The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 143: Turning Point (4)

The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 143: Turning Point (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe
The time had come.
All Heroes who could pass the Magic Barrier headed for the Empress’s Domain. The flower of vengeance blooming in the Empress’s Domain radiated an even clearer light. As if reflecting the Empress’s heart, the entire Domain was dyed red.
“The sky….”
“Hmm….”
The Heroes looked up at the sky.
A massive wave of Erosion emanating from the capital of the Empire polluted the sky and distorted the sunlight. No, it would be more accurate to say that its true form had been revealed. It had only been decorated for the sake of preparing for Ascension. From the beginning, the world was already like this.
The Lord of Greed no longer needed to maintain this giant breeding ground. That thing was never a real sun to begin with. It was clearly a part of the one who had been looking down on this breeding ground.
The false sun became a hole in the sky, pouring down a sticky liquid, and the sky churned with horrifying tentacles, as if the Heroes had entered the stomach of a living creature.
The entire natural environment that had once allowed people to live in abundance vanished, revealing a barren wasteland. Water that had once flowed down cliffs turned into a viscous swamp, and once-majestic mountain ranges took the form of bundled tentacles.
“It really is dark fantasy.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Yeah. What matters is that we can kill that fucking bastard.”
The Heroes had now become accustomed to the horrific sight and accepted it without hesitation. Rather, it only served to provoke their anger. The heroes of Arsilan, who had acted as the Empress’s forces, also prepared for the final battle.
Vengeance.
They had endured, holding on to their crumbling souls, for this very day. Even if they could not find rest, it would be enough if they could wound the Lord of Greed. The heroes slowly built their momentum while tending to their weapons.
[Haroron has completed a supreme summoning stone. It will be transported to the battlefield when the time comes.]
[Arsilan] Lord of Greed
The Lord of Greed, who had tormented Arsilan for many years, has completed preparations to awaken in a new form. March on the Empire’s capital and bring him down.
May all the light in the world be with you.
Reward: ???
Participants: Unlimited
Jinwoo was notified through the Quest Window that it was time to advance.
There was no pre-battle speech. The Heroes silently looked at one another, then began moving to the battlefield through the Flower of Vengeance.
The airship of the Helby Lovers Group, which had been containing the mobs, crossed the sky without interference and flew over the southern region. It landed where the Empire’s capital could be seen, allowing the Heroes to use the Flower of Vengeance.
Pa-pa-pa-pat!
The Heroes arrived at the vast wasteland overlooking the Empire’s capital, forming small pillars of light. Jinwoo, in a hidden state, watched the scene from above.
The sight unfolding before him was being broadcast to the entire world through the news stations. It wasn’t a weekend or holiday, just an ordinary weekday, but the atmosphere felt like a national holiday.
In Korea, many companies had closed, and shops had shut their doors. It looked as if war had broken out in reality.
‘Lord of Greed paralyzes real-world cities.’
‘Arsilan’s arch-nemesis, what kind of being is it?’
In response to the unusual event, news articles were pouring in from across the globe.
“That’s the Empire’s capital….”
“It looks horrifying.”
“Disgusting.”
It was as if they were looking at a nest made of tentacles.
It is descending.
It is descending to the surface.
The Lord of Greed was attempting to descend upon the repulsive nest. From the sky, shattered like broken glass, a sticky wave of Erosion poured out, forming a massive pillar of Erosion leading to the nest.
The enormous presence weighed down upon the entire Empire of Evil.
In the past, they would have been crushed by this presence and unable to do anything. But now, the Heroes’ morale soared madly. The more the Lord of Greed revealed himself, the greater their fury and hatred toward him grew.
Fwuddeuk!
The Lord of Greed fully emerged, sliding down the pillar of Erosion and dropping into the nest. He was about to reveal his form to everyone.
“Phew.”
Haebyul exhaled and raised her bow toward the sky. As she drew the bowstring, light swirled at the tip of the arrow.
Piiuuuuung!
As she released the bowstring, the arrow, wrapped in light, soared high into the sky. It became the signal flare.
“For Arsilan!”
“For the Kingdom of Sillion!”
“For Leon-nim!”
“For Mary and the Empress nim!”
Over twenty million Heroes who had crossed the Magic Barrier shouted with their own convictions as they charged toward the Lord of Greed.
“For Arsilan!”
“For vengeance!”
The Legion of Vengeance also raised their battle cries and charged along with the Heroes.
“Let’s kill that fucking bastard!”
“You asshole!”
“Just wait!”
A torrent of enormous curses filled with fury poured toward the Lord of Greed. Every curse from all the countries where Arsilan Saga was serviced spread across the world through the news broadcast.
The Lord of Greed ascended to the title of the most cursed being in the shortest time in the combined history of Earth and Arsilan!
***
The higher being of Erosion, the Lord of Greed, was a noble existence.
Mortals feared him and did not dare to think of resisting. Even Arsilan’s great mythical beings only hid from him, and the most troublesome of them all, Ella, had her powers completely stripped away and was within his grasp.
Goddess Ella, despite becoming a god, foolishly tried to share beauty with the world. A truly foolish being who gave up her power and threw herself away to save the insignificant.
Even such a weak existence became a god.
Therefore, there was no reason he himself could not become a god. From that moment on, the Lord of Greed began preparing for Ascension for a long time. As he absorbed the power of Ella he had seized, he slowly advanced upward, as if climbing stairs toward the sky.
Ah!
Oh, lofty heavens.
Beyond the dimension.
The sky he had longed for so desperately was within reach.
If he could cross that sky, he could transcend the limitations of Erosion and be reborn as a new existence.
An evil god who would rule everything in the world.
A great evil who would trample all life in existence.
He desperately wished to be reborn as such a grand being.
But as time passed, he felt something was missing.
The sky was right before his eyes, yet something was lacking.
He could almost reach it but could not.
[Not enough.]
The offerings were insufficient. He lacked more land.
At that moment, he sensed the remaining lands of Arsilan and began an invasion using his power. That was his mistake.
[What….]
A flash of light struck before his eyes.
A massive explosion swept across the land.
A huge fragment of the moon had fallen, piercing through the boundary.
When he regained his senses, the sky that had been drawing near was now receding, and in overwhelming pain, his mind shattered into fragments and was consumed by confusion. It disappeared as if absorbed somewhere, and for a while, he could not think properly.
The stairway he had built collapsed in an instant.
All those years had vanished in vain. The Lord of Greed was furious, but he could not give up on Ascension. Again, he would advance once more.
It’s still fine!
Still!
That’s what he believed, but
[What? What is happening?]
The offerings he had painstakingly gathered were vanishing.
Strange things that had swarmed in from somewhere were stealing his offerings and power. They were horrible bugs that wouldn’t die no matter how many times he killed them. He couldn’t even devour them. Those bugs gleefully gnawed at and tormented the breeding ground he had carefully created.
He tried threats.
The attacks intensified.
He attempted negotiations.
The attacks became even fiercer.
He gathered all his power that could interfere with the surface and launched an all-out attack. Suddenly, an ocean appeared, and all his powers disappeared.
[What the hell is this?]
It was unfair.
It was unbearably unfair.
They were not Arsilan beings. They were definitely entities from another dimension. Why were they attacking him so madly?
[Archmage….]
Realizing that the Archmage who created the Magic Barrier was the root cause of all this, the Lord of Greed was consumed by rage and gave up on Ascension. He would descend to the surface and reveal his true form.
Just like before, all beings would fear him. And so, from the path to the heavens, he fell to the surface.
The Lord of Greed was confident in himself.
The Lord of Greed had no idea how the Archmage had brought such horrific beings to Arsilan, but he believed it would ultimately be a fatal mistake. Just as he had done with the people of Arsilan, he intended to tempt and corrupt them.
Wealth, honor, slaves, and beautiful territory.
The power to fulfill every imaginable greed.
He was confident he could offer far more than what that mere Archmage had given them. The unknown beings identified by the Lord of Greed were filled with desire and madness, so they would easily fall to temptation.
That was what the Lord of Greed thought.
[Huh?]
Until he opened his eyes and looked around.
“You fucking bastard!”
“Die!”
“Mary! Give us back Mary!”
“Aaaaargh!”
Curses flew in all directions.
More than twenty million beings had swarmed around him, spewing curses as they attacked without restraint. The crude curses, filled with nothing but rage and hatred, made even the Lord of Greed flinch.
He decided to try speaking.
[Mary? Who’s Mary?]
The Lord of Greed activated his power to convey his will to them.
“This fucking son of a bitch is still running his mouth!”
“Uaaagh! I’m so pissed!”
“Don’t you dare disrespect Mary!”
“You asshole!”
For some reason, they didn’t understand him at all!
Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh!
As soon as he tried to speak, the attacks only grew fiercer. He didn’t take any major damage, but the mental damage was stacking up.
[Calm down. I don’t know what you’re talking about.]
KRAAAHH!
The Lord of Greed spoke the truth, but their eyes were already filled with madness.
[I’m serious.]
Kwagagagaga!
Magic and skills rained down on the Lord of Greed.
“Khghk…”
“Die!”
“Kill him!”
They were even crying as they attacked.
No, seriously, I’m telling the truth?
Mary? Who is this Empress?
The Lord of Greed was about to go insane from the unfairness.
***
Jinwoo watched the Lord of Greed, who had descended to the surface.
The entity’s true form was a massive gray mass. After consuming everything in the world and growing larger, it had become that shape. The huge eyes attached to the massive body looked down at the Heroes.
He tried to speak and play his tricks, but it only further provoked the rage of the Heroes.
There wasn’t even a need for filtering. Every word the Lord of Greed uttered felt to the Heroes like he was teabagging them.
It was thanks to the groundwork Jinwoo had laid so well in advance.
The sacrifices of Mary and the Empress had been worth it.
-Wow, I can’t hold back my cursing.
-That thing’s really a fucking piece of trash.
-What a disgusting bastard.
Heroes who lacked the level to cross the Magic Barrier were watching the scene unfold through the news broadcast. They, too, couldn’t hold back their curses.
Magic, sacred techniques, and every kind of skill attack poured down on the Lord of Greed. Though he emitted Erosion that corrupted entire existences, the Heroes were immune. The surface of the giant mass began to crack, and thick fluid leaked out.
‘He’s pissed now.’
The Lord of Greed gave up on conversation and began to rise. Countless thorned tentacles extended from his massive body and pierced through the Heroes.
Each enormous tentacle was thicker than the pillars of the Grand Temple and long enough to cross an ocean. In a single strike, hundreds of thousands of Heroes were reduced to ash and vanished.
Jinwoo was reminded of the past.
It had been a scene of utter despair.
A single thorned tentacle, stretching from beyond the horizon, had shattered the fortress walls, and the Arsilan defenders who had built a defense line melted away. The surface of the thorned tentacle cracked open, releasing Erosion, and everyone except Jinwoo was corrupted.
An inescapable despair.
But now, such a scene could no longer be found.
[Ella bestows a radiant blessing with all her might.]
*You may resurrect immediately and rejoin the battlefield.
*Duration: 60 minutes
Paaaah!
The Magic Tower went into full operation and resurrected all the fallen Heroes.
“Bwahahaha!”
“Now this, this is a real battle!”
“Charge!”
The Heroes clung to the long, extended tentacles and unleashed attacks. They tore open the outer layer, entered inside, and even ripped apart the flesh beneath.
“Huh? Guys, this…”
“Kinda tastes like crab meat?”
“Should we, like, stash some of this?”
After the Heroes took a bite of the squishy, gray flesh, they nodded. The slight tingling on their tongues wasn’t a bad sensation. They had a feeling it would become a trend if sold in Solis or International City Marogo.
“Isn’t ripping things off the real form of vengeance?”
“That’s true.”
“Let’s strip every last bit off, for Mary and the Empress nim!”
The eyes of the Heroes were now dyed with greed.
“The Lord of Greed is the final boss of Episode 3, so the materials must be A-grade, right?”
“The important parts are probably grade S, no?”
“Ooh…!”
“If they’re S-grade materials….”
Everything is money!
That idea spread in an instant, and the Heroes began entering the long-reaching tentacles. The Lord of Greed’s massive body twitched.
[What- why, why are they going inside? Urgh! Not there!]
Such a thing had never happened before.
Even approaching the tentacles would cause souls to be corrupted by intense Erosion, so he had never imagined they would actually dig inside. The Heroes who entered the tentacles started carving out the inner flesh, storing it in their inventories or pulling it outside.
“Hmm.”
“A-amazing.”
“So these are the Heroes of Arsilan….”
The Legion of Vengeance looked on, dumbfounded by the scene.
That terrifying Lord of Greed was now clearly flustered. It was hard to tell if this was a dream or reality.
Inside the tentacles, the Heroes began moving along the insides toward the main body. As the Lord of Greed thrashed, earthquakes shook the land and the earth split open. But it caused no damage to the Heroes inside.
“This is super soft?”
“Eheh! Looks like it hurts him.”
“The flesh is so tender and smooth.”
“This is fun.”
“Kya! Now this is dark fantasy!”
“You need to suffer more! This one’s for Mary!”
-Is that stuff expensive?
-It’s gotta be, right?
-I’m jealous.
-Buying Lord of Greed’s flesh, send offers!
In an instant, more than several million Heroes had entered the tentacles.
If compared to a human, it was like a swarm of ants crawling in from below, piercing the skin and tunneling inside the body, gnawing at the flesh as they crawled toward the heart and brain.
“Ugh.”
Jinwoo shook his head slightly as he watched the Lord of Greed thrashing in agony.
[You filthy bugs!]
It was a cheap thing for someone who had once tried to become a god to say.
Unable to suppress his rage, the Lord of Greed unleashed a massive force of will. The bundles of tentacles attached to his body were severed and fell to the ground. The Heroes who emerged from the tentacles looked up at the Lord of Greed.
“Is this Phase 2 now?”
“He’s transforming.”
“Let’s fall back for now.”
The Lord of Greed was no mere trash-tier boss monster. He was a higher being of Erosion, a monster who had devoured much of Arsilan.
Jinwoo observed the Lord of Greed carefully.
A massive light could be seen within his body. It was Ella’s power. The Lord of Greed was forcibly using Ella’s power to transform his body.
Had he ascended, Ella’s power would have become fully his, but fortunately, he descended to the surface midway and was unable to do so. However, he was still able to taint and use Ella’s power with Erosion.
Crack!
As if an egg were breaking, the surface of the massive lump began to split. All the Heroes stood on guard, watching the Lord of Greed in his sudden transformation.
Light burst from the cracks, then quickly turned to Erosion.
Fwoosh!
Something massive burst from his body and soared into the sky.
Dozens of massive, gray wings spread wide and cast a shadow over the heavens.
Each wing was covered with tens of thousands of enormous eyes, and thick pus dripped from them.
His torso was a huge ring wrapped in tentacles and thorns.
Several of these rings overlapped and spun together.
The Heroes looked up at the Lord of Greed.
“An angel?”
“That’s supposedly what real angels look like.”
-Wow….
-This is insane.
-Is that his true form?
Having used Ella’s power to transform, the Lord of Greed now looked like a fallen angel.
KRAAAHH!
A gray swamp poured out from the shattered egg, followed by an endless stream of beasts. Their numbers instantly exceeded tens of millions and continued to grow.
[Fear me.]
The Lord of Greed declared arrogantly.
The people watching in the hologram theater gulped, and those browsing in the Soul Shop trembled. It was because the presence pierced through the hologram screen and reached them directly.
Then what about the Heroes standing directly on the battlefield? Had they lost their fighting spirit in the face of that overwhelming figure?
“This is exactly what makes all the prep worth it.”
“No wonder we went through hell for two weeks.”
“If we had just come unprepared, we probably would’ve been wiped out here.”
Far from losing their will to fight, the Heroes had eyes filled with anticipation. The Legion of Vengeance joined them and nodded in agreement.
A turning point.
The Heroes had created a new branch leading to another route.
Fwiiiiip!
The hands of the Heroes were dyed with light.
[Heroes! The time has finally come! I shall transmit the supreme summoning stone! Reach your hands to the sky and complete the summoning circle!]
Haroron’s voice echoed across the battlefield.
[May all the light in the world be with you.]
The Heroes grinned and raised their hands to the sky.
The supreme summoning stone tore through space and revealed itself. It appeared midair, shining brilliantly as it covered the broken moon.
A summoning circle formed, covering the sky.
The Lord of Greed emitted Erosion to erase the summoning circle, but it was useless.
[Supreme Summon Aren resonates with the soul embedded in the supreme summoning stone and transforms into a new form.]
An information window appeared before the Heroes’ eyes.
The window flickered with light, glitching and shimmering as if unable to withstand the immense power.
-Huh?
-The chat window is glowing too?
-It’s sparkling!
The chat window on every broadcast was also dyed in light.
KWAHHHH!
Light burst from the summoning circle, creating a massive storm of light. It was as if all of Arsilan was enveloped in a divine blessing.
[The Archmage descends to the surface.]
Now, the path to a happy ending begins.
The ultimate turning point the Heroes had prepared, was the Archmage.

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Chapter 143: Turning Point (4)