Above Your Head

Vol 2. Chapter 106: The Salvation of God (43)

The Level 15 Low-difficulty stage was over, and it did not even take long.

- Death Procession has all been cancelled.

- Congratulations! The stage has been cleared perfectly! Rewards are given based on contribution.

- Your ranking is 1st-place.

"It's definitely faster with the decreasing number of challengers." I beat and killed the Death Knight Kings with all my heart, but I only managed to catch 270 of them. It was a phenomenon in which the stage ended quickly due to a lack of Death Procession numbers. I had not experienced such a thing ever since passing the Low-level stage. This was once again possible not because the stage was easier than the average human level, but because the majority of humanity was not on Earth.

"Eden is coming down!"

"Now, now! Clear away from the marked spots!! We're all busy people, so we have to finish whatever we have to do on Earth!!"

"We don't have time to sightsee!! Hurry up and do what you have to do on Earth!"

Passengers on board the carrier, Eden, returned to Earth after the one hour long space travel. This was not my idea, but the result of accepting the opinions of Eden's passengers. Certainly, if we left the stage right when the stage was initiated, we wouldn't be swept into the stage. Hence, if we left around 6:30 and went into space only to return to Earth around 7.30p.m., everyone could be dropped off at the place they wanted to.

Even though the space trip itself was only an hour long, the process of boarding and embarking was cumbersome enough to take half a day. However, there was no need to load supplies into Eden, which had an infrastructure that could most importantly be maintained with the personnel for power plants and finances. Thus, there was no need to bring all the manpower to space for just a short trip to and fro.

Of course, there was a problem in which Eden had to fly all over Earth. However, this was only a small problem. After all, the Albatross ship carried Eden and could put up with it rather effortlessly.

Slurppp. I organized my thoughts over a cup of hot chocolate. I murmured, "The current number of survivors is 3.5 billion. Among them, the number of humans that's on Earth is 2.57 billion..."

But the number of passengers on Eden, which came back from space, numbered around 510 million people. Then, the number of players who possessed a Justice Weapon was 1.97 billion. There were also 10 million people from the Unique World who had completed the Academy and went out to Earth with Beast-rank Gigas'. Even if they died, the number of people who would die on Earth was 80 million people. Moreover, at the end…

That's right. There wasn't even a single human being currently on the planet who was forced to participate in the stage, because the 1 billion people who would remain on Earth and become a burden to the players were all in the Unique World.

Finally, the stage could be carried out with only the 'volunteers'.

Project End was a Compulsory Event that applied to all of mankind, including newborn babies, elderly people, cowards, and the sick. They all had no choice but to participate in the stage, and fight against gruesome monsters. Can you imagine just how many humans had suffered and died?

"Of course, I didn't feel terribly sorry despite knowing that fact."

But even so, that doesn't change the fact that Earth-34 was saved by Captain-nim.

It felt burdensome, but Genie wasn’t incorrect. She currently spoke the undeniable truth.

'But it's not because of my power alone.' I certainly did not intend to say bullshit like 'I just helped, and it was only possible because of the will of mankind!'. After all, humanity had nothing to be proud of because they obviously had to fight. Their hard work was only natural, especially if they wanted to live. I was thinking about a different guy. 'Juan.'

The power and authority of the Three Gods that Juan had created was enormous. It wasn’t even a joke. Even though it was great enough for someone’s claim that it as God to be believable, how was it even possible when it felt just like a Tool?

Anyway, with my strategy guide and Unique World, as well as Juan's Three Gods, the progress of the stage went completely off track. 'It can be considered a far greater momentum than the producer's expectations.'

There was no way a 'complete' annihilation stage could exist as long as the game characteristic was added to the Project End. No matter how difficult it was, it should be possible to clear within the stage. However, at the same time, the goal of Project End was the End.

Based on the games on Earth, it seemed to be a benchmark on the basis of the Soul-Like genre games[1]. Clearing the stage itself was possible, but with a basic design that placed the player’s death in mind, it was a game style where a One-Coin Clear[2] was impossible without learning through countless deaths.

In my view, the 'appropriate' number of clears in Project End was within a range of one to ten. It was definitely not 2.5 billion+1 billion clears. The current situation was an emergency for Project End as well. However, I have prepared sufficiently as well. "I'm sure something will be done."

- Stage will be open!

- Level 15. Difficulty is set to intermediate.

- Death Procession has all been cancelled.

- Congratulations! The stage has been cleared perfectly! Rewards are given based on contribution.

- Your ranking is 1st-place.

- Stage will be open!

- Level 15. Difficulty is set to High.

- Death Procession has all been cancelled.

- Congratulations! The stage has been cleared perfectly! Rewards are given based on contribution.

- Your ranking is 1st-place.

Now, clearing the stage did not take as long as its usual few decades, because the capabilities and equipment of mankind as a whole had been strengthened beyond comparison. If there was anyone who couldn't keep up with the progress of the stage, all they had to do was live in the Unique World or go out to space. And, there was a patch update.

The stage opening time has extended, huh.

"Now it's going up 1 level a week."

There's Low-difficulty, intermediate-difficulty, High-difficulty, and Highest-difficulty, so the stage is held four times a week.

Originally, the stage level went up by two levels a week. It was held at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, as well as on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Saturday was the only rest day.

Now, the Level 15 Low-difficulty stage was held on Sunday before Monday was a rest day. Then, the Intermediate-difficulty stage was held on Tuesday, followed by a rest day on Wednesday and the High-difficulty stage on Thursday. Moreover, Friday was presumably a rest day and Saturday was for the Highest-difficulty stage. This was definitely a good thing, purely because the rest time had increased.

I can't say it's for the players, but it seems to be a side effect from creating the Highest-difficulty stage. Ares interrupted my thoughts. However, strangely, he looked like he was having some difficulties.

"What? Is there something wrong with you?"

I don't know. I hope the Highest-difficulty stage can be done soon.

I squinted as I looked at Ares's exciting avatar. 'This bastard, what has he been up to lately?' I had heard that Ares' main body had become a landmark of Center City, since it had assumed its place in the Central Plaza. However, I didn’t know what purpose it was for. Still, I knew that there was no way Ares would do anything that would harm me. I just stayed still and watched him.

Shuashhhhh!!! Vrooooongggg!! While I remained laid-back, there were people moving busily. There were flight-type Gigas flying in the sky and carrying something. On the ground, there were trucks loaded with supplies and crowded buses that moved busily. Technicians with special abilities were repairing infrastructures, such as the sewage system, and were giving guidance regarding the situation to the people who were not able to enter the Unique World so far.

People made pretty good use of the unexpected term of free-time between the stages. Moreover, them using good use of the time now also meant that they had hope. They felt hopeful that the Project End would be cleared, and that they would remain safe, intact.

"Now, now!! The Highest-difficulty stage will begin in a while!!! Everyone who wants to play, please make sure you fill yourself up with food and go on!"

"If you go in, you'll be hungry for some time!"

"Let's make sure there are no deaths this time!! Let's kick some ass!!"

- Stage will be open!

- Level 15. Difficulty is set to highest.

- No time limit. Wipe out the Death Knight Kings and Lich unit.

- Stage will begin in 10 seconds.

- 10. 9. 8. 7….

The background immediately changed into an entrance to the stage.

"Move!!"

"Let's start digging the ground first!"

"The Regen starts in 10 minutes!! Hurry up!"

Players kicked off the ground like they were runners who began running at the firing of the start signal. They performed their respective roles as promised in advance. Boom! Boom! Boom! With the sounds of explosions, the ground beneath them split and formed huge pits all around the place.

- The wave will begin in 8 minutes. It will be repeated at hourly intervals. The regen count is until all assigned enemies are annihilated.

- Categorization of people is based on the relationship level.

- The number of enemies regenerated is proportional to the number of players gathered.

"More, more! Faster!"

"There's still so much to work on for the castle walls! Dig the ground first!"

As the 10,000 elites who had been carefully selected began to move, a huge circle was drawn quickly. However, no matter how much of an expert they were at construction, it was impossible to make a castle big enough to effectively protect 10,000 players in just 10 minutes. Thus, the Intercept Squads moved to the outer castle after about 5 minutes.

I, who took out a lot of construction equipment from the Unique World, also stepped forward. "Napoleon!" I then retrieved the Dragon Heart and threw it. An enormous silver giant quickly materialized and swallowed me up.

- First Wave.

- Start.

Whooooong-! The Death Knight Kings were summoned along with the raging black wind. Since they were opponents with a much more diverse variation than ordinary Death Knights, this stage should have a different level of difficulty as compared to the Level 14 High-difficulty stage. However, there were only a few people who felt nervous.

"Good! There are only a few!"

"You lousy, boney bastards! There's nothing to be afraid of!"

Just like our numbers, the Death Knight Kings only amounted to 10,000. Of course, 10,000 units definitely was no small number, but it was still nothing compared to those summoned in the billions that charged in like waves.

Boom! I jumped forward. As Napoleon's body soared with the red cape, those who were on the battlefield gathered their gaze towards one point.

"It's Napoleon!!"

"Iron Mask-nim!! Kwan Dae-ha-nim!! Go go!!"

"Hahaha!!! They're all dead!!!"

There were people shouting excitedly before…

Woooooooong! I could feel an indescribably huge uplifting spirit boiling from the depths of my soul. My heart pounded and my desire to scream wildly burned like a fire. It was a clearly ideal situation, but there wasn't anyone who screamed in joy in that situation.

Nice! It's done! It's a success! Hahaha! I knew it would work! There are two billion people watching this right now, and this is also their war. There's no way it isn't possible!

"No, Ares, this… What did you just do?"

Be joyful! You are starting with being a Compléter of the Authority of the God of War, which could be called a Divine Skill of God!

"No, you haven't given up on the Authority of the God of War yet?" I was baffled, but I still controlled Napoleon. A sudden exhilaration surged within me and I yelled, “The first round has to be done in a grand way!!”

Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights. Blue. Only then did Napoleon's whole body shine blue after receiving huge amounts of Mana and soul power. As I soared into the sky, I controlled Napoleon's vibration and threw myself into the middle of the 10,000 Death Knight Kings. Following that, I invoked the Ability.

Shinggggg! Blue waves of light burst forth. The Death Knights flew in unison and procured some distance away from me, but their efforts were of no use.

Boom! As soon as I crashed into the ground, the 30-meter-tall giant converted the impact force of the crash into vibration, sweeping away all that was in the radius of several kilometers. No matter how excellent the Death Knight Kings’ Qinggong[3] was, it wasn't at a level where they could escape from this.

Kwagagagang!!!!!! The storm-like vibrations tore everything into shreds and dispersed. Each and every single one of the Death Knight Kings were users of Master-level swordsmanship, but they were helpless in the face of such a disaster-grade destructive move.

As I raised Napoleon's creaky body, the countless Death Knight Kings were nowhere to be seen. "Hahahahaha!!!"

Hahahahaha!!

As I laughed delightfully under the influence of the uplifting spirit boiling from the depths within me, Genie, who had been quiet for a while, asked carefully, Excuse me, Captain-nim. Are you okay?

"Of course I'm okay! Right now, I've never been more..." I then froze up, realizing my whole body was completely drained. Not just my soul energy, but I could also feel Napoleon's Iron Heart being completely empty. 'No, what is this? Are you trying to tell me that all my power was squeezed into this one shot right now?'

I don't know if I had to fight here for decades or not, but it seemed like I had exhausted all my power in one shot… It was, of course, a monstrous force that managed to blow 10,000 of the Level 15 Death Knight Kings away in one shot. It went far beyond the category of a normal skill.

But if it was against a close-range opponent, it was natural to bomb them away safely. It made no sense that I would throw my whole body into the midst of enemy territory.

However, regardless of whether he knew of my bewilderment or not, Ares asked in an exhilarating voice, Hahaha! What do you think? Dae-ha! It's awesome, right! You blew them all away in one shot!

"...No, what have you done?"

This is it! This is what you call the Authority of the God of War! This is a glimpse of the brilliant power displayed by the dignity and authority of the God of War!

"What a ridiculous thing. No, besides, aren't I immune to mental-types? Wahh, I'd be in big trouble if I had learned this in the past." Then, I was utterly baffled. Baduummmp! My heart pounded. "W-What the hell is it this time? No, I don't have any more energy left now!!"

While I was baffled, I calmed myself down. I currently had too little power remaining to invoke the Authority of the God of War or something. Baduummmp! However, this time, the heart that pounded wasn't mine.

"No, the Dragon Heart is...?" I widened my eyes. The Dragon Heart, which assumed the role of Napoleon's core, began to pulsate. Then, an incomprehensible phenomenon began to occur.

- Access to the Throne has been confirmed.

- The status of the God of War has been confirmed. Calibration of the Heavenly King-grade.

- The authority of the God of War has been confirmed. Calibration of the Heavenly King-grade.

- The War characteristic of the corresponding Gigas has been verified.

- Ability, check. Clear.

- Synchro percentage, check. Clear.

- All conditions have been cleared.

- Please be prepared for an impact.

"...What the. Ares! What did you do?"

What do you mean what did I do? It's already been done! Now that the Authority of the God of War has been fully established, if you slowly train it in the course of the war...

"No, it's not that. Where am I hearing this sound…?"

Captain-nim! The Dragon Heart's magical energy is increasing exponentially!

The Dragon Heart was pulsating in the midst of all the chaos. Then...

- Constellation of War.

- Initiating.

Napoleon's silver body began to evolve.

1. It's a Genre of games. Basically, the Soul-Like genre has 3 primary defining features: 1) Punishing but fair combat that is heavily skilled-execution based, and less strategic or stat-based. 2) Very extensive lore/backstory/setting, with a very minimalist plot/story. 3)Substantial freedom to choose the order of map exploration.

2. One-Coin Clear is basically an analogy of the arcade games where it is cleared with the initial coin cost of the arcade machines. To put it simply, it refers to clearing the game in one try.

3. Qinggong is a training technique for jumping off vertical surfaces from the Chinese martial art Baguazhang. Imagine it as something like what you see in anime or cartoons where superheroes jump from trees or high places. Another reference would be Shunpo or Quick Steps.

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