Chapter 222: A Great Path Has No Gate (5)

After Elder Lord’s system, ‘Albino’, declared a countdown to the end of the world, the situation worsened significantly.

Although countries worldwide declared their states of crisis, there was no real progress in the situation.

Everyone knew then that the situation could not be resolved from the outside. It was accepted as almost a given that if the entity known as the ‘Ashen God’ was not defeated within a week, all the players would die.

But who could possibly kill a god?

The users were merely trembling in fear, hiding in User Villages set up in each city.

The citizens watching the situation felt the same. They hoped, as if by a miracle, that the situation would be miraculously solved, and everyone would return safely.

Then, something shocking happened.

"What is that?"

"Woah, are they crazy? They’re broadcasting in the middle of all this?"

"That’s some crazy strong willpower right there."

Some streamers were leaving their villages to broadcast the battle between the Ashen God and the determined fighters.

At first, people just thought of it as a bizarre behavior by some streamers who had lost their composure due to fear.

But then, even the Under Games channel began broadcasting it. The world's attention was drawn to the battle again. The governments tried to control it, but once the situation escalated, it could not be stopped. Moreover, though it was called a broadcast, the video was transmitted through Elder Lord's own server, which was within the untouchable domain of Albino.

It was a live broadcast of the fate of the lives of tens of millions.

In the face of this crisis, ethical standards became meaningless. After all, there was no user among the determined fighters. It was merely a war of NPCs, with the lives of the users riding on the outcome.

And so, the fight for the world of Elder Lord and the lives of its users was broadcast to the people.

* * *

People stopped in their tracks.

From the large screens installed on buildings, footage of Elder Lord was being played. It was the first time this had happened since the incident started unfolding.

A caption appeared on the screens.

「This is a live broadcast.」

「The footage you are watching is being streamed by the Under Games channel cameraman, 'Polaroid'. 」

Everyone knew what the footage was about.

It was a battle where the fates of the users were at stake.

And, it was being broadcast by 'Polaroid,' a cameraman from the Under Games channel. He was an unknown staff member with no recognition of his name, but now, the whole world knew him as his panting breath was transmitted through the video.

Accompanying Polaroid was a famous Youvidser, Laney.

They were the first broadcasters to arrive at the Temple of the Fallen God.

This was also their first time in the north. With the outbreak of the incident, borders had disappeared. The north was a barren land.

—It looks like that's where the battle is happening.

—We've finally made it here.

The Under Games channel wasn't foolish enough to add commentators to a broadcast where real lives were on the line.

The station simply broadcast what Polaroid saw, and his voice was shared with the viewers for the very first time.

Those watching the screen could hear their trembling voices.

—How are they going to deal with that...

What they first encountered was a terrifying scene of shelling and explosions.

The citizens groaned.

Even from a distance, the power of the bombardment was clear. Like ancient knights facing modern firearms, the determined fighters advanced despite being torn apart by explosions. The magic within those shells had to be of a terrifying level.

—It seems like most of them are already dead...

They were dying and dying. With each explosion, more of the fighters fell. It was rather a massacre than a battle.

It was a dire march, literally stepping over the bodies of their comrades. The army was mingling with indescribable hideous monsters, desperately trying to move forward.

Getting any closer would risk Polaroid and Laney being caught in the bombardment themselves. They moved to higher ground to get a better view.

Soon, they spotted a familiar face in the chaos.

A character known to all.

—Crockta!

Crockta began to sprint, running unhesitatingly through the smoke caused by the bombardment. Standing in the way of the determined fighters was a demon, with smoke billowing continuously from the cannons behind him.

Beyond that demon there was a cannon of a size they had never seen before, aimed straight at them.

If it fired, the impact would be incomparable to anything before.

—The ones fighting must also be gods, but they’re just getting dominated like that... That's the power of the Ashen God...

Laney murmured.

Crockta charged toward it, but the demon blocked his path, circling around to harass him with a clear intention to delay him.

Gradually, light began to spill from the cannon's muzzle. The air trembled. The tragedy that that weapon was about to unleash was imaginable even without seeing it.

It would be utter devastation.

And it would also mean the victory of the Ashen God.

"What do we do, I can't watch this..."

"Isn’t it all over if those people can't stop it?"

"Why aren't they running with Crockta? He’s fighting all by himself!"

The voices of the spectators rose.

In the midst of this, something flickered across their view. At first, they thought it was a mistake, that it couldn’t be true. But, a massive shape slowly filled most of their field of vision.

It was a dragon.

A dragon, which had never shown itself since the very beginning of Elder Lord, had appeared before everyone at that very moment.

The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed the

Breath

.

The entire screen turned incandescent white.

The Breath became a giant beam that struck down to the ground, melting the giant cannon in its way.

It eradicated everything it touched and drilled down below. The ground itself collapsed, shaking the area. Nothing was left where the dragon's

Breath

had struck.

Soon, the fire ceased.

Only a giant hollow remained where the cannon had been, sending up heat.

People cheered.

No one knew where the dragon had come from, or what kind of being it was. Yet, a legendary being that had never been seen before appeared to use its power against the Ashen God.

Everyone realized something.

What was at stake here was not just the lives of the users. The characters of the Elder Lord world were also struggling to survive and to save their world from the Ashen God. The entire continent was resisting desperately against the Ashen God.

The whole world of Elder Lord was an ally, and the dragon proved that.

The terrifying enemies of the past were now joining them against the Ashen God. People began to harbor hope. Perhaps they could defeat the Ashen God, and the users could make a dramatic return to their world.

And at the forefront was the great orc, Crockta. Now known to all.

—Let's go, Ms. Laney.

—Right.

Polaroid and Laney's voices trembled.

They too stood there, risking danger. Having witnessed such a battle, they had to see it through to the end, to its conclusion.

They started approaching the temple of the Ashen God, where the bombardment had ceased.

People held their breath.

As the broadcast continued, gradually, everyone began watching the battle in their own ways.

The entire world was paying attention to this fight.

* * *

Crockta and the determined fighters managed to advance to where the Temple of the Fallen God was visible.

They crossed the barrier and overcame the bombardment.

Their numbers had already been cut in half. Only the higher gods and some mortals remained, continuing to advance.

There was no time to mourn the dead.

The Ashen God would be in that temple.

And so, they stood before the temple of the Ashen God, trembling at the unknown power emanating from it.

"From now on, we are completely inside her domain," the War God warned.

The entire place was filled with power. The divinity of the Ashen God permeated every breath they took. Centered around the white sphere in the sky, her power enveloped the area like a net.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves," he said.

Everyone grasped their weapons tightly and prepared for the imminent fight with the highly likely chance of death in their minds.

At that moment, the figure of the Ashen God emerged.

Her clear form appeared before their eyes, with her ash-colored hair fluttering.

Her eyes showed no emotion.

No one could react.

They were simply penetrated by the power of the Ashen God that was emitted.

"Keugh!"

"Argh...!"

A sharpened, ghostly force flew at them. It seemed no different from an ordinary attack, but within it was a force incomparable to any bombardment they had faced before.

They couldn't block it or dodge it no matter how hard or fast they tried to.

Casualties mounted.

"Ashen God!"

Crockta, who had cleaved through her attack with God Slayer, was the first to charge at her.

She retreated, but Crockta leaped again, swinging his sword at her.

"Burnnnn————!"

The Ashen God and Crockta.

Their persistent connection clashed for the first time.

Crackkkkkk!

The attack scraped the surface of her protective shield. Crockta stepped forward again, bringing down God Slayer.

Boommmm!

Power burst forth from the Ashen God. Crockta twisted his body to dodge but couldn't completely avoid it and was stabbed in the side. Blood splattered. As he staggered, the Ashen God gathered energy from within her body once again.

But Crockta wasn't the only one who charged at her.

The War God also swung his sword at the Ashen God with flames rising from it.

The enraged War God looked more like a devil who had crawled out of hell than a god.

"Because of you!"

The War God, with a face twisted in anger, thrust his sword. The protective wall was penetrated. Smaller cracks spread from the gap.

"Because of you, everything has gone awry, Ashen."

Her face was still expressionless.

Instead of answering, she raised her hand toward the War God.

It was a simple gesture.

But, because of that gesture.

The sky opened.

"......!"

The War God pulled back his sword, looked up at the sky, and then froze.

He turned around. Those still recovering from the Ashen God's strike were groaning.

"Take cover... Everyone!!! Take cover......!"

But it was too late.

From the white sphere covering the sky, a conglomerate of magic performing the grand spell of the cycle—a mass of destructive magical power was dropped.

The War God dove to the ground as he moved away from the Ashen God.

As the mass made contact with the ground, it caused immense destruction.

The world shook.

Legendary beings, who seemed like they would never die, perished. Gods struck by the power returned to Olympus in large numbers.

The chaos settled. Everything was covered in ashes.

A ringing filled the world.

In the midst of all that, someone squirmed on the ground.

It was Crockta.

As he got back to his feet, ashes fell off him. His vision was blurry. He was seeing double. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision, opening and closing his hand. It was hard to see. He opened and closed his hand one more time.

He looked around.

One by one, the gods got up. But some remained motionless, sprawled on the ground.

The area around the Temple of the Fallen God was completely covered in ashes.

It was like the scene he had seen when he was invited into her world.

Enduring the throbbing pain, he lifted God Slayer. Even amidst the explosion, he had not let go of his long-time comrade. He leaned on the greatsword in an effort to stand up.

The Ashen God simply stood there.

Crockta staggered to his feet and lifted his head. The Ashen God's face was still expressionless. Crockta pulled out a sharp piece of rock embedded in his shoulder. He wiped the flowing blood and lifted God Slayer again.

"Your friends are dead. Are you sad?" the Ashen God spoke.

"Shut your mouth."

"Do not be sad. I am always looking at death, and I will witness theirs and yours. There is no difference in any of your deaths."

Then the Ashen God smiled.

"All deaths are the same. And I’m going to make sure it stays that way."

Crockta swung God Slayer with all his might. But with a simple gesture from the Ashen God, he was repelled.

He fell to the ground, vomiting blood.

It was a strike that reversed causality in the realm of extremes. But it was nullified by only one simple gesture of her hand. Instead, Crockta was the one rolling on the ground.

The difference in power was stark.

"Urgh......"

He felt a body beside him. It was Anya.

She was already dead. Anya, the Mad Slaughterer who once cheerfully laughed on top of a sea of blood, twirling her throwing axe, had closed her eyes forever on that battlefield. She had survived the bombardment, but she could not overcome the Ashen God's strike.

Crockta called out to her.

"Anya."

But the dead do not speak...

What could he have done? The clock of destruction had started ticking, and to stop it, corpses must be stuffed between the gears. And before those corpses were completely crushed and twisted, new corpses must be added to halt the progression of that grim fate.

"Stupid woman. Krrng."

A voice came from behind.

It was Kumarak.

"Always calling me stupid, but in the end, she was the one who died stupidly. How stupid. Krrng! Stupid woman!"

He was crying.

He, too, had lost an arm in the strike.

"Stupid!"

With his one remaining arm, he lifted his massive axe, Destroyer.

"I will avenge youuuu————!"

It was a desperate roar.