Chapter 223: “A Curse Never Misses Its Timing” |
“That many of them, huh? No wonder, for a calamity that has ruled over this land for centuries, this seemed too weak thus far.”
“[Genocide Arrow].”
“[Genocide Arrow].”
“[Genocide Arrow].”
“[Explode Arrow].”
“[Explode Arrow].”
“[Explode Arrow].”
Dodging countless attacks desperately, I activate [Sky Drive] and gradually ascend.
Even when staying grounded to evade attacks, if it’s an Explode Arrow, there’s a chance of it hitting the ground and causing residual damage.
How much time have I spent weaving through this barrage?
Since the appearance of the multitude of Archangels, it has been a constant defensive battle. It’s only natural, considering the difference in numbers. They are swift.
While taking advantage of opportunities, I use [Demonic Eyes] to cast spells, but it’s impossible to defeat them with a single blow. They heal before I can deliver the next strike.
Craftily, despite their sheer numbers, they position themselves in such a way that only one of them is within the range of [Dark Implosion].
The number of Archangels floating around must exceed fifty.
I never expected the raid boss to assemble more forces and initiate a raid against a solo player.
“[Penetrating Arrow].”
“Tch!”
I receive the enemy’s arrows with the Demonic Shield. When I judge that I can’t dodge everything, I choose Penetrating Arrow for the attack I will get hit by. This skill is probably an armor-piercing attack. Since the Demonic Shield lacks armor, its defense is lower than my body. For Penetrating Arrow, which allocates its performance as an armor-piercing attack, the Demonic Shield is not very rewarding. By maneuvering to minimize the opponent’s benefits, I slowly bridge the advantage gap.
But perhaps it’s time to hold back. They’ve probably noticed.
The frequency of attacks from Penetrating Arrow has decreased, and this is—
“[Genocide Arrow].”
“[Explode Arrow].”
“Kuu!”
Right after taking a Penetrating Arrow, I’m hit by a high-speed piercing attack and the direct hit of an exploding arrow. It feels more like they were already placed there rather than deliberately aimed.
Indeed, I was being guided.
If unable to evade, my habit is to move toward the direction of a Penetrating Arrow and get hit right there by another prepared attack. Even though I had considered this possibility, with the opponent’s attack density being this high, it’s challenging to think strategically. I chose Penetrating Arrow to minimize damage, but now it seems meaningless.
In retaliation, I release the cooled-down [Dark Implosion] with [Demonic Eyes] synergy. However…
“Gwaaah!”
“[Greater Recovery – High Heal].”
This time, recovery occurs without delay. Although not all the damage dealt has been healed, it seems to have been significantly diminished.
This too is the same. They are reading me.
To cast magic with [Magic Synergy], you need to target the opponent or visualize the detonation point. In other words, there must have been an individual standby, predicting the position from which the attack would come, ready to heal immediately. It’s better to close my eyes and use [Demonic Eyes] for targeting, then unleash the spell with the regular activation key.
“[Gatling]!”
I strafe the individual who just cast healing with my dagger.
But another individual activates healing magic, and that damage is also nullified.
Furthermore, several other individuals activate [Healing Magic], restoring the LP of the one hit by [Dark Implosion] to full.
The theory of taking out healers first doesn’t seem to apply.
Presumably, all the Archangels can use healing magic.
“A raid battle where every party member is a healer, attacker, and has LP comparable to a tank. I wish I could have joined the other side.”
Saying that won’t change anything, and most likely, most players have considered such a scenario during a boss battle in the game. On the other hand, perhaps the boss monster also thinks the same about the players every time.
However, cracking a joke plays an important role in calming the mind.
Impatience, anger, agitation—these emotions easily deprive one of sound judgment.
Even if it’s a battle where perfection might not guarantee victory, avoiding mistakes caused by mental disturbance is crucial.
The LP of the Demonic Shield, which I’ve saved by deceiving with Penetrating Arrow, is decreasing exponentially with consecutive hits from Genocide Arrow and Explode Arrow.
Amidst all this, the Demonic Shield I’ve been consciously using to take attacks is finally destroyed. It’s unavoidable.
As the enemy’s attacks often include area-of-effect damage, concentrating damage on one shield rather than distributing it evenly across all shields is considered to result in lower overall damage in the end.
Of course, I try to dodge as much as possible, but there are times when it’s unavoidable.
Taking a direct hit from Genocide Arrow, another shield is destroyed.
While the single-hit damage from Genocide Arrow is greater, Explode Arrow explodes, causing damage to other shields and even Rare’s body. In terms of total damage, if all shields and the rare body are hit by the explosion, Explode is more painful, but with two shields and my body, it balances out with Genocide.
However, explosions are troublesome, so I want to avoid Explode as much as possible.
On the other hand, my attacks, although effective, cannot deliver a decisive blow due to being interrupted by healing.
At this rate, I’ll end up in a stalemate. Or rather, I’m already in one.
Firstly, my positioning is terrible. I’ve never heard of being surrounded by the raid boss on all sides.
I try to escape and gather enemies in one direction, but in the direction I want to escape to, there are usually already Explode Arrows placed by someone. Even if I charge in, prepared for damage, I get knocked back by the explosion, surrounded again during the recovery, and trapped.
Recklessly spamming a few spells might allow me to break free from the encirclement, but all I can do then is run away. If that’s the case, it would be better to cast Casting from the beginning. Besides, my rare LP and MP are still too plentiful for that.
It’s too early to run away with my tail between my legs.
Originally, the plan was for me to fight against a powerful single Archangel as Rare, while the large monsters would act as suppressors, and the small fry would distract and seal. That was the plan.
But I never expected this.
That multiple Archangels would appear as event bosses.
Certainly, for the current me, a single Archangel is slightly weak when categorized as an enemy.
However, to categorize the boss’s entourage as too strong would be an understatement.
Ubel, Meganeuron, and others would probably be on the verge of death with a few hits, and they can’t easily avoid the attacks. On top of that, they’re outnumbered. Knowing that it would only be a time-wasting endeavor, I can’t afford to summon them here.
The Archangels have accumulated experience points over centuries, not by consolidating them into one character but by creating numerous powerful allies.
It’s a rational decision.
I would do the same. In fact, I am doing so.
On the ground, there are Deas, Sieg, Ururu, and Sugaru.
Regarding Sugaru, even if I call her now, she can fly, but given the current situation where I’m significantly outnumbered, calling just one person would be futile.
Unlike me, Sugaru doesn’t have [Demonic Shield]. If she gets surrounded and takes simultaneous gunfire, he’ll die quickly.
I have to handle this alone.
I don’t think there’s some miracle solution.
This game world is ruled by experience points, equivalent to gold.
That’s something that I, who have enjoyed its benefits to the fullest, know well.
However, at the same time, I also know that with meticulous preparation and coordination, I can overturn that rule.
Even if a skill seems utterly meaningless, if used cleverly, it might become a move for a comeback.
The enemy is formidable. A formidable “force”.
Not an individual.
On the other hand, I am an individual. Alone. It wasn’t intentional, but that’s how it turned out.
And the Demon Lord is the most powerful race when alone, compared to other calamities. That’s what the Count said. So being outnumbered is no excuse.
What about the Archangels?
Is this numerous state the most advantageous? Or is it not?
While I, despite being the Demon Lord, have used experience points to strengthen and build a massive force, the Archangels might have done the same, not relying on one overpowering character but creating numerous subordinates—
—In other words, these guys aren’t multiple raid bosses, but rather a lord and their subordinates.
Angels themselves might be subordinates to multiple Archangels, but there must be one lord who commands these Archangels.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be the [Six Great Calamities].
Because one of the subordinates of someone who has already become a calamity has become an Archangel, other forces, including humanity, are unaware of their existence. That’s why it remains “six”.
In other words, most of the Archangels here are [Subordinates] to one calamity.
If they used angels to absorb experience points from across the continent, those experience points should be consolidated into the Archangel commanding them.
If the pinnacle of the Angel route is a calamity and Archangel, then the lord and subordinates are likely all Archangels.
In that case, the so-called “main body” should be somewhere around here.
If I manage to defeat that one, all the Archangels and Angels will turn into dirty gems.
“[Dark Implosion!], [Evil Smite]!, [Gatling]!”
“Guh! Gaaahhh…!”
Even if it involves some recast time and LP payment, I’ll take them down one by one, ensuring their defeat.
First, let’s start with that.
Once I’ve reduced their numbers enough, I’ll search for the main body. It would be ideal if the main body is among the reduced numbers.
However, if…
“[Resurrectio]!”
“I knew it!”
As expected, it seems like all of them have some sort of resurrection magic skill. The recast time is unclear, but if there are 50 of them, realistically interrupting resurrection by waiting for cooldowns wouldn’t be practical.
If that’s the case, reducing their numbers and searching for the main body is impossible.
In this situation, I have to find the main body and ensure its defeat.
Even if the main body is among them, judging from the LP and MP visible with skills like [Demonic Eyes] and [True Eyes], there isn’t much difference in abilities between the main body and the subordinates. If they can prepare this many and visually similar subordinates, burying themselves among the subordinates for higher survival rates would be more effective than just strengthening themselves a bit. They are an enemy so rational that it becomes annoying.
And if, hypothetically, the main body isn’t among them, then where is it? The only possibility is inside the Sky Castle.
“[Whiteout]!, [Turbulence]!, [Downburst]!”
Even if I can see with [True Eyes], there is inevitably a moment of vulnerability when my eyes are blinded. Capitalizing on that, I create turbulence to temporarily deprive them of mobility and cast [Ice Magic] to drop cold air from above, causing damage to the surrounding enemies while intimidating them with a gust of descending wind.
Although I’ve created a significant opening in the encirclement, it doesn’t necessarily mean I can do anything effective. Recasting multiple high-level spells has accumulated the cooldown time. It will take quite some time before the most effective spell, [Dark Implosion], becomes available.
Even though [Feather Gatling] might shoot down a few with precision, they would likely be resurrected quickly, rendering it futile.
However, even if recasts overlap and [Dark Implosion] is delayed, creating this opening still served a purpose.
Leaving the Archangels behind, I soar even higher into the sky. Combining [Flight] and [Sky Drive], I ascend at the highest speed I can currently achieve.
Beyond the spires of the sky castle, higher, slightly to the north.
Though my vision hasn’t fully recovered, several Archangels seem to have spotted me with [True Eyes] and are now chasing me.
But I’m not running away. What I wanted was altitude.
And that has already been achieved.
“The wind direction… doesn’t matter. The target is large, and the aim doesn’t have to be precise. [Summon: Ururu]!”
The enormous temple that appeared follows gravity, gradually acceRareting and falling upside down towards the sky castle.
“It’s the Urban Area Weapon, Ururu Impact!”
I had intended to potentially take over the sky castle, but it’s fine. I’ll bring down the sky castle, and if there are still Archangels inside, I’ll smoke them out.
Several angels try to intercept the falling trajectory, attempting to stop it, but that’s impossible.
Some of the calm ones are trying to shoot it down with Genocide Arrow.
Honestly, this is the most painful, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Apparently, Genocide Arrow is classified as a penetrating area-of-effect attack, and when it pierces Ururu, it continues through with multiple hits. It inflicts considerable damage.
Realizing the difference in distance and scale, I now understand that Genocide Arrow is slow for a laser. At best, it’s supersonic. Quite fast, but…
“[Greater Recovery – High Heal]. And now, the cooldown has still not finished.”
Despite enduring multiple attacks, I withstand them all, and eventually, Ururu collides with the Sky Castle.
It’s a sight I once saw in the countryside of Hiers.
Due to the tremendous impact, the part that collided briefly lights up, and a few seconds later, the sound and shock reach me in the sky.
The gigantic and majestic Sky Castle is destroyed in an instant, and the trees that covered the entire island are blown away.
After a bit, magical light is visible with [Demonic Eyes]. Seeing that Ururu has not suffered much damage, they are likely healing or resurrecting Archangels who died or took significant damage.
That means the main body hasn’t died from the recent attack.
“Alright then, let’s go again. [Summon: Ururu].”
Adjusting my position as Ururu appears again where the sky castle moved, a massive temple that had embedded itself into the floating island below disappears and reappears in front of me.
“[Greater Recovery]. The cooldown just won’t end, huh?”
I throw all the potions I have at Ururu just in case.
With this, I probably won’t die until I descend.
“Thanks for your hard work, but I’ll rely on you once more.”
As Ururu descends, angels, in their miserable state, fly up from the destroyed sky castle, swarming around it once again.
This time, more of them are attacking with bows. However, whether it’s because resurrection and recovery haven’t caught up or because the numbers have decreased, the damage Ururu receives isn’t much different from the first time.
Eventually, shockwaves ran through the Sky Castle once again, or rather, what was now just a floating island with debris.
The floating island couldn’t withstand the shockwaves for the second time, creating numerous cracks across the entire island, gradually sinking it into the sea of clouds.
Whatever force was keeping it afloat seemed to have suffered fatal damage to its system.
The capital of Hiers should still have been some distance away. The impact here won’t affect Rare’s dominion if it falls in this vicinity.
The territory of some unknown monsters might get blown away, but that’s none of my concern. To confirm the crash, Rare hurriedly dove beneath the sea of clouds.
On the ground, the overcast sky broke, revealing the enormous island.
It was so conspicuous that it might be visible even from the capital. Curious players might approach to get a closer look, but doing so recklessly would only result in being caught in the impact of the fall and respawning.
However, considering the current leniency in death penalties, witnessing such a major event might be considered a cheap thrill.
〈Hello. Rare-chan, are you available now?〉
Suddenly, a friend chat message arrived from Lyra. But honestly, I have no time to entertain her.
〈No, I’m busy right now.〉
〈I thought so. Have you read the system message?〉
〈I said I’m busy. Do you want to be blocked?〉
〈No, but this is really important! It’s about the Archangels.〉
〈…Can’t it wait until later? It might take just a few more moves to checkmate.〉
〈Huh? Seriously? Can you defeat the current Archangels? Well, whatever. Let me know as soon as you’re done.〉
The chat was entirely unclear in content.
However, it’s about the Archangels, and it’s related to the system message. The fact that Lyra knows something is slightly intriguing.
Maybe it’s related to something that looked like a chat message she received some time ago. There’s no choice but to contact her after this is over.
And then, the Sky Castle crashed.
The tremendous shockwave generated by the collision of the floating island and Ururu with the ground turned the entire area into a wasteland.
The shockwave blew away the thick clouds covering the sky, revealing a refreshing blue sky. For a moment, the sun illuminated the desolate land.
However, the dust that quickly rose up covered the sky, turning the view into a monochrome of sand noise.
It was a sight that one wouldn’t often see, so I endured it, keeping my eyes open, but here I closed them and switched to [Demonic Eyes] and [True Eyes].
There was no lingering attachment to the fallen Sky Castle; the flock of Archangels gathered around Rare could be confirmed.
As expected, the city that had been destroyed and crashed into the earth—there was no longer any of that castle left. It’s inconceivable that only the main body would remain in the debris of the island.
As far as [Demonic Eyes] can see, there are no living creatures with MP in the wreckage of that island. If they are buried in the rubble, it’s a different story, but then the Archangels wouldn’t have leisurely bothered Rare.
The Archangels approach, firing active skills like [Genocide Arrow]. Unlike the shooting while surrounded from before, it’s not difficult to dodge attacks from a single direction.
Or rather, after being shot so many times, you inevitably become accustomed to it.
Now, I can predict what will come flying from the motion before the shot. If the pinky on the hand with the bow is standing up, it’s Genocide. I see the pinky and then dodge with ease.
‘Explode’ and ‘Penetrate’ can be evaded even after being shot, and ‘Cloud Burst’ is pointless to worry about since there’s no way to avoid it.
I swept away the incoming Cloud Burst Arrow with the halberd created by Demonic Sword and blocked it with Demonic Shield. Another shield was destroyed, but I don’t care anymore.
“…You’ve done it, you foul creature. The sin of bringing the glory of the Sky Castle to the earth is worth a thousand deaths!”
He seems to be talking boastfully, but it’s unclear if this individual is the main body. Probably not. They went through all the trouble of concealing themselves so intricately, so doing something foolish like this seems unlikely.
“For an island where angels reside, it’s rather vulgar, or rather, there are only splendid castles. I thought it might be presumptuous, but I gave you a temple. It seems like you’re pleased. Oh, it’s just a loan, so I’ll take it back soon.”
“Tch! That kind of arrogant talk won’t last much longer! The giant temple, which was your last resort, has also embedded itself in the ground as you can see, and dropping it again would be futile. If there’s no Sky Castle to protect, there’s no way such an attack will hit us!”
It’s probably true, but is it necessary to say it so high-handedly? In other words, he’s just declaring that he’s homeless.
“Moreover, we’ve almost recovered from the damage we took from that attack. Those who died have resurrected, and significant damage has also been healed! And, the strange barrier with life force protecting you has only one piece left! And we’ll probably destroy that one with one more push! There’s no longer any chance for you!”
Certainly, Demonic Shield has been depleted from the battles so far, and now there’s only one piece of LP left.
In other words, the enemy has depleted the life of about four large raid boss level entities, which is truly commendable in terms of DPS. It’s only because there are a lot of them.
Upon recounting, the number of Archangels was fifty-six.
Probably the same as the first time they appeared in large numbers. It seemed that everyone was already outside from the beginning, and now they were all resurrected. A fresh start.
The cunning Archangels, while conversing, gradually positioned themselves behind Rare, completing the encirclement.
Despite the efforts to break free from the encirclement, it seemed like back to square one, a repeating cycle. However, what Rare wanted wasn’t a fresh start or escaping the encirclement. Let alone dropping the Sky Castle just for a taunt.
It was to have all the Archangels within sight.
If, by any chance, some were still inside the Sky Castle, it would be troublesome. Instead of confirming one by one, it was faster to eliminate the Sky Castle entirely. More accurately, it wasn’t me being within sight but the other way around, the Archangels being in sight.
To create a situation where every Archangel was unequivocally focusing on me.
At this moment, when they were about to launch a simultaneous attack, there wasn’t a single mischievous individual glancing away.
“No, it’s my win. I’ve got all the necessary cards. [Mass Suggestion].”
Placing [Suggestion] on all characters seeing me, slightly increasing their STR. The chosen stat didn’t matter, but since STR was at the top of the list, it was chosen.
Though [Suggestion] involves an automatic resistance check for both buff and debuff effects, my INT is among the top in all stats. Despite some leveling through bizarre experiments, that fact remains. Moreover, after a long and intense battle, hunger started setting in. Due to the effect of [Multa Docet Fames] (Hunger Teaches Many Things), INT increased even further.
Just because their numbers were large, the Archangels, individually weaker in stats than me, couldn’t resist [Suggestion].
As expected, the sensation of [Suggestion] affecting all Archangels was clear.
“It’s over now. Surrender to me! [Animo Imperavit Sapiens, Stultus Serviet] (The Wise Rule The Heart, The Foolish Are Enslaved).”
This skill could subject all characters under the effect of the caster’s buffs or debuffs to a state of domination by the caster. As long as they receive buffs, they won’t even resist.
While a regular [Mental Magic] might be resisted by the [Halo], this was not [Mental Magic]. It was a curse.
The curse activated correctly, and everyone affected by the suggestion fell under my control.
However, the opponent was no slouch, reaching a calamity’s level. It was uncertain how long this state could be maintained. Let’s settle it in one go.
“Now, everyone, I command you! Bring down all your minions to the ground!”
One by one, the Archangels descended.
It was necessary to make sure that every Archangel heard this command.
For this reason, all Archangels were simultaneously dominated.
If even one main body was overlooked, it would be meaningless to temporarily control the minions. If it took an hour to respawn, there might still be a way, but unfortunately, they would revive and return immediately.
Now, only one entity remained in the air, the one that wasn’t anyone’s minion, in other words, the main body.
I thought those angels still playing with bugs in the sky might come down, but it seems the distance is too far to issue commands.
They probably aren’t using friend chat, and naturally, that’s to be expected.
Through [Demonic Eyes], I could see only one mass of MP shaped like an Archangel floating behind me.
I turned around slowly.
This one was the main body.
Even at the moment when it was time to surround me and deliver the final blow, it still managed to sneak behind and make the minions talk to me, exhibiting a thorough level of concealment.
That vigilance, rational thinking, flawless build—any of those would make it quite a formidable opponent.
“But it wasn’t as much as the Prime Minister from back then. [Subordinate].”
《Warning. Due to an unexpected error, processing cannot continue. 》
《[Subordinate] cannot be executed. The target character has been locked by the system.》
“Oh well. As expected, it seems you can’t [Subordinate] the event boss.”
I’m glad I didn’t try this on the Count in that old castle.
If I had, it might have failed, and it could have cast a shadow over our future relationship.
Although, with Blanc taking care of him, that wasn’t my intention from the start.
“Well, then, I have no use for you. Go ahead and die. Do not waste your time resisting. [Fear], [Evil Smite], [Dark Implosion], [Liberation: Threads], [Slash Threads], [Gatling].”
Soon after, Ubel reported that all the angels disappeared simultaneously, and I was confident that the conclusion had been reached.
Even if the Archangels were set as dungeon bosses, the Sky Castle, which would be their dungeon, no longer existed. Respawn would be impossible.
“Uooooooh!”
Suddenly, something could be heard.
Looking down, a figure that seemed like a player, familiar from earlier, was roaring.
It seems they actually came to watch the show, surviving the impact of the Sky Castle drop was quite impressive. But it’s troublesome to stay here like this. I’ll have to order the bugs in the sky to search for the Archangels’ drop items.
I don’t care about the angel’s drops, but I’m interested in the Archangels’. Or rather, I can’t let them be given to other NPCs or players. That player up there is very annoying.
“[Summon: Ubel]. Get rid of that player over there.”
There’s nothing more to do, so I summoned Ubel from the sky. After finishing off that player, I’ll order the bugs to search for the Archangels’ drops around here.
And for now, I decided to return to the forest of the elves.
Currently, my LP and MP are only about 30%. Even if I don’t feel like dying unless something significant happens, it’s better to rest. My Demonic Shields are now reduced to just one worn-out piece.
Besides, I have to send Ururu, still half-buried in the ground, back to the forest too. Maybe then I can listen to Lyra’s story, in a calmer place.
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