The Novel’s Villain

71. The Final Battle (2)

The opening day of New World: Apocalypse had finally arrived.

As soon as it was released, the players swiftly flocked to Asgard and Midgard. With the release enticing a lot of new people to play, the game achieved its highest number of concurrent online players.

The update certainly garnered a lot of attention, but what actually caught the newcomers’ interest was the rewards they could earn from it. Of course, the developers also provided existing users enough compensation to satisfy them.

Many wondered if it would be alright to set the rewards that high, not realizing that most of it would be wasted in this war anyway, and losing meant there would be no future for anyone to use them in.

Even if they had to overdo it a little, they urgently had to raise the New World players’ ranks. Asgard’s numerous armors were quite helpful in that end.

The name of the event currently underway was ‘Love, Gratitude, and Faith.’

[I will repay you with love, gratitude, and faith!]

Warriors!

Prepare for the Apocalypse!

Don’t let the end fall upon us as the last war to save mankind begins!

[Photo of Lee Jae-mi praying.jpg]

Join Now!

[First Event: Gratitude]

– Guaranteed full C-rank set reward!

– Free full set reinforcement is also available!

– Reinforcement success rate increased by 50%!

[Second Event: Love]

The quest for power has now been released! Clear it to get mythical powers!

Power List:

*[Uranus] The power of the Sky

*[Goddess Lee Jae-mi] Miracle of the Five Worlds

*[Medusa] Petrified Beam

*[Typhon] Giantism

…

[Third Event: Faith]

Become the guardians of humanity!

Kill 100 Dark Monsters or more to receive a voucher for the prizes!

Prize List:

*G&P supercar worth 1.3 billion won (20 winners)

*10,000 Dimension Gold Coins (200 winners)

*JW Gate luxury travel ticket (1,000 winners)

*Full C-rank and Higher Armor Set (3,000 winners)

*Meal voucher with CEO Lee Jin-woo (1 winner)

Comments:

Hello: These events are going to be awesome. Are they really going to give out those rewards?

Chessman: You can’t buy that supercar with money. It’s stated to be worth 1.3 billion won, but it must be much more expensive since it’s equipped with all the latest G&P technology. You can step on its accelerator for three years and still find no need to charge it.

└God of Evil’s Calling: It’s also customized with the New World concept. Crazy haha

Burle: I want that meal with sir Jin-woo the most. I think it comes with money and properties.

└ Tape Measure: I doubt that’s all he’ll give. He’s such a generous person… The last time there was a flood, he built an entire village to help its victims.

└ Hair Powder: He’s on a different level.

└ Tape Measure: He made a marine city in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. If we do get it, he’ll probably take us there.

The prizes were extraordinary.

The offline prizes alone amounted to tens of billions of dollars. This made the New World players worried about G&P, though they also continued to praise Lee Jin-woo for how rich he was.

The prize they were most interested in was the meal voucher with Jin-woo. It was only supposed to be a minor addition to the prize pool, but everyone seemed to covet it.

Jin-woo looked at the broadcast list.

Major stations of every country across the world were reporting news about Midgard. They had also sent correspondents to the scene to cover the situation in real-time.

Although it took the form of a game, it was a battle for the universe’s fate.

Everyone had to know what was going on.

Jin-woo looked down at Midgard from Asgard.

“Is everything ready?”

“We’re done preparing, yes. All New World players have gathered in Midgard, and your subordinates are also on standby.”

Jin-woo nodded in satisfaction.

The players gathered in front of the huge door with hundreds of ships and the Robot Corps hovering above them. Each of them held a flag that symbolized their guild, but they all carried a common insignia.

The mark of the Dimensional Alliance Army.

[S+] God of Evil’s Dimensional Alliance

‘For all life!’

Gathered under the God of Evil’s name, this legion combines all beings in every existing dimension, including Earth, Another Earth, and even the World of Gods. As long as the God of Evil exists, they are granted infinite courage.

Jin-woo’s lips curved into a smile as he shook his head.

‘We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?’

In the beginning, all he wanted to do was drive himself out of a supposed tragic death. However, he soon felt certain fate dawn upon him as he came to dominate the dimensions one after another, putting the Emperors under his command in the process. It was far different from Lee Jin-woo’s destiny, the character in the novel.

It seemed the Devil’s Body resting beyond the door before them would tell him that.

Jin-woo looked behind him, finding those who belonged to the Sanctuary standing and awaiting his command.

The Golden Women’s Association members and the Emperors he had turned into his underlings were among them, surrounding Yoo-na. The General Manager, the Maid Corps, the M-Dragon Association from the Martial Arts World were also present.

The Archangels, Fallen Angels, Angels, Sarah Vriac, and the demons stood side by side as comrades-in-arms, showing no signs of hostility or fear towards each other.

Their faith in Jin-woo was without flaw. He had never been defeated, after all, and they believed it would remain that way in the future as well.

A terrible screeching sound soon echoed from the gigantic door, one similar to a blackboard’s surface being scratched and scraped. It was loud, too, so much so that it reverberated throughout Midgard and even reached Asgard.

The gates opened once more.

The Pope and One-Handed Swordsman stood at the forefront of his army, staring at it as it swayed ajar. Behind them lined up Team Ragnarok, the priests, and the New World players.

This legion numbered in the hundreds of millions, each of its soldiers a powerful being that could hardly remember defeat. However, as soon as they heard the ominous creaking of the door, tension spread throughout the entire army.

Grrrragggrraag!

The earth quaked and roared as the door swung forth, releasing what seemed like black smoke through the crack it created.

“Come,” Jin-woo muttered lowly and confidently, his eyes fixated on the wave of gigantic monstrosities that, together with the colossal size of the entrance, caused the illusion of black smoke. Each and every particle it was composed of was a hellish beast in its own right.

But the New World players weren’t worried at all.

After all, they were far more terrifying than their opponents could ever hope to be.

With eyes filled with immeasurable greed, they looked at the sea of creatures before them as if they were nothing but offerings, prizes, and means to level up.

Aww!

As the gates opened slowly, they soon collapsed and fell to the ground, allowing the dark waves to come crashing down upon the battlefield.

One-Handed Swordsman drew his weapon and raised it into the sky.

“Charge!”

“Arrrgghhhh!”

“Graaaaaaaaaaa!”

At his command, the New World players stampeded forward, and Beams erupted from the fleet hovering in the sky, incinerating the black monsters as the attacks heated up and brightened up the blue dome they occupied.

The ground shattered and melted.

Hangul Is Missing: Wow, New World: Apocalypse is off to a strong start!

Kill The Manager: There are so many monsters I thought they were just a black fog at first!

The Delicious Makguksu: Look at the scale of this war…

The audiences’ reactions were favorable, their chats explosive and rapid!

[Deploy the robots and fighters!]

[All troops prepare!]

All communications between the warships passed through Jin-woo’s ears.

The vessels’ hulls opened up, immediately dropping down the fighter jets and the robots, the mana engines of which drew long trails of light across their paths.

Koo! Thud!

As soon as the robots landed, they swept through their charcoal-hued opponents. The New World players took advantage of the momentum they created to advance, their morale reaching its peak.

However, a fearsome roar soon came from beyond the doors, momentarily preventing the God of Evil’s army from gaining ground.

“Graoooooo!”

The monsters polymerized into a towering figure. The moment it came to life, it immediately reached out to a ship hovering nearby.

[Engine one is down! Engine two has been destroyed as well! We’ve lost control of the ship! Brace for impact!]

[Activating self-destruct mechanism!]

[Self-destruct has been activated!]

The vessel didn’t try to crash land. Rather, it fell towards the ground like a bomb. As soon as it made contact with the dark fiends, it erupted into a powerful explosion that took multiple enemies down to the grave with it.

Wow: That was awesome. I’m connecting now!

Jinten: The experience points they’re getting are absurd

Medusa Panty Ghost: Will we still get a ticket if the ship we’re riding crashes and burns?

Black monsters constantly spewed out of the entrance. Witnessing them smash every landmark in existence alone was a nightmare in itself. The New World players gradually began to be pushed back, albeit continuously being resurrected.

More importantly, Jin-woo could see the Devil’s Body trying to escape through the entrance.

Its huge hands grabbed the door frames and pushed itself out.

Woolly Peach: Hmmmm? What is that?

Evil Protestant: The Apocalypse is mostly abstract, but… Perhaps that is all the evil in the world.

Not A High School Student: Oh, the malice the God of Evil has been carrying by himself all this time?

Just the presence of the Devil’s Body made Midgard tremble. If it were to completely free itself from its cage, it would destroy the World of Gods and erase all other dimensions from existence.

‘Reality itself will cease to exist. Fear and despair before me as you disappear!’

Jin-woo could sense such a will emanating from it.

“That thing’s huge!”

“Woah!”

“Damn!”

“Great!”

The New World players only cheered when they saw it. The stronger the enemies became, the more festive the atmosphere they exuded.

Jin-woo laughed bitterly. He didn’t think this war, which could end in a tragedy because of a single mistake, would be treated as a mere fiesta.

“It’s time to go.”

He descended from Asgard to Midgard, a huge beam of light cutting through the sky and blasting through the middle of the battlefield as he landed.

The brilliance it exuded spread in all directions, eradicating all monsters it touched. The New World players could only look at the beam in surprise.

As soon as he walked out of the colossal pillar, they immediately recognized him.

“God of Evil!”

“Hey! The God of Evil has descended!”

“Wow! Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I’m seeing him in person!”

My God: Akmen

Hallong: God of Evil…

Needle Sharpening: His entrance alone got me down on my knees and praying. This is crazy

Barbarian: I’m crying right now. This is a dream come true for his believers!

Choco Cider: Wow… I think he’s actually real…

Jin-woo felt amazed by his immense popularity.

He probably had 2.6 billion fans on Earth alone, and if he were to add up the ones in Another Earth, there’d be over 5 billion. All of them would willingly endure all sorts of pain and hardships for him, thinking of him as the best idol to worship in all dimensions.

With a stretch of his hand, the God of Evil summoned a colossal tidal wave and bolts of lightning that devoured the black monstrosities and the entire land before him.

He then pressed his fingers against the ground, his eyes locked on the Devil’s Body that was about to squeeze through the doorway.

“Get back inside.”

When Jin-woo swung his hand towards the Devil’s Body, the earth soared into the air. Taking the form of a fist larger than his entire fleet combined, it extended towards his main opponent.

Boom!

Piercing its target, it pushed the Devil’s Body back into its prison.

The surrounding space vibrated.

“You must feel quite mad.”

Huge abominations erupted out of it, each one the size of a small ship. They charged as soon as they landed, ripping and breaking the robots in their way apart like tiny pieces of paper.

Huong: Wow, there’s a lot of those beasts.

Prophet: Don’t they kind of look like cockroaches?

Time Up: Quick question, what would happen if we lose?

Futon: I was already a fan of New World, but this is making me addicted to it.

Jin-woo turned his attention to Yoo-na, who was blocking the malevolent creatures as best she could with the divisions assigned to her. Unfortunately, due to their large numbers, they kept losing ground to them.

Still, he had to focus on defeating the Devil’s Body.

“Yoo-na. Can you hold the fort here while I finish my business with that being?”

Momentarily shifting her gaze at him, she nodded confidently.

“Naturally.”

Yoo-na chuckled, then smiled. She appeared so cool it put his mind at ease. Pointing upwards, she added, “It’s a little late, but reinforcements have arrived.”

Jin-woo and the New World players around them looked above them, finding the blue sky had been dyed black. They initially thought a storm of dark clouds had been summoned, but he already knew the true identity behind the Cimmerian conglomeration.

The greatest predators in the universe.

Planet-eating cockroaches so huge they exceeded the size of the ships all around them flew in such great numbers even daring to guess how many there were proved a futile endeavor. The sight left the New World players’ jaws agape, finding it simply far too creepy to comprehend. Even the black monsters the Devil’s Body had spawned looked appealing compared to their clan.

Holyman: That’s just… odd and crazy. What even are those?

Huong: What the hell…

Salmon Tuna Pizza: Those cockroaches look even bigger than the spaceships in the sky…

Evil Protestant: It is said that those overgrown insects’ sole purpose of existence is to devour evil as per the God of Evil’s command.

The Cockroach clan has descended from the skies.

Their enormous size and uncountable numbers overwhelmed everyone around them. And even among them, Faro stood out above all of them. As their queen, she brought all of her clan members from different parts of the universe with her.

It had been quite a long time since Jin-woo had seen her true form.

Faro turned towards him and brought her head closer to him. Stroking her head, he looked straight at the sea of fiends before him.

The Cockroach clan was starving, having just woken up from their extremely long hibernation period.

“Feast upon their bodies.”

As soon as he issued the order, the colossal insects rushed in to bite down and chew on the monsters. The Angels and Demons followed right behind them, maximizing the damage they could do.

One-Handed Swordsman roared soon after.

“Have you no shame?! Gain back the ground we’ve lost! The God of Evil is watching over us!”

“Push them back!”

“We must not disgrace the God of Evil’s reputation!”

The New World players stormed forward, clashing against the minions of the Devil’s Body.

The robots soared through the sky and landed on the Cockroach clan’s backs, riding them like horses to form a cavalry charge. Some of the players did the same, mounting the particle beam cannons of the ships that had crashed to the planet devourers’ backs.

“Fire! Fire at will!”

“Hahaha! This is fun!”

“Kill them all!”

Centrifuge: Hahahaha cockroach tank!

Melon Talk: Hahahahahaha this is amusing

Tape Measure: Human creativity and innovation never ceases to amuse me

Strong Mentality: Hahahaha my sister passed out from laughing too hard

The God of Evil’s army boasted quite formidable offensive power, and the Cockroach clan played a huge role in it. Not only did they have the size, strength, and numbers, the mana they emanated also dramatically strengthened the robots and the particle beam cannons.

The Pope and his subordinates also rode on top of them, hastening up the process of approaching injured players and punching the life back into them.

They would often vomit blood because of his brute force, but it allowed them to recover quickly and return to the battle.

Supported by Prof. Kim Dae-jin, Team Ragnarok also showed off their skills through his inventions. Uranus’ attack, which had been recorded and retold in the God of Evil’s mythology, was still quite embarrassing, though.

“You don’t have to worry about this front,” Yoo-na said, bowing her head towards Jin-woo.

Looking back, the first person he met when he became Lee Jin-woo was Yoo-na. Even in this final battle, she was there to support him and send him off.

Reassured, he nodded and moved towards his most powerful opponent yet.

Upon entering the doorway, black space immediately dawned upon him.

The Devil’s Body, which seemed to contain the universe itself, stood right in front of Jin-woo.