Ch. 691: Chapter 691-700

Chapter 691 Just Watch At The Side And Do Your Best To Not Die

"According to a rough estimate, there will be at least a hundred Deimos-Rank Monsters within the Monster Army," Lux explained before shifting his gaze to the Boar beside him. "We are short-handed, so I will be assigning everyone their task for this battle. Cai and Xander, both of you will team up to deal with one Deimos-Ranked Monster."

"Okay," Cai replied.

Xander also nodded in agreement. His duty was to protect Cai in the first place, so he was fine with this setup.

"Keane, you will take on a Deimos-Ranked Monster on your own," Lux stated as he glanced at his trusted companion with a smile.

"Okay," Keane replied.

The not-so-skinny swordsman had been very eager to fight after seeing Lux's awesome performance in the last battle. Since he considered the Half-Elf his rival, Keane would not hesitate to fight an opponent that was stronger than him in order to challenge his limits.

Lux wasn't too worried about Keane since he had given the swordsman a Deimos-Ranked Wyvern that would assist him in battle.

"Gerhart, Cethus, you two deal with one Deimos Ranked Monster each as well."

"Got it," Gerhart replied.

"Only one?" Cethus complained. "I can deal with three of them with my arms crossed."

"Shut up, Cethus." Gerhart scoffed at the arrogant Dragon Born. "I can already see that you will be the first to die in this battle. Just where is this confidence of yours coming from? Your Grandma is not here to save you, you know?"

"Shut up, Low Lander." Cethus glared. "How about we make a bet on how many Deimos Monsters we can kill? The loser will follow the victor's orders for a day."

"Sounds fun. I'm in."

"I can't wait to order you to lick my foot, you scum."

Lux sighed as he ignored the two hot-heads who were once again competing with each other.

"Einar and Val, you will deal with one Deimos-Ranked Monster each," Lux stated. "Don't hold back, okay? I know that the two of you have become stronger since the last time we met."

Einar smirked. This was the first time that Lux acknowledged his ability, so he was feeling quite happy inside.

Val was feeling the same, so he nodded his head and promised to follow the Half-Elf's orders.

"Henrietta, you and your Guild Members will fight against one Deimos Monster as well." Lux crossed his arms over his chest. "Can you do it?"

"Consider it done," Henrietta replied in a heartbeat.

If it had been in the past, she definitely would not have been able to answer as confidently as she did now. But now that Lux had given her a Deimos-Ranked Wyvern as a Beast Companion, she felt like dealing with another one was doable.

"Jasper, you and your team will handle one Deimos-Ranked Monster. You four Barbarians will team up against one as well."

Lux then shifted his gaze to the Elven Prince, Enlil, as well as Gilmore, who had just been listening quietly to the side.

"Enlil and Gilmore, you and your men team up to defeat one Deimos Ranked Monster," Lux said after careful consideration.

"Very well," Enlil replied.

"Understood," Gilmore commented.

Both of them were proud teenagers, but since they had been ordered by their Kings to follow Lux's orders, they would do as they were told.

"That's all." Lux then stood up and was about to leave when Prince Cyrus called out to him.

"Hey, what about us?" Prince Cyrus asked. "What are we going to do?"

Lux glanced at the Second Prince of the Vahan Empire with a frown.

"You… just don't get in the way," Lux answered. "Better yet, just don't do anything. Just watch from the side and do your best to not die."

"You bastard!" Prince Cyrus growled, but this action of his made Lux chuckle.

"I was just joking," Lux said in a teasing tone. "You, Malcolm, and Nero will also fight against one Deimos-Ranked Monster. Remember this, if any of you manage to defeat your opponents, team up with other people to defeat the enemy they are fighting against. Don't let your pride cloud your vision.

"We are up against a Monster Army that Initiates have no hope of defeating unless a miracle happens. Pride won't do you any good in this battle. What you need is to cooperate with others in order to survive.

"I don't want to see any of you dying, so if you think you are unable to continue fighting, retreat as fast as you can. We can only conquer this Dungeon if we are alive. All of you remember that well."

Prince Cyrus clenched his fist before storming away. Nero followed behind him, while Malcolm gave Lux an apologetic nod before rejoining his Prince, who looked very displeased at how Lux treated him.

Even so, the Second Prince of the Vahan Empire was starting to realize that he was in a situation that he had never been in the past.

Because of his position, he was always heavily guarded and no one dared to harm him, in fear of receiving his father's wrath.

Now that he had lost these powerful guards, he understood that he couldn't always depend on others for his safety.

In the face of Monsters that didn't care about his position as Prince of a Kingdom, Prince Cyrus had no one to rely on but himself.

—-------

Outside of the Gate of Famine, Aur and the members of the Crystal Palace arrived safely at the entrance of the Sacred Dungeon.

They didn't encounter any Monsters along the way, which sped their journey considerably.

The representatives of the Skystead Alliance also joined them, which Aur agreed with since they were temporary allies inside the Domain of the Fallen.

"Your Highness, are we really going to team up with that Half-Elf?" One of Aur's close Aides asked.

"We have one goal and one goal only," Aur replied as he gazed at the Gate of Famine. "It doesn't matter if we join hands with others in order to accomplish it. Our ultimate goal is always for the benefit of the Crystal Palace."

"Understood, Your Highness," the Aide respectfully bowed his head and took a step back.

Without another word, Aur pressed his palm over the Gate of Famine in order to challenge it for a second time.

At the same time that Aur and the others had entered the Gate of Famine, the silver-haired devil opened his eyes and looked towards the South.

He was currently sitting on the throne of the Ammarian Royal Palace, using the trembling King, who was on all fours, as his footstool.

"I don't know how you managed to escape my grasp, Half-Elf," the silver-haired devil said in a calm manner. "But it doesn't matter. My preparation is almost done. Soon, I will finally be able to leave this place. But for that to happen, I still need a suitable host."

The silver-haired devil narrowed his eyes as his vision locked onto Nero, whom he had decided to use as a vessel in the past. However, since he no longer possessed the Heart of the Abyss, the silver-haired devil's interest in him had waned as well.

"I found a much better vessel," the Abyssal Duke smirked as his gaze locked on the Dragon Humanoid, who had just entered the Gate of Famine.

He had waited many years for the day that he would be able to break free from his prison.

Now that the Fourth Gate of the Apocalypse had been opened, it was only a matter of time before his reign of terror would finally start in full.

 

 

Chapter 692 What Will Come Will Come

Heaven's Gate Guild Headquarters in the Outer Reaches…

"What are you doing here, Halfling?"

"What are you doing here, Dragon King? Did your wife kick you out of the room or something?"

The King of all Dragons looked down on the Halfling, who was casually smoking his pipe while watching the projection in front of him.

Garret and Flamma, who were also watching Lux's battle, didn't dare to say a word since the one standing in front of them was a Supreme.

An entity that could split the sea and divide the land if he so wished for it.

"Did you break the condition I gave you back when I agreed to spare your life?" The Dragon King asked in an irritated tone. "I told you to guard the Kingdom of Zangrila and prevent the Abyssal Monsters from pouring into the Elysium in great numbers. Are you testing my patience? Or are you already tired of living?"

The Halfling blew some white circles before looking at the Dragon King with annoyance.

"Have you forgotten the conditions that you set?" Gaap replied. "According to our contract, I would be freed from my task if I take on a Disciple while guarding Zangrila."

"Yes," the Dragon King commented. "I remember that part of the contract. So, did someone randomly appear in Zangrila and asked you to be their Master?"

The Dragon King shifted his gaze to Garret as if asking the Human the question "Is it you?"

Naturally, Garret firmly shook his head, telling the Dragon King that he wasn't Gaap's disciple.

Seeing the Human denying his connection with Gaap, the Dragon King then glanced at the Half-Orc, whose body immediately froze due to the immense pressure that washed over him.

"Are you a kid?" Gaap snapped at the Dragon King. "These two are not my Disciples. I'm sure you already know who it is. Are you going to continue to act like the dumb Dragon that you are?"

Garret and Flamma wanted to beg Gaap to stop badmouthing the Dragon King. If the latter really got annoyed, the Halfling would not be the only one to be erased from existence.

The floating island that they were currently at would simply disintegrate, leaving nothing behind but dust.

The Dragon King snorted before turning around to look at the projection behind his back.

There, Lux could be seen ordering the soldiers of the Yelan Kingdom to reinforce the city walls with Earth Magic.

'It's him again,' the Dragon King frowned.

At first, he paid attention to the Half-Elf because Keoza had chosen him to receive his Dragon Token.

That was fine in itself, but recently, he felt that keeping the Half-Elf alive would endanger his beloved daughter, Valerie.

Because of this, he planned to invite Lux to go on a fishing trip, the kind where the Half-Elf might 'accidentally' get swallowed by an Empyrean Ranked Fish.

The only reason why he was forced to postpone this plan was due to his wife, Saphira, who told him to not make things difficult for the red-headed teenager who had done nothing wrong.

"Don't leave just yet," Gaap stated as he continued to puff smoke from his pipe. "Stay a while and watch. The people from Crystal Palace have made contact with Lux, and they are in the same Dungeon as him."

"What?!" The Dragon King's eyes widened in shock after hearing Gaap's words.

Although Karshvar Draconis and the Crystal Palace had signed a peace treaty lasting for a hundred years, the deadline of the contract would end in a month.

Both sides had done their best to rein in their subordinates, preventing a full-blown conflict from happening and creating a civil war among the Dragon Race.

Now that the expiration of the deal was about to come, the fragile peace that had been enforced for the past hundred years was starting to show cracks.

The Dragon King had already sent an envoy to the Crystal Palace with the proposal to extend the peace treaty, but the Steward, who was also Cethus' second Grandmother, didn't agree to it.

When asked why she didn't want to sign the peace treaty, the only reply she gave was that she no longer had the right to decide whether the peace treaty would be extended or not.

She added that only the Prince of the Crystal Palace could decide this important matter and refused to entertain any other envoys that the Dragon King had sent to persuade her.

Of course, the Dragon King knew that the Crystal Palace indeed had a Prince. However, he felt that the sly Steward was purposely avoiding any talks of continued peace because they were planning a coup d'etat.

"Are you sure about this?" the Dragon King asked. "I'm not here to play games with you, Halfling. Don't forget that you are only alive because of the grace given to you by the previous Dragon King."

Gaap shrugged as he emptied the pipe in his hand.

"The only reason why I'm telling you this is because my previous Master and you were good friends," Gaap replied. "If not for her, I wouldn't even bother looking at you."

The Dragon King quieted down after remembering Gaap's Master, whom he found to be quite unique even among Humans.

In the end, the Dragon King decided to summon a chair and sat down to watch the projection as well.

He didn't know why the Half-Elf kept on attracting troublesome people into his life, making him wonder if he really should take the red-headed teenager to go fishing and be done with it.

—------------

City of Peyton within the Yelan Kingdom…

All the teenagers were gearing up for the upcoming battle that they were about to face.

In the first time they encountered the Monster Army, all of them were massacred without even having the chance to retaliate.

None of the Rankers and High-Rankers who watched the battle outside the Gate of the Fallen blamed them for what happened.

They knew that it was impossible for Initiates to win against such a force and just blamed the expedition's failure on bad luck.

However, right now, they were actually feeling more hopeful that they wouldn't die so helplessly like the last time.

Now that Lux had assured them that he had a way to deal with the Dreadnaught Monster, General Fahad declared that he and his men would take care of the Argonaut-Ranked Monsters, leaving only the Deimos Monsters behind.

While it was still difficult to fight these Monsters, compared to fighting against Argonaut and Dreadnaught Ranked Beasts, it was a lot more manageable.

Even Prince Cyrus was showing a determination that was rarely seen, making Malcolm, who had known the arrogant prince for a long time, feel that something had changed in the Prince's attitude after Lux treated him like an excess baggage.

"They're finally leaving," Henrietta commented as he looked at the long procession of people that had just exited the South Gate of the city and were heading towards the Capital City of the Yelan Kingdom.

Lux nodded and watched the people go, who all had anxious expressions on their faces.

It reminded him of the time when he and his comrades escorted the people of Abingdon Town across the perilous Shaufell Plains where a great battle against Insect-Type Monsters was fought.

Although it was a good distance away, he spotted Leo, who was wearing a civilian clothing, tied up to a pole in one of the wagons.

Clearly, General Fahad intended to make his son leave this dangerous place, which Lux found to be a normal thing to do for a father who cared for the safety of his family members.

For a brief moment, Lux's and Leo's gazes intersected.

The two stared at each other for half a minute before the wagon started to move towards the exit of the city.

The Half-Elf had seen the unwillingness in Leo's eyes, which proved that he didn't want to leave his father behind, especially when the General was about to face a battle of such magnitude.

Lux could have freed Leo then and there, but he refrained himself from doing so.

Doing such a thing would disrespect General Fahad's decision, and the Half-Elf didn't want to meddle in the General's family matters.

Two hours later, the procession could no longer be seen from the City of Peyton.

All that was left were the soldiers of the Yelan Kingdom, as well as teenagers, who planned to stop the Monster's advance, permanently.

Lux, who was keeping in close contact with Zagan, whom he ordered to monitor the Monster Army, looked towards the East with a calm expression on his face.

The Monster Army had sped up in their advance and, according to his estimate, the Monsters would arrive at the city they were guarding tomorrow afternoon.

Although Lux was confident that he could face off against the biggest threat that was approaching the city, he couldn't help but have a nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

He didn't know if this feeling was coming from the enemy that they would be facing tomorrow, or due to something different.

'There's no use in thinking of things outside of my control,' Lux thought as he watched the sun set in the distance. 'What will come will come.'

The Half-Elf then stared towards the North, where the two Dreadnaught-Ranked World Bosses were located.

His mission was not to only save the Yelan Kingdom, but the Ammarian Kingdom as well.

Because of this, Lux was certain that sooner or later, he would have to go North, bringing everyone with him in a battle that would make those that were watching him, including the Dragon King, feel as if their very blood was boiling inside their bodies.

 

Chapter 693 General, You Should Stop Raising Death Flags

That night, the City of Peyton was nearly dead silent.

General Fahad ordered all the soldiers to rest properly in preparation for the great battle the next day.

There was no need for anyone to serve as the Night Watch because Lux volunteered to have the Undead play that role.

Lux thought that the soldiers would be too anxious to sleep because of the enemy that was approaching their location. However, to his surprise, the Yelan Soldiers slept like logs, with some of them snoring so loudly that they could wake up the dead.

"They haven't had a good sleep these past few days, so they are all really exhausted," General Fahad said as he passed Lux a mug of mead.

The two of them were on the ramparts of the city wall, unable to sleep.

"Tomorrow, many of them will die," Lux replied as he held the mug of mead in his hands. "Will you allow me to revive them, so that they can continue to fight?"

"I'll ask them tomorrow," General Fahad replied. "Although I am not a hundred percent sure, I think most of them will give their consent… as long as you don't make their bodies explode."

"I will not do that," Lux commented before taking a sip from his mug. "The Yelan Kingdom is my friend. I will not desecrate their dead."

General Fahad nodded. "Lux, if I ever die in battle. I give you permission to revive me. You did the same to Second, right? If I remember correctly… His name is Zagan now."

"That's right." Lux confirmed.

"I've been meaning to ask, do the people you revive still have memories of their past life?" General Fahad was genuinely curious about this part.

"If they are revived not long after they die, yes," Lux replied. "They need to be revived at least two to three days after their death for that to happen."

"They were your enemies in the past, right?" General Fahad inquired. "Is it because you are their Master that they obey you, regardless of what they were like in their past lives?"

Lux paused for a bit before shaking his head.

"I removed their identity when I revived them, and only left their experience," Lux stated. "It's like giving them a permanent amnesia, allowing them to retain their skills of the past, erasing their grudge against me the moment they were reborn. Even now, if someone told them that I was their enemy in their past life, they would not think much about it, and continue to serve me with utmost loyalty."

"... I see." General Fahad drank half of the mead in his cup before looking at the moon in the sky. "If I die, can you let me keep my memory? I don't want to forget my Family."

"You will not die, General," Lux replied. "You will live a long life protecting your people."

"I'm just saying 'IF' I die." General Fahad smiled. "Trust me, I don't have any intention of dying. However, having some insurance will put my mind at ease."

"... General, you should stop raising Death Flags," Lux stated. "But, I will do as you say. So, fight with everything you've got. I have your back."

General Fahad nodded and emptied the mug in his hand before standing up to leave.

"I'll go and rest," General Fahad said. "You also make sure that you are properly rested. I am counting on you to help me hold up the sky when it falls tomorrow."

"Okay." Lux promised as he raised his cup as if toasting the General of the Yelan Kingdom. "I'll just finish this then go to sleep as well."

General Fahad nodded and walked away with firm steps. Now that he had gained Lux's promise to be revived from the dead, he would fight until he could no longer do so.

Lux watched the General's retreating back until he disappeared from his sight.

Ten minutes later, Lux also left and headed to his room. Tomorrow's battle was an important one, so he had every intention of resting properly.

But, there was one problem.

The moment he entered his room, he instantly noticed that he wasn't alone.

A young lady wearing a night dress was seated on the bed, waiting for him.

"Are they already asleep?" Lux asked Cai, who was wearing a black, silk nightdress that wasn't able to hide the curves of her body.

"Yes," Cai replied. "Eiko and Fei Fei are already asleep in my room."

Lux nodded and walked to the bed, removing his upper clothes.

Cai moved to help him remove his shoes, and pants, leaving only the Half-Elf's underwear intact.

She then guided Lux to lay down on the bed, where the two of them cuddled together in each other's embrace.

"Tomorrow, don't force yourself too much, and don't go too deep behind enemy lines," Lux stated. "Stick to Xander, and allow Coatl to handle the strong enemies."

(A/N: Coatl is the name that Cai gave to the Winged Serpent that she tamed.)

"Okay," Cai replied as she buried her head into Lux's chest, feeling his warmth. "Be careful as well. Don't underestimate our opponents. Although you can revive the dead, no one can revive you when you die."

"Okay," Lux whispered in Cai's ear as he held her close.

The beautiful High Priestess of the Rowan Tribe was now his fiance, and although they had shared many intimate moments, they still hadn't crossed that last barrier, which would allow the two of them to become one.

Both of them understood that it was still not the right time to do it, so they just allowed themselves to fall slowly in love with each other, enjoying the intimate moments whenever they were alone together.

Lux planted a kiss on Cai's forehead, making the latter raise her head to look at him.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before both of them pressed their lips together, sharing a long, and passionate kiss.

A moment later, Lux's hand moved to untie the strings of Cai's nightgown, and slowly pulled it down, baring her breasts, which fit his hands perfectly.

Soon, Cai's muffled moans echoed inside the room. Although both of them were still not ready to take that final step to take their relationship to the next level, that didn't stop them from making each other feel good.

This act of intimacy helped quench the burning desire in their bodies, and hearts, in preparation for the battle that was slowly, but surely, making its way towards them.

 

Chapter 694 Just How Many Secrets Is This Boy Hiding?

"They're here," General Fahad said as he looked at the edge of the horizon where countless dark spots emerged like a black tide.

Lux nodded his head in agreement, as he gazed at the Monster Army that had sped up their advance, allowing them to arrive at the city, just two hours after everyone finished eating their lunch.

The Soldiers on the city walls held their weapons tightly in their hands, as they prepared for one of the most dangerous battles of their lives.

Their number was only around twenty thousand because the bulk of the Yelan Army accompanied Great General Sherlock and Great General Watson to defend the Eastern City from the Dreadnaught-Ranked Giant Earth Turtle.

With only over twenty thousand soldiers, against a Monster Army that numbered over a hundred thousand, everyone believed that their chances of survival were very slim. However, they didn't back away because if they did, their loved ones back in the Capital City of the Yelan Kingdom would bear the brunt of the Monster Invasion.

"It will probably take them half an hour to arrive at the city walls," Benjamin, who served as General Fahad's second in command, commented. "We still have time to say our prayers."

Benjamin said those words in a joking manner, but no one laughed at his attempt to liven up the atmosphere.

Everyone, including the teenagers, was feeling too tense and anxious to appreciate his effort, which made the Vice-General feel awkward. Even so, everyone understood what he was trying to do, so they didn't say anything that might embarrass the Vice-General of the Yelan Army.

Suddenly, a change happened among the Monster Army as the flying Beasts advanced ahead. Seeing this, General Fahad knew that the battle would start earlier than expected, so he immediately addressed his soldiers because this was the only time that he could do it.

"Remember, we will fight using the city as our shield," General Fahad announced to his soldiers. "Prioritize helping your comrades, and only focus on dealing with Rank 5 and below Monsters. Leave the Powerhouses of the Monster Army to me and Lux.

"Once the City Walls have fallen, immediately retreat to the rear of the city, and use the strategy that I passed unto your Captains. Prioritize your safety, and do your best to survive!"

General Fahad then unsheathed his sword and saluted the giant flag of the Yelan Kingdom that fluttered in the center of the city.

All the soldiers under his command saluted it as well for it was the symbol of their Kingdom, for which they were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to protect it.

"Glory to the Yelan Kingdom!" General Fahad shouted.

"""Glory to the Yelan Kingdom!"""

"""Glory to the Yelan Kingdom!"""

"""Glory to the Yelan Kingdom!"""

General Fahad then raised his sword and pointed it at the flying Creatures that were nearing their city from the skies.

"Aim!" General Fahad ordered.

The Archers, as well as the magicians all prepared to unleash their long range attacks to decimate the creatures that had come to annihilate them all.

"Steady," Ishtar stated as she nocked an arrow on her bow, pulling it as far as she could.

The hundreds of Skeleton Arcane Archers, and Liches, also prepared to unleash their attacks, in order to help the Yelan Soldiers thin out the number of flying monsters that were only minutes away from them.

Lux watched all of this with his arms crossed over his chest. Eiko also had a serious expression on her face, as she waited for the monsters to arrive.

Lux, Eiko, and Asmodeus, had summoned their clones earlier and distributed their forces across the ramparts, protecting it.

The Skeleton Gangbangers and the Steel Golems stood ready behind the city gate, serving as the second line of defense.

When General Fahad deemed that the Monsters were well within their range, he finally pointed his sword forward, and shouted his order.

"Open Fire!"

As soon as the order was given, thousands of arrows, and spells, rained down on the flying Monsters, making them cry out in pain.

Countless Monsters died in that initial clash, but many were able to break past through the first salvo, especially the two Argonaut-Ranked Cockatrices, whose breath attack could turn people to stone.

"Brace!" General Fahad shouted as the two Basilisks prepared to unleash their dreaded Petrification Breath, which they were famous for.

When the two Cockatrices unleashed their breath attacks, Lux, Eiko, and their clones, unleashed their own Dragon Breaths, which blocked the attack of the two Argonaut-Ranked Beasts, dispersing it completely.

That was how the clash between the Monster Army and the Defenders started, and what followed after that was pure chaos.

Shax, who had summoned his clones, engaged the Argonaut-Ranked Cockatrices in a dogfight in the sky, preventing them from targeting the defenders on the ground.

Keane, Xander, Gerhart, Cethus, and Einar, and Val, took off to the skies with their Deimos-Ranked Wyverns, decreasing the pressure that the defenders were feeling.

While this was happening, the land Monsters had all increased their pace, and were now running full speed towards the city walls, making the defenders focus in their direction

Since their allies were fighting off against the monsters in the sky, no one among the Defenders aimed their long range attacks upwards, in fear that they might hit their allies due to the chaotic battle that was happening.

At the forefront of the monster army, six black rhinos that were at least six meters tall were leading the charge, tanking the arrows, and spells that were raining down on them from afar.

"They are good Chargers," Cai said with a solemn look on her face. "What do you think, Fei Fei?"

"Wei~"

"I think so too. Um, maybe we can tame them later, after Lux beats them up."

"Wei~"

Lux, who was standing beside Cai scratched his head as he looked at the six Pseudo-Deimos Ranked Monsters, whom Cai wanted to tame.

He then gave a subtle order to his army to not kill the Black Rhinos, and simply cripple them, so that he could give them to his fiance once the battle was over.

Suddenly, Lux saw a flash of light in the distance, which made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Immediately after that, he summoned the Wraith King, Leoric, who shot forward like a blue comet.

A moment later, a loud explosion took place, creating a shockwave that sent the Monsters near the point of impact flying in every direction, which almost blew away every soldier off the ramparts due to how powerful it was.

Good thing, Lux had already anticipated this happening, ordering his Skeleton Gangbangers and Steel Golems to merge together, creating eighteen Hecatoncheires, behind the City Walls, who spread out their arms, and shielded the people from the aftermath of the Dreadnaught-Ranked long range attack, that came from more than a mile away.

Leoric, who had successfully blocked the attack, hovered in the air, as he stared in the direction of the foe that Lux had designated for him to face.

"Is he your Trump Card?" General Fahad asked.

"Yes," Lux replied. "He will deal with the Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster, while we deal with the small fries."

The General of the Yelan Kingdom nodded his head in understanding.

Now that there was someone to deal with the leader of the Monster Army, he once again issued commands to his soldiers, whose morale was boosted after seeing the Wraith King, Leoric.

—--------

Outside of the Gate of the Fallen, a pin-drop silence emanated.

No one, not even Hector, who was Xander's father, and Lux's staunchest ally, uttered a word as they all looked at the projection in front of them.

'Just how many secrets is this boy hiding?' Hector thought after he regained his calm.

He was already surprised that Lux was able to summon Argonaut and Deimos-Ranked Monsters to fight for him.

But now, the appearance of the Wraith King made him, and the other people in the cavern, wonder if Lux could summon something stronger.

If he really could do that then everyone's stance against him, including the Vahan Empire, would definitely change.

Now that they had seen what Lux was capable of doing, they could no longer treat him as an ordinary Initiate, but a true Powerhouse that could potentially tilt the outcome of the war in their favor.

 

 

Chapter 695 I Found Myself One Hell Of A Disciple

"Are we not going to help them, Your Highness?"

"Let's just watch for now. I want to know if Lux has any other Trump Cards that he is still hiding in his sleeves."

Aur, and the members of the Crystal Palace, observed the battle from on top of a mountain.

They had just arrived at the scene, and the first thing they saw was the ongoing battle between the Defenders of the Yelan Kingdom and the Monster Army.

Aur didn't know if the Monster Army was affiliated with the Dreadnaught-Ranked Monsters that had annihilated each and everyone of them during their first attempt to clear the dungeon.

However, that experience made him understand that even though he was carrying many powerful artifacts, and weapons with him, there was a limit to what a single person could do alone.

In order to achieve his goal, he needed to gain powerful allies. If only Rankers and Saints were allowed to enter the dungeon then Aur wouldn't have this problem.

Unfortunately, this was not possible, so he could only seek help elsewhere.

Right now, the only one who seemed to be brimming with potential was none other than the red-headed teenager, who had forced him to swallow his pride and enter the Sacred Dungeon a second time.

—--------

'What a sly monster,' Lux thought as he looked at the Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster in the distance, who resembled Godzilla, with annoyance. 'Leoric can't advance forward because once he does, the bastard will fire a long range attack, aimed at the people, forcing Leoric to block it.'

The leader of the Monsters was firing its long-ranged attacks consecutively, preventing Leoric from fighting it directly.

Currently, only the Wraith King could successfully block the attacks of the Dreadnaught Monster.

If he failed to block the Monster's attack even once, half of the city would instantly be wiped out. Killing thousands of people at the same time.

The powerful shockwaves had also destroyed several parts of the city walls, allowing the Monsters to enter the city.

Lux and his comrades were fighting a fierce battle on the land and in the sky, dyeing the ground with the color of blood.

General Fahad roared in anger as he and his elite soldiers started to hunt down the Deimos-Ranked Monsters that had entered the city.

These Monsters easily killed the low-ranking defenders, enraging the General and his men.

"Those at the right wall, fall back!" General Fahad ordered as he hacked down a Rank 5 Monster, who had almost bitten off one of his soldier's heads.. "Head to the rear of the city! Bring the injured to the infirmary! Leave this place to us!"

"Y-Yes Sir!" The soldier hastily supported his injured comrade to safety. However, there were many other injured people in the surroundings, who were unable to help themselves.

Not wanting any of his soldiers to die, General Fahad stood his ground, slashing every monster that broke past the destroyed wall.

Even with Lux's army, dealing with the High-Ranking monsters, the enemy's numbers were simply too many.

They were about to reach their limit, and it was only a matter of time before the defensive lines broke completely.

Suddenly, the dead soldiers around him rose to life. A good number of the Zombies carried the injured soldiers, and headed towards the rear of the city, Instead of helping the General fight off the Monsters.

Those that were helped, cried bitterly as their comrades, who had died, took them to safety, so that they could live.

Before the battle started, General Fahad asked his soldiers if they were willing to be revived after they died in the battle.

To his surprise, all the soldiers declared that if they were to perish in battle, they wanted Lux to revive them, so that they could continue fighting.

While some of the revived soldiers carried their comrades to the rear of the city, the rest of them assisted their still-living-counterparts in fighting against the Monsters, and preventing other soldiers from joining them in the afterlife.

Since they were revived as soon as they died, their memories were still intact, and their will to protect their Kingdom burned brightly in their chest, allowing them fight with great vigor and ferocity.

Cai, who was fighting Monsters inside the city, and helping the soldiers retreat, was being protected by her Winged Serpent, Coatl, who flew dozens of meters above her, eliminating the stronger threats that tried to attack the Boar from the sky.

Lux had ordered her to remain in the city, while he joined Leoric to charge behind the enemy lines, bringing six Hecatoncheires with him.

The Half-Elf knew that if he didn't bring down the Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster first, everyone's lives would continue to hang on a very thin line.

All it took was a single mistake, and the people he cared for would all be wiped from the face of the Yelan Kingdom.

Of course, he understood that if any of them died inside the Dungeon, they wouldn't really die, but simply be expelled from it.

Even so, Lux didn't have the "I won't die even if I am killed" mentality, and treated this battle seriously.

Leading the charge was none other than Leoric, and his 12 Wraith Knights who were all of the Deimos Rank.

Behind them, Six Hecatoncheires advanced slowly, grabbing, punching, slapping, and pinning down every monster they came across.

Lux, was riding on his Thunder Warg King, Jed, who was busy unleashing lightning bolts at the monsters in front of him.

Zagan and Lazarus flew beside Lux, guarding him from any sneak attacks from their enemies.

He had left Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, Asmodeus, Orion, Revon, and ALL-MITE, back in the city in order to protect his friends, and keep a lookout for Cai.

Suddenly, a four-meter tall Earth Wolf, who was of the Deimos Rank, sprang out from the ground, with the intention of crushing the Thunder Warg King, and his Master, with his powerful jaws.

This particular wolf had a peculiar ability, similar to Jasper, allowing it to merge with the ground, and travel under it like a fish in the water.

It was the perfect ambusher, and it had locked its sights on Lux, who was now deep inside their battle formation.

Unfortunately for it, Lux was paying close attention to his Soul Book, and had already known that the Wolf was planning to ambush him.

"Flamma! I choose you!" Lux shouted as he summoned the Half-Orc, who had been watching the battle in the projection back in their Guild Headquarters just a few seconds ago.

Immediately, the Deimos-Ranked Half-Orc materialized out of thin air, carrying his War Axe, poised to strike.

"It's about darn time!" Flamma roared as he smashed his Axe downwards.

"Guillotine Burst!"

The War Axe was covered in crimson flames, greatly empowering Flamma's attack, and imbuing it with the power of Transcendent Flames.

A cry of pain spread in the surroundings as the Half-Orc's War Axe smashed into the Earth Wolf's snout, sending it crashing to the ground.

Giving the Wolf no time to recover, and hide underneath the Earth, the Half-Orc summoned two fire snakes, which immediately coiled themselves around their target, rendering it unable to move.

Now that his prey was immobilized, the Half-Orc started to hack the monster's body senseless, making spilling blood with every strike.

"Go!" Flamma shouted as he kept on hammering the Deimos-Ranked Monster, who couldn't break free from the fire snakes that bound him in place. "I'll catch up to you later!"

Lux nodded and left four of his Hecatoncheires behind to protect Flamma, who was now surrounded by monsters in all directions.

However, the Half-Orc wasn't the least bit scared of his current situation, and even had a fearless look on his face as he one-sidedly hacked the Earth Wolf apart, who had lost its ability to resist.

—----------

Heaven's Gate Headquarters in the Outer Reaches…

"..." the Dragon King looked at Flamma in the projection before shifting his gaze to the place where the Half-Orc had been sitting just a moment ago.

He didn't know how Lux did it, but he was completely taken by surprise when the Half-Orc instantly disappeared from where he was, and reappeared where the Half-Elf was currently at.

As a Supreme, he was capable of traveling great distances in an instant if he wished for it. But, he had never seen something like this in the past which greatly intrigued him.

"How did he do it?" the Dragon King asked the old Half-Ling, who was busy cracking peanuts with his fingers.

"Trade Secret," Gaap replied before eating the peanut in his hands. "But, if you give me a Demigod Artifact, I'll tell you."

The Dragon King snorted and ignored the old Half-Ling's unreasonable demand.

The grade above Legendary Equipment was Demigod.

It was only a grade lower than Divine Equipment, and was considered to be one of the best items in existence.

They weren't cabbages that the Dragon King could give away just out of curiosity, so he just focused his attention back to the Half-Elf, whom Keoza had chosen to receive his Dragon Token.

He wasn't aware of the abilities of a Mythical Guild because this was the first time one had appeared in the world, so he thought that Lux had just learned a powerful summoning ability, which he hadn't seen before.

Gaap, who gave the Dragon King a side-long glance, chuckled internally.

Deep inside, he was just as surprised as the Supreme Being beside him.

'Master, I didn't expect your prediction to come true,' Gaap thought as he remembered his beautiful Master, who had the power to see the future. 'I found myself one hell of a Disciple.'

Gaap didn't know if Fate played a role in giving him the chance to meet the Half-Elf in the kingdom of Zangrila. However, one thing was clear.

Now that he was the Half-Elf's Master, he would do his best to ensure that the red-headed teenager wouldn't meet the same fate as his beautiful Master.

His Master had predicted that he would meet someone in the Kingdom of Zangrila, who would open the doors of Heaven and fight the monsters that the world of Elysium fears the most.

 

 

Chapter 696 Hold My Beer

'Now, I think I understand a little why you chose him,' the Dragon King thought as he recalled his confrontation with the Crystal Dragon, whom he hadn't seen for a very long time.

To this day, he still had no idea why Keoza decided to reject the position of Dragon King, which shocked not only him but also the entirety of Karshvar Draconis.

"This is for the greater good."

That was the last thing that Keoza told him before he vanished, never to be seen again until Lux appeared in the Dragon Kingdom.

'For the greater good, huh?' the Dragon King narrowed his eyes as he watched the Half-Elf in the projection charge toward the Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster that resembled Godz*lla.

Although there were still doubts inside his head, he set them all aside for now. This was the first time he was seeing Lux fight for real, and he was curious about what other things the Half-Elf was hiding from him.

—--------------

"Leoric, whatever happens, don't let him shoot that long-range attack towards the city," Lux ordered as they approached the Monster that was in command of the entire Monster Army.

"Understood," the Wraith King promised as he slashed the monsters in front of him, cutting all of them in half, which created a path for their charge deep into enemy lines.

When they were only hundreds of meters away from their target, something unexpected happened.

A large crack appeared in the sky, followed by the sound of thousands of crystal vases breaking.

A powerful presence descended on the battlefield, followed by something gigantic falling from the sky, right above Lux and his subordinates.

The Half-Elf, Leoric, and the Wraith Knights immediately backed away in order to prevent themselves from getting crushed by what seemed to be a giant meteor.

The group of Hecatoncheires, who were much slower than the others, didn't have time to evade, and their bodies were instantly crushed by the meteor, sized over a hundred meters big.

The powerful explosion that shook the entire surroundings, sending rock and dirt flying in every direction, covered the battlefield in a thick dust cloud.

Lux and his subordinates, who had barely evaded the attack, looked at the dust cloud in front of them with grim expressions on their faces.

For a brief moment, all the sounds on the battlefield disappeared as if time had stopped. However, this silence was broken a few seconds later by an earth-shaking roar that made General Fahad's face turn pale.

"I-Impossible!" General Fahad gasped as he looked at the dust cloud in the distance. "W-What is it doing here?!"

As if to confirm his worst fears, the land suddenly shook as the sound of gigantic footsteps echoed in the surroundings.

After what seemed like an eternity, a Giant Earth Turtle emerged from the dust cloud, making all the Defenders' hearts turn cold.

"Sh*t…" Lux cursed after seeing the Dreadnaught-Ranked Giant Turtle, who was supposed to be fighting in the Eastern Regions of the Yelan Kingdom, appear in front of him.

As if to make matters worse, the crack in the sky widened, and countless flying monsters began to pass through it.

Not only that, even land Monsters fell from the sky and, even from such great heights, none of them were injured as if all of them had the ability to levitate.

"What now?" Leoric hovered in front of Lux, protecting him from any possible attacks that would come from the Giant Monster.

He had the ability to handle one of the Dreadnaught Monsters, but fighting two of them at the same time was beyond his capabilities.

"I guess we have no choice," Lux stated. "Time for Plan B."

—--------------

The Rankers outside of the Gate of the Fallen were dumbfounded after witnessing the unexpected turn of events that they never saw coming.

Although half of them didn't like Lux, they still felt that this was simply too much for him to handle.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," one of the Rankers of the Skystead Alliance said. "Unfortunately, it's over now."

The other Rankers all nodded their heads in agreement. Although they had seen Lux do many miraculous things, they sincerely felt that this was how far the Half-Elf could go.

—-----------

"Your Highness, you made the right decision to not help them earlier," one of the members of Crystal Palace escorting Aur commented. "If we did, we would definitely suffer the same fate as them."

"That's right!"

"At least we won't die a miserable death."

As the members of the Crystal Palace were getting rowdy, Aur finally opened his lips, shutting all of them up.

"Do you really think that way?" Aur asked in a calm tone. "If they really die, then we would have all come here in vain."

Without any warning, the Prince of the Crystal Palace jumped off the mountaintop, surprising all of his retainers.

Before they could even react to his actions, a pair of crystal-like wings sprouted from Aur's back, allowing him to glide towards the battlefield at great speeds.

"Protect His Highness!" one of the Dragon Borns shouted and also jumped off the mountain to follow their Prince.

All the Dragon Borns took flight because they knew that if they let something bad happen to Aur, all of them would be severely punished when they got back to the Crystal Palace.

The teenagers from the Skystead Alliance also summoned their mounts to follow the others to battle.

Now that it had come to this, they could no longer stand idly, or their Emperor would punish them when they returned as well.

—--------

Heaven's Gate Guild Headquarters…

Gaap, who had seen his Disciple's current situation, propped himself up in his chair and drank half of the mug of beer in his hand.

Lux had asked the Dwarves to try making something similar to beer using the recipes he knew from Earth.

To his surprise, the Dwarves loved the idea and even managed to make something that tasted better than the ones he had back on Earth.

He then handed the mug to the Dragon King, who looked at him with a weird look on his face.

"What?" the Dragon King asked.

"Hold my beer," Gaap replied.

"Huh?" The Dragon King had a weird look on his face, but he still took the mug from the Halfling's hand, wondering what the latter wanted to do.

Gaap then rotated his neck, creating cracking sounds. After that, he moved his hips counter-clockwise, making cracking sounds as well.

After doing a bit of stretching, the Halfling summoned his walking stick and placed one of his hands behind his back.

"I'm going in," Gaap stated.

A moment later, he disappeared from where he stood, making the Dragon King's eyes widen in shock.

The Halfling was fine with Lux trying to fight monsters above his Rank, but after seeing the current situation, he decided to join in the fun.

Gaap knew that his Disciple had many enemies in his home world, with some of them being the rulers of different Kingdoms and Empires.

Since that was the case, he planned to make his appearance and show them that the Half-Elf had a Master like him, who could flip the Giant Earth Turtle upside down with a simple flick of his walking stick.

By doing so, he was sure that they would understand that if they did anything bad to his Disciple in Solais or Elysium, he could easily turn their worlds upside down, just like the Giant Earth Turtle, whom everyone thought had the upper hand in this battle for survival.

 

 

Chapter 697 Every Act Of Creation Is First An Act Of Destruction [Part 1]

Flamma, who was busy slicing everything around him, paused when he saw the Giant Earth Turtle make its appearance.

Due to its size which surpassed a hundred meters in height, it was impossible for anyone to not see it unless they were blind.

Its presence alone was quite domineering, overshadowing all the countless Monsters in its surroundings.

General Fahad, as well as the Defenders of the Yelan Kingdom, felt a lump form in their throat at the sight of the powerful Monster that was supposed to be fighting against the bulk of their Main Army led by their two Great Generals.

For it to appear here, while falling from the sky, was simply heaven-defying.

"Time for Plan B," Lux said.

However, just before he could act on his plan, a defiant voice spread in the surroundings.

"Crystal Dragon's Breath!"

Aur unleashed his Dragon Breath and even used an Amplification Artifact to increase its power threefold.

The Dragon Breath flew straight towards the Giant Earth Turtle. But before it could even hit its target, a giant wall of earth over a hundred meters tall jutted out of the ground and blocked the attack completely.

A moment later, the wall of earth transformed into a crystal wall.

Seeing this, Aur clenched his fist before preparing to fire another Dragon Breath. However, the Dreadnaught-Ranked World Boss didn't give him another chance.

The giant crystal wall shattered and transformed into countless crystal shards that fell on the battlefield like rain.

This was, without a doubt, a deadly attack that didn't distinguish between friend or foe, killing anything it hit.

"Shield Wall!" Pazuzu shouted, and the rest of the Elite Spirit Protectors did the same.

A moment later, several blue tower shields appeared in front of the Defenders, blocking the crystal shards that could potentially wipe out everyone in the city.

"Defend yourselves!!" General Fahad gave his order, making all the soldiers crouch low on the ground, raising their shields in front of them.

The Hecatoncheires that were defending the city spread their arms that numbered in the hundreds to block the incoming crystal shards as a second line of defense, protecting the soldiers behind them.

A few seconds later, blood rained down from the sky as the flying monsters got pierced by the crystal shards, receiving serious injuries. Some of these monsters died instantly, while others received fatal injuries that caused them to fall from the sky, and crush anything below them.

Including the Soldiers whom they were fighting earlier.

Seeing that its devastating attack worked, the Giant Earth Turtle jumped high in the air and curled itself into a ball, looking like a gigantic boulder.

"D-Don't tell me!" Flamma, who was right in front of the Giant Turtle, immediately ran away when it saw it rolling in his direction.

"Zagan! Lazarus! Attack!" Lux ordered.

Following his orders, Zagan and Lazarus bombarded the gigantic rolling boulder that was headed toward the city with Black Lightning bolts and Cold Flames in an attempt to stop or slow it down.

Unfortunately, even though their attacks could bypass most defenses, even directly attacking the Monster's soul, the Giant Earth Turtle was unfazed as their combined attacks didn't even leave a dent in its body.

"Mom!" Flamma, who was running faster than an Olympic sprinter on Steroids, knew that it was impossible for him to outrun the Giant Rolling Boulder that was making the entire land tremble.

Lux gritted his teeth and decided to save the Half-Orc by transforming into a lightning bolt.

Zagan did the same because he wouldn't allow Lux to die no matter what.

Leoric followed, but since he was considerably slower than Lux and Zagan, he was left behind completely.

'Not good!' Lux thought as he sped towards the Half-Orc, who was only a heartbeat away from turning into a pancake. 'I won't make it!'

Just as Flamma was about to call out his Mother's name for a second time, the Giant Rolling Boulder stopped completely.

This gave Lux the opportunity to grab the Half-Orc and take him away to safety.

Flamma, who had just been saved, sighed in his heart. He was so close to pissing himself due to his near-death experience. Fortunately, the World Boss' Death Roll stopped before it could graze his skin.

"Back in the day, I could have stopped this monster with just a finger. Oh, I've grown too old."

Everyone on the battlefield, including Lux, looked in awe when they saw a giant black hand holding onto the curled-up Giant Earth Turtle, preventing it from rolling forward.

On top of that giant black hand stood an Old Halfling.

The old man was wearing a traveler's robe whose colors had faded away. Clearly, it had seen better days in the past, but now, it had lost all of its luster.

He was holding a walking stick in one of his hands, while the other rested behind his back. His back was slightly bent, just like any old person who was in the last years of their life.

Even so, the way he carried himself made him look like an esteemed warrior that had seen countless battles in the past.

Realizing that something was holding onto its body, the Giant Earth Turtle started to squirm around in an attempt to break free from the giant black hand that held it in place.

"Still resisting?" Gaap chuckled before lightly tapping his wooden walking stick on the black hand, where he was standing. "It has been a while since I allowed you to play with something, so play to your heart's content. Just make sure that you don't accidentally kill it, okay?"

As if responding to his words, the earth shook violently, making everyone who was standing on the ground unable to keep their balance.

Half a minute later, the sky darkened as something truly gigantic blocked the rays of the sun.

"By the Dragon Gods…," Cethus muttered as his vision locked onto a gigantic Black Golem, which was over three hundred meters tall at the very least. "Could that possibly be Antero?!"

A hideous laughter echoed in the surroundings as the Black Golem opened its mouth, making those who heard it subconsciously shudder.

Out of habit, Lux took out his Soul Book in order to identify the monstrous creature in front of him.

However, nothing could have prepared him for the shock that ran through his entire body when he saw the creature's information.

—----------

< Antero >

"Every act of Creation is first an act of Destruction."

Monster Rating: Empyrean-Ranked World Boss

True Monster Ranking: Demigod Rank (Sealed)

– Primordial Abyssal Golem of Destruction

– Progenitor of Abyssal Golems

Health: ????????????????? / ?????????????????

Mana: ????????????????? / ?????????????????

Strength: ???????

Intelligence: ???????

Vitality: ???????

Agility: ???????

Dexterity: ???????

Unique Ability: Indestructible Golem of Destruction

< Indestructible Golem of Destruction >

– This creature can't be killed by any monsters of Demigod Rank and below.

– Even if the entire world was destroyed, this Golem would not die and would regenerate itself completely.

 

 

Chapter 698 Every Act Of Creation Is First An Act Of Destruction [Part 2]

"Impossible!" Piccoro, who saw the Gigantic Golem of Destruction, gasped in shock. "How can he be there?! He's supposed to be imprisoned in Zangrila!"

It was not only him who reacted this way. The three other Saints belonging to the Crystal Palace stared at the projection with fearful gazes because they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"We must alert the Steward at once!" one of the Saints stated.

"Even if we alert her now, there's nothing that she can do about it," one of the Saints gritted his teeth in anger. "It's impossible for her to enter the Domain of the Fallen. But how did that Halfling worm his way there?! Is there another entrance to the Domain that we don't know about?!"

The four Dragon Born Saints were clearly feeling agitated and for a good reason. When the Dragon Race was still united and living in peace, there came a time when the world was thrown into chaos.

The former Dragon King, the other Supremes, as well as the Saints from every corner of the world, joined hands in order to fight against the Abyssal Invasion.

One of the most powerful creatures that had crossed between the worlds was none other than the very same Primordial Black Golem that they were seeing in their projection.

The Black Golem of Destruction, Anteros, had killed dozens of Saints when it rampaged across the land.

Even Supremes had a hard time subduing the monster, let alone killing it completely as it was a Progenitor Class Existence.

The first of its kind, containing all the powers that surpassed the limits of beings below its rank.

Fortunately, the Goddess of the World helped them subdue this beast with the help of a Supreme Necromancer, sealing its powers, and making it regress to the Empyrean Rank.

Even so, Antero couldn't be killed because it was simply indestructible.

Using his vast expertise, the Supreme Necromancer, with the assistance of the Goddess of the World, forced the creature into a contract, making it fight for their side.

Although its Rank had regressed to that of an Empyrean Ranked World Boss, the other Abyssal Creatures were unable to destroy it, allowing the people of Elysium to resist the Abyssal Invasion with its help.

Due to the intensity of the battle and the unholy contract that the Supreme Necromancer used to bind Antero, he also met his end in the war.

There was a price to pay for summoning Antero, and that was the Summoner's lifespan.

Because of this, its ownership changed frequently, but it could only be passed along the lineage of Necromancers, belonging to the Unholy Guild called Memento Mori.

Each time it made its appearance, destruction would follow.

For that was the sole purpose of its creation.

There was also a time when a Necromancer of Memento Mori used this to fight against the might of the Dragon Kingdom and almost succeeded in that battle as well.

If not for the fact that Gaap's Master intervened to stop the war, the possibility of Karshvar Draconis falling from the sky was already a done deal.

Fortunately, it didn't happen. However, since then, the Dragon Race had a profound fear of the Golem of Destruction because it was one of the handful of existence in the world that could easily demolish their floating islands from the sky if its Master willed it.

"There's no way that anyone can beat that thing," Piccoro sighed. "All the teenagers inside the Gate of Famine are doomed!"

However, just as Piccoro and the rest of the Saints from the Crystal Palace were dreading the inevitable death of their Prince, something unexpected happened.

"The Primordial Golem picked up the rolled-up Giant Turtle and tossed it high in the sky and laughed like a little child as if it's playing with a rubber ball."

Seeing this happen, the other Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster attacked the Primordial Golem with its most powerful attack, but it didn't even make a small dent in the Golem's body.

Antero glanced at the Godz*lla-like monster behind it with annoyance.

Without warning, it raised its hand and smacked the Dreadnaught-Ranked Monster like a mosquito, instantly turning its entire body to meat paste.

After killing the Dreadnaught Monster like a bug, it raised its hand to catch the falling Giant Earth Turtle with its hand and laughed out loud before tossing it again upwards.

"You can play with it, but don't kill it, okay?" Gaap ordered. "I have something in mind for it, you hear?"

Antero laughed in reply as if what it had heard was the biggest joke in its life.

"Ai~ you've been cooped up too long and don't want to listen," Gaap lamented before glancing in the direction of his disciple, who was looking back at him in disbelief.

The corner of Gaap's lips rose up as he gave Lux a teasing smile, which made the Half-Elf realize that he didn't really know much about his new Master whom he had met in Zangrila.

"Why are you staring at me like an idiot, stupid Disciple of mine," Gaap shouted. "Are you not going to greet your Master?"

Lux snapped out of his daze and immediately pressed his palms together before respectfully bowing his head.

"Disciple greets Master," Lux replied.

The Half-Elf had no idea how Gaap managed to enter the Gate of Famine when he didn't even use his Guild's Ability to call him.

What he didn't know was that, when Gaap accepted him as his Disciple, the ring that the Old Halfling gave him served as a medium that allowed him to instantly teleport to his location with just a thought.

Gaap did this to ensure that his Disciple wouldn't be bullied by High-Rankers or Saints from any of the Kingdoms or Empires that wanted to antagonize him before he could reach his full potential.

Of course, this ring had a limitation and it would only allow Gaap to appear by Lux's side once a month.

Since the Halfling knew that the Crystal Palace was able to see what was happening inside the Gate of Famine, he made sure to make his appearance to inform them that he was Lux's Master, making them think twice about harming his Disciple.

Just as he expected, an uproar happened inside the cavern as the entourage of the Crystal Palace cried out in alarm after they saw Lux bowing to Gaap, recognizing him as his Master.

Even the envoys of the Skystead Alliance, Xynnar War Pact, and Six Kingdoms were shaken after this discovery.

—------------

'What?! Lux is Gaap's disciple?!' Piccoro's body shuddered after seeing this scene. "D-Damn! Just what is going on here?!'

After seeing how fearful the four Saints from the Crystal Palace were, he didn't need to be a genius to understand that the old Halfling standing on the Giant Black Golem's shoulder was someone that he and the Vahan Empire couldn't offend no matter what.

'T-This brat has such a Master?!' Aron exclaimed internally. 'I better report this to His Majesty immediately!'

It was no secret that the Half-Elf and the Vahan Empire had bad blood with each other. However, if an existence that could even make the Crystal Palace feel threatened would become the Skystead Alliance's enemy, it could only lead to one end.

Complete and utter destruction of their entire realm!

—------------

Gaap, who had already achieved what he wanted, raised his hand with a smug look on his face, making him feel as if he had returned to his younger days.

A faint ripple spread across the battlefield the moment Gaap raised his hand. A few seconds later, all the dead Monsters came to life and started attacking the monsters who had remained frozen in place due to the pressure Anteros was emitting.

Because of this, they were killed without the ability to protect themselves from the countless Undead that answered the Old Necromancer's summons.

While Lux could also revive the dead, his ability couldn't be compared to what his Master was doing right now.

With a simple gesture, he had easily revived tens of thousands of monsters, whose numbers would continue to grow as they killed the other Monsters, who were once their comrades.

This sight made everyone remember how troublesome it was to fight against Necromancer because once they started summoning the Undead, there would be no end to it unless their Master was killed completely.

—----------

Back in Karshvar Draconis, the Dragon King sipped the mug that Gaap had handed him while looking at the projection in front of him.

"Idiot," the Dragon King then extended his hand to have his mug refilled by one of the Maids that served General Garret's family. "You're just shortening your already short life. No wonder you now look like a decrypt old man. Just for the sake of this farce, you act like a clown in front of everyone."

The Dragon King muttered a few more curses before taking another sip from the mug that was now refilled with beer.

Now that Antero had finally shown itself after decades of absence, he was certain that the organization that had killed Gaap's Master would break their silence.

"Hah… this is going to be messy," the Dragon King muttered before drinking half of the beer inside his mug. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, you fool. Are you that eager to meet your Master in the afterlife?"

The Dragon King didn't know what Gaap was thinking. There were plenty of other ways the old Halfling could have dealt with the situation while showing his might to everyone.

However, of all the methods in his arsenal, he chose the one that could potentially trigger another large-scale war between the Divine Army of Light and Gaap's Undead Legion, who screamed for vengeance for his Master's untimely death.

 

 

Chapter 699 Master, I Didn’t Know You Were So Awesome!

The Giant Earth Turtle's pitiful roars were drowned out by Antero's mad laughter.

"Okay, playtime's over, Antero," Gaap ordered. "Store it."

The Gigantic Golem giggled as if the Halfling's orders made it extremely giddy.

In front of everyone, the Golem of Destruction held the Giant Earth Turtle with both hands and squeezed it tightly. Its action was similar to someone trying to squeeze a rubber ball to make it smaller.

At first, Lux and the others didn't understand what Antero was doing.

But after a bit, the Giant Earth Turtle slowly shrank in size. From a hundred-meter-tall giant, it became a small round boulder that Lux estimated to be only around a few meters tall.

This caught everyone completely by surprise and confused with what was happening.

When Antero stopped, it briefly admired its work before casually tossing the Giant Earth Turtle inside its mouth as if it was a piece of candy.

"Okay, take a nap for a while," Gaap ordered, and the Giant Golem of Destruction, which covered the sunlight due to its humongous size, disappeared without a trace as if it didn't exist in the first place.

Gaap casually walked toward Lux as if he was just an ordinary old man strolling in a park.

Flamma, who was standing beside the Half-Elf, subconsciously took a step back when the old Halfling neared them.

He didn't expect that the old man who was eating peanuts with him a while ago had the power to command a monster that could easily wipe out the Blackrock Clan from the face of the world.

There was simply no way to fight against a creature with such a background, even though its current rank was only an Empyrean-Ranked World Boss.

"Master, what are you doing here?" Lux asked as soon as the Halfling was only a few meters away from him.

"I decided to take a stroll," Gaap replied. "Fancy meeting you here."

The corner of Flamma's lips twitched after hearing the old man's excuse. How can someone casually take a stroll inside the Gate of Famine and summon a Calamity Class creature right off the bat?

Lux only shook his head helplessly because he knew that his Master had come to help him even though he didn't ask for it.

The Half-Elf then glanced at his finger and stared at the ring that had a skull embedded in its center, which he received as a gift from Gaap.

He had used his Appraisal Skill on this ring a long time ago and knew that one of its special functions was to instantly teleport Gaap to his location as long as he was in Elysium.

Also, the teleportation skill had a one-month cooldown, which meant that Gaap wouldn't be able to take a "casual stroll" to where the Half-Elf was for the next few weeks.

"Master, I didn't know you were so awesome!" Lux praised the old Halfling, who was staring at the city in the distance where his revived Monsters were fighting against their own brethren. "To think you are hiding something like this. I now see you in a new light."

"Hahaha, it's just a small thing," Gaap replied. "There's more to where that came from, you know?"

The Half-Elf then began to praise his Master, which made the Halfling very happy. Although he knew that Lux was only flattering him, he decided to play along.

This was to ensure that those who were watching the Half-Elf's actions from wherever they were would understand how close his relationship was with the red-headed boy.

"Are you perhaps Gaap the Tormentor?" Aur who landed a few meters away from Lux and his Master asked. "I've heard many stories about you and your Master from my Mother."

"And you are?" Gaap asked with a smile.

Naturally, he already knew who Aur was, but he needed to continue acting in order to maintain a domineering impression.

"Aur," Aur replied. "I am from the Crystal Palace."

"And what is your relationship with my Disciple?" Gaap inquired in a haughty manner. "Are you friend or foe?"

"Neither," Aur replied in a heartbeat. "We barely know each other."

"Oh?" Gaap smirked, but he no longer made any comments.

The Halfling then shifted his gaze to his Disciple and poked him with his walking stick.

"What are you dozing off for?" Gaap frowned. "There are still monsters around. Go get them."

Lux nodded as he followed his Master's order without a word of complaint. Gaap had secretly told him his reason for coming, and it made the Half-Elf feel warm inside, knowing that his Master was looking out for him.

The Half-Elf had always been the one doing his best to help and protect others from harm. Having someone do the same to him touched his heart in more ways than one, and it made him feel grateful to have a Master like Gaap in his life.

While the Half-Elf was busy cleaning up the battlefield, Gaap stood still while using his walking cane for support. He looked like an Emperor who had everything under control. But, if one looked a bit closer, beads of sweat had already started to form on his forehead, and his complexion had become slightly pale.

"The sun is bad for your skin, Master," a doll-like lady with blue hair, wearing something similar to a black gothic dress, appeared beside Gaap.

She was holding an umbrella in her hand and used it to shield her Master from the sun, while using her body to block Aur's view, preventing the Dragon Prince from seeing the Halfling's complexion.

"Thank you, Carol," Gaap replied. "The sun is indeed harsh today."

Carol smiled and nodded her head. "Do you want me to make you some refreshments, Master?"

"Sounds good. Thank you very much."

"My pleasure."

Carol then snapped her finger, and two zombie maids appeared beside her.

They then took out a small table and a chair, allowing Gaap to sit comfortably. A moment later, one of the zombie maids began to massage the Halfling's shoulder, while the other offered him some fruit juice.

Half an hour later, Lux and the Defenders finished cleaning up the remaining Monsters. Cheers of victory spread in the surroundings as General Fahad waved the flag of the Yelan Kingdom, signaling that they had managed to win the battle, which they originally thought was unwinnable.

—---------

Royal Palace of the Ammarian Kingdom…

"It cannot be!" The silver-haired devil was in complete utter disbelief after witnessing everything that happened with his scrying mirror.

He wasn't surprised that the Monster Army that he sent was eliminated.

What made him feel agitated was the fact that he recognized the Golem of Destruction that suddenly appeared inside the Gate of Famine.

"This isn't supposed to happen!" The silver-haired devil pounded the armrest of his throne in order to vent out the frustration he was feeling. "Why did you have to appear here of all places? Why?! Antero!"

As part of the invading army that had descended from the Void to conquer Elysium, he knew more than anyone else how domineering the Gigantic Golem was.

Even the Royal Abyssal Family didn't dare antagonize it for it was an invincible existence that sat at the peak of the Demigod Rank.

Now that Antero had made its appearance, the silver-haired devil had no idea how to proceed with his plan.

He didn't know that Antero's Master, Gaap, couldn't simply summon the Golem of Destruction whenever and wherever he wanted due to the huge price he had to pay every time the Halfling summoned the Indestructible Golem.

However, even if he knew, the silver-haired devil still wouldn't dare to gamble his life facing such an imposing threat.

All it would take was a simple flick of the Golem's finger to end his life and destroy the years of painstaking work that he had completed in order to escape the prison that had trapped him for centuries.

 

Chapter 700 I Said Pinch Me, Not Punch Me!

"... That sure is a lot of Beast Cores," Cethus commented as he looked at the pile of Beast Cores in front of him that piled up into a small hill.

The revived monsters were lining up one by one as they waited for Diablo, Ishtar, Zagan, and Revon to take the Beast Cores out of their bodies.

Even though these Cores were extracted from their bodies and caused their Ranks to regress by one rank, the Monsters didn't even voice out any complaints for that was the order of their new Master, Gaap.

Lux had asked his Master if he could take the Beast Cores with him and divide them among the teenagers that accompanied him, as well as the Soldiers of the Yelan Kingdom.

After his experience with the Blackrock Clan, Lux was starting to believe that, maybe, the Yelan Kingdom existed somewhere in Elysium.

He didn't know whether his assumption was true, but if it was, he wanted to create good karma between him and the Kingdom that he had fought alongside inside the Sacred Dungeon.

Gaap didn't think much of it and agreed to Lux's request. However, he kept the Dreadnaught-Ranked Core of the Godz*lla-like Monster with him because he wanted to give this to Lux personally.

Prince Cyrus and the rest of the candidates from the Skystead Alliance looked at this scene with envious gazes.

They had managed to defeat a Deimos-Ranked Monster, and naturally, the Prince was the one who received its Beast Core.

Nero and Malcolm didn't utter any complaints because they understood that this was for the best.

It was not only the Skystead Alliance who were looking at the Beast Cores that Lux had piled up beside him.

The Xynnar War Pact and the Six Kingdoms were feeling the same.

To a certain extent, the Initiates of the Crystal Palace were also in the same boat. However, they were more disciplined, so their envy didn't show on their faces.

After more than an hour, all the Beast Cores had been extracted from the Monsters. Lux started to allocate them as he deemed fit.

Cai, Keane, Gerhart, Cethus, Xander, Henrietta, Einar, Val, Jasper, Enlil, and Gilmore were all given one Deimos-Ranked Beast Core each. This didn't include the ones that they gained when they each fought against one Deimos-Ranked Monster in order to lighten the load of the Yelan Army.

Lux then did something unexpected and handed one Argonaut-Ranked Beast Core each to Xander, Einar, Val, and Henrietta, greatly surprising the four teenagers.

The Half-Elf had a calm expression on his face, but deep inside, he was laughing internally.

His intention was to show those who were watching them outside the Gate of the Fallen that only his allies would receive the good stuff from him.

Also, he wasn't short of Argonaut-Ranked Cores because he had several of them from Zangrila.

The only problem was that all of those cores were from Abyssal Creatures, which he intended to purify using one of his Transcendent Necromantic Skills that would be unlocked once he became a Ranker.

This way, his members would be able to safely gain Abyssal Skills without worrying about their hearts being tainted by the corruption of the Abyss.

"I saw the battles that the five of you fought earlier. I was very impressed by your skills," Lux said as he handed dozens of Rank 5 Beast Cores and below to the five Barbarians that Einar had brought with him to the Gate of Famine. "These are all for you guys."

"T-This is the first time I have been able to hold so many Beast Cores in my life," one of the Barbarians said. "Can someone pinch me?"

The Barbarian who had confessed that he had become heartbroken when he fought against Pazuzu punched his comrade, making the latter yelp in pain.

"Bastard! I said pinch me, not punch me!"

"You had a silly look on your face, so I decided to punch you because you annoyed me."

"Why you…!"

The two Barbarians grappled each other and only stopped when Einar moved in to slap both of them silly.

Lux could only chuckle at this comedic scene before calling out Val's Guildmates, whom he also gave dozens of Beast Cores to.

When it was Henrietta's Guild Members' turn, Lux became exceedingly generous as he handed them dozens of Beast Cores, significantly exceeding the ones he gave the Barbarians and Val's Guild Members.

Henrietta smiled at Lux's generosity because she didn't think that the Half-Elf would blatantly show his favoritism to them.

"You guys come here as well," Lux called the members of the Six Kingdoms, and gave them half of what he gave the Barbarians and Val's Guildmates. Although the number of Beast Cores they received was fewer, each individual still gained six Rank 5 Beast Cores, which made them very grateful.

The red-headed teenager gave the same number of Beast Cores to Jasper's members, making them thank the Half-Elf for his generosity.

After distributing the spoils of war, Lux ignored the Skystead Alliance, as well as the Crystal Palace, making them glare at him.

"General Fahad, I know this isn't much, but take half of the Beast Cores and give them to the families of the Soldiers who died in battle."

"Thank you, Lux," General Fahad replied.

The General of the Yelan Kingdom didn't reject Lux's offer because this would help those that had lost their family members in the battle against the Monster Army.

These Soldiers, whom Lux had revived not long after they had died, would finally gain their eternal rest once he had freed them from his control.

After becoming a Heaven's Necromancer, he intended to send their souls personally to the Cycle of Reincarnation, as he had done with the souls that had been trapped in the Kingdom of Zangrila.

Most of the soldiers had lingering regrets, which would make it hard for them to pass to the other side. However, with Lux's powers, these regrets would be dissolved, allowing them to rest in peace.

Prince Cyrus, who was in a bad mood, walked toward Lux with an irritated look on his face.

"It is very possible that we have defeated all the Monsters here in the Yelan Kingdom," Prince Cyrus stated. "What do we do next?"

Lux arched an eyebrow because he didn't expect the Prince of the Vahan Empire to ask for his opinion on what their next move would be.

"First, we will confirm that the threat to the Yelan Kingdom is indeed gone," Lux replied. "When we are certain that all the threats have been dealt with, we will go to the Ammarian Kingdom and face the remaining Dreadnaught-Ranked World Bosses."

Even though he didn't get along with the members of the Skystead Alliance, he wasn't petty enough to leave them in the dark about the next part of his plan.

Everyone, with the exception of Lux, believed that since Gaap was with them, the conquest of the Gate of Famine was already in the bag.

They were not aware that the Old Halfling was doing his best not to close his eyes due to drowsiness.

Gaap knew that the moment he closed them, he wouldn't be waking up for a few days in order to recuperate from summoning the Golem of Destruction, who had drained a portion of what little remained of his lifespan.