"Sh*t!" Lux muttered as he ran alongside the teenagers that had gone to the forest in order to hide from the Death Tyrants.
The horrifying monsters had chased them off from the Valley of Death, and followed them even in their hiding place. The Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King had only managed to buy them a few minutes before it disintegrated from the combined attacks of thirteen Death Tyrants.
Even though it was quite resistant to the Death Rays, getting hit by a constant barrage of them was not something he could tank for an extended period of time.
After that, the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant, led the other smaller Death Tyrant's in hunting them down.
Just as Lux was about to summon Keoza, which was his last resort to deal with this hopeless situation, a rain of arrows descended upon the Death Tyrants coming from the North East, making the floating Spheres of Death to shift their attention elsewhere.
At that exact moment, Lux received a notification from his Soul Book that a new quest had activated. He wasn't expecting something like this would happen, so he hastily read the new batch of information that appeared, while holding the Golden Dragon Token tightly in his hand.
—------
< Return of the Kings >
Mission Rating: S
– After their defeat at the Valley of Death and the death of their Kings, vassals, and soldiers, the Crown Prince of both Kingdoms decided to drop the old grudge they had with each other and strived for peace.
– A decade passed and both Kingdoms prospered, but recent sightings of the Death Tyrants awakening from their slumber had made them feel wary.
In order to put an end to the sleeping threats in their borders, as well as avenge those that had fallen in battle, they decided to make a joint expedition and fight against the horrors that might destroy the peace that they had built with so much hardship.
– Rally your own forces and fight alongside the Two Kings and destroy the enemy before you!
< Quest Objective >
– Kill the true Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant
– Quest Duration 24 hours.
– Quest will automatically end in failure if you as well as your entire faction died in battle.
– Quest will automatically end in failure if you fail to kill your target within 24 hours.
< Rewards >
– Rewards for the mission will depend on your performance in battle.
– The greater role you play, the greater the rewards.
—-----
As soon as Lux finished reading the information that had appeared in his Soul Book, two people, who were riding black and white horses respectively, appeared before him with their elite retinue not far behind them.
"I am Tarquin, Son of Harlequin, and King of the Kingdom of Gedge. I greet you warriors of unknown origin, and I wish to ask for your help to slay these monsters who threaten our lands."
"I am Terence, Son of Norris, and King of the Kingdom of Lockridge. Great rewards will befall upon all of you if you are to help us slay these abominations and put an end to this nightmare once and for all."
"Will you help us?" Tarquin asked.
"We won't force you," Terence stated. "However, you must decide now whether you will fight or flee from these monsters before you!"
—--
< Do you wish to aid the two Kings in battle? Choose swiftly! >
< Yes / No >
—--
The answer to this question was a no-brainer. They came here to get the Sacred White Lotus, and they would be damned if they didn't take this opportunity to mount a counterattack!
"We will help you," Lux answered. "But, what exactly must we do in this battle?"
Tarquin and Terence exchanged glances with each other before shifting their gaze back to the Half-Elf, who seemed to be the leader of the group of teenagers whom they found in the forest.
Einar and Vall didn't say anything because they didn't think it was necessary. They couldn't care less whether the Kings talked to Lux or the two of them.
They only wanted to know how to get out of this mess and emerge victorious against the Death Tyrants, who had made their lives miserable.
"We have brought with us all the warriors we can muster from both of our kingdoms, but the most we can do is fight the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant's minions," Tarquinn stated.
"Although it is shameless for us to ask you of this, we need you to deal with the biggest one among the Death Tyrants," Terence commented. "Only by defeating it will this crusade end. We can only rely on you, young men and women, to be the sword that will pierce through the darkness."
Tarquinn then raised his sword towards the heavens.
"I, Tarquinn, King of Gedge, will promise with my life, as well as the lives of my men, that we will not allow any of the Death Tyrant's minions to get in the way of your battle against it."
Terence did the same and made his pledge as well.
"I, Terence, King of Lockridge, make a pledge today that even if I lose my life, I, and my people will protect you from outside interference. Let the heavens be witness to my oath!"
—--
< You have accepted the S-Ranked Mission, Return of the Kings. >
< Quest Duration: 23:59:59 >
—--
Lux took a deep breath as he gazed at the Death Tyrants who were being besieged on all sides by the combined armies of the two kingdoms.
However, the Death Tyrants weren't simple monsters and could summon zombies on a large scale. Unlike Necromancers, which could summon Undeads in the hundreds and perhaps even thousands until their Mana runs out, a Death Tyrant could summon as many as it pleased.
In short, Death Tyrants could summon an infinite number of Zombies to fight for its side, as well as raise those who had died in battle while fighting against them. They might not be Undead Liches, but Death Tyrants were truly monsters that were capable of making even experienced warriors want to flee due to how unreasonable they were.
Being unable to use healing magic and recover from their injuries meant that they had no choice but to flee or die fighting in the battlefield when facing these monsters.
Looking at the teenagers, who were already at their limits, Lux knew that they couldn't count on them.
'Should I use the Token and end this battle once and for all?' Lux thought as he gripped the golden token in his hand.
If not for the appearance of the two kings, he might have already summoned Keoza to fight against the monsters, but even if an Argonaut Crystal Dragon was strong, he was still wary of the Death Tyrants' eyes that might affect it in battle, making it difficult for Keoza to fight against thirteen Death Tyrants at once.
While Lux was pondering on what to do, he felt a bony hand rest on his shoulder.
Glancing to his right, he saw Diablo whose glowing eye sockets looked at him with determination.
"Can you do it?" Lux asked.
"Alone, no," Diablo replied. "But, I am never alone."
Suddenly, large rocky hands wrapped around Lux's body before lifting him high up in the air. A moment later, he found himself sitting on the shoulder of the Rock Golem, Orion, and overlooking the battlefield through the eyes of a giant.
Scanning his surroundings, he saw Ishtar, Pazuzu, Asmodeus, his skeletons, as well as Einar, and Vall, who was exhausted, but still had a determined look on their faces.
Even the other teenagers who were reaching their limits, forced themselves to stand up. Clearly, they didn't plan on just sitting on the sidelines and watching as their comrades die in battle.
"I'm sorry, I forgot that I don't need to fight this battle alone," Lux said. "You can now put me down, Orion. I know what to do."
The Rock Golem followed Lux's orders and waited for his Master's orders.
"Vall, I know you are already exhausted, but can you still transform?" Lux asked.
"Yes," Vall replied. "At most, I can stay in my Spider Form for an hour. After that, I'd be too exhausted to even lift a finger."
Lux nodded. "Einar, how do you feel about suicide missions?"
Einar laughed out loud after hearing Lux's words.
"Suicide Missions? Are you kidding me?" Einar replied. "Barbarians love suicide missions."
Lux chuckled at Einar's bold words. The Barbarians who were also standing behind their leader were also smiling. From the very start since they entered the Hidden Domain, the Barbarians were at the forefront of the formation.
This meant that they had already been risking their lives from the start, so this wasn't a big deal for them.
"Vall, I know that this is shameless for me to ask, but we need you to become my and Einar's mount during this battle," Lux said with a solemn expression on his face. He knew that Vall was a prideful individual, and it was close to impossible for him to let anyone use him in a degrading manner.
"Me? A mount?" Vall gave Lux a deadly smile filled with killing intent. "You sure are pushing your limit, Half-Elf. I've never been insulted like this in my life."
"Will you do it?" Lux asked as he gazed straight into Vall's eyes, making the other party understand that he was serious.
Vall was silent for half a minute, as if fighting an internal battle against himself. He had never thought that a day would come when he would be used in such a degrading manner, and to be perfectly honest, he would rather die than have someone ride on his back.
This humiliation would hunt him for the rest of his life, and it might even make him develop some inner demons, which might stunt his growth in Elysium.
"Very well, but I have a condition," Vall said after careful consideration. "You were given Argonaut Beast Cores when you won the Championship. I want one of them, and I will be given free reign to choose any of it."
"Very well I agree," Lux answered in a heartbeat, which made Vall, and Einar, change their opinion of Lux for the third time.
They didn't expect that Lux would agree to Vall's condition so easily, making them feel as if he didn't care about some Argonaut Beast Core, which was a prized item even in Silver and Gold-Ranked Guilds.
"It won't be fair if only Vall's get one Argonaut Beast Core," Einar suddenly interjected as he rested his entire shoulder into Lux's neck. "Give me one too."
"Okay." Lux nodded. "One Argonaut Beast Core for each of you."
"Great!" Einar chuckled. "I'm starting to like you."
Five minutes later, Lux had finished informing everyone about the strategy that they would be using against their enemy. Although this wasn't a very detailed strategy, everyone had agreed to it because it was very simple.
All they were told to do was go all out and do whatever they could to attack the Boss Monster to the best of their abilities!
Lux, Vall, and Einar would lead the charge, like a sword cutting through the enemy's ranks, while the other teenagers would ride on horses that were given to them by the Two Kings, and follow behind them.
Ishtar, Pazuzu, and Asmodeus were now mounted on Wargs that Lux had decided to use in the battle against the Death Tyrant. Their role was to offer support and ensure that they would be able to react to whatever incident would arise in battle.
Diablo, Orion, as well as the other skeletons and Rock Golem's roles, would be protecting the teenagers from both sides, shielding them from the zombies that were blocking the way.
Vall transformed into an Alpha-Ranked Elegant Golden Jumping Spider. A moment later, Lux, and Einar jumped on his back, and grabbed the spidery silk that Vall had made for them, in order to not fall off his back when he moved at full speed.
"Let's go," Lux declared. "Let's bring this Death Tyrant down and go home."
"Hahaha! I'll make sure to take a souvenir back home, so I can brag at my Dad for accomplishing something he wasn't able to do."
Vall gave a shriek, as if agreeing to the two of them. This was his last chance to use his transformation, so he would make it count and go all out.
Three of the most powerful members of the Young Generation, as well as their guild membership and subordinates, had teamed up to take down a foe that was several times stronger than them.
Everyone's blood boiled with determination as they faced the countless enemies before them. Instead of being afraid, they were feeling raring to go to battle.
Although they were exhausted, they could feel their blood warming every fiber of their being, giving them strength for the last hurrah that could end their lives at any moment.
For the first time since they had entered the Sacred Dungeon, the Barbarians, Vall's Guild members, as well as the members of the Rowan Tribe, felt as if their ragtag group of warriors were finally about to fight as one!
