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Chapter 425
The tides of the battle shifted completely the moment Siegfried joined the fray.
“Sweep them up!” Seung-Gu shouted valiantly.
“You just shut it and watch!” Reventon retorted.
Seung-Gu and Reventon were now back in action after Siegfried swept up the ranged attackers with Splitting Heaven and Earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Iron Golems resumed firing at the enemies as well.
All this wouldn't have been enough to completely swing the momentum to their side, but Siegfried's Blaze Field had shredded the enemies’ Defense.
As a result, the Iron Golems' bombardment dealt fatal damage.
Meanwhile, Siegfried charged deeper behind enemy lines while swinging his +10 Horse Fly like a madman. This was extremely risky for him, as he was now completely surrounded by enemies, and he could no longer expect any allies to come to his rescue in the event he was stuck in a precarious situation.
What was going to happen if he made a small mistake?
Death.
In the event he was afflicted by a crowd control skill such as stun, restrain, slow, etc., then his enemies were going to CC lock him until he died.
He was walking on the razor-sharp edge of a blade right now[1]. No, it was more accurate to say that he was dancing on the blade as if he was being possessed by something.[2]
Siegfried was well aware of the risk.
‘One mistake, and I’m dead.’
However, he couldn't afford to stop.
Twitch! Twitch!
The high he was getting from the adrenaline pumping throughout his body, the thrill from knowing that a single mistake was going to be his end, and the ecstasy he felt from smashing his enemies’ heads open...
These three reasons had captivated him completely, and he couldn't get enough of them.
“Damn it!”
“Why is a Level 250 so strong?!”
“Is he even human...?”
The Adventurers were completely overpowered by the lone madman. Level 250 was just the beginning of becoming a high-level user, but was it really possible for someone of that level to display such combat prowess?
Moreover, the movements the lone madman displayed made them doubt if he was even a human being. A few of the Adventurers suspected that the lone madman was using some sort of illegal program.
Well, Siegfried didn't really care about what they thought of him.
Smack, smack, smaaack!
He swung his +10 Horse Fly like a killing machine and massacred anyone in front of him.
Ding!
A message popped up in front of his eyes.
[Alert: You have obtained a new skill!]
[Alert: A new skill has been created – Blade Walker!]
‘Huh?’ Siegfried tilted his head in confusion and ended up losing his concentration.
Needless to say, he paid a heavy price for it.
Swoosh!
A magic chain flew out of nowhere and bound him.
“Now’s our chance!”
“Attack! Focus fire!”
“We got him!”
“Die! Dieeeee!”
Siegfried was in danger, as the enemies focused all of their attacks on him. Becoming incapacitated behind enemy lines meant certain doom, as his enemies would certainly focus fire on him.
Dying seemed like it wasn't a big deal, as he was an Adventurer, but he was currently in the middle of war content. In other words, this was the end of the line for him if he died, as the War Content prohibited an Adventurer who died once from rejoining it.
Thus, he would have to go back to the Proatine Kingdom if he ended up getting eliminated.
‘Hang in there!’ Siegfried steeled his resolve to survive until the very bitter end.
Chwaaak!
He hunkered down and wrapped his entire body with the Blood Butterfly’s Wings and cranked up Overclocking to its second stage to raise his defense. Overclocking was a combination of all of his buff skills, which included Adamant Body.
In other words, he was currently protected by both the Blood Butterfly’s Wings and Adamant Body. The combination of the two allowed him to get past the predicament. contemporary romance
‘Tough it out!’ Siegfried gritted his teeth and held on for dear life.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Shwooong...!
Boooom!
Hunkering down made him look like the perfect target as the Adventurers unleashed all of their offensive skills at him.
***
The bombardment soon ended, and a thick cloud of dust engulfed Siegried, making it impossible to check whether he was dead or alive. Dozens of skills were thrown at the dust, and the havoc they caused made the cloud of dust even thicker.
Silence ensued on the battlefield.
“...”
The Adventurers on the Rebel Faction waited for the cloud of dust to clear so they could check Siegfried’s fate.
Of course, almost every single one of them was thinking of the exact same thing.
‘There’s no way he survived that.’
‘I don’t think that guy was a Tanker, so he should be dead.’
‘I wonder what kind of item he dropped...?’
‘I’d be surprised if his body is still intact after that.’
The Adventurers were certain of his death. Only a high-level Pure Tanker was going to survive the barrage of skills just now, and there was no way an offensive character like Siegfried was going to survive that.
However, the reality of the situation was completely different from what they thought.
The cloud of dust finally cleared, revealing Siegfried.
“Ugh...” Siegfried groaned and grimaced in agony as he stood up.
An Adventurer screamed in horror, “Hiiik! H-He survived?! He survived that?! HOW?!”
To that, Siegfried growled in response, “Yeah, I survived.”
He had survived, but it didn't mean that he was in good condition.
[Siegfried van Proa]
[HP: ??????????]
He only had ten percent of his HP remaining, and the durability of his defensive gears was so low they would only last for a few more attacks. Even his extremely dependable Blood Butterfly’s Wings was riddled with cracks and holes.
However, what was important to him right now was the fact that he had survived.
“T-That’s crazy!”
“How did he survive that?”
“This must be a bug! How the hell can a damage dealer be so tanky?!”
The Adventurers vehemently refused to accept reality—not that Siegfried cared.
“Argh... Why the hell will that skill pop up now...” Siegfried grumbled in anger at the message notification.
Obtaining a new skill was definitely a joyous occasion, but the problem was the timing that it appeared. Who would have known a pop-up message was going to distract him when he was fighting on thin ice with his life on the line?
Thanks to that, he was in complete tatters and was on the brink of dying, but he was extremely happy right now.
Why?
Because his new skill was just too good...
[Blade Walker]
[The Debuff Master shows its true value when wreaking havoc in the midst of enemies.]
[Type: Passive Skill]
[Effect 1: Gain bonus Attack Power, Defense, and Attack Speed depending on the number of enemies present. This buff will be much more effective when fighting behind enemy lines.]
[Effect 2: Lifesteal will increase the lower your HP is.]
[Note: You do not need to invest skill points into this skill!]
The new passive skill made him stronger whenever he was behind enemy lines.
Who would have known that such a skill even existed?!
“You’re all dead,” Siegfried said with a sinister grin as he gripped +10 Horse Fly tightly and charged at his enemies.
***
Siegfried went on a rampage with his newest skill, Blade Walker.
This would not have been possible no matter how overpowered his new skill was, but it was possible for him thanks to Lifesteal.
One of the effects the +10 Horse Fly provided was Lifesteal, and this was amplified by Siegfried’s new skill, which allowed him to have insane sustain in combat.
[Siegfried van Proa]
[HP: ??????????]
His HP, which had plummeted to ten percent, recovered until it was eighty percent.
While Siegfried was busy with his one-man show, the Adventurers fighting on the front lines of the Rebel Faction came running to the rear. They were some of the strongest Adventurers in the Rebel Faction, which was why they were fighting on the front lines.
“Hey! What’s happening back there?!”
“You damn noobs!”
They decided to come to the rear after reinforcements were delayed by Siegfried.
“What? You guys were having trouble with that low-level punk?”
“It doesn't even make sense...”
The Adventurers flashed an arrogant smirk before pouncing on Siegfried.
“Huh? Hmm...” Siegfried was slightly flustered after seeing strong Adventurers rushing toward him. His +10 Horse Fly and Blade Walker allowed him to comfortably fight behind enemy lines, but it was a different story if the real deals appeared.
‘Moderation is key to everything,’ he thought, realizing that it was time to retreat. There was a saying that doing nothing was better than doing too much of something. Siegfried knew that he could really die if he fought those high-level Adventurers right now.
“It was fun while it lasted! I’ll be off now!” he politely greeted his enemies.
However, one of the high-level Adventurers ran after him and shouted, “Where do you think you’re going?!”
He managed to catch Siegfried and delay him just enough for the others to catch up to them, but they couldn't land a single hit against him.
Flash!
A bright white light flashed and froze them in their spots.
Swish!
Then, it was followed by one thousand rainbow-colored projectiles that zipped through the air.
What happened afterward?
Run Siegfried! Run!
Siegfried ran as fast as he could without looking back.
Shwooong!
Of course, he didn't forget to activate his title, Pesky Brat, while running away.
***
Meanwhile, the leader of the Rebel Faction, as well as the other Descendant of Thunder God Vajra, Duke Taranis, were waiting for a report from the southern region.
Soon, a messenger appeared and knelt before reporting, “My lord! We've received word from the south!”
Duke Taranis raised a brow and asked, “Hmm? How are things over there?”
The messenger looked visibly troubled as he relayed the report, “T-That is... They have failed to occupy the enemy’s supply route...”
“Failed?” Duke Taranis furrowed his brow.
Bzzt! Bzzzzt!
A burst of lightning enveloped Duke Taranis. “So they failed?”
“M-My lord...!”
“But I think I sent them enough troops...”
Duke Taranis found it hard to believe that they had failed to occupy the supply route.
The Bayaba Territory supply route went through steep and narrow hills, which meant that it wasn't easy to conquer, but the number of troops deployed was definitely more than enough to conquer it without much difficulty.
But they actually failed?
“What was the cause? There must be a reason behind their failure despite having so many troops with them, right?” Duke Taranis asked.
“There have been countless casualties due to the involvement of the King of Proatine, Siegfried van Proa, my lord.”
“What? Siegfried van Proa?”
Duke Taranis was familiar with that name. It was the name of that greenhorn who appeared out of nowhere and joined the defense of the Siege of Bayaba Territory, and Duke Taranis was forced to abandon the siege because of that greenhorn.
He was not fond of that name, but who would have known that greenhorn would interfere with his plans once again?
‘Siegfried van Proa... This will be the second time you have foiled my plans... Do you really think that you and your weak little kingdom will be safe after this?’ Duke Taranis swore to teach Siegfried and his pathetic kingdom a lesson after he was done with the succession war.
He then turned toward his officers and commanded, “Send more Adventurers to the southern battlefield.”
“B-But my lord!”
The strategist of the Rebel Faction, Count Oslo, immediately retorted, “All of our fronts will be hard-pressed if we send more Adventurers to the south! The balance of power might fall!”
“Oslo.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“That’s not my style.”
“...!”
“Things like the balance of power are futile things in my eyes.”
“But, my lord...!”
“Who's going to be the master of this kingdom?”
“...!”
“Everything in this kingdom will be mine soon enough, so isn't it obvious that I should minimize casualties?”
“M-My lord!” Count Oslo was shocked at what he was hearing.
Duke Taranis was speaking as if he was certain of his victory and was soon going to become the new ruler of the kingdom. He wanted to send more Adventurers to the south and occupy the enemy’s supply route because he wanted to reduce the number of casualties in this war.
Why?
Because all of them were going to be his people at the end of the day...
“We'll weaken them after occupying their supply routes. That should make them surrender after a while.”
“My lord...”
“That is my strategy and plans for this war. Do you agree with me?”
“But, my lord... That is an extremely difficult strategy to pull—“
“I will make it possible.”
“Then I shall help, my lord.”
In the end, Count Oslo had no choice but to concede to his liege. There was nothing he could do after hearing his liege’s thoughts on this war, and he could no longer suggest not sending Adventurers to the southern front. Thus, Count Oslo decided to approach this from a different angle and propose a new solution.
“My lord.”
“Speak.”
“If my lord wishes to win this war with reduced casualties, then what about we completely change the battlefield?”
“Change the battlefield?” Duke Taranis muttered in delight, and his eyes shone brightly at Count Oslo's words.
1. This in English means walking on thin ice, but the next sentence didn’t allow it to be translated. ?
2. This is something shamans in Korea do. They dance barefoot on top of blades without getting hurt, and they claim this is due to the protection given by the spirit possessing them. More info here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAybclN6ugk (This video shows shamans, blades, getting possessed, etc. so watch at your discretion) ?