Chapter 70 – Sea Road

===================

Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

Players who played Last Comet found the name Abenstraum cumbersome and shortened it to two syllables.

Imperial capital, shortened to “empire.”

On top of that, for gameplay reasons they added one extra title: the College Entrance Exam Hall.

The name was given because beginners who had just started to understand the game, feeling smug, would enter carelessly and get demolished.

If you arrived at the imperial capital with a poor divine name, traits, and survivor group, they called it “brutal exam season,” and you’d receive consolation in the form of “you’ll lose, but you fought well.”

The reverse case was called “free exam season” or a “silver spoon,” and if you couldn’t even make it past the imperial capital, you’d be mocked with the nickname “silver beast.”

Naturally, I held no expectation of avoiding a fight.

This thinking turned to certainty after seeing Ryugen.

Ryugen was elaborating in greater detail on the story he had told me when we first met.

“The fall of the imperial capital was instantaneous.”

As I had heard before.

The astronomers observed the sun turning black, and while they were trying to make sense of the situation, the meteor shower fell.

At this time, Ment, who was leading the Lion Shield Legion, mobilized the army the instant the sun turned black.

And the moment the meteor shower fell, demons and monsters burst from the shadows.

In the end, Ment took only those who responded to the mobilization, leaving rearguard after rearguard, and was forced into a desperate retreat.

A few questions arose, but Ryugen seemed to already be aware of them.

“We had to go west, but the monsters kept driving us east. I particularly remember that the Corpse Demons were the main force. General Ment judged that rather than breaking through a solid encirclement, it was best to head immediately to where people remained and regroup the legion.”

“That was the right call. Had they tried to push west, they would have been killed without mercy.”

The culprit was the Holy Mother of Stillbirths.

It came after the civil war fought over the souls of the survivors. There was no way the demons would hand over prey that had come into their territory.

But what I wanted was a different part.

I needed a detailed testimony of the sights witnessed in the imperial capital by the Lion Shield Legion, just before their escape.

“But I heard they left behind many rearguards to escape. It doesn’t seem like the escape happened in a short time.”

“Yes, that is correct. I recall changing the lamp oil three times during the escape. And who the enemies were each time.”

Ryugen stroked his sparse beard and let out a sigh.

Having held some rank, his sharp perception allowed him to glean truths from within the fierce chaos of battle.

The story Ryugen told painted the gloomy reality of those days in full.

“The first were the Corpse Demons.”

The Lion Shield Legion fought desperately to escape from a capital city already destined to fall.

It was not strange at all that the first opponent was Corpse Demons. Where a city existed, there were people; where people gathered, death followed.

Moreover, beneath the imperial capital was the catacombs, a communal burial ground for the poor.

An underground burial ground with well over tens of thousands interred.

When the meteor shower fell and monsters poured out, those seized by panic sought higher ground or lower ground.

Among them, no small number headed for the catacombs.

“The people who had fled to the catacombs were the legion’ second opponents. They were soon to become monsters, but at the moment we encountered them, they were still human…”

They had somehow survived and fled out of the catacombs, but every one of them had been afflicted by Corpse Demon Poison.

The legion, not knowing this, accepted them, and only after the formation had already collapsed did they begin to cut them down.

In the brutal melee, the legion lost most of the people they had been protecting.

That alone was bitter enough, but Ryugen declared that the third opponent had been the most horrifying.

“The final enemies the legion encountered were mages.”

Not everyone shared the same thoughts.

Some fought to survive, while others quickly went down on their knees and found a way to live.

The mages were exactly half and half.

Those who had striven to protect the falling city all perished.

And the mages who saw the bodies of their comrades were the quickest to accept the defeat of the heavens.

Their superior intellect rationalized, without any hesitation whatsoever, working for a new master.

They even seemed to have quickly discerned the three laws forced upon the world.

“Cunningly… rather than confronting us directly, the mages circled the perimeter and caused our people to fall into sleep one by one. Even the most loyal soldiers fell asleep and did not wake. Only the brave heroes endured the sleep demons and bought time. Even without any outstanding feats, I believe it was courage enough to be called heroes.”

“Your words are right. It was rare courage.”

The souls of the slain belonged to their slayer. The mages clearly knew this law.

They had seen through the fact that no matter how many they killed, the dead would ultimately be offered as tribute to demons and devoured.

One more thing.

The moment I heard the method they had used, I understood who the great demon governing the imperial capital was.

Among countless means of neutralization, the one that forced sleep was only one.

“Of all opponents, it had to be Dream-Shedding Eye.”

“Dream… Shedding Eye…?”

I explained in great detail who the enemy we would have to face was.

Humanity’s most powerful ally was light.

It was the same for players of Last Comet.

Without light, survivor morale plummeted, and the already inadequate combat power of the survivors hit rock bottom.

With light, at least they would resist; without light, they practically shouted “please carry me” and let monsters carry them obediently.

So the player was inevitably forced to protect and spread light.

Light up the surroundings with light, inspire survivors through various factors to solidify faith, and with the strength gained thereby, defeat the demons.

This was the orthodox way to play Last Comet, but…

Dream-Shedding Eye, the great demon leading dream-eaters, required one more measure.

When this part was conveyed in appropriate indirect terms, Ryugen immediately stiffened his expression.

“I must find Lord Akrat.”

Ryugen said only that, snapped a salute, and immediately started running.

Wondering if there would be any problems, I turned my attention to the surroundings, and sure enough.

The moment he found Hwen, he was speaking enthusiastically about this and that.

Naturally, from the perspective of Hwen looking after the militia, it was not welcome news.

“So even if you’re sleepy, we have to train to be able to resist. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Lord Akrat, I understand it is uncomfortable. But the difference between training and not training will be substantial.”

“If we resist not sleeping and end up caught off guard more easily instead. Yeah? This is maddening.”

Left like this they might end up going in parallel forever.

Someone needed to step in and mediate.

My heart wanted to call Bartol, but it felt like I’d been troubling him too much lately.

This was a case where I had to be proactive.

***

The meeting proceeded noisily for some time.

In particular, the opposition from Shek and Nesaro, gathered to represent the refugees, was considerable.

Shek spread both arms wide and bounced up and down, while Nesaro spoke while glancing sideways with a meek air.

“Goodness, training not to sleep when everyone is already exhausted? I, I can’t do that!”

“There are many people not in full health… maybe we should reconsider…?”

Hwen, bolstered by their support, shrugged her shoulders.

“See, everyone’s already at their limit. I understand the circumstances, but excessive demands should be restrained.”

“It can be done in shifts. Night watch duty is already being practiced.”

“That very night watch duty is already causing problems, and you want to add this?”

Ryugen would not back down easily either, raising his experience.

As the debate seemed to be heating up a bit, an unexpected vote in favor came from Bartol.

“That soldier is right.”

“Old man?”

“Ahem, I say so because it is truly right. If it is Dream-Shedding Eye’s territory, I would not wish to go at all, but…”

I concealed my presence and gently placed my hand on Bartol’s shoulder, which was trailing off.

If the only goal were to simply end the journey, ignoring it would also be an option.

But my mission was to defeat the Black Sun and raise a new sun.

To do so, all great demons had to be killed to undo the Sun God’s constraints.

Pahaaah…

The sound of Bartol breathing out a sigh filled the surroundings.

“…If Star Creation wished it, there was no choice. So at least a portion must receive training.”

“But Priest! Is it because the opponent is dream-eaters? Are dream-eaters that dangerous?”

“Dream-eaters have no physical form. For a dream-eater to take physical form, it needs a suitable vessel.”

“A vessel?”

Nesaro seemed to pick up on the vaguely ominous implication.

At Nesaro’s carefully ventured question, Bartol tapped his own head with the index finger of his right hand and answered.

“The human body. A dream-eater is a being that imprisons the soul of the living within a dream and seizes their flesh.”

And everyone agreed to the training.

***

Our next destination was a port city called Bakumsia, three full days by sea road to the southwest of Terjaohm.

Not a particularly close distance.

Even with a favorable wind, three days without stopping.

Going by land would take not a week but a full two weeks.

But we had already seized the Elysium of the Devouring Sea.

The sea was no longer something to conquer or beg from.

-Exercise of Rights, Sea

While the stars within my flesh twinkled, the sea was moving obediently.

Instead of the ferocity that had devoured everything it touched, it remade itself willingly into stepping stones for the people.

The people who had initially hesitated found themselves, before long, running around on the completely calm seawater.

“It’s real, I’m actually walking on the sea!”

The most excited among them were, as always, the children.

Having encountered a vast flat expanse for the first time in a long while, they ran and ran without tiring.

“Look at this! It’s so wide!”

“Uh, hey, you’re going to fall!”

“Kyaaah!”

And when they did fall, the sea chose to give way gently like a smooth, soft cushion rather than coldly reject them.

The fallen child bounced lightly and sat down quietly.

Of course, there was no avoiding the backside-smack from parents who came running breathlessly, worried the child might be hurt.

“This child! Do you know what kind of place the sea is, running around like that!”

“Ow! I’m, I’m sorry!”

Regardless, thanks to the small commotions that broke out, people began to forget their dark memories.

Chatting with each other and moving their feet, not a single one turned to look back.

Not even to see the city we had dwelled in, Terjaohm, being swallowed by black, thick clouds of smoke.

I quickly noticed what those black clouds of smoke descending close to the ground were.

When the Black Sun’s influence overwhelmed even the great demon, that power dominated the world.

[The Sun God cannot exercise its power where the living remain.]

Every time a constraint was undone, the Sun God would reveal new traits bearing various gimmicks.

The name of those black clouds of smoke was Malevolent Clouds.

Those trapped within clouds carrying malice would wander only within forever, unable to fulfill any wish, and would starve to death. It was, in effect, an invisible encirclement used to prevent survivors from escaping assaults.

The result of both the living and the starlight disappearing from Terjaohm.

That city being enveloped and submerged by Malevolent Clouds had been the last shelter of the eastern region.

As the people grew distant chattering on the sea, the dreary city was being swallowed completely into the clouds and disappearing.