SSS-Rank Overlord: Defend the Dungeon or Die

Chapter 309: Episode 309

[S-rank Attacker Macphain has cast Slaughter Zone.]

[Enemies within the declared domain are unable to escape.]

[Slaughter Zone Usage Limit: 1/2]

A battlefield meant for the few, not the many, unfolded.

Consumed by madness, the guild Attackers covering the Revived Plains tried to push forward, but the blood-red earth hindered their advance.

A sickening crunch echoed across the field.

The Berserk Lord swung his axe down once more. With that single strike, the death toll surpassed a hundred.

"Rraagh! For His Highness Leon! For His Highness Leon!"

"Have their minds been completely taken over? What a shame," Hasla muttered. "Unfortunately, we are also bound to the Guide’s call. We’ll subdue you as painlessly as possible."

Golden mana rippled through the air.

Facing them head-on, the Great Chieftain of the Myoin Tribe swung his deep blue chains to dispatch the surrounding Attackers.

[Top-tier A-rank Attacker Momonte has cast Judgment of Sin.]

[Top-tier A-rank Attacker Droster has cast Loyal Oath.]

[Top-tier A-rank Attacker Gonbadu has cast One-Hit Kill.]

These enemies, however, were undeniably top-tier combatants on the continent.

Under strict orders to annihilate Balak, it was only natural for them to eliminate anyone standing in their way.

The suppression skills of shield-bearers, the slashes of swordsmen, and the magic arrows of archers stormed in all at once, filling the interior of the Slaughter Zone to the brim with limited-use skills.

In this situation, widening their movement radius would be impossible.

Hasla threw his Ancient Chains at Macphain and lunged at the Attackers who had closed in first.

"Die!"

"Hoho, you’re entirely too loud. Shut that mouth of yours."

A choked gasp rang out.

One person per strike. Aiming precisely at their weak points to ensure they could never stand again, he moved his body seamlessly with the flow of battle.

When cornered by a multitude, what one needed was not strength, but speed.

The most important thing was to never look back, focusing solely on moving forward.

Bodies hit the ground in rapid succession.

A state of trance slowly washed over Hasla.

Amidst the relentless barrage of limited-use skills, a single beastman dominated the battlefield.

And then...

"Aaaagh... ghk!"

He fell silent.

By the time he snapped out of it, all the Attackers inside the Slaughter Zone had fallen.

Hasla withdrew the golden mana gathered in his hands and let out a deep breath.

"Phew, it’s been a while since I’ve immersed myself in battle like this," he murmured. "I suppose this is all my karma for choosing to serve the Guide."

The moment the surviving non-human races on the continent joined Balak, this fate had likely been sealed.

A sudden pang of worry for the beastmen marching on the capital Ashlan hit him, but he quickly shook his head.

Even if their corpses were trampled, it would undoubtedly be a noble sacrifice for Taehyun.

A massive explosion rocked the area.

Just then, the area outside the Slaughter Zone was completely cleared.

Hasla wiped away the beads of sweat forming on his skin as he spotted the Great Elder of the elves walking out of the forest.

"Hoho. Looks like you’re finished on your end too," Hasla said.

"Tsk, what’s so good that you’re grinning like that?" Hamolton complained with a groan. "My back has been aching quite a bit lately. I guess even an elf can’t cheat their age."

"Accept the natural order of things. You are the Great Elder, after all."

"True. If the God of Nature, Ameria, calls for me someday, I’ll have to leave this world without delay. If only I could protect the World Tree until then. I wonder how things will turn out."

The two turned their gazes toward the Silent Forest.

Although it was a World Tree born within the dungeon’s territory, it was undeniably a blessing bestowed by Ameria.

Hamolton tapped his hunched back for a moment before casting a teleportation spell.

"First, let’s head back to that Guide guy."

"Hah. How long do you plan on referring to the Guide like that? It’s about time you changed your tone."

"Tsk. You’re too noisy."

As their vision gradually flashed and faded, the sound of their childish bickering continued to echo.

---

[Frost Queen Yuslan has cast Hand Gesture Declaring the End.]

[Frost crystals pour down around the capital Ashlan.]

The magic that had destroyed the Derk Empire activated.

The Attackers and Druids, in the midst of fighting the Undead Soldiers, looked up at the sky and trembled.

"F-Frost crystals. It’s Yuslan’s magic!"

"Aaaagh! They’re falling over here too. Everyone, take cover!"

"Use your arts! We have to protect the other Druids!"

Amidst the relentless downpour of frost crystals, there was nowhere to run.

Some Druids tried to mitigate the damage using tree vines, but this was the magic of the Frost Queen, not just any ordinary mage.

It was bound to be several times more powerful than the mana they had initially anticipated.

’If this continues, the Church’s Druids will be completely wiped out.’

"...I know," Messiah replied.

Just as Baekho said, the casualties were severe.

Even excluding the Frost Army, a massive immortal army remained. If she just stood by and watched, they would be swept away by the other factions.

Messiah summoned the Tree of the Earth to where the Eastern Federation was gathered.

[Archbishop Messiah has cast Protection of Abundance.]

[For a set duration, a tree imbued with the energy of the earth is summoned to protect allies.]

[Protection of Abundance Usage Limit: 1/2]

Due to the nature of the Astral Continent, it was quite unsettling that system messages popped up for her just like they did for the Attackers, but being able to check the usage limits of her arts was at least satisfying.

"Waaaaah! Long live Archbishop Messiah!"

"The Archbishop is protecting us! Everyone, wipe out the swarming Undead Soldiers at once!"

"Set up the Position Transfer markers! As long as the counter items are concentrated on Balak’s side, we’ll easily be able to exploit an opening!"

With their morale recovered somewhat, the momentum of the Eastern Federation grew even fiercer.

In a landscape that changed by the minute, their offensive was certainly helpful, but the battlefield had already degenerated into a clash of monsters.

Fortunately, with two Transcendents dying at Balak’s hands, the Aneis Kingdom’s momentum had sharply plummeted, but the overall situation hadn’t changed one bit.

Rather, the wielders of the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword...

And with the Sword Saint Repilder and Celestial Strike Ragbolt also appearing on the battlefield, the surrounding area was being instantly devastated.

Messiah changed her judgment as she looked at Grai wielding the Demon Sword.

"As expected, that knight is the biggest obstacle..."

Just as she was about to change her target, a harpy flew in from afar.

Baekho immediately swung his paw to swat it away, but for some reason, the creature showed no intention of attacking.

The bird let out a sharp screech.

"...A communication device?"

’It seems that demon sent it.’

It was a communication device that every mainlander possessed at least one of.

However, to Messiah, who had lived within the Church of Abundance for hundreds of years, it was completely unfamiliar.

The wind harpy handed her the communication device and tried to return immediately, but it was promptly smacked by Baekho’s paw and plummeted to the ground.

Messiah looked down at the fallen bird and gripped the communication device.

"Is that you, demon?"

"Why are you taking it out on a poor harpy? You really need to train your white tiger."

"...If you’re just here to mock me, I’m hanging up."

"No, no, no. Mock you? I’m just trying to make a proposal. Listen closely. If we keep fighting amongst ourselves like this, there won’t be any resolution. Later on, the casualties will just multiply into the hundreds of thousands, you know?"

"You’re making this proposal because you believe in those two right now. The power of the Holy Sword and the demonic energy is certainly strong, but I cannot accept. Your arrogance makes me shudder."

"I’m going to win this war anyway. This might just look like a proposal, but in a way, it’s a threat. You’d better think carefully."

A low growl escaped her. "I’ll bury your limbs in the earth first."

"I wonder if you can?"

[The forces of the Ain Kart Holy Kingdom have appeared.]

[The Peshant Empire Army has appeared.]

[The Great Elder of the Silent Forest, Hamolton, has appeared.]

[The Great Chieftain of the Myoin Tribe, Hasla, has appeared.]

It was the prelude announcing a brand new dynamic.

---

—"The firepower of the Chief Inquisitor and the High Priests is considerable. Especially Pope Luminus’s authority... it’s beyond expectations. We are pursuing them belatedly, but even if we catch up, it will be too much for our Imperial Army."

Karon Deike, acting as his exclusive adjutant, reported in.

Having entered his family under Taehyun’s orders, he had quickly formed a faction by gathering nobles in the political sphere, but unfortunately, he hadn’t yet secured the position of commander.

He had managed to move the Imperial Army to block the Holy Kingdom, but ultimately missed them and was now in belated pursuit.

"Insolence! To think an Attacker affiliated with a dungeon dares to hold the Holy Sword bestowed by Behel. I will never forgive this!"

Luminus, who happened to be at the vanguard, must have spotted Dropin, as he let out a loud roar.

It was a treasured sword that had always been awarded only to the Paladin Commanders within the Holy Kingdom, so such a reaction was somewhat natural.

However, there weren’t just Dungeon Masters around the capital Ashlan.

"This filthy energy... Yes, even thousands of years ago, there were those followers who defied my orders and worshipped gods. To think they still remain on the continent. This time, I will eradicate them completely!"

"Hmm, so you’re the Pope guy. I’m not exactly on good terms with divine power, you see. You lot are no exception!"

—"The divine power is weakening the energy of the earth. The Ain Kart Holy Kingdom has always been a group that undermined the will of the earth. I will target that Pope before anyone else!"

In an instant, the gazes of the monsters turned toward the new monster. Luminus was flustered by the appearance of these unexpected beings, but soon unleashed his authority.

[Pope Luminus has declared Behel’s Domain.]

[Frost Queen Yuslan has declared the Domain of the Frost Army.]

[Guardian of the Earth Baekho has declared the Domain of Abundance.]

Domains were being declared simultaneously.

Taehyun let out a scoff at what could be seen as a childish game of turf war.

"How about it? Are you a bit more inclined to accept my proposal now?"

—"H-how can I t-trust you... easy now, please calm down."

She couldn’t even answer properly, seemingly struggling to maintain her balance on top of the highly agitated Baekho.

"We can write up a Contract if you want. Our goals are the same anyway," Taehyun said. "Let’s make the Aneis Kingdom our first priority. Hmm, that white tiger seems to have a problem too, so how about making the Holy Kingdom our second priority? The Eastern Federation came here to kill Leon van Noah in the first place, didn’t they? Let’s just quickly take out our respective targets and go home."

—"...Fine. I will accept. But don’t be mistaken. I’m only accepting because there are too many annoying bastards around. Never forget that if you try anything funny, you will become a target too."

"Just what I wanted. Good. Then shall we take care of the newly arrived Pope, Ragbolt, and the Sword Saint first?"

—"I will clear a path."

Soon, tree vines surged up above the Balak soldiers.

The vines, laid out like a bridge, stretched all the way to where the Holy Kingdom’s forces were located.

It was probably her own way of showing consideration for the Main Force units who lacked teleportation magic.

Taehyun immediately sent Hasla and Grai to the Pope, tasking them with handling the Holy Kingdom’s forces.

Then, he separately contacted Narae to check on the steles.

"How are the Control Steles coming along?"

—"There seemed to be a lot of them, but most were destroyed and unusable. So I’ve salvaged about twenty decent ones for now."

"Good. That should be enough. I’ll Summon you separately later, so stand by."

—"Just don’t make me wait too long!"

It seemed the Control Steles were finally ready as well.

Taehyun put away his communication device and looked at Ragbolt and Baphunreiter, who were facing off against each other.

"Shall we make those guys our next targets?"

"I’ll tell you in advance, but I’ve already used up all my Sacred Freeze," Dropin said. "Even if I possess the Holy Sword, guys like that are..."

"Ah, don’t worry. That old man will help you."

Hamolton, who had been belatedly tapping his back, turned his head.