Chapter 263: The Strongest Reinforcements (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 263: The Strongest Reinforcements (1)
"Move it, hurry up. It's about time we get moving too."
"How far did the detachment team assigned to clear the trash mobs get? We can only move to the next area once they're done."
"It's been about an hour, so we should hear from them soon."
"We got word from the back that the combat rations and supplies are all ready. We've also collected almost all the magic stones from the monster corpses. We're in the final stages of wrapping things up."
While the vanguard led by Jinhyuk played a crucial role, the rearguard had its own vital duties to perform.
Their job was to handle all the minor details so that the vanguard could focus entirely on clearing the path ahead.
It was then.
"Huh? What's that? Someone's coming."
One of the players collecting magic stones at the very front tilted his head in confusion.
Familiar players were appearing from just up ahead.
"That's... the Gandhara side, isn't it?"
"You're right. Why are those guys all the way over here?"
"They should be busy clearing their own route right now..."
Something was off.
The 1st Raid Team and the 2nd Raid Team were currently in a subtle race to see who would reach the Wailing Witch first.
There was no reason for Gandhara's rankers, who made up the core of that force, to come over here in such large numbers.
Above all, approaching their rear without any prior communication... was completely beyond the realm of common sense.
Instincts flared.
Something was wrong.
A chilling certainty that they were not approaching with good intentions pierced through their minds.
Shring!
Various weapons bared their sharp edges.
"Damn it. Those bastards drew their weapons!"
"Are they insane?! Quick... alert the rankers right now!"
But... by the time the shout rang out, a female player from the Gandhara Guild was already right in front of them.
Sagita.
A ranker of the Gandhara Guild and an assassin-class player optimized for player-versus-player combat.
Dressed in an outfit that left her shoulders completely bare, she unleashed her curved scimitar like a flash of lightning.
She closed the distance so rapidly that there was no time to even react.
Whoosh!
The blade flew straight toward a porter's neck.
The terrifying sensation of cold steel brushed against his skin.
But what followed was not the gruesome sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping.
Clang!
A sharp metallic screech echoed through the air.
Recoiling from the heavy impact, Sagita clicked her tongue and leaped back to create distance.
"Tch!?"
It was unbelievable enough that her surprise attack had been blocked so effortlessly... but the real shock was only just beginning.
"To think my grand debut would be playing babysitter to humans... No matter how much Alice herself ordered it, this is utterly ridiculous."
Bellus bared his sharp fangs.
Behind him, a multitude of vampires began to appear one by one, drawing their rapiers.
"Watch your mouth. He is also the one who now leads the Decasus Family. I will not tolerate you speaking so lightly of our Lord."
Ophelia immediately furrowed her brow.
"Ha! Since when did a human become the head of a great family? And since when did you swear loyalty to that human?"
"...I am merely repaying the one who saved my life. And what about you? Are you planning to reject Lord Jinhyuk, whom your own family head follows?"
"W-what? Who is following whom?"
"That proud former head of the Ataraxia Family has gone soft, hasn't she? Grinning like a lovesick teenage girl—it was quite a sight to behold."
"You filthy Decasus insect, how dare you insult her! I'll drive a cross straight into that brainless skull of yours!"
"Oh my. Typical Ataraxia, always resorting to insults when you can't win an argument. How utterly vulgar..."
While the two vampires bickered, the players from both sides watched with their mouths agape, completely speechless.
"T-this can't be... Vampires?"
"Why are those monsters protecting humans?"
The Gandhara Guild could not hide their sheer bewilderment.
The Olympus players were equally stunned.
"What on earth is going on?"
"Are they... helping us?"
Since more than half of the Olympus Guild's forces here consisted of porters and miners, they wouldn't have lasted thirty minutes if a real fight had broken out.
But with the intervention of the vampires, the tables had turned completely.
"Wipe them all out."
"B-block them!"
Bellus's cold command clashed with Sagita's urgent cry.
Boom! Crash!
"Aaargh!"
"Kyaaa!"
Deafening explosions and horrific screams echoed through the cavern.
The Ataraxia bloodline members, having instantly breached the tank line, began to slaughter the damage dealers.
It was overwhelming.
So much so that even the advantage of numbers was rendered meaningless.
Clash! Clang!
Scimitars and rapiers clashed in a chaotic frenzy.
Only a tiny handful of rankers could even hope to stand against Bellus or Ophelia. For ordinary players, it took at least five of them working together just to deal with a single vampire of the bloodline.
As a result, far from gaining the upper hand, they were being pushed back step by step.
"Ugh!"
A heavy groan escaped Sagita's lips.
She never imagined the enemy would predict this. No, even if they had, she never expected them to summon such powerful reinforcements.
'As expected...'
Yes, indeed... Nirasha's advice to prepare for any contingency had been correct.
Her words that if a new variable arose, they simply had to add more safeguards to overwhelm it.
"Oh? You don't look particularly flustered. I take it this isn't the only card you have up your sleeve?"
"Do you really think this is the only place we targeted?"
The area managed by the Olympus rearguard wasn't limited to this spot.
Further ahead was the team dedicated to clearing the minor trash monsters, and behind them was the team managing the supplies and byproducts transported from here.
Three locations in total.
In other words, there were three separate areas that needed defending.
"The team dealing with the trash mobs up front might have a decent raid-level force, but it doesn't matter. We sent a monster worthy of facing them. And the most vulnerable rearguard goes without saying."
Sagita's mouth curled upward.
To call it "worthy" was an understatement; they had sent a monster that was far more than enough.
The Apostle of Wrath, widely regarded as the most ferocious and reckless among the Seven Apostles.
With the Demonic Humans, including Gawain, joining the fray as well, not even a veteran player could possibly block every single angle.
Yet, even after hearing those words, Bellus's expression remained unchanged.
"I would honestly love to see you guys land a blow on that bastard, but it's impossible. That human might be obnoxious, but he is far from careless."
"What?"
"It means he's reading your every move from a level far above you."
They weren't the only ones with more than one card to play.
* * *
A towering three-meter frame and reddish skin.
With blood-red eyes and an aura rising from his body, he looked extraordinary at a single glance.
[Apostle of Wrath, 'Repels']
The Seven Apostles created by the Wailing Witch.
Among them, the Apostle of Wrath was on an entirely different level.
She had poured immense effort into him so that even if the intruders managed to defeat the other six apostles, this final seventh apostle would still be able to protect the ruins.
Thud! Crunch!
"Kahahahaha! More! Come at me more, you human insects! Struggle and writhe all you want!"
Every time the greatsword in Repels's hand swung, a storm of blood erupted.
Armor was sheared clean through, sending the upper halves of the bodies inside flying.
It was truly overwhelming might.
Repels did not halt his steps for even a single second. He simply marched forward, cleaving through everything that stood in his way.
"Ugh..."
"W-what kind of monster is this..."
The main raid team of the Olympus Guild, despite being battle-hardened veterans, collapsed helplessly without putting up any real resistance.
Their attacks showed absolutely no sign of leaving a scratch, while the enemy swept away their tanks with a single casual swing. It was a thoroughly despairing situation.
Their numbers, which had once reached dozens, had already been cut by more than half. And the remaining half would soon follow.
No matter how hard they tried, there was simply no way to fight a monster akin to a natural disaster.
But then.
Step.
Someone stepped forward to block Repels's path.
"Hmm. I tried to get here as quickly as I could, but it seems I'm a bit late. You all should rest. I will take over from here."
"Kekeke... Kahahaha! A decrepit old man dares to face me?"
Repels burst into wild laughter.
It would be one thing if they swarmed him in a crowd like before, but a single old man? At this point, it was so absurd he couldn't even bring himself to curse.
"Hmm. You seem quite strong. I haven't entered the Tower very many times, but even I know that a monster capable of speech is far from ordinary."
"You haven't entered the Tower many times?"
"I've only been here two or three times, that is all."
"Does that mean you are some leftover trash who couldn't even get into those 'Seven Great Guilds' or whatever you humans call them?"
"Haha. Is that how it sounds? Well, I suppose you're not wrong. I don't particularly belong to any group, after all."
"How absurd. A nobody like you doesn't even know his place. It looks like you know how to handle Qi in some mediocre fashion, but that level is nowhere near enough to face me. For the crime of blocking my path with such clumsy tricks, pay with your death!"
[The Apostle of Wrath activates his unique ability, 'Armor of Grudge'.]
Crackle!
A black armor enveloped his entire body.
The reason the Apostle of Wrath was considered an anomaly was not just because of his monstrous offensive power, but because penetrating this armor was unimaginably difficult.
– Only those who have honed a single ability to its absolute limit can inflict damage upon this Apostle.
To pierce the Armor of Grudge, the proficiency of a unique ability or skill had to exceed Level 35.
This meant that a Level 35 F-rank attack skill was far more useful than a Level 1 SSS-rank ability.
While there were players who possessed the former, the latter was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard one searched.
It was only natural.
Reaching Level 35 or higher was easier said than done; unless they were residents of the Tower, players simply didn't have the time to raise their proficiency to such a degree.
But there was exactly one person for whom this was possible.
"I traveled all this way at the request of my lovely granddaughter and to help my savior, but I never expected to be lectured on my life's work by someone I've only just met."
A man who had dedicated his entire life to martial arts long before the Tower ever appeared.
People referred to him as... a 'Martial Artist'.
[Yu Cheon-yeong activates Lv.41 (10-Star) 'True Grand Purity Hwarang Heart Method'!]
Rumble!
The entire passage began to shake violently.
The dust spreading along the ground drew a single pattern around Yu Cheon-yeong's body.
"Let us see... just how worthy the magical beasts of the Tower are. I shall test you myself."
For Yu Cheon-yeong, who had originally mastered the True Grand Purity Hwarang Heart Method to its absolute limit, raising his skill level in a short period of time was not a difficult task at all.
And just like that, the flow of Qi shifted completely.
* * *
At the same time, an interloper appeared before Gawain and the Demonic Humans.
"...You are."
Gawain's eyes narrowed.
Sitting in front of the supplies was the Saint of Amsterdam—Teresa.
Of all people, a holy knight had to appear.
Divine power was a troublesome force that stood in direct opposition to the abilities of the Demonic Humans.
But that was all.
A smirk spread across Gawain's face.
"I admit that divine power is quite troublesome, but relying on that alone to stop all of us is sheer arrogance. Did you really think we wouldn't know how to counter that power?"
Weaknesses could always be covered.
The Demonic Humans had already prepared a countermeasure for it.
However, as Gawain spoke, his voice suddenly trailed off.
This feeling... could it be?
It wasn't divine power.
A dense, ominous energy, entirely different from it, was slowly creeping up.
"Mmm..."
A strange hum escaped Teresa's lips.
"Don't worry. I won't be using the divine power you're so looking forward to. Unlike Softie, I prefer to tear everything apart with my own hands."
She was Teresa, but the entity standing before them was by no means Teresa.
"A split... personality?"
The smile vanished from Gawain's face.