Chapter 310
Rita is very beautiful, with textbook-perfect long, straight black hair, a small, slightly round face, giving off a lively, girl-next-door vibe, and a slyness that comes from having traveled the world.
In terms of beautiful young women in the storyline, she and Captain Chris each have their own unique charm.
Aside from his own people, Yuki only cares about value. If Rita is useless, he won't even glance at her even if she's naked and lying in bed.
' The Soulless Ones definitely have other uses, and what has been revealed is frankly enough. The chances of completing the plan are gradually increasing.'
'This must be the game's walkthrough; not a single punctuation mark in the background story is superfluous.'
The altar was surrounded by an endless sea of blood, and of course, it was also filled with the hostile gazes of the mercenaries.
According to Rita, the Soulless Ones are also called the Pure Ones, and they hold extremely high positions within the rebel army. Rita herself is like a saint, and these men who are willing to risk their lives cannot bear to see their saint being treated like a chicken and led as the first to charge into battle.
Soulless Ones are special, but too fragile, not much stronger than ordinary people, so they need Peggy and the others as helpers, and the latter have done just that.
They were truly fearless and selfless, with not a single person retreating; they all followed. Looking at the noble alliance, they had now recovered a layer of strength.
They came here to make money, so there's no need for them to work so hard. Once they realized the rewards weren't proportional to their efforts, they immediately retreated.
"On the contrary, the Alliance's conquest speed is incredibly fast, even faster than mine." Yuki glanced at the stairs. The Alliance's tower explorer team had already reached the third floor. They were the first to enter and never stopped.
"They seem to be in a hurry. Are they trying to get to the highest level to see the Witch Spirit?" Frieren had recovered a lot of magic power and was using magic to clean his blood-stained robes.
"I'm afraid so. According to Rita, the Alliance is the Witch God's lackey, whose mission is to resurrect Him, and they will fight desperately to conquer Him every time."
"But they're very fast at clearing the area."
"That was using the corpses of the Soulless Ones. Remember how they fought carrying coffins?"
Frieren thought for a moment, then nodded. She had always found it strange—who would fight while carrying a coffin? Was it because they thought they were too mobile?
So it was filled with Soulless Ones; no wonder the raid was completed so quickly.
Soulless Ones are very important within the tower. Witch Beasts do not have five senses; they seem to distinguish friend from foe more by their aura. The higher the level of the Witch Beasts, the more acute its senses.
The Soulless Ones is 'empty', like having an invisibility cloak. Although it can't be effective for long, it's enough to make the Witch Beasts lose its target for a short time. After all, this is a tower climbing competition, not a killing contest.
"This is the key to conquering the tower; no wonder you made a deal with them."
"Yes, they're worth cooperating with. If they weren't, I would have abandoned them long ago." Yuki rather ruthlessly, turning his head to look at the mercenaries who were also whispering among themselves.
"And my value has already been revealed; they cannot surpass the progress of their predecessors without me."
The choice between staying in the tower for at least seven days to wait for the Witch God's Tower to open, and completely taking control of the tower, is certainly different, and Yuki has already given the other party hope.
There are many ways to cooperate; he deliberately pretended to know nothing, then used overwhelming force to make the Rebels obedient...
"Yuki Sorajima, you really are like a villain."
"Hahaha, that's the best compliment ever. To most people, I'm just a villain." Yuki, however, was quite proud, looking at Rita muttering to herself not far away, "So, have you reached an agreement?"
"Alright, we'll cooperate with you to go to the top floor. We've failed countless times, but we also want to try and see what changes will occur if we control a tower." The girl blinked, her eyes darting around.
"A wise choice. By the way, besides you, is anyone else going into the tower?"
"I won't tell you." Rita wasn't stupid; she still didn't understand Yuki wanted to control the tower, so of course she couldn't tell him.
There probably aren't any with my senior. There are seven towers in total, and the chances of finding a suitable player to guide you are very low. They've already placed a heavy bet on me.
"Besides 'invisibility,' what other abilities do Soulless Ones have?"
"I can't really say, but having my 'purity' makes it much easier for you to climb higher." The girl gave me a look that said, "I'm tight-lipped, don't try to get any information out of me."
Okay, this mutual trust still needs to be built up gradually.
Yuki shrugged, not in a hurry. He remembered how Captain Chris had always given him a sour look, but in the end, she was practically begging him to sing "Conquer."
"One last question: why don't you stay on the first floor and remain invisible? There wouldn't be any risk in staying inside the tower that way, would there?"
Rita pursed her lips, turned to look at Peggy and the others who were preparing their weapons, her cunning vanished, replaced by a hint of iron-blooded power.
"We will not abandon any comrades; this is the iron discipline of the 'Resistance'."
Good answer.
Yuki turned around, stepped into the calm sea of blood, and walked into the distance. Rita was confused and quickly called out to him.
"Wait, where are you going? We need to go up to the third floor!"
"You answered well, so here's a gift for you." Yuki waved his hand and quickly disappeared into the sea of blood.
"What exactly is he trying to do?" Rita stared blankly at Frieren, a girl who seemed a bit naive but was easy to approach.
Frieren moved aside slightly and replied nonchalantly, "It's just a gift for you."
So what gift should I give?
"Those noble tower explorers' heads, if I'm not mistaken, they also used the power of the Soulless Ones."
!?
Rita turned her head quickly, her expression changing slightly. She was somewhat surprised by Yuki's observation skills, and even more surprised by his attitude.
There's no need to submit pledges of allegiance anymore.
The human skeletons on the noble tower explorers were the corpses of Soulless Ones, but the remaining souls were too weak to serve any significant purpose.
After Yuki what a 'Soulless Ones' is and what functions it possesses, Yuuki connected the previous clues and realized that Soulless Ones is essentially a tool, and there's no need for such a complicated transaction.
All we need to do is capture a few alive to use as human shields, but how should I put it...
Rita's answer satisfied me.
Yuki originally intended to kill these people to draw the Alliance's attention and get them to use the players' power. Now, the senior is an honored guest and will definitely be among the first batch of players to be recruited.
They kill each other, killing two birds with one stone—no, killing three birds with one stone!
[Player Yuki, you have climbed to the second floor of the Tower of Asura, participation rate 100%. First-time climber receives double rewards: 5 Enhancement Points]
Nine enhancement points have been gained; an absolute bumper harvest.
After conquering the second level, the return journey was easy. Yuki enjoyed a moment of peace and quickly returned to the entrance, stepping through the sea of blood. He glanced at his watch.
There's still an hour and a half left, that should be enough. If all goes well, I might be able to chat with the people from the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons'.
Yuki's goal was clear. Stepping onto the stairs, he experienced another blurry sensation of spatial displacement, and he was back in the Crimson Wasteland.
This time, however, there was no thunderous welcome, but it was far from quiet either. Flames rose near the steps, and the faint sound of hearty laughter could be heard.
Aren't those people at the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons worried?
Yuki thought for a moment and roughly understood the opponent's strategy, then turned his gaze eastward.
It was quiet there. Finding a noble army enjoying a 'moment of peace' in the boundless wilderness seemed difficult, but it was actually very simple.
Having harvested so many Soul Crystal, they definitely needed to deliver them. The terrifying situation Tower of Asura had also frightened them. The mercenaries wanted to make a profit, and the tower explorers wanted to retreat. Even if they died in bed after the tower was activated, it would be much better than dying at the hands of monsters.
"But you won't survive."
Donning the Fool's Mask, Yuki crouched on the ground. As his right foot stepped down, the Blank Rings of the Sky unfolded one after another, and his legs struck the earth like hammers.
Thump, thump, thump.
What was that sound?
In the distance, the blond prince turned his head, no longer the handsome, sunny young man he once was. He appeared gloomy and haggard, his heart filled with hatred.
It was a complete nightmare. His original patriotism, honor, and loyalty had been shattered by the soul beasts and the giant waves. Now he wished he could leave the tower and chop those old bastards who brainwashed him every day and instilled in him some kind of national honor into mincemeat.
What heroes, what honors? Have they ever witnessed hundreds of Fangtooth Fish devouring a level-two wizard to bones in seconds? Have they ever seen a colossal Witch Beasts the size of a small mountain?
But he couldn't get out. The army outside the tower wasn't just there to protect them; the hero had to stay inside and collect enough Soul Crystal for the kingdom before his glorious death.
"It feels like something is approaching." The eldest daughter, with her slightly curly silver hair, nestled beside the prince, nervously looking around.
Having succeeded, I can take her body during my rest time.
The second prince, enjoying the beauty's embrace, feigned composure and shouted, "Don't be nervous, we're still in a safe period, there won't be any Witch Beasts attacking."
The guards were also like frightened birds; their numbers had been halved, and they were bound to the tower explorers and couldn't be switched. Fortunately, they could leave before the tower was activated.
There are still six days left. If we can survive these six days, we will enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor. Based on previous experience, holding on for six days is not a hopeless situation.
"No, they're coming for us!"
As the shrieking sound grew closer, everyone realized something was wrong, and the second prince was somewhat bewildered.
Were they those chosen tower explorers? But I deliberately avoided them!
There was no enmity between them, and he hadn't even carried out his father's order to test him. He had just opened his mouth when he heard a muffled thud, and then dust filled his mouth.
Boom!!!
A meteorite landed ahead on the wasteland, and the entire team stood frozen in shock. No one had expected to encounter such a thing during their rest period.
A moment later, a person emerged from the pit. He was dressed in black, had black hair, and an ordinary appearance, exuding the aura of a typical office worker.
"Want to leave?"
"Who are you? What grudge do we have?" The prince was even more confused, because this person was not in the records at all.
The Fool's Mask's Mask was designed by Hayasaka based on Li Dan's appearance, Yuki's appearance couldn't possibly be in the data.
"We have no past grudges, nor any recent resentments."
"And you..."
Clang--
The sound of a sword being drawn interrupted the question; Yuki crossed his twin swords and spoke succinctly.
"I kill without needing a reason."
The enemy's formation is dense, which is perfect for deploying a domain to encompass them all.
A chill crept up his back, and the prince, his silver tongue gone, shouted "Defend!" When he came to his senses, he found himself in a strange world.
The land was a similar crimson red as before, but the sky above was pitch black. A dense network of light wove along the edge of the world. The area wasn't very large, and some quick-reacting mercenaries who tried to run were bounced back after crashing into the network.
Even more terrifying was a gigantic, squid-like corpse in the distance. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't that a level-one Witch Beasts called the 'Blood-Sea Scorcher'?
"Welcome to the realm of night, the Slaughter's Crucible." Yuki gave a polite bow and snapped his fingers.
The Death Scepter, the Dread Force Field.
The first item was activated, and the originally meticulous formation began to stir. Wizards below level two felt as if their hearts were being squeezed, and they fled in panic.
"Mind magic! Where's the priest? Exorcise him immediately!" The prince had calmed down. This person had jumped out out of nowhere; he couldn't just sit there and wait to be killed.
"Raise shields, set up guns, prepare sorcery missiles, and deploy three layers of defensive shields!"
Such a quick reaction! As expected, there aren't any idiot enemies.
Yuki was satisfied with the other party's reaction. He watched as the priest calmed the guards who were running around, and layer upon layer of protective shields rose up. Heavy armor and shields, light spears protruded from the gaps, and several giant missiles rose into the army formation.
But this is my area of expertise.
Smack
With a snap of fingers, the magic missile that had just been launched into the air collided with the translucent force field and bounced back.
Slot 2, Demon-Breaker Longsword, deploys Demon-Breaker Force Field anywhere within the domain.
No longer did Yuki need to personally parry with his sword. Although the force field was only a few square meters in size, no one could have predicted that a reflective surface would appear above their heads. The missile bounced back into the formation as soon as it took off.
Boom!
Caught off guard, with all defenses facing outwards, no one expected the sorcery missile to explode at their feet.
A small mushroom cloud rose in the center of the formation, instantly turning more than a dozen wizards wielding staffs into mincemeat. The shockwave swept the front line into pieces, and many people turned their heads, thinking there were enemies behind them.
At that moment, Yuki's sword arrived.
Thump.
Taking advantage of the enemy's disarray, these extraordinary wizards' only way to deal with Yuki is to form a battle formation. When the enemy is in disarray, Monster III players pounce on them like tigers among sheep.
Swish--
The blade sliced through the shield, heavy armor, and flesh in one piece, moving so fast that only afterimages could be seen.
Lifting them up, dismembering them, bending over, severing their legs—amidst screams, Yuki lightly leaped, stomping the neatly thrusting spears beneath his feet, like a mountain pressing down on them, making it impossible for them to pull out.
They didn't even need to draw their weapons; a flash of silver light, and more than a dozen people were split in two.
"What kind of monster is this!" The prince forgot to breathe; it was several times stronger than a level one Witch Beasts.