Episode 238: Life or Death (5)
First, Sanghyeon was mulling over the words he had just heard from the Goddess of Fortune.
He fully agreed with the idea of having Luca ramble on about the Eye of Calamity.
If he provoked him just the right amount, it seemed the guy would chatter away without fear of running his mouth.
After all, Luca had shared quite a bit of information during their conversation right before the fight.
Of course, he did think that Luca might be terrified since the battle was actually evenly matched.
So, he planned to strategically show himself being pushed back. That would only make him more arrogant.
'Actually, there's not much to call strategic. If I move even slightly loosely, I'm pushed back by him.'
Luca's skill was tricky.
Perhaps because he had devoured constellations while killing numerous players, the power of each and every skill was immense.
To exaggerate slightly, it felt like taking a 'direct hit' from a single skill would kill him on the spot.
Furthermore, his skill casting and execution speed were at least twice as fast as that of a typical player.
Had Sang-hyun not been in Over Psychedelic mode, he absolutely could not have kept up with this speed.
Therefore, Sang-hyun planned to use Skill Reset when the duration of Over Psychedelic expired.
Objectively speaking, Sang-hyun should not have fought Luca without Over Psychedelic.
In other words, he had to finish the fight within the maximum total duration of 32 minutes.
'If I use a skill I've been saving, it is when I am throwing a sure winning move. Until then, I must save it no matter what.'
There is a saying that saving something leads to ruin, but Sang-hyun thought this case was an exception.
As you go deeper into the world of high-level players, battles often end in a single moment.
It was common for the fight to be decided in the short 1% after 99% of the battle was spent in exploratory skirmishes.
Sang-hyun was certain that Luca knew more about his skills than he didn't.
The information Luca knew was all there was to him, the only information Sang-hyun had deliberately revealed.
Even Sanghyun himself sometimes forgets how diverse his skills are or what skills he possesses. How could
Luka, a stranger, possibly know the details? He would truly only see as much as he knows.
In any case, having cleanly lost an arm in the previous battle—though he managed to regenerate it—
it was the perfect situation for him to groan in pain. Sanghyun frowned and continued speaking.
“…I wonder if this really needs to go this far. We could have lived comfortably without bothering each other.”
As Sanghyun ‘deliberately’ poked at the unhealed wound to induce bleeding, his clothes were quickly stained with blood.
It hurt, but that made his acting even more realistic. Because it really hurt, he couldn't keep his expression under control.
Luka laughed.
“Hahaha! The reason is simple. It is simply because your existence is a hindrance to the master I serve. Then what else? I have to get rid of you.”
Luka’s tension was quite high.
The situation just moments ago, where Sanghyun had properly lost an arm to Luka, played a significant role.
Luca thought he had a rough idea of Sanghyeon.
He judged that if he acted slightly faster than he had calculated, Sanghyeon would be unable to respond.
In any case, having confirmed that life had returned to Luca's eyes, Sanghyeon added a little more method acting.
And then.
[This entire conversation is currently being transmitted to the Constellations and Divine Thrones in the Dimensional Sphere.
Including the God of Storms, this is a scene where all the Constellations accompanying you and me are gathering their divine power to show you.
It is a golden opportunity to make them confess their sins. It will be troublesome and difficult, but I ask for your help.]
A message from the Goddess of Fortune was also heard.
The audience was large.
And the stage was set.
The prey was right in front of him.
Therefore, the most important thing was his role as the lead actor to steer this play exactly as he wanted.
“One of us is bound to die. Is there any meaning to a fight like this?”
“It is true that one of us will die. But it won't be me. Then it is right for you to die.”
“You might be being used, Luca Violet.”
“Since you’re losing, you’re spouting nonsense with your gaping mouth. Listen, Shin Sang-hyun. When my master promised you power and a future, you should have bowed your head instead of acting arrogantly!”
Luca spoke forcefully, making a motion to form a hand seal.
Sang-hyun realized it was a threatening gesture rather than an actual attack, but he recoiled in shock.
At this, Luca burst into boisterous laughter. He must have looked just like a terrified puppy.
From Sang-hyun’s perspective, it was possible to evade the opponent’s skill attacks by utilizing the ‘Extreme Demon’ skill.
Not only could he devour the skill, but he could also aim for mana recovery in return.
However, he was not doing so because of the optimal buildup for a decisive blow.
"Come to think of it, I was fighting while deliberately wearing a sandbag."
Strictly speaking, even Upper Rank wasn't fighting at full firepower.
Since he was deliberately conserving his most powerful skills, it was actually only natural that he was being pushed back by Luca.
Nevertheless, considering the fact that he had been evenly matched or even held the upper hand in the previous battle, it was truly remarkable.
Just then.
Luca formed the Hand Seal again.
As Upper Rank made a movement as if to dodge, he unleashed a homing magic skill that had taken that into account.
"Let's just take the hit. If I get hit wrong, I can just recover with regeneration. I'm setting a delicious meal."
Upper Rank turned away from the easy option of using Extreme Magic and deliberately took Luca's skill.
However, he couldn't just sit there and take it, so he was looking for an opportunity to land the hit just barely.
And then.
Whoosh!
"Aargh!"
The magic skill tore through the muscle of his left thigh, scattering blood in all directions.
It was quite painful, but ironically, it was a wound that was far from fatal.
Instead, the scene before his eyes was filling with streaks of red blood, perfect for satisfying his aggression.
As Sanghyeon lost his balance and was thrown backward, Luka became even more emboldened.
“Hahaha! You wretch who can’t even defeat me, how dare you think you can do anything? Do you think you would interfere with the will of the master I serve?”
“Somehow… to the very end…”
“My master said that if you die, the balance of good and evil that maintains the Dimensional Order will crack. It’s not just your insignificant life that will end. It means the Dimensional Order will tilt. In a direction entirely favorable to the master I serve.”
“I am as insignificant as you said, but I didn’t know death would be worth that much. *Cough*!”
Sanghyeon let out a shallow cough and frowned. It wasn’t a fatal wound, but it really hurt.
This wasn’t an act.
“There isn’t much time left. In the Dimensional Order, my master’s world will soon…”
And so on.
Through Luca's lips, the words the God of Storms had been conveying to him began to flow effortlessly.
From Luca's perspective, it was akin to explaining the reason for his death to the Upper Rank, who was destined to die anyway.
Yes, it was clearly the arrogance of a victor. A humiliating consideration, akin to saying, "Since you are going to die anyway, know why."
However, he never imagined that these words would be heard and seen by every Constellation of the Dimensional Order. This was true not only for
Luca, but also for the Eye of Calamity, his contracted divine throne.
Had they sensed such a hint, they would have stopped Luca's rambling long ago. But because they were unaware, they did not.
Thanks to this, the Upper Rank was able to understand the full story of the situation through Luca's words.
There was no need to overthink it.
For a very long time, the Dimensional Order had lived in a balanced world divided into Constellations and divine thrones of good and evil alignments.
Except for periods when the instability of all dimensions was heightened, they never intervened in other dimensions.
Just as they are now, they simply point their own cameras at a certain world and watch it as if they were watching a broadcast.
They shared a portion of the Constellation's power and watched their growth. That was their only amusement and pleasure.
Accustomed to peace, the Constellations and Divine Thrones mingled much more freely than before and maintained order.
These were things possible because they were higher entities possessing intelligence. They sought stability and desired no change.
However, peace invisibly planted laxity and weakness in everyone's hearts…
The Eye of Calamity exploited this vulnerability and conceived the idea of changing the future of the Dimensional Order, a future no one had worried about. It saw a weakness
where, simply by making up its mind and executing a plan, it could become not just one of the Divine Thrones of the Dimensional Order
, but a mediator and an absolute being capable of encompassing the entire Order.
And now was the moment it carried out its plan. It was 99% successful.
It was something that would have been accomplished if the model student Constellation had been killed long ago, or if just a little more time had been given.
However, it was still a 'plan,' not something that had become reality. It was 99%, not 100%.
* * *
At the same time,
Luca's words were being broadcast in real-time across the entire Great Crusade.
Many Constellations and Divine Thrones reacted with surprise at seeing a public video for the first time in a long while.
This was understandable, as displaying a video of this caliber requires the 'subject' of the broadcast to
permanently consume the Holy Power accumulated over decades or centuries. It cannot be restored.
Therefore, public videos were something rarely watched unless the fate of the entire Dimensional Order was threatened.
Typically, they were used by Constellations or Divine Thrones facing death, or by messengers during wars between dimensions.
The God of Storms used most of the Holy Power, while the Goddess of Fortune and other Constellations contributed little by little.
It was a decision made because they fully understood just how critical the current situation was for the Dimensional Order.
The conversation between Upper Moon and Luca conveyed more information than expected. It was more than the God of Storms had anticipated.
Therefore, judging that he had enough opportunity to make a decisive move, the God of Storms raised his voice.
[Beliefs may differ. It is not a matter of right or wrong, nor is it a matter of good or evil.
At least, there is only one reason why our Dimensional Order has prospered for a long time and served as a mediator maintaining order across many dimensions.
It is because we did not shatter the order itself.
Even if the order was flawed, we enabled it to be maintained and protected.
We allowed the order of power to settle in dimensions that had lost their morality, and that, too, was successful.
We always engaged in fair competition and shared positions befitting our rank.
But what about now?
In a Dimensional Order reorganized to suit the whims of the Eye of Calamity, do you truly believe you will last forever?
Can you engage in fair competition? Can you reign confidently according to your own merit?
If the scales of good and evil collapse, the disrespectful, low-quality evil spirits and demonic beings at the foundation of the Dimensional Order will prevail.
Can you live honorably before these fallen beings who have lost their nobility, purity, and the value of their existence?]
