Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: God's Territory
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The dead ones were presumed to be the guards who had tried to stop Lenox.
Those with white hair and blue eyes appeared to have fewer injuries, but whether they were unconscious or worse, none of them stirred. Some survivors who were still conscious trembled helplessly.
Gulp.
I swallowed without realizing it.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, I drew the sword I had stowed away when I shattered the shield.
An overwhelming pressure, different from facing the error codes, crushed my entire body and set off alarms in my mind.
His red eyes gleamed with madness, radiating a dangerous and grotesque aura.
Was that really Lenox?
From what I remembered, Lenox was from the divine race, so he should have white hair and blue eyes.
As if responding to my thoughts, a notification window appeared before me.
『The Central Republic's god 'Lenox (Abnormal Status)' has appeared.』
『If you succeed in stopping Lenox's rampage, a new countdown will begin. When the countdown ends, the territory system's takeover will be fully terminated.』
It was Lenox.
The red eyes must be due to his abnormal status, I thought—right then, Lenox's gaze suddenly flashed intensely.
『Warning!』
『The field's master, Lenox, is strengthening his field dominance over this area.』
『Lenox, who possesses high faith in this channel, exerts strong dominance, extremely suppressing neural power for everyone except the field master.』
Thud.
“!”
It felt like something unknown was crushing me down hard.
One of the white-haired survivors, who had been trembling, lifted his head toward the empty air, then suddenly screamed at me in a fit of frenzy.
“Dodge!!”
In an instant, Lenox vanished, reappearing before me like smoke.
Whoosh.
I sensed his presence and hurriedly raised my shield while lifting my sword to block, but the neural power I had been using as effortlessly as breathing now moved unbelievably slowly.
The moment I felt chills as I detected the pathetic output.
Kwa—bang!!
Lenox's fist broke through the shield and slammed into my chest.
“Keok!”
My vision shook violently from a single blow, my body flying helplessly backward, splattering blood across the marble floor of the long corridor.
Splash—
“Kaisha-nim!!”
Abyss and Helcannon called out to me simultaneously as they charged at Lenox.
Instead of engaging them, Lenox teleported back, his red eyes glaring sharply at me.
As if he clearly recognized me as their leader.
I hastily steadied my stance and checked my status window—my health had dropped by a full third.
Crazy.
If I took a three-combo without even time to heal, that would be it.
My organs churned from the single hit, bones damaged as proven by the dull heat spreading inside and out from my chest, blood soon pouring from my mouth.
“Cough! Kugh….”
I immediately chugged a health potion and gathered my wits.
Abyss cast a skill and swung his sword as he rushed in, but Lenox dodged effortlessly, toying with Midgard's fastest assassin.
Helcannon, glancing between me and the battlefield, finally rushed to my side.
“Kaisha-nim! Are you alright?!”
“…I'm fine.”
I wasn't, really.
As I raised my neural power to assess my condition, Lenox's eerie eyes flashed toward me.
『The field's master, Lenox, is strengthening his field dominance over this area.』
Once more, an immense pressure descended.
Thud.
“Krgh!”
A groan escaped me.
Like sudden gravity making my whole body heavy, the neural power that moved like my own limbs was crushed by a heavy force.
For some reason, that bastard was extremely wary of me.
He was a 'god' of this world.
Beyond neural power, perhaps it was because of the faith I had gained in this land.
I had roughly figured it out since the system kept mentioning faith and divinity—it seemed to have a significant impact on neural power and more.
I immediately warned Helcannon.
“Be careful. If the hunters die, they return to reality, so maybe the heroes do the same.”
Better safe than sorry.
I couldn't even imagine Helcannon dying.
According to guild members whose bound heroes died in combat in this channel, resummoning the deceased hero brings this message.
'The bound hero who died in this channel cannot be resummoned.'
It wasn't total death but a return to Midgard—we could hope—but the real outcome would only be known after getting home, so caution was key.
Just then, Lenox suddenly pierced Abyss's abdomen with his hand.
“Abyss!”
Even as Abyss swung his sword and cast a skill, Lenox withdrew his hand and leaped back, erecting a barrier.
Kwa—bang!
Huff, huff.
The skill Abyss had cast formed a black orb that debuffed agility across the enemy forces in the area.
Clutching his abdomen, Abyss quickly used a potion and charged again.
But Lenox looked at me.
He vanished in a flash.
“!”
I shoved Helcannon aside and, from my awkward spot in the middle of the corridor, cast Lightning Step to retreat far back.
The moment Lenox reappeared, he lunged at me.
Thud.
“!!”
The pressure suppressing neural power.
I had seen 'field master' when fighting an incarnated constellation in reality, but it hadn't felt this ridiculously overwhelming.
Because Lenox was the master of this domain and a god of this world.
Shwap.
Dodging the attack, I moved behind Lenox, but he turned to face me.
Bang!
[Divine Dignity]
I sensory-cast the skill used to suppress NPCs in Midgard, unleashing a circular green effect centered on me with fierce winds.
Whoooosh—
But instead of being overwhelmed, Lenox narrowed his eyes and glared at me.
Lenox spoke.
“…So, you are a god as well.”
In this dire situation, his voice oozed an utterly unnecessary charm.
A message appeared before me.
[2nd Awakening Progress 7%]
[Your divinity is insufficient to suppress the opponent.]
Same as with the error codes.
What the hell was divinity, anyway? Just passive specs? Couldn't I influence the neural field somehow?
At that moment, the European Union guys appeared from the far end of the corridor.
“Queen!”
I suddenly called out warmly as if greeting an old friend, and Queen, charging from that side, looked at me in confusion.
I shouted next.
“That guy's Lenox!”
“!”
Queen flinched at my words and unleashed skills at Lenox mid-charge with her guildmates, but just before they activated, the familiar warning appeared.
『Warning!』
『The field's master, Lenox, is strengthening his field dominance over this area.』
『Lenox, who possesses high faith in this channel, exerts strong dominance, extremely suppressing neural power for everyone except the field master.』
Kwa-bang!!
Unfortunately, with neural power suppressed, Queen's output plummeted too.
“Wh-what is this?!”
“My skill output is off!”
“Watch out! Neural power is being suppressed!”
Shocked by the situation, Queen and the other hunters panicked in alarm.
Skills had base damage, sure, but extra output relied entirely on neural power. Without it, even the strongest hunters were crippled….
Hold on.
If skill output drops, couldn't I just use physical strength from my Might stat to attack?
I quietly opened my character status, pouring all the stats from my max-level build—used against the error codes—into Might.
I had half in Intellect just in case, and good thing I did.
“Help me….”
Helcannon, who had just approached, and I turned our heads simultaneously.
Some had regained consciousness and fled from Lenox, but the unconscious or severely injured couldn't.
A woman with white hair and blue eyes bled from her stomach.
Fortunately, no broken limbs, so if she stayed alert, she could escape.
Glancing at Lenox, he was busy fending off the Europeans.
I told Helcannon.
“Keep watch for a sec.”
“Yes.”
Leaving Helcannon on guard, I went to the woman, registered her and the other still-living survivors as allies, then cast an area heal.
Whoom.
Thankfully, it worked.
“Run, quick.”
The survivors from this disaster were mostly white-haired, blue-eyed people treated as 'God's bloodline' in the Central region.
Healed in an instant, they marveled and hoisted the unconscious ones onto their backs.
Same white hair and blue eyes suggested family ties.
As Helcannon and I watched warily for Lenox while the survivors fled, the woman who had called me while bleeding stood and spoke to me.
“D-don't kill Lenox! You have to stop the annihilation program. If not, everyone dies.”
“What do you—”
“Only Lenox can fully control the central control room. So don't kill him. Save the people out there. If Lenox dies, we're all finished!”
It was an absurd request.
How the hell were we supposed to spare a monster this tough?
I had just dumped everything into Might to rip out his throat or pierce his heart.
The woman pleaded again.
“That bastard activated a self-destruct program across the entire country! Lenox has to stop it himself!”
“…I'll, I'll try.”
She knew it was tough, so she didn't press further.
“Sob. I never thought it'd come to this. It's all my fault. I… I let Lea die….”
I was about to tell her to get going when I paused.
Lea?
Did she know her from the same clan?
“I don't know your relation to Lea, but you don't need to feel guilty. Lea just got unlucky and died because of some psycho.”
“!”
Her eyes widened at my words.
A white-haired man from the same clan watched us, then grabbed her to hurry away.
“Let's go.”
“Y-you know Lea? Wait?”
“Cerebia, hurry. This isn't the time.”
“Kaisha-nim!”
At Helcannon's shout, I turned to see Lenox charging at me and raised my sword.
Clang—!!
Bang!
I was pushed back until my back hit the wall, our swords clashing.
“Kgh!”
I didn't remember him holding a sword moments ago—where did he suddenly get it?
Helcannon attacked, but he dodged and lunged back at the same spot.
Bang! Kwa-bang!
I learned one thing.
Stronger dominance over neural power meant it worked in defense too.
This Lenox wasn't just suppressing my neural power to weaken skills—he was snuffing them out right before they hit him.
I swiped through my skill window while swinging my sword, then sensory-cast a skill on my foot and kicked him hard.
Bang!
Splash!!
“!”
Startled, Lenox's eyes widened as he was sent skidding down the corridor.
Physical force worked best, huh.
While I evacuated people, the European hunters—nearly thirty strong behind Lenox—had been reduced by more than half, survivors smashed into the corridor's end.
In the nerve-wracking tension, as I turned to Lenox, he spoke.
“God's Territory.”
Thud!