Chapter 108
Park Joo-Hyuk took a breath and watched for his chance. A man named Zhuge Yun was exposing himself without a care. Even though Park Joo-Hyuk was in a state of exhaustion, Park Hye-Won and Baek Hyun were with him.
Park Joo-Hyuk thought it was weird how Zhuge Yun revealed so much about himself, when he knew that Park Hye-Won and Baek Hyun were around.
‘Zhuge Yun must be confident that the two of them can’t harm him even if they try to attack.’
Park Joo-Hyuk could not think of a way to turn the situation around.
‘Shit… It feels like there are just too many enemies to take on here.’
Park Joo-Hyuk wondered, ‘Could I have escaped this situation even if I was in good condition?’ Park Joo-Hyuk thought that the man in front of him would have planned a counterattack in such a situation.
Park Joo-Hyuk sensed that he was in a trap that he could not escape from, helpless as a bug caught in a spider's web. As Park Joo-Hyuk watched Zhuge Yun laugh, those thoughts continued to haunt his mind.
"Wait a second, if you had anticipated the wizard’s snipe… does that mean that he’s bogus?" Park Hye-Won asked, and Zhuge Yun answered with an amused look on his face.
"He's not a bogus wizard, but… hmmm… let's just say he's half—not a wizard with the real skills to break through Windsor's barrier, but good enough to deceive you guys… Well… he’s about the level of a wizard with the Purple Pattern. By the way, there's another wizard with the Black Pattern, too," remarked Zhuge Yun.
Park Hye-Won's expression stiffened at Zhuge Yun's words.
“Wait a second… that means, Windsor would also be…” Park Hye-Won muttered.
“Yes, that's right. Now the real wizard with the Black Pattern must be attacking Windsor at this point. Without you all, it won't be easy to protect Windsor," said Zhuge Yun.
Zhuge Yun's plan was to target all of Windsor and Merteng’s Saviors from the beginning.
"So please don't resist. It’s meaningless at this point. I don't want to waste our energy," said Zhuge Yun.
"Shut up, you bastard!" Baek Hyun shouted.
In an instant, Baek Hyun unsheathed his sword and charged at Zhuge Yun. At first glance, Zhuge Yun did not seem to have any defense.
‘Only if I can defeat this guy here...!’
[Wind Drills]
A current of air gathered around Baek Hyun’s blade, rapidly spinning toward the tip. It was an attack that could pierce through a shield and kill an enemy in one blow.
"That won’t be enough," said Zhuge Yun.
Woong—
With a swift swing of his fan, Zhuge Yun unleashed a sudden gust of wind toward Baek Hyun.
“What the hell?” Baek Hyun was startled.
The wind was so powerful that it dissipated the air currents that Baek Hyun had mustered and flung the sword out of his hand. Baek Hyun, who was bewildered, hastily retrieved his sword and backed away.
"Are you okay Baek Hyun?"
"Yeah, but what is up with that fan? How did he disperse my wind...?" Baek Hyun muttered.
Baek Hyun could not hide his frustration and confusion at such a situation that he had never experienced before. It felt like the wind he had created had given in to the opponent's wind and vanished.
"Zhuge Yun just blocked Baek Hyun’s skill with just one wave of a fan..." Park Hye-Won said.
"Was that why he was so confident all this time?" Baek Hyun muttered.
Baek Hyun charged toward Zhuge Yun again to confirm what the attack was. This time, Baek Hyun imbued his sword with lightning energy.
"Wow, that is impressive,” said Zhuge Yun.
Zhuge Yun quickly folded his fan and flicked it.
Rumble— Crack!
Lightning bolts struck down in the direction as Zhuge Yun had flicked his fan, approaching Baek Hyun. Baek Hyun tried to block them with his sword, but he could not push away all of them. Instead, he was forced back by Zhuge Yun’s attack.
"A thunderbolt?" Baek Hyun muttered.
It was a spell that Lee Shin used predominantly. Baek Hyun, who had come face to face with Lee Shin’s thunderbolt before, felt that the one he encountered a second ago was very similar to Lee Shin’s.
"Hahaha, Lee Shin isn't the only one who can use thunderbolts," said Zhuge Yun.
Zhuge Yun opened up his fan once again, and he started to laugh behind his fan.
"How was my thunderbolt?" Zhuge Yun asked and laughed.
***
At the same time, in Windsor, people were delighted to see the wizard in charge of activating the successful combat formation fall after being sniped. However, that happiness lasted only for a short moment.
The enemies who were moving around busily had disappeared somewhere, and another wizard took the place of the one who had been shot down by a sniper. At this sight, the faces of Juan and the executives froze instantly.
“Wait a second… Does that mean there were two wizards with the Black Pattern?” Juan asked one of the executives.
"I’m not sure about that. But still, even if there were, I don't think both of the wizards with the Black Pattern would have been sent to this place at the same time,” the executive replied.
"Then are you saying that the wizard who died earlier was fake?" Juan asked again.
"That could be a possibility. The enemies moved without any hesitation as if they already knew that there would be a sniper attack. So, it is likely that the enemies had planned to shield the wizard with the Black Pattern from such an attack." The words of the Head of the Ministry of Mana, responsible for Windsor’s defense barrier, were reasonable enough.
"That means..." Juan muttered.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Suddenly, the sound of urgent footsteps could be heard. A soldier entered through the door and made an announcement with a stiffened face.
"A huge energy current has been detected in the mountain range where the Saviors headed. There was also an abnormal phenomenon where an explosion occurred and then all its traces disappeared," the soldier said.
"What?" Juan could not believe what he was hearing.
Juan and the Head of the Ministry of Mana, who knew about Park Joo-Hyuk's unique ability, immediately realized what was going on.
"Damn it! Release the troops right away an—" Juan suggested.
"No! We can’t do that! If we retract the defense barrier now, the citadel may fall due to their spells," said the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
"Then are we going to leave the Saviors like that?" Juan shouted.
"Now is the time to trust the Saviors. Think about why they took the risk," said the Head.
Juan bit his lip and looked at the enlarged image of the enemies on the screen.
'Yes, you’re right. I shouldn’t lose my cool like this.’
If the barrier were to be retracted, the enemies would attack this citadel without hesitation. If that happened, the act of the Saviors risking their lives to snipe the enemy wizards would be in vain. They must somehow endure and preserve their safe haven until the Saviors return.
"An attack is coming," shouted the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
Juan furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the screen upon hearing the Head of the Ministry of Mana's words. The pinnacle that Juan was located in right now, the highest point within the fortress, was the place where operations of the barrier that protected the entire fortress took place. Since it offered a view of the entire surrounding area, Juan had been observing the surroundings from here since the war broke out.
"It's coming!" shouted the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
Bang—!
The enemy attack was so powerful that the entire barrier shook. Although the impact did not reach inside the fortress, the Head of the Ministry of Mana was mentally drained trying to keep the barrier intact.
"Are you okay?" Juan asked, looking at the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
"I'm fine. However, if we get attacked a few more times, it may become difficult to endure," said the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
"When do you think the next attack will be?" Juan asked.
"I don't know. However, they probably would need at least 20 minutes to prepare for the attack,” the Head of the Ministry of Mana replied.
A lot of preparation was required to launch a massive combat formation. Still, if the attack could hit them every 20 minutes, it was a foregone conclusion that the barrier would be broken within a few hours.
"How much longer can we hold out?" Juan asked the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
"If the power of the attack we just experienced was at its maximum, then we would be able to withstand it ten times. However, if the attack gets even stronger, then we will only be able to withstand it eight more times," the Head of the Ministry of Mana replied.
"Damn it, we don't have much time left," Juan muttered.
Although Merteng’s situation had turned around and they were gaining momentum, if Windsor collapsed like this and all the Saviors were captured, their momentum would be severely dampened. However, there was nothing they could do right now except to wait.
Baaang—!
The barrier shook violently once again.
Baam—!
Another deafening noise reverberated.
Baaammm—!
Until the eighth shockwave hit the citadel, there was nothing Juan could do besides helplessly watch as cracks formed in the protective barrier.
"Keugh... this is the last one we can endure. If we get one more hit, the barrier will break," said the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
The Head of the Ministry of Mana was already barely holding on, trying to wipe away the blood that was trickling from his lips. The enemies had been pouring in an enormous amount of money, relentlessly launching attacks at every opportunity they had without any shortage of mana.
"Wait, look over there! The reinforcements from another country have arrived," said Juan.
The sight of the enemy's forces getting more backup only added to his despair in this already difficult situation.
"No... wait a minute," Juan muttered.
Juan noticed something, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the flags they were carrying.
"It's... from Lantan!" Juan shouted.
"What? Why would Lantan be he—Oh!” the Head of the Ministry of Mana muttered.
Juan and the Head of the Ministry of Mana looked at each other, both realizing something at the same time.
"The enemy doesn't know about Lantan's betrayal yet," said Juan with a smile.
"This is perfect timing," the Head of the Ministry of Mana replied.
Not long ago, Juan and the Head of the Ministry of Mana had been somewhat unconvinced when they heard that Lantan was coming to support Windsor. Lantan could only come to this continent through a portal that connected from the Blue Zone to a Demon Zone, and that route would have been too much of a gamble for them to take themselves.
‘Hmm… but the enemy doesn't have any reason to think that Lantan would have betrayed them yet.’
Keeping Lantan for their finishing blow might have been a more powerful card to play, but there was no need for that as long as Lee Shin was on their side. If Lantan could save Windsor from this crisis, now would be the most appropriate time to leverage on them.
Both Juan and the Head of the Ministry of Mana stared at the screen, which was filled with Lantan soldiers passing through the enemy lines as if it was natural, and the commander approached the wizard who was preparing for another attack.
Before the commander, who wore a helmet, started activating a mana circle, he approached the wizard, who was gathering his mana.
"What is he trying to do?" Juan asked, looking at the Head of the Ministry of Mana.
"I'm not sure. Talking like that won't buy us any time," the Head of the Ministry of Mana replied.
The two of them were filled with doubt, but their questions were quickly answered. The soldiers of Lantan slowly moved toward the wizards, and the commander drew his sword. He struck, as fast as lightning, and sliced through the left arm of the lead wizard, and then simply continued on its path.
"Really?" the wizard muttered.
At the same time, Lantan's soldiers began slaughtering the wizards. Since the wizards had already activated the combat formation several times, they were exhausted. Running out of capacity to put up much resistance, the wizards died one after another. When the enemies realized Lantan's betrayal and went to capture them, Lantan's soldiers escaped and fled to Windsor.
"Open the gate quickly! Knights, go out and save Lantan's soldiers! Retract the defense barrier!" Juan shouted.
"Understood!" a soldier replied.
Juan urgently shouted to Windsor’s soldiers standing in wait outside the gate, and they charged like madmen. Windsor’s knights and soldiers, having observed the situation from the castle wall, had already made their way out of the castle, and were prepared for battle as soon as they heard Juan's command.
"Mr. Hwang Kang-Woong!"
"I'll stop the enemies!" Hwang Kang-Woong replied.
Lantan's soldiers had lost over half of their troops during their retreat. Their commander, a knight, was covered in blood. Hwang Kang-Woong, who had quickly reached the location of Lantan's soldiers on a horse, activated his mana and took out building materials from his Subspace Pocket.
[Rapid Construction]
[Stone Stacking]
Solid rocks fell out of the Subspace Pocket and were piled up like a castle wall behind Lantan's soldiers in an instant.
[Strengthening of the Defense]
The enemy soldiers rushing toward Windsor faltered in confusion, but then charged toward the wall of rocks that Hwang Kang-Woong made.
"It's just a temporary stone wall! Break through it!" ordered the enemy commander.
When Hwang Kang-Woong saw the enemy soldiers charging toward the stone wall with swords raised, Hwang Kang-Woong scattered his mana once again.
[Explosion of the Stone Wall]
The wall made up of rock was built more for attack than defense. Knowing that the angry enemy soldiers would try to break through the wall instead of bypassing it, Hwang Kang-Woong had installed explosives in the wall from the beginning.
Bababam—! Crack! Bang—!
The wall exploded and hot rocks scattered in all directions. The soldiers caught in the explosion fell off their horses and writhed on the ground, and their army's formation collapsed and crumbled in an instant. After confirming that he had successfully blocked the chase, Hwang Kang-Woong quickly headed back with the soldiers of Lantan.
"The soldiers of Lantan have returned!" a soldier shouted with excitement.
"Yay!"
The soldiers cheered for their fellow soldiers who were returning with great achievements, and for Hwang Kang-Woong, who had rescued them. The soldiers of Lantan, who used to be Windsor’s enemies, had fought and risked their lives to help them.
Although Windsor had more conflict with Lantan than any other places in the past, Lantan had washed away that past with their own blood.
"Ha... ha..." Juan Byron greeted the commander of Lantan, who was out of breath.
"Thank you," said Juan Byron.
"I just did what I had to do," replied the commander of Lantan.
If it had not been for the exploding rock wall at the forefront of the enemy lines, Lantan would never have survived such a reckless act.
It was remarkable that the soldiers of Lantan managed to survive after doing such a reckless act. Lantan had sacrificed these soldiers for the sake of rescuing Windsor. Besides, these soldiers had accepted their fate to sacrifice and fought without a word of complaint.
"Now you are no different than our comrades," Juan said, looking at the soldiers of Lantan.
"Then could you allow our soldiers to take a rest?" the commander of Lantan asked Juan.
"Of course! Take care of these soldiers from Lantan. Provide them with food and help them recover!" Juan ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
"What's your name?" Juan asked, looking at the commander of Lantan.
"It’s Venomino, sir," replied the commander of Lantan, named Venomino.
"Venomino... I'll be counting on you from now on," said Juan.
"Yes, sir," Venomino replied.
Juan smiled with satisfaction and stretched out his hand. As they shook hands, Venomino gave him a glance.
"Do you have something to tell me?" Juan asked Venomino.
"Our mission is to protect this place until Lee Shin comes," Venomino said.
"Is that so?" Juan replied.
"And to protect the Saviors. Where are the Saviors anyway?" Venomino asked Juan.
"Well, they are..." Juan mumbled.
Juan's expression stiffened as he spoke.
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