Chapter 816: The Last (49)

[When the day of destruction came, the leader of the State fell to her knees. Oh, Son of Light, forgive us of our sins. Pity the lambs, and give them one more chance. She cried for those she loved and cherished and asked the Son of Light for one last mercy. The Son of Light answered, “I’ve already given you a chance. What choice should I make?” If what the Son of Light really wants is the judgment of sin, what kind of choice should Alice, the lowly handmaiden who is here with the grace of the Son of Light, choose? Then the Son of Light said again… omitted… -Excerpt from unnamed Bible 27:19.]

-I’ll…

-…

-…

-Kim Hyunsung. Why do you think I chose the Federation?

-…

-Think carefully. Among the many places I could go to, why would I be going there?

-…

-I could go where the undead dragon and my honey fell, or to Laios, where the commander’s magic power is falling… Or, it might not matter even if we headed to a place where nothing happened. Come to think of it, there was the demon monster Salit, too, yet why do I have to go there and fight with the 27th corps guys? It’s a joke that’s not even funny. I don’t know what the purpose is, but I think it’s plausible.

-…

-There must be a place that you will want to go.

-…

-There is only one named monster that fell in the north. It was a corpse in tatters. It doesn’t matter if you run away, or if you follow the other way in your mind, it doesn’t matter that much… The choice is yours, and I won’t force it.

It was just like Cha Hee-ra said.

‘North…’

Unlike other places, there was only one named monster that fell to the northern part. It was a corpse in rags.

‘Is this a special treat?’

Perhaps the budget was insufficient, and it might have been difficult to create a means to deal with outer beings.

However, Kim Hyunsung was silent. He was staring blankly in the direction Cha Hee-ra left.

He looked like he was dealing with a lot of thoughts, but in the end, he started walking slowly.

The Red Mercenary’s waiting to be dispatched paid their respects to Kim Hyunsung, but the guy started leaving the main gate of the Red Mercenary without even looking at them.

‘Do you want him to have a mental breakdown? Hee-ra… I mean this woman really…’

I couldn’t decide exactly which choice to make.

No, it would be more accurate to say that I couldn’t make a choice. What I could do was limited, and it was impossible to take care of everything that was happening simultaneously.

Maybe I couldn’t have solved all of this even if I was down there.

Perhaps there was a limit to placing personnel in the right place…

Actually, if I thought about it that way, it wasn’t a bad situation.

Heera and the Red Mercenary Guild decided to leave for an expedition for the situation in the Federation. Meanwhile, the magic power floating on Laios…

‘There is a high probability that Hayan will solve it.’

There was probably Park Deokgu and Han Sora too.

It had to be a re-enactment of the situation on the verge of extinction due to the demon summoner Jin Qing. It seemed as if I was just looking back on what happened before, except that I wasn’t there.

I didn’t know what Jihye’s purpose was, but I thought I could understand her intentions.

Without Lee Kiyoung, would they have been able to save the continent? It felt like she was throwing that question. It seemed like romantic revenge, but the intention itself was…

‘It’s too romantic. There is no need to do this, right?’

I strongly felt like it was just a bluff. Perhaps her real purpose was to earn divinity for the entire continent. The storytelling itself that the narrative of the Son of Light was the beginning of destruction felt plausible, after all.

She’d shout my name and Benignore’s name in a slightly different way, but she’d make some achievements.

‘Laios…’

I wasn’t too worried about that one. In fact, the magic power summoned by Demon Summoner Jin Qing using Belial was blocked with Jung Hayan alone.

Of course, the difficulty level would be adjusted according to their current growth, but if it were her, she’d be able to block it without too much trouble.

The real deal would be the chain quest that would appear after resolving the Laios crisis. The same went for the war between the Republic and the State and the 27th Legion.

As the ending was a bloody battle between Belial and Benignore, I didn’t know how the event would go, but in the worst-case scenario…

‘Will we fight against Belial’s incarnation?’

The exact offensive wasn’t yet visible, so it would be better to postpone planning for what would happen later.

At least Cha Hee-ra and Jung Hayan found their elements.

Since Hee-ra was going to the Federation, she was probably carrying the burden of being the general commander at the time. She might have thought that that was the cause of the decisive weakening of my body and decided to do it the second time without making any mistakes.

‘Not bad. Not a bad pick at all.’

I could trust them both. The problem was on the other side.

North…

Important resources had been drained, as well.

The State’s Revolution.

‘The difficulty level is too high.’

I saw a huge dragon climbing on top of the wall and howling. Above it was a vague figure in my shape. It felt like a ghost rather than undead. It looked down on the State with a translucent appearance.

It seemed as if it was about to swallow the State at any moment, but there was no movement. I had a strong feeling that it was waiting for something. The people in the capital had a bewildered expression on their faces, but most of them were praying.

The soldiers were trying to evacuate the civilians, but they seemed to think that they should show their respect to the incarnation of the Son of Light, who perched on the wall.

And…

[The main event of the mythic-grade dungeon Continent Where the Son of Light was Sacrificed, the State’s Revolution, begins.]

Just as expected. With the system’s voice, the ghosts, which slowly began to take shape, rose.

Those who were moving slowly soon took up arms and stepped toward their enemies.

It wasn’t the kind of quest that simply solved named monsters.

-What… What is that? Sh*t…

-Prepare for battle! Sh*t! Prepare for battle!

-They are ghosts! Get ready for battle! Evacuate the citizens!

-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Run away!

Due to the appearance of the named monster, the soldiers and citizens of the country fell into confusion.

—Put down those traitors!

—Dirty traitors!

—Let’s bring judgment on the filthy traitors who have tainted the Empire with chaos! Glorious soldiers of the Empire!

The one who wielded the spear against the State was a ghost from the time when it was still called the Benignore Empire.

An enormous number of troops had begun to clash with the State’s soldiers.

‘Isn’t the difficulty level too high?’

If that was the only thing happening now, the State might be able to handle it.

However, with their main power missing, they were quickly mixed into the chaos, reminiscent of those judged in Hell. The ghastly soldiers reappeared after being slain. The State’s people, who were becoming increasingly terrified by the constant influx of troops, were filled with vague fear.

—Those filthy traitors destroyed the long and long history of the Empire with their injustice!

-Do not back down! Don’t listen to the voices of the ghosts!

—We will reclaim our glorious Empire today. Just as the Empire was erased and the State established, we will erase the State and find eternal rest. We will kill every single one of you without exception and make you feel the pain of eternity.

-Stop the ghosts! Stop them!

—For eternal rest. For the glory of the Empire. For our lost lives…

-We must ask Lindel for reinforcements.

-Anomalies are happening all over the continent. In Laios, in the Federation… I don’t know how long it will take. F-First, we have to stop them. There is no other way but to endure.

-What can we do? Our swords and magic don’t even work!

-We must evacuate the citizens. Other issues should be considered later.

-Has the heavens really abandoned the State? Oh, Son of Light, have you forsaken this place you built with your own hands?

-It is still too early to give up hope. There must be some other way. Definitely… definitely.

‘Some other way…’

It wasn’t hard to hold on right now. With Pope Basel, the Holy Knights, and the State’s priests holding on, they could block the entry of the ghosts.

Of course, even that wasn’t easy. They were constantly respawning.

To make matters worse, if the named monster moved… defending would seem impossible.

‘No. There’s nothing that can’t be attacked.’

Since the system allowed the existence of such a dungeon, we could definitely damage them. There was no way the system would allow an event that couldn’t be targeted.

- Oscar.

-…

- Oscar.

-… Yes, Duchess Catherine?

-Are you okay?

-Yes. I’m fine. I am… fine.

-The New Continental Protection and Management Committee has requested support from Lindel, Celia, and Dawan. The Mist Summoner and Ranged Sniper from the State’s eight seats are expected to arrive soon with griffons, and the Sunset Swordsman is yet to respond.

-…

-It has been reported that Jung Hayan headed to Laios with some of the Blue Guild members. I think she probably judged that was a sign of what’s happening in the State. I heard that Laios, the Republic, and the State would be in danger of being caught up if the magic power floating above Laios falls.

-I see. Jung Hayan also… Yes. Thank you. Duchess Catherine.

-Yes?

-Duchess Catherine.

-What is it?

-What do you think?

-What are you talking about…

- What do you think about this fight?

-…

-If this fight is really for the Son of Light to judge us, what should we do? What do we have to fight with? What are we fighting to protect from whom? If what he really wants is destruction… What should we do if this is the result he really wants?

-That’s…

-Even Pope Basel spared some words. We know we have to evacuate the citizens. I know they are too innocent to face such a cruel fate. However… However, I am afraid that this will go against Lee Kiyoung’s will. Perhaps… Maybe we have to accept fate.

-Oscar.

-That could be the atonement for him. The minimum amount of atonement that can undo our wrongdoing.

Everyone would find their place.

However, I thought that there were people who had been maintaining their original positions.

‘They don’t need support.’

There was no need for Kim Hyunsung to come or Jung Hayan to come.

The ghosts didn’t die. I didn’t think the event that Jihye prepared would end with just killing monsters.

State’s Revolution.

Maid Alice.

No, Oscar.

“This is your element.”

Maybe…

The actor prepared, as this stage was meant for her.

-Oh, Son of Light.

A revolutionary who had abandoned her former name was looking out the window with an anxious face.