Chapter 98
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Thirty-Six Stratagems
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[Arid Wasteland]☆
The only thing rolling across the landscape was tumbleweed.
It was an abandoned labyrinth, avoided by poor and wealthy domains alike, for it was sparse in resources like plants and minerals, and even water and monsters were rare.
Naturally, that meant even fewer Crawlers or passersby ever visited this place.
…Or at least, that’s how it used to be.
But at this very moment.
A group was frantically tearing through the desolate labyrinth.
They rode on the backs of [Great Forest Spiders]☆☆, each over two meters tall, using them as mounts to gallop across the wasteland.
“Wh-what in the world is all this commotion?!”
At the very rear of the spider convoy.
Clinging to the waist of Riya, a female kobold leader who, as a summoner, was guarding the rear of their beasts.
The Vault Keeper wailed as if screaming.
Their original plan had been to blow up the Soryujang and escape, but that was supposed to be an orderly retreat.
From the traps they had secretly set.
To the summoned beasts they would use as disposable pawns.
And even the siege preparations and the tactic of shedding their cicada shell.
To ignore all the measures they had prepared and just run for their lives…
Having personally shoveled dirt to dig the traps, only to see her efforts completely bypassed, she couldn't help but protest for a variety of reasons.
The answer she received was simple.
“No time to explain. Just run!”
“If the situation is dire, I, Kael, son of Chavera, will buy some time!”
“P-please leave it to me, Riya, daughter of Leah, as well.”
“It’s useless!”
“But…”
“However…”
Kael and Riya tried to argue.
They too were high-level Awakened Ones, candidates to be the next Beast Farm masters.
Above all, as summoners who commanded numerous beasts, they were skilled in wars of attrition and defense.
No matter who the pursuer was.
Dion’s claim that they couldn’t even slow him down was something they couldn’t readily accept, even as his vassals.
“The Lord of the Ogre-Fiend Alliance was there.”
“…?!”
“For your information, he was a Transcendent Awakened One.”
“R-r-r-run! Run!!!”
“Run! Even if your legs break! Even if your hearts burst!”
…Of course, that was before the dark elf maid’s cold clarification.
As if belying their offers to buy time just moments ago.
Kael and Riya, their faces pale, frantically spurred on their Great Forest Spiders.
They all knew what it meant to have a Transcendent Awakened One on their tail.
Even Orr Kai, who had been yawning while steering her Great Forest Spider with Naru on her back, sensed the gravity of the situation.
And so, they raced across the wasteland.
They even cast acceleration spells on the [Great Forest Spiders] using black magic.
Of course, true to its nature, the black magic put a heavy strain on the body, and overuse carried the risk of shortening one's lifespan…
Yet the masters of the [Great Forest Spiders].
Kael.
And Riya.
They felt not a shred of complaint.
Rather, they were anxious, as if regretting they couldn't go even faster, even at the cost of their lifespans.
And then…
*KWARRRRRRRUMBLE!!!*
“Wh-what is that?”
A deafening roar.
A shockwave that shook them from behind.
When she instinctively turned her head.
What the Vault Keeper saw was a vast cloud of dust.
It was an earthy fog that dwarfed the one created when the Soryujang was overturned, one that seemed to reach the labyrinth’s ceiling.
But what truly horrified the Vault Keeper wasn't the dust cloud itself, but the being that was causing it.
*DUDUDUDUDUDU!*
Several minutes had already passed. They had covered a distance that would have been difficult for even a high-level Awakened One to catch up to.
But they could see it.
Within that dust cloud…
No, they could see the colossal shadow that was kicking it up as it charged.
“…That thing seems several times faster than us.”
“Yes, it would seem so.”
“What do you mean, ‘yes, it would seem so’?! That’s the Lord of the Ogre-Fiend Alliance, isn’t it?! A Transcendent Awakened One! And he’s chasing us, completely pissed off!”
“That’s why it’s a relief.”
“A relief?!”
“If that troll hadn't wasted time saving his divine beast, we would have been dead long ago.”
“…!!!”
A high-level divine beast capable of creating a domain was more precious than life itself to a noble.
Moreover, if one allowed a divine beast borrowed from another to die, it would create a feud that would last for generations.
So it was a good thing he had maximized the magic’s power to leave the divine beast in a near-death state.
Hearing the boy nonchalantly confess to a crime worse than genocide in Odobaekryeong.
Kael, Riya, and Naru broke out in a cold sweat.
But that was all.
To turn themselves in and seek leniency.
They couldn't even suggest it.
Setting aside all other reasons, they were in the middle of a labyrinth where the disappearance of a few dozen intelligent beings would be nothing out of the ordinary.
It was a million times easier to just strip a captured noble down to their bones than to take them alive for ransom.
And so, they spurred their beasts on even more desperately.
Their pace was truly frantic.
It would have been enough to shake off any ordinary high-level Awakened One.
The problem was that the one chasing them was no mere high-level Awakened One.
*DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU!*
Growing larger and larger.
The dust cloud drew closer with terrifying speed.
And the vibrations grew just as distinct.
How on earth could something shake the entire labyrinth just by running?
They felt a sensation closer to terror than curiosity.
Especially since the traps they had so carefully prepared were being smashed to smithereens and scattered as debris the moment they were swallowed by the dust cloud.
“Monsters ahead!”
“Go around!”
Of all the luck, they ran into a pack of dozens of [Land-Dogs]☆.
Fortunately, they were able to easily avoid the pack by slightly altering their course.
It was a stroke of luck made possible by their incredible speed, which left the Land-Dogs bewildered and unable to grasp the situation.
But it was also a misfortune.
Because while they wasted time detouring around the pack.
The dust cloud plowed straight into the Land-Dogs.
And…
“Dodge!”
“Hiiik?!”
*POW!*
A loud bang echoed.
Just as the Land-Dogs seemed to shatter and fly apart like sparks from a bonfire.
One of them came flying toward them like a cannonball.
Thanks to Dion’s warning, they managed to swerve the Great Forest Spider just in time to avoid the Land-Dog with the broken neck, but…
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only Land-Dog swallowed by the dust cloud.
*THWACK!*
“Kyaaah!”
“Kegh!”
“Riya!?”
While running like mad, a second Land-Dog cannonball struck one of the Great Forest Spider’s legs, which snapped with a sickening crunch, sending the creature tumbling.
Riya and Naru, who had been riding that particular spider, were thrown off with it.
As Riya’s confusion and Kael’s alarm caused the other beasts to falter and slow down…
With an especially loud vibration.
The dust cloud suddenly dispersed.
And a colossal shadow descended before them.
*KUUUUNG!*
“You run well. But this is the end.”
“White-Masked Young Master, I will kill you!”
After they had run for their lives.
All their efforts were in vain as the twin-headed troll caught up to them in an instant.
As the Great Forest Spiders froze stiff at the sight of Larr Arga’s four glistening eyes.
Dion put a finger into his [Origami Pouch] and spoke softly.
“…The plan has gone awry, but it can’t be helped.”
[…]
“Everyone, hold out for as long as you can.”
Just don’t die.
It was a simple and clear command.
But as they received an order that was nigh impossible to follow, they all let out a groan…
—A desperate struggle began.
***
“Everyone, come out!”
*BZZZZZZZ.*
Among the frozen group, the first to move was Kael.
As he roared, a swarm of blood-red bees poured out from a box attached to his Great Forest Spider.
From [Poison Blood Wasps] to [Arrow Blood Wasps], [Mist Blood Wasps], and [Vampiric Blood Wasps].
Though each was only 2-star, their numbers exceeded several dozen—a veritable army of Blood Wasps.
And at the center of this army was a bee as beautiful as a ruby.
【Blood Wasp Queen Heda】.
A named monster whose power surpassed that of most high-level Awakened Ones, one that could only be tamed by Dion due to his Bloodthirst trait.
The queen of all Blood Wasps immediately revealed her power.
The moment Heda glowed red.
The Blood Wasps, blessed by her protection, flew at Larr Arga three times faster and sharper than before.
The synchronized charge of dozens of Blood Wasps was a veritable downpour of death.
It was a bloody legion that demonstrated the fearsomeness of a summoner who wielded numbers as their strength, a force that had toyed with countless bandit nobles.
“KUWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
*POP-POP-POP!*
But in the next instant.
The crimson downpour was swept away.
The moment Arga took a deep breath.
And let out a roar as the lion tattoo on his neck glowed.
The aura that spread out with the immense sound wave popped the incoming Blood Wasps like balloons.
Nearly half the Blood Wasps were annihilated.
As the shockwave sent even Queen Heda falling from the sky, Kael collapsed, bleeding from his ears.
Even Orr Kai, who had just been about to charge Larr Arga, was crushed by the overwhelming aura and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The one who shouted back was the girl with purple twin-tails.
“Eek, die!”
*POW!*
“Pathetic attempt.”
“…!”
With the Vault Keeper’s shout, a spear made of shadow shot forth.
An attack comparable to a ballista, capable of piercing through a thick castle wall in a single blow, but…
As if there was no need to even dodge.
Larr Arga simply puffed out his chest, where a steel tattoo glowed, and took the shadow spear with his bare body.
No matter how weakened she was from not having recovered her full strength.
The Vault Keeper gritted her teeth as the power, which held a might comparable to the spell of a high-level caster, failed to leave even a single scratch.
She once again created shadows to attack Larr Arga.
…No, she *tried* to attack.
*THUD!*
The moment the twin-headed troll’s massive frame vanished from her sight.
If not for the shadow that fell over her head, accompanied by a voice filled with desire.
“Appetizer, decided.”
“…!!!”
*CRUNCH!*
The Vault Keeper instinctively created a shield of shadow.
But it was a futile struggle.
Larr Arga simply thrust forward his hand, glowing with a claw tattoo, and the shadow shield was torn to shreds.
As the Vault Keeper’s face went pale at the sight of five fingers, each thicker than her forearm, reaching for her.
“—Step aside.”
『Unlight Family Elven Martial Arts, Third Form
Unlight家 妖精流 拳脚術 三式
Shattering Iron, Breaking Steel
波鐵破鋼』
With a blunt voice.
A blue afterimage stretched out.
Stepping between the Vault Keeper and Larr Arga was the dark elf maid.
Her steel gauntlets, imbued with a bluish aura, struck the troll’s fingers precisely.
*CRACK!*
Amplifying power with aura.
Subtly seeping in with chakra.
A technique possible only for a multi-class Awakened One, it penetrated all its destructive force inward, finally managing to break the rock-hard fingers.
*Snap.*
“Impressive. For an elf to wield such a refined technique.”
“You, dessert. Wait.”
…For about three seconds, that is.
As the leaf tattoo on Larr Arga’s back glowed, his fingers returned to normal in an instant, as if they had never been broken.
Having regenerated with a hyper-regeneration abnormal even for a troll, Larr Arga flicked his finger at Parsha.
Parsha blocked the finger, thicker than her own forearm, with her aura-infused steel gauntlet, but…
*KRAAANG!!!*
“Kuh…!”
“Aack!”
Was this what it was like for a mouse trying to block a bull’s hoof?
One of her arms was instantly twisted at an unnatural angle as she was sent flying back. As Parsha tumbled to the ground with the Vault Keeper.
Riya, who had just managed to get back on her feet, was dumbstruck.
From falling off the Great Forest Spider.
To Larr Arga’s appearance.
It had only been the time it took to blink a few times.
Yet her companions, who had toppled numerous families without a single scratch, had been all but wiped out in that fleeting moment.
It was a sight she couldn’t believe even after seeing it.
“Hungry. Eat now.”
“Yes, the warm-up seems sufficient.”
But as if this was all a trivial matter.
Looking at the two-headed troll drooling as if gazing upon dishes on a dinner table, she understood.
No, she had no choice but to understand.
This was a Transcendent Awakened One.
A monster who had crossed the transcendent wall, a feat that a natural-born genius could only miraculously achieve after over a hundred years of training and a blessing of heavenly luck.
As she trembled in despair at the reality that they could never win.
“Hey.”
A single, ice-cold voice cut through the air…
“Who gave you permission to touch ‘my things’?”
*CRUUUUNCH!*
『Unlight Family Myriad Demon Style, Unique Magic
Unlight家 萬魔流 固有魔道
Quicksand of the Netherworld Abyss.
冥府奈落的流砂』
A quicksand of ultra-high pressure that sucked in and crushed everything swallowed Larr Arga whole.