that guy really is insane.”
Even setting Naked Stab aside, there were beings capable of slaughtering two hundred thousand gods.
Yet not even the Seven Divine Thrones would casually do something like that.
Dealing with the aftermath would not be easy.
Rumble.
As the ground shook, a message appeared that Karavan had never seen before.
[The transmission of messages through 《Little Brother》 has been temporarily suspended.]
It was obvious what had happened.
An enormous number of messages had flooded out from within 〈Metaverse〉 all at once, enough to overload Little Brother.
Karavan asked as though concerned.
“God, if we leave that guy alone, he’ll die.”
[So what?]
“You're a fan.”
[Who says I'm a fan?]
“You're the one who already took a portal all the way here.”
Karavan snickered and looked up at 〈Metaverse〉.
Having rushed here through an official portal, word would soon spread that Ignis, the God of Flames among the Seven Divine Thrones, had descended upon 〈Caspion〉.
Ignis grumbled.
[It's not like I can even go inside.]
“Is the Neutral Agreement really that important?”
[For now.]
Despite coming all the way here, Ignis could not enter 〈Metaverse〉. The recent conference at 〈Sacred Hall〉 had been decided against Ignis.
“There is insufficient circumstantial evidence. At this time, conflict between the Third Throne and Fifth Throne cannot be permitted.”
It was not that Ignis could not understand the other Seven Divine Thrones' decision.
The last time the Seven Divine Thrones had fought, the entire northern border of the Eighth Site had vanished.
A war between the Seven Divine Thrones was a disaster in the 《Abyss》.
“Let's hang around here a little longer. We might find a reason to intervene.”
[Isn't it because you want to ogle the girls from Caspion?]
Karavan was already staring intently at the back of a female Follower some distance away.
[What are you staring at so hard? Your type?]
“No, look.”
With a weary expression, Ignis looked where Karavan pointed.
A woman clad head to toe in black was entering the tower's High Pass entrance.
[She's pretty.]
“That's not it. Look at her weapon.”
A chain scythe was tucked at the waist of the woman who disappeared toward the tower with a lone guard.
No one in this 《Abyss》 failed to recognize the owner of that chain scythe.
Ignis's voice turned cold.
[What are those 「Rupture」 bastards doing here?]
* * *
“Seolha, are you really okay with this? You didn't even get the Commander's permission.”
“This isn't a situation where we can wait for permission.”
Yu Seolha, Second Division Commander of 「Rupture」, raised the collar of her black robes and quickly scanned the area. Fortunately, no one among the crowd entering through the High Pass recognized her.
“I can't contact Eunsae.”
“Jin Eunsae? They went in here?”
“On the Commander's orders.”
“They aren't ready to face someone on the level of the Metaverse Six Gods yet.”
“That's what I'm saying. Why did the Commander send a kid here?”
Yu Seolha frowned irritably.
The man asked, “When was the last contact?”
“There was a record of contact with Master Cheongheo.”
“What? That old man is still alive?”
“Yeah. That's not important right now, though...”
Standing at the entrance to the High Pass, Yu Seolha glanced at the man.
“Are you really coming with me? You could get dragged into this too, Imai.”
The man shrugged.
He was short, with a katana longer than he was tall strapped to his back.
He looked unimpressive, but he was one of the few beings in this 《Abyss》 who could rival Yu Seolha.
The gods of the 《Abyss》 called him Imai Kazuki, Third Division Commander of 「Rupture」.
Imai spoke.
“I heard that guy is here.”
“That guy?”
“Are you going to keep pretending not to know? I doubt you're going in just because of Eunsae.”
Yu Seolha fell silent.
Yu Seolha had hoped Imai would not know, but it seemed Imai had already found out.
Then again, there was probably no god in the 《Abyss》 who did not know that guy's name by now.
Imai smirked.
“Trying to recruit him again? He sounds like a strange one.”
“He'll be useful if we bring him in.”
“Is he that strong?”
Yu Seolha hesitated briefly.
“He is.”
“Stronger than you?”
“Of course I'm stronger. Still, how should I put it... there's something about him that I can't understand.”
Imai's eyes widened slightly at Yu Seolha's words.
The words “I can’t understand” were common enough, but they held a special meaning for Awakened Ones.
Especially when it came from Yu Seolha, Second Division Commander of Rupture.
Imai murmured with interest.
“I'm looking forward to it.”
At that moment, the nearby ground began to shake violently.
The tremors had come from the tower's upper floors.
Yu Seolha's expression hardened.
“Let's hurry.”
* * *
Rumble.
After the dreadful aftermath had passed, countless messages lay piled over the ruined Seventh Floor like corpses.
[······ is shocked······.]
[······ is ■□■□■□······.]
[······ hatred······.]
Most of the messages were cut off in a mess.
Naturally. Most of the gods must have died before they could even let out a final cry in the face of this calamity.
It was a catastrophe created by a single Stab.
“W-what happened...?”
Even Rene's voice trembled.
Rayray, Pilgrim, Runald, Gale. Every member of Terrorist stared at the sight before them, doubting their own eyes.
Andersen alone did not waver.
“To some, it may be death. To others, it may be liberation. Look carefully at what was destroyed before you speak.”
At those words, the gods finally looked down at the Cocoons scattered across the floor.
The Stab had seemed capable of destroying everything, but on closer inspection, not a single Cocoon had actually been destroyed.
What Jaehwan had destroyed were the facilities connecting the Cocoons to Yesterday.
Rayray spoke in a voice full of disbelief.
“How...?”
One by one, things stirred and crawled out from the Cocoons on the ground.
Each was a Vicegerent or Doll belonging to an Anonymous God.
Since they had been struck by an attack containing the power of Fall, some of the gods connected to Yesterday had been erased entirely.
But their Vicegerents and Dolls had not been harmed.
“Ah... ahhh...”
Those who recognized Jaehwan reached for him with empty eyes.
They were humans who had been forced to serve as the gods' shells while the gods indulged in pleasure in Yesterday.
At least the gods had Yesterday. These people had nothing.
Like prisoners freed from a prison with no promised release, the Vicegerents could only sob and weep endlessly.
Jaehwan extended Dokbul again.
Rumble!
All the Plants east of Jaehwan’s group of Allies turned to ash beneath the dreadful storm.
[A total of 91,698 gods have died on 〈Metaverse〉's Seventh Floor.]
Once was not enough. He did it twice.
The Allies looked as though they could not understand what Jaehwan was doing.
Sometimes, numbers too large made the mind incapable of calculation.
Andersen spoke.
“Pull yourselves together. It was always bound to end like this.”
“B-but this is too...”
“This election was a show from the beginning.”
[The election has been suspended on an emergency basis.]
[By the authority of the ‘King’, emergency martial law has been declared across the Seventh Floor.]
Red emergency lights flashed at the Main Plant in the center of the Seventh Floor.
As the Plant's gates opened, an immense number of drones and guard dogs poured out.
“What happens from now on is not a show.”
Ominous World Force wrapped around the entire Seventh Floor, and Jaehwan prepared another Stab.
Rougher World Force than before coiled around Dokbul.
[You have made a foolish choice.]
With overwhelming fury, something burst in the sky.
[None of you will leave this ‘Seventh Floor’ alive.]
A pitch-black shadow spread over the ceiling of the Seventh Floor.
“Everyone, keep your wits about you.”
Andersen immediately recognized what it was.
It was the vast World Force accumulated on 〈Metaverse〉's Seventh Floor over the past several centuries.
Sanctuary Manifestation.
「Yesterday」.
World Force unfolded from the sky like a massive umbrella, beginning to enclose the Seventh Floor in the shape of a dome.
Looking closely, it resembled a Cocoon.
A Cocoon large enough to completely cover the entire Seventh Floor. At this rate, they would all be swallowed inside it.
Jaehwan looked once at the Allies, gauged the distance from his position to the outer wall of the enormous Cocoon and the Main Plant, then made his decision.
“Escape. Run until you're beyond the reach of that Sanctuary. If you can't, find a way down to the Sixth Floor.”
“What about you, Jaehwan-nim?”
But Jaehwan was already gone before Runald's question could be answered.
Dokbul was already moving as Jaehwan rushed far ahead toward the Main Plant.
「World Stab」.
The Stab shot straight for the heart of the Main Plant.
The Main Plant was the core of Yesterday. If it collapsed, even Arteina would have difficulty turning this around.
Rumble.
But Jaehwan's Stab was blocked by a massive swarm of drones and guard dogs.
Jaehwan fired Stab after Stab at the drones and guard dogs, sparing not a trace of World Force as he crushed forward like a tank.
The Main Plant was already right before him.
Without hesitation, Jaehwan drove Dokbul into the wall of the Main Plant.
Sanctuary Manifestation.
「The World After the Fall」.
The surrounding area quickly began to change into Jaehwan's Sanctuary around Dokbul.
Arteina laughed.
[Too late.]
Arteina's Cocoon was completed faster than Jaehwan's Sanctuary could spread.
“Jaehwan-nim...”
The moment Runald cried out, the entire landscape shook.
All five senses warped, disrupting his sense of reality.
It was the same feeling as when Jaehwan had first entered the Seventh Floor.
Jaehwan activated Doubt and Understanding at the same time, barely holding his distorted senses in balance.
When he looked up, he had been thrown onto a desolate roadside.
A few people stood nearby, frozen as though time had stopped.
Jaehwan instinctively understood.
He had been forcibly pulled into the Cocoon. This space was undoubtedly Arteina's Sanctuary.
Which meant...
“Yesterday.”
Footnotes:
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