Chapter 343. Comeback (1) (1/2)
Sung Shihyun was observing the battlefield with nonchalant eyes.
He seemed a little angry.
No, not angry. Rather— the lines between his eyebrows indicated frustration.
Finally, he closed his eyes and shook his head as if he couldn’t stand to watch any longer.
He couldn’t be blamed.
Spectators in the stands hoped for the game they were watching to be so intense that they would have to sit on the edge of their seats the entire time.
But the players on the field had different opinions. They would rather win by a mile than stay on their toes all through the game.
Of course, if they were on the losing side…
“Fucking shit…”
They would curse like so.
That was exactly how Sung Shihyun felt right now, especially as a human who defected to the Parasites’ side.
It was like playing a game of chance. He had been betting on ‘odd’ when the result had been ‘even’ for hundreds of times in a row, and now that he’d finally bet everything he had left on ‘even’, he got stuck with an ‘odd’.
“Seriously, I don’t understand. Why did the World Tree suddenly revive? What’s with that light and darkness? What moron let things get this messed up?”
[Sung Shihyun.]
The moron… or rather, the one in charge of this situation called him.
[You will need to help out.]
Sung Shihyun bit his tongue and glanced up at the sky.
“Should we keep going? Or….”
[We will retreat.]
“…A wise judgment.”
Sung Shihyun gave a deep sigh and nodded.
“Well, how exactly can I help?”
[Vulgar Chastity is in danger. Can you buy her some time?]
Confused, Sung Shihyun tilted his head.
He had expected orders to rescue the Army Commanders or create an escape route for them, and so was preparing to tell the queen that he couldn’t do both.
But to stall for time— that wasn’t something he expected to hear.
The Parasite Queen seemed to have made an important decision.
‘At this point, I guess it would be hard to come out unscathed without trying something risky.’
Sung Shihyun muttered to himself and nodded.
“Of course, but I can’t stall for long. You know about my current condition, right?”
[I do. I apologize for pushing you too hard.]
“Please, don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. It’s their fault for not living up to your expectations.”
Sung Shihyun said sarcastically before getting up and dusting off his clothes. He grabbed the sword at his waist and asked abruptly.
“Your Majesty, would you allow me to kill one or two people on the way? It’ll help Blackie too.”
[Blackie?]
“I mean Unsightly Humility. I think I can deal the enemy a blow before we retreat.”
[Will it affect your ability to carry out my orders?]
“Of course not. Right now, no one knows I’ve turned to the Parasites. And they’re all too busy fighting….”
The Parasite Queen gave a renewed look.
Now that she decided to play her trump card, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make the most of it.
Their chances were good, especially for the first blow.
[Alright, go ahead. I will be looking forward to it.]
“Please do.”
Looking at the battlefield, Sung Shihyun said with a sly smile.
“I’ll come back with good news that can appease your anger.”
Pop! With the sound of the air exploding, Sung Shihyun vanished without a trace.
He was next seen running down the hill, then he disappeared again and reappeared at the bottom of the hill.
Though he did not seem to have made any effort to run, such as bending his knees or even taking his feet off the ground, he had already arrived at the battlefield.
This was the effect of the skill representative of a Level 7 Unique Ranker Warrior, Ethereal Shift.
Sung Shihyun had just used it several times in a row.
**
The Star of Pride, the Executor of Superbia, was full of excitement for the first time in a long time.
He wasn’t excited by the war itself per se, but he took pleasure in turning the game around.
The Death Knights had already been exterminated, and Unsightly Humility was barely holding out even after unsealing his divinity.
—Keuk!
Unsightly Humility quickly pulled the reins and the spectral horse lifted its legs.
A huge hand made of light smashed the place where the horse’s legs had just been.
Before Unsightly Humility could even relax, however, the spectral horse suddenly stopped.
The earth was boiling and white steam filled the view. A crimson hand had clasped the horse’s legs.
The heat was beginning to melt the horse’s hooves. Astonished, Unsightly Humility planted his sword down on the ground.
The crimson hand quickly released the horse’s legs, but when he turned his eyes, the hand of light slapped his entire body.
The horse cried pitifully as Unsightly Humility flew off and fell to the ground.
Shivering, the Commander quickly opened his eyes.
His horse was surrounded by Valkyries.
The moment he saw dozens of lances piercing his horse, he knew what had just happened.
—Keuaaaaa!
Enraged, Unsightly Humility rushed at the enemy. He first slashed the Valkyries, then immediately raised his sword and slammed it down on the ground.
CRACK! The ground cracked and shattered all around him.
Shockwaves from the sword flew past the spot where Cinzia had just stood and exploded when it reached the cliff.
He truly had a herculean strength. However, even before he could catch his breath, Unsightly Humility had to raise his shield.
Dealing with the Spirit Lords of Light and Darkness and the Star of Sloth was difficult enough, but they weren’t the only ones surrounding him.
Tang, tang, tang, tang, tang, tang! Chained arrows flew at Unsightly Humility’s shield in unison, blocking his movement.
The Star of Wrath did not pass up this opportunity and rushed in from the side with the greatsword.
Unsightly Humility parried the attack with a skillful movement of his longsword and strongly struck the greatsword down.
However, the Star of Wrath let go of his sword and rolled himself up.With unbelievable agility unbefitting of his large stature, he quickly shot towards the enemy, tackling him.
“Dowaryaaaa!”
Unsightly Humility stumbled as the Star of Wrath rammed into him.
At the same time, chained arrows flew at him like a net and coiled around his entire body.
Rendered immobile in an instant, Unsightly Humility felt a chill run down his spine. Once again, energies that could not be ignored descended and soared from the sky and the ground. They came at him with clear intentions of crushing him flat.
Suddenly, his hollow eyes flashed blue.
KWAAAAAAA!
Divinity Release.
The burst of energy disassembled all chains and covered the light and darkness.
Even though he was out of danger, Unsightly Humility didn’t look happy.
He’d been repeating these same procedures for quite some time now.
Of course, in some regards, holding his ground against two demigods and three Executors under the restrictive influence of the World Tree was amazing.
But however amazing it may be, it didn’t change the fact that he was at a disadvantage.
The duration of his divinity was getting shorter every second, and releasing it on top of that put a lot of pressure on his body. Unsightly Humility knew he could do this only a few more times.
The Star of Pride, on the other hand, was having a blast. His face filled with excitement when he realized he was on the verge of capturing the Army Commander.
Whether it be fame or contribution points, he would not be lacking if he was successful. Even reaching Level 8 would no longer be a dream.
Dreaming of a rosy future, the Star of Pride suddenly came back to reality. Nocking another arrow against his bow, he gazed at Unsightly Humility, who was standing motionlessly.
‘Why isn’t he moving?’ He wondered.
It was then that he realized the quickly approaching presence. An Earthling wearing an iron helmet, cape flying, was running towards them at considerable speed.
“I’ll help you!”
“…What?”
Before he could say anything, the man rushed in like the wind towards Unsightly Humility and attempted to attack him from the side.
Of course, Unsightly Humility wasn’t just going to watch.
Keeping an eye out for the hands, the Army Commander swung his sword, and the man was immediately thrown to the ground.
“Arrgh!”
“Ah, hey, you moron!”
The Star of Pride yelled at the man flying towards him while scattering his blood in the air.
“Even if you’re thirsty for contribution points, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belo…!”
He paused all of a sudden.
A vague feeling of suspicion overtook him.
Perhaps the man’s greed had numbed his fears, but to yell ‘I’ll help you!’ right before a surprise attack? That was definitely strange.
Above all, the movement of the man’s sword caught his eye. He couldn’t quite tell whether it was intentional or not, but he noticed that the man’s blade was coming towards his neck as he flew.
He was in doubt for long but was quick to take action.
The Star of Pride unwittingly backed away from the man and fired an arrow. Just before the chain on the arrow wrapped around the man…
“…Damn.”
Pop! An explosive sound rang out.
The chains hit against each other instead of binding the man.
“I see that your perception is just as fast as ever.”
Dazed, the Star of Pride looked back over his shoulders. There, he saw a perfectly white row of teeth visible through a grin.
“You know what?”
Sensing danger, the Archer’s body moved automatically.
At the same time, the thoughts, ‘he’s not on our side’ and ‘can it be…?’ crossed his mind.
However, the enemy’s sword was much faster than him. It was his mistake to allow the man to come near without suspecting that he might be an enemy.
“Of all the Executors, I’ve always hated you the most!”
Swish!
That was the end.
The Star of Pride’s head separated from his body and flew into the air.
The man landed in a heap amid everyone’s astonishment.
“Hoh!”
Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he brandished his sword towards the sky.
It was a simple act, but massive shockwaves and crescent-shaped sword qi rushed forward.
The light and darkness quickly moved away in a startle.