Chapter 218 – A Road has No Gate (1)
Crockta rode through the night towards the north. By his side was Gordon.
“I didn’t know there would be someone like you.”
“It is the same for me.”
Gordon, who had told Crockta to go to the Temple of the Fallen God. Those words were the beginning of everything. Now, they met again just before the grey god was about to destroy the world.
He garnered information through the dialogue with Gordon. There was one key. Kill the grey god. Otherwise, they would die. However, the grey god’s intentions weren’t fully understood yet. It was the same for Gordon.
Her decision, only someone who faced the end of the universe would be able to sympathize with the grey god.
“Is Yoo Jaehan doing well?”
“He is living like a playboy.”
Gordon was the one who created the game ‘Elder Lord’ with Yoo Jaehan. But Elder Lord wasn’t a game. It was a type of ‘avatar’ the connected the people of Earth to another world. The power of the grey god made it possible.
In the past, a white girl came to Gordon and Yoo Jaehan, and she called herself a god from another world. They thought she was a madman, but they were convinced after she used her power. They acknowledged that she was a god. Then a new world opened.
She promised to answer the topic they wanted.
“Entropy reversal, it is difficult.”
“Think of it as the lifespan of the universe. While it might take a long time, it will someday happen. The end of the universe.”
“When will that be?”
“A very long time away. Eternity in the near future.”
“You were struggling with that?”
“That’s right, along with Yoo Jaehan as well. Geniuses are a little different. It is funny that I am saying this myself.” Gordon chuckled slightly and asked, “Do you think the end won’t come?”
“That isn’t it. After billions of years…”
“Look at the sky.”
Crockta looked up.
It was a beautiful sight, something that he had never seen on Earth. The stars were embroidering a black curtain around the moon, and was so vivid that the universe was a brilliant river across the sky. But now he knew that this was a fake sky.
“The real sky of Elder Lord is dark, and is made up of just one lonely moon. It is different from the smog-filled sky on Earth.”
“……”
“The end is near. That is this world.”
While moving through the swamp in the great forest, Crockta met the unidentified demon called ‘Abaddon.’ He told Crockta this story. This world’s sky was a lie, with only the sun remaining. Abaddon was then summoned by the grey god and Crockta didn’t hear any more details, but the context was in line with Gordon’s words.
In other words,
“All the stars in this universe are cold. The sun here is the last source of heat, and this planet is the final civilization.”
The last civilization to witness the end of the universe. It was this continent of Elder Lord.
“She is going to reverse entropy with the last of her strength. Turn the worlds back. She is trying to bring it back to its original state, even if she has to destroy this existing world.”
It was hard to believe. It was a power close to ‘creation.’
“The stars have cooled down and it was only realized when the star god died. I don’t know the details.”
“Then why is the grey god in such a rush?”
“Sh
e can’t let this opportunity pass. She will lack the power to restart the universe. In the first place, the original plan was unlikely to succeed.” Gordon stared straight at Crockta. “But it was you who made it possible.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Gordon looked back for a moment. Behind them were countless gods, orcs and other species who had hastily joined. They gathered to stop the grey god.
“Are there any users here?”
“We are the only ones.”
“If you look at it, I’m not a user. So it is only you.”
“……”
“Reaching the target achievement points in time is close to impossible. The achievement points are actually the power of interference between dimensions.”
“Interference power?”
“As users have a stronger influence on the world, the net between the two worlds gets smaller. It is like piercing the net with an awl and shaking it to make a hole. Small human souls are able to pass with her power, but the net was too dense for her to return. So she used the game to try and make a large enough hole for her. That is the justification for the achievement points.”
He sighed.
“Then you showed up. It seemed impossible, but you managed to complete impossible achievements. Then you defeated the war god. A hole that the grey god could pass through was created.”
“That…”
“Who would have imagined? A user from another dimension was able to defeat a god.”
Crockta bit his lip. He played the game to save people and ended up helping the grey god. His chest became heavy. He might not have intended it, but as Gordon said, Crockta held the biggest responsibility for this.
“So that is what happened. The grey god is afraid of the eternal death of this universe, so she will destroy this world to postpone the end. Even if the universe lives again for a long time, the end still can’t be avoided.”
Crockta asked, “I know. But why did you come here?”
“Me?” Gordon shrugged. “I just wanted to see it.”
“What?”
“A different world. And the rewinding of entropy.”
Crockta looked at his face. The expression was somehow similar to the grey god.
“I became so immersed in this concept that my life had become meaningless. Anyway, the future is fixed. So I volunteered when the grey god said she would send someone here as a trial. I was also curious. But when I came here and saw this world…”
He pointed to his clothing. Inside the robe was worn out clothing.
“Unlike when I was stuck at a desk on Earth, I wandered around and looked at people… Somehow…”
“Somehow?”
“No matter what the future is, it doesn’t seem right to remove all the lives that are breathing now.”
Crockta smiled. Gordon was like Crockta. At first, Crockta thought it was a game, but he became an orc warrior, living and fighting with the people of this world. Gordon knew from the beginning that this world wasn’t a game, so he would’ve thought more deeply about it.
Crockta said, “This is all because of me, not you and Yoo Jaehan.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“So that is why you are accompanying me now?”
He looked up at the white sphere floating in the sky. The grey god was there. She was carrying out a spell to destroy the world at the Temple of the Fallen God. Crockta could feel the world’s magic power being sucked into there.
Gordon chuckled in a low voice. “Yes.”
“Then the people who caused the problem should solve it.”
“Of course.”
Gordon stopped walking. Something stood in front of them.
It was an unknown shape. It was like a human when he first saw it, but when he looked again, it was a bizarre monster, and then a winged animal. Its height increased and decreased. It became fat and then skinny.
The darkness continued to grow and mature in front of their eyes. A familiar energy was coming from it, the smell of the grey god. However, it was darker and more evil, emitting a strange sensation that sent a chill down his spine.
Demon. The fallen species that followed the grey god.
Crockta muttered, “So this is why people call them demons.”
He had met with a few demons. However, he couldn’t figure why they were called demons, since in his experience, they were rather friendly. However, these were their true colors.
“You suffered coming here.” The demon laughed, which spread to the gods behind Crockta. The sound was strange and shook their ears. “Before you go any further, I want to say something.”
It was a strange sensation that tickled the brain through the eardrums.
It whispered, “Why are you trying to stop the grey god?”
It was a strange situation. An oddly shaped figure stood blocking the gods and mortals advancing towards the north.
Everyone listened to its voice like they were spellbound.
“If you don’t know her will, how could you put a sword through her? The world is falling. It is dying. The saints and evildoers will return to the sky, and both time and space would return to nothing. War God, have you weighed the pros and cons of this? In the end, it will be the same. Goddess of Mercy, do you love the warmth of the people who warm up this lonely world? The warmth of people will never match the original. Magic and divinity will be swallowed up by the darkness. In the end, only darkness will be left. The world is moving slowly but surely to that end. We have no hope. Just despair, a despair that is greater than all of you. But for the world, we have to carry it on our shoulders.”
His voice was being projected to them as an idea, not a language. This was the grey god’s absolute power, ‘perception change.’ The power to shake the hearts of the enemy.
“The world is perishing. It is still perishing now. All of us know it.”
Some people flinched. It was especially true for the mortals of each species who didn’t know the true purpose of the grey god.
“We believe that we return to the dirt when we die. Worms will be eaten by beasts, then the beast will be eaten by another beast. This is the world. We become ashes that return to the ground, and the rest of the world. However.”
It giggled again.
“Destruction is coming. There will be nothing left. Absolute ruin. An eternal emptiness. A universe that will be cold forever. It is approaching. We want to prevent it. We want to continue the cycle of life in this world. Everyone.”
The demon took one step, two steps. It stood in front of Crockta and Gordon. Now it took the appearance of a beautiful young man in a suit.
He asked the two of them, “Do you love this world?”
His eyes turned towards Crockta.
“Crockta, Crockta. Northern Conqueror. Empire’s Deficit. The hero Crockta, who always protects the weak. I’ll ask you one thing. Do you want to destroy the world? Do you come here to kill the mother and drop this world directly into hell?”
His words weren’t wrong. According to Gordon, the grey god wanted to reverse this universe’s destruction by sacrificing this world. In the process, the lives here would disappear. However, her answer might be correct. That was the fate of the universe.
Crockta asked, “What is your name?”
“Huhu, you seem interested in me. I asked you questions but you didn’t answer. My name is Dantalian. Mother is someone who genuinely cares about the world.”
“Dantalian… a nice name.”
“Thank you. But my name is nothing compared to the great hero Crockta. Now Crockta, what do you think about my questions? I’m not here to fight. If you answer, I will withdraw. ” He spread open his arms. “Everybody can think about it slowly…”
“I will answer on behalf of everyone.”
Crockta interrupted his words. Dantalian raised his eyebrows.
“Ah, why is Crockta…?”
“You’re too talkative.”
“Huh?”
“Be careful.”
A ray of light broke through the air. Dantalian’s neck was cut.
” A road has no gate.”
The last fire burned his body. The silver tongue that mislead them was burned. His eyes were wide with confusion, like he couldn’t believe it. Crockta removed Dantalian and roared in the direction of the grey god.
“Don’t use such tricksssss──────!”
It was towards the pillar surrounding the Temple of the Fallen God. Crockta placed God Slayer on the ground. Then he looked back. People were recovering from Dantalian’s power. Crockta gazed at them with blazing eyes.
“Don’t be mislead by nonsense. The road we are on is given to us. Kill. Or be killed. There is no other exit. Keep this in mind.”
Crockta started to walk alone towards the Temple of the Fallen God. Gordon followed. Then the gods followed. The army moved. With Crockta at the forefront, everyone headed towards the final battle again.
This was a fight regarding the destiny of the world. There was no right way. The winner would be right.