◈ Episode 372. So, Enough Now (1)
Claudi Territory.
The Arcana Continent, shrouded in darkness.
Sensing that something was amiss, the players had returned.
They put their heads together and thought it over among themselves, but no answer came.
“So I get that it might be an internal family feud. But would the Arcana Continent really shake this much over a mere family feud?”
“It’s not mere. There’s probably some kind of Myth Quest or whatever on the line.”
“Even so……”
“Well, it might just be a temporary phenomenon caused by meeting some special condition.”
“That is true. No matter how different the Commander-in-Chief may be, in the end, he is still a player, isn’t he? No matter what skill or magic he uses, he shouldn’t be able to manipulate things on a continental scale……”
Dmitri, who had been listening to the conversation from afar, let out a sigh.
“How long are we supposed to just sit here sucking our thumbs?”
It was no longer simple curiosity.
At this point, he was genuinely worried.
Dmitri stared gloomily at the darkness spread over the land and muttered.
“……
Where the hell did that bastard Nam Taemin run off to now?”
The greatest threat at present, the Evil Dragon.
As planned, the Great Alliance had joined up with the Iron Castle to track the Evil Dragon. They simply had not informed the other players of that fact one by one.
Gang Euntaek of the Great Alliance glanced sideways at Dmitri.‘Nothing good will come of our plan becoming known.’Contributing to the defeat of the Evil Dragon, Yunaxus.
The guild masters of the Great Alliance had gained fifty levels in one fell swoop.The value of fifty levels was something rankers felt all the more keenly. And since that information had become known to the world, Gang Euntaek recalled the conversations going around among the players.
—“If the chance comes, shouldn’t we charge in first?”
—“Of course. Life’s all about one big hit anyway!”
—“Good. Let’s aim big. To put it bluntly, imagine gaining ten levels every time we stab a skill into a dragon! It’s not like we have to be the ones to finish it off, right?”
Because of that, Gang Euntaek’s mouth remained even more firmly shut.
The same went for the small number of Great Alliance guild members left in Claudi Territory.
Dmitri glanced at Gang Euntaek.
“Honestly, those guys don’t look like they’re going to say a word……”But the silence, each held for their own reasons, did not last long.
Soon enough.
A new presence was felt in Claudi Territory.
Flinch—mana rippled across Camilla’s vast field of vision.
“……
Someone entered through a portal.”
The hidden piece, Claudi Territory.
And a portal that connected Claudi Territory to the Arcana Continent. Someone was entering Claudi Territory through that portal. However, as stated, all the players had already returned to Claudi Territory.
Dmitri made a fuss.
“Lee Hoyeol…… No, has the Commander-in-Chief returned?”
In his mind, the only person left who could enter Claudi Territory through a portal was now Hoyeol. But as had been said again and again, the Arcana Continent was wide and vast.
Camilla shook her head.
“No, they’re entering simultaneously from both directions.”
“……
What? You mean it’s not just one person?”
“Yes.”
What those words meant was simple.
At least two.
The players tensed.
Someone somehow managed to bring up that long name.
“……
Could it possibly be Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo? That, that person might be returning to Claudi Territory at the same time as the Commander-in-Chief, right?”
Had they returned after ending the family feud?
The thought lasted only a moment.
A man looking up at the sky shook his head.
“No, I don’t think that’s it.”
For that to be the case.
The Arcana Continent was still wrapped in infinitely deep darkness.
And that was not all.
Camilla continued.
“There are more than two.”
“More? They can’t be new players, can they?”
“And…… they’re not ordinary.”
Shing—at Camilla’s words, Rox silently raised his sword.
It was not only Rox who acted.
Claudi Territory was Hoyeol’s domain, and at the same time, an indispensable forward base for humanity. No matter who the opponent was, they had reason to defend it with their lives. However, no swords were swung.
Two forces entering through different portals.
Those who seemed to be the leaders of the two forces.
Because their conversation could be heard.
“Hey, lump.”
“Hoho. Our Red-Eyes looks like quite the mess.”
“I wonder. Aren’t you a bit too drenched to be mocking my appearance? And with that thick waist of yours, I doubt you could even fall into a well if you tried to use that as an excuse.”
“Wh-what?!”
Dmitri opened his mouth.
“……
What is this? A comedy routine all of a sudden?”
Great figures.
Even the Seven Deadly Sins, the great evils who had watched the Arcana Continent since the beginning, had only recently learned of their existence. In a way, it was only natural that the players, outsiders, could not recognize them.
Even so, their extraordinary nature was evident from their appearances.
Dmitri told himself.
“No, let’s not let our guard down. Their appearances are flashy as hell, aren’t they?”
The Diamond Merchant Guild and Red-Eyes.
The procession of the Diamond Merchant Guild stretched so far that its end could not be seen. Red-Eyes had far fewer in number. But the aura each individual emitted, and the level of their armaments, were extraordinary. The rankers realized it at once.
An estimate formed in Rox’s mind.‘They’re on a level far above the Lionheart Knights.’A fighting force rarely seen even among Arcanians.
Perhaps they might even surpass the Magic Tower.
Why had two such extraordinary forces come to Claudi Territory?
Fortunately.
Before the tension could rise further.
They spoke first.
“Are you the adventurers I have only heard rumors about?”
At Red-Eyes Shahin Dune’s question, Gamond snorted.
“This must be your first time, Shahin Dune? Well, what would you know? Compared to you, we could say we have met before, couldn’t we? Let’s see. There shouldn’t be a single piece of equipment you adventurers use that has not been touched by my influence!”……
What on earth was he saying right off the bat?
Gamond’s gaze turned toward Dmitri’s plate armor as he tilted his head in confusion.
“This, too, is from one of our smithies.”
“One of our smithies……? Do you know how much this thing cost……?”
What swallowed the players’ questions as they stared in puzzlement.
Was the “title” that soon burst from their mouths.
The two men, who had raised their heads to look at the darkness hanging low above, opened their mouths.
“It should not take him long.”
“At last, it is time to settle the hierarchy clearly, Shahin Dune.”
“Hierarchy, is it? Good, I’ll humor you. Whom did you hunt?”
“Hoho. Do not be startled. One of the Seven Deadly Sins, no less!”
“Se-Se-Seven Deadly Sins?!”
The Seven Deadly Sins.
The one startled by that title was not Shahin Dune, but a player.
Dmitri, to be precise.
The great evils, the Seven Deadly Sins.
If one was a player, one was well aware of their existence, so it was only natural to be shocked. Gamond smiled in satisfaction at the reaction that added flavor, then finished speaking.
“With these very hands, I defeated Sloth!”
“……!!!”
He had defeated Sloth of the Seven Deadly Sins?
Of course, it was difficult to believe.
The players knew well the terror of demon-type monsters, so it was even harder for them to believe. They were thinking that the man called Shahin Dune would deny those words in their stead.
But Shahin Dune readily nodded.
“So you had a reason to be so triumphant. I hunted Gluttony. A single sword was enough. Meaning I had no need for a thick belly, a double chin, or to drench myself in holy water like you.”
This one said he hunted Gluttony of the Seven Deadly Sins……!
What that meant was simple.
Dmitri counted on his fingers, then opened his mouth.
“If, if that’s true, then there aren’t many left out of the seven now, right?”
Whether it was true or not, for the moment, they could only be astonished.
Their shock lasted only briefly.
The two men, who had been locked in a war of nerves, looked at the players.
They asked at the same time.
“When is our lord scheduled to return to the territory?”
Lord……?
At that point, the players’ astonishment could not help but grow once again.
Powerful forces who had each dealt with one of the Seven Deadly Sins and returned in one piece were calling Hoyeol their lord. At times like this, a personality that liked stepping forward proved useful.
When everyone else was at a loss for words, Dmitri answered.
“Well, it seems he has some personal circumstances……”
“Our lord’s personal affairs……”
“It makes no sense that you would know something we do not. Speak honestly. What happened?”
Dmitri read the room, then answered.
“Well, you see. The Commander-in-Chief heard news of Grandfell Claudi Ar…… what was it again? Anyway, Romeo, and hurriedly moved out! A Mythic-grade quest, in other words, something incredible was happening……!!”
Dmitri, quite literally, explained it terribly.
But the two men understood the gist of it.
Thanks to that, they could only wear puzzled expressions.
Shahin Dune recited.
“It seems you are greatly mistaken, adventurers.”
Gamond nodded as well. Yes. To those who knew Claudi well, there was a clear contradiction. After all, the Commander-in-Chief and Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo were not separate people, but……
“……
Wait.”
Shahin Dune, who had been about to convey a dreadful truth to someone.
Stopped speaking.
Because Dmitri’s face had turned white.
No, it was not only that.
Gamond’s whisper could be heard.
“So that must be the adventurers’ vision, Assistant.”
Adventurers possessed a vision unique to adventurers.
Shahin Dune had also learned that fact while hearing news about adventurers.
Therefore, Shahin Dune did not consider the interruption rude.
He was merely curious.
What had they seen.
To be making such appalled expressions?
However, no one could easily open their mouths.
Even if they could not know the exact meaning of the message that had appeared.[A ray of light within the infinitely deep darkness is fading.]
They could tell only that the situation was grave....
The Iron Castle.
“……!!!”
Shock spread across the faces of the Great Alliance. If there was one difference between them and the other players, it was that they did not hesitate. Because they had a means to chase Hoyeol immediately.
“Chainwalker-nim!”
At the urgent call, Chainwalker nodded.
“I understand.”
He had guessed as much.
The source of the darkness covering the Arcana Continent was likely Hoyeol.
After all, this was not the first time the Arcana Continent had fallen into darkness.
But if there was one difference……
Hiel and Diend.
Both spirits connected to Hoyeol had fallen silent.
Unlike that time, when they had eased their concerns.
No, to be more precise.
Leonie opened her mouth.
“……
This is okay, right?”
Both spirits were unconscious.
As if they had assimilated into the darkness covering the Arcana Continent. It was only natural for anxiety to sprout. But Chainwalker did not waver as he steered the Iron Castle.‘At this moment, the one who has fallen into deeper darkness than anyone else……’Was none other than Hoyeol.
The dwarf pilots, including Gunner, prepared to sortie.
At last, Chainwalker issued the sortie order.
“Search for the Commander-in-Chief by any means necessary!”*Grandfell saw the scenery reflected between his fallen strands of hair.
Could that be called scenery?
All that could be seen was darkness, deep as pitch-black ink.
“…….”
At some point, the single ray of light that had been shining through the darkness disappeared.
Grandfell stepped into that darkness.
Because nothing could be seen, his destination was unknown.
But one thing was certain.
Until the single ray of light.
That had illuminated the infinitely deep darkness.
Returned once more.
Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.
No one could stop his path.
Whether beast, human, or demon, there were no exceptions.
Yes, even if it was a demon who had reached the Heaven Beyond Heaven (天外天)
as a demon.
Even if it was one of the Demon Kings of the Ten Thrones.[The Demon King of the Tenth Throne, Buer, appears.]
“To think we would meet so soon. Have you come all the way to the entrance of the Demon World to greet me? It seems you, too, wished to converse with me! Good. It was an offering worthy of manifesting me.”
Buer, fully manifested, greeted him with delight. He had wanted to converse with one who had entered the realm of the Heaven Beyond Heaven as a human. However, Buer could not do so.
To be precise, he could not understand him.
“□ □□ □□□ □□□ □□□□□.”
The “him” of now was not the “him” from then.
That was……
Because it was “something” that had even surpassed the Heaven Beyond Heaven.