Chapter 401. Fracture (2)

The result of three main factions on Liber—the Demon Empire, the Abyss, and the Sernitas—joining hands brought into creation the coalition of the ages. At least, that was how it appeared on the surface. From the outside, they looked like a very powerful force that had nothing to fear, but if one pried deeper, they would find several problems lying underneath.

The main problem was that the coalition didn’t trust each other. Once they achieved their goal, they would be at each other’s throats again. In other words, all three factions were fully aware that this alliance was only temporary. Thus, the Demon Empire and the Abyss were behaving in a ‘relatively’ passive manner during the invasion of the last gate.

The coalition army thought crushing Shalyh would be a very easy task and what happened afterward was more important. It was not a common occurrence for the three factions’ key figures to gather in one spot like this. Thus, not knowing how the situation would play out after the war, the factions tried to preserve their strengths as much as possible. Of course, they could afford to act in this manner because the coalition trusted the Sernitas’ prowess very deeply. The Sernitas was the worst foe to face, but the best friend when they were on the same side. Thus, the Demon Empire and the Abyss leisurely poured in their reserve troops while waiting for an opportunity to arise and prepared for the many scenarios that could play out after Shalyh’s fall.

Yet everything changed today. The Sky Castle attacked with all their current power not once but twice and failed to destroy the last gate. Considering the kind of faction the Sernitas was, it was something that should’ve never happened, and what this result signified was clear. The coalition had to realistically consider the possibility of defeat—something they had deemed impossible.

And if the Sernitas’ attacks continued to fail, the Demon Empire and the Abyss would have to overthrow the last gate with their strengths alone. But in a situation where they were wary of each other, each of the factions was hesitant to go all out. They would fumble in this war if even one of them pulled their punches and didn’t do their best. Thus, right after the Sky Castle failed its second attack, Bael acted decisively and quickly. Since humanity and the League had been on the verge of collapse from the sheer number of enemy troops pouring in until now, Bael thought only one faction needed to use their full strength to invade the last gate without suffering too great of a loss.

Bael made an order with this thought in mind. She deployed the main forces she treasured very much to the front lines. Then, she personally led the troops toward the mountain range and rushed forward. For the first time, she planned to make a proper alliance with the Abyss, and the power they formed with their cooperation was unbelievably formidable. They instantly pushed humanity and the Cassiubia League into a corner. They were so close to taking over the last gate that in only half a day—not even an hour later, the gate would fall into their hands, and they would reach their goal.

At least that was what Bael had thought, not aware of how someone’s wish had bloomed beyond her expectations.

***

The situation at the mountain ranges was not any better than the gate sitting in between them. The troops that had guarded the entrances had already been annihilated. The Abyss’ evil beasts penetrated through the mountain ranges’ pathways and were fiercely climbing toward its peak. They were going up without rest when bamboo shoots began to grow all over suddenly. Tree branches shot out like vines and wrapped around the Abyss’ evil beasts; and between the beasts struggling to free themselves, giant shadows emerged.

The writhing demonic beasts raised their heads one by one. Bam! Immediately after, their heads were blown away in just one blow.

“I command you in the name of Surutos!” a giant yelled while lifting their blood-drenched fist. “Kill these bastards!” At this order, giants who boasted of sizes much larger than even the Abyss’ evil beasts rushed out from behind and roared. One of the main tribes of the Cassiubia League, the Gigas tribe, entered the war.

Similar scenes were playing out at the last gate. Rain of arrows showered down on the enemies heading toward the gate. Dududududu! A troop from the Cassiubia League led by a member of the centaur tribe rushed forward and pushed forth from the last gate. The thin barrier between the last gate and their enemy quickly thickened again.

It was a sudden turn of events, and seeing the Cassiubia League’s unexpected entrance, Bael was at a loss for words.

“How have you been enjoying this massive party?”

Then, she heard a voice from above and looked up.

“You invited me too, but almost ended the party without me. I would’ve been very disappointed then. Don’t you know the phrase, ‘the more the merrier?’”

Seeing the jeering dragon circling in the air, Bael gritted her teeth.

“Isn’t it your fault for being late to the party?”

“I did try my best to hurry though. Well, it’s fine. The star of the show is usually the last to arrive,” the Last Dragon sneered coldly, and Bael did the same.

“Hm, if you say so. But since this party is almost over, I’m not sure if there’s anything left for you to enjoy. Well, if you’re fine with it, why don’t you make the best of what little time you have left and dance your heart out?”

“Bael, you’re misunderstanding something. The party has just begun.”

“Do you really think that’s true?”

It was then a gloomy wail burst out near the summit of one mountain range. Bael smirked in response, while the Last Dragon’s face stiffened. The Last Dragon immediately caught onto what was going on. The mountain range where the Gigas tribe was at was recovering its stability. But that was not the case for the other mountain range. Although they had also sent troops there, it seemed the situation wasn’t progressing. The Last Dragon quickly realized it was because the Abyss King had personally led the attack there.

To match the strength of the enemy’s forces, the Cassiubia League needed to send one of their best too. Only then would they be able to reach a balance.

“…It’s not the time to leisurely crack jokes.” The Last Dragon smacked her lips and immediately changed directions. Usually, Bael would’ve just let the Last Dragon go with the excuse of having to focus on sieging the gate, as this would mean that the Abyss would suffer greater losses. Yet she couldn’t do that this time. The Demon Empire and the Abyss were no longer simply on guard against one another, and the Abyss King was actively supporting her decisions. Thus, she also needed to do her part.

Then, if the Abyss took over one mountain range and attacked the gate from the side, it would be much easier to take over the gate.

“Do you think I will let you go as you please?” Bael thought things over and spread out her wings. Then, she kicked off the floor and took flight—that was when she suddenly flinched. A light had swung above her head, missing her by a hair. She turned to see one young man with his arm out. It was clear what his intention was. He was saying that he would handle Bael, so the Last Dragon should go take care of the Abyss King.

“Seems like you would have to let me leave,” the Last Dragon mocked and left the scene.

Bael snorted. She acknowledged that Chi-Woo was strong, but she didn’t think he would be a match for her in a one-on-one battle. Of course, killing Chi-Woo with her own hands was all Bael had wanted, but she needed to weigh the importance of certain matters. Bael let out a loud cry, and several great demons who had been making their way toward her after the appearance of the Last Dragon immediately responded. Agares, Belial, and Gamagin—the second, third, and fifth ranking great demons in the Demon Empire rushed toward Chi-Woo from all sides. Thinking Agares would be good enough to handle Chi-Woo, Bael turned around to give chase. But then suddenly, she felt the wind blow.

The soft flowing current circled around Belial and grazed the great demon. Sensing the sharp spirit imbuing this wind, Belial hurriedly backed away, and there, a figure who looked like a prince on white horse revealed himself.

“I apologize…for my tardiness,” Ru Amuh calmed his breathing and raised his sword. Similarly, a bright lightning flickered on Agares’ side, while a purple trajectory shot down to Gamagin. A man and a woman blocked the great demons as they hurried away.

“You’ll have to step over my dead body to get through,” Emmanuel said.

“What are you looking at, idiot? If it pisses you off, fight,” Yunael said.

The Demon Empire hadn’t been the only one watching this scene. After dealing with their individual battle, the Seven Stars members also rushed to the scene with the luxury Cassiubia League’s reinforcements earned them. Though they appeared to be in quite a terrible condition, their bloodlust was palpable because they had just disengaged from a fight. And they all had the feeling that perhaps this moment would be the decisive factor for victory.

Bael gritted her teeth hard. Because of the unexpected turn of events, she summoned another great demon, Marbas, but even he was stopped. He soon flew away from a sudden fist coming his way.

“Whew. I finally did something worthwhile,” Ismile said while stroking his chest and landing on the ground. “We can switch opponents if you want.” He glanced behind him and smirked.

“No, it’s fine,” Chi-Woo replied calmly and grabbed Armed With the Sixth Element. He would have almost been surrounded by a group of great demons, but thanks to his companions’ intervention, he gained the opportunity to duel the number one ranking great demon in the Demon Empire. If he could take care of Bael, the Demon Empire would fall into chaos, and winning this war would no longer be a pipe dream.

Chi-Woo’s eyes shone, and in contrast, Bael grunted. Meanwhile, the Last Dragon had already arrived at the mountain range where the Abyss King was and was attacking with her breath. In the end, Bael failed to hold the Last Dragon down. She hadn’t made the wrong judgment call; there simply were way more enemies than she had anticipated or could realistically handle. However, Bael couldn’t accept that fact yet.

‘I could just beat him,’ she thought. Perhaps this would be better for the Demon Empire. She could defeat this damn human and take over the last gate, using her victory to drive their momentum and support the Abyss afterward. Bael raised her giant sword. Leaping into the air, she then swung her sword while dropping down. Added with the force of falling, the giant sword’s swing looked powerful enough to slice through the entire gate.

Chi-Woo had witnessed the attack before and found it impossible to block. Usually, he would’ve evaded it without a second thought. Yet he didn’t move a single step away this time. It wasn’t because he was terrified. No, he looked intently at Bael as she flew downward and raised his ghost-busting club high in the air.

──────────!

A thunderous roar rang across the area. Light clashed with darkness where their attacks collided, and great shockwaves burst in all directions. Chi-Woo squinched his eyes shut at the impact sweeping through his whole body and opened them again. He looked a bit taken aback, while Bael looked shocked. Her giant sword had seemed ready to slice the entire gate, yet it was blocked. Blocked by Chi-Woo’s club of light, it was stopped and couldn’t push ahead.

Chi-Woo was also surprised, but in a different way. He had thought Bael’s attack would be almost impossible to block; it was true that a powerful force he had never felt before was coming from Bael’s blade and choking the breath out of him even now, but still, he had blocked her.

“Ick….! Iiiiiiick….!” Bael poured in more strength. Chi-Woo felt like all the bones in his body would break, but he was enduring and not collapsing. In fact, he felt like he could endure forever. In the end, Bael faltered first. Even though the first attack she had poured all her power into was flawlessly blocked, she still couldn’t accept reality.

“Ahhhhhh!” she cried out and swung her giant sword. Every time she did, her blade made a sharp, splitting sound, her attacks so fearsome that she even made the winds cry in pain. Yet all of them were nullified by one being called Chi-Woo.

“Why!” Bael yelled in rage and relentlessly swung her sword, but no attack managed to bring down her opponent. “Whyyyyy!”

Chi-Woo didn’t move. He hadn’t taken a single step back since the beginning of their fight. Then, in the midst of attacking, Bael suddenly felt a strange sensation. Her opponent didn’t seem like a mere human, but the embodiment of the last gate itself; it would never crumble no matter how hard or for how long she banged on its doors. A sense of foreboding suddenly hit her. It was the same feeling she had gotten when the Sky Castle failed its second attack. The premonition that they would never overcome this last gate seemed to be turning into reality.

Chi-Woo was almost as stunned as Bael. With Bael swinging her giant blade in all directions, though, he didn’t have the chance to think of much of anything else but block her attack. The strength imbued into Bael’s sword surpassed his imaginations, and each of her attacks was like a critical attack. One so strong that most would die the moment they made contact with it.

She had grown so much stronger than how she had been in the distant past he had visited that it didn’t even make sense to make the comparison. In fact, she had become so strong that she could face his brother as long as he didn’t use his Second Coming. That was how great and mighty she was.

‘What?’ Chi-Woo managed to block Bael’s attack somehow again and blinked hard. ‘But why…?’ For some reason, it didn’t feel like he would lose as long as he was near the last gate. Not just to Bael, but anyone aiming at the gate.