“Well?” Ulmer questioned Lavos immediately. The others glanced over as well.
Lavos helplessly shook his head. “Nothing.”
As a wraith, Ulmer’s body was transparent, making his facial expression hard to decipher. Hence, Lavos couldn’t tell if Ulmer believed him or not. A few tense moments passed before Ulmer sighed. “So be it.”
Vindred, hot-blooded as usual, sneered at his companions. “Clearly, one of you is lying.”
Before the group descended into chaos, Ulmer’s tone turned strict. “Whoever it is, we’ll find out. Each of you will scour a territory other than your own. Wekkin takes Lavos, Vindred…”
A few days ago was the day the generals paid tribute to the demon king. As such, their hidden stash of essence was no more. Come another month, they’d most likely be killed and replaced by one of their subordinates.
Atop his spire, Ulmer watched as the generals split up. Before they disappeared from view, he raised his palm and summoned eleven eyeballs. The eyes flew into the sky, split up, and followed the generals. Whatever the eyes saw, Ulmer saw. If any general went back to their territory, Ulmer would gather his forces and kill them, no questions asked.
Since someone had annihilated hundreds of strongholds, the essence they’d gathered was frightening. It might even be a century's worth of tributes. Alas, none of the generals were stupid. If they formed runes, the others would know. That meant a massive stash of essence lay hidden somewhere. If Ulmer could get to it first and kill the thief, he’d have the strength to stand against the demon king.
Of all the generals, Ulmer suspected Lavos the most. After all, the timing was suspicious. Lavos became a general around the same time someone attacked their strongholds. Not only that, Ulmer had gotten a fright when he saw Lavos a week ago. The minotaur somehow felt threatening even without gaining another rune. Unfortunately, Lavos went to Wekkin’s territory without hesitation, causing Ulmer to doubt himself. Was he wrong? Was it someone else?
Unknown to Ulmer, his thought process had a critical flaw. As he wanted to surpass the demon king himself, he naturally thought the other generals were no different. For someone other than them to be the thief never crossed his mind. He thought Jason was one of their subordinates.
Just then, far from the spire, Pyrax, a twin-headed ogre, abruptly changed directions. Instead of heading to Toka’s territory like before, she returned to her own. Seeing this, Ulmer flew off the spire and rallied his armies. His fate was about to change.
An hour later, when the spire had long been silent and empty, the air shimmered as a figure became visible. It was a humanoid salamander with striking muscles and beautiful green scales. With a level just under 300, Sersa was the chieftain of her tribe. As she looked up at the spire, she couldn’t help but mutter. “I can’t believe Lavos was telling the truth.”
Suddenly, a humanoid rat climbed out of the ground not far from Sersa, boasting a level around hers. The rat had hundreds of wrinkles and long whiskers, and if a human saw it, they’d scream in disgust. Sersa turned to her peer and asked, “What do you think, Grenkle?”
“Keke.” The rat gave her a wry look as it rubbed its hands. “Wait and see, we must. Wait and see.”
“Hmm.” Sersa thought differently, though she didn’t voice her opinion.
Grenkle sneered as he watched Sersa leave. How could he not know what the expression on her face meant? Her youth gave her courage, but it also made her naïve. If she had seen the fight between the demon king and orc hero like he had, she’d realize her foolishness.
Just remembering that incredible and cataclysmic battle made his body quiver in fear. However, when he recalled the human he’d been spying on for the past month, his body grew still and his heart uncertain. If he hadn’t seen the human’s explosive growth and potential himself, he would have tattled on the human tribe just like he did when Lavos tried to unite the tribes.
For now, he’d wait and see.
Meanwhile, as Sersa sent messengers to the other tribes and prepared her tribe for war, Wekkin reached the dread plains. The crow initially planned to scour Lavos’s territory for an hour or two before calling it quits. After all, why would he search for a deadly foe in some foreign land when he could be with his harem of birds?
Unfortunately, his plan went kaput soon after entering the dread plains. Six creatures, who looked just like the one Casil had encountered, fought a monster on the ground below him. Although they only had six runes, they fought better than any demon he’d seen. Still, they posed no threat to him.
“Kaw!” Wekkin announced his presence and dived. A moment before hitting the ground, he halted his descent with a graceful flap of his wings and landed majestically. Any bird from his harem would’ve fainted from pure admiration. As for these six creatures, they’d no doubt do the same.
“Run!” The creatures turned and fled without hesitation. As they ran, one of them took out a small gem and crushed it.
“Kaw?” Wekkin was somewhat disappointed, but this was the second-best response, so he didn’t mind. For a time, he allowed his prey to gain some distance. Only then would the hunt be enjoyable.
Chapter 68
Everyone out hunting returned to the haven as fast as possible, while those already there prepared for battle. Not long ago, the small gem around their necks released a burning heat. This gem was Su Long’s recent invention. If broken, as long as they were from the same batch, the rest would react no matter the distance. The gems were the only method of communication the Alliance had on the floor of death. Hence, only in the direst of circumstances would they be used.
When the gem reacted, Peter immediately thought the worst. Now, an hour later, he was pacing back and forth atop the haven’s walls. At this moment, one of his aides approached with a grim expression. “So far, only a third of the Alliance has returned.”
“Damn! So little?” Peter scowled, his heart racing with anxiety. “What of Shenlong’s squad?”
“Dubaku just arrived.” The aide’s expression lightened upon mentioning the man’s name.
“Just him?” Peter discussed with the aide briefly before sending them off. Not a second later, Sam approached and asked in a whisper. “Is Lavos coming?”
Before Lavos went to the second meeting, Peter had decided to inform everyone what was at stake. Withholding such vital information would only catch the Alliance off-guard. As such, when everyone’s gem reacted, they knew what was about to occur. A fight against a demon general!
“I don’t know. Don’t count on it,” Peter replied honestly.
Just then, Sam narrowed his eyes and turned, sensing something. In the distance, an ascender rode atop a golden bear and pointed at the sky behind him. Sam followed his finger and found Wekkin, a playful light in its eyes.
(Mutant, Raid Boss) Wekkin, Dark Crow – Level 315
Health: 22,000,000/22,000,000
“Prepare for battle!” Sam shouted immediately, his expression hardening at the sight of a flying demon general. At the same time, the laser towers locked onto Wekkin and fired. Narrow beams shot through the sky and left behind a dissipating trail of energy. With a simple twirl, Wekkin dodged them all.
As the ascender squad Wekkin had encountered fled to the haven, the crow slowly killed them off one by one. Now that the sanctuary was just ahead, there was no longer a reason to keep the last survivor alive.
“Kaw!” The dark crow suddenly dived. In one moment, it was a thousand feet in the sky, and in the next, it was over. The ascender couldn’t react at all as his body hit the ground, lifeless.
“Damn it! Charge!” Several ascenders on the wall screamed upon witnessing the death of their friend.
“No!” Peter shouted, his eyes red. “Stay behind the haven’s shield!”
The ascenders on the wall struggled to hold themselves back. In the end, reason prevailed. Fighting a flying raid boss beyond the barrier was beyond them. They would only be sitting ducks. Fighting in the sky on their mounts wasn’t possi
ble, either. Nobody had any experience fighting in the sky.
Wekkin glanced at the haven as the dead ascender’s body transformed into essence. After absorbing its kill, Wekkin jumped off the ground to avoid another wave of attacks, then flew towards the haven. “Kaw! You think this barrier can stop me?!”
Wekkin started spinning when he reached peak speed. Like a drill, he slammed into the barrier, instantly sending cracks along its surface. Unfortunately, the Alliance’s barrier was maxed out, unlike the other tribe’s shields Wekkin was familiar with. The shield remained intact, and all Wekkin got was a massive concussion.
The crow quickly recovered and retreated some distance away. Even so, he could hear the ascenders jeering at him. “What an idiot!”
Now, Wekkin was furious and ashamed. No longer did he plan to toy around with his food. Wekkin soared up, crossing several hundred feet with each flap of his wings. In seconds, the crow was a thousand feet above the haven. Wekkin looked down in disdain and activated a rune. Black mana covered his body, and with a flap, thousands of feathers shot out in a wide arc. Each feather broke the sound barrier and was no different from a small meteor.
The ascenders watched as nearly a thousand black feathers collided with the barrier, sending countless ripples across its surface. Peter hastily checked the barrier’s statistics and was shocked to find that a single wave of attacks reduced the shield’s energy by 2%.
“We need to stop it!” Peter shouted helplessly. Alas, the defensive structures and ascenders were helpless against a flying mutant raid boss. If things continued like this, the barrier would fall in less than five minutes.
When Wekkin sent out the third wave of feathers, someone flew into the air. It was Dubaku! By using telekinesis on his body, Dubaku could fly far faster than anyone’s mount. Even then, he didn’t dare cross the haven’s barrier. The countless meteors raining down would kill him in seconds.
“Be careful!” Ascenders shouted anxiously from below.
Smiling, Dubaku spread his arms as hundreds of red daggers suddenly surrounded him. Surprisingly, he closed his eyes, even though the feathers collided against the barrier a few feet away. After spreading out his Domain, Dubaku pointed forward and muttered, “Go.”
In response, the three hundred and sixty Celestial grade daggers disappeared, moving faster than even Wekkin’s feathers. Hundreds of shockwaves warped the air with each passing second as dagger met feather. Although Dubaku’s daggers numbered less than half of Wekkin’s feathers, he had better control and speed. The feathers he couldn’t block landed on the barrier, but with how few there were, the consumption of mana was negligible.
One moment after another passed as both sides remained in a stalemate. At this time, Peter rode a hawk and appeared next to Dubaku. “How long can you last?”
Not long. Five minutes if I push it, Dubaku replied via telepathy. Even though not even a minute had passed, spreading his attention three hundred and sixty ways took a toll on his Soul Force. Usually, it wouldn’t be this bad, but each of Wekkin’s feathers had as much power as a minotaur’s full-powered attack.
Peter narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Wekkin. Five minutes wasn’t enough time. Realizing this, he said. “The mana generator is pretty powerful. You don’t have to block every attack.”
How many?
Peter quickly did some calculations. “We can take 200 feathers a second. Any more than that, and the barrier’s mana will fall.”
Currently, around a hundred feathers hit the barrier a second. Now that Dubaku could let a few more through, it was time to change tactics. Sixty daggers fanned out and shot towards Wekkin.
“Kaw!” Wekkin reacted instantly and dodged, rolled, and twirled. Even then, the daggers formed an inescapable net. Slowly, the net grew tighter, and no matter what Wekkin did, he couldn’t escape. Inevitably, ten daggers found their mark. Wekkin screeched as another rune activated. In the next moment, he warped through space, appearing several hundred feet away.
Since Wekkin was no longer attacking the barrier, Dubaku’s other daggers blocked off the surrounding airspace. Hence, Wekkin remained trapped even after teleporting, and the same scene as before repeated itself.
Dubaku’s daggers were all taken from elite demon soldiers, so they were the best of the best. 21 million, 20 million, 19 million. The crow grew increasingly infuriated as his health dropped. No matter how hard Wekkin tried, the daggers cut, pierced, and marred his beautiful body. How could he allow his harem to see this?
“Kaw! Forget it! I’ll let the others deal with you!” Wekkin consecutively warped as he fled. Unfortunately, Dubaku’s control over his daggers dropped the farther he was from them. As much as he tried to chase after Wekkin personally, he was slower than his daggers and couldn’t prevent Wekkin from running.
“Kakaka!” Wekkin’s mood rose after seeing Dubaku’s desperate expression.
Just then, something smashed into Wekkin from above. The crow’s body twisted unnaturally as it collided with the ground, forming a small crater. Cracks spread out in the shape of a web as dust rose into the air.
Before Dubaku could figure out what happened, a black shadow shot out from the crater. After activating his ultimate rune, Wekkin’s attributes doubled, and black mist shrouded his body. Whatever hit Wekkin before would have trouble doing so again, or at least so he thought. Reality proved him wrong.
Something smashed Wekkin back into the crater almost as soon as he left it. This time, he fled in another direction, yet the result was the same. North, east, south, west. It didn’t matter. No matter how much Wekkin tried, he couldn’t escape this damnable hole.
“Kaw! Who is it?!” Wekkin screamed from inside the crater. “Show yourself!”
Fighting an invisible enemy terrified the crow. Worse, the attacks appeared instantly and without notice, as if the world itself was attacking him.
After a minute, Wekkin heard the sound of footsteps. Patiently, the crow calculated the distance. A hundred feet. Fifty feet. Thirty feet. Wekkin suddenly warped and appeared behind the back of his foe. At the same time, he swiped with his wing.
Just before Wekkin made contact, the spear his opponent held pierced through space and appeared above his head. It was too fast, too sudden, and too close. Again, Wekkin kissed the ground.
The spear-wielder, Shenlong, turned and glanced down at the giant bird. His gaze was tranquil as he slowly pressed his spear into Wekkin’s eye. The crow screeched and tried to retaliate, only for three hundred and sixty daggers to appear and pin its body to the ground. Shenlong intentionally twisted the spear as he pushed deeper and deeper until he found the bird’s brain. Then, he activated a skill, turning Wekkin’s brain to mush.
Shenlong’s hair swayed in the wind as Wekkin’s body dissipated, leaving behind two runes. Dubaku landed nearby and gave Shenlong a look. “Are you okay?”
After a moment, Shenlong asked in a calm voice, “How many?”
“What?” Dubaku didn’t understand.
Shenlong faced his companion. “How many did we lose?”
Dubaku fell silent before replying, “I don’t know.”
The elder spared Wekkin’s loot a glance before heading towards the haven. As for Dubaku, he stored the two runes before following after Shenlong.
Now, excluding Lavos, only ten generals remained.
Chapter 69
Once the last person arrived at the haven an hour after Wekkin’s death, Sam entered Peter’s office and reported. “We lost Erin, Andrew, Gary, Jennifer, and Cameron.”
Peter sighed. If Wekkin had focused on killing as many ascenders as possible instead of playing around, the losses would’ve been far more significant. Five deaths wouldn’t harm the Alliance’s strength. That was his objective analysis. A moment later, Peter looked up at Sam with a grim smile. “I’m glad we only lost five.”
“Mm.” Sam’s thoughts hid behind a calm exterior as he locked eyes with Peter.
“I hate that I feel relieved.” Peter sneered i
n disgust as he suddenly voiced his feelings. “To think of a person’s death as a statistic. To evaluate whether it harms our foundation and goal.”
Sam’s expression grew awkward as Peter looked down at his hands. “Did you know I think of it as a board game when making decisions? Instead of living, breathing people, it’s a pawn or rook.” Peter laughed at himself. “It’s easier that way.”
After a moment of silence, Sam coughed into his hand. “Uh, I’m no good at things like this. All I can say is nobody doubts your leadership. Sure, there’s some grumbling here or there, but nobody’s going to lynch you or anything.”
“Hah, lynch me, huh?” Peter got up, walked around his desk, and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Alliance’s best scout. “We’re in the endgame now. There’s no turning back, Sam.”
“Whew.” Sam’s expression tensed as the aura of a battle-hardened veteran swept out. “I didn’t think it’d come this fast. Ten generals and a demon king, huh?”
Peter left his office with Sam at his heel. Once outside, nearly two thousand fully armed ascenders turned his way, drowning him in bloodlust. Everyone knew since one general came, more would surely follow. It was better to hit them fast before they grouped up.
The haven was dead silent as Peter glanced around with an expression as hard as steel. In one swift motion, he summoned his equipment, raised his sword, and screamed. “Prepare for war!”
“War!”
“To battle!”
Swords, spears, staves, bows. Two thousand ascenders pointed their weapons to the sky and unleashed a warcry so fierce the mana barrier surrounding the haven trembled. Peter sheathed his sword and shouted. “Squad leaders, form your party. Sam!”
“Here.” Sam stepped out from behind Peter as the army split into groups.
“Take your people and lead us to the nearest general,” Peter commanded, his previous weakness nowhere in sight.
Sam nodded fiercely as his teammates preemptively approached. At this moment, an ascender on the wall shouted. “Lavos is here!”
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 30