Chapter 490: A Sudden All-Out War
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 490: A Sudden All-Out War
“How unexpected.”
Ratga’s decision to engage in an all-out war was quite surprising. The Blood Dagger Clan’s battle information room had no standardized combat manual. It simply recorded past battles. This was to prevent rigid, uniform thinking. But if, for the sake of argument, there had been a manual, it would have undoubtedly instructed him to preserve his forces in such a situation.
I’m sure Jang Ye Ri would have taught him the same.
But Ratga chose to fight back. Instead of ambiguously preserving his troops, he took a gamble. I couldn’t tell if this would turn out to be a positive or negative development, but the situation itself was incredibly interesting.
It was the complete opposite of what I’d expected—a battle of wits and numbers. I never imagined the children would be the first to make such a choice.
The clan members, too, were running wild with joy, befitting the name of a festival. They must have been getting bored.
The only ones who looked anxious were, as expected, the mothers, and perhaps Lee Wanyong, who would have to deal with the fallout of his ruined plans.
“Why… I was certain he would choose to aim for the late game…”
Jang Ye Ri fiddled with her severed horn, her anxiety showing as she quietly watched the situation unfold.
“Not bad. She’s doing well.”
Jung Hayeon stared at her daughter, as if determined not to miss a single moment.
“Please! Please! Please! Please! Oh, Savior?! Please! Please!”
Mev had her eyes squeezed shut, rubbing her hands together and praying to someone, just like Baek Ahyeon.
It seemed she had forgotten that the savior in question was standing right next to her.
Each of them had a distinctly different way of watching the final moments.
Of course, the same was true for the children who had created this situation.
Giant flames and spells rained down, while divine power poured continuously over those holding shields. Sacred defensive magic blocked the spells, and elite Orc swordsmen clashed their blades. Their movements were so coordinated they looked like they were in a training drill.
But the desire to prove their superiority was real.
The Wolf Riders maneuvered their forces to escape the effects of the magic, while the elite shamans, led by Choi Eunju, moved from place to place to keep them in check. The imposing sight of the Wolf Riders moving as a single unit was so impressive it was hard to believe they hadn't even had their coming-of-age ceremony yet.
Gark, who was supposed to be marking Choi Eunju, was tied down by Hark, while Orbo of the Shield was fending off the attacks of the Goblin Three Sisters.
It was a melee of epic proportions. Lapura’s side was disrupting Ratga’s formation as he desperately tried to maintain it; they were even using the Minotaurs as shields to block the incoming magic.
From a spectator’s point of view, it was dizzying. But what mattered was that they all looked like they were having fun.
“She’s flying! Flying!”
“After Orbo of the Shield! It’s Gark-oppa!”
“But Hark-oppa is fighting him?!”
“Go down already!”
“Orbo is as tough as ever!”
“Tough Orbo is so cool!”
The sight of three tiny goblins circling and pressuring a massive Minotaur was not something you could see just anywhere. Of course, Orbo of the Shield stood his ground as if he had taken root.
“Did your body get stiff in the training camp?”
“W-What? What did you just say?”
“I’ll… I’ll show you now! I’ll defeat Orbo!”
“Let’s go!”
“Flying!”
Their unique ability, Blade Storm, which could only be used when the three were together, activated, and the warriors caught in its vicinity were forced to retire.
- Eliminated.
- Hey, you can’t move! You’re eliminated!
Isaac was controlling the situation. The faces of those leaving the battlefield were crumpled in frustration. It was clear they didn’t want to leave. I felt the same way; I wanted to be out there with them. All battles are fun, but the most entertaining was the duel between Gark and Hark.
Gark’s swordsmanship was extraordinary, parrying his younger brother’s four swords with just one of his own.
“Hmph!”
“Not bad.”
“Hark is stronger!”
“This is fun.”
“Why does only Gark get to stick by Blood Dagger’s side? That’s not fair!”
“I am a subleader! It’s only natural!”
Now that I looked closer, it seemed there were some personal feelings involved. Hark was pressing Gark, even using his unique ability to split his body in two, but Gark still had a relaxed expression. I could tell from the way he kept glancing over at Choi Eunju. Of course, Gark’s behavior was more than enough to get on Hark’s nerves, and as his brother’s blades grew sharper, Gark could no longer afford to be distracted.
A surprisingly interesting fight was Baek Ahyeon holding her own against Choi Eunju’s magic. Though they weren’t noticeably close, they had a certain respect for each other, and their battle was a nail-biter. If this had been a real fight, I think Choi Eunju would have won, but under the rule that you weren’t eliminated as long as you had life beads, the endless stream of troops from Baek Ahyeon’s side must have been a thorn in her side.
If one side could use the rules, so could the other. Choi Eunju, along with Lapura, began to approach Ratga. She was trying to put an end to this endless battle. She wouldn’t help capture Ratga herself, but just getting Lapura in front of him would be a huge advantage. Choi Eunju’s magic was exceptional as she eliminated the Pagans trying to block their path.
“Elder Mother. Thank you.”
Everyone knew that only a king could capture a king.
As the spectacular battle continued, the sight of Lapura staring down Ratga was incredibly amusing.
As she chanted, giant roots began to appear. The shamans and mages hid behind the massive roots that now covered the battlefield, and the elite Orc swordsmen also began to use the terrain to their advantage.
It was just like the Blood Dagger Clan of the past. No, this was on a much larger scale.
“…”
“…”
“Hah…”
The executives were all captivated. Nothing more needed to be said.
This wasn’t the Demonic Tree she had shown before. But the way she controlled plants on a scale similar to Jung Hayeon was certainly not something a child should be capable of.
“No way…”
“She has truly inherited Blood Dagger’s bloodline!”
I had expected to hear that today. Friend and foe alike stared in awe at the sprouting roots. If you were to ask who was putting on the best performance on the battlefield right now, the answer was already clear.
“I am the victor. Sorry, brother.”
“Hmm…”
When the massive roots surged toward Ratga without warning, Jung Hayeon nodded. What was interesting was Jang Ye Ri’s expression; the way her lips curled into a smile was quite impressive. Of course, the reason for her composure was revealed only a moment later.
Swish.
The roots were sliced, their cross-sections perfectly clean.
A weapon that cut through space itself had made its appearance.
“The Reaper’s Scythe.”
“There was no rule against lending a weapon. Is that not so?”
“…”
He was making up for his lacking stats with the power of his equipment.
“Hmph.”
“Tae-Taesung, that’s…”
I never imagined he would bring the Reaper’s Scythe. Jung Hayeon looked at me as if to ask if it was cheating, but it couldn’t be considered a violation of the rules. For one, we hadn’t announced any such rule, and besides, wielding a weapon is also a part of one’s skill.
“There’s no problem.”
In fact, it wasn’t just the Reaper’s Scythe.
“Aegis!”
A fragment of the Aegis shield, said to be able to block any attack. It was the same as the one I had. The boots he was wearing also seemed to be decent equipment.
He was being carried by his gear.
For some reason, it felt like I was looking at my past self. It was hard to believe this was a fight between children. The Reaper’s Scythe that sliced through the giant plant stems was one thing, but Ratga’s mana, which allowed him to control and maintain it, was also solid.
The first to block the roots assailing him from all sides was Nicole’s sorcery, but it quickly gave way.
Ratga, rolling and moving through the air, was also anticipating how the attacks would come.
‘Talent…’
Unlike me, my children were talented. Among them, Ratga had a good eye.
Time was probably moving in slow motion for him. I could tell just by watching his movements.
“Troops, regroup! Don’t falter! If we hold on, we win!” he shouted to his forces, uncharacteristically dodging attacks. He was aware that the only thing he could do was buy time. He knew full well that he couldn’t handle Lapura on his own.
“Uwoooooooh!”
“Push them back!”
“Hold the line!”
“Help Ratga! Elite Orc swordsmen, push back the goblin battalion quickly!”
“Take the magic! Don’t let anyone else get eliminated! Fight back! Grrrrr!”
Responding to his call, Ratga’s camp burst into action.
The number of times they allowed the roots to hit them increased, and their life beads were being chipped away, but they still had some leeway.
“Ratga!”
“Nicole!”
Their chemistry was much better than I thought. With the relatively less mobile Nicole in one arm, Ratga used her sorcery to deal with Lapura’s roots. What Ratga couldn’t handle, Nicole did. Attacks that were too much for Nicole, they blocked together.
I hadn’t really thought they suited each other, but seeing them now, I felt like I understood why Jang Ye Ri had chosen Nicole as Ratga’s partner.
Ratga’s body, too, was glowing with tattoos, like Kim Yoora—no, like me. His skin color was different, but he now sported slightly larger horns as he ran across the battlefield.
If I had been around Ratga’s age, I probably would have looked just like that.
“He is like you.”
“…”
“Is he not like you? That is your image.”
A son’s desperate fight.
I might have been lost in sentiment. Perhaps one could even call it an overabundance of emotion.
Even to me, the sight of Jang Ye Ri with tears welling in her eyes was quite unexpected. As if choked up, she tried to say something more but then firmly shut her mouth.
“Gh… ugh…”
But it seemed she couldn’t hold back the choked sounds that escaped her. She looked just like any other mother.
At first, Jang Ye Ri probably hadn’t understood why her son had made such a foolish choice—why, despite the high probability of defeat, he had stood his ground, unwavering, to protect what was his.
“Elite Orc swordsmen, don’t worry about us! Focus on reforming the line! Priests, provide support!”
“Push them back!”
“Push!”
“Raise your shields! Do not show a shameful display!”
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Indeed, Jang Ye Ri hadn’t understood. She had frowned when Ratga chose to remain, and she had watched with clear disapproval as he regrouped his forces.
She had muttered, ‘Why,’ and had said that she would have made a different choice.
But now, she understood and accepted it.
She was feeling it herself. Although the outcome might not be good, seeing those who followed Ratga, she must have realized that her son had made the right choice.
“Nicole!”
“Kyaaaaaak! Ratga!”
She understood her son, who, upon the shattering of his life bead, cried out in frustration, slamming his fist on the ground through his tears.
In a way, it was perfectly natural. He had held on well in the beginning. His use of various items wasn’t bad, and in fact, the process itself hadn’t looked bad either. The cause of his defeat was a lack of mana. Even if he hadn’t run out, I couldn’t easily guarantee that Ratga would have won, but it was simply too much for him to handle Lapura, who possessed exceptional racial stats. He was the first to be eliminated.
Jang Ye Ri took a deep breath and then muttered.
“That was not a bad showing. Is it not so? How can one call that the image of a defeated man?”
“Indeed.”
“A loser receives no applause. My son may have lost, but he cannot be called a loser.”
“Of course…”
Naturally, there was no lie in Jang Ye Ri’s words.
She wasn’t frustrated like before; instead, she seemed somewhat relieved.
“It is a good day.”