Chapter 290: The seal of the eternal has been unlocked
In the grand ballroom decorated so pompously, it must have cost a fortune...
The crowd of splendidly dressed people - many of whom someone with a high social position would have no trouble recognizing as the members of various noble houses, big and small, from all across the whole Fruit Salad.
Amongst them, a group of five rather unusual characters was sticking out like a sore thumb.
The confused light brown-haired girl, Caramel, the reincarnated person from another world with the knowledge about the system and every event and glitch in the game.
The scared tall gray-skinned man in a tuxedo, Mason Envy, the fallen half-elf and the only survivor of the massacre at the mansion of the main branch of the Envy family.
The horrified dark-skinned woman in a black dress with two long daggers on both sides of her waist - the daggers that simply reappeared in their sheath after she thrust them inside the villainess - Nomannic, the glitched character.
The panicking ashen-haired girl in a crimson dress, Mika Wrath - Justice's Wrath with the ability to request the Will of the World to pass the judgment onto the sinners.
And lastly, the Will of the World in a changed form, the white-haired child - Radiance - who was reaching her shaking hand towards the steaming crater that should be still surrounded by the invisible walls of the system.
Those five weren't the only ones with such expressions - despite the marvelous location and the beautiful clothes, the people gathered there weren't dancing nor enjoying themselves.
They were all standing around a giant blackened crater - the very same crater that the white-haired Radiance was reaching her tiny hand towards - right in the middle of the ballroom, staring in horror at something at the bottom.
"...dear system...!"
"...wh-what is that thing...?!"
"What happened to those two...?"
The people were flaking to each other in scared, confused voices, many didn't even want to go have a look at the crater.
But those who were, including the group of five mentioned before, were staring at...
A monster.
A monster that almost none of the present unwilling audience had ever read nor even heard about...
The monster surrounded by such an immense aura of hate, violence, and death, that it simply couldn't have been a creature from this world.
The monstrosity looked as if it was made completely out of the red and black smoke which was constantly swirling around, ceaselessly contracting and expanding but somehow staying in a clearly humanoid shape.
The creature didn't have any facial features or anything, but its body language was showing that it was in denial...
The smoke monster had its head down as if it was staring at its empty hands...
Its aura filled up with despair and sorrow...
It looked like there was supposed to be something there.
Something that the monster had to protect, wanted to protect at all cost - but failed...
The red and black aberration slowly raised its featureless head, and even without recognizable eyes, it stared straight at the five people responsible for unleashing its form.
"I-it cannot be...! Why... WHY IS THAT THING IN THIS ROUTE?! IT'S ALL WRONG! IS IT BECAUSE I USED GLITCHED CHARACTERS?!"
Caramel grabbed her face and stumbled backward with an absolutely horrified expression.
...and she wasn't the only one to scream...
The smoke monster focused on the light brown-haired girl and...
")(*&*&^*%#@%$**&*(&(^$#$^@^%^()*)(*^$%^#%#@%$&*&)*^%^$%"
*CRUSH*
"AAAAAAAAHHH!"
"KYAAAAAH!"
The creature that didn't even have a mouth unleashed a deafening inhuman roar that alone had enough power to shatter everything beginning from glasses with wine, through the beautiful stain-glass windows, and ending on the crystal chandeliers high above the ceiling - of which every single thing ended up launching sharp shards at the shocked people in the proximity.
Some of them even forgot to activate their defensive skill only showing that not all nobles were properly honing their abilities.
"... (Cranberry...) ... (..where is my Cranberry...!?)"
"!!!!"
then, without even giving the audience the time to shake off the shock from the roar, the monster spoke.
No. It did not actually make a sound - it had no mouth and yet it screamed - its desperate voice merely reverberated in the minds of the terrified people.
"Radiance! Show me his status right now!"
Caramel demanded from the white-haired child in a high-pitched voice full of panic.
"...nn..."
Radiance trembled, and turned around, leaning into Mika's embrace, but ended up nodding regardless.
Her eyes shone with bright light but instead of showing the monster's status just to Caramel, she showed it to everyone in their group.
Name: Zombie
Race: Eternal Servant (?)
Role: the proudest corpse / capture target
Level: 867
HP: -
MP: 118765
ATK: 876549
DEF: 97999789
MAT: 766667
MDF: 94899764
HIT: 329806
EVA: 540241
AGI: 1000081
LUC: 351
Skills: Unable to view (seal unlocking in progress)
Unlocked Affinities: Unable to view (seal unlocking in progress)
Titles: Unable to view (seal unlocking in progress)
"...what...?"
Even with all the stolen composure, Mason gasped, covering his mouth with trembling hands in denial.
"!!!!!"
*plop*
Kopia straight up fell to on their butt and started backing off as fast as they could.
...if only that was the end...
Before the others could react, the status of the monster in front of them began changing and distorting...
Name: ___(Zombie)
Race: Eternal Se@ t ?)
Role: the _destu_ cor_ od_se / capture t) _ ~t / ________ _---
Level: 8?7
HP: ???
MP: 1?8 65
ATK: 8 _549
DEF: 97_ _789
MAT: 7 _ -67
MDF: 9 _- 9764
HIT: --_ 9806
EVA: ? ~1
AGI: 10--__ ?
LUC: 3?1__
Skills: Unable to view (seal unlocking in progress)
Unlocked Affinities: Unable to view (seal unlocking in progress)
Titles: Unable to view (seal unlocking in progress)
"No! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! YOU CANNOT BE HERE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, I DIDN'T CHEAT AND IT'S TOO EARLY FOR YOU TO SHOW UP IN A NORMAL ROUTE!"
Caramel started tearing off her own hair in crazed-up rage mixed with denial.
...and then the monster's status changed for the last time and settled...
Name: Eternal (Zombie)
Race: Eternal
Role: primordial god of destruction / lunatic level super secret endgame final boss(+) / anti piracy measure
Level: 99999
HP: 999999999999999
MP: 9999999999999
ATK: 9999999999999
DEF: 9999999999999
MAT: 9999999999999
MDF: 9999999999999
HIT: 9999999999999
EVA: 9999999999999
AGI: 9999999999999
LUC: 666
Skills:
Magic creation [max]
Skill creation [max]
Flames of the end [max]
Data drain [max]
Console command disable [max]
LoadSave game interruption [max]
Resurrection interruption [max]
Magic cancel [max]
Skill cancel [max]
Damage limiter [max]
Unlocked Affinities:
Only one try
Essential character erasure pass
Titles:
Invictus
End
The ultimate challenge
Bane of cheaters
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
*WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*
Caramel fell to her knees and started smashing her head against the floor.
"Wh-what are you doing! Stop! You know everything about the game, right?! You need to tell us how to deal with that thing...!"
Mason rushed to the light brown-haired girl gone crazy and grabbed her shoulders while pointing at the red and black smoke monster.
"DEAL?! YOU WANT TO DEAL WITH THE FUCKING ETERNAL?! THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE A CHANCE WITH IT IS TO COMPLETE ALL 7 SECRET MISSIONS FOR THE CAPTURE TARGETS WHEN THEY END UP INHERITING THE AVATAR OF SIN TITLES AND GET RID OF HIS INVICTUS TITLE! DO YOU HAVE THE AVATAR OF ENVY TITLE?! NO! IT'S ALL FUCKED UP BECAUSE OF THAT CRAZY VILLAINESS!"
Caramel cried out pushing the half-elf away.
"There must be the other way!"
Mason insisted, massaging the sore spot where the girl had hit him.
"YES! HARD RESET OR REINSTALL THE GAME! YOU'VE SEEN ETERNAL'S AFFINITIES?! ONLY ONE CHANCE! YOU GOT ONLY ONE CHANCE WITH IT OR IT WIPES OFF ALL YOUR SAFE FILES! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS IN THIS WORLD?! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"