VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 2: Two Shades of Evil Don’t Mix
SEVERAL hours later.
The troops led by Frost General Ice Rock had already set up camp south of Dragontan and were putting pressure on the local armed forces. There was almost no resistance beyond the sporadic arrow shot to scare off monsters that had come too close. This did some minor damage to the general’s troops, but viewed on a military scale, it was no different from being stung by a bee.
Seeing his opponent’s meager resistance, Ice Rock nodded with the satisfying knowledge that things were proceeding smoothly to conquer the town.
“Hrm. I was staying cautious, but this is all they’ve got? I suppose ‘tis to be expected given the town’s size…”
Ice Rock had mobilized 5,000 troops for this operation. While it wasn’t a large army by any means, it was the perfect fighting force composed of monsters that were physically stronger than puny humans. This base strength was further amplified by the addition of Frostfangs, Ice Rock’s direct subordinates.
Ē_nu_mа̀.і̊ d
Considering the strength of his army, even if the town concentrated all its efforts on defense, it was bound to quickly fall before him. It was only natural for Dragontan, that’d chosen an open battlefield and was afraid of losing any soldiers, to go on the defensive despite knowing the consequences of siege warfare.
“But do ye spineless cowards even intend to engage in battle? Hm, humanity?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Ice Rock would be disappointed if they didn’t. He couldn’t be proud of his military achievements if he unilaterally overran the town without running into any resistance. What was the point of taking the lead then? The current situation was unsatisfying to Ice Rock, who wanted to prove his usefulness to the Demon Lord by lavishly putting his power on display.
Were his feelings venting themselves by taking physical form? White, frigid air enshrouded his entire body, and his limbs of ice creaked under the weight of the power he unleashed. The humanoid monsters with some semblance of intelligence all stepped away from the cold air, except for one demon who deliberately moved closer.
“General Ice Rock, the platoon is ready to be deployed.”
“What monsters are in it?”
Еṅ ũm̃ а̂
“It consists of Hill Giant and Orc squads, sir. They will break down the gates to let the rest of the troops invade the town.”
Giant, aggressive monsters stepped to the front of the brigade, growling in response to those words. Everything was ready.
Ice Rock gave a big nod to his subordinates awaiting his signal.
“Let’s teach these humans and the fools who follow them a lesson,” he said, raising his voice loud enough to shake the earth as he gave the marching order—if nothing else, he’d at least get his glory by doing a spectacular job razing the town to the ground. “Charge!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh!!!!”
The monsters shook the ground with roars that echoed into the distance, informing all life that the great Demon Lord’s first step toward world conquest in this land had commenced.
E ǹû m̀ӑ.. і̂ d̃
Yes, it’d begun. From this moment, their greatest wish would—
And then it happened. The heavens suddenly turned black and were consumed by eerie darkness.
The previously blue sky transmogrified into a horrifying, spine-tingling shade of black, and the passing clouds became a venomous shade of purple. The vast land below became even more distorted than the sky above. What should’ve been a barren wasteland started to rot and decay, giving off the stench of rotten eggs left in the sun.
Unrest shot through the Demon Lord’s Army like a lightning bolt at this abrupt shift in the environment around them. Even Ice Rock, who was said to be so brave he knew no fear, couldn’t hide his surprise.
It didn’t take long for confusion to spread through the ragtag horde of monsters and demons.
“What the demi-hell is this?!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“What’s goin’ on?!”
“What happened?!”
Ice Rock and the intelligent monsters and demons cried out as they looked around and took defensive positions. But they were visibly flustered over how to defend against the sudden environmental change surrounding them as far as the eye could see.
“Ice Mage! Report!”
“Th-This is likely the work of a spell! But I’ve never seen a spell with such a wide area of effect! It covers our entire battalion!” the demon mage standing right beside Ice Rock cried out as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
All the spells in his world were meant for a single target. He’d never heard of a wide-area spell that could affect a whole army or the terrain. He couldn’t even imagine what effect it’d have.
Е n̈ u m а̄_.ї d
“Calm the monsters!” Ice Rock finally ordered around the time monsters had started killing each other out of fear. His intelligent subordinates hurriedly tried to control the rampaging monsters with little luck.
They were no longer able to advance on the town.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Monsters are driven by their strong instincts. For that reason, they were easy enough to direct toward annihilating humanity, but it came with the disadvantage of them becoming uncontrollable in times of great duress and panic. Because they act based on intense instincts, they can’t resist instinctual fear. Internecine strife had already caused considerable damage to their numbers.
If this kept up, they might have to call off conquering the town due to the weakening of their forces. While his limited number of demon subordinates frantically tried to control the situation, Ice Rock determined this bizarre phenomenon was the work of hostile forces, and he tried to analyze the situation with mounting consternation.
…Odd. The Goblins, Orcs, Hill Giants, and their kind are growing more fatigued by the minute. Meanwhile, pure demons such as myself are growing stronger…
It almost seemed as if the environment was being recreated into one meant for the forces of darkness. He thought it strange that the nondemonic monsters were being negatively affected when they had a lot in common with the creatures that resided in the demon realm.
Еn̄uḿа . і d
This was the difference between evil civilizations and chaotic neutral civilizations. The critical distinction between these alignments in Eternal Nations was what brought about this result, but it was nigh impossible for Ice Rock to even begin to guess at that possibility when those rules didn’t apply in his world.
Did they use some sorta unique spell? And what is with this thick smell of darkness… Who the blazing inferno are we dealing with?
Things feeling oddly out of place made it difficult for Ice Rock to make a snap decision. That said, it didn’t change the fact his troops were sustaining massive losses. Although Ice Rock and his fellow demon subordinates were growing stronger, there weren’t enough of them to make up an army.
More than anything else, it took effort to destroy a town and wipe out every single hateful human. Ice Rock gnashed his teeth over the agonizing fact that he’d been robbed of his plan not to let a single pest escape. And then his subordinate had to go and make a remark that further stoked the flames of rage within him.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“General Ice Rock…c-could it be th-the Hero—”
“Don’t utter that name!” Ice Rock rebuffed his subordinate in a quiet yet livid voice.
Е̄ṅ u m̃ a.і̇d́
Just hearing the Hero mentioned brought a flood of detestable memories to the forefront of his mind. That odious creature constantly stood in the way of their road to world domination. The memory of having been felled by his hands steadily ate away at Ice Rock.
He gave his head a hard, creaky shake to dispel the ominous suggestion that greatly displeased him. The monsters finally stopped panicking, perhaps because Ice Rock’s efforts to hide his own turmoil had paid off. But morale had fallen to an all-time low.
Sensing that leaving things this way would negatively affect his town conquest, Ice Rock raised his battle-axe and his voice.
“Ye needn’t fear the Hero! Nay, any enemy is but an obstacle to be trampled by the Demon Lord’s Army! No matter who appears, I, one of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals, will lay waste to them!”
His deep, powerful voice drew the monsters’ attention to him. Just as the monsters’ morale was beginning to rise from the instinctual relief and allegiance they felt toward Ice Rock, who could be so imposing during a crisis—
“The Hero, huh? Sounds like you really did come from an RPG. I assume being one of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals makes you a powerful unit?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
A strange girl was standing in their midst. Mousy, ash-colored hair, crimson eyes, and long, pointed ears.
Ice Rock stared wide-eyed at this girl whose physical traits clearly marked her as belonging to the darkness. She had appeared before him with absolutely no presence, as if she were nothing more than an illusion or a mirage.
“What are ye, girl?” Ice Rock quietly asked, still surprised by this phenomenon that had bested his powerful detection abilities. “Yer no…Hero. Are ye a demon? Who are ye? Where did ye come from? Why are ye here? And what’s this Ar-Pi-Gee ye speak of?”
The waves of darkness billowing from the girl astonished Ice Rock. She obviously didn’t belong in this place, and he decided to talk before carelessly attacking someone who was clearly cut from the same evil cloth.
If she was a local demon, then there was no reason not to be friendly, and if she were to someday swear allegiance to the Demon Lord, then they may very well become comrades. Plus, this was a good way to obtain more information, so he considered talking the optimal course of action.
“Oh my gosh! That’s a lot of questions. Oh, speaking of questions, is that person there your adjutant or something?”
Ẁе̊b́n ovе̂ ľ Еn.u m̈а́
The girl pointed to the demon who commanded the monsters beside Ice Rock. This was one of the demons who assisted him with strategic matters. When he noticed Atou’s interest in him, the mage, who’d been keeping the monsters under control with his magic, pompously introduced himself.
“That’s right! I am Frost General Ice Rock’s adjutant, Frost Mage. A little wench like you should bow before m—”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Fresh blue blood sprayed everywhere as the Frost Mage right beside Ice Rock was pierced to death. Speared straight through his buttocks into his head by a tentacle that’d erupted from the ground at lightning speed, the demon convulsed twice before vanishing into thin air, leaving a gold coin in his place.
“Wench! What’ve ye done?!”
General Ice Rock’s stone face was marred by surprise. He may have selected the Frost Mage to be his adjutant for his intellect, but he was by no means a weakling. Instantly recognizing his opponent’s ability from that attack, he drew the giant battle-axe from his back and wielded it with an infuriated expression.
Ice Rock had forgotten to consider the possibility that the girl could be an absolute adversary who operated under different logic and convictions from himself… Nay, it wasn’t even possible for him to consider it in the first place. After all, his people had never encountered a nonhuman enemy.
E n̄ ů m а̂
“Answer me! Who are ye, wench?!”
The girl chuckled at his angry roar. Countless tentacles extended from her back and skewered the defenseless demons who were concentrating on controlling the nearby monsters. Then came the death cries of the monsters.
Ice Rock glanced over his shoulder to see a gigantic insect had torn his supposedly strong soldiers to pieces. War cries rose from the direction of the town. When he looked, the gates had opened and a small platoon was coming out. Arrows and spells were launched in a volley from atop the outer bailey at the monsters ordered to destroy the town’s external walls.
Ice Rock groaned, his stony face distorting with rage when he realized the initiative had been taken from him. The insect-type monsters that had appeared out of nowhere seemed to be compatible with the land and were unilaterally eliminating the exhausted monsters. Worse yet, significant damage was being done by the humans’ arrows and spells.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
If nothing else, his mission to destroy the town gate and external walls was doomed to fail.
Such resistance shouldn’t have been possible given his initial estimations, but it appeared they’d intentionally concealed their defensive capabilities.
Ӗ ṅ úm̈ă
And then there was the girl before him.
He fell into this one-sided predicament and was made a fool of in the short time he was distracted by her. His failure began the moment he let down his guard thinking she was cut from the same wicked cloth.
He had to kill the pesky girl. No, killing her wouldn’t be enough.
With magma-like rage bubbling up inside him, Ice Rock exhaled a frosty breath. How did the girl perceive that action? Chuckling, she flashed a belittling smile as she pinched the sides of her dress and politely curtsied.
“How do you do? I’m Sludge Atou from the wonderful world of 4x strategy games. For the time being, I would like to kill every last one of you.”
“YOU WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!!!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Ice Rock’s shout echoed through the battlefield, signaling the opening of hostilities.
The first all-too-familiar war began for Mynoghra.
◇◇◇
MYNOGHRA’S prized Hero, Sludge Atou, and the Demon Lord Army’s prized general, Frost General Ice Rock. Just before these two boss-level entities from different worlds crossed paths…
In the town of Dragontan, Mayor Antelise Antik commanded the Self-defense Force in a draconian manner no one knew she was capable of.
Е̂n ûm̀ а_. ì d̊
“Don’t think about what comes next! Bring all the arrows to the outer walls! Evacuate all citizens to the northwest block! We’re going to abandon the town as soon as we secure a path of retreat!”
Beastmen runners rushed around in response to the instructions she gave in rapid succession.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Antelise was standing on top of the southern gate’s bailey wall. Under normal circumstances, the mayor should’ve retreated to a safer location to give orders, but certain circumstances made that impossible.
Town hall still hadn’t recovered a quarter of its functions from the Kruklain Trading Company’s recent act of treason. Trying to tackle this crippling disaster right after the last one was too much for her to handle alone. That was why she took command right where the action was. There was no room for middleman messengers to botch up their reports. Seeing and analyzing the situation for herself was more effective.
But even under such stressful circumstances, her brilliant mind made a calm analysis of the situation.
Dragontan was doomed to fall before long at this rate.
Е̇ n̊u m̀ а́.і ď
They needed something that could overturn the overwhelming difference in strength. Obviously, they couldn’t expect reinforcements from Phon’kaven to save them. Of course, Antelise did still dispatch a messenger by horse. The request for reinforcements was signed by Staff Holder Pepe, who was currently focusing his efforts on leading the citizens to safety. The mainland would probably send reinforcements in response to a plea from one of their Staff Holders, but given the pinch they were already in, they’d never make it in time.
They had no choice but to play all their cards. Otherwise, they’d lose everything. Literally everything. That was how much evil and brutality Antelise sensed from the Barbarians, who’d marched close enough to be seen from the walls.
“O Elementals! Tell me the situation around Dragontan!”
Antelise activated a Search Spell using Elven Elemental Artes. Pale lights glowed and danced around her. However, the flickering grew unstable and eventually disappeared with a small pop.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Urph! HurUUUUUAAAAAGHAGHUUUUUUH!” Antelise choked and threw up. “Guh… O Elementals, heed my call!”
She tried to use the same artes again. One of the soldiers guarding her hastened over in a panic.
Еn̄ǔ m а̇ . і ḋ
“Mayor Antik! Stop this! You’ll hurt yourself at this rate!”
“Forget about me! Do your job instead! I’ll pay you handsomely for it later! Buy me as much time as you possibly can!” she shouted, rebuking the few familiar faces who’d survived the attack on town hall.
But there are some things sheer willpower and grit can’t fix.
The fact was, her body had reached its limit from continually using Elemental Artes.
“Don’t overdo it, Mayor Antelise,” someone suddenly said to her as she cursed herself for neglecting her health too much for alcohol.
“Ugh, Sage Moltar.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The man who’d appeared behind her without her realizing it was the elder sage Mynoghra had sent. His infamous name was one of the most feared of all the Dark Elves who’d made a living as assassins. Antelise couldn’t help being anxious when someone from the horror stories of her childhood suddenly showed up, even if he was there as reinforcements from an ally nation.
“Hoho! It makes me uncomfortable when you go rigid like that!”
His merry belly laugh made him seem just like a good-natured old man, if you could overlook the way he carried himself like a trained assassin who could kill you in the blink of an eye. Antelise just couldn’t feel comfortable around him when she could sense the evil at his core.
“Please hold off on abandoning the town just yet. Mynoghra’s army has been dispatched to handle defense…”
“But Sage Moltar, we’re massively outnumbered even with your forces. We’re not even close to their numbers!” Antelise shouted at her ally for interfering in her decision.
Requests from an ally nation shouldn’t be outright rejected. But they were in a state of emergency. She could never plead for enough forgiveness if the townspeople were slaughtered because she pandered to their allies.
Ӗ n u mа. і ḋ
Antelise didn’t become mayor for the fame or money. Even if it resulted in bad blood between nations, she wouldn’t go back on her decision now. Steely resolve gleamed in her green eyes.
“Sage Moltar, I can’t accept your request.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But her unshakeable resolve was dispersed by yet another interruption.
“GYEGHYEE!”
“Hm? Who is— What the?! GYAAAAAAH! B-BIG B-BUUUUUUUGGGG!”
“Gyee?”
Ẇ е b̊ ň о̂v̂е̂l̆ Е̊n um̄ а
Several giant bugs suddenly surrounded her. They had mantis-like bodies and big, restlessly rolling eyeballs. Antelise nearly fainted before these creatures that dripped sticky, black fluid from their triangular mouths.
The soldiers guarding Antelise drew their weapons—
“Oooh, my mighty king! I’m grateful for the reinforcements!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Elder Moltar cried out in delight before they could attack, finally making Antelise and her men realize these giant bugs belonged to Mynoghra.
“Sage…wh-what are they…?”
Ёn̊u̇ m̊ӑ_.ĭ d̄
“Long-legged Bugs… They’re the handymen of our nation.”
The Long-legged Bugs gently rocked back and forth in response. They were originally assigned to patrol the area around Dragontan and the Accursed Lands. Takuto had sent them as reinforcements to defend against the Barbarian horde because of their fast movement speed. The Long-legged Bug’s high mobility really shined during emergencies like this.
Elder Moltar faced Antelise as he marveled at the magnitude of Takuto’s ingenuity in redirecting the Long-legged Bugs to this new task.
“They normally serve as Scouts, but with Lady Isla’s presence, they have sufficient Strength to participate in this battle.”
There were more than a few words she didn’t understand in this context, but Antelise was convinced Elder Moltar wasn’t lying. The waves of power exuding from the Long-legged Bugs served as the greatest proof of all.
Dragontan’s entire Town Defense Force wouldn’t be able to take on the few bugs standing before them now. She had no doubt they’d be able to tear her apart as easily as silk with her meager combat abilities. But…that horrifying image also attested to their terrifying usefulness in this pinch, which encouraged her.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“It’s my humble opinion that their presence will make it easier to protect the town.”
“Gyegyeh!”
Their constantly darting eyeballs were restlessly observing the Barbarian horde visible beyond the wall. Apparently, the Long-legged Bugs were gung-ho about their new mission and ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice.
Just as Antelise was about to request Elder Moltar’s assistance as the town mayor, he suddenly dropped to one knee and began holding a conversation with someone through some sort of magic.
“Hohoho! It’s quite encouraging for these old bones to be granted command of the situation here.”
“Sage Moltar, what are you—”
Ẇе b̀ n о́ v̈ е́.ĺ Ě n̂ǔ m̆ ӓ
“Pardon me, Mayor. We have just received instructions from our king. We shall now declare war on the Barbarians and launch the first strike.”
Antelise could only dumbly gape at him after hearing that. Everything was happening on an outrageous scale and proceeding at whiplash speeds. And things continued to charge ahead while she was still processing.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“All right, Long-legged Bugs…go teach those fools clinging to Dragontan just who they are up against.”
“Gygee!!”
At Elder Moltar’s orders, the Long-legged Bugs ran down the walls and joined the fray. Regaining some semblance of her sanity with those grotesque bugs gone, Antelise turned on Elder Moltar in a flurry.
“P-Please wait, Sage! It’s too dangerous to take preemptive action against an army that large! Do you have a plan?!”
Ẅ e bn о v́е̌l̈ Е ñ ũ ṁǎ
Her concerns were valid. The normal course of action would be for Mynoghra’s expeditionary forces and Dragontan’s Defense Force to hole up within the town and hold their ground until reinforcements arrived. How could he make this rash decision when the addition of the Long-legged Bugs was the only thing that lent their defense against the siege a modicum of possible success?
Declaring war was paramount to asking to be defeated. What was he thinking? Antelise wouldn’t be convinced until he explained things to her. Except…
“Worry not, Lady Atou is joining the fray.”
Elder Moltar explained the whole plan with that single comment.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“M-Miss Atou alone?! She can’t do that! I’ll send out some of our men to support her!”
“There’s no need for that,” Elder Moltar calmly turned down Antelise’s panicked proposal.
Ŵёb nо̀v̀ё ĺ Ėn ǔ ma
“How is there not?! There are too many of them even for her!”
Antelise and Atou had already interacted several times. Antelise definitely acted awkward out of fear of the girl’s inherent wickedness, but Atou had treated her with unfettered kindness. Frankly, Antelise held a relatively favorable opinion of her. So, as a kind person herself, she was naturally shocked and worried about Atou’s deployment.
“Hohoho… I once shared the same misplaced worries as you, Mayor.”
However, Elder Moltar was telling her that her worry was misplaced.
“She is Mynoghra’s prized Hero exactly because…”
Euphoria and absolute confidence gleamed in his elderly eyes.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
What exactly had to happen to acquire that level of unshakeable trust?
What kind of insane power did one have to show to obtain that level of absolute fanaticism?
“…she never loses.”
Antelise could only nod in response to Elder Moltar’s proclamation.
How did he perceive her response? Either way, once he saw her nod, he climbed onto the battlement and silently raised his staff in the air.
“Then it’s about time for these old bones to do their part.”
Ѐ nǔm а
Dense magical power instantly gathered around him. Antelise instinctively backed away from the presence of darkness unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Glimpsing her move out of the corner of his eye, Elder Moltar swung his staff down in the direction of the Barbarian horde clustering in front of the town.
“Ruin Magic: Cursed Terrain.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The ground shook with a rumbling boom as a nauseating level of evil drifted in from the distance. The land was being polluted. The sky stagnated and the earth decayed.
Everything alive in the land was cursed, while those of the darkness were blessed. This was the moment when Mynoghra’s highly esteemed Military Magic was first used in real combat.
“What is this…?!”
“Let’s just call it a…state secret. In any case, we don’t have the time to talk at length about such things.”
Еṅu̇m̈ ā
Elder Moltar’s subordinates gathered around him when he raised his hand. As he said, there was little time for idle chitchat now that the battle had begun. Antelise could hear an altogether different kind of monstrous roar on the gusts of rotten wind blowing her way.
“I’m heading out with my subordinates to offer backup. Please send a runner if anything comes up. Until later.”
Antelise couldn’t get a word in edgewise before Elder Moltar left like the wind.
As far as she understood it, the Barbarian horde boasted overwhelming numbers. Although she knew Atou was strong, she doubted the young woman could take a horde on alone. But then Antelise recalled the crazy incident from the other day—she recalled the freakish monsters the twins brought as escorts on their first mission. She remembered how those monstrosities skinned Vesta’s henchmen like they were playing dress-up.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The words Caria, the girl who’d comforted Antelise in her state of panic, had said stuck with her to this day. She said that those birdmen were Medics. Their primary purpose was to heal sick or injured soldiers, not fight.
If monsters that embodied terror were simply Medics in Mynoghra, then what kind of abomination was their Hero?
Еňům а.і ď
Mynoghra, the country where monsters with terrifying power reside. Just how powerful of a being would be revered as the Hero of the King of Ruin’s people?
And here Antelise thought she was finally starting to become desensitized to the craziness that was Mynoghra. Realizing she’d barely scratched the surface when it came to understanding them, Antelise was so dumbstruck that her mouth fell open and she forgot to give orders.
The angry roar in the distance grew even louder. She could tell two enormously powerful forces were clashing even from this distance.
The sky and ground were rotten, and the Elementals were quaking with fear.
It was there, in that noxious space, where the powerful weapon Mynoghra revered as a Hero was wielding her strength. There she took on an entire army all alone as if it were the natural course of things.
“Is this…is this the real Mynoghra?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Mayor Antelise could only mutter those stunned words.
◇◇◇
A monster had appeared.
“OOOOOOOoooooooohhh!!”
Ice Rock’s battle-axe struck the ground, sending broken stone fragments at Atou like sharpened bullets. Atou dodged his attack with the grace of an acrobat and eyed him with an amused smile as she methodically swung her Holy Sword.
I see. So he’s a melee boss, eh?
Wě.b n̊ ӧvе l̄ Е̌ n̊ ū ḿ_а
Atou calmly analyzed her opponent as her whipping tentacles helped her maintain a safe distance from him.
How do his stats translate into Strength? He’s from an RPG, so he must operate under completely different mechanics and power balancing. Any misstep in my assessment of him here will cost me. That much is certain.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But Atou was up against a character from a game with an emphasis on one-on-one combat. She was on a decidedly different scale from him as a character designed for military-scale combat. In fact, Takuto’s explanation before the battle proved to be truer by the minute.
The Holy Sword she spun in a circle effortlessly deflected the battle-axe’s cranium-smashing blows. His redirected battle-axe sliced through the air and slammed into the ground as she danced away from his relentless strikes. At first glance, it seemed as if Atou was only defending against Ice Rock’s attacks, but reality proved far crueler than that.
“GYAAAGH!”
“URGGH!”
W̃е̃ b̃ n̂ оvеl Ẽń u̇ m̀а
“PGYAH!”
While Ice Rock was trying to smash the dancing Atou with his axe, countless tentacles sprouted from her back. He prepared for them to attack him, but they instead shot out at lightning speed to take down his subordinates watching at a distance. Clicking his tongue, he sliced off the tentacles to stop her from killing his troops, but Atou took that opening to thrust her sword at him, forcing him to quickly shift his battle-axe back to defend himself.
Grr! This wench’s keeping me rooted here! Ice Rock groaned internally. He understood exactly what his opponent was doing.
Ice Rock was currently the only member of the Phon’kaven Conquest Army with overwhelming combat strength. Put another way, aside from him and his few demon subordinates, the army was made up of squishy monsters that would scatter without a leader. Pinning him down here would put his army at an immediate disadvantage.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Monsters that act on instinct aren’t suited to military action. They don’t even possess the basic intelligence to think and act on their own. An army of monsters without a commander is weaker than even a pack of wild beasts. Thus, the best way to take them down is to take out the brains of the operation.
However, Ice Rock was confident enough in his own ability to know that that was easier said than done. And that was exactly why he felt threatened by Atou, who was pulling that feat off alone.
Ė n̂um̌а̀
“Gutless coward! Fight me fair and square!”
“Haha! Are those really the words of the Demon Lord’s general? Please don’t make me laugh too much. I would hate to swing and miss.”
Atou didn’t fall for his petty provocation. She was both physically and mentally not a good match for Ice Rock.
…I don’t have many demons here. I must prevent their loss at all costs. Panic started to show on his face of ice.
Meanwhile, Atou also understood the nature of the Demon Lord’s Army and prioritized eliminating the intelligent demons. The battlefield was currently Cursed Terrain due to wide-scale Ruin Magic. She just had to eliminate the demons, then all that would be left was cleaning up the weakened neutral monsters, which would be easy work for the strengthened Long-legged Bugs and Elder Moltar’s Dark Elf squad.
The only element of concern was the enemy demons, who were strengthened by the Cursed Terrain, but they were successfully pinned down by Atou per Takuto’s orders.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Atou snickered to herself as she felt great respect for Takuto’s highly effective strategy despite their lack of time to prepare. If things kept going this way, she’d effectively carry out his strategy.
But Ice Rock was a high-ranking demon who bore the title and responsibilities of one of the Four Generals of the Demon Lord’s Army. He wasn’t going to let things end this easily.
“Frostfangs! Come!”
Werewolves with bodies of ice and silver fur appeared out of nowhere at Ice Rock’s call. Unusually long tongues extended from their blood-red maws, and their jagged, sharp teeth and steel-like claws set them apart from the other monsters on the field.
Interesting. I take it that’s a play on the Infinite Summons skill bosses tend to have? Atou thought. What an annoyingly RPG-like ability.
The summoned Frostfangs leaped at Atou from all directions. She calmly redirected her tentacles from mowing down the nearby demons to intercepting their attack.
E ňùmа
A considerable amount of time had passed since her battle with Qualia’s Paladins. In addition to Hero units from Eternal Nations leveling up over time, Atou had also plundered various skills from her enemies. It was only after being strengthened by his Holy Sword Artes that the High Paladin, renowned for his unparalleled strength, was just barely able to chop off one of Atou’s tentacles. Measly summoned monsters, even those summoned by one of the Demon Lord’s generals, stood no chance against multiple tentacles.
“RAAAUGGHH! YIIP!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Tentacles stronger than steel pierced right through the Frostfang’s tough hide, ending its life in a single strike. Atou sensed something was amiss as she watched the monster vanish into a gold coin.
That’s weird… Only two take part in the same battle?
Ice Rock had summoned a total of five Frostfangs. She’d just skewered one to death, so there were four left. But, strangely enough, only two ever stayed within combat range of her. When one was destroyed, the other jumped in to replace it.
They fight exactly the way they do in their game.
Е́ṅ u m̃ ӑ
Just as Atou was limited to the parameters of a 4x turn-based strategy game, the enemies before her seemed equally bound to the rules governing the role-playing game they originated from.
Game characters are being sent to another world…and from completely different games, at that.
Although she was suspicious about what was going on, Atou concentrated on the enemy in front of her as that took precedence. She was in the middle of a fight, after all. Not even she felt confident enough about her fare in this battle to connect telepathically with Takuto for a lengthy talk about what was going on.
“Why’re ye getting in our way?! Aren’t ye of the darkness as well? Lay down yer blade and offer allegiance to our Demon Lord so that we can conquer the world together!” Ice Rock tried to sway Atou even as he brandished his battle-axe at her.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He just couldn’t understand why she would be their enemy when she was so powerful and so like them. His invitation was also secretly a plea because he was beginning to sense his defeat was nigh.
But Sludge Atou of Eternal Nations was indifferent to his overture when she’d already experienced conquering the world and leading it to ruin more times than there were stars in the sky.
Е ň ü_ma .і d
A blank look fell over her face as if he’d just spoken to her in a foreign language.
“Ah, you’re after world domination?”
“Most unequivocally. We’re going to create a world for demons. We’ll eradicate humanity and make our name ubiquitous in this land. The glorious and prosperous age of darkness shall come!”
Ice Rock spoke passionately as if he were reciting a speech. He was completely open to attack, and Atou’s tentacle could easily pierce his ice cranium if she struck now.
Isn’t it considered taboo to attack a character during a transformation scene or a lengthy speech when it comes to RPGs? Atou thought and decided to kindly reply to him instead of cutting his talk short by killing him then and there.
“I can understand the temptation, but what will you do after you conquer the world?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Ice Rock’s brain froze with that unexpected query.
Atou sighed at his reaction and expanded on her question like she was talking to an imbecile.
“As it is, I’m already buried under a tiresome mountain of work, you know? I’m even giving up my precious time with my king to get a handle on everything. This is how bad it is just running one smallish empire… And what, you want the whole freakin’ world? Do you like administrative work THAT much?” she asked.
World domination was a lofty ideal, and Atou could understand it as a means to an end. Building your own ideal world after exterminating all your enemies isn’t that strange of a goal, and it’s a kind of utopia many leaders have dreamed of. Atou had of course achieved that very thing with Takuto on countless occasions.
But world conquest was always the means to an end—not the actual end itself.
What do you gain after you conquer the world?
E n ū mа . і̀ d
What will you do after that?
Those were the things that mattered more the conquering itself.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But Ice Rock had a hard time answering her. He’d never actually given any real thought to what came after world domination aside from vague, theatrical notions of how it should be. He desperately racked his brain for an answer until he realized he had none whatsoever.
“Hmm? Could it be your character backstory is so shallow that your thoughts and actions default to the most simpleminded ones?” Atou said with a contemptuous look when he failed to answer her. “Well, I guess most RPG bosses don’t get any more storyline after you defeat them, do they? You poor thing.”
Brave Questers is an old-school, trope-laden JRPG. Often cited as the first computer RPG, it has a long history that has seen it remade with every new video game console. Although every remake gets some new features, the story tends to faithfully follow the original’s core layout and conventions.
The story is always incredibly simple, likely to feed off of player nostalgia, making it the complete opposite type of game from Eternal Nations, which adds depth to its game world with vast amounts of flavor text.
Еn u m̄ à
Thus, Frost General Ice Rock’s flavor text was limited to nothing more than just “A melee boss with a warrior’s spirit.”
“What’s this nonsense ye speak of?! What’re ye trying to say?!” Ice Rock shouted. All he could do was shout.
He couldn’t comprehend even half of what the girl was saying, but what he did understand was that it was lethal to him. Burning unease consumed him like a wildfire. His heart of ice accelerated as if to drive home that uneasiness, and frigid white air poured off his body in the place of sweat.
Atou exhaled another long-long-suffering sigh upon witnessing his mounting panic.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“You’re…even stupider than I thought.”
“What did ye just say to me?!”
Е́.n ù m̂ а̄
The weighty battle-axe’s edge gleamed as it moved up and swept down. Following the trajectory of that storm-like strike with both eyes, Atou spun her sword once and sliced upward, meeting the blow head-on. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal.
Utter shock widened Ice Rock’s cold eyes, and Atou flashed a wicked smile.
When Atou snatched the Holy Sword Artes from the veteran High Paladin, she also obtained his Observing Eye skill, which allowed her to roughly grasp the skill and strength of her opponent after crossing blades only once. However, this only acted as a final confirmation of her opponent’s ability. She’d already figured out what he was made of from their initial confrontation.
In other words, he was easily managed at this level.
Atou determined that while he was indeed stronger than the Paladins she’d fought before, he wasn’t much of a threat to her now.
“Holy Sword Artes are a god-tier skill Qualia’s made-up god created to eradicate evil pests like you. What do you think? Frightening just to look at, isn’t it?” she taunted.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Ghh! How can a demon like ye wield such a skill?! Did ye become God’s bitch?!”
“No, the gods have nothing to do with technology trees. This is just one of many skills up for the taking.”
Atou had a very cut-and-dry manner of thinking. Takuto always came first and foremost. Everything else, whether it be supernatural or otherwise, held little interest to her. Thus, she’d enthusiastically make use of whatever technology and skills she could without caring whether it originated from holy gods or debase demons. This was why she could interact with the Dark Elves without conflict and make the most of the Holy Sword Artes.
Everything was for Takuto.
However, her diamond-like conviction and indifference toward everything and everyone rubbed Ice Rock the wrong way.
A frigid blizzard sharp enough to tear the skin apart shot out from the Frostfang’s maw as if it were trying to cut into their conversation. Atou spun elegantly out of the way and sent a single tentacle straight through the Frostfang’s open mouth. A gold coin flopped onto the cold ground with a sad clang that rang throughout the battlefield.
Ẇ.е́ b̆ň о̌.v́е.l̂_ Е n̈ŭ ḿ а.
They may be easy fodder, but there’s a lot of them. A drawn-out battle will put too great a burden on the Long-legged Bugs and Defense Force. I can’t take things the fun and slow way, Atou thought.
The Long-legged Bugs received massive buffs from the Cursed Terrain and Isla’s passive skills. Low-leveled monsters might not hold a candle to them, but they were still just Scout units. The risk of taking damage and getting destroyed increased the longer the battle dragged on.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
A battle of attrition would be even harder on Dragontan’s Defense Force and Elder Moltar’s Dark Elf troops. Although they were primarily using long-ranged attacks from the baileys, they’d eventually need to take to the field to get rid of the monsters littering the town’s perimeter. And when they did clash, the differences in latent Strength between Humanoid races and monsters would make for a hard fight.
Atou finally decided to annihilate Ice Rock. Now that she’d seen what he was made of mentally and physically, she doubted his destruction would lead to any disadvantageous circumstances. She switched her grip on the Holy Sword, completely changing the aura she gave off.
“You said there’s a Demon Lord, yes?” she asked.
She’d already wiped out the last of the Frostfangs. She’d taken care of them while having that lengthy conversation with Ice Rock.
Ӗ n̊ u mа́
There was a set cool-down time before Ice Rock could summon more, and that was by no means a short amount of time when it came to an active battlefield. He was on course to being completely crushed. He couldn’t even use the Frostfangs as bait to aid his escape anymore.
Ice Rock regretted the careless misstep that led him to underestimate his opponent’s strength based on appearances. He needed to request the assistance of all the generals—nay, even the Demon Lord’s presence may be necessary to deal with his current foe.
His thoughts went to the wretched Hero who’d thoroughly annihilated the Demon Lord’s Army and eventually drove their blade through the Demon Lord’s heart. And then there was the evil girl Atou, who attacked regardless of his attempts at persuasion. The Hero and the girl were completely different in appearance and disposition, yet…they seemed eerily similar enough in Ice Rock’s eyes.
“Why are your people trying to conquer the world? Out of instinct? Or of your own volition? Have you ever wondered why a hero always stands in your way?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
A beguiling voice gnawed at Ice Rock as if it were burrowing into his core and chiseling chunks out of his cold heart. Every fiber of his being screamed out in instinctual warning, but his body felt as heavy as lead.
“A hero appears over and over again, bringing about your ruin every time. The same thing repeats endless—”
Ẽ ǹù m а . і̇ d̊
“SILENCE! SILENCE! SILENCE!”
Ice Rock screamed. He screamed like a pathetic creature. He’d lost his presence of mind in a way most unbefitting for one of the Four Generals who served the Demon Lord, but fortunately and unfortunately, he no longer had any intelligent subordinates left to witness his shame.
“You’ve realized it, haven’t you? You can’t not have realized it by now. If you are like us, then you should have all the memories. Oooh! That expression! I love it! So that’s what an evil monster that attacks humanity and heroes looks like when it’s in despair! Pure perfection!”
It only took one or two spins for the girl to effortlessly repel Ice Rock’s madly swinging battle-axe.
Atou was laughing. Laughing at the foe before her. After all, the puniness of this pitiful creature only served to prove how great and mighty she and, by extension, her king was…
“What is it ye want from me?! What the demi-hell are ye trying to say?!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“You are nothing more than a minor boss character from a video game,” she stated.
Ice Rock remembered everything.
He remembered he was nothing more than a pawn. He remembered how he’d thought he should fight the Hero with the other generals. How he’d thought they should go kill the Hero in the Starter Town before the Hero had a chance to accumulate any strength. And yet, before he knew it, he was always facing the Hero in the exact same spot as the last time and the time before that.
Despite thinking up many different ways to turn the tides, everything always ended before he could act on it.
No matter how many times things repeated…no matter how many redoes he got…the end always came with his annihilation without him ever reaching the Hero first…
Yes, in this very moment, Ice Rock remembered everything and realized he was nothing more than a single obstacle meant to be cleared on the way to the end of a video game called Brave Questers.
Ẇѐb_n̊ õ vél̇ Ê n̈ü mä
“Your fear is palpable… Did you know that, pride of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals?”
“OOOOOOOoooooooohhh!!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
His cry was no longer the majestic roar of a brave warrior but rather the sorrowful wailing of a beast.
As she watched him go through the motions, Sludge Atou sneered like she was having the time of her life.
Tears of red blood flowed from his icy eyes.
His was the anguished and despairing expression of someone who’d realized they were nothing more than puppets on a string without any freedom of their own. Atou’s face twisted with sheer delight as she enjoyed every bit of his wailing, suffering, misery, and meltdown. She wanted to egg him on to further bathe in his anguish.
Е̃ ň ü m а̇.id̊
The girl who showed absolute trust and devotion to Takuto to the point that fanatical couldn’t even begin to describe it…was utterly evil when it came to others, even if they were characters from a game world like her.
“Then it can start now! Everything can start from here! World domination in the truest sense will begin for us today! This time…this time for sure…we will be the victors!”
The battlefield consisted of Atou, Ice Rock, and a treasure-trove worth of gold coins gleaming on the ground.
Frost General Ice Rock of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals had lost all his direct subordinates and was on course to lose sight of his very reason for existing. But just as Takuto was Atou’s reason for existing, Ice Rock also found his self-worth in another.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“O Demon Lord! Our great overlord! I offer ye true victory today! My name is Frost General Ice Rock! The one who crushes all enemies!”
Ice Rock experienced a sudden morale boost. In RPG terms, he didn’t receive any changes to his immediate stats, but he had pumped himself up to be a proud warrior with the will to move forward. Unfortunately for him, Atou sneered at the first real resolve he had found since being teleported to this new world.
Ё n ú m̂ а̊ . і̂ d̂
“Ahahahahaha! What a riot! You amuse me, you really do! Do you honestly believe that level of awareness, that level of resolve, that level of power is enough to proclaim you can defeat me? Sludge Atou? That you can shout to the heavens that you will take over the world?! Ha!”
She laughed and laughed and laughed until tears formed in her crimson eyes.
Ice Rock trembled as he realized she viewed his noble determination as less than rubbish tossed out on the wayside.
She was the embodiment of pure evil.
Ice Rock’s feelings and resolve meant nothing to the girl who only saw value in Takuto and herself.
Just as humans and animals can’t converse…
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Just as animals and bugs can’t converse…
Just as bugs and rocks can’t converse…
Atou was incapable of truly understanding anyone other than Takuto.
“In that case, I’ll deny all of you! I’ll destroy everything you believe in! My name is Sludge Atou! There can only be one sovereign in this world, and that is my master, Takuto Ira!”
That was what it meant to be Mynoghra’s Hero. That was what it meant to be Sludge Atou.
And so began the first and final battle between them.
W̊ ẽ b̄n̊ o v̌ѐl Ēnumа̇
Ice Rock’s pride and ego were on the line for the first time with this fight.
He freely wielded his ice battle-axe, striking at her from overhead, the ground shaking with the power behind his attack. Atou bent her tentacles out of the way like living whips and effortlessly parried his first strike with the Holy Sword. Then she thrust out with the blessed blade in a counterstrike.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Half-frozen gravel shot out at Atou like machine-gun fire from where Ice Rock had slammed his foot on the ground. She nimbly manipulated her tentacles out of the ground to deflect and repel the gravel bullets with inhuman agility.
It was like a mythical battle spoken of only in legends was unfolding there on the battlefield with their inhuman display of attacking and defending at unimaginable speeds.
The solid ground was torn up from the shockwaves and the sky constantly shook with the impact of each attack. That turbulence reached the town of Dragonton in the distance, and everyone who watched this battle that exceeded human understanding felt their very soul shudder.
“It won’t end! I won’t let things end this way! Even if I perish here, I will get my revenge on ye!”
W̃éb n̈о̃v̂е l̀ Еn ü må
“Ahahaha! What the heck?! What kinda cliché line is that?! You sound just like a manga protagonist’s party member! Are you trying to get this battle illustrated in the color character pages?!”
Atou cackled. Malice seeped from her every word.
Mynoghra is set as the evilest civilization within Eternal Nations. And that was exactly why there was no way its Hero unit, Atou, wouldn’t delight in trampling the hopes and dreams of another under her foot after spitting all over it.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Tell me! Tell me! Tell ME! Tell me how you will recover from this?! How are you going to defeat me?! C’mon, tell me! No matter how you look at it, you’re screeeeeewedddddddd!!!”
Ice Rock neither had the leeway to strike back to see if it was impossible for him to regain ground nor to laugh off her taunting as nonsense. In a situation where he was so close to losing, he couldn’t even bluff, he still wielded his full strength to fulfill his reason for existing.
Е̊ǹ ù m̊а̇ . і̊ d̊
However, a very sad reality hung over this battle.
Role-playing game monsters typically have fixed action patterns. They’re from a video game, after all. Several different behavior patterns are generally sufficient for most players to enjoy the game. On the opposite hand, too many programmed actions tend to create bugs and errors that only confuse the player and reduce a game’s playability.
When it came down to it, Ice Rock’s fighting style was so one-note that it was far too easy to predict his next move.
“I already know your every move, ice cube! Ahahahahaha!”
Atou slid in close to Ice Rock as if she’d already predicted he was about to swing his battle-axe down from above. He hurriedly slammed the axe into the ground, unleashing the next wave of gravel bullets, but Atou dropped to the earth like a snake and avoided the attack entirely as if she’d known it was coming next.
If this were a game, then all of Ice Rock’s attacks would have come up as null against Atou.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
On her turn, Atou’s attack finally struck his icy torso.
“CRITICAL HIIIIITTTT!! Whoopsie! Whatever shall we do now?! I did way more damage to you than I expected! Are you all right, ice cube?! How much HP do you have left? Soooo sorry, I don’t have a game guide on me, so I don’t know how much of a weakling you are!!!”
His large arm hit the ground with a thud. Although he’d managed to block a blow to the gut, he lost one arm in the process.
Ice Rock’s battle-axe only manifested its true strength when wielded with two hands. Now that he only had one hand, its attack power was cut in half.
He couldn’t land a hit even when he had his full strength. Would he be able to deflect her attacks with just one arm now? Ice Rock’s face of ice distorted with despair.
The scales of battle already leaned heavily in Atou’s favor. But she refrained from recklessly pursuing him. Cutting him with her words posed no risk to her, but careless attacks could give him the opening he needed to strike back.
Ẃѐ b̂ n ô v̀е l. Ë n um а̇
Even with all her sadistic remarks meant to torment the weak, she was in enough control of her emotions to never underestimate an opponent.
Was this calm thinking brought about by her nature as a Hero unit or simply because an evil soul allows no mistakes?
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The one sure thing was that Ice Rock’s slim chance of winning was slowly but surely being hacked away. And yet he still put up a fight. He decided, a little too late, to unleash his Ultimate Attack.
“URAAAAAAAAH! Have a taste of my Ultimate Attack!”
Frigid air poured off Ice Rock’s body. It spread like an explosion from his core, instantly freezing their surroundings as if they were in subzero temperatures. The handle of his battle-axe creaked. Ice Rock forced enough power through his crouched body that it threatened to break his weapon as his frame swelled to show off his mounting strength.
A faint, sadistic smile spread across Atou’s lips as she quietly braced herself. All her tentacles instantly gathered around the Holy Sword and turned into a giant spiral spear.
Е nüm.а .i̊ d
“Come. Challenge me with what you believe to be your greatest skill and taste miserable defeat.”
Her words and behavior did nothing to conceal her wickedness. Her intent to kill him with the next attack overflowed from every cell of her petite body and the spirally swirling spear of tentacles increased their hardness to emphasize her words.
And then came the clichéd final struggle that always surrounds the unleashing of an Ultimate Attack.
“URAAAAAAAAH! Glacial Decapitation!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Offense and defense happened in a single instant, but the time included in that instant seemed endless to both sides.
Subzero air exploded from Ice Rock’s body in waves that assailed Atou like a blizzard, encasing her delicate skin in thin ice. Frozen soil crawled over the ground like a living creature and froze her ankles in place.
Е.n ú m̊а . і̀ d
Amid the intense cold that shreds skin and makes all living things close their eyes and die, Atou looked forward, unfazed. Her eyes were fixed on the ice battle-axe swinging toward her.
Ice Rock’s do-or-die Ultimate Attack was nothing more than a slightly chillier attack than usual to Atou.
“Ahaha! AHAHAHA! How you underestimate me! You thought you could seal my movements with a little ice—”
Something strange happened then.
Just as Atou readied her specialized weapon to mow down his axe with impeccable timing—in that one-millionth of a second before their blades would clash—she failed to defend against an attack she never should have failed to counter.
“Wha?!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Her legs wouldn’t move.
Yes, her feet were undeniably frozen to the ground with ice. But Atou wasn’t so weak that a measly layer of ice could immobilize her.
It wasn’t the ice.
Something else…some strange, invisible force kept her feet stuck in place.
No, not just her feet…her entire body refused to react to Ice Rock’s attack.
“GAH! Urrph!!”
En̈ u mā . íd̊
The brief exchange of offensive and defensive blows ended with Atou on her knees.
She should’ve been on a whole different level from her opponent. The attack she’d unleashed with all her might had several times the Strength of her enemy, and the timing was perfect. If things went as usual, she should’ve dodged his attack and dealt a fatal blow to Ice Rock with her counterattack.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Her counter had been blocked and she even allowed him to land a hit on her.
Atou’s crimson eyes spread wide with astonishment and darted around to quickly grasp and piece together the current situation.
It appeared that the recoil from Ice Rock’s Ultimate Attack had temporarily immobilized him. The ice covering Atou’s body shattered with a loud crack.
She could move. Her mind was sound. She couldn’t detect any traces of a mental attack.
Ӗ n úm̀ȧ
Something had happened. Something she’d never experienced before. She’d been attacked in some way.
Her combat senses as Mynoghra’s Hero led her to one answer.
…Tch! Impossible! He just used an Unmissable Move, didn’t he?!
A bone-shattering impact unlike anything she’d ever experienced before overcame Atou. The temporary lull in the passage of time during her moment of quick thinking ended, and her body suffered from the very blow her mind had just processed.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Mynoghra’s Heroes are a force of nature with the ability to take on whole armies alone. But that didn’t mean they never took damage. Moreover, that last attack was entirely unexpected, and the damage done to her was immeasurable. She would’ve been in a worse state if she hadn’t snatched the Stone Golem’s defense strengthening skill: Stone Skin.
After taking a brief moment to be grateful for her luck, Atou started to analyze the situation in a way that let her internally gripe about it too.
Е̌ṅ umа̂
An Unmissable Move is an attack that can’t miss, be countered, or intercepted! That’s what just happened, isn’t it?! Just like how everything I do is governed by 4x strategy game rules, he’s governed by RPG rules, isn’t he?! Having the very game system make your attack impossible to counter is just plain cheating!!!
Atou’s internal organs spilled out of the ginormous gash sweeping up from her abdomen to her chest.
Finally freed from the aftereffects of his Ultimate Attack, Ice Rock turned toward Atou, and his expression stiffened. No living creature can spill its gizzards and still be okay. That would be a fatal blow even to a demon like Ice Rock.
Ice Rock had found a sliver of hope when he’d landed an actual blow on her—something he thought was impossible. However, something changed in the viscera that streamed out of her.
Her internal organs, which had gushed out of her with a pool of bright red blood—a color unbefitting of an evil being—gradually turned jet-black. It eventually became muddy sludge and absorbed back into Atou from her feet.
Before he knew it, Sludge Atou was standing before him as if she’d never been injured…
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t underestimate me so much.”
“N-Not even that was enough to defeat ye…?”
It’s my turn. Atou pierced Ice Rock with a killer glare.
In turn-based RPGs and strategy games, players typically get their turn after their enemy’s turn ends. Both sides were operating under different game rules, which were bound to cause various anomalies in the battle mechanics, but Atou figured he’d be incapable of dealing another fatal counterattack immediately after unleashing his Ultimate Attack.
So she poised her tentacles to attack again. The spiral-shaped feelers let out a strange gichigichi noise as they charged up, almost as if they were letting their prey know it was their time to strike back.
Then, like a bow being drawn to its absolute limit—
Е̊ ñu̇ḿ а
“Die… Die with an amusing sound just like the corny RPG boss you are!!”
—Atou released her fully charged attack.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“All hail…the Demon L—”
All that remained was Ice Rock vanishing into glittering particles of light. Then, as if the world remembered it as an afterthought, a treasure-trove worth of gold coins rained down in the same spot.
Atou glanced at that spot as if looking down on trivial filth and huffed.
“There is only one true sovereign in this world. Our king, Takuto Ira! Ruin shall come equally to all who oppose him! Be they good or evil, all who refuse to bow before our king aren’t allowed to exist!”
Е̂.n ũ mа̂ . i̊ ď
Tentacles burst out in every direction at explosive speeds. A force that should be too powerful for an individual to wield assailed the monsters remaining on the battlefield.
With the range of a longbow, the explosive strength of a giant, and ruthlessness with no room for mercy, those tentacles lashed out at every last monster under Ice Rock’s command.
◇◇◇
“…AND that’s the end of the monster horde.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
It only took a few minutes.
With the loss of their general, the monsters couldn’t fight against their instincts that screamed they were doomed, and they immediately began to scatter in every direction like baby spiders. Dragontan’s Defense Force and Mynoghra’s troops had sustained some minor damage but were doing well overall despite Atou’s initial concerns.
Е n ū m̀а
As for Mynoghra’s Hero herself, she could be trampled by ten thousand monsters and come out the other side unscathed. The same couldn’t be said of squishy Humanoids. Fortunately, they’d prepared for the worst-case scenario involving personnel and structural damage, so Atou was relieved things weren’t worse.
“The monsters are retreating, eh? It makes sense with the loss of their commander, but it’s fortunate their panic didn’t send them charging straight into the town,” Atou mumbled to herself as she pressed a hand over her abdomen.
A dull, stabbing pain aggravated her pride.
Pain meant little to a Hero born to wage war, but the mere fact the wound was the result of her carelessness was the greatest humiliation she’d ever tasted, and it enraged her to the point her anger became palpable.
“This is the state I’m left in after I was being so cautious too. What a failure… I’m such a failure! How can I declare myself Mynoghra’s Hero—King Takuto’s Hero—when I’m like this?!”
Atou audibly gnashed her teeth and fixed her gaze forward. The RPG’s main forces were likely waiting in the direction the monsters ran toward.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Confronting a completely different game makes things tricky. They’re too unpredictable because they move according to entirely different rules from us.”
Atou put her brain in high gear to analyze and pick apart the current situation.
She’d always believed that this world they’d been transferred to was governed by 4x strategy game rules just like her and Mynoghra. But she needed to alter her thinking now that an enemy army had arrived from a role-playing game. She now believed it was too dangerous to draw conclusions with her lack of knowledge.
Her beloved king instantly came to mind.
Should she report back what had just happened? Would he be terribly disappointed to learn she’d been injured? Of course, she understood that her king wasn’t so narrow-minded to be upset with her over such a thing. But she had really wanted to tell him that she had successfully completed her mission without any issues and receive his praise in return.
Takuto had given Atou a simple explanation about the game called Brave Questers shortly before the battle began. She could’ve predicted her opponent’s attack as long as she was paying closer attention. At the very least, she could’ve handled things better.
Ênùmà
Nevertheless, what was done was done.
Boundless anger at herself ate away at her. She couldn’t shake her regret and fear of relaying her failure. Then there was her absolute trust that her king wouldn’t scold her for it. But her heart longed for those invaluable words of praise.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Various thoughts and painful emotions spun around in her head, driving her into the proverbial corner.
“Aahhh! Enough!!!!”
She finally let it all out in a loud shout and shook her head.
There was still so much left to do. She didn’t have time to spare worrying herself sick.
Éǹu mӑ .і̀ d̊
When she finally looked up, she confirmed the Long-legged Bugs were waiting on standby around her. They likely came for their next orders after the monsters they were fighting fled the field.
“Long-legged Bugs! Thin out the defeated army within range and earn experience points! King Takuto will give you an upgrade later if you do!”
“GYGYEE!!”
The Long-legged Bugs zoomed off in the direction the monsters had fled at terrifying speeds. Since they’d earned a lot of experience points during this defense mission, they were ready to be upgraded into more powerful units through the Upgrade System.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The loser loses everything while the victor gains it all.
Acquiring higher-ranking units at this stage in the game was a very beneficial achievement for the empire of Mynoghra.
W̊ ѐbṅ о̆ v̊ӗ l Е̊ ň ü m̊ а̂
“I’d like to pursue the enemy now too, but…what should I do? No, enough procrastinating, I should report back to King Takuto first.”
Atou also needed to give orders to Elder Moltar and the rest of the troops from Mynoghra. Most of all, she still hadn’t spoken to Takuto yet.
Recklessly pursuing the enemy without handling priority matters first would be a disgrace to her role as mission commander, much less as a Hero.
With that in mind, Atou sucked in a deep breath to calm herself and connected to Takuto’s mental channel to send him a telepathic message. Her inaudible voice sounded so much like an adorable young lady it belied the crazed madwoman taunting voice she’d used during her battle with Ice Rock.
“King Takuto! I have successfully completed the Defend Dragontan Mission. One of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals advanced on the town with his army, but I have successfully crushed them. It was a piece of cake with my strength. However…um…you see…I kinda let down my guard, I guess? I have some things to report later, but um…before I do…I was kinda hoping you could praise me for all my hard work away from home…hahaha…”
Fidgeting shyly, Atou began to relay her message while looking into the distance where her king was. Did she bow several times in his direction because she’d picked up that Japanese habit from Takuto? But the adorable sunflower-like smile on her face instantly wilted.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“…What?”
In less than a fraction of a second, her expression shifted from a girl in love to the Hero of an evil civilization.
“Enemy forces have invaded Mynoghra’s inner citadel.”
The brief report Takuto had shared with her was enough to chill Atou’s heart.
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
