Chapter 145: Battle of the Bir Plains (2)
Ni~ Nanino~
Ni~ Nanino~
The players blankly listened to the background instrumentals and angels’ singing until they finally snapped back to reality.
“Wh-what is this?”
“I’ve never received... no, I’ve never even heard of a buff like this!”
“Both physical and magical damage are reduced by 30%? And resistance to all status effects is increased as well...?”
“This is an insanely overpowered skill!”
“Wait, if he’s using this kind of buff skill, then...”
All 650 players turned their eyes toward Kai—no, toward Unknown.
The guild masters were no exception.
Unknown can use buffs like this?
This is beyond what even a ranked Cleric can provide.
But there’s no way Unknown is a Cleric. That outfit is just a decoy.
A Cleric couldn’t possibly run wild like he does.
Hmm. The Strength stat he showed when he took down Aosa was definitely not that of a Cleric.
It could be possible if he were a crazy Cleric who had All-Strength... but then his Holy Power would be lacking.
But he used Holy Chains without hesitation when he fought Aosa, which is a skill that consumes a lot of Holy Power.
That means...
Each of them came to their own conclusions in their minds. Though they hadn’t exchanged a single word, the answer they arrived at was the same.
“The rumors were true. Unknown is a hidden-class Paladin player.”
“A buff of this level wouldn’t make sense if he’s not.”
There was no way a Cleric could be that strong! This belief was deeply ingrained in the minds of the players and was no different for the guild masters.
As the situation unfolded as Kai had hoped, he nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, while I can’t go into detail, I am a hidden-class player.”
“Of course.”
“That makes sense.”
“W-wait a second! Something’s still not right!” Just as the other masters were about to accept this explanation, Minerva, the master of Pray, protested with a bewildered look. “As you all know, I’m a hidden-class Cleric. So how is it that Unknown, a Paladin, has a buff stronger than mine?”
“Now that you mention it...”
“Wait... Then...?”
The masters once again shot suspicious glances at Kai, but he remained calm.
If I give in here, it’s all over.
Determined, Kai decided to persuade them. After all, persuasiveness often stems from the confidence of the speaker!
Kai immediately adjusted his posture—his back straightened like he was reaching for the sky, his shoulders broadened like the vast Pacific Ocean, and his chin raised to the sky at a thirty-two degree angle!
With such a confident stance, Kai began to say, “As you know, even among hidden classes, there are differences in rank.”
“That’s true, but...”
“Of course I know that. After all, I’ve researched hidden classes countless times since my class change. But my class, Saintess, is one of the top-tier hidden classes. There shouldn’t be such a gap in buff ability...”
“Then perhaps my hidden class is in the very top tier.” Kai countered immediately.
Kai’s logic left them speechless!
Determining superiority between professions was impossible without revealing each other's skills. However, it wasn’t the right time or situation to compare those skills.
“Logically speaking, if I were a Cleric, how would my Strength stat be this high?”
Kai let out a faint sigh and took a screenshot of only the Strength requirement of his beloved sword, the Ironwill Longsword, and shared it with the masters.
“Oh, the Strength requirement for his sword is 500?”
“Indeed... a Cleric could never wield a sword of that level.”
The masters nodded in agreement once more.
Minerva nodded reluctantly with a frustrated expression, unable to offer any further rebuttal.
“Then, could you at least tell us... the name of your class?”
“Oh, the name of my class is...” Without a moment’s hesitation, Kai sold out the name of the greatest paladin he knew. “It’s a hero-tier class, following in the footsteps of Patrick, the Paladin of Radiance.”
“The Paladin of Radiance...”
The masters accepted the plausible name, but Kai knew them all too well.
They may act like they believe it for now, but they won’t stop doubting.
They would definitely look up the name Patrick the moment they returned to town, and only after they found out that Patrick had indeed been a real Paladin would they finally let go of their suspicions.
With this, they’ll never find out about the Solaris Cleric. The fact that he was an apostle must be a closely guarded secret within the church.
Even Kai hadn’t known about it until he heard it directly from him.
Having passed through another crisis, Kai let out a light sigh of relief.
Phew. This significantly boosts the survivability of the Ironblood Knights and the elves.
The reason he used Hymn of Angels despite the risks was simple. He wanted as many NPCs as possible to survive.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
Kai, now watching the enemy forces advancing near the canal, said, “That’s enough talk. It’s time to move from words to action.”
“What’s your plan now?”
“It’s simple. Wizards, to the front!” At his command, two hundred Wizard players stepped forward in unison. “Cast Ice Field and freeze the canal’s water immediately.”
However, the guild masters strongly opposed the plan.
“Huh? That doesn’t seem like a very good idea though.”
“If we freeze the canal, we’ll have to face that massive enemy force head-on.”
“Right. We should block off the water bridge and steadily reduce their numbers instead.”
They were all experienced in tactics and leadership in their own right.
But Kai stood firm in his decision.
“I told you before, this is my battlefield.” Kai’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at the guild masters. “Now that you’re on my battlefield, trust me and follow.”
***
As wide as the Suver Canal was, it was also quite deep. So naturally, crossing it on foot was impossible! Because of this, a water bridge had been constructed there and all the players believed it would be the site of the decisive battle.
The same went for the army of the Church of Muldine, who were rushing toward the bridge.
However, the situation changed due to Kai’s command.
The canal froze in an instant! While they couldn’t freeze all of the water, a solid enough surface had been created that wouldn’t easily collapse under pressure.
“They’re suspicious.”
“The Church of Muldine bastards aren’t crossing.”
The Church of Muldine had reached the frozen Suver Canal but hesitated to cross, suspecting some kind of trap.
Kai seized the moment, his eyes shining.
“This is good. We’ll secure a good position first.”
Kai’s army stepped onto the firm ice and quickly took control of the advantageous high ground. Despite over a thousand soldiers standing on the ice, it showed no signs of breaking.
Though the nature of Ice Field reduces movement speed on this surface...
That applied to the enemy as well!
As Kai's army advanced onto the canal, the Church of Muldine quickly sent out their first line of troops in a panic. They realized that if they delayed any longer, they would have to fight from a disadvantageous position.
Are they sending only a part of their force, while keeping the rest back on the hill to observe the battle?
It was somewhat of a wise move.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The vanguard of the Church of Muldine numbered around eight thousand. That was nearly six times the size of Kai's army of 1,400 troops, but in war, a clash between forces was inevitable.
In the first collision, over a hundred casualties occurred on both sides! But as time passed, the Church of Muldine's army began to get pushed back. The elves’ fury against the dark elves was relentless.
“Die, you who pursue unjust power!”
“Immoral betrayers of our mother!”
“Nature itself rejects you!”
The elves’ swordsmanship and archery were clean, precise, and powerful. However, their true weapon was something else.
“Spirits of the earth, block the enemy’s retreat!”
It was the spirits! As beings with high Nature Affinity, the elves could summon the power of spirits through contracts.
Good. Our momentum is strong.
As the battle intensified on the canal, Kai fired Holy Explosion into the sky.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Then, a cavalry of fifty soldiers crossed the water bridge at the same time. It was none other than the Ironblood Knights.
While we engage their vanguard on the canal, the Ironblood Knights will continue to harass their main forces.
It was a strategy designed to throw the enemy into a chaotic state!
Moreover, though the Ironblood Knights were few in number, their strength was not something that could be ignored.
Boom!
Like enraged tigers, they broke into the heart of the Church of Muldine’s main forces and slashed the enemies like slaughtering sheep.
“There must be a bishop leading them here! If we kill them, the chimeras will lose control!”
“It’s Sir Bach’s order! Find the bishop!”
“If the chimeras lose control, the enemy’s numbers will go down significantly!”
The Ironblood Knights rampaged through the enemy’s main forces, relentlessly tearing them apart as they searched for the bishop to kill.
“Nice! As expected of the Ironblood Knights!”
“Let’s not fall behind!”
“Let’s show them the strength of the players!”
“Keep pushing!”
“Undefeated Unknown is with us!”
The encouragement and shouts from the masters continued to echo across the canal.
As the battle unfolded more easily than expected, the tense players slowly began to loosen up.
This... might actually be doable.
What the heck? I thought we’d be slaughtered just because they outnumbered us, but it’s more evenly matched than I thought!
Could we... actually pull off something big?
If they won this battle, they would undoubtedly be hailed as legendary heroes online! The players fought with even greater intensity driven by this desire for fame.
“Hmm. Looking good.”
Kai smiled at the success of his feint strategy.
However, that joy was short-lived, as the tide of battle suddenly shifted.
“T-the Inquisitors are here!”
"At least level 250... What?! There's a level 350?!"
"Damn it. The dark priests and paladins are getting even stronger with their blessings!"
The Inquisitors of the Church of Muldine who treated dark elves as mere expendables had finally revealed themselves.
"Death to those who reject the teachings of Muldine."
"The stench of heretics is piercing my nose.”
"By Muldine's will, let the purification begin!"
With every swing of their swords and maces, players were sent flying back!
"Th-they're too strong!"
"Shit. Ten... no, twenty people get on one inquisitor!"
"This isn't a simple hunt anymore. Form raid formations!"
The powerful inquisitors charged at the players with the intent to end the war swiftly. Following them, dark paladins, chimeras, and dark elves attacked the players as well!
Messages popped up in front of Kai.
[Sandro: Hey, Unknown. We can't hold out any longer!]
[Goliath: Damn! I thought things were going too well...!]
[Vulcan: Unknown! Give the order to retreat! If we continue like this, we'll all...]
[Unknown: No. We have to hold on longer.]
Kai spoke firmly, ignoring the desperate calls of the masters, and kept his eyes fixed on the east side of the canal.
[Katherine: Hey! How are we supposed to hold out any longer? We're barely defending, and we're getting pushed back!]
[Goliath: That crazy woman’s right! Now’s the time to pull back temporarily and regroup!]
[Vulcan: Unknown, the only way to stop the inquisitors is to call in the Ironblood Knights.]
[Unknown: The Ironblood Knights... won't be joining us here.]
They had to keep harassing the enemy's main forces to tie down nearly four thousand enemy troops.
If the enemy’s main forces join the inquisitors here, it'll get even worse.
The bishop's defensive perimeter would become more impenetrable, and the inquisitors would be able to attack more securely. The enemies were recklessly charging at the moment as if they had no way out, but they were desperate too!
The fear that the Ironblood Knights instilled in them was beyond anything imaginable.
We have to hold out here, no matter what.
Immediately after arriving at the Suver Canal, Kai had summoned Mimic and sent it eastward. There was only one reason for that—the merfolk!
I need to keep the enemy on the canal until the merfolk arrive at the very least. In that case...
Now was the time for a big move. Something that could turn the tides and reverse the plummeting morale of his allies in an instant!
"... Hah. I thought this might be an easy battle for once."
Observing the battlefield as he led the army, Kai finally scratched his head and drew his sword. At the same time, he dashed forward and used the shoulders of nearby players as stepping stones.
"Argh! Ow! Who the hell...?"
"Huh?!”
"Unknown?!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, Kai slid across the ice to the front lines.
An inquisitor glared at him at the same time.
"Mmm...! What a disgusting stench...!"
[Inquisitor LV.350]
It was the highest-level and most powerful inquisitor among those on the canal, and the one who symbolized fear for all of Kai’s allies.
Kai pointed his sword at the inquisitor in front of him without hesitation, and murmured, "Sorry, but you're going to have to die."
For the victory of his allies.