Chapter 1897
A daoist immortal was a being who left the world and took nature as a friend. They weren’t bound by the common sense of human society, didn’t suffer pain or disease, and were immortal. This was why those called the daoists dreamed of ascending to Shangri-La. Most daoists had the aspiration of gaining eternal life, so they turned their backs on the world and devoted themselves to cultivation.
[It is more like a lich.] This was Braham’s sentiment. It was while checking on Yeoam, who was still alive despite being cut by the sword. He didn’t die despite his body being cut in half.
Braham added, [Now that I see it, aren’t they crazy guys?]
There was a perception among players that daoist immortals were good. It was a perception created by Bentao. He was clearly a good man who tried to clear the name of the Seven Malignant Saints. Naturally, Braham was also influenced by the Overgeared Guild. Since people had a positive evaluation of Bentao, they also recognized the daoist immortals as good beings.
They only thought the reason why they cultivated and became a half-G.o.d was to gain the strength to contribute to the ‘peace of humanity’ like Grid.
They were mistaken. Braham noticed that the daoist immortals were close to madmen.
“It is different from a lich. The lich are monsters who acquired eternal life to satisfy their desire for inquiry, while we have cultivated for the purpose of achieving eternal life itself,” Yeoam argued.
Unlike the lich, who used eternal life as a ‘means’, the daoist immortals made eternal life their ‘purpose.’
The difference was huge.
The lich were studious existences. In order to reach the limit of magic, they abandoned their human body and turned themselves into the undead to transcend death. They were those who would do anything for the sake of magic. They were capable of doing some pretty crazy things unless they were controlled by someone, like the liches of the No Offspring Tomb.
On the other hand, the daoist immortals trained to achieve eternal life. It meant they had already achieved what they wanted at the time they became daoist immortals. There was nothing for them to cling to any longer.
Therefore, they weren’t bound by material things and they were very free in their principles of action. Just like humans, there were many different groups and there were many good ones among them. The evidence was those who struggled for others or for the world, such as Bentao and Yeo Yulan.
[......]
Braham didn’t really object. In the first place, he didn’t care if the daoist immortals were good or bad. He silently turned his back and pursued King Sobyeol. He moved purely using physical force without using Teleport.
Currently, there were a total of 27 enhancement spells imprinted on Braham’s body. They each had a different duration and cooldown. Ignoring this and keeping it active at all times required a high degree of concentration, even for the G.o.d of Magic. The moment that other magic was invoked, the balance was likely to collapse.
Unlike Braham, King Sobyeol moved freely. He repeatedly used Shunpo and landed on the head of the imoogi that stood tall as if to pierce the sky. [It is too majestic to treat you as a mere monster. How long did Yeoam have to endure in order to seal you?]
“King Sobyeol...!” The faces of the members of the Overgeared Guild hardened.
At the same time that Kraugel destroyed the formations, they carried out large-scale movement toward the coordinates given by Faker. They joined smoothly thanks to Euphemina. It didn’t matter how strong the imoogi who just woke up was. They had enough power to challenge a raid.
“I will focus on recovery.”
This imoogi was bigger than expected. If the head was flat without horns and the face didn’t resemble a snake, wouldn’t it be okay to just call it a dragon?
King Sobyeol’s appearance on top of such a monster was so terrifying that it was overwhelming. It was perceived as a great danger.
However, Euphemina didn’t stop using Mana Drain. Thanks to Piaro’s field magic, she was able to suck up the mana that was overflowing in the atmosphere without hesitation. She trusted the protection of her colleagues.
[You have divinity. It is extraordinary. The next best magician after Grid’s right hand man.] King Sobyeol said while pulling the string of the great bow.
It was aimed at the air. Originally, it was normal not to know who he was targeting. However, the intention engraved into the s.p.a.ce gave a hint to the members of the Overgeared Guild.
The moment Toban noticed that King Sobyeol was aiming for Euphemina, he designated her as his protection target. He used his defensive skills and raised his s.h.i.+eld to prepare for the arrows that were about to rain down.
Soon—
The rain of intangible arrows slammed against Toban’s s.h.i.+eld.
A s.h.i.+eld made of dragon bones and scales—it withstood even the arrows of divinity.
Toban trembled at the weight of each arrow before barely managing to speak, “Finally...! I finally paid for the value...!”
This was a G.o.d.
Toban’s limbs were intact even after blocking the baptism of arrows shot by an Absolute. It was distinctly different from the past.
The strongest beings in the world who had been fighting against Grid—Toban would often cross the threshold of death by blocking their blows. Unlike Vantner, he couldn’t even claim to be ‘Grid’s s.h.i.+eld’ as a joke. But wasn’t it worth claiming it now?
Euphemina dealt a blow to Toban, who was moved with tears in his eyes. “I don’t think you paid for it?”
“......?”
The surrounding scenery started to enter his hazy vision. His bloodied colleagues could be seen. Most of them narrowly escaped a serious injury. It was evidence that the baptism of arrows fired a moment earlier was a wide-area skill.
“d.a.m.n.”
Likewise, it was right to respond with a wide area skill. He was bewitched by King Sobyeol’s intentions and became obsessed with Euphemina’s safety.
Jishuka comforted Toban, who was blaming himself. “Even Vantner wouldn’t have been able to handle the attack if he designated multiple targets for protection. Well done.”
Did she get hit in the head? Jishuka’s face was wet with blood and she staggered like her brain was spinning. It was clear that she was suffering from a physical abnormality that she couldn’t resist even with her status as a legend.
Nevertheless, she was pulling the string of her bow. She could hit the target with her arrow even with her eyes closed. The arrows of the Bow Saint were shot and soared high into the sky. There were 12 shots in all. Jishuka also targeted many places. She aimed at the large eyeb.a.l.l.s of the imoogi and King Sobyeol, who was standing on it.
[Bow Saint. You deserved to be selected by my older brother.] King Sobyeol didn’t hide his admiration. It was an admiration that began when the members of the Overgeared Guild safely endured the baptism of arrows. [It is rea.s.suring to think of returning home with you in the future.]
King Sobyeol, who arbitrarily discussed cooperation—the members of the Overgeared Guild had no time to point out his crazy att.i.tude. It was because the imoogi was screaming.Unlike King Sobyeol, who s.n.a.t.c.hed Jishuka’s arrow with his hand just before it pierced his brow, the imoogi was struck by the arrow.
It was the aftermath of just being released from the seal. It was shaking its head and not grasping the situation at all. Thus, it couldn’t react to the arrows that were fired silently. No, maybe it knew but ignored it. It just looked down on the human race.
It was understandable. From the perspective of the imoogi, the size of the arrow that Jishuka shot was extremely small. If it had to be seen using human senses, it would’ve looked like dust was flying in.
The imoogi shook its head a couple of times, perhaps in an attempt to shake off the arrows stuck in its bright yellow eyes. It had a practical effect. The liquid in its large eyes shook like waves. Jishuka’s arrows were swept away and pulled out.
“The incidents that Grid have been involved in have been too great for me. I’m scared that I will die suddenly if I stay like this,” Zednos lamented with a tearful face. He created a barrier of wind.
The tsunami that flooded the lake where the imoogi had been soaking failed to hit the group and stopped in a straight line in the air.
The sight seemed to stimulate the imoogi even more. It had been submerged in a lake that was as wide and deep as the sea. Then it roared as its body became more and more upright, revealing a size that was larger than expected.
Two large beads s.h.i.+ning at the end of its long tongue could be seen at first glance. It was the yeouijus.
King Sobyeol’s figure disappeared. Soon, he reappeared in the mouth of the imoogi. He held two yeouijus in his hand, one of which had a particularly strong aura.
[I’ll take this with me.]
Just then, the imoogi closed its mouth. The terrible sound of crus.h.i.+ng bones reached the ears of the members of the Overgeared Guild.
Gulp!
Zednos stared at the imoogi who was swallowing something and muttered, “Is it eating now? A G.o.d?”
“Weren’t they on the same side in the first place?”
People’s attention was drawn to Kraugel and Hw.a.n.g Gildong. They were asking for an explanation from the two people who were aware of the situation.
“King Sobyeol has been aiming for the imoogi’s yeouiju. The one called Sword Immortal Yeoam has been hiding the imoogi from King Sobyeol. They are enemies.”
It happened as Hw.a.n.g Gildong was explaining it as briefly as possible...
The imoogi’s belly rumbled and there were continuous explosions. The swallowed King Sobyeol was rampaging in its stomach. It must’ve been quite painful because the imoogi spat out King Sobyeol, who had just been swallowed.
[It looks like it has no intention of giving it away.] King Sobyeol, who regained his dignity by regenerating the garments dissolved in the gastric juices, tilted his upper body at an angle.
Braham’s fist grazed past his collar.
The still upset King Sobyeol clicked his tongue. [How long are you going to imitate a useless martial artist?]
It was a trivial tone. It was a wake-up call for Braham. Braham had overlapped enhanced magic in order to achieve a state that was similar to an Absolute.
Right now, he resembled Grid when Grid first used his artificial senses. He might not be an Absolute, but it was possible for him to react to the movements of an Absolute. However, what was the point? He was a magician. A magician shouldn’t seal their magic.
“I was about to stop,” Braham’s voice came from his mouth, not from his intent.
Surprise filled King Sobyeol as his eyes were colored with bright magic power. It was the aftermath of Braham releasing the magic he had been wearing and casting other magic. The magic power released in large quant.i.ties formed magic with different powers and functions, and attacked King Sobyeol. It was a magic bombardment at close range without any foreshadowing.
Part of the colorless divinity that King Sobyeol had been using as self-defense was destroyed. The opponent might be an Absolute, but Braham was the G.o.d of Magic. He had fully a.n.a.lyzed King Sobyeol’s divinity when the Disintegrate used earlier was blocked by King Sobyeol’s divinity. He had already calculated what type of magic was needed to attack the divinity. Once the magic was able to hit, it was possible to inflict meaningful damage. It was realized at this moment.
Of course, it came at a heavy price. The sword wielded by King Sobyeol pierced Braham’s smooth stomach and split it open. It was a powerful counterattack that rendered the s.h.i.+eld created with magic useless.
[You have to pay the price for ignoring my favor.]
His anger manifested as intent. This was the outside of the Overgeared World.
King Sobyeol seemed agitated by the fact that he had been hurt, even a bit, in his complete state where he wasn’t under any restrictions. Braham was also a G.o.d, but King Sobyeol was still ashamed of being hurt by another G.o.d.
A chief G.o.d—among them, he had the arrogance of one who was born as a child of a G.o.d of the Beginning.
“Bah,” the seriously injured Braham snorted. Among the magic that he had just cast, he added a new magic and regained the right to use the magic that was just ‘absorbed’ by the colorless divinity. It exploded one after another.
The hands of King Sobyeol became even crueler after he suffered a series of damages. He swung his sword in a wide range, as if to cut Braham’s body from both ends. The sword that landed on Braham’s waist exploded with a loud roar. It felt like metal and metal had collided.
Kraugel’s Poetry that Praises the Sword was applied to Braham. Four swords took damage instead of Braham and shattered, glistening like snow powder around Kraugel.
“It is impossible to use it continuously,” Kraugel explained to his colleagues and rushed forward.
Poetry that Praises the Sword had grown exponentially in utilization after it achieved the master level. The cooldown time was increased by three times when it was used on a target other than the caster. It already had a long cooldown, so he used the skill that should’ve been saved as a trump card for Braham.
Braham was spared the pain of his waist being split apart, but he didn’t express his grat.i.tude.
“Can I die?” Braham spoke like a player.
Resurrection—he was a being with a tremendous power that didn’t match an NPC. Obviously, wasn’t it right to cla.s.sify Braham as a super-named ‘boss monster’ rather than an NPC?
Kraugel had such a thought while turning his body like a spinning top. The sword he had became even more powerful. Then the sword of King Sobyeol was cut in half. It might be made of divinity, but it couldn’t resist the power of the Sword Saint.
It was s.p.a.ce Sword. Kraugel used his ultimate move without sparing it. This was the only way he could make King Sobyeol falter for a moment.
This allowed Yura to complete her sniping and there was a loud roar as King Sobyeol was. .h.i.t.
[...Demon Slayer. Was Judar’s hypothesis about beings who achieve their goals evolving true?]
King Sobyeol’s coat was dyed red. It was because he allowed Yura’s blow to hit him. His heart wasn’t pierced, but his self-defense was partially destroyed and he was wounded.
The Baal raid—the experience of helping kill the ruler of h.e.l.l had made the members of the Overgeared Guild grow tremendously. It was the reward for the greatest achievement in the history of humanity.
[.....]
King Sobyeol’s eyes s.h.i.+fted in the direction of the imoogi. He saw a maniac who drew the attention of the imoogi by uttering swear words he never imagined. The imoogi was gradually getting more agitated. Sooner or later, it would become uncontrollably violent.
[It is hard to resolve it peacefully. First of all, I will subdue it. Condolences in advance for all the casualties.]
Something similar to the sound of a heartbeat came from King Sobyeol’s great bow. At the same time—
Waaahhhhhhhh!
Shouts rang out from all directions. The noise of clas.h.i.+ng weapons was mixed with the shouts. There was also a series of roaring sounds that seemed to have caused destruction that slightly exceeded the power of great magic.
‘What?’ Eventually, the members of the Overgeared Guild were swept away by the shaking ground and were fl.u.s.tered.
The scenery around them hadn’t changed, but it felt like they were standing in the middle of a battlefield. Notification windows appeared in their confused field of view.
[The great myth, ‘War of the G.o.ds,’ is activated.]
[The one who activated the myth, ’King Sobyeol’, has the power of ‘the protagoonist.’]
[The battlefield is judged to be ‘Dimension: Asgard.’.]
[The dimensional effect of Asgard is oppressing you. All stats are drastically reduced.]
[You can’t resist.]
“All of you, run away...”
It was a rare moment when Braham said something that didn’t match him.
“Don’t take a step back. We must prevent the yeouiju from falling into the hands of King Sobyeol,” Yura interrupted Braham. Based on various circ.u.mstances, it was confirmed that King Sobyeol shouldn’t get his hands on the yeouiju.
“Yes, all of you, don’t think about running away.”
In the first place, Braham had the same opinion as Yura. The fact that he was about to say something that didn’t fit him was actually just the illusion or wish of the members of the Overgeared Guild.
“Things will get a bit better when Hurent and the yangbans arrive.”
It was Piaro and Braham. They took the lead alongside Kraugel.
“Don‘t forget Vantner as well. He will be disappointed.”
Pon and the members of the Overgeared Guild, who were surprisingly taking good care of Vantner, followed along.
The warriors of reversals—for them, being prepared for a decisive battle was as familiar as eating to them. They didn’t shrink back even if the opponent was an Absolute. As if to congratulate them—
Majestic music started to blare.
[Only One G.o.d ‘Grid’ has appeared.]
King Sobyeol’s eyes widened.
[Is this possible?]
An unbelievable phenomenon was unfolding.
[The greatest salvation myth, ‘h.e.l.l"s Purification,’ is suppressing the effect of the great myth, ‘War of the G.o.ds.’]