“This is it,” Gi-Gyu announced when he finally entered the 90th floor. The door had opened as if to invite him in.

“The 90th floor…” Kang Ji-Hee looked around in surprise. She was acting as if she had never been here before. What astounded Gi-Gyu the most was how even Lim Hyun-Soo looked surprised.

‘Why are they reacting this way?’ Gi-Gyu wondered. Lim Hyun-Soo should be familiar with the place, as he had been here before to seal Lee Sun-Ho.

Gi-Gyu asked him, “Why do you look surprised?”

“This floor looks different.” Lim Hyun-Soo continued to look around with eyes wide open. Without turning toward Gi-Gyu, he explained, “Different from the 90th floor I remember.”

Gi-Gyu flinched. Turning toward Ha-Rim, who had the same look as Lim Hyun-Soo, he asked, “Does it look different to you too?”

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Without a word, Ha-Rim nodded. And it hadn’t even been that long since she had left the 90th floor. She looked confused, which was very unusual for her.

Just what was happening on the 90th floor?

Turning away from them, Gi-Gyu studied his surroundings. Because he had just crossed the door, he couldn’t see much of this floor. But he could guess the general architecture of this floor from what he could see.

‘This place definitely feels different,’ Gi-Gyu thought. Compared to most other players, Gi-Gyu had learned more about the Tower as he had ascended it. He felt confident that his understanding of the Tower was unmatched, yet what he was seeing made no sense to him.

“This looks like Seoul,” Go Hyung-Chul whispered.

“I agree with you,” Oh Tae-Shik answered. The look in Go Hyung-Chul and Oh Tae-Shik’s eyes differed from that in Lim Hyun-Soo and Ha-Rim’s. They looked afraid.

Just as they had pointed, the 90th floor looked exactly like Seoul, tall buildings, well-paved roads, and all. However, one thing didn’t match. This Seoul looked like it had been bombarded, as its buildings and roads were badly damaged.

‘And is no one here?’ Gi-Gyu couldn’t help getting an eerie feeling. The place was way too quiet. He understood that the situation inside the Tower was changing, but this floor was nothing like all the other floors he had cleared till now. He could sense nobody around him, and the energies here were fainter than on any other floor.

It was the strangest thing.

“Where are Lee Sun-Ho and Kronos?” Gi-Gyu looked around in search of them. Before entering this floor, he had clearly felt their presence, so they had to be here. Meanwhile, Hal and the other knights were already in the sky scouting the area.

Gi-Gyu was about to let loose his magic to scan the floor when the 90th floor began shaking with a report.

“Something’s opening.” Go Hyung-Chul narrowed his eyes and turned toward the sound.

Oh Tae-Shik added, “It’s not just one.”

Gi-Gyu could feel the change too. Like the rest of the group, he turned toward where this change was happening. He was certain that something was happening on the far edge of this floor.

Just then, he heard a voice.

-Can you hear me?

Gi-Gyu felt ecstatic to hear Lou’s voice.

“Lou!” Gi-Gyu exclaimed.

***

“Haa…” Lou’s body felt heavier as soon as he crossed an invisible layer.

‘The magic here is too faint.’ When he crossed the door, the first thing he noticed was the undersupply of magic, which made him feel tired.

“Master is here.” El appeared behind him after crossing the barrier as well. She frowned when she felt the thin magic here. Their last battle had been long and arduous, and the elixir had only healed their physical injuries. So, right now, their mental exhaustion was at its peak. The sparse magic here was only making them feel more tired.

Behind them, the Pandemonium soldiers entered one by one. Unlike Lou and El, they reacted violently.

“Ugh…!”

“Bleghhhh!”

Many collapsed to the ground and began vomiting, and those in better condition only staggered a bit.

Looking at them, Lou murmured, “I’m relieved they are doing better than I thought.”

He could understand why these creatures were reacting this way. Gehenna’s exit was no normal gate.

“It was gruesome,” Lou muttered. The exit had been like a tunnel filled with Chaos. They had to paddle through it to get out. The texture, appearance, and structure of the exit made it seem like the neck of a gigantic creature. It was no wonder the soldiers were coughing up blood from internal damage. Lou wasn’t sure if this exit was built this way on purpose by Kronos or if Uranus had a hand in it.

“Wait,” El said to Lou and turned toward the others. All the soldiers had arrived, but many of them were on the ground, helpless. Some were notably missing, but this couldn’t be helped.

El raised her hand to scatter Life to them. It couldn’t eliminate the effects of Chaos, but it could neutralize it a bit. As she had expected, the soldiers’ conditions improved significantly. They thanked her profusely.

“Hmm…” Lou looked around and groaned. The place looked so familiar to him that something felt off. The biggest problem here was the sparsity of magic. The sparsity made it hard to detect others around. Lou had expected a fight after crossing the exit, but he was now faced with the opposite.

“It’s way too quiet here,” Lou muttered.

“Something’s definitely wrong,” El agreed.

The deadly silence was alarming, and the fact that they couldn’t sense anything was bothersome.

Oh Tae-Gu, who had finally recovered a little, looked around in confusion. “Is this Seoul…?”

It certainly was, but it looked very different from the last time he was here.

“But I’m certain he’s here…” Lou was confident that Gi-Gyu was here.

-Can you hear me?

Lou called out to Gi-Gyu.

***

Monsters rained down on Seoul, literally, and the players tirelessly fought them. They didn’t get a second to rest, but they still fought because they were fighting for their friends and family. Mistakes were forbidden, as they meant the death of a fellow player.

“This is beyond anything humans have ever faced,” Tao Chen muttered. His Green Dragon Crescent Blade was covered in flesh and blood. He couldn’t tell how many monsters, probably in the tens of thousands, he had killed so far with this weapon. After becoming a ruler, Tao Chen believed he had become one of the most powerful human fighters. However, the exhaustion was starting to slow him down too.

Just then, he felt a refreshing energy caress his body. When he turned around, he saw Alberto winking at him knowingly.

“Hmm…” Tao Chen swung his blade to kill an approaching monster and said to Alberto, “Thank you.”

Alberto had also become a ruler, which gave him the best support power of them all. His new nickname was “All Supporter” because he could efficiently use every ability in the support category.

Alberto moved quickly to restore the stamina of the other players. He was doing incredible work, but Tao Chen couldn’t help feeling awkward. ‘That wink… He’s great, but he’s not my cup of tea.’ 

It seemed that Tao Chen didn’t like Alberto’s over-friendliness, but this didn’t mean anything on the battlefield. Tao Chen requested, “Please keep up the good work.”

So far, Alberto had saved more players than the monsters Tao Chen had killed. Alberto was possibly the most important figure on this battlefield at the moment.

“...!” Just then, Tao Chen saw a flame going straight up into the sky. It was a signal. He turned to look at the giant metal door floating in the air. Countless monsters existed between Tao Chen and the metal door. He couldn’t even jump over them because there were monsters in the air too. Monsters of the kinds that Tao Chen had never even seen before ruled the land and the sky.

“Hup!” Tao Chen lowered his blade and inhaled deeply. A massive force began vibrating inside him, immediately pulverizing the approaching enemies. His power and eyes became more focused as he prepared to execute a big attack. Feeling something huge was about to occur, the monsters nearby sprinted toward Tao Chen.

Alberto’s power flashed around Tao Chen, replenishing Tao Chen with an abundance of power. A storm of magic and bloodthirst roared all around him.

Tao Chen whispered, “Super Slash.”

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade moved from the right to the left, and the world quietened down. Every monster in Tao Chen’s way was rent, falling like bloody, meaty snowflakes. And the strike didn’t stop there. It reached the giant door in the sky, making a loud banging noise. The noise made even more monsters fall.

“It’s done,” Tao Chen announced to no one in particular. He looked relieved and less stressed, seemingly having accomplished his goal.

-Thanks.

Tao Chen’s lips curled up into a grin when he heard a voice. They were to stay in Seoul to protect it. The purpose of this battle was to survive.

‘It is to save the world,’ Tao Chen thought grimly. The champions of this war would get the world. No one had to explain this to Tao Chen. His instinct as a player and fighter told him this would be the last battle.

Tao Chen, still smiling, looked up at the sky. After being hit by his Super Slash, the giant metal door opened slowly.

“Haa… I need to rest a little.” Tao Chen could barely stand by using his Green Dragon Crescent Blade for support. And just then, another gate opened in Seoul.

But this time, the monsters that came out of it looked familiar.

“Let’s go,” Hart announced as he rode the Griffin King out, followed by thousands of angels and demons flying out. These were the most elite members of Eden, heading toward the door.

‘I’m envious,’ Tao Chen thought. Only these powerful creatures would get to enter that door. They would be part of the biggest event in history.

Alberto urged, “You gotta keep moving.”

“Haa… I guess I’m not allowed to even rest,” Tao Chen muttered. But he knew he had no other choice. Their job was to protect Seoul. They needed to protect Korea to safeguard China and the rest of the world.

“Slice!” Tao Chen swung his weapon once again.