How Dare They Mock Me!

"How dare those bastards mock me!"

Dominic was particularly incensed by the Tyrum Hunters. Where did those shabby-looking fellows, dressed like savages, get the nerve...?

"Go. Show them my absolute majesty!"

"Hehehe... Lord Dominic. I shall handle this. Just sit back and watch."

An ugly, wrinkled old Vampire stepped forward. However, the equipment he wore and the magical power he radiated were nothing short of immense. It was none other than the Archbishop of the Salavian Order!

"Whoa. Isn't that staff...?"

"Wait, is that eye on his left hand...?"

"Crazy, how many legendary items is he wearing all by himself?"

"I thought they were on par with the Sadiq Church at best, but they seem way stronger..."

The players buzzed as they recognized some of the equipment the Archbishop was wearing. Hearing their chatter, Burford cleared his throat.

"Ahem, ahem."

"?"

"Didn't the Sadiq Church also have... a lot of good items? These days, they even summon their Avatar and all..."

"What good items did they have?"

"Who knows? I watched the broadcast of the Kim Tae-hyun subjugation quest, and I don't think they had anything special..."

"I participated in it myself, and they definitely didn't have as much impact as that Vampire."

Burford snapped, raising his voice in frustration.

"That's because Kim Tae-hyun burned and smashed everything, so most of the items were destroyed! Originally, they had plenty of amazing items!"

Thinking about it, he felt a fresh wave of injustice. That bastard Kim Tae-hyun had destroyed their order twice; how could they possibly have any good equipment left?

"Whoa, why are you getting so mad?"

"Even if the Sadiq Church is smaller than the Salavian Church and might lack some items, it's still a great order! They hosted the assassination and subjugation quests that were the hottest topics in Pan-On..."

"Wasn't the subjugation quest more of them getting subjugated rather than hosting it?"

"...And these days, we have Sadiq's Avatar, who is burning down the continent! Don't you dare look down on the Sadiq Church ever again!"

Burford shouted with all his heart. Of course, his sincerity didn't exactly reach the others.

"But showing up only after the church is completely ruined... it just feels like he's running around causing trouble..."

"Yeah. When the Avatar appeared, I thought a Reconstruction Quest or something would pop up, but I guess not? I heard the guys who tried to join the demonic beast army were just killed instantly."

"..."

To everyone else, Burford's words were nothing but nonsense.

Ugh...

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of the Salavian Order began casting his spell.

A massive wave rippled outward from the Archbishop, and the ground began to stain a deep crimson. It was an incredibly vast area of effect, completely blanketing the vicinity of the fortress and the outer walls!

"Rise, my corrupted servants!"

Having laid down his domain, the Archbishop began rapidly firing summoning spells like a madman. With every cast, Vampire warriors poured out in droves. There were low-grade Vampire warriors, of course, but also intermediate and advanced ones, along with all kinds of monstrous beasts belonging to the Salavian Order!

Blood Frenzy! Wild Curse! Swelling Blood!

In an instant, an army of tens of thousands of Vampires began to fill the space before the fortress and the walls.

Gulp.

The players swallowed hard in unison. They had known a boss monster was coming, but seeing such an overwhelming display right before their eyes left few people unfazed.

"Whoa... insane..."

"They call themselves a church, but they can even summon undead? This is no joke. They're practically on par with a Lich."

"They're on a completely different level compared to the Sadiq Church."

There's... really no need to bring up Sadiq right now...

Burford wept inwardly. The Sadiq Church didn't have skills that summoned Vampire warriors on such a massive scale to attack. The Sadiq Church fought with highly trained, individual paladins, demonic beasts granted by Sadiq, and the powerful force of flames!

Every order has its own strengths and weaknesses!

While Burford was crying inside, the attack commenced.

Screeeeeech!

From above and below.

Giant bat-like beasts and the Vampire warriors riding them swooped down from the sky. Other terrestrial beasts and Vampire warriors charged from the ground!

Like a massive red tidal wave, the Vampire army surged forward. Their momentum suggested they would scale the fortress and the walls in the blink of an eye.

"Don't be afraid! Fire! Fire!"

"They'll never make it over!"

However, the players did not lose heart. They had poured far too much effort into their defenses to back down now.

Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!

An insane storm of arrows rained down from the walls and the fortress!

Boom! Crash!

And that wasn't all. The siege engines positioned in the rear continuously hurled massive boulders. They hadn't even used the bombs made by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those lunatics—no, the Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths—and yet the defense was already this formidable!

Under the onslaught pouring from the exquisitely placed fortress and walls, the Vampire army melted away before they could even get close.

"Whoaaaa!"

"Were we always this strong?!"

Even the players themselves were astonished! That was how incredibly powerful the territory's defenses had become.

The only ones that managed to get slightly closer were the flying beasts, but even they couldn't make it onto the walls.

"Ah! The flying ones!"

"Focus on them first!"

The Tyrum Hunters fired their arrows with fire in their eyes. The flying beasts had relatively low health and defense, and they plummeted instantly when their weak spots were targeted.

Crunch!

Although the elite forces of the Salavian Order still remained untouched in the rear, Dominic's face contorted as their ambitiously launched first wave was decimated so easily.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do not worry, Your Majesty. The attack has only just begun."

The Archbishop spoke without a change in expression. True, the opening assault had been utterly crushed, but this was merely the beginning. The forces sent forward were mostly expendable! They could be resurrected and sent to attack as many times as needed.

"Rise, slaves of blood!"

Rumble...

From the crimson-stained earth, the shattered Vampires began to rise once more. An immense number, barely different from before! Seeing this, the players' faces began to turn pale.

O Lord Salabian. Please, I beg of you, inflict the same suffering upon Kim Tae-hyun's territory as I have endured.

Su Ning prayed as he watched the video feed. Although he hadn't joined the order in-game, his heart was entirely sincere.

Please, let that bastard suffer too!

Just thinking about how the borders of the Auston Kingdom were currently being ravaged by demonic beasts made him bolt upright in his sleep.

Currently, it was the Guild Alliance that occupied the Auston Kingdom, but their situation was far from ideal. The southern region had been turned into a complete Plague Wasteland due to the bombs dropped by Kim Tae-san and his Orcs. Meanwhile, the western region was being overrun by Sadiq's demonic beasts, who were running wild with glee.

The Auston royal family NPCs had fled to the northeast, and the royal items required for class advancement had not yet been secured... In such a situation, the thought of Tae-hyun's territory suffering the exact same fate brought him immense satisfaction.

You deserve a taste of your own medicine!

However, the events unfolding in the video were completely contrary to his expectations.

Thwip-thwip-thwip!

"..."

The sheer firepower pouring from the meticulously constructed walls and fortresses! Even accounting for the defensive advantage, the sheer scale of that firepower left him speechless.

If the Guild Alliance had to siege that place?

Crazy...! Just how on earth did they build that? It's a literal iron fortress!

He knew many players had gathered to build it, but he hadn't realized it would be this terrifying. Only an Archbishop of the Salavian Order could keep summoning and attacking like that; if the members of the Guild Alliance had tried, they would have been logged out in droves.

Su Ning felt a cold sweat break out as he fell into deep thought.

The fifth wave.

When even the fifth wave was blocked without any casualties on the defenders' side, a trace of anxiety finally flickered in the Archbishop's eyes. First, they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to deal with the fortresses outside the walls! Those outer fortresses were supporting the already impregnable main walls.

"You must step forward. Deal with those two fortresses on the flanks first. The main wall comes after."

"Yes!"

The elites of the Salavian Order began to move, targeting the flanking fortresses. However, the players inside those fortresses had grown complacent after successfully blocking five consecutive waves without taking any damage.

"Man, the contribution ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠points are just rolling in."

"Oh, look. They're coming again."

"Don't worry, we have plenty of arrows. Do you know who made these arrows? Lord Tae-hyun made them himself."

"Stop talking nonsense. Why would Kim Tae-hyun make arrows for a guy like you?"

"Hey, I'm serious! If you don't believe me, look at the description. It's packed with all kinds of options."

"Whoa, it really is?!"

Even the skeptical players were shocked. How did he manage to talk his way into getting Kim Tae-hyun, who had no connection to him, to craft arrows for him?

"Obviously, Lord Tae-hyun recognized my skills and made them as a sign of his high expectations, right?"

Swoooooosh—

"?"

They heard something flying toward them from the distance.

BOOM!

"Aaaargh!"

"What is that! What's happening?!"

The elite members of the Salavian Order had launched a different method of attack. One of them was using various beasts for siege explosions!

"Wait, those are... bombs!"

"To cause explosions with magic instead of using proper Mechanical Engineering skills! Cowardly bastards!"

The Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths inside the fortress were outraged as they watched the beasts exploding one after another. A proper bomb was something that had to be crafted with care, blood, sweat, and gunpowder! They shouldn't just be easily made and thrown with magic!

Of course, the priests of the enemy order had no intention of listening to such complaints.

Keep launching the beasts...

Screeech! Screeech!

Empowered by magic, giant beasts flew toward the fortress gates, the walls, and over the battlements, detonating upon impact.

Boom! Crash!

"Impressive, Salavian Order."

Tae-hyun's resident demon blacksmith NPC, Saruon, expressed genuine admiration. Although different from Mechanical Engineering, these beast bombs created through divine magic were quite remarkable.

"What are you saying, Master Saruon! How could you say such a thing?!"

"That's right! This is a desecration of the purity of craftsmanship!"

The blacksmiths flared up in anger. Startled, Saruon stammered,

"No, I just meant it was impressive..."

"Even if it's you, Master Saruon, do not say such things!"

The blacksmiths huffed and puffed as if they were ready to throw hands. Faced with such a reaction from the blacksmiths he had taken on as apprentices, Saruon was utterly flustered.

These Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths, bold enough to snap at a demon, immediately launched their counterattack.

"Do you think you're the only ones with bombs?! We have bombs too!"

"Let's show them what real heat feels like!!!"

With a roaring battle cry, bombs began to launch from inside the fortress.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!

The vicinity of the fortress quickly devolved into a chaotic warzone of endless explosions. The nearby Vampire warriors and the royal army led by Dominic were so terrified by the stray bombs flying their way that they hastily backed away to maintain their distance.

"Aaargh! Those crazy bastards!"

"Watch out!"

However, the destructive power was undeniably immense. If a Salavian cultist took a direct hit from a bomb, they vanished on the spot.

Nevertheless, the fortress was definitely being torn apart. The players inside tried their best to make repairs on the fly, but the speed of destruction far outpaced their efforts. By the time the Salavian Order had exhausted almost all the beasts they had sent to siege the fortress, the front of the structure had completely collapsed.

"Charge in!"

Screeeeeech!

At the command, the Vampire warriors waiting in the rear surged directly into the ruined fortress.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

"Fall back to the main walls!"

The players inside the fortress began to fall back. However, a few of the blacksmiths remained behind.

"Hehe... Hehehehe... Hahahahaha! Come on then!"

Waiting for the enemies in the very center of the fortress, a mad gleam filled their eyes.