Chapter 151

"Hrmm.”

The inner sanctum of the castle.

Regas yawned with a relaxed expression. He had a lot of work to do, so he shut off all contact for a fortnight. He was sitting at his desk and looking at his accounts book when he heard that the enemy invaded and ran out.

There was no inspiration.

“It’s fine without me.”

The Yatan believers weren’t even suitable to be training opponents. He was about to head towards the castle when his gaze suddenly shifted towards the sky. Two last rays of light were dropping from the slowly closing teleport gate.

“Are they strong?”

Regas’ eyes shone as he climbed up the stairs then onto the walls. He jumped into the gap between Laella and Zednos, who had been watching the battlefield and supporting the guild members.

“Many people are suffering.”

“Ah...”

“Huh?”

Laella’s shoulders were shaking.

"What is it?"

Magicians had the ability to detect magic power. Laella and Zednos were able to detect the danger before Regas and they replied at the same time.

“Monster.”

“A monster.”

At that moment.

Kwaang!

Two rays fell into the middle of the battlefield. A notification window popped up in front of all users in Bairan Village, including the Tzedakah Guild.

[The Fourth Servant of the Yatan Church, Neberius has appeared.]

[The sound of the flute that contains dark magic flows into your ears.]

[There is a loss of balance and loss of concentration.]

[Evasion rate has fallen to 0%. Accuracy has fallen by 60%. Magic casting speed is two times slower.]

[These effects will last until the sound of the flute stops.]

[The Fifth Servant of the Yatan Church, Balak has appeared.]

[He is a demonkin who controls fire. If you enter within 1m of Balak, you will receive 500 fire damage per second.]

[The flames of a demonkin are like God Yatan’s breath. Yatan has blessed all believers, increasing the stats of the Yatan believers by 50%.]

“...Whoa.”

Regas’s eyes sharpened as he made an admiring sound.

‘It is time to show the result of my training.’

Several months ago, the Tzedakah Guild couldn’t deal with even one servant. But that was the past. The Tzedakah Guild grew faster than others. Now two enemies stronger than Malacus appeared simultaneously, but they didn’t shrink back. Regas was confident, but Zednos, the number one wind magician, was different.

"We should give up on Bairan. It’s better to go to Winston and borrow troops from Lady Irene to recapture it.”

The grey-haired Neberius playing the flute was very frustrating for Zednos. He noticed that there was no chance of winning with the debuffs, which acted as a counter to all physical attack classes as well as magicians.

Laella rebuked him, "Recapture? Zednos, do you think they came to take over this place? No. They simply came to destroy. The moment we abandon this place, it will be turned to ashes. We can’t back down. We must fight and win.”

"It will waste money and time, but can’t we restore the village at any time? Isn’t it better than dying and losing experience and items?”

"Is that the only problem? If we lose, all the NPCs will die.”

In order to rebuild the village, the power of the NPCs (residents) was essential. The buildings could be restored with time and money, but what if there were no residents? It would just be a ghost town. And in the first place, didn’t they learn from Grid that NPCs were no different from humans?

In the end, Zednos agreed, “I understand. We will fight.”

In the guild chat window, Jishuka’s command appeared.

{Everyone converge. Go towards the middle of the village while saving the NPCs.}

“Let’s go.”

The rooftop of a three-storey building. Jishuka delivered the command to the chat window and glanced at Vantner. He acted as her escort as she headed for the narrow alley area. She planned to avoid the enemy’s gaze as much as possible while heading towards her destination.

But they were already Neberius’ targets. The moment they entered the alley, Neberius showed up and blocked the way.

"The power of our church rapidly weakened due to you murdering Malacus. You need to take responsibility for that.”

The old man with grey hair constantly played the flute. Nevertheless, he still spoke with clear pronunciation.

‘Malacus can’t be compared to him.’

Jishuka and Vantner shrank back from the pressure emanating from the old man who wasn’t even 150cm tall. The guild members ran into the alley to protect the two of them.

"Leave this place to us!”

"Vantner, please look after Master!”

"Thank you!”

As an archer, Jishuka couldn’t exert her power when she was close to the enemy. Thus, the Tzedakah Guild always used tactics to protect her. They were doing so even now.

"Let's go!"

The guild members blocked Neberius’ way while Vantner and Jishuka entered the opposite alley. Then they were disappointed. At the end of the foggy alleyway, ten high ranking believers were waiting for them.

“If you don’t want to die, get lost!”

Vantner needed to protect his master, so he couldn’t be stopped by the poison fog. Vantner advanced through the poison fog and threatened the believers with his twin axes. The believers flinched and were pushed back by his momentum. Vantner used that change to lead Jishuka elsewhere.

They needed to reach their destination. The place where Jishuka could shoot most effectively was on the walls. Vantner was determined to escort Jishuka there, even if he needed to sacrifice his life. But the followers weren’t just watching in silence. They rushed forward as Jishuka left the alleyway.

Jjejeong!

Due to Balak’s passive power, the elders couldn’t be ignored.

“Kuk!”

Black knights were mixed in between the black magicians and they pulled out swords hidden in their robes.

Vantner defended, but his complexion wasn’t good. He was a guardian knight, but he had the worst defense because he invested all his stat points into strength, and his armor wasn’t that good. But he didn’t back down.

“Shit...! This is me! I am a tank destroyer, you scum!”

Vantner used a guardian skill to increase his defense, fighting back against the black knights.

Peeok! Peeok!

Huge strength.

The axes battered at the knights’ swords. However, there were 10 black knights. Vantner was soon surrounded and became bloody.

"Kuoh!”

The black magicians hid among the knights and constantly used curse magic. Vantner wobbled and could barely stand upright. He was frustrated as he confirmed that his health was at the bottom.

‘Protect Jishuka!’ He vowed once again as his courage soared into the sky. But courage alone couldn’t overcome the crisis. ‘I am the worst.’

Jishuka fired an arrow every time Vantner’s weak point was struck, but her expression eventually twisted. She wasn’t able to exert her strength properly due to the constant attacks. Meanwhile, the guild members confronting Neberius in the narrow alley after sending Jishuka and Vantner away were also in a crisis.

Neberius used powerful black magic and they quickly died.

“K-Kuack...!”

"Dirty old...”

The Tzedakah Guild was a group where all members were part of the top 200 unified rankings. Every member was a monster. But it wasn’t enough to threaten the Fourth Servant, Neberius.

"What is with the strength of this dark magic? It has excellent compatibility with all magic power attributes. Some attributes are even enhanced by the dark magic.”

Neberius kindly explained it and summoned a lightning bolt.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The alley was no longer an alley. The nearby buildings simultaneously collapsed. The lightning bolt wrecked havoc.

“You?”

Neberius discovered that the enemies who should’ve died were still alive and his eyes widened. Then a cold voice was heard from the dust.

“I will kill you.”

The number one assassin appeared. He rescued the guild members, then he moved behind Neberius and wielded his dagger. A magician had weak physical abilities and Neberius didn’t possess any defensive skills like Malacus, so he was completely vulnerable to the attack.

But he avoided a fatal wound. It was the sound of the flute. Faker’s accuracy was lowered by 60% so it was slightly off target.

“Hrmm...” Neberius didn’t look relaxed anymore. He touched the wound on his neck and frowned for the first time. "You are quite good?”

“You are good as well.”

The colleagues behind Faker were his constant companions. In the past, they had been helplessly defeated by the monster girl Euphemina and trained even harder after their loss. They were also known as Faker’s group.

Faker communicated the situation through the guild chat window.

{Faker’s group, we are facing Neberius. His magic will be sealed when we draw his attention.}

“Kuk... It’s hard.”

The number one paladin, Toban, was struggling. He was trying to tie up Balak’s feet as much as possible. However, there were limits due to the continuous fire damage. Balak was also strong with the sword and Toban had already allowed several attacks. He boasted the strongest defense and highest health in the guild, but he couldn’t help speaking weakly.

{This is Toban. Balak is so strong that I can’t last much longer. Where is the support from Regas and Pon?}

Laella checked Toban’s words and made a frustrated expression. Regas jumped off the wall to join the battle and Pon had joined after wiping out the followers at the west gate. She could see their situation from the wall and it wasn’t that good.

Laella explained the situation.

{The elders are focusing on Pon and Regas. I am supporting them with magic, but it seems hard for them to leave.}

“This...”

Toban trembled. How good would it be if Grid was here right now? But there was no point in wishful thinking.

{Ah... How rotten. Being Jishuka’s protector is very arduous. If only Grid made my armor... Damn.}

Vantner started to grumble as he reached his limit. It was a total crisis. However, the strength of the Tzedakah Guild was very scary.

"I’ve taken care of all the followers here. How about it? Should we help you? Kyaaack~ spit! How strong is a demonkin? Kukuk!”

The three new people who joined the guild, including Toon, assisted Toban with Balak. Faker could also take a breath.

“I came!”

It was Ibellin. The guild was scattered so he added his strength to Faker’s group. Neberius was repeatedly unable to use magic. But the good atmosphere didn’t last long.

“Pant pant...”

“Shit... It won’t work.”

"I’ve never see a demonkin before.”

"Balak is Balak, but Neberius is the problem. The debuff is too extensive and effective. I can’t attack properly due to the lowered accuracy."

"The evasion rate of 0% is deadly for assassins...”

As the battle continued, the faces of the Tzedakah Guild became darker. Neberius and Balak were both strong, but Neberius was particularly problematic. The top priority was stopping his flute. Everyone had the same thought.

『The Tzedakah Guild have struggled well, but there is a limit. 』

The battle of Bairan Village was being broadcasted by all the media around the world. The users in Bairan Village recorded the situation and uploaded them to the Internet in real time.

『 The situation might improve if Regas and Pon could join the battle, but... There are 60~70 people affected by Balak’s passive skill thoroughly marking the two of them, so it can’t be helped.』

『In the first place, Malacus was the weakest of the Yatan Servants. The Tzedakah Guild may have defeated Malacus, but it’s still a far cry from dealing with two stronger servants. It’s obvious that the Tzedakah Guild will be wiped out without the help of the users in the top 10 of the unified rankings. 』

『It’s odd to see the Tzedakah Guild collapsing.』

『 But it’s incredible that they lasted so long. I don’t think that anyone watching this broadcast can argue with the fact that the Tzedakah Guild is the strongest. They are fighting so well, even in the worst situation... It is great. 』

『Personally, Faker and Vantner seem the most impressive. Aren’t they doing a good job?』

『Vantner? Are you deceived by the splendid appearance of his swinging axes? Vantner is still immature. He didn’t pay attention to defense as a guardian knight and is paying for it. Right now, the best people fighting are Faker, Ibellin, Pon and Regas. 』

『Are you ignoring Laella and Zednos?』

It happened the moment when the experts were giving negative opinions about the battle.

『Eh? Wait a moment. Who is that person?』

A man whose face and ID were completely concealed was caught on screen.

『He is using Fly magic. A magician.』

That’s right. The person was flying in the air. Then he reached into the air (his inventory). He pulled out black armor and threw it towards Vantner, who was isolated with Jishuka.

“...!!”

Vantner shouted something towards the man in the sky. His expression was clearly angry. But then he received the armor and smiled. At that moment, an amazing thing happened. Vantner wore the armor and his color suddenly improved?

He seemed alive again as he started to fight fiercely against the elders. The anchors and experts were stunned.

『That armor...?』

The mysterious man suddenly came and gave Vantner armor. What was the relationship between Vantner and the man, and what was the identity of the armor? The videos focused on him as anchors, experts and viewers around the world started to wonder about the man’s identity.

In the meantime, the man once again reached into the air. This time, he pulled out a black greatsword.

“...!!”

The man shouted at the Tzedakah Guild members. One of the guild members on the ground held up hand. The man threw him the black greatsword. Then another surprise occurred. The Tzedakah Guild member grabbed the greatsword and became stronger than before, as he started to attack Balak with a terrifying momentum.

One of the experts had a flash of inspiration.

『Ah...! I know that greatsword! Isn’t it the weapon used by the butcher who slaughtered the Giant Guild members in Winston in the past?』

An anchor chimed in.

『Yes! I thought it looked familiar! It really is that greatsword! 』

『 No, then that person...? 』

The man in the sky! People’s curiosity about his identity was amplified.

And...

The man started to arm himself. He wore beautiful white armor with gold thread embroidered on it. After that, he placed an ordinary cloak over it.

Then.

Neberius, Balak and all the Yatan believers turned their gaze towards the man in unison.

『Eh...? What is this phenomenon? Are they focusing on the butcher?』

『 Does that cloak have a taunting effect? But he’s alone, so how can he deal with all of them...? 』

The anchors, expert, Tzedakah Guild members and all users in the area. The attention of viewers all over the world was only focused on one man.

Saaah!

Did he know that hundreds of millions of people were watching him? The man put his hand into the air. Then there was a blue light as he started to pull something out.

『Shark?』

That’s right. It was a shark-like appearance. The man pulled out a blue shark-shaped greatsword from his inventory. Then he spoke the shocking name of a skill while the world was watching.

“Pagma's Sword Dance, Transcended Link.”

『Pagma?!』

It felt like the entire world was shaking. As the anchors and experts were shaking with astonishment, a blue-black light filled the screen.