Chapter 107 : Chapter 107

Chapter 107 - Divine Conversion (1)

Their whereabouts had been a mystery until now.

Artier had confirmed that one party was annihilated, but the Imperial expedition was composed of two parties.

‘I thought we’d meet eventually.’

But why were they attacking us?

The answer came from the mouth of the count who followed behind him.

“Cease your attack! They are not enemies!”

At the count’s shout, the movements of the two who seemed ready to charge at any moment came to a halt.

“Is that you, Count Cranman?”

“Yes, it is I.”

“We will verify your identity.”

The one with the low, dry voice took out what appeared to be a nameplate from his bosom.

When he aimed it at the count, a wave of mana swept over him.

“……Confirmed. You, imperial citizens, hand over the Count to us. That is an order.”

“Who are you to order us around?”

As soon as Jeina asked back, Artier swung his arm in front of her.

And he snatched a shuriken that was flying toward her.

Thwip!

A sticky liquid was on the shuriken.

As the leather glove that touched the liquid turned white, Artier dropped the shuriken in disgust.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I will not ask a second time. If you do not hand him over, you will die.”

“Shouldn’t you also prove that you’re not a doppelganger for us to believe you?”

“You’re hastening your own death.”

Whoosh!

In the time it took to exhale, the man was already right in front of him.

Shurikens aiming for his heart were flying in from all directions.

[Perfect Counter is activated!]

Clang, clang, clang! Clang!

A slight lapse in concentration and he would be pierced. Realizing this, the sword he swung naturally became fiercer.

Artier’s sword, which had deflected ten shurikens at once, was now aimed at the man’s neck.

“……What?”

The man’s voice was calm, but the emotion he felt was clear. He must not have expected his surprise attack to be thwarted.

‘He’s strong. Does he have the skills to have made it this far?’

On the other hand, Artier couldn’t just smile either. The man’s movements and judgment were certainly not ordinary.

Even though he had aimed for a counterattack with Perfect Counter, no wounds were visible on the man’s body.

“Are you in the mood to talk now?”

“……”

The man dropped his dagger and stepped back.

Then, the count spoke.

“What is your objective?”

“To rescue you, my lord Count.”

“Who gave the order?”

“It is an order from Marquis Calendar.”

“His Excellency the Marquis?”

The count’s expression was complex and subtle.

Artier felt he knew the reason why.

‘Marquis Calendar belongs to a different faction from Count Cranman. It’s natural to be suspicious.’

It was a natural principle for various groups to form when people gathered.

The Empire was no different. All nobles who entered politics formed various factions and were wary of one another.

“Our mission is to rescue you, my lord Count, and acquire information on this place.”

“I see. Are you the only survivors?”

“That is correct.”

“How did you survive?”

“……We were lucky.”

The count nodded his head.

“Let us leave this place first.”

“Understood.”

As the man bowed his head, the woman who had been watching from a distance also came down and bowed.

[Lv.40 Ropa (Assassin)]

[Lv.39 Ruta (Mage)]

‘Their levels are high.’

Even after sheathing his sword, Artier continued to finger the hilt. At this point in time, a level 40 NPC was among the highest-grade he could meet.

The problem was whether they were truly allies.

“Collie, what do you think?”

“……”

Collie stared intently at Ruta.

Something is strange.

Strange?

She is overly calm. To the point of having no emotional changes.

Collie’s ears twitched slightly.

She seems to be professionally trained to hide her emotions. She’s not a doppelganger, but something more……. Dangerous!

Twitch!

At that moment, Ruta’s scythe quivered ever so slightly.

Then, mana chains materialized all around.

[Ruta uses a skill.]

[Binding Chain (Lv.1): Binds all enemies within range and puts them in a silenced state.]

It all happened in an instant.

“Keuk!”

“Kyak!”

Gerard, Jeina, Reinard, and anyone who seemed to be injured were all captured without exception.

The count was no different.

“What is the meaning of this!”

As Tersion ground her teeth and shouted, Ruta silently spun her weapon, a scythe.

“It would be best to eliminate all witnesses, right?”

Ropa picked up the dagger he had dropped on the ground.

“Eliminating all witnesses is the principle. Don’t let anyone live, even by mistake.”

“I get it, so stop nagging.”

“……”

The count, caught in the chains, ground his teeth.

He seemed to be shouting a lot, but the sounds only echoed inside his throat.

“You’ll have to die here with the count.”

“We won’t go down that easily.”

Artier said in the most relaxed tone he could manage.

Even so, his eyes were rapidly scanning the surroundings.

‘This isn’t good.’

The undead that had been lingering at the entrance were slowly approaching.

They were necromancers.

There was no one more advantageous in small-scale skirmishes than necromancers. They could simply crush their opponents with an overwhelming number of summons.

‘Besides, Tersion is a bad match against the undead.’

Of course, for an archer, she was good at taking down undead.

But it wasn’t to the point of reversing the type disadvantage.

Collie, is there any way?

If I use Holy Magic, I might be able to block the undead in the front to some extent. The problem is that we don’t know what kind of techniques they will use.

Coming to the northern part of the Empire wasn’t possible just by having a slightly higher level.

Just like the offensive Holy Magic Artier’s party possessed, it was safe to assume they also had a similar ultimate skill.

The two of us will handle them, so you block the undead.

Will that be alright?

We have no choice. I’m counting on you.

Artier spoke to Tersion.

“Bow, can you handle that mage one-on-one?”

“One-on-one? That’s a necromancer. There’s no way that’s possible.”

“What if I make it possible?”

“……Of course, I’d tear her apart.”

Was it just his imagination that an eerie glint could be seen from the eyeholes of her mask?

“Good, Collie!”

At Artier’s words, Collie lifted his head and let out a low, long howl.

Awoooo!

The Holy Light split into countless pieces and ascended upwards.

Soon, a beautiful night sky began to appear on the temple’s ceiling.

[Collie uses a skill.]

[Holy Magic: Holy Star Fall (Lv.1): Creates a holy meteor shower for 60 seconds. Can attack a wide area or be guided to a specific target.]

Soon, as an aura shone in the created sky, the stars that had risen began to fall.

It was a beautiful sight.

Though for some, it would have been hell.

Boom! Boom!

The moment the meteors hit the ground, nothing remained. Only the melted stone floor and a little dust were left.

Even zombies, known for their considerable durability, couldn’t withstand two hits.

“What is that?”

Ruta, who had deflected a meteor with her shield, barely dodged an arrow that pierced right through it.

At its point of origin stood Tersion, holding a burning beam of light.

“If I pierce you, will these disgusting things disappear?”

“My, how rude.”

Ruta swung her scythe around and created black magic swords around her.

“But I wonder if you can even kill me?”

Boom! Crack!

Even as the temple trembled and dust filled the air, Artier couldn’t take his eyes off the man in front of him.

“You’re using cheap tricks.”

“Same to you.”

Ropa was now holding daggers in both hands.

His cold gaze leisurely scanned Artier.

‘He’s probably trying to gauge my true level.’

In fact, Artier was also assessing Ropa’s level.

In a more direct way, that is.

[Lv.40 Ropa]

[Title: Orion Empire Special Division Soldier]

[Class: Assassin]

[Strength: 25]

[Agility: 82]

[Intelligence: 25]

[Available Skills:]

[Attack Skills (4) (Close)]

[- Black Sign: Shadow Pierce (Lv.2), Ambush (Lv.5), Flurry (Lv.2), Venom Toss (Lv.2)]

[Support Skills (1) (Close)]

[- Stealth (Lv.2), Detoxify (Lv.1)]

[Defense Skills (2) (Close)]

[- Substitution (Lv.2)]

‘He only has skills that seem like a pain in the ass to deal with.’

Among his skills, the one to be most wary of was undoubtedly the Ambush skill, which was at the highest level.

The Ambush skill, which had the effect of dealing additional damage while in stealth, was a dirty skill that could critically injure even a tanker in a single blow.

And the second was a skill called Black Sign.

‘Why would a level 40 assassin have learned that? Is it because he’s a special forces member?’

Black Sign was a title given only to the strongest skills in the black magic category.

It conferred side effects on the body, but its effects were just as powerful. It might even be stronger than Holy Magic.

‘The moment I let him activate that, I lose. But bigger skills have bigger openings, so I can block it.’

Fwoosh!

Artier’s body shot forward.

In just two breaths, sparks scattered in all directions.

[Ropa uses Flurry.]

[Perfect Counter is activated!]

[Flame Cleave is used.]

[Ropa uses Substitution.]

[Ropa uses Venom Toss.]

[Ice Wall is copied and used.]

Ropa’s daggers were indeed fast.

The moment Artier blocked his blades, he kicked off into the air, leaped over him, moved behind his back, and even threw poison.

But Artier was no pushover either.

He was nullifying Ropa’s disruptions with just the necessary skills at the perfect timing.

‘How is he so fast?’

‘Why is he so fast?!’

Funnily enough, both were thinking the same thing at the same time.

Since their reflexes were similar, neither had taken any damage yet.

“This method won’t work.”

Clang!

With a rather large spark, Ropa once again switched places with a nearby object.

And then he vanished on the spot.

‘Stealth skill!’

As soon as he confirmed it, Artier hastily heightened all his senses.

But a high-level assassin was different. No matter how much he concentrated, Ropa’s presence could not be felt anywhere.

Slit!

A wound appeared on his forearm.

Starting with that, invisible daggers began to relentlessly stab at Artier from all directions.

‘It’s okay. As long as I avoid a fatal wound. The important thing is to block that skill.’

A cold pain tormented him from all sides. His breath caught in his throat, and he would unwillingly lose his strength.

But despite that, Artier did not fall.

[Flame Cleave is used.]

Fwoosh!

Artier spun his whole body and swung his sword.

As the flames spread in a circle, Ropa’s figure was finally revealed.

“Found you!”

“Impressive. But you’re too late.”

“What?”

Upon hearing those words, Artier felt the shadows flicker unsettlingly.

[Ropa uses a skill.]

[Black Sign: Shadow Pierce (Lv.2): Attacks all beings with a shadow within range. The caster is also included.]

His own shadow and the shadows of his bound comrades were trembling.

As if they were afraid.

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