Chapter 701: The Ten Plagues

The Masserati Kingdom, led by the Absolute God Class Absolute Monarch Richard, had been expanding their influence and power recently.

Several guilds already came under the command and rule of Absolute Monarch Richard, as the players were fascinated with his special power that could promote their growth. There were also many high-rankers that came knocking on their doors, judging that they would soon overtake the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom due to their development.

Absolute Monarch Richard possessed the skill ‘Talent Search’, which helped him discover and awaken people with amazing potential, as well as the passive skill ‘Supreme Submission’, which won the hearts of many legendary NPCs. With these two skills, he was able to increase the pace of development of the Masserati Kingdom.

But right now, the Masserati Kingdom was facing an unprecedented, and the greatest, disaster since their founding.

“Mages! Do you not have any magic anymore?!”

“My MP is all out!”

“We’ve used up all of our arrows too.”

“Ugh, aaaaaaaack! My eyeeeeees!”

They had been holding out in Esser Fortress for two weeks straight and their situation was turning for the worst.

Richard watched the battlefield with a grave look on his face.

‘We cannot let them take over Esser Fortress.’

Esser Fortress was a strategic point. If this fortress got taken down, the enemies would only need four hours to reach the capital of Masserati Kingdom. Simply put, once this place was conquered, the Imperial Army would be able to take their territories one by one.

‘I never expected the Imperial Army’s power to be this overwhelming.’

Richard was already familiar with the Imperial Army’s reputation. However, he possessed plenty of passive skills that could stimulate the growth and raise his soldiers' powers. Because of that, Richard was confident that his soldiers could be considered as the strongest and the best troops in the continent.

However, the story changed when the Imperial Army brought out their elite troops.

‘An ordinary knight is at the same level as rankers at the top 100,000.’

As for the elite knights? They were either on par or stronger than rankers at the top 30,000.

‘How am I supposed to deal with troops at such a crazy level?’

At this moment, Richard realized why the empire was the center of attention for Athenae’s second era.

‘Fighting them with numbers is meaningless.’

If he decided to do that, the only one that would be weakened was his Masserati Kingdom.

‘Then, does that mean that I can only give up Esser Fortress to the Luvien Empire?’

No. He could not do that. If he gave in at this point, then the Luvien Empire would just continue to gnaw at and devour his Masserati Kingdom. In fact, what the empire was using as a pretext for this war was that the Masserati Kingdom had set foot and took root in a land that was originally theirs.

‘There are 70,000 troops from the Imperial Army.’

As for the Masserati Kingdom? They had around 110,000 troops. However, the number of their soldiers had dropped significantly over the course of this war.

At that moment, a voice rang out.

“You must never back down, King of the New World.”

Richard turned around to look at the source of the dreary and gloomy voice. When he turned, he saw the figure of a middle-aged man wearing a black cape on his shoulders and a helmet that seemed to have been modeled after a dragon.

‘Black Dragon…?’

Richard was very familiar with that black helmet and that rumored dark, chuuni-like way of speech. This man was the father of Beyond the Heavens’ King Minhyuk, also known as the chairman of the global corporation, Ilhwa Group.

Black Dragon crossed his arms on his chest and looked at the enemies arrogantly. “I have received the calls of the souls of the dead and had come running to this place.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Black Dragon was also a world-renowned figure so Richard could not just easily ignore him and send him back to where he came from.

Then, Black Dragon said, “With my eyes that can see over a thousand miles, I can see that the enemy reinforcements are already on their way here.”

“…!”

Richard’s face had turned ugly. Those words only meant one thing. Black Dragon had received information that the enemies would receive reinforcements.

‘Damn it!’

In fact, in a way, he should have expected that things would turn out like this. Ever since the beginning, the empire had been ready to take down the Masserati Kingdom at any given moment. However, they had efficiently distributed the Imperial Army troops to cover several continents so it was just taking a bit longer. The fact that they were going to send reinforcements, no matter how little, would still be too much for the kingdom to handle.

‘If they came at us in full force, our kingdom would have already collapsed in a day.’

Thankfully, the story team had arranged it in a way that they would not be annihilated without even being able to fight back. However, the fact that the empire could bring the Masserati Kingdom down at any time with just the slightest bit of effort from their emperor would always remain true.

Masserati Kingdom now had only two ways to survive. One was to abandon their current land and find a new one to live in. The second, fight until the end and get their lands taken over anyway.

“Did he tell you to come and inform me?”

The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom and the Masserati Kingdom were neither allies nor enemies. Simply put, they could not expect to receive a huge favor from them, like support without any consequences.

“We came here in case you needed help.”

The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom had been attacked by the Hell Corps not too long ago. This meant that they did not have plenty of troops available at the moment, especially since there was a chance that they would also make a counter attack.

“I see. You want something in return.”

Black Dragon nodded silently.

“I would like to hear it.”

“First would be hints for God-grade ingredients for our dear Majesty.”

“…As expected of your information network. Amazing.”

Beyond the Heavens had Informant Abel, who ranked fifth in the Assassination and Informant rankings in Athenae, and he had an impressive information network. Not too long ago, Abel had found out that the Masserati Kingdom had acquired God-grade ingredients.

Meanwhile, there was a man that stood next to Richard and listened to his conversation with Black Dragon.

‘Why is His Majesty allowing this trivial conversation to go on?’

The man was Ricor, and he was working under the name ‘Mask of Disaster’. Naturally, this was because he had the special class ‘Disaster Specialist’, a class that also used swords.

Every year, in Athenae, the most anticipated players with the fastest growth would be hailed as the Five Promising Prospects. Disaster Specialist Ricor was one of those five, rumored to be the best among them.

In fact, he was able to catch up with the ordinary high-rankers, achieving a high position in the Masserati Kingdom. That was why Ricor, although only twenty years of age, was very arrogant.

Under Absolute Monarch Richard’s command, he was able to grow even faster. Believing in the power that he and Richard had, Ricor thought that the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom would soon be overtaken by the Masserati Kingdom.

Hence, he could not understand why Richard was bothering with this trivial conversation. Then, more shocking words were exchanged.

“How many support troops will you send?”

“We have a little more than ten people. We have already set up a team and I assure you that it’s a very great team.”

“…”

Ricor was very stunned when he heard those words.

‘He wanted God-grade ingredients for the support of just ten people?! These crazy bastards!!!’

However, Ricor tried to stay calm and just stood there watching the situation on the sidelines.

“Second, hints for the Absolute Demigod classes.”

“…!!!”

“That guy next to you, I seem to recall that his name is Ricor? He will soon become the next Absolute Demigod after the first Absolute Demigod Asura, right?”

The information network of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom was truly beyond incredible. The reason why Ricor had a great attachment to the Masserati Guild was because Richard had personally visited him and told him that he would make him into an Absolute Demigod, just like Ascar, who became one earlier.

“You probably know a few more methods to become an Absolute Demigod.”

The Absolute Monarch was supposed to be a figure that could go against Nerva Sephiroth. That was why there should be several Absolute Demigod-class players beside him.

“One spot. We only need that one spot that is suitable for one of our guild members.”

Richard continued to listen to the demands.

“Third, a promise to send support troops. In the future, when something happens to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, you will have to send support troops no matter what.”

“What in the world…!”

Ricor completely lost his temper. They were imposing too many demands.

‘Besides, even if Richard agreed, do they think that they can turn the situation around? Just ten high-ranker class people? No, there should be at least a hundred to even be worthy of such demands!’

“…I will think about it.” Richard answered with a grave look on his face.

Ricor felt extremely frustrated.

‘Why is he even considering those audacious demands?’?

Black Dragon just nodded. “You won’t regret asking for help from our Team Darkness.

Fufufu.?

Can’t you feel the being on your right arm about to go berserk too?”

Ricor felt goosebumps on his skin.

‘Darkness? Did he go crazy with his power?’

It seemed like Black Dragon was just like how the rumors claimed him to be. He truly was the King of ‘Chuunis’.

Then, the enemy reinforcements arrived.

[Sword of the Gods Elainey has appeared on the battlefield!]

[Elainey is someone that has borrowed the power of God!]

[Those that can kill him will be able to obtain rewards.]

[Sword of the Gods Rend has appeared on the battlefield!]

[Those that can kill him…]

The wall of the fortress instantly collapsed after one of the Sword of the Gods, Elainey, hurled his huge spear with all his might.

Rumbleeeeeee—

“…!”

Rend immediately joined in, throwing several axes that exploded like bombs and killing hundreds of soldiers at a time.

“…Ugh.” Richard could not help but groan especially after he saw the Hundred Battle Knights that followed right after the two.

“Keuhaaaaack!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaack!”

“Keuaaaaaaaaack!”

“…!”

Richard’s face turned ugly. The tide of the wars had instantly turned the moment the Swords of the Gods and the Hundred Battle Knights appeared on the battlefield. They were leading a large army of 100,000 behind them. Now, the ones at a disadvantage when it came to numbers were them, not the enemy.

“Keuhaaaaaack!”

“Long live His Majesty Richard!!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaack!”

“…”

The soldiers were being swept away so easily, dying in vain to the point that Richard had to wonder if this was truly a war and not just some one-sided slaughter. Even the Masserati Kingdom’s elite knights, who Richard had tried to nurture as hard as he could, were nothing but mere children playing around in front of them.

Just like that, the troops blocking the enemies’ advance toward the fortress continued to be pushed back.

“Hiiiik…!”

Ricor, along with several of the Masserati Guild’s marquises, were deployed to the field. All of the prominent high rankers of the guild moved to block the advancing enemies. Ricor, in particular, stood out the most among them.

‘This is already a losing battle. Getting help from the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom…’

Ricor bit his lips tightly. He might be an arrogant ranker, but he was one of the few that did not look at the NPCs as mere artificial intelligence. That was why he was feeling desperate.

[Disaster of the Sky.]

Baaaaaaaaaaaaang—

A huge meteor fell from the sky and crashed on the site that Ricor aimed for the moment he swung his sword. The meteor easily devoured several of the Hundred Battle Knights.

Bzzzt—

Rumbleeeeeeee—

A huge tornado appeared in the sky and devoured the approaching enemies as Ricor appeared in the sky in a flash of lightning.

Vwoooooooooong—

The tornado was also accompanied by a powerful typhoon that raged amidst the enemy ranks and forced them to hold on for their dear lives.

Tighten—

The typhoon grew more intense the moment Ricor tightened his palms into a fist. The ordinary enemy soldiers could not even control their bodies as they got swept away. This was Ricor’s power, as someone that would climb the ranks of the Absolute Demigods.

“Ricor, come back here!!!” Richard called Ricor back.

However, Ricor could not hear his king’s commands.

‘Hans, Veron, Neva, Karn…’

They were the people that accompanied him. Although they were artificial intelligence, Ricor treated them as his friends. He did not want to see them die.

“Uwooooooooooo!”

Rumbleeeeeeeeee—

Bzzt—

Ricor used his pinnacle skill and triggered one of the Five Disasters. Even though the skill meant that he would have to incur a -2 in all stats, Ricor did not hesitate to use it. That was how much panic he was feeling.

[The God of Disasters’ Wrath.]

First, hundreds of lightning bolts fell down from the skies.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack—

Then, it was followed by an area of one-kilometer radius twisting and shaking as lava spurted out and covered the ground.

Rumbleeeeeeeeee—

But that was not the end. The strong winds blowing around them turned as sharp as swords, tearing apart the enemies.

Shwaaaaaaaaaaa—

There was also a huge tidal wave that suddenly appeared and devoured the enemy troops.

“Uwoooooooooooh!”

‘I’ll protect them! I’ll definitely protect them!!! They are my precious people, the people of Masserati!’

Ricor was confident in his power. After all, he was one of the Five Promising Prospects and was also one of the next generation Absolute Demigods.

“You have an interesting skill there, huh?”

Sword of the Gods Elainey easily maneuvered along the twisted ground, his spear dancing through the blade-like storm and before piercing through Ricor’s heart.

Staaaaaaab—

“Keoheooooook!!!”

“We should nip them in the bud.”

One of Rend’s axes flew down from the sky at the speed of light and slashed Ricor’s shoulder, forcing him to slowly fall down to the ground.

‘No…’

Ricor’s head turned blank. All he could do was gaze at Richard’s panicked gaze. He could see his king shouting his name frantically while looking at him, who had rushed out recklessly on the battlefield.

“Ricor!!!”

‘If only I were stronger…’

He was supposed to become an Absolute Demigod, but he had not even changed his class yet. There were some pointers he had heard from Richard before.

‘The way for you to change class to the Absolute Demigod Class is simple. All you have to do is meet and face this era’s transcendental strong men and you will be able to gain Class Percentages. If you fill that gauge, you will be able to change classes.’

However, what was strange was the fact that the percentage gauge did not increase even though he was face to face with two of the Sword of the Gods.

‘What rank should I meet for it to change?’?

That question flashed in Ricor’s head as his body got close to the ground.

Then, he saw Richard’s mouth open. “I accept your conditions!!!”

Elainey and Rend were already shooting down toward him. That was when he saw Black Dragon, who was riding on Britney’s back, descend from the sky with his arms crossed over his chest. Then, he slowly raised his left arm as a powerful black energy appeared and swirled around him.

Roaaaaaaaaaaar—!

“I am granting you the permission to awaken the power sealed within you and go berserk!”

Snap—

Ricor felt like everything was in slow motion as he watched the man snap his fingers and say those words. However, the sight also invoked one thought.

‘What the hell? What kind of f*cking r*tard*ed line was that…’

However, the outcome was completely different from what Ricor expected. A woman with red hair fluttering underneath her helmet and a sword in her hand appeared just above the falling Ricor. The woman had a bewitching look, despite the cold and sharp glare of her eyes.

“Red Flame Swordsman Ellie, go wild!!!”

“…”

At that moment, Elainey’s spear and Rend’s axe struck the woman that was blocking Ricor. However, the woman just swung her sword lightly and she was able to easily block both weapons of the two beings that were hailed as the Swords of the Gods.

“Burn, Sword of White Flames.”

Flash, flash, flash, flash, flash—

The woman once again swung her sword lightly. However, both Elainey and Rand’s bodies got slashed and torn apart.

Thud—

Ricor finally landed on the ground, his eyes staring directly at the back of the woman that landed in front of him.

[You have met the Sword Emperor, the Continental Emperor and Team Darkness’ ‘Red Flame Swordsman’!]

[She is one of the Supremes of the current era!]

[You might experience something special!]

For the first time, notifications relating to his class change rang in his ears.

Ellie swung her sword and said, “Everyone is equal in front of me, the Red Flame Swordsman.”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!

At the same time, a powerful force erupted from her sword and swept away the enemies in front of her.

For the first time in Ricor’s life, he thought,

‘It might sound r*ta**ed but it’s still so cool…’

Indeed, it was.