Chapter 393
First Match Against China.
=Oh...!
=Yoon Seah appears different from usual.
=Is this not her undead form...?
=If she's in undead form, then surely...
=Was Seong Jihan possibly in the waiting room!?
=Yoon Seah! She's charging alone!
At the start of the game, Yoon Seah, having transformed into her undead form, rushed alone into China's camp.
"Undead form... why now...?"
"Was Seong Jihan really in the waiting room??"
"Of all times, why now...!"
"Support! Counter her with divine power!"
The Chinese team, aware of her undead form's power, tried to counter her.
Boom! Boom!
With her void-enhanced strength, Yoon Seah decimated the enemy camp.
-Wow, her undead form means...
-Seong Jihan must be around? Damn
-I wondered why China suddenly banned Seong Jihan.
-But how did China know?
-Information leak?
-Seong Jihan does not need to appear to secure an easy win lol.
Despite being banned, Seong Jihan's influence on the game was immense.
Without even showing up, he massively impacted the first match.
=First match ends!
=The undead power seen against the USA appears again!
=Even with Je Galheon's increased strength, it's insufficient against this power.
=Today's match, crucial for determining the top in Northeast Asia... since Seong Jihan intervened, it seems like Korea will win?
=Indeed, with Je Galheon's newfound strength we were concerned, but it looks like there's no need to worry!
With the first match ending in victory, the commentators couldn't hide their excitement.
Seong Jihan's participation in the most important match of the regional league against China made the outcome seem certain.
-Oh... Seong Jihan... why now...?
-He didn't appear in the regional league but now he shows up...
-Banning him is pointless.
-I turned off the TV. It's a guaranteed 3-0.
-Might as well unban Seong Jihan and watch him play.
In China, after losing the first match, viewers began to drop off in disappointment.
Unable to overcome undead Yoon Seah, hope was lost.
Meanwhile,
Ssssss...
Emerging from the BattleNet Connector, Yoon Seah approached Seong Jihan.
"Uncle, the undead form... it got stronger?"
"Really? Must be due to the void's growth."
"Yeah. I can be more active even in the Space League."
Whoosh, whoosh.
Unable to forget the feeling of scorching the Chinese camp in the first match, Yoon Seah imitated shooting arrows.
"If you keep getting banned, I might snatch the MVP of this series."
"...Jihan, does the undead form not work on me?"
"Without the void, it's only possible in-game for you."
"I see... too bad."
Seong Jihan's brother-in-law, Yoon Sejin, resignedly smacked his lips, overshadowed by Yoon Seah's impact.
"For the second match, you'll likely get banned again, like before?"
"Yeah."
If Yoon Seah dominated the game, Gilgamesh's message urging participation in the match against China wouldn't be heeded.
'They need to solve that themselves.'
How would he participate if he was repeatedly banned?
If Gilgamesh desired to convey something important, he could appear himself.
Seong Jihan renewed the blessing of undead on Yoon Seah.
As the second match approached,
=Oh... they didn't ban Seong Jihan! Instead, they banned two from the top 10!
=What's the Chinese coach thinking? This unbans Seong Jihan...
=Even if they banned Seong Jihan, if Yoon Seah turns undead again, they'd lose. Expecting any odds on the top 10?
=The chance of banning just two from the top 10 seems too slim...
=But China's situation must be dire to attempt such luck!
"Chinese coach changed strategy."
"Banning two from the top 10...is he hoping for luck?"
Watching the Chinese coach resort to relying on luck led the players to chuckle.
And then,
=Oh, China's ban surprisingly hit!
=Yoon Sejin and Yoon Seah were both banned!
=Without Seong Jihan, the second match would be tough.
=But...
=He's still here, right?
The ban card, initially seemingly effective, was nullified by having the number one rank, Seong Jihan, still active.
"I'll be back."
"Okay. Finish quickly~ I'll get ready for the third match."
Considering Seong Jihan's overwhelming power, national matches should end in under a minute.
Yoon Seah prepared for the next match with this mindset.
"But, it might take longer."
"Huh? Even with you playing, uncle?"
Seong Jihan nodded.
Steamrolling the Chinese players could end the game swiftly under a minute.
However, learning Tuseong's secret as per Gilgamesh's message would take time.
'He won't reveal it straightforwardly. He most likely set something in-game.'
Anticipating Gilgamesh's sly moves, Seong Jihan patted Yoon Seah lightly on the head.
"Take a break."
"Okay..."
Whoosh!
Seong Jihan entered the BattleNet Connector.
Watching him leave, Yoon Seah mused.
'...Even a drawn-out match would mean less than 2 minutes, right?'
Such was the power disparity.
But,
"Oh... the game really isn't ending..."
As Seong Jihan predicted, the game didn't end swiftly.
* * *
Second Match Map, 'Great Forest.'
The dense, expansive forest of towering trees,
one of BattleNet's maps known for long playtimes.
Hidden nooks throughout the forest often resulted in prolonged guerilla warfare between surviving teams.
But,
-How many minutes?
-5 minutes.
-1 minute.
-Nope, he'll finish with one sword swing, 30 seconds?
-In the Great Forest map, it won't end that fast. Guerilla warfare will take a while to find everyone.
-He might rush to finish quickly out of annoyance.
-Is there no bet for this? lol
Given Seong Jihan's involvement, long playtimes even with the Great Forest map seemed unlikely.
With the outcome decided, viewers speculated on how quickly he would secure victory.
The game began.
'First, head to the Chinese camp.'
Whoosh!
Immediately after the start, Seong Jihan sped through the forest.
Typically, locating the opposing team took time in this map.
'There they are.'
Expanding his senses, he quickly located them.
Step!
He easily arrived before the Chinese players.
"What, already found us..."
"Se...the Constellation..."
"Ugh... on to the next match."
"Why didn't they ban him..."
Startled, they slowly retreated.
Some of them had accepted Seong Jihan as their sponsoring constellation.
-One minute match prediction, confirmed.
-How does it feel to be killed by your own constellation, lol...
-Better end it quickly, that's the sportsmanship ㅇㅇ
-Yup, just finish them.
As everyone foresaw the game ending with one sword swing,
"Se...Seong Jihan..."
"You... finally arrived...!"
Five Chinese players, with slightly pointed ears, trembled as they stepped forward.
"..."
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Why leave the camp!"
The unexpected move puzzled even their teammates.
"Behold, the king shall judge you...!"
"To the King Of Humans, I offer this body...!"
Splat!
Drawing daggers from their inventories, five players stabbed their own hearts.
"Krgh..."
"Begin the summoning ritual..."
The leading Chinese player's words.
Blood from their wounds pooled, forming a magic circle.
As their collective blood flowed, the circle slowly started forming.
-Oh shit...
-Talking about the King Of Humans... is this Gilgamesh again?
-Seeing their pointed ears, seems like it.
-But why is Seong Jihan just watching?
-Normally, you wait when they transform or summon, it's common sense lol.
-Lol demongod from hel also has pointed ears.
The summoning through the blood magic circle took considerable time.
"...When does it finish?"
"Wait... the blood..."
Letting them continue was too lenient.
Frowning, Seong Jihan spoke to the Chinese player behind them.
"Guys? Heal your comrades. They lack blood."
"Y-yes. Great Heal!"
Obliged by Seong Jihan's words, the Chinese player healed them.
Under his consent, the summoning circle finally completed through their joint effort.
"It's... finished...!"
Whoosh...
From the circle, a golden tower began to rise.
A miniature version of the Babel Tower seen before.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Upon rotating once,
[Seong Jihan. Become mine.]
Clang!
Dozens of blood-red chains shot out, targeting Seong Jihan.
'Heavenly Tree Descending Spirit huh... But why so weak?'
Shoddy sacrifices, perhaps.
Though easily blockable,
Seong Jihan hesitated momentarily.
'Better hear what he has to say.'
He offered an arm,
Whoosh!
Chains wrapped around his right arm.
Though seeking other targets,
"Stay on this arm."
Seong Jihan manipulated space, blocking the chains' other movements, causing them to settle on his arm alone.
Whoosh...
Once bound, they glowed golden.
"It tickles."
[Tickles... This causes you no harm.]
"Did you think such sacrifices would work?"
[I hoped. But I had low expectations.]
As the chains' glow intensified,
a vision imprinted on Seong Jihan's mind.
[This is what I recently saw.]
Gilgamesh transmitted his memory visually.
Seong Jihan observed.
'This is Tuseong.'
On the barren star Tuseong, constellations' relics floated in the sky.
In Gilgamesh's memory, a shadowy Martial God emitted a dark red aura.
As the aura reached the constellations' relics,
Woosh!
Already formidable, the Martial God's power visibly amplified.
'...Did the constellations' relics have such power?'
Seong Jihan had seen the star Tuseong.
Dongbang Sak had once summoned him there, urging him to abandon Martial Soul.
Offering one of those relics as a replacement.
He ignored it back then,
'I didn't realize their power.'
Though viewed through Gilgamesh's eyes,
the linked Martial God exhibited at least tenfold power increase.
The already vast gap further widened with the link.
After showing the Martial God's amplified power, the vision ended.
[Did you see?]
Gilgamesh's voice emerged from the chains.
[No constellation relic can amplify power so much. Tenfold augmentation for the Martial God... it's impossible.]
"..."
[I was curious, so I investigated the relics extensively with all my resources.]
Whoosh.
A new scene appeared.
A half-destroyed relic lay on Tuseong's ground.
Gilgamesh's find?
[And I discovered something.]
"What?"
[This relic holds massive data. Records of humanity entering BattleNet and its fall.]
Records of entry and doom?
Seong Jihan frowned.
Could it be his past life's events?
[From this data, I saw the Martial God defeat me... you, the last of humanity, still survived.]
"...Me?"
[Yes, Seong Jihan. Join me.]
Usually confident, Gilgamesh's voice sounded weak in this plea.
[Under the relics in the sky, none can defeat the Martial God... we must cooperate against him.]