Chapter 184 of 217

Vol 24 Chapter 8

13 min read3,206 words

ACT 8 Project: Lucifer

-Kuwaaaah!

Once the capsule was gone, Lucifer yanked at his head and went mad. He shrieked and swung his arms like an insane person.

“Huck! S-scatter!”

The attack squad members gathered in front of Lucifer scattered like chickens. But Lucifer didn’t even look at them. Lucifer just pounded his head against the ground. Then he suddenly stopped and his whole body melted down to a jelly like texture.

“M-melted? So he is dead?”

“What? Is it over?”

“We won?”

The attack squad murmured as they started at Lucifer who had changed to a huge slime. Ark quickly confirmed the warning message and shook his head.

“No, it’s not over yet!”

-Somewhere in the darkness of the world, the Dark Lord’s resurrection ceremony has begun!

Ark cried out and the black slime started to wiggle. Then dozens of tentacles started exploding all over the place.

Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa, ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

“Huk! What, what the?”

“H-help me, waaaaahhhhh!”

Dozens of soldiers watching with dumb surprise were grabbed by the tentacles and absorbed into Lucifer. Only bones were left of the soldiers absorbed by Lucifer.

‘Oh my god, Lucifer can still attack even while the resurrection ceremony is ongoing?’

Ark once again realized Lucifer’s power. In fact, Ark thought that Lucifer would be like a doll with its battery removed after the Red Man was gone. However, Lucifer was still a threat without the Red Man.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Lucifer swung his hundreds of tentacles wildly and dust covered the area. The attack squad could only see 10 metres in front of them thanks to the dust so they became even more confused. And the resurrection hadn’t stopped. In the end, they needed to shatter Lucifer in 37 minutes.

“But that guy’s movement is clearly different. Previously he was consciously moving but now he is just attacking wildly. Plus……”

“Sheesh, that monster bastard. Torrential Sword!”

“Why won’t you disappear? Earth storm!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Then Shambala and Bread damaged the tentacles near them. There was an explosion and several tentacles fell down feebly to the ground. At the same time, Lucifer’s health was quickly reduced by 0.5%.

“That guy has degenerated while holding the resurrection ceremony so his defense has fallen and his shield is gone. If Lucifer is in this state then the attack squad can kill him in the time limit!”

If Lucifer was in such a state when the attack squad escaped from the Idea Maze then everything would’ve ended already. The Red Man’s trick cost them quite a bit of time. However, now the Red Man’s trick had been revealed. The remaining time was 37 minutes. It wasn’t a large amount of time but all the demons had been wiped out and the 1,200 attack squad members revived.

“JusticeMan ajusshi, rehabilitation hyungnims, calm down. Lucifer was previously strong but now he is just an amoeba. If you look at the attack pattern then it will be easy to avoid. Furthermore, there is no shield and the defense is at the standard of a general boss. If you handle it calmly then he isn’t a difficult opponent.”

“I noticed it too!”

JusticeMan nodded. The rehabilitation members read Lucifer’s attack patterns and shouted.

“Everybody split into units consisting of 50 people. Archers and magicians will attack the main body while the warriors will protect them from the tentacles! We will deliver the position of the troops in real time!”

The attack squad had experienced many battles and fought closely together. After hearing the orders from JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members, they instantly made their formations. Once they each took a position, dealing with the tentacles wasn’t that difficult.

“That’s it. If we push him like this…..!”

Flash!

Ark was just sighing with relief when it happened. A red light flashed in front of him and he felt a huge impact to his side. Ark fell to the ground and his limbs wouldn’t move when he tried to stand up.

-You have been hit by a ‘Chakra Wave.’

<you>“Ugh, Chakra wave?”</you>

<you>Ark flinched and lifted his eyes. One man slowly walked through the dust caused by Lucifer. It was a man with red hair wearing a white mask! Ark’s eyes shook anxiously as he saw him.</you>

<you>“You…… I’m going to kill you!”</you>

<you>The Red Man murmured with a harsh voice.</you>

<you>‘Dammit, wasn’t I too careless because of Lucifer?’</you>

<you>He was stunned by his forgetfulness. The Red Man pulled out two swords from his waist and attacked. It was great speed that transcended imagination and made him almost invisible! If he thought about what he experienced with the Red Man before then it would certainly be a critical hit. However, Ark was paralyzed by the previous Chakra Wave and he couldn’t move. Ark prepared for the impact. And just as the Red Man’s sword was about to reach Ark’s neck!</you>

<you>“Do you not see us at all? Earth storm!”</you>

<you>“Torrential Sword!”</you>

<you>Shambala and Bread jumped through the dust towards the Red Man. The Red Man bent his body like a snake and moved to the left and right. There was the sound of something breaking and Bread and Shambala flew back while spouting blood.</you>

<you>“That bastard…. What have you done to my pet?”</you>

<you>Redian belatedly appeared and frowned while raising both hands. She made an X with both arms and shouted.</you>

<you>“Fusion magic, Elemental Break!”</you>

<you>Fire and ice were drawn from side to side in an arc and hit the Red Man! Before the spell could hit, the Red Man disappeared and unexpectedly showed up in front of Redian. At the same time, the Red Man’s fist hit Redian’s stomach.</you>

<you>“Disappear woman!”</you>

<you>Redian screamed as she flew back 10 metres and hit the ground. Timosi hid in the dust and used that chance to fire dozens of arrows. No, she tried to bombard him.</you>

<you>“Red Man, this is revenge for Alan! Matanyi Shooter no. 4, Devil’s……</you>

<you>The Red Man rapidly rotated his body, causing dozens of red rays to shoot out from his mantle. The dozens of red rays pierced Timosi’s body. Timosi gushed blood from her whole body and fell down.</you>

<you>“Waaahhhhhhhh!”</you>

<you>At that time, Wormer in his armoured suit rushed fiercely forward and fired blindly. But in just a moment, black smoke rose from the armoured suit and the shoulder parts exploded. The armoured suit couldn’t control its speed anymore and just rotated around wildly. The Red Man already knew Wormer was approaching while he was attacking Timosi. No, he couldn’t see through the dust but Lariette still screamed and collapsed despite being far away. It was a reaction speed that transcended imagination.</you>

<you>“Trash like this…..”</you>

<you>The Red Man murmured in a distorted voice after handling the heroes’ descendants.</you>

<you>“My mistake. I considered you guys boring so I didn’t pay attention….. I should’ve handled you immediately. But I will correct that mistake. Once I handle you guys then Lucifer’s resurrection will be complete without any problems.”</you>

<you>“Do you think we will just let you?”</you>

<you>Ark’s paralysis was finally released and he stood up. He boldly retorted towards the Red Man but he was actually sweating.</you>

<you>‘Damn, I thought we would’ve lasted longer……’</you>

<you>Ark stared at the fallen Bread and Shambala. Ark had been level 300 when he first encountered the Red Man. At the time, Ark and Shambala tried a pincer attack but they were still smashed. However, it had been almost 1 year since then. Ark was level 500 and he gained equipment that couldn’t even be compared to back then. Therefore he had confidence that he could at least fight against the Red Man. Once he met the Red Man again, he realized how big an illusion that was. Of course, Ark had received a surprise blow. However, Shambala and Bread were almost equal to Ark and they surprised the Red Man first. Yet they couldn’t even attack properly before being forced to the ground. It was the same for Redian, Timosi, Wormer and Lariette afterwards. It only took him 3~4 seconds to deal with them! It was an unbelievable strength. But it was understandable if Park Woo-seong was behind the Red Man.</you>

<you>‘Park Woo-seong is the main creator of New World!’</you>

<you>Naturally Park Woo-seong tested many parts of the game while creating it. And what if he didn’t erase one character but left it?</you>

<you>‘The Red Man…… He is the first person created in New World!’</you>

<you>In that case, perhaps the Red Man’s level was already in the hundreds when New World was commercialized. Obviously he would know everything about New World, gained various abilities as well as equipment.</you>

<you>‘But his strength isn’t just his levels and skills.’</you>

<you>Ark found out a while ago that the Red Man was just an auto program who was close to an NPC. But even if he was an NPC, he was different from an ordinary NPC. Most NPCs only had a few gigabytes of data behind it while the Red Man had hundreds or thousands of gigabytes of data. Therefore the Red Man’s calculation speed easily surpassed any human brain and he could react to any attacks. It was like they were battling a super computer. The character was invincible! It was natural. Park Woo-seong intended to make his creation invincible.</you>

<you>‘The Red Man’s stats, equipment and skills surpasses all of ours in every way. How can we defeat such a monster?’</you>

<you>Ark’s thoughts frantically rolled over in his head.</you>

<you>“I’ll dispose of all of you at once. Shiva’s Proclamation!”</you>

<you>The Red Man shouted and punched the ground with his fist.</you>

<you>A huge stone statue rose up from the ground. It was one of the three Hindu gods. It was a stone statue resembling Shiva with four arms, three eyes and a snake wrapped around the neck. The four arms made of stone moved strangely and the surrounding space became filled with a red light. Ark’s face instantly darkened at the sight. Ark had already experienced the power of this once before. Shiva’s Proclamation was a fraudulent new territory declaration where the abilities of the Red Man, his movement speed and defense increased by 50% when within the 300 metre area. Ark remembered the Red Man using the Divine Skill Indra’s Lightning to wipe them all out in Seutandal. The invincible man became even stronger.</you>

<you>‘I made a mistake. I can’t even use Area Declaration now that he used new territory declaration.’</you>

<you>Ark looked at the Red Man with a hopeless expression. At the moment, the skill he gained when the last seal of Eternal Soul was released popped into his head. It was Hero Fusion which absorbed all the Area Declarations into his body! Even if he could use Glory of the Night, he wouldn’t be able to deal with the Red Man who used the divine proclamation. However, Hero Fusion meant he was able to absorb the Area Declarations of the other heroes’ descendants.</you>

<you>‘We’ve already used Area Declaration but we died and revived so the cool down time is reset. Then it is possible to make all the heroes’ descendants proclaim their Area Declarations! I can beat the Red Man!’</you>

<you>While Ark was thinking, the Red Man ran up while wielding his sword.</you>

<you>Kiiiiiing!</you>

<you>The Red Man’s sword pushed past the sound barrier…. Ark rolled to the ground and shouted.</you>

<you>“Eternal Soul, Hero Fusion! Area Declaration, Glory of the Night!”</you>

<you>At the same time, an information window appeared in front of Ark.</you>

<you>-Glory of the Night has been used.</you>

<you>Due to the effect of Hero Fusion from Eternal Soul, Glory of the Night has been absorbed into your body.</you>

<you><your>Ark got up at the same time and yelled.</your></you>

<you><your>“Now. Shambala, Bread, Redian, Lariette, Wormer and Timosi, use your Area Declarations!”</your></you>

<you><your>“What? But the Red Man has already proclaimed the new territory declaration…..”</your></you>

<you><your>“There’s no time to explain. I have a way to take care of that! I need you to use your Area Declarations!”</your></you>

<you><your>“Ah, I don’t know. It isn’t possible for me to even move in this state. Area Declaration, Infinite Energy Field!”</your></you>

<you><your>Wormer exclaimed from within the broken armoured suit. Instead of Area Declaration being used, a small ball seemed to form in the air in front of Wormer. And it flew towards Ark where it was absorbed into his body. At the same time, the Red Man jumped across the space and brandished his sword. Just before the Red Man’s sword touched him, Wormer’s Area Declaration was absorbed and Ark was covered with shiny gold armour. It was the additional effect of Wormer’s Area Declaration, Infinite Energy Field!</your></you>

<you><your>Kyakyakyakyak!</your></you>

<you><your>The Red Man’s sword scratched the gold iron and sparked. The Red Man frowned and retreated one step because of the unexpected situation. The rest of the heroes’ descendants realized the situation and activated Area Declaration.</your></you>

<you><your>“Area Declaration, River of Blood!”</your></you>

<you><your>“Area Declaration, Land of the Beast!”</your></you>

<you><your>“Area Declaration, Land of Purification!”</your></you>

<you><your>“Area Declaration, Exorcist!”</your></you>

<you><your>“Area Declaration, Land of Fire and Ice!”</your></you>

<you><your>The 5 Area Declarations turned into small balls and shot towards Ark. A fiercely spinning vortex appeared around Ark as the balls were absorbed into his body. There was a massive shockwave and the heroes’ descendants burst out with confusion</your></you>

<you><your>“What the? What happened to him?”</your></you>

<you><your>The dust gradually subsided and Ark’s form could be seen. But he wasn’t the previous Ark anymore. The Area Declarations from the 7 heroes had fused into Ark’s body!</your></you>

<you><your>“This is Hero Maban’s final technique, Hero Fusion….”</your></you>

<you><your>Ark murmured as his body was enveloped in light. Ark had changed after absorbing the Area Declarations. He was always wearing leather armour but this was the first time he saw his arms and legs so muscular. And two transparent crystal shields rotated around his body which had a gold shine to it. But the more amazing thing wasn’t the change to his appearance but the tremendous power he could feel. At the same time, an information window appeared in front of Ark.</your></you>

<you><your>-Hero Fusion has absorbed all the heroes’ Area Declaration into your body.</your></you>

<you><your>* Attack and defense power increased by 300%.</your></you>

<you><your>* Resistance to cold has risen by 200%.</your></you>

<you><your>* Movement Speed, Reaction Rate and Attack Speed increased by 200%.</your></you>

<you><your>* The amount of mana needed to use the skills has decreased by half.</your></you>

<you><your>* Resistance to magic and curses has increased by 100%.</your></you>

<you><your>* The crystal shields have a 30% chance of reflecting enemy attacks.</your></you>

<you><your>* The iron armour increases defense by 100%.</your></you>

<you><your>“Oh my god, is this really the effect of a normal skill?”</your></you>

<you><your>Ark gaped as he saw the information window. While Ark was gaping, the Red Man crossed the space again.</your></you>

<you><your>“Even if all the trash is gathered, it is still trash!”</your></you>

<you><your>The revolving crystal shields stopped the Red Man’s attack. At the same time, the sword that grazed the surface of the crystal shield bounced back and grazed the Red Man’s shoulder.</your></you>

<you><your>The Red Man withdrew and stared with confusion at his sword. Then Ark looked at the Red Man and laughed.</your></you>

<you><your>“A collection of trash is still trash? Is it really like that?”</your></you>

<you><your>Ark gathered strength into his ankle and kicked lightly at the ground. Ark’s body disappeared and he showed up right in front of the Red Man’s nose. He didn’t use any special skills. The 200% increase in movement speed made it seem like he had leapt across the space.</your></you>

<you><your>“Now it is time for your punishment.”</your></you>

<you><your>Kkiiiing!</your></you>

<you><your>Ark laughed as he appeared under the Red Man’s nose and swung his sword. Ark’s sword also broke through the sound barrier.</your></you>

<you><your>“T-this bastard…..!”</your></you>

<you><your>The Red Man quickly withdrew. Ark pursued the Red Man with his eyes. This was because relative speed was applied to New World. If his movement speed was faster than his opponent’s reaction rate, even if it was only by a little bit, relative speed would be applied through a complex system to prevent the opponent’s movement. That was the secret of the spatial movement the Red Man used! But now Ark’s reaction rate had increased by 200%.</your></you>

<you><your>Ark caught the movement of the Red Man and hurled complicated rapid-fire attacks.</your></you>

<you><your>“Is that really Ark fighting over there?”</your></you>

<you><your>Bread muttered with a foolish expression. Frankly, Ark didn’t feel like his speed had increased by 200%. It just felt like he was moving faster than usual. However, Shambala and Bread fell into the trap of the system’s relative speed and couldn’t see Ark’s complicated movements as he chased the Red Man. It just seemed like flashes of light and dust flying in empty spaces. Thus they couldn’t grasp how the battle was progressing. They couldn’t even intrude. After 10 minutes of the intense but boring invisible battle…..</your></you>

<you><your>Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!</your></you>

<you><your>There was a violent shaking. At the same time, dust spread while Ark and the Red Man appeared. There was a distance of 10 metres between them while their appearances were almost equal. Several of Ark’s metal armour plates had been shed while the Red Man was holding his side. The Red Man grinded his teeth and muttered.</your></you>

<you><your>“Ugh, you dare go against the creator…..”</your></you>

<you><your>Ark snorted and said.</your></you>

<you><your>“Don’t talk nonsense. You’re an auto program! Don’t you know that is illegal? Your life itself is illegal!”</your></you>

<you><your>“What, auto? What is an auto program?”</your></you>

<you><your>The Red Man looked baffled.</your></you>

<you><your>‘Eh? What the, what’s with this reaction? Does this guy not know that he is an auto program?’</your></you>

<you><your>Ark looked at him with an absurd expression and tried to talk while the Red Man shook his head violently and shouted.</your></you>

<you><your>“Shut up! I am the creator. It is my choice whether to destroy the world or not!”</your></you>

<you><your>“You’re an illegal software so shouldn’t you be able to press the ‘Del’ key?”</your></you>

<you><your>“Shut up! Divine skill, Indra’s Lightning!”</your></you>

<you><your>Pajijik, pajijik, pajijijik, flash!</your></you>

<you><your>At the moment, four round discs appeared around the Red Man and shot out sparks. Sparks rose from the disks engraved with Indra! The sparks formed a huge lightning bolt and headed towards Ark. Just like in the myths, Indra exterminated all his enemies with lightning when he became angry. He was enveloped in a huge flash as the lightning hit him.</your></you>

<you><your>Shambala and Bread simultaneously cried out. When he was hit with the Divine Skill before, he had become paralyzed and his health reached the bottom. If Ark couldn’t avoid the lightning then he would be turned to ash! The heroes’ descendants imagined Ark as ash and moaned.</your></you>

<you><your>“Ha, your repertoire hasn’t changed. Don’t you have anything else? You’ve learnt that skill a long time ago and it seems like you haven’t increased your repertoire at all. I’ll show you my new repertoire. Divine Skill, Descent of the Fire Draconian!”</your></you>

<you><your>Ark’s voice was heard and a pillar of flames shot up from among the sparks.</your></you>

<you><your>-You have used the Divine Skill Descent of the Fire Draconian!</your></you>

<you><your>The