Part 2, Episode 169.
An unmanageable existence?
Overwhelming level?
What the…
What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?
To think it’s even an unmanageable existence?
In this continent quest, the only ones worthy of such a title were Rag Behemoth and Batan.
And both of them fell to their own hands.
That means… … .
“… … You’re saying something stronger than Lag Behemoth is coming out?”
Gulp. The sound of dry saliva being swallowed can be heard. It was impossible to tell whether it was me or the people next to me.
One thing is certain.
“Surely not… is something else appearing?”
More than this?
“No, f***ing hell, is this even real?”
“There’s a limit to how difficult things can be! Isn’t this going too far!”
Those who noticed the situation all turned stiff with emotion.
There was no other choice.
Who was Lag Behemoth?
Although it was stripped of its throne and lost most of its power, it is a monster that was once a mighty powerhouse of the abyss.
The catastrophe itself that drove Elanis to the brink of destruction even in that state.
If it weren’t for the Book of Defiance, a fierce battle would have been fought even with an army of ten thousand assembled.
Saaa-
[Caution! An uncontrollable being is descending.]
[Warning! Get out of the way immediately.]
A terrible darkness now engulfs the surroundings, with notifications ringing frantically like a disaster.
In this incredibly chaotic situation.
The only sound heard was the sound of notifications.
It was because of the strange silhouette slowly taking shape above Lag Behemoth.
“Th-what on earth is that?”
“oh my god.”
“Holly…….”
“Uh, you want me to catch something like that?”
How should I explain that?
The size is not very big.
A slender build with a height that appears roughly taller than 3M but smaller than 4M.
The silhouette itself is close to a human form, but the moment you look inside, you realize it with an overwhelming sense of horror that sends chills down your spine.
“ah…….”
-Lord, master… … .
-… … .
-Ri, Liza!
That is a being that should not exist in this world.
The clear reason could not be known.
No, there was no need to argue about that.
Because anyone who encounters that would first think that way.
But why?
‘what?’
A sensation of being constricted all over the body.
A terrible sense of unpleasantness, as if the world were covered in insects in pitch-black darkness.
An existence that feels distant, as if it has lost its reason.
This feeling that we might have been born for the very thing that every human being is bound to feel fear…
Something… … .
Everything about ‘that’ was unfamiliar yet familiar.
[K… …Khuhuhu… …Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this. Such peaceful air.]
The moment a strange voice that sounded like phlegm was heard, Dohyeon realized.
The true nature of this strange familiarity.
Dohyeon had met that guy before.
To be precise, we have had a conversation from a distance, aware of each other’s presence.
Eye of the Abyss.
The being that was constantly on the lookout for an opportunity whenever it was about to open.
[You have encountered the existing mighty of the Abyss, the ‘Immortal Master’.]
[Danger! Get out of the way immediately.]
[The Immortal Master descends, and the Elf village begins to be stained by the abyss.]
The one who turned Taxinel, the Vice-Captain of the Lair Knights, into the Destroyer Gaiman, and the first being in Brion to overwhelm Dohyeon.
The Immortal Master, one of the existing powerhouses of the Abyss.
[Kuh-huh… … O vessel of that man. I told you. That you would see it soon.]
“…….”
It was the moment he descended into the present world.
Dohyeon’s expression stiffened for just a moment at the sight of the guy staring straight at him and laughing with his mouth stretched to an oddly long length.
[This should be enough of a welcome.]
An unpleasant voice pierced directly, like fingernails scratching inside the brain, but no one gathered here could frown.
Because the scene that unfolded immediately afterward was too desperate for that.
[The Immortal Master manifests power.]
[Danger! Targets of a certain rank lower than the caster will die instantly if exposed to the range.]
[Avoid!]
-master!!
-Liza!!
Jihad and Eliza were the first to sense something was off.
And half a beat later than that.
“……!”
“damage!”
“All troops, retreat……!!”
“Retreat!”
Astra and Alterion, along with other races more sensitive to changes in nature, hurriedly turned around and shouted.
Like someone who has discovered a distant natural disaster approaching right before their eyes.
With a face that was not just urgent, but downright desperate.
However, that earnest cry ultimately failed to reach anyone.
——-!!!
The moment a dark energy flashed from the hand extended by the Immortal Master.
Because a terrifying shockwave engulfed the world before there was even time to react.
* * *
“crazy…….”
“What did I just see?”
Is this right?
“No, this…… Ah…….”
It is chilly.
It was the most suitable word to describe the atmosphere of the battlefield.
The festive atmosphere of defeating Rag Behemoth had completely subsided, as if water had been poured over it.
The only words that escaped were unfinished sighs.
“What is this?”
“Wait, what’s going on all of a sudden? Didn’t you just clear the continent quest?”
“W-what on earth is that!”
“Fuck, what the hell is up with this power balance?!”
The reason they were so surprised.
That was because of the overwhelming scene that had just unfolded.
Just when I thought it was all over, that creepy-looking guy suddenly appeared and reached out his hand, and a terrifying shockwave erupted.
——!!!
Soon, everything in that trajectory was swallowed up by darkness and vanished.
It was by no means just a geographical feature.
All the alien races and users who were there vanished without a trace.
[High Elf, ‘L’Vid Navin’ has passed away]
[The Dark Elf, ‘Gallion Devish’ has passed away.]
[The Forest Tribe, ‘Ugra Gragi’ has passed away.]
… …
[Player ‘Bastan’ has died.]
[Player ‘Gracal’ has passed away.]
… … .
Phrases popping up frantically.
Overwhelming messages were surfacing in real time, so many that I didn’t even dare to think about counting them.
The corps, which had been a force of ten thousand, had been reduced by about one-third.
A sight too overwhelming to be the result of a single attack swung like a fly swatted away.
This was a disaster.
Unstoppable and unavoidable.
A disaster that one is forced to be swept away simply by being in that place due to bad luck.
– Wait, why is the Strongman of the Abyss suddenly appearing from over there?
Wasn’t Rag Behemoth also a powerful being of the Abyss? Why is he so different?
“You’re a Strongman of the Abyss, you know. Just an empty shell that has lost almost all its power. That’s different from a true Strongman of the Abyss.”
This is insane. This game is just crazy. They said the AI would handle everything, but at this point, aren’t the developers just not doing their job?
I think the AI is broken. Is that correct?
– It was ridiculous from the start that the Strongest of the Abyss appeared, but now what? Strongest of the Abyss? Half a village destroyed with a single wave? Why? Would the village be wiped out if he swung three times?
Uh, I’m an AI, and this is an error.
This is seriously a bit weird;; It feels like they’ve brought forward content that was supposed to be released in about 3 to 5 years.
The chat window was frantically scrolling up due to the absurd power, enough to make one naturally say that the balance had been broken.
One real problem was what came after that.
“Damn it!”
He just used a powerful technique. He must be exhausted.
Now is the time, pour it all out!
“Damn it, if we don’t catch that, Elanis is finished anyway. Then there’s no reward or anything. Just charge in!”
Elanis’s survival depends on it.
Naturally, the alien races and users, who wouldn’t just sit idly by, joined forces and attacked, but that actually backfired.
They shouldn’t have fought. They should have turned around and run away instead.
[Hehehe… Well, the mortals here are just the same now as they were in the past. If this were the Abyss, they would have turned their backs and fled long ago.]
“I will make you regret coveting Elanis, Alterion!”
I’m ready!
The first time I realized that was the moment the combined attack of Astra and Alterion, who had bravely charged in first, followed.
Great magic imbued with the magical power of a great mage who has reached the level of 9th Circle or higher.
[Elf Elder Alterion Elandriel casts the Arcane spell ‘Wrath of the Divine Tree’.]
[The Divine Tree is enraged and unleashes immense power in the present world.]
[Completely restrains the opponent and deals guaranteed lethal damage, and doubles the buff effects received by the one blessed by the Sacred Tree.]
[Elf Elder Alterion Elandriel casts ‘Blessing of the Divine Tree’ on the ill-fated hero, Astra Ravencia.]
[All stats increase significantly in proportion to the target’s affinity for nature.]
[The effect of Divine Tree’s Wrath doubles the effect of Divine Tree’s Blessing.]
Astra, the brilliant Dark Elf hero who can best utilize the Vision Magic that only Alterion can activate in Elanis and its effects.
[‘Astra Ravencia’ activates Heroic Strike.]
[The path walked as a hero, conviction, pain. Delivering a blow that encapsulates it all.]
Take this, too.
As his full-force sword strike was swung, it felt as though the world were splitting in half.
An overwhelming sword strike that seems capable of transcending space and slicing the world in half.
It was something that went beyond the realm of swordsmanship.
Not swordsmanship, but simply a single strike swung by a hero pouring his all into it.
A single swing that leaves one bedridden for a month—a strike that truly poured out everything!
Swish-!
“!”
It split in half!
“D-Did you finish it? This easily?”
The power was so formidable that the Immortal Master, struck squarely by it, was split exactly in half.
… … Yes, it split.
It’s not that it’s dead.
[The mighty of the abyss, the immortal master escapes death.]
[Immune cells for the corresponding technology are generated.]
[The Immortal Master becomes immune to the technique that drove them to their death.]
“……what?”
The form of the immortal master, which had been split in half, has regained its wholeness.
No, is it just my imagination, or does it actually have an even more powerful silhouette than before?
The Immortal Master smirked as he watched Astra, who stood stunned as if he had forgotten even to swing his sword in bewilderment.
[K-Kuh… It was actually quite tasty.]
Sss-
Then he reached out his hand, and that was the end of it.
The black energy that poured out from the fingertips like an explosion blasted Astra away by tens of meters.
Kwaaaaang!
Astra’s hand, having flown for quite a while, hit the wall in front of the village gate and hung limply.
“J-Is he dead?”
“I don’t know…….”
Just as the users gasped, the Dark Elves and High Elves moved this time.
And they all met the same end.
No, it was an even more miserable ending.
Unlike with Astra, he was swept away by the black energy that spread around him without even being able to get close.
The same was true for the users.
Bang!
Even the Dark Elves, known as masters of close combat.
Boom!
Even the forest tribes, confident in their resilience, who came out with courage to face the disaster.
With a light gesture, as if chasing away gnats, they fall off in a thud.
Whoosh!
The arrows of the elves, the most skilled archers, passed through the immortal master without inflicting any damage.
“Damn it, why isn’t it hitting!”
“Isn’t this a scam?!”
“I thought it was all over, but what is this…….”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!!”
Spears, swords, axes, magic, etc. used by users in a desperate struggle.
All sorts of attacks vanished before they could even reach.
[Immune cells against the attack have been formed.]
[The Immortal Master ignores damage.]
Immortal Master.
It was a name given because he could never be killed.
Ding-
… … by ordinary means.
