novelnext Chapter 734
Chapter 734
Chapter 734
Krwaaaang!
The walls of the O’Toul Fortress that held firm against countless sieges finally crumbled with a resounding crash. The countless bombardments, battering rams, and relentless swarm of enemy soldiers had worn the structure down to its breaking point.
The wall had been standing firm, protecting the Proatine Alliance soldiers for days, so the fall of such a sturdy wall at the final battle was painfully disheartening and demoralizing for the soldiers.
Silence ensued for a split second.
Everyone stood in a daze.
The enemy soldiers could already feel the victory and honor that they had been waiting for.
“Kill them all!”
“Destroy everything in here!”
“Kill them! Spare no one!”
“Die, you bastards! Die!”
The Zavala soldiers poured in through the breached wall section like a wave crashing down and swallowing everything in its path.
“N-Nooo!” Siegfried cried out and dashed toward the breach. He could feel his heart thumping wildly as he sprinted as fast as he could. Then, he looked back and shouted, “Hamchi! I need your help!”
“Huff...! O-Owner punk...! Hamchi is exhausted...!”
“Just one more time!”
“A-Alright... Huff... Kyuu!”
Hamchi had been tirelessly running on his magical wheel all this while, so he was utterly spent.
However, he could not ignore Siegfried’s desperate plea for help.
“KYUUUUU—!”
He squeezed every ounce of strength remaining in his body to spin the magical wheel once again, imbuing Siegfried with buffs. Unfortunately, he reached his limits, and he staggered, stumbling inside the wheel. He was too exhausted to keep it turning.
“O-Owner punk...! Hamchi is sorry... Huff... Hamchi can’t... move anymore...!”
“Don’t worry about it! You’ve done enough!”
“Kyuu... But Hamchi wanted to help more...”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you. You’ve done your part, so rest and leave the rest to me.”
“But owner punk still needs help... Hamchi have to—”
“It’s alright. You’ve done enough! Just take it easy!”
Hamchi’s eyes looked sullen at the fact that he couldn't help more, but Siegfried reassured him as he charged toward the breach. He did not even have the luxury to stop and check on Hamchi, as the situation was dire.
The allied forces would get massacred if they failed to block the breach.
Siegfried took a deep breath and activated Eraser Swarm, unleashing his potent radioactive energy at the approaching waves of enemies. Then, he placed Blaze Field and Shadow Hell on the breach in an attempt to stop more enemies from coming in.
Shiiik! Shiiik!
Hiss! Hiss!
Blaze Hydras, Frost Hydras, and Night Stalkers emerged from the debuff field, and they immediately started pouncing on the Zavala soldiers, mercilessly tearing through them like a pack of hungry beasts.
The scene of Siegfried’s debuff fields and his summoned creatures wreaking havoc and slaughtering the Zavala soldiers was nothing short of carnage.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Smack!
“Ack!”
Bam!
“Arghhh!”
Each swing of his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp was lethal. The Zavala soldiers attempted to push their way into the breach, but the defense Siegfried had put up made it impossible for them to do so.
A Zavala knight captain shouted, “Rip the scrolls!”
The knights took out scrolls that would temporarily increase the user’s Poison Resistance and ripped them at their captain’s command.
“Onward, men!” the knight captain ordered.
The knights charged bravely into the Eraser Swarm, but what awaited them were indescribable shadows that prevented them from moving freely within the thick, noxious green fog as well as the range of the debuffs.
They struggled with all their might against the clinging shadows, but most of them succumbed to the deadly radiation as soon as the scroll’s effect ended.
Some of the Zavala knights gnashed their teeth and pressed past the Night Stalkers, but what awaited them was far more sinister than the shadows from the ground.
Hiss!
Shwiik!
Hiss!
They were met by the blazing fury and icy wrath of the Blaze Hydras and Frost Hydras that spat searing flames and freezing gusts, causing tremendous damage and debuffing them as well.
“Keep going! Just a little more!”
“Argh!”
“Push! We’re almost there!”
A handful of knights managed to overcome both the radiation and summoned creatures, but they found themselves battered and weakened by the time they got through the breach.
Whoosh!
Unfortunately, what awaited them was Siegfried, who had his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp in hand and fury raging in his eyes.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Siegfried saw the chaos unfold at the gate, so he tried to move to stop it. Unfortunately, his body was already at its limit, and it refused to obey his command. His legs quivered as if they were trembling from extreme cold, and the hand gripping the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp throbbed with agonizing pain.
It was then.
Whoosh...!
His vision blurred, and he tilted sideways.
Clack!
He stabbed his weapon into the ground, bracing himself, and he fell on one knee to keep himself from sprawling on the ground.
It was clear to everyone that he had already reached his limit. He was too worn out to even remain standing, let alone continue fighting.
“W-Watch out!”
“Approach him with caution!”
“Slowly! Be careful!”
“He might make a last stand! Keep your eyes peeled!”
The Zavala soldiers formed a circle around Siegfried and carefully closed in after seeing him in a weakened state. The sheer display of carnage he showed earlier had caused the soldiers to be wary of him, but their worries were in vain, as he no longer had the strength to stop them.
‘Damn it! My character won’t move!’
Han Tae-Sung struggled hard to control his character, Siegfried van Proa, but his attempts were futile. He was now completely surrounded while the O’Toul Fortress was mere moments away from falling into the hands of the Zavala Kingdom.
Thus, the final moments of the war ticked by, and it seemed that the Zavala Kingdom would emerge victorious.
***
The fortress walls had fallen, and the gate had been breached. The Proatine Alliance soldiers were exhausted beyond measure, and they were now on the brink of being defeated by the Zavala Kingdom.
Among the exhausted defenders were Siegfried, Lohengrin, Nanuqsa, Beggarius, and even Duke Decimato. All of them had exhausted what little strength they had remaining, and any further resistance seemed impossible.
“Ahh...” Oscar muttered weakly after seeing the enemy soldiers flood into the fortress.
Her men were slaughtered one by one, and the end seemed near. Once the Zavala Forces had occupied the fortress, it would be the end for the Proatine Kingdom.
“Is this... how my homeland will fall...?” Oscar murmured in a daze, refusing to believe the sight in front of her.
It was then.
Flaaaash!
A powerful burst of light erupted, and a golden beam shot up into the sky, towering over the entire battlefield.
Oscar turned toward where the golden beam was coming from and saw a gentle golden glow spreading from the pillar of light. The wave of golden light engulfed the Proatine Alliance soldiers, including Oscar.
“...!”
Oscar’s eyes shot wide open as the radiant light enveloped her. She was in disbelief, as she could feel strength surging throughout her.
Fatigue? Exhaustion? They had all vanished without a trace. Her depleted Mana rapidly filled up; her HP and Stamina were quickly recovering as well.
“W-What is going on...?” Oscar muttered, completely stunned. Then, she looked at the source of the golden pillar of light only to find no one there but Siegfried.
He was engulfed in golden flames, but he was silent and unmoving.
“Your Majesty?” Oscar called out. Before her voice could even reach Siegfried, an explosion of golden energy erupted from Siegfried, and it swept outward in all directions.
And then... a miracle unfolded.
***
Thirty seconds earlier, Siegfried was fighting against his exhausted self; he was desperately trying to move.
Hum! Rumble!
At the outermost layer of his mana hall, a power of divine nature surged forth, spinning violently around his core.
And then—
Flaaaaash!
The divine energy around his mana hall exploded, erupting into a blinding column of light.
Then, a string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried's eyes, covering his vision.
[Alert: Your Divine Power is surging out of control!]
[Alert: Your HP has been restored!]
[Alert: Your Mana has been restored!]
[Alert: Your Stamina has been restored!]
[Alert: Your Divine Power is blessing your allies!]
[Alert: Your allies have recovered their HP, Mana, and Stamina!]
[Alert: Divine Power has granted you miraculous powers!]
[Alert: You have obtained the buff – Hero Time!]
[Alert: All of your stats are increased by 500% while Hero Time is active!]
[Alert: 4 minutes and 59 seconds remaining!]
[Alert: 4 minutes and 58 seconds remaining!]
[Alert: 4 minutes and 57 seconds remaining!]
Siegfried had no idea what was going on, but it didn't matter.
“T-This is insane...”
The sheer magnitude of power surging within him gave him goosebumps and made his skin prickle. His stats had just increased by a jaw-dropping five hundred percent, and it was all from a single buff.
The buff, Hero Time, elevated his combat prowess beyond the level of a Master, boosting him all the way to the doorsteps of the door to the realm of Grandmasters.