Angels of a Different Breed
Kim Tae-hyun had formed a raid group to hunt down Nitinger! The news spread across Pandemonium Online in an instant. It was only natural, given that everyone was already on edge, watching Nitinger's every move.
The rankers browsing the forums grimaced. Who are they lumping us in with?! They were rankers themselves, but they didn't have the slightest desire to hunt Nitinger right now. A ranker was simply someone with a slightly higher level than average, not a lunatic.
Everyone agreed with that sentiment. They all knew Tae-hyun had cleared ultra-high-difficulty quests time and time again, succeeding even when everyone insisted it was impossible. Yet, this time, it truly felt out of reach! That was how powerful the video of Nitinger obliterating a city had been.
An opponent so terrifying that even Tae-hyun's fans were filled with worry and apprehension! The deeply ingrained belief that dragons were forces of nature to be avoided, not hunted, was not easily shaken. Meanwhile, some people were hoping for something else entirely.
Fans of other teams—especially those scheduled to face Tae-hyun soon—prayed with all their might. Please... please, just die once, Kim Tae-hyun! Honestly, you'd still be ridiculously strong even if you died once!
The Guild Alliance rankers who had rushed over at Alcott's call were taken aback by the staggering number of players gathered. Moreover, this place was...
"W-wait a minute, Alcott. Don't tell me... You didn't..."
"Welcome to the emergency large-scale Legendary Quest. I knew I could count on you guys to show up."
Alcott said his piece and quickly turned around. In situations like this, talking too much was only a disadvantage. Better to say what was needed and make a run for it!
Of course, the Guild Alliance rankers weren't about to fall for such cheap tricks.
Did this crazy bastard just drag us into Kim Tae-hyun's raid group?!
Has he lost his mind?!
And it's not just any raid group—it's a raid to hunt down Nitinger!
They could understand hanging out with Kim Tae-hyun. Honestly, if they had been asked, "Do you want to join Kim Tae-hyun's Legendary Quest?" they probably would have gritted their teeth and thought, Ugh... Curse my weakness! I can't refuse! But this was a Nitinger raid! This wasn't "Do you want to do a Legendary Quest with Kim Tae-hyun?"—this was "Do you want to commit suicide with Kim Tae-hyun?"!
"Hey! Alcott! You jerk! Don't ignore us! Get back here!"
"You bastard, get over here right now! Do you want to die?!"
"Forget it. We can just leave. Let's get out of here, fast. If we get dragged into Nitinger's aggro table..."
As the rankers scrambled to leave, Cain stepped forward to block them.
"??"
"I cannot tolerate anyone who joins the party but refuses to follow orders. Obey the command!"
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
"We haven't even joined the party yet!"
"Get out of the way, you six-armed freak!"
The rankers cursed at Cain, but he didn't even bat an eye. After all, he had a massive crowd backing him up!
"Guys! These jerks are trying to disobey orders!"
"What? Who is it?!"
"How dare they violate the raid rules!"
Rumble—
The massive crowd of players instantly swarmed and surrounded them, sealing off any escape. The Guild Alliance rankers gasped in horror. These weren't just low-level players. They were mostly high-level players, with a significant number of rankers mixed in.
Crazy bastards...!
"What? Did you just call me a six-armed freak?"
"N-no, that was a misunderstanding..."
In the end, the Guild Alliance rankers had no choice but to join the raid, tears streaming down their faces. What is wrong with these people?!
—ROOOOOOOOAR!
Red Dragon Nitinger is casting a spell!
An earthquake is occurring!
Nitinger was still absolutely furious. This was because he had been struck by two grand magic spells! The distant desert empire, the Asbian Empire, was an expert when it came to dragon hunting. Even a dragon as mighty as Nitinger could not easily shrug off the grand magic unleashed by that empire.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
Nitinger moved in his weakened state. Unable to fly, he trampled and destroyed everything in his path!
—Grrrrr...
Nitinger paused. The coastal cities had already been evacuated. Now, he had to make a choice: head north toward the Auston Kingdom, or head south toward the Atali Kingdom.
Nitinger made his choice. He headed toward the Atali Kingdom!
"Damn it."
Tae-hyun, who had led his group from afar, clicked his tongue. In the end, a clash with Nitinger was unavoidable. He closed his eyes and ran his final calculations.
The players are on standby in the rear. With the buffs from the priesthood led by Pelmarne, we can probably manage at least two or three attacks. Anything beyond that is impossible.
Although his raid group was a formidable force composed entirely of high-level players and rankers, Tae-hyun did not overestimate them. Against Nitinger's grand magic, it was impossible to hold out for long without highly specialized skills. This wasn't a gap that could be bridged by raw levels. They might be able to deal some damage, but they would crumble in a single blow!
The artillery units and holy knights are powerful, but unlike players, losing them would be a massive headache. I need to keep them as far back as possible...
"K-Kim Tae-hyun. I'm ready. Just give the word!"
Cain spoke up from beside him. He was clearly trembling with nerves, yet he was desperately trying to put on a cool, brave front! Tae-hyun chuckled.
"Yeah, let's go. Don't worry, Cain. Even if things go south, I'll make sure everyone here gets out alive."
Tae-hyun always prepared for the worst-case scenario. In this situation, the worst-case scenario was a total wipeout of the raid group. To avoid that...
I'll just draw his aggro myself and run like hell toward the Auston Kingdom.
"Here we go! Now, activate!"
Tae-hyun immediately activated his skill. Having used many of his Authority skills during the battle against the demon army, he was in no position to hold back. He had to use everything at his disposal!
"Activate!"
Selecting a random stat...
Luck has been permanently consumed!
A roll of 14! A party-wide speed buff has been applied!
A massive bonus has been granted to all speed-related attributes!
A speed buff at the cost of permanent Luck! The roll had turned out exceptionally well. Now, if only the next skill went just as smoothly...
Thump, thump! Even Tae-hyun couldn't help but feel anxious about this skill. Just how powerful of a force would be summoned?
"Huh? What's this?"
"? Donate experience points?"
"Who in their right mind would donate their hard-earned EXP? Well, I will, but still!"
"Yeah, this skill seems a bit flawed. If everyone acts selfishly, there won't be any experience gathered. Of course, I'm donating mine."
"That's true. I'd better donate mine as well."
It seemed the raid players shared a similar train of thought. However, the key difference between them and Tae-hyun was that they were all thinking, Since everyone else is going to be selfish and refuse, I need to donate mine to help Kim Tae-hyun!
As a result...
A massive amount of experience points has been accumulated!
Summoning Archisus's Army!
Rumble, crash! Boom!
Suddenly, the sky darkened in an instant. The clouds parted, and a brilliant, blinding light began to pour down through the rift.
"W-what? What's going on?"
"I don't know, but something... something massive is happening..."
Ba-ba-ba-ba-bam—!
"???"
Tae-hyun was taken aback by the grand, theatrical fanfare of instruments. Carbanog was equally bewildered.
🐰 Carbanog remarks that any entity entering with such an obnoxiously loud soundtrack is bound to be trouble.
Usually, entities that spawned with such dramatic background music were incredibly high level!
Flash!
And then, Archisus's Army manifested.
The Angels of Archisus descend, blowing the Trumpets of Archisus!
Angels!
Tae-hyun was astonished. Angels of Archisus!
🐰 Carbanog notes that they are at least High-tier Angels or above.
He had encountered the angels of Paitos and the Sadiq Church before, but those had mostly been standard, run-of-the-mill angels. The ones appearing now, however, were high-tier or even superior!
High-tier Angels of Archisus... I didn't even know such things existed.
Tae-hyun was genuinely shocked. Honestly, he had been bracing himself for some useless, low-level mobs to appear...
🐰 Carbanog is utterly dumbfounded, wondering if the adventurers have lost their minds to sacrifice so much experience points...
Hey.
Tae-hyun ignored the rabbit and stared at the descending angels. Since they were high-tier battle angels, they would surely possess six majestic wings, halos of pure light floating above their heads, and a divine, awe-inspiring presence radiating from their entire bodies, right?
Not only Tae-hyun, but the other players were also imagining the same thing. The classic, universally accepted image of an angel!
...However, the Angels of Archisus completely shattered their expectations.
"..."
"..."
For starters, they had three heads and six arms.
"Is... is that an upgraded version of Cain?"
"Shut up..."
Muttered whispers rippled through the crowd. Indeed, "upgraded Cain" was a highly accurate description. Above all, these angels exuded an aura far more terrifying and bloodthirsty than Cain ever could.
They looked less like angels and more like demonic fiends! Their faces were twisted in murderous rage, and their six arms brandished menacing weapons. There were no elegant, feathery wings to be found. Instead, a blazing, ominous aura rolled off their backs.
Aren't those Asuras, not angels?
The legendary three-headed, six-armed monsters—Asuras! Well, technically, Asuras were considered demigods or celestial beings in some mythologies, but still...
🐰 Carbanog points out that since angels are influenced by their master's nature, you shouldn't be too surprised by their appearance.
I mean, sure, but this is way too extreme!
Sadiq's angels looked like normal angels, and Paitos's angels looked like normal angels too...
If anyone saw this, they'd think Archisus was the god of war and mutations!
—Drive the chariots, you worthless wretches!
—Drive the Chariots of Archisus!
"??"
Furthermore, the Angels of Archisus were not riding horses. They rode atop two-wheeled war chariots. That in itself was fine; chariots were a perfectly normal choice of transport. The problem was that the beasts pulling the chariots weren't horses...
They were ferocious, snarling demons. Angels of Archisus, enslaving demons as draft beasts!
"..."
"..."
The entire raid group was struck dumb by the sheer absurdity of the sight. Talk about culture shock! What in the world was that supposed to be?!
Meanwhile, the host of Archisus poured through the rift one by one, charging across the sky before halting directly in front of Tae-hyun.
—O Master! Your humble servants have arrived at your call!
—Give us your command!
—Kieeeeeek!
—Silence, you filthy demon! How dare you make a racket!
An Archisus Battle Angel cracked a whip held in one of its six arms, striking the demon pulling its chariot. A brilliant flash of light and crackling flames erupted as the whip connected.
—Master! Your command!
"R-right. Yes, of course. Commands."
Tae-hyun barely managed to pull his scattered wits back together.