Chapter 205

Episode 206. The Public Enemy (5)

The executives of the four major organizations couldn’t believe the current reality.

Though they didn’t bother to count, an overwhelming number of members had gathered. The streets were so packed that some even climbed onto rooftops because there was no space left.

Their opponents: Infinite Bank, Solver Keter, and Empress Stella.

While Infinite Bank’s strength remained unknown and thus a wildcard, Keter and Stella’s power was blatantly obvious.

They could crush them and still have strength to spare!

That was the shared thought among the organization’s executives. The only variable was Infinite Bank’s strength.

However, they hit an unexpected wall.

Keter.

Infinite Bank hadn’t even stepped forward yet, and Empress Stella hadn’t moved either, but thousands were already struggling against Keter’s archery.

Gulrag, the Blood-Drinking, an executive of the Black Forest, roared at the members.

“You idiots! If you can’t block the arrows, dodge them! Just dodge, why can’t you?!”

No matter how much Gulrag shouted, the number of those dying from Keter’s arrows kept increasing.

Were they too stupid to know how to dodge? Impossible. The members were trying, no, struggling to dodge. But they couldn’t.

Keter was now facing thousands. Standing on the rooftop of Infinite Bank, he shot arrows at the enemies swarming from all directions.

He didn’t just nock one arrow and shoot. He nocked seven at once, with no preparation or follow-through.

1,260 shots per minute.

Keter’s rapid-fire against thousands didn’t feel like he was aiming. It was as if he just shot wherever there were people.

Yet, his accuracy was close to 90%. Of course, being hit by an arrow didn’t mean instant death, but the fact that the arrows almost always hit was crucial.

The secret lay in the magnetism Keter embedded in the arrowheads. He imbued the mana shell of the arrowheads with magnetic properties.

It wasn’t enough to call them homing arrows, but dodging by twisting your body wasn’t enough. The arrows curved in response to the metal the members carried.

However, despite this divine display, the Ruquerians were gradually closing in on Infinite Bank.

“Kill them, kill them! Kill them!”

The crazed Ruquerians weren’t intimidated by Keter’s overwhelming divine power. They charged forward, determined to land at least one blow.

“Hahaha! I blocked it! It’s nothing special!”

Some even started blocking Keter’s arrows. The Ruquerians were now close enough to leap over Infinite Bank’s walls.

Thud!

A dagger embedded itself in their foreheads.

It was Daat’s dagger.

The Aura Blades greeted the Ruquerians who broke through Keter’s arrow rain.

But Daat only wielded three Aura Blades. Facing thousands with just three was absolutely impossible.

However, there weren’t just three Aura Blades.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

“Argh!”

“What the hell just passed by?!”

“First arrows, now what?! Damn it!”

It was a kitchen knife. A common kitchen knife.

But it was so fast that only afterimages were visible. By the time they realized it was a kitchen knife, they were already attacked.

It was the original Aura Blade, Joyray’s Aura Blade.

Swoosh!

Twelve kitchen knives dazzled the eyes and ears of the members swarming around Infinite Bank.

It sounded like air escaping or a snake’s tongue flicking. Regardless, the moment this sound was heard, blood spurted.

Unlike Daat, who targeted vital points like the forehead or solar plexus, Joyray focused on causing massive bleeding by targeting arteries and leg tendons, rendering them incapable of fighting.

After barely breaking through Keter’s arrows, they were blocked again by the Aura Blades. The Aura Blades weren’t faster than Keter’s arrows, but their unpredictability made them impossible to dodge or deflect.

At first glance, it seemed like the three were holding their ground splendidly—but that wasn’t the case.

They had killed nearly a thousand members and forced them out of the battle, but thousands still remained.

Moreover, as if waiting for Keter to tire, the ‘main force’ hiding in the rear revealed themselves and began their charge.

Keter, witnessing this, muttered.

“Not bad. They got me.”

There are two types of strategies.

Strategies the opponent doesn’t notice.

Strategies they can’t stop even if they notice.

Keter dealt a significant blow with a strategy the enemy couldn’t comprehend while buying time, and the organization alliance countered with a strategy that couldn’t be stopped even if noticed.

Even if Keter had known the main force was hiding in the rear, could he have conserved his strength?

But that didn’t mean Keter was completely defeated. The main force was reserved to deal with Infinite Bank, not Keter.

In other words, Keter had forced the organization alliance to play their trump card early.

Was it a coincidence, or was it planned?

Rumble!

A deafening roar echoed, and an earthquake centered around Infinite Bank began to spread.

* * *

The earthquake at the battlefield couldn’t have been natural. Where in the world would an earthquake spare only Infinite Bank?

The ground twisted and bulged.

If that was all, it wouldn’t have caused any real damage to the Ruquerians. At most, it would make them lose their balance momentarily.

But everyone knew it wasn’t over. The vibrations resonating from deep within the ground were anything but ordinary.

Whoosh, whoosh!

As if resonating, the ground shook, and ‘they’ began to erupt like lava.

Chiriririring!

It was coins. Copper, silver, and gold coins poured out from the ground.

No Ruquerian was foolish enough to rush in to pick up the money. No, even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.

The coins erupting from underground weren’t affected by gravity. Each one floated in the air like a living organism, then began to gather toward a single point.

The Ruquerians weren’t the type to just watch. They attacked, not knowing what it was.

Bang! Crack!

The coins were fundamentally very hard, but not enough to withstand aura. Weapons imbued with aura should have cut or shattered them.

But they remained intact. Instead, the aura was destroyed.

“What the hell?!”

A Ruquerian stared in confusion at his sword, now missing teeth.

“Uh, this is getting bigger…”

The coins, endlessly erupting from underground, initially seemed to gather randomly, but in an instant, they transformed into distinct forms.

Copper coins became 12-meter-tall Bronze Golems—

Silver coins became 3-meter-tall Silver Soldiers—

Gold coins became 2-meter-tall Golden Knights.

The presence of the four Bronze Golems on the battlefield was overwhelming. Just standing still, they seemed to crush everything beneath them.

But the Ruquerians weren’t the type to be intimidated by size.

“Hahaha! I thought Infinite Bank was something, but it’s just child’s play? Looks fun though!”

The Bronze Golems, with their large hitboxes, were perfect targets. The Ruquerians swarmed like bees, attacking relentlessly.

Keter paused his attacks. Not because he was tired, but because he was astonished by the golems Infinite Bank had created.

Was it their overwhelming size and mass?

Or was it the scale that must have cost millions of gold?

“This is truly unexpected.”

But Keter’s astonishment wasn’t about that.

“I sense Ain.”

From the Bronze Golems, Silver Soldiers, and Golden Knights, Keter sensed ‘Ain.’

Ain, the perfect fusion of aura and mana. A flawless, absolute power.

And this power was held not by living beings, but by golems made of coins? The outcome of the battle was already predictable.

“This war, Infinite Bank’s overwhelming victory.”

Those words soon became reality.

Crash! Boom!

The Bronze Golem swung its sword. Though slow, the sheer wind pressure and mass from the 12-meter golem’s swing were enough to sweep away the Ruquerians.

The Bronze Golem’s weakness was its vulnerability to enemies at its feet, but the Silver Soldiers and Golden Knights covered that flaw.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

They were practically slaughtering the Ruquerians.

Though smaller than the Bronze Golems, the Silver Soldiers were still 3-meter giants. Yet, their movements weren’t sluggish.

Their swords weren’t fancy or intricate, but they were stable and fast.

Moreover, the ‘Ain’ imbued in their swords had the power to pierce through all of the Ruquerians’ defenses, causing their weapons to be sliced apart one after another.

“Is this the power of Infinite Bank?”

Golems made of money. But they defied the common sense of golems.

Golems usually require a power source, typically mana stones. But what about the golems sweeping the battlefield now?

From head to toe, they were made entirely of coins. There was no power source anywhere. Yet, their movements were smooth and natural.

The secret lay in Ain. Ain was breathing life and power into the golems.

So how on earth could Infinite Bank imbue coins with Ain? Keter was deeply curious.

‘Even I couldn’t fully attain Ain in my past life. Infinite Bank uses it as if it’s nothing.’

Even the main force the organization alliance had hidden couldn’t stand against the golems. All of them were at least 4-star powerhouses.

“This doesn’t sit well with me. Seeing this makes Ruquer look completely weak.”

No matter how much Keter had already broken their spirit, watching the Ruquerians being swept away by Infinite Bank’s golems left a bitter taste in his mouth.

It couldn’t be helped. Ain was that powerful and absolute. Neither aura nor mana could defeat it.

‘Only an Aura Laser could scratch Ain, and only a 7-Star Prime’s Authority could stand against it.’

But there was no Prime here now. Well, technically there was—Keter’s gaze turned to Joyray. He hadn’t noticed before when visiting Ruquer, but now, after growing through the tournament, it was clear.

Joyray had reached the realm of a 7-Star Prime.

‘Joyray. If you had decided to use your Authority, Infinite Bank wouldn’t have needed to step in.’

Not that he was blaming her. Keter knew Authority wasn’t something to be used lightly.

Regardless, the battlefield was being cleaned up. Infinite Bank had truly gone all out, and the golems made of money endlessly multiplied, driving the Ruquerians back.

No matter how crazy or insane the Ruquerians were, facing golems armed with Ain and indestructible, their will to fight was bound to break.

“Damn it! Retreat! Strategic retreat!”

The first to leave the battlefield were the beggars. For those who mainly fought bare-handed or with staffs, the golems were natural enemies.

But there was a madman swinging his sword at the retreating beggars.

“You sewer rats! Where are you retreating to? Charge, charge! Are you running away with your balls between your legs?”

The Mage Thieves, who had nothing to lose, blocked the beggars from escaping.

“You know nothing but your balls! Drop dead!”

While the golems were overwhelming, the Mage Thieves were confident against the Sandmen. They immediately began to counterattack.

They weren’t ‘allies’ to begin with. They had merely ‘gathered’ temporarily to kill the public enemy.

This phenomenon occurred everywhere. Those wanting to retreat clashed with those wanting to fight. They didn’t persuade with words but forced their views with strength and violence.

“Hmm, that’s more like our Ruquer.”

Keter wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

“It’s been a while since I sweated.”

Not even during the Southern Sword Tournament had he sweated. Just a single drop, but still.

“Even if we leave it like this, it’ll sort itself out…”

Keter stroked his chin.

The tension that had loosened among the four major organizations was now taut again.

Fighting together had solidified the alliance with Infinite Bank, but ending it like this felt like a loss.

‘These crazy bastards gathered in one place. It’s a shame to just let them go.’

It was unlikely the four major forces of Ruquer would ever gather like this again.

“Ah, ahem.”

Clearing his throat, Keter took a deep breath and shouted with all his might.

“Attention! I will now announce an important matter!”