It was around dawn, but the sky was fully dyed with green light. The body of the ancient dragon was so large that it could cover the entire sky. The green power held within each of its scales was also reacting in the same rhythm as its pulse, which made the light spread in the sky fluctuate from intense to faint green. It was thus flaunting its power.
It seemed impossible to confront it with just a transcendent Sense and Agility. All of my stats needed to reach their maximum. That was the only way to fight against it.
“Old One.”
I also kept my gaze steady while calling it by its real name. Even upon focusing again, nothing changed from my initial impression. The power dwelling in the sky was a force that was by no means inferior even compared to Entegasto. Yet that might not have been the true strength of the Old One. It was just manifesting through the body of the ancient dragon, but it was stimulating all my nerves.
This was just an assumption, but it seemed that the Old One had descended using an extraordinary force to intervene directly. When the movement of space was detected in front of its gigantic head…
Whoosh!
I sprang up, beating the air with my wings. Without knowing what kind of attack the opponent had, offense was the best defense!
- Na Seon-Hu.
However, I had to quickly change direction due to the suddenly audible voice. The spatial rift that started in front of him had already expanded to a size that wouldn’t be a problem for him to pass through. Because of its astonishing size, it looked like a black hole that could suck in anything.
It was a gigantic gate!
The message he sent to me was clear. If we clashed, then the battlefield would be the homeland of humanity.
I didn’t know which country that gate led to right now. However, if it was Korea… Especially if our fight was so fierce that even Odin’s Absolute Battlefield couldn’t handle it, that small country would face a disaster. The sight of nuclear power plants exploding and dams collapsing flashed in my mind, which was something I couldn’t handle.
The land would become uninhabitable. My father and mother were there too! Damn it.
There were conditions for time reversal. I had to be in my most optimal condition and activated all the items without any damage, for a maximum of one day.
Not knowing how long the fight would be, it would be risky to use the insignia. Also, considering time regression in a situation that I couldn’t guarantee victory was no different from a ‘negative effect’ that would weaken me.
I shouted at him, “You are called a divine being, who creates the world, but you are merely holding my mainland hostage? I guess you can’t face me without doing that.”
- Na Seon-Hu.
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When it called my name, its voice sounded doubtful. I wanted to disregard such suspicion and told it to speak directly through its voice by opening its nasty mouth and moving its serpent-like tongue. Therefore, I resisted the doubt.
However, all that came back was a warning message.
[Warning: Your Power Resistance is insufficient.]
Damn it. Its apprehension tried to break through my defense. It was probably trying to persuade or threaten me.
I suddenly became pissed to the point that my vision became blurry. It was treating me like a chess piece from an unknown and intangible area, without revealing any of its true nature.
That was not just the Old One. After defecting to the Seven Demon Kings’ faction, Doom Kaos only gave me instructions through messages, without disclosing its true form to me either.
The root of all these conflicts lay in the battle between the two of them. However, the two of them only ordered the lower beings while they themselves were out of the actual physical fights. They were such cowards!
- Na Seon-Hu.
It was only calling my name, but it felt like it was telling me not to use Time Reversal. It was threatening me that it would launch a devastating attack on the mainland if I ignored its warning.
I couldn’t respond at all. I was just staring at the gate, and the moment I was waiting for arrived. It closed the gate. At that moment, my entire body trembled, and I was confused at first.
Nonetheless, I soon realized what emotion was causing the tremors in my body. It was not rage. It was a shame. If I had fought him once and felt any resentment about it, it would have been different.
I was relieved that the gate was closed and had accepted his threat. Even then, he was looking down at me with a gaze that was sending a final message. It seemed like it wanted to hear confirmation directly from me.
As expected, its intent filled with a command started pouring down. Was I supposed to kneel and say ‘I understand, my lord?’
No. Although I didn’t have the ability to prevent him from opening the gate, it was different for Doom Kaos. I had defected to the Seven Demon Kings’ side because Doom Kaos had promised to ensure the safety of the mainland.
However, just where and what the hell was he doing? I had no place to retreat. If I lowered my head to the Old One here, then the same thing would repeat in the future.
…There were times when everyone had to do something they were not supposed to. Some made money to avoid such moments, while others dreamed of power. In the process, they fell into contradictions. Now was one of those moments. I found it harder than ever to speak up as I had no idea what would happen to me after I spat out this word.
“If the Old One has descended, then Doom Kaos should also come…”
Let’s see you two fight properly!
[You have used the Common Power ‘Descent of the Main Body.’]
Ugh… Darkness surged from the area where the authority was locked. It engulfed my sight completely and began to erode every part of me. Suddenly, two chilling eyeballs appeared out of darkness.
That was the gaze of Doom Kaos! It pinned me somewhere. I fell and fell and fell with no end. Forever dropping into the abyss… At one point, I was screaming into the bottomless void. However, that was just the beginning.
***
I was overwhelmed by pain, as if a blade was cutting through my entire body all the time while I was falling. Nonetheless, what was more terrifying was the relentless noise of my furious breathing. That drove me insane. The fear of being brainwashed was greater than any pain. Resistance was not the answer.
A plea for it to stop welled up to my throat. If I had the organs to vocalize, then I would have spat it out. Only a roaring sound mixed with screams hummed silently somewhere in my head.
The concept of time had long disappeared, and I was continually falling. I was floundering, and I had no control over anything. Even the screams felt like a powerful hand was forcing open my mouth, pushing down on my abdomen, and pulling out my tongue.
The relentless sound of furious breathing, which never ceased, felt as if it was melting into me.
Aaaaaah. I was certain that Doom Kaos had thrown me into hell. It was demanding complete obedience while incessantly whipping me. It wanted me to reincarnate as a demon dedicated solely to it. I had to resist. Somehow, I needed to resist…
***
[You have died.]
[Remaining time (Revival): 29 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
I had no idea how much time had passed.
[Remaining time (Revival): 29 days 23 hours 31 minutes 24 seconds]
The nightmare was over, but I couldn’t escape the feeling of falling.
[Remaining time (Revival): 29 days 19 hours 22 minutes 01 seconds]
I could barely open my eyes, but I was able to see that everything around me was filled with sticky organic material. I saw the Maruka clans moving through the gap between tentacles that stood like pillars. I could also see bipedal species and lumps floating in the swamp on the floor.
One arm was hanging on the armrest of the throne, and the other was giving instructions to the Maruka clan. There was hardly any trace that this was the headquarters of the association. It seemed quite some time had passed since all of the human structures were now covered by Maruka’s fluid.
Despite this, Orca was pushing its kids to build a more perfect kingdom for its clan.
[Remaining time (Revival): 29 days 17 hours 49 minutes 31 seconds]
Time was passing as Orca’s vision was shared with me. I was consumed by the same concern. I had resisted the great Doom Kaos, but in my current state, I could not determine if there had been any changes in me.
The most likely scenario would be that the locks on my Power had gotten even stronger. Fuck. I could challenge Doom Arukuda only if I could unlock them.
Entegasto was above me even with its injured body. I couldn’t imagine how strong it was when it was not wounded. After all, the ancient dragons had been terrified and had run away before.
Moreover, Doom Arukuda was in an even higher position than Entegasto. Therefore, unlocking Power was essential to challenge not only Doom Arukuda but also the throne of Doom Kaos. I also needed more mana stones! More items! More. More. More!
Once I was resurrected, there would be a pile of issues to be resolved. To ensure the safety of the mainland ultimately, I had to seize that power instead of relying on Doom Kaos’s strength.
Then, Orca’s children suddenly became busy. As Orca’s vision shifted, I saw Yeon-Hee standing still. Even though she had not fully recovered, she seemed to have rushed here as soon as she heard my news. The view moved significantly as Orca came down from the throne.
“I offer respect to the God of the foreign race. I, Orca’s reverence.”
However, Yeon-Hee continued to have a dark expression. Her hand reached out towards Orca, me, then the view quickly receded.
“Orca, there probably is not another kid who knows what a Life Vessel is as well as you do. Odin hid a Life Vessel within you. If you understand what I am saying, stay still.”
Yeon-Hee’s arms overlapped in the view. She was holding Orca’s face and staring into his eyes.
“I know you are there. You can see me and hear my voice, right?” Yeon-Hee said.
“I heard something weird. The Lusea clan was also in chaos. If there is a recorded video, then Seong-Il will secure it soon. But don’t get your hopes up. There are only a few survivors, so even if there was a recording, it must have been destroyed already. That’s not the point, but what I want to say is…”
She looked like she was about to cry, but she forced herself to speak.
“The association will prioritize retrieving your items. I will also tell the King of Hell as well, so you…”
She was gritting her teeth and putting tension on her face. She seemed helpless probably because she didn’t want to show me her tears.
She turned around and said, “Leave the rest to us and get some rest.”
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