Chapter 586: I Guess I Will Have To Do This The Hard Way
“Finally, the time has come,” Xander muttered as he gazed at his army that numbered in the tens of thousands.
Several officers and high-ranking members of the Main and Branch Families of the Tristan Clan had come to support him in this war against his brother. These people were those who wanted to keep the tradition that had been pa.s.sed down from generation to generation.
Slave Trading was a very profitable business, and the 9th Floor was one of the floors that freely engaged in this kind of trade. As rulers of a floor, they were allowed to bring anyone directly to their floor, without having to undergo the trial of Babylon.
This was a special privilege awarded to them, but only members of the main family were given this ability. This was why Xander often descended to the City of Babylon, to pick up the slaves that his men had captured while touring the nearby towns and cities near the Tower of Babylon.
Xavier hated this practice so he rose up and rebelled against the family, which had led to the feud within the Floor of Partings.
The current Patriarch of the Tristan Clan was bedridden. However, he was aware of the current strife that was happening between his sons. Even though he knew it, he was powerless against it.
In the end, he had issued a decree that whoever among his sons would win over the other, the position of Patriarch would be his. He even made a contract, with the Floor Guardian, Yves, that whoever side won, the Main and Branch families had no choice but to support the victor.
Anyone who refused to do so would be expelled from the tower, never to set foot in it again.
With such a heavy penalty in place, the Family was forced to split, and thus the war of succession began.
Right now, Xander had more people under his command, which put him at a great advantage.
Several Mercenary Groups, and players, whom Xander had promised rich rewards also accompanied him to battle. Those who lived in the tower knew that being under the good graces of the ruling families would only bring them riches and a life filled with comfort.
For such a life, they would do everything in their power to get the ruler’s recognition.
“Young Master, you don’t have to fight alongside our vanguards in this battle,” one of the High-Rankers standing by his side said with a serious expression. “There is a possibility that your brother had laid out traps in order to thin out our numbers. We will just wait here until your brother has been captured by our men.”
(A/N: In case you have forgotten, High Rankers are equivalent to Saints.)
Xander pondered for a bit before shaking his head.
“No. I want to personally be there to kill my brother,” Xander replied. “My brother has the luck of a devil, so there is a chance that he might be able to escape with his life. However, don’t worry. I will stay at the rear and advance according to our strategy.”
The two High-Rankers glanced at each other before nodding their heads. As long as they stayed beside Xander, they were sure that he would be safe from harm.
——
Inside Xavier’s Base…
William frowned because he suddenly felt that the connection between him and his Thousand Beast Domain had been blocked.
In order to test this theory, he tried to summon B1, and B2, but none of them appeared before him.
‘System, do you know what’s happening? I can’t summon my Herd, or King’s Legion from the Thousand Beast Domain.’
< Please wait a moment while I try to identify the cause of this problem. >
While William waited for the System’s response, the first wave of fighters had already infiltrated the base. The Defenders bombarded the invaders with projectiles, and spells that greatly decreased their rate of advance.
William unleashed one spell after the other, while Chiffon stood beside him. The pink-haired girl had already equipped her gauntlets, and acted as William’s bodyguard.
Slowly, but surely, the defenders were being pushed back by their enemy who greatly outnumbered them four to one.
Several minutes pa.s.sed before the System notified William about the problem in regards to his connection with the Thousand Beast Domain.
< Host, it seems that the Law of this Floor has been changed. After spending a Hundred G.o.d Points, I found out that any means of summoning foreign aid was disabled on this floor. Only those that have arrived on this floor and its inhabitants were allowed to fight against each other. >
William frowned and thought that the Guardian of the 9th Floor, Yves, might have known about his ability to summon reinforcements to aid him in battle. Since it was the administrator of the Floor of Partings, it had the ability to change the Laws of his domain, and make the battles more fair for everyone.
‘Let me get this straight. I am not allowed to send anyone out, but can I send people inside my Thousand Beast Domain?’
< Theoretically yes. However, it’s like a one way portal. You can only send them in, but you will be unable to send them out. I’m guessing that this effect will expire once we advance to the next floor. For now, Host is unable to summon your forces from the Thousand Beast Domain to fight for you. >
‘Understood.’ William nodded his head. ‘I guess I will have to do this the hard way.’
Half an hour pa.s.sed and Xavier grit his teeth in frustration. They had already retreated as far as they could go. Seeing that the only path for them was to go forward, he rallied his men and prepared to charge through.
However, before he could do that, a series of explosions resounded across the base. Screams of pain reverberated around them as William activated the landmines that he had planted all over the place.
The Invaders momentarily lost the momentum of their advance, and the Defenders didn’t miss this opportunity for a counter attack.
While the battle was ongoing, several Guardians inside the Hall of Guardians were also watching the fight with interest. For them, wars inside the Tower of Babylon were a great way to relieve their boredom.
Some of them even started placing bets on who would win between the two brothers.
Xod was the one that told Yves about William’s ability to summon creatures to fight for his side. He still held a grudge against William for tricking him about the rarity of the Goblin Paladin. He had suffered a great loss during their negotiation, and he wanted the Half-Elf to pay for his transgression.
Yves readily changed the settings of his Domain because an army that numbered in the millions would break the balance of the war that was currently being waged between the two brothers.
This was not the first time that the Guardians of Babylon had witnessed something like that. More than twenty years ago, a man that went by the name Maxwell had also attempted to climb the tower.
He left a great impression among the Guardians because Maxwell was able to summon a horde of Beasts to fight for him, making the Trials that they had laid down easier.
After knowing William’s abilities, Yves immediately changed the laws of his territory. None of the Guardians of Babylon wanted to see another Dungeon Conqueror, who could use his cheat-like ability to breeze through their challenges once again.