Ch. 201..210
Chapter 201 I Don’t Want To Be Bound By Such A Feeling
Only a week remained before the Guild Wars commenced in Whitebridge City.
Lux had already created a perfect plan, which would make use of this event as an advantage, in order to make the Dark Guild, Twilight Rain, stop targeting him completely.
However, his plan was wasted when the long-awaited event was canceled due to an unforeseen calamity that threatened not only the Whitebridge City, but several towns and cities in the Southern Regions of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
Because of this emergency, all of the Guild Masters, as well as the people responsible for the safety of the city, were hastily gathered by the City's Mayor, Garth Feron, for a discussion about the countermeasures towards one of the natural calamities of the world.
"A Beast Tide was sighted hundreds of miles away from the Southwest of the city," Garth stated. "Because of this, the Guild Wars will be canceled, and all guilds will be drafted to protect the city from getting destroyed."
"Don't worry. After a long meeting with the officials, we decided to make this Beast Tide the deciding factor for who will become the Protector Guild of this city. In short, all of you will compete and the guild who gains the most merit points will gain the title of Protector of Whitebridge City."
Aina and the other guild leaders nodded their heads in understanding. They all read the documents distributed to each of them. It stated the detailed terms and conditions of the competition.
It was a simple point system, which allowed the guilds to kill as many monsters as they could in a manner that was suitable for them.
The special artifact that would be used in the Guild Wars could also compute the number of kills of each guild, allowing automatic tallying.
During this battle, members of each guild were not allowed to kill each other, or deliberately sabotage the defense operation to protect the city. Any offenders would immediately be sent to prison. However, the punishment wouldn't end there.
The offender's guild would get demerit points, which would drastically lower their overall points due to the action of their members. In order to prevent deliberate sabotage, the Guild Leader would get to choose who would participate in the city's defense, along the outer perimeter.
The rest of their guild members, who were not chosen to be part of the vanguards, would be stationed inside the city to protect the citizens in case the outer defenses were breached.
After much discussion, the officials of each city agreed that at least a thousand members from each guild would be stationed along the city's outer perimeter, alongside the army of the Kingdom of Gweliven for the city's first line of defense.
The Guild Leaders found this arrangement acceptable, especially the Bronze-Ranked Guilds, whose members were not as many as the Silver-Ranked Guilds like Eternal.
After reading the conditions, the attention of the guild leaders zoned in on the point system that would determine the rankings.
—-----
Beast Tide Merit Points Computation
Killing Rank 1 Monsters = 10 Merit Point
Killing Rank 2 Monsters = 100 Merit Points.
Killing Rank 3 Monsters = 500 Merit Points
Killing Rank 4 Monsters = 5,000 Merit Points
Killing Rank 5 Monsters = 20,000 Merit Points
Killing Deimos Ranked Monsters = 500,000 Merit Points
Killing Rank 1 Alpha Monsters = 1,000 Merit Points
Killing Rank 2 Alpha Monsters = 10,000 Merit Points
Killing Rank 3 Alpha Monsters = 20,000 Merit Points
Killing Rank 4 Alpha Monasters = 50,000 Merit Points
Killing Rank 5 Alpha Monsters Monsters = 200,000 Merit Points
Killing Deimos Alpha Monsters = 5,000,000 Merit Points
Important Notice: In the case that an Argonaut Ranked Monster appears on the battlefield, the Rankers that were assigned to guard the city would personally deal with them. Do not get in their way or join them in battle unless you are confident in your strength.
The Kingdom will not be held responsible for the deaths of anyone in this endeavor. To those who don't want to die, feel free to evacuate and seek shelter inside the city.
—-----
'This is a bit tricky,' Aina looked at the document with the same indifferent expression on her face. 'Focusing on the small fries will not yield many points, but biting off more than we can chew will cost many lives.'
Unlike other Guild Masters, Aina cared for each member of her guild, so she naturally would not allow them to throw their lives away just for the sake of short-lived glory.
Only a few guild leaders shared the doll-like beauty's line of thought. The other Guild Masters didn't mind sacrificing their members as long as they won the competition. For them, weaklings deserved to die and had no place in their guilds.
This was especially true for the two guilds, Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords.
While all the Guild Masters were digesting the information they received from the officials of the city, Lux sat not far from them and was reading the same document in his hands.
Nevreal had passed along a few words to the Mayor, telling him of the Half-Elf's importance. Because of this, Garth decided to give Lux the VIP treatment and allowed him to join the meeting for the defense of Whitebridge City.
'Hmm… I can use this,' Lux mused as he looked at the information in front of him. 'Although I will have to make revisions for my plan, the end game is still the same. In fact it is even better!'
The Half-Elf was secretly pleased about this new arrangement and hatched a new plan in his mind.
'I'll ask Aina later if I can temporarily join Eternal,' Lux thought as she glanced at Colette's sister, who had the same expression as she always had. 'This is like hitting two birds with one stone.'
Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux's head, yawned out of boredom because she didn't understand what was being discussed around her. If not for the fact that Lux had promised to buy her some candies after the meeting, she would have stayed at the inn and slept.
An hour later, the meeting was adjourned and the Guild Masters returned to their respective guilds to discuss the details of their new mission to their members.
On the way back, Lux joined Aina's carriage and told her his proposal.
"You want to temporarily join my guild?" Aina asked as she gazed at Lux.
Lux nodded. "I am strong, you know? You won't be missing out. I can accumulate a lot of points for you."
Aina closed her eyes for a few minutes before gazing back at the Half-Elf who was lightly patting the head of the baby slime that was sleeping on his lap.
"I have a feeling that you have another agenda aside from helping my guild accumulate points," Aina stated.
"Don't worry, I don't have any malicious intentions nor agenda," Lux replied.
"I believe you."
"Then you'll allow me to join?"
"On one condition." Aina stared at Lux's as if she was trying to see through his very soul. "You have to tell me the real reason behind why you want to join my guild. Even if you don't plan to harm my guild, there might be some outside factors that may. I want to know these unknown variables."
"Lux, you have to understand that I am a Guild Master, and my Guild comes first. I need to know if allowing you to join will have a negative impact on us in the long run."
The Half-Elf sighed before reluctantly nodding his head.
"Let's talk somewhere private," Lux replied. "I promise to tell you everything, but you have to promise me that you won't tell a soul about it."
Aina nodded her head in understanding. Lux was her sister's benefactor, so she trusted him to a certain extent. She knew that the Half-Elf must have a good reason for requesting her help to let him temporarily join her guild.
In regards to Lux's strength, Aina was convinced that the latter was indeed strong. She was a person who had a good head on her shoulders and was able to determine if someone had good intentions or not.
Overall, she didn't have qualms with Lux joining her guild. However, she still needed to know his reasons in order to create countermeasures if something unforeseen happened in the future.
—--
An hour later…
"And that's why I want to join your guild," Lux said with a serious expression on his face. "Will this create trouble for you in the long run?"
Aina's expression remained the same, but deep inside she was shocked by Lux's revelation.
She couldn't believe that the Half-Elf in front of her had been targeted by not just one, but two Reapers of Twilight Rain, yet managed to survive their assasination attempt.
What was more surprising was that the red-headed teenager was able to make them join his side and become his subordinates. Aina didn't ask for the specifics on how Lux managed to convince two Initiate Ranked Assassins to become his collaborators and betray their guild.
Because of his revelation, her impression of the Half-Elf was raised to a higher level, making her finally understand why Colette boasted about her dependable "Big Brother" every opportunity she got.
"Very well, on behalf of Eternal, I welcome you as a temporary member of our guild," Aina stood up from her chair and extended her hand towards the Half-Elf. "Please, lend us your strength and help us win the competition."
"Of course." Lux smiled as he stared at the perfect beauty in front of him that resembled the lady he idolized back on Earth. 'She really looks like a younger version of Luna. It's quite unfortunate that she will not grow to be as tall as her because she is a Dwarf.'
"I have a feeling that you are thinking of something rude right now," Aina said.
"Nonsense!" Lux replied. "I'm just thinking about how you have made the right choice today. Relax, I'll make sure that Eternal becomes the Protector Guild of Whitebridge City."
"Thank you. I look forward to your results."
"You can count on it."
After Lux left the Guild Master's office, Aina pulled out a document from her drawer and skimmed through its contents.
On the document was Lux's information, which had been gathered by one of the Information Guilds in the city.
It listed the achievements that the Half-Elf had accomplished in Leaf Village. Aina had received this document just before the meeting regarding the Beast Tide was held, so she didn't have time to look over it.
However, a rare trace of appreciation could be seen in her eyes as she finished reading the last entry of the document.
"So, this is the person you are trying to matchmake me to, Colette," Aina said as she thought about how her little sister had been dropping subtle hints here and there like, "Big Brother is still single," or "You know, even though he's not a Dwarf, Big Brother and Big Sister look good when the two of you stand by side. It's like a match made in heaven!"
Aina sighed as she returned the document inside the drawer. She had already told her little sister that she didn't plan to have any relationship at the moment because her priority was to raise Eternal to be a Gold-Ranked Guild.
Love was not something that she needed at the moment, even though she had already received countless marriage proposals in both Elysium and Solais.
'Love is unnecessary,' Aina thought. 'I don't want to be bound by such a feeling.'
The doll-like beauty stood up and stared at the emblem of her guild that she had built from scratch. Through great hardships, she had managed to raise Eternal from a Bronze-Ranked Guild to a Silver-Ranked Guild in record time, which had earned her the nickname, Warrior Princess.
'Lux Von Kaizer,' Aina thought of the Half-Elf that just left her office a few minutes ago. 'I hope that there will not come a time when the two of us become enemies. For your sake, and mine as well.'
Chapter 202 Twilight Rain’s Next Target
"A vacation to play with your sisters?"
"Yes, Master. However, if it is too presumptuous of me to request such a thing, feel free to ignore it."
"It's fine," Lux said with a smile. "You can have a week off after we deal with the Beast Tide. Until then, please do your best to assist me."
Sid respectfully bowed as he firmly knocked his fist against his chest. "Thank you, Master. I am very grateful for your mercy."
Lux nodded. "How are your sisters doing in Leaf Village?"
After hearing about Sid's and his sisters' circumstances, Lux decided to do his new servant a favor and allow him to take his sisters to Leaf Village, where they would be properly cared for by the brave and caring Grandma Annie, who had helped Lux several times in the past.
"Grandma Annie was very happy to have them, and my sisters were also very happy to have a kind Grandma as their guardian," Sid replied with a relaxed smile on his face. "I'm just a bit worried that they will eat all the candies in Grandma Annie's shop because they said that they taste good."
Lux chuckled after hearing Sid's report. "Don't worry. Knowing Grandma Annie, she would teach your sisters the recipe for making the candies. Perhaps, she might even teach them how to become Alchemists like her."
"That will be wonderful. Both of my sisters have good memories and are fast learners."
"Looks like their future is bright then."
Lux then shifted his attention to Emma, who was also seated on the table in front of them. The pretty Dwarf gradually turned into the Half-Elf's secretary, instead of a bodyguard, which made things easier for him.
Right now, Emma was busy placing colored beads on the map, showing Lux the locations of where the various guilds would be deployed during the Beast Tide.
Scarlet, who was also in the same room as them, looked at the map with a serious expression.
"Twilight Rain has two guilds that are collaborating with them here in Whitebridge City," Scarlet said as she pointed at the two beads that represented the guilds of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords. The roles they play are very subtle, so only the higher ups are aware of their existence.
"I am only able to learn this information through my grandfather, who told me that if I ever needed help in Whitebridge City to assassinate you, I can come to these two guilds for help."
Lux nodded in understanding. This was also why he had decided to choose Scarlet to become the Slayer Candidate instead of Sid. As long as she was the mole he planted inside Twilight Rain, even the secrets known only to the Elders would pass through her ears.
"Master's plan is brilliant and, if executed well, would definitely work wonders," Scarlet said with a smile. "However, the problem is executing the plan. We can't do it too early because you intend to help Eternal, so you need points in order to make that happen.
"Also, we can't do it too late. I'm afraid that we might miss the right opportunity to carry out the mission."
"Exactly," Lux commented. "Although the plan is good, there's a lot of variables on the battlefield. So I want you to improvise to the best of your ability."
"I will do my best, Master."
"Mmm."
Emma looked at Lux with admiration. She never expected that he could even turn two outstanding Reapers from Twilight Rain as his subordinates. Because of this, she became more confident that staying with Lux was the best choice that she had made in her life.
"Master, two days from now, the vanguard of the Beast Tide will appear," Emma explained after she finished arranging the beads on the map. "I don't know if the arrangements were decided at random, but the Eternal Guild is stuck between Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords."
"The two other Silver-Ranked Guilds, Crescent Vanguard and Thunder Oath, are located on the outer perimeter. If these two Twilight Rain affiliate guilds were to sabotage Eternal, no one would notice their attempts."
Lux rubbed his chin as he stared at the map.
Aina's guild, Eternal, was at the very center of the defensive perimeter. This was an ideal location in order to allow them to kill as many monsters as possible, but it also had its drawbacks.
For example, since they are at the very center of the formation, it also meant that it was highly possible that they would have to face the main bulk of the Beast Tide, as well as the strong monsters leading the pack.
Also, at the heat of the battle, it would not be impossible for the two collaborators of Twilight Guild to play some dirty tricks during the siege.
Although rules and other precautions were set, it was still possible for loopholes to be exploited, which could spell bad news for the guild of the doll-like beauty, who cared for the lives of her guild members.
'I need to tell Aina about Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords,' Lux thought. 'Eternal is the only ally I have in Whitebridge City, so it's best to keep them as safe as possible.'
While Lux was deep in his thoughts, Sid lightly tapped the table, pointing at the bead that represented Eternal.
"According to the person that recruited me to Twilight Rain, after your assassination, the next high-profile target is Aina Van GoldenSlayer," Sid said. "It is highly possible that Twilight Rain will use this opportunity to send someone to assassinate her during this Beast Tide."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Lux frowned after hearing this report. Aina was Colette's sister, and, if something happened to her, the adorable little Dwarf girl would be devastated.
"Understood," Lux said after a minute of thinking. "I was only going to assign you to help kill some monsters during the Beast Tide to rack up points, but if her life is really in danger, you are to silently protect her from the side."
"Yes, Master," Sid nodded. "I will do my best to accomplish my mission."
"Good." Lux gave him a brief nod of acknowledgement.
Scarlet didn't participate in the discussion because she didn't care whether Aina lived or died. The only thing she cared about was becoming a Slayer Candidate by following Lux's brilliant plan to make her name known to the upper echelons of Twilight Rain.
"Sid and Scarlet, before the start of the defense against the Beast Tide, I want you to scour this place and look for suspicious individuals," Lux ordered. "If you see any of the Reapers…"
Lux paused, which made everyone inside the room look at him with their undivided attention.
"Kill them, and leave no traces behind."
""Yes, Master!""
Lux would not allow anyone to make the little Dwarf, whom he treated like a little sister, cry because of the schemes of Twilight Rain.
If only he had the strength to uproot this threat by himself, he would have taken action already.
Sadly, he was still an insignificant Apostle in the grand scheme of things. The only thing he could do was tell Aina about the dangers that lurked around her, and hope that the Warrior Princess would make the necessary preparations to protect her life, against those who wished her dead.
Chapter 203 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 1]
Several banners fluttered in the breeze as the united army of both the guilds and the Kingdom of Gweliven stood side by side.
Aina stood at the forefront of her guild, clutching the grip of her sword with both hands with its tip embedded in the ground.
At that moment, Lux realized why she was given the title of War Princess. Her beauty, as well as her charisma, could be seen and felt by everyone in the surroundings.
'Although the feeling is very similar, it is also very different,' Lux thought as he glanced at the Dwarf in front of him.
Luna, the star that the Half-Elf idolized back on earth, had a certain presence that would make everyone want to cheer for her. Her songs would uplift people, and her smile would make one feel as if they were gazing at an angel that descended to earth.
Also, her fans gave her the nickname, Angel of Death.
Why? Because a wink from her was enough to send someone to the hospital due to a heart attack. Fortunately, no deaths were confirmed. Even so, ever since then, she had been banned from winking on the stage whenever she was performing.
Aina gave off the same feeling, but it was different from the merry atmosphere that idols and stars had. Perhaps, this was the same feeling of those who served under Jeanne of Arc during the Hundred-Year Wars that happened in the distant past.
She was like a shining beacon that chased away the darkness and ensured that victory would fall upon her side.
'Sid, make sure to protect her at all cost,' Lux ordered via telepathy.
'Yes, Master,' Sid replied. 'As long as this body of mine still moves, I will not allow any harm to come to her.'
Lux then shifted his attention to the black swarm that was slowly making its way towards the city from beyond the horizon.
The only experience he had when fighting many monsters was during the Monster Outbreak and the attack on the Kobold's Nest.
This time, he would be facing a Beast Tide that numbered in the tens of thousands. This was a grand-scale battle that usually happened once every three to five years.
"Everyone prepare," Aina ordered as the sword in her hand glowed brightly. "Everyone, buff up."
"Bless!'
"Heroism!"
"Inspire Courage!"
"Shield of Faith!"
Several buffs fell upon Aina's Guild as they prepared for the battles ahead.
Diablo and Lux also used their Battlecry and Warcry to further enhance the damage of Aina's entire guild, which surprised not only the doll-like beauty, but also her entire guild.
Diablo's passive skill, Warlord Presence, further enhanced their attack, which allowed the Eternal Guild to increase their combat power by a great margin.
"Are you sure you only want to become a temporary guild member?" Aina asked in a volume that only Lux could hear.
"Yes," Lux replied.
"It's a shame."
"I think so as well."
Aina's expression remained the same, but she now understood why Colette liked to always go on adventures with Lux. With someone who had skills that could boost your team's attack and defense, clearing dungeons would be a lot easier, not to mention monster subjugations.
"Brace yourselves," Aina said and the sword in her hand shone brightly.
A moment later, several angelic feathers descended upon everyone, adding a layer of protection to everyone who was under the Warrior Princess' command.
The other guilds, as well as the Army of Whitebridge City, had also finished their preparations.
"Archers Aim!" Aina ordered. "Magicians, prepare your spells!"
Lux didn't summon his Skeleton Archers, because he didn't want to let everyone see the aces under his command. For this mission, he only summoned Diablo and all thirty Skeleton Fighters to assist him in this battle.
Eiko had a determined look on her face as Blackie, Whitey, Rocky, and Mara stood at the ready.
She had only given her Named Creatures one order, and that was to… get as many Beast Cores as they could!
Lux had told Eiko that she was not allowed to participate in the battle, because he didn't want to expose her strength. This made the baby slime pout. But, after hearing her Papa's plan to steal the Beast Cores, Eiko's mood had a 90 degree turn, which made her feel motivated about the battle that was about to come.
The Half-Elf chuckled because he could already see his baby slime happily eating Beast Cores at the end of the day. Eiko was a simple minded baby. As long as she could get stronger, she didn't mind staying on the side and watching the entire world burn around her.
'Eiko, don't tell your Mama about stealing stuff, okay?'
'Pa!'
The baby slime nodded her head. She had never seen so many monsters before. In her eyes, all of them were just Beast Cores that were meant to make her stronger.
"Brace!" Aina ordered and several shield warriors lined up beside her as they raised their shields in preparation to block the first wave that was almost upon them.
Aina gazed fearlessly at the upcoming Beast Tide. She then raised her hand to signal for everyone to standby and wait for her orders.
The moment the monsters stepped into the attack range of the arrows and magical spells, Aina decisively lowered her hand and shouted.
"Open Fire!"
Thousands of arrows, as well as magical spells rained down on the Monster Army, and decimated the cannon fodders that acted as their vanguards.
"Diablo, show them what we're made of!" Lux ordered.
Diablo nodded his head and raised the sword in his hand. It was none other than the Mythical Weapon, Blood Moon, that Randolph had bestowed upon Lux after he successfully saved Leaf Village from destruction.
The eyes of the Skeletal Rider glowed brightly as he sat on the back of his mount, Airon, who was also raring to fight by his side.
On this day, Lux would realize just how overpowered Diablo's abilities could become as long as he stood on the battlefield where the numbers of both allies and enemies numbered in the tens of thousands.
Chapter 204 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 2]
The screams of monsters reverberated in the air, as the first wave found themselves beneath a rain of deadly arrows and devastating spells, both of which were meant to wipe them off the face of the world.
Lux, with a calm expression on his face, watched this with his arms crossed over his chest. However, something unexpected happened, catching his attention, nearly causing the Half-Elf's jaw to drop to the ground due to his surprise.
A notification appeared in front of him, which read that Diablo's passive skill, Bloody Fervor, had activated.
—---
Numbers of enemy slain: 2,535
Diablo's Bonus Attack: 12,675
Diablo's Bonus Defense: 12,675
—----
'T-This…,' Lux wasn't able to stop himself from gawking. All this time, he had completely forgotten the passive ability of Diablo's Armor, the Blackrock Legacy Armor Set, which contained bonuses that allowed its wearer to become stronger, the more dead bodies there were on the battlefield.
—----
Blackrock Legacy Armor (Set)
Rating: Pseudo Legendary
Requirements: 100 to all stats
The Legendary Armor of the Blackrock Clan's first Orc Chieftain.
+50 to all stats
+400 to Defense
30% decrease in physical and magical damage
– This Armor is bound to Lux Von Kaizer
– Any creature under Lux's Von Kaizer's command is capable of equipping this armor.
Active Skills: Warlord's War Cry
Passive Skills: Warlord's Presence, Bloody Fervor, Auto-Fit, Indestructible.
—--
< Warlord's Warcry >
– Increase the Physical and Magical Damage of all allied creatures by 200 Points.
< Warlord's Presence >
Your presence in the battlefield inspires your allies and makes them do well in battle.
– 10% Increase to Physical and Magical attack to the Warlord and its allies.
< Bloody Fervor >
Your physical and defensive abilities increase with each slain creature in the battlefield.
– For every slain creature in the battlefield, your attack and defense points will increase by five.
—--
Bloody Fervor's cheat-like ability was now active, and it was boosting Diablo's attack and defense to unimaginable levels.
For every minute that passed, countless monsters were being killed at a very fast rate, further boosting Diablo's strength in battle.
'Oh… my… God,' Lux thought. 'I completely forgot about this!'
Diablo, who was standing behind the Shield Warrior, sat like a general watching his troops do battle. The armor on his body had now turned crimson red, and the Aura of Death he projected was gradually increasing, making the Dwarfs that were behind him feel a little uneasy.
—
Numbers of enemy slain: 5,896
Diablo's Bonus Attack: 29,480
Diablo's Bonus Defense: 29,480
—--
Lux's breathing became ragged as he looked at the rapidly increasing damage and defense boost that his first named creature was getting. This damage boost was still unaffected by the armor's other passive ability, Warlord's Presence, which further increased Diablo's attack damage by 10%.
"Aina, when the monsters reach us, let my skeletons stand on the frontlines," Lux said. "This will reduce casualties for your guild."
Lux was desperately trying to contain the excitement in his voice as he waited for Aina's reply to his proposal.
"Are you sure that your skeletons can handle it?" Aina asked. "Most of them aren't even Rank 2 Monsters. Only the Skeleton Rider riding on a Nightmare Horse has a high rank."
"Trust me, Diablo is strong." Lux said in a confident tone. "He can handle it. He can give your guild a lot of Merit Points without endangering the lives of your members."
Aina stared at Lux with the same expressionless face for a few seconds before nodding her head.
"Okay," Aina replied. "But once he dies, we will advance."
Lux nodded. "Okay."
Aina nodded again before shifting her gaze back to the approaching Monsters.
"Let them pass," Aina ordered, and the Shield Warriors turned their bodies to the side, to allow Diablo, and the Skeleton Fighters to pass through them.
Aina was still quite doubtful about Lux's words, but she didn't think much about it. She wouldn't lose anything by letting the Skeletons deal with the wave of Monsters that was quickly approaching their location.
Once the Skeletons were destroyed, they could still use the strategy that they had planned beforehand. In the end, Lux's proposal wouldn't change the bigger picture.
The two guilds beside Eternal had also started to take action. The Guild Leaders of Twisted Destiny, and Arcadian Lords, glanced at each other, as they sat on top of their War Mounts.
Both nodded their heads before signaling their members to proceed with the strategy they had in mind.
Twilight Rain had tried to merge the three guilds, Crescent Vanguard, Thunder Oath, and Eternal. However, none of them agreed. This in turn made the Elders of Twilight Rain angry, so they ordered the Reapers to Eliminate the Guild Leaders of the three guilds during the Beast Tide, and make it look like an accident.
The one on the top of their list was none other than Aina, who had gained a lot of popularity as of late and was favored by one of the Dwarf Princesses of the Gweliven Kingdom.
Twilight Rain didn't want a guild to gain that much power and authority, especially if it wasn't under their control, so they decided to cut the flower off its stem before it could even bloom fully.
The members of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lord formed a formation that would force the monsters to concentrate on Guild Eternal.
Just like creating a man-made river that forcefully controlled the flow of water in the direction they chose, the two guilds were forcing Eternal to fight a great number of beasts that exceeded their fighting force.
(A/N: the formation looked like this __/ the __ represents the guild Eternal.)
Aina, who stood at the center, surrounded by her guild members, didn't fail to notice these sudden changes, but she wasn't bothered by it. She had already been warned by Lux, so she knew that the two guilds beside her were planning to harm her and her guild members.
She had already made preparations in advance, and when the right moment came, she would counterattack and let them know that they were messing with the wrong person.
However, Aina, as well as the two guild leaders of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords, could only stare in shock at the unbelievable scene in front of them.
Diablo's Nightmare Horse, Airon, walked steadily towards the approaching monsters, with the Skeleton Fighters by his side.
When the hundreds of monsters came within striking range, Diablo raised Blood Moon above his head and casually slashed in front of him as if he was just cutting grass.
The Skeletal Rider used its AOE attack, Whirlwind Slash, and what happened next made everyone's eyes widen in shock.
A blood mist appeared in front of them as the monsters in front of Diablo were all cut in half, instantly killing hundreds with one blow. However, it didn't end there, as more monsters rushed past their fallen comrades, the Skeleton Rider once again slashed in front of him, repeating the same scene that happened earlier.
With every slash, the fires on Diablo's eye sockets burned brighter.
The more he killed, the stronger he became.
A minute later, Diablo's armor was now covered with blood, but the latter paid it no mind.
Everyone who watched this felt their scalp tingle and wondered what would happen if Diablo was fighting against them, and not for them.
"M-Monster," the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny gasped in shock as he looked at the one-sided massacre that was still happening in front of him.
"J-Just what is going on?!" The Guild Master of Arcadian Lords could feel his hands turn sweaty. They never expected that their plan to crush Eternal would only benefit them instead.
—---
< Merit Point Rankings >
Eternal - 154,800
Twisted Destiny - 12,256
Thunder Oath - 11,879
Arcadian Lords - 10,875
Crescent Vanguard - 10,572
Blood Legion - 9,854
Jade Skulls - 8,756
…..
…..
…..
—---
Diablo had single-handedly raised Eternal Guild's Ranking to the number one spot as he continued his one-sided massacre.
Anything below a Rank 2 Monster would die the moment they came within Diablo's attack range. As an Undead, Lux's first Named Creature didn't know the meaning of exhaustion, swinging his sword repeatedly as more dead bodies piled up in front of him.
Blood flowed like a river, dyeing the ground under Airon's feet, but the killing didn't stop.
No one dared to step forward and stop the Skeleton Rider from killing the monsters in front of him. Only the Slimes that were under Eiko's command, were busy moving around on the battlefield.
Their goal was to collect all the Beast Cores for their baby Slime Master, whose eyes were already sparkling in anticipation.
Aina turned her head to look at the Half-Elf who was currently patting her little sister's head and was looking at her with a confident smile on his face.
She never thought that the Half-Elf's sudden proposal would bring such results, which made her feel that this person was something she needed to recruit in her guild no matter what.
Chapter 205 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 3]
—-
Numbers of enemy slain: 12,856
Diablo's Bonus Attack: 64,280
Diablo's Bonus Defense: 64,280
—-
Only half an hour had passed since the battle started, and yet, the number of dead monsters had already surpassed ten thousand.
Aside from Eternal, who was basically unscathed by the Beast Tide, the other guilds were now starting to feel the pressure since the Rank 1 Monsters were almost entirely eliminated. The rest that remained were Rank 2 Monsters, and above.
There had also been several Alpha Beasts whose rank ranged from Rank 1 to Rank 3, which now made defending the city a lot harder.
It was not only the Monsters that were dying, the defenders were the same as well. Just as the stronger Monsters were about to enter the fray, several blow horns sounded across the battlefield.
It was the signal for everyone to retreat to the second defensive perimeter, where makeshift walls, made from Earth, were prepared to hold back the stronger Monsters that had now joined the siege.
Aina ordered her guild to retreat in an orderly manner. Right now, her guild was taking things at an easy pace since not a single Monster had been able to get past the Skeletal Rider who was massacring everyone within his range.
On the contrary, the other guilds didn't have it easy, and were forced to retreat at a slower pace. The very last to retreat were Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords, who had stretched out their forces in order to guide the Beast Tide to the location that the Eternal Guild was defending.
In short, their plan backfired on them, and the number of their casualties numbered in the hundreds.
Diablo also slowly retreated while shooting Bone Spears at the Rank 1 and Rank 2 Alpha Monsters, which were easily killed by him with one hit.
Eiko, who was perched on top of Lux's head, frowned, because the Alpha Monsters' Beast Cores were being eaten by the other monsters, who had taken advantage of the situation.
"Muu!" the baby slime pouted, while her Papa could only chuckle at her current mood.
"Don't worry, there are still more where they came from," Lux assured the pouting Eiko on his head. "These monsters numbered nearly a million, so there are still plenty of Monsters left."
"Pa!"
"Okay, you can get some Alpha Cores as well. But, you shouldn't take them all. The others need to get stronger too."
Eiko nodded her head in understanding and stopped pouting. Currently, her Slimes had managed to get hundreds of Rank 1 and Rank 2 Beast Cores. Although they were just low-ranked beast cores, the baby slime knew that more would come as the Beast Tide continued.
After all the guilds were safely stationed at the second line of defense, they felt a lot safer because they now stood on five-meter tall walls.
The reason why they engaged the lower-ranked monsters outside their defensive perimeters was due to the fact that they didn't want the lower-ranked monster bodies to pile up and render their walls useless.
If that happened, the stronger monsters could easily climb over the bodies of their dead comrades and overwhelm the defenders behind the walls.
In order to prevent this, they decided to kill the weak monsters out on the outskirts, and just move to the second line of defense once the main bulk of the Beast Tide had arrived.
"Are you sure you only want to become a temporary member of our guild?" Aina asked.
"Yes," Lux replied. "You've asked me this question five times. My answer will remain the same even if you ask me again."
The officers of Eternal sighed after hearing Lux's reply. After seeing Diablo's performance, they wanted to bring Lux into their guild even more in order to strengthen their ranks and compete with the other guilds in clearing dungeons and difficult quests.
Having heard Lux's answer, Aina motioned for her sister to come close to her. Naturally, Colette happily obliged as her Big Sister whispered something in her ears.
A minute later, Colette held onto Lux's arm and lightly swung it from side to side acting all cute and adorable, which made Matty, and the rest of her friends, cover their faces in embarrassment.
"Big Brother, please join our guild," Colette said sweetly. "If you do, you will be given the rank of Elder, as well as 5,000 Gold Coins monthly allowance. Not only that, you will be given priority to item and equipment loot when clearing dungeons. Also, you can go out on dates with my Big Sister once a week."
Aina expressionlessly stared at her little sister who was doing her best to convince Lux to join her guild.
Colette had told Lux everything Aina wanted her to say to him. However, the adorable little girl had one-sidedly added the condition that she would go out on a date with the Half-Elf once a week. That was something that she had never said to her.
The officers of Eternal all looked at Aina in askance, and the latter only shook her head to deny Colette's additional condition to bribe the Half-Elf into becoming part of their guild.
The officers of Eternal knew what their Guild Master was like, and knew that she didn't have any interest in having a relationship with anyone.
"Sorry, but I can't," Lux replied while Colette swung his arm from side to side. "Don't worry. I will still go on adventures with you guys even if I didn't join your guild."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Colette could only accept Lux's decision and no longer pestered him.
Aina could only shake her head in her sister's failed attempt to recruit a strong addition to their guild. The Guild Master of Eternal stared at the approaching tide of monsters with a fearless gaze.
However, just like her, everyone's eyes were looking at the Skeleton Rider who was standing two hundred meters away from them.
People from other guilds had never seen such a strong Monster before and envied Eternal for having a Necromancer of Lux's caliber in their ranks.
Eternal's ranking in the leaderboards seemed unshakeable because the gap was simply too wide for them to catch up.
Even so, the Guild Masters of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords were still calm despite their first setback.
Since they couldn't decrease the number of Eternal's Guild Members on the battlefield, they could still proceed to the next phase of their plan now, which was to sabotage them from within.
Everyone had a price, and even some of the most loyal members of Eternal could be bought as long as the price was high enough.
It didn't matter whether they had to use money, threats, or intimidation to make it happen. As long as they could achieve their goal, Twilight Rain was more than happy to move in the shadows to help their collaborators shine in the spotlight.
Chapter 206 The Lord Of Destruction [Part 4]
"Hehehe."
"Big Brother, is there something funny?"
"Yes, but I'm not going to tell you."
"Booo!"
Lux chuckled as he patted the adorable little Dwarf, who decided to stick with him while they helped with the defense of Whitebridge City. Matty and the others were also nearby Lux, since they had requested for this beforehand from Aina.
For them, it felt a lot safer when they were around their Big Brother, and the latter was more than happy to have his friends around him.
"They're here," Aina said. "Everyone, prepare yourselves!"
The first wave of the Beast Tide were merely cannon fodders. There were plenty of Rank 1 and Rank 2 Alpha Beasts mixed in the first wave, but they were not really such a big deal against those who had already stepped on the Apostle Ranks.
The only troublesome thing about them so far was their huge numbers. A Beast Tide was not like a simple monster outbreak. The number of monsters within it numbered in the millions.
If they were lucky, there would only be only a little over a million, but if they weren't, and the Beast Tide was severe, the numbers could reach up to ten million, which would be enough to destroy an entire city if the defenders were overwhelmed.
Colette and her friends turned serious as their grip on their weapons became firmer. Lux smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was not worried about the monsters breaking through Eternal's defenses, especially with Diablo holding the frontlines.
If only Aina could see Diablo's current stats. She would definitely think that going out on a date with Lux once a week would be worth it.
—---
Numbers of enemy slain: 28,458
Diablo's Bonus Attack: 142,290
Diablo's Bonus Defense: 142,290
—--
Right now, Lux was confident that even if a group consisting of the Carbuncle, Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, and Ghoul Beast appeared in front of Diablo, a single slap from the Skeleton Rider would be enough to instantly kill them.
As for the Mutated Thunder Wolf King?
Perhaps Diablo would need to slash it six to eight times before the powerful Mutated Monster died in his hands. The current Skeletal Rider also wouldn't have any trouble standing toe-to-toe with Rank 5 Alpha Monsters of similar strength.
Just as Lux expected, the moment the second wave of monsters reached their defensive line, Diablo massacred them without fail.
—--
< Merit Point Rankings >
Eternal - 785,600
Twisted Destiny - 225,845
Thunder Oath - 223,842
Arcadian Lords - 218,357
Crescent Vanguard - 216,568
Blood Legion - 157,854
Jade Skulls - 146,782
—--
Aina and the officers of Eternal were quite happy, seeing the lead they currently had over the other guilds. Even those who held grudges about Aina's decision to let Lux join their guild in this important event had completely changed their views and were even secretly happy that the Half-Elf was on their side.
If he joined another guild aside from them, wouldn't that be a pity?
Just as the officers of the guild were feeling smug about their current lead, a fireball flew from behind their ranks and hit Diablo's back, which made him stagger, allowing the Rank 3 Alpha Monster, Monkey Kong, to smash his chest, and send him flying off Airon's back.
"Who did that?" Aina asked as she turned around to look at her subordinates.
It was quite obvious that the attack came from her own people, infuriating the doll-like beauty. Although her face was calm and expressionless like usual, her eyes stared daggers at the Guild Member who had cast the Fireball while Diablo was in the midst of fighting a strong Alpha Monster.
"G-Guild Master, it was a mistake," a mage stuttered as he looked apologetically at Aina, as well as the officers who were glaring at him. "I didn't mean to hit the Skeleton. I was just trying to help him kill that Monkey Kong."
"Does he look like he needs your help?" Aina asked in a voice that was colder than ice, making the mage shudder.
"I-It won't happen again, Guild Master!" the mage promised. "I-I will look for other targets to attack."
"There's no need for you to do anything," Aina replied. "Leave the formation and return to the city. You will be punished according to our Guild's Laws after the Beast Tide is over. Valerie, escort him to the city gates."
Aina's voice was filled with authority and wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Yes, Guild Master!" Valerie replied as she walked towards the mage who had lowered his head out of shame, and dragged him away from the formation.
The doll-like beauty then scanned the faces of her guild members before making an announcement.
"The next person who attacks Diablo will be expelled from the guild," Aina declared. "I don't care if it's an accident, or you aimed poorly. I will not listen to any excuses. Do I make myself clear?"
""Yes, Guild Master!""
Lux nodded his head in satisfaction. Aina did the right thing. There was a saying that you need to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. This was a great way of setting an example to deter or threaten others from committing the same mistake.
Aina knew that the other guilds had planted spies inside Eternal, but there was nothing she could do about it. Even though their process for recruitment was strict, there would always be a possibility that one of the rival guilds' moles had infiltrated her organization despite the safeguards that they had set in place.
Her threat to expel any member who attacked the Skeletal Rider, who was currently amassing a great number of merit points for them, was the only thing she could do in order to deter them from doing it.
Unfortunately, a dozen more of her guild members attempted to sneak attack the Skeleton Rider, whose back was facing them, using skills that were near impossible to detect.
Unfortunately for them, they were messing with the wrong Half-Elf. The moment someone attacked Diablo from behind, they would immediately turn red on Lux's map, labeling them as hostile forces.
The Half-Elf would then tell Aina who attacked Diablo, and she in turn would summon her Guild's Roster from her Soul Book and expel that member instantly.
The moment they were expelled from the Guild, the officers took custody of them and dragged them back to the city. Their names were also reported to the General of the Army of Gweliven, preventing them from returning to the front lines.
"I'm ashamed," Aina said. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect that there were this many spies planted inside Eternal. I will make sure to become stricter in our selection of guild members in the future."
,m Lux chuckled after he heard Aina's apology. He knew that managing a big organization was difficult and it would be near impossible not to have spies infiltrate her guild. Even Twilight Rain and the Kingdom of Gweliven had planted spies on each other's sides, allowing them to gather information on the other side's movements.
If a Kingdom managed by the Dwarves were suffering from this problem, it was only natural for a guild like Aina's to encounter the same.
"It's fine," Lux replied. "It will take more than killing Diablo to kill him."
In truth, the attacks dealt by the guild members of Eternal, in addition to those of the Monsters in the current wave were laughable.
Diablo's current Physical and Magical Defense had already surpassed 150,000. So, even if he was attacked by a dozen fireballs, it would not deal any significant damage to him. Even the attack of the Alpha Monster, Monkey Kong, couldn't damage the Skeleton Rider, who was just pretending to be hurt.
The damage that was being dealt to Diablo was only a series of 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1.
Blood Moon had a passive skill that was called lifesteal, which allowed Diablo to regenerate his health, based on his attack damage.
—--
< Life Steal >
– Each attack heals the user with 10% of the damage they deal to their enemies.
—--
A single slash would instantly allow Diablo to recover over 10,000 health points. With such a high-regeneration rate, no one in the current wave of monsters could possibly threaten his life.
Right now, the Skeleton Rider was the personification of the Lord of Destruction, who instantly obliterated everything and anything, that stood in his way.
'I think only Deimos Ranked Monsters can threaten Diablo at this point,' Lux thought. 'Still, I wonder if it would be possible for Diablo to fight against one after more Monsters die on the battlefield.'
While Lux was pondering these things, he wasn't aware that somewhere in the distance, a Dwarf Sniper was aiming for his head.
The Half-Elf was so preoccupied with what was happening in front of him, that he was completely unaware that a hidden threat was about to bare its fangs at him from his blindspot.
'If I kill him, I will become the next Slayer Candidate,' a Reaper from Twilight Rain thought. 'I don't care if the mission was given to Sid and Scarlet. It's their fault for being slow.'
This particular Reaper was tasked to Assassinate Aina during the Beast Tide. The Eternal Guild was an eyesore in Twilight Rain's eyes. After seeing that Eternal was leading the rankings, the Reaper thought that it would be a good idea to Assassinate the Warrior Princess, in order to reduce the morale of her Guild Members.
However, after using his sniping skills, he discovered Lux, who was standing not far from his target. After a brief internal struggle, the Reaper decided to change his target and kill the Half-Elf, who had a higher bounty on his head than the Guild Master of Eternal.
'Why would I settle for leftovers, when I can eat the main dish?' the Reaper mused as he channeled his strongest attack into the tip of his arrow.
In his eyes, the allure of becoming the Slayer Candidate and stealing the glory from Sid's and Scarlet's hands, was worth the risk of stealing their prey.
Chapter 207 I’ll Get Back At You Someday For This
The Reaper narrowed his eyes as he took his aim at the Half-Elf who was unaware of his upcoming demise. He had a good vantage point since he was located in one of the watchtowers that overlooked the battlefield.
He had first disguised himself as one of the Dwarves responsible for bringing food and water to the defenders before infiltrating the watchtower. The food and water he had given the unsuspecting guards were drugged, which caught them off guard.
It was nothing poisonous, but it was a special sleep serum that was enough to make those that had ingested it sleep for five hours straight.
He carefully knocked the arrow on his bow and aimed at his target that was over six hundred meters away from him. The Reaper had no problems targeting anyone from this distance because of his sniping skills.
The arrow that was knocked on the assassin's bow was dipped in the venom of the Ravenous Saw-Scaled Viper. It was a Deimos-Ranked Monster, which could be found in the Burning Basin that stood between the Gweliven Kingdom and the various Orc Tribes.
Even a graze from this venom was enough to kill a person within five minutes. Only a specific antidote, native to the Orc Tribes, could cure this poison, which had claimed countless lives, including those of E-Rankers.
(A/N: E-Rankers are the next rank after Initiate. They are the lowest rank of Rankers, but they are Rankers nevertheless.)
After imbuing his arrow with improved penetration and swift wind, the Reaper estimated that it should be enough to eliminate his target.
'Goodbye.' The Reaper sneered as he released the string of his bow.
However, just as the arrow was about to take flight, a whip wrapped around its tip, preventing it from flying towards its target.
The sneer on the Assassin's face instantly disappeared as he took out a dagger from his belt and looked at the person who had prevented him from claiming his kill.
Unfortunately, the person was wearing a mask, so it was impossible for him to identify his enemy. The first thought that came to his mind was to run, so that was exactly what he did.
As one of the Reapers of Twilight Rain, he made sure to prepare an escape route in case his assasination attempt failed.
The assassin jumped from the watch tower and extended his robe, imitating a flying squirrel in flight.
Just as the Reaper thought that he had gotten away from his pursuer, he heard a teasing voice in his ears.
"So you can fly," Scarlet said as she glided beside the assassin. As a Cambion, she had the ability to fly using the wings that she could extend from her back.
"It's you!" the assassin exclaimed. "Don't kill me, Scarlet! I swear I will never steal your prey again!"
Although she was wearing a mask, he had talked to Scarlet in the past, and the long red hair that fluttered out of her robe, was clear evidence of her identity.
"Too late," Scarlet replied, as she thrust her dagger towards the Assassin's neck and twisted it, similar to what Sid had done to Lux when he had stabbed him in the chest.
A gaping hole appeared on the Reaper's neck, as he looked at Scarlet in disbelief. Even though he had attempted to steal her prey, killing him was simply too much. Afterall, the two of them were in the same organization.
Scarlet sneered before changing her path flight as she landed near the walls of the city. Lux had tasked her to be on the lookout for possible Assassins that would target Aina. At first, Scarlet didn't want to obey him, but when he said that he would be sticking close to the Guild Master, the red-haired Dwarf beauty understood what the Half-Elf was planning.
He was using himself as bait to lure the other Reapers into attacking him instead of Aina, forcing Scarlet to hunt them down before they killed him.
Her life was bound to Lux, so, if Lux died, she would also die. For someone as ambitious as Scarlet, she wouldn't allow herself to die a second time, especially through the hands of other assassins like herself.
"Such a devious Master I have." Scarlet clicked her tongue as she prepared to scout for other possible assassins in the area. "I'll get back at you for this someday."
This was the second assassin she had killed, and she hoped that the organization hadn't assigned more than two Reapers to dispose of the doll-like beauty who led the Eternal Guild.
—-
"Achooo!"
"Achoo?"
"Eiko, don't imitate me," Lux said as he lightly patted the giggling baby slime on his head. The Half-Elf had seen the red mark that briefly appeared on his map, and saw a green mark pursue it.
He knew that it was Scarlet who had eliminated the assassin, and he was quite impressed by how efficient she was when it came to cleaning up those of her own kind.
Meanwhile, the other guilds were gradually losing ground against the Beast Tide that had overwhelmed the places that they were currently defending.
At this point, there had been a few monsters that slipped past Diablo's line of defense, but they were no match against the Guild Members of Eternal, who were quite happy to have something to do to pass the time.
The Guild Leaders of Twisted Destiny and Arcadian Lords no longer had time to deal with the Eternal Guild, since they were having problems on their own end.
Unlike their rival guild, Eternal, who had Diablo, they didn't have such a powerhouse in their ranks. Because of this, their frontline was breached by Rank 3 and Rank 4 Alpha Monsters, who were working alongside Rank 3 and Rank 4 Monsters.
The spies that they had planted in Eternal were also gone, so they could no longer continue their goal to pressure them into submission.
"Dammit!" The Guild Leader of Twisted Destiny cursed as he personally faced a Rank 4 Alpha Monster, alongside his Elite Guild Members that specialized in dealing with creatures of this rank.
Aina gave her rivals a side-long glance to see their current conditions.
If one were to look closely, they would see that the corner of her lips was raised slightly, forming a smirk on her doll-like face that was usually devoid of emotion.
'Serves you right,' Aina thought as she gave her rival guilds a look of contempt.
However, she also knew that her guild, Eternal, wouldn't have their current peaceful circumstance if she had rejected Lux's proposal to temporarily become her Guild Member.
Just as she was gloating internally at the two guilds' hardships, a resounding horn spread across the battlefield, which made her eyes widen in shock.
That was the Signal that a Deimos Ranked Monster was sighted on the battlefield. Although they didn't know if it was a regular Deimos Monster or an Alpha Beast, either one was bad news for all of them.
The Kingdom of Gweliven had dispatched an Elite Team of Initiates to deal with this kind of threat, so Aina wasn't too worried. According to the briefing they had with the City's Mayor and the General commanding the Gweliven Army, there were three special teams composed of Initiates that would deal with Deimos-Ranked threats.
But, Aina's composure changed when more horns were blown consecutively, signaling them that more than one Deimos-Ranked Monster had appeared on the battlefield. Although she had already expected this to happen sooner or later, the number of strong monsters exceeded her expectations.
"F-Five blow horns," Valerie, Aina's second in command, stuttered as she looked at the dense army of monsters in front of her. "Guild Master, one Deimos Beast at two o'clock!"
Aina immediately glanced in the direction where Valerie was pointing at. Within the mass of monsters that seemed unending, a four-meter tall Warthog was running in their direction.
"Ivory Killer Warthog!" one of the officers of Eternal shouted. "Be careful. That monster can go berserk at any time!"
The Warthog let out a deafening squeal as it charged straight towards the Eternal Guild with its two-meter long Ivory tusks that were strong enough to pierce through steel without any problems.
"Shield Warriors, hold the line!" Aina ordered. "When the Deimos is near, use your strongest defensive skill to block its attack!"
""Yes!""
Right now, they were standing on the ramparts of the Earthen Wall that was five meters tall. Even so, they didn't feel safe when facing a Deimos Ranked Monster that was known for its relentless charge that could destroy the walls of a city.
When the monster was only a dozen meters away from Eternal's defensive perimeter, its charge suddenly swerved away from its intended target as it changed direction.
The officers of Eternal sighed in relief when the monster shifted its charge away from them.
However, Aina, who was paying attention to the Monster, noticed that not only did it change direction, it was also headed towards Diablo, who had dismounted from his Nightmare Horse, and was running towards the Deimos-Monster, with his eyes burning brightly with his fighting spirit.
Chapter 208 The Will Of Eternal [Part 1]
"Five Deimos-Ranked Beasts this early in the Beast Tide doesn't bode well," the Mayor of Whitebridge City, Garth muttered as he rubbed his chin.
"Indeed," a middle-aged Dwarf wearing a peculiar set of armor replied. "But, it is still within the acceptable grounds."
The middle-aged dwarf smiled as he drank a mug of mead, while paying close attention to the battles that were happening outside the city.
Although he was making sure to keep watch on their surroundings to ensure that nothing escaped his eyes, most of his attention was directed towards the Deimos-Ranked Monster, Ivory Killer Warthog, who was now charging towards a Skeleton, who had performed well at the beginning of the Beast Tide.
Two out of the five Deimos-Ranked Monsters that the scouts had sighted were Alpha Monsters. This was bad news for the defenders, but as long as the two Alpha Monsters were defeated, they would be able to handle the rest.
The Deimos-Ranked Monster that was charging towards Diablo was not an Alpha Monster, but the threat it posed was something that couldn't be ignored either.
"Sir, will you not make a move to stop at least one of the Alpha Deimos Monsters on the battlefield?" Garth asked in a polite tone. "I am afraid that the Elite Teams will not be able to handle them by themselves."
The middle-aged Dwarf drank his mug of mead until it was empty before standing up.
"I guess it can't be helped," the middle-aged Dwarf said. "We can't have too many casualties in this war. I'll handle one of the Alpha Deimos Monsters, you take command of the rest while I am away."
"Yes, Your Excellency," Garth bowed respectfully.
The middle-aged Dwarf smirked before jumping off the ramparts and flying straight towards a ten-meter tall mammoth in the distance.
As a Ranker, it was his duty to ensure that Whitebridge City didn't fall to the Beast Tide. Even so, he was feeling a bit worried because if Deimos-Ranked Monsters had appeared in this stage, it could only mean one thing.
'An Argonaut, and possibly a Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster, is pulling the strings from behind,' the middle-aged Dwarf thought as he smashed his fist on the Mammoth's head, sending it rolling across the ground, screaming in pain.
While the Ranker of the Kingdom was dealing with one of the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monsters at the center of the Beast Tide, a certain Skeleton Rider and a Warthog clashed for the first time.
Diablo's feet skidded on the ground as he blocked the Ivory Killer Warthog's full charge by himself. The reason why he dismounted from Airon was because he was worried that his Nightmare Horse would be unable to handle the collision and perish instantly.
Airon was only a Rank 2 Monster, and didn't share Diablo's ridiculous buffs. Although he was able to fight alongside his trusted Nightmare against Rank 5 Alpha Monsters, a Deimos-Ranked Monster was a different kind of beast.
One mistake and Airon would be grievously injured, and possibly even killed on the spot, if one of the Warthog's deadly tusks pierced any part of its body.
Due to Diablo's boosted defense, he was barely able to block the Deimos' Monster attack without taking too much damage.
Lux, who was paying close attention to Diablo's health points, breathed a sigh of relief. The damage that Diablo received was minimal, and although it would take him some time to whittle away the Deimos-Ranked Monster's enormous health, the Half-Elf had no reason to worry.
Why?
Because with every second that passed, Monsters and, to a certain extent, Dwarves continued to die in battle.
This unending cycle continued to increase Diablo's attack and defense that allowed him to fight against Deimos-Ranked Monsters.
"Mr. Diablo is amazing!" Colette said as she looked at the Skeleton Rider with sparkling eyes. "Big Brother, was Diablo always that strong?"
"I-It depends on his mood," Lux replied. "Sometimes when he is in the mood, Diablo can be many times stronger than he usually is."
"Wow! That's incredible!"
"I know, right?"
"But, since Diablo is Big Brother's Summon, that only means that Big Brother is even more awesome!"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Matty, as well as the rest of the Dwarves who were listening to Colette's and Lux's conversation, felt that something wasn't right.
However, since Diablo was on their side, they decided to just appreciate the Skeleton Rider's incredible battle against a Deimos-Ranked Monster, that usually had to be dealt with by over a thousand elite members of Aina's Guild.
That was how strong a Deimos-Ranked Monster was. One-on-one battles against them wouldn't work, and only by great numbers would they be able to overcome such a monster, which was considered a Field Boss Monster that could be found in the Apostle Grade Areas of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
After breaking the Warthog's momentum, Diablo fired two bone spears in quick succession, aiming for the monster's eye, but his opponent used its tusks to deflect his attacks with relative ease.
'Now I understand why monsters like these need to be fought by thousands of people,' Lux thought. 'Since its whole attention is on Diablo, it can easily react to his attacks without any problems.'
While Lux was thinking of ways to fight the Deimos Monster, the thirty Skeleton Fighters charged at the Warthog's side and slashed its body.
The sound of metal hitting a hard object spread in the surroundings, but after checking the monster's life, the damage couldn't even be considered a scratch since the skeleton fighter's combined assault only did a measly thirty damage.
What did this mean? It means that the only damage they were able to deal to their opponent was only one point.
The Half-Elf sighed as he looked at the Monster's stats, which made him realize that unless Diablo was able to land a clean hit on its body, its health would remain high even if all the skeletons were to continuously attack its body at the same time.
—--
< Ivory Killer Warthog >
– Overlord of the Forest
– Wandering Field Boss
– Deimos-Ranked Monster
Health: 4,799,970 / 4,800,000
Mana: 300,000 / 300,000
Strength: ????
Intelligence: ????
Vitality: ????
Agility: ????
Dexterity: ????
Defense: 2000
– The Ivory Killer Warthog is an Overlord of the forest. It is usually found in the lush green forests where it forages for food three times a week. Its main diet is composed of tubers and roots. However, when it feels threatened, this monster will not hesitate to attack anyone that it sets its eyes on.
– Its hide is quite thick and most attacks will bounce off its body unless it was imbued by the power of the elements.
– There is a saying that when the Ivory Killer Warthog had set its sights on its target, the poor creature will only have a few seconds to escape before the Warthog's tusk impaled their bodies.
—--
"Aina, Diablo can't fight that beast alone," Lux said with a serious expression on his face. "The best he can do is fight the Ivory Killer Warthog into a stalemate. If you are fine with that, we can continue to remain here in the walls and just focus on attacking the monsters that have broken past their battle."
Lux didn't tell Aina that Diablo could probably defeat the Warthog if he was given more time. What the Half-Elf wanted to know was how Aina would deal with this kind of situation. Depending on her answer, he would change his strategy to match her decision.
"I appreciate the efforts that you and Diablo had done for our guild," Aina answered as she gazed at Lux with the same calm expression on her face. However, her eyes were anything but calm.
Lux could feel the burning determination in them, which made him realize that the doll-like beauty in front of him wasn't a herbivore.
"Do not underestimate us too much," Aina stated. "My guild isn't weak."
After saying her words to Lux, the Warrior Princess faced her guild members and gave her orders.
"Battle Formation!" Aina ordered. "Arrowhead Formation!"
""Yes!""
The temporary gates of the Earthen Wall opened allowing Eternal's melee fighters to charge towards the Warthog that was busy exchanging blows with Diablo.
Just like an arrow that was released from the bow, the warriors formed four arrow heads as they charged at their target.
This was a purely offensive battle strategy that Aina had created in order to fight against Deimos-Ranked Beasts that could also be found inside Dungeons. The purpose of this formation was to deal as much damage as possible to a monster, while it was being tanked by the Shield Warriors in front.
Since Diablo was holding the beast for them, they could now attack it without any worries.
"Shield Warriors, follow up with the Tower Formation!" Aina ordered. "Make sure to deploy your Shield Walls as soon as possible and block the other monsters from attacking our warriors! Mages, use Ray Type spells and focus on targeting the monster's eyes.
"Healers, place your buffs on the Shield Warriors! Do not, under any circumstance, use heal on the Skeleton. Anyone who uses Heal on Diablo will be immediately expelled from the guild. Do I make myself clear?!"
"""Yes!"""
Lux was amazed because in just a short period of time, the entirety of Eternal was mobilized to attack the Deimos Ranked Monster in front of them.
He almost laughed out loud when Aina reminded the Healers to not heal Diablo under any circumstances. He had completely forgotten that his Skeleton Rider was weak against Life, Fire, and Holy Magic.
If not for Aina's reminder, he believed that some of the healers would accidentally heal Diablo, which would make his Named Creature curse them under his breath.
Chapter 209 The Will Of Eternal [Part 2]
The Ivory Killer Warthog squealed in anger as it got swarmed by hundreds of Dwarves that had taken advantage of its battle against Diablo.
Although the damage of the Dwarves was just a tiny bit higher than Lux's skeletons, their numbers made up for it. Lux smiled because with Aina's Guild joining the fray, the Warthog would finally divert its attention away from Diablo.
Warriors slashed their weapons at its body without mercy, Magicians fired ray-spells at its head, specifically targeting its eyes in an attempt to blind it.
When the Deimos Monster diverted its attention to the Dwarves, wanting to teach them a lesson, Diablo managed to land two solid blows on its body, dealing over two-hundred-thousand ethereal damage, making the Warthog squeal in pain.
Diablo's attacks ignored defense. Whether the Deimos-Ranked Warthog had a tough carapace or not, it didn't even matter. The named creature only cared about getting a clean hit on his opponent since it could deal a devastating amount of Ethereal Damage that could make anyone writhe in pain.
"Mana Drain!"
"Mana!"
Lux and Eiko didn't stand idle and started absorbing the mana of the Field Boss. Most powerful skills required mana, and they wanted to eliminate any chances the Warthog had to make a comeback.
Mana Drain [EX] would drain the mana of its target by 5% of its maximum Mana. Since Eiko was using the same spell as Lux, that single round of Mana Drain was able to shave off 10% of the Deimos' Monster's mana.
They would need to do it nine to ten more times before the Warthog completely ran out of mana. This was the strategy that they had developed when dealing with strong monsters.
The sooner the monster ran out of mana, the sooner it would find itself helpless against the combined assault of Lux, and the Eternal Guild.
"Grand Cross!" Aina shouted as she delivered a strike to the Warthog's back leg, in order to destroy its balance.
It was her strongest attack, but the monster's defense was simply too high for her to break its stance. Even so, she wasn't depressed about it.
"Everyone, continue attacking!" Aina ordered. "The moment it changes its target, Shield Warriors, prepare to intercept and use your strongest defensive skills!"
""Yes!""
Lux, who was not far from Aina, smirked internally. He already knew that the Warthog wouldn't dare change its target from Diablo because it knew that the moment it did, Diablo would unleash a sneak attack on its body, dealing damage that surpassed the attack of all of Aina's guild members combined.
—--
< Ivory Killer Warthog >
Health: 4,331,285 / 4,800,000
Mana: 262,354 / 300,000
—--
Seeing that it had no way out of its predicament, the Ivory Killer Warthog's body immediately changed to crimson-red, which meant that it had activated its Berserk Skill.
"Brace!" Aina immediately ordered.
After hearing her command, the Warriors all pulled away from engaging the Berserked Deimos-Monster because its attack would certainly deal enormous damage.
The Shield Warriors stepped forward and deployed their strongest defense, Shield Wall, which grew stronger the more Shield Warriors activated it at the same time. One could even say that this was the "team-ability" that was unique among Shield Warriors, regardless of their rank.
When more than one Shield Warrior deployed this ability, their combined defense would stack up, forming a united defensive barrier that would mitigate most attacks.
The Ivory Killer Warthog raised both of its front legs and slammed them on the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the Shield Warriors on the front lines flying backwards.
"Healers, heal the wounded!" Aina ordered. "Second Defender Team, step forward!"
The second team of Shield Warriors took the place of their fallen comrades and activated their Shield Wall in order to keep the Warthog's berserked-rampage at bay.
Even so, they were once again sent flying after the Warthog swung its massive tusks at them, sending the defenders flying like dried leaves being swept away by a broom.
At that exact moment, Diablo snuck under the Warthog's neck and leapt high into the hair, activating its strongest single target attack, Hellfire Annihilation Slash.
—-
< Hellfire Annihilation Slash >
(Mana: 200)
Cooldown: 5 Minutes.
– Coat your weapon with the Hellish Flames and deal massive damage to your enemy.
– Deals 500% of your maximum damage to your enemy.
– This skill has a moderate chance of dealing critical damage.
– When the attack becomes a critical hit, decrease your target's physical, and magical defenses by 20%
– Has a moderate chance to inflict Burn status on your target.
– If the attack dealt both critical damage and Burn status at the same time, the duration of Burn would extend to a full minute. During this time, any regeneration abilities by the target, or any skill that restores its health will not take effect.
—-----
< Burn >
– Enemies inflicted with Burn will have their health decreased by 1% of their maximum health every 2 seconds.
– Burn effect lasts for thirty seconds.
– While under the Burn effect, the monster's physical attacks are decreased by 20%
—-----
The attack landed perfectly on the Warthog's blindspot, searing its skin with hellish flames, making it squeal in pain as it flailed its tusks around in an attempt to ward off the Skeleton Rider who had dealt it a devastating blow.
Diablo's attack was a critical hit and, at the same time, it activated the Burn effect on the Deimos Monster, making its health decrease every two seconds, as well as lower its physical attacks by 20%.
"Everyone attack and don't hold back!" Aina ordered as the sword in her hand radiated a golden light. "Full Throttle!"
Aina coated her weapon with the Holy Property before increasing her physical prowess by 300%. Full Throttle was a skill that allowed her to increase her strength for a few seconds, in order to strengthen the next skill that she was about to unleash.
After boosting her attack that could last for a short period of time, Aina raised the golden sword in her hand and swung at the rear leg of the Warthog, who had just received Diablo's Hellish Strike.
"Ignition Burst!" Aina roared as her blow penetrated the Warthog's tough skin, and pierced through its bone.
—--
< Ignition Break >
– Deals 300% Physical damage and has a small chance to shatter your target's armor, or weapon.
—--
Due to Diablo's and Aina's combined assault, the Warthog lost its balance and fell on the ground. Immediately, the monster was mobbed by a bunch of crazed Dwarfs who seemed to have been injected with steroids.
Even Lux who was watching the scene couldn't help but feel goosebumps, thinking that Aina's Guild seemed to be too excited as they mercilessly hacked, stabbed, and pounded the Warthog, whose skin color had reverted back to its normal color.
Clearly, the effect of its Berserk ability had ended, and it temporarily entered a weakened state, allowing the Dwarves to attack without holding anything back.
The Guild Leader of Twisted Destiny scowled when he saw the current status of Aina's Guild. He thought that with the Deimos Ranked-Monster would be enough to decimate the Eternal Guild and allow his guild to catch up.
But seeing that Aina's Guild had everything under control, he knew that the gap would only widen once again when the Deimos Monster was defeated.
—-
Killing Deimos Ranked Monsters = 500,000 Merit Points
—-
The Guild Leader of Twisted Destiny clenched his fist when he saw the number of merit points that Eternal would gain after they had killed the Ivory Killer Warthog, which made him want to sabotage them at any cost.
However, just before he could think of a plan to make their guild suffer, something unexpected happened.
From within the dense Beast Tide, something silver flew straight at him.
It was none other than Lux's Demonic Defender, Pazuzu.
Right behind him was a four-meter tall Flying Tiger, which the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny had seen in the past.
How could he possibly forget the exact same creature that had wiped out their entire guild after they entered the S-Ranked Dungeon that they had discovered by accident a month ago.
The creature that was chasing Pazuzu was not just an ordinary Deimos-Ranked Monster, but an Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster that went by the name, Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger.
Lux, fed up with Twisted Destiny's repeated attacks on Eternal by using dirty tricks, made a move. He decided to teach them a lesson which would not only eliminate one of Aina's rivals, but also exterminate one of the collaborators of Twilight Rain, who was after his life.
Chapter 210 The Will Of Eternal [Part 3]
When Pazuzu was several hundred meters away from the defensive line of Twisted Destiny, the Demonic Defender stopped and faced the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster with his shield raised high.
Lux wasn't afraid of getting any demerits, but he still had to make it seem like everything that would happen from this point on was merely an accident.
The Alpha Monster was originally fighting against the Guild, Thunder Oath, which was one of the Top 5 Guilds in Whitebridge City.
When the Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger descended on the battlefield, the Guild's defenses instantly broke apart. They were simply no match against the Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster, who was supposed to be handled by one of the Elite Teams from the Kingdom of Gweliven.
However, since five Deimos-Ranked Monsters appeared at the same time, they didn't have enough manpower to come to their aid.
Just as the monster was about to start a one-sided massacre, Pazuzu appeared and used Duel [EX] to force the Alpha Monster to follow him.
This allowed the Thunder Oath Guild to escape a calamity, and all of them, including their Guild Master, watched with bated breath as the Flying Tiger was lured away from their location.
Since Thunder Oath's defensive lines weren't far away from Twisted Destiny's, Pazuzu was able to reach them before the duration of his skill, Madlad Rush, ended.
With a single swipe from the Flying Tiger's claws, Pazuzu smashed into Twisted Destiny's defensive lines, and turned into particles of light.
"Damn you!" the Guild Master of Twisted Destiny roared in anger at the disappearing Pazuzu before giving out his order. "Everyone, retreat! Don't bother to face it. Just run!"
The members of Twisted Destiny didn't need to be told twice as they turned tail and ran with all of their might. They had seen how powerful this monster was when it had wiped them all off from the face of the Dungeon.
When people died in the Dungeon, they would respawn and lose a quarter of their combined stat points. But even if it wasn't real death, the pain and fear that they had experienced back then was still fresh in their memories.
Right now, they weren't inside a Dungeon, but in the open world.
If they died here, their deaths would be permanent.
Lux had summoned all of his Named Creatures, and placed them in different locations on the map. Ishtar and Orion were within the defensive lines of the Arcadian Lords, simply hiding underground and waiting for Lux's orders before striking.
The Half-Elf would gladly gain demerit points from their attack. Anyway, he could easily gain them back by allowing Diablo to fight as many monsters as he could. However, there were many ways to take advantage of the conditions that had been drafted by the City Officials.
In short, the red-headed teenager was exploiting the loopholes of the rules, which allowed him to sabotage his opponents legally.
Take for example, Pazuzu. What the Demonic Defender did was to save the Guild of Thunder Oath from being wiped out by the Alpha Monster. Because of this, his action couldn't be seen as a demerit as it was considered as an act of helping others.
The Half-Elf chuckled internally as he watched the Alpha Monster devastate the defensive lines of Twisted Destiny in a matter of seconds.
Aina, who was also paying attention to the chaos that was happening to her rival guild, urged her guild members to finish the Ivory Killer Warthog while they still had time.
Although they were taking it easy right now, it would be no laughing matter if the two Deimos Monsters joined hands and attacked them together.
'We should wrap this up,' Lux thought as he continued to use his Mana Drain to prevent the Deimos-Ranked Warthog from staging a comeback.
As if sensing its impending doom, the Ivory Killer Warthog gathered its strength and… ran away!
This development made the Eternal Guild cry out in surprise, never expecting that their opponent would flee the moment it regained its strength. Fortunately, Diablo was there so, before the Warthog could even run more than a hundred-meters, it was forced to turn back and face the Skeleton Rider, whose physical damage had now crossed over three hundred thousand.
Airon ran towards Diablo, and the Skeleton Rider leapt on its back, allowing him to use his mounted abilities. After understanding his opponent, Diablo deemed that he would now be able to fight it, alongside his mount Airon, due to the boost in attack and defense that he currently possessed.
Since he was a Skeleton Rider, the moment he gained access to his mount, his Rider Skills, as well as his Charge Skills had all become available to him.
Diablo had temporarily changed his weapon to a spear, which Randolph had crafted for him.
Although it was only a Unique Weapon, and only had one single ability inside it, which was Indestructible, it was still the best weapon that the Skeleton Rider could use in this scenario.
Airon's body was enveloped in flames, as he ran towards the charging Warthog like a fireball. Diablo was about to use one of his strongest mounted abilities, which he had acquired from the medallion that Lux had found in Barca's possession when they went to the Dungeon of Orc Dominion.
—-----
Avetia Kingdom's Elite Cavalry Medallion.
Rarity: Mythical
Requirement: Only for Professions that specialize in mounted combat.
– When wielding a spear, you will be able to use the skill Hero's Charge.
+20 to All Stats for any classes that allows you to fight while mounted on a beast.
+10% increase to mobility, and physical attack.
+100 to Physical Attack.
< Hero's Charge >
– A full powered charge attack that deals 300% of your overall physical damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast.
– If your enemy is bigger than you, it deals an additional 100% damage to your target. Can only be used when mounted on a beast.
—---
With Diablo's Physical damage amounting to over three hundred thousand, the skill, Hero's Charge, was no laughing matter.
Just as Lux expected, the moment the two forces clashed, the Ivory Killer Warthog uttered a blood-curdling roar before collapsing on the ground.
Airon, and Diablo, were blown away by the impact of the collision.
The Skeleton Rider was mostly safe, but Airon only had a quarter of its health remaining. If Diablo hadn't taken the brunt of the damage, the Nightmare Horse would have certainly perished after that single collision.
"Aina, please heal the Nightmare Horse," Lux said and the doll-like beauty nodded her head in understanding.
A moment later, a healing light descended upon the fallen Nightmare Horse, which allowed it to regain a third of its Health.
The Guild Members of Eternal raised their weapons high up in the air and shouted their victory cries, which spread across the battlefield.
Lux and Aina glanced at each other and smiled.
The Half-Elf was dumbfounded. Although Aina's smile only consisted of the corner of her lips rising by a fraction, it was still enough for the red-headed teenager to receive a critical hit to his heart due to how beautiful it was.
However, the brief smile on Aina's face disappeared when the body of the Ivory Killer Warthog disappeared in front of her eyes
A moment later, Diablo walked towards Lux holding the enchanted Beast Ring in his hand. The Skeleton Rider had taken the corpse of the Deimos-Ranked Monster for safekeeping, making Aina, as well as the members of Eternal look at the Half-Elf with a face filled with injustice.
"I-I'm just going to hold onto it for safekeeping," Lux stuttered. "Relax. Everyone fought hard, so it is normal that we should split the rewards 50/50. I will take the Beast Core, and your Guild Leader will have the Warthog's body. That way, she can commission skilled blacksmiths to craft weapons, and armors, for your entire guild."
Lux's explanation made the Dwarves regain the smile on their faces and nodded their heads amicably.
Although Lux was the one that would get the beast core, none of them had any qualms about it. Aina and her guild members weren't stupid. They knew that they wouldn't have been able to defeat the Deimos-Ranked Warthog as quickly as they did without Diablo's help.
Their only concern was whether or not the Half-Elf would be taking everything with him and not give them anything for their hard work.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted not far from them.
The Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger was finally pushed back by the concentrated barrage of the Gweliven Kingdom's Army, and had shifted its sights in their direction.
With a single glance, Aina knew that the Beast Monster was too strong, so she immediately ordered the retreat of her forces
—--
< Diabolical Demon Flying Tiger >
– Apex Predator of the Mountains
– Wandering Field Boss
– Alpha-Ranked Deimos Monster
Health: 26,264,531 / 28,000,000
Mana: 489,365 / 600,000
Strength: ????
Intelligence: ????
Vitality: ????
Agility: ????
Dexterity: ????
—---
Lux stared at the Monster with a grim expression on his face. The Elysium Compendium had given him some information about this new opponent. He instantly knew then and there that the Deimos-Ranked Warthog that they had just killed was nothing compared to the foe that was now currently headed in their direction.
"Diablo, buy us some time to retreat," Lux ordered
The Skeleton Rider nodded his head in understanding as he ran towards the Flying Tiger.
Lux only hoped that his Named Creature would be able to buy them enough time so that the Eternal Guild could distance themselves away from the Flying Monster that had marked them all as its next target.