Chapter 1489
Chapter 1489
Black Knight Eligos wasn’t obsessed with his ranking.
A symbol—he wanted to be a symbol of hell. So he stayed at Dog’s Mouth, the 20th Hell, for thousands of years. Along with Cerberus, who left footprints in mythology, he guarded the river of reincarnation and carved his own appearance on the souls of the dead. He left his name on the cries of souls who craved a life they would never regain again.
Look.
Listen.
I am hell.
“...Um.”
The great human and demon war was an insignificant festival for Eligos. However, he realized that from a human standpoint, it was a disaster that had to be desperately prevented. He stood in the way of the Demon Slayer’s party and foreshadowed their despair.
Eligos planned to leisurely enjoy the scene. Then an unexpected situation developed. There wasn’t any fear and despair on the faces of the humans. It only passed by for a moment before disappearing. Eligos took it as a humiliation.
“You... aren’t afraid of me?”
Looking down on him was like looking down on hell.
“You are arrogant people.”
Under the dark helmet, a red light flashed in Eligos’ eyes. There was a thunder-like sound and there was a long light. It was blood. The red light wasn’t in response to his anger, but was an optical illusion caused by blood spurting up to cover his vision.
“......?”
He was cut?
Eligos belatedly perceived Faker behind him. “Lantier.”
Cerberus, who was carrying Eligos, was several dozen meters high. The opponents who fought Eligos inevitably had to climb it. Topographically, this meant Eligos always had the advantage. He was in a position to gain insight into, intercept, and abuse his opponent from a high place.
It was the first time he had allowed an approach. The shadow technique was the tricky part. The advantage of terrain was broken by using the movement of the shadows as a path. It was invisible and hard to predict, so Cerberus didn’t have a chance to intercept.
‘He is right behind me, but his presence is still hazy. It isn’t an ordinary Lantier. It is a legend.’
How long had it been since he was injured? Under the helmet, Eligos’ expression twisted. He was ashamed that he had lost his dignity in front of such insignificant human beings. However, that was it. He didn’t feel any crisis.
Eligos reached back without turning around. The hand stretched over his shoulder turned into an awl and stabbed at Faker’s heart. This series of processes was very fast. Faker moved away without incident. Among the various choices that appeared in his mind at the same time, he identified and chose the best choice. In the process, his body was already moving. It was the domain of a genius and there were many geniuses here.
“......!”
Eligos’ chest was split in half. Without recovering the hand bound in shadow, Faker grabbed the dagger with the other hand and reverse stabbed while a sword rose from the bottom. It was a devastating blow that broke through Cerberus’ stomach.
[Sword Saint Kraugel’s powerful sword energy has cut through hell.]
Kiyaaaaaah!Cerberus roared and twisted its three heads. Flames emerged from the mouth and quickly covered the area.
Eligos was silent. He couldn’t speak for a moment. It was due to the arrow that pierced his vocal cords and shut his mouth. The arrows, that couldn’t be seen with the eye, flew and struck at the exact moment they were shot. Thus, he couldn’t read the signs.
‘The Breaking Evil Arrows...’
Eligos became alert for the first time. He pulled out the arrows embedded in his neck and mouth, and focused on the chaotic demonic energy.
‘These guys are strong.’
He honestly admitted it. How many great demons had been beaten by humans so far? It was a truth that shouldn’t be belittled. Of course, he wasn’t intimidated. He just realized that he needed to be serious.
Eligos deflected the successive attacks from the Sword Saint and Lantier into a barrier of demonic energy and looked down at the ground. He saw a curtain of light pushing away the waves of flames. He confirmed that the physical bodies of the humans who were cursed and became undead had returned to normal.
‘Saintess?’ It was quite an amazing scene. It wasn’t enough that the Demon Slayer, Sword Saint, Lantier, and Bow Saint were together. Now there was the Saintess as well? His level of alertness rose to the risk level. He recalled the ‘not-so small god’ that he had missed a while ago. If he didn’t eliminate them today, he might soon fall into a difficult crisis.
“...I’ll give you an honor.”
The burning ground was shrouded in shadows. Eligos aimed a huge spear at the expedition. An existence that gained the blackness that symbolized wickedness and evil—one of the strongest existences in hell exerted his strength with a sincere murderous spirit. It meant that the expedition had been acknowledged as an opponent. At this moment—
“Prominence Wave.” A phenomenon occurred that couldn’t be seen in the hells in the 20s that were eroded by darkness. It was a magical phenomenon, not the aftermath of the collapse of the boundary between hell and the surface.
The sun turned the sky red. It was hotter and brighter than the flames on the ground. The heat melted the spear of demonic energy and struck Eligos. It brought him a strange pain. The magic interfered with all phenomena with a transcendent heat.
It was the moment when Euphemina realized the ultimate magic that the genius Mumud had only completed in theory.
“Uhh... This is ridiculous,” Euphemina let out a groan that didn’t match her performance. It was because she was caught in the mana poisoning penalty in the aftermath of using only one spell. The problem was the environment of the 21st Hell which hindered the circulation of mana.
“I can’t use magic for three minutes!” Euphemina cried out urgently.
“What is this magic?” Eligos questioned it.
Both voices rang out along with a clicking sound and the sound of swords. During the expedition in hell, Kraugel was inspired by the sword drawing technique of Peak Sword.
Kiyaaaaaah!
Cerberus’ neck was cut and it once again raged. Eligos’ violently burning body shook. However, the situation worsened. The poisonous fog continued. The group shook and collapsed, destroying the formation of the expedition. Kraugel, who was jumping up to Cerberus’ pelvis, stopped for a moment. In the gap, Eligos took the opportunity to completely put out the fire.
Peak Sword clicked his tongue. “Wow, shit. It was useless?”
“I’m glad you know it!” Vantner cried out to Peak Sword, who failed to cut Cerberus’ throat, and ran forward, setting up his shield. He was committed to Ruby’s protection, no one else. Not a single shock wave reached Ruby. The demonic energy spear fired by Eligos struck Vantner’s shield. A big crack appeared on the shield that had lost its durability due to Cerberus’ acidic poison. The legendary shield was made by Grid himself, but it was hard for it to be fine in the face of a mythical monster.
“This damn monster...” Vantner felt a chill go down his spine and was slightly intimidated. He was worried about Eligos’ subsequent attack. Fortunately, it was quiet. Kraugel had caught Eligos’ eye when he succeeded in climbing onto Cerberus’ back. They were entangled and exchanged blows.
“Everyone, have strength!” Ruby tried to live up to her colleagues’ protection. She maintained buffs on the party members as much as possible.
From her shadow, Faker appeared. “Grab my arm.”
The expedition knew about Eligos. It was because Yura had thoroughly informed them in advance about the great demons they should most be on guard against in hell. The reason they were able to come to their senses quickly without being frustrated was because the situation they faced wasn’t so hopeless.
The penalty of not being able to resurrect? There was no reason to fear it when it occurred only when they were ‘directly’ killed by Eligos. Even now, the hell gate was open. There was a way to live. Eligos had blocked the gate, but it was relatively meaningless against Faker’s Shadow Technique.
Kraugel’s Space Sword that aimed at Cerberus and Eligos also helped change the terrain. Every time Faker crossed a shadow, one more companion was hanging onto his body. Ruby, Jishuka, Peak Sword, and Euphemina—they were selected as the most helpful people to go back up to the ground right now.
“I will go first!”
“Come back safely!”
“Leave the surface to us.”
“Take the coordinates to God Grid!”
One of the biggest harvests that Yura gained during this expedition period was the increase in level of the Hell Gate skill. The number of people that can cross it had increased to four and the accuracy of the coordinates had improved. The cooldown time was reduced to 20 minutes. The summoning time was 3 minutes and 30 seconds so the actual cooldown time was 16 minutes and 30 seconds. Until then—
“Endure it.”
The remaining expedition members led by Kraugel, Faker, and Yura planned to fight against Eligos. Of course, they didn’t mean to overdo it. They all knew it was impossible to hold on until the remaining people used the hell gate. They just needed a few more. They wanted to send as many people back as possible.
“Keep in mind that there is no support from the Saintess from now on.”
“Okay.”
The party reconfirmed their determination when they heard Yura’s warning. Commit suicide the moment there was danger... This was the best plan in the current situation. They would accept all penalties that resulted from death. It was hundreds or thousands of times better than dying in Eligos’ hands.
***
The brilliantly shining moon glowed red. The center wriggled like it was a heartbeat and soon, tens of thousands of bloodstained eyes opened. The stars were crushed like they were shocked. The surface had become hell. The level and combat power of all the monsters on the surface rose significantly in the wake of the raging demonic energy. The second attack priority monsters became first priority and the activity range of the level 400 or higher monsters expanded rapidly. There was a series of invasions of nearby villages and cities.
Portals pierced the disgusting sky like a pockmarked face. It was impossible to count the numbers. It was right to say that it was infinite. It was because the portals could be seen in the sky of any area. Demons and demonic creatures flooded out from the portals.
“No, isn’t this too much?”
The players of the Dominion Church and Judar Church panicked. As a result of the collapse of the Rebecca Church, the main axis of the three churches, players belonging to the Rebecca Church found freedom while the players belonging to the Dominion and Judar Churches were completely restrained. They couldn’t leave even when they knew their church had lost its future. It was impossible with the system.
“Grid should’ve hit the Dominion and Judar Churches, haha.”
Players had heard about the Vatican incident through the media. They knew the circumstances in which an angel posing as a pope provoked Grid and the Overgeared Kingdom. They witnessed the true nature of the angel, who tried to slaughter the church members with a casual expression. They didn’t know what Goddess Rebecca meant to do by turning a blind eye to the humans who served her, but there were enough opportunities to cast doubt on the three churches.
Players honestly wanted to ignore the restrictions imposed by the system and leave the church immediately. However, it was impossible. They were also reluctant to engage in personal activities. It was because the quests obtained in relation to the great human and demon war were the type that could be cleared only when they were with their organization.
“What can we do? We have to acclimatize if we can’t leave.”
The players of the three churches suppressed their anxiety and dissatisfaction, and headed to the battlefield. The problem was that their battlefield was confined to the site of the Dominion and Judar Temples.
“Damn, in the midst of all this, the protection of the temple comes first. There aren’t many portals open around here, so why?”
“They are preparing for the worst. They’ve already lost their popularity. If they lose their temples, they will look like the Rebecca Church.”
“Ah, XX. There are no mobs... this is why people have to get on a good side. We will end up falling behind.”
“This might be better.”
“What is good about it?”
“Now the rest of the world is in chaos. People are dying twice and receiving the penalty of access restrictions. There are many people who have died twice and are losing their minds in the communities. Some of them belong to the empire.”
“Eh? Isn’t the situation more serious than expected?”
“There are too many mobs in the areas where more than 10 portals are open. It is almost like a tower defense game. Sometimes the demons mix in with the demonic creatures and it is complete death.”
“We don’t have mobs to kill right now, so at least we won’t die. I don’t think this will end in a day or two. It is better to just hunt and hang around here.”
“I just logged out and saw the situation outside. It is hell. A death knight appeared in the Violet Kingdom and destroyed a castle alone... every time it swung the sword, a city was eliminated and thousands disappeared...”
“What is this guy talking about??”
“A city elimination is crazy. Kukuk, it is funny how you are bluffing.”
“In any case, isn’t this really serious? Sigh, some bastards said the war was an event. XX...”
“The S.A Group who planned this type of content is just crazy.”
***
At the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt...
Dozens of people and the God Hands moved in unison under the leadership of Ke ong. Baking plaster to make bonding agents, building bricks, setting up mechanisms...
The workers exceeded doing their best. They didn’t give their tired bodies time to rest. At first, they knew that a huge war was coming. Now they knew that the war had already begun. They completely missed the timing to rest and were overworked.
Grid was one of them.
“Is it okay?” Haster returned from his brief hunt. He couldn’t hide his worry when he heard about the situation all over the world. “I think this is too much damage... additionally, most of the allied and imperial forces are gathered in the Behen Archipelago and Abyss?”
Grid shook his head. “You don’t have to worry too much. I assumed that the Behen Archipelago and Abyss might act as a ‘key’ rather than a direct passage.”
“Did you predict that the demonic creatures would appear randomly like this?”
“Yes.”
This was one of the situations assumed by Lauel and Valhalla’s strategists. The problem was that this was the worst case scenario, but even so, they were prepared. Unless a high ranking great demon appeared, the bigshots who could handle a single area were on standby all over the continent. Braham, Nefelina, and the Zikfrector and Zibal duo were typical examples. Damian and Hurent were also in the right places...
Above all, Piaro’s party had returned a little while ago.
It was a situation where there was a lot of damage, but it was comforting that they weren’t caught off guard.
It happened when Haster saw Grid’s somewhat gloomy expression and fell into thought...
“God Gridddd!”
Far away, welcomed faces ran over while waving. They were Peak Sword, Jishuka, Euphemina, and Ruby.
The delighted Grid pulled out the items he had prepared for them.
“Feel free to go on a rampage.”
“Believe in me!”
“Wow, what is this orb? Isn’t it beyond imagination?”
“......”
Haster was reminded of something as he saw Grid sending out infinite trust to his colleagues and the Overgeared members responding vigorously. It was the fact that Grid’s strength wasn’t just the force of his body. He was a blacksmith. The Overgeared Guild was constantly becoming stronger. He thought that the currently disadvantageous situation could change one day.