Chapter 108: Invader (1)

Chapter 108: Invader (1) Xu Tao felt his blood run cold—as if the death god himself were breathing down his neck. However, no matter how much he glanced around, he couldn’t find anything—or anyone—that could be sending him such a thick sense of dread. ’Weird...’ Failing to realize the source, he decided to treat it as his imagination. After that brief ordeal, Xu Tao grabbed his last two revolvers—as per Arthur’s request—and handed them over. With a gun in each hand, Arthur could lessen the time needed between volleys. "That’s a smart choice!" Yifa nodded in approval. "With that, you can still attack while the other revolver is reloading, lowering the idle time for the user!" She quietly muttered under her breath a small wish. "Ahh, it’d be nice to have the same~!" While furtively glancing at Xu Tao. Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Xu Tao quickly understood why she was suddenly praising Arthur. "Unfortunately, that’s the last of the revolvers," he clarified immediately. "Oh..." Yifa sighed, visibly disappointed. "Well... It can’t be helped if that’s all we have..." With faltering steps, she gradually returned to her team before retreating. The 3rd Squad had to stand by in the middle so they could reach all sides whenever needed, after all. After watching her dejected back, like a wet puppy, Xu Tao chuckled lightly. "I should give her one more when I get one again." He said as he shook his head before turning to Arthur. "Then, I’ll return to my corner too." He said, dusting off his robe without a care. "Finish off these immobilized monsters to practice your new weapon... And don’t try to die again, or I’ll be the one to send you straight to nirvana." Without looking back, he waved his hand casually and took a step forward. On the fifth step, his figure vanished in a blink—almost like a cutscene transition in a movie. Left alone, Arthur smiled, reflecting on his words. "I will..." Then came the chores. Gathering loot, wrapping up the frozen monsters, and signaling for the next wave. Only four waves remained before all their troubles ended. The 17th wave arrived soon enough. This time, Arthur made sure to wear his armor properly while firing at the monsters from a distance. Despite being new to guns, his marksmanship was quite high. With a bow, he could hit a target a kilometer away. With a gun, affected less by gravity or Coriolis effect, a few hundred meters wasn’t difficult at all. "This time, I won’t even let you come close to the walls!" he growled, settling into a steady, lethal rhythm of one shot per second. After that, he paused for 1.5 seconds before switching to the other revolver. Rinse and repeat. He quickly found the best, most balanced pace for nonstop firing! The 17th batch of monsters, each equivalent to level 333, died with just one headshot each despite their increased toughness. As he declared, none of the monsters reached the wall this time. For the 18th batch, he needed two shots per kill, lowering his pace. Their skin was getting tougher, and bones much harder. With a fixed attack speed, his kill rate slowed significantly, risking monsters slipping through his defenses. "Excalibur!" Thankfully, by then, his sword had fully recovered. No nicks or cracks remained on its beautiful gold-and-silver shimmering blade. Of course, the sword didn’t use the same arcane spell as before. Despite the stronger, tougher enemies—each at level 432—they still fell easily to the twin revolvers. Excalibur only needed to delay those trying to advance, without much risk. The 19th wave was the closest call by far. Each monster in that batch had the strength of level 562, making them formidable opponents. Arthur’s guns couldn’t kill them unless he landed seven consecutive headshots! CLANG! Worse, even Excalibur was too weak to wound their hides unless Arthur wielded her directly. He was forced into a retreating battle, only managing to kill two monsters every ten seconds. "AGH!" On top of that, their strength was beyond anything Arthur—or the guards on the wall—could handle. A single slap sent him hurtling toward the wall, smashing against it. It wasn’t even a killing blow—more like swatting away a fly. But it was enough to nearly knock him unconscious. ZOOM! Excalibur flew close, seemingly panicked for her wielder. Arthur was vomiting blood and couldn’t lift a finger. In game terms, he was already in the red! "Not... yet...!" Despite injuries, fractures, and ruptured organs, Arthur pushed himself off the cracked wall and fell to the ground with a thud. Excalibur flew into his hand, letting him use her as a crutch to stand. His gaze was hazy, but his will was firm. In a serious voice, devoid of fear or hesitation, he declared, "I... will not let you... reach the wall I protect...!" His mind was already blurred, but he’d come to one decision... Getting scolded? Bring it on! He bit his lip hard, swallowed the blood rising in his throat, and shouted— "HOLY FIELD!!!" The next moment, a golden dome enveloped his surroundings. It looked just as amazing as usual... No, maybe brighter, and about twice as wide too. Arthur’s lips rose lightly with confidence. With this technique activated, the defense should be easier. After all, any monster touched by the field would evaporate—banished into nothingness... or so it was supposed to work. "No way...!" He gasped, eyes wide open. Just like when they fought the first boss, the Holy Field couldn’t purify these monsters! They were just too strong! Although the field burned them with holy damage, it wasn’t enough to bring them down. Instead, the pain made them angrier—and rush forward even faster! "STAND YOUR GROUND!" Arthur shouted toward the wall troops. "AS LONG AS YOU’RE WITHIN MY RADIANCE, YOU SHALL NOT FALL!" "OOOH!" the guards cheered, their morale rising. "PUSH BACK THE INVADERS!" And with his words as the signal, another fierce struggle began. ???????????? The defense squad—who couldn’t even stop the 16th wave—did their best to keep the 19th wave at bay. But as expected, they were still sorely lacking in power. "Don’t falter! Stand your ground!" They shouted among themselves, working in groups of three or four to push the enemy away from the walls. With their teamwork, they barely managed to keep the top of the wall monster-free... but not for long. "Argh! H-Help...!" One section was breached, a defender sent flying from a single claw swipe. It was a grievous wound—possibly fatal. And with that opening, more monsters began to pour through. "Fuck! Push them back! Don’t let them in...!" some roared, moving with desperation. But they were simply too weak to make a difference. Monsters leapt through the gap, rushing toward the nearest buildings— CRACKLE! BOOM! —until golden lightning struck them from above. A shadow flickered past the charred bodies, touching the few gravely wounded guards—and literally reviving them seconds later. "I left you for a few waves, and you’re already on death’s door again..." The figure standing on top of the wall, Xu Tao, sighed while looking at Arthur below. He smiled, before raising his fan up high, and declared: "No need to worry, for I, Xu Tao, have come to back you up!" And no... he wasn’t alone. RAAAAGH! Just as another monster leapt to attack him, another figure zipped across. A woman in a black and white bunny suit wielded a long spear adorned with a triangular white flag. She swung her spear and smacked the monster into the ground, creating a crater like a meteor impact. As a follow-up, she spun while falling and stabbed her weapon down like a flagpole—right through the monster’s head. "And I, Jehanne d’Arc, shall assist you!" Two elite figures had arrived in the nick of time. One bringing salvation... and the other, chaos!