Chapter 880
[You can now view the Argalis Dungeon’s Second Gate.]
[To clear Argalis Dungeon’s Second Gate, you must help War God Veyron lead the celestial dwellers to victory.]
Veyron died in the line of duty. He and the celestial dwellers under his command fought fiercely and bravely before dying a heroic death. However, because they sacrificed themselves to hold back the Black Dwarves, the Land of the Gods could drive out the enemies. It was a pyrrhic victory.
‘Amacar...’ Minhyuk shuddered.
War God Veyron, who sacrificed himself to save the Land of the Gods, was recorded in history as a hero for a very long time and would continue to be known as such in the future. The fact that Amacar was his reincarnation made Minhyuk’s heart thump wildly.
However, he had one question: ‘If I join that battlefield, will I be able to lead them to victory?’
The Black Dwarves and the Titans were mighty beings. Minhyuk estimated their level to be around Level 680 or higher. Could adding one person truly change the war's course on this battlefield?
‘Argalis Dungeon’s level of difficulty is ridiculously high.’
However, because Minhyuk could successfully attack and break the first gate, he knew it was not wholly impossible.
‘I don’t need to turn the entire battlefield upside down.’
Minhyuk guessed that Veyron and the celestial dwellers under his command had a winning chance, but an unexpected situation wiped them out. Just when the thought flashed in his head...
[You will now participate and enter the battlefield on the day Veyron was recorded as a hero.]
[You will appear on the battlefield as an ordinary celestial dweller. However, the effects of your armor, weapons, skills, and abilities will remain the same.]
[The effects of the Passive Skill: The Greatest Sword has been temporarily sealed!]
***
War God Veyron ran at the vanguard and traversed through the canyons with a bow slung on his back, a spear in his left hand, and a sword in his right hand.
“Retreat! Run as fast as you can!”
Veyron had always advocated and emphasized to the celestial dwellers that they should also undergo training to help protect the Land of the Gods. The celestial dwellers gathered on their own volition and trained under his guidance. War God Veyron had the power to help others unlock their potential and help them grow rapidly.
Veyron, who had trained these ordinary celestial dwellers to the point that they could rival the Divine Army, looked around and said, “...Quick- quick! Run quickly!”
“Don’t look back!”
Those that were running behind him all looked like they were prepared to face death. Of course, Veyron was the same. He did not intend to live past this battle. He only thought of giving it his all to protect the Land of the Gods, even at the cost of his own life.
“Keuaaaaaaaack!” A loud and piercing scream rang from behind them. It was a scream ripped out of the mouths of two celestial dwellers after they were slashed by the greatsword in the hand of the eight-meter-tall titan made of hard steel.
Some of the Titans even grabbed the ankles of the fleeing celestial dwellers, pulling their limbs apart until they died from the strain.
“Kekekekeke!”
“Where are you going to run to?!”
The Black Dwarves, who looked quite similar to ordinary dwarves except for their black skin, sat comfortably behind the transparent glass that protected the titan’s cockpit as they jeered and laughed at the fleeing Veyron and the celestial dwellers.
Veyron shot an arrow at the black dwarf that laughed at them a few moments ago.
“Hiiiik...!” The black dwarf flinched in surprise.
Thump–!
However, the arrow failed to pierce through the transparent glass. It only left behind a tiny crack on the otherwise clear glass. The defense of the black dwarves’ titans was comparable to that of most gods. They were war weapons made especially to kill the gods.
“Kekekekeke! Moron!” The black dwarf cackled at the man called War God.
The one hailed as the War God could not pierce their defenses. However, Veyron nocked another arrow on his bow.
“Keke...?” The black dwarf suddenly felt that something was wrong. A tiny crack appeared on the transparent glass in front of him. And the arrow that Veyron shot? It was aimed at that very same crack.
Fwooooooosh–
Craaaaaaaaaaack–
The arrow, which shot accurately through that tiny crack, soon pierced through the glass and stabbed straight through the laughing black dwarf's head.
Creaaaaaaaak–
Thuuuuuuuuuud–!
When the gigantic Titan charging at the forefront and chasing after the fleeing celestial dwellers suddenly collapsed, the other Titans following right behind were forced to step on the Titan and lose their balance. Just like that, they fell one after another. Although Titans were tough, sturdy, and strong, they were sluggish.
“Haa... haa...” Veyron gasped as he watched the Titans run frantically after them. Although he bought some time for them, their enemies quickly narrowed their distance.
What else could they do? Everything that they were doing was to buy more time. No one would call Veyron a coward for retreating and fighting in this manner. After all, he only had around 350,000 celestial dwellers under his command to fight and deal with hundreds of Titans and thousands of black dwarves. Besides, War God Veyron had already tied the black dwarves down in this place for four days.
Veyron, who had been running nonstop, stopped when he reached the end of the cliff. Then, he quickly dashed through the soldiers and ran to the rear. He looked at the Titans running wildly toward them.
If it were someone else standing in front of them, they would have probably felt like their limbs were numb from the heavy pressure and majesty that these Titans were showing off. However, the one standing in front of them was Veyron. Veyron looked at his enemies with a nonchalant and indifferent gaze as he lifted the spear.
Baaaaaaaaang–!
Then, at that moment, the bombs that were stuck in the cracks of the cliffs around them exploded. The explosion soon spread like wildfire in a prairie.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang–!
A thick cloud of dust rose in the air as the canyon collapsed, burying the charging titans underneath huge rubbles. The celestial dwellers cheered after seeing the titans get buried underneath the rubble.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
A bitter and wry smile painted Veyron’s face when he heard their cheers of joy. ‘I was able to buy a bit more time.’
The celestial dwellers cheered. However, Veyron knew that titans were weapons that could not be broken or stopped by something like that.
Baaaaaang–!
And just like Veyron expected, a titan’s steel arm punched itself out of the rubble. It did not take long for the rest of the Titans to crawl out of the debris.
‘It would take at least two hours for them to finish repairing the Titans. I will use that time to prepare for our last battle in Aembor Fortress.’
Aembor Fortress was an old fortress built around a massive dam abandoned for a long time.
“Everyone, run at full speed toward Aembor Fortress!”
“Yes, sir!”
***
Aembor Fortress.
Veyron stood at the fortress walls and looked around him.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I can still fight.”
“Your leg is broken. How can you even fight in that state?”
Soldiers, who seemed to have been friends for a long time, were talking. Some helped and worried about their friends, while others closed their eyes and prayed.
“Irunie... I will protect you,” a soldier prayed as he recalled the face of his wife, who was waiting for him back home. There was no promise of going back home in his prayers. He just prayed and promised to keep her safe and protect her and their child’s happiness.
‘We will all die here. However, we will fight until the last minute and buy as much time as possible.’
Booooooooooom–!
The celestial dwellers began wielding divine weapons, shooting cannons through the wall gaps.
‘This will be our final resting place.’ Veyron and his celestial dwellers planned to use the divine weapons to defeat as many Titans as possible in this place.
The God’s Cannons could only be fired after gathering enough divine power. Once fired, even the tough and sturdy metal titans would be crushed under their might. Although they might only have twenty God’s Cannons, they were enough to kill the black dwarves.
When Veyron glanced to the side, he saw it. It was a magnificent masterpiece, around five meters larger than a titan. Its structure might be similar to a titan, but its quality was different. And its name?
‘Bless.’
Bless was one of the Weapons of the Gods. What was surprising about this was that Production Class Gods created it in the past.
‘They had been mocked and criticized for being weak and useless, unable to participate in war. To prove they could be as strong as the other gods, they gathered together and created this divine weapon called Bless.’
However, there was one problem. No one could operate Bless. The first and foremost reason was that Bless was too old and no longer operational. The second reason was that one had to have an extremely high DEX to operate this weapon.
The Production Class Gods weren’t fools. They knew a disaster would unfold if the Combat Class Gods could activate Bless, so they made it so they could only do so.
Thuuud– Thud, thud, thud–!
While Veyron recalled about Bless, the black dwarves finally finished repairing the Titans and were already charging toward them. It was frightening and spectacular to see gigantic titans charging toward the walls of the fortress.
Baaaaaaaaang–!
The titans threw spears that stuck throughout the walls of the fortress.
Crack– Crack, crack, crack–!
Booooooom–
The entire fortress shook and trembled. But that was not the end. A gigantic spear soon shot toward the walls.
Baaaaaaaaaaaaang–
“Keuaaaaaack!”
“Aaaaaaaaack!”
“Keheooooook!”
The impact of the spear was as powerful as that of a nuclear bomb. With just one harpoon, more than a hundred celestial dwellers were swept away and killed.
Thud– Thud, thud, thud, thud–!
Veyron saw a titan charging with a six-meter-long greatsword and looked around him. Everyone was prepared to die. They might be afraid, but their determination was firm and solid.
“Until the very end.”
“Until the very end!”
We will protect the Land of the Gods and the home of the celestial dwellers.
With all his might, Veyron said, “Activate the God’s Cannons!!!”
The cannons all over the walls began gathering divine power at his cries.
Vwoong, vwoong, vwoong, vwooong–!
“...”
The God’s Cannons were so powerful that even War God Veyron was terrified of them. At that moment, the titan holding the greatsword jumped toward the walls.
Vwoooooooong–
The cannon immediately fired at the titan that slashed at the walls with the greatsword.
Booooooooom–!
The titan, who received the full force of the cannon, was forced to fly away.
Baaaaaaaaaaang–!
The huge impact that collided with the titan sent its body flying back. It was left stuck and crushed against the walls of a mountain a bit further away from the fortress. Sparks flew all over the titan's joints.
“...”
The God’s Cannons were much more potent than Veyron had expected.
Bang! Bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang–!
The God’s Cannons constantly fired at the Titans charging toward the walls. Veyron was delighted when he saw the cannons render the Titans useless.
‘Perhaps...’
Perhaps they still had a bit of hope. Maybe they could live, too. And that tiny spark of hope also started to sprout in the hearts of the celestial dwellers. However, that hope was soon crushed into nothingness.
Bzzz... bzzz... bzzz...
Bzz... bzzz... bzzz...
The cannons that were just firing divine powers non-stop earlier suddenly stopped working one after another.
“What’s going on?!”
Someone immediately reported the situation to Veyron.
“The God’s Cannons have malfunctioned. Perhaps it’s because they’re too old to be still operational.”
Perhaps this was only a natural outcome. After all, these weapons have not been used nor maintained for thousands of years. And because they came here quickly, they could not first send them for repair and maintenance.
“Go and fix it! Hurry!”
The blacksmiths hurriedly ran to repair the cannons. However, the answer that they received plunged them into the depths of despair.
“It- it cannot be repaired.”
“It’s impossible for us to repair the items the gods have created.”
“...We have no other way.”
Veyron’s expression grew ugly. They could not fall yet. They needed to drag it longer. If they fell at this point, the black dwarves would immediately go and fight with the gods. If that happened, the Land of the Gods would fall under the hands of the Demon World and the black dwarves.
Baaaaaaaaaaaang–
However, the Titans arrived near them in just a blink and attacked the walls. Some of the Titans even started to climb up the walls. But that was not all. The specially produced Titans also jumped up on the walls and began to slash and hack at the soldiers with their greatswords.
Veyron heard the screams of the dying celestial dwellers, his eyes turning toward those who were waiting for his commands. They all flashed a small smile at him. Veyron also flashed a small smile at them as he looked up. He saw the birds flying away in the exceptionally blue sky above them. Veyron knew that this would be their final moments.
“Destroy the dam.”
The celestial dwellers nodded at his orders and began to move busily. Why did they choose this fortress? As mentioned before, it was surrounded by a massive dam. If that dam were destroyed, the river would flood and devour the fortress and the Titans charging at it.
Titans were vulnerable to water. Once they were submerged, they lost all function. It would take the black dwarves a few hours to repair and get them running again.
Several celestial dwellers stood in front of Veyron with switches in their hands. Even the others fighting fiercely stopped and gathered around the War God.
“You were still young and foolish when I first saw you.”
“Now, you have become a father and have matured.”
“When I first met Ells, he said he wanted to become one of those amazing Divine Army soldiers. You have already become one. And you are even greater than any other Divine Army soldier.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Lord Veyron.”
Everyone’s breathing grew rough and heavy. The soldiers were all pretending to be calm and forcing themselves to smile in the face of their deaths—however, the faces of those that they wished to see flashed in their heads.
The story of War God Veyron, the hero that protected the Land of the Gods, would now end here.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“Thank you.”
“For War God Veyron!”
“For the Land of the Gods!”
Veyron, holding a switch in his palm, closed his eyes. ‘You and I will all become heroes. Our story would turn into legends and myths.’
Clang! Clang! Claaaang! Claaaaaaang!
But just when Veyron was about to press the switch, an unknown yet piercing sound rang in their ears. The sound stopped everyone from pressing the switch in their hands, and their heads turned to look toward where the sound was coming from.
There, they saw someone hammering away on the God’s Cannon despite their imminent deaths. The man wore ordinary armor and a helmet distributed to the celestial dwellers.
“That’s enough. You can stop now.” Veyron thought it was this man’s last stubbornness and perseverance to live. It felt like the man was telling him he would bet on the God’s Cannons until the end. But despite Veyron’s words, the man kept hammering the cannon, his swings growing stronger and stronger by the second.
Claaaaaang–! Claaaaaaaang–! Claaaaaaaaaaang–!
At that moment, a titan suddenly appeared and charged at the man hammering away. The titan tried to cut the man and the cannon in half with his greatsword.
Vwooooooooooong–
But then, everyone saw a faint smile flash underneath the helmet of the soldier, who had just finished hammering. At the same time, the broken God’s Cannon began to gather divine power once again.
“...!”
“...!”
“...!”
Vwoong, vwoong, vwoong, vwoong–!
The God’s Cannon shot the charging titan.
Baaaaaaaaaaang–!
The finished story of the heroes, who destroyed the dam as a last-ditch effort and were buried underneath the river, was beginning anew.
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