Chapter 312
Once you leave the closed world, the line between dungeons and returning to your home world becomes less clear. Hatred from dungeons can be carried out, and even factions like the 'Hunters' have emerged that specialize in hunting down enemies.
"But according to the original plan, we should have taken control of the tower," Yomi Isayama reminded him.
"Come on, climbing the tower isn't as easy as we think, and we're missing a crucial element. I'm curious, how come those people, with their bloated groups, cleared it so quickly?"
Everyone looked at each other, unable to explain why they hadn't hired cannon fodder and instead thought the seven-person team could come and go as they pleased.
"Perhaps it's related to the Soulless Ones?"
"Hmm, but aside from knowing the name, we haven't had any contact with anyone. How much intelligence can we gather in a day?" The man picked up his briefcase and gently beckoned everyone to follow.
"Don't underestimate our working-class intuition! This guy is at least Monster III level or stronger. We're already slower than him, and we still want to steal his benefits? Aren't we just asking for trouble?"
Monster III or higher.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. This level was already quite terrifying. Their three captains were only at the Monster II level. They could win if they attacked in a group, but most of them would definitely be killed.
A stronger being has shown kindness; they have no need to be greedy.
"So we'll just be spectators in the first phase?"
"Otherwise, there are rewards for climbing the tower anyway. We can collect more Soul Crystal; they're definitely useful." Kento Nanami was very rational, looking up at the steps ahead. "As for the second stage, we'll see what the prompts say. If there's no forced fighting, why not cooperate with Mr. Li?"
The third level is the bone graveyard.
Yuki stared blankly at the various skeletons scattered across the mountainside. This was a true graveyard, with bones of all kinds of humans and monsters everywhere, and every step he took was accompanied by the cracking sound of bones breaking.
Looking ahead, the fourth staircase is not far away, and unlike before, there is a vortex at the connection of the staircases.
"This tower only has four stories, thank goodness, I thought it was never going to end."
Yuki was getting a little bored, but seeing the fluctuations of the battle in the distance, he realized that he had caught up with the progress.
"Yeah, but it gets harder and harder as you go up. It's beyond what we can keep up with." Peggy knew exactly what she was doing. Her group was already struggling on the second level. If Yuki hadn't made a quick decision, they would have been swept away by the giant wave long ago.
"Then you and your men stay here and defend with all your might. Don't die before I activate the staircase." Yuki's plan was the complete opposite of what was expected. What kind of tower explorer clears the way for cannon fodder? Aren't they all just cannon fodder risking their lives to test the path ahead?
So Peggy was also taken aback for a moment, then nodded sincerely. "Yes, Your Excellency."
The Rebels' guard was lowered considerably, not only because of Yuki's strength and care, but also because he had offered a pledge of allegiance—a very generous one.
He single-handedly slaughtered all the nobles' tower raiders and brought back the remains of his compatriots. These people were supporting characters, but also enemies, and they had persecuted them quite a bit in the past.
"Rita, Jis." Yuki called out to the two still dazed Soulless Ones girls, and said succinctly, "You two come with us. Clear the stairs as quickly as possible. I need to get to the last floor before those Alliance explorers."
"The rest of the Soulless Ones, hold the line. Now is not the time to hold back. Every bit of effort we put in will save one more life."
"How did you know we were hiding our strength?" Rita asked, her tone softening considerably.
"Nonsense! If you were just human shields, how did you survive the encirclement and suppression efforts across the entire continent?"
Yuki chuckled and beckoned to Frieren, who immediately prepared to attack.
With shared interests, the group realized they needed Yuki's help to continue climbing. They exchanged glances and made up their minds.
At least according to records, no chosen tower explorer had ever treated them so well.
Bags of bulging Soul Crystal were handed to the Soulless Ones. Before Yuki could ask any questions, Rita had already taken one out and held it in her palm, her expression like that of a bard, just missing a guitar.
Do you know why we're called the Soulless Ones?
Ask me anything, listen to countless epic tales of resistance filled with blood and tears, and you'll surely admire us and become our true allies!
Yuki glanced at her, but answered directly, "Because this world is filled with the energy of the Witch God, but some people are born pure, like insulators, unaffected by it, and cannot enjoy the benefits of Transcendental Grade power."
"You're so boring." The girl hung her head, finding it painful to share secrets with Yuki because he always seemed to guess the right answer.
"Hey, you're kind of right, but over the years we've also developed a special power system, and the effects vary depending on each person's aptitude."
She held the Soul Crystal in her hands as if in prayer. Yuki puzzled, then saw the unusually solid stone shatter into fine dust that spread out. Switching to the Devil's Vision, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
They purified the energy within the Soul Crystal, and using this energy, they eroded the surrounding area in a chain reaction, forming a Black Hole in the air.
Every Soulless Ones was doing the same thing. The spreading Black Hole covered the entire group. Yuki noticed that everyone's condition was different; some were tired, some were in pain, and some were in control.
'This purification comes at a price; is it a kind of ability to Soul Split?'
It's like a drop of ink falling into water, slowly spreading out, and its effect is quite simple.
Ahhhhhh--
A piercing, painful, and desperate scream came from overhead. Yuki looked up and saw a strange face hanging in the sky.
It is made of clouds, yet incredibly clear, with four eyes, a face covered in fleshy buds, and a huge mouth that looks as if it has been poked in the face in pain.
A terrifying shockwave swept across the entire graveyard, driving people almost mad. However, the 'Black Hole' that had just spread out acted like a spatial barrier, and those trapped at the center only slightly covered their heads.
Without this barrier, everyone except me and Frieren would go crazy on the spot. It's more like a protective barrier, a barrier that isolates the power of witchcraft.
Yuki suppressed a laugh. The Soulless Ones were more valuable than he had imagined; they were outcasts in this world, insulators, and somewhat like Touma Kamijo's hands.
In essence, it's definitely more than that; there's still room for further development.
"Let's hurry. The purification limit for each Soulless Ones is limited. The energy of the Witch God will keep seeping in, and we need to keep replenishing it."
Rita urged, as she was forced to reveal some more secrets.
Several Soulless Ones stood in the center of the mercenary formation, their Soul Crystal shattering continuously, their decline visibly evident.
"Okay, Frieren, you hold Jis." Yuki pointed to the girl with golden, tousled hair, a thin body, and no more than fifteen years old, then, ignoring Rita's resistance, he tucked her under his arm.
"We'll rush up the stairs at top speed; the Alliance's tower explorers are no match for us."
No matter what technology the Alliance uses to use the Soulless Ones as human shields, it's definitely not as efficient as active cooperation. He crouched slightly and darted out amidst the girl's screams.
Thump--
A series of sonic booms unfolded as Yuki charged forward, stepping on the bones. Even at such Extreme Speed, he still had the energy to observe his surroundings.
Frieren flew close to the ground like a fighter jet, chasing after it with all his might, while the graveyard began to change amidst screams.
Splash...
Countless bones reassembled, thousands upon thousands of skeletons coalesced, forming countless skeletal Witch Beasts, their bones burning as if draped in a cloak.
Some were as big as mountains, while others were the size of an ordinary person. Yuki crashed into several of them head-on, sending them flying, and frowned slightly.
Even the skeleton Witch Beasts are quite powerful, roughly equivalent to level three Witch Beasts, which is extraordinary level strength.
There were just too many of them, tens of thousands, plus hundreds of level two or even level one Witch Beasts. Even if Yuki brute force his way through, he couldn't possibly break through this lineup.
Thousands of extraordinary and dozens of Transcendental Grade monsters are surging towards you; even standing still could exhaust you to death.
Yuki plunged headlong into the sea of bones, while Rita, under her arm, adapted to this flight, continuously expanding the 'barrier', leaving the densely packed Witch Beasts around her bewildered.
They can't see the enemy, nor do they know what knocked them away, but if you think this is a way to rack up points without taking damage, you're sorely mistaken.
"The level of the Witch Beasts also matters; a level two Witch Beasts will react, while a level one Witch Beasts will approach."
Yuki saw everything clearly. The Soulless Ones weren't invincible, otherwise they wouldn't have needed to cooperate with him; the game wouldn't allow players to ally with the Soulless Ones, allowing them to treat dungeons like Big Bird Bank.
Thump thump thump...
A colossal, crocodile-like skull blocked their path, its layers of bones forming a towering wall. A stench-filled roar echoed from the sky, and the pristine realm was rapidly being eroded.
"I can't replenish myself," Rita cried out quickly. Even she couldn't withstand the erosion, let alone the other Soulless Ones.
"Frieren, blast a path ahead for me, and then hold off that Witch Beasts."
The girl hesitated for a moment. Her companion Jis, was about to collapse and would surely die if exposed to the sea of Witch Beasts. She gritted her teeth.
"I can stall for two minutes."
"Then as soon as possible."
A terrifying surge of magical power gathered—this was the player's power. Unlike the natives, it didn't attract much attention, yet it still made the giant Witch Beasts turn its head to look, only to see the Roar beam of light hurtling towards it from the front.
Frieren had previously invested two enhancement points to upgrade Imagination Burst to the excellent level, causing a large amount of magic power to gather in a short time, amplified by the staff, and transformed into a surging torrent.
Forbidden spell: Light of Annihilation.
The enormous pillar of light melted everything, piercing through the unfinished bone wall, and swept diagonally across the giant Witch Beasts's two legs, causing it to fall to the ground tilted.
But this level-one Witch Beasts reacted quickly, opening its enormous mouth, and a crimson ball of light finally converged, ready to be spat out and annihilate the enemy along the beam.
Bang!!
But then, as if struck by a heavy uppercut, his mountain-like body was thrown upwards, the ball of light flew into the sky, and exploded with a bang.
Boom--
Like a sun rising in the sky, the entire graveyard suddenly brightened, attracting the attention of the giant face in the sky, whose four eyes locked onto a fleeting image.
Yuki was still sprinting, feeling the malicious gazes coming from above.
"The Witch Spirit is conscious; it has discovered me."
For the first time, Yuki felt threatened by an enemy of similar strength, and the Witch Spirit regarded him as the greatest threat.
Aaaaaah!!
Another stench-filled roar erupted, the graveyard was boiling, Yuki seemed to have become the eye of a storm, drawing in all the turmoil.
The crocodile-like Witch Beasts was the first to react, opening its massive jaws to tear and bite, as if splitting a canyon in front of Yuki. The canyon was filled with crimson light, spinning like a blender; falling in would certainly not end well.
"No, no, no, don't rush in!" Rita screamed, but the man seemed not to hear her and rushed straight in.
"Shut up, maximum purification."
The giant mouth closed, but at that moment, the massive body of the Witch Beasts seemed to be pushed, tilting once more, and Yuki sprang out from between its teeth.
Gravity magic.
Frieren floated in the distance, the net of light extending from his staff rendering the already broken-legged Witch Beasts immobile, and then its heart stopped beating.
Yuki charged forward, Rita, under the threat of death, performed beyond her usual level, purifying a layer of Black Hole and causing the Witch Beasts to lose their target. However, Frieren was exposed and felt like he was being watched by millions of eyes.
The magical girl showed no sign of blame, gripping her staff tightly with both hands.
"Hold on tight, Jis."
The sky behind him was dyed red. Yuki slightly and could only see dense barrages of bullets blooming in the air, with Frieren dancing among them like a butterfly.
With flight and defensive magic at full power, coupled with the barrier created by the Soulless Ones, they were not shot down despite the perilous situation.
At the same time, whether by choice or by force, the mercenaries also displayed their fighting prowess, relieving some of the pressure on Frieren.
"Soon."
Yuki only looked ahead, passing over the dense army of skeletons; Rita's purification created an invisibility effect.
Even though he was quickly seen through, his speed was too fast, covering two or three hundred meters every second, making it impossible to stop him.
His gaze swept across the surroundings, leaving the powerful Witch Beasts behind. Ahead lay the altar, and beside it were two things.
A gigantic hand, a skeletal hand as large as a mountain, is spreading its seven-fingered palm towards us.
A group of men dressed in black armor stood behind them; the coffins on their backs were open, each containing a desiccated corpse.
They didn't go upstairs, but for some reason, all the forces blocking them were focused on Yuki's side, practically writing 'unfairness' on paper.
"As expected, it has its own consciousness; as expected, there is a transaction."
Yuki held his breath; this was clearly a deliberate act of indulgence, but also a clear act of active protection.
"The closer you get to the Witch Spirit, the more contact the Alliance members will make. They are the Witch God's lackeys, except that the lower-level Witch Beasts are uncontrollable, so they have to conquer them just like ordinary tower explorers."
Why the hell didn't you say so earlier!?
"You... you didn't even ask," Rita said, feeling wronged.
The threat posed by Yuki was too great, like a rainbow piercing the sun, heading straight for the highest level, which led the Witch Spirit and the Alliance to make contact ahead of schedule.
"What do we do now? Should we retreat to the second level? The Witch Spirit shouldn't be able to catch up to the lower level."
It was a very rational choice, but before she could finish speaking, a jet of blood splattered onto her face. The girl stared blankly as Yuki slit his own throat.
Blood-Burning Heart. Combustion.
The second heart pounded wildly, making the gushing blood burn. Yuki tossed the Soulless Ones girl aside, his entire being resembling a demon emerging from purgatory.
His choice was extremely simple:
Charge forward fearlessly; kill anyone who stands in my way!