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Chapter 403 - 400 - ’Sherrod, I curse you.

Chapter 403: Chapter 400 - ’Sherrod, I curse you.

[Su Rin.]

[...If we fail, if we are powerless, then entrust their souls to me.]

[My guest, I will do all this for you, I will help you save Pulaya— and all it takes is one soul filled with divinity.]

...

The seductive words of the blue sea monster seemed to still echo in Su Ming’an’s ears.

"Sea monster, does Sherrod meet the requirements?" Su Ming’an asked.

With a desirous look in his eyes, the blue sea monster nodded.

"He is... suitable, a soul with divinity," she said softly. "Rare, he’s the only one I’ve encountered along the way who meets the criteria."

"Because he is the Brave," Su Ming’an had gradually understood what role this so-called hero, "sure to turn the tide during disaster," played in this catastrophe.

Sea monsters feed on the flesh and souls of humans to strengthen themselves.

If only Sherrod’s body were given to the sea monster, retaining his soul, then Red Rose could still repair his body, ensuring a no-loss scenario.

Meanwhile, the Princess of the Blood Sea Demons had once again lost her rationality, slamming her ghastly claws down fiercely.

At the same time, the frenzied group of sea monsters crazily charged towards the survivors, resulting in heavy casualties in an instant.

Sherrod, who had been holding back from taking action, knew the time had come.

"Quick! Captain!" he shouted.

"...You choose, only to sacrifice your body to me?" the blue sea monster asked with a smile, covering her lips, "No problem, but I still suggest offering your divine soul to me as well."

"No," Su Ming’an said.

Red Rose couldn’t repair a soul, it could only provide Sherrod with a Player’s body.

"Alright. I won’t consume his soul. But... in this case, my body will not be restored to its prime state, and I can only manage to die together with that blood-colored soul," the sea monster said, "I will fall asleep."

Hearing the sea monster’s words, Su Ming’an had a bad premonition.

"Just being able to defeat the enemy will suffice!" Sherrod, not overthinking it, immediately followed up.

"Alright... then," the blue sea monster said softly. "I will possess you, knight with the Divine soul. During this time, I will grant you tremendous power, enough to contend with the blood-colored creature before you."

Her figure trembled slightly, and in the next moment, she turned into a streak of blue light that fell upon Sherrod.

Instantly, a violent flame erupted from his body.

That flame burned his eyes, radiating from him like an intensely vivid, fiercely burning sunflower.

The blue hues filled the sky, still scattered with white snow.

In that moment, he suddenly felt the blade in his hand become very light.

A tremendous force burst forth from his limbs, and looking at the blood-colored sea monster in front of him which was as imposing as a mountain, he suddenly had the awareness that he could cut it down with one strike.

The flowing blue flames scorching his body, he felt no pain, only a sensation of something gradually fading amidst this burning.

He knew this was the life force of this body.

[O possessor of a divine soul.]

The voice of the sea monster possessing him came:

[I have granted you the power to contend with the Blood Sea Demon.]

[This power... will last until your body is completely devoured by me.]

[Your time is limited, act quickly.]

...

Meanwhile, every surviving player on the battlefield heard an announcement from the system.

"Ding Dong!"

[The battle changes, a "Brave" capable of contending with the King of Sea Monsters appears.]

[Current odds of winning: 78%]

...

"Damn!"

The players, who had just exhausted their precious transportation props to retreat from the battlefield, leaned on the city walls, letting out cries of regret.

"The situation on the battlefield could still change?" They beat their chests and stamped their feet, regretting their earlier decisions.

"So, the players who stayed behind are lying there winning, each getting a piece of Red Level Growth Equipment?" Some already sounded bitterly envious.

"...I’m speechless, I really shouldn’t have retreated just now."

"I told you all to wait... Number One Player wasn’t in a rush, what were you rushing for..."

"A Brave? There’s still a setting for a Brave in this world? Where did that come from?"

"It must be that blue figure, a rather epic visual, the red and blue confrontation."

"It’s that famous Knight of Light, I heard, he seems to want to become a player..."

As they were chatting, in the distant blue sea, an extremely dazzling light suddenly shone.

A deep blue sword, as if piercing the heavens, burst from the hands of the figure in golden armor on the Bai Qiao, seemingly standing tall between the pale sky and blue sea.

He seemed hesitant; the long sword in his hands trembled slightly, even the blue fire rising from his body was on the verge of dying out.

But soon, faced with the pressing claws, he swung his sword simply, just as he had done countless times in swordsmanship training.

In an instant, a flash of blue light, and the heavens and earth buzzed.

It seemed to stir the entire sea into surging and roaring, sea monsters froze in place, screeching loudly.

They swirled like whirlwinds around the long sword, attempting to block it with their lives.

However, the momentum of that sword did not diminish, still resolutely piercing through the body of the King of Sea Monsters.

"Shua la—!"

A harsh sound came, and the people on the city wall covered their ears.

They watched this scene with immense delight, the negative emotions of sadness, anger, and despair vanished, replaced by the joy of victory.

That clawing, blood-red King of Sea Monsters, was pierced through the heart by that blue long sword, and a drop of bright red blood tear seeped from her crimson eyes.

"Sherrod..."

She whispered breathily, that slightly choking sound barely audible amid the sudden thunderous cheers of the people.

"—The King of Sea Monsters is dead! We’ve won!"

A loud cheer from atop the city walls shattered this strange atmosphere.

Laughter appeared on people’s faces, joyous emotions wildly spreading across the land.

They had seen hope and dawn.

"—We have won!"

"The damn monster is dead! Long live the Brave! Long live Lord Su Rin! Long live the Soul Hunters—! Hahahaha..."

"Mom! Mom! The monster has been killed, Big Brother and the others will be coming back!"

The cheers of the people traveled from one end of the city wall to the other.

By the frozen riverbank, children were lifted high by adults, celebrating as if a festival were taking place.

Old people revealed calm and relieved smiles, happy for this happy ending.

In the Northern District, players watching from afar high-fived each other, celebrating the success of this operation. They wouldn’t be forced to flee from here, and the coming days would be exceptionally safe.

The Soul Hunters stationed by the city walls embraced each other, their faces showing unstoppable excitement and exhilaration.

The war was won.

The homeland was preserved.

The happiness painstakingly secured by their forebears had not been taken away by a group of ignorant, stupid creatures that knew only violence and slaughter.

The glory of Pulaya... It would continue on. The monsters daring to invade them met their deserved sanctions and punishments.

They had arrived at a happy ending for all.

...

[NPC (Sherrod) HE ending progress: 80%]

...

In a cheer that resounded across Pulaya, the knight, hailed as a hero and the brave, bowed his head, his hands clasping the sword hilt tightly, not daring to look up.

In a surge of rising flames, his entire body trembled.

The seawater turned a golden red, melding with the deep blue of the skyline, blending into one, gradually becoming indistinct.

Blood fell in his peripheral vision.

He looked in that direction and saw a golden-haired girl, her body scorched and enveloped by blood-red flames, plunging into the deep sea.

The princess closed her eyes.

"...Was I wrong?" she whispered softly, "I was not wrong."

Until this moment, her thoughts had not changed.

She loved this land.

It was because she loved this land, loved all the people on it, that she had imprisoned herself in ’eternity.’

And precisely because of her royal pride, she could not allow Su Rin’s treasonous behavior to topple her reign over Pulaya.

She would not allow it.

If it must be so, then she would stop it herself.

Sacrifice, struggle, death, choice—these were but a droplet of water in the ceaseless cycle of Pulaya.

She managed these quietly, her silent vigil enabling the people of the land to survive through their struggles.

Now facing death, she felt no regret, she had lost to Su Rin, a simple matter of victors and losers.

Yet, she still felt some reluctance.

Her only regret was that knight... he had betrayed her.

With her eyes closed, tears of blood slid down her face, her form gradually beginning to dissipate, like a bubble about to sink into the deep sea.

And at this moment,

she was embraced by a pair of arms covered in ashen dust.

"Sherrod," she said without opening her eyes, her expression calm, "you have found a good master."

"...He is just a captain," Sherrod held her and said softly, "No one is my master, Princess, I am an independent ’person.’

"The less you can attain, the more you will covet," the Princess said, "You cannot become a Player, Sherrod. I see you clearly—I curse you—you will forsake this path of transcendence yourself; this will be your fate."

"..."

Sherrod let go of his hold.

A scorching breath spread all around.

That embracing heat, so intense and painful, like a red-hot iron, he abandoned.

"Goodbye."

He said.

Fresh red blood flowed like blazing fire down his scar-covered face, from him, from that brilliantly shining knight’s armor.

Cheers of joy came from within the city, as people celebrated their glorious future.

A patch of fiery red star fell upon the surface of the sea.

...

[NPC (Sherrod), has killed Tulip, the Sea Monster King!]

[Exp+150000 (Triple Effect)!]

...

"Ding-dong!"

[You have leveled up to Fourth Rank, please complete the advancement tasks in the Main God World.]

...

[Main quest completed, you have obtained a key prop of Yun Shang City: Heart of the Deity.]

[Heart of the Deity: Possessing this item, the Cloud City God cannot kill you directly.]

...

["Maritime Banquet" achieved the final victory, and your team will now be qualified to ascend to Yun Shang City and will receive 5 Hearts of Tulip.]

[Heart of Tulip: The player possessing this item will ignore the poison gas in Yun Shang City.]

...

[You have completed the temporary quest: Transmarine Operation.]

["Transmarine Operation" victory reward: "Pulaya World-saving Hero" title (Title effect: combat power increased by 8%).]

...

[Perfect Completion Progress: 98%]

...

Sherrod’s experience gains were still credited to Su Ming’an.

His combat power evaluation had soared, breaking through the 2400 mark.

The azure sea monster, having detached itself from Sherrod, returned to Su Ming’an.

"The duration of the battle was unexpectedly short," the blue sea monster said. "I didn’t manage to completely drain his life force. So, he might still have some time left to live."

Su Ming’an thought this was just perfect.

Sherrod probably still had things he wanted to sort out in this land; once he had everything arranged, his body could just die, and he could transition seamlessly into a player by donning the Red Rose.

The death of the princess sea monster and the reconstruction of the barrier should bring a calm and happy ending to Pulaya, a joyous occasion for everyone...

He turned around.

The white bridge, now stained with blood, lay before him. Bright red blood fell from the bridge like curtains.

Severed limbs and decapitated corpses, like chess pieces, lay scattered across the bridge.

The wailing cries of the injured echoed in his ears.

Even though the battle was over and victory was won, the toll taken was still horrifyingly heavy, nearly unbearable.

"..."

He stared at all this.

"...Why haven’t the sea monsters retreated?"

Clifford’s frightened voice rang in his ears.

In front of him, a storm-like group of sea monsters still surged outside the newly restored barrier.

Just like a few days ago, even though they had been driven out by the Force of Light, they still clawed at the freshly established barrier, never ceasing their movements.

"...It’s already very good." Duoya said softly. "They... are creatures that don’t leave unless they see blood. Led here by the King of Sea Monsters and having discovered food, without the deterrence of another King of Sea Monsters, they will not leave. At least, with this barrier in place, they can no longer enter."

Dragging her tired steps, she discarded her bright clothes on the beach.

"Let’s go back," she said softly. "It is... enough. We won."

...

The Maritime Banquet was over, and the snow gradually subsided.

The celebration was held in the center of Pulaya’s island, with campfires dancing and the sea breeze blowing the dark long hair of dancing girls. The scent of roasted meat mingled with vegetation wafted across the land.

The injured were properly cared for, and the deceased were honored with the title of Brave Soul Hunters.

In this land, there is no enduring sorrow, and death is a common occurrence. Even though so many had died today, it did not hinder their joyous celebration.

On the contrary, they believed it was a remembrance of those who had perished.

In the Eastern District, a high-rise building, from its balcony, one could see the fiercely burning central campfire.

A red-haired girl leaned on the balcony, focused on the wooden carving in her hands.

Her carving technique seemed crude, the blade trembling gently beneath her fingers, with the soft "shush" of falling wood shavings.

Her expression was gentle and serene, each cut in her hands was like a fluffy feather brushing across her heart.

Gradually, the visage of a young man took shape in her hands. He had a gentle face, a straight figure, and a pair of ever-bright eyes.

She carved intently, then suddenly noticed a couple slowly walking from the side of the setting sun toward her street.