Chapter 53: Final (2)

The Grand Finale.

It was the long-awaited final match. 

No less than the GM himself had organized it—the ultimate showdown to determine the strongest in the continent was about to commence.

Pew pew.

As the Demon King announced the opening of the final match, the sky darkened, and countless fireworks shot up into the air.

Boom boom!

Colorful lights filled the sky, painting it in a dazzling array of hues. 

The display was inspired by the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies that Albus had witnessed in his previous life.

“…Beautiful,” someone whispered.

“Could it be that the GM has a deep appreciation for art? How else could such beauty be displayed in the sky?”

The players filling the stadium stared up in awe, mesmerized by the spectacle. 

However, because the GM had recreated memories from his previous life so accurately, even unnecessary symbols appeared in the sky.

“Five rings? What could they mean?”

The Olympic symbol, the five interlocking rings, also appeared in the sky.

“Five rings… I understand. They represent the five races of the continent, and those participating in this tournament.”

“The five races…? Ah, you must mean the humans, dwarves, elves, demons, and beastfolk.”

“Five different colors, symbolizing the five races that have come together here, not as enemies, but as one, to compete fairly. It’s a sign of peace.”

“A tournament for all the people of the continent… where no one is harmed, and everyone has enjoyed it. Truly, this is the work of a god.”

“But why use blue, yellow, black, green, and red?”

“These are the colors chosen by the GM himself. There must be some significance to them.”

“…Indeed! Those colors! Perhaps they represent the crests of the families, races, or nations!”

“Crests?”

“Yes, the flags representing families, races, and nations all use meaningful colors. But no flag lacks these five colors! It must be a gesture to include everyone on the continent!”

“As expected of the god of harmony, the GM…”

Though the GM had only included the Olympic rings in the sky for the sake of authenticity, the audience believed it was full of meaning and attributed great significance to the symbol.

“Oh, GM, to elevate us beastfolk to the same level as the other races!”

The Beast King looked up at the sky, pounding his chest in gratitude.

“Unifying the continent… No god, not even I in my prime, could achieve such a feat. GM, what exactly are you planning?”

Lenya crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

“The Lord lights my path, so I have no fear.”

Princess Rebecca’s body was enveloped in the blue light of a warp.

Paaat.

Koo goo goo goo.

Suddenly, the stadium began to shake violently.

“W-what’s happening?!”

“Is it an earthquake?!”

As the audience fell into confusion,

Crack.

the floor of the arena split open, and from the fissure, bathed in blue light, Leighton emerged.

“He’s the strongest slash specialist, who even defeated the Empire’s prince. Who can withstand his strikes? The Executioner, Leighton,” the Demon King announced in a deflated tone, but the audience, captivated by the grand entrance, held their breath as they watched.

Roooaaar!

At that moment, a giant pillar of light descended from the sky on the opposite side. 

It was a divine sight, as if a being from the heavens had descended to the earth. 

In the center of that light stood Rebecca.

“She’s the strongest in the Empire, who has reached the finals. Who dares to stand in the way of the king chosen by the GM? The First Princess, Rebecca.”

The noble descent of the god’s emissary.

The audience gulped as they watched the princess.

Click.

As the two players revealed themselves, powerful lights turned on from the roof of the stadium, illuminating them. 

The brilliant lights bathed the two protagonists of the final match.

“As expected of the GM.”

In the center of the lights, Leighton adjusted his glasses with his index finger.

“This stage is truly worthy of the final battle.”

“…Everything the GM does is always right,” the princess replied with a stern expression.

“Shall we begin?”

Leighton formed a seal with both hands.

“The Lord is with me.”

The stigmata on the princess’s hand began to glow.

“The final match… begins now!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the center of the arena, Rebecca, enveloped in divine power, and Leighton, surrounded by his slashing aura, clashed fiercely.

“Ugh!”

Leighton barely managed to fend off Rebecca’s charge with a slashing spell.

He had guessed at her strength from watching her previous matches. 

He knew that his own abilities would not be enough to take her on.

‘The gap between us is this wide…?’

However, the princess was far stronger than he had imagined. 

It seemed he would have to roll the dice sooner than planned.

“As expected of the king chosen by the gods. My strength alone is not enough.”

“…?”

Leighton created some distance and shook his head. 

Rebecca watched him warily, confused by his actions.

“Did you know? Our duel is the most watched event on the continent right now.”

‘What is he trying to say all of a sudden?’

Attempting conversation in the middle of such an intense battle—this was unlike the Leighton she knew.

“All across the continent, people are watching our fight and betting their labyrinth coins on the outcome. This duel of ours has sparked the largest gamble in history.”

Leighton extended his right hand, palm up.

“Shall we make a bet of our own?”

“A bet…?”

“On who will win this tournament.”

Who among us will claim victory in this tournament? And how will the gods respond to my trickery?

Vwoom.

Leighton raised his hand, with only his index and middle fingers extended toward the sky.

“O GM, master of this world! A lowly human child challenges you to a duel!”

Crack.

Then he gouged out his own eye.

“!?”

‘What is he doing?! Did he just gouge out his own eye in the middle of a fight!?’

“Now then.”

Where Leighton’s right eye should have been, there was only a black hole.

“The game has begun.”

He tossed away his bloodied glove.

Vwoom.

A glowing symbol appeared in his empty eye socket.

“Princess, you have no choice but to accept. The dice have already been cast.”

Leighton began to float slowly.

“Are you ready to place your bets? I’m all in.”

Under the watchful eyes of the gods.

I will deceive the gods and defeat their chosen emissary. 

All I have to wager is everything I have.

 Considering the scale of the gamble, the stakes aren’t even that high.

Vwoom.

As Leighton smiled, a mysterious energy settled over the arena.

“Ugh!”

‘What’s wrong with my body? Am I weakened?’

Rebecca’s body no longer moved as she intended, as if it had malfunctioned.

‘…No, time itself… is slowing down.’

Rebecca realized what was happening. 

Though she didn’t know exactly what Leighton had done, she understood that the time in the space around her had slowed down.

“Princess, I bet you’ll call. Am I right?”

Leighton smiled and formed a seal.

From the sky, countless slashing whirlwinds descended.

The whirlwinds gathered and struck down toward the princess.

“Player Leighton has destroyed his own eyeball, severely weakening the power of the bloodline gene inside it. However, since the power is derived from his bloodline, it remains even after the eyeball is destroyed, and the bug caused by that power still exists. Although the security system is suppressing the time-stopping bug, it seems that the bug has found a new way to bypass the firewall.”

“Can he still stop time?”

Albus began to understand the struggles of the GMs in the games of his past life.

“Thanks to the newly installed security system, a complete time stop is now impossible. No matter how he bypasses it, the bug is likely reduced to a mere slowing of time.”

‘Not a complete stop, but enough to intentionally cause lag in the game, making it as if multiple skills were used at once.’

Albus looked down at Leighton in admiration.

‘Just the fact that I warned him was enough for him to realize that his original ability would be restricted, so he destroyed his own eyeball to bypass the firewall. It means he understands at least part of this game’s system.’

Leighton had verified the possibility of bypassing the system by destroying his eye during practice in the waiting room, where the game system would restore any damage to his body.

But that wasn’t all.

Though he had only recently gained the ability to slow time, he didn’t just apply it to his opponent; he also applied it to his slashing magic, layering the attacks on top of each other. 

This created whirlwinds with unbelievable destructive power, like a series of skill usages all happening simultaneously due to the lag.

‘This guy… he’s something else…’

A human who dares to challenge the gods cannot have a happy ending, no matter how skilled they are.

But Albus’s eyes shone with excitement.

Finally, he had found it.

A brilliant coder, someone who dared to challenge the gods with ingenuity and determination, someone with an excuse to be kidnapped, who had the skills to be useful. 

The perfect coding slave had come along.