...It's nothing special.
Even as I watched the giant eye in the sky blink and crush the Bird Monster King in one strike, I tried to think that way.
It's nothing special. It's a formidable power, but not something we can't handle.
In the game, White Night was a troublesome boss monster.
This was because she possessed the game's only 'instant death' effect skill. The giant eye wink that she had just cast was precisely that skill.
However, as absurd as the skill's power was, there were clearly several demerits.
There was a limited number of uses, a long cooldown period, and most importantly, it was a single-target skill.
She couldn't instantly kill everything within a certain range. Only one at a time. She could certainly kill the target she captured, but that was just one.
'The skill's presentation is terribly frightening, but that's all it is!'
I gritted my teeth as I glared at the eye opened in the sky.
After all, it's a monster I've already faced in the game.
It's still within the scope of my strategies...!
Kyaaaaaaaak!
As the Bird Monster King fell, the rest of its legion let out a unified scream.
Then, thousands of Bird Monsters, like missiles, shot towards White Night. A clear sneer appeared on White Night's lips.
"Oblivious creatures spreading your wings in the sky."
The sleeves of her necromancer's robe fluttered widely,
"I'll show you the joy of my Fallen Heaven."
Thousands of talismans poured out from her sleeves.
The talismans folded themselves into paper airplane shapes and flew like guided missiles, beautifully curving to seek their respective targets.
Sssssssssssssk!
Thousands of Bird Monsters clashed with the thousands of talismans.
And then,
Kwa-gwang-gwang-gwang-gwang!
The entire sky lit up white.
Intense heat and dazzling light shook the area. Instinctively, I raised my hand to shield my face from the light and heat.
A moment later, as the heat and light subsided and I looked up at the sky with a bitter expression.
There were no more Bird Monsters in the sky. Instead,
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Thud-thud-thud-thud...
The corpses of the Bird Monster flock... were falling like a heavy snowstorm.
Shattered flesh rained down like hail, blood poured like a shower, and burnt feathers slowly filled the air like snow.
Above this surreal landscape, White Night still floated in the sky.
Above her head, the massive eye was eerily wide open.
"..."
It's nothing special. It's nothing special. It's nothing special...
"...Damn it."
I cursed, abandoning my repeated internal reassurances.
How the hell do I beat this thing?
This is the third-ranked commander of the monster legion.
A sorceress comparable to a fighter jet, even receiving a boss monster boost... In front of the Grand Sorceress' power, which surpasses even that black dragon in simple firepower, I was momentarily stunned.
That's when it happened. The giant eye above, which had been aimlessly open, suddenly moved.
Bing-grur-grur-
Click!
The eerily rotating red pupil stared straight down.
At me, standing in the center of our walls.
"Heheh."
With the instant-death skill aimed at me, White Night smiled naturally.
...I did not back down.
I knew that if White Night so desired, and if that giant eye merely blinked once, I could die. But I stood my ground, staring back.
I knew it.
That she needed me. That this was merely a threat.
"You really are brave."
White Night waved her hand, and slowly, the giant eye began to close.
With that eye as a backdrop, White Night spoke.
"I've kept my promise, Player. I've shown my sincerity, now it's your turn to keep yours."
"..."
"Kill the other version of me. You have until the next invasion starts."
White Night chuckled behind her long robe sleeve.
"If you do kill the other version of me by then, I'll become your ally."
"..."
"But if you fail, I'll come back here... and trample over your precious frontlines, along with your precious people."
She vanished into the darkness, her form blending seamlessly.
"I'm looking forward to it, Player. I hope we can maintain a good relationship."
And with that, White Night disappeared completely.
The giant eye, too, slowly vanished into the otherworldly darkness covering the sky.
Eventually, the darkness dispersed... and snowflakes began to fall from the sky again.
The bodies of the Bird Monster Legion piled up on the southern plains, feathers falling over them, and more snowflakes...
I, who had been silently watching this cold and desolate scene, slowly turned around.
My soldiers, following my orders, were still bowing their heads, motionless.
Among them, my heroes were also there, staring at me with pale faces.
"...Hey."
Especially Junior, who seemed to be in shock.
"How do we fight such a being...?"
"..."
"Such magic... I've never heard or seen anything like it, not even from the Vampire Dynasty..."
"..."
"Do we really have a way to fight such a vicious sorcerer, Your Majesty?"
"Of course."
I answered immediately.
"There is a way."
As always, the game exists to be conquered.
Even if the path to conquering it is narrow and treacherous, there surely is.
I brushed the snow off the shoulder of a soldier standing before me and commanded,
"Lift your heads!"
The soldiers raised their heads in unison.
They all had stern faces looking at the falling monster flesh and feathers, but I gave them a sly smile.
Certainly, the magic that White Night had just shown was terrifying.
But in the future, Crossroad, the Monster Front, will have to face even more vicious and dreadful enemies.
This is just the beginning of the third year.
We cannot let our spirits be crushed by this.
"Why such long faces! Isn't this a victory easily gained? You can be happier!"
The best food in the world is said to be the one paid for by someone else.
The enemy had taken care of the Bird Monster Legion that would have been much harder for us to handle. This was not a situation to be gloomy about.
"Moreover, our enemy has unwittingly revealed their hand."
More like showing off than revealing, but still.
I raised my voice.
"Our task remains unchanged! We continue as we have been!"
The untold stories of this world, the mighty enemies, the unclear path to the true ending.
It doesn't matter.
Just clench your fists and take one step at a time, starting with knocking out the closest enemy.
I turned towards the city walls.
Staring at the plains where feathers and snow were chaotically falling, I spat out my resolve.
"Prepare for the next defense!"
***
[STAGE 24 – CLEAR!]
[Leveled Up Characters]
- None
[Deceased Characters]
- None
[Injured Characters]
- None
[Acquired Items]
- Bird Monster King's Magic Core (SSR)
- Bird Monster Legion Magic Stones: 554
[Stage Clear Rewards have been distributed. Please check your inventory.]
- SR Grade Reward Boxes: 5
>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE
>> [Next STAGE: Tomorrow, the Sun of Tomorrow Rises]
***
After the battle ended. Dawn broke in the distance.
In the lord's mansion, my subordinate heroes gathered. I had summoned them to decide our next course of action.
Having stayed up all night, everyone looked tired, but no one seemed sleepy.
That was to be expected... having just witnessed the Nightmare Legion Commander's actions.
She single-handedly tore apart the entire Bird Monster Legion. White Night was indeed different from the monsters we had encountered before.
'This is a sorceress.'
Though we had faced magic-using enemies before, White Night was an alien presence among them.
A classic sorceress who delved purely into magic, not pursuing other forms of combat.
As a result, her combat level in other areas was almost zero, but her mastery in magic was grotesquely high.
'High enough to open the sky at will.'
Trying to shake off the image of the eye candy from earlier, I began explaining to my subordinates.
First, why White Night intervened and destroyed the Bird Monster Legion today. The split entities, Legion Commander White Night and Tower Master White Night, desire each other's death, and Legion Commander White Night's intervention today was a show of goodwill, intending for me to kill Tower Master White Night.
As I got this far in my explanation, Evangeline jumped up with a shriek.
"Are you saying we should betray the Tower Master, Lady White Night?!"
"Betrayal? That's a strong word. Besides, why do you call her that? 'Lady' White Night?"
"Of course, after she gave me this awesome armor!"
Evangeline, who had received [Snow White] from Tower Master White Night, seemed to have already taken her side.
Verdandi standing next to her was the same.
"Tower Master White Night gave us the preserved Holy Grail... the World Tree sapling. It troubles my heart to betray such a person..."
She's already fed them quite a bit. These two were firmly on Tower Master's side.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. Truth be told, I too had received much help from Tower Master White Night. I used the mini Everblack wand she synthesized for me effectively in the Imperial Capital conquest.
"But,"
Lucas, who had been listening, spoke in a cool tone.
"The truth is, Legion Commander White Night seems more useful."
"On what grounds?"
"Whereas Tower Master White Night is only holding out in her tower, Legion Commander White Night can lead her legion and move actively. She even declared rebellion against the Demon King."
Lucas was trying to assess the situation objectively, setting aside what he had already received.
"It's awkward to say, but haven't we already extracted all we can from Tower Master White Night? Her utility value has diminished. On the other hand, the power shown by Legion Commander White Night today is immense. If we can make her our ally..."
"No, Uncle Lucas! That's a bit harsh! What about the chivalry you learned at the academy, the knight's code!"
"I don't think we need to apply human morality to a monster."
The reception room quickly became noisy. The heroes started discussing which of the two White Nights to side with.
After a while, Evangeline, clutching her head and yelling in frustration, exclaimed.
"Ah, it's so confusing! They both use the same name, I can't tell who's who! Let's differentiate their names!"
"Alright."
I clapped my hands together.
"Let's call the sorceress who put on today's magic show Black Night, and the one we met at the tower, Soya." (TL Note: I will explain it in the end of the chapter)
"There's no 'White Night' left then... But what's Soya?"
"It's something that exists. It's delicious. I'll make it for you sometime."
After mentally apologizing to Tower Master White Night, now Soya, for her sudden renaming to a pork-vegetable stir-fry...
I addressed the chaotic atmosphere.
"The truth is, siding with either one is a challenge. We know Black Night's magical power from today. Soya is the same. If she properly fortifies her tower and opposes us, it won't be easy to defeat her."
The condition for this branch quest was originally 'to kill one of the White Nights by our own hands.'
Here's where the problem starts.
To comply with the Black Night's request, we need to bring down Soya's Magic Tower in free exploration, but besieging that impregnable magical fortress is a challenging task.
And to meet Soya's demand, we have to defeat the Black Night and the Lich Legion in a defensive battle, but facing such a grand sorcerer on the front lines could lead to unimaginable losses for us.
"One option is tough enough as it is."
"That's right."
In order to incorporate one of them as our ally, we inevitably have to accept significant damage. But.
"Think about it. The reason they're trying to coax us is that they can't kill each other. That's why they're trying to use us for indirect murder. But once one of them is killed through us."
I smiled meaningfully.
"Will they still see any value in us?"
Lucas frowned.
"...You mean they'll betray us too?"
"Wouldn't it be more strange if they didn't?"
Whether it's Black Night or Soya, after killing the other and becoming the true White Night, there's no longer any need to cooperate with us.
That's how it was in the game - whether it's the Lich Legion or the Magic Tower, they stand on our side for a certain period, but ultimately they betray us.
In the end, it's our fate to fight and kill each other.
This was the risk I mentioned earlier about incorporating them as allies, and the reason I've been hesitant and pondering over my choice.
Whichever side becomes our ally, they'll certainly be useful.
But in the end, we have to kill them both.
"So, what do you plan to do with the two of them, my Lord?"
I grinned wickedly.
"I'll pay them back in kind for what they've done to us."
Since both sides showed me enough sincerity.
Now it was my turn to repay them with chaos.
--TL Notes--
Okay! So this doesn't make much sense in English, because it's a korean play on words. Let me break it down to you guys.
White Night (백야) is baeg-ya. Black Night (흑야) is heug-ya. Soya (쏘야) is sso-ya... Which is a korean pork dish. Which is why Evangeline doesn't know about it.