Episode 138. The Great Overlord (7)
The Great Overlord was powerful.
Regardless of his ability and the size of his monster legion, the Great Overlord alone was a powerful monster.
He was a demi-monster, one of the most difficult monsters to deal with. And the amount of mana he possessed was unprecedented. Yes, even apart from his legion, he was a threat.
“Hhh… hghaaa….”
So, I had to make a move before he came to his senses.
Finishing him off when he was writhing in pain was the easiest way.
“Krrrrrrr!”
The monsters guarding the Great Overlord rushed towards me the moment they saw me. Instead of avoiding them, I twisted my ankle slightly and turned.
A huge creature passed in front of me. A slight distance. Due to that distance, you could either die or survive dozens of times in a battle. And this time, the creature attacking me was the one to die.
The colorful light shone brightly, and the next moment, the cluster of light became a dagger in my hand.
The blade made of Orichalcum, which was the system’s hardest verified material, tore the monster’s shell. Sticky blood dripped down. But it didn’t die.
At this level, no matter how deadly the blow, it was impossible to kill the monsters in one attack. So, it was important to finish them off for sure.
[‘Mirage’ unleashes the ability of the absorbed weapons.]
.
.
[You have selected one of the 1,281 weapons collected in ‘a different world’.]
-Black Frost-
I grabbed the handle of the dagger. Simultaneously, the ability contained in one of the Returnees’ weapons I collected was unleashed. Black Frost. It was a weapon that I thought was weapons.
“Krrrrr… rrgh.”
Slash.
I stabbed the blade into the exposed flesh. The colorful light was gone, replaced with a black glimmer.
The monster was struggling and opening its jaw when it shuddered and exhaled helplessly. Its skin and flesh slowly shrunk.
It was due to the weapon’s unique power, which was very efficient against hunters.
[The power of the ‘Black Frost’ has been activated.]
[The Black Frost consumes the strength and ability of the blade’s victim.]
[The consumed strength and ability is maintained for an hour.]
[The consumed abilities can be overlapped.]
I pulled out the blade. Dark blood splattered, and abundant power flowed into me from the handle. The world slowed down a little, and my senses became heightened. It was a sensation that monsters, not humans, could feel.
In the meantime, more monsters rushed in. I twisted my wrist, and the shape of the dagger changed. When dealing with more than three enemies simultaneously, the dagger wasn’t a very efficient weapon.
Thud-!
I filled it with my mana and struck the ground. The ground beneath the monsters rushing in together rose sharply. But none of them hesitated or changed their course.
No matter how hard the combination of sand and dirt was, it wasn’t a threat to them. But they were wrong. Their faith in their strong bodies was about to endanger them.
The weapon in my hand was a lot heavier. However, it thrust forward at a much faster speed than before. My arm moved like a flash of light.
No, not a flash.
Four flashes, in line with the number of monsters.
Craaack-!
A spear that looked like a ray of light pierced the earth that rose up and stabbed the monsters beyond it. The obstacle was meant to block their sight in the first place. The spear I retrieved was covered in red blood.
Thud, thump. I heard them collapse. Once the Black Frost was activated, I could kill them instantly by stabbing their vital points.
“Krrrrrr…”
the Great Overlord and glared at me.
“What? You bastards. What are you going to do from there?”
It was an error. Their survival instinct to avoid fighting after seeing other monsters die and the order to protect their superior, the Great Overlord, and exterminate his enemy.
The two collided, and the monsters became incapacitated. This was all happening because the Great Overlord was out of his mind.
“Yeah. Please, stay still like that.”
I looked at them and slowly lifted the spear. The pitch-black Black Frost was transferring enough of the four monsters’ power to me.
My muscles bulged, and my hand tightly gripped the spear. I looked at the boy, the Great Overlord, hidden among the monsters. This was the perfect timing.
“…Krrrrrraaaa!”
Perhaps it noticed what I was about to do, but it stopped standing blankly and suddenly rushed towards me. But it was too late. I could already see the path.
Twang.
The moment I made up my mind, I became undaunted. I lifted my arm high and swung it down sharply. The spear containing all of my power shot forward, faster than any projectile I had ever seen in my life.
I heard the air explode, and just the aftermath was strong enough to fling away the monster that was rushing towards me.
[‘Mirage’ unleashes the ability of the absorbed weapons.]
.
.
[‘The Spear of Judgement’]
[‘The Spear of Resolution’]
[‘The Final Spear’]
.
.
[A maximum of 25 abilities can be unleashed at the same time.]
[You can no longer unleash weapon abilities.]
The weapons I carefully picked. The spear I threw with all my might. The coating I created with half of my mana. With all of this, I could kill anyone.
Creaaak.
“……?”
Yes.
I could kill anyone if I hit them.
“Go… away…….”
The Great Overlord, still struggling with pain, spoke in a faltering voice and raised his arm. He moved awkwardly, like a rusty machine. At the same time, his eyes glowed red. And the sky turned red as well.
‘Damn it.’
No way. It couldn’t be now. I calculated over and over and recalled countless analyses. He was supposed to realize death and Awaken a few hours from now.
But why already? What mistake did I make? Where did things go wrong?
“Get ouuuut!!!”
The Great Overlord shouted, and the spear bent instantly. Was it because of the powerful shockwave? No. The red sky and his sky-tearing shout. One of the Great Overlord’s most feared powers had woken up.
-The stronger you get, the stronger he gets, too. Remember. Don’t ever forget. Like the moment you entered this place, don’t get caught up in what you see. And don’t trust your analysis too much. The flow has already been disrupted and twisted. Don’t be tied to any memory of yours, but trust only your current self when you deal with him. That’s the only way.
I suddenly remembered what I heard from the -Great Sage- when I visited him in the past.
Disruption.
The discrepancies that I didn’t pay much attention to. I just thought that the Great Overlord had appeared earlier and that he had become active. The faint distortion, the single mislaid brick, toppled the tower I had stacked up so carefully.
“You-!”
The Great Overlord pointed his finger at me, and my vision was turned upside down.
It was a sensation that I experienced before. The sky was underneath, and the ground was above. This repeated dozens of times. And eventually, I saw my body standing alone without its head.
It was the same death as the one I experienced before coming back in time. I felt discouraged and angry. It wasn’t because I feared death or because death was futile. It was because I was stupid enough to fail even when I was given a second chance. I was disappointed and angry at slowly sank.
“Oh….”
I let out a weak sigh. The last thing that marked my death was a transparent status window—the Great Overlord’s updated status window, filled with sentences.
.
.
.
[Name: Great Overlord]
[Access to partial details available.]
[A creature defined as the ‘Fifth Disaster’.]
[Confirmed Abilities]
[→ ‘Leadership’]
[→ The power to lead a group or an organization. Can control the minds of creatures defined as ‘monsters’ and command them at will.]
[→ ‘Pheromone’]
[→ Loved by creatures called monsters. Becomes immune to all mana attacks. The greater the number of monsters, the more the ability is amplified.]
[Acquired Awakened Abilities]
[→ ‘Source’]
[→ Can generate Dimensional Distortion Phenomena at will. Can block physical attacks and create Rifts that summon monsters from a different world.]
[→ ‘War Cry’]
[→ Can turn terrified humans into monsters. Those turned into monsters become stronger in proportion to the number of monsters.]
It was a fitting end for someone who spent all his life among monsters in the hunting industry.
* * *
I felt hazy. My entire body felt heavy, as if my clothes were soaked. The slowly sinking sensation was both unpleasant and comfortable. Death. Was this death? I closed my eyes and let go.
I was weak. Despite my powerful abilities, I failed at my second chance. It was arrogance. I thought I could succeed if I just sacrificed myself. I trusted myself too much, when in fact, I was nothing…….
‘…What are you doing?’
After mulling over those thoughts, I shook my head. My life was over now, but what was I doing? I was still feeling regret, unable to let go. I had to let go now.
At that moment.
Someone grabbed my hair and pulled it. It felt like my scalp was ripping off, and my sinking body was fished out.
“…Haargh!”
My heavy body lightened. I opened my eyes without realizing it. I was soaked. Looking down, I saw a river full of black water.
What was this? Where was I? I was confused. I took a deep breath, and fresh air filled my lungs. I was alive. I was still alive.
“A fitting end for your life… Do you really think so?”
And then, I heard a voice coming from above. It was a familiar voice.
“…Traveler?”
The Traveler hadn’t talked to me much lately. He always gave me advice, and I was grateful for it. I shifted my gaze and looked where the voice was coming from. And…
“Humph!”
I unknowingly stopped breathing. He didn’t look the way I remembered. He wasn’t the kind old man who resembled a mountain god. What… was he?
Words couldn’t describe him. His appearance wasn’t something that my vocabulary could explain. But I was sure of one thing. He wasn’t a good creature. No, there was no reason to discuss whether he was good or evil. He was something high above. That, at least, was for sure.
“I think a fitting end for you is to die proud of your achievements in a world free of monsters. This death doesn’t suit you. Moreover, does it make sense for an Akashic Records user to die so helplessly?”
Just listening to his voice caused my head to throb. His voice continued to ring.
“Don’t give up. Why don’t we have a chat over here.”
“…….”
“Because I heard a funny story in the upper world.”
“A funny… story?”
“Yes.”
The Traveler laughed as he spoke. It made my ears feel like they were ripping apart. I swallowed the pain and stared at him. He went straight to the point without hesitation.
“Your world; it was originally supposed to be destroyed.”
“…What?”
“I’m on my way to meet the one who tossed that Disaster in your world. You know, the one who attached that strange thing onto the President of the Association.”
“……!”
As soon as I heard, I remembered.
The reason why the President of the Association became corrupt.
The thing that isolated and locked up an ordinary person for a long time.
“Awakening a level E or F ability can change history? That’s just fun talk among you guys. Do you think an ant can bring down a mountain if it grows another fang?”
“…….”
“They were playing with your world. The system you were using had set the flow of things a certain way. The notification windows that indicated your skills, status, characteristics, and whatnot. That system directly determined the outcome: humanity would perish, and the world would end.”
“What…?”
My head spun. What was he talking about? Was he saying that all of my efforts, how everyone fought together, were useless……?
It felt like the sky was collapsing. Thunder struck inside of me dozens of times.
“That’s… what…….”
I was confused.
I felt dizzy.
It was like my brain had stopped working. I was in a daze, but the Traveler spoke matter-of-factly.
“Don’t panic. I brought you a solution, of course.”
His familiar voice felt different. He felt like a stranger that was far away. I felt disgusted not just by the entities high above who did this but also by the Traveler, who had grabbed my head and smiled slyly, saying he brought me a solution.
I want to kill them all.
The way he called all of our efforts and sacrifices a play, the way he was smiling happily like he was looking at a toy. I hated everything.
“…Thank you. I’m always grateful to have you.”
For the first time, I put on a fake smile in front of the Traveler. I put a mask on my face and calmed my emotions. This was the way I treated complete strangers.
And.
It was also the way I treated my enemies.
‘It looks like my body is still alive. So, I guess I have to think about all of the extra enemies I have to deal with.’
Apparently, this was the beginning, not the end.
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