Chapter 381
C381
Thrrrr-.
YuWon's eyelids slowly lifted.
It felt as if his body floated in the air. The sound of the air surrounding his skin and the loud noises around him had completely disappeared.
'It's like a hallucination...'
YuWon touched his throat.
He couldn't hear his voice. It was clear that this place was disconnected from reality.
'Perhaps it's an illusion.'
Twitch...
Something moved over YuWon's head. When he looked up, he saw someone familiar fluttering about.
"Baat..."
"Danpung?"
While everyone around him had disappeared, Danpung stood on YuWon's head as if nothing had happened.
It seemed like they had arrived together in this place.
However, strangely, unlike YuWon, who couldn't make any sounds, Danpung seemed to be fine.
"Baa, baaat..."
'What the hell is he trying to say?'
Crackle...
At that moment.
A new scene appeared on the black canvas that stretched before his eyes.
Dry leaves rustled against each other, devoid of any moisture. YuWon found himself in a dense black woods, and the wind occasionally blew through the thick undergrowth.
The only word that came to his mind was "Black Woods."
YuWon had seen this landscape once before.
And most likely, it was when he met this creature.
Shhh...
Two pupils appeared in the Black Woods. A crouching goat looked at him and Danpung.
"Beeeh, beeeh..."
"Beeh, beeeeh..."
Goats living in the Black Woods and scattered goats everywhere.
The voices of the goats filled the air, and YuWon's mind was embraced by their melody.
But then, at that moment...
Tuk...
"Baat..."
Danpung tapped YuWon's head.
His slowly drifting mind returned to normal. YuWon shook his head once and raised his hand above his head.
Danpung gently climbed onto YuWon's palm.
"It's okay. Recover."
A voice sounded.
Kim YuWon walked into the woods. He was heading towards Shub-Niggurath, who was crouched somewhere inside the woods.
Ttok...
"Beeeh, beeeh..."
As he walked toward the center of the woods, the gazes of the goats turned toward him. The red eyes that appeared all around him were threatening. They were ready to swarm him if he made a single wrong move.
He finally reached the end of the Black Woods.
Goooong...
There, a gigantic goat was crouched.
'Shub-Niggurath.'
YuWon swallowed hard. Although he had expected to encounter him here, involuntarily, a lump formed in his throat.
It's not that YuWon was weak at all. But in the presence of this being, he couldn't help but feel weak.
Beeeh...
The Black Goat of the Woods lowered its head and let out a bleat. The madness flowing in its eyes pressed against YuWon's body.
Menacing, but YuWon knew it clearly.
What he had in front of his eyes was not the real Shub-Niggurath.
YuWon found something in the pupils of the giant goat.
Why would he have been called here?
YuWon stared at Shub-Niggurath's eyes for a while and found something in the center of those large pupils.
'Is it you?'
"Baat..."
Shub-Niggurath seemed interested only in Danpung, not in Kim YuWon.
-It's just as Nyarla said.
It was a familiar name.
YuWon looked around in surprise. The voice entered his mind like the System, and there were only young goats around.
That meant...
"Is this your voice?"
There was no response. It was as if his voice didn't matter at all.
-## ### has become such a small vessel. Is it a return to the beginning or a new evolution...?
'Is he talking about Danpung?'
Danpung had just hatched from his Egg. His birth had occurred only a few years ago, which was insignificant compared to the eons of time the Outer Gods and Shub-Niggurath had existed.
YuWon was curious about what the name he hadn't heard meant.
How could Danpung know so much about himself when he had just hatched from an Egg?
What was this being?
But Kim YuWon didn't ask.
'He probably won't hear.'
This was Shub-Niggurath's space.
He saw only what he wanted to see, and YuWon didn't exist in his eyes.
Probably, his voice wouldn't transmit either.
Silent steps...
The trees of the Black Woods where YuWon stood began to decompose. The dry leaves, devoid of any moisture, broke apart and turned into falling earth. The goats returned to Shub-Niggurath's embrace.
Shub-Niggurath's attention reached there.
The being that had raised its head for a moment lowered it again and crouched.
-Anyway, we've confirmed enough, so now...
The world spinning around Shub-Niggurath gradually disappeared.
And at that moment...
"Baaat, baat..."
Danpung began to approach Shub-Niggurath.
-------------
Tick, tock...
['Time Reversion' is beginning.]
Gu, gu, gu...
The collapsed wall began to restore itself to its original form.
Son Ohgong, who had been forcibly opening the Golden Headband and injecting Arcane Power into the Ru Yi Bang, looked around.
"Chronos?"
Grrr...
The Golden Cinder Eyes examined his surroundings. Finding the opponent he sought was child's play for him.
Over there...
Chronos was approaching.
Woosh...
Chronos' hair was gradually turning white.
To the naked eye, the change was so subtle that it was barely noticeable.
But Son OhGong saw it.
Chronos was sacrificing his own life to do it.
Just like when he sent YuWon back to the past.
Labored breathing...
The sound played in reverse. The crack that Shub-Niggurath had worked so hard on was gradually closing, and the wall was being repaired.
But in the reverse time flow...
There was a single entity moving in the opposite direction.
-Beeh... Beeeh!
The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young.
Shub-Niggurath was trying to tear open the rift again and enter.
"Time doesn't affect these Outer creatures."
The incomprehensible beings, including the world they inhabit and the flow of time, are immune.
Among these Outer Gods, Shub-Niggurath was one of the most powerful.
Even if Chronos acquired power similar to theirs, rewinding time to send Shub-Niggurath back to its place of origin would be an impossible task.
"Push it."
"No need to tell me."
Son OhGong raised his Ru Yi Bang.
"Grow..."
Buzz...
The Golden Headband Son OhGong wore began to glow.
"Ru Yi."
Chung!
Ru Yi Bang pushed Shub-Niggurath's body.
And that wasn't all.
Buzzzz...
Hundreds of magic circles were etched on the surface of the gigantic Ru Yi Bang.
"It's been a while since I supported you."
Odin raised his hands and bestowed spells upon Son OhGong's Ru Yi Bang.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak...
Son OhGong's Ru Yi Bang filled with strength. Odin decided it would be better to assist Son OhGong rather than use his own fist, which was already completely broken.
Chronos' Time Reversion.
Son OhGong's Ru Yi Bang.
And Odin's magic.
When three of the Tower's most prominent High-Rankers began channeling their power, Shub-Niggurath's body began to slowly retract.
Ki-ki-ki-gik...
His body, which had shown no signs of movement until now, began to retreat.
"Now is the time!"
"Attack with everything you've got!"
"This is our chance! Push that monster out of here!"
The other Rankers who had been watching from a distance also began to move.
They all shared the same goal.
To push Shub-Niggurath back to the other side of the wall.
Ku-ggung... Ku-gu-gu-gung...
Kwa-uuuu...
The wall was smoothly restored, and Shub-Niggurath began to retreat slowly.
From the outside, it seemed like everything was over.
But...
Pas-sus-sus...
Chronos's beard dried up and turned to dust, scattering into the air.
Chronos's hair and beard, which had slowly turned white, became those of an old man.
The wrinkles on his face deepened. Son OhGong observed Chronos's face.
"That old man..."
Chronos's power was not infinite.
There were certainly limits to the amount of time he could use. Moreover, unlike the magic that ordinary Players used, his power did not regenerate over time.
When all his power ran out, Chronos would disappear from this world once again.
This time, it might result in an even worse outcome than being thrown out of the Tower.
-Beee-h!
Thud-d-d-d...
Shub-Niggurath waved its purple fur and tore through the wall regenerating around it.
As Chronos reconstructed the wall, the speed at which Shub-Niggurath tore it apart and opened the rift also increased.
As if mocking everyone in the Tower.
So...
'There's no other choice.'
Kwok...
Son OhGong grabbed the Golden Headband that encircled his head.
-This is a curse that seals your power. However, it is a curse that must not be released.
On the Celestial Floor.
Son OhGong heard the same words he had heard before returning.
'But this time, I know how to break it.'
A brief hesitation.
'If I break this...'
Son OhGong tilted his head.
That was all he thought. Instead of watching Shub-Niggurath enter the Tower, it would be better to release the seal.
Probably, if Shub-Niggurath entered the Tower, it would cause an even greater catastrophe.
So, just as Son OhGong was preparing to break the seal of the Golden Headband...
"Stop."
Kwok...
A hand extended from behind and grabbed Son OhGong's wrist.
Son OhGong turned his head. Although he had recognized him by his voice, YuWon, who had been in a trance for a moment, was holding him.
"There's no other way."
Son OhGong was firm.
In his mind, this was the only way to remedy the situation at this moment.
In reality, Odin, who was also fighting by his side, was in the same situation, without options.
But even so, YuWon shook his head.
"It doesn't have to be done this way."
"Is there another way?"
"Yes."
Son OhGong frowned at YuWon's response without hesitation. The strength in the hand holding the Golden Headband loosened.
Was there really another way?
YuWon's gaze shifted away from Son OhGong's face, who was asking what other option there was.
"From now on..."
Above Shub-Niggurath's head...
Swish... Grr...
A black mouth revealed its teeth in the direction of Shub-Niggurath's neck.
"He'll do it himself."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
'Ko-fi o 'Buy Me A Coffe' for Advanc3 Ch4pt3rs (Up to '95' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 weekly ch4pters, thanks.
---
Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l