Chapter 83: Akuma (2)
Miyamoto replied coldly.
They had all gathered here with some sense of justice.
Since they knew how many people the job they had could save.
But the problem changed once they had to put their lives on the line.
‘I’m honestly scared.’
Miyamoto mumbled inwardly.
He had felt two things inside of him during the time when he had ruled over the World Tree Mountain Ranges with Keldian, Eres and those who were his friends and enemies.
First he had lost fear.
Secondly, he gained fear.
These two contradictory feelings existed.
He had lost fear.
He had been able to crash through this world because he had a bit of talent and he had gotten stronger as he ruled over the Red Zone.
By the time he found the Akuma he had a huge power following him and because his strength was also great he had the confidence that he wouldn’t fall behind anyone.
The timeframe in which he had struggled to survive had passed and the time in which he had struggled to get strong had also passed.
Of course he lost fear when no human and beast could go up against him.
At the same time he felt fear.
This was just the first world.
But things like the Four Calamities roamed around and things like the Akuma were hidden.
He couldn’t even guess what could be in the next world through the coldly transparent lake.
If he were to get to the next world then he had to struggle again in order to survive and get stronger.
But the others didn’t seem to have any notion of fear as they started to walk towards the Mirror.
While the other people prepared to go through the Mirror with different thoughts, he on the other hand endlessly pondered and pondered.
He was scared of change to go over but then nervousness and his pride from staying caused him to fall into pondering.
At the moment he was thinking about this, the Akuma that had appeared.
And the single sacrifice that was needed.
Miyamoto swimmingly said that he will take that role.
Though it looked like he had given up a chance for the greater cause, and the others had seen him that way but at least on Miyamoto’s situation, it was a very satisfactory choice.
Since the Akuma had provided him a very good haven of mind.
No one could threaten him in the Red Zone since he had constantly gotten stronger for 20 years as long as he maintained the seal on the Akuma.
A moment’s choice had turned Miyamoto quite comfortable for the past 20 years.
And the Pillar, Hecarim, that he had raised praised him like a god every once a while he visited them.
But the guy in front of him was trying to break that peace.
Miyamoto started to ponder as he saw that Hansoo.
‘Damnit. I heard that he was a dumbass but for him to be this much.’
If this guy released the seal for the Akuma and then failed to kill it then it didn’t just end at
Why would that guy let them tie him that easily.
If Hansoo couldn’t kill the guy who was released than that thing will cause a catastrophe.
His life will be endangered too.
‘It won’t do.’
Miyamoto shook his head as he spoke.
“I can’t agree with you. We cannot undo the seal. Do you know how many people you will be killing if you fail?”
Hansoo didn’t reply to Miyamoto’s words as he started to raise his energy.
Kiiiiing
Soon Hansoo’s body started to get surrounded by a bright light.
The three relics started to pull out the fragment’s energy to the extremes.
In a different manner than from before, beyond the limit that one can control with the relics.
Kudududuk
The mana storm started to swirl in all directions.
It started to get overloaded as it went beyond the limit Hansoo could control.
Miyamoto made a cold expression as he looked at that Hansoo.
‘So you’re trying to solve it with strength huh. I definitely cannot let you go then.”
Miyamoto and the other six raised the power in their bodies as they started to block the entrance heading towards the Akuma.
At this time something unexpected happened.
Kuduk
“Huh?”
Miyamoto made a dumbfounded expression at the thing that had flown past him and onto Hansoo.
Something that was extremely familiar.
The objects he had seen for 20 years.
The Chain Scythe and the Spear.
The two relics that had been surrounding the Akuma flew towards Hansoo when Hansoo poured out an enormous amount of energy towards the other three relics as if they were magnets.
As if they were made as a set from the start.
“Goddamnit!”
Miyamoto hurriedly looked behind him.
Since the mana wave that were coursing around them like a storm had calmed down due to the two relics but the vicious aura behind Miyamoto exploded out.
The beastly lifeform that had a human’s form unlike the other Calamities.
Miyamoto looked at that Akuma and then shouted at Hansoo.
“You crazy bastard! What are you doing! Do you think we’ll work with you if you do this?”
Hansoo then looked at Miyamoto with a befuddled expression and the spoke.
“What are you talking about. You guys just watch. Don’t interrupt.”
“...What?”
“I’ll kill the Akuma alone.”
‘I can kill it.’
Miyamoto had decided that it wasn’t possible after seeing him use three relics.
But since he had collected all five relics, he could go up against the Akuma without the help of the other Seven Departed Souls.
Since he didn’t need these guys for the Akuma in the first place.
The problem was the Ouroboros after that.
‘There’s no time because of that goddamn clone.’
He didn’t have any plans of persuading these guys according to his original plan.
Since he was going to wait until his Racial Metamorphosis’ cooldown after killing up to the Root.
But as long as the Clone was connected to the Ouroboros, he had to kill it.
‘The Ouroboros is stronger than Akuma.’
Even if the Ouroboros was weakened by the poison, it was a complete creature unlike the Akuma.
It had a Divine Stone Fragment within it and employed all of its energy.
If he wanted to beat the Ouroboros without the Racial Metamorphosis and only with the five relics then he needed the help of these guys.
But on the other hand, if he went over the current hurdle then things will actually become easier.
‘Let’s think positive.’
He had obtained the Thousand Soldier Armors and it was going to go on like this anyway.
Since all of the calamities coming down one by one after him having decided to kill one was normal.
They hadn’t gone over each other’s territory because they were cautious of each other.
Even if the Clone didn’t come back the Ouroboros would’ve come down anyway.
‘Should I have killed the Calamity Fish a bit slower?’
With his abilities, he probably could’ve turned his runes into 100% with just 3 months.
It would’ve been easier if he had hunted it afterwards.
But Hansoo shook his head.
‘Tsk.’
The total number of people who have already been dragged into the Otherworld should be 2 billion.
According to the Alchemists’ calculations then the next year’s estimated entrance number would be around 4.2 billion.
If 5% of them died off in a month then 200 million would die and in 3 months almost 600 million would die.
‘The invasion of the Abyss is a problem too.’
Hansoo warmed up his body as he spoke.
“Decide after you see me fighting. To whether I can kill the Ouroboros or not.”
Who would believe them if one just told them.
If he was going to fight with them while entrusting his back to them then forcing them into it is meaningless.
‘I shall show it to them first and if they still don’t follow then I’ll use other methods.’
Hoooong
Hansoo started to focus on the five relics.
The seven marbles of Ekidrang’s relic one by one fit in between the extremely long chain.
Charurururu
The Chain started to take form like an Imugi* and floated around Hansoo’s body.
A mana storm like from before didn’t rage out from the body of Hansoo who had a spear on his left hand and a sword on his right but the amount of intimidation he let out was not even comparable to before.
The golden energy, which used to rage like the wind and coursed through the air, got controlled to the extremes and solidified almost into a liquid form and surrounded Hansoo.
Hansoo spoke towards the Seven behind him while controlling the relics.
“Oh. By the way...”
“Hmm?”
“If you are thinking of helping out then don’t hesitate. Just jump in.”
“... You said you are going to fight it alone?”
“What are you saying. It’s better to crush it with numbers if you can.”
“...”
Hansoo ended with those words as he charged forward.
........................
Ooooong
Jukma made a strange expression at the five different artifacts surrounding his body.
Sword.
Seven Marbles.
Bracelet.
Iron Chains.
Spear.
Jukma moved his eyes from the artifact and then looked at the battle in the distance.
Boom!
“Pour it!”
“Uwahahahaha! It’s amazing!”
The clansmen, who were on the defensive before, were jumping here and there and pouring out skills as if they were happy from the new gears or had gotten some leisure.
It was obvious.
Since he would’ve done so too.
Weapons and armors that can pour out strong mana reinforcements without worrying about mana.
It was like being able to use ultimate skills without a limit so how could it not be fun.
A strong mana that was supplied along with their 5 new weapons.
When these two things combined with the existing skills of the clansmen, the parasites, which seemed to be almost crushing the humans, were blocked by the defensive formation of the Six Clans and could not proceed.
Of course it was hard for them to advance as well due to the endless amounts of parasites that came out but they could at least prevent injuries at this rate.
And because of this Jukma, who had some leisure, turned his eyes towards a different location.
“Michael. That damned bastard. He hid the real good ones.”
He was quite shocked when Michael peacefully handed these out.
Since these weapons were really strong.
One could see just from the clansmen who were fighting in the distance.
But the important part wasn’t the weapon.
“Mana wave huh.”
The quality of the five gears that seemed like relics was quite high.
But they also had weapons like these.
The important thing was the mana wave.
The mana wave that turned these weapons into peerless treasures.
Jukma looked at Amil because of this.
“Amil. Can you feel it?”
“Yes. It’s moving bit by bit.”
He could feel it though it was very minute.
This mana wave was coming off from one place as the center.
‘I can’t tell exactly where the center is but... I can at least recognize that it is moving.’
The flow of the mana, which was moving very subtly, was giving them information.
And another thing.
“I don’t know who has it but... If they can use it this delicately then turning it on and off would be within their power too.”
And not only turning it on and off.
They might be able to send the mana to some people and severe it from the others.
There was no other reason why Michael had peacefully given them the weapons.
What did it matter when their lives were in his hands.
Even if he just cut off the mana supply to the other five Pillars, it would already be a huge profit for Michael.
“You ordered the clans beneath the mountain and are collecting the adventures from all around right?”
Amil Stadan nodded at those words.
Since it was war now.
They needed more numbers in order to advance over their defenses.
And because of this the Six Pillars and the Twelve Roots were calling every single adventurers out there to this location.
Usually it would be hard to move around because of beasts but for some reason there weren’t many beasts.
Thanks to this the numerous adventurers who had been split up all around were gathering to the Six Pillars with bellies full of nutritional fluids.
“There’s a thing I need to do before they arrive. I need to find the origin of the mana.”
The most important thing Jukma had realized in the Otherworld was that leaving the sword in the opponent’s hand was a truly crazy act.
Allies and enemies were only a thin paper apart and a very small event can change it all.
So, don’t leave the sword in other people’s hands.
If the enemy was holding onto a sword then at least he needed to have one too.
And better if he was the only one holding the sword.
“Get 20 of the search team members, cover them with relics and then send them off in all directions. Search the range limit of the mana wave. We will find its origin that way.”
The relics wouldn’t work once they went past the range of the mana wave.
If the Mana spread out in a spherical shape then they just needed to find the range limit and then find the center.
Kiiing
‘Hmm?’
While Amil Stadan was sending a message, the mana wave that was surrounding them rocked back and forth like a wave.
Amil and Jukma both frowned at this change.
Since it got easier to find the center because of this change but they also knew that the other clansmen would also react quickly.
‘We should move quickly.’
Jukma, who had quickly guessed the location of the origin of the manawave, frowned slightly as he started to send orders in all directions.
Translator’s note
Imugi is a mythical Korean creature that is in a stage before becoming a Dragon. The legend is that when a constrictor [Elaphe Schrenckii] stays inside cold waters for 1000 years than it will ascend into the heavens as a Dragon. The Imugi is basically a stage in between these two.
Constrictor -> Imugi -> Dragon
(The dragon image is an image of chungryong or Azure Dragon, one of the four great mythical creatures because why not?)
Hope this clarified some things and helped you learn a bit more
Longest TL note ever? Hehehehe.....
Proofreader’s note
Regular chapter 2/3.
For other stories with Imugis, King Shura and Legendary Moonlight Sculptor are good reads.