Chapter 174: The Second Great War
Origin (原).
It was Park Siwoo’s ultimate Awakening Technique, which synchronized himself with the Mana of the Star.
Even in the game, this skill was only unlocked at the very end.
What made this technique special was the unique energy known as the Mana of the Star.
It was the purest power in the world, possessing distinction and independence from other forms of Mana by its very nature.
To put it simply, Park Siwoo had no need for anything like an energy core.
An energy core was ultimately nothing more than an artificial bodily organ created to accumulate the energy known as Mana within the body.
It was merely an imitation of the hearts possessed by Dragons and Demons.
In other words, according to the setting of this world, humans were inherently inferior to higher species that were born with Mana organs.
But Park Siwoo was different.
He was human, yet possessed the characteristics of a higher species.
Because he had possessed the Mana of the Star since birth, not only could he perceive Mana—
His body itself was essentially one enormous energy core.
In other words, Park Siwoo’s Origin (原) wasn’t something that could simply be replicated just because someone wanted to.
It was a technique only possible because Park Siwoo was the Protagonist of the game and the chosen one.
But I had succeeded in reproducing it.
How was that possible?
Because I was Park Siwoo’s antithesis.
A being born carrying the End from birth.
Two opposite sides of a sheet of paper could never meet, yet weren’t they also closer to each other than anything else?
Of course, reproducing it required an enormous amount of effort.
Because I had to discard what I had built until now and build everything anew.
To reproduce Origin (原), I myself had to become a star.
Like the sun, which always remained in the same place and burned itself without change.
The enlightenment I gained through that process was by no means insignificant.
I looked at the clone before me.
It, too, seemed bewildered upon seeing Origin and was unable to charge at me.
Now I was certain.
Certain that I could defeat the being before me.
“This will probably be the last time you and I fight.”
I had already achieved everything I could obtain from this place.
All that remained was to focus on Park Siwoo and the others’ growth.
Looks like I’ll have to push them even harder.
Screams echoed throughout the Academy.
Cries filled with anguish and terror.
Countless people were suffering from horrifying nightmares.
Yoo Iseo and Seo Da-hee hurried toward the Academy’s Barrier Wall.
‘Damn it, a High-ranking Executive of Pandemonium.’
Memories of the past resurfaced, making every hair on her body stand on end.
They had experienced the power of a High-ranking Executive before.
The battle to subjugate Viden one month ago.
The memories of that time remained as vivid as though they had happened yesterday.
The hideous appearances of the Undead, their suffocating stench, and the Death Energy they emitted gnawed away at the Aura of the living.
Viden, the world’s worst Dark Sorcerer and the Lich King.
He had been like death itself given life.
But the Aura she felt now was different.
Even Yoo Iseo, who stood at the very peak of the Upper-ranking Heroes, hadn’t noticed that she was under a Mental Attack.
A power that incapacitated people like a deadly poison without color or scent.
They knew a Demon who wielded such a power.
Because that Demon had once attempted to extend her influence into the Academy.
A power that forcibly induced an awakened state and partially enhanced one’s innate abilities when consumed, but with continued use caused the victim to go berserk and become a Monster that was neither human nor Demon.
Essence (精氣).
The Demons had once attempted to sell drinks containing this Essence to the students.
And the being who had created that Essence was the Demon now spreading this horrific Mental Attack throughout the Academy.
Serpin, a High-ranking Executive of Pandemonium and a Demon known by countless titles, including the Empress of Nightmares and the Queen of Deception.
Yoo Iseo suppressed her anxiety and steeled herself.
‘There’s no need to worry.’
Hadn’t they prepared for this exact moment?
Not only had they identified and uprooted all the rotten elements within Hero society, but there were currently three Top-ranking Heroes at the Academy.
The Sword Emperor, a living legend called the greatest Hero of the modern world.
Oliver Raiders, the Mad Dragon who had piled mountains from the corpses of Demons despite not even being from the era of the Great War.
And as for Chun Ga-eun…… she wasn’t quite sure.
In any case, this was not a force that a mere single High-ranking Executive of Pandemonium could contend with.
Moreover, Pandemonium was currently unable to gather its full forces.
That was because the other Heroes and the government were actively preventing the Demons from assembling.
More importantly, according to Yoo Seongwoo, they had lost one of their greatest weapons.
Malphas, the high-ranking Demon capable of creating Portals that connected spaces.
With him gone, an Assault involving a large force of Demons suddenly appearing inside the Academy was impossible.
However, Yoo Iseo’s expectations shattered the moment she reached the Academy’s Barrier Wall.
The Academy’s Heroes and instructors who had arrived before them stood assembled along the Barrier Wall.
And at the forefront stood the three Top-ranking Heroes.
But every Hero gathered there was trapped within a mire of fear.
The hands gripping their weapons trembled.
Yoo Iseo was shaken to her core when she saw the Demons who had invaded the Academy.
‘Why did I assume there was only one High-ranking Executive who invaded the Academy?’
There wasn’t just one.
Those beings, each radiating an overwhelming presence, unleashed their power without restraint.
The Sword Emperor and the others released their own power in response, but even they couldn’t completely shield the Heroes from the overwhelming presence emitted by four High-ranking Executives.
The Demons were the ones who broke the chilling silence.
A captivatingly beautiful woman with black wings acknowledged the Sword Emperor as though greeting an old acquaintance.
“It’s been a while, Dansan. You’ve gotten old, haven’t you? If you were going to age so disgracefully, you should’ve accepted my offer back then.”
“Serpin…… Lobo, Tamuz, Kobal. You remain unchanged. Rude and abrupt as ever.”
“You seem to have changed quite a bit, though. Who would look at you now and think you were the Sword Demon? The Sword Demon of the past would’ve drawn his sword and attacked the instant he saw us. Did growing old make your body sluggish?”
It was a childish provocation, but an enormous battle of presence was taking place beneath those words.
Mana and Demonic Energy collided and churned against each other.
‘Ugh, I’m getting dizzy.’
Lia, who shared Seo Da-hee’s senses, groaned.
Before long, the Sword Emperor’s presence erupted explosively as he gripped his sword.
Oliver Raiders and Chun Ga-eun raised their power in response.
“I’ll ask out of courtesy. Why have you come here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? History repeats itself, and what must happen will happen. At long last, the time has come.”
“You will be defeated again.”
“No. This time will be different.”
At those words, an enormous Demon who had remained silent until now opened his mouth.
A massive scar stretched across the chest of the Demon, whose sheer size resembled a towering building.
“We will repay the humiliation of the Great War.”
When Tamuz the Giant spoke, those nearby covered their ears.
His enormous eyes were filled with deep hatred toward the Sword Emperor.
His hand stroked the enormous scar across his chest before swinging outward.
That attack marked the beginning of the second Great War between Heroes and Demons.
Enormous forces collided.
That alone made the heavens and earth in every direction tremble faintly.
The four High-ranking Executives each chose an opponent.
Tamuz the Giant, who possessed the greatest raw power, faced the Sword Emperor.
Lobo the Beast King, known as the Lord of Beasts, faced Oliver Raiders.
Kobal the Sage of the Forest faced Chun Ga-eun.
Serpin, the only one without an opponent, turned her gaze toward the Heroes.
“Normally, I’d like to torment Dansan…… but Tamuz would hate that, wouldn’t he? It looks like you’ll have to play with me instead.”
Her wings fluttered, scattering black feathers onto the ground.
Behind her alluring exterior lurked an incredibly profound malice.
Yoo Seongwoo’s words flashed through Yoo Iseo’s mind.
Before leaving, he had taught them how to deal with Pandemonium’s High-ranking Executives in preparation for a Demon Invasion.
Serpin was a Dream Demon who lived within dreams.
The illusions she created were indistinguishable from reality, and within the Domain of Dreams, she was like a god.
‘But remember. Every dream eventually ends, and the world exists outside the dream, not within it.’
It had sounded vague, but she had no choice except to trust him.
She shouted toward the terrified Heroes.
“Everyone, calm down and follow my command!”
The opponent before them was undoubtedly powerful, but it wasn’t as though they stood no chance whatsoever.
Yoo Iseo herself was already knocking on the door leading to the realm of a Top-ranking Hero, and the Academy’s instructors and Heroes were powerful in their own right.
Moreover, Yoo Iseo had already commanded them during the previous Demon Assaults.
“If we combine our strength, we can win! Just make sure you don’t fall into her Domain of Dreams!”
“Pfft.”
At that moment, a mocking laugh came from somewhere.
With an enchanting smile, Serpin looked toward Yoo Iseo and Seo Da-hee.
“Be careful not to fall into my Domain of Dreams? You seem to be misunderstanding one thing. Do you remember the exact moment you fall asleep?”
“……Don’t tell me?”
“You’re already inside my Domain.”
At the same time, the scenery around them changed.
The High-ranking Executives, the Sword Emperor, and the others who had been fighting fiercely turned into smoke and disappeared.
Seo Da-hee, whose hand she had been holding beside her, began to change.
Into the appearance she had when she died in the past.
Serpin was trying to trigger Yoo Iseo’s trauma again.
But it didn’t work.
Earlier, she had been caught completely unaware and panicked, but now that she knew what was happening, something like this could never work on her.
Instead, sparks erupted from the furious Yoo Iseo’s body as her hair turned white.
Countless spears of lightning materialized in the air and pierced through the manifestation of her trauma.
Crackleeeee!
“Kyaaaaaaaaah!”
A piercing scream rang out at the same time.
Yoo Iseo’s expression turned cold at the familiar voice.
The manifestation of trauma she had pierced began to change.
It transformed into Seo Da-hee, impaled by the spears of lightning and writhing in agony.
“Kyahahaha! How does it feel to personally bring about the death of the friend you were so terrified of losing?”
“…….”
“You’re not sure anymore, are you? Whether the friend in front of you is fake or real?”
Yoo Iseo finally understood why the being before her was called the Empress of Nightmares and the Queen of Deception.
The being before her looked as though she was having the time of her life.
Yoo Iseo felt as though her heart might burst at any moment.
She couldn’t maintain her composure against the rage boiling within her.
The suspicion that she had truly hurt Seo Da-hee and the belief that this, too, was nothing more than that witch’s trick clashed violently within her.
If the former was true—
It was something she could never accept.
At that moment, Yoo Seongwoo’s voice once again echoed through Yoo Iseo’s mind.
‘Remember. Every dream eventually ends, and the world exists outside the dream, not within it.’
Electrical power enveloped her body, and she began transforming into lightning.
Becoming a single bolt of lightning, Yoo Iseo shot toward the sky.
Farther and farther away.
An unseen pitch-black darkness blocked her path and tried to seize her.
As though refusing to allow her to awaken from the dream.
But the black mist couldn’t catch Yoo Iseo.
The countless Heroes existing within the Domain of Dreams were obstructing it.
“You persistent little pests……!”
The instant she broke through everything, the scenery before her changed, and the real world began to come into view.
The sight was truly horrific.
Powerhouses, each possessing enough power to bring ruin upon me.
Their collisions alone had already devastated the surroundings, while explosions and chaos spread throughout the city.
The government and Heroes were preventing the Demons from gathering, but as a result, civilian casualties had begun to increase.
The final war that would determine the Fate of the world had announced its beginning.