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Chapter 310 – Rome is Burning

They tried to stop it.

They tried to use the information gathered from Marchetti to prevent this situation, but Go Hyung-Chul couldn’t capture the Vatican players Marchetti had mentioned. Now that everyone knew Gi-Gyu was here in Italy, their enemies were spending more effort to stay hidden.

-I’m sorry, but I failed. For now, I’ll join you.

Go Hyung-Chul telepathically communicated to Gi-Gyu.

They didn’t even have to torture Marchetti to get the information, most likely because El had been in the room. He had stated, “The one who awarded us God’s Tears visits us regularly.”

They had hoped to gain useful information, but most of the things Marchetti had told them were useless. It appeared that Marchetti and others were completely dependent on this figure and believed being chosen by that figure was an honor.

“But there is a secret group. An old member of Argus…”

The figures these men worshiped had chosen a select few to serve him. According to Marchetti, one of the chosen was an ex-Argus member. He had hoped to enter the inner circle of the blessed individuals with the help of this ex-Argus member. But before Marchetti could, Gi-Gyu, Alberto, and Go Hyung-Chul had captured him.

However, Marchetti had been having a difficult time contacting these men before he was even captured. Gi-Gyu had destroyed Marchetti’s feather so his enemy couldn’t figure out his location, but it turned out that he had made a mistake. This feather was the only way for them to communicate and prove their identity.

In the end, Alberto announced, “I need to leave to deal with this situation outside.”

Looking at Gi-Gyu, Alberto continued, “I know I have no right to ask for your help. I realize that you are not obligated to help.”

Looking defeated, Alberto asked Gi-Gyu, “But still… Will you help Rome?”

Boom.

From outside, they could hear deafening explosions, blazing fires, and desperate human screams. But they still hadn’t gone out for a reason.

Alberto added, “There are too many enemies outside. If you don’t help us…The Caravan Guild will destroy Italy and maybe even achieve world domination.”

If this continued, the Vatican would get what it wanted.

“Don’t worry.” Gi-Gyu smiled to reassure Alberto. “We…”

Gi-Gyu raised his hand, and a blue gate appeared in front of him. Gi-Gyu continued, “Eden will help Italy.”

A series of similarly-serious voices followed Gi-Gyu’s determined voice.

-We’re ready.

Gi-Gyu’s creatures had already received his message and were ready for a battle.

“Lou, you need to save the citizens. I’ll open the door completely soon,” Gi-Gyu said to Lou, who was inside the gate.

“Thank you.” Alberto bowed and left the room. For a while, he would be the busiest man in Italy.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed and closed the gate. They were in a hotel near the Colosseum. Since they had already made the necessary preparations, he was sure their immediate surroundings weren’t in any danger. However, he could hear explosions and screams from not too far away, so he couldn’t even imagine the death toll not too far away.

On top of this, Gi-Gyu was worried about something else too.

‘Michael, are you all right?’?thought Gi-Gyu. Since the day they had captured Marchetti, Gi-Gyu hadn’t felt the thump in his chest or heard Michael’s cry for help.

***

Alberto walked in a dark tunnel, and when he arrived at its end, he could hear and see countless people.

“Hurry!”

“Ask for reinforcement from all the available guilds! Contact the European Players Association too!”

“What’s the damage?! Tell me!”

Players around him screamed at one another to get the situation under control.

“Haha…” Alberto laughed bitterly. He was supposed to be the busiest of them all, but he seemed defeated. There was no will in his eyes, and he wasn’t making much of an effort. It looked like he had given up.

The other players ran around him, asking him for his orders at the top of their voices, but he simply told them to follow the manual. This was different from how Alberto usually acted. In fact, he hadn’t been seen much in public lately. Also, rumors had it that he was about to be fired. Apparently, the government and some influential figures were unhappy with his recent behavior.

Alberto had never been the obedient type. But considering what had happened in the Colosseum and how he had helped Morningstar enter Italy without following the proper channels, it was no wonder Alberto had lost the government and the powerful figures’ support.

“All right,” the other players replied when Alberto refused to give proper orders. After a few minutes, no one even bothered to ask him for help.

‘I guess they can work fine without me.’?Alberto smiled bitterly and turned around to return to the dark tunnel. As he walked, the players’ voices gradually became quiet.

“The Tails Guild and the Salmon Guild have already sent out their players to rescue the non-players!”

“All the other guilds are doing the same thing.”

It was as if they had been preparing for this. The largest guilds of Italy were moving accordingly as if they had anticipated what was happening.

“The battle has begun!” one of the players yelled.

All the famous players, who weren’t already dispatched to close the gates, also got involved. The players, notorious for not getting involved unless necessary, had appeared out of the blue even before their help was requested or ordered.

‘Just as I suspected…’?It reminded Alberto just how useless he was in this situation. He didn’t know about the players around him, but the famous guilds and the powerful players chose to help quickly because of one person.

‘He’s indeed someone very powerful.’?Alberto was in awe of Morningstar once again. Gi-Gyu had seemingly befriended some important players when they were dispatched to Korea, China, and Eden. Many were high-rankers, and some had significant authority in their respective countries. It appeared that Gi-Gyu had predicted this situation in Italy early on and had informed them of it. This was why they had come prepared to help.

Creak.

Alberto opened a rusted metal door located deep inside the tunnel. To others, this place might look like an old, unused storage room, but Alberto had to work very hard to create this secretly.

“Branch Manager… Is that you…?” a dying voice asked.

“Marchetti,” Alberto mumbled and walked up to the former member of Argus, who Gi-Gyu had captured for being a middleman dealing God’s Tears.

A small lamp light shone on Marchetti, who looked thin like a mummy. He replied, “I don’t think I will last much longer…”

Alberto couldn’t say anything, knowing Marchetti was correct.

Those who had used Marchetti made sure he wouldn’t survive long. He was still alive only because Gi-Gyu had prolonged his life. Marchetti should have died long ago because he was also addicted to God’s Tears.

“I’m sorry…,” Marchetti apologized.

“...”

“I lost my entire family, and I… the promise of bringing them back meant…”

“I know. It was the only reason why you worked for them. It was the only thing you ever wanted,” Alberto whispered.

To Marchetti, they had seemed like God. They had promised to resurrect his family, and he believed them because they had done something similar in the past.

“I’m sorry…” Marchetti closed his eyes.

“You had a hard life,” Alberto murmured. He could no longer hear Marchetti’s breathing and told himself that this was his fault.

It was his fault that Marchetti’s family had died and Marchetti ended up being used like this.

‘I’m sorry I made you die with so many regrets.’?Alberto blamed himself for everything.

“Haa…” Alberto sighed and turned away from Marchetti’s corpse. There was a reason why he had been acting so defeated and refused to do much.

‘I’m going to end this.’?Alberto was saving his energy for later when he would have to give up everything he had. Alberto planned on using all of his power. He would spend himself to save Rome, which was now the city of death.

‘And I will die full of regrets just like Marchetti…’

***

It wasn’t just Marchetti who was sprawled like a corpse. Michael was in a very similar state.

“Michael, you’ve lasted much longer than I expected,” the pope sneered.

Michael’s voice cracked as he whispered the pope’s name, “Gabriel…”

A wide smile appeared on the pope’s lips, making Michael’s eyes waver nervously. Michael didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger now.

“You can’t even use your powerful body properly anymore. How pathetic. I’ll take it from you now.” The pope’s smile deepened as he got closer to Michael. His fingers twitched as he placed them on Michael’s forehead.

“It’s time. That filthy, disgusting Andras failed, but I won’t,” the pope promised. “You\'re still fighting me. This is meant to be, so why are you fighting so hard?”

Michael shuddered uncontrollably. The pope pressed harder on Michael’s forehead and muttered, “Is this all because of that damn Morningstar…?”

With deep regret on his face, the pope whispered, “I sent you to him so I could learn more about him. But things worked out very differently instead.”

Still pressing on Michael’s forehead, the pope continued, “I made a mistake. And now, I am forced to hurry because of him.”

Just then, the pope’s hand turned red as if it were burnt.

“Ugh!” The pope removed his hand hurriedly, but it remained bright red. The pope wasn’t human, so nothing ordinary could burn him.

“That damn boy is interfering again.” The pope grunted.

This time, it was Michael who smirked.

“This is your last chance. Next time, I will take your body even if it means I must destroy it. Consider it a true blessing, and accept me next time.” In the end, the pope left.

The pope failed to steal Michael’s body again today.

“I guess you’re really trying to help me…” Michael whispered. He had been able to burn the pope’s hand because he had access to a part of Gi-Gyu’s powers. Micheal had seemingly formed a connection to Gi-Gyu by sharing the holy grail, which had been strengthened recently. The power was like acid to the pope, which was why he had given up for the day.

But Michael knew such a trick would only delay the inevitable. Soon, the pope would achieve what he had set out to do.

‘Please help…’?He knew there wasn’t much time left. He needed Gi-Gyu to rescue him before it was too late. However, he had just recently realized that praying was no longer working. It was as if his shell was blocked now, and he wouldn’t make it at this rate.

“Haa…” Michael’s deep sigh filled the room.

‘Did it already begin?’?The pope had said that it was time, which meant that things must be unfolding now.

Michael had only recently discovered the pope’s plan, which was why he could warn Gi-Gyu.

‘The purification has begun. The purification by fire…’

***

The fire burned. Once the turmoil began, it refused to calm down. It almost looked like several gate breaks had occurred in Rome. It wasn’t as bad as when the giant monster had appeared in the Colosseum, but panic still filled the city.

Thankfully, the guilds and the association had moved quickly, so the death toll wasn’t high.

‘For now, anyway…,’?Gi-Gyu thought. According to Marchetti, the current situation wasn’t the final step of their enemy’s plan—it was the first.

“He called it a purification…” Gi-Gyu mumbled. Marchetti had explained that those who denied god were to be purified, beginning in Rome. It was a way to restore faith.

The purification by fire would continue until all was burnt to the ground or until someone stopped it.

“Are you ready?” Alberto asked.

“I’m always ready,” replied Gi-Gyu. They were standing in the middle of the Colosseum, where non-players weren’t allowed to enter.

“Master.”

“I think we can begin now.”

Both El and Go Hyung-Chul were present as well.

‘Let’s get started…’?Gi-Gyu raised both hands and announced, “I’m going to put Rome to sleep.”

He planned to drag the Vatican out into the open. If it didn’t come out, Gi-Gyu would rip everything apart to find it.

“Open,” Gi-Gyu ordered. Today, Rome was burning like a nightmare. Above the Colosseum, a giant blue gate opened.

Whir.

“I guess this was the beginning of a new legend,” Alberto mumbled.