Chapter 421: Eye of the Storm (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 421: Eye of the Storm (3)
Dragon Speech: Silence of the Soul was an incredibly overpowered skill that burned through a certain amount of the target's MP to put them in a state of Soul Exhaustion. But even this skill had its weaknesses. The dragon tribe gramps had laid it out for me during our conversation all those years ago. Apparently, it could only burn up to 50 percent of your maximum MP. In other words, if you maintained an amount that was higher than that, your MP wouldn't hit zero, and you wouldn't end up having to deal with Soul Exhaustion.
That's probably why he's been saving it.
After escaping Glacier Eye, my body had mostly recovered thanks to the healing I received from the priests, but MP was a different story. My MP was already at almost half. Using Giantization to fight these guys and using Swing willy-nilly, I had consumed a significant amount. That was why I'd deliberately provoked the guy.
"I'm just curious, but when is it coming? That time when even death won't be able to save me."
At this rate, I'd run out of MP. I had Soul Dive, of course, but it had a cooldown time. The moment I used it, I lost another way to counter his Dragon Speech. That was why I forced him to use Dragon Speech now.
Cough! Cough! Karrrgh...!
As a result, the Dragon Slayer was now incapable of combat. I'd noticed he seemed to have a hard time whenever he used Dragon Speech in the Labyrinth of Larcaz, too. But to think he'd become this incapacitated. That was unexpected.
[You have cast Soul Dive.]
[You have cast Giantization.]
However, with the enemy's ultimate finisher gone and my MP recovered, I had nothing left to worry about.
"H-How...?" His picture-perfect expression was the icing on the cake.
"Behel—aaaaaah!" It felt like the spirit of my ancestors was surging through my body.
[Manua Repeles has cast Iron Fist.]
I took Baldy's next jab with a laugh.
Hmm, so just as I thought, the Dragon Speech didn't affect these guys. Well, if he was planning to use Dragon Speech, he would've already made a Bind with the others in advance.
Noark's front line, including Baldy, hadn't been exposed to Silence of the Soul. The rear line seemed to be outside its range too.
Thankfully, my squadron was out of range as well.
This was actually the main reason why I sent the rest of the group back. Acting as a second line of defense against the assault unit was important, too, but I had to keep them away from Dragon Speech at all costs.
The reason why he didn't use Dragon Speech in the middle of our squadron was probably because he figured I was the biggest threat. He probably also did the math and realized that his life would be in danger if he ended up incapacitated in the middle of our formation.
When I thought about it like that, this couldn't have been funnier.
"You always did force me to make sacrifices."
This is a sacrifice? If you've decided to cut your arm off, then you should be prepared to cut off the entire shoulder blade too.
To throw the ace up his sleeve away so carelessly... if he were really determined to make a sacrifice, it would've been an extremely big issue for us.
This is a good thing. But...
Despite being a relief, it also felt incredibly unfair. No, more accurately, it felt... senseless.
Because of someone like this, Dwalkie was...
He was a high-ranking member of Orcules, a top dog and notorious criminal who killed the ancient elder dragon. Nevertheless, that didn't change who he really was. Dwalkie had been a much greater person than he ever could be.
[You have cast Eye of the Storm. By the authority of the transcendental body, the potential inherent in this skill is now unlocked.]
I used my grab skill to pull the Dragon Slayer in. He was dragged in by the strong gust of wind, still weak and coughing up blood.
Crack!
The moment my hammer came down, his left shoulder was pulverized. "Ahhh—!"
Oops, I was aiming for the head. I guess he twisted his body there.
Well, I was sure there would be another chance. Setting my regrets aside, I blocked Baldy, who had rushed in to save the Dragon Slayer. No, wait, it wasn't just him.
[Mike Roymus has cast Earth Leveling. Damage taken by allies within a certain radius is reduced by half, and the remaining half is taken by the caster instead.]
He was a blunt weapon warrior who served a similar function to a tank.
[Lia Andes has cast Wave of Fire. All Fire damage temporarily significantly increases, and additional effects are applied the closer you are to the center of the damage.]
She was a rare case: a close-combat fire ability user. It seemed these three had been working together for some time as they deftly swept in to pester me once the Dragon Slayer fell back.
[Kayle Elbad Zenegger has cast Land's End Thorn.]
The long-range attacks coming in from the rear from time to time were the cherry on top. Since I had no armor, they pierced and sliced through my body.
[Roita Mamander has cast Advanced Healing.]
[Benjamin Orman has cast Advanced Healing.]
But thanks to the buffs the priests were slathering on me, their efforts weren't enough to push me back.
[Kelvus Ayrne has cast the rank-four black magic spell Mark of Evil. The efficacy of all regeneration effects applied to the target is significantly reduced.]
[Benjamin Orman has cast Moonlight of Purification. All negative effects applied to the target are removed.]
The dark wizards persistently cast curse spells on me, but these kinds of things were easier lifted than cast.
"Don't overdo it, just block!"
I might have been able to take down one or two if I attacked them more proactively, but we maintained a tight-knit defensive formation. That was what tower defense games were all about, right? As long as the opponent didn't penetrate your line, you won the game. Our current situation wasn't much different.
It's not like they can retreat, anyway.
To be exact, it didn't matter if the enemy ran because their escape route was blocked. Monsters crawled out of the woodwork behind them, and even the boss monster was coming up with hunger in its eyes. I didn't know about the others, but the three who got past me and were currently on the receiving end of a good beating would see their bodies rot within a few days of returning to Glacier Eye. Would they be able to escape to the eighth floor in that condition when they clearly didn't even have food anymore?
"Damn it, where did this guy...?!" The blunt weapon warrior who started a reckless power struggle with me was thrown back with a single kick, a despondent look on his face. "I thought no one outside could stop us!"
Because of someone like this, Dwalkie was...
He was a high-ranking member of Orcules, a top dog and notorious criminal who killed the ancient elder dragon. Nevertheless, that didn't change who he really was. Dwalkie had been a much greater person than he ever could be.
[You have cast Eye of the Storm. By the authority of the transcendental body, the potential inherent in this skill is now unlocked.]
I used my grab skill to pull the Dragon Slayer in. He was dragged in by the strong gust of wind, still weak and coughing up blood.
Crack!
The moment my hammer came down, his left shoulder was pulverized. "Ahhh—!"
Oops, I was aiming for the head. I guess he twisted his body there.
Well, I was sure there would be another chance. Setting my regrets aside, I blocked Baldy, who had rushed in to save the Dragon Slayer. No, wait, it wasn't just him.
[Mike Roymus has cast Earth Leveling. Damage taken by allies within a certain radius is reduced by half, and the remaining half is taken by the caster instead.]
He was a blunt weapon warrior who served a similar function to a tank.
[Lia Andes has cast Wave of Fire. All Fire damage temporarily significantly increases, and additional effects are applied the closer you are to the center of the damage.]
She was a rare case: a close-combat fire ability user. It seemed these three had been working together for some time as they deftly swept in to pester me once the Dragon Slayer fell back.
[Kayle Elbad Zenegger has cast Land's End Thorn.]
The long-range attacks coming in from the rear from time to time were the cherry on top. Since I had no armor, they pierced and sliced through my body.
[Roita Mamander has cast Advanced Healing.]
[Benjamin Orman has cast Advanced Healing.]
But thanks to the buffs the priests were slathering on me, their efforts weren't enough to push me back.
[Kelvus Ayrne has cast the rank-four black magic spell Mark of Evil. The efficacy of all regeneration effects applied to the target is significantly reduced.]
[Benjamin Orman has cast Moonlight of Purification. All negative effects applied to the target are removed.]
The dark wizards persistently cast curse spells on me, but these kinds of things were easier lifted than cast.
"Don't overdo it, just block!"
I might have been able to take down one or two if I attacked them more proactively, but we maintained a tight-knit defensive formation. That was what tower defense games were all about, right? As long as the opponent didn't penetrate your line, you won the game. Our current situation wasn't much different.
It's not like they can retreat, anyway.
To be exact, it didn't matter if the enemy ran because their escape route was blocked. Monsters crawled out of the woodwork behind them, and even the boss monster was coming up with hunger in its eyes. I didn't know about the others, but the three who got past me and were currently on the receiving end of a good beating would see their bodies rot within a few days of returning to Glacier Eye. Would they be able to escape to the eighth floor in that condition when they clearly didn't even have food anymore?
"Damn it, where did this guy...?!" The blunt weapon warrior who started a reckless power struggle with me was thrown back with a single kick, a despondent look on his face. "I thought no one outside could stop us!"
Ah, so that was the hope they'd been harboring while cultivating themselves on the eighth floor without the palace's knowledge. Well, it wasn't a completely futile hope. The eighth floor was riddled with essences that could each become the basis of someone's build.
But at least get the combination right.
For a Shield Barbarian, the core skill needed was Giantization. It was a rank-five essence that could be obtained by hunting an Orc Hero, and when used in combination with Union, it was incredibly efficient. But blindly stacking random essences on top of each other wasn't a good recipe for success.
"Repeles! Let's retreat for now!"
Did they lose morale upon seeing the way I refused to budge? The blunt weapon warrior requested a retreat but Baldy did not grant it.
"To where?!"
"We need to at least regroup—!"
"Stop spouting nonsense and fight!"
They knew if they stepped back for a moment to regroup, they'd end up having to fight a more difficult battle after. Ultimately, they had only one choice.
"W-We just have to kill this guy!"
"The rest are easy!"
Break through and move forward.
"Behell—aaaaaah!" Of course, I didn't intend to let them through.
The battle continued, and the pendulum, once swung, never moved in the opposite direction again.
"...We can't take anymore!"
Two of the adventurers in the "assault unit" who broke past me to attack the main unit ran by me to rejoin their troops.
"Cullen...?"
"Isn't it obvious? He's dead!"
The three fought desperately, but once one of them died, they were unable to keep going and fled.
Okay, that makes eleven people.
The number of enemies had gone down. Our side, on the other hand, had suffered no casualties. There was a squad member who was injured as the heals were all focused on me at the moment, but even that was mostly a minor injury.
The real fight starts now.
Rather than letting down my guard, I raised it even higher. That was because they'd definitely have realized it now. At this rate, everyone here could die.
"...To think we have to risk our lives in a place like this."
Humans were calculative creatures. That was why, when standing at a crossroads, they ultimately chose to give up everything besides the possibility of survival.
This is the scariest state for an enemy to be in.
To put it in boss monster terms, this was a frenzy pattern, where the enemy was fighting with everything they had to survive.
[Your Soul Power is insufficient. Giantization has deactivated.]
Just in time, my MP ran out and my body shrank.
"Yandel, go rest in the back for a bit." Amelia immediately came up to my right.
"That's right. We'll handle things here." Ravien stood on my left.
"We'll take your place." Jun and Kaislan also walked out from the back group to join us.
Yeah, I don't know about Kaislan but Jun should be able to take on the tank position.
Ah, so that was the hope they'd been harboring while cultivating themselves on the eighth floor without the palace's knowledge. Well, it wasn't a completely futile hope. The eighth floor was riddled with essences that could each become the basis of someone's build.
But at least get the combination right.
For a Shield Barbarian, the core skill needed was Giantization. It was a rank-five essence that could be obtained by hunting an Orc Hero, and when used in combination with Union, it was incredibly efficient. But blindly stacking random essences on top of each other wasn't a good recipe for success.
"Repeles! Let's retreat for now!"
Did they lose morale upon seeing the way I refused to budge? The blunt weapon warrior requested a retreat but Baldy did not grant it.
"To where?!"
"We need to at least regroup—!"
"Stop spouting nonsense and fight!"
They knew if they stepped back for a moment to regroup, they'd end up having to fight a more difficult battle after. Ultimately, they had only one choice.
"W-We just have to kill this guy!"
"The rest are easy!"
Break through and move forward.
"Behell—aaaaaah!" Of course, I didn't intend to let them through.
The battle continued, and the pendulum, once swung, never moved in the opposite direction again.
"...We can't take anymore!"
Two of the adventurers in the "assault unit" who broke past me to attack the main unit ran by me to rejoin their troops.
"Cullen...?"
"Isn't it obvious? He's dead!"
The three fought desperately, but once one of them died, they were unable to keep going and fled.
Okay, that makes eleven people.
The number of enemies had gone down. Our side, on the other hand, had suffered no casualties. There was a squad member who was injured as the heals were all focused on me at the moment, but even that was mostly a minor injury.
The real fight starts now.
Rather than letting down my guard, I raised it even higher. That was because they'd definitely have realized it now. At this rate, everyone here could die.
"...To think we have to risk our lives in a place like this."
Humans were calculative creatures. That was why, when standing at a crossroads, they ultimately chose to give up everything besides the possibility of survival.
This is the scariest state for an enemy to be in.
To put it in boss monster terms, this was a frenzy pattern, where the enemy was fighting with everything they had to survive.
[Your Soul Power is insufficient. Giantization has deactivated.]
Just in time, my MP ran out and my body shrank.
"Yandel, go rest in the back for a bit." Amelia immediately came up to my right.
"That's right. We'll handle things here." Ravien stood on my left.
"We'll take your place." Jun and Kaislan also walked out from the back group to join us.
Yeah, I don't know about Kaislan but Jun should be able to take on the tank position.
Deciding it would be a better use of my energy to trust my comrades instead of being stubborn, I quickly withdrew from the front line and moved to the second. I planned to run forward immediately if anything happened.
"That monster has retreated!"
"Now, now's our chance!"
As soon as the thorn in their side was gone, Noark regained their fighting spirit and rushed forward. However, it didn't take long for that spirit to break.
[Jun Arshen has cast Divine Opening.]
When he activated all his skills, Jun turned into a monster tanker just like me. As for Kaislan, Ravien, and Amelia, if any of those three cut you the wrong way, you'd die.
Whooom!
"...Ugh!"
"Be careful!"
As a good offense was said to be the best defense, sharp counterattacks aimed at the enemy's weak spots were applied liberally. The enemy was left unable to launch offensives as actively as before.
"Repeles, Ricky Aymond is down!"
Before long, we secured an additional win. The long-range line composed of Erwen, Akurava, and others finally won the tug of war and killed one of the enemy's ranged damagers. This was great for us.
[Status effect Whisper of Immortality is now active.]
Unlike the people on our side who died earlier, one of Glacier Eye's field effects activated and this guy rose up as a zombie.
"H-Hurry, push him out! Drop him—"
"Arghhh!" The special ability user who turned into a Lich began indiscriminately attacking his allies before finally being taken down and knocked off the cliff.
We weren't able to score any additional bonus points thanks to their fast response, unfortunately, but the remaining long-rangers were two dark wizards, one special ability user, and one priest of Karui. After that, an even fiercer battle ensued. Kaislan retreated from the front line after a serious injury but a tank waiting in the second row immediately filled his spot to block the way.
Pant, pant, pant...
The way Sven Parav was nervously hyperventilating didn't make him seem all that dependable, but he was still a paladin. Excluding Jun and I, he was the only main tank here. There was only one main replacement for a close-range damager too.
"Emily, come back!"
Amelia returned to the second line once her MP ran out, and the warrior from Team Three, Rick Jugusta, stepped up. We made use of every advantage our superior numbers granted us in this narrow passage to deal with the enemy.
Stab!
Still, sacrifices were made. A sharp, black thorn stabbed through Jugusta's upper body. It was the same move that had killed Might Million, a tank, instantly during the battle in Deadwood.
Grit...
Rick Jugusta died soon after being sent forward. Since he was outside Glacier Eye's boundary, the Whisper of Immortality didn't activate.
"N-No! Rick...!"
Right, he... was Calla's friend.
"Futa Rickerburn! What are you doing? Stop them!"
The scout and close-range damage dealer from Team Two hurriedly filled the empty spot. This wasn't the kind of situation where he could rest in the back just because he was missing an arm. He himself said he could fight.
"Rick...!" As soon as Rickerburn filled the empty slot on the front line, Calla ran forward from the back to gather his dead friend in his arms.
"Calla, go back to your position," I said coldly. Perhaps what he needed right now were words of comfort, but what he needed and what he needed to do were two different things.
Thankfully, Calla knew this too. "Okay..." With those short words of acknowledgment, he moved to the rear line carrying his friend's body. I couldn't say anything when I saw him force his shaking feet forward with gritted teeth. I averted my eyes to look at the battlefield.
Slice!
Though there was a sacrifice, we secured another win just in time.
"Repeles! M-Mike is hit!"
We got rid of the blunt weapon warrior serving as their tank. It was Ravien who got him, but she was injured in the process. She wouldn't die since she got a heal from one of the priests, but she needed time to recover.
[Status effect Whisper of Immortality is now active.]
This time again, the field effect worked to turn the enemy into an undead. But it wasn't all that fun for us this time.
"What are you doing? Get back!"
The aggro was directed at us, which pushed the front line back. Thanks to that, we had to go through the trouble of taking down a guy we already took down.
Ten people now... No, the Dragon Slayer is incapacitated so it's nine...
The number of enemies was steadily decreasing. Victory was getting closer and closer. Just as the amount of people running out of MP went up on our side, their side was starting to run out of all kinds of resources.
"C-Curse magic! Cast curse spells, quick!"
The dark wizard's curse magic, which was decreasing their Natural Regeneration, lifted. Their bodies began to rot and deteriorate. This was because the dark wizard antagonizing the priests had finally run out of mana.
Good, we just have to keep going like this.
After confirming Paladin Jun's doping was fading and his tank power was decreasing, I pushed the line back and stepped forward.
"...Damn it, he's recovered already!"
Actually, I still had a long way to go until my MP was sufficiently refilled, but it was enough to maintain Giantization. Soul Dive's cooldown would end soon too.
More importantly, now that the curse spells are gone, we don't have to deal any more damage.
The dam had finally burst. From now on, so long as we blocked their path and let Glacier Eye's effects work their magic on them, the enemy would collapse on their own.
"Push him back! Push!"
The enemy also knew this and tried their best to make our front line budge, but I held on with gritted teeth.
"It looks like their priests ran out of divine power!"
It didn't matter anymore that the heals that had been serving as a powerful support were finished. These guys were out of juice too. They were still managing to swing their weapons even as their arms and legs quickly rotted, but that was it. I was able to hold on with that thought in mind.
Thump!
But as the saying went, tragedy always struck without warning.
"Aaaaaah!" Suddenly, I heard a scream from behind us—a sound there was no reason I should be hearing when we were winning.
"Y-Yandel!" Kaislan urgently shouted because I wasn't able to look back. "New enemies have appeared!"
A new variable had entered the picture.
Deciding it would be a better use of my energy to trust my comrades instead of being stubborn, I quickly withdrew from the front line and moved to the second. I planned to run forward immediately if anything happened.
"That monster has retreated!"
"Now, now's our chance!"
As soon as the thorn in their side was gone, Noark regained their fighting spirit and rushed forward. However, it didn't take long for that spirit to break.
[Jun Arshen has cast Divine Opening.]
When he activated all his skills, Jun turned into a monster tanker just like me. As for Kaislan, Ravien, and Amelia, if any of those three cut you the wrong way, you'd die.
Whooom!
"...Ugh!"
"Be careful!"
As a good offense was said to be the best defense, sharp counterattacks aimed at the enemy's weak spots were applied liberally. The enemy was left unable to launch offensives as actively as before.
"Repeles, Ricky Aymond is down!"
Before long, we secured an additional win. The long-range line composed of Erwen, Akurava, and others finally won the tug of war and killed one of the enemy's ranged damagers. This was great for us.
[Status effect Whisper of Immortality is now active.]
Unlike the people on our side who died earlier, one of Glacier Eye's field effects activated and this guy rose up as a zombie.
"H-Hurry, push him out! Drop him—"
"Arghhh!" The special ability user who turned into a Lich began indiscriminately attacking his allies before finally being taken down and knocked off the cliff.
We weren't able to score any additional bonus points thanks to their fast response, unfortunately, but the remaining long-rangers were two dark wizards, one special ability user, and one priest of Karui. After that, an even fiercer battle ensued. Kaislan retreated from the front line after a serious injury but a tank waiting in the second row immediately filled his spot to block the way.
Pant, pant, pant...
The way Sven Parav was nervously hyperventilating didn't make him seem all that dependable, but he was still a paladin. Excluding Jun and I, he was the only main tank here. There was only one main replacement for a close-range damager too.
"Emily, come back!"
Amelia returned to the second line once her MP ran out, and the warrior from Team Three, Rick Jugusta, stepped up. We made use of every advantage our superior numbers granted us in this narrow passage to deal with the enemy.
Stab!
Still, sacrifices were made. A sharp, black thorn stabbed through Jugusta's upper body. It was the same move that had killed Might Million, a tank, instantly during the battle in Deadwood.
Grit...
Rick Jugusta died soon after being sent forward. Since he was outside Glacier Eye's boundary, the Whisper of Immortality didn't activate.
"N-No! Rick...!"
Right, he... was Calla's friend.
"Futa Rickerburn! What are you doing? Stop them!"
The scout and close-range damage dealer from Team Two hurriedly filled the empty spot. This wasn't the kind of situation where he could rest in the back just because he was missing an arm. He himself said he could fight.
"Rick...!" As soon as Rickerburn filled the empty slot on the front line, Calla ran forward from the back to gather his dead friend in his arms.
"Calla, go back to your position," I said coldly. Perhaps what he needed right now were words of comfort, but what he needed and what he needed to do were two different things.
Thankfully, Calla knew this too. "Okay..." With those short words of acknowledgment, he moved to the rear line carrying his friend's body. I couldn't say anything when I saw him force his shaking feet forward with gritted teeth. I averted my eyes to look at the battlefield.
Slice!
Though there was a sacrifice, we secured another win just in time.
"Repeles! M-Mike is hit!"
We got rid of the blunt weapon warrior serving as their tank. It was Ravien who got him, but she was injured in the process. She wouldn't die since she got a heal from one of the priests, but she needed time to recover.
[Status effect Whisper of Immortality is now active.]
This time again, the field effect worked to turn the enemy into an undead. But it wasn't all that fun for us this time.
"What are you doing? Get back!"
The aggro was directed at us, which pushed the front line back. Thanks to that, we had to go through the trouble of taking down a guy we already took down.
Ten people now... No, the Dragon Slayer is incapacitated so it's nine...
The number of enemies was steadily decreasing. Victory was getting closer and closer. Just as the amount of people running out of MP went up on our side, their side was starting to run out of all kinds of resources.
"C-Curse magic! Cast curse spells, quick!"
The dark wizard's curse magic, which was decreasing their Natural Regeneration, lifted. Their bodies began to rot and deteriorate. This was because the dark wizard antagonizing the priests had finally run out of mana.
Good, we just have to keep going like this.
After confirming Paladin Jun's doping was fading and his tank power was decreasing, I pushed the line back and stepped forward.
"...Damn it, he's recovered already!"
Actually, I still had a long way to go until my MP was sufficiently refilled, but it was enough to maintain Giantization. Soul Dive's cooldown would end soon too.
More importantly, now that the curse spells are gone, we don't have to deal any more damage.
The dam had finally burst. From now on, so long as we blocked their path and let Glacier Eye's effects work their magic on them, the enemy would collapse on their own.
"Push him back! Push!"
The enemy also knew this and tried their best to make our front line budge, but I held on with gritted teeth.
"It looks like their priests ran out of divine power!"
It didn't matter anymore that the heals that had been serving as a powerful support were finished. These guys were out of juice too. They were still managing to swing their weapons even as their arms and legs quickly rotted, but that was it. I was able to hold on with that thought in mind.
Thump!
But as the saying went, tragedy always struck without warning.
"Aaaaaah!" Suddenly, I heard a scream from behind us—a sound there was no reason I should be hearing when we were winning.
"Y-Yandel!" Kaislan urgently shouted because I wasn't able to look back. "New enemies have appeared!"
A new variable had entered the picture.