Chapter 206: A Fearsome Man
The Royal Armament Guild members put up a defensive formation, preparing for a possible incoming raid. The feeling of uneasiness showed in their expressions. Nevertheless, it was washed away once they saw Cross, along with several skilled powerhouses, making an appearance.
Sebastian raised his head and a.n.a.lyzed the barrier surrounding the guild. "This is Ramiel"s barrier, sir."
Sila nodded. "Montra is also coming. I recognize his power."
"Please give me permission to deal with Ramiel, sir. I know his power well. If I can heavily injure him or break his concentration, the barrier will automatically fall."
"I will leave him in your care, then," replied Sila.
"Thank you, sir. By the way, Mister Sila, if you have a chance, I suggest you observe how Ramiel uses his power. I guarantee it will be educational for using Illuminus."
"Why?"
"Because Ramiel"s power was replicated from the Right Arm, sir. Similarly, my power was replicated from the Left Arm. If you study how Ramiel uses his power, you will come to know the correct method to utilize Illuminus, sir."
"Isn"t Ramiel a magic-type being while Illuminus is a psychic-type object?"
"Specifically, Ramiel"s power is in the middle of magic type and psychic type, sir. You can say that his power is both magic and psychic while, at the same time, neither. He can utilize magic power in the form of psychic power while utilizing psychic power with magic"s properties."
Sila nodded and declared loudly, "If a fight breaks out, please let me fight Montra one-on-one."
Many didn"t agree with him. Even Varee opposed the idea. "This is a war, Sila. We don"t need to fight one-on-one. The problem at hand isn"t how to defeat the enemy but how to survive this situation."
Cross agreed with Varee. "Varee is right. Even if you win, then what? There are still thousands of enemies waiting for us outside."
Sangdao held onto Sila"s wrist. "Sila, Dao thinks you don"t need to fight Montra so soon. You should take your time and study Montra first."
Sebastian offered a solution. "Even though there is a large number of the Heavenly Dragon Guild"s members outside, they won"t expect the a.s.sault since they think we are imprisoned. If we can attack them, it will be very effective and deal significant damage."
"The problem is we don"t have people outside," said Cross.
Actually, Cross had prepared an escape route and a way to counterattack beforehand. However, he didn"t expect Montra to cover the entire area with a barrier. Thus, his counterattack plan had ended in vain.
Sebastian said, "When I fight Ramiel, it"s possible that some gaps will be exposed in the barrier. As for the a.s.sault duty, please leave it to Lookhin and Mamon."
Everyone shifted their eyes to a girl and a boy in disbelief. Nevertheless, they knew Sebastian was quite sly so he wouldn"t talk nonsense. If he said so, that meant he had already prepared a plan.
"...Sure. What is the plan?"
Sebastian talked to Mamon and Lookhin. "The plan is: once there is a gap in the barrier, I would like both of you to go out there and kill as many people as you can."
Bluebird exclaimed, "Wait. Is this the entire plan?"
Sebastian replied, "Yes, sir. That is all. Oh, how about a compet.i.tion? The one who kills the most will be the winner, and the winner will have the right to request one favor from Mister Sila. Is that okay, Mister Sila?"
"Hm? Sure, I guess. But don"t ask for something expensive, okay? I"m short on money."
In others" perspective, the plan was ridiculous. However, Lookhin and Mamon"s eyes were sparkling. Their fighting spirits were ignited. The task of killing the Heavenly Dragon Guild"s members was degraded and turned into a trivial matter.
Mamon"s lips crooked up, showing a disgusting grin. His eyes curled up into half moons. He could already picture his victory. He couldn"t help but laugh at the sight of Lookhin licking his shoes while he was merrily and joyfully whipping her with a giant whip.
Meanwhile, Lookhin was drooling. She quickly wiped her saliva while envisioning the sight of her sitting on Sila"s lap, enjoying an all-you-can-eat buffet as Mamon had to run around in circles refilling the food.
Both of them fell into their own fantasy worlds. Witnessing that his plan was working, Sebastian approached Lookhin and whispered to her.
"Entomomageia is an excellent spell against armies. If you use it wisely, you will win for sure, Lookhin. Actually, you have already summoned insects and they are out there. That is golden. Those who make a preemptive strike often win, you know?"
Lookhin nodded solemnly and concentrated on those insects she had summoned. They were outside. Although they were incredibly weak at the moment, Lookhin ordered them to continue eating mana from nature in order to grow stronger. She was nurturing an army outside of the barrier.
Next, Sebastian moved to Mamon and whispered near the devil prince"s ear.
"Be careful, sir. Lookhin is already using Entomomageia. The reason I"m warning you is because I"m afraid you would end up losing from her cheating, sir."
Mamon muttered with a prideful tone. "Kiekkiekkiek. You stupid bird. Wanna play dirty against me? You"re a thousand years too early. I have never lost against anyone in a cheating contest."
Mamon opened his system window. It brought confusion to most players around him. They previously thought Mamon was a high-rank monster under Silas"s wing. However, it turned out Mamon was just a teenager player.
"They are coming. There are only five of them. One of them is Montra." Suddenly, Sila spoke out loud to warn everyone else.
Cross quickly gave out an order. "Jundtrathep, get ready. Tiger Team, protecting Jundtrathep takes priority. It"s highly possible that the enemy will target her. If she dies, the rest of us will have a much harder time surviving."
Jundtrathep took a few steps back and summoned Luna, along with twenty Guardians of Light, to prepare a defensive formation. The Tiger Teams" members also included themselves in the formation.
Sebastian approached Julia and said, "Miss Head Maid, you aren"t good at defense. I think you should stay a few steps behind Miss Jundtrathep and attack from a long range. If things go wrong and Miss Jundtrathep dies, you will be able to revive her this way."
While Julia was positioning herself, Montra heroically made an appearance via the main street. Following behind him were Ramiel, Cheris, Trick Master, and Lost Ghost. There were only five of them, just as Sila stated.
Even excluding those who had their specific duties, the Wicked Union still had eight powerhouses—Sila, Sebastian, Cross, Shueria, Fargo, Varee, Sangdao, and Bluebird—available for a fight. They held an overwhelming advantage against Montra"s five-man team. Consequently, they didn"t understand why Montra had taken the risk and come at them like this despite having several more options to choose from.
Mamon raised his gaze from his system window to see the opponents" faces. It was his habit to do so while activating Sky Seer when facing a new opponent. Who knows? He might get lucky and stumble on a new kind of Hidden Gift worthy of joining his collection.
As his eyes swept to Montra, he halted. He thought there was something wrong with his eyes, so he shook his head once to focus. He looked at Montra again. Then, his expression changed.
"That white-haired kid named Montra is extremely dangerous. Be careful." Mamon"s voice rang inside Sila"s head.
"Montra? How?" asked Sila. He was well aware that Montra was a fearsome man, though he didn"t know what it was about Montra that caused Mamon to feel worried.
"The white-haired kid"s Hidden Gift is "The Talentless". You already know about it, remember? This Hidden Gift will make it harder for him to use skills or practice compared to others."
Sila frowned. "Then what? How is it scary?"
"Just look at his overall ability. Usually, those who possess this Hidden Gift can"t be so strong. Despite that, he is undeniably strong. That means he has tried at least three times harder than others. People like this are utterly determined. A genius is not as scary as someone who practices with great effort. Not only is this guy skilled, but he is also persistent and works hard. He is the type of person who won"t ever give up."
Sila couldn"t imagine the scene of Montra diligently working hard. People always called Montra a genius, but no one had ever seen him practicing. Could it be that he had always been training behind the scenes?
"It"s alright. I"m confident that my effort is not inferior in any way."
"Be careful anyway."
Montra swiveled around and stopped thinking for a brief moment. He shifted his eyes to Sangdao and said something to her without minding the gazes of everyone else.
"Unexpectedly, you are here, Dao."
Sangdao bowed her head. "Long time no see, Montra. Is Uncle still fine and healthy?"
"Teacher is fine. He always says he misses you though. Please find some time to visit him."
"Dao will."
Montra swept his eyes and stared at Sangdao"s hand, which was holding onto Sila"s wrist. "It seems you are very close to Sila."
Sangdao nodded. "Yes. Dao is on Sila"s side."
"No problem. I will let him borrow my fiancée for one day. I don"t mind."
Montra"s statement was like a bolt of lightning to everyone"s minds. All of them had suspected the origins of Sangdao, the mysterious female expert, for a long time.
It was suspicious enough for her to personally know Montra. However, it was beyond their imagination that she was his fiancée.
Montra was quite famous in real life, though there had never been rumors about him being in a relationship with any woman, not to mention an engagement.
Sangdao just showed a smile. ""Potential fiancée" would be more fitting. It"s something our parents agreed on without our consent. More importantly, it still isn"t sure yet that you can accomplish the condition that my father set for you. It"s possible that our engagement will be voided."
Unfortunately, Sila"s brain froze ever since he heard the word "Fiancée". He subconsciously removed his wrist from Sangdao"s grasp and his eyes were cold. His power silently circulated within his body, and his presence gradually faded away.
"I was a n.o.body from the start. I"m just an ordinary, worthless rock lying by the road."
The atmosphere around Sila began to change. He was mad initially, then feeling hatred, then envy. In a short period of time, his feelings mixed up chaotically. Soon, all of his emotions crumbled down.
Sila couldn"t tell anymore what he was currently feeling. The only thing left in his heart was emptiness.
And, at this very moment, he was sure that he wouldn"t lose.
If he even lost in a battle against Montra, what was left for him to be superior in? He would be left with nothing, and his life would be genuinely worthless.
Montra estimated the relationship between Sila and Sangdao and exploited it. As Sila was his direct enemy, Montra decided to reveal the secret in order to crush Sila both physically and mentally.
However, man"s schemes are inferior to those made in heaven. Although he had exploited it correctly, there was still a factor that Montra was unaware of:
Sila"s power originated from his negativity.
Sila was the first and only one making a move. His mind was completely blank. He wasn"t thinking about strategies, the Wulin Masters a.s.sociation, the invasion of Grea City, or any plans whatsoever. He didn"t even think about winning and losing anymore. His body moved on instinct without a destination in his head. There was only a void.
Formless Martial G.o.d — Drifting Cloud.
Sila"s body moved in slow motion, though, in fact, it was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, Sila appeared in the middle of the group of enemies, blankly looking at Montra"s back.
He lifted his hand and placed it lightly on Montra"s shoulder amidst everyone"s shock.
There were four powerhouses behind Sila—Ramiel, Cheris, Lost Ghost, and Trick Master. They all immediately took action. Similarly, Montra sensed danger. He unleashed magic power to clad his body while swinging his mage staff at Sila"s head.
Montra"s mage staff, Remiel"s moving barrier, Lost Ghost"s javelin, Cheris" sword, and Trick Master"s ice bolt. They all flew toward Sila at high speed, leaving no room for Sila"s comrades to help in time.
Formless Martial G.o.d — Nameless Spirit.
Sila rolled down, letting his body flow along with the forces behind his back. He struck his right palm at Montra while placing his left palm on the ground. At the same time, he kicked all four people behind him at high speed as if he had twelve legs, knocking the weapons out of their hands while easily dodging the moving barrier and the ice bolt.
The Great Flow — Earth Form.
Sila executed one of the Great Flow"s techniques; controlling the ground underneath his left palm as if it had become a part of his body. This was the technique with which Pumin crystalized a pile of sand into a sword. However, Sila couldn"t do that yet. He had to directly touch the object in order to change its form.
The ground shook and sunk down, causing all five of the Heavenly Dragon Guild"s powerhouses to lose their footing. Sila flicked both of his wrists and several hidden weapons flew in all directions. The five of them had to parry or block them hurriedly.
Sila tapped his foot against the ground and rolled over in mid-air once before landing himself in front of Montra. He stomped the mage staff under his foot and stared at Montra, expressionlessly and coldly.
No one dared to breathe.
All of that had happened in but a few moments. Every eye looked at what unfolded before them with disbelief. To them, it would make more sense if the series of actions just now was a dream rather than reality.
It was at this moment that Mamon realized Sila held back in the fight against him. Otherwise, that would mean Sila really had grown absurdly stronger within a span of three days, just like Lookhin.
A plan wasn"t required. Only true strength was needed in order to achieve a goal; similar to when Lucifer raided the entire Monster Realm with raw strength.
In that second, Mamon realized that his master was also a fearsome man.