Ch. 361..370

Chapter 361

"Leisure Guild... And a summoned hero... Are you Jack J., perhaps?"

"Is it that obvious?" Jack chuckled, scratching his head.

"Only because I know that your Daruun’s champion," replied Lyrun. "Without that crucial piece of information, it would take some digging to learn the truth. And even then, it would only be theory."

"But would the gods make a move against me on a theory?" asked Jack.

"No, we’re not allowed to do that. We’ve been given our orders and those orders would need to change for us to personally take action. However, that doesn’t mean holy and chaotic factions wouldn’t send their champions to deal with you," answered Lyrun.

"Well, for the time being, I’m not too worried about that," Jack stated. "I’ve already met the holy champion and I’m not too worried about him."

"You’ve met him already?" Lyrun’s tone shifted abruptly. The casual conversation felt more hard-pressed as the Nature God loudly questioned Jack, "Tell me, what’s his name? And what’s his profession?"

Jack squinted but replied, "You’re asking about Lorwynn, right? The founder of the Adventurers Association?"

Lyrun opened his mouth to say more but he found himself lacking the words. His thoughts were still too rampant for the god to form the questions he wanted answers to.

"He hasn’t reported that, has he?" Jack asked, finding the answer written all over Lyrun’s face. "I guess Lorwynn wasn’t lying after all."

"How long has he known?"

"He knew since my first visit to Federal City. As an official member of the association and having stopped the syndicate’s plot in Reinolt, I met him and the rest of the council. It was then that I discovered he was a champion but I only learned that he was the holy champion after he visited me personally at an inn," explained Jack.

"This isn’t good..." Worry started to seep from Lyrun’s face. "Why did he have to meet you so soon?! This could ruin everything!"

"Lyrun, what are you talking about?" Sensing that something major was going on behind the scenes, Jack wanted to learn all he could.

"Jack... Well, you are Daruun’s champion... Maybe..."

"What are you up to Lyrun, and how could my meeting Lorwynn ruin it?"

Hesitant, Lyrun tried to calm his nerves and look Jack in the eyes. "For now, you don’t need to know anything. But should something go wrong, I may ask for your assistance."

"And why should I offer you my help if you can’t help me?" Jack reasoned, not backing down.

"That... You have a good point... Is there anything I can help with?" Lyrun asked.

"Well, I was trying to renew the Leisure Guild’s trading pact with Korten, as well as pay handsomely to become Korten’s exclusive trading partner..." Jack thought out loud. "But then Gwendon had to turn me down without considering it."

"You want exclusive trading rights? That’s it? You’re not after our treasures or our collection of ancient item recipes?" Baffled, Lyrun tried to learn more about Jack’s motives.

"If I want those things, then I’ll trade for them. What I want are exclusive trading rights between the guild and Korten for a minimum of five years," repeated Jack. "And if what you ask of me later is too much for that, then at least ten years. How does that sound?"

"That’s... doable. But when I ask for your assistance, you’ll have to come immediately."

Smiling with his hand extended, Jack replied, "So long as I’m not busy protecting the guild or an ally of the guild, then I’ll come personally. If not me, then someone else will come in my stead. So, will it be five or ten years?"

"Ten," Lyrun immediately answered. "Then we’ve reached an accord."

Both the man and the god shook firmly as they came to terms. Jack was elated to get what he wanted for the guild and Lyrun was glad to have a new ally for his own machinations.

"By the way, I’m also here to take Eedaj to Trodar. He’ll be the first of the Neutral Gods to relocate to the Leisure Guild," Jack added. "When you became a god, did you leave a way out of the holy faction?"

Lyrun sighed. "Yes, but that’s the least of my worries right now. Maybe later I’ll discuss that with you, but I’ve got other matters to look into as you’ve already made contact with my disciple."

"Oh... So that’s why you can’t give Eliza your blessing. Then, if I get the chance, I’ll tell Lorwynn you said, ’Hi’ when I see him next."

"Thank you, Jack. I must be off now. Good luck in Trodar, and tell my brother he can always ask for help should he need it."

Lyrun bowed his head lightly as the green barrier retracted in the blink of an eye. By the time it was gone, Lyrun had already vanished without a trace.

"Come on, let’s hurry up and meet Eedaj. We’ve only got tomorrow to get back to the Leisure Guild, so we may have to fly through the night," Jack refocused the party and stepped through the illusory barrier around the Prehistoric Forest. "Come on, let’s stick together."

The rest of the party followed along, still feeling some pride for Jack’s ability to speak so confidently with immortal beings.

*****

"How much longer, Tralon?"

"Calm yourself, Argyle," replied the aging mage. "The circle will be completed very shortly."

Argyle sighed, "But that’s what you said two hours ago..."

"No, I said it would be completed shortly. This time I specifically said ’very shortly’ to emphasize the little time left," chuckled Tralon.

"You know, after learning that you were that boys sidekick all those years ago, I finally understand your wicked sense of humor," Argyle mentioned, not disrespecting nor complimenting the mage.

"I’m being serious, though. In less than five minutes, the circle will be operational," added Tralon, smiling back to his old friend.

"Argyle!"

Surprised to hear Baral’s voice from outside the concealed courtyard, Argyle shouted, "What’s wrong Baral?"

Baral asked, "May I come in? Something strange is taking place outside."

"Very well, but only you."

The massive lock within the door clicked and Baral opened it just enough to enter the room before shutting the door and relocking it. Then, the manager hurried to Argyle with a bow. "Argyle, you may want to check what’s going on outside. A furious, unnatural wind is carrying what looks like endless storm clouds toward Federal City."

"Storm clouds?" Argyle itched the scruff on his face. "Tralon, have you heard of such a thing?"

"Hmm... That’s hard to say. It could be a number of things. I’d have to see it for myself to know for sure," stated Tralon. "But I’m busy here, so it might be best if you go, Argyle."

"Then I’ll hurry back and describe everything to you. Show me, Baral." The auction house owner took the lead, despite his asking Baral for guidance.

The two men sealed the door behind them, hurrying to get a better view of the storm that was racing toward Kartonia’s greatest megacity. It took nearly five minutes just to exit the auction house but they were soon outside, where Baral was baffled further.

"They’ve already gotten so close?"

"Baral, how far away were the clouds ten minutes ago?" asked Argyle.

Replying, Baral recovered, "They were about thirty minutes of travel away."

That was when Argyle understood his manager’s confusion. If it wasn’t Baral telling him that, he wouldn’t have believed such a thing. The pitch-black storm clouds were already over a third of the city yet they truly were endless.

Taking every detail into his memory, Argyle hurried to decipher the exact characteristics of the storm before he and Baral rushed back to Tralon.

"You’re back already?" Tralon asked, still hunched over to write the last few characters of the teleportation circle.

"Tralon, the pitch-black storm should already be covering the entire city by now and the most peculiar thing is the black lightning that’s coursing through the clouds but doesn’t reign down on the city," explained Argyle.

As the final character was magically etched into the newly made platform, Tralon’s finger stiffened. "Black... lightning?"

Chapter 362

"Black... lightning? And it’s not striking the ground?"

Argyle replied, "No, it’s coursing through the clouds without harming anything in the city."

"Argyle, gather your guild and send them through the portal." Tralon stood up and retrieved his usual staff. "Make haste, Argyle."

"Tralon, I can’t just--"

"If you want your guild to survive, then send everyone through the portal immediately," stated Tralon. "I’ll be leaving first to prepare the guild to receive your people."

"But Tralon--"

"Hurry up!"

A powerful pulse of spatial energy erupted from the platform, startling Argyle and Baral as Tralon disappeared. Left with only Tralon’s warning, Argyle left with a hard decision to make.

"Argyle..." Noticing the panic in Argyle’s face, Baral spoke up, "Do you trust Tralon?"

"I’d trust him more than anyone, second only to..." Catching himself before admitting his unconditional trust to Jack, Argyle looked back at his manager. "Tralon’s experience speaks volumes and hardly anyone in Kartonia can compete with his insight."

"If you trust his insight so much, they why do you doubt his warning?" questioned Baral. "If Tralon was so worried about what’s coming, then why shouldn’t we be worried? He just left to prepare for our entire guild’s arrival, Argyle. Do you think he would say that jokingly?"

"No... Call the other managers and order an immediate evacuation of the guild through the teleportation circle," replied Argyle, regaining some of his natural confidence.

"And our storages?"

"Each manager is already in charge of one storage, so they should also take care of those treasures during a crisis," Argyle stated. "I’ll let you handle the restricted storage, Baral. I’ve got something to take care of."

"I’ll handle it proudly, Argyle." With a quick bow, Baral jumped into action. He called the other managers as he hurried to the restricted storage."

Argyle took a deep breath and did something no guild member was suspecting.

Once Argyle had exited the concealed courtyard, the swordsman charged through the roof of his guild house. Rather than wind through the halls and avoid colliding into other guild members, Argyle sprinted across the rooftops toward his destination. It didn’t take him long at top speed, seeing the Heavenly Palace Inn’s sign from the rooftops.

The swordsman quickly dropped to the ground and let himself inside.

"Oh, Argyle. Long time no--"

"Marisha, get your husband and parents together now," Argyle stated clearly but not too loudly.

Thrown for a loop, Marisha put down the menus in her hand and asked, "What’s going on?"

"I’m not sure, but Tralon’s worried about those clouds, so we should as well." Argyle hurried inside to the room where he would typically find his occasional drinking buddy. "Is Zariff in his booth?"

"No, he’s out doing a delivery. At least tell me what--"

"Wait, he’s got Jack’s pact too, right?" Argyle mumbled to himself, stopping in place and not taking in what Marisha was shouting at him.

’Zariff, can you hear me?’

’Argyle? Is that you? When did you make a pact with Jack?’ Surprised yet happy, Zariff replied.

Argyle sighed in relief. ’Zariff, hurry to my guild house and join the evacuation. I’ll lead your wife and her parent there now.’

Sensing Argyle’s urgency yet not comprehending the situation, Zariff questioned, ’Whoa, whoa, what’s going on, Argyle? Did you say your guild is evacuating?’

’Tralon just created a teleportation circle there,’ replied Argyle. ’My guild will be using that to escape to Trodar. I’ll bring your wife and her parents with me now, so hurry and get there while you can.’

’But what’s going--’

’Zariff, I honestly don’t know anything. All I know is that Tralon insisted that my guild should escape to Trodar while they were still alive.’

’Then... This has something to do with those clouds? That black lightning does give me chills...’ Zariff couldn’t help but remember the black storm clouds that Jack had summoned to reveal the hidden syndicate members in Reinolt. They were eerily similar, yet there were far too many of those clouds to count. ’He didn’t mention anything about the syndicate, did he?’

Intrigued, Argyle answered, ’No, why do you ask that?’

’That black lightning looks like the same Jack used to identify syndicate members,’ replied Zariff with a sigh. ’Let’s meet at your place. Take care of my wife!’

As Zariff ended the conversation, he took a deep breath while staring up at the dark, dismal sky. Once he exhaled, Zariff grunted and burst forward at peak speed. Offering delivery to the other side of town was something he already hated, even for the extra fee, and being separated from his family right then was even worse.

Argyle nodded and turned to Marisha. "You and your parents are coming with me right now. Are you coming willingly or not?"

"That..." Marisha wanted to scream at Argyle for such a comment, but the degree of seriousness in Argyle’s eyes gave her chills. "I’ll... go get my mom and dad."

"If you and they aren’t back in one minute, then I’ll bring them myself," stated Argyle, not giving Marisha or her parents any leeway. "Once we’re at the guild, then we’ll meet up with Zariff. He should be on his way now."

"But how--"

"Fifty-nine... Fifty-eight..."

Not wasting any more time bickering, Marisha dropped everything and hurried to the kitchen. A few loud voices were heard as well as a few thuds, but the three of them hurried to meet Argyle at the front.

Noticing the red handprint on Rayard’s cheek, he chuckled. "Now, we’ll leave for the Fat Goose immediately. And I know you’re all over lv. 20, so don’t you dare move slowly."

"Argyle, what’s--"

"I’ll explain at the Fat Goose!" shouted Argyle, cutting off Martha from asking more. He then threw the door open and stepped out, waiting for the others to abandon their guests and run beside him.

They left begrudgingly, but the looks on their faces started to change as the black lightning was growing larger and larger. Though it only ran through the clouds at the moment, it was growing visibly stronger at an alarming rate. Most of the civilians outside were already startled by the sudden storm, but that frightening black lightning was forcing everyone to realize that something unimaginable was about to happen.

"Federal City!"

A voice abruptly shouted as if coming from above the clouds. "You house the greatest offenders within your city, which we have come to purge. Should you join our purge, you shall avoid extermination. Should you interfere, you will be exterminated. Should you do nothing... then good luck to you!"

The voice started laughing wildly as the black lightning grew more ferocious. Finally, a single bolt struck down on the city, reducing a few buildings to rubble and fire.

Worried beyond belief, Marisha saw the not too distant flames rising from the rubble and was shaken by that powerful lightning. "This..."

"Just hurry to the Fat Goose!" Argyle shouted as the others were now willingly following him with great haste. "Forget the lightning, I’ll handle it if necessary."

That laughter still rang out throughout the city, terrorizing the inhabitants of the world’s greatest megacity as bolt after bolt of that lightning destroyed the city bit by bit. "Where are your heroes? Where’s the association to stop us? As our greatest foes, we’ve come to finish the fight that they started a thousand years ago!"

"If that’s so, then show yourself!" A new voice rang out, reverberating through the city to match the despicable laughter. "If you want to fight, then fight!"

"Lorwynn... Finally, you’ve shown up to the party," laughed the crazy voice. "Are you ready for our showdown? Or will you run away like last time?"

"Silence, Hadurt!" Lorwynn barked, slowing levitating up toward the sky for the city to see. "You’ve forced my hand this time, so I’ve no choice but to render you lifeless this time."

 

Chapter 363

A hole started to open up in the clouds as a lone figure descended to face Lorwynn with a twisted grin.

But Argyle only glanced at the two men as the lightning stopped raining down on the city for the time being. He understood that the two men were now conversing for only their ears, however, he had no time to focus on that situation.

The Fact Goose was already in view. All they had to do now was cross the city market, but Argyle dashed in front of the other three, blocking them from going further.

"Hey! What are you--"

Just then, an echoing thud resounded as a figure fell from the sky and landed a few meters in front of Argyle. It was a huge mountain of a man wielding a greataxe who tilted his head from side to side, letting Argyle hear the crackles as the man loosed his neck.

"You’re Argyle, right?" asked the hulking figure, looking down on Argyle from half a meter up. "Join us!"

"I decline!" shouted Argyle. "Now let them through or I’ll kill you on the spot."

"Oh, I like that plan! Let’s have a go!" snickered the man, lunging forward with his greataxe.

Argyle would normally sidestep the attack, but that wasn’t in the card due to the three people hiding behind him.

"Then die!"

A sword appeared in Argyle’s hand. It was then coated in a sharp aura, like the rest of the Argyle’s body. Since he wasn’t able to see through the attacker’s strength and he was warned they might be from the syndicate which Daruun had warned Argyle of recently, Argyle went all-out from the very start.

"Go!" Argyle shouted as he parried the greataxe, proking the thee people behind him to get moving.

Those three took action and started to run, but that man didn’t dare stop them. Instead, the wicked grin on his face turned serious as he looked to his weapon. A large crack was now formed in the rod supporting the axe head, in the very spot that Argyle had swatted at.

Now on guard, the man asked, "What sword is that?"

"My murder weapon!"

Not caring to speak, Argyle pushed ahead with a flurry of strikes. They were either blocked or dodged by the uncharacteristically quick man. But Argyle was gaining more and more momentum as the fight started to pick up its pace.

More and more figures were dropping from the sky. Many landed in the market but dozens were still scattered across the city.

However, none approached the three running toward the Fat Goose.

The men and women who dropped from the sky all had a target in mind, entering nearby shops or influential buildings. Most of those people darted toward the Adventurers Association, earnest in drawing out the strongest combatants. Rather than give up their pawns, the syndicate dropped some of their more powerful warriors first to keep their pawns alive for as long as possible.

Marisha and her parents were at the front steps of the Fat Goose when they looked back to Argyle’s assault on the man that had blocked them. They could hardly keep up with their eyes, let alone imagine how strong those attacks were between both combatants.

"Marisha!"

Relief filled Marisha’s heart as she heard her husband’s voice. "There you are!"

Zariff dashed up the stairs, completely exhausted while at the same time entirely on guard due to the situation. When he saw Argyle holding back that man, Zariff grabbed his wife by the hand. "Hurry! Let’s get inside!"

Hearing Zariff’s shout, Argyle stepped back for a moment and smiled to see them out of sight.

"What? What happened to your fury? Your rage?!" That man started to gain more confidence again. "You don’t know this, but I’ve been training for over a century. There’s no way you can--"

"Three attacks."

Infuriated to be cut off during his intimidating back story, the man grunted. "You! If you’re so cocky, then--"

"You’ll die in three attacks, regardless of how long you trained," stated Argyle, amping up his sharp aura ridiculously. "Now die!"

Bursting forward at his full, unbridled speed, Argyle thrust his blade forward with precision.

Knowing all too well that Argyle’s sword was somehow damaging his mythic-tier weapon, the man didn’t dare let Argyle’s strike hit its intended target. Dark red energy covered the man as he startled to cackle wildly.

The first strike didn’t even glance the axe-wielding man. But Argyle’s blade only changed directions, resulting in a slash blocked by the man’s axe.

"Two attacks till your death."

"Shut up and fight!" shouted the man, growing to hate Argyle more by the second.

Argyle’s second attack was already underway, though. His blocked slash led to Argyle turning in the air to use the recoil of the block to his advantage, launching a diagonal slash with even more energy poured into it.

Unwilling to take the attack and unable to back away after already evading the first attack, the man launched his own attack to meet Argyle head-on in a full power clash.

As the piercing light blue energy clashed with the dark red energy, the greataxe suddenly lightened in the man’s hand. Speechless, the man saw the head of his greataxe get sliced off by Argyle’s attack, leaving the man wide open to the fear that was finally setting in.

"Send more for Argy--"

The man tried his best to call other warriors and warn them about his defeat, but Argyle’s blade pierced through the man’s full-plate armor and carved into his throat. His words were cut short, just like his life.

Argyle immediately dashed toward the Fat Goose, not daring to stay any longer as more and more fights were breaking out between high-level combatants. Some neighboring buildings were already being razed to the ground from the effects of battle. Other warriors soon noticed the fall of Argyle’s opponent, both shocked and giddy at the outcome.

While a few more men started to target Argyle and the Fat Goose, Argyle shouted in his mind, ’Tralon, has my guild already escaped?’

’Nearly everyone is through, just hurry!’ replied the mage.

’But if I draw others to the circle, then--’

’Even better! Do that, but escape the moment you’re able!’ replied Tralon, confusing Argyle. ’Now hurry!’

’Fine!’ Argyle shook his head in disbelief by Tralon’s plan but he followed along anyway. However, since the guild house was empty, Argyle broke through the building to reach the circle in a straight shot.

In the marketplace, Hurmot was already battling his own opponent to keep him away from his guild house, but he was amazed to see Argyle carve through his opponent so cleanly. And when Argyle rocketed into the Fat Goose without caring for the building, Hurmot wondered what Argyle might be up to or what he might know. And with that in his mind, how could Hurmot not start imagining Jack as a cause of that?

The managers of the Celestial Crane were also outside, but opponents quickly arrived for them after they aided Hurmot in overwhelming his foe.

Golden Haven was having a terrible time. Their owner was still absent on an anonymous leave and the managers were struggling to hold back the opponents trying to raid their guild.

Yet when no managers of the Fat Goose came out, it was eerily suspicious. Then Argyle destroyed his own guild house in a rush to flee from more combatants, something that Argyle would never do under normal circumstances. Hurmot was having a hard time understanding what the younger auction house owner was thinking. He wondered if Argyle was actually going to allow the invaders to take his riches, something an auction house owner would never do.

With Argyle supposedly fleeing, Hurmot decided to make a bet. While his mangers stalled the invaders, Hurmot destroyed his way into the Celestial Crane, as Argyle did with the Fat Goose. However, Hurmot was heading toward his restricted storage.

 

Chapter 364

"Hadurt, what are you after this time?"

"Lorwynn, if you think this is enough to stop me now, you’ll get overrun," laughed the man in black skeletal armor. "I’d call your reserves if I was you."

Not hesitating in the slightest, a contact crystal appeared in Lorwynn’s hand. "Bring out everyone! It’s happening!"

"How decisive... Shall we let the pawns play before they get wiped out by our aftermath?" joked Hadurt.

Lorwynn stayed his hand, not daring to attack as the unpredictable Hadurt was also remaining on the sidelines. Should he act, Lorwynn knew that Hadurt would throw caution to the wind. Even if it involved killing his own subordinates, Hadurt would do anything so long as it led him to victory in the end. At the moment, it was better that neither Lorwynn nor Hadurt fight to keep their own troops from falling uselessly.

Below, as Hurmot followed Argyle’s example by barreling into his guild house, a sudden rush of fresh combatants emerged from the association building, forcing a lot of the extra hands available to the invaders to become occupied.

"Good... Now it’s time to party!" shouted Hadurt.

As if responding to his shout, dozens more invaders started to fall out of the storm above. They charged toward the association. Finally able to fight anything but endless dungeon mobs, those formerly secluded combatants fought with the vigor of wild beasts.

The first managers of Celestial Crane and Golden Haven were both elated and alarmed to see the sudden rush of reinforcements emerge from the association building. Elated to have more support and lighten the load they were facing, but alarmed to see so many powerful experts that didn’t exist in the records.

"Celestial Crane!" A shouted filled the minds of all Celestial Crane guild members. "Flee Federal City at all costs! Reunite in Gilga, but say nothing till you reach there! That’s an order!"

"Izzix, escape now!" Again, Hurmot’s voice filled the first manager’s mind, but now through his personal contact crystal and not his guild contact crystal.

"But the storages--"

"I’ve already emptied the restricted storages and storages one through three. But if we delay retreat any longer, it may grow too late!" stated Hurmot. "Now run!"

Hurmot’s connection ended, leaving Izzix to make his own decision.

The many guild members started to flee toward the city walls by any route they could find. They used the distraction of the reinforcement to the fullest.

"Run, Cannor!" That was the last thing Izzix shouted before using his strongest attack to break free of his opponent. Once that opening was made, the fencer ran away at full speed with no regrets behind him.

Cannor spotted the running Izzix, truly baffled by the antics of the other two auction houses.

Unlike Celestial Crane or Fat Goose, the owner of Golden Haven was absent, leaving Cannor in charge of everything. And should he decide to flee from an invasion, there was no telling how Kaldor would react. He wanted to call Kaldor, but Cannor was too busy struggling to hold his own against opponents with their levels concealed.

He made no call to retreat nor did make any call to retrieve the treasures from within the guild.

Cannor sighed, angry that Kaldor trusted no one enough to allow them access into the restricted storage. Such a decision was the bane of Cannor’s existence at that moment, keeping him from trying to flee only to lose the guild’s most precious treasures. Without those items, even if the guild survived it would have no chance of remaining one of the most influential auction houses in Kartonia.

Wielding his greatsword with anger and rage, Cannor became more savage the more he thought about the situation and his inability to succeed in either path he could take.

When the other members of Golden Haven saw the members of Celestial Crane running away, they were baffled.

Most of Celestial Crane’s opponents chased after the managers and fleeing members but some redirected their attention toward Golden Haven. It forced the members of Golden Haven into greater depression, offering them no way out as they had missed their opportunity to run.

"Stand and fight! Like our guild master, refuse to stand down before a challenge!" Cannor shouted, trying his best to inspire his fellow guild members to continue their losing fight.

While the fight on their end was growing grimmer, something stole the attention of the entire battlefield.

Out of nowhere, a gigantic pulse of spatial energy enveloped the entirety of the Fat Goose guild house. Then, without warning or giving viewers time to react, that purple energy imploded the entire guild house. Every bit of material in the guild house’s construction was practically evaporated, torn and shredded apart by the spatial pulse.

When the purple energy dispersed, there was no sign of the Fat Goose ever existing where it’s guild house once stood.

Shaken to the extreme, Cannor was completely perplexed and lost as to what was happening. All he could do was prolong his inevitable fall as more and more invaders entered the marketplace, trampling what used to be stalls, booths, and night merchants.

"Was that..."

"The Fat Goose had a teleportation portal?!" An excited chuckle left Hadurt’s lips. "Who gave then that? Do you know, Lorwynn?"

Keeping his mouth shut, Lorwynn kept his thoughts to himself. It was obvious to him who gave that to the Fat Goose, but he had no clue that Jack was so resourceful so soon. Lorwynn didn’t show it with his face, but he was glad to realize that Jack was growing far quicker than he had anticipated.

"It should’ve been that old mage from Trodar, right?" reasoned Hadurt, proving just as sharp as Lorwynn thanks to his long lifespan. "I guess they were closer than we suspected. I’ll remember that for later. For now... Should we finally get started, Lorwynn?"

Fixing his sharp gaze on Hadurt, Lorwynn stayed silent. He wanted to prolong their battle for as long as possible.

"Fine... Then we’ll just do this!"

Following Hadurt’s intent, the black lightning started to build up again. In a matter of moments, more and more lightning started to rain down on the city, some even striking the bloody battlefield in the central market. The lightning showed no preference, killing anything and everything it touched whether they were enemies of the syndicate or members of the syndicate.

Some of the more powerful experts managed to either avoid the lightning or eat the damage while standing strong, but anyone under lv. 60 was instantly fried to death by electrocution.

"You’re always in a rush to cause a massacre, Hadurt... Have you always been so sick minded?" questioned Lorwynn, not showing any emotion apart from his piercing stare.

A crudely shaped greatsword appeared in Hadurt’s had, matching his black armor spattered in bloodstains. "Come on, Lorwynn. Let’s play around a little. They’re already in harm’s way, so what difference does it make if we fight now?"

Sighing, Lorwynn equipped his staff made from the wood of the Ancient Life Tree. Golden runes were etched into the wood, appearing to match Hadurt’s greatsword in strength and rarity.

"This time, I’ll take Lyrun’s staff even if I die!"

"Then I’ll be sure to claim your life, but I won’t offer a fair exchange."

The black blade fell, leaving dark, dubious energy streaking the air behind it. It collided with the green barrier that Lorwynn cast around himself, creating sparks of green and black energy blowing past both combatants.

Hadurt grinned wide as he started to hack time and time again, sending waves of black energy into Lorwynn’s barrier and the battlefield below.

When the battle below was suddenly hit by the remnants of Hadurt’s attack, everyone trembled in terror, especially the syndicate members who knew Hadurt’s true nature.

 

Chapter 365

As dark waves of death struck the battlefield below, the syndicate members pushed even harder to enter their assigned buildings.

Sadly for Golden Haven, the invaders that arrived late to the Fat Goose were forced to fight elsewhere. And what target would be better than an auction house? By then, it was clear that Kaldor wasn’t in Federal City at the time, meaning that Golden Haven’s strongest man wasn’t there to save his guild.

Cannor was already at the end of his rope. The invaders were just toying with him now. They would deal him a heavy blow to send Cannor flying and then they would walk up to him, patiently waiting for him to get back up and repeat the cycle. Soon, a circle gathered around him so that different invaders could take turns beating on him.

At the same time, Golden Haven’s storages had already been breached.

Celestial Crane left behind a few storages as well, but all of their high-level items were nowhere to be found. And searching the Fat Goose was impossible as it was eradicated along with all of the invaders who had chased Argyle into the Fat Goose.

With such rotten results from their raid thus far, the invaders made sure to pillage Golden Haven for everything it had. They slew every member along the way, only playing with the managers who could withstand more than a single blow. But even the managers could only take so much. They too started to die off, eventually leaving Cannor as the sole remnant of Golden Haven.

Surrounded by attackers and given no chance to escape, Cannor tried his best to ignore his bloody wounds and his broken left arm.

"You... How dare you!!" Cannor shouted with all his dying fervor. With his one good arm, Cannor charged his strongest attack.

One of the invaders stepped into the circle, which quickly reclosed to create a makeshift gladiatorial pit. That invader was the first to pin Cannor and the one had broken his arm. The invader spoke loudly with a proud grin, "As a fellow berserker, I’ll face you. But take this first, as you’ve earned my respect."

A high potion fell to the ground in front of Cannor. But the enraged berserker stomped on it as he charged the invader.

"So be it..." Preparing his own attack, the invader leaped into the air and brought his sword down on Cannor.

The clash was quick. Cannor was forced to his knees by the attack as his right arm broke from the impact. The invader gave Cannor a sug look and added, "If you had at least been honorable and made this a duel, I would’ve finished you honorably. But now..."

With a swing of his greatsword, the invader slashed Cannor across the chest. The manager’s organs started to fall out as the attack went just deep enough to cut Cannor open without touching his vital organs.

"Now I’ll show you disrespect for disrespecting me," the invader finished his earlier thought. "Men, you may do what you wish."

Stepping back out of the circle, the syndicate berserker let the other blood-crazed men tear the manager to pieces. Not paying attention to Cannor’s final cries, the berserker nonchalantly smiled when he noticed Hadurt’s attacks reflecting into the marketplace below. Then, he spotted the fight between the association and his fellow invaders. Spotting what seemed like a good foe, the berserker darted out from the wreckage of Golden Haven and reentered the chaotic battlefield.

As his new opponent slew an invader, the berserker charged him with a regular wing of his sword. That opponent easily batted the sword away and looked curiously at the berserker.

"I’m not looking for playthings, I’m after a battle!" shouted the berserker, keeping his calm smile.

Annoyed at the berserker’s desire for a fair fight, the barbarian swung his greataxe in fury. When the berserker dodged it but didn’t return with an attack, the barbarian shouted, "You invade our home and desire a fair fight? Ridiculous!"

"It doesn’t fave to be fair, I just want someone who can attack properly," taunted the berserker, finally launching a true attack.

The energy covered weapons clashed, pushing both men back. Grunting unhappily, the barbarian slid back a couple of meters. With a half-satisfied smile on his face, the berserker took a single step back.

"You’re strong enough, I guess," stated the berserker, getting a better feel for the barbarian’s strength. "Give me all you’ve got or you’ll only give me a warm-up."

Furious, the barbarian prepared another attack with all his strength. His axe turned dark brown, mimicking stone that had been compacted indefinitely. When it clashed against the berserker’s sword, the berserker finally showed a full smile.

"That’s more like it!" Dark blue energy coated the berserker’s blade. It started to look like blackened ice, as if it were hard enough to break even glaciers. "Let’s go again."

The two men clashed again and again. Both attacks proved powerful but the condensed energy gathered around the axe started to show some cracks. But before the barbarian could fix that, the berserker was already attacking again to chip away at it more and more.

"Come on, don’t end it like this," stated the berserker, not letting up or giving the barbarian a chance to breathe.

More focused than ever, the barbarian groaned as he blocked blow after blow. He understood that if the tempo of the battle didn’t change, his attack would shatter and leave him vulnerable.

"Enough!"

A new voice appeared as the berserker looked to his right. But as the berserker turned his face, a fist immediately connected. Blown back a few meters, the berserker tumbled and managed to end up on his knees with his sword holding him up.

"If you needed help, you should’ve asked." A second association member was now standing beside the barbarian. "For now, we’ll face this man together."

"But--"

"This berserker is most likely a chief in the syndicate, if not a regent," stated the monk, getting the barbarian to shut up. "It will take at least two of you councilmen to face him, so it’s best for a guardian to face him. If you argue, then I’ll face him alone."

"You’re confident enough to fight me alone?" the berserker chuckled as he walked back to his opponents. "Then you’d better be at least a guardian to talk that big."

"Come!" shouted the monk, not denying his status in the association.

The berserker smiled wide and sharpened his gaze. Finally, he could feel the thrill of battle that he was searching for in this fight.

"Since you’ve come..." The berserker then swung his ice-coated sword over and over, creating waves of sword and ice energy. "Then I won’t hold back anymore."

Thrusting a flurry of fists forward, the monk shattered the sword attacks aimed for him, but the barbarian couldn’t keep up. After breaking one of the attacks aimed for him, the barbarian was hit by the second and lost an arm to the third. Having lost half of his battle strength, it was clear to the barbarian that he unlucky to fight such a foe.

"I’ll take care of this," stated the monk. "Do what you can elsewhere. Leave him to me."

"Care to relocate?" The berserker pointed his massive blade toward the center of the marketplace, where most of Hadurt’s remnant attacks were landing.

"Since you offered it, I’ll oblige," replied the monk, jumping directly into that storm of attacks.

The berserker followed suit, not backing down either. Both men had similar thoughts to their leaders overhead, not wanting their fight to kill their own men.

Some of the larger buildings in the area started to break apart, splintering debris every which way as the other guardians of the association found the regents of the syndicate. Now, each of the most powerful characters in the full-scale battle would be forced to go all-out.

 

Chapter 366

While streets and neighborhoods were being destroyed by the clashes between the guardians of the association and the regents of the syndicate, one of those fights also occurred in the marketplace.

Both the monk and the berserker weaved between the attacks raining from above to face each other. The monk proved quick and versatile, facing the berserker with his fists or occasionally using a bow staff. At the same time, the berserker proved forceful and immoveable. The battle between the two was growing more powerful by the second.

"Why have you come?" asked the monk, chatting whilst he traded blows.

Chuckling, the berserker replied, "If you can still chat casually, then I’m not pressuring you enough."

Taking things up a notch, the berserker stepped back and charged an attack. Now, more blackness filled the glacial energy around the berserker’s sword and made it grow in size, feeling more dubious and blood-curdling. With a smile, the berserker stated, "Block this, and I’ll answer your question."

Hesitant to face such an attack head-on, the monk took the risk. As he took a deep breath, golden light started to gather around him. That golden light formed a buddha of sorts with eight different arms.

"Then here I come!"

As the giant blade slammed down on the monk, the monk and the image behind him both reached out to stay the blade. For a moment, both attacks remained still on contact. But then, one attack shattered while the other only weakened. The loser coughed up mouthfuls of blood, falling to their knees.

"We came... to settle the score... and prepare for the true final battle."

"I... see..."

Struggling to breathe and cling to life, the monk looked at his wound. The greatsword had cut clean through his shoulder and was driven into the monk’s chest.

Breathing heavily and disregarding blood dripping from his busted lip, the berserker smiled. "You... were a worthy opponent."

"I’m... glad... I..."

The monk never finished speaking. His life left his broken husk before his final words could escape his lips.

Placing one foot on the corpse’s other shoulder, the berserker removed his blade. He fell to one knee with the greatsword supporting him. Still smiling, the berserker looked up to see another piece of Hadurt’s attack coming at him.

Rolling aside, the berserker narrowly avoided the attack and returned to the mutilated husk of the monk. It didn’t take long for the berserker to find the monk’s storages and loot his former opponent in time to avoid the next attack that deflected towards him.

"That berserker is quite skilled," Lorwynn complimented.

Conversing while continuing his strikes, Hadurt replied, "Ollan’s the craziest of the regents. Of course he’d be strong."

"Too bad..." added Lorwynn.

Hadurt chuckled, understanding exactly what Lorwynn meant.

While Ollan’s breathing started to return to normal, he noticed another figure rushing toward him. He swung his sword to block the knife thrown at him, forcing him to remain in the center of the marketplace and avoid Hadurt’s attacks midbattle.

"So, rumors were true," Ollan chuckled. "Are you the fourth or the fifth guardian?"

That knife was suddenly pulled back toward the woman who had thrown it, revealing a tiny chain connected to the hilt. "I’m the fifth."

"Two extra guardians... that could be a problem, good thing I’ve already killed one," chuckled Ollan, content to fight again.

"Then try both facing both of us!" shouted another voice. Another woman wearing a robe stood at a distance while she started to cast her spells.

Shaking his head, Ollan’s smile got wider. "And there’s number four, right?"

"Leave or die!" shouted the ninja woman, with a katana in one hand and chained knife in the other.

"You see..." Stretching his arms and back, Ollan made himself comfortable despite his busted lip and tired appearance. "We also had two new regents ready for this invasion."

"Had?" Catching the strange wording, the ninja asked.

Ollan took a deep breath and readied his sword as he continued, "Yeah, he had two other regents. But I thought they would be better used as fodder than as extra bodies."

"You see, I crave a good battle but I’m not allowed to face the other regents because I might get carried away and kill them. So, when two new candidates arrived for the position, they let me fight them instead to increase my EXP," Ollan expounded on his statement as the ninja and sorceress were startled to hear such a thing.

Ollan shrugged. "Such is life in the syndicate. All that matters is strength. And if you’re strength is better suited as fodder for others to grow, then so be it. That’s how I see you two now if you didn’t yet realize that."

As the sorceress finished readying her powerful spell, she asked, "And what makes you think you’re able to beat us both at the same time?"

"Because that’s how those candidates fought too," answered Ollan. "What, did you think I wouldn’t give them a fair fight? Now, let me feel alive like your former companion just did!"

Rocketing forward the berserker brandished his blade, which had already activated the same attack that killed the monk moments ago. Ollan showed unrivaled determination in his eyes as he aimed his greatsword for the ninja, undeterred by the enormous fireball coming toward him.

The berserker managed to carve through the fireball, stunning his new opponents. Though it was weakened by the flames, the dark ice around the blade remained.

Slashing upward in retaliation, the ninja launched her an attack to collide with the berserker.

"Not enough..."

That simple phrase struck fear in the sorceress’s heart as the icy greatsword pushed the ninja into the ground, making a crater on impact.

"Any last words?" asked Ollan, looking the broken ninja in the eyes.

She groaned and mustered some strength to spit on Ollan’s blade. "You’re not--"

Before she finished her sentence, Ollan’s drove his sword into her skull. "You sullied my blade, so I must clean it with your blood. Now we’re even."

Ollan then looked to the sorceress with a slight smile. "Let me guess, you’re barely over lv. 70, right? There’s no way that ninja was over lv. 73, so you should be around the same level, unlike that monk."

Finally showing distress, the sorceress started to hurl some smaller spells with one hand while casting a larger spell with her second.

Undeterred, the berserker swatted away the weaker spells as he sauntered toward the sorceress. He spoke loudly, "Dual casting... so you multiclass with battlemage, not bad at all. But you’re not ready to handle me."

Ollan took his time, making sure to allow the sorceress to cast her powerful ultimate spell with her second hand.

Finally, a fireball that looked like a small sun hovered over the sorceress’s raised hand. Using up all the mana possible, the sorceress boosted her attack to the fullest as she hurled it toward the berserker. With the wave of her arm, the small sun was aimed directly at the now motionless berserker.

"Interesting..."

Ollan clutched his greatsword tightly, pouring everything he had left into the growing frost sword. The blade grew in length and width, nearly becoming a sword meant for giants. The berserker shouted a battle cry at the top of his lungs while swinging the massive blade toward the incoming spell.

When the two attacks collided, an explosion of steam burst out and reduced the visibility to zero.

Falling to her knees and breathing heavily, the sorceress let her sweat fall unimpeded. Anxiously, she kept her eyes peeled in search of a fallen berserker.

"Not... bad... at all..."

That broken sentence took the sorceress’s breath away.

As water vapor dispersed and the berserker came into view, the ice around his sword was reduced to barely covering the blade. His armor was in tatters and now completely useless. Burns and dried blood were evident everywhere that his armor had been compromised. And a smile was plastered on his face.

"Any last words?" Ollan asked, pointing his blade at the tired sorceress.

Knowing that it was over, she said the first words that came to mind, "Glory to Halmut."

"You’ve earned my respect."

The tip of Ollan’s blade pierced into the sorceress’s chest, stabbing directly through her heart and killing her instantly. He carefully removed his sword and laid her down on the ground. "You were a worthy opponent, indeed."

 

Chapter 367

"That berserker really is something, isn’t he?"

"Of course! He’s my training partner, after all," Hadurt laughed. "Lorwynn, when are you going to fight me instead of hiding behind your barrier?"

"Who said I haven’t already started fighting back?" Lorwynn asked, not smiling nor frowning.

Hadurt was perplexed until he realized something. Halting his onslaught of attacks against the barrier around Lorwynn, Hadurt gathered more and more energy around his crude greatsword while looking to the sky above.

"Now you realize what was happening..." chuckled Lorwynn. The mage lowered his staff, but the barrier remained unaffected. Instead, a humongous fireball of condensed flames dove down through the dark clouds. It was similar to the attack of the sorceress yet her attack couldn’t compare in size or destructive power.

"That’s more like it!"

While Lorwynn floated away, Hadurt lunged toward the small star aimed right at him. His pitch-black blade was thrown against it, cleaving into the fireball despite some obvious struggle.

However, unlike Ollan who had destroyed the entire fireball, Hadurt cleaved it in two and let both halves fall to the city below. With a cruel smile on his face, the chaotic champion watch as one half of the fireball fell into the marketplace and the other destroyed countless buildings to claim the lives of countless citizens.

Lorwynn was completely unfazed by the scene. Against Hadurt, he had no choice but to be on guard at all times. Should he show a moment of hesitation, then Hadurt would expose it immediately.

"Don’t stop now, Lorwynn," Hadurt ordered in a pleading voice as if he was begging for Lorwynn to try that again.

"Who said I stopped?"

Just then, four more of those fireballs fell through the storm clouds. Each came from a different direction, forcing Hadurt to try harder.

The black berserker grinned as he charged his sword and made a three hundred and sixty degree swing.

All four of the massive fireballs were met with a circular wave of black energy that cleanly cut all four fireballs in half. As the fireballs collapsed and fell to the city below, Hadurt charged his sword again, stating, "If that’s the best you’ve got, then just come and die already."

"You’ve gotten much stronger since last time, Hadurt. What level are you now?" asked Lorwynn.

Hadurt smiled. "I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Nodding, Lorwynn added, "I’m lv. 87."

"Lv. 88," Hadurt replied with a confident smile.

"Then this should be much more interesting than last time," stated Lorwynn. "Show me what you’ve learned since then and we’ll see if you’ve earned the strength to back your wild claims."

"With pleasure!" Diving toward Lorwynn, Hadurt’s black energy left the sky stained as he streaked through the air.

A second staff appeared in Lorwynn’s other hand. This one was covered in jewels of all kinds and colors. It gave off a powerful aura, not shrinking in the face of Lyrun’s staff in the mage’s other hand.

Lorwynn lifted his second staff, letting the yellow gemstones glow blindingly bright as a bolt of lightning rained down on the staff. The lightning entered the barrier but didn’t damage it in any way. Also, the black lightning from the storm clouds was being attracted by the massive bolt that Lorwynn had summoned. Then, Lorwynn pointed the staff to the incoming Hadurt, sending the lightning directly at him as if the staff was directing the current of electricity.

Hadurt’s smile lessened, growing more serious. That black energy started to cover his body as well while the black berserker hacked the lighting away bit by bit.

"No fair! Wielding Lyrun’s staff and Kylon’s staff isn’t fair at all!" shouted Hadurt.

"And equipping Skaryn’s full armor and wielding his sword isn’t?" replied Lorwynn, not buying into Hadurt’s false fear.

"Then I guess we’re about even in that regard..." No longer trying to hide the nature of his equipment, Hadurt sliced the lighting down the middle in a single attack with a wave attack. "It’s down to tactics and determination, my specialty!"

Changing colors from yellow to blue, the air around Lorwynn felt as if it froze. The clouds above him started to change as well, affected by the instant drop in temperature.

When Hadurt was a few meters away, a glacial wall appeared between the two champions.

It wasn’t hard for Haldurt to force his way through the glacial wall, but Lorwynn was now much higher in the sky. At the same time, Kylon’s staff was now glowing red and another fireball started to fall through the clouds. But that fireball dwarfed Lorwynn’s previous attacks, blocking out most of the sky as it fell.

"If you can beat this one, then I’ll be forced to take you more seriously."

Hearing Lorwynn’s taunt, Haldurt’s smile vanished. All he felt now was the determination to win at all costs and respect for his powerful rival.

"Fine!" Hadurt’s shout filled the city as more black energy gather around him. However, that black energy wasn’t coming from Hadurt. The storm clouds themselves were being pulled toward the chaotic champion, turning into fuel for his power.

Lorwynn squinted at Hadurt, angered by such a tactic. "That’s quite a dirty trick your gods have played, Hadurt. Do they not believe you can win on your own?"

"Shut up!" Frustrated and angry to follow the plan he was given, Hadurt charged at the fireball with relentless black energy pouring into him from all directions. When his sword met with the great fireball, a furious explosion of fire and darkness erupted in the sky until the fire was consumed by the darkness.

Emerging victorious from the clash, the demonized berserker glared at the mage still hiding behind the green barrier.

Seeing Lorwynn unperturbed by his increase in strength, Hadurt shouted, "Fight me for real already! Otherwise, you’ll die for nothing!"

"Fine."

Kylon’s staff disappeared form Lorwynn’s hand, soon replaced by a golden scepter. "Since you’ve come at me with Skaryn’s equipment and the boosted strength of your gods, I’ll let you see the might of Halmut’s Scepter."

A ray of golden light shown down on Lorwynn, piercing through the clouds unabated. More and more rays of light shown down on the champion, boosting his strength in a similar fashion to Hadurt’s demonization.

"We never chose to be each other’s foe, Hadurt, but you must still die," Lorwynn shouted.

Hadurt grinned. "Either way, someone’s dying today and I can’t wait to claim your corpse as my greatest trophy."

Down below, the only people still fighting was the Adventurers Association. And since the association was busy fighting their own battle, the citizens were left to face the fires ravaging the city on their own.

Chaos ensued as the world was supposedly coming to an end. Fire and lightning rained down on the city mercilessly, wrecking everything and everyone. It seemed unavoidable as the city’s destruction grew with each passing second. The poorer citizens on the outskirts were the happiest as they managed to flee through the city gates before the traffic of the wealthy carriages sealed off the escape route unintentionally.

It was mass pandemonium. No one felt safe as they witness the greatest city of Modern Kartonia go up in flames. And when they thought about the god-like battle in the sky, they felt calamity had claimed the place dubbed the safest city in Kartonia.

Soon, the poor were fighting with the wealthy, destroying their carriages to allow everyone else to exit. The city gates had turned into riots as the poor attacked the wealthy and the wealthy shouted orders to their guards to kill the poor. And in the end, the wealthy lost as many of their guards turned against them in protest like the other citizens.

After that day, Federal City would never be the same.

 

Chapter 368

As the citizens scrabbled below, the two champions continued to clash with one another. The darkness around Hadurt would attempt to swallow the light around Lorwynn, never succeeding. The light encompassing Lorwynn would always try to chase away Hadurt’s darkness, unable to vanquish it.

Looking to his rival, Hadurt asked, "We’re about equal, so how do you want to end this?"

"That..." Lorwynn looked beneath him. He paid little attention to the citizens and more to the association he had spent his life building. "That’s yet to be decided."

"Come on, don’t tell me that you’re out of ideas, Lorwynn. You’re a trickier pestro than me," laughed Hadurt.

Lorwynn sighed. "Does that mean you’re admitting defeat?"

"Never!"

"Then you give me no choice..." With a short distance between the two champions, Lorwynn stored Lyrun’s Staff and gripped Halmut’s Scepter with both hands. "Get ready. This is my greatest attack of all."

Excitement returned to Hadurt’s face as he smiled wide. "Finally... I’ve been waiting for this."

"You won’t attack me directly now?" asked Lorwynn. "Now that I’ve stored Lyrun’s Staff, I’m vulnerable again."

"And then what will I do against your attack?" retorted Hadurt. "What’s the point of killing you if it costs me my life?"

"You don’t get it, do you?" Lorwynn chuckled as the light around him grew and grew until the clouds around the city center were entirely parted.

Hadurt gave Lorwynn a curious stare. "What do you mean?"

"Since it’s too late to stop the spell, I’ll tell you," replied Lorwynn, keeping his gaze fixed on Hadurt. "Wouldn’t it be best for the gods if both of us perished together?"

"That..." confronted with such an idea, Hadurt was also torn at heart.

With the champions active, the differing factions of gods aren’t allowed to fight each other. Only after a faction loses their champion can the gods begin to take action again. But wouldn’t that just result in the faction without a champion gaining an advantage?

Such a thought wasn’t new to Hadurt but it was the first time that Lorwynn had admitted to sharing such an outlook. That just made it harder for Hadurt to take in at that moment.

"Now... It’s too late for both of us..." Lorwynn admitted.

Brought back to the moment, Hadurt looked to Lorwynn and saw Halmut’s Scepter falling apart. The golden scales that covered it broke apart until they blew away like dust in the wind. The sturdy dragon bone that made up the scepter’s form cracked and dwindled to dust as well. Nothing was left of the god’s legendary weapon.

"What are you doing?!" shouted Hadurt.

Lorwynn smiled. "You and I both know what I just did. So, allow me to bid you farewell one last time, Hadurt."

"Shut up!"

"It was an honor to have such a rival."

As Lorwyn bowed his head, the light parting the clouding became blinding. An abrupt pillar of pure white light fell from the heavens with unfathomable speed. One champion was busy bowing while the other watched the pillar of light in absolute terror.

Neither of them had time to say another word or move another centimeter. The pillar of light consumed them and obliterated what remained of the central market below.

The pillar of light only lasted for a second before it vanished, leaving the clouds parted and the market nonexistent.

The combatants on both sides stopped fighting. The association members looked up eagerly while the syndicate members were anxious to know the results of the attack. But when they noticed that there were no signs of either champion remaining, both groups were shaken to their cores.

"Retreat!"

An order filled the minds of the syndicate members. They were extremely hesitant to follow but Ollan’s order was repeated, "Retreat! We’ll regroup and decide our next strategy soon."

The invaders kept quiet as they all pulled out a spell scroll. In a matter of seconds, all the invaders vanished in plumes of dark smoke that matched the clouds overhead. Also, the clouds started to fade away, leaving the night sky beautiful with the full moon overlooking the megacity’s destruction.

"Stop the fire!" One of the two surviving guardians ordered through their guild contact crystal. "Help the citizens and calm the panic throughout the city. That’s an order!"

Slowly, the association members went into action and split up throughout the city.

Once the two guardians and the four remaining councilmen were left behind with the troops that had been hidden for so long, they inspected the site of Lorwynn’s battle.

Try as they might, they failed to find anything left of either champion thanks to the pillar of light that had annihilated everything in its path. Even the stone roads of the marketplace were evaporated, cut in a perfect circle to match the pillar of light. A pit over one hundred meters deep and over one hundred meters wide was left at the site of the pillar. And nothing was at the bottom other than brittle, scorched earth.

*****

"What was that idiot thinking!"

"Calm down, Pestro. We had no control over the holy champion and no reason to believe he would commit suicide to annihilate our champion."

"Shut up, Tralbok! It wasn’t your plan that was ruined, nor was it your power that proved useless in a battle against mortals!" Pestro shouted to his fellow god.

Tralbok shrugged. "True, but that doesn’t mean your efforts were in vain, Pestro. Your demon clouds forced the holy champion to become desperate, right? And with both champions gone, doesn’t that mean we can finally act personally?"

"That... That’s true, I guess." A wicked smile appeared on Pestro’s orcish face. "Does that mean--"

"No, we can’t make a move so soon. First, we have to learn why the holy faction chose for their champion to act as such," reasoned Tralbok. "There’s a chance that they’ve learned about Moronti’s rebellion and the two gods he killed in the process."

"You think they would dare take us head-on, Tralbok? That’s unlikely since they’ve got more deserters than us," stated Pestro. "But you have a point... Let’s gather information before we make a move."

"You know what this means, right?" Tralbok asked Pestro, raising an eyebrow.

"Right... We’ll need Choron, won’t we? And what should I do if he’s uncooperative?"

Tralbok squinted. "Tell him that we’ll offer him freedom once the holy faction has been eliminated."

"He’ll never believe that," reasoned Pestro.

"He’ll have to. Killing the holy faction would result in him meeting his requirements to terminate his allegiance to us," stated Tralbok. "I’m sure he’ll be glad to know that you and I will help him with Naparn. Wouldn’t you in his position?"

Pestro cackled, "Right! Then I’ll be back once that ninja has started gathering intelligence again."

"Also, make sure he looks into Trodar and the neutral champion. We can’t forget about them, not after Skaryn’s final warning," Tralbok added.

*****

"Fool! Lyrun, do you realize what your disciple has done?!"

Sighing, Lyrun nodded. "I do."

Pacing back and forth on the pavilion high above the clouds, steam started to emit from Naparn. "Your disciple just destroyed all of our plans! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I don’t know what he was thinking, but can you deny his final words, Naparn?" stated Lyrun. "If anything, the selection of champions was merely a delaying tactic to keep the gods at bay for a time. At some point, the champions would fall against the gods and our war would continue. So what’s so terrible about both sides losing their champions?"

"And what about the third faction?" questioned Naparn, not wanting to let go of his anger.

Lyrun tilted his head and answered, "Aren’t they at the greatest disadvantage? As the sole side with a champion alive, what can they do?"

 

Chapter 369

"As the sole side with a champion alive, what can they do?"

"You know very well that they play by different rules, Lyrun," snarled Naparn, letting smoke emit from his burning body. "We’re the one who can’t attack them, not the other way around. Even with their champion, they should be allowed to fight us should we attack them. So how are we going to handle this now? And are you sure Lorwynn died?"

Lyrun nodded. "His blessing has gone inactive..."

Still fuming mad, Naparn scratch his head furiously. As he scratched away at his skin, molten lava started to ooze from the scratch marks.

"I think there are still a few options for what to do. First, is there anything wrong with selecting a new champion?" asked Lyrun.

"That’s impossible," replied Naparn. "Halmut was only allowed to choose a single champion. Those were the rules set by the main gods. For him to choose another... There’s no telling what would happen."

"What if both sides chose a new champion?" Lyrun continued questioning. "And can’t we go visit Daruun since he happens to be here? Then we can ask to rediscuss the terms of the champions."

"Why would he rediscuss the terms?! His champion is clearly doing well for himself to have summoned Daruun personally," argued Naparn. As Naparn got madder, more magma started to ooze from his person. "What if we just target the neutral champion? Then we could at least remove the variable of mortal interference from the equation."

"That’s the second option I wanted to mention. It’ll be difficult since the chaotic gods still have most of the syndicate to use as they wish, but after some time we should be able to refocus our efforts against the neutral champion," reasoned Lyrun.

Naparn squinted, somewhat calmed by Lyrun’s agreement. "Why can’t we attack the neutral champion now?"

"Do you want to throw away the remnants of the association that Lorwynn built?" asked Lyrun. "If we don’t patch things up there right now, who’s to say that the syndicate won’t arrive and finish them off while we’re preoccupied. Then the mortal influence would be even greater against us, wouldn’t it?"

"Right... Things were easier when this was only a two-front war," Naparn stated in an annoyed tone.

"Also, you’re forgetting something extremely important, Naparn."

Baffled, Naparn asked, "And what’s that?"

"The information network of the neutral gods. Combining our information gathering abilities with that of the chaotic gods just barely lets us compete with their information," stated Lyrun. "Sterfen is the most notorious assassin, but he’s also the greatest spy to ever exist in Kartonia throughout the ages. And we can’t underestimate Eedaj’s abilities either, that I can guarantee on my life as his blood brother.

"Perhaps that’s why Halmut is hesitant to attack the neutral gods? Though Daruun supposedly cannot harm any of us gods, when you have him fill in few gaps of information that Eedaj and Sterfen can collect... The neutral faction will always have the edge on the most important part of war, information."

"I never thought about it like that... That must be why I’ve never been able to sense their champion but he somehow summoned Daruun. That level of information is a terrifying thing to war against, I will agree with that." Naparn nodded, finally letting the magma oozing from him dry up and crust over.

"Then, are we going to go with the second option?" asked Lyrun.

"Most likely... We’ll have to go with the second option," Naparn replied with a sigh. "But that means we’ll need Perchet’s help, doesn’t it?"

"I’m afraid so. Without him gathering information, taking on the neutral faction would lead to an unknown outcome," Lyrun stated.

"Blasted rebel gods... How dare they stand against Halmut, the one who gave them immortality?!" Naparn’s shout shook the pavilion that he and Lyrun stood on.

Lyrun sighed, "There will come a time to punish them accordingly, Naparn. But for now, we need his assistance. Without it, we would be blind when compared to the endless information that the neutral faction can access."

"I’ll send Torian and Grixor to handle him then. With both of them, they should be able to get him to cooperate," added Naparn. "But what should we do about Kori and Lunara?"

"Lunara’s situation is complicated thanks to her secret marriage to Sterfen, so I don’t think we should attempt to control her just yet. Kori is different though. At least Lunara stays tucked away in her temple like she was ordered. Kori does whatever he wishes and goes wherever he likes. Didn’t you find outside of your temple recently?"

"Yeah... and he put up a bit of fight before he finally turned tail and ran home," replied Naparn. "How can we control him, though?"

"Last I heard, there was a new hero in the association that has a Hell-flame Fox for a companion. Maybe we could look into that and find something," answered Lyrun.

Naparn finally smiled. "A member of his species survived? And it’s already under our control? My, my... How much does fate hate that deplorable fox?"

*****

Far from Federal City, a forest was still. That forest was so dense that sunlight could barely pass through the treetops. Silky thread covered nearly every trunk and enormous webs could be spotted everywhere.

Then, a purple pulse of energy abruptly appeared within that dense forest, hiding the natural purple hue within the dense foliage.

As the purple energy faded, a circular barrier made of green energy was left behind. Two figures stood within that barrier as it started to break apart and disintegrate.

"Lorwynn, what’s the meaning of this?! What have you done?!"

"Shut up and listen, Hadurt! I saw you thinking about my last question, that’s why I brought you along," replied the mage. "But if you want my explanation, then you’ll have to deny Pestro’s blessing immediately."

"That’s--"

"Do you want to work for them till you die?!" shouted Lorwynn, forcing Hadurt to accept the reality of the role they had been coerced to accept long ago.

"... Fine." Hadurt sighed. Closing his eyes, Hadurt grunted and forced some black demonic energy from his body. When it dispersed, he noticed that his armor was still basically untouched. Yet he also saw Lyrun’s Staff breaking apart like Halmut’s Scepter did to cast Holy Castigation. "If you’re defenseless now, tell me why I shouldn’t kill you here?"

"Because you’re also curious if there’s another way to end all this. You want to know if there’s a way to survive till the end and possibly get revenge on the gods that turned you into a weapon of mass destruction," Lorwynn replied with a smile.

Hadurt frowned and pointed his blade at Lorwynn. "Did I ever say I disliked my current self?"

"Did you ever say you liked it?" argued Lorwynn. "Five hundred years is enough time to force you to think their way, but by giving in to the mindset they forced upon you, doesn’t that make you nothing more than a tool for them to throw away once it’s useless?"

"I won’t ever become useless!" shouted Hadurt, thrusting the blade toward Lorwynn’s neck.

The mage didn’t move, letting Hadurt’s blade stop just before piercing Lorwynn’s skin. "See? If you really want to be their puppet, then why didn’t you kill me just then?"

Since Hadurt remained silent, Lorwynn continued, "Do you want revenge against them? Be honest, admit it!"

"... So what if I did?" Keeping his greatsword at Lorwynn’s neck, Hadurt glanced away and replied, "There’s no way for that to happen. All I can do is make myself useful."

"But what if there was a way, Hadurt?"

"Impossible... To fight a god, I’d have to become one. It’s impossible Lorwynn, I’ve already looked into that route."

"But now it’s not impossible." Lorwynn smiled while nudging the sward away from his throat. "Come with me to the Leisure Guild."

Chapter 370

"Come with me to the Leisure Guild."

Hadurt looked at Lorwynn like he had gone insane. "Huuuuh?! That crappy guild that’s barely surviving?"

"There’s much more to it than either of us realized. That’s where I’ll introduce you to the other champion," replied Lorwynn with a smile.

"The other champion... I didn’t even know he was active and you’ve already met him?" Taking a second to think, Hadurt asked, "What’s so special about the last champion? What can he do for us that we can’t do ourselves?"

"He can help us become gods."

Hadurt’s mocking expression fell from his face. "You’re not lying to me, are you?"

"Would I go through the trouble of destroying two godly weapons and denying my master’s blessing so I could lie to you?" Lorwynn laughed, "I wouldn’t joke about this, Hadurt. You’re the only other person that understands how miserable it is to be in our shoes. To be at the cusp of godhood yet to never be given the opportunity... That’s a life of torture and you know it, whether you admit it or not.

"So, will you come with me or not? You can kill me now and still run back to the chaotic gods before it’s too late," added Lorwynn. "Once you enter the property of the Leisure Guild, there’s no going back."

Taking his time, Hadurt casually swung his sword around as he pondered Lorwynn’s offer.

"This is you’re only chance to surpass the lv. 89 limit, Hadurt. Are you going to turn that down?"

"No... I’ll come but I’m not agreeing to anything else. I only want to learn the truth behind your words," stated Hadurt.

"Then change your clothes and put that sword away. We stick out too much like this." Lorwynn changed his apparel in the blink of an eye, appearing to be a common adventurer with a plain sword at his waist.

Hadurt chuckled when he saw the greatsword at Lorwynn’s side. He too changed his apparel to common clothes and a simple greatsword. "That enough? Now hurry or I’ll kill you in impatience."

"Don’t worry, we’re not as far as you would think," chuckled Lorwynn. "We’re currently in the Silk Woods. So long as we head north, we’ll reach Gilga within the hour."

"You... You planned this all out knowing I’d tag along? And what if I said no? What would you have done?" questioned Hadurt.

"I would’ve died." Lorwynn nodded with a smile. "So I’m glad you chose correctly. Now we can both become gods."

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Two things," replied Lorwynn. "I know that the other champion is already a demigod."

"What?! You’re joking?!" struggling to accept that, Hadurt denied that statement outright. "Champions are champions. Why would the gods let us join them?"

"I asked my master that same thing, Hadurt. But he always said that the Neutral Gods saw things differently, something my master wishes he had noticed before joining the Holy Gods," Lorwynn replied. "He said that the neutral champion’s job would be much more difficult than ours because his true fight wasn’t with us but with the gods."

"That’s ridiculous though. How could someone ever expect a mortal to grow to defeat a god, let alone face two entire pantheons of gods?!" retorted Hadurt.

Lorwynn turned and started walk as he answered, "Wouldn’t the all-knowing and all-seeing God of Fate be able to do just that, though? Also, I already know the true identity of the neutral champion and it’s far more prestigious than either of us. You could even say that in his past he achieved more than both of us combined, so it would be logical for him to be chosen by Daruun."

"Wait... Is the other champion a summoned hero?"

"Now you’re catching on," chuckled Lorwynn.

Piecing it all together, Hadurt’s mind started to see the bigger picture. Since they were heading toward the Leisure Guild, that meant the champion must’ve been a former hero from Trodar. And if that hero had done more than both himself and Lorwynn combined, there was only one hero from Trodar that matched that description.

"Daruun chose the Legend of Trodar?!" blurting out his discovery, Hadurt ran in front of Lorwynn and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You’re kidding, right?! You’ve got to be kidding me?! After all the training I’ve done to become the strongest of us champions, the Neutral Gods chose him?! But how?!"

"Calm down, Hadurt, I don’t know that much," Lorwynn replied, shaking free of his rival’s grip. "That’s something I want to learn to, but we’ll only learn that after going to the Leisure Guild."

"Then why aren’t we running?" Hadurt suddenly booked it, leaving Lorwynn in the dust.

Lorwynn sighed and chased after Hadurt, glad to see that the berserker was in high spirits.

*****

"Argyle," Baral knocked a door before entering. "Everyone is accounted for."

"That’s great..." Argyle sighed, relieved to no longer being chased by so many high-leveled experts. Now fully at ease, Argyle waved away his manager and smiled to the man sitting beside him. "Tralon, thank you."

"Don’t mention it, Argyle. How things are now, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t help you." Tralon returned Argyle’s smile and added, "I’m sure Jack and the others will be glad to have you here."

Still relaxed, a sorrowful smile crept onto Argyle’s face as he asked, "What do you think happened to Federal City?"

"I’m sure we’ll hear about the news shortly. If Hurmot is as wise as I believe, I’m sure he escaped and I’m a bit shocked that he hasn’t called me yet," Tralon laughed, but it wasn’t anything more than an attempt to keep a positive outlook. "Sadly, I don’t think the rest of Federal City will escape such destruction.

"The last time I saw such a storm was during the Godly War. Those storms ravaged battlefields, killing indiscriminately. It was a special ability of Pestro, the Demon God," added Tralon. "Wherever those clouds appear, so long as they can’t be negated, even a victory will come at a loss for both sides."

"Also, what did you do to seal the teleportation circle? I thought they would’ve followed me here?" asked Argyle.

"Oh, I didn’t seal your circle. I destroyed it." As Argyle groaned at the loss of such an expensive treasure, Tralon continued, "It’s a custom of the Leisure Guild to place a spell of self-destruction embedded into each teleportation circle that connects to our main hub. I was simply following the tradition that Jack had instigated in the guild."

"Self-destruction? Doesn’t that also mean you could just destroy anyone linked to your hub?"

Tralon nodded. "Yes, that’s correct. But we’re not that type of guild, unless someone forces our hand. In reality, I believe it was just something that Jack would use to rid himself of pursuers after his constant mischievous acts."

Chuckling, Argyle agreed that Jack would be that kind of person.

"Anyway, shouldn’t you go speak with your guild, Argyle?" asked Tralon. "You’re more than welcome to stay with us here and consider the first month’s rent on me. That should give you spending money to advertise and connect with the market here in Trodar."

"Thanks, Tralon. You’ve been a bigger help than I want to admit."

"Don’t forget Jack. He’s the reason we could make your teleportation circle in the first place. And he’s the reason Daruun was summoned, who encouraged us to hurry to Federal City in place of helping Jack fast travel to and from Korten," stated Tralon. "He’s the key to all this, so we mustn’t forget that."

"Right. I’m sure he’ll be glad to know that I’m here to stay," chuckled Argyle. "And I’m glad to know that we’re under the protection of a Draconic Centipede, a horde of Dark Beholders, and a small flock of Celestial Cranes. Not to mention Dradich, my new wyrm companion, and the Golden Condor I got for the guild."

"Or the remaining shadow goblins?" Tralon added with a smile.