Episode 10 – Immortal Flame (3)

Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!

The empty space rippled and cracked as it was torn apart by pulsating waves of golden energy, and an array of weapons materialized behind Angelica.

Among them were spears, longswords, shortswords, greatswords, massive blades, and even oddly shaped weapons that defied all conventional logic and reasoning.

"!"

The soldiers halted their battle and gazed in bewildered silence at the strange phenomenon. Meanwhile, the party members stood in shock with their mouths agape.

My eyes slowly widened.

Those weren't ordinary weapons in the slightest. Those weapons were the Noble Phantasms wielded by several past figures throughout history. Unlike the reward room, they were the real deal.

How was this possible? Was she capable of this all along? Why is she only using it now? Such questions were currently crossing my mind uncontrollably.

In the first place, how was she able to use the Noble Phantasms of all past historical figures. Something like that should be impossible.

Finally, my mind recalled a distant memory. Perhaps I had forgotten since that person was not involved in the story, but there was definitely a character that can use the Nobles Phantoms of all past heroes. In fact, a variety of Noble Phantasms were kept inside his treasury.

Gilgamesh, the Golden King of Heroes. A very influential figure with immense fame, wealth and power akin to that of a peak Star-grade constellation, nearly ascending to the ranks of Mythical constellation.

There was only one reason why the Golden Gate to the King's treasury has been opened. Angelica was the Incarnation of Gilgamesh.

Naturally, this was a big shock to me. In the novel, Gilgamesh didn't choose any walkers as his Incantation. In fact, he didn't any walker as his incarnation because they were all below his standards.

That arrogant king, why did he choose someone like Angelica as his Incarnation. In any case, it doesn't matter. This was good.

Shake! Shake! Shake!

The materialized weapons quivered incessantly in the air as though growing impatient.

The girl looked at the battlefield with a cold gaze. There were many enemies and the number of allies were few.

Angelica stretched her hand forward and announced coldly.

"Die for me!"

As if anticipating this moment, the array of weapons streaked one by one towards the battlefield with speed surpassing that of a bullet.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

Cries of collapsing soldiers rang out like drum bells.

It was a merciless slaughter with no chance of resistance. Some of the enemy soldiers tried fleeing but it was futile in the end. The attack was comparable to a torrent of gushing water. That's wrong. It was more befitting to describe it as receiving a royal bombardment from all directions.

I was witnessing the power of a god, the power of the Legendary King. Although the weapons that appeared were only third rate artifacts, their destructive power was still formidable.

In an instant, the entire battlefield was reduced to a wasteland. The torn bodies of the Athenian soldiers were littered around. As if serving their purpose, the array of weaponry instantly dissipated into gold particles as if they were an illusion.

[The constellation 'Golden King of Heroes' looks at his Incarnation.]

This arrogant king, he was also watching as well. In the first place, when did he enter the world channel? Perhaps he was present since the beginning.

[The constellation 'Golden King of Heroes' scoffs and says it's boring.]

Look at this bastard. If you didn't like the performance then go away and watch another world channel. There are countless worlds to choose from.

As I fell deeper into my reverie, cries of victory erupted in the battlefield. Those cries belonged to the spartian soldiers who survived the great war. Simply, they have won.

Unfortunately for us, we didn't have time to celebrate.

The Nightmare Trial announced the end of the story scenario.

[The sixth 'Conclusion' has been reached.]

[Participants: Kim Jakga, Angelica, Jung Yunhee and Lee Suhye]

[Main contributor: Angelica Lockhart]

[A special reward will be given to the main contributer.]

[500 coins has been given as a clearance reward.]

It was a shame that I didn't receive the special reward. But after that incredible performance Angelica just displayed, she truly deserves to receive the special reward instead of me.

The background slowly changed and we returned to the interior of the library dungeon. Angelica's breathing pattern immediately became rough.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just need to catch my breath."

The Divine Gate was a powerful authority so its magic power consumption was high. Maybe it was possible to overwhelm Sung Jae-won with this power.

We climbed the stairway to the next floor. We prepared for a confrontation but there was no enemy in sight.

"Huh?"

I swept my gaze around but I didn't see anyone. Has Sung Jaewon already moved to the next floor? Damnit, maybe it was too late.

Lee Suhye noticed something in the background and opened her mouth.

"Hey, there's something over there."

"Where?"

Lee Suhye pointed towards a corner. At first, there was nothing. But upon closer inspection, I noticed the surrounding space was vibrating.

Something was coming.

Zzzt!

Suddenly, the vacant space rippled akin to a glitch in a video game, accompanied by a distinct sound, and a human figure materialized.

It was a large man dressed in all black clothing along with a black coat. Sung Jaewon, the cause of all our misfortunes.

I noticed the sword attached to his waist and clicked my tongue once. That bastard, he must have taken one of the great swords from the reward room. There were other artifacts such the Sky Boots and Escape Earrings. He has really been busy since I last saw him.

The moment the party members saw him, they were prepared to jump out and give him a piece of their mind. In particular, Lee Suhye seemed more excited.

"That bastard, he must have been eating well while we were suffering. Let's go and greet him."

"No, let's not do that."

"What? Are you saying we should let him go after all he has done?"

"That's not what I'm saying. If possible, I would like to punch the back of his head."

"See! Then let's get him. We have the number advantage."

"Damnit, use your head. Why did we come to this dungeon? Was it because of him or Soo Jinyoung?"

"T-That..."

"I understand how you feel but this is not the time for a fight."

Even if we engaged in combat, the odds of victory remained slim. If Lee Jongho or Han Sanghoon were present, perhaps our chances would have improved, but they were absent. Additionally, Angelica seems unable to harness the full potential of the golden gate due to severe mana depletion.

Jung Yunhee opened her mouth from the side.

"You do realise we have to pass him to get to Soo Jinyoung. How are we going to pass him without fighting?"

"That's true. But there's a way."

"Huh? What are you planning now?"

"Nothing complex. Have you forgotten? We are in the library."

I silently approached a bookshelf and pulled out the books from their positions. It was okay if I didn't open them and read their contents. However, I was free to read their topics.

None of the books I pulled out fit the theme I was searching for—none were about the subject I had in mind. Most focused on defense, rescue missions, or exterminating monsters.

I needed something that would keep Sung Jaewon occupied for a long time.

Ah, I found it.

I smiled and pulled a book from the shelf. Maybe this will work.

I adjusted my body position, calculated the right angle and threw the book with all might.

Swoosh!

The book crossed the air with a piercing sound as if screaming for freedom.

As if sensing the incoming object, Sung Jaewon turned around and shifted his head immediately.

Of course, he would dodge. It would be strange he didn't dodge such a simple attack.

I pulled out the revolver and raised it before swiftly pulling the trigger.

Bang—

Once the book was pierced, pieces of paper scattered around.

"!"

Sung Jaewon, upon realizing the situation, attempted to escape. However, the short distance between him and the book resulted in him being struck by the screening ray and pulled into the story.

We approached the spot where he was previously standing and Angelica asked.

"Wait, you mean you can touch the books without being sucked into the story?"

"Yeah, it seems that way."

"That's not exactly reassuring."

"I guess I've been lucky so far."

"Alright, so which story did you end up sending him into?"

"A very troublesome story. We won't have to worry about him for a while."

The story's theme centered on monster slaying, but with a unique twist: battling a fire-breathing sea serpent, the Leviathan, aboard a cruise ship and protecting it from destruction.

The Leviathans were classified as Grade 1 Nightmare species, apex predators that not even the most powerful constellations can face. It was impossible to complete the story from the beginning.

Sung Jaewon's failure was already determined and he was going to receive a penalty based on the dungeon law but he deserved it for giving us a hard time.

We moved and reached the ninth floor. It was a strange floor. Unlike the other floors, there was nothing on the ninth floor. There was only a huge red circle positioned in the middle.

Lee Suhye looked around in confusion and frowned.

"There's nothing here."

"I can see that."

"You jerk. How do we get to next floor if there's no stairway?"

"There's a way. Everyone enter the circle and be prepared."

They nodded and entered the circle after me. The moment we entered, a small system panel appeared infront of me.

[Do you wish to challenge the tenth floor?]

There was no trial on the ninth floor. It just served as a mechanism to teleport the newcomers directly to the tenth floor where the dungeon master was located.

I opened my mouth and answered.

"Yes."

[Four participants has been sensed.]

[You will be teleported to the tenth floor.]

The circle glowed crimson and the scenery began to change slowly. Once the teleportation was complete, we opened our eyes and noticed the new stage.

As if welcoming the new visitors, an eerie sensation immediately crossed my body. From the beginning, I knew this was going to be difficult.

[You have arrived at the Tenth floor, Shadow Playground.]

"Ahhh!"

Someone screamed. Maybe it was Angelica or Lee Suhye. It didn't matter.

The first thing that met our eyes was the grisly scene of Soo Jinyoung's body sprawled on the floor.

She lay there pitifully, surrounded by her own blood, resembling a slaughtered animal, her eyes devoid of life. It seems we were too late.