The Final Boss Has Returned 44

Chapter 44

The Drakan he knew wasn’t the type of person to jump into danger without a reason, to enjoy adventure and thrills.

Rather, he was the cautious type of user who would thoroughly collect and analyze information about his target beforehand, calculate the probability of success, and only then jump in when he thought it was worth it.

Of course, because Drakan was so cautious, there were many times in the previous game when he failed to predict Eugene’s bold actions, was caught off guard, and was defeated. But in any case, that was his style.

There was no way that Drakan, seeing the quest objective of infiltrating the enemy’s base, wouldn’t collect and investigate information about the enemy’s base. And as he investigated, he would surely realize that human users had infiltrated the base.

Furthermore, Drakan had joined hands with Jeil E&M!

Providing information analysis and strategy guides for dungeons or quests was one of the basic support tasks provided by all management companies to their contracted users, and Jeil E&M, as a large corporation, was considered the best in the industry in that field.

Although it would be impossible to provide legendary-grade material items, known as ‘house-selling items.’

What if the industry-leading Jeil E&M’s business support and Drakan’s top-tier evil scheming abilities in Ard World joined forces?

Lexus’s hands trembled slightly as he thought that far.

Because he didn’t even want to imagine it.

Of course, if they received support from the Infinite Eugene Church headquarters, they wouldn’t have to worry about this.

However, the headquarters, which was focused on recovering its tarnished image due to the malicious fandom, would definitely not approve of this operation. Moreover, since this operation was decided upon by the branch manager himself, who privately selected a small elite group to move in secrecy, speed and accuracy were its lifeblood.

Above all, it was about dealing with that ‘Drakan.’

If Drakan was washed up, it would be a different story, but since he had proven that his abilities were still intact by dramatically swaying public opinion in the recent Lawless Port Recapture Battle, Lexus thought there was no need to give him time by carelessly setting traps.

“Drakan is a despicably evil and persistently tenacious bastard. To catch such a bastard, we must never give him time. We must attack him without giving him time to access information or even think of countermeasures, and kill him.”

Lexus’s cheeks trembled as he recalled his own experiences.

The other executives nodded in agreement with Lexus’s words.

Drakan!

The abilities of the one who took the top ranker position in the era before Eugene, regardless of his actions and personality, were acknowledged by most of the executives.

Lexus, with a satisfied expression, looked at the executives who agreed with him and said,

“Louis. How’s it going with contacting the Mermaid through communication with the Goddess of the Sea?”

“We succeeded, although we had to sacrifice a hero-grade material item.”

It was Louis who answered as soon as Lexus finished speaking!

The user who had a contract with the Goddess of the Sea.

Although he had paid a rather expensive price in the form of a hero-grade material item, he had finally succeeded in receiving the quest.

“I received the quest and item that allows us to contact the Mermaid of the Eastern Sea.”

Louis said so and took an item out of his inventory.

It was a transparent crystal ball.

Inside the crystal ball, a mass of light, sparkling with a blue light, was pointing in a certain direction.

The executives gathered here knew, without having to say it, where the blue light was pointing.

It was definitely the direction where the Mermaid was.

“Very well done.”

Lexus’s smile reached his ears.

Lexus touched the crystal ball with trembling hands and continued speaking.

“Now, the time has finally come for the end of that bastard’s disgusting Ard World life.”

Lexus laughed.

Drakan!

If only he could eliminate the one who was blocking Eugene-nim’s path, the one who ruled the past Ard World with evil!

He was confident that he would gladly sacrifice everything he had.

And finally, that opportunity had come to him now.

“Let’s prepare to go to the sea.”

Lexus rose from his seat.

And a few days later.

Having secretly completed all preparations, about 10 high-ranking executives of the Infinite Eugene Church Eastern Branch, including Lexus and Louis, secretly set off towards the Eastern Sea.

And among them was Lee A-ron, Jeil E&M’s ‘informant.’

▄ ▄ ▄

Under the Eastern Sea!

The vast seabed, which was once the territory of the Merfolk, had long since become the domain of the Mermaid.

The Mermaid army was stationed in the Great Atoll, which used to be the capital city of the Merfolk, ruling over them. And the Palace of Mano, where the Merfolk King used to reside, now belonged to the Mermaid General, Antaeus.

The Mermaid General, Antaeus, along with Scylla, was the ruler of the entire territory of the former Merfolk Kingdom and the governor of the eastern colony established by the Mermaid Kingdom in the north.

And now, the Mermaid General Antaeus was receiving an unexpected visit from humans.

The Palace of Mano!

Antaeus, a Mermaid with the upper body of a muscular man and the lower body of a fish, sat on the throne where the Merfolk King once sat and ruled the Eastern Sea, holding a trident in one hand with a stern expression, looking down at the humans below the platform.

“So, you’re saying that the contractor of the Dark God has joined the Merfolk?”

“That’s right. The contractor of the Dark God is planning to attack this place by rallying the Merfolk.”

Louis, the contractor of the Goddess of the Sea, nodded at Antaeus’s words.

“I heard that the Merfolk Prince brought a human from the surface recently. I didn’t know that human would be the contractor of the Dark God.”

Antaeus stroked his chin as he recalled the report he had heard recently.

He remembered it because the story of bringing a human was unusual, but for that human to be the contractor of the Dark God!

“The contractor of the Dark God has now retaken Lawless Port and reorganized the Black Tower, and the Black Ring Society is recruiting Black Magicians again. Furthermore, the contractor of the Dark God recently completed the Abyss Lighthouse and summoned the Merfolk. His goal is clear. He’s trying to include the Merfolk in his alliance to revive the ancient Dark Empire.”

Antaeus’s eyes sparkled at Louis’s words.

Looking at Antaeus, who was interested in his words, Louis took out a video crystal ball.

It was a video crystal ball containing the ‘Earth’s Memory’ read through the Earth Spirit at the Lawless Port docks, which he had commissioned through a Dark Gamer.

“This is the proof.”

The video crystal ball showed everything that had happened that day.

From the Abyss Light, the appearance of Nereus who received the signal, the Kingdom Revival quest he proposed to Drakan, and the scene of Drakan accepting the proposal!

Antaeus’s brow furrowed as he watched the scene.

“Our goal is to eliminate that contractor of the Dark God. And fortunately, they are not yet fully prepared for attack. Raise your army now and strike before they finish their invasion preparations. We will join you. You, General, will deal with the Merfolk, and we will deal with the contractor of the Dark God.”

Antaeus laughed after hearing Louis’s words.

“How dare the Merfolk remnants, in league with a human from the surface, try to threaten us.”

Merfolk Prince Nereus!

He knew that they and the Merfolk tribes had retreated beyond the territory of the former Merfolk Kingdom.

However, they were just remnants, they didn’t have a Guardian Beast, and he had spared their lives until now because he wanted to completely stabilize the interior of the occupied territory – the former Merfolk Kingdom – before subjugating them.

He didn’t know they would try to crawl back up like this.

“They will regret trying to stab me in the back.”

Antaeus declared as he rose from his seat.

Lexus smiled as he watched him.

And not a few days later.

The Mermaid’s grand army, led by Antaeus, headed towards Aqua Haven with the Infinite Eugene Church group.

Just as Drakan had intended, the undersea war had begun.

▄ ▄ ▄

In the Eastern Sea, the territory where the Merfolk resided was located outside the territory of the former Merfolk Kingdom.

Unlike the territory of the former Merfolk Kingdom, which was full of beautiful coral, marine life, and warm sunlight, the area close to the deep sea, where light barely reached, was the refuge chosen by the Merfolk.

And now, a grand army was marching majestically through that dark deep sea.

It was the Mermaid’s grand army, commanded by Antaeus.

Because it was the dark depths of the sea, and the Mermaid were weak to darkness unlike the Merfolk, standard-bearers holding magic lamps to illuminate the darkness were scattered throughout the army.

Mermaid infantry followed behind the Mermaid cavalry riding seahorses, but what stood out the most in the grand army was Scylla, one of the two Guardian Beasts of the Mermaid race.

A giant six-headed Sea Serpent!

Its overwhelming majesty was truly chilling just to look at.

‘Drakan, wait for me.’

Lexus smiled as he watched the scene.

Finally, he had come this far.

Drakan!

The stumbling block in Eugene-nim’s path!

If he could kill him here, no one would dare challenge Eugene-nim’s hegemony in the future!

‘Only Eugene-nim should be at the top!’

Lexus’s eyes, hidden behind his helmet, burned fiercely.

Top Ranker!

There was only one person in this world who deserved to be at the top!

Eugene!

He was the only one, Lexus thought.

Lexus remembered the Ard World that had groaned under heavy taxes and control before Eugene’s rule.

A barbaric world where might made right!

Hunting grounds and dungeons, as well as mines and forests where material items could be gathered!

Almost all the places where gold, experience, and items could be obtained were controlled, and the terrible era when ordinary users were exploited under the Guild Alliance’s evil laws was the era ruled by Drakan.

And Eugene was the hero who ended that era of evil.

Some might say that even a hero can become a villain someday, but Eugene had not yet fallen, and he was creating a much better world than the one ruled by Drakan.

Although new generation users who joined after the Drakan era sometimes criticized the current Ard World ruled by Eugene as a stagnant and boring world, Lexus despised those new generation users.

Because they had never experienced how terrible the past was, he thought they were nitpicking at minor problems in the present.

Compared to the era ruled by Drakan, the current Ard World ruled by Eugene was a much better world.

‘Now, I will kill him.’

Sparks flew from Lexus’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the Mermaid army had somehow entered the deep sea valley where Aqua Haven was located.

In the distance, he could see Aqua Haven.

The city of the Merfolk that shone in the dark depths of the sea, their last refuge, and the place where Kraken, the Guardian Beast of the Merfolk, slumbered in a state of suspended animation.

If only this place was crushed, the Merfolk, who had lost even their last glimmer of hope in the form of their Guardian Beast, would be scattered and annihilated!

“Attack.”

As Antaeus gave the order towards the city of the Merfolk, which was the only thing shining in the darkness-filled deep sea, Scylla moved.

Scylla’s massive six heads opened their mouths simultaneously, and six streaks of light surged towards Aqua Haven.

[Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrra-!!!]

A monstrous roar that shook the entire deep sea!

The six flashes of light that erupted from the six mouths soon merged into one and struck Aqua Haven’s barrier directly.

Kwa-boom!

With an earth-shattering roar, the barrier of Aqua Haven, which had been blocking the seawater, was completely shattered, and water poured into the city.

Antaeus, watching the scene, smiled with satisfaction and shouted once more.

“All forces! Advance!”

Antaeus ordered the advance.

Led by Scylla, who received his order, the Mermaid’s grand army followed the sea monster.

No matter how dirty urban warfare was, the Golden Scale Tribe alone could not handle the main force of the Mermaid army present!

Moreover, since the city’s barrier was broken and submerged, the enemy must be panicking. The Mermaid army only needed to slaughter the confused enemy.

Antaeus smiled as he looked at Aqua Haven, which was like a rat trapped in a trap.

At that very moment.

A single streak of orange flame, illuminating the dark deep sea, cut through the water and struck Scylla directly.