Translator: Dreamscribe

Through the dense Erosion, a radiant light surged upward.

The bodies of the Heroes who came into contact with the light were wrapped in protective barriers and lifted into the air, then landed on the path created by the Archmage.

The Heroes wore dazed expressions, as if dreaming.

Was the scene they had just witnessed an illusion?

No, it was not.

They had definitely touched it.

They had touched Ella’s light.

As proof, the light of Ella still lingered on their hands and bodies.

“Ah...”

“The light...”

From the split body of the Lord of Greed, a pillar of light soared and reached the end of the sky. The Lord of Greed formed an arm with his tentacles and tried to catch the escaping light, but as soon as he touched it, he was purified and melted away.

The pillar of light that stretched to the edge of the sky reached the Soul Gate.

When the light and the Soul Gate connected, the gate disassembled and was reassembled along with the light. At the same time, the symbols of the Archmage and Ella were engraved on the Soul Gate, transforming it beautifully like a gate to heaven.

Celestial Realm.

The towering Celestial Realm was right there.

[Kueeeek! No! My... my ascension...!]

The scream of the Lord of Greed rang out in a pitiful wail.

The angelic form disappeared, revealing the hidden true form.

It was hideous.

Utterly pathetic.

The massive mummy made of bones and shriveled skin was completely unsightly.

Creak!

The Lord of Greed stared up at the sky with his hollow eye sockets. He reached out with his long hands, trying to grasp the light. However, he still couldn’t reach it.

From the sky, someone descended along the pillar of light.

Enveloped in brilliant golden light, she looked down at the Lord of Greed with her arms crossed.

“No way...”

“E-Ella-nim!”

“It’s Ella-nim!”

“Kya!”

“Uoooooo! Is Affinity grinding possible?”

-God-tier game!

-What the hell is this insane cutscene...

-I cried.

Ella, who had kept her eyes closed, opened them with a sly smile in response to the Heroes' cheers. Then, she unfolded her arms and slowly raised her fist.

“Wow!”

“That’s...!”

“It’s that!”

Golden light rippled through Ella’s fist.

[Goddess Ella is preparing a strike for you. Will you lend your strength?]

-Huh?

-What is this?

-A system message popped up!

A system window appeared not only before all the Heroes on the battlefield but also before the viewers watching via broadcast. When they accepted, the chat window shimmered with light.

Light began to flow from the bodies of the Heroes who had been watching from beyond the Magic Barrier, crossing Hanu’s sea and gathering into Ella’s fist.

Ella spoke.

The Heroes had nurtured brilliant light through many experiences and with many emotions. The light Ella borrowed from the Heroes was a new light, one that neither she nor Jinwoo possessed.

The enormous light gathered in her fist shone upon the Lord of Greed.

The Lord of Greed reached out, trying to steal that light. Ella’s head lowered and her body tilted forward.

“She’s coming!”

“Kya!”

“I can’t believe I’m actually seeing this for real!”

-Oooooooo!

-Is this it! Is this it! Is this it!

-It's that!

Ella’s eyes flickered fiercely.

“Goddess....”

As she began to speak, the Heroes all shouted in unison.

“Punch!”

Kwagagaga!

The light turned into a comet and fell toward the Lord of Greed. Ella then drove her clenched fist straight into the bastard’s head.

Crack!

His skull caved in, and his head was slammed into the ground.

Kwoooooom!

At that moment, a shockwave exploded outward, sweeping through the surroundings.

“Goddess Punch!”

“Goddess Punch! Goddess Punch!”

-Look at that shattered skull.

-...Goddess-nim is surprisingly physical.

-I absolutely love it!

Jinwoo, watching the scene, couldn’t help but laugh.

‘She hasn’t changed.’

Ella landed beside Jinwoo.

At long last, after all this time, Jinwoo and Ella were finally able to stand side by side.

The two looked at each other.

What should be said first? Jinwoo parted his lips slightly, but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“Pfft!”

Ella, who had been staring holes into Jinwoo, burst into laughter. His appearance, far too glamorous for him, was just too funny.

Jinwoo let out a small sigh, then also ended up laughing.

The mood might have been ruined, but it was fine, because it was just like her.

“Ella, at least control your expression a little.”

“Ah.”

Countless Heroes and viewers were watching. Among them were even Heroes kneeling in worship before Ella. Ella looked at them, then winked and made a heart shape with her hands.

“Ella-nim...”

“I like this kind of goddess too.”

“Hehe....”

The Lord of Greed clutched his gaping skull, writhing in agony as he rolled on the ground.

From the hole in his skull, countless souls poured out.

They were the souls of the people of Arsilan that he had devoured.

There were many.

Far too many.

So many that they instantly filled the battlefield.

Just how many had the Lord of Greed devoured?

“This is....”

Jinwoo couldn’t help but be shocked.

The souls devoured by the Lord of Greed were bound to be corrupted. Subjected to excruciating pain, their souls broke apart, and the Erosion burrowed inside, utterly corrupting them. Even Jinwoo, when he brought them into the Underground Labyrinth, had no choice but to expend great power to purify them.

However, the moment they escaped from the Lord of Greed, they returned to clear souls.

The shackles were broken, and they were freed.

It was the power of Ella, connected to the Soul Gate.

[Ah, salvation.]

[At last, peace....]

[Thank you.]

The pain disappeared.

The souls felt great joy at finally being liberated.

“Souls...?”

"Are they the souls of Arsilans?"

The Heroes looked around at the surrounding souls, lost in awe.

Ella smiled at Jinwoo and extended her hand.

“For moments like this, presentation is everything, right?”

"Yes. You know well."

At Ella’s words, Jinwoo let out a faint laugh and took her hand. Ella’s divine power flowed through the Soul Gate and embraced all the light of the world.

From their clasped hands, divine power flowed out.

That power dwelled in all the souls on the battlefield, gifting them what they most desired.

Clack!

Radiant armor of light was adorned on the souls. Weapons appeared in their once-empty hands. The countless souls of Arsilan who had been gazing at the sky turned their heads to face the Lord of Greed.

An army of souls imbued with light was born.

“How is it?”

"Good direction."

It was brilliant.

Ella was already an outstanding game developer.

He couldn’t lose.

Jinwoo drew out his magic power and inscribed countless Magic Circles into the ground.

The light of purification that Jinwoo and Ella emitted together eradicated the Erosion and protected every being on the battlefield. The Erosion that had spread here could no longer threaten Arsilan. And so, even this was now possible.

From the Magic Circle, a giant gate rose. The gate, made of Invasion Stone, swung wide open as soon as it was completed. Heina, the knights, and the soldiers of Arsilan walked through it.

Hasman was with them as well.

“Heina-nim!”

“Uwaaaah!”

“It’s the Sillion Kingdom Army!”

The Heroes cheered at the sight of them.

The soldiers raised the flag of the Sillion Kingdom.

Sacred chants resounded across the battlefield.

Following the Sillion Kingdom Army, Hallon and Airi appeared with the clerics.

Newbies watching the broadcast from cities and towns looked on enviously. Then, a gate appeared before them.

“Huh?”

“I-It opened!”

“What the heck!”

“It’s the battlefield!”

The newbie Heroes peeked inside the gate and were startled.

The battlefield was there!

All of them grew excited and rushed through the gate.

“Garsha-nim!”

“Luceren-nim is there too!”

“Ooooo! Orcs!”

“Saintess-nim!”

And so, all the people of Arsilan, including Elves, Beastkin, Dwarves, and Orcs, joined in as well.

Luceren stood beside LifeHunter, while Mia and Garsha joined Haebyul and the Romantic Hero. The Orcs roared and ran toward the brave northern Heroes.

The Celestials appeared and took their place behind Ella.

“Hmph.”

Finally, Helby pierced through the gate that had opened in the sky. Seeing Ella standing next to Jinwoo, she scowled fiercely.

“You’re not dead yet?”

At Helby’s nasty remark, Ella narrowed her eyes, but then chuckled softly, as if even that had been missed. She tightened her grip on Jinwoo’s hand. Helby glared at her, then boarded the airship of the Helby Lovers Group.

"Then I too...."

As if competing in presentation, Ella reached out her hand.

A soul formed of divine light appeared.

“Mary?”

“Empress-nim!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

"I believed in you!"

“Sniff, this... this is Arsilan Saga!”

Mary and the Empress returned to their original forms and appeared before the Heroes. The news networks quickly broadcasted the scene so all Heroes could witness it.

Ella had granted the Heroes' wish.

Jinwoo, using the Magic Tower, moved Mary and the Empress who had manifested as figures of light. Mary and the Empress exchanged smiles, then raised their scythe and sword.

On the battlefield, instead of despair, screams, and pain, only joy overflowed.

[For Arsilan!]

[For Arsilan!]

The souls cried out, pouring forth their rage.

Their cries sent chills down the spines of the Heroes and stirred their spirits.

Countless souls of Arsilan, ablaze with fury, were together again.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, they were once more ready to fight for Arsilan.

Across the ages, beyond dimensions, and breaking the barrier between reality and game, they had become one.

The Heroes finally understood what Ella's final words meant.

“For Arsilan!”

“For the Kingdom of Sillion!”

The Kingdom of Sillion, Solis, Evanth, Marogo, the many villages.

The beautiful land, the sea of Hanu, and the Domains of the Heroes.

Elves, fairies, dwarves, beastkin, giants, and countless other races living and breathing in Arsilan. And the souls who had come here, overcoming pain and despair.

They all carried one great value.

A united heart for Arsilan.

“For Arsilan!”

“Let’s go!”

“It’s Phase 4 now!”

“Uaaaah! I can feel it rising! Something’s rising inside me!”

Yes, we are all Arsilan.

All of Arsilan charged toward the Lord of Greed in unison.

[Ugh, ugh, uuuuugh!]

The Lord of Greed was alone, immersed in pain on the vast battlefield. After vomiting up all the souls, he was hideous, pitiful, and wretched. He looked like a withered scarecrow. Thick Erosion oozed from his gaping mouth, and his eyes held nothing but hunger.

A great gluttony and greed born of endless starvation. That was the origin of this high being of Erosion.

All magic and skills poured toward the Lord of Greed. The souls closed in and drove their shimmering weapons of light into his body.

Squelch!

His flesh peeled away, and black bones shattered. As the Lord of Greed staggered, Heina raised her sword.

“Aim for the joints!”

At Heina's shout, Haebyul, the ranged dealers, and the mages all targeted the knees in unison. The clerics blessed everyone with even stronger sacred techniques.

Crash!

When the knee joints broke, the massive body swayed. Helby, on the airship, grinned and opened her mouth.

Craaaaash!

A breath attack burst forth, and the airship was pushed far back. The starlight-infused breath struck the Lord of Greed directly.

The Lord of Greed couldn't even defend himself. Half of his body was blown away as he collapsed to the ground.

“Stick to him!”

“Let’s goooo!”

Everyone in Arsilan on the battlefield charged at the fallen Lord of Greed. With bright expressions, they poured everything they had into him.

Jinwoo and Ella watched the scene unfold.

“How is it? Arsilan Saga?”

“It’s so, so much fun!”

Ella beamed as she answered without hesitation.

Jinwoo stepped forward with Ella.

Crack!

The Lord of Greed began to break apart.

His shriveled skin tore, and his bones shattered. The Erosion energy scattered, and decomposition began from his toes.

[Ugh, uuuuugh! I will return. Fear my descent... and wait for it!]

A high being of Erosion.

Even if its power diminished, it was eternal and immortal.

In the end, he would be the victor!

With time, he would recover, devour the mortals once more, and reach for the heavens again.

From the body of the Lord of Greed, a round orb made of Erosion emerged.

The Core.

That orb contained all the power and essence of the Lord of Greed. The Lord of Greed tried to rip space and escape. He had already halfway crossed into another dimension.

“Huh? He’s running away!”

“Damn it!”

“That asshole’s still pissing me off to the very end!”

We’re not letting him go.

As Jinwoo created the Magic Circle, Ella covered it with divine power. From the Magic Circle formed by all the light of the world, a massive spear of light was created. Everyone on the battlefield looked up at the spear of light.

When Jinwoo extended his hand forward, Ella quietly placed her hand over his. To Jinwoo’s grand magic, Ella’s transcendental sacred technique was added.

Rumbleeeee!

The spear of light spun, emitting a fierce beam of radiance. Everyone on the battlefield raised their heads to look at the spear. It was the moment when the Lord of Greed, having completely crossed into another space, let his guard down.

“Go!”

“Finish him!”

“This is the end!”

The Heroes’ shouts pulled the trigger.

The spear of light shot toward the Lord of Greed, who was vanishing beyond the spatial rift.

Fwoooosh!

A brilliant beam of light cut through the air. The spear tore through space and pierced the Lord of Greed on the other side.

[Th-this can’t be....]

Boommmmm!

The light exploded, shaking the very fabric of space.

The Core that formed the Lord of Greed shattered into pieces and fell to the battlefield.

[U-ugh....]

Within the shattered Core, the Lord of Greed’s nucleus was revealed.

A small tentacle with a large mouth.

It looked nothing more than a grotesque insect.

When Jinwoo snapped his fingers, chains burst from the Soul Gate and pierced the Lord of Greed.

[Kyaaaaah!]

He screamed in agony that knew no bounds. From now on, he would grow familiar with that pain. For an eternal and immortal hell awaited him. The Lord of Greed, reduced to a worm, was sucked into the Soul Gate.

It was over.

The Empire of Evil, consumed by Erosion, vanished, and the blue sky of Arsilan appeared once more. All Erosion seeped away into the other side of space, and the foul air was thoroughly purified.

A beautiful sky, refreshing air.

And the vast land of Arsilan revealed itself.

“We... we won!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

“This time was way too hard.”

“Sniff!”

“Hueeeeeek!”

The Heroes rejoiced more than ever before. From Episode 1, through the Great War, all the way to this- at last, they had defeated the nightmare. Some cried tears of emotion, others collapsed and sobbed uncontrollably.

All grudges were finally resolved.

The bodies of the souls standing on Arsilan’s land began to slowly dissipate. They could not endure much longer in their spiritual forms.

[Arsilan....]

[It’s beautiful.]

[Our world....]

Though their grudges had been resolved, their voices were filled with regret. They wanted to live once more in this beautiful land. Not a life where each day was a desperate struggle to survive, but a new life. But the Soul Gate awaited them.

“Everyone....”

"Are they leaving?"

“They’ve been set free..., but they’re already dead....”

“Isn’t there anything we can do?”

It was time to say goodbye.

As all the souls began to head toward the Soul Gate, Ella, standing in the air with Jinwoo, looked at him.

“Ella?”

"The last direction remains."

Ella began walking forward in midair toward the souls.

“O Arsilan.”

Ella called out to everyone.

All of Arsilan looked up at her.

“Thank you so much. Thanks to all of you, I’ve finally been able to fulfill my role.”

She smiled brightly.

“To plant new seeds in Arsilan, to sow possibilities on this reclaimed vast land, that is the role I have waited for so long to fulfill.”

The land devoured by the Lord of Greed.

Now that the land had returned to Arsilan, it was vast. But compared to that, there were too few people of Arsilan, and the emptiness felt overwhelming.

The reason Ella had endured through all those long years.

It was for the rebirth of Arsilan.

As Ella brought her hands together in prayer, a shard formed of divine power appeared in her palms. Helby, seeing it, was shocked.

“You fool....”

Because she realized what Ella was about to do.

Ella held the shard in her hand and raised it high. Brilliant golden light began to spread across Arsilan. The earth trembled as massive stones shot up toward the sky.

They were the fragments of the moon that Jinwoo had dropped.

They gathered into one, piercing through the sky and reaching the moon beyond the cosmos.

“The moon....”

“I-It’s being restored!”

“Waaah!”

The moon, clearly visible in the blue sky, began to emit a golden glow and slowly restored itself.

A complete moon.

The moon of Arsilan, as if healing its wounds, regained its original form. And the moment it became whole, moonlight poured down upon the souls.

“This is....”

“Our bodies...!”

Countless souls regained physical form, and their hearts began to beat once again. Ella used up all her power to grant life to the souls.

As if it had been her final mission, long planned, she revived them all without a moment's hesitation.

“We- we’re alive!”

“Waaah!”

“T-This is... for real....”

“Sniff sniff!”

The Heroes could not contain the emotions welling up inside them.

Presentation.

Was it just a simple in-game cutscene? Not one Hero could say it was merely that.

Whether it was a cutscene or reality didn’t matter. All that mattered was that this moment was so full of joy and happiness.

“I will remain within Arsilan, watching over you all.”

Having finished her task, Ella let out a long breath, as if relieved, and turned to Jinwoo.

Her expression as she looked at Jinwoo grew complicated.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

“Ella....”

The words of farewell did not reach the Heroes.

Ella’s body began to fade, slowly breaking apart into particles of light. Having spent all her power, she couldn’t even maintain her soul and began to disappear.

“This was something only I could do.”

It was something she had to do, for Arsilan.

While Jinwoo had protected Arsilan with a Magic Barrier, Ella had looked further ahead, waiting for the moment of regeneration.

Jinwoo approached Ella.

She looked at him with trembling eyes, as if wanting to say something.

“Hey....”

But she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Instead, she smiled brightly at Jinwoo. She wanted to be remembered by him with this smiling face.

“Take care.”

Ella said her farewell.

The Heroes looked on with sadness as Ella faded away.

Ella, who had endured for so long while resisting the Erosion, had finally resurrected the souls of Arsilan, and was now disappearing.

It was by no means a happy ending.

The heroes would be sad.

So....

*****

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