Chapter 655

Riana meeting Cliffman was not necessary, as it didn't matter whether he was on their side or not. However, Riana did meet Cliffman and it made the narrator think that maybe they could meet someone just because they wanted to. The narrator was scared to meet someone just like Riana was scared, but like Cliffman, Adriana didn't blame the narrator for anything. The narrator wanted to take Adriana out of the battlefield, but she refused. The promise to survive doesn't guarantee survival, as someone will still die in war. The narrator just wanted to do better after meeting Adriana. Christina remained silent and pale in front of Louis' question, as she couldn't tell him that she was the one who planned to take Ellen as a hostage. And after overpowering Christina, Ellen hesitated for a moment before putting her down and walking away. Christina couldn't even resist a little. It's true that Immortal was defeated because Ellen was strong. However, Christina realized that she was too arrogant about fighting. She realized that she was weak enough to be killed helplessly even if she fought against a strong soldier. Creating an Immortal doesn't make Christina herself stronger. She was mistaken in thinking that she became stronger just because she had a strong power. But there is something more important than regret for such misery and arrogance. For a few days after that day, the moment when she was thirsty for Ellen's blood became a nightmare, but that's not important either. "It's not human... that's not human." She found out something very strange when she tried to take Ellen as a hostage. Ellen's voice. A strange voice that could never be human. It felt like thousands of people were speaking at the same time, and it was a kind of pain that tore the soul just by listening to it. Ellen wasn't just angry. It can't be expressed to that extent. Ellen became something other than human. Very dangerous, terrifying, and terrible at the same time. Something that even had its own will. "It's dangerous... this is dangerous." Originally, she tried to capture Ellen to kill the Demon King or to lure him out. But Christina made a mistake by provoking Ellen in her arrogance. However, that mistake was now fortunate. The most dangerous thing now is not the Demon King, the Empire, or the Immortal. It's not even the Gate incident. A sword that cuts through anything. A cloak that blocks any attack. Ellen Artorius, who holds those two relics, has been swallowed up by something strange. Christina paid the price for her arrogance and mistake. And because of that, she learned the truth. Now, the most dangerous existence is Ellen Artorius, not anyone else. Having suffered a humiliating defeat, Christina will not step forward anymore. She has no intention of becoming a battle mage now that she is not used to fighting. She just needs to use the Immortal as a shield and give orders from behind. Christina already considers Scarlet's threat to be dealt with. But what about other threats? How can we deal with Ellen, who cuts through Immortals like paper? Is there anyone in the world who can face Ellen Artorius? What on earth has Ellen Artorius become? What does he want? But one thing is clear. Ellen, who has become something unknown, clearly said that he would not kill her yet because she still had some use. Even if the Immortal's forces are deployed, Ellen can break through and advance. Translation:

Unlike anyone else, Ellen is a being who can actually do that. That means that after everything is over, regardless of what happens to the Immortal, she will kill Christina. Ellen represents neither the Empire nor the Demon King. Therefore, Ellen is the only one who can destroy the Immortal regardless of the world's power structure and kill Christina without hesitation. Only then did Christina see with her own eyes the strength of Ellen Artorius, which she had only heard about before. People take it for granted that a hero is an ally, so they just praise the hero's strength. But if someone like Ellen Artorius becomes an enemy, one cannot imagine what will happen. However, Christina saw it with her own eyes. If a hero becomes a monster, no one can stop the hero. No army, no sword, no magic can penetrate. When Ellen still had some humanity left, she was able to have a conversation because she was human. Therefore, she could be pushed back by touching her guilt. However, there is no conversation that can be made now. For example, what should be done if a hero becomes a monster? Humanity developed weapons to end the Gate Crisis. They were neither Titans nor Immortals. The strongest weapon of humanity has been in human hands since the Gate Crisis. Ellen Artorius was the strongest weapon of humanity. But now, that weapon has only the appearance of a weapon left. The hero who lost her humanity is still on humanity's side, but not on Christina's side. From the beginning, she was not a being that could be treated as bait. It is unknown whether Ellen will be a threat to humanity, but she is definitely a threat to Christina. "Ellen must be killed." What is unknown is the biggest threat in itself. If Ellen is not eliminated, everything may be ruined. Christina begins to be obsessed with that thought. "Christina, why are you like this? Something is wrong. Don't think alone, speak up." However, no one will agree with the idea of killing Ellen. Christina could not help but express that thought. * * * The Allied Forces have now begun their advance towards their final target, Diane. Will the Gate Crisis end, or will humanity end? In normal circumstances, the army should become weaker as they advance through battles. However, strangely enough, the Allied Forces were becoming stronger and stronger geometrically as they fought. Initially, it was when the Titans were deployed, and secondly, it was after the Immortals joined. As the Gate Crisis became more and more dangerous, the Allied Forces were becoming stronger than that. Everyone knows the true identity of the Titans. It is a giant golem created by the genius magician of the Temple and the Saint of the Holy War. However, although everyone saw the second force, no one knew what it was. The fact that the Allied Forces were part of that force that could be manipulated was fortunate, but everyone couldn't help but feel fear as long as they didn't know what it was. However, those who know the truth cannot remain silent forever. Stories that cannot be traced back to their origins spread throughout the Allied Forces. The identity of the powerful army that cannot be identified is the Undead Legion created by the Empire by stealing the corpses of the fallen. That's why all troops wear helmets or robes that cover their faces. They are wrapped up like that because someone might recognize their face inside the helmet or robe. There are rumors that the Emperor used the forbidden power to end the war. It was a truth that was hard to believe, but it spread like a rumor. The rumors didn't stop there. There were rumors that there were traitors within the Allied Forces and those who pledged allegiance to the Demon King. The Allied Forces heading towards the final battle were swayed by two strange rumors that shook the entire Allied Forces. And finally, another piece of news spread through those who had to wander around the wasteland for supplies. In Huangdo, there was a strange rumor that the Gate Crisis was caused not by the Demon King, but by the Emperor. "That's ridiculous. Why would His Majesty do such a thing?" Of course, there were hardly any believers in that rumor. "There are many starving people in Huangdo, so there's no one to blame but His Majesty." "Yeah. Didn't a big riot happen last time and a lot of people died because of it? It must be because of that." "Whenever something happens, it's always their fault." Most people didn't believe the rumors. But rumors tend to stick and get mixed up. The first rumor was about an army made up of the dead. The second rumor was about those who pledged allegiance to the Demon King. The third rumor was about the Emperor being the culprit of the Gate Crisis. There were those who didn't believe the rumors, but there were also those who were weak to rumors. And those who were weak to rumors sometimes combined them. "But... if His Majesty really caused the Gate Crisis... then what about the Demon King?" "Don't say such crazy things that will get us in trouble." "No... it's strange... why did the Demon King leave us alone from the beginning? It doesn't make sense." The Demon King's actions, which had not attacked humanity until now, were already becoming a basis in themselves. What people had not considered until now was taking shape in strange and unbelievable rumors. "Think about it, if the Demon King really wanted to wipe out humans, he could have done it a long time ago. He could have targeted somewhere else, not where we are. So why doesn't he do that?" If you think about it normally, it was a situation where it didn't make sense that humanity was still alive. However, no one had thought of such a thing until now, and even if they did, they didn't speak it out loud. But from the moment that name was mentioned, it became unstoppable. Stories of the Demon King were circulating throughout the Allied Forces. "Doesn't the Demon King not really care about destroying humanity or anything like that?" "That's nonsense! The Demon King attacked the Yellow Empire last time, didn't he? At the execution of the princess... I heard he turned the Yellow Empire into ruins." "No, I heard that he disappeared with only the princess. There weren't many dead people." "I heard that thousands of people burned to death at that time?" "Where are the people who were in the Yellow Empire at that time?" In the end, rumors give birth to speculation, and speculations disguised as facts become another rumor that circulates among the Allied Forces. Eventually, everyone can only reach the biggest suspicion. Why does the Demon King leave humanity alone? It was a well-established fact that the Demon King caused the Gate Crisis to destroy humanity. But why hasn't he made any moves since then? It's not like the Demon King disappeared, as there are records of him appearing not too long ago at the execution of the princess, where he mercilessly killed Swordmasters and Archmages and stabbed the heart of the warrior who finally appeared before disappearing. "Could it be that the Demon King actually died at that time...?" "No way, he couldn't have died just like that..." Rumors began to spread that the Demon King actually died at that moment. Did the Demon King actually die a long time ago? "No, if the Demon King had died, who are the traitors who pledged allegiance to him now?" "That's right?" Since it's hard to distinguish where the truth ends and the lies begin, people are confused. That's why there are people who combine rumors to create their own truth. People who gather scattered stories to create their own truth can be found anywhere. The Demon King never had any intention of destroying humanity in the first place. The fact that the Demon King has not attacked humanity until now is evidence of that. The Gate Crisis was an accident or conspiracy caused by the Emperor, and the Emperor blamed it on the Demon King. Some of the Allied Forces leaders who learned the truth began to side with the Demon King. Therefore, the Emperor, who felt the crisis, began to steal the bodies of the fallen to create the Undead Legion to protect the Empire and himself. It's a story that has nothing to do with the truth and has a completely arbitrary cause and effect relationship. There is no explanation as to what benefit the Emperor gained by causing the Gate Crisis, and if he did cause it, there is no explanation as to why he organized the Allied Forces to end it. Even the background of the Immortals coming first and the supporters of the Demon King emerging is reversed. In the end, a story that has been well-crafted gains more credibility. Anyway, a story that started with the premise that the Demon King was evil gained people's trust. Now, a story that starts with the premise that the Emperor was evil is beginning to gain trust. "What people believe easily is that there must be someone who has done something absolutely wrong. Of course, there are many who treat such stories as nonsense. The important thing is that confusion of belief has begun to arise among people. If rumors are inflated too much, even if those who believe in the inflated rumor are only a minority, very small parts of the rumor can only be treated as truth. Only a few believe in the well-crafted truth. However, as much as people believe that the story is true, they believe in the origin of that rumor. The Emperor created an army made up of those who died. The Demon King is involved in the Allied Forces. Some of the Allied Forces leaders side with the Demon King. The Demon King has never attacked humanity even once since the Gate Crisis. Those four truths are ingrained in people's minds. In the end, they march towards Diane in confusion, not knowing who to hate fundamentally. That's how they head towards the final battlefield. 'It's already at maximum charge. There's no need to do more.' Roudina said, looking at Kaiser Vio-din sitting in the Arc Crystal Chamber. 'I know that.' It is Roudina's role to draw power from the Arc Crystal where Kaiser's magic power is stored. However, since Roudina learned that Kaiser's physical condition had become very weak after continued battles, she did not press Kaiser on issues related to the Arc Crystal. Only then did Roudina realize that Kaiser was doing what he had to do, whether Roudina told him to or not. Therefore, even if Roudina did not press or urge him, Kaiser did not listen to her anymore, as if he had done his job. 'You're just sitting there, and only your magic power is being taken away. I told you not to come in here when there's no need to charge.' When a person reaches a state of severe magic depletion, they die. It is the depletion of the source of life. Now Roudina knew better than Kaiser himself how weak Kaiser's physical condition was. But the relationship that could not be said to be good even when the battle continued completely went awry. What else can you do if this is the only thing you can do? Kaiser, who was being worn down by Roudina's abuse, could only cling to the only thing he could do in the abyss of his self-esteem. Even if Roudina apologizes and begs in regret, Kaiser does not listen. 'Then what are you doing?'" "What are you doing in front of the fully charged Arc Crystal? I told you not to come here." Roudina, who knew how Kaiser's physical condition had weakened after continued battles, was now the most anxious. "I have no talent for manipulating magic power, but I can put mana into the Arc Crystal. So I was trying to control the speed of mana injection." Kaiser seemed to be trying something else that he could do. "But it doesn't work. The Arc Crystal doesn't take mana from me, it takes my mana." Roudina watched Kaiser's behavior with wide eyes. "Adelia, who made this, must be amazing. A great talent born with immense power. But I'm useless except for having a talented classmate like you," Kaiser said, recalling Roudina's past words. Roudina bit her lip, thinking about the people who died because of their lack of mana during battles. Kaiser had been hurt by Roudina's words, but he didn't deny the wounds. "I'm useless. This is all I can do," he said to himself. Roudina watched Kaiser with lowered eyes and asked politely, "Can we talk for a moment?" She no longer spoke in a commanding tone like before and tried to be as polite as possible to Kaiser, who didn't seem to care about her tone.