I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 337

The place I told Mason about was outside the West Gate, behind the tombstone in the cemetery. I lied, saying there was a passage to the Lake Kingdom there.

It was a secluded place, so there was no chance of civilians getting caught up in this mess, and it was a distinctive location that I frequented.

“Hmm, a passage hidden behind a tombstone…”

It was a complete lie, but I acted as brazenly as possible while pretending to be hypnotized. Mason seemed to fall for it.

Mason’s adjutant whispered to him.

“The Nightmare Extraction Hypnotic directly interferes with the mind. It can break through even the mental barriers of the Archmages of the Ivory Tower, so there’s no way the Prince could resist it. It must be true.”

“Still, something feels off… I’ll go scout the passage alone first.”

As he headed out, Mason gestured at me with his chin.

“Keep a close watch on the Prince.”

Mason left the room.

I quickly turned my gaze to the special forces members left in the room. Four of them were inside, one standing by each wall.

Inside the room were me, tied up, Godhand, who was subdued and lying on the floor, and Burnout.

I made eye contact with Godhand. Groaning in pain, Godhand subtly mouthed something to me as soon as our eyes met.

‘Bodybag.’

Indeed.

The current composition of the Shadow Squad was three: the metal manipulator Godhand, the explosive archer Burnout, and the telekinetic Bodybag.

Godhand and Burnout had been captured, but Bodybag wasn’t here… meaning he hadn’t been caught and was watching the situation from outside.

‘There’s a chance.’

I took a breath and waited for a while. Until Mason was far enough away from the house.

About ten minutes later, I figured it was enough and raised my head.

Alright, let’s get started.

“Hey, can you at least loosen these restraints?”

I whined, looking around at the special forces members guarding me.

“They’re too tight, and my arms hurt. If I didn’t have these on, I could use my magic more easily.”

It was actually a message to Godhand. To get him to deal with the restraints.

The special forces members looked at each other, slightly flustered.

“Commander, it seems the hostage is trying to break free from the hypnotic.”

“Let’s cover his eyes again.”

Mason’s adjutant… their commander, picked up a paper bag and approached me to put it back on. I frowned.

“Hey, are you trying to put that on me now? Are you sure you can handle the consequences later? I remember your face, okay?”

“…”

The commander was sweating, but he didn’t hesitate and approached me again.

Just before he put the bag over my head, I yelled.

“Now-!”

“?!”

Then, I heard something whizzing from outside,

KABOOM!

One wall was completely destroyed, and huge debris flew inside.

It was debris from a building that Bodybag had thrown with his telekinesis. It seemed there were plenty of those lying around in the ruins.

The debris from the collapsed wall crushed one of the special forces members standing there.

“Agh!”

“What?”

“An attack!”

While the special forces members were distracted, Burnout, who had quietly gotten up, put his hand on his gag and quickly removed it.

“KRAAAAAH!”

…He breathed fire from his mouth.

Seriously, was that why he always had a gag on?

“UAAAAH!”

The commander, engulfed in flames, screamed and rolled on the floor, and the room caught fire.

Even if they were special forces agents, they couldn’t help but be confused when a building was being bombarded from outside and someone was breathing fire inside.

At the same time, Godhand stood up and transformed his arm into a blade.

Both of his hands were prosthetic made of metal… and Godhand was a metal manipulator.

It was as if he had an emergency weapon from the start.

“Your Highness!”

Godhand rushed to me and lightly swung his blade.

SWISH!

My restraints were cut off in an instant, and the magic seal was broken, allowing my magic to return.

“Ah, this cool and heavy sensation. It’s been a while.”

I muttered and stood up.

“A long time of humiliation and oppression… I was sick of it. Thank you! Godhand.”

I glared at the two special forces members who were belatedly trying to attack.

“You two over there!”

Our eyes met.

When our eyes meet?

That meant the activation condition for [Eyes of Command] was met!

“Do ten jumping jacks-!”

FLASH!

[Command Difficulty: Easy]

[Comparing user’s intelligence stat with target’s magic stat.]

[Determining success rate. Starting resistance roll…]

DING!

[Judgment Complete!]

>Success: 2 targets

[Executing forced command.]

Success, nicely done!

The two agents immediately and diligently started doing jumping jacks.

And before they could even finish ten, Godhand and Bodybag rushed in and punched them in the jaw, sending them flying.

I kicked the two bodies sprawled on the floor and growled.

“Didn’t you learn that if you get the last number wrong, you have to start over, you bastards? Huh?”

As I was being petty, I bent forward with a throbbing headache. Ugh!

“Ugh, nosebleed…”

But I didn’t have time to whine about this. I quickly wiped the blood from my nose with the back of my hand.

Then, a chubby-cheeked elf rolled in from outside through the collapsed wall. It was Bodybag, who had launched the debris attack from outside.

“I’m sorry I’m late!”

“Thanks for saving us, Bodybag!”

“Your Highness! Be careful! There are more agents outside… Kyaaak!”

WHOOSH!

Before Bodybag could finish his sentence, arrows poured in through the collapsed wall.

The guys outside were mercilessly firing crossbows at us. Those crazy bastards!

Godhand, who had pulled me behind cover, gritted his teeth.

“There are too many of them! We took out four, but there are at least ten left!”

I could hear footsteps rushing towards the closed door. I clenched my teeth. We were completely surrounded!

‘What’s our escape plan?’

Godhand and Burnout were injured. Bodybag had just used his telekinesis, so he needed time to cool down.

And me… I was already in pain, and using my magic had made my condition worse.

My head was throbbing, and it was hard to keep my eyes open. My consciousness was fading.

– You’re amazing, bro. How did you clear this?

Unwanted images,

– Mom will always be by your side.

Popped up on their own, filling my mind.

CRUNCH!

I gritted my teeth and tried to regain my focus. Get a grip, you old-school nerd! You should have worked out more, Kim Ash!

‘The situation is a mess, but it’s still okay!’

I still had some useful items in my inventory. I gasped for breath and reached into my inner pocket…

BEEP.

[The player’s proof of existence is uncertain.]

[System usage is unavailable.]

“…?”

What the hell was this? Why all of a sudden?

A bright red message window appeared in front of me, displaying that message. What was proof of existence?

Was the inventory a system function? No matter how much I rummaged, my hand only felt the empty pocket, and I couldn’t open the inventory.

Damn it! This is why they say you should carry cash, not just cards!

WHOOSH!

“Your Highness! Ugh!”

A barrage of arrows poured through the collapsed wall, and arrows pierced Godhand’s back and shoulders as he shielded me.

Bodybag desperately retaliated with his telekinesis, and Burnout, with burns on his mouth, fired back with a crossbow he had taken.

Everyone was trying their best, but the difference in numbers and firepower was clear.

There was a loud banging on the door that was blocked by obstacles. Once that door opened and the enemies rushed in…

That’s when it happened.

“Huh?”

“What are you… KAAK?!”

“Enemy reinforcements- UAAAGH!”

CRUNCH! THUD!

Dull cracking sounds came from outside the door, and the special forces members who were trying to enter went silent.

We looked at each other, puzzled. What was that?

THUMP-!

The next moment, the door shattered and burst open,

“My Lord!”

A knight in a tin helmet charged in like a tank.

“Are you safe, my Lord!”

“Lucas!”

Our faces lit up at the arrival of our savior.

“It’s Lucas! You came to save us!”

Lucas scratched the back of his tin helmet, looking embarrassed.

“No, I’m at my limit too…”

Through the gaps in his broken armor, Lucas’s chest was visible, covered in blood and a clumsy bandage.

And there were fresh wounds all over his body. The wooden sword in his hand was broken in half.

“I managed to crack the heads of about three of them while entering, but that’s it.”

Lucas calmly stated his condition.

“Each of the enemies is strong. I don’t think I can handle them anymore.”

“…”

“Besides, all the guards outside are rushing here. And Mason must have noticed something and is on his way.”

I gritted my teeth.

If Lucas was saying this, did it really mean there was no other way…?

Then, Lucas picked something up from the floor and said,

“…But my Lord. I have one way.”

It was the bag they had tried to put over my head.

Holding the bag in his hand, Lucas spoke softly.

“Will you trust me and leave it to me?”

Was it my imagination?

It was hard to see through the tin helmet…

But through the gap in the helmet, Lucas’s eyes seemed to be smiling.

***

“What is all this commotion?”

Mason, who had rushed back, growled at his subordinates.

“I told you to handle things as quietly as possible, no matter what. If you make this much noise, the Crossroads forces might come!”

A special forces member on guard reported.

“A knight and a mage attacked from outside, trying to help the Prince escape.”

“What happened?”

“The four guarding the room are dead, and three of the guards outside are severely injured. The commander is also dead.”

Among the neatly laid out corpses, the special forces commander was lying there, burned black.

He was the only one with a brain in the special forces team 1, which was full of muscleheads… Mason clicked his tongue as the agent continued to explain.

“As you can see, the hideout is no longer functional because one wall is completely destroyed…”

“Forget that, you idiot! What about the Prince!”

Mason yelled, and the agent pointed inside the room.

“He’s inside.”

“What?”

“Only the Prince is left, and the rest escaped. We confirmed that the Prince was still there, so we didn’t chase them any further…”

Confused, Mason looked inside the room.

It was true. Ash was still there.

Tied to a chair, slumped over, with a bag over his head, he was sitting quietly.

The agent added.

“Maybe he couldn’t move because the hypnosis hasn’t worn off, so they couldn’t take him?”

“…”

Mason’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Ash.

“…Wait a minute.”

“Yes?”

“Prince, he seems a bit taller, doesn’t he?”

Mason clenched his fist.

“Did you check?”

“Yes? Check what?”

“Did you check his face?”

“Only the commander or higher has the authority to approach His Highness…”

Ignoring the agent’s nonsense, Mason gritted his teeth and strode towards Ash.

SWISH!

When he pulled the bag off Ash’s head-

Blue eyes, smiling, appeared through the disheveled blonde hair.

“Hello, Mason.”

It wasn’t Ash.

It was Lucas.

Ash and Lucas had swapped clothes and armor, swapped the bag and helmet, and then Ash had escaped while Lucas remained as a decoy.

“…Haha.”

Mason laughed in disbelief, then raised his fist and-

WHAM-!

He swung it violently, hitting the agent next to him.

CRASH! THUD!

The agent, who fell like a broken doll, crashed into the wall and stopped moving.

“To be fooled by such a pathetic trick…”

Mason glanced at the agent who had died with a caved-in face and sighed.

“Is it a side effect of the Beastification Serum? I can’t control my anger.”

Mason bared his beastly fangs, directing his murderous gaze at Lucas.

“You must be confident you can handle this anger, young master?”

Lucas just smiled without answering.

Mason’s fist fell on the knight’s face with a deafening roar.