Bab 167. Malam Ketiga (18)
'...Iniakah akhir?'
Gula memandang sekeliling dengan hati yang hancur.
Pasukan tentara mayat yang tak pernah berhenti bergelora. Mereka sudah dikelilingi dari segala sisi, tidak ada tempat untuk mundur. Bahkan Pasukan Pengawal Baju (Ark Warriors), yang telah bergegas dengan kekuatan seperti seribu orang, telah menghilang tanpa jejak.
...Bagaimana bisa sampai seperti ini?
Mereka telah melawan secara seimbang, atau setidaknya begitulah yang terlihat.
"S-Sisakan aku!"
"Ini bukan lagi perang!"
"Manusia tidak bisa melawan monster seperti itu, bukan sesuatu yang bisa Anubis hentikan!"
Mereka yang kehilangan keinginan untuk bertarung hanya lari dengan ketakutan.
Ketika Anubis pertama kali muncul dan sejuta pasukan mayat mengebor keluar dari tanah, tidak terasa begitu tidak berharap. Justru, mereka menampilkan koordinasi ahli, merespons dengan lancar terhadap ombak kematian di bawah perintah Gula.
Semua ujian dengan cepat diselesaikan, statis mereka naik ke puncak, keyakinan mereka melimpah, mereka yakin bisa menang.
— “Kematian! Anubis! Aheta!”
Mereka semua berteriak untuk kemenangan serentak. Keseimbangan telah tercapai; mereka yakin bisa menang jika hanya menyalakan tekad.
Namun—
'Aheta, apakah kamu tidak punya rasa bangga sebagai Pencipta...?'
Moon Lord Aheta menyelitkan diri. Pencipta Malam Ketiga secara paksa menghancurkan 'keseimbangan' yang telah tercapai itu.
『Pencipta 'Aheta' memasukkan koin.』
『Dengan banyak nomor koin, 'Segel' yang diberikan pada Anubis dicabut.』
『'Segel' adalah pembatasan paksa yang ditetapkan untuk menjaga keseimbangan 'Malam Ketiga'.』
『'Segel' pada 'Anubis' dicabut, dan ia memulihkan bentuk aslinya.』
『Makhluk mati yang paling janggal mengungkapkan dirinya!』
Tak lama kemudian, tubuh Anubis membesar, bergonjang sebagai 'Binatang Kematian' yang turun. Tubuh yang sangat besar, mudah lebih dari 10 meter tingginya. Seluruh bentuknya dikelilingi oleh bulu hitam tebal. Dua belas mata merah tua dan tak berapa jumlah gigi tiga lapis yang tumbuh seperti pisau, siap memotong segapa pun yang berada di jangkauan.
'...'
Dia secara instinktif menyadari. Itu bukan monster yang mereka mungkin bisa hadapi. Selama satu pun masih hidup, mereka tidak bisa berdiri melawan Binatang Kematian itu.
Gula, yang sudah mati, berhasil bertahan, namun yang hidup tidak punya pilihan selain lari dengan panik.
"Mengapa kami tidak bisa melarikan diri!?"
"A-Aku tidak bisa menggunakan koin!"
"Sialkan Aheta!"
Itu belum semua, Aheta bahkan memblokir pelarian berbasis koin mereka. Seolah-olah mencoba Menyembunyikan kesalahannya sendiri.
Ada sesuatu yang terasa, keinginan Aheta untuk tidak membiarkan satu pun jiwa melarikan diri.
KROAAAAAAAR!
Anubis melepulkan sebuah teriak yang mengagamkan.
Dalam seketika, angin topan seperti badai menyatu mengelilingi tanah. Siapa pun yang berada dalam radius 1 km langsung berubah menjadi asap saat teriakan itu mencapai mereka. Binatang Kematian itu membunuh mereka secara instan, hanya dengan berteriak sekali. Bahkan dengan statis maksimal mereka, mereka tidak bisa menanggungnya.
'...Bentuk sebenarnya Anubis... Binatang itu adalah yang terkuat dari semua.'
Jijik dan menjijikkan, namun semakin kuat. Meskipun Gula telah lama berkhianat dalam Tentara Mayat, ini adalah pertama kalinya dia melihat tubuh sebenarnya Anubis.
Mungkin itulah sebabnya, Gula tidak mudah mengayunkan pedangnya. Dia telah ditundukkan oleh teriakan Anubis. Aheta sedang berusaha untuk mengakhiri perang sesocep mungkinnya.
'Aheta berencana untuk mengakhiri Malam Ketiga sebelum menyelesaikan Legendary Quest.'
Alasannya jelas. Dia bisa kehilangan Kuil Kematian dan wilayah ini sepenuhnya. Orang yang telah mengembalikan dewanya.
'...Apakah kamu takut, Aheta?'
Park Chan-woo!
Dan Aheta takut pada Park Chan-woo. Begitu takut bahkan tidak ragu lagi untuk melakukan hal-hal yang tidak layak bagi seorang Pencipta. Dia memecahkan keseimbangan dan menyisihkan banyak koin, bahkan mengubah aturan.
Gula tidak pernah mengharapkan dirinya akan sampai sejauh ini. Jika dia tahu, dia akan lebih siap secara jauh lebih lengkap.
'…Walaupun hanya sedikit… waktu…'
Dia harus membeli waktu. Hingga Park Chan-woo merebut Kuil Kematian.
"O Dewa Cahaya, Tuan Ahue! Berikanlah aku kekuatanmu!"
Gula mengignisikan kekuatan ilahinya. Dia memaksa tubuhnya bergerak dengan membakar semua energi yang tersisa. Dia memutar bahkan esensi terakhirnya. Ini berarti kematian yang sejati, yang tak bisa kembali, namun tidak maslah.
Dia sudah seorang yang sudah mati. Ini adalah kesempatan emas untuk mengikhlaskan, meskipun secara minim, kesalahan masa lalu. Berapa banyak penyesalan yang telah ia bawa setelah ditipu oleh Anubis dan bergabung dengan Tentara Mayat?
Di akhirnya, dia bahkan kehilangan ingatannya, digunakan sebagai alat kematian semata.
SLASH!
Pada saat itu—
Sesuatu yang melintasi sisi Gula.
'...Mulut Anubis...!'
Tak lama kemudian, dia menyadarinya, sudah terlambat. Dia hanya bisa memutar tubuhnya untuk menghindari kematian instan, namun lengan kanannya telah terlahap sudah terlalu lama.
'...'
Dia tidak bisa percaya itu.
Hanya sekejap yang lalu, Anubis telah berdiri di depan Kuil. Tapi sekarang, gigitannya hampir menggores lariannya.
"..."
Dan kemudian, Gula berhenti bergerak. Ia bahkan tidak dapat membuka mulutnya.
...Karena di hadapannya adalah dua belas mata merah darah. Binatang yang sangat besar dan menjijikkan itu mendekat begitu cepat hingga Gula bahkan tidak menyadarinya.
'Apakah aku benar-benar terlalu lemah...!?'
Sungguh menyedihkan untuk bertemu ajal seperti ini. Tapi perlawanan adalah tidak berguna di hadapan Binatang Kematian, itu adalah keputusasaan yang sempurna. Penyapu bersih yang mencari hanya untuk akhir dari segala kehidupan.
Saat Anubis bersiap untuk memberikan kematian sejati, tanpa peringatan apa pun—
"Guaaaaah—!"
...Suatu teriak yang sangat hebat terdengar dari dalam Kuil Kematian.
RUMBLE! RUUUUMBLE!
Tanah bergetar dan langit juga bergetar, dan itu belum semua.
BUZZZZZZZZ!
Anubis, Binatang Kematian itu, sedang bergemeterang. Seolah-olah ketakutan, dua belas matanya bergetar kencang. Seolah-olah ada binatang yang lebih menjijikkan lagi. Tapi hal semacam itu tidak mungkin ada. Tidak ada apa-apa yang lebih menakutkan daripada Anubis. Jika ada—
'...Dewa Ketakutan.'
...Tidak aneh jika disebut 'Dewa Ketakutan'.
* * *
"Teriak Baal...!"
Aheta mengenali sumber teriakan itu dari dalam Kuil Kematian.
Itu jelas teriakan Dewa Ketakutan Baal. Hanya Baal yang bisa membuat Anubis, yang mempertiwi kematian, gemetar ketakutan.
'...Lingkaran ini... mengandung Baal.'
Sekarang sudah pasti, Archmage. Ia berada di dalam. Namun ada sesuatu yang aneh. Teriakan Baal tidak hanya menggema melalui kuil tetapi juga menggema melintasi seluruh Malam Ketiga. Tidak peduli betapa ilahi kekuatan Baal, ia hanyalah yang tersemat pada sebuah sabuk.
Aheta memiliki pemikiran yang cukup baik tentang rentang dan kekuatannya. Dan namun... Ini terasa seperti Baal sendiri sedang menjerit.
'...Archmage telah meningkatkan kekuatan yang terukir pada sabuk itu.'
Betapa menjengkelkannya pria itu, untuk berpikir dia berhasil meningkatkan kekuatan Baal seiring waktu.
Tapi mungkin ini untuk yang terbaik, kekuatannya hanyalah sekali pakai. Memiliki cooldown dan tidak bisa digunakan berulang kali. Jika sudah terpakai, berarti ia dalam situasi genting.
'... Namun demikian, aku telah menang.'
Aheta mengembalikan tenangannya. Dari awal, ini tidak pernah menjadi pertarungan yang bisa dia kalahkan. Tidak ada manusia yang bisa mengalahkan kekuatan penuh Moon Lord. Untuk berpikir dia bisa merebut Kuil Kematian yang telah dijaga Aheta dengan sangat hati-hati—
Betapa tidak takutnya.
"Anubis. Bergerakah."
CLICK!
Dia memasukkan koin, untuk menghapus emosi Anubis.
Tak lama kemudian, 'Anubis' lupa dari semua ketakutannya. Bebas dari teriakan Baal, Anubis kembali ke pembunuhan massal.
…Aheta telah menghabiskan ribuan koin untuk kemenangan ini, tetapi setiap koin terbayar dengan baik. Jika dia bisa membunuh Archmage dan mengambil sabuk Baal.
'...Tidak mungkinkan bagi dia untuk menyelesaikan Kuil dalam waktu singkat ini.'
Pencapaian semacam itu mustahil bahkan dalam mimpi. Jika dibiarkan sendirian, Archmage akan mati di dalam kuil juga, tetapi untuk memastikan kemenangan, Aheta berusaha untuk mengakhiri Malam Ketiga dengan cepat, tetapi tidak bisa.
Tiba-tiba, di hadapan matanya—
DING!
『'Kuil Kematian' telah sepenuhnya disucikan!』
『Penantang telah menyelesaikan 'Legendary Quest'!』
『'Dewa Luar' muncul!』
…Pesan muncul di hadapannya.
"...Apa...!?"
Dia tidak bisa mempercayai apa yang dilihatnya. Hanya sehari penuh yang telah berlalu.
Perangnya hampir selesai. Dan seseorang lagi telah melampaui ekspektasi lagi dan menyelesaikan Legendary Quest dengan kecepatan yang mustahil dipahami.
"Ini... apa ini...!?"
Dia tidak bisa memahami, dia menolak untuk mem akui.
Malam Pertama, Malam Kedua, dan bahkan Malam Ketiga.
DIA, Moon Lord, adalah yang akan dikalahkan di ketiganya?
'...Satu tersisa.'
…Tidak. Tidak.
Aheta hampir runtuh, ia mas masih memiliki benteng terakhir.
'...Keajaiban hidup yang paling kuat.'
Chapter 167. The Third Night (18)
'...Is this the end?'
Gula looked around with a devastated heart.
The endlessly surging army of the dead. They were already surrounded on all sides, there was no retreat left. Even the Ark Warriors, who had charged with the strength of a hundred men, had vanished without a trace.
...How did it come to this?
They had been fighting an even match, or so it had seemed.
"Sp-Spare me!"
"This isn't a war anymore!"
"Humans can't fight a monster like that, it's not something Anubis can be stopped by!"
Those who had lost the will to fight only fled in terror.
When Anubis first appeared and a million-strong army of the dead burst from the ground, it hadn't felt this hopeless. In fact, they had displayed expert coordination, responding smoothly to the tide of death under Gula's command.
All trials had been swiftly completed, their stats rose to their peak, confidence overflowed, they could win.
— “Death! Anubis! Aheta!”
They had all cried out for victory in unison. The balance had been struck; they believed they could win if they only burned with determination. However—
'Aheta, do you have no pride as a Creator…?'
The Moon Lord Aheta had intervened. The creator of the Third Night forcibly shattered the delicate 'balance' that had been achieved.
『The Creator 'Aheta' inserts coins.』
『Using a massive number of coins, the 'Seal' placed on Anubis is lifted.』
『The 'Seal' was a forced restriction imposed to maintain the balance of the 'Third Night'.』
『The 'Seal' on 'Anubis' is lifted, and it regains its original form.』
『The most grotesque beast of death reveals itself!』
At once, Anubis's body expanded, swelling up as the 'Beast of Death' descended. A massive body, easily over 10 meters tall. Its entire form cloaked in thick black fur. Twelve blood-red eyes and an uncountable number of triple-layered fangs jutting out like blades, ready to shred anything in reach.
'Ah…'
He instinctively knew. That thing was not a monster they could possibly face. As long as one was alive, they could not stand against that Beast of Death.
Gula, already dead, managed to hold on, but the living had no choice but to flee in panic.
"Why can't we escape!?"
"I-I can't use coins!"
"Fucking Aheta bastard!"
That wasn’t all, Aheta had even blocked their coin-based escape. As if trying to cover up his own shameful act.
One could feel it, Aheta's will to let not a single soul escape.
KROAAAAAAAR!
Anubis let out a monstrous roar.
In an instant, a hurricane-like gust swept across the land. Anyone within a 1km radius was turned into smoke the moment the roar reached them. The Beast of Death had killed them instantly, just by screaming once. Even with their maximum potential stats, they couldn’t endure it.
'The true form of Anubis… That beast is the strongest of them all.'
Grotesque and revolting, but even more powerful. Though Gula had served long as a commander within the Army of the Dead, it was his first time seeing Anubis's true body.
Maybe that's why, Gula could not easily swing his sword. He had been subdued by Anubis’s roar. Aheta was trying to end the war as quickly as possible.
'Aheta plans to end the Third Night before he completes the Legendary Quest.'
The reason was obvious. She could lose the Temple of Death and this territory entirely. The man who had restored her god.
'...Are you afraid, Aheta?'
Park Chan-woo!
And Aheta was afraid of Park Chan-woo. So much so that he no longer hesitated to commit actions unfit for a Creator. She broke the balance and poured in massive amounts of coins, even altering the rules.
Gula had never expected her to go this far. Had he known, he would have prepared far more thoroughly.
'Even just a little… time…'
He had to buy some. Until Park Chan-woo conquered the Temple of Death.
"O God of Light, Lord Ahue! Grant me your strength!"
Gula ignited his divine power. He forced his body to move by burning all the energy he had left. He twisted even the last of his essence. This would mean true, permanent death, but it didn’t matter.
He was already a dead man. This was a golden chance to redeem, even slightly, his past mistakes. How many regrets had he harbored after being deceived by Anubis and joining the army of the dead?
In the end, he lost even his memories, wielded as nothing but a tool of death.
SLASH!
In that moment—
Something brushed past Gula’s side.
‘Anubis’s mouth…!’
By the time he realized, it was too late. He barely twisted his body to avoid instant death, but his right arm had already been devoured.
‘When…?’
He couldn’t believe it.
Just a moment ago, Anubis had been standing at the front of the temple. But now, its jaws had grazed past him.
“……”
And then, Gula stopped moving. He couldn’t even open his mouth.
…Because right in front of him were twelve crimson eyes. The enormous, hideous beast had approached so fast Gula hadn’t even noticed.
‘Am I really this weak…!?’
It was pitiful, to meet his end like this. But resistance was meaningless before the Beast of Death, that thing was despair incarnate. A Reaper that sought only the end of all life.
As Anubis prepared to deliver true death, without any warning—
“Guaaaaah—!”
…A great roar echoed from within the Temple of Death.
RUMBLE! RUUUUMBLE!
The earth quaked and even the sky trembled, and that wasn’t all.
BUZZZZZZZZ!
Anubis, that Beast of Death was trembling. As if terrified, its twelve eyes shook wildly. As if some even more grotesque beast had arrived. But such a thing couldn’t exist. There should be nothing more terrifying than Anubis. If there was—
‘Dread God.’
…It wouldn’t be strange to call it a ‘Dread God’.
* * *
“The roar of Baal…!”
Aheta recognized the source of the roar from within the Temple of Death.
It was unmistakably the Dread God Baal’s roar. Only Baal could make even death incarnate, Anubis, tremble in fear.
‘That belt… contains Baal.’
It was now certain, the Archmage. He was inside. But something was strange. Baal’s roar was echoing not just through the temple but across the entire Third Night. No matter how divine Baal's power was, it was merely etched into a belt.
Aheta had a fairly good sense of its range and might. And yet… This felt like Baal himself was screaming.
‘The Archmage has enhanced the power engraved in the belt.’
What a troublesome man, to think he had managed to amplify Baal’s power in the meantime.
But perhaps this was for the best, that power was one-time use. It had a cooldown and couldn’t be used repeatedly. If he’d already spent it, it meant he was in crisis.
‘Even so, I’ve won.’
Aheta regained her composure. From the beginning, it had never been a fight he could lose. There was no way a human could defeat the full might of the Moon Lord. To think he could liberate the Temple of Death Aheta had painstakingly built—
How shameless.
“Anubis. Move.”
CLICK!
He inserted a coin, to erase Anubis’s emotions.
At once, 'Anubis' forgot all fear. Freed from Baal's roar, Anubis resumed the massacre.
…Aheta had spent thousands of coins for this victory, but it was worth every coin. If she could kill the Archmage and retrieve Baal’s belt.
‘There’s no way he could have cleared the Temple in such a short time.’
Such a feat was impossible even in dreams. Left alone, the Archmage would die inside the temple anyway, but to ensure victory, Aheta moved to end the Third Night as swiftly as possible, but she couldn’t.
Suddenly, right before her eyes—
DING!
『The 'Temple of Death' has been fully purified!』
『The challenger has completed the 'Legendary Quest'!』
『The 'Outer God' appears!』
…Messages appeared before him.
“...What?”
She couldn’t believe her eyes. It had been barely over a day.
The war was nearly over. Yet someone had once again surpassed his expectations and cleared the Legendary Quest at an unfathomable speed.
“This… what is this…?”
She couldn’t understand it, she refused to accept it.
The First Night, the Second, and even the Third, She, the Moon Lord, was about to be defeated in all of them?
‘…One remains.’
…No. No.
Aheta barely pulled himself together, there was still one final bastion.
‘The strongest lifeform.’
The wish she had made to the Outer God beforehand. The Outer God would be reborn as the strongest lifeform. No way it would grant a wish to the Archmage now. No way it would hand over his Eternal Temple and territory.
…That would be better. Better that the Outer God kill the Archmage than let him win everything. And once the Outer God left the temple, Anubis, the ultimate beast, would face it.
The 'strongest lifeform' wasn’t yet complete. Still unaccustomed to its new body, the Outer God would not be able to defeat death incarnate, Anubis.
‘You’ll regret waking him, Archmage.’
* * *
After using the Dread God's roar to repel the Reapers, Park Chan-woo took a shortcut and bypassed Zone 4.
Then, he finally faced the ‘Outer God’.
“What an interesting human you are.”
“…Are you the Outer God?”
Park Chan-woo asked warily.
The appearance of the Outer God was not what he had expected after clearing Zone 4. A child’s body with two red horns.
“Regrettably, this body is still immature… but I am undoubtedly the ‘God of Eternity.’ Though, some call me the ‘God of Wishes’ as well.”
So it was true.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
‘That’s the ‘strongest lifeform’ Aheta tried to create.’
The Outer God had inhabited the body and was acting as it pleased.
“You have freed me, so I shall grant you a wish. Ah, you need not speak, I’ll simply read your deepest desire. Let’s see… Hm? Archmage?”
“…”
“Haha! Is your dream really to learn magic? Very well. I shall grant you ten thousand spells. How about it?”
“I don’t need it.”
“Hm? No? Then… ohh, a savior? But the salvation of humanity is merely a pretense. What you truly desire is to reach the ultimate end. You wish for great power that can shake the Abyss, don’t you?”
“I don’t need that either.”
“Huh. Neither magic nor power? And yet, those are your only detectable desires. They’re so intense, even a god like me finds them excessive. So… what is it you truly wish for?”
The Outer God tilted its head.
…He was certainly remarkable. He had read Park Chan-woo’s desires with perfect accuracy. But neither magic nor power were what Chan-woo truly wanted. Just as it had been when he first entered this place—
“Take away the ‘death’ that’s eating away at me.”
“Eternal life? You want to become immortal? That’s certainly within reach, but…”
“I mean the status ailment, ‘Terminal Illness’, erase it.”
“A status ailment, you say? Ohhh.”
The Outer God stroked its chin and nodded. Then, as if it were nothing of importance, it smiled leisurely and replied once more.
“That much is simple. Very well. I shall erase your ‘Terminal Illness’.”
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!