The Final Boss Has Returned 189

Chapter 189

Eugene.

All information about him was flowing into Drakan’s ears in real-time.

Iron Blood Alliance Building Conference Room.

Drakan was sitting there, watching the TV as news about Eugene poured out.

Standing next to Drakan, instead of Shin Ha-yeon, was Ignis, acting as his secretary.

“Preparations for war are complete. Will you proceed as planned?”

After Drakan finished the ‘Investment Presentation’ at Jeil World Tower.

He immediately ordered preparations for war.

Drakan had no intention of dragging out the war with Eugene.

Just one battle.

He intended to end everything with that.

And as Ignis said, all preparations for war were complete.

All users of the Iron Blood Alliance and its allied guilds, including Over-Rankers, were on standby, ready to advance at a moment’s notice. The PR team had also finished their work and was ready to distribute press releases to the media as soon as the order was given.

The leaders of the six races that made up the Dark Alliance, and the leaders of key forces such as the Black Ring Society and the Dark Church, had also completed their war mobilization preparations. The Undead King’s seal had been weakened to the point where it could be released with a single command.

Above all, they had been using Sa-Wang Python to secretly and continuously contact insiders within the Lightwing Guild to persuade them to their side.

After receiving reports on all these preparations, Drakan nodded at Ignis’s words.

“Yes.”

Ignis looked at Drakan and slowly said.

“Drakan-nim.”

“Why do you call?”

As Drakan turned around, Ignis spoke.

“Did you already know that Eugene would react this way?”

“You speak the obvious.”

Drakan replied with a laugh to Ignis’s question.

Eugene.

Drakan already knew that he would bring up the purity of Ard World and such.

He was a man with an obsessive-compulsive disorder who refused even the slightest support from external forces for the sake of the ‘purity’ of Ard World.

There was no way that Eugene, who was like that, would agree to the radical method of disclosing technology, let alone harming the purity of Ard World.

Moreover, both he and Verda were still stuck in the outdated mindset that games were just games, so it was even more so.

Of course, the fact that Dr. Kim Hong-gi had a different intention was something Drakan didn’t know, but it didn’t matter now.

Ignis’s question reached Drakan’s ears once more.

“I see. Then, were all the events that have happened so far also planned by Drakan-nim?”

The events so far.

Realizing that Ignis was referring to the ‘Investment Presentation’ that had brought about Eugene’s downfall, Drakan answered.

“Yes.”

Drakan replied.

“It’s all a game I designed.”

Sharp.

The moment she overturned the board with her interview, Drakan recalled the original draft of this plan in his mind.

From the beginning, anyone would agree that the current world was grotesquely distorted.

While other companies were just taking their first steps, showcasing rudimentary VR technology implemented through head-mounted displays, Miracle Entertainment had single-handedly developed virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology that seemed straight out of science fiction. And they were using this incredible technology solely for a ‘game’?

Drakan had realized, while delving into this game for a long time, that this was clearly a technological imbalance and that someone had intentionally restricted it to just a game.

It wasn’t just Drakan.

Countless people shared similar opinions, and occasionally columns or articles with the argument that ‘Miracle Entertainment should open its technology for the advancement of civilization’ appeared in the media.

Miracle Entertainment was simply ignoring and suppressing such opinions.

Therefore, the moment the ‘True Ending Reward’ was revealed, Drakan was able to come up with that idea.

The popularization of virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology, which everyone secretly wished for!

Let’s destroy Eugene by putting forward the undeniable cause of ‘the development of human civilization’!

‘The prerequisite for that was the elimination of the Sword Emperor.’

That’s right.

Drakan had destroyed Argen’s Three Kingdoms Strategy, joining hands with Eugene, to achieve this situation.

If there were three suns in the sky, if there were three alternatives to choose from, including the Sword Emperor, they wouldn’t have been able to garner the concentrated support of the entire world like they are now!

Unlike Eugene, who was overly obsessed with the purity of the game, the Sword Emperor was a person who could easily pledge the ‘popularization of virtual reality and artificial intelligence’ if he held a press conference, swaying people to follow him!

Therefore, Drakan eliminated the Sword Emperor to create a situation where people around the world had no choice.

To force a choice between Eugene and Drakan, the only two EX-Rankers left in the world.

And forcing this choice was the reason Drakan planned the Two Kingdoms Strategy, and its ultimate goal.

If the Sword Emperor were still alive, they would never have gained such global support and backing.

‘To defeat Eugene, and furthermore, to seize control of Ard World, it’s not enough to simply be strong.’

Drakan thought of the United States.

The reason why the United States held global hegemony until now wasn’t simply because it possessed powerful national and military strength.

It was because of ‘democracy,’ a cause and legitimacy that everyone could agree on, and the corresponding soft power.

The same was true for Eugene.

The reason Eugene was able to rule Ard World without any significant issues for over six years wasn’t just because he was an EX-Ranker user.

It was because he held the cause and legitimacy of protecting the freedom of users and the sanctity of Ard World, ending the tyranny of giant guilds, and ensuring fair governance.

For Drakan to truly bring down Eugene, he first had to eliminate the cause and legitimacy that Eugene held – ‘the purity of Ard World and the protection of users’ freedom.’

However, the cause that Eugene had built up so far wasn’t so weak as to crumble under black propaganda like the fishing scandal.

And Drakan didn’t think he could destroy Eugene’s cause with just a fishing scandal.

The fishing scandal was merely a card played to divide the Lightwing Guild.

‘But I couldn’t advocate the same cause as Eugene.’

Drakan wasn’t Eugene, and therefore, he could never imitate him.

If Drakan had advocated the same cause as Eugene, he would have undoubtedly ended up as a lesser version of him.

Therefore, Drakan needed a cause that was different from Eugene’s, yet strong enough to weaken Eugene’s grand cause.

After all, Drakan had learned from his defeat against Eugene in the previous game that to seize control of a world like Ard World, one needed a cause and legitimacy, especially when it wasn’t just a simple power struggle.

And the cause that Drakan put forward was the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution.’

As Drakan expected, Eugene’s cause and legitimacy, which were limited to the ‘preservation of the purity of Ard World,’ a mere game, lost their luster in the face of the greater cause of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ that he advocated.

Eugene, that guy, was so obsessed with the purity of Ard World, the freedom of users, no, the ‘game,’ that he forgot what the people in the real world desired.

‘Eugene. Your downfall lies in forgetting that Ard Saga Second isn’t just a game.’

Thinking so, Drakan said.

“The plan has worked, and as I predicted, Eugene’s cause and legitimacy have crumbled.”

Ignis’s eyes wavered slightly at Drakan’s words.

He felt a slight shiver run down his spine at the realization that all of this had been a setup by Drakan for this very moment.

“So, the time has finally come. Ignis.”

Drakan stood up with a smile.

“Give the order to everyone.”

He patted Ignis’s shoulder and said.

“We’re going to take Eugene’s head now.”

“Understood, Drakan-nim.”

Ignis nodded, and Drakan, with a satisfied smile, left the conference room and headed towards the room with the capsules.

Now, it was time to carry out the grand scheme of rebellion.

▄ ▄ ▄

Holy City

The capital of the Lightning Theocracy and, along with the Imperial Capital, one of the largest cities in Ard World, vying for the top spot not just in Central Continent but the entire world. It was also the place where Priests and Paladins could change their classes and train their job skills, and above all, the city where the Lightwing Guild House was located.

This massive city, which practically functioned as the capital of the Holy Alliance, was currently shrouded in an atmosphere of war.

Drakan.

This was because they had sensed that the movements of the Dark Alliance led by him were unusual.

Lightwing Guild House.

The atmosphere of this guild house, which was always bustling with activity, was now incredibly serious.

“Fighting seems pointless. Public opinion is at its worst.”

“Surrendering as is wouldn’t be a bad choice.”

Pessimistic voices echoed within the conference room.

It was Ice Queen Yume and Magic King Rook who spoke.

In response, Eugene said seriously.

“We cannot be defeated without even trying to fight against injustice. We won’t know until we try, whether it’s long or short.”

The will to fight burned in Eugene’s eyes like a flame.

Eugene.

Even amidst the rapidly worsening public opinion, his will to fight remained unbroken.

His belief that he had to fight against Drakan, no, against injustice, to protect Dr. Kim Hong-gi’s will and the purity of Ard World, remained unchanged.

It didn’t matter if the world didn’t understand.

If it was the ‘right path,’ he had to walk it.

Because it was right.

Seeing Eugene like this, Magic King Rook and Ice Queen Yume closed their mouths.

Eugene.

He was still showing his inflexible and frustrating side, without a single ounce of adaptability.

“Verda. Why don’t you say something?”

Reasoning with Eugene was futile.

Then, he would talk to Verda.

Hearing Magic King Rook’s question, which was spoken with that thought, Verda slowly opened her mouth and began to explain her strategy.

“If we strike first and kill Drakan before the enemy can finish their preparations, we can win. If Drakan dies, his cause will lose its power.”

Verda.

Ironically, the strategy she brought up was the same as the defeated Sword Emperor Argen’s.

And the meaning of those words was clear.

It meant that even Verda, known for her intelligence, didn’t have a clear solution.

Even with Verda’s mind, she couldn’t find a way to turn the tide of the worsened public opinion.

She had used every means at her disposal to distribute press releases to the media and manipulate public opinion through the Infinite Eugene Church, but it was all in vain.

The media ignored her press releases, and the Infinite Eugene Church was losing its light fandom, except for the hardcore fans.

She couldn’t offer the same promises as Drakan.

If she did, Eugene would surely be disappointed in her.

For Verda, who loved Eugene more than anyone else in the world, being hated by him was a future too horrible to imagine.

Therefore, from Verda’s perspective, offering the same cause as Drakan was an option not even worth considering.

In such a situation, the only strategy Verda could choose was a one-on-one confrontation between Eugene and Drakan.

“Argen also made the same guarantee. However, he died fighting Drakan.”

And naturally, her strategy was immediately met with a rebuttal from Ice Queen Yume, who had once been with the Sword Emperor.

However, Verda had already anticipated this rebuttal, so she said, without a hint of surprise on her face.

“Argen and Eugene-nim are different. Eugene-nim has a slight advantage in his head-to-head record against Drakan, and his physical abilities aren’t at a level where he would be overwhelmingly pushed back by Drakan. If we can just arrange a one-on-one duel between Eugene-nim and Drakan, we can kill the King and end this war with a victory.”

Her words held some weight.

In the previous game, Eugene had a slight edge in his head-to-head record against Drakan, and now there were only two EX-Ranker users left in Ard World.

If they killed Drakan, one of them, his cause would lose its power, and Eugene would regain control of Ard World.

Because there was no one in Ard World yet who could defy the power of an EX-Ranker user.

Therefore, this war could only end with the killing of the King.

‘Drakan, you have forgotten that this world is a game. In the end, you are just a user who loses everything when you die.’

Thinking so, Verda bit her lip.

A one-on-one confrontation between Drakan and Eugene!

This was the only method with a chance of victory in the current situation, the only straw she could grasp at.

However, neither Verda nor Drakan had realized it yet due to the urgent situation right in front of them.

Overpowering the opponent solely with force, without legitimacy or cause!

That was exactly what Drakan had done in the previous game, and it was his biggest downfall in the World Revolution.

The moment Eugene’s cause and legitimacy lost the support of the public, it had degraded into mere stubbornness.

They hadn’t realized it yet.

Just as Yume and Rook were about to say something in response to her words.

[‘Dark Alliance’ has declared war on ‘Holy Alliance’.]

[A quest has occurred.]

A notification window appeared before everyone in the conference room, no, before all users connected to Ard World.

Eugene and Drakan!

The moment to finally ‘end’ the long-standing game between the two had arrived.