Chapter 502. Fall of the Swift Steed Guild
Translator: Boko
The Swift Steed Guild's remaining soul dungeons were the Lava Lake, Halidin's Laboratory, and the Gray Clocktower.
Kang Oh led the Liberation Army towards Lava Lake.
"Urgh! Why are you going after us!? What did we do to you anyway!?" Kwon Rang gritted his teeth and yelled.
"Dungeon Liberation," Kang Oh replied curtly. However, his thoughts were different.
'I'm making an example out of you.'
Even Kang Oh couldn't fight all of the large guilds. Thus, he would make it clear that doing as he asks and liberating the dungeons would be easier for everyone. The Swift Steed Guild was just an unfortunate victim.
"The Swift Steed Guild will never fall. Moreover..."
A handsome man stood beside Kwon Rang. He was a famous player known as Gradon, the guildmaster of the 12th ranked Gradon Guild.
"Hmm." Gradon carefully looked Kang Oh over.
"The Gradon Guild will fight with us," Kwon Rang yelled.
"Remember your promise," Gradon whispered into Kwon Rang's ear.
There was nothing free in this world.
Gradon was obviously helping the Swift Steed Guild because it would be beneficial to him. In exchange for his help, the Swift Steed Guild had promised him a substantial sum.
"Of course."
Kang Oh carefully assessed his enemies' forces.
'That many... It's worth a shot.'
Why?
On their way here, more and more players wearing blue bands joined them. The Liberation Army had swelled to 150,000 strong.
Him relinquishing ownership of the Albation Nest, as well as the promise that it'd be made into a hunting ground for all players, had drawn them in.
Those who'd been watching on the sidelines were moved by Kang Oh's speech, and joined the Dungeon Liberation Movement.
They were just going with the flow, or following their friends.
In any case, their numbers gradually increased.
By the time they were done with Lava Lake, and were on their way to the other two dungeons, they might surpass 200,000 strong.
"Liberate your dungeon. If you do, we'll leave," Kang Oh said.
"Don't make me laugh! I'll kill you all!" Kwon Rang yelled.
Now it wasn't an issue of whether their dungeons were stolen or not. It was a battle of pride. Could they regain the pride they'd lost or not.
If he backed off now, then he was sure that his guild would lose its dignity. The Swift Steed Guild would become a house of cards that no one was afraid of.
"I guess you're not open to negotiations. Let's go! Liberate the dungeon!"
Like the Albation Nest, the Lava Lake wasn't large enough to accommodate all 150,000 of the Liberation Army at once. Thus, they decided to adopt the same strategy as last time; they would split their army into pieces and enter a few at a time.
Kang Oh and the first, second, and third corps rushed at the Swift Steed and Gradon Alliance.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of metal upon metal, arrows flying through the air, and magic smashing against each other and exploding resounded throughout the battlefield.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
The Gradon Guild's proud Giant Knight Order charged at Kang Oh.
Fierce Charge!
A thick dust cloud rose into the air.
'I can't use Gluttony, but I can use...'
Kang Oh activated Devil Trigger with Ubist and Sarahoff in hand. He became a Dual Demon, one possessing a jet-black beast mask and ice horns!
"Haahp!"
Kang Oh unleashed skill after skill at the Giant Knight Order.
Yuki-Onna's Breath!
Abyss Claw!
Tempest Tiger!
Ice, darkness, and wind swept through everything in front of him.
Bam!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Those at the forefront of the knight order fell onto the floor.
To think he'd be able to blow away their heavily armed knights all at once!
The skills he used possessed incredible power, yes, but he wasn't able to stop the entire knight order with just three attacks.
The remaining knights rushed at Kang Oh like a torrent of water.
At that moment...
Dragon's Fury!
He activated his Avenger set's special ability.
Gray energy swirled around Kang Oh's body, and then rose into the air. Was this what it would look like to see a dragon ascending into the heavens?
However, that wasn't the end of it.
Kang Oh swung Ubist next.
Abyss Predator!
A black predator appeared that consumed everything in its path! The black beast opened its gigantic mouth and devoured Kang Oh's enemies.
Dragon's Fury and Abyss Predator!
Boom!
The two resulted in a massive explosion.
The shockwave itself was enough to cause those nearby to fall onto the ground. Then what about the Giant Knight Order, who'd been hit by them directly?
"Ugh."
"I need healing!"
"Uaaahk!"
They incurred severe casualties. It looked like 1/3 of them had died on the spot. The rest of them had sustained injuries both large and small.
However, the Giant Knight Order were elites that symbolized the Gradon Guild. The survivors gritted their teeth and attacked Kang Oh once more. Their attacks boasted great speed and precision!
It seemed like their sharp blades would cut him into pieces. Their eyes were filled with killing intent.
"Hoo." Kang Oh quickly caught his breath, and concentrated.
Swish, slash, swish, slash!
Kang Oh just barely managed to dodge their attacks. He immediately counterattacked while they were vulnerable.
He was using Hyper Intuition to its fullest, which both warned him of danger, and pointed out his opponents' weak points.
"H-Holy shit!"
"He's a monster!"
Their attacks had fallen upon him like rain, yet Kang Oh had dodged all of them whilst counterattacking. The knight order was completely shocked at this turn of events.
But because Kang Oh couldn't use Gluttony right now, he couldn't take care of the Giant Knight Order as fast as he'd expected.
Of course, Sarahoff's special ability, Frost Demon's Domain, made it so that the battle turned in his favor the longer it dragged on.
"Send more elites to deal with Kang Oh!" Kwon Rang yelled.
'We have to take care of Kang Oh no matter what!'
Swift Steed's rankers, which had previously been slain by Kang Oh, stepped forward once more.
'We'll take you down this time!'
They, in tandem with the Giant Knight Order, attacked Kang Oh.
"C'mon, all of you!" Kang Oh moved even quicker than before. It was a beautiful sight to an onlooker, to see a warrior moving with no superfluous movements.
Sword Parry!
Slash!
Even basic skills became deathblows when used by him.
Bam!
He parried a knight's blade, and split his thick armor with Slash.
Transcendent Blade!
Sarahoff was so fast that it couldn't be seen by the naked eye. However, the purple long sword had already killed three of the knights.
"You demon!"
"You monster!"
The Giant Knight Order had their hands full fighting Kang Oh. Swift Steed's rankers didn't make much of a difference.
Kang Oh was a predator at the top of the food chain!
Bart, Helena, Sephiro, etc. fought even harder here than they did at the Albation Nest.
Why?
The alliance between the two large guilds had increased how many skilled members they had.
Whoosh! Boom! Roar!
Bart's Fire Giant swung its giant fist, sweeping through the enemies' ranks. Then, another summon appeared amidst the Swift Steed and Gradon Alliance. To put it simply, it was a giant sand spirit.
The giant sand spirit and the Fire Giant clashed head-on. Fists of sand and flame went back and forth.
The margin of victory was razor-thin.
"Everyone, I'm going to summon another one!"
Bart summoned an Ice Giant next. Then, the Lava Lake's guardian, a giant gorilla, engaged it.
The Ice Giant and the gorilla took turns striking each other's face. It was as if they were having a competition of whose fist was stronger.
However, finishing the battle wouldn't be an easy task.
"Hmm." Bart simultaneously controlled the giants and killed anyone that came his way.
The Witch of Annihilation, Helena, couldn't use her magic as freely as before.
Swish! Swish!
There was a man who quickly circled around her. He was the Gradon Guild's vice-captain, Itachi, and was an assassin that wielded a scythe.
Itachi was accompanied by the Weasel Squad, which were so skilled at taking down mages that they were called Mage Hunters.
Of course, Helena was on a completely different level compared to the mages they normally hunted.
If the Weasel Squad let down their guard for even a moment, then they'd be barbecued alive, frozen, struck by lightning, etc. They could even be buried in the ground.
On the other hand, if Helena let down her guard, then she would be in danger too. No, she had already been put in danger a couple of times.
'I should've brought some of my little sisters with me.' She thought of the Blue Knight, Plum, the Wind Tracker, Dambi, the Druid, Yericka, etc.
If they were with her, then she wouldn't be in this situation right now. Well, they weren't with her right now, so she'd just have to deal with this herself.
Overload!
This secret technique simultaneously increased the power of her spells and their MP cost.
To add to that...
Double Casting!
"Die, you insects!"
Her true character was showing.
Aah, my condolences, you poor, poor weasels!
* * *
"Mm." Gradon scratched his cheek. Then, he reluctantly said, "Gradon Guild, retreat!"
"What?" Kwon Rang, who was attacking with his fist, looked shocked.
"Retreat? What are you talking about?" Kwon Rang yelled.
"My apologies, but we'll be taking our leave. I didn't think they'd be this strong." Gradon looked at Kang Oh, Bart, and Helena, and shook his head.
He also looked fed up with the swarm of Liberation Army troops.
"That's not what you promised!"
"Promise, huh... I think I've done my part. You're not asking us to go down with you, are you?"
Kwon Rang bit his lip.
"Gradon Guild, retreat!" Gradon turned away from Kwon Rang and yelled.
"R-Retreat!"
The Gradon Guild members yelled simultaneously.
There were several ways out of Lava Lake. Gradon's guild members headed for one of the many exits.
At that moment...
Kang Oh cut down three of the rankers that came at him and sprung forward, blocking Gradon's way.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Gradon scowled. "Can't you just let us go?"
"No."
Kang Oh quickly looked over his equipment.
'Gairus's Ring. It's an SS-rank ring with a resurrection ability!'
This ring was renowned for its ability to revive its wielder upon death, much like the Cassio Ring. What if he were to take possession of that ring?
'It'd be amazing!'
Kang Oh looked at him with eyes like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
'Give me your ring!'
"I don't want to die. Is there any way you'll let me go?"
"Your ring!" Kang Oh pointed at Gradon's right hand. More specifically, he was pointing at the ring with a giant emerald embedded in it.
"That's a bit..."
"Then die!"
'And please drop that ring on the way out!'
"W-Wait! In exchange, we'll liberate all of our dungeons."
"What?"
"The Gradon Guild will liberate all of our dungeons. So stop attacking the Gradon Guild!" Gradon yelled.
"Wow, the Gradon Guild surrendered."
"Holy crap!"
"As expected of Mr. Kang Oh!"
The crowd cheered. Whereas Kang Oh scowled.
'Clever guy.'
He couldn't kill Gradon anymore.
"Tch, go. And keep your promise."
Ultimately, Kang Oh got out of his way.
"Understood."
Gradon quickly left Lava Lake. Then, Kwon Rang raised the white flag.
"We lost. We'll liberate all of our dungeons."
"It's already too late for that," Kang Oh said coldly.
"What are you..."
"The Swift Steed Guild is at its end."
"What did we even do to you... Are you really going to see this through!?"
"We're not going to finish you. Anyhow, give me your soul dungeon and then leave." Kang Oh waved his hand.
"Mm."
With a heavy heart, Kwon Rang gathered the remaining survivors and left Lava Lake.
Kang Oh then led the Liberation Army towards the Gray Clocktower and Halidin's Laboratory. They were met with no resistance, and were able to take the soul dungeons easily.
"Mr. Man Bok will manage the Lava Lake, the Gray Clocktower, and Halidin's Laboratory. They will, like the Albation Nest, become dungeons that everyone can enjoy."
Kang Oh raised his hand into the air.
"Uwaaaah!"
Their cheers were so loud that it seemed like they'd reach the heavens themselves. It was here that a festival took place.
They created bonfires everywhere, and the production classes were busy at work. Especially the chefs!
There was plenty of mouth-watering food, fruit juice, and alcohol here.
They all ate, drank, hugged each other, and sang songs through the night.
The next day.
There was shocking news.
Swift Steed had been absorbed by the Storm Guild.
Plus...!
"The Storm Guild supports the Dungeon Liberation Movement. Thus, we will liberate all of our dungeons," Storm's vice-captain, Han Seol, declared.
Just as planned!
Kang Oh grinned, and remembered what he'd discussed with Hernandez and Han Seol.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel