Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: 55. Xerxes (3)
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6.
“Don’t panic even if monsters fill your vision.”
Some adventurers offered advice.
“Anyway, you only fight the ones right in front of you.”
Don’t be intimidated by the sheer numbers when battling a massive horde.
It wasn’t wrong.
Even with ten thousand monsters, you never faced them all at once.
“But those right in front of you never seem to end.”
Of course, that didn’t mean it was easy.
The reason for such advice was simple.
“Better than freezing up in fear and not bringing out even a fraction of your skill before dying.”
Adventurers had to keep their courage at all times—that was the only way to boost survival chances even slightly.
“Well, easier said than done.”
In other words, the pressure adventurers felt facing a horde of monsters was immense enough to require such advice.
Many died before they could even fight properly.
Crucially, few adventurers had experience battling large numbers of monsters.
By default, encountering an unnaturally huge monster group meant running was the best option.
Fight them head-on?
For the reasons mentioned, the pressure usually turned experience into death. Most died.
Gaining that experience was nearly impossible in every way.
That was why.
“Smash Swing!”
El Pam’s party was fighting the monster army with astonishing skill.
They had tons of experience against massive monster hordes, as mentioned earlier.
“You puny monsters, is that all you’ve got? Huh? Come on, bring more!”
Tons and tons.
Keeek!
El Pam’s party was so unfazed that the monster army hesitated in shock.
In a way, the monsters had no experience against such absurd adventurers either.
El Pam’s party didn’t miss that opening.
The moment the monsters faltered, Dibo’s polearm, Kiri’s sword, and Miner’s gun barrels moved without mercy.
Pow!
“This one’s mine!”
Ralph’s fist moved too.
The monsters were even more horrified at the sight.
Naturally, the most shocked were the ones watching from afar.
“My god.”
Michael’s party couldn’t believe their eyes from a distance.
“Possible to fight like that?”
It wasn’t just about being strong.
An overwhelming powerhouse dominating was expected, like a lion rampaging through rabbits—shocking, but not astonishing.
But El Pam’s party was different.
They weren’t overpowering Xerxes’ monster legion through raw strength or ability alone.
“What kind of training...?”
They dismantled it with perfect teamwork, like gears in a clock.
They countered with skill, not power.
That made it astonishing.
And dangerous.
“But how long can they keep this up?”
A lion could pause mid-hunt without issue.
But without power, stopping here—losing that technique—meant facing deadly peril.
Above all, Xerxes’ forces left outnumbered El Pam’s kills by dozens of times.
They didn’t need to fight to the end, though.
“Can they hold out twenty minutes?”
El Pam had demanded just twenty minutes! It seemed doable.
That was the worry.
“No, will holding out even matter?”
To Michael’s party, El Pam clearing the situation in twenty minutes looked impossible.
No, surviving inside the Colosseum for twenty minutes, let alone reaching the core, seemed impossible.
Michael had never seen the Colosseum in person but had memorized its layout from thousands of map views.
“Even rushing to the core takes thirty minutes at best.”
Nothing would change in twenty minutes.
That was when it happened.
“Michael.”
One of his companions spoke.
“Twenty minutes—twenty minutes!”
The waited time had arrived.
Michael and the others focused on the battlefield.
“Nothing’s happening?”
Nothing seemed different, so they weren’t too puzzled.
“Of course.”
Michael agreed.
“It’s impossible to do anything in twenty minutes. Nothing can be done in twenty minutes!”
He hadn’t expected anything to resolve in that time either.
“If we leave them like this, they’re in danger.”
“In danger?”
“They paced themselves to fight for twenty minutes. But nothing can be done in twenty minutes. They misjudged. Now it’s dangerous.”
So Michael prepared.
“We need to help them this time.”
To repay the debt.
No giants opposed Michael’s words.
These young giants had come here risking their lives to save the Heavenly Crisse.
They possessed both sacrifice and courage!
They were fully ready to use the lives El Pam’s party had saved—for El Pam’s party.
“Alright.”
At Michael’s word, everyone readied for battle.
By now, no one was gripped by fear.
They’d regained some composure.
Above all, they were resolved.
Resolved to face death.
“Then I’ll take the lead!”
The moment Michael drew his sword with a shout—that instant.
Keeek!
Poooh!
“Wh-what?”
Every monster began screeching without exception.
Not just any screech.
“Sc-screams?”
Screams of agony, clear as day. Michael’s party halted and looked to the battlefield.
Soon, they saw it.
“Smash Swing!”
Keeek!
Dibo’s single Smash Swing skill sending dozens of blocking Fenecs flying at once.
“Hey, they’re weakened!”
7.
“They’ve weakened!”
Ralph noticed the monsters’ weakening first.
Dibo reacted instantly.
“Smash Swing!”
He unleashed Aran’s skill in one breath.
Keeek!
Dozens of Fenecs flew back from the skill.
They died on impact.
Previously, Smash Swing only injured about a dozen.
A huge difference, as Ralph said—the monsters had weakened.
“A lot.”
Quite a bit.
Like wolves turning into puppies.
Unbelievable.
No adventurer had ever seen such a thing.
But El Pam’s party was different. They didn’t flinch at the sight.
“As expected of the boss.”
They had faith.
If El Pam said twenty minutes, everything would resolve then.
No reason to panic.
“Now it begins.”
Time to seize the opportunity.
Then.
Boom!
Xerxes, who’d only watched until now, suddenly thrashed violently.
Boom!
The throne-seated beast slammed its fist on the armrest.
Boom!
Dibo and the others realized.
“That thing.”
“Its last struggle.”
Xerxes felt the change and was resorting to its final method—a total war.
As expected.
Boom!
As Xerxes slammed its fist, the Colosseum began to shake.
Boom!
The shaking soon spread outside the Colosseum.
Finally, everyone saw it.
Keeek!
Poooh!
Tens of thousands of hidden Colosseum monsters surging out.
An outrageous sight.
Michael’s party froze.
“Huh?”
Even El Pam’s party, who’d fought steadily, felt a moment of shock.
But El Pam’s party quickly refocused.
An immense number, but no reason to flee.
Above all, they knew.
“If we run, we really die.”
Facing cornered foes, fleeing was never good.
Best to endure the storm.
“Come on!”
The moment Dibo roared defiantly—that instant.
Boom!
Xerxes, who’d sat motionless on its throne, began to move.
It rose and glared at El Pam’s party.
A declaration of intent.
To use its power to turn El Pam’s party into its slaves!
The kind of thing to blank one’s mind.
Avoid Xerxes’ eyes—meaning fight blind in a sense.
El Pam’s party knew this well.
That was why.
Gulp!
The moment Xerxes moved, El Pam’s party swallowed in unison, as if by agreement.
“One of us could die.”
They swallowed their resolve too.
“So I’ll die first.”
In crisis, be the first to sacrifice, the offering.
That instant.
Stab!
A sound pierced everyone’s ears.
Meeeeh!
Xerxes clutching its eyes, letting out a pitiful scream.
El Pam’s party smiled.
“The boss is here!”
No more need for trembling or resolve.
“Let’s sweep them!”
The massacre began.
8.
What were adventurers bad at?
Many answers came.
Most were inexperienced, after all.
Surprisingly, one thing adventurers couldn’t do well was massacres.
Most couldn’t hunt massive monster hordes like a slaughter.
Two reasons.
Lack of experience.
Only a rare few had it.
Beyond opportunity, adventurers had a mindset.
“Do we need to hunt monsters? It’s exhausting?”
Adventuring was for hunting, not hunting for adventuring.
“That’s not why we adventure anyway.”
Killing weaklings wasn’t brag-worthy for adventurers.
No reason to massacre weak monsters.
The biggest reason, though.
“It’s not easy. Massacre skills are expensive too.”
Most adventurers lacked horde-clearing skills—AOE skills.
They couldn’t afford them.
Such AOE skills were Unique grade at minimum; ordinary adventurers rarely even saw them.
So what could an adventurer with all conditions met show?
El Pam demonstrated the answer now.
First, El Pam didn’t bother with Fire Arrow tricks.
No need.
Telekinesis on Fire Arrows filled lacking power.
But no need for that struggle now.
“Explosion.”
Kaboom!
“Poison Mist.”
Ssssh!
“Thunderbolt.”
Zzzap!
Just spam AOE magic as cooldowns ended.
Keeek!
Before that overwhelming firepower, Crisse’s weakening monsters could only scream.
Kuhh!
Xerxes met that screaming end.
It couldn’t resist properly.
It was special in ability, not inherently tough.
“Wow.”
El Pam’s party was stunned.
Chilling.
They thought nothing could surprise them anymore, yet here they were.
After everything ended, El Pam’s party gathered with El Pam.
Then.
Kyuu!
“Hm?”
Mano emerged from Kiri’s armor and darted around excitedly.
“Looks like it wants something to eat.”
Dibo didn’t think much of it.
Mano hunting items was a common sight.
“More importantly, boss.”
El Pam paid little mind too.
“What happened? The core thing.”
“There was a device on the core. Removed it, and everything normalized.”
“A device? Wait, then?”
Something more important.
“Yeah, someone deliberately ruined Crisse.”
That instant.
“Everyone, hold on!”
“What, Ralph?”
“Look at the Mano!”
Ralph, the only one interested in Mano—or rather, the items it found—called everyone.
“Why the Mano?”
Those who turned saw it.
“Huh? Huh! Why’d it suddenly get huge?”
The massively grown Mano.