Chapter 147: Battle of the Bir Plains (4)

People have always wanted to conquer nature. The Wright brothers made an airplane to conquer the sky, just as the light bulb was invented to conquer the darkness of night. However, no technology in the world has ever been able to conquer natural disasters like a tsunami. And that was the same in

MID Online

.

"

Aaagh!

"

Splash, splash.

"

Kugh

...!"

The army of the Church of Muldine fell into the water! Their numbers were a staggering seven thousand, and more than half of their massive force fell into the canal, looking like drenched rats.

"Well, I did brace myself since this was supposed to be a war, but..."

"But this is no different from when we used to go out searching for food."

"The ones who tried to destroy Aquavera!"

The merfolk warriors were highly skilled in magic, and to counter the naga tribe, they also trained in the use of weapons such as swords and tridents. That meant their combat ability was exceptional! Moreover, they could also swim freely in the water, making it a nightmare for the Church of Muldine.

The Church of Muldine’s army struggled on the shattered ice field, but one by one, they drowned at the merfolk's attacks!

As Kai just observed quietly, he then nodded his head.

Demi-humans are indeed strong.

Elves excelled in archery and elemental magic, and merfolk excelled in magic and weaponry. While humans barely managed to learn one skill, these demi-humans mastered two. The merfolk displayed overwhelming power in the water, while the elves wielded absolute strength in the forest.

Forming friendly relations with the demi-humans was the right decision.

He wasn't the only one thinking that.

The eyes of the masters of the top ten guilds widened at the merfolk's performance.

"Who would've thought... that the reinforcements would be merfolk...!"

"Those merfolk... are insanely strong."

"The Ironblood Knights, the elves, and now the merfolk... Who on earth is this guy?"

Unknown was like an onion, revealing more layers the more it was peeled.

Then, Vulcan shook his head and approached Unknown. "So, do we just help the merfolk deal with the enemies in the canal now?"

"No. Eight hundred merfolk warriors are more than enough to tie them down. So..." Kai raised his hand and pointed toward the bridge. "We'll cross the bridge and join the Ironblood Knights on the other side."

Strike at the main camp! It was basic military knowledge that an organization collapsed when it lost its leader.

Kai intended to use this momentum to swiftly take down the bishop.

"So the merfolk will tie down the Church of Muldine's forces in the water..."

"And during that time, we attack the main camp."

"There are only about four thousand left in their main camp now."

"Meanwhile, our forces are still as strong as they were at the start..."

"And if the Ironblood Knights join us?"

They could win!

Kai had already defeated an inquisitor, boosting his allies' morale. However, that alone wasn’t enough to instill confidence in a sure victory.

"We can win."

But this time was different. Victory that had once been out of sight, had now come within reach.

Kai raised his hand powerfully and ordered, "All troops, cross the bridge and strike the rear of the enemy’s main camp!"

The enemy's main camp was already in chaos due to the Ironblood Knights, so they were focused entirely on that situation.

In the midst of this, the Muldine forces were greatly taken aback as the army of elves and players began crossing the bridge.

"Your Grace! The enemy troops are crossing the bridge and aiming for our rear!"

"What...?! Impossible! Where are the forces that were supposed to hold them off?"

"They are trapped by the merfolk’s magic and cannot move!"

"H-how... disgraceful!"

They suffered from a strategic defeat! It was no different than saying that the commander's abilities had been completely overwhelmed by the enemy. Therefore, it was an unbearably humiliating situation from the bishop's perspective.

As the bishop bit his lower lip tightly, three inquisitors approached him.

"Your Grace! The situation is extremely unfavorable!"

"It is time to make a decision."

"Please, give us your orders!"

Retreat or breakthrough—those were the options.

Standing at a crossroad, the bishop sighed and finally said, "We cannot return to the church as mere remnants. Order the troops to consume the Essence of Darkness!"

Once consumed, the Essence of Darkness would rob one of their reason, making them violently aggressive but granting overwhelming power in return.

The bishop demanded that his troops consume this essence. Ordinary people would have called it madness, but...

"Glory to the future of the Church of Muldine!"

"Glory to the future of the Church of Muldine!"

They were complete fanatic cultists! Regardless of the destruction of their own will, all four thousand of the troops poured the Essence of Darkness into their mouths at the bishop’s command. Groans could be heard from all directions at once.

"

Argh

...

Kugh!

"

"M-Muldine... is coming to me!"

"

Krr... Krrrr!

"

Their bodies writhed in pain, and their eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.

It was around that time that the Ironblood Knights noticed something was wrong, and Bach wore a serious expression as he slashed through the enemies, suddenly showing strange symptoms.

This is... These symptoms are similar to the monsters described in the report that consumed the Essence of Darkness.

Losing their sanity, unable to feel pain easily, and gaining immense strength—this was a forbidden technique!

Sensing something was off as well, the Ironblood Knights hurriedly gathered around Bach.

"Commander, something's wrong with them."

"They’ve suddenly become stronger. And that reckless way they attack without regard for their own bodies..."

"The Essence of Darkness. It seems they’ve consumed it."

Bach's quick and precise assessment infuriated the righteous knights.

"Are you saying they forced their own troops to consume that cursed power?"

"How monstrous...!"

"Don't forget. We are dealing with the Church of Muldine, a fanatical cult that worships an evil god without regard for means or methods."

As Bach let out a light sigh, Kai and his forces approached.

"Bach, is something wrong?" Kai asked, looking at the gathered knights, who had slightly withdrawn.

"The enemy has consumed the Essence of Darkness. Their strength has increased dramatically."

"The Essence of Darkness...!"

"Is that true? They all consumed it?"

"Until now, the only one who could consume that and still maintain their sanity was the King of Looters, Veghas..."

That was news shocking enough to surprise even the guild masters. They, too, were part of the Darkness Hunters and had each gathered a few Essences of Darkness. They knew better than anyone how savage and ferocious the monsters that consumed it became.

"

Hmm

..." Kai quietly observed the enemies, and finally said, "Bach, those who consume the Essence of Darkness lose their sanity, right?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Then how is the Church of Muldine able to control them?"

"Probably because of the bishop. Look over there."

Bach pointed to the bishop of the Church of Muldine, who was emitting streams of dark power.

"In other words, they'll become nothing more than a disorderly mob if we take down the bishop, right?"

"Correct. But that's easier said than done because..."

"Because the army protecting the bishop is too strong. Am I right?"

"You got it."

Nodding with a tired expression, Bach looked at Kai.

What is he planning on doing this time...

The adventurer that was always unpredictable sounded far more cheerful than Bach expected, and his prediction wasn’t far off.

"Then leave the bishop to me, and the Ironblood Knights should protect our forces and retreat slowly. Just minimize the damage."

"Wait, as I said, it's impossible to just break through their army and face the bishop alone..."

"I have an idea."

With a brief reply, Kai sprinted toward the Suver Canal.

"Let’s see..."

As he looked around, searching for something, he waved energetically with a bright voice, "Mimic! Over here!"

The King Sand Worm spat out the dark priest it had been chewing at the call of its master!

Kai entered the massive mouth of Mimic as it approached, and commanded, "Mimic, let's dig."

***

Rumble, rumble.

The bishop of the Church of Muldine was on edge, his nerves stretched thin.

If they consume the Essence of Darkness, they lose their sanity. I have to continuously release dark energy for them to obey my commands.

Despite years of research by the Church of Muldine, feeding the Essence of Darkness to humans was still incomplete. Even in the only successful case, Veghas, they had barely succeeded after extensive preparation and using a refined version of the essence.

Rumble.

Rumble.

But with this powerful army, I could turn the tide of this battle... but what is this vibration?

The bishop furrowed his brows at the vibrations he had been feeling beneath his feet for a while. Perhaps due to his heightened nerves, the persistent shaking was becoming more irritating!

"I never heard that the ground was unstable on the Bir Plains. An earthquake at a time like this... Wait, an earthquake?"

Suspicion filled the bishop's eyes as something occurred to him. The tremor felt similar to when the wall of the Suver Canal had been breached earlier!

No, this is different. It was weaker before...

The only difference was that now the vibrations were strong enough to shake his entire body.

"No way...!”

Just as the ominous thought crossed his mind, the ground beneath him collapsed.

"

Arrrghhh!

"

As the ground supporting their legs disappeared, the bishop and the dark paladins plummeted downward!

And what awaited them below was not solid ground.

"

Kugh

... This is...?"

A sticky, slippery liquid covered their entire bodies.

At the same time, a voice could be heard from in front of them.

"

Hmm

. Just as I thought. It’s tough to pull just one out. The King Sand Worm's mouth is too big."

"Y-you are?!"

The bishop immediately summoned his dark power after regaining his senses.

That voice belonged to the enemy commander who had led the elves and Ironblood Knights!

The bishop's voice roused the dark paladins, "Dark paladins, strike him down!"

Swish, slash!

Without asking or hesitating, two swords flew toward Kai, aimed at his heart and head.

This won’t be easy.

There wasn’t just one, but four dark paladins. They were the elite of the elite, tasked with protecting the bishop at close range! Their levels were each around 300, not low by any means.

If I can take them out...

The bishop would be within his grasp!

Kai slightly shifted his body to dodge the attacks, and his hands moved like lightning. A flash of brilliance unfolded from his hands! Once Kai seized an opportunity, his attacks never stopped.

Left calf, right shoulder, and the crown of my head? And from behind, they're aiming for my Achilles tendon!

It was the state martial artists occasionally experienced, where all their focus was directed solely toward the battle. In other words, he was in the zone. He unknowingly entered that state, and he could clearly see every move of his enemies.

Of course, Kai wasn’t the type to get hit by attacks he could see.

Swoosh.

Dodge the enemies' attacks.

Slash!

And land my own!

It was a simple yet overwhelmingly effective combat method!

Kai's sword began to chip away at the enemies' armor, like the gentle start of a rainstorm. However, the gentle rain soon turned into a downpour, then into a storm.

The momentum has shifted to my side.

Crack, crack!

Every time Kai moved, the enemies’ swords sliced through nothing but air. And every time he swung his sword, the enemies’ armor was broken without fail!

Craaack!

Kai's sword strikes were far too brutal to be called precise swordplay. In fact, the dark paladins' armor wasn't so much cut by the blade as it was quite literally torn apart.

His relentless and savage attacks continued until a message appeared before his eyes.

Ding!

[You have focused your entire mind on the battle and dodged over 100 enemy attacks.]

[You have focused your entire mind on the battle and attacked the enemy's vital points over 100 times.]

[Skill proficiency in Swordsmanship of the Dawn has greatly increased.]

[Swordsmanship of the Dawn skill has leveled up.]

[Swordsmanship of the Dawn increased to Advanced ranking.]

Thud!

"

Huff, huff...

"

As the final paladin's body collapsed to the ground and disintegrated into polygons, Kai’s skill proficiency increased. The Swordsmanship of the Dawn skill that was previously at level 9 of Intermediate, had finally reached the Advanced level.

Gasping for breath, Kai stared at his hands.

... How did I just fight?

He had fought so frantically that being dazed was the only way to describe it. He could hardly remember how he had moved, but one thing was certain.

"I won."

A smile unknowingly spread across his face as the bishop's horrified voice rang out.

"Th-this is impossible... How could a mere adventurer defeat four dark paladins...?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, the bishop refused to accept the reality before him. The time it had taken for the four dark paladins to fall was exactly four minutes and thirty-five seconds. Such a thing could never happen in his understanding of reality.

"I wouldn't be able to do it again, even if I tried," Kai replied, dragging his exhausted body to approach the bishop.

Seeing Kai showing clear signs of fatigue, the bishop slowly regained some of his confidence and said, "You look tired, heretic adventurer."

"Yeah. A little worn out."

"Do you think you can face me, the bishop of the Church of Muldine, in that state? That's arrogance."

Too tired to respond, Kai simply stared at the bishop with an exhausted expression.

[Church of Muldine Bishop LV.427]

Man, his level is ridiculously high.

In this game, level was indeed a significant advantage and absolute factor. And it was also true that in his current state, he was in no condition to take on the bishop. However...

"I never said I was going to face you alone."

"W-what?"

As Kai kicked at Mimic's tongue, Mimic began to move its massive body. Its destination, of course, was the main camp where the Ironblood Knights were stationed.

"How cowardly!"

Realizing what was happening, the bishop poured out attacks, but Kai endured every strike and took them all head-on.

"Sunlight’s Warmth, Sunlight’s Warmth."

When Mimic finally stopped, Kai gave a joyful smile and delivered his farewell, "You've arrived at your destination. The destination is hell. Hell."

It was a declaration signaling the end of the war.