880
[Chapter 219]
[The Mastermind (3)]
The petrification magic is troublesome.
Magic that causes petrification just by looking was preventing people from rashly attacking the commander.
But it's not that people hadn't prepared for the subjugation battle.
Meilin, Meiling, Cha Eun-woo.
The three combined their powers.
Pandora Clan Assist F
Mirror World
The magic they activated created dozens of mirrors.
The mirrors stuck close to the players, reflecting the commander's gaze in times of crisis.
Thanks to this, players didn't reach the point of dying from petrification.
Kyaaak!!
Rustle
However, the situation didn't show signs of improving.
Countless snakes crawled out.
Even if petrification didn't work, the commander didn't lose its presence.
Not only did it have excellent defense, but it also had venomous fangs.
The moment you're bitten by it, deadly poison spreads within 10 seconds, leading to death.
Moreover─
─Kyaaaak!!
It writhed its body.
Players riding on its back had no choice but to retreat.
Immediately, it spewed fire it had been holding in its mouth towards the front.
Players who couldn't respond in time were engulfed in flames and lost their lives.
Petrification, venomous fangs, breath...
It has all the threatening things.
Eun-ha clicked his tongue.
Whether petrification, venomous fangs, or breath.
Any of them belonged to the commander's characteristics, not magic.
It was impossible to break them with jamming.
Instead, he chose to protect people by stealing control of the rushing flames while wrapped in a cloak of fire.
Not stopping there─
─Blast Cross
Eun-ha gathered flames on the Dawn Sword.
The flames filling the area were sucked into the sword blade.
The sword blade heated up intensely.
Flames swirling around it.
He moved the sword to control the flames, creating a path.
When a direct path to it without obstacles was revealed, players quickly prepared attack magic.
Eun-ha attacked first.
Boom boom boom boom boom!!
The Basilisk's body length was about as long as 30 adult men lined up.
It was enormously long, enough to fill the middle of the forest.
With such a body exposed, effective hits could be landed wherever attacked.
Kyaaaak!!
Horizontally based on the ground.
And vertically.
The fire spreading in a cross shape struck the Basilisk's face.
It struggled desperately to shake off the flames.
Diamond Blast
Storm's Arrow
Homme Fatal
Meanwhile, players' attacks were unleashed.
<Sword Saint> Mok Min-ho.
<Divine Archer> Hoshimiya Kaede.
<Double Penetration> Bong Gu-rae.
The attacks of these three dealt critical hits, making it scream.
Mok Min-ho's sword cut below its head, Kaede's arrow pierced its eye, and Bong Gu-rae's bullet entered its mouth and penetrated its uvula.
─Kyaaaak!!
As it moved its body to express pain, the forest shook violently.
The ground shook greatly, and trees with roots underground swayed.
Players endured the shock and prepared for the next attack.
And then─
─Beast Transformation
Liger Blaster
Eun-ha dug in deeply.
Avoiding the rushing snakes, Eun-ha closed the distance in one breath and reached right in front of the Basilisk.
─Boom!!
Direct hit.
Eun-ha fired the electric shock loaded in the blaster right in front of its nose.
The Basilisk screamed.
But its scream was buried under the crackling sound of the electric shock.
Its head was enveloped in a flash of light.
Kyaaa...
The electric energy disappeared.
Steam rose from its head.
The Basilisk lost consciousness.
Its eyeballs were rolled back.
Also, perhaps due to being electrocuted, it couldn't move its body.
The forest that had been shaking greatly until just now became quiet as if nothing had happened.
It was then.
[Eun-ha.]
[How did it go?]
Artifact, Two People's Whisper.
Jin Seo-na sent a telepathic message.
Eun-ha sent telepathy to her, asking about the battle happening in the forest on the opposite side.
[They say they're ready on that side too. They say it just needs <Thunder God> to deliver a final blow.]
[It's the same here. We're in a situation where only the finishing blow is left.]
[Okay, I'll let them know.]
Basilisks sharing lives.
They had to be taken down simultaneously.
So Eun-ha was holding back even though he had the opportunity to kill it.
And a moment later, Jin Seo-na's telepathy arrived.
[They say they'll start the attack.]
[The timing?]
[40 seconds later. I'll count down. You prepare for the attack.]
[Got it.]
[...40.]
The countdown began.
Eun-ha listened to Jin Seo-na's signal while transforming the blaster into iron chains.
Galvanic Cross
Compress electric shock into the Dawn Sword.
Sparks flash.
Electric light burns the space.
The electric shock gathered on the sword blade shines blue, scorching everything it touches.
[...5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Now.]
The signal dropped.
Eun-ha immediately released the compressed current on the sword blade.
Blue current tears up the ground.
The electric shock quickly reaches in front of the Basilisk, creating a cross.
Blue electric shock swallows the Basilisk, making a huge hole in its head.
Up and down, left and right.
Holes created from four directions led it to death.
Thud!
The Basilisk died.
It could no longer support its body and collapsed to the ground.
[It's news from Silla Clan. They say they succeeded in subjugation on that side too.]
[That's good.]
The Basilisk's body disappears.
The long battle came to an end.
Eun-ha could feel relieved hearing Jin Seo-na's telepathy.
It was then.
──!!
"...What!?"
The Basilisk that was disappearing.
Suddenly, the disappearance stopped.
Its body was enveloped in blue mana.
Eun-ha and the players realized what this meant now.
It's trying to revive.
[Seo-na. Check with Silla Clan. Did they really kill the Basilisk?]
[...A message just came from that side too. They're asking if we really killed the Basilisk. They say they definitely killed it.]
[It's the same for us.]
Players attack the creature enveloped in mana.
But no attacks worked on it as it prepared for revival.
Its body is reconstructed.
Eun-ha frowned seeing this scene.
Why on earth did it revive?
How could this be...
It was an unexpected situation.
Eun-ha was inwardly flustered.
Kyaaaak!!
The revived creature casts petrification magic.
Mirrors floating in the air quickly protect the players.
Eun-ha gritted his teeth while receiving protection from the mirrors.
[Seo-na, tell them over there. I don't know what's going on, but we'll attack once more.]
[Okay, be careful. It seems the situation is turning strange. The atmospheric mana condition isn't good right now, so the navigators can't access the library to consult <Index >.]
[Alright, I'll be careful. Let me know as soon as new information comes in.]
Something is going wrong.
Everyone was feeling it.
Nevertheless, they suppressed their anxiety and engaged in battle.
However─
"─No, again!?"
The Basilisk revived over and over, draining the players' stamina.
☆
Three times.
They killed the Basilisk three times.
Yet the Basilisk revived and threatened the players each time.
Moreover─
─Phase 2, huh.
The situation was worsening further.
Wings sprouted from the Basilisk's back, making aerial combat possible.
Body length about 50m.
Such a creature flying into the air was a terrifying sight.
"Hey, hey, hey. Why is it doing that? Isn't that completely crazy? No, is it Noh Eun-ha or what? Why does it keep reviving without dying!!"
At this point, people fell into panic and shouted.
Jin Pa-rang was dumbfounded.
Kyaaaak!!
Meanwhile, the commander transformed into Phase 2 exerted stronger power than before.
When it roared with a sharp sound, the mirrors flying in the air shattered.
"Kuk...!!"
Immediately after, its eyes flashed.
People who momentarily made eye contact fell victim to the petrification magic.
They hurriedly tried to raise their mana resistance to counter the petrification.
Supporters hastily activated magic to try to heal the petrified state.
Rustle
At that moment, the snakes moved.
It wasn't just the commander that had transformed.
The snakes' forms had also changed slightly.
They stretched their long bodies and quickly opened their mouths wide.
People casting magic were swallowed up by the snakes.
[It's a message from Blaze Clan. They say the commander on that side has also entered Phase 2. The damage is severe. Potions are almost depleted, and they say it's hard to hold out any longer. And the sun will set soon.]
Eun-ha moved his wings of fire.
Flying into the sky, he dropped flames towards the snakes.
The snakes roared.
The creatures transformed into Phase 2 were now showing resistance to flames.
Just how do we eliminate them?
To think they don't disappear even after defeating two simultaneously...
He couldn't suppress his anxious feelings.
Eun-ha bit his lip hard.
It was then.
Boom!!!
Bombardment erupted from the rear.
Twelve Seat <Silent > Yu Su-jin.
She sniped the Basilisk.
Kyaaaak!!
But it didn't get hit by the bombardment.
The commander writhing in the air avoided the bombardment and immediately flew towards Yu Su-jin.
"Tch!"
Eun-ha launched his body.
He chased after the commander passing over his head.
If the Basilisk was sent to the rear, even more damage would occur than now.
He couldn't let it go to the rear.
I'm running out of strength now too.
Is there no choice?
The power of Gift <Amplification > was gradually fading.
As internal mana was also depleting, the gift was about to activate.
He had consumed quite a lot of power.
It was understandable, having killed the Basilisk 3 times.
Nevertheless, the Basilisk was still intact, and now the sun was about to fall below the horizon.
In the end, he had no choice but to make a decision.
I have to manifest the myth.
The burden on the body will be strong, but there's no choice to minimize further damage.
Although he had been trying not to manifest the myth as much as possible.
Eun-ha had no choice but to gather his remaining strength and give it his all.
Myth Manifestation
Revival
Imprint your will onto the world.
The world responds.
Flames spread from Eun-ha as the center, turning the surrounding area into a world of flames.
Then flames passing between trees burn the snakes to ashes.
Wormhole
The myth was manifested.
Eun-ha moved through subspace.
Now he could designate coordinates anywhere the flames touched.
He appeared in the direction the commander was advancing and swung his sword.
Divine Crimson
A stream of crimson flames.
A huge spear flies towards the commander.
It was useless for the commander to try to avoid.
Wormhole
The stream of flames enters subspace.
A new subspace is created above its head.
The stream of flames falls.
Kyaaaaak!!
It screams.
The flames pierce through it.
Crimson flames burn away its existence.
Eun-ha opened his mouth watching the commander disappear and vanish in the flames.
[Seo-na.]
[Yes.]
[Tell <Yama >. We can kill it anytime now on this side, so there's no need to match timing. Just tell them to kill it.]
[Okay.]
How long can I manifest the myth?
Eun-ha calculated the remaining time.
It was enough.
He was confident he could kill the commander several times within that time.
"If it keeps coming back to life even after being killed... I'll just have to kill it until it stays dead."
[What a brute method.]
"But there's no other way."
The Twilight Sword, which had been assisting Eun-ha's battle until then, sighed.
Eun-ha dropped flames again towards the reviving commander.
It dies as soon as it revives.
"You're trying to challenge me with revival when I have the myth of revival? My myth might be able to kill that thing."
[Theoretically, it's not impossible. Your myth governs revival, so the Basilisk's revival occurring in this world is in your hands too. Try it.]
The Twilight Sword advised.
Eun-ha nodded.
He appealed to the myth to prevent the Basilisk's revival.
Forbid the Basilisk's revival.
The myth responds.
Crimson flames moved to prevent the Basilisk's death.
Incinerate its corpse.
Even the mana composing its existence completely disappears from the world.
[Seo-na, tell <Yama > to try killing the Basilisk again. I've completely annihilated the Basilisk on this side, so it should be fine there too now.]
[...They say they'll try now.]
This should work.
Eun-ha maintained the world of flames and waited for news.
Soon Jin Seo-na sent telepathy.
[...They say it's reviving.]
"..."
A grave voice.
Eun-ha furrowed his brow.
He had eliminated the Basilisk without leaving even its mana stone.
So the Basilisk on the other side should have lost its life vessel and been unable to revive.
Yet it revived, which was hard to understand.
"Twilight Sword."
[What is it?]
"What do you think?"
[You mean about this situation?]
"Yes."
Eun-ha spoke to the Twilight Sword.
The Twilight Sword seemed lost in thought.
Then the Twilight Sword responded.
[Perhaps we've been mistaken.]
"About what?"
[That in fact, there weren't just 2 life vessels, but 3.]
"...That's nonsense."
[Yes, you're right. It doesn't make sense.]
Eun-ha dismissed it outright.
It was an implausible assumption.
The Twins Basilisk was a creature that was a disaster in itself.
A monster that had to be killed simultaneously, how dangerous a monster is that?
On top of that, if we assume there's one more life vessel, the subjugation difficulty would increase even further.
Even if we assume─
"─Where is the monster holding the third life vessel then? Among those snakes?"
[Life vessels aren't something easily handled by small fry. If we assume there's a third, it would be held by a being of comparable rank to the commander.]
No answer came.
Meanwhile, Eun-ha was struggling to maintain the myth.
It was because he had just appealed to the myth earlier.
He had consumed considerable power to prevent the Basilisk's revival.
...I can't maintain the myth any longer.
I've cleared the entire area for now.
There wasn't a single living monster in the world of flames.
Eun-ha tried to withdraw the myth.
Whoosh!
The world of flames contracts.
All fires gather towards Eun-ha.
Eun-ha recovered some strength with the reclaimed flames.
It was then.
"Damn..."
[Oh ho, in the situation of manifesting the myth, you prioritized your own rank to prevent the commander's revival. But now as we return to the original world, is it reviving in response to the power of the Basilisk existing on the other side?]
"This is really maddening..."
Mana was gathering where the commander had disappeared just before.
It forms a mana stone in an instant.
Flesh sprouts around that mana stone, creating the Basilisk's form
The commander was reviving.
Eun-ha spat out a curse.
The players no longer had the strength to face it.
There's no choice.
We have to retreat for now and aim for the next opportunity.
We need to figure out why it won't die...
Eun-ha was about to relay a message through the path connected to Jin Seo-na.
The situation was worsening.
There was no answer but to retreat.
At that moment, before Eun-ha could convey his message, Jin Seo-na's message flew in.
It was an urgent voice.
[It's a message from Regulus Clan. Unknown players have intruded on the road! The frontline is collapsing and casualties are occurring! <Yama > and <Thunder God> were ambushed and injured!!]
"What!?"
Eun-ha was shocked.
He was so surprised that he couldn't even connect the path to Jin Seo-na properly.
He shouted out loud and tried to look for the people who should be fighting the Basilisk on the other side.
But there was no time for that.
────!!!
Magic circles floating in the air.
Dozens of magic circles were flashing light, about to activate magic at any moment.
They weren't targeting monsters.
There were no monsters in the area to begin with.
They were targeting the players.
Eun-ha reacted instinctively.
Restoration Necklace
Magic pours down.
He blocked the attack with the Restoration Necklace and hurriedly looked down at the ground.
"What in the world..." [An ambush, it seems.]
The ground had become a wasteland.
Fortunately, Iriya, Noh Eun-ah, and Cha Eun-woo had spread protective magic to minimize the damage.
Although there were some casualties, all clan members were safe.
At that moment, many presences were revealing themselves beyond the road where snakes had been swarming just before.
They were people.
Players.
No, they were─
─Slayers?
They were Slayers.
They were approaching rapidly.
[Seo-na, tell people to prepare for battle immediately. Slayers are swarming in.]
[...Are you sure?]
[Who else would launch a surprise attack to kill us, not monsters, if not Slayers?]
There was no time for long explanations.
Eun-ha flew towards the Slayers.
He had to buy time for the players to regroup.
[Hey, what's going on here?]
"I don't know either."
Jin Pa-rang also stepped forward.
Transformed into a wolf, he spoke to Eun-ha who had lowered his altitude.
Other players followed as well.
Soon the Slayers came into view.
""""...."""
Leaving about 200m distance between them,
They stopped walking on the road and looked at each other.
Eun-ha folded his wings and came down.
Standing in front of the players, he immediately directed his gaze to the people standing in front of the Slayers.
Familiar faces caught his eye.
At that moment, Eun-ha realized.
"Was it all planned by you, teacher? Both summoning the Basilisk and other things."
<King of Darkness> Baek Seo-jin.
And <Abyss > Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong.
Lastly, Mastema.
They were standing at the front of the formation.
They must be the commanders.
The players were shaken.
But Eun-ha, without being shaken, calmly demanded an explanation.
"Yes, that's right. I did it."
Baek Seo-jin answered readily.