CHAPTER 100: The Little Dwarf
As his vision blurred, a forgotten memory from the past resurfaced.

Countless orcs lay fallen.

The fall of Urgan, the kingdom of orcs that had unified the entire continent.

The warriors of Urgan were strong. None could stop them as they roamed the continent, and the lands they tread upon became entirely theirs.

Warriors who could no longer find a rival on this star.

But even they were helpless against the dragons that appeared, tearing open the sky.

Thunder and lightning rained from the sky, and lava erupted from the ground. On the cracked earth, the warriors died helplessly, with nowhere to stand.

The sight of his kingdom burning.

His respected father and teacher, the maid who had cared for him as a child. Innocent citizens. Everyone was dying. Devoured by ferocious dragons, they were reduced to a single meal.

‘The pain.’

And so he wished.

‘The pain we suffer, let them feel it too.’

So that those hateful dragons could feel this agony.

So that they could experience this torment.

It was just a lament. For a dying man, that was all he could do.

But an answer came.

[Can you pay the price?]

It was a heavy voice. And a loud voice.

It was like an iron hammer falling from the sky, burrowing into his head. Even though his body was dying and should have been numb to pain, he felt an agony beyond measure.

Still, he nodded.

[In return, your soul will be wounded.]

And so, he was reborn as a new being.

Jinwoo's sword dug into Vertus's neck. It didn't end with just his neck being cut. The sword was also slicing through his flame.

Vertus tried to pull back hastily, but he couldn't escape Jinwoo's sword. Blood gushed out, and the light in his eyes began to fade rapidly.

‘This can't be…’

To die in a place like this? Before I've even achieved everything I wanted!

As the light faded from his eyes, it was replaced by regret and resentment.

He had gained power. He had made a pact with a god from a higher dimension and obtained the power to take revenge.

In return, he had become a slave, worked to the bone, but it didn't matter. What were a thousand or two thousand years of servitude if he could avenge his kingdom and his people?

But to have his life cut short here, before he could even achieve that?

‘My soul… my soul still holds the wound of my kingdom…’

The authority he received from the god was to transfer the wounds of others to his own soul. And, when he wished, to inflict them upon a chosen opponent.

His soul still held the wound of his kingdom, torn apart by them. He had saved it for the time of his revenge, never to be used under any other circumstances.

If he used it, could he kill the man before him?

His soul stirred.

"Don't even think about trying any funny business."

But at the man's gaze, it quieted down again.

His eyes were looking at him, but not at him. It felt as if they were piercing through his inner self, as if his entire soul was being read through and through.

A deep sense of despair. A powerlessness similar to what he had felt when the dragons tore his kingdom apart.

Even if he were to unleash the wound of his kingdom that he had saved, it seemed unlikely he could kill this man.

"A peculiar flame."

It wasn't just a premonition; the man's sword was actually cleaving his soul.

And into that sword, his soul—and the wound of his kingdom he had cherished—was being completely absorbed.

"Ah."

Vertus let out a single sigh.

He had lost.

No matter what he did, he couldn't win.

As an orc who served struggle, it was a defeat more perfect than any other he could feel.

His body was shutting down, and his soul was already captured by his opponent. If so, then at least his words. His final words.

"The… black…"

"Hm?"

Fortunately, his opponent leaned in to listen. Relieved by this, he died.

"…horned… dragon…"

He could only leave behind three words.

Watching Vertus die, Jinwoo wore a puzzled expression. The black-horned dragon?

"What the hell does that mean?"

He had no idea what the black-horned dragon had done, or what Vertus had hoped to convey with those words.

In any case, the battle was over. With Vertus, the biggest threat, dead, all that remained were orcs who were numerous but nothing more.

"Keuk…"

Only then did his wound begin to throb, and a painful expression crossed his face. He had protected his heart, but the pain of having his chest pierced was not to be taken lightly.

‘Can I use the soul I took from Vertus to heal myself somehow?’

The thought occurred to him, but no healing ability manifested.

Vertus’s soul remained within him, intact. It was a rather peculiar soul, one that didn't mix well with others.
He could have forced them to merge if he'd wanted to, but he didn't. There had to be a reason it wouldn't assimilate.
Trying to force it before understanding that reason could lead to unknown side effects.
‘More importantly…'
The barrier wavered. At the same time, Jinwoo was flung out of it, returning to the original cliffside path.
With Vertus, the one who had trapped him, now dead, the barrier could no longer hold him.
Returning, Jinwoo was reunited with Kalesian. However…
"Jinwoo! Where did you go… No, first, let's get out of here!"
He seemed incredibly urgent. Kalesian, with Mahiri on his back, hastily beat his wings, rushing Jinwoo along.
Caught up in the moment, Jinwoo started running with him and asked.
"What's going on?"
"Up! Look up!"
Jinwoo tilted his head back and looked at the sky.
In the narrow sliver of sky visible between the two cliffs, something long was falling.
It was the very same sword that had once split the Moonlight Forest, descending like the blade of a guillotine.
"You've got to be kidding me."
He now understood Kalesian's urgency.
They were on a narrow path between cliffs. While it was as wide as a major road, it was far too narrow to dodge that sword.
To evade it, they had to get out of the canyon before the blade fell.
A crushing pressure, as if the very air was pressing down on them. Feeling the intense coercion, Jinwoo and Kalesian sprinted.
Fortunately, there were no obstructions. If Vertus had been alive to grab their ankles for even a moment, they would have been in serious trouble.
But he was dead, and nothing stood in their way. Thanks to that, the two barely managed to escape the canyon.
"Aargh!"
"Kalesian!"
Just after they burst out, the sword crashed down between the cliffs.
KRA-KOOOOOM!
The cliffs, which hadn't been scratched by their previous attacks or even by Kalesian’s breath, crumbled instantly.
The sword hadn't even made direct contact, merely striking the space between them, yet the shockwave caused the cliffs on both sides to collapse in a massive landslide.
Jinwoo, Kalesian, and Mahiri took cover at the bottom of a hill to let the aftershock pass over them. A violent wind whipped above their heads, and fragments of the shattered cliffs flew past.
"Hoo…"
Finally, the wind died down, and Kalesian let out a sigh of relief.
But the grim expression on Jinwoo's face hadn't eased.
"Kalesian. Over there."
"What? Is there still more?"
Kalesian looked where Jinwoo was pointing. His face contorted in a deep frown.
It was as if a hole had been torn in the sky.
A massive rift had opened.
It was likely the shattered gate through which the God of the Battlefield had extended his arm to swing the sword.
From it, all sorts of monsters were pouring out like rain. It wasn't just Orcs and Ogres like the ones he’d seen in the barrier. There were winged, dragon-like monsters and rough-scaled serpents that slithered across the ground.
And he could see people, too.
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Beastmen who had lost their minds to Erosion.
All of them were the soldiers of the God of the Battlefield.
"…What's the plan?"
"I don't know."
Jinwoo and Kalesian conferred, their faces grim.
Vertus was dead. He was probably guarding a divine artifact, so their plan was to retrieve it and reduce the God of the Battlefield's influence. That should have made the barrier covering the entire 3rd Floor disappear.
But that was no longer feasible. Breaking through that horde of monsters to get to the divine artifact would be no easy task.
More importantly, that arm could reappear at any moment and swing the sword again.
They had managed to dodge it twice, but there was no guarantee they could avoid it a third time.
"Should we run?"
At Jinwoo's question, Kalesian let out a groan before finally nodding his head.
"Let's retreat for now. But this isn't over. The more divine artifacts we gather, the more clues we'll have about the Spirit Realm."
Kalesian had no intention of letting this hard-won opportunity slip away.
He was after the divine artifacts for a different reason than the God of the Battlefield. He wanted the artifacts released by the Lords to find a path to the Spirit Realm.
His greed was so intense that he had recklessly attacked the Sky Temple for them; a challenge like this was not enough to make him give up.
The two moved a short distance away and settled on a hill with a clear view of the rift. The crack was so massive it was clearly visible from almost anywhere.

[I'm bringing my monsters.]
The one who broke the silence was the God of Light, who had been quiet until now.
"What do you mean?"
At Kalesian's urging, she explained. The moment she discovered the cliff and confirmed this was the Temple of the Battlefield, she had issued an order to her forces: prepare for battle and move to this location.
[I've given a similar trial to the people who were gathered, so they'll come if they have any sense. Though they might not.]
"What kind of trial?"
At Jinwoo's question, she flickered once. A Gate message then appeared before Jinwoo.
[The God of Twilight expects much of you.]
[Tear down the Red Cliff, the Temple of the Battlefield, and bring back the divine artifact. A light of incomparable sweetness and ecstasy shall descend upon you.]
It was a message formatted similarly to the trials he'd received on the 3rd Floor. The content was a command to conquer the Temple of the Battlefield.
It was hard to say how many would gather because of this message, but at the very least, it would pique their interest enough to come and investigate.
After that, they would see the monster army and decide whether to join the fight or give up.
'I can't get my hopes up.'
In truth, it was hard to expect much. A hundred out of a hundred would likely see that army and turn right back around.
His only real hope was that Rona or Ipril might see the message and come to help him.
"Kalesian. What do you think? Can the monsters the God of Light has gathered defeat that army?"
"I don't know how many she's gathered, but it's likely impossible. Our opponent is the God of the Battlefield."
Kalesian was pessimistic. When it came to this kind of war, the God of the Battlefield would be able to wield immense power.
The God of Light might have her own methods, but she would be at a disadvantage in many ways. It was best not to expect a complete victory.
However.
"But it should create an opening. Especially if it descends into a chaotic melee."
"That's it."
A dark smile spread across Kalesian's face at Jinwoo's words.
It was fine even if they didn't win the battle of attrition. This war was, after all, a fight to either seize or protect the divine artifact.
If the monsters gathered by the God of Light could divert the enemy's attention, they could use that opening to find a path to infiltrate.
The only problem was…
"That sword and that arm. Do you have a countermeasure?"
The sword of the God of the Battlefield, which had obliterated the red cliffs that neither Jinwoo nor Kalesian could even scratch. And the arm that swung it.
Even Kalesian had no answer for that. It wasn't because he was still a hatchling who hadn't molted. Even if he had properly molted and possessed the body of an adult dragon, he didn't think he could withstand that sword.
"..."
Jinwoo closed his eyes. The realization he'd had earlier flashed through his mind.
The sword mark left on the cliff and the swordsmanship he had perceived by tracing it back. The arm he had seen when the Moonlight Forest was split.
It belonged to a giant. Unless only its arm was abnormally large, its body must be similarly massive.
On this land, just standing up would probably make its head touch the sky.
[A Fragment of a Past Life emerges.]
What appeared to Jinwoo's closed eyes was the image of a small dwarf who loved to play with toy soldiers.