Chapter 68

Chapter 67. Lone Legion (3)

"…Is that even possible? No, are you really saying the opponent will come out like that?"

Ellis opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

It was hard to believe.

Not only did he read the numbers of the seasoned opponents, but he also saw through the personality of the Soulless as if they were childhood friends.

Most importantly, the hidden card he prepared at the end was a method that Ellis herself had never even imagined.

"You… what are you really? Are you even human?"

Ellis swallowed hard.

She had known from the first time they met that Jinhyuk was extraordinary, more so than anyone else.

But this was something else, a continuous series of surprises.

"I'm just one of the people who loves this world."

Eleven years.

He enjoyed this world more than anyone.

That's why he clung to it more than anyone.

He wasn't someone who could master everything at once.

He wasn't born with exceptional abilities like a celestial bone.

Just a worn-out old man.

"That's all."

Ellis let out a small sigh.

She realized that no matter how much she asked, she wouldn't get an answer about Jinhyuk's true identity.

"Take good care of what you have on your head. It's expensive."

"Don't worry. I'm not the type to let someone take something I've already gotten my hands on."

Heh!

"Of course. See you in a bit."

Jinhyuk bid farewell and moved away from where Ellis was standing.

He crossed the chess pieces and arrived at a wide open space on the far right.

Jinhyuk whistled.

Then,

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

Heavily armored cavalry armed with lances lined up on both sides of Jinhyuk.

"Did you call us?"

A voice devoid of emotion came from the mounted knight.

Unlike the other chess pieces, these were special entities with added intelligence.

They were the 'Knights' he had saved for this very moment.

Among them, a black horse fully clad in black armor approached.

'It's been quite a while since I rode a horse.'

Jinhyuk stroked the black horse's mane.

From common creatures like horses and dire wolves to rare ones like phoenixes and dragons, the Tower of Trials had thousands of 'mounts.'

Of course, Jinhyuk had ridden every existing mount.

In fact, he had used so many unique and rare mounts that riding a horse felt awkward.

Jinhyuk mounted the saddle.

"Neigh!"

The horse shook its body violently.

But only for a moment.

With gentle and skilled movements, the horse soon calmed down.

"Let's go."

Jinhyuk gripped the lance.

"Understood."

The black knight immediately bowed.

***

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

Three hundred Knights began to cross the bamboo forest.

The sound of hooves echoed loudly.

Right then,

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

Creatures with unusually long arms and legs were seen running between the statues.

Their number was about three thousand.

But they were all strong, at least medium-level creatures.

'They're targeting the main force.'

It was an awkward number to either turn back to defend or to ignore.

This was probably what the Soulless had planned.

"What should we do?"

"Ignore them. With three thousand gone, the enemy's wall will be thinner."

Jinhyuk pointed to the empty space in the center of the statues.

"As soon as we break through, the troops on both flanks will block our retreat."

"That's right."

He knew.

He knew that this was a deliberately opened gap.

The enemy's plan was to lure them in, trap them, and then steal Ellis's crown.

The placement of large creatures in the center and smaller ones on the sides clearly showed their intention.

But all of this was possible only if one condition was met.

If the three thousand extermination squad sent by the enemy could steal the crown.

'Faster than I can cut off his head.'

Clatter! Clatter!

Jinhyuk increased the horse's speed.

The enemy lines were now within reach.

"Break through in one go!"

As he shouted at the top of his lungs, the lance in his hand pointed forward.

[The chess piece 'Knight' has activated the 'Wedge Formation'!]

[Damage on impact increases by 200%!]

A formation that could create maximum destructive power with a small number of troops.

Three hundred Knights charged into the heart of the enemy lines.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fragments of statues pierced by lances flew in all directions.

It was a formidable power.

The layered defenses crumbled under the combined weight and speed of the charge.

Jinhyuk, leading the charge, gathered the troops and pushed deeper inside.

A few statues fought desperately, but none could hold him back unless they were named-level creatures.

After about a minute,

Jinhyuk's Knights reached the deepest part of the enemy lines.

Jinhyuk lifted his head.

There, he saw the Soulless standing on a statue adorned with jewels.

'...He's smiling.'

His twisted smile, confident of victory, was quite a sight.

"Well done, human, to crawl this far. Leading such a small number to my presence deserves praise."

"Enough with the nonsense. I know you deliberately left this gap open."

"Ho? You knew it was a trap?"

"Something like that."

"Interesting. Then why did you walk into it?"

"Huh? A trap? To me, it looks like a summer night by the Han River. Look, they're even selling chicken skewers and beer over there."

"...To still act so relaxed in this situation. At this point, I'm starting to think I overestimated you."

The Soulless slowly raised both hands.

"Well, whatever. You entrusted the crown to a scrawny girl and brought only this number inside... You're not worth dealing with anymore."

He then brought his hands together.

"I'll end this now."

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The statues on both sides began to move at that moment.

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

'He's even summoned the Greek statue of David and the Great Filthy Vajra.'

Like the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, powerful named-level monsters appeared one after another.

Boom!

Crash!

The Knights began to shatter without a proper fight.

Iron armor split in half, and lances shattered.

"Hahaha! Does this Shiva world have no better creatures?!"

The Great Filthy Vajra laughed heartily.

"Hmm. I don't see any humans with perfect body proportions."

The statue of David scanned the enemy's body up and down.

A battle maniac and a pervert in one place.

This was a rare sight...

Indeed, the amount of mana he possessed was tremendous.

Seeing him control such monstrous creatures, it was clear his mana pool was overflowing.

'Boss is a boss, I guess.'

However,

Despite the overwhelmingly unfavorable situation, there was no trace of tension on Jinhyuk's face.

Instead, he smiled and looked at the Soulless.

"Are you insane? Why are you smiling?"

"I'll point out two things you're mistaken about."

Jinhyuk folded his first finger.

"First, the statues you sent. You seem quite confident in them... Right?"

"Yes. I sent only the elite. Creatures I can trust with any task."

"I'm the same."

"What?"

"The creature I entrusted with the crown... is one I can trust."

Right as Jinhyuk finished speaking,

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A gush of red blood spurted from a distance.

"Such vermin! How dare you try to touch someone's head?"

Ellis's face twisted into a fierce expression.

[Ellis activates Lv?? 'Rain of Blood'!]

Hundreds of spears made of blood filled the sky.

Though numerous, each was imbued with immense mana.

The sunlight disappeared, replaced by dark clouds.

"Die."

Ellis spat out coldly.

That was it.

The numerous blood spears pouring from the sky began to shatter the statues.

A carpet bombing scene from a movie unfolded.

If not for the limited mana supply, this area would have been completely devastated.

"What... what is this?"

The Soulless, watching this, took a deep breath.

Despite selecting only creatures specialized in one-on-one combat,

In front of the white-haired girl, they were nothing but paper soldiers.

This was unbelievable.

Even among them were named-level statues.

How could they...

While the Soulless was in shock,

Jinhyuk folded his second finger.

"And the next thing. The gap you opened to draw me in... That was what I was aiming for."

The activation conditions were quite strict, but fortunately, all conditions were met.

[Calling up 'Memory of the World'.]

Jinhyuk summoned the grand library where his unique abilities and skills were stored.

Whirr!

The abilities to be fused were 'Blood Demon Qi' and 'Mandala'.

He would fuse these two abilities with opposite natures to create a power that could turn the tide of this battle.

[Unique ability 'Blood Demon Qi' and 'Mandala' are fusing!]

[Fusion successful!]

[You have obtained the skill 'Double Agent (S)'.]

[Due to the very strict activation conditions, the rank has been downgraded from S to A.]

[Double Agent]

Acquisition difficulty: A

Description: Can brainwash some of the enemies to make them turn on each other. However, the targets must be 'summoned creatures' controlled by a 'boss monster', and the distance between the 'boss monster' and the user must be within 5 meters.

"Thanks."

For bringing me within the range to activate this ability.

Thanks to this, I can use this ability.

[Lv1 'Double Agent' activated!]

Zap! Zap! Zap!

A transparent wave emanated from Jinhyuk's body.

And at that moment,

"Roar!"

A sudden change occurred in the tightly woven encirclement.

The swords and spears aimed at Jinhyuk and the Knights suddenly turned on their own comrades.

Bang!

Crash!

Almost half of the statues, regardless of friend or foe, began to rampage simultaneously.

Even among them were named-level statues.

"Love the human body proportions. Damn Western brat!"

The Great Filthy Vajra struck the face of the statue of David.

Crash!

Ugly cracks appeared on the statue of David's face.

"What... What are you doing all of a sudden?"

"Shut up! From the beginning, your parasitic brother-like face and well-defined abs and thighs didn't sit well with me!"

It was useless to say anything now that they had fallen to the 'Double Agent' ability.

To the Great Filthy Vajra, the statue of David now appeared as an archenemy.

The battlefield instantly turned into a chaotic scene.

"Damn. Did you deliberately act to set this up?"

The Soulless clenched his teeth so hard they might break.

"You set a trap within a trap."

To catch a smart opponent, one trick wasn't enough.

So, he added a little more seasoning.

Even a conceited opponent couldn't resist.

After all, as they say, the flower of lies is reverse lies.

In any case...

This equalized the situation.

"From now on, it's Round 2."