NOVEL NEXT Chapter 225
Chapter 225 – Final (5)
“Those shameless bastards are gathering here.”
Deep within the imperial palace, in the most grandiose of locations, was the Emperor’s throne. Only those who could govern this vast territory were allowed to sit upon it.
‘I will… seize the entirety of this land.’
Emperor Rihir, still retaining a sense of self, had become one with the throne. His body grotesquely bloated like a malignant tumor, fused with the chair, and tentacles erupted from him, spreading out like branches, tangled together like a spider’s web.
Some of these even burrowed into the ground, extending beyond comprehension.
However, he was unaware of his current state. This was a clear indication of the immense and powerful desire awakened by the Bugs.
His face was now unrecognizable; he was clearly being used by the Bugs, yet astonishingly, this perfectly aligned with what he genuinely desired.
To dominate the world beneath his feet.
It was the natural ambition of an opportunist who had killed his brothers, driven out his father, and seized the throne.
“…”
The Assassin stood quietly, observing. Despite the chaos unfolding outside, he remained here to watch over and protect Rihir as he slowly evolved into something enormous.
“Stars, it’s still noisy outside. It seems we still can’t suppress them.”
“The enemy’s resistance is proving more stubborn than expected. I will handle it myself.”
He pointed out the increasing sounds of battle to Stars, who had come to find him. Stars, already fully manipulated like Rihir, headed to the battlefield to protect this place.
The struggle of the Arin Tribe warriors, paying the ultimate price to seize the palace, was clearly inching ever closer.
“Where is the Emperor?!”
“Over there! That way is where the throne is!”
A group of warriors advanced towards the Emperor’s throne amidst the complexity of the palace.
Caught up together in the fray, they comprised Arin warriors and a gun-toting Elf, cutting down Variant enemies one by one to clear their path.
“This, this one is…”
Before them stood Stars, having completely transformed his body. As the Chancellor of the Empire and an exceptional Mage, Stars had received more enhancements than other Variants, making him slightly larger and stronger.
“Uh?”
In an instant, blades of magical power conjured by him cut through the warriors, separating necks from bodies without them even realizing what had struck them.
‘Now is a good time.’
Crushing the head of an Elf that lay sprawled on the ground, Stars, through the Bugs’ vision, spotted those wrestling fiercely with Raulus.
If he intervened at the right moment, it seemed he could eliminate them without difficulty.
*
“Shura, dodge!”
“Ugh…”
By a whisker, as an enemy swung a Mana-infused axe that split the nearby single-story building in half, Shura desperately evaded the attack.
Caught in chaos and destruction, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down for a moment.
‘One slip and it’s death.’
If Rakum hadn’t stepped in to hold back attacks, it would have been impossible to catch a breath. Even with Eve firing high-caliber rounds in support, they were barely keeping up with the infected Raulus.
“…!”
Shura was flung back as an enemy’s kick struck her, crashing into the debris of a broken building. Gritting her teeth against the overwhelming impact, she struggled to rise with her trembling legs.
‘Help me.’
Without realizing it, she looked up at the sky. The thick clouds above and the dense Mana defense barrier separating her from it loomed dreadfully.
There was no hope for rescue. Here, unlike before, she had to fight alone without anyone to protect her.
If she couldn’t hold her ground, both she and those around her would die. Having already lost everything, including her family, to marauders during a time of helplessness, this was pure terror.
“I have to prove myself.”
But Shura clenched her teeth and raised her sword again.
From the beginning, Barun and Riena emphasized one thing.
That the heavens help those who help themselves. The Guardian Deity’s favor exists, but one must not rely on it—rather, they must develop their own strength.
She had no doubts. It was a statement from Riena, whom she admired and aspired to be recognized by the Guardian Deity.
‘Just this once.’
Summoning her remaining strength, she waited for an opportunity. The enemy, mercilessly beating down Rakum—who looked like he was on the verge of collapse—was undoubtedly strong. Without seizing a chance, facing them with mere determination would amount to nothing.
Rakum might die, but with a single-minded focus on killing the enemy, Shura awaited her moment.
‘Is it now?’
Then, as Rakum’s spear snapped under the enemy’s strike and he fell to the ground, the moment came when she would raise her axe to take his life.
At that moment, Shura lunged forward with all her might.
“—!”
Raulus noticed her charging at him from behind, throwing everything aside, and spread his wings. He intended to take to the skies to evade her charge.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
In a split second, with her eyes flashing, Shura launched herself from the ground and successfully grabbed Raulus’s leg.
Raulus shot high into the air, and in a rash moment, he swung his axe at her, who had clung tenaciously to his leg.
But at that instant, she used her skill as if she had been waiting for it. This movement skill, fundamental to the Assassin class, allowed her to shift behind the enemy regardless of the situation.
In that critical moment when Raulus’s posture was thrown off, Shura moved behind him with all her might, thrusting the dagger she held in reverse into his neck.
It wasn’t just any dagger. Shura had started as an Assassin and advanced to the Paladin class, a true Paladin now. The divine Mana she wielded was a potent toxin and a fatal weakness to the Bugs.
“I’m falling!”
With a grievous injury at the vital spot caused by the celestial dagger, Raulus screamed silently as he plummeted to the floor.
Shura, likewise, had exhausted all her strength; falling from such a height would undoubtedly result in a fatal injury.
“I got him.”
Fortunately, instead of the spent Rakum, Eve leapt off the wall, caught Shura mid-fall, and landed safely on the ground. However, the situation was still far from over.
“Eve, quickly finish him off!”
Rakum, gasping for breath, screamed in horror as he saw the enemy twitching on the ground, the dagger still lodged in his side.
Confirming that Shura was out of breath, Eve urgently summoned a Magnum pistol from her inventory to finish the job.
“That’s enough.”
The end was pitiful. With the bullets she unleashed, Raulus’s face and body were mercilessly shattered, and he breathed his last alongside the Bugs that had infected him.
Seeing this, Eve smiled faintly. After so much investment, they had ultimately subdued a formidable foe through their own strength.
Without any help from Riena, without any help from the Guardian Deity. Through the skills and experience they had diligently built up until now.
“…You’re!”
At that moment, however, the air shifted once more. Someone, who quietly revealed themselves from stealth, reappeared in the battle-scarred battlefield.
Eve gasped at the sight. The creature had a body like a monster, with a human face grotesquely attached to its chest.
“You’re a bit late, but looking at you, it seems that if I eliminate you, the rest will fall like straw. So it doesn’t matter.”
With calculations made, Stars unleashed a spell alongside a massive Magic Circle.
Simultaneously, Eve’s face flushed with despair. She knew she couldn’t face that monster alone now that the others had succumbed to incapacitation.
“Looks like the monsters are running out of numbers now that they’re personally stepping in.”
But at that moment, the dark, clouded sky began to split open.
To be precise, the sky appeared to split due to the blinding light flooding in, revealing sunlight that had been hidden up till now.
Both Eve and Stars looked up at the sky.
Beyond the barrier, someone with shining wings soared amidst the radiant light like the sun.
‘No way. The barrier protecting this place can’t be broken by just one person’s strength…!’
Stars panicked. The Mana barrier surrounding the palace was a kind of relic set up since the empire’s founding.
A device created using enormous amounts of magic stones, it was hard to get it working even once, guaranteeing immense defense. It was made for war, to stop legions.
To break it through sheer force was absurd. It was inconceivable.
“Look, the barrier is wavering!”
“It’s light! That person has arrived! We’ve won!”
However, Riena, who had been breaking norms all this time, concentrated her divine power and caused the barrier to crack, sending hope and strength to those still fighting inside.
“Now, stop running away.”
With that, Riena plunged her sword into the cracked barrier, dropped her weapon, and forced her hands through the gap, thrusting her determined face into view.
To the residents fighting within, she brought the light of hope, but to the enemies relying on the barrier, it was a terrifying judgment—a light of despair.
“Shut up, our great achievement is right before us!”
Furious, Stars unleashed his fury on Riena who was breaking through.
Dozens of fireballs, the size of a person, ignited and quickly flew toward her.
“You won’t be able to do anything with your medicine. Unfortunately.”
Covering her body with her wings to nullify all the attacks, she looked at Stars and sighed. The vaccine she had brought from the game could not revert humans who had fully blended with the Bugs.
While he retained his sense of self, it was only because that self aligned with the desires of the Bugs. In other words, Stars was now no different from a Bug.
“There’s no choice but to send you off peacefully.”
Unaware, she wielded her sword wrapped in golden light. Whether known or unknown, the judgment was the same, and even Stars, who had been fully assimilated with the Bugs, instinctively felt fear at her composed demeanor.
‘This one is a win. I don’t need to worry about Riena.’
Junyoung, watching this unfold, felt the same way. Though worried about other things, he had not a shred of doubt that Riena would lose.