episode_0178

|Heheheheh!|

Above the clouds.

From the high sky, Luna’s sinister laughter echoed.

Below, the four Great Spirits were advancing towards Elvengard under the command of the transcendent being.

Surrounded by them, the elves could do nothing but wait for death, unable to even think of fleeing.

“We will finally destroy Elvengard that Kali couldn’t! We can also kill all the superhumans gathered here, so this is the situation we dreamed of! That man never cared in the first place, and this was the original goal!”

Muttering something, Luna made excuses for not being able to kill Eugene.

He thought that guy was no match for him, and he still believed that now.

As a transcendent being who surpassed all human limitations, Luna had no confidence in a physical or firepower battle.

But why?

When Luna faced Eugene, he felt a chilling sensation running down his spine.

A deep and intense aura of death!

Luna, as a long-dead spirit, believed that death was nothing to fear.

But in the presence of the death aura emanating from Eugene, Luna involuntarily shrank and trembled.

Ominous.

And what Luna felt ominous about was mostly true danger.

Following his instincts, Luna had survived until now.

Although his pride was slightly hurt, it seemed he had to follow his instincts this time as well.

That’s why Luna was now up in the high sky, avoiding Eugene.

“Rather than killing that guy, it would be much more fun to slaughter those around him! Heheh!”

Eugene pretended to be a divine grape, and Luna burst into laughter.

Elvengard would soon be destroyed.

And the transcendent being would absorb all the power of the undead army and become complete.

Despite facing challenges such as superhumans attempting dungeon raids or the Great Demon dropping out, they had overcome them all.

Now, with the power of this transcendent being, which had become almost like a god, conquering the world without the help of ‘that person’ seemed possible.

At that moment when Luna firmly believed so.

A strong feeling made Luna’s eyes twitch.

“Huh?!”

Meanwhile.

On the ground, Elvengard was in a state of emergency.

Elvengard, isolated and surrounded by the Great Spirits.

Only a few elves had managed to escape, while most were still unable to flee.

From afar, the sight of a giant entity devouring the forest and houses was unfolding in all directions.

“Don’t worry, everyone! We are currently persuading the Great Spirits, so they will stop soon!”

“This is the end for us! Elvengard is doomed!”

“The chosen Great Spirits of the World Tree have turned against us!”

“You say you’re persuading the Great Spirits! That’s a lie, isn’t it, Priestess? Right?!”

“Well…”

In front of the terrified elves, Mia’s lips trembled.

She had to calm the people down and regain control of the situation.

There was no way to captivate the crowd of nearly a hundred thousand, who were on the brink of death.

She had ruled over them by promoting faith in the World Tree.

But with the Great Spirits now trying to destroy the World Tree, all governing ideologies were falling apart.

‘I have to believe.’

She had to believe in Eugene.

She had to believe in Eugene and his comrades.

Thinking that way, Mia felt a slight sense of relief in her heart.

Now was the time to be firm.

“Alright. I will tell the truth. We are currently executing a plan to physically subdue the Great Spirits.”

“What?!”

The crowd was in an uproar.

Mia closed her eyes tightly.

Flowing through the mana, I listened to the short-range communication magic.

“Commander Rex! The momentum of the flames won’t break!”

“Lord of Frost is about to release maximum power! Take the opportunity to destroy the main body nucleus!”

“What? If the nucleus is destroyed, the Great Elemental Lord will perish as well…”

“Silence! Which is more important, the Great Elemental Lord or a hundred thousand Elvengard citizens? I can sacrifice anything if it’s for the sake of our elves!”

“We will follow your orders!”

Although not visible from afar.

Even now, the warriors of Elvengard, the Lord of Frost, the witch, and the saint were struggling to suppress the Great Elemental Lord.

It was as unlikely as a riot breaking out inside while they were fighting to protect Elvengard with their lives.

As they were risking their lives to protect Elvengard, it was necessary to ensure that their efforts were not in vain.

“How dare you defy the Great Elemental Lord…!”

“Isn’t that betraying the World Tree?”

“The Great Elemental Lords are not in their right minds right now. There was a similar incident in the past, but the Fire Elemental Lord at that time had no intention of causing casualties. But now, they are only advancing for slaughter. The Great Elemental Lords have already lost their reason. The heavens have not yet forsaken us. Even if the Great Elemental Lord betrays us, loses the World Tree, and loses Elvengard, the fate of the elves does not end here. The fate of the elves is not something bestowed by the World Tree. It is something that the elves choose and continue. At least I, the saint Mia, will never give up on you elves. Even if we lose the protection of the Great Elemental Lord, lose the World Tree, and lose Elvengard, I will not give up. What will you do?”

“… ”

The commotion subsided and the audience fell silent.

Mia suggested starting anew in a different land even if they lost the World Tree.

The reactions seemed somewhat shocked.

Elves, a race somewhat lacking in the tenacity possessed by humans and demi-humans.

Having lived only in Elvengard, where mana, spirits, and blessings of the elements were bestowed from birth.

There were elves who did not understand the concept of exploring and adventuring in harsh lands.

But that was just unfamiliarity.

Elves were not lacking in what humans and demi-humans possessed.

If they wanted to, they could do anything.

There were elves who left Elvengard and adapted to living in human lands, so it was natural.

Although they may be abandoned by the gods, if that were the case, humans and demi-humans were abandoned by the gods from the start.

“The land where the elves live is Elvengard itself. So Elvengard will not perish. It will just change its form a little. It is not that the gods have forsaken us. We are leaving the embrace of the gods. It is time to leave the cradle and face the world.”

Elvengard had stubbornly followed an isolationist policy.

As a result, it could maintain peace without external interference, but it was technologically and culturally distant from foreign lands.

Even though it was an inland country not bordering the sea, it functioned like an island nation.

It could be seen as carrying on the tradition well.

But speaking negatively, it was falling behind more and more as time passed.

Rather, this was an opportunity to reduce dependence on the Great Elemental Lords and the World Tree.

It was a chance to leave the well and face the world.

Until now, it was unimaginable that Elvengard and the World Tree would be in jeopardy.

Now that Elvengard was physically collapsing, it was a chance to overturn everything and start anew.

“If even that is frightening, then I have no more words. Elves. Are you afraid of the world? Do you think that the lands that humans and demi-humans have explored, the elves cannot explore? Do you think that just because you are elves, you cannot do it?”

“No!”

“That’s not true!”

Answers erupted from all around.

The eyes of the elves, once filled with fear, began to show determination.

The fear of death remained, but now they were no longer meek lambs unsure of what to do.

To survive, they were ready to crush anything in their path and move forward like beasts.

The elves were no longer a weak race clothed in nobility.

At this, Mia faintly smiled.

Now, the fate of the elves rested not in the hands of the gods or the World Tree, but in the hands of the elves themselves.

“Elvanguard. May you be eternal.”

“Aaah!!!”

It was a desperate situation, but the hope only grew stronger.

“Master!”

Meanwhile, on another front where they were struggling to stop Ifrit,

Taesu and Gwiho lay burned and fallen at the forefront of the battle.

As the ethereal body of the Great Spirit approached with flames blazing,

Sogong held the unconscious master and wept, unable to regain his composure.

They could have just abandoned the land of the elves and fled.

Why did they strive to help and end up injured like this?

“Run! You’ll be crushed by the ethereal body soon!”

“Ah…”

Rex shouted.

Only then did Sogong, who had been trying to flee while holding the master, look back in shock.

He had been hesitating, trying to escape while carrying the master.

“What are you doing?!”

“If the master’s hand falls to the ground, run while holding him! I’ll buy you time!”

Sobbing, Sogong moved forward.

It would be disrespectful to break the master’s will to sacrifice himself.

There was only one way to save the master – to help complete the spell and activate it.

“Ugh!”

Sogong knelt down and touched the spell on the ground.

Together with Gwiho’s weak magic due to unconsciousness, Sogong’s strong magic created a powerful flow.

Soon, the entire spell shone brightly and began to envelop the Fire Great Spirit.

Although it was a sealing spell,

The Great Spirit’s power was so strong that it couldn’t be completely sealed, only slowed down slightly.

But that was enough.

As long as they could buy time, it was more than enough.

“Aaargh!!!”

But for Sogong, it was a little too late.

Just before completing the spell,

The ethereal body of the Great Spirit touched Sogong, and the flames engulfed her in an instant.

Despite the burning pain, she endured silently and continued to manipulate the spell.

The burning pain was bearable, as she had experienced similar pain from Yu Jin before.

“Ugh…”

And finally, as the spell was completed and took effect,

Sogong burned white and melted away.

Watching her disappear with tears in his eyes, Rex hugged Gwiho and turned away.

“Damn it… What am I doing while a young girl sacrifices herself to protect us!”

Unaware that the one who had just died was a clone of Sogong, he cursed in frustration.

“We’ve bought ourselves some time. Using the sacrifice of the witch, the wizard, and the dwarf, we managed to buy roughly 10 minutes with the numerology we created…”

“Ah! Magic exhaustion! Ahhh! My legs are tingling! Ughhh…”

“And we bought another 5 minutes with the frost of the Ice Lord.”

“…”

“…”

As the priestess summarized the situation, silence fell over the command center.

At this point, all they could do was pass the time, hoping for Eugene’s success, slowly extending the thread of life with no certainty.

But now, even that had reached its limit.

It had been 20 minutes since Eugene entered the dungeon.

The dungeon was constantly filled with cold air, and before they knew it, the cold had pierced through the stone gate and crept outside.

The surrounding land was frozen, turning into a snowy wasteland all the way to the outskirts of Elvengard.

The Great Spirits showed no signs of stopping.

“It’ll be 30 minutes soon… When it hits 30 minutes, I’ll go rescue Eugene right away. That’s what I know.”

“Wasn’t it supposed to stop after the Great Spirits stopped?”

“But they haven’t stopped. We’ll wait endlessly until we’re trampled to death by the Great Spirits, right?”

“…”

If things went awry, they would only save Eugene and escape together.

Although the Ice Lord had clearly stated that, no one could stop her or blame her.

No one could call selfish the choice to save a loved one rather than die with those who had no hope of survival.

Both the witch and the priestess were leaning more towards that side.

“I’ll carry the gun and be the selfish and cruel woman. Elvengard is not my land, and the elves are not my people. Dying here would be a waste. I did my best, and yet there was no way out. When it hits 30 minutes, I’ll rescue Eugene from the dungeon and create an escape route for a few people to flee. Whoever wants to follow, follow me.”

“…”

“Priestess. Witch. Even if you decide to leave, we won’t blame you. As the Ice Lord said, there’s no need for you to die here. Please escape when you have the chance.”

“…”

With a slightly resigned look, Rex spoke softly.

Upon hearing this, Jill and Julia bit their lips, conflicted.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Eugene.

They knew that Eugene would surely succeed.

But what if they were even a little late?

What if the Great Spirits only stopped after destroying Elvengard completely?

Just thinking about it made tears well up.

“I will stay here.”

“What?!”

“Witch and Ice Lord, please take refuge first. I am the one who spreads hope to humanity. Whether it’s humans or elves, it doesn’t matter. I will stay and help the elves hold on to the last thread of hope.”

“Priestess…”

It was a professional duty.

As an individual, she wanted to run away.

But as a priestess, she couldn’t.

Jill was surprised at herself for making this decision, feeling cowardly and timid.

But she also began to understand Eugene a little.

Sometimes, when you’re afraid and want to hold on, you have to face danger.

“I, I, I also want to, to stay… My, my magic hasn’t completely run out yet… I’ll believe in Eugene and wait…”

“Oh my goodness! What will happen to me if you two do this! I’ll stay too! I’ll try to replenish my magic in the remaining 10 minutes and try to release it again!”

“Thank you… Thank you so much…”

Rex shed tears and bowed his head.

They say a person’s true character shows in extreme situations.

Perhaps the reason why the giants were giants was not just because of their physical strength.

‘Being strong physically doesn’t mean everything…’

She remembered the time when she fought in a duel, burning 800 years of lifespan to win against another race.

Strength wasn’t the most important thing.

The true essence lies in mastering that power with the mind.

As Rex rubbed his head, he felt a sense of admiration rising for these three superhumans.

“Huh?!”

“Oh?”

But then, at that moment.

A rumbling vibration spread through the ground.

The expressions of those who hurriedly scrutinized the demeanor of the Archlords brightened.

The Archlords halted their advance.

That was all.

“What in the world have I done…?”

The Archlords regained their composure.

“We’ll take a 30-minute break from now on.”

“Yes…”

Success.

It was achieved by Yujin.

…

…

…

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