Chapter 150

Level Up Heretic Judge – Chapter 150 (150/227)

Chapter 150: The Tyrant of the Plains (6)

“Kehk…”

Bolton collapsed onto his knees.

The staff slipped from his weakened grip, clattering to the floor.

A mere one percent of his HP remained.

Severely battered and bruised, Bolton could no longer move.

“No way!”

“What… What’s going on here?”

As this unbelievable event unfolded, the members of Blood Alliance began to murmur and panic.

A duel between two users with over a 40-level difference.

Yet the result was completely opposite of everyone’s expectations.

The battle had been so intense it was hard to follow, and shockingly, Ail, the lower-leveled fighter, emerged victorious.

What’s more, Ail still had around 30% of his health remaining.

This wasn’t some random amateur match – by all conventional logic, this shouldn’t have been possible.

Click.

With the fight concluded, Ail casually sheathed his longsword.

Bolton’s skills as an ice mage were undoubtedly real – he’d employed a frustrating fighting style that kept pressuring Ail nonstop.

However, the problem was that Ail had completely understood his playstyle.

“You bastard…!”

Bolton glared up at Ail, grinding his teeth in frustration.

Ail already knew all about his skill settings and had fully grasped his combat patterns.

It didn’t stop there.

He knew Bolton’s preferences, battle patterns, habits, and weaknesses in specific situations inside out.

Conversely, his opponent knew nothing about Ail.

This disparity played a huge role in Warode’s one-on-one duels, where numbers matter greatly.

Even though Bolton had been confident in his dueling abilities, there was no way he could overcome Ail, who had preemptively figured out his weaknesses and countermeasures before the fight even started.

‘The passive I got last time really came in handy too.’

Ail glanced sideways.

The level 150 skill he obtained in Eltris was a Hero-tier passive called “The Witch’s End,” which significantly increased magic resistance.

Thanks to this skill, also known as Witch End, he had plenty of room to spare even when facing a mage.

[‘The Lord of Volcanoes’ expresses satisfaction with your battle.]

[‘The Mother of Life’ shines her eyes while urging a contract.]

[‘The Secret Explorer’ happily sponsors you.]

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Any observer would’ve thought this would be a tough match…

Even the deities watching from another dimension couldn’t hide their excitement at the current outcome.

Though not their own apostle, all three deities sent a bit of contribution value his way.

[‘Judge of Light, Lu’ flashes a triumphant smile.]

[Light Church Contribution +300]

Lu, who already knew Ail well, acted arrogantly as if saying “I told you so.”

Almost boasting as if he were her own apostle.

However, putting aside the attention from the deities, Ail still had one more result to draw out.

“Now it’s time to pay the price.”

Ail strode confidently toward the kneeling Bolton.

Now, according to the duel’s outcome, Bolton himself would have to delete his character.

Though many Blood Alliance guild members stood around following Bolton, none could step forward to intervene.

Not only was it a legitimate result both parties agreed upon, but also the atmosphere was subdued after witnessing his incredible skills moments ago.

But then Duke, the guild master of Blood Alliance, stepped forward.

“No, there’s no need for that. I’ll give you what you want.”

“What do you mean ‘what I want’?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been aiming for this from the start, haven’t you?”

Duke showed a rather indifferent reaction, clearly signaling he wanted none of the nonsense.

At this, Ail smirked slightly at the corner of his mouth.

“Good, saves us time then.”

Instead of deleting the vice-guild leader’s character, they would work together with Blackburn Guild to block this month’s world event.

That was the content of the silent deal just made without any prior discussion.

At this, Bolton, standing alone among the guild members who instantly grasped the situation, immediately protested.

“Wait… What are you talking about? Are you changing the guild decision just because of me? Absolutely not! That doesn’t even make sense!”

“And are you planning to quit the game right here? We were just starting to gather our forces and finally accomplish something, and if you leave now, the guild will surely run smoothly without you.”

“That’s…”

Their original game, Lineage, was originally a chaotic game divided into many factions in constant conflict.

Even though it was a game of considerable scale, the reason why guilds originating from Lineage hadn’t shown any significant presence until now was due to those circumstances.

However, things changed dramatically once they compromised and united under one guild.

The recent rapid growth of Blood Alliance was thanks to Duke and Bolton, who ranked first and second respectively, providing strong leadership.

If he were to quit now, discontent would surely arise from the guild members led by Bolton as the representative.

In that case, the guild would split again like before, and it was obvious that all the growth they’ve shown so far would come to a complete halt.

Ail had deliberately provoked Bolton and requested a duel with this in mind.

“And besides… This is a good opportunity.”

Since hearing Ail’s demands during negotiations, Duke had felt somewhat uneasy.

Indeed, the scale of the Water Church’s mobilization of believers seemed a bit excessive, and if the next event truly targeted them, it would be quite dangerous.

That’s why he also agreed not to attack Blackburn immediately during the recent negotiation, keeping this in mind.

‘I’d like to drive them out while we have the chance, but considering the guild’s situation, it’s a bit too risky. This time… securing the defense reward for the world event safely wouldn’t be bad either.’

The conclusion Duke reached while observing the duel.

Just as Ail had thoroughly investigated Bolton beforehand, Duke was well aware that he was extremely cautious when making moves involving the guild.

That’s why Ail took the gamble of challenging Bolton while he hesitated internally after being rejected.

The fact that he didn’t immediately stop such a risky duel involving an important figure like the vice-guild leader already indicated sufficient hesitation.

However, that didn’t mean Duke thought Bolton could lose to Ail.

‘No matter how much information you gather beforehand, there are only a handful of people in all of Warode who can utilize it to this extent in actual combat.’

Even before directly confronting each other, Duke never imagined Ail could actually defeat Bolton.

Now, having seen him defeat the named character Roden from Armenia, he couldn’t help but acknowledge Ail despite his initial doubts.

Turning his gaze, he spoke to Ail.

“After this event ends, the guild will conduct a separate investigation. And if it turns out your words are false… There’s no need to elaborate further.”

The final severe condition.

Duke was an upper-tier player among quasi-rankers aiming for the ranking, and if faced against him, even with a well-planned strategy, victory would be impossible.

However, Ail, who had nothing to worry about, simply replied.

“Sure thing.”

And with that, he left.

* * *

After Blood Alliance’s intervention, the situation quickly changed.

The world event between Bahamut’s believers and Blackburn Guild was suddenly turning around.

Despite the longstanding animosity between these two guilds, though there were several disputes, ultimately they managed to unite against their common enemy without major issues.

Moreover, unless there was an overwhelming numerical advantage, defenders barricaded inside a fortress had a significant advantage.

Thus, they could hold their ground quite firmly, and they were successfully repelling the Water Church.

Gak! Thud!

The final believer pierced by Ail’s longsword fell to the ground.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead as blood pooled on the ground, Ail muttered.

“Is this the end? Thankfully we’re not too late.”

Upon hearing news that Bahamut’s followers had launched a surprise attack on a small outpost, Ail immediately rushed to support.

Other party members were busy with the siege battle and couldn’t move, but fortunately, Nesha, who was in the same fortress, helped him secure the outpost intact.

“So we’re almost done, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Over the past few days, they had truly cut down countless believers of the Water Church.

Through their dedicated defense efforts, they had gained the upper hand and victory was within reach.

But at that moment…

Guguugu!

Suddenly, violent tremors emanated from beneath the earth.

Startled by this unexpected situation, Ail and Nesha looked around in confusion.

However, the Blood Alliance guild members nearby didn’t seem to feel this vibration at all and remained completely calm.

“What the…?”

Jjerjerjeck!

Now the ground began cracking rapidly.

It was as if time had stopped; other guild members froze completely, and Ail and Nesha could only exchange glances.

Before they could even figure out what was happening…

The surrounding ground collapsed entirely, and murky water surged up from below.

The forest, previously filled only with dense trees and thick underbrush, rapidly transformed into a deep swamp.

[The Divine Entity ‘Tyrant of the Plains’ intervenes, influencing this land!]

Drdrdr!

The submerged land rose, water filling the area.

Through the rising waters, an enormous unknown body emerged.

A colossal creature with a massive elongated body leisurely circled around them, parting the water.

Haaaah!

Between the splitting waters, the form of an unimaginably gigantic catfish gradually appeared.

Its mountain-long whiskers stretched endlessly underwater, and its mouth, filled with tens of thousands of teeth, opened wide.

“B, Bahamut…?”

The divine entity of circulation, water, and destruction. Bahamut.

The mastermind behind this world event had personally appeared before them.

“You probably thought you were clever. That you could do whatever you pleased.”

A rough voice emerged from the gargantuan mouth, as if ready to devour the world.

Completely different from the pressure experienced when facing the demon of greed, Benaron.

Cold sweat trickled down their spines from the menacing vibrations.

“But this is only the beginning. My servants will soon ascend to the mortal realm. The tide of destruction flows, and eternal circulation approaches. Fate will shatter you into pieces.”

Bahamut slowly approached them.

The swirling water currents created by his approach felt dangerously as if they could swallow them up at any moment.

“Don’t think you can remain safe hiding behind petty divine entities forever.”

Tsutsutsuts!

Just being near caused distortions in space.

Twisting his massive body, Bahamut disappeared back into the deep swamp.

The risen water drained away, and the oppressive sensation enveloping their entire bodies vanished.

When the divine intervention completely disappeared, the earth and forest had returned to their original state as if nothing happened.

“This… We’re definitely marked now.”

“Agreed.”