Slice! Slice! Slice!
A long line appeared on the massive body of Silvius.
The silver armor sparked as it tried to restore itself, but Death Mana prevented it. The silver armor was the victor. The crack disappeared in an instant, restoring its smooth appearance.
Even so, the wounds inflicted by Lutal numbered in the dozens.
“You insects!”
Silvius was 10 meters tall, and Lutal was over 4 meters, so calling them insects was inaccurate. But the annoyance and harm they caused were far greater than any insect.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The explosions from the collisions between Silvius’s sword and Lutal’s Death Blades rang out in succession. Once Silvius began defending with dual swords, the two Lutals could not easily bring their Death Blades to her body.
“She’s fighting evenly against four Special Entities.”
Silvius’s strength was enough to amaze even Choi Kangjoong. The troops she brought were also formidable. Even with the Barents Beastmen engaging in close combat and humans and elves supporting them, that Dark Elf did not fall easily.
With the Spirit of Battle added to the mix, the situation on the Life Spirit’s deck was chaotic.
“I need to kill Silvius quickly and help.”
As Choi Kangjoong was about to fight alongside the Lutals, Iselin and Dielka seemed strange. They were passive in the fight, their eyes fixed on the Spirit of Battle. Their consciousness was linked, so he knew what they were thinking without asking.
To elves, spirits were both loyal servants and free friends. But that spirit had no will of its own. Fascinated by this fact, Iselin and Dielka analyzed the spirit’s structure. As the top experts on spirits in Marsala, they gained inspiration just from that.
-I think I know why that spirit has no will.
-Why doesn’t it?
-That was made by dismantling spirits, processing them, and stacking them. In that process, the spirit’s will was removed so only the desired power would be exerted.
“So if we awaken that will, the spirit will break down?”
-No matter how small, every spirit has a will. Its attributes and power are the spirit itself. Even the fragments that make up that spirit are beings with a will. They’re just asleep now.
Iselin soared into the air. As the second most important figure after Choi Kangjoong rose into the air, attacks focused on her. Iselin used a Spirit of Wind imbued with Life Mana to block all arrows and magic while heading toward the Spirit of Battle. The Spirit of Battle swung its sword down. Iselin dodged lightly and placed her hand on the Spirit of Battle’s upper arm.
“Rise.”
Iselin said as she infused Life Mana. Then the Spirit of Battle’s movement came to an abrupt halt. The countless spirits composing it had opened their eyes. The surface of the Spirit of Battle rippled wildly. The spirits regained their original attributes, and their colors changed to blue, red, green, yellow, and others.
Boom!
The spirits forming the Spirit of Battle scattered. They spread explosively in all directions, approaching those they favored and making the unique sounds of spirits. It was a song that seemed to add melody to the sounds of nature.
-So this is an Artificial Spirit. Crude and fragile.
Iselin flew toward the next Spirit of Battle. Dielka also faced a Spirit of Battle. Her method differed from Iselin’s. She injected Death Mana to weaken the binding between spirits. When that seal-like binding disappeared, the spirits woke up, and like before, the Spirit of Battle decomposed into countless spirits.
As the Spirits of Battle decreased, the tide of battle turned sharply in their favor. To reverse this, Silvius would have to defeat key figures like Iselin, Dielka, Akila, and Han Junghwa. But she was tied down by the Lutals.
When Choi Kangjoong began fighting in earnest, her armor soon became tattered. Using Space Severance of the Origin, he deliberately concealed himself and struck at her openings, so even Silvius couldn’t handle it properly. She would have liked to replenish the Spirits of Battle, but they had all been destroyed by Iselin and Dielka long ago.
“Die! Die! Die!”
Silvius swung her sword convulsively. While one Lutal blocked with its four Scythe Claws, another attacked Silvius’s back. Choi Kangjoong stabbed her left side.
Thwack!
The Chitin Blade sank deep. It was a first. Proof that she had weakened. Instead, the Scythe Claws of the Lutal in front broke from exhaustion.
Then Iselin flew over and scattered Life Mana.
Thanks to Source Energy, the Life Mana’s effect was enhanced, and it regenerated the Scythe Claws in an instant.
Whoosh!
Silvius thrust her sword at that Lutal. She intended to finish one off even if she got hurt.
Crack!
The Lutal crossed its four Scythe Claws to block the sword. With Iselin’s spirit assistance, it was much easier.
“To those who are ruled by such a system…!”
Silvius, her eyes bloodshot, swung her sword wildly.
As a follower of Salika, she could not afford to lose in a place like this.
Within the Dimension System, she was a Dark Elf below average. Spirits did not favor her, and she was an oddity who preferred swords over bows.
She believed that was her talent and the limit of her race. Until she met Salika. Outside the Dimension System, she was no longer a below-average Dark Elf.
She became a special Dark Elf who could freely manipulate Artificial Spirits and whose swordsmanship was incredibly fierce.
After that, Salika was her truth and the being to whom she dedicated her life. Even now, she was fighting for Salika’s great cause, so defeat was not an option.
Nevertheless, the Lutals pressed her fiercely. They fought moderately from the front, but as soon as they saw her back, they lunged at her like mad.
Soon, a Death Blade touched Silvius’s body. Her thigh was cut deep, severing even the artery. She quickly used Mana to block the artery, but the amount of blood lost in that time was enormous.
Silvius staggered. Even the armor’s restoration stopped. Silvius surveyed the Lutals’ condition with blurry vision. They were perfectly fine without a scratch.
‘Is this it…?’
She couldn’t escape unless she had another one. Escaping through a Gate was also difficult due to the Gate Interference Magic.
After quickly assessing the situation, Silvius made a decision.
“I can’t go alone.”
All the Artificial Spirits on the Life Spirit concurred with Silvius’s will.
The Dark Elves, who understood what that meant, turned pale. Silvius’s decision could not be changed or undone.
The deck, which had been filled with deafening noise, fell silent in an instant.
“She’s going to self-destruct. Get away from them quickly and spread the shield!”
Iselin shouted. The Barents Beastmen tangled with the Dark Elves quickly extracted themselves. The Dark Elves did not block or resist. They had given up on everything.
“It’s useless. The space within 10 kilometers around me will be erased. Everything will return to nothing.”
Silvius said.
Dielka placed her sword on Silvius’s shoulder.
“Stop right now.”
“Are you threatening me with my life when I’m about to self-destruct?”
“Who said I’d kill you? Just quietly become a prisoner.”
“It’s better to die than to be captured by you and hinder the great cause of that person.”
“What’s wrong with the Dimension System?”
Seeing Dielka’s expression of incomprehension, Silvius let out a snicker.
“You idiot who doesn’t even know the original purpose of the Dimension System.”
“Then what are you, having lost to an idiot?”
“Answer me. Why are you destroying the Dimension System?”
“It’s a prison that raises you. It restricts someone’s talent and only leads them down the path the system wants.”
“You’re talking about classes like Mage or Spirit Master, right?”
“Right.”
“Then why raise us? What does the Dimension System gain by raising us?”
“The Demon Realm.”
Silvius looked at a certain spot in the Dimensional Sea. Going straight there would lead to the Demon Realm ruled by four Legions.
“What does that have to do with it?”
“The desires of those belonging to the Dimension System flow down to the bottom of the world. When it accumulates, demons related to those desires are born.”
“Are those Destruction, Immortal, Chaos, and Greed?”
“You think there are only four? Other Demon Realms are home to a greater variety of demons.”
Dielka had already guessed that there were multiple Demon Realms in the vast Dimensional Sea.
Choi Kangjoong, who was listening nearby, recalled what he had heard from the Devil of Devouring. The fact that the world’s sewage flows and creates demons. He conveyed that to Iselin and Dielka as well.
“So was the Dimension System created to birth demons?”
“Yes. That’s why the Prince destroys the Dimension System.”
“Your Prince uses demons quite well too.”
Choi Kangjoong had fought the Devil of Devouring at Dark City, the base of the Dark Elf Pirates, and at M2721.
Both were used by Salika, and they only gave good things to Choi Kangjoong before disappearing.
“You have to use everything you can. They’re all things that will disappear anyway. Now die.”
All the Artificial Spirits resonated.
A tremendous amount of Mana condensed, and the spirit energy changed the nature of the Mana. It was clear as day what would happen here if that was released.
“Lord Outer, please evacuate quickly.”
“That’s right! To be safe, Lord Outer, stay far away!”
Iselin and Dielka gathered the Allied Forces behind them and spread a wide shield.
There was no way that shield could withstand the impact that would send even the Life Spirit flying. But they couldn’t leave their subordinates behind and go alone.
As queen, Iselin had to do so, and Dielka’s pride wouldn’t allow it.
Escape Pods streamed out from the bottom and sides of the Life Spirit. The nearby Dimension Ships moved away from the Life Spirit.
It was impossible to travel 10 kilometers before the self-destruction, but they had to get as far away as possible to have any hope of survival.
“Push the Dimension Ships faster!”
Joo Eun-jong shouted. Mages and Spirit Masters increased the ships’ speed. Summons clung to the rear and pushed the Dimension Ships with all their might.
Joo Eun-jong looked at Choi Yunseo.
She was staring at the Life Spirit, looking like she might dash off at any moment. Sure enough, she flew up toward the Life Spirit. Joo Eun-jong quickly cast a flight spell and grabbed her.
“Let go of me!”
“Do you think the Captain will die from that?”
“It’s better than me not being there!”
“If you go, you’ll just be a burden. There are already tons of people to protect; if you join them, it’ll be chaotic!”
Choi Yunseo bit her lip and descended to the deck.
“But why are you speaking informally?”
“You can too.”
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Wind.”
“Am I a fan?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll let it slide this time.”
It was hard to outright refuse Choi Yunseo’s request when she looked so upset. Joo Eun-jong raised a gust of wind.
Amid the chaos of the Expedition Fleet, Choi Kangjoong observed the Artificial Spirits. He was calm. He felt he could stop the self-destruction. Iselin and Dielka generously shared their knowledge about spirits.
“So that’s how it is.”
An Artificial Spirit was a being made by granting attributes to a frame created from spirits. Silvius had simply executed a pre-programmed command embedded in that frame.
“It seems hard to stop something already activated.”
Only the explosion remained. Even if told to stop, a very big explosion would just become a big explosion.
“Then we just need to change the spirit’s attribute.”
Using a Fire Spirit to swallow fire and suppress a blaze was a common method in Marsala.
Choi Kangjoong spread Source Energy. At first, it was faint. Compared to the Source Energy, there were far too many Artificial Spirits. There were over ten thousand. Silvius sneered, asking if that little would do anything.
Kuongi’s Source Generation Organ resonated. The Source Energy generated there crossed space and was directly transmitted to Choi Kangjoong.
“With so many Super Titans, the Source Energy is immense.”
Source Energy imbued with Choi Kangjoong’s will covered the entire area. Even Silvius was shocked by the amount.
“Change.”
Choi Kangjoong twisted the origin of the Artificial Spirits. Their attributes changed into the large-scale erasure that Silvius was trying to trigger.
At the same time, he awakened the consciousness of the spirits remaining in the frame.
All the Artificial Spirits gained consciousness simultaneously.
They greedily devoured the energy that filled the surroundings. Like someone waking from a long sleep, the spirits that had been skinny quickly became plump.
“This can’t be!”
Silvius cried out. She lunged at Lutal, but Lutal subdued her with one foot and pinned her down.