This was a completely different situation than Glacier's Eye, where it only took four people to block the entire path. This place was a space open on all sides. The area that the first line needed to block had expanded, while the number of first lines in the squadron had decreased.
Me, Jun and Goblin.
We were the only three real tanks left. Furthermore, one of Jun's legs was paralyzed, making it difficult for him to use his full power.
Rickerburn, Kaiserlan, Ravien, Amelia ...
Forwards who belonged to the category of those who did damage at close range were also separated to help form the wall. Of course, there were too many holes to call it a wall proper, but complaining about it wouldn't solve anything. We chose the best option we had at our disposal. All that was left to do now was see how it turned out.
¡Saaaaaa!
A black mist spread in all directions, covering the space between our two groups. It was the work of the dark wizard on the other side. Although the fog had some debuff effects, its true purpose was probably to obscure our vision.
Visibility is approximately one yard.
My warrior body was on high alert thanks to my limited field of vision.
«Gruhhh...» Several undead monsters emerged from the darkness, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws. They were invocations courtesy of the priest of Karui. Throwing himself at us was useless in Glacier's Eye, considering its narrow path, but that was not the case now.
¡Aplastar!
I moved my hammer in all directions to push back the approaching monsters. That's when...
«Sir...!»
¡Latigo!
The moment Erwen's warning reached my ears, with a brief hiss, a sharp blade emerged from the darkness to hit me on the neck.
"Kak!
I reacted more slowly than usual due to my limited visibility, but I still managed to block it with my shield. A second later, a white light emanated from the point above my heart.
¡Whooom!
At first I was perplexed, but I quickly understood what was happening.
[Periton Eriabosti has released Immortal Light.]
It was an enhancer of one of the priests, an ability that was not very useful in the game, except for increasing your Spirit stat.
Did you use it to improve our visibility? How smart.
I chuckled.
¡Shaaaaaa!
The white light welling up from my heart drove away the darkness, allowing me to see about three meters ahead. Of course, the darkness that filled the empty spaces remained. I could barely make out Sven Parav and Amelia to my left and right.
"Kak!
He may not have been able to see their faces in the darkness, but the lights burning in their hearts were vivid as they moved with them, like fireflies gliding through the darkness.
«Ahhhhhh!» I bounced a blade flying towards me with my shield and brandished my hammer wildly, all the while controlling the lights floating around me.
¡Shaaaaaaaaa!
The turbulent flicker indicated fierce battles. Although they made us easy-to-see targets for the enemy, they were also a sign to us that our comrades were still alive and fighting. It was a test that supported our mutual faith.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has launched Concentrated Fire.]
Arrows were shot, dispelling the darkness.
[Benjamin Orman has released Moonlight of Purification.]
Particles of light fell from the sky and filtered into my body.
Stab!
The longer the fight continued, the more wounds accumulated on me.
The woman who introduced herself as Six said: «You are much weaker than before».
That was because he couldn't use the Iron Fortress now. Even if Elemental Barbarian Mode (Earth) was activated, my ability to block auras had been significantly reduced. That was not all. I didn't even have the Strength bonus that came with gigantization. I couldn't use Oscillation, my only attack ability, or Storm's Eye, which caught enemies off guard and allowed me to keep them at bay.
However, as I have always said: «So what?». I smiled and added: «If you really think I'm weaker, then kill me. But I will never fall».
I was determined to do it. Fights like these were won by the people who were still standing at the end.
«...Do you trust your priests that much?»
Well, he wasn't wrong in assuming that's where my confidence came from. If it weren't for the healings that came even as we talked, it would have been difficult for me to endure.
What are you making fun of? What a strange lady.
«Is it wrong to trust my comrades?» Dungeon and Stone was a team game, after all.
¡Bang!
I hit the source of the loud sound with my hammer. However, I didn't feel the telltale sensation of a skull being crushed by my fingertips.
«You seem impatient to be someone who trusts his comrades».
Ugh, you really talk a lot.
«Are you anxious? That I'm the only one fighting you right now?»
It was obvious what I was trying to do: encourage myself to reveal the slightest weakness. If it weren't for that, there would be no reason for this cold woman to continue chattering. The problem was that it was working.
¡They!
I brandished my hammer again, but my doubt and anxiety did not calm down. Where were the others? He was sure that more enemies would come. I thought I would make things easier for my teammates if I was able to face all of them.
«Aaagh!» Through the sound of guns colliding, a scream reached my ears.
«Bjorn Yandel, you are the last one».
Who owned that scream?
«Because I already knew that you wouldn't be one of those who fall easily.»
The enemy? Or an ally? I had no way of knowing.
«So I hope you're not defeated until the-»
I forced myself to calm down. It wasn't like I could go there and check it out right now. «Behel-aaaaaah!»
I just had to have faith and do my job.
***
The archbishop who welcomed him as a child told him: «You no longer have parents. Your only father is Tovera, the bright sun. Worldly attachments are meaningless to an agent of God, so cast away your human heart. From now on, your name is Jun».
Jun, former inquisitor of the Church of Tovera, had thus abandoned his old surname, Arshen. Since that day, he had lived life not as a human being, but as a beast, also known as an agent of god.
«It must be done. You are also a man».
He had castrated himself with desire and recited prayers.
«¡Due...!»
«It seems that your human heart still endures».
Every day he underwent training that bordered on torture.
«You can get back up. As long as the sunlight is with you».
There were times when he wanted to just let himself fall, but the sunlight forcibly healed him. By the time he became an adult, Jun had become something that could no longer be called a person. There was no room for doubt. He limited himself to doing what the church ordered him in the name of his god.
Why was it...?
There was no particular catalyst. It had been a normal day. The sky was cloudy, but the sunlight still felt warm on his skin. That day, Jun Arshen had been staring at the sky blankly when he questioned his beliefs for the first time.
I'm right?
It was a question that had been asked for a long time. Looking back, he didn't know why it had suddenly occurred to him at that moment. Maybe the family of three he saw on the street that day seemed so bright to him. The only thing he knew for sure was that his life as a beast had come to an end that day.
«...W-What?! How could you do something like that?!»
He left his position as inquisitor and became an ordinary member of the church again. Although he did things the other way around, that's when he became disillusioned with how the church was run. He didn't hate his god. That question, the one that came to him as a revelation that cloudy day, had been the first time he had felt the presence of God so intimately. If anything, it had only strengthened his faith.
I... am not right.
Frustration prevailed over anger. The weight of the sins that were committed in the name of God began to weigh on his shoulders. It seemed like a normal life was out of reach, but as a result, Jun longed for it even more. Probably because of that.
«I'll ask you one last thing».
Jun Arshen accepted one last mission from the archbishop, now a cardinal, before officially ending their professional relationship. Since he truly believed that this mission was for the good of the world, instead of creating non-existent sinners as he had seen the church do in the past, he thought he could use it to atone for his sins in some small way.
What brought him to this moment.
¡Good!
«Castigo.»
Perhaps this was a way to punish a foolish child who had misinterpreted God's will and been manipulated by those influenced by twisted human hearts. Yes, there were times at the beginning when he thought that way. But now he knew better. If this was a punishment, it was wrong.
«You... are wrong.»
Even if he had crawled out of the bestial life he had been living, this was not right.
«¡Aaaaaagh!»
«How did they get here?!»
The light of his heart went out, the light of those who wished to run into the future.
Slip.
His paralyzed right leg did not allow him to move forward, but...
Slide.
Jun dragged his leg and, although his movements were trembling and it seemed like he could fall at any moment, he stumbled forward little by little.
Slide.
As he did so, he realized something. They might seem like just empty words, but it was true that whoever wanted to move forward could do so, no matter the circumstances.
Diapositive.
If it weren't for that man, I would never have known.
Just then, a sound came from behind him. «Jun! W-What are you doing?!»
Periton Eriabosti was a woman who, unlike him, had probably lived a very brilliant life and carried out pure and pristine justice. He fought to survive for the sake of his beloved son.
It wasn't just her either. «Barhatun Wiar!» The bearded wizard had a beloved wife.
[Guld Aldidi ha usado Invalidar.]
The old man who lost his son had a long-cherished wish to fulfill.
[Titana Akurava has released Vampire Punch.]
The dwarf believed in a firm cause.
What Rickerburn said before the battle began came to mind. «This makes me more miserable the more I listen to it. If I had to choose the most insignificant person here, it would be me».
He was wrong.
Of the eighteen people still alive right now-no, of all the thirty people who began this journey, the most insignificant of all is probably-no, definitely... me.
Jun realized at that moment the role he had to play.
«Come back here, quickly!»
Born with only his parents' names on his back, he became an inquisitor, then got lost and arrived here. Everything he saw, heard and felt on this lifelong journey all led to this moment.
«I just do what I have to do».
This was like a revelation. The moment he realized it, his mind cleared. There was no more fear. It didn't even occur to him that this moment was an ordeal. The fact that one of his legs didn't move seemed like one more reason to stay here, in this place.
«And to think there was a tank here too.»
«He can't use his leg.»
«Is that why you're back here?»
«Get rid of it, quickly.»
Enemies and their red-hot auras rushed towards him in unison. Jun raised his shield.
Sister-sister-sister!
Two daggers pierced the shield.
Stab!
Two daggers pierced his lungs. However, he felt no pain. For the first time in his life, he was grateful for the hard training he received as a child.
[Jun Arshen has released Sacred Descent.]
The power of God dwelt in his body. He really felt like he could achieve anything at that moment. He let out a scream, although it might not be an appropriate scream for a paladin.
«¡Become-aaaaaa!»
Anyway, he couldn't pay for all the sins he had committed. So this one should be fine. Yeah, just this once, maybe it was okay to scream because I wanted to let it go.
«We have to help Jun!»
The priest, magician and archer in the rear line behind him used their talents to start helping him as best they could. Despite this, Jun's flame was quickly extinguished.
Rattle.
His shield fell from his arm as his tendon was cut.
Stab, stab, stab!
The daggers cut off his upper body. Jun no longer thought about blocking or dodging these blows. He only focused on staying upright and upright. As they watched everything unfold, the Order of the Rose exchanged incredulous comments.
«I should have died from that wound a long time ago».
«But why isn't it falling?»
«We have already lost three minutes. Hurry up and get rid of it».
The attacks became more intense.
Stab!
The blood on the ground formed a puddle and Jun's mind went blank. I didn't know how many minutes he had been standing there. His sense of time was distorted and the enemies' faces looked blurry, but one thing was clear.
¡Shaaaaaa!
The lights that swayed in the darkness... that man would be among them.
Bjorn Candle.
Even at this moment, he was probably moving forward step after step, doing what he had to do.
«Clan...» Did they say they were going to form one in the city? Jun was not afraid of death, but he was afraid of a sudden feeling of regret. When the idea was first mentioned he hadn't said anything, thinking it wasn't his turn, but... «Sounded funny...» It definitely would have been.
The palace, Noark, and the numerous other institutions that abandoned us... Even if they have all turned against us...
Stab!
A sharp blade stabbed into his lungs. Jun intuitively realized that his flame had been completely consumed. His noisy surroundings fell silent and his vision turned black. The light swaying in the distance faded, leaving a mark like a stain behind his eyes.
¡Shaaaaaaaaa!
The darkness faded and his surroundings were filled with a light similar to that of a father approaching to greet his son who has finally completed his mission. A warm light that embraced his entire body.
«Haha...» Jun chuckled. Even if this was just a hallucination I was seeing before I died, even if this was just vain hope and faith... «Save me... from my wandering...»
Don't punish this foolish sinner with whips. Please embrace this weary soul...
It was the moment he had been longing for for so long.
***
There were no strategies or tactics to find. Just a series of struggles to survive.
¡Kwa claim!
The melee was filled with explosions, the clash of weapons, screams and screams. It was so chaotic that I wouldn't be surprised to hear the name of someone on the list of survivors or the list of dead, and it went on for who knew how long.
¡Shaaaaaaaaa!
The fog around us began to dissipate. But it couldn't be because the dark wizard had already run out of mana.
Did someone kill the dark wizard? Well, I guess I'll find out soon.
Soon, the fog completely dissipated and my vision returned to normal. The first thing I saw was a frowning woman in front of me. A knight vigorously brandished his sword in the distance, where the enemy rear was gathered, and I saw that it was Melend Kaislan. Near him, a scrawny body dressed in a robe collapsed forward without a head.
When had he gotten there? I didn't expect it at all, but this is great.
I looked left and right. There were no deaths on the front lines, but they all looked worse. The worst was Ravien. He had claimed that he fought well with his fists, but without his sword, he seemed like a mess.
Well, no one has died yet. So what about the rearguard? I think that's where the scream from before came from. It sounded like someone had shouted the names of my ancestors too.
I couldn't be sure. There was a lot of noise around.
Dash.
I took advantage of the temporal distance between the woman and me and quickly looked back. Despite what I expected, the back looked the worst. Three members of the Order of the Rose stood before them. A body lay on the ground. My heart sank as soon as I saw him, but he was a member of the Order.
Jun stopped them.
I could see Jun standing in front of the rear to protect them. As soon as I saw him, I remembered the conversation we had before the battle began.
«Do you want me to hide in the rear?»
He didn't seem to like my request, but I convinced him that the real battle would begin when we returned to the city, and that he would need his strength outside the labyrinth. He nodded reluctantly.
He can't even walk well and he's so broken...
I let out a loud sigh as I saw the state Jun was in. His body was soaked in blood and it would be difficult to find a spot on it that wasn't sliced into strips. He probably decided it wasn't the time to protect himself for the sake of the future.
If it weren't for him, the rearguard would have been annihilated.
While the realization was enough to make me dizzy, it also brought me relief. Thanks to Jun's fighting spirit, the rearguard had been able to kill one of the Roses.
Hit!
I realized the discrepancy a moment later.
«Why...?» Jun was still standing, although he was not holding the shield. «Where is your light?»
Unlike the other members of our squad, his light was not on. And unlike my beating heart, my mind provided an answer to my question immediately.
So he's dead.
I wasn't the only one who took a while to realize his death. The Order members fighting Jun also realized that he was dead and ran forward to ambush the rear, but their daggers missed their target.
¡Clang!
Amelia and her clone had backed away as soon as they saw what was happening and dodged the two swords.
Six looked at the dead members of his order, with no emotion in his eyes. «The damage is greater than I thought», he murmured.
Dash.
He immediately got up from the ground and ran, but not towards me, his target.
Missed ...!
He went somewhere else, towards the rear, which Amelia barely managed to defend.
«Sir...!»
Erwen's scream served as a signal to follow Six. I felt like I could now read this woman's mind.
That bitch must have realized by now that she couldn't use my active skills.
I was a barbarian tank whose active abilities were sealed. Of course, my body was tough thanks to Elementalization, but in a many-on-many battle, it wasn't much of a threat. Meanwhile, my squadron's performance was poor. Using this as a basis, Six would have come to the decision that it was more efficient to get rid of me to focus on other things than to stay here trying to keep me under control.
«Erwen!» As soon as I screamed for help, spiritual energy was shot at our enemy.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has launched Concentrated Fire.]
The objective was to stop Six's charge.
whipping!
Six nimbly jumped out of the way and somersaulted in the air, which meant that the arrow had achieved its objective. I didn't pass up the opportunity to reduce the distance, and fired orders as I did so. «Erwen, change the attributes».
"¿What?"
When I told him the attribute I wanted, the change began immediately.
¡Shaaaaaa!
The attribute was not water, fire, earth or wind. It was the main attribute of the Blood Spirit.
[The Spirit of Darkness now dwells in your body].
A thick, ominous darkness spread across my skin.
[All Resistance values are set to 0. Divine Resistance is set at -200. Darkness Resistance is set to +800. Abyssal Blessing Bonus. You receive immunity to all types of status effects. All attack types receive Unavoidable Hit Correction].
This was the Elemental Barbarian's (Dark) Extreme Damage Mode.