Chapter 266: Chapter 263

“Hurry up over there. We’re going to start moving soon too.”

“How far has the squad assigned to the mobs gotten? We can’t move on to the next section until they’re finished.”

“It’s been about an hour, so we should be hearing something soon.”

“We just received word from the rear that the combat rations and spare parts are ready. Most of the mana stones from the monster corpses have also been collected. We’re approaching the final stages now.”

While the vanguard led by Jinhyuk played a critical role, the rear had its own responsibilities.

It was their job to take care of all the miscellaneous tasks so the vanguard could focus on blazing the trail.

Suddenly, someone noticed something strange.

“What? Who’s coming?”

One of the players at the front, gathering mana stones, tilted their head in confusion.

Familiar figures from the Gandara team appeared in the distance.

“They’re from Gandara… Why have those guys come all the way here?”

“That’s odd. They should be busy tackling their own route right now… Something’s not right.”

There was a silent competition between the first and second attack squads over who would reach the Witch of Sorrow first.

The elite of Gandara, who were the main force, had no reason to come this way.

Moreover, approaching the rear without any sort of contact was beyond common sense.

Instinct writhed.

Something was terribly wrong.

There was a certainty that they weren’t approaching with good intentions.

Shhhing!

All sorts of weapons readied themselves for an unexpected event.

“Damn it. Those bastards have drawn their weapons.”

“Are they out of their mind! Alert the rankers at once…!”

But before anyone could scream…

One of the female players from the Gandara Guild, an assassin named Sagitta, optimized for large-scale battles, had already closed in.

Her shoulders were bared, and her circular blade flew out like lightning. There wasn’t even time to react.

Buzzzz!

The blade flew towards a bearer’s neck.

An eerie coldness brushed against the skin.

However, what followed wasn’t the gruesome sound of flesh being sliced and bones being cut.

Clang!

A sharp metallic sound filled the air.

Sagitta clicked her tongue, surprised at the futility of her surprise attack.

But an even more astonishing event had just begun.

“To think that my esteemed task would amount to babysitting humans… Even if it’s a direct order from Elise, this is truly vexing.”

Belus revealed his sharp fangs. Behind him, numerous vampires began to unsheathe their rapiers one after the other.

“Watch your mouth. That person is now the leader of the Decarsus family. I won’t forgive any disrespect towards our lord,” Ophelia frowned sharply.

“Ha! Since when has a human become the head of a great family? And since when did you swear loyalty to that human?”

“…It’s nothing more than repaying the person who saved my life. And you, do you not accept Jinhyuk, whom our lord follows?”

“What, what? Who’s following whom?”

“The mighty previous Ataraxia family head has become so soft. Laughing sheepishly like a teenager. Quite amusing.”

“You Decarsus vermin dare to insult him! I’ll nail a cross to your thick skull!”

“Oh dear. Attaraxia always resorts to insults when words fail. Always so vulgar…”

While the two vampires bickered, players from both formations stood with mouths agape, lost for words.

“Is this really happening… Vampires?”

“Why are those creatures defending humans?”

The Gandara Guild couldn’t hide their confusion. Olympus was equally shocked.

“What’s going on here?”

“Are… they going to help us?”

If the Olympus Guild, mostly composed of bearers and miners, were to truly fight, they wouldn’t last more than thirty minutes before crumbling.

But the intervention of the vampires completely changed the tide.

“Wipe them all out.”

“Bl-Block them!”

Belus’ cold voice and Sagitta’s desperate shout intersected.

Boom Boom Boom!

Giant explosions roared, and horrific screams echoed through the air.

Members of the Ataraxia bloodline began to slaughter the dealers, having broken through the tank formation.

They were overwhelming.

Even the advantage of numbers seemed to fade in comparison.

Krink!

Blades and rapiers clashed chaotically.

There were very few rankers capable of even attempting to fight Belus or Ophelia. Ordinary players needed at least a group of five to challenge a single bloodline member.

Instead of gaining the upper hand, they were gradually pushed back.

“Kugh!”

Sagitta let out a heavy groan.

She hadn’t expected them to anticipate this, let alone call for such powerful reinforcements.

“But of course…,” she thought.

Nirasha’s words were right, to always prepare for the unforeseen. Simply increase the safety measures to cover any new variables.

“Hmm. You seem to handle the situation without much fuss. Perhaps you have more tricks up your sleeve?”

“You think our target is just here?”

Olympus’ rear wasn’t their only responsibility.

Up ahead was a team dedicated to dealing with small monsters, and even further back was a team overseeing the byproducts and supplies.

Three in total.

In other words, there were three locations to defend.

“The front line dealing with mobs is probably well-equipped, but it doesn’t matter. We sent a matching monster, too. And the most vulnerable rear isn’t even worth mentioning.”

Sagitta’s lips curved up in a smile.

She had modestly described it as a ‘matching’ force, but in fact, she had sent an overwhelming monster.

She had sent the ‘Apostle of Wrath’, the most furious and relentless of the seven apostles, along with Gavain and the Mines. No matter how skilled the opponent, it was impossible to block everything.

However…

Belus’ expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.

“I would honestly love to see that damned creature take a hit from you guys, but it’s futile. The human brat is annoying, but he’s no fool.”

“What?”

“He’s already read everything from above you.”

The prepared cards weren’t limited to one hand.

＊＊＊

With a stature of three meters and skin tinged with a touch of red…

His blood-red eyes and the aura emanating from his body were clear signs of danger.

[Apostle of Wrath ‘Rephels’]

One of the seven apostles created by the Witch of Sorrow.

Among them, the Apostle of Wrath stood out the most.

Even if the intruders defeated the other six apostles, the last one was created with the singular purpose of protecting the ruins.

Crunch!

Snap!

“Kahahaha! More! Bring me more, you filthy humans! Struggle more, thrash around more!”

Every swing from Rephels’ greatsword brought a storm of blood.

Armor was shredded whole, and torsos went flying.

His power was overwhelming.

Rephels did not stop for even a moment, just moving forward, cutting down everything that got in his way.

“Ugh…”

“What kind of monster is this…”

Even the main attack squad of Olympus Guild, which had seen its fair share of battles, couldn’t put up a fight and was easily dismantled.

Their attacks didn’t phase the opponent at all, whereas the enemy’s light swings swept away the tanks, leaving them in despair.

Half of their numbers had vanished in an instant, the rest soon to follow.

There was no way to contend with a disaster-like monster.

But then,

Someone appeared, blocking Rephels’ path.

“Hmm. I tried to make it here quickly, but I seem to be slightly late. You guys can rest a bit. I’ll take it from here.”

“Kekeke… Kahahaha! An old geezer dares to face me?”

Rephels burst into a maniacal laughter.

If it had been a group like before, maybe, but just one person?

At this point, it was simply ludicrous.

“Hmm. You seem quite strong. I haven’t been in the tower much, but I know that a talking monster isn’t ordinary.”

“You’ve only been in the tower a few times?”

“Only a couple, yes.”

“That means you’re one of those poor wretches who couldn’t join any of the seven great guilds or whatever they’re called?”

“Heh. It seems so. Well, that’s not incorrect. I’m not particularly affiliated with any place.”

“It’s absurd. You don’t know your limits and come to face me. It seems like you know how to wield some ki, but that won’t do you any good against me. For the crime of obstructing me with your pathetic tricks, you shall pay with death.”

[Apostle of Wrath activates its unique ability, ‘Armor of Grudge.’]

Fzzzt!

A black armor enveloped the entire body.

The Apostle of Wrath was deemed incomparable not just because of his tremendous offensive power but also because piercing through this armor seemed an unimaginably difficult task.

-To pierce the armor of grudge, one must excel in a skill or unique ability beyond level 35.

A level 35 F-rank attack skill was necessary over a level 1 SSS-rank power.

While there were players who possessed the former, finding someone with the latter skill level was impossible.

Such was logical – non-residents didn’t have the time to achieve that level of prowess.

But there was one man who could.

A man who dedicated his life to the martial arts even before the tower appeared.

He was known as a…

‘Martial artist.’ [Yu Cheonyeong activates level 41 (10-star) ‘Jintae Cheonghwarangsimbeop’!]

Kukukukuku!

The entire corridor shook violently.

Dust spread from the ground around Yu Cheonyeong formed a pattern.

“Let’s see… How much these creatures of the tower can truly withstand. I’ll have a firsthand go.”

For Yu Cheonyeong, who had practiced the Jintae Cheonghwarangsimbeop to its extremities, raising his skill level within a short period was no difficult task.

Thus, the flow of ki had completely changed.

＊＊＊

At the same time, an obstacle appeared in front of Gawain and the Mines.

“…And you are?”

Gawain’s eyes narrowed.

Sitting in front of the supplies was the holy woman who saved Amsterdam, Theresa.

Of all things, a holy knight showed up.

Divine power was a tricky counter to the Mines’ abilities, located on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

However, that was all.

A smirk appeared across Gawain’s face.

“Divine power, while problematic, is overly ambitious if you think that alone can stop us all. You don’t really believe we are ignorant of how to counter that power, do you?”

Weaknesses can be compensated.

The Mines had already formulated countermeasures for this threat.

But Gawain’s tone suddenly trailed off mid-sentence.

This feeling… Could it be?

It wasn’t divine power.

A completely different, ominous and heavy energy began to rise.

“Hmm…”

A strange moan escaped Theresa’s lips.

“Don’t worry. I won’t use the divine power you expect. Unlike that innocent girl, I prefer to tear my enemies apart directly.”

Although it was Theresa’s body, the being before them was definitely not Theresa.

“Split… personality?”

Gawain’s face lost its smile.