Chapter 393
"Cooperation isn't necessary. As long as we're far enough away, we could simply use tools or skills to control some branches, but that wouldn't be as safe as the two of us."
"Even we two are having a great time!" Mona grabbed Yuki's hand and, with a kind smile, dragged him out of the airport.
This trip was indeed pleasant. Yuki only made one move, and spent the rest of the time enjoying the scenery along the way, or eating and drinking with Mona. Although it was called a 'hunting mission', it was actually much easier than before.
And yet, you can't find anything wrong with it.
Yuki was not lazy; everything was under control, and he concealed himself perfectly. In the blink of an eye, another remaining player was gone.
96 people.
In less than five days, fifty players perished, which is enough to show how brutal the dungeon is.
"But why don't I feel anything at all?"
Yuki was pushed into the car by Mona without any explanation and taken directly to Night Capital Yuki. In addition to the Night Watchers scanning the area, there were countless secret agents watching for any unusual situations.
They certainly noticed the two who had just entered the city, but the brother and sister first booked a hotel room, and then went to the museum. The girl was lively, and the man was elegant; they were really only interested in appreciating the various works of art.
After leaving the museum, we had lunch and then sat idly in the square. The girl was eating ice cream, and her innocence and joy seemed genuine. The man was a little impatient, but he still doted on her.
She commissioned a painter to paint her portrait, played ring toss with some children her age, laughed happily while clutching a pile of small gifts, and then dragged a man with a helpless expression to the amusement park.
The tracking ends here. There's no need to call the Night Watchers to confirm; this isn't, and shouldn't be, a minion of the night.
I've never been to an amusement park with my senior before, but she dragged me here anyway.
The spy left with his blessings, Yuki was questioning his life. At first, he had anticipated that he would be targeted and used his superb acting skills to cooperate with Mona, but as he acted, he even forgot about it himself.
Mona didn't need to act at all; her true nature was fixed, and no matter how experienced the spy was, they couldn't see through her.
Ride the Ferris wheel, and the city and distant factories are all in front of you. The only building that surpasses the Ferris wheel is that tall tower.
"You've really found a great Reconnaissance location."
"Heh heh, I haven't forgotten the important matter. Consider this a reward for your cooperation today." Mona Meimei stretched and yawned, "Hmm, it's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed."
"I thought you were always happy." Yuki, propping his head up with his hand, somewhat surprised.
"How could that be? Being a player is always a pain. For example, in Wizard's Tower, I don't even have a chance to slack off. I also have to keep an eye on that idiot Nero."
Mona started rambling on and on again, Yuki listened quietly to the amusing stories unfolding inside Valhalla.
So Illya really is the magical girl Illya; so Saber really did participate in the Holy Grail War; so Akiha Tohno Carnival Phantasm from the main series.
The two of them never got along to begin with.
Yuki shook his head. As a fan of the Moon, it would be interesting to hear about the interesting stories of Valhalla, so he couldn't help but ask.
Where did Gilgamesh, the "King of Heroes," go?
"You mean Gilgamesh? He joined the game relatively late, and after being defeated by Diarmuid, his pride was hurt, so he went off to play in seclusion."
"And what about Heracles?"
Mona raised an eyebrow, wondering why Yuki seemed so familiar with Valhalla, but he didn't think much of it. Valhalla players all originated from heroic myths, and many worlds have similar legends. It's like if you shout "God of War," dozens of muscular men will appear and ask you what you want with him.
"Him? Well, I should say he's a member of Illya's support group. He has a kind of fatherly protectiveness about him, but this kind of love backfires in the dungeon. It was really difficult to get him away this time."
Mushrooms, you've really done something terrible!
Yuki the story of Valhalla. It interweaves various timelines and parallel worlds. For example, the magical girl Illya has never met Bersaker. Just explaining their relationship is a huge hassle.
Who are the members of Illya's support group?
"Uncle B, Saber, oh no, Her Majesty Artoria, Emiya, Rin, and of course me, she's one of my best friends." Mona started counting on her fingers, then pouted and pounced on Yuki cheek.
"What are you laughing at? You're not interested in Illya, are you? That's absolutely unacceptable!"
She crossed her arms, mimicking a damsel in distress, and Yuki didn't bother reminding herself that she wasn't a lolicon.
"Valhalla sounds really nice."
"Why don't you just join us? You don't really care about factions anyway, right?"
A seductive voice rang in his ears, Yuki immediately became alert, as if he could see Mona growing a long, thin tail, like a little succubus.
There cannot be two suns in the sky.
He silently reminded himself, turning his face away. "I just think Valhalla is pretty good; as a powerful faction, there's no messy stuff going on."
"That's because the Heroic Kings managed things well, or rather, all the messy stuff was over long ago. Do you know why we're hostile to the Judge?" Mona's face darkened, and she instantly became serious.
"Because the former king betrayed Valhalla, slaughtered His subjects, and became the Judge."
No wonder.
Yuki felt that Ryougi Shiki's Shiki Ryougi was too ruthless and reckless, and now he realized that was the problem. He immediately thought of the 'War Orphans,' which was probably the result of the Judge' selection mission.
Who is that?
"Magic King Solomon, don't even think about sticking your neck out for us. He's been an Epic IV player for many, many years. Don't be a death wish."
Yuki nodded; he wasn't that stupid, but the name wasn't unexpected.
Solomon? It would be fun to kill him.
A murderous intent flickered within Yuki continued listening to Mona's story, occasionally flashing a smile like an aunt. The 'clang clang' of the bell rang, forcibly ending the Ferris wheel ride. Mona shut her mouth, still somewhat unsatisfied.
For some reason, she liked to tell stories to Jiecheng, even though many of them were confidential, but this cunning man would always let out a simple smile.
As a result, the man's guard gradually lowered, and he began to reveal a more authentic side of himself. For example, right now, he was quietly reading a fax paper, unlike before when he deliberately hid from me.
Hehehe, plan successful.
Mona gave a sly smile and sat on Yuki's lap like a mischievous imp; to her, the information on the fax was all gibberish.
"Your companion has messaged you again?"
Tell me what you said!
"Oh, don't be so stingy, we'll meet again sooner or later."
Yuki couldn't stand being pestered any longer. He was reading the messages Hiyori had sent him, and unlike before, he wasn't reading them secretly anymore.
The 'Void Temple' mission has ended. Hiyori reported to him that everyone had returned safely and proudly stated that they had received an S-rank mission rating. Due to word count limitations, the details will be sent in multiple parts.
Indeed, with their own S-rank rating, plus side quest rewards and player infighting, the gains are quite considerable.
Yuki felt a sense of pride, like an apprentice finally graduating. They made some friends, created alibis for the Judge, and gathered a lot of information. Of course, this was still not as good as conquering the game together with her.
How should I put it? Completing a dungeon through your own efforts will make you more mature in terms of mindset.
The senior students will have three days off before immediately starting the next dungeon run; they've really worked hard.
As the Ferris wheel was about to land, the girl in his arms kept squirming and making it impossible for him to concentrate, so he snorted in annoyance.
"You'll find out sooner or later, what's the rush?"
"I'm quite interested in the team members. Let me guess, it must be Miss Frieren." Mona hadn't expected that she had met Mai Sakurajima and the others before, as there hadn't been much contact between them in the 'Wizard's Tower'.
"Um."
"That's good, at least I'll have someone I know to avoid any awkwardness." Mona breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the staff opened the door, and she lightly jumped off the train. Her black leather shoes touched the ground, and her long dress with lace trim drew an arc.
"Miss Frieren will like me very much, but I can't guarantee it will be with others. Brother, I won't cause you any trouble, will I?"
Yuki jumped off the train at the same time, and his expression froze for a moment when he heard this, immediately remembering his senior's warning.
"That can't be, right?"
"Anyway, my brother will protect me, right? But if I get into a conflict with someone, whose side will you take?"
"Don't ask such a deadly question." Yuki's expression grew increasingly strange. Just then, several streaks of light flashed across the dim sky. He looked over and answered casually:
"I stand only on the side of Truth."
Boom!
A mountain peak soared into the sky, as if gripped by the hand of Giant, with millions of tons of rock collapsing and shattering, turning into dust in just a few seconds.
It spread like a sandstorm, pouring into the city, sweeping past screaming, fleeing people. It was as if an invisible hand was attached to the sand, crushing and twisting them.
The gunfire of the Soul Blunderbuss rose and fell, enough to fight a major battle with the citizens. The Night Watchers, exhausted, had little strength left. Meanwhile, the endless yellow sand obscured their vision, allowing dozens of terrifying afterimages to quickly approach and crush them with absolute individual strength.
There was no command, because all the Night Watchers of level 3 and above had formed an elite expeditionary force to hunt down the enemy and never returned.
There were no reinforcements, or rather, the Level 1 Night Watchers Molly who came to help was the leader of the expedition.
When the souls could be divided no more, the last bullet was fired, and the exhausted Night Watchers finally collapsed, leaving behind a pile of barely used war machines and tens of thousands of corpses, but none of them could escape.
Countless grains of sand surged in, twisting holes in the Soul Shield, passing over the body, leaving behind twisted corpses.
Night had fallen, but the sky was darker than the dead of night. Blood flowed like a sea on the earth. Afterimages swept through the storm, some attacking high-ranking Night Watchers, others chasing after collapsing soldiers. The shockwaves they generated wiped out skyscrapers one after another.
The Serral City, a major southern town of the Fran Empire with a population of 800,000, was shrouded in yellow sand. People and buildings dissolved at a visible speed and disappeared in no time. This carnage did not cause any ripples; the players were simply moving natural disasters.
A thin man with short green hair gazed at his masterpiece, his mouth stretched to his ears, revealing his gleaming white teeth.
"Hmph, you think you're so great just because you have more people? Ha, the smaller the safe zone, the more concentrated your forces are, huh? So what if I deal with you beforehand?"
"As a Night Watchers, you use the darkness to fight against players, showing no ambition whatsoever—how lazy..."
His gleeful smile was utterly sinister, causing the other players nearby to move away slightly. One of them, a girl with similar emerald green hair, thought to herself, "This is bad luck."
How did we end up with the Aether Particles, and this mad bishop with a long list of misdeeds? This madman is even more dangerous than the Seven Deadly Sins.
'Nighttime Murder' is very free; players can choose their own routes. Some deliberately approach the Night Watchers, some just collect airdrops and stay out of it, and some, like them, kill too many and can't turn back. Others split up their teams and place bets on several different routes.
No player is a fool. Yuki realized that the smaller the poison circle, the more concentrated the Night Watchers, and the greater the threat. Other players could also see this, and the solution was simple:
Strike first, before the Night Watchers can complete their troop deployment.
So Deldore used her mental powers to create this scheme. She had already infiltrated the Seral branch and knew that the Night Watchers headquarters was aware of this intelligence. She turned the tables and deliberately walked into the trap.
The level 1 Night Watchers, with their elite troops, were more than capable of taking her and her companions down. But like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, over twenty players attacked together, unleashing a pre-prepared charm storm and G-Virus infection, turning tens of thousands of citizens into puppets and Living Corpse, and crushing the hundreds of Night Watchers.
'I originally intended to use it in Rosen City, but who knows if that guy was Night Watchers.' Deldore still couldn't figure out whether the man she encountered on Night of Rosen was Night Watchers or a player. Just to be on the safe side, she decided to waste another two days redoing the setup.
"Oh, Miss Deldore, thank you so much. You truly are a powerful mental player; you lured those lax Night's Night Watchers here so easily."
"And these natives are really useful; they're practically an inexhaustible supply of cannon fodder."
Just then, an ugly face suddenly appeared in front of her, and the girl took half a step back, almost using a defensive item.
"You're welcome, but I had a use for these toys."
"Don't worry, don't worry, you'll be compensated. Three players died in this battle, and all their lights are yours." The Sloth Bishop didn't seem to care much, placing his hand on his brow and gazing at the yellow sand covering tens of square kilometers.
"Hey, it looks like the battle is over. Good, good. It would be troublesome for these Night Watchers to retreat, but why aren't they leaving? Is it because the Dark Night Tide hasn't approached yet, and they must keep their oath to protect the city, lest humanity fall into chaotic darkness? Wow, they're really diligent."
Deldore couldn't be bothered to listen to this madman's self-questioning and answering. She couldn't understand the Sloth Bishop and didn't want to get too close. She looked around.
"The members of Valhalla have withdrawn; it seems they don't want to fight us."
"To watch from the sidelines without helping is truly lazy, so lazy," the bishop said, biting his nails as if he were barely holding back from taking action.
This made the girl take another half step back. 'Adventurers' are not as strong as 'Aether Particles', and they can't afford to offend 'Valhalla'. Gazing at the streaks of light lingering on the horizon and watching dozens of players return, she winked at the one-eyed skeleton beside her.
"It's time to retreat, Sinox."
"Roar!"
The Adventurers never intended to kill indiscriminately; he only needed these madmen to kill enough so that he would appear pure. But he had only taken two steps back when...
Bang.
A monster over three meters tall, with sharp teeth, a brownish-black body, and a single horn, landed behind them, its fist still covered in meat paste.
A veteran Monster IV player, 'Hero Kingdom' Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle, no, you absolutely cannot mention the words 'Hero Kingdom' in front of him.
Asura, wiping the meat paste from his hands, slowly said, having just led his assassination squad to wipe out the elite forces led by a level 1 Night Watchers:
"Miss Deldore, where do you think you're going? We're having such a good time killing each other, and you're not even participating?"
"I've fulfilled my promise, I don't need the lamp anymore, so what's it to you where I go?" The blue-haired girl wasn't intimidated at all, and snorted, "There are plenty of players who want to stay out of it, but that one who stole the powerful Soul Lamp hasn't shown up yet."
"Hahaha, that gentleman is an epic-level player, what are you?" Ashura Rhinoceros Beetle's laughter was very honest, and it was because of its sincerity that people couldn't stand it.
He didn't bother to say anything, simply shoving the collected Soul Lamp into Deldore's hands. Then, with a flick of his thick finger, another monster sent over dozens of Night Watchers.
They were on the verge of a mental breakdown, staring around in terror.
"I'll give you the lamp, but you have to kill me, or I'll slaughter you."
More than twenty players from five factions all wore unfriendly expressions. Deldore and the one-eyed skeleton exchanged a glance, and an invisible blade of mental energy slashed through, instantly killing dozens of Night Watchers.