When Sei began his chase of Shentu, there were other forces besieging the “Heavenly Spirit City”. These were, of course, the baboons commanded by Shentu. They are an elite force led by the Barbarian Baboon and if they had been the attackers in the previous event, this troop would have decimated the alliance of players and NPCs in an instant.
“Ugohooooooooo! Charge!”
“””Ukiiiiiiii!”””
Following the mighty roar of the Barbarian Baboon King, the baboons launched their assault with eyes bloodshot. Even though their judgment deteriorated due to brainwashing, they were able to maintain a minimal level of coordination, with the vanguard type taking the lead and the rearguard type supporting them with magic. Moreover, the presence of their king boosted their stats, making them strong foes not to be underestimated.
“Now! Fire!”
The Tengu and Oni on the other side were not silent either. They launched their attack, with the Tengu’s powerful magic sweeping the baboons away, and the Oni’s powerful bows, drawn only by their formidable strength, piercing several baboons at once. The elite defenders easily scattered the baboon elites as if they were mere fodder.
“Uhhooooooo!”
“Ugooooooo!”
However, there were some fierce ones among the baboons. These were the peers of Saburo, who had almost cornered Genjuro. They attacked by hurling large trees sharpened like spears and boulders the size of cars.
The walls were sturdy, but even they might not withstand the impact of such massive objects being hurled at them without collapsing. Therefore, the Tengu were forced to counteract this with their magic.
When the intensity of the attacks from the walls lessened, the baboons finally managed to reach the walls. If they were human soldiers, ladders or siege towers would have been necessary.
However, for these creatures accustomed to living in trees, scaling the walls with their bare hands was child’s play. They could easily hook their fingers onto the slightest protrusions as if it were a morning routine and scaling the walls with the same ease as running on the ground.
“Hmph!”
“Fall!”
But merely reaching the top of the wall was not enough. Even with their stats enhanced by their king, they were inherently inferior to the Oni in physical strength. And even f they became stronger, without sufficient numbers, they were no match for the Oni defending the walls.
Some were crushed in the head the moment they topped the wall, while others were pierced by powerful arrows before they could even finish climbing and started tumbling down. Those attempting to climb in groups were targeted intensively, and so far, none have managed to achieve any big success on top of the walls.
“Uhoooooooo! What’s taking so long!”
This roar came from the Barbarian Baboon King who was expressing his anger at the baboons’ continued failure to breach the enemy’s defenses.
Logically, conquering a city fortified with sturdy walls and defended by well-coordinated troops couldn’t possibly be accomplished in an instant. However, such basic knowledge of warfare was beyond the understanding of the Barbarian Baboon King who lacked even a fundamental grasp of military strategies. All he possessed was an ingrained sense of duty that compelled him to “quickly seize this sturdy nest”.
Naturally, this sense of duty had been ingrained in him by Shentu. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to brainwash someone of the king’s stature, but two factors made it possible.
Firstly, the brainwashing had taken place before he evolved into a king, and secondly, the effects of the skill were amplified by the “Peach of Immortality Seed”. The already potent brainwashing ensured that he could not escape Shentu’s shackles. This coincidence also contributed to Shentu’s mistaken belief that he was favored by fate.
However, even for Shentu, controlling an opponent far superior in strength through brainwashing was an extremely difficult task. Through trial and error, Shentu discovered that the key was not just to issue commands but to make the subject believe that they “must” carry out these commands.
But leaving that aside. Driven by a false sense of duty, the Barbarian Baboon King charged forward while emitting a yellow aura of fighting spirit. The baboons in front of him scrambled to get out of his way, parting to the left and right. Those who couldn’t move fast enough were trampled as he bore down on the city gates like a meteor trailing a yellow tail behind.
“Good grief, attacking your own kin while charging forward? That’s not commendable.”
“Nuuh?!”
The charge, powerful enough to blow away the city gates if it had struck directly, was stopped by someone who intervened at the last moment. The Barbarian Baboon King was surprised that someone managed to stop him, and he then looked in surprise at the figure before him. There was a single Tengu with a long white beard standing there.
It was none other than the Great Tengu himself, who had managed to catch the Barbarian Baboon King’s punch with just the staff he held in his right hand.
“Who are you! Step aside!”
“Even if you tell me to step aside… if I do, you’ll destroy the city gates, won’t you? That would be problematic, so I’m afraid I’ll have to interfere.”
With that, he waved the feathered fan he held in his left hand. Despite the seemingly gentle motion, a strong gust of wind blew, sending the Barbarian Baboon King tumbling backward.
The Barbarian Baboon King got up with a look of disbelief on his face, only to feel a sharp pain coursing through his entire body. When he looked down to check, he found numerous fine cuts all over his body.
“Hohoo, it seems this won’t be enough to kill you.”
“You… What have you done?!”
“Whatever do you mean? I merely fanned with my fan. Of course, this is no ordinary fan.”
The Great Tengu who ruled over the “Heavenly Spirit City” was equipped with several special items. Among them was a fan known as the “Wind God’s Black Feather Fan”. This was his unique weapon that he obtained after surpassing the trials of Holluse, the goddess of wind and exploration.
One of the fan’s effects allowed him to freely control the winds he conjured with just a simple wave. Thus, he could create gusts teeming with countless kamaitachi (wind spirits) with a mere flick of his wrist.
“Uhooooooooooo! Kill! I will kill you!”
Had the Barbarian Baboon King not been brainwashed, he might have become cautious after withstanding the initial attack. Recognizing the abnormal phenomena caused by the Great Tengu, he might have realized the disparity in their strength and possibly retreated.
However, consumed by a relentless idea to seize victory as soon as possible, his mind harbored no thoughts of observation or tactical withdrawal. He fought on, single-mindedly and recklessly, without any regard for the folly of his actions.
The Barbarian Baboon King unleashed an even denser aura of fighting spirit and started shaping it into a majestic giant. This giant, who contained an energy that far surpassed Saburo’s, swung a giant fist as big as Saburo himself and struck down.
“You have the power… but that is all you have.”
“What did you say?!”
The giant’s punch, infused with fighting spirit and intended to shatter the city gates along with the Great Tengu, was effortlessly split in half by the Great Tengu with a mere flick of his tin staff. The clear ringing sound of the rings on the head of the staff echoed across the noisy battlefield.
Faced with a situation beyond his comprehension, even in his brainwashed state, the Barbarian Baboon King finally seemed to grasp the disparity in their strengths, his face betraying a mixture of panic and fear. His actions, however, were rooted in the urgency to seize the city, leaving him unable to order a retreat. He could not decide what to do and his movements stopped completely.
“This is no time to be dazed.”
“Gah…!”
In his rigid and vulnerable state, the Great Tengu thrust the head of his staff into the throat of the Barbarian Baboon King. The moment it pierced, a dazzling flash of light burst forth, boring a hole through his throat.
The impact sent the Barbarian Baboon King tumbling to the ground and writhing in a miserable manner. Any semblance of a king’s dignity was utterly absent from his current appearance. He might have screamed in pain under normal circumstances, but with his throat crushed, all he could manage was a muffled groan.
“You may have a large figure and a high level, but you don’t know how to fight. Not that I have any sympathy for you.”
The Great Tengu who was floating in mid-air gazed down at the Barbarian Baboon King with eyes devoid of any emotion. Whether there were circumstances behind the other party’s actions mattered little to him; he had no sympathy for those who had attacked his city.
“Ooooh… fgooooooo!!!”
“You chose to fight, brat? That’s fine too. Let this Great Tengu, Fuukei, be the last thing you see before you depart to the underworld.”
Despite his valiant effort, the Barbarian Baboon King was defeated minutes later by the Great Tengu Fuukei, who had not even begun to fight seriously. Even with their king fallen, the brainwashed baboons continued their relentless assault on the city. The battle for the “Heavenly Spirit City” would continue until the very last one of them was dead.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Yo, we’re back~”
“Ah, you’ve returned.”
While I was busy working inside the floating battleship, Jigoro and the others returned. Since I gave them base teleport talismans beforehand, they could return to the base anytime they wished.
Jigoro and the others seemed to have gotten caught up in a conflict over there, but we had our hands full here as well. We were busy collecting junk parts for the battleship and fulfilling requests from Lord Armadelux and the Dragonewts.
“It feels like it’s been a while, brother.”
“It actually has been a while. Good to see all three of you looking well.”
“Umu. It seems things weren’t too bad on your end.”
“It was tough, but the harvest was great!”
“It’s the same for us, Isam-san.”
Genjuro, Seventh Armor, and Sei seemed to have had a fulfilling expedition as well. I would hear more about their achievements later.
“More importantly, where’s the newbies? They’re here, right?”
“Yes, they’re currently going over equipment with Iris.”
The two newcomers had somehow managed to overcome the trials set by Lady Langhort and joined us. The trial was to defeat the Spartoi monsters made from her fangs.
As expected, the monsters born from the fangs of Lady Langhort who was an Ancient Light Dragon Lord from the age of the gods, were no ordinary Spartois. The two were forced to struggle against strong warriors clad in golden armor and wielding silver swords and shields with skilled movements.
Despite the difficulties, the pair’s teamwork ultimately prevailed and they were able to triumph over the creatures, albeit with serious injuries. Even Lady Langhort was in a good mood and she said, “I was able to fulfill my role as a guardian.” She had been using McFarlane for a long time, but it seemed she actually always wanted to conduct the trial herself. I always thought her to be cool and aloof, but it turned out that she also had a cute side to her.
“Oooh! Speaking of Iris, I’ve seen the results of the event. We must celebrate!”
“That’s right! Iris-san may not have won the grand prize, but she won the highest bid prize, and Shiitake-san won the idea prize. It’s a great win!”
Just like Genjuro and Seventh Armor mentioned, Iris and Shiitake had each won the highest bid and idea prizes at the event respectively. The grand prize went to a dwarf player who crafted a splendidly luxurious armor. Nonetheless, the fact that they received awards was a cause for celebration.
It’s worth noting that Iris chose to keep her player name private when submitting her entry item to the event. Since the auction proceeds and prizes were managed by the system, she was able to claim her gold zell (coins) and title without any issues.
However, the decision to keep her identity private backfired when several impostors emerged, claiming they were the ones who had won the highest bid prize. It was expected that their deceit would soon be exposed, so it was deemed best to leave them to their own devices.
On the other hand, Shiitake had made her player name public, so it seemed that players who were looking for high-quality potions were now desperately searching for her. It would be difficult to find her, but good luck for them.
“Isam-san, is this ship ready to set sail?”
“Yes, we’ve already completed the trial runs of various functions. There should be no issues with navigation.”
“In that case…”
“Once everyone is aboard, we’ll set sail for the uncharted lands of the Timbrica continent!”
Following my declaration, the four of them grinned. hey had been informed of our next destination via chat and were eagerly anticipating it. Leaving the Vetus floating island where we had spent so much time, might have been bittersweet, but there was no room for sadness. We could always fly back whenever we wanted!
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