novelraw Chapter 303: The Last Defender
Chapter 303: The Last Defender
All the streets of Saint Rance, the theater, marketplace, church, clocktower, and even the lord’s castle had been turned upside down by the devout believers’ search.
Lin Xun suspected that Unknown Apostle No. 1 also possessed an invisibility skill.
Only by maintaining invisibility at all times could he evade the eyes of all believers.
‘No.’
“There’s another possibility. No. 1 has been hiding in an uninhabited area.”
The final event would force all Apostles to participate, so No. 1 could not be hiding outside Saint Rance.
There was only one uninhabited area within the town of Saint Rance, namely the Saint Rance Sewers.
—
[The sewers are dim and cramped, reeking with a pungent stench. The top of the arched passage is less than a meter above your head.]
[Filthy black sewage floods over your ankles. With each step you feel the resistance of the viscous liquid.][One hand grips the Wailing Spiked Mace, the other raises a torch. You move carefully along the passage.]
[The winding, shadowy sewers are utterly silent save for dripping water and the rasping of armor as you walk.]
[Three forks appear ahead of you, left, center, and right. Which do you choose?]
Unknown Apostle No. 1 hesitated for a moment, then pressed ‘Left.’
Entering the Saint Rance Sewers was a complete accident.
As the earliest candidate to enter Saint Rance, No. 1 had already reached three kills and successfully obtained the Killing Feast buff.
With No. 1’s formidable strength, killing other candidates was not difficult. Compared with direct combat, the hardest part of this chapter was how to quickly find other Apostles.
Unfortunately, his Shell was the Berserker class template, poor at scouting and rapid movement, so finding other Apostles was a major problem.
Originally the matter would have been easy enough. He only needed to wait for the final event. The remaining Apostles would be forced to participate, and that would be his time to shine.
Perhaps his luck was good. Wandering the town marketplace, he happened upon another candidate Apostle.
Unknown Apostle No. 12 walked ahead while he quietly tailed this unexpectedly discovered candidate.
At that time, the game text indicated that townsfolk on the street were secretly watching him, whispering words like outsider.
He paid it no mind and was about to raise the Wailing Spiked Mace for a vicious skull-cracker when he ran into a large squad of Paladins of Discipline in heavy metal plate on towering warhorses.
The Paladins of Discipline charged straight into the marketplace, pointed at him and No. 12, shouted outsider, and then decisively launched a Blood Charge.
With one clash, No. 12 was knocked flying by the charge of the heavy armored knights and plunged into a grievously injured, near-death state.
The surrounding civilians did not scream and flee. Instead, they clapped and cheered.
He was stunned.
Weren’t the warm and hospitable residents of Saint Rance neutral toward Apostles?
“How could this be? Did the game bug out?”
“This Easter Egg chapter is bugs everywhere. Calling soul annihilation on Shell death was already absurd.”
“Now the story factions are attacking Apostles without question, and all the people of Saint Rance stand opposed to the Apostles.”
There was no time to think further, because dozens of Paladins of Discipline were about to launch another Blood Charge at him.
No. 1 knew that if he fought a single-digit number of Paladins of Discipline, he could use Berserker traits to kill a few.
But faced with dozens charging at once, even two lives would not be enough.
He decisively opened the Inventory and clicked his lifesaving item, Space Magic Teleportation Scroll.
He blinked and found himself in the labyrinthine hidden map, the Saint Rance Sewers.
His conclusion that it was labyrinth came after nearly an hour of wandering in the sewers without finding an exit.
“Damn this game. Truly a hellish game.”
Had he teleported to the sewer entrance, he could at least record the layout of the branching passages and still return even after deep exploration.
But random teleportation had dropped him in the depths of the maze. After nearly an hour of wandering, No. 1 had to admit he was lost.
That hour of exploration was sheer torment.
The imagined final event where the candidate Apostles would brawl never took place.
The number on the Apostle master list was dropping at an astonishing rate, likely because Paladins of Discipline were grouping up to farm Apostles.
Expressionless, No. 1 tapped open the Slaughter option.
Now the candidate list showed only him and Unknown Apostle No. 18.
“The power of the Paladins of Discipline is indeed terrifying. No, I should say the White Moon Church is powerful.”
The collective charge of dozens of Paladins of Discipline was extremely terrifying. No. 1 believed no one could survive under them.
With the final event about to begin, he was still circling the sewer maze.
“Now that the final event is imminent, there is still no prompt like ‘Outside the designated area’.”
“In other words, in the game’s judgment the Saint Rance Sewers are within the final event area.”
No. 1’s eyes lit up.
Since being in the sewers still counted as participating in the final event, the only concern was Apostle No. 18.
If No. 18’s kill count was below his, he only needed to wait in the sewers until the final event ended to easily seize the Disciple seat.
If No. 18’s kills surpassed his and he survived the final event… impossible.
Apart from himself on a hidden map, who could evade the Solar Hero war of the final event?
The game had yet to report No. 18’s death, and No. 1 was unhurried.
He thought carefully: “If No. 18 has lived until now without being killed by the Paladins of Discipline, he must have some hidden lifesaving method.”
“Hiding until the end and thinking you’ve already won, is that it?”
“Heh, naive.”
Most of the candidate Apostles were likely killed by Paladins of Discipline. Even if No. 18’s kill count exceeded his, it could not be by much.
With too few stacks of Killing Feast, facing the war of the Solar Heroes, even if he hid on the sidelines to watch, survival was impossible.
[…]
[Before you is an entrance leading to the lower level of the sewers. The downward steps are slick with foul black slime.]
[You can faintly hear some huge creature squirming below the stairs.]
[Do you want to enter Saint Rance Sewers Lower Level?]
No. 1 opened the Inventory and looked at the trump card given to him by the Elders Council.
[Magic Forbidden Spell Scroll – World-Ending Thunder Lance (Item): … Using this item will cast the single-target forbidden spell World-Ending Thunder Lance upon a designated enemy, dealing massive thunder damage.]
With this item he stood a good chance of killing the hidden boss, and after killing the boss perhaps the exit of the sewer maze would appear.
But thinking it through, for now he had a great chance of winning simply by playing it safe. Charging a hidden boss might cause him to capsize in a gutter.
With that thought, No. 1 prepared to press ‘No.’
[From the passage behind you, the distant rasp of armor on armor rings out. You know that sound well. It is a numerous group of Paladins of Discipline.]
[Judging by the sound, the Paladins of Discipline do not seem far.]
[Do you want to enter Saint Rance Sewers Lower Level?]
“Your grandma. How did the Paladins of Discipline know I was on a hidden map?”
No. 1 could not help cursing.
If the forbidden scroll were an area spell, he would blast these lingering Paladins of Discipline to slag.
But his trump card was a single-target spell that had to designate an enemy to fire.
Facing large numbers, even if he killed one Paladin of Discipline, what good would it do?
Now it was wolves in front and tigers behind. Facing the Paladins directly meant certain death. Fighting the hidden boss gave him greater hope of survival.
Gritting his teeth, No. 1 chose to enter Saint Rance Sewers Lower Level.
[You descend the steps and enter Saint Rance Sewers Lower Level.]
[The lower level seems to be a vast space. The torch in your hand illuminates only the area around you.]
[A gigantic creature hidden in the darkness senses your presence and, with a rustling squirm, closes in.]
[You suddenly hurl the torch forward. In that instant the firelight reveals the enormous creature.]
[It is a gigantic black worm, as thick as several men embracing, its body snaking across half the lower level, coated in stinking slime.]
[The mouthparts at its head gape open, revealing rings of dense fangs. It keeps approaching, as if to swallow you whole.]
“A hidden boss, as expected.”
No. 1 knew well the difficulty of a sixth difficulty Nightmare chapter. The hidden boss here would be incredibly powerful and could not be killed in a short time.
If he did not quickly kill the boss, once the Paladins of Discipline found this place he would be pincered on both sides.
No. 1 rapidly pressed the use item option.
[You tear open the Magic Forbidden Spell Scroll – World-Ending Thunder Lance.]
[Your body hair suddenly stands on end, your skin tingles, and countless raging golden lightning bolts appear out of thin air, illuminating the entire underground space.]
[Every ring of fangs in the worm’s mouth is clearly visible. You can even see the foul gas it exhales.]
[Golden thunder rapidly gathers in your hand, condensing into a gigantic thunder lance brimming with the aura of destruction.]
[With a shout, you hurl the World-Ending Thunder Lance with all your strength at the enemy.]
[With a sky-shattering crash, thunder blossoms. Your vision fills with boundless electric light.]
[…]
[When the light fades, the colossal worm has been severed in two, its corpse covered in charred marks.]
[You have defeated the Black Giant Worm.]
Seeing this text, No. 1 finally relaxed.
In this Easter Egg chapter, defeating any monster yielded neither experience nor item rewards. This did not surprise him.
“After killing the hidden boss, the maze exit should appear.”
[You pick up the torch, look around, and try to find the maze exit.]
[Focused on searching for the exit, the Apostle fails to notice that because of the worm’s unique life nature, it still retains brief mobility after death.]
[Half of the worm’s corpse suddenly springs up and bites down, swallowing your upper body.]
[At that moment, a shuriken flies from the darkness, pierces your armor, and strikes your calf, dealing slight damage.]
[A red-shimmering figure appears at the entrance. A large squad of Paladins of Discipline files in and bows their heads to that figure.]
[Then the Black Giant Worm throws back its head and swallows you whole.]
[…]
[You died.]
???
No. 1’s eyes widened. He suddenly realized that all of this was the work of No. 18.
“Hellish game, damn you. Apostle No. 18, may you die a miserable death.”
He roared in despair, cursing wildly.
[An ordinary wandering soul is reborn at the summit of the Peak of the Fading Afterglow.]
[You fall into the Slaughter Mode’s death penalty. For one hour of death penalty, you cannot use soul strength to Reshape Shell.]
[You open your eyes to boundless blood-colored sunlight.]
[Upon the vast earth stands a solitary mountain.]
[In wandering soul form you are reborn upon the summit. Before you is a giant that reaches the sky, knees hugged to chest, eyes closed.]
[The giant’s body is so immense that it makes you feel like an insignificant ant.]
[It radiates scarlet sunlight as if it were a descending Corrupting Blood Sun.]
[Bathed in endless blood-red sunlight, your sanity gradually drifts away.]
[Suddenly you find that the blood-colored giant before you becomes radiant and divine, dazzling beyond measure.]
[Ah. You cannot help but praise the sun.]
[…]
[You died.]
[You died in wandering soul form. Your soul strength cap is reduced by one.]
[Current soul strength 2/2.]
[An ordinary wandering soul is reborn at the summit of the Peak of the Fading Afterglow.]
“Why am I still respawning here?”
No. 1 was struck as if by lightning, his face deathly pale. Enduring the tearing agony of his soul, he gave a final, despairing curse:
“No. 18. May you die a miserable death.”
—
[Unknown Apostle No. 1 is dead.]
[Unknown Apostle No. 1 possessed Killing Feast.]
[Your buff effect Killing Feast +5 is enhanced and upgrades to Killing Feast +6.]
[Killing Feast +6: This buff effect increases all your attributes by 140 percent. It will last until the end of this Easter Egg chapter.]
No. 18, Lin Xun, saw the Hellish game’s death notice and finally exhaled.
Because two people had used Escape Bookmarks to leave the chapter, he had not reached the maximum number of kills, otherwise Killing Feast would have risen another level.
“The New World truly hides dragons and crouching tigers. That No. 1 actually found a hidden map and turtled there until the end.”
He recalled No. 1’s powerful item used to defeat the Black Giant Worm.
Faced with such a devastating item, if the Ninja Master were hit, even with the Killing Feast bonus, there would only be one outcome: death.
Among his many Shells, perhaps only the Earth Giant could tank that strike and live.
“I wonder if the little dragonkin in transformed dragon form could withstand it.”
Having successfully eliminated the final candidate Apostle, Lin Xun was now the only one left in the entire Easter Egg chapter. Nothing could stop him from acting with full force.
He continued to search in the sewer lower level, but all the surrounding walls were solid. The phantom wall he remembered did not appear.
Let alone the later ancient lift and the underground depths of the Forgotten Abyss of the Fading Afterglow.
It was as if these things did not exist in this chapter at all.
Lin Xun had been mentally prepared for this.
He led many Paladins of Discipline back to the White Moon Church and waited for the final event.
[…]
[This chapter’s final event, Nightmare of the Golden Blazing Sun, has begun.]
[…]
[A nameless dread rises in your heart, and you cannot help but look up.]
[The golden sun in the firmament is suddenly stained with a scarlet shadow, like blood dripping into clear water.]
[The scarlet color keeps spreading and in an instant covers half the sun.]
[At that moment, a golden meteor streaks across the distant sky.]
[The golden meteor falls toward Saint Rance where you stand. The golden light grows before your eyes until it is close at hand.]
[At last, the meteor falls into the town center.]
[At the point of impact a spark of golden sunlight flashes. In an instant golden sunlight explodes and blossoms, illuminating every corner of Saint Rance.]
[Every citizen of Radiant Light is bathed in warm sunlight, their silhouettes rimmed with a halo of gold.]
[The sun in the heavens stops bleeding color and remains half scarlet, half gold.]
[You look up. At some unknown time, a sky-reaching giant has appeared in the town.]
[The giant shines with warm daylight. The vast Moonlight’s Hometown is as small as a child’s block city beneath its feet.]
[The citizens of Saint Rance prostrate themselves in fervent worship, weeping with excitement at the Solar Hero, Defender of the Golden Blazing Sun, Dan.]
[Blood light flashes at the horizon. Three blood-colored meteors streak across the distant sky, falling toward Saint Rance.]
[The giant Dan seems to sense something. He does not look at the three approaching blood meteors but lowers his head to search.]
[The Solar Hero’s gaze passes through countless devout citizens and falls upon you.]
[He starts, then speaks. His voice is like a great bell, deafening.]
[‘Oath-bearer, are you willing to defend with him the last dignity of the Golden Blazing Sun?’]
[Faithful Apostle, because you carry Dan the Giant’s Blazing Sun Ring, you have triggered the oath quest The Last Defender.]
[Do you want to accept this oath quest?]
“Dan… I hope this time I can bring you a beautiful dream.”
Without hesitation, Lin Xun pressed ‘Yes.’