***
***
A tree glittering with multicolored lights. From its branches that hung upside down pointing to the ground, fruit resembling eyeballs dangled in abundance.
These fruits had a similar shape to the blue eyes of the Blue Blood Demons. Seong Jihan furrowed his brow upon seeing the tree.
‘…A tree? Why is there a tree here?’
For Seong Jihan, who now thought of the World Tree Alliance first whenever trees came to mind, this upside-down tree lacked any aura of life-giving energy.
‘I need to break it first.’
If the Sword Rain pointed out this tree, there must be a reason. Seong Jihan decided to start by eliminating this ominous tree.
Ssssh!
As he drew the Phoenix Spear and aimed at the tree,
“Getting this far…!”
Flash!
All the fruits on the tree burst into light, attempting to bind Seong Jihan with the Blue Blood Demons’ energy again, but…
“You know it won’t work, right?”
Seong Jihan didn’t hesitate a moment and sent a current of crimson electricity up the spear.
Crackle!
Maybe because it was a tree, the lightning that streaked forth was more intense than usual.
The eyeball fruits were reduced to ash, and the branches and trunk, which once dazzled with color, now gradually lost their hue and began to char until eventually, the enormous tree vanished.
‘That was too easy?’
The object that seemed ominous at first vanished surprisingly effortlessly. But then…
Ssssh…!
The water sword Seong Jihan rode on did not dissipate. Instead, it pointed upwards, towards the ceiling.
“Let’s go.”
Shik!
As soon as Seong Jihan gave the order, the water sword pierced the ceiling, allowing him to emerge from the underground sanctum back to the surface.
And there…
‘What’s this…?’
He noticed the same blue tentacles that had previously encased him, now sprawling in all directions across the land. There were so many tentacles that it gave off the impression that the world was enveloped in blue.
-Aren’t those the same tentacles?
-It was the tree’s root system perhaps?
-This game is getting grotesque with all the eyeballs and tentacles ㅡㅡ
-Ugh, more eyeballs in between the tentacles; I’m going to have nightmares about this.
The long-awaited viewing of Seong Jihan’s BattleTube was a bit of a shock due to the grotesque content, prompting viewers to express their discomfort.
Seong Jihan, however, observed the movements of the tentacles without any disturbance.
‘Most of these tentacles are entangled with the Blue Blood Demons, right?’
At the ends of the tentacles…
Groups of Blue Blood Demons walked from all directions.
[Returning… to the gods…!]
Even as they were enveloped and absorbed by the tentacles, the Blue Blood Demons kept chanting for their gods resolutely.
And the more Blue Blood Demons were absorbed…
Plunk!
Single eyes began appearing alongside the lengthy tentacles.
-Ugh… Are the demons cannibalizing each other?
-It wasn’t a fellow demon as the tree.
-Oh, that’s right. Even so, to be sacrificed to what they worship…
-No matter what they say, they must be acting out of desperation.
-We can’t let this happen on Earth… ㅡㅡ;
Viewers witnessing the sacrificial offerings in a world facing annihilation were reminded of the horrific consequences of league demotion.
Meanwhile, Seong Jihan was focused on the phenomenon of the tentacles themselves.
‘The tree’s gone, but the tentacles are still actively moving.’
Where is the source maintaining their vitality?
He looked at the Sword Rain that had brought him to the surface, but…
Ssssh…!
The water sword that emerged on the ground was pointing upwards to the sky.
“Let’s see where this leads.”
As Seong Jihan commanded, the Sword Rain attempted to extend again, but…
Snap!
The sword broke off mid-way, unable to reach its intended target.
‘This must be the limit of its range.’
The Ice Heaven Sword Rain, utilized underground, had stretched a considerable distance before making it to the surface, signaling its range limit.
‘I’ll need to withdraw the sword first.’
Ssssh…!
As Seong Jihan extended his shadow energy into the ground, Ice Heaven Sword Rain was released underground, and Eclipse began to fly back towards him.
The sword, being far away, wasn’t retrieved instantly.
‘Maybe I should check the direction the Sword Rain hinted at.’
He took his spear and ascended towards the sky.
Ssssh…!
The tentacles parted quickly, trying to avoid Seong Jihan, especially from the Crimson Lightning swirling around the tip of his spear, as if desperately trying to stay untouched.
-Look how fast those tentacles are lol.
-They’re freaking out at the thought of being striked by the Crimson thunder lol
-Well, they get destroyed as soon as touched by the lightning, so it’s understandable lol
-But why is he leaving them alone?
-Right… It looks like he’s searching for something, doesn’t it?
Seong Jihan ascended through the path cleared by the retreating tentacles and took in his surroundings.
‘It seems I emerged on top of a hill.’
The dwellings of the Blue Blood Demons concentrated around a giant hill, and Seong Jihan had emerged near the hill’s peak.
And below, in the demon’s residences…
The devastation was in full swing.
Flash! Flash!
Sunlight poured from above, and players representing the Solar faction were materializing, annihilating the Blue Blood Demon residences.
“Conquering a demoted star through annihilation, this special map is a freebie!”
“This territory is mine. Don’t get in the way!”
“Who cares about territories here? The first to kill gets to keep!”
Giants and dragonkind, among a variety of powerful species evident at a glance, were slaughtering the Blue Blood Demons in mere moments, and when any player hesitated even for a second…
“That one… must be possessed!”
“Great! Let’s kill that one first!”
“Right, we need to take down the traitors first!”
These players pounced on any hesitating players, ruthlessly subduing them.
-Is this called… annihilation?
-Wow… They are celebrating when they think someone’s possessed;
-The Blue Blood Demons can’t resist at all…
-These players are brutally strong;
Overwhelmed by the sheer strength of players contrasted with just Seong Jihan and the elves, the human viewers shuddered as they saw the slaughter unfold in the Blue Blood Demon strongholds.
Maybe it was because the special map only summoned elites, but despite the Blue Blood Demons putting up a fight, they were thoroughly getting crushed.
And there was…
‘That darkness… is it the same as the void before?’
On the outskirts, an enormous darkness wavered and was erasing the Blue Blood Demon residences completely.
Players belonging to the Void faction, unlike those from Solar, obscured themselves fully within this darkness as they conquered their foes.
Perhaps that’s why Blue Blood Demons on the outer edge, overwhelmed by the oncoming darkness, were unable to attempt possession and quickly got cleared out.
-The city looks huge…
-The destruction was instant.
-The players are ruthless…
-Would we have any chance to resist if this happened on Earth?
-Would nuking dragons work?
-Then we’d be nuked, too;
-We definitely can’t drop to lowest league
Imagining such devastation on Earth, viewers could deeply feel the importance of maintaining their rank.
As for Seong Jihan…
‘At this rate… it might end too soon.’
Watching the annihilation of the Blue Blood Demons, he could sense that time was running short.
Despite their powers of possession, a one-sided massacre was unfolding.
The end of the game was approaching much faster than he anticipated.
‘I can’t just watch anymore.’
He considered using Ice Heaven Sword Rain without Eclipse when…
Ssssh…!
[It’s too far. Too far.]
Eclipse arrived from the underground just in time for Seong Jihan.
“You’re just in time. Let’s freeze it all again.”
[Master… you’re using it too much lately, aren’t you?]
“I have something to find. Let’s go.”
Fundamental Divine Arts: Annihilation God’s Secret, Ice Heaven Sword Rain
Ssssshhh!
Hardly unfrozen for a moment, Eclipse was enveloped in ice once again.
Perhaps because it was used towards the sky.
The air began to freeze at an even faster rate than when used underground.
Instantly, the sky was covered in a cold mist.
And then…
Pffft…!
“Hmm…”
From the frozen sky, swords of ice began to rain down.
Not towards the tentacles that had given way to Seong Jihan, but towards the space where the players of the Solar faction had materialized.
‘This is getting complicated…’
Seong Jihan furrowed his brow.
* * *
Ice Heaven Sword Rain.
The power, gifted with search capabilities,
Primarily served to unearth ‘errors’ within BattleNet.
And then…
“What’s this now?”
The players summoned to enforce annihilation were all formidable beings from their respective worlds,
Possessing enough skill and caliber to be detected as ‘errors’ by the Sword Rain.
Boom!
The divided Sword Rain weakened as it separated into hundreds of shoots.
The watery swords could not pierce through the players summoned and exploded mid-air.
Ssssh…!
The players who had been targeted by the Sword Rain uniformly looked up to the sky.
“A trick from the remnants of the Blue Blood Demons?”
“We thought they could only perform possessions… seems like there’s a powerful player among them.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be as fun to fight without a bit of rebellion.”
“Let me handle this one first!”
Players who had become bored with the one-sided slaughter were amused by the display of Seong Jihan’s power and seemed excited by the new challenge.
Whish! Whish!
A giant dragon was the first to spread its wings and advance. From its mouth glowed a fierce flame.
‘All of them are riddled with errors… I should’ve controlled Sword Rain more carefully.’
Before he knew it, Seong Jihan, having tried to use Ice Heaven Sword Rain at full power to prolong the Epic Quest, was mistaken for the last formidable Blue Blood Demon.
“Surrender your GP and items!”
The advancing black dragon that flew towards Seong Jihan began to spew flames from its mouth, appearing rather elated.
Whoosh!
A vast breath of flame engulfed the sky in a moment.
-Even dragons shout for loot drops when playing games lol
-Why did this situation escalate like this…?
-The breath looks insane; it’s all fire.
-Is today the day when Seong Jihan doesn’t make it to number one?
Fundamental Divine Arts, Annihilation God’s Secret – Myriad Ghost Sealing Gods.
But that flame, too, was swiftly sucked away by the vortex of the thawed Eclipse.
“Good, he’s not weak! He’s going to drop good items!”
Surprised that Seong Jihan was able to deflect their attacks with ease, the black dragon actually seemed to enjoy the fight even more.
“Get out of the way! I’ll take him down first!”
“Oh, but… that one. Isn’t he the hidden boss when you look closely?”
“Ah, I didn’t recognize him because he looked too small… Is that really him?”
“It must be! The weapon is the same!”
Players who had come to the sky ready to catch Seong Jihan, once they identified who he was, beamed with excitement.
“Isn’t his race different from the Blue Blood Demons? Has he been possessed?”
“What does it matter? He might drop diamond-grade items!”
“I’ll avenge my defeat in the dungeon!”
Apparently holding a grudge against hidden boss Seong Jihan, players ganged up on him.
‘I don’t have time for a scuffle with them.’
Sword Rain was used at maximum power fearing the Epic Quest would end, and now he found himself in a mess.
However, this wasn’t necessarily the worst outcome.
‘This gives me a bit more time before the Blue Blood Demons are finished off.’
As Seong Jihan’s identity as the hidden boss was revealed, the players who had been executing the massacre on the ground shifted focus, plunging headfirst into a raid against Seong Jihan.
Ironically, this bought more time to complete the Epic Quest.
Of course…
[Master. I can’t keep this up much longer…]
Assuming he could withstand their combined assault…
‘These creatures are strong.’
As always, they were no easy match, and the Myriad Ghost Sealing Gods was nearing its limit.
‘First, I’ll have to deal with them.’
If things continue as they were, he’d be surrounded and overwhelmed.
Opting for offence over defense, Seong Jihan began to reel in the vortex.
As its suction weakened…
The flames crept towards Seong Jihan to capture him when…
“No! The hidden boss is mine!”
Boom!
A giant who had been unleashing his fiery breath jumped from the ground and kicked the airborne black dragon away.
“…?”
