Chapter 43: The guest have arrived.

The walk of death…

Kai walked out of the massive double doors of the castle, arriving right back at the spot on the stairs where he was seated before.

While he was slightly surprised to see his monsters were still on their knees exactly as he had left them, he didn’t dwell much on it. Their discipline was absolute.

Without uttering a single word, he settled on the ground, leaning forward while looking at the kneeling crowd menacingly.

The look on their faces confirmed everything he needed to know. They sensed the enemy too.

“I am glad you are all aware of the intruders we currently have breaching the dungeon entrance,” he announced to them, his voice calm but carrying over the plaza.

Disgust played on most of their monstrous faces.

During such an important day, the day of their naming—some filthy outsiders had chosen to invade their sacred space.

“Lord, would you have me kill them? That is the domain you assigned to me—” Hamr, the Death Machine, began to rise, his hand gripping his shield.

“No need.”

Kai cut him off before he could complete his request.

Then he continued.

“I would like to see this battle for myself. Allow them to make their way to the First Floor.”

Both Lyra and Carlotta seemed rather wary of this order. And for a good reason as well.

“Lord Kai. I sense many,” Carlotta hinted, her eyes narrowing as she looked towards the city gates. “They are marching here like ants.”

“Filthy pests,” Lyra spat, more to herself than anything.

As for Kai, his gaze was still focused on the empty street leading to the castle, unbothered as always.

’I figured this was going to happen, but I must confess I didn’t think they would bring the entire cult here. I can sense them too. How many? 30? 40?’

He narrowed his glowing red eyes.

’Red Players move in groups when it comes to avenging their dead comrades. But never this big of a group. Which means, they are here to kill the Shadow of Victims, not just to recover Emilya.’

As he began to connect the dots, a faint smile showed on his dark, mist-like features—something that presented itself as a massive, jagged grin to anyone else looking at him.

It was perfect.

If it was exactly as he hoped, then this was the best way for him to get rid of the Red Players once and for all.

Emilya, the one who was being protected, stood at the back in the shadows of the entrance hall, far from prying gazes. Kai had asked her to follow him on his way out, but he also urged her not to show herself.

From where he stood, Kai could sense everything.

He could see the massive group making their way from the early land of the First Floor, passing the eerie silence of the outer perimeter, and heading towards the developed City Zone.

It didn’t seem like they cared about the fact there were no monsters in sight. Which only further proved Kai’s suspicion, they were arrogant.

After what seemed like an eternity, the players finally breached the city gates and made it to the Grand Plaza, where Kai himself was waiting.

Like ants, they scattered, immediately forming a semi-circle around a single man.

He was dressed in all black, with a unique longsword strapped to the side of his waist. While the rest of his squad wore standard Crimson Armor, he alone had a different, more intricate design.

Upon looking in front of him, the man in the middle seemed amused, or rather, flabbergasted.

The monsters were all on their knees, their backs turned to him. They didn’t even give the intruders the tiniest bit of attention.

Further in front, toward the massive tower castle, the man saw a being made of dark swirling mist seated on the stairs. And right beside him were two beautiful women.

[Level: 10]

[Level: 999]

[Level: 888]

These were the respective levels he saw when he looked at them. And that was not to mention the rest of the high-ranking demons that were knelt on the ground.

The man chuckled a bit, a dry sound in the quiet plaza.

“Now it all makes sense. This is no ordinary place. No wonder the Devs considered you the Virus. I am starting to think they were not wrong.”

Shing!

The man unsheathed his blade and pointed it directly at Kai.

“A Level 10 Boss surrounded by ridiculously high-level mobs. You couldn’t make this any more unnatural even if you tried.”

Kai kept his eye on the man, analyzing him instantly.

[Thomas {ESR}]

[HP: 100/100]

[Level: 67]

Kai’s eyes widened a fraction.

’So that is why he is so confident despite seeing all my high-level monsters. I should expect no less from a Red Player Leader.’

The term {ESR} was a title the game gave to players who possessed more than five Third-Grade Artifacts.

Graded Artifacts went in descending order, with First Grade being the strongest (God-tier) and Fifth Grade being the weakest (Common Magic Items).

Third Grade was incredibly rare. Having just one made you a powerhouse. But if this player had the title on his name, it meant he had at least five of them equipped.

Having that loadout automatically made you several times stronger than your level showed.

’Effectively Level 90… maybe even 100?’

Looking even harder, he could see that almost every Red Player there had the same title, or at least a lesser variant, next to their names. This was an elite strike force.

“I am honored. Bringing all your high officials here to face me. Truly, your bravery is commendable.,” Kai finally spoke, his voice echoing without him moving his mouth.

A concerned look played on Thomas’s face immediately.

Though he knew he should have expected such an outcome, the fact the Boss was capable of speaking such intelligent words was off-putting.

And even more so was the implication that the Boss knew exactly how strong they were.

“Cheeky Boss, you are. I’ll give you that,” Thomas smiled, regaining his composure. “It wasn’t easy tracking you down. That said, you killed not one, but two of our prey. I can’t let that slide. And furthermore, you being the Virus further helps our goal. So I see this as a win.”

“…”

“But first, seeing as you are intelligent and all… I offer a gift to you. Kill them.”

From the midst of the Red Players, five figures were shoved forward.

Alex, Sofia, Leo, Racheal, and the Archer fell out of the formation, their bodies crashing to the hard stone ground.

Kai remained calm, even though he was surprised internally.

He recognized them fairly easily despite the bruises on their faces and bodies, showing they must have been abused and beaten on the way here.

Thomas soon pointed his blade at the trembling group of rookies.

“Go on. I heard you Bosses eat humans. I am basically offering you free food here.”

“You would sell off your own kind like that? Have you no dignity?” Lyra spoke, her voice laced with venom.

Upon hearing her voice, Sofia raised her battered head to look to the front.

It was only then she recognized Lyra—the pretty, quiet girl who had followed Kai to the city.

In that moment, the first thought that crossed her mind was probably the same thing on the mind of the rest of the team.

What was Lyra doing beside the one labeled to be the Shadow of Victims?

Did the Shadow of Victims kill Kai and force her to be his slave somehow?

However, those thoughts vanished, replaced by Thomas’s cocky voice cutting through the air.

“My kind? Just because we look the same doesn’t mean we are anything alike. Don’t insult me, monster.”

“Oh…” Kai raised a brow behind the mist.

“Because of these bastards, you were able to get your hands on three of our targets. All they had to do was lure players to the forest, and we would take care of the rest. And somehow, these faggots could not even handle that simple task. We are nothing alike. These are failures.”

Thomas smiled sinisterly.

“But hey, since you already killed the first three, why not go ahead and add this trash to the list? It will help my story when I finally slay the Virus of Summoner Guild Online.”

…

[A/N]

Next Chapter will be better, promise.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep