“...What fearsome bloodlust. It’s really not good for my heart to clash with you personally.” Still, Ultel didn’t doubt his victory at all.
“This encounter made me become certain of one more thing. You are too dangerous. Every time I regress from now on, I’m going to start by killing you first.”
“It’s pointless to plan a future like that. There’s no chance of you regressing again, so don’t think of such complications!”
Light shone from Estellade.
Baam! The light dulled and a semi-transparent white wall faded, but that was only the start. Soon, a myriad of lights filled up the space.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Babam! The numerous plates of food on top of the table shattered into pieces as Estellade’s light and Ultel’s holy light clashed. Delicious-looking food turned to dirty trash and littered the ground, together with the table’s remains.
Bam! Estellade’s light exploded again, and Ultel raised his staff and counterattacked. Ultel displayed splendid skills that didn’t embarrass the title of the Bellid pope. Most skilled fighters would have been one-sidedly and mercilessly pounded into dust by his immense holy magic. Yet, his opponent was Zich. No matter how sturdy Ultel’s walls were or how dangerous his attacks were, Zich’s attacks destroyed everything.
It was an overwhelming display of power. At this rate, it seemed like all of Ultel’s defenses would fall and Estellade’s blade would chop his head off. Yet, there was no sense of urgency on Ultel’s face.
Whoosh! Zich swung his sword again. Estellade responded to its owner and a burst of light exploded outward.
Baaam! Flashes of light were followed by loud roars as they shook the surroundings. Zich clearly felt the sensation of Estellade slicing through something.
Boom! Something fell in front of Zich. Red blood flowed out and soaked the floor, but the blood didn’t belong to Ultel. It was an unfamiliar figure wearing a robe. Other figures wearing robes suddenly surrounded Ultel and more enemies continued to come down from the upper floors.
“Are you hiding behind your subordinates because you are getting pushed back?”
“This is the perk of being the head of an organization. As someone who leads the holy Bellids, how could I continue to engage in barbaric squabbles with you?”
“If bullshitting is one of the skills required to be an organization leader, I will acknowledge you as one of the greatest leaders in the world,” Zich said sarcastically while raising his thumb.
“Of course! I will become the world’s best leader after I get rid of you.”
“Your dream is too big. Do you really think you can do anything to me with those guys? Judging your past stories, it seems like you have been continuously fighting me. How could you know so little about me then? Do you know nothing about me?”
Ultel let out a low chuckle. “Of course not. However, these are not the only guys you have to deal with.” As soon as Ultel said this, another group of figures scrambled upward.
Ultel spoke leisurely as if he was checking a prey caught in a trap. “If you think you trapped me in this tower, you’re dead wrong. I’m the one who was waiting for you here.”
Then, he continued, “I know you have been spying on me through Tornium.”
“You noticed at least that much?”
“That’s the first thing I thought of when I guessed that you could read the Core’s memories. That’s why I laid a trap for you.”
“It sounds like you left false information through Tornium to me and carried out your real plan when Tornium was not with you,” Zich said.
“You sure are quick, and you really are amazing. You purposefully gave Tornium to Glen Zenard and let him escape, didn’t you? To extract more information through him, huh? I really thought it was strange that he managed to run away that easily in his half-crazed state when the dragon appeared.”
“Isn’t your assessment of him too low? Who knows, he could have still been capable of at least escaping.”
“Escape, yes. But from your hands? That idiot?”
“That’s certainly true.”
“It’s funny how you don’t deny any statements that speak highly of you.”
“Well, I can’t deny the truth.”
“Kuhaha! Yes, you can’t deny the truth. It’s also true that you fell into the trap that I prepared for you.”
“Don’t be so hopeful because you managed to hide just one part of your plan. I’m someone who’s especially talented at crushing other people’s plans. You know that too, don’t you?”
“I’m sure that this plan won’t fail.” Before Ultel even finished speaking, another group of people came down.
“You used the teleportation ability of the tower,” Zich stated.
“Yes, I did!”
This island was one of the historical locations that belonged to the Clowon Empire. It was protected by rough currents so that it was impossible for boats to approach the island unless they forcefully penetrated the barrier with enormous power, the way Zich had. Thus, what they used to enter and leave the island was teleportation. The immense mana flowing in the tower from the World Tree connected the first floor of the tower to the lakeshore. Since the island had the World Tree’s main body and the Brushel System, teleportation was allowed to the very top of the tower. In other words, the tower was basically a huge teleportation center. If there were troops anywhere on the island or the lakeshore, Ultel could call them to the tower any time. Of course, as a prerequisite, he needed the necessary forces to be there the first place, but Ultel was confident.
“I have enough forces. I have stationed an enormous number of troops on the island and lakeshore for this current situation. As soon as I found out that you couldn’t be seen on the battlefield, I took away a considerable number of troops from the conquest army at the Cronon Kingdom.”
“You won’t be able to maintain the front lines of the war then.”
“It doesn’t matter. I left enough to buy me time. If I manage to recover the Brushel System, everything will be fixed.” They would be able to overturn everything once they regressed. This was why Zich had tried so desperately to stop the Brushel System.
“Let’s see how much you can endure.”
The robed figures readied their weapons, and Zich also raised Estellade.
Bam! With a loud sound, the door leading downstairs opened.
“Zich! Are you all right?” Leona’s worried voice rang across the room. Zich’s companions had come up to where he was, and they saw the robed figures confronting Zich.
“As expected, there’s no way the leader of insects would keep his promise. It’s really not surprising,” Lubella said coldly as she looked at Ultel hiding behind the robed figures.
“Saintess, isn’t your trust in me too weak? Your comrade could have attacked me first.”
“Hmph!” With a snort, she dismissed Ultel’s claims.
“You came at the perfect time,” Zich said.
“It’s because they suddenly attacked us downstairs.” As soon as Walwiss finished speaking, there was a commotion downstairs. Anyone could tell that there was a huge number of people and other beings jumping up from below.
“I told you, didn’t I? We’ve got more troops on the lake. Besides, you guys left behind a lot of monsters. There’s also the magic tower’s self-defense system.”
Shadows and golems continuously climbed up from below. Bellid forces and monsters were also mixed in. Zich’s party was surrounded in an instant, and Ultel watched the scene with satisfaction.
“Finish them.”
Ultel’s forces rushed toward Zich’s party.
* * *
Every single member of Zich’s party showed amazing skills and abilities. Zich and Til furiously swung their swords. Their enemies’ attacks were torn apart by their swords, unable to reach Zich’s party. Moreover, their swords were not just limited to defending against their enemy’s attacks. Whenever there was even the slightest opening, strong sword attacks mercilessly sliced up the enemies rushing toward them.
Leona’s fast and hidden arrows also shot down enemies from the back. The arrows were fired at highly-skilled enemies and instantly neutralized them by hitting their vital areas. Moreover, Walwiss’ magic burst at the densest clusters of enemies, simply erasing them from existence. Even if their enemies managed to break through the party’s powerful defenses and attacks and injured the party members, Lubella healed them with her holy energy. Zich’s party was so astounding that anyone fighting them would automatically let out a stream of curses.
However, Ultel’s forces were also formidable. They attacked Zich’s party by throwing away their lives like expendable objects. They were willing to sacrifice their life without any hesitation if they could land just one cut on anyone in Zich’s party. Moreover, there was no end to their numbers, no matter how many Zich’s party killed. At some point, the undead began to join Ultel’s forces. There were ordinary undead and also many high-ranking ones that looked like they were made with considerable care. Ultel had really gathered all of his forces to fight them.
Zich’s party was still holding on. Considering the skills and abilities of Zich’s party, it was possible for them to fight for several days. However, even their physical strength and mana were not infinite. Although Zich had as much mana as a dragon, even he had his limits. Zich’s party tried to break through the siege, but every time they tried to advance, their enemies obstructed them. In particular, Ultel, as expected of the Bellid pope, pressured Zich’s party by using an enormous amount of holy energy.
“Umph!” Zich infused mana into Estellade, and Estellade shone brilliantly.
Rumbbbble! Undead and monsters gathered around Zich. They stacked on top of each other and created a huge wall, and high-ranking soldiers strengthened this wall. Then the shadows stacked on top of the monsters again and created an even stronger wall.
Baaam! Zich’s attack let out a terrifying explosion. Not only was the wall swept away by the light, but the people behind it were also gone. A huge number of Ultel’s forces were killed by Zich’s attack. However, new enemies continued to emerge, and even while Zich continued to attack, the enemies continued to jump into the light and weaken Zich’s offense. This event repeated itself multiple times.
Zich’s party continued to advance despite the wave of attacks, and their skills really were awe-inspiring. Ultel was watching the battle from a short distance, and even he looked slightly pale. However, Ultel’s plan was steadily progressing. The sun went down, the moon rose, the sun rose again, and the moon rose again, and the sun rose another time.
Zich’s party finally managed to break through the siege and climbed up two flights of stairs after a few days. They climbed up because Ultel had run away upstairs. However, enemies were still pouring in.
Zich’s party’s offensive power had not declined in the slightest so far. However, it was also true that some people felt tired. Zich, Til, and Leona were still moving briskly, but Walwiss and Lubella clearly showed signs of fatigue. Moreover, although Til and Leona still looked lively, they had consumed a significant amount of their mana.
“Why don’t you give up?” Ultel’s voice broke through the loud noise of battle and reached Zich’s party.
Zich slashed seven enemies rushing toward him at once and snorted. “Why, are you running out of troops?”
“No, I still have a lot left. The shadows also rise infinitely. It’s just that I want to go to bed now. Aren’t you guys the same as well?”
“Don’t worry. I’m planning to take a good rest after finishing you off.”
“Well, I didn’t think you were the type to easily give up. Then, keep going. Let’s see if you can continue to fight even after all your physical strength and mana are gone.”
There was no place for Zich’s party to escape inside the tower anyway. Although there were windows, the tower strictly controlled access using mana, except for the entrance. Thus, Zich’s party had no choice but to use up all their strength and die here. Ultel folded his arms leisurely and joyfully thought about the last moments of Zich’s party, even if it took a few more days.
However, his leisurely expression suddenly changed to shock.
Seeing his face, Zich did not forget to mock him even in the middle of battle. “What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”
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