Chapter 6: 999 (2)

After riding for twenty minutes, we reached the rear of the troops. We introduced ourselves as envoys from 999, and they cheered. Their morale seemed to rise upon seeing us arrive.

The captain of the troops approached us. "We need your help, envoys of the god! Someone from their side is holding us back!"

"That's Dahlan," Kuti said, using her binoculars to scout the battlefield. "Rosa is supporting his attacks from the rear."

"That should be easy," I said, dismounting my horse.

"Since in the game, we're stronger than them. Plus, we have OP powers from this god," Kuti said, dismounting her horse and handing the reins to the captain. "Please take care of our horses."

Kuti and I quickly moved to the battlefield. Dahlan and Rosa were surprised to see us. "You two said you'd be safe in a protected area. Why are you here on the enemy side?"

I remained silent and took a defensive position. "Kuti, as usual. Strategy number 1."

Kuti disappeared from Dahlan and Rosa's view. I advanced and engaged in combat with Dahlan. He wielded daggers in both hands and attacked me relentlessly.

But what he didn't know was my ability. I absorbed his blocked attacks and reflected them back at him. His daggers struck my shield, and I pushed back with my shield, sending Dahlan flying.

As he was thrown and tried to land, Kuti shot an arrow at his leg, immobilizing him. I jumped to strike him with my club. Rosa tried to help him by attacking me with her lightning magic. But it was useless; I could block magic attacks and absorb their energy into my weapon.

I swung my club at Dahlan. Using his high agility, he dodged Kuti's arrow but couldn't avoid my club's strike. I directed my club at the ground, creating a massive tremor.

Kuti saw Rosa was distracted and attacked her with an arrow. I noticed too and quickly leaped towards her. Dahlan grabbed my leg to stop me. Ah, damn, I slipped, and Dahlan tried to attack me.

I reflected Rosa's absorbed magic energy to counter Dahlan's attack. I saw Rosa struggling under Kuti's relentless arrow shots. She didn't realize Kuti's real self was sneaking up from behind and attacking her. Now Rosa was held hostage by Kuti.

"In that case, I won't hold back," I said.

"You still stutter when you talk," Dahlan remarked.

I lifted my club and pulled them close to me. Dahlan couldn't escape because his feet were now embedded in the ground. Then I slammed my club into the ground, knocking him unconscious. I saw Dahlan's life bar was depleted, and he was now unconscious.

I approached Rosa, who was held hostage by Kuti. The Moon Knight members didn't dare to approach us until Grandmaster Tiana appeared with her spear. She moved to the front of her terrified troops.

"Hey, let me go. I surrender. At least let me adventure alone, okay?" Rosa pleaded with Kuti.

"Yeah. Go quickly, Rosa," Kuti released Rosa.

Rosa quickly retreated and escaped. I carried Dahlan and threw him to the crowd of Moon Knight members. Seeing her troops defeated, Grandmaster Tiana stepped forward.

She used her spear and advanced to attack me. Her spear attacks were swift and agile. I dodged some of her strikes and leaped back to create distance.

Kuti's arrow struck her spear, causing it to break. As she reached for her sword, I advanced and pushed her with my shield, then swung my club at her body.

WHAM!

Grandmaster Tiana was thrown back. I signaled the Majagada soldiers to advance and attack. I cleared a path for the Majagada troops, striking and sending enemies flying backward. Some were knocked out after being hit by my club.

The Moon Knights retreated into the gate. Their members on the walls and gate shot arrows at us. I tried to smash the thick wooden gate with my club. From a distance, Kuti shot an arrow that grew larger as it neared its target.

BANG!

Her arrow penetrated and damaged the gate. The Majagada soldiers rushed in and attacked the Moon Knight troops forming a box formation. Kuti shot another arrow that grew larger, breaking the knights' formation.

My phone vibrated, a message from 999. "Kill Grandmaster Tiana for me. I'm bored watching your battle."

"Huh? Is it necessary?" I asked.

"Yes. Come on, Thomas, you can kill her," 999 replied. "Here's her last known location; she's being evacuated to the hospital."

"You're making me a war criminal," I responded.

"Just do it!" 999 answered.

Kuti and I headed to the hospital indicated by 999. The hospital staff and medics were terrified upon seeing us.

"Where is Grandmaster Tiana? We have orders to capture her!" Kuti shouted. "Or we'll kill you all!"

"Huh? Kuti? Did we seriously say that?" I asked Kuti. "T-that's too much, Kuti."

We checked our phones, and there was a message from 999. "Interesting idea, Kuti. I want you and Thomas to kill everyone in the hospital."

Without hesitation, I saw Kuti stabbing the medics who blocked her. She also killed patients and wounded soldiers. Kuti looked at me and approached, "Come on! Don't you want to have fun? When else can we express ourselves freely like this! Besides, it's a god ordering us!"

"I-I, I think I can-," I didn't finish my sentence. Kuti kissed my lips and gazed at me lovingly.

"Let's go!" she said, moving my hand to smash a crying child's head nearby. His head shattered in my hand. "Now we can't go back!"

I nodded, and we swept through all the hospital rooms, looking for Grandmaster Tiana. We killed all the patients. Until we found the room where Grandmaster Tiana was being treated.

As we entered her room, she was still being treated for her wounds. I wondered if only the four of us couldn't die, but ordinary people could? I'll ask 999 later.

"Grandmaster Tiana, it's time to give up your life," Kuti said. "You hurt my lover earlier, right? I'll repay you. How many times did you hit him?"

Grandmaster Tiana raised her hands in surrender. "Just capture me! Don't kill me! I have a little brother and a family to take care of!"

Kuti stabbed the doctor and nurse treating Grandmaster Tiana. Her dagger was now ready to stab Tiana. I stopped Kuti, "Wait! Our phones are vibrating."

A message from 999 asked us to humiliate Grandmaster Tiana in front of her family before killing her. Kuti sheathed her dagger and captured Grandmaster Tiana.

Cheers of joy echoed outside. The Moon Knights' flag was replaced with the Majagada flag and a flag with the number 999. Kuti and I escorted our captive out of the hospital.

"You truly are barbarians! Killing innocent civilians?" Tiana asked us.

"Prisoners have no right to speak," Kuti slapped Tiana's mouth and kicked her to walk. "Where is your family's house? We'll treat them well as long as you don't rebel."

"You must be lying. You plan to do something to me and my family, right?" Tiana asked. Kuti kicked her hard, making her tumble out of the hospital.

"If you don't tell us, I'll find them and kill them," Kuti replied, forcing Tiana to stand. Tiana gave in and revealed the address.

Kuti and I brought Tiana to the group of other prisoners. I ordered a soldier to go to Tiana's family home and capture her family. King Majagada entered the town.

"Thank you for helping us, envoys of the god 999! In return, I will offer this prisoner to 999," King Majagada said to us.

Huh? An offering? What do you mean? Are you going to sacrifice them all? This town will stink of rotting corpses. My phone vibrated again, a message from the god. "You didn't know I needed offerings?"

"What do you want?" I replied.

"Blood and corpses," he answered. "Someday, if you find my temple, I'll invite you to the divine realm and ask for my blood as a loan of my power."

Soon after, the soldiers we sent to capture Tiana's family arrived. King Majagada ordered his soldiers to rape Grandmaster Tiana in front of her family. Her entire family was forced to watch.

Kuti seemed calm and enjoyed the scene. I felt disgusted and walked away to avoid the crowd, sitting on a wooden bench outside a house.

Kuti approached with a bottle of red wine. She sat next to me and opened the bottle. "Finally, I'm satisfied to see the woman who hurt you punished."

"K-Kuti, I didn't think you could do that," I said to Kuti. "I think our actions earlier were excessive and wrong."

"What are you talking about, darling," Kuti snuggled up to me. "I did it for you."

"Th-thank you," I replied. "Don't you feel guilty for killing innocent people?"

"They're guilty. Besides, if 999 sends us, they must be guilty," Kuti said, offering me the wine bottle. "Try it, it's delicious."

"I don't want to get drunk." I refused, but Kuti insisted. Thanks to her persistence, I drank three times with her. We drank until we want to throw up being drunk.

Kuti ask me to go home after noticing King Majagada that we want to go home. Unbeknownst to us, King Majagada also stayed at my parents' house and Kuti's parents' house to discuss who would become the ruler of the city. As I stayed awake, eavesdropping on their conversation, it was decided that Kuti's family would be appointed as the new rulers of the city, with my family becoming their deputies.

Unable to fight off sleep any longer, I joined Kuti, who was already snoring on my bed. I took off my gear, changed clothes, and lay down next to her.