Chapter 182
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Rebellion, Counterattack - 3
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At that moment, on Mount Otris, the Allied Human Forces, while striking two of the 'Giant Fortresses' simultaneously, found themselves facing a counterattack.
"Something's coming from the eleven o’clock direction!"
At a sentry's cry, the Player mages preparing wide-area attack magic stopped their casting and looked up.
In that instant, something massive slammed down among the Players, sending a plume of dirt flying.
"Gasp!"
It was a titanic spear, and thankfully, no one was directly hit by it, but...
"Damn it, switch the cast to a magic barrier—"
BOOM—!
About two seconds later, a mana explosion erupted around the spear, and a torrent of blue energy ripped through the area.
The Players caught within the blast were tossed into the air like leaves in a gale, and desperate screams for healers echoed from all directions.
And…
"Uh oh… more are coming! Evade!"
Like a missile barrage, titanic spears filled the sky, arcing through the air and raining down mercilessly upon the Allied Human Forces' lines.
THWUMP— THWUMP— THWUMP— THWUMP—!
"Damn it, weren't they unable to attack?"
"I guess we were just mistaken. Ugh— Move!"
Thus, it was proven that the Titans also possessed weapons capable of crossing a distance of over three kilometers.
The reason they hadn't used them until now was unknown, but it seemed they had now decided to attack.
That was not a good sign.
"Dammit! Stop panicking and prepare a large-scale magic barrier, now!"
The Player mages quickly combined their power to form a dome-shaped magic barrier.
THUD— THUD— THUD— THUD—
The titanic spears were deflected by the dome, but with each impact, fine cracks appeared, making the situation precarious.
"How long can we hold out like this?"
"...It will last for four minutes."
At those words, sighs of despair escaped from all around.
"What? O-Only four minutes?"
"Fuck, their magic barrier doesn't break even if we hit it all day. This is totally unfair!"
After four minutes, they would once again be exposed to the barrage of spears. At this rate… they would have no choice but to retreat.
"That man, Alain Giam, was right…"
"Yeah, this was a meaningless operation after all, wasn't it?"
It would have been strange not to feel pessimistic in this situation.
"Hah— in a situation like this, where the hell is Steelain and what is he doing?"
"...You don't think he ran away alone?"
Steelain, a name they had called out for so desperately just hours ago, had now become an object of resentment.
And to make matters worse, the javelins falling from above were not the only things targeting them.
Rumble….
"Whoa— why is the ground suddenly moving?"
CRACK—
The nearby ground heaved, then was instantly overturned as green vines erupted like geysers.
"W-What is that?"
"...It's a plant?"
The Green Wave. Few knew of its existence, so their response was inevitably slow.
In other words, they were completely helpless.
"Ugh!"
"Argh!"
In the blink of an eye, dozens of people were ensnared by the Green Wave and dragged into the mass of vines.
What happened to them afterward couldn't be seen, but horrifying screams erupted.
Gulp— Gulp—
A moment later, when the vines, now soaked in red, crawled back out, one could roughly guess their fate.
"Eek! Don't get near those tentacles!"
"W-What is this situation now!"
From above, a bombardment of spears dozens of meters long rained down, and from below, carnivorous vines of immeasurable size sprouted.
At this rate, it seemed it would be difficult to even avoid annihilation, let alone capture the 'Victory Flag' within the time limit.
"—Commander, we won't last much longer!"
The ROK A.M.T's Vice Commander, Colonel Kim Kang-seok, shouted.
Hearing this, the Commander, Lieutenant General Choi Jeong-cheol, pressed a hand to his forehead with a pained expression.
"This is quite the dilemma. Colonel Kim, do you think I should use Semi-Armageddon now?"
The ultimate spell of Archmage Choi Jeong-cheol, 'Semi-Armageddon,' had a cooldown of a full 24 hours.
Lee Hyun-wook had told him to save it before disappearing somewhere, so he had intended not to use it until he returned.
However, 14 hours had already passed since his disappearance, and there was still no word from him.
"In my opinion, those green tentacles are below ground, so no matter how strong the attack, it won't be able to deal a full blow."
"Hmm, that's true. To stop them… neutralizing the spellcasters is the answer, but that's impossible with just Semi-Armageddon."
In other words, even using Semi-Armageddon wouldn't resolve the current crisis.
As the Allied Human Forces were pushed into a corner, deserters began to emerge from their ranks.
"—Damn it, we're finished! Let's get out of here!"
Some players began to escape by opening short-range portals.
This was a form of desertion, but since the Allied Human Forces had an ambiguous chain of command to begin with, there was no one with the authority to stop them.
Those who hadn't yet left the encampment gathered in one place, using fire magic to block the advance of the Green Wave.
But they were literally just 'blocking' it, and the encirclement was gradually tightening, increasing the number of casualties.
"The magic barrier is about to break, too!"
At this rate, no one could deny that hundreds of elite Players would be slaughtered without being able to do a thing.
"Tsk— Colonel Kim, this is no good…"
Even Commander Choi Jeong-cheol concluded that they couldn't hold out any longer.
"If I forgo Semi-Armageddon and divert all that mana into a teleport, we should all be able to get out."
"Yes, I agree that holding out any longer seems impossible—"
But just then, a small anomaly occurred.
"...Huh? They've stopped!"
Sssshhh…
The Green Wave, the vines that had been surging forward like a furious tide, suddenly went limp like dried seaweed.
"Huh?"
As if someone had flipped a switch, the countless vines stopped moving all at once, and the Players who had been fighting them also froze in place.
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Then, a Player shouted.
"—What are you doing! Now's our chance! Gather all your remaining mana and focus it on the magic barrier!"
"Right, I don't know what's happening, but let's block the spear barrage first!"
Whatever change had occurred, it was an immense relief.
And the reason the Green Wave had suddenly stopped was captured by the recon team's magic drones.
- *Ksshh*— Current observation of the Giant Fortress shows that the dark elf forces have suddenly stopped moving.
"...Stopped moving? What do you mean?"
Commander Choi Jeong-cheol, who received the report, asked.
- Yes, they've suddenly lowered their heads like deactivated robots and are not taking any action. The exact cause is still unknown. What's certain is that they seem to be in a non-combat state.
Though the exact cause couldn't be determined from that scene alone, it was clear that this was why the green vines had stopped.
And…
"Don't you think Lee Hyun-wook had something to do with this?"
"Yes, I think so too."
It was a scene that confirmed he hadn't been idle since disappearing without a clear explanation.
But apart from that, the morale of the Allied Human Forces had hit rock bottom. This was natural, as almost no one knew what kind of operation Lee Hyun-wook was carrying out.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get out of here now!"
"Yeah, there's no way we can win this."
An even greater number of Players deserted the battlefield. As they had gathered voluntarily, they disbanded just as quickly.
And Alain Giam played a part in that dissolution.
He was still appearing on various broadcasts, expressing his opinion that the siege was madness.
Even…
- Ah— Players, this is Alain Giam.
His voice echoed above the heads of the players embroiled in battle.
Looking up, they saw a drone flying with a high-performance magic speaker attached.
- It's not too late! I urge you to escape that hellish scene immediately! That operation was absurd from the start! And Steelain has abandoned you!
"Yeah, I'll admit he's right now!"
"Tch, Steelain, I really believed in him…"
Even the Players who, just this morning, had dismissed Alain Giam's claims as political maneuvering and supported Steelain, couldn't help but feel that his voice was right in the current situation.
Voices calling for a retreat even emerged from within the ROK A.M.T.
"...Sergeant Ahn Min-tae, shouldn't our unit be pulling out too?"
A private asked. Ahn Min-tae, now a non-commissioned officer, shook his head decisively.
"No, don't listen to him."
"But still, the situation now…"
"I've been through situations like this countless times. Trust me, the tables are about to turn."
"Is… is that really true?"
In truth, Ahn Min-tae had no basis for his belief.
But from his experience, he knew that Lee Hyun-wook would not let a situation where his allies were being pushed back continue like this.
And he believed that even if many Players were sacrificed, there would be a good reason for it—that it was all a foundation for a decisive blow.
"...There must be a reason we have to hold our ground here."
- …Everyone, where is Steelain now? If you keep holding on, you won't escape annihilation!
"Damn it, you're not helping, just being noisy…"
He felt like shooting down that noisy magic drone hovering above his head.
But then—
- *Ksshh*— Commander—
A voice came through Choi Jeong-cheol's Mana Messenger.
- The time I spoke of has come.
This voice… was none other than Lee Hyun-wook's.
Choi Jeong-cheol let out an involuntary sigh and raised the Mana Messenger.
"Damn it, phew— for the first time, I feel like giving you a piece of my mind."
- .......
"So, when the hell are you coming?"
At that moment—
- Warning! A wide-area teleport, 'White Hole,' is opening in this region.
Such a system message appeared before the eyes of all Players in the vicinity.
- …Now.
A massive white ring formed in the sky, and the space within the ring warped and shimmered—
CRACK—!
With a deafening boom, the sky opened up, and everyone looked up.
Wooooo—
"...Huh? Who's coming now?"
"Is that… a forest?"
The world visible beyond the White Hole from below was filled only with greenery.
Almost no one recognized it as the 'Green Hell,' the infested region of Berlin.
However, everyone recognized the two giant swords descending from it.
"The one on the left, isn't that Moglay?"
Today, it was the most famous and most powerful greatsword in the world.
Flanked by them, Steelain was slowly descending toward the battlefield.
"—He's here! Steelain, he's finally here!"
Though the Players had been deeply dissatisfied by his absence, they couldn't help but feel a strange sense of anticipation just by his appearance.
But behind him was a massive swarm of bees… and upon closer inspection, they saw dark elves riding them.
This left most of the Players in a state of shock and confusion.
As far as they knew, dark elves were unconditionally enemies.
Then, Steelain's voice, carried by Amplification magic, echoed.
- Ah— I have a message for the dark elves in the Giant Fortress.
The entire battlefield, and the entire world, focused on his voice.
What he said next was truly shocking, something no one had anticipated.
- I am on my way back from conquering your dark elf kingdom.
"What?"
"Is that… even possible?"
The reason he hadn't appeared until now was because he had gone to conquer the dark elf kingdom, and he had succeeded?
It was a statement that was hard to believe, even for his allies.
- This is the proof.
Lee Hyun-wook extended his left hand, and an iron plate moved forward. Bound to it was an armored dark elf.
The Players who didn't know who it was just blinked their eyes, but the dark elves in the Giant Fortress, aside from the 'Vanguard,' were thrown into a state of shock.
Because that dark elf was none other than the boss monster, the 'Grand General.'
Two silver arrows were embedded in his neck, and the 'Spear of Achilles' was lodged near his heart.
In other words, he was dead.
Did this mean he had taken down an enemy general before the battle had even truly begun?
- And you must know that the Vanguard has stopped. In other words, you are finished. However, the royal family, who has reclaimed the throne, asked me to convey a message on their behalf: if you atone now and distinguish yourselves in this war, your crimes will be forgiven.
Lee Hyun-wook spoke gently while sending Hugin to survey the Giant Fortress in detail.
Most of the dark elves there were 'Vanguard,' and would move according to the will of the second prince who currently sat on the throne.
However, a not-insignificant number of dark elves still possessed free will; they were the ones who had followed the 'Grand General.'
'And they're deploying the Item Nullification Net.'
He had to stop that to be able to drop Moglay and neutralize the Giant Fortress's magic barrier in one blow.
Fwoosh—
In the moment Lee Hyun-wook paused, an eerie wind swept across the battlefield.
- So… it would be best for you not to choose to block my attack.
After finishing his words, Lee Hyun-wook thrust his left hand forward, and the 100-ton greatsword, its tip pointing to the ground, began to slowly rise.
Its meaning was clear.
"Colonel Kim, order all troops to prepare for advance!"
At General Choi Jeong-cheol's shout, Kim Kang-seok raised his Mana Messenger, and soon, the scattered ROK A.M.T forces, and indeed all Player forces, raised their weapons with renewed spirit.
Fwooooosh—
Meanwhile, Moglay ascended to a suitable altitude.
And Lee Hyun-wook sensed that the 'Item Nullification Net' had disappeared.
"Go—"
His left hand slammed down, and Moglay began its high-speed descent.
WHOOOOSH—!
Although there hadn't been enough time to raise it to a higher altitude, 'Hani' clung to the greatsword, creating a whirlwind that accelerated it. In just a few seconds, with a sonic boom, it entered the sound barrier and struck the Giant Fortress's defensive barrier like a bolt of lightning.
CRA-A-A-A-ACK—!
The magic barrier of the Giant Fortress, which hadn't broken despite being battered by all sorts of magic for 21 hours, stretched like vinyl before finally collapsing.
SHATTER—!
And now, the Green Wave, controlled by the Vanguard following the will of the second prince, moved in reverse, ensnaring the Giant Fortress. Under its overwhelming pressure, cracks began to form in the fortress walls, each the size of an apartment building.
It then burrowed into the ground and erupted from within the fortress, beginning to bind the limbs of the Titans lined up there.
The creatures struggled and began to resist, but even for Titans, they could not shake off a Green Wave that had been 'cultivated' for 21 hours.
'Good. They're much easier opponents with their legs bound.'
Lee Hyun-wook raised his Mana Messenger.
"Commander Choi, please prepare Semi-Armageddon now. …We’re wiping them out in one fell swoop."
At that moment, the world could only feel awe once more at the name of Steelain.
The Giant Fortress, which hadn't budged despite 21 hours of assault, had fallen within minutes of his arrival—an unbelievable event had occurred.
And so, humanity's counterattack began.