Chapter 322
There's no solution. If it were only Yuki, it would have a million ways to wear down its opponent. If it were only Thorny Rose and War Orphans, it could use art and trickery to achieve victory.
Tigers and jackals are not difficult to deal with; the most troublesome situation is a tiger leading a pack of jackals.
"Give it your all! This Witch Spirit is completely bewildered!" Yuki immediately spotted the weakness. After several countermeasures failed, the flow of the battle formation became rigid.
The Witch Spirit was devising a way to turn the tide, which was exactly the opposite of the master of the Tower of Asura, who was too lazy to think and simply charged in to fight.
Therefore, Yuki's solution was quite simple.
Increase your effort, and you can overwhelm the master with a flurry of punches.
Burning Earth!
The Red Lotus Fire burst forth in all directions, burning low-level Witch Beasts within a hundred meters to ashes. Only high-level Witch Beasts could resist, Yuki didn't even glance at them, simply tossing them to Bradley and the others behind him.
Assault, Combustion, annihilation.
He fought his way through the enemy lines and then turned back from the rear. When these Witch Beasts could no longer form a tight formation, they were practically throwing their lives away as they charged forward one by one.
The piecemeal tactic was foolish, so the Witch Spirit had to gather Witch Beasts capable of fighting Yuki together, a perfectly reasonable tactic that suited their purposes perfectly.
With a pounce, Yuki landed in the middle of this group of first and second-level Witch Beasts. This was the guard that the Witch Spirit had painstakingly organized, but their concentration only foreshadowed one outcome.
The Night Furnace Domain.
Yuki decisively activated his domain, dragging all the Royal Guards into another dimension, physically separating the battlefield.
"You shouldn't have split up; if you had united as one, you could have fought me."
The man stood atop the corpse of the Bull Demon, the very master of the Tower of Asura. Before him stood seven Witch Beasts, all of whom were the guards painstakingly gathered by the Witch Spirit.
They have cannon fodder as cover in the outside world, making them somewhat troublesome to deal with.
"What's the difference?" a centaur asked, his voice low and weary, his despair deepening as he looked at the Bull Demon's corpse. "I hate this brainless fellow among us, but you're ten times harder to deal with."
If it excels at one-on-one combat, it's no longer War Witch Spirit; wouldn't it die even faster if it had to deal with Yuki and a group of players at the same time?
They've run out of tricks.
Yuki could understand the Witch Spirit's thoughts. If they gathered together, he couldn't defeat him. If they were scattered, he could buy some time. Just like these Witch Beasts, if they weren't in a team, he wouldn't even need to use his domain. He could just deal with the minions and leave them to Bradley and the others.
"That's true. Absolute strength combined with strategy is something no tactic can counter." Yuki thought to himself, shook his head slightly, picked up his sword, and jumped down from the mountain of corpses.
"Stop talking nonsense, I know you want to exchange pieces and take this opportunity to deal with the other tower explorers."
These words caused Witch Spirit's expression to freeze instantly, staring blankly at the gently waving twin swords.
"Ten times? You underestimate me too much, compared to that brainless monster—"
"It's a hundred times!"
Chapter Seventeen: The Tower of Asura, Activated!
When they gather together, they are carried away by the domain; when they disperse, they are invincible.
Yuki's sword ripped out the Giant's internal organs, while the players' blades cut from the outside, working together to completely shatter the unified Witch Beasts.
With the help of his senior, Yuki activated his domain twice, eliminating more than a dozen high-level Witch Beasts that formed the backbone of the group. He even anticipated the Witch Spirit's prediction that the players would switch from offense to defense when the domain was activated, completely thwarting the Witch Spirit's strategy of exchanging pieces.
If the other players can't be dealt with, once Yuki leaves the area, it's like two iron clamps gripping the neck, slowly and firmly strangling the Witch Spirit to death.
Puff.
Yuki leaned on his sword and looked out over the wasteland. All he could see were corpses. Thousands of Witch Beasts lay on the ground, and the Holy Relic Crusaders had been almost completely wiped out.
A massive brawl ensued, art shattered by simple, direct violence. When the last rising Witch Beasts was blown off its Hayasaka, a thick fog enveloped the entire wasteland.
The corpse of the Witch Beasts vanished into thin air, and the crusaders also disappeared as azure particles.
"It's quite good. I like this kind of self-righteous enemy who tries to outwit me. Sometimes, a moment of anger can actually give you a better chance of winning."
Yuki pointed out the direction of the Yuki, and no one dared to refute him. This battle was no easy feat for the players; they were exhausted.
Bradley's eyes shifted from fear to horror. He had seen many powerful but reckless men, most of whom had run headlong into a carefully woven web, and the more they struggled, the tighter it became.
But this person was different; his cunning left a deeper impression on him, and the order to switch from offense to defense was a stroke of genius.
Once the Witch Spirit was exposed, she was completely powerless to resist and could only helplessly await her death.
Hmm, 4 enhancement points and 1 specialization point in hand. Immediately consume the 4 enhancement points to upgrade the Hunter's Snare to the Arcane Grade level (Level 5).
This feature, when used appropriately, further enhances the strength of the animal-catching net and adds a "Net Closure" capability, which gathers scattered animal-catching nets into one place, significantly increasing their strength in a short period of time.
"That should be enough to stop a monster-level opponent, provided you can predict where it's headed."
Yuki nodded in satisfaction. Because he needed to conserve some energy and because of the War Witch Spirit's splitting behavior, his participation rate was only about 50%, far lower than that of the Tower of Asura.
That's enough; we can't leave no soup for others.
Joy spread among the players. As long as they could get enough points, they would stick with the right person no matter how dangerous it was. Besides, Yuki was a man of few words and never gave the golden-shining Violet a second glance.
I'd like to see more of the famous Violet Garden.
Violet was stunningly beautiful, her blonde hair stained with blood adding a touch of heroism, and she was secretly sizing him up. But with Hayasaka Ai and Mai Sakurajima flanking her on either side, Yuki couldn't really appreciate her properly.
That's outrageous! They didn't even leave us a chance to make contact.
Yuki sighed, glancing at the ashen-faced priest; clearly, the side effects of the faction talent were quite significant.
"Mr. Li, the throne has been assembled."
Yuki looked ahead and saw all the dust gathering in one place, coalescing into a black iron throne woven from swords, shields, and axes, which instantly made the atmosphere tense.
"Relax, I've said before that each faction can only control one tower, Ms. Hayasaka, please."
All eyes were on Hayasaka Ai's face. It wasn't so much envy as to say that the girl had given her all in the previous battle and deserved this honor. It was just that everyone felt a little sour.
Anyone with a brain knows how important control of a tower is in the next phase.
Hayasaka Ai took a light breath, glanced at Mai Sakurajima, then at Yuki, and strode away, settling firmly on the throne. Almost at the same moment, Yuki sensed something.
He can break through spatial limitations and communicate directly with Hayasaka Ai, meaning they can communicate even outside the tower.
'The resonance of imprints? An added bonus.'
Yuki was already troubled by the fact that he would lose contact once he left the tower and would be unable to coordinate with both sides, but unexpectedly this problem was solved.
"Wait for my signal and I'll activate the tower, Mai Sakurajima."
"Exist."
"While the news has just spread, go and bring the Soulless Ones into the tower."
"OK."
This kind of petty theft was too easy for Mai Sakurajima; it wouldn't even attract the attention of any powerful figures.
Yuki gave her the coordinates, then looked at the beaming Bradley, who held a scepter made of flesh and blood in his hand—presumably the Bloodline Object dropped by the War Witch Spirit.
Violet was wearing a pair of silver-rimmed monocle glasses, and the two were whispering to each other.
"An appraisal item?" Yuki walked over and asked curiously, "What direction of evolution has this Bloodline Object undergone?"
Since a contract had been signed stipulating that neither party would attack or plunder the other, Bradley was not worried that Yuki would covet the property.
"The enhancement to summoning bloodline skills is called Resurrection. This is the first time I've ever seen such a precious Bloodline Object."
That sounds really impressive. If the Holy Relic Crusaders can keep resurrecting, this battle will be much easier.
Yuki wasn't envious; Demon Possession didn't grant any summoning abilities. His expression remained calm. "Preciousness comes from compatibility, isn't that precisely the meaning of your coming to the War Tower?"
"We owe you a favor. Please come to the Ouroboros Merchant Guild for a gathering after our return." The President is a respectable man; without Yuki, they wouldn't have been able to obtain such a precious item.
"We'll see when the time comes. By the way, Miss Violet, could you help me identify this?" Yuki took out the heart of the Asura Witch Spirit and handed it to the blonde girl.
The appraisal tools are very valuable, and only factions that can operate exchanges can possess them. The girl gently took them, and a faint light flashed on the lenses.
"This Bloodline Object is primarily for restoration purposes. Are you willing to sell it?"
Repair? That would be the same as the Regenerative Tail.
Yuki was slightly disappointed; he had thought Yuuki would inherit traits like berserk and bloodthirsty.
I want to keep it.
"Here you go." Violet immediately returned the heart and stood quietly to the side, her jewel-like eyes as calm as a lake.
What an exquisite doll! Is it really okay for a character who needs to fill a void in their heart to be in Reincarnation Game?
Yuki glanced at Violet, then scanned his surroundings.
As an artificial human, President Bradley, whose entire life has been manipulated, utters "Amen," while a flamboyant priest wails over him, and Mai Sakurajima secretly watches from afar...
People from different worlds, different classes, and different circumstances gather here, Yuki suddenly realizes that all the collaborators he seeks have something in common:
Regardless of the past, at least in the game, there are firm bottom lines, rather than being manipulated by power.
He turned around, waved, and disappeared into the tower.
"Strengthen your attributes, and we'll meet again in the second phase."
Yuki left the War Tower and stealthily made his way back to his lair.
On the way, he passed by the advance party of the Alliance, who were in a hurry and looked like the sky had fallen.
The Tower of Asura has not yet been reclaimed, and now the War Tower is in trouble. To ensure that the Witch God's Tower is activated, the bigwigs are racking their brains.
Who knows what the players are thinking? If they keep getting stuck with bugs, how can the story progress?
"The second selection of tower explorers, objective: to reclaim the Tower of Asura and the War Tower. Well, I knew the Reincarnation Game had a backup plan."
Yuki returned to the White Bone Mountains and saw the notice in the town, thus understanding the significance of the word 'usually' in the background description: '[usually a seven-year selection process]'.
This was expected. The wizards on the Red Earth Continent weren't considered strong; the top figures were only at the level of monsters. In addition, there were restrictions on entering the tower. Yuki, her senior, and the War Orphans could stick together and hold out for a hundred years.
There's no time limit for this instance; we can't really let them slack off for a hundred years.
Backed by the Red Earth Continent, this Alliance crushes all player teams with sheer numbers. No wonder it's so mysterious in the lore. If it were as hierarchical as a church, with churches everywhere, players could even become popes.
Yuki still doesn't know what the Alliance's structure is; he only sees thousands of wizards being drawn in by the notices and lining up to participate.
The identity of a Tower Explorer is very valuable; it is a symbol of honor, wealth, and power. If they were not afraid of devaluation, the Alliance could simply designate 100 teams of Tower Explorers and then lead 10,000 wizards into the tower to carry out a campaign.
"This is overdrawing the value of the 'Tower Explorers'. I've wiped out the high-ranking Meso Kingdom, and there's no one left to stop me in the secular world."
Yuki felt something was amiss. If the kingdom's higher-ups were present, they could have negotiated a fair deal, and at least they wouldn't have allowed so many wizards of unknown origin to gather in the country.
But now the kingdom is in chaos, and the army has been scattered by the Yuki. Wizards from all over the continent, from the northern berserkers covered in thick furs to the dark-skinned southern guerrillas, are gathering here.
They were originally just spectators exploring the tower; apart from a small number who were able to enter, most of them wandered around outside, hoping to hunt one or two escaped Witch Beasts.
"Something's not right. Their reaction speed is too fast. It's like the wizards of the far north had already set out the moment I seized the Tower of Asura. This is definitely not a spontaneous act."
The towers are scattered across various kingdoms. How could berserkers from the far north possibly travel thousands of miles in groups? He recalled the groups of wizards he had seen when he traveled through the central part of the continent. At the time, he thought they were going to besiege the Tower of Asura, but now it seems that it is not that simple.
"Hayasaka, wait for my signal, prepare to activate the tower."
Yuki decisively changed his original plan. He didn't know what the Alliance was trying to do by throwing so many weak wizards into the tower, but doing the opposite was definitely the right thing to do.
It's the eleventh day. According to the broker, the peak has long passed, and the wizards have all gone home to prepare for the next opening of the tower. But now, the climax is actually approaching.
He saw the town packed with people, like a supermarket having a big sale, with countless wizards gathering from all over the continent and marching into the valley in droves.
He saw many people dressed in black robes standing by the roadside, spouting incoherent prayers.
He witnessed several fierce battles erupting in the forest; this was a selection process on the front lines. In less than seven years, regardless of background, you could become a glorious Tower Explorer in seven hours, reclaim the tower for the Witch God, and then withdraw on your own to be taken over by the Alliance.
This is an unparalleled honor; it is the protection of civilization.
It's extremely simple; there's absolutely no need to go through the second stage, which you can never go back to.
"I'd be tempted too. If all else fails, I could always raid and plunder in the Meso Kingdom."
Yuki saw that the entire valley was full of people, and in the distance, there was a tall tower. Wizards were lining up to enter, but the feedback from the Asura Mark was very strange.
With so many wizards failing to even reach the second level, Frieren and the others should be able to hold out for another two or three days without any problem.
Intuition told Yuki he couldn't wait any longer. He changed into a Fool's Mask, transforming into a blond, blue-eyed youth, and streaked across the valley like a comet, heading straight for the tower under the watchful eyes of countless people.
Unable to stop them, and with no one to hinder them, Yuki looked down at the earth and saw about a hundred black-robed wizards, one of whom had white hair and beard and was smiling at him.
Are you laughing at me?
Yuki fired a shotgun blast without even checking the result, then entered the tower. After a moment of disorientation, he stared in astonishment at his own lair.