The Final Boss Has Returned - Chapter 163
Ignis!
The Guild Master of JDG, an Over Ranker famous by the nickname Flame King!
At the news that he was leading the Dark Alliance's second army and ravaging the southern rear, Sin Jeonghyeok nearly lost his grip on reason before barely holding on.
Paul and Leira also received the information via whisper shortly after, their faces hardening.
"Boss, what should we do?"
"If we leave it like this, the rear could become dangerous."
Leira and Paul spoke to Sin Jeonghyeok.
There was merit to their words.
Right now, all of Simseong Iron Stars' main forces were gathered here to strike Drakan, charging toward Southwest.
Yet not only had Southwest fallen into enemy hands in a single day, but now even the rear was being ravaged by the enemy.
Hearing that, Sin Jeonghyeok laughed like a madman.
"This war is like chess."
BANG.
Sin Jeonghyeok slammed the table.
"The one who captures the King first wins this war. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Sparks flashed in Sin Jeonghyeok's eyes.
The Aerial Mobile Fortress Voltaha.
To stop the completion of that nightmarish weapon, Drakan had to be killed.
Thus, this war was one that would end if they captured the King called Drakan, just like chess.
And the information regarding the Aerial Mobile Fortress Voltaha was something Sin Jeonghyeok had already shared with Leira and Paul.
That was why the two could understand Sin Jeonghyeok's words.
The rear didn't matter.
The moment they captured the King, this war would turn into their victory.
"And the King is in Southwest right now."
Sin Jeonghyeok pointed his finger at a corner of the southern strategic map spread across the table.
Drakan.
It was where Southwest, the largest port city in the south where he was staying, was located.
"So we're going to Southwest."
Sin Jeonghyeok spat this out, barely suppressing his surging fury with cold reason.
Into Sin Jeonghyeok's ear came Leira's voice.
"But what about the rear?"
"Leave it."
Sin Jeonghyeok answered Leira's question with a growl.
He had no time to bother with something like the rear.
"His intention is to split our forces. Do we really need to crawl into the board he's set up?"
Sin Jeonghyeok said, looking at Paul and Leira.
Splitting forces!
That was surely the move Drakan was aiming for.
Drakan.
He might be waiting for them to divide their army in two and split their forces.
Then the best course of action was to not get caught up in his intentions.
A brief silence fell at Sin Jeonghyeok's words.
Because his words held merit.
Moreover, Paul and Leira were users who had risen to the position of Over Ranker, of which only nineteen existed in Ard World!
They knew all too well what kind of person Drakan was even without Sin Jeonghyeok saying another word.
It was Paul who broke the awkward silence that had been flowing.
"How about asking Xiongmao for help, Boss?"
"That won't work."
Sin Jeonghyeok shook his head at Paul's words.
"How can we trust those Chinese bastards? And why should we share the spoils of this war with them? When there's an easiest way to capture the King?"
Silence descended on the table once more at Sin Jeonghyeok's words.
Xiongmao Esports.
They and Simseong Iron Stars were allies, but neither guild trusted the other.
It was an alliance out of necessity, and both sides knew they were each other's potential future competitors.
Of course, Xiongmao Esports hadn't completely refrained from sending support.
Right now, support troops sent by Xiongmao Esports were included within this southern army.
But Paul's words meant the same thing as pulling Xiongmao Esports' main forces from the west to block the rear.
And Sin Jeonghyeok refused that proposal outright.
Aerial Mobile Fortress Voltaha.
If they killed Drakan and put that powerful ultimate weapon in their own hands?
Perhaps they could seize the initiative, stand in complete superiority, and practically subjugate Xiongmao Esports instead of the vague alliance where both sides aimed for each other's backs.
And to seize the initiative like that, he had to end this war quickly under his own lead.
If they did as Paul suggested, they might stabilize the rear for now, but in the long run, Xiongmao Esports' share would increase, making it a loss.
And Sin Jeonghyeok was no fool who would kick away long-term gains for a petty profit before his eyes.
"If we capture the King, this war ends in our victory. Don't waver. We go to Southwest."
At Sin Jeonghyeok's firm words, Paul and Leira closed their mouths.
His words were not without merit either.
Having made their decision, Sin Jeonghyeok and his southern army advanced toward Southwest with unstoppable momentum.
Meanwhile, Drakan also left behind an occupying force and departed Southwest to meet Sin Jeonghyeok.
The two armies that had left their respective positions met at the Black Plains, called the greatest breadbasket of the south.
Black soil, the blackest earth, said to sprout just by scattering seeds, most suitable for agriculture.
It was named the 'Black Plains' because that black earth stretched endlessly beyond the horizon.
In this place that was virtually sacred ground for farmer players, countless users now stood in lines holding weapons instead of crops.
And at the very front of both formations stood each side's top commanders.
"So you're the one called Sin Jeonghyeok."
The first to open his mouth was Drakan, a man in black armor with sharp features.
Drakan planted his dark-red longsword, the Ironblood Executor, into the soft black earth as he continued to speak, flanked by the Fishman King Nereus and the Arch Lich on either side.
"Is this the second time we've seen each other since Broken World? Anyway, I didn't know you were a human with enough guts to dare wage war against me."
The moment Drakan finished speaking, countless cheers erupted from the Dark Alliance's side.
Along with that, the chat of viewers watching the scene live streamed endlessly.
[lol wow lol look at that swagger lol]
[No way lol there's no backing down lol ah lol]
[How can he talk like that to a third-generation chaebol? Isn't he afraid of the aftermath?]
[FR at this point it's not a concept, it's 'real' lol]
[The real deal Drakan lol]
[As expected of Lord Drakan!]
[There's no one who could say that besides Lord Drakan lol]
Sin Jeonghyeok!
Viewers were both surprised and frenzied by Drakan's comportment, speaking boldly without regard for his position.
On the other hand, Sin Jeonghyeok frowned upon hearing Drakan's words.
"You've got a loose mouth, talking so carelessly. Are you acting so bold because you're hiding behind your girlfriend's skirt?"
Sin Jeonghyeok.
He was offended that Drakan had dared to speak of guts to him.
Because his pride had been trampled upon directly.
Sin Jeonghyeok barely suppressed the scream that had risen to his throat.
Right now, this scene was being broadcast live to the entire nation, no, the entire world, via Ard Live and TV.
The reality was that the number of people watching this screen on all sorts of platforms, from internet to TV, numbered in the hundreds of millions.
Given the situation, no matter how much of a chaebol he was, he couldn't afford to give any leeway, every little expression, anything to be picked on.
Sin Jeonghyeok spoke thus while looking around.
He was looking for Sin Hayeon, Drakan's 'girlfriend.'
But for some reason, Sin Hayeon, who always followed him like a shadow, was nowhere to be seen beside Drakan.
'She must be in the rear because the war is dangerous.'
Sin Jeonghyeok thought nothing of her absence.
Sin Hayeon.
Her level was quite high, but she wasn't as strong as Drakan.
Of course, she could have stepped onto the battlefield like him, but unfortunately, she didn't seem to be here.
'Looks like she chickened out because she was afraid of losing.'
At that very moment when Sin Jeonghyeok was inwardly mocking Sin Hayeon to his heart's content.
Drakan looked at Sin Jeonghyeok and shouted.
"If that's what you think, well, I suppose so. It's not like I need to go out of my way to correct your perception through debate here."
"You bastard!"
And the moment he heard such provocation from Drakan, the string of Sin Jeonghyeok's reason that he had been barely holding back snapped clean in two.
The fury that surged from the depths of his mind broke through the last line of defense called reason and boiled all the way to his marrow; Sin Jeonghyeok raised his hand and shouted.
"Attack. Wipe them all out!"
The moment those words ended, Iron Stars' troops roared and charged.
A battle of maneuvers on the plains with no cover.
The enemy forces were about 1.5 times fewer than Iron Stars, who hadn't split their forces.
Sin Jeonghyeok.
What he had been counting on was precisely this numerical superiority.
But even so, Drakan was smiling with confidence.
"So they're crawling in on their own two feet to find their graves. Make sure to send them all comfortably on their way to the underworld."
At Drakan's single word, users let out piercing screams all at once.
"For the Dark Alliance!"
"Long live Lord Drakan!"
"Win!"
"Charge!"
At that moment.
The forces of the Dark Alliance and Iron Stars collided head-on in the plains.
"Kill them!"
"You die!"
Users were tangled together, fighting.
Magic scattered everywhere and skills flashed continuously.
As the war began in earnest, fierce screams and shouts resounded from everywhere.
And the war wasn't taking place only on the ground.
[Kwa-aaaaaaaah!]
A chilling voice echoing from the end of the sky!
Beyond the clouds, the massive frame of a skeletal dragon revealed itself.
Bone Dragon!
The strongest undead had finally arrived at the battlefield alongside the Dark Alliance's air force led by Flyingman.
But it wasn't only Flyingman and the Bone Dragon who had arrived.
Behind them, a massive ship appeared, casting a giant shadow over the battlefield.
Flying Battleship!
The battleship Drakan had used to unleash indiscriminate bombardment on the enemy during the landing operation had finally revealed itself.
And not just one, but with such overwhelming force that it could truly be called a 'fleet.'
"Unleash indiscriminate bombing on the enemy lines."
The orders of Flyingman, who was in charge of aerial command, were delivered to the captains of the flying battleships via whisper.
The captains who received the orders immediately maneuvered their flying battleships and flew toward the enemy lines.
And wyverns and the Bone Dragon began to escort those flying battleships.
Seeing that sight, Sin Jeonghyeok shouted orders at the top of his lungs.
"What are you doing! Deploy our air force too!"
The moment Sin Jeonghyeok's order ended, a massive silhouette appeared in the sky above Iron Stars.
An airship.
The one and only airship, built by mobilizing all magic engineers belonging to Iron Stars, began to fly over, escorted by a wyvern squadron.
Watching that sight, Sin Jeonghyeok smiled and gave orders to Paul and Leira.
"The time has come. Drakan—kill him."
The Axe King Paul and Assassin King Leira immediately sought out Drakan upon receiving the orders.
And finally, Drakan was caught in the sights of the two Over Rankers.
Toward Drakan, clad in black armor and slaughtering enemies without rest with his dark-red sword wreathed in aura, Assassin King Leira and Axe King Paul immediately attacked using their ultimate skills.
"Black Point Strike."
"Earth Splitter!"
Black Point Strike and Earth Splitter!
The moment Paul's gigantic axe unleashed a terrifying shockwave with a thunderous roar, and Leira's assassination dagger flew toward Drakan's body with startling silence in stark contrast—
[The quest 'Aerial Mobile Fortress Remodeling' has been completed.]
Along with the quest completion notification, notification windows began rising endlessly in Drakan's vision.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[All stats have increased by 1,234.]
[War God Skill 'Overlord's Sword' has been unlocked.]
[War God Skill 'World of Steel' has been unlocked.]
[Combat Information Archive has detected a change in user 'Drakan's information.]
[Combat Information Archive is analyzing user 'Drakan's information.]
[Analysis of user 'Drakan's information has been completed.]
[Calculating user 'Drakan's comprehensive grade.]
[Calculation of user 'Drakan's comprehensive grade has been completed.]
[User 'Drakan's comprehensive grade is EX Class.]
Looking at the last of the notification windows that had risen, Drakan smiled.
Finally.
The power of Steel Lord Drakan had fully returned.