They see.
A mutant species that has made a living in a remote forest tower. For hundreds of years, they have lived a closed life without any interaction with outsiders.
But rumors tend to circulate.
There is an old ghost story that circulates in the nearby village. The forest is the land of witches. It is said that tall women roam the forest in the dead of night and perform rituals to worship the devil.
The godmother is a descendant of Vidia. Born in the tower, she was very devout. She lived her religious life without rebelling or causing any trouble. For almost a hundred years.
The godmother, whose conduct was acknowledged, was elevated to the rank of high priestess. Through rituals, she inherited the powers that Vidia had inherited.
Then one day, he suddenly disappeared.
It is not known how she came to join the Legion. The Mother's actions are still a mystery. Users expected that it would be mentioned in a future event.
He was a figure who was treated with such importance.
In Polaris, where each person's ideology and thoughts clash, he was also a pure villain that users could criticize without question.
'Because there are more than one or two characters who died to their godmother.'
There are only two stages that cannot be conquered where the Godmother appears. The first is the Basteterra Civil War. The professor and his party, who entered the battle late, encounter the Godmother but are defeated.
'… … To be honest, the situation is still unfavorable.'
In order to defeat the Godmother, you must first achieve the prerequisites. You can clear it by retrying it like in stage 0─5, but even then, the Godmother will not die.
The hidden direction of running away appears. In other words, the godmother is guaranteed survival in the system until a certain time comes.
'Still, if only I could kill him here.'
The development up to the second half is very easy. Snowfield, Camellia, and finally the Godmother. All the notorious enemies in the game are excluded and start.
You can't miss this opportunity.
I have thought about the strategy. It is not much different from the previous battles. The moment the godmother is sure of victory, she stabs him with a dagger.
I don't plan on dragging this out into a long battle. Once I subdue the sorcerer, they'll disappear too. After that, I'll need to add strength to the front line, so I need to conserve my stamina as much as possible.
A firm voice continued.
So, I'm going to break through it all at once.
The professor explained the specific plan. In short, it was a charge centered on high-powered agents. In a way, it was an order to simply hit the troops.
But it couldn't be said to be simple. The key was the details.
I figured out that the enemy is vulnerable to spells. I could use them to limit paths in addition to direct attacks. Navy, Clementa, and Mudbreeze on the left… … .
Dozens of agents were each given a role.
There was no sense of chaos. All instructions were connected to a single goal, like countless lines and dots in a single picture.
Just listening to the story, I could simulate the situation in my head.
The agents' reactions varied. The new agents nervously reflected on their duties. The veterans were impressed by the professor's design, and some even felt a sense of longing.
… … Once it starts, there will be no room to give individual orders. I will set the general guidelines, but it will be difficult to respond immediately.
Yeah, I guess so.
I was thinking to myself.
- Excuse me, Hyun, can I ask you to take command on the scene?
"Me? If you tell me to do it, there's nothing I can't do…."
Kim Yi-hyeon looked around at the agents.
Surprisingly, there were few people who looked at him with suspicion. Although there were differences in degree, the people currently present understood his value.
Outside of missions, they live in underground facilities. Rumors and other people's opinions can only spread quickly. The same goes for Ghost and West Creek.
Above all, performance. Everything at Bastitera was exactly as Kim I-Hyeon had planned.
"Okay, I got it."
There was no reason to refuse. I knew what the professor wanted. The layout was already set. All I had to do was adjust the timing of the spells a little.
I've tried so many times beyond the screen.
I'll give the signal. Just keep the line as long as you can.
Kim Yi-hyeon took [Merciful Hands] out of his hands. Thanks to the efforts of Team 5, the care of the injured is almost finished. The number of people who left, including the dead, was around ten.
Among them were some familiar faces.
Many of the agents who appear in the game have died. There are no assigned side stories, no dedicated illustrations, no scripts. There is no way to come into contact with their lives.
There can't be only good changes. But it would never be a wrong move. Kim Yi-hyun had no doubt that things were definitely moving in a better direction.
'… … It has to be that way.'
I made a riot shield and held it. The firm, familiar feel in my hand calmed my agitated mind. It was still too early to be bothered by distracting thoughts.
At some point, the number of Metunaps stopped increasing. Ominous flowers resembling quince bloomed profusely from the tightly coiled vines.
The Godmother's spell encapsulates the rise and fall of a world.
The Vidyas compare this to the four seasons.
We are now in the 'summer' phase.
Soon the godmother took action.
The second martyr shed his blood.
Look forward to, autumn will pass!
The words rang in my ears like an auditory hallucination. The tone was different from the powerful voice the voice actor had used. It was a dull and strange voice, as if he was spitting out a curse.
The petals began to flutter. The fallen leaves settled softly on the swamp. They melted into the ground as if sharing the nutrients extracted from Metunap.
All the Metunaps stopped moving.
The professor had no understanding of what was happening on the battlefield. He only sensed an indescribable ominousness. All the agents, except Kim Yi-hyun, shared the same sentiments as her.
I realized at the same time.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has come.
Now, start!
The action was swift.
As soon as the order was given, the barriers were deployed. The Metunafs were pushed back by an invisible layer of air, a mud wall that appeared out of nowhere.
From the only open front, two large men began to run. Botticelli and Castlerock. Each carried a huge shield and lance, accelerating explosively.
The Metunafs on the forward path were blown away as if they had been hit by a tank. The close-range specialists, including Westcreek, took up the second line. They kicked the ground without regard for left or right.
"Wall, keep pushing."
Kim Lee-Hyeon played in the rear and adjusted the tactics.
"Enough with the back. Ignore them and join the front."
Uh, is that okay?
"I don't know what it is, but it's not moving, you little shits. Just focus on clearing the way."
autumn.
This is the moment when Metunap becomes a scarecrow and even his physical resistance is lowered. If you have time to worry about a counterattack, you should take even one more step.
This is a strategy that most users try at least once. It is a method of preparing the skills of agents and pouring them out when there are gaps.
'I've never seen anyone succeed with this strategy, though.'
The problem is that even though the gap is short, it is too short.
The end will come.
It seemed as if I heard a voice again.
The swamp had lost its viscosity and turned into a pool of crimson water. The surface remained calm even as the agents charged furiously and the soldiers fought on the front lines.
There was no sense of crossing the waterway. It was like an illusion that only my eyes could see. Instead of the sound of sloshing, only the sound of footsteps on the snow beneath the water reverberated around the battlefield.
Kim Lee-hyun, who was watching his godmother, was able to witness it.
A twisted smile that seemed to contain poison.
'Coming.'
A location somewhat distant from the main forces of both armies and the agents of the Lab. A point in the middle of the entire battlefield viewed from above.
From there, the ripples began.
Kurururur!
The ground shook as if the heavens and the earth were turning upside down.
… … What is that?
Someone muttered in a dazed manner.
Some agents stopped running and just stared at the epicenter of the earthquake with trembling eyes.
Kwaaaa ...
The mouth of something resembling a whale protruded above the water. There were countless teeth visible inside the gaping mouth. Eyeballs were attached to the flesh visible between the gaping teeth.
More than its deformed appearance, it was huge.
Even in its current state, where only a very small portion has been revealed, it is enough to swallow up thousands of soldiers in one bite.
The corpses of soldiers who died during the advance and the Metunaps were swallowed up. The front entered an untimely lull. Even the soldiers of the Legion looked back and dropped their guns.
It wasn't just one.
About 500 meters away from the agents, a crocodile with jagged blade-like scales sticks its long snout out of the water. As its mouth opens, the agents' necks snap upwards.
No matter how much I looked up, I couldn't see the upper part of the mouth. There was only a pitch-black darkness between the teeth as large as a person, closing in every moment.
winter.
The end of the sanctuary is reenacted in the present world.
Professor, what should I do…?
I don't think it will work. This, this is not it.
Ugh, ahhhh… … !
The voices were filled with despair.
It was no different for an elite agent. Rosetta sat down, her chin trembling. Castle Rock stopped charging and let go of his lance.
The professor couldn't bring himself to urge the agents. Even in the command barracks, the presence of the monster could be seen with the naked eye. All the thoughts and words in his head were turned to ash.
Only one person.
"Don't stop, you scum!"
Kim Lee Hyun burst into laughter.
He had a nail in his right hand. He opened his eyes wide and placed the image of the godmother in the center of his vision as if aiming at a crosshair.
Then he boldly drove the nail in.
Phew!
Kim Yi-hyeon's back of the hand was pierced by a nail. He had stabbed so hard that the nail popped out of his palm. A cracking sound came from his clenched molars.
Hedwig's face, as she ran alongside him, turned red with shock.
"Hyun, what…!"
I didn't have time to worry about other people's reactions.
Kim Lee-hyeon immediately observed his godmother's condition.
The godmother suddenly retched. A blue spot appeared on her cheek. Her frowning expression was full of doubt. It seemed as if she had no idea what had happened to her.
The first is failure.
"Oh, shit!"
The nail stuck in Kim Yi-hyeon's hand disappeared along with the curse. The next moment, a new nail appeared again in his right hand's palm. Without hesitation, he stuck the nail into his left wrist.
====
[Lame's Index Finger]
[Rating: ★★★]
[Category: Auxiliary Equipment]
[Explanation: If you wish to curse others, prepare two graves.]
[Effect: Reduces the user's HP by 15% once during battle, but inflicts a random status effect on one target for 5 seconds. It can be worn by multiple agents, but the same effect will not be activated over time.]
====
The goal is the same as the first encounter with Shadow or Snowfield. With [Sticky Brush], their spells were suppressed with Mary's spell.
Valid effects include paralysis, silence, stun, and sleep.
'In the game, even if you get caught, it just stops for a moment and ends there.'
Reality is different. Even though it is infinitely similar, this is not a game.
A string that has been broken once is not easily reconnected. To use a metaphor, it is not a pause, but a stop. Even if it is restarted, it will go back to the beginning and start from 'spring'.
There are no martyrs left. Metunap is no longer a major threat.
Above all, I have no intention of leaving it alone for even 5 seconds.
Phew!
He stabbed me in the forearm again. In addition to the pure physical pain of the nails digging into my flesh, there was also an uneasy feeling. It was as if my body heat, my very life force, was being taken away.
'As long as you don't die, that's fine.'
He put aside his worries about becoming disabled. He couldn't change his mind now. If things continued this way, not only the professor, but he and Asterike would all die.
It's not that I've tried to end my life in vain like that.
"A little, a dog!"
Even Kim Lee-hyun himself didn't know who he was cursing at.
But I was so angry that I couldn't stand it anymore.
The situation where it has to be like this, the blind dependence on Asterike, the guilt that occasionally raises its head, the anxiety about the future, the fading away of one's old self, and the doubts about oneself wondering if it is really necessary to survive like this.
Every element was stressful.
It contained all the gloomy emotions boiling deep in my stomach. I could have just vented my anger. I literally held the nail with a curse in my hand.
It was the moment when the fourth nail was driven into his forearm.
The godmother staggered. The monsters' voluminous bodies collapsed in an instant. The Metunafs disappeared all at once. The crimson water that had reached up to their ankles became shallower.
The sanctuary is closing.
"Chelsea!"
Kim Yi-hyeon shouted while holding his left arm that was bleeding profusely.
─Taang!
As if waiting, a gunshot rang out.