novelraw Chapter 197 : Latessi War (3)
Chapter 197 : Latessi War (3)
As we stepped into Children’s Grand Park, armed figures rushed out.
There had to be nearly a hundred of them.
I activated Lens of Lavzahi, scanning the hunters who had been turned into soldiers of the Latessi.
Most were in the 60–70 level range, with some surpassing level 80.
Proof that they had grown stronger under the power bestowed by the Valro Latessi Pan.
But hunters who received that strength became nothing more than slaves. Their reason erased, their lives dedicated to the Valro who had empowered them.
“Meiling. Block them with the Death Domain,” I ordered.
She ignored me at first.
“…About earlier—I’ll explain later. But please. Use it now.”
“Hmph.”
She snorted, then raised her staff.
In an instant, a monochrome field spread out around us.
The hunters who stepped into it collapsed to the ground.
From their bodies, Horima Latessi burst free.
“Meiling, withdraw the field. Ranged attackers—aim for the Horima!”
The students obeyed immediately.
Magic, arrows, and blades of wind rained down, turning dozens of Horima into little more than corpses.
New Horima appeared, trying to re-brainwash the fallen hunters, but every one of them was slain by our attacks.
“Good. Keep eliminating the Horima. Meiling, whenever hunters approach, use the Death Domain again.”
Meiling gave a small nod.
So we advanced, suppressing the enslaved hunters and slaughtering Horima along the way.
Barely three minutes later—
KWAANG!!!
A blinding flash struck down like lightning.
And standing where it hit was a man.
We all froze, staring.
His upright golden hair, his body clad in radiant golden armor, and the massive golden spear gleaming in his hands.
“I’ve seen him in the textbooks,” Rune said.
“Kaji Yuu…! One of the Seven Pioneers!” Ao cried in shock.
“So Yein was right after all…” Tobi muttered.
“Whose soldiers are you?”
It was Kaji Yuu—or more accurately, Pan inside his body—who spoke.
“You’re so young… hunters-in-training, perhaps. Yet you don’t carry the scent of any master. You aren’t possessed… then how are you so strong?”
Iris stepped forward.
“Are you the one called Pan—the creature that drove these people insane?”
“…What?”
Pan’s eyes widened.
“Answer. Are you Pan?”
“…Strange. Is this Nerom’s trick? Or Homd’s?”
“Iris. No need to ask. That’s Pan inside him. If you doubt me, then knock him down—Pan will crawl out soon enough.”
“Fine.”
Her greatsword flared with light—and then she vanished from sight.
KAAAANG!!!
The ground-shaking impact left our ears ringing.
Iris was already right in front of Pan.
He barely managed to block her blade with his spear.
But even as he did, blood trickled from his lips.
Iris’s power pierced straight through defenses.
“Hmph.”
She sneered and swung again, the radiant sword tearing through the air.
This time Pan retreated, creating distance instead of blocking.
But Iris closed the gap instantly, her speed like teleportation.
KAAAANG!!
“Khhuuhk!!”
Pan coughed up blood.
“All this ruin… and the ones responsible are this pathetic?” Iris growled.
Pan’s face twisted with fury.
They’re not supposed to be this pathetic, I thought.
I pressed Lens of Lavzahi.
Kaji Yuu—possessed by Pan—was level 115, ten levels higher than in the hardcore scenario.
Considering that the main squad of the late Phase 3 was only in the high 80s to low 90s, this was indeed a final-scenario, boss-level threat.
Not just his level—his HP, defense, evasion, resistances—everything was stacked sky-high.
Normally, no single character could stand toe-to-toe against him.
Yet Iris was overwhelming him alone.
Her level was 152.
And behind her stood twenty-three more Awakened, each over level 150.
“Enough watching. Let’s finish this,” I said.
“Agreed.”
At my words, Jin Cheongryong surged forward.
Then the tanks, the damage-dealers, the supporters.
All of us advanced—and Pan’s face froze.
“Urgh…!”
He leapt back from Iris, unleashing a radiant golden aura.
“I don’t know whose soldiers you are, but none of you will leave alive!!”
Darkness swallowed the skies above.
Thunder rolled as golden light seeped through the storm clouds.
“Die!!”
Threads of golden light crisscrossed around us.
KWOOM!!!
Like artillery fire, thunder exploded and lightning engulfed everything.
“Kuhuhu…”
Watching the hunters swallowed by his lightning, Pan laughed in satisfaction.
“Die! All of you die!”
He unleashed bolt after bolt of thunder.
This was Kaji Yuu’s power.
Originally, his ability was Judgment Lightning—a piercing, area-of-effect lightning strike.
But with Pan’s possession, it had been amplified into Oppressive Judgment Lightning, with added effects.
Guaranteed paralysis.
Each strike stacked a counter; at five, the target was cursed with Nullity—their MP dropped to zero for a full minute, unable to recover.
And worse—every strike carried a 5% chance of instant death.
A grotesque ability, even among the thousands of known Awakened powers.
Thus, Pan was certain of victory.
Paralyzed, nullified, helpless—his enemies would be roasted alive by bolt after bolt, or die instantly at random.
A true death sentence.
And so Pan was stunned.
Because after ten consecutive strikes…
The hunters still stood.
“Impossible!”
Snarling, he raised Kaji Yuu’s power again—casting down more lightning.
But the trainees only flinched for a moment before continuing to advance on him.
“Why!? Why aren’t you collapsing!?”
Pan widened the distance, hurling bolt after bolt of lightning—but it was useless.
The trainees twitched under the shocks, but they kept running.
For the first time in his life, Pan felt true terror. Finally, he abandoned his ability altogether and turned to flee.
“Catch him!”
A shout rang out behind.
The shield-bearers among the hunter trainees activated movement skills in unison.
In an instant they closed the gap, and each unleashed their stun skills in turn.
Pan was locked in place for two full seconds.
And two seconds was more than enough for a dozen damage-dealers to arrive.
“Stay back! Stay away from me!”
Pan screamed at the hunters charging him with swords and spears.
But not one of them stopped.
His pupils quaked like an earthquake.
Thirty seconds later—
The golden armor and spear lay shattered.
Kaji Yuu’s body was battered and drenched in blood.
And the Valro Latessi Pan lay bisected on the ground.
High above, not far from Children’s Grand Park, two Horima Latessi hovered, watching.
“That Lord Pan could fall so easily…”
“This is an anomaly. We must report to Lord Nerom at once.”
They slipped into a rift in the air and vanished.
“So that was all he amounted to?”
George prodded Pan’s corpse with his spear.
“Don’t downplay it. Even with all of us piling on, he still held out. I’ve never seen a monster with that much HP and defense,” Mayu said.
Jang Taeil nodded in agreement.
I left them and moved to where Kaji Yuu lay.
Thanks to Bella spraying healing potion, his wounds had closed, but he still hadn’t woken.
“Why isn’t he getting up?” Bella looked up at me.
“The Valro’s control was too long. Give him time—he’ll wake on his own.”
“Then what about them?”
Zen pointed to where the hunters Meiling had subdued with the Dark Realm still lay scattered.
“They’re suffering aftereffects of Pan’s brainwashing, but most are simply asleep. Likely everyone under his control is the same. They haven’t slept properly in nearly two weeks.”
“Ugh. Horrible. I’d have died.”
Zen shuddered, and I nodded.
Before we arrived, these people must have worked without rest, collapsing only to get up and repeat it again.
“Nam Yein.”
Iris approached.
“Are the other Valro Latessi at this same level?”
“When one dies, its power is distributed among the others. So the more we kill, the stronger the survivors become. But from what we just saw… I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“…I see.”
She folded her arms, expression hard.
It wasn’t false encouragement; it was my honest judgment.
We were well past the Phase 3 average.
And while the system’s squads were limited to companions from one academy, we had twenty-three top-tier Awakened gathered from many.
If this were a game, the balance would’ve been called trash.
But this wasn’t about fun—it was survival.
Which was why, even though victory was certain, I had still distributed unique rings granting lightning immunity—just in case.
“Time to head for Yongsan,” I said, rising.
“What about these people?” Rune asked.
“They’ll remain brainwashed until the Latessi are gone. The fastest solution is to eliminate the Valro directly.”
“…Understood.”
“If Yongsan is the next target, we’d better hurry,” Iris said, arms unfolding.
Yongsan was home to the Crystal Academy, several others, and the Hunter Market with the Platinum Wings and Workshop Eleanor.
No wonder she was anxious to move.
“Alright, everyone—we’re going to Yongsan. It means running agai—”
“No need for that~”
The voice drifted from the sky.
I looked up and froze.
Someone stood balanced on the backs of Horima Latessi.
Glossy black hair flowing long.
An androgynous face, impossible to tell male or female.
A lavish robe, and a staff crowned with a massive ruby.
The form of Michael Ray, one of the Seven Pioneers.
And the Valro inhabiting him could only be that degenerate—
“Nerom.”
The Valro Latessi of Love.
“My scouts made such a fuss about Pan, so I came to see myself. And yes, you’re nothing like the other Awakened. But tell me—did you really kill Pan?”
Nerom tilted his head, hand to his cheek, feigning curiosity. My stomach churned.
“Whose soldiers are you?”
“We have no master,” I answered.
“Oh my… truly? Children like you, still without a master? How delightful.”
Nerom pressed down on the Horima beneath him, and they lowered to the ground.
“I am Nerom, Valro Latessi of Love. I will be your master. Let’s get along.”
He lifted his staff.
“Consider this a greeting.”
The ruby flared, casting scarlet light.
Damn—!
Danger.
The others had rings against lightning, but not against this.
Then a searing blast shot past above me.
KWAANG!!
Nerom and his Horima were engulfed in a towering column of fire.
I turned—Meiling stood with her staff raised.
“What? He’s a Valro, right? We just killed him.”
She looked at me as though nothing were out of place.
“…You did well. Keep going.”
I nodded.
She loosed another fireball.
“Other mages, attack as well. Don’t give him a chance to act.”
At once, every magic user raised their weapon.
Blazing spells filled the sky, hammering the Valro in flames.
“KYAAAAHHHH!!”
Nerom’s scream echoed amidst the explosions.
(End of Chapter)