Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 217

Team Play (2)

Kwagwagwagwa!

A powerful surge of energy left a massive scar on the ground.

It was a long-range spear strike unleashed by Yuron.

As he activated the skill, a faint light enveloped his weapon, and he began launching these spear strikes.

It wasn’t a hidden skill; it was known as Yuron’s main skill, as he was already a famous figure.

Thanks to that, Aile and Neshua were well aware of this skill.

However, simply knowing about it wouldn’t have made it a key skill for the leaders of the Six Great Guilds if it were easily countered.

Kwaaang!

A fierce battle unfolded, shattering the surrounding streets.

Watching the scene, Ru massaged her temples.

“Feeling frustrated?”

A voice echoed from the darkness.

A large, purple snake appeared and approached her.

It was Lennox, the celestial being and ‘Secret Seeker’.

“Well, it’s understandable. The artifact you thought you had is slipping away. But being so impatient won’t help.”

“Shut up.”

Ru retorted curtly and turned her gaze away.

She ignored him, but his words hit home.

She had cleared almost every obstacle to obtain the artifact, but she never expected to face such a challenge at the final hurdle.

“More than that, I don’t think it’s the time to worry about the artifact anymore.”

Lennox flicked his tongue and spoke.

The Apollyon Guild, which had joined forces with the two orders as an antagonist to the Order of Light, suddenly abandoned them and allied with the demons.

It seemed they had been in league with the demons for a long time.

It was highly likely that they had not simply switched their cards but had been in a deeper relationship from the start, deceiving both celestial beings.

If they defeated all the guilds and began to gain power, the artifacts would no longer be the issue for the celestial beings.

The demons, backed by Apollyon’s active cooperation, could shake the celestial beings’ positions and become a threat.

Kwaddeuk!

Ru gasped as Aile narrowly avoided a dangerous situation.

As always, it was often agonizing to only be able to watch.

‘Right now, some are quietly hiding, so it’s not obvious, but the power difference within the city is too great. And even if the apostles win this fight…’

Ru had been sensing an ominous energy from the city center for some time.

She couldn’t directly turn her gaze inside the castle to confirm, so it was a constant source of irritation.

If they didn’t quickly resolve this fight and lift the barrier, something terrible might happen.

“Oh, it seems they’ve already been discovered.”

Lennox, who was also watching the situation outside, said.

“Discovered…? What?”

“The place where your apostle hid the princess. Apollyon has found it.”

* * *

The Apollyon Guild members, who were tracking the princess, were searching based on the internal geography they had secured in advance.

And in the process, they discovered a suspicious passage.

It was a passage leading to the underground waterways of Belhaven.

The waterways, which had been neglected for a long time and were deteriorating, occasionally featured low-level monsters but were worthless and abandoned by the first discoverer.

In Belhaven, which mostly had straightforward structures, it was likely the least known place, so Aile hid Seia there after taking her from the temple.

But as expected, it was hard to escape the eyes of skilled rankers [high-ranking players].

The rankers who caught the scent immediately entered and contacted the others.

Rustle!

Unaware of this, the priest of the Order of Light and Princess Seia were facing each other deep within the underground waterway.

“Such things happened while I was unconscious…”

Seia, who had regained consciousness, bit her nails.

She had barely recovered, but the situation had worsened, and she couldn’t even leave the city because of the barrier.

“It’s not a good situation, but we must hide here until this is all resolved.”

“I understand…”

Seia nodded obediently at the priest’s words.

She wasn’t foolish enough to insist on doing something in this situation.

But the time they had to sit still was shorter than they thought.

“So, you were hiding here.”

“T, this can’t be…!”

The Apollyon rankers who had entered found them.

There were a total of four people, including Dagos, a top executive.

As soon as the priest saw them, he knew he was no match.

“We must get out of here. Go first.”

“I can’t…”

“Listen to me. There’s a simple reason why I, not a paladin, was chosen as the escort to protect you.”

The priest gently pushed Seia back.

Then, he knelt down and clasped his hands together.

The reason Aile chose him as the princess’s companion was, first, because he was an excellent user of divine magic.

And second, because he was a devout believer who could willingly sacrifice his life for his mission without any possibility of betrayal.

Paah!

As his prayer was answered, a pure white barrier surrounded them.

The barrier, which blocked the pursuers from the front and back, showed no signs of breaking even with the rankers’ skills.

It was thanks to the priest’s excellent divine power and the use of special divine magic that consumed even his own life force.

It had a strength that even the rankers couldn’t easily break.

Of course, he would be killed instantly the moment the barrier broke, but the priest didn’t care.

“Go quickly!”

The priest’s rough shout echoed through the waterway.

Then, Seia, her face pale, gasped and ran.

It hadn’t been long since she woke up, but it didn’t hinder her running.

Thanks to the intensive treatment she received at the Temple of Light, her body had fully recovered with almost no aftereffects.

However, her basic physical strength wasn’t very good.

It wasn’t easy for an ordinary person, not an adventurer, to navigate these old waterways.

She was out of breath after running only a short distance due to the plants and irregular structures everywhere.

‘W, what should I do…’

Seia gripped the wall with trembling arms.

Her entire family had been murdered overnight, and the palace and the Grand Council had been seized.

Demons were pouring into the city trapped by the barrier, and there were pursuers trying to kill her.

She was wandering alone in the maze-like old waterways without anyone to rely on.

Even the usually composed Seia was dizzy.

‘If I keep going like this…’

Thump!

Then, a hand reached out from a gap and grabbed her wrist.

Seia, startled, was about to scream, but the man who came out from the wall gagged her.

“You were here.”

“I’m glad you’re safe!”

A couple appeared before her.

It was Loden and Lia, who had helped Aile break through in the city.

“W, who are you?”

Seia asked as the hand that had been covering her mouth moved away.

Of course, the princess didn’t know who they were.

She had been unconscious when they went to meet her at the exit of the Root Path, so it was natural that she didn’t know.

“Well… what should I say?”

“They’re people sent by Aile.”

Loden, stepping forward instead of the embarrassed Lia, answered.

He had heard the location where the princess was hiding from Aile and came here, so it wasn’t wrong.

“T, that’s a relief.”

Seia, who had been terrified, was finally able to relax.

She thought she was going to die, but the fact that two people she could rely on had come gave her a great sense of security.

Especially since the royal family had been seized, they were even more trustworthy as people sent by Aile, who was the most reliable outsider.

“Then let’s get out quickly. A pursuer came from that way just now.”

“No, going outside will only make us get caught faster. It’s more dangerous because the demons are rampaging too.”

“Then what should we do…”

“We’ll have to buy time here.”

Loden pulled Seia into the gap.

Even if they gathered the Iron Cross Guild members to protect the princess, there was no chance of winning head-on against Apollyon, who had come fully prepared.

The only option was to buy time by using the vast and complex terrain of this underground waterway rather than the exposed surface.

Of course, even if the underground waterway had a maze-like terrain, there was a limit.

The only thing they could do was hope that the barrier issue would be resolved as quickly as possible on the surface where the battle was taking place.

* * *

Kiiiik!

A large monster that broke through the wall roared.

It was a minion of a lower-level demon summoned into the city, and an elite monster with the Mark of the Heretic stamped on its head.

But unlike its imposing appearance, its arm split into three.

Aile and Neshua, who had jumped back, swung their swords and cut it off.

Of course, they only cut off its arm because it was in the way as they tried to retreat, and their attention was entirely focused on the front, not the monster.

Kwagwagwagwagwa!

Countless spear strikes flew towards them.

They barely managed to evade by twisting their bodies.

Of course, the monster, unable to control its large size, was caught in the stray spear strikes and torn to pieces.

“Hoo…”

Aile, who had retreated, took a deep breath.

It felt like facing the patterns of a threatening boss monster, not just another user.

Even basic attacks that only involved swinging could be converted into ranged attacks, making it difficult to deal with.

‘There’s a reason why it’s known as the main skill of the Six Great Guild Leaders. But there’s a duration for when it can be converted into spear strikes…’

The skill used by Yuron had a duration like Aile’s ‘Goddess’s Blessing’ skill.

The cooldown was also quite long, meaning it couldn’t be used indefinitely.

‘But simply aiming for that…’

They didn’t have much time.

Considering that the princess was being pursued, they had to break the barrier as soon as possible, and that was also the case even if they only considered the situation of this battle.

If they dragged it out any longer, other Apollyon rankers might flock to them.

They were already struggling with just Yuron, and if a high-ranking executive like him appeared, they would be helpless.

“Aile, you have a skill you’ve been saving, right?”

Then Neshua, who was standing next to him, spoke.

It was as if he already knew that Aile had been saving a legendary skill due to the cooldown.

“I’ll use it first this time… you take care of the rest.”