Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Priest's Demise
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Seong-un=Rakrak's spear blade targeted Lunda=Yubei.
"...Insane!"
Lunda spotted the suddenly appearing Seong-un=Rakrak too late.
He tried to dodge in a hurry, but Seong-un=Rakrak was faster.
Seong-un hurled the spear blade through Rakrak's body into the empty air.
-Kwaang!
It was the sound of air tearing apart.
Lunda=Yubei leaped away, but the spear blade grazed above his left shoulder.
A body possessed by a god was tougher than steel, but it couldn't withstand a javelin infused with power on the same level—or greater.
"Aaaak!"
Lunda=Yubei screamed as he tumbled across the ground.
Blood erupted from his shoulder.
-Lord!
The gutter rat Neji sprang up and charged at Seong-un=Rakrak, who had just landed.
But Slatis snatched Neji's flesh from the air with its claws and slammed him into the ground.
A massive roar echoed into the distance.
It reached both the retreating Renar army and the charging Lizardman forces.
The great ermines and cockatoos stirred at the vibration shaking the earth.
Seong-un thought.
'I need to take out the creations first. Pajijik. Lend me your power.'
-Name the moment.
Pajijik floated up behind Seong-un=Rakrak's back.
The demonic spirit incorporated into the god could bestow power upon individuals, but it had other talents as well.
If the god lent faith resources, it could wield power proportional to those resources.
Seong-un=Rakrak pointed at the flipped-over Neji.
'Roast him.'
-As my lord wills.
A bolt of lightning immediately struck from the sky.
-Kwagwang!
Electricity scorched the air, and a heatwave swept the wasteland.
Neji's side was charred black from the lightning, drool dripping from his mouth, but he righted himself.
Yet a single bolt couldn't stop a creation of the gods.
-E-even if you're a god, this won't stop me...
"Hmph."
The next instant, the sky ripped open.
Dozens of forked lightning bolts plunged toward a single point.
Straight at the gutter rat Neji's crown.
"Neji!"
-Ughghghghuk!
The gutter rat Neji turned into a lump of light for a moment before collapsing.
In the spot where the light vanished, Neji lay transformed into a blackened lump of charcoal.
"You damned bastard..."
Lunda=Yubei spat curses but couldn't continue.
The lightning that had struck Neji now poured down upon him.
But a body infused with divine power wasn't just agile—it possessed godlike senses as well.
As Lunda=Yubei zigzagged across the wasteland, lightning struck belatedly in his wake.
Lunda thought.
'...This won't work. I need to release the possession.'
Lunda deactivated the Possession skill.
However, the Possession skill had a delay both when activating and deactivating.
A status window appeared.
It was an unavoidable choice for Lunda.
Dying while maintaining Possession would incur additional penalties.
It was regrettable, but there was no saving Yubei.
'Neji's death already cost me one level? ...But as long as I don't die while possessed, I won't drop another.'
Lunda was called the supreme god of bountiful harvests by his people.
Lunda's first subdomain was 'Fruit.'
Lunda=Yubei brushed through the bushes and found fruit that shouldn't exist.
A ripe, glossy red fruit—he popped it straight into his mouth.
With a crunch, Lunda=Yubei's wound healed.
'Good, just hold out for 7 more seconds... Huh?'
Gazing at the approaching Slatis and Seong-un=Rakrak, Lunda was startled by a black wall blocking his view.
He turned his gaze, but the pitch-black wall persisted, soon blotting out the sky.
The wall was making noise.
'...Bugs!'
It was a swarm of scarab beetles blotting out the sky.
The wall of scarab beetles closed in instantly, engulfing Lunda=Yubei.
Lunda=Yubei punched and slashed at the scarabs with his fists and blade while retreating.
'These aren't for attacking. They're to blind me. If I stay here, I'm dead!'
Fortunately, through the countless scarabs, Lunda=Yubei spotted Slatis's shadow.
Slatis was swinging a massive scythe-like leg down toward Lunda=Yubei with its enormous body.
'If I dodge that attack...!'
Lunda=Yubei kicked off the ground with all his might.
Yubei's body shot away from Slatis in the opposite direction, but contrary to his expectations, it didn't escape the shadow of the scarabs.
"There you are."
Seong-un=Rakrak's hand gripped Lunda=Yubei's throat.
"...Ah."
Seong-un=Rakrak squeezed the throat.
-Wajik.
Yubei's head rolled across the ground.
Summoning Slatis, performing Possession simultaneously, raining lightning like a storm via the demonic spirit Pajijik, and even calling forth a massive swarm of scarab beetles.
Seong-un thought he had used too much faith in a single battle.
But the results were undeniable.
Once Possession was released, Rakrak mounted one of the cockatoos that had followed him and led the cavalry in striking the Renar army's rear.
Renar's king Hati, knowing his god had been defeated, made the rational choice.
Leave minimal forces to hold the enemy and flee.
Hati abandoned the infantry unable to fight properly due to stomach issues and kept retreating, leaving troops behind whenever favorable terrain appeared to improve their chances.
In a single day, Renar's 1,100 troops dwindled to 200 without a proper fight.
They had lost nearly all their infantry, sparing only the cavalry.
In contrast, Rakrak's army faced mere stragglers and suffered almost no losses.
The remaining 200 Renar soldiers slipped back to their homeland for guerrilla warfare.
Lunda checked his plummeted level.
'From 9 to 5...'
Lunda, who had estimated at worst a drop to 7, found the single digit agonizing.
Krampus called via video chat.
"Lunda? You there?"
"Yes? Yes."
"What's your level now?"
"...7. Not as bad as I thought..."
Krampus cut in as Lunda tried to lie mildly.
"Oof, that's a big drop."
"...Y-yeah?"
"At that level, faith shortages will make internal management tough."
"No... It's barely manageable."
Lunda answered hoping his expression wouldn't show.
Generally, higher Divinity Levels meant ongoing faith consumption to sustain miracles and creations.
With the level down, Lunda knew the orchards in Renar—created via fruit-bearing miracles—would wither this year.
The revenue from those fruits would vanish, leaving Renar to starve and abandon their faith.
Moreover, Priest Yubei was dead.
The young Yubei had been the next generation after old King Hati.
Internal management was already a failure.
To recover, he'd have to abandon wars with other nations and plan to gather faith and experience.
'This absolutely cannot get out.'
Not to Nebula, nor the other hostile races, nor even Krampus.
Even as allies, Krampus could betray anytime.
If Krampus learned Lunda's forces were weaker than thought, he might change attitudes.
To divert, Lunda said.
"By the way, are the Satyros moving to attack?"
"Yes."
Krampus checked the map.
"They started moving right after hearing of the betrayal, so they'll reach the border village the day after tomorrow. Four more days from there to the Automat Citadel."
"Can't they arrive sooner?"
"Hm. The Automat Citadel will be empty, so cavalry alone could take it. Better that way. I'll hint to Pav. Then, swapping horses at the border village, 150 cavalry could hit the Automat Citadel in a day and a half."
"Good. So I just need to hold the Lizardmen for two and a half days?"
"Yes."
Lunda planned to rely on Renar's guerrilla warfare.
Infantry were wiped out, but elite cavalry remained.
And Renar's great ermine cavalry moved nimbly even off-road, unlike others.
If he tied down the Lizardmen for the promised time, numbers would work out.
'By then, I'll have some faith regenerated. Re-Possess and I can face the Lizardmen army. Nebula will prioritize defending the Automat Citadel over fighting my forces.'
If not, Seong-un would have to yield the Automat Citadel—but Lunda saw that as unlikely.
Even with divine support, Lizardmen couldn't instantly crush Renar's guerrillas.
The Automat Citadel's defenses scaled with invested faith.
'Nebula burned massive faith. He'll have to focus on one or the other.'
And Lunda hoped for that.
'I can't be the only one ruined!'
No grudge against Krampus.
But extreme level gaps made equal player relations impossible. Lunda hated that.
Thus, he downplayed his defeat and spun tales of lacking confidence against Nebula, laying schemes.
But Lunda's hopes turned to pipe dreams.
"Huh?"
Krampus uttered a dazed sound, prompting Lunda.
"What happened?"
"Weren't you supposed to tie them down?"
"Yes? Yes."
Krampus displayed his screen quizzically.
It showed Satyros king Pav receiving a report.
The report: Lizardman army descending toward Satyros.
"...Ah."
Lunda realized the issue.
Too many losses let Lizardmen break Renar's lines.
No, problems predated that.
Eldar's bad intel made Lizardmen appear too soon.
The battle expected in Heukrin's borders shifted to Renar's territory, now Satyros's.
Krampus said.
"...This is bad. They're heading for the border village. No proper walls there to stop Lizardmen. Even if we yield it, turn the Satyros army around and camp at the capital."
Krampus seemed to think they could fight, but Lunda knew what would happen in Satyros capital Daimarit.
Slatis was a powerful creation.
Such beings doubled as siege weapons.
Once walls fell, it became a raw clash of strength.
'Satyros has barely 800 troops. Even matched numbers are bad; Lizardmen are 1,700—over double.'
Having fought Nebula once, Lunda knew Krampus would lose.
'No, this is good. An opportunity. Let him crash.'
Timing advanced, but perfect for new alliances.
Renar was aggressively pursuing diplomacy.
'Next alliance: Wisdom. Cranky but rational—offer wealth for minimal protection.'
Oblivious to Lunda's thoughts, Krampus said.
"Then, let's get alliance support. Lunda, bring your forces down. Flank them when they start the siege for max effect."
"Ah, instead, what if my forces hit the Automat Citadel?"
"Double fronts? Timing won't match."
"...True."
Lunda pressed his brow to hide a grimace.
Not helping now would seem suspicious; helping would lose scarce troops.
Pretending to descend but not attacking would work, but divine oracles to priests needed consistency.
Lunda pondered betrayal, but Renar still saw Satyros as allies, causing errors.
'Damn, what to do?'
Krampus amplified the dilemma.
"Actually, that's a good idea too. Attacking the Automat Citadel. It's empty, so small force suffices? Send cavalry there, infantry support me?"
Lunda slipped in panic.
"My forces are too few for that..."
"Huh? Don't you have 500?"
"...Ah. Yes."
"Enemy's down to 1,300ish from 1,700. Renar infantry 300 plus my 800 Satyros. Even numbers for defense—we'll win for sure."
"...Hm."
"Plus, you killed Nebula's creation, so walls are safe."
Lunda bowed his head to hide expression, silent.
'Too many lies!'
Still, he felt relief.
'By the time they're exposed, we won't be allies anymore.'
But that too was Lunda's delusion.
Krampus jumped at his status window.
"Huh?"
"What now?"
"Whisper request."
"From who?"
"Nebula."
"Wait, don't accep—"
Too late; Krampus accepted.
Nebula—Seong-un—spoke.
"Feeling like surrendering yet?"