novelnext Chapter 765
Chapter 765
Chapter 765
Violent tremors ran across the ground. It felt like the Old Air Raid Bunker was going to collapse.
Rumble!
While Siegfried was flying toward the opposite side, the ceiling above him collapsed, forcing him to retreat.
Splash! Splash! Splash
Debris fell from above, blocking the passage and dividing Siegfried’s party into two.
They were cut off from each other and could not determine whether the other party was still alive or not.
“Hey! Can you hear me?!” Siegfried shouted, trying to reach the others on the other side, but there was no response.
He strained his ears, trying to listen to anything, but there was only silence.
This did not come as a surprise, as it was impossible for sound to travel through more than a kilometer of debris.
“Damn it... Why now of all times...” Siegfried muttered.
Just then, thunderous booms echoed from deep within the underground bunker.@@@@
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound was coming from the core of the Old Air Raid Bunker, and the sound was so loud that it reached Siegfried’s party, even though they were still dozens of kilometers away.
It felt as if an all-out war was raging, and two armies were exchanging heavy artillery fire.
‘This isn’t an earthquake,’ Siegfried thought. The destruction was unnatural, as it felt more like the aftermath of a battle. Someone—or, something was fighting within the core of the Old Air Raid Bunker.
‘But who could it be...?” Siegfried wondered.
There was only one plausible answer.
‘The Church of Osric...!’ Siegfried deduced that the Church of Osric was already fighting the final soul fragment. With that in mind, he flew toward Cheon Woo-Jin and said, “Hey, this sound... isn’t it too familiar?”
"It is familiar..." Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a tense voice, “I think someone’s already there.”
“It's probably them, isn't it?”
“Most likely.”
“Our intel was leaked, then.”
“Agreed. That’s the only explanation.”
“Was it from our end or your end?”
“Does it matter? Either way, things have gotten quite dangerous now.”
“Pull everyone in when we get back.”
“And then?”
“We will vet them one by one.”
“Vet them? How?”
“You know about Oscar’s Fragarach, right? We will interrogate everyone with it.”
“Hmm...”
“If the spy is from our side, then that’s good. But if it’s from your side, then...” Siegfried said, trailing his words. Then, he continued in a grave voice, “That’s a nightmare. Four of the five soul fragments are on your side.”
“...!” Cheon Woo-Jin stiffened at those words.
“It would be the ultimate betrayal.”
“We can only hope that it’s not what you think it is...”
“Enough talk. You need to go back.”
“Go back? Where?”
“Protect the Fated Censer. I’ll handle things here,” Siegfried said, glancing toward the direction where the commotion was coming from. Then, he added, “We don’t have any other choice.”
“All right, I’ll leave things to you then,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a nod.
“It’s not like you’ve ever had a choice, right?” Siegfried snarked. Then, he added, “Oh, and one more thing. If we do manage to secure the final soul fragment, it’s going to stay with me. I’m not handing it over to you, just so you know.”
“That sounds reasonable.”
“All right, time to get moving. You’re wasting time. Take this path, and it will lead to an alternative exit,” Siegfried said, handing a copy of the map.
“Alright, see you later.”
With that, Cheon Woo-Jin led the Guardians down the alternate route.
‘I really hope the spy isn’t within the Guardians...’ Siegfried thought. The thought of the spy being one of the Guardians was dreadful, but he did not have the luxury to dwell on it for now.
Every second mattered right now. If the Church of Osric were truly fighting against the final soul fragment, then their situation would become dire.
‘I need to move faster. It will be a disaster if I delay any longer!’
Determined to secure the final soul fragment, Siegfried pressed on with great urgency.
However, his advance was abruptly halted once again.
Splash!
A torrent of crimson liquid came splashing down from the ceiling above, drenching him.
[Alert: Status Ailment!]
[Alert: You have been afflicted with Bleeding!]
[Alert: Your HP is decreasing!]
[Alert: You have been afflicted with Sepsis!]
[Alert: Your blood is decaying! Your character’s stats are reduced!]
The warning messages flashed before his eyes, showing the severity of the situation.
“Damn it!” Siegfried growled while watching his HP bar rapidly decrease.
It was then.
“We finally meet, Siegfried van Proa.”
A cold and sinister voice emerged from the shadows, and a figure clad in a blood-red robe stepped forward.
Ding!
A quest notification appeared before Siegfried’s eyes...
[Alert: The quest, Master’s Regret, has been triggered!]
Standing before him was the Church of Osric’s Red Cardinal, Vladimir. He was the Descendant of Blood Master Berserk.
“I will be settling my debt from back then, Siegfried van Proa,” Vladimir sneered with his eyes glowing with malice. Then, he bared his fangs and growled, “That cursed mouth of yours...! Today, I’ll rip your mouth open, shred you to pieces, and feast on your blood! You will die at my hands today, Siegfried van Proa!”
“Sigh...” Siegfried let out a lengthy, weary sigh while shaking his head. Then, he grumbled, “Just my rotten luck... as if I wasn’t busy enough...”
“You’re still so full of arrogance,” Vladimir snarled.
“Save the yapping for when you’re gonna beg for your miserable life later,” Siegfried shot back.
Without wasting another second, Siegfried lunged at Vladimir.
“Kyuuu! Hamchi is here to help, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed, springing to action. He took out his magical wheel and ran on it to buff Siegfried.
‘I have to finish this quickly,’ Siegfried thought. He needed to take down Vladimir once and for all before securing the final soul fragment.
The stakes were higher than ever. Bleeding and Sepsis were draining his HP and strength, so getting into a battle of attrition could spell his doom.
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
Siegfried activated the third stage of Overclocking, amplifying his stats exponentially. Then, he placed down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell to debuff Vladimir while activating Elemental Shower to shred the Red Cardinal’s elemental resistance as well.
Vladimir was weak against water-attribute energy, so Siegfried planned to use that to his advantage in this battle.
“You filthy insect!” Vladimir roared powerfully.
Gwaaaaah!
With a guttural scream, Vladimir transformed.
Chwak! Chwaaak!
His muscles bulged grotesquely. His red robe was torn apart, as it could not contain his growing size.
“Kyaaaah!”
After the transformation, Vladimir now resembled a blood-drenched beast that looked both extremely powerful and swift.
“I’ll tear you apart!” Vladimir bellowed. His voice sounded both metallic and eerie as he charged at Siegfried.
It was then.
Bang!
The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp transformed into a revolver and spat flames.
Boom!
Vladimir’s head exploded like a watermelon upon getting hit by a bullet, but...
“H-Hey, what the hell?!” Siegfried cried out with his eyes widened in disbelief.
His head had been obliterated, but Vladimir’s body was still charging at him like a hungry beast chasing after its prey.
Siegfried desperately tried to stop the charge by commanding the Frost Hydras and Night Stalkers, but they failed to restrain the headless monstrosity that was once the Red Cardinal of the Church of Osric.