Chapter 853: A Choice of Three (3)
The battle that followed went as expected.
No matter how much their morale had recovered, the wall of reality was cold and high. (Hanho)
Swoooosh!
The rain poured down fiercely.
Flowers continuously bloomed, and from them, acid monsters were summoned.
“Aaargh!!” (Survivor)
Those monsters relentlessly dug into the gap in the front line created by the absence of the six, and naturally, the main force had no choice but to divert its attention to maintaining the line. (Hanho)
In short, the main force’s focused fire could not be concentrated solely on the Lord of Tears… (Hanho)
“Sir… Sir Jefferson! Sir Jefferson has fallen, Company Commander!” (Knight)
In the midst of it all, a knight from the 4th Company died.
Excluding the deserters, he was the first fatality during the raid. (Hanho)
Sadly, it was only the beginning of the tragedy. (Hanho)
Chiiiiik!
Whenever he was half-mad with pain, reports of additional deaths would periodically arrive. (Hanho)
One, two, three… (Hanho)
As the number of casualties grew, the downpour intensified in proportion. (Hanho)
Swoooooooosh!
Though the speed at which the rain intensified had slowed down considerably compared to before. (Hanho)
The speed did not matter. (Hanho)
What mattered was that it was moving forward. (Hanho)
Four, five… (Hanho)
Just as the fifth death occurred. (Hanho)
Plop.
…
Rumble!
Suddenly, the fierce downpour ceased, and the sound of thunder echoed throughout the floor.
It was not an event that could be called an anomaly. (Hanho)
It was simply that the time had come. (Hanho)
The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, has cast [Biased Judgment].
[Biased Judgment] (Hanho)
A skill of no particular note that strikes every living being under the [Eternal Rain] with lightning. (Hanho)
However, a look into its details tells a different story. (Hanho)
Crash! KABOOM!
First, setting aside the fact that it was an unavoidable attack, this skill had a very unique aspect. (Hanho)
All of the character’s stats will be reduced by 30% until the end of the battle. (Hanho)
Getting hit by this lightning would reduce stats by a percentage, and that ratio was proportional to Tetrasea’s current HP gauge. (Hanho)
For instance, if its HP was at 30%, exactly 30% would be reduced. (Hanho)
To put it simply, if that bastard used this skill at full health, no matter how well-raised a character was, they would instantly be turned into a tin can… (Hanho)
‘Well, I suppose that’s why it’s a conditional skill.’ (Hanho)
[Biased Judgment] was a conditional active skill that could only be cast in specific situations. (Hanho)
It could only use this skill in two cases. (Hanho)
When its HP reached 30%, like now. (Hanho)
Or if not that. (Hanho)
Tetrasea’s sorrow deepens.
When this message, which appeared every time its health dropped by 5%, did not appear for over fifteen minutes. (Hanho)
‘This world is full of such damned gimmicks.’ (Hanho)
In fact, the very reason I chose to ‘raid’ it was because of this skill. (Hanho)
If not for that, the strategy of holding out until the stabilization period ended and then escaping over the dimensional wall when the wave began would have been possible. (Hanho)
Hmm… is it meaningless now? (Hanho)
Because I will kill this bastard, no matter what. (Hanho)
Swoooosh!
The moment the rain started pouring again, I shouted towards the main force. (Hanho)
“Ainar, start getting ready!” (Hanho)
“Ready for what?!” (Ainar)
Hmm… it seems Armin didn’t tell her. (Hanho)
I had no time to kindly explain to Ainar, who was far away. (Hanho)
“Ask Armin!” (Hanho)
I decided to leave the main force’s movements to Armin and devoted myself to holding Tetrasea right in front of me. (Hanho)
The end of the raid was approaching, but my role itself had not changed much. (Hanho)
The pattern itself was quite monotonous, to begin with. (Hanho)
KABOOOM!
Its physical attacks were nothing more than swatting with its front paws like a child throwing a tantrum. (Hanho)
Even that was not particularly threatening, and it was the same even with my stats reduced by 30%. (Hanho)
The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, has cast [Teardrop].
The same applied to the only single-target skill it possessed. (Hanho)
The damage itself was quite high, but since heals came in immediately, no dangerous situation ever arose. (Hanho)
Except for the fact that it hurt like hell because of [Twisted Patience], holding it was not difficult at all. (Hanho)
In fact, my HP probably never dropped below 70%. (Hanho)
‘Because it’s that kind of boss.’ (Hanho)
A massive health pool. (Hanho)
Natural Regeneration. (Hanho)
A wide-area aura. (Hanho)
A wide-area mental CC. (Hanho)
Summons with no resource cost. (Hanho)
And on top of that, all its abilities were enhanced as its HP decreased. (Hanho)
Its physical ability was nothing special, but its sustain was just insane. (Hanho)
Facing it meant a battle of attrition was inevitable. (Hanho)
Just as one’s clothes get soaked in a drizzle, when facing this thing, the attacking side would find themselves withered and dying… (Hanho)
The fact that it was in Phase 4. (Hanho)
The geographical advantage of the canyon. (Hanho)
If not for those two penalties, I probably wouldn’t have dared to attempt this raid with so few people. (Hanho)
“Huh…?” (Hanho)
It was at that moment, as I was busy thinking of other things to forget the pain. (Hanho)
Tetrasea’s sorrow deepens.
I realized it belatedly. (Hanho)
At some point, it had stopped wailing. (Hanho)
The Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, has cast [Self-Pity].
I briefly closed and opened my eyes. (Hanho)
“Hoo…” (Hanho)
The moment had finally come. (Hanho)
—
[Self-Pity]. (Hanho)
The final skill of the Lord of Tears, Tetrasea, activated when its HP reached 25%. (Hanho)
Swoooooosh!
Fluids gushed out from its entire body as if it had used [Overload].
Continuously, endlessly, gushing out.
However, it was distinctly different from when it used [Overload]. (Hanho)
For one, the fluid did not flow down the canyon; it defied gravity, floating in the air and moving as if with a will of its own… (Hanho)
Whoosh…
As the amount of expelled fluid increased, its body gradually shrank. (Hanho)
As if all the moisture was being drained from its body. (Hanho)
Of course, even during this, the main force’s supportive fire was pouring down… (Hanho)
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
The fluids floating in the air spread out like an umbrella, blocking all attacks. (Hanho)
I raised my hand high and gave a signal. (Hanho)
‘Cease fire.’ (Hanho)
There was no reason to waste energy here. (Hanho)
Just as protagonists in manga are not attacked while transforming, [Self-Pity] also temporarily entered a state of invincibility during its skill animation. (Hanho)
‘I thought it might be the case, but reality is the same.’ (Hanho)
It was a rather disappointing part. (Hanho)
‘You have no intention of letting me have an easy kill, do you?’ (Hanho)
Therefore, I moved my hand and sent a new signal. (Hanho)
The meaning was simple. (Hanho)
‘Prepare.’ (Hanho)
It went without saying, but the next signal would be ‘Attack.’ (Hanho)
And at that time, everything we had saved for this moment would be unleashed. (Hanho)
With everyone’s fate on the line. (Hanho)
Swooooooosh!
About a minute after it began its detox diet. (Hanho)
It had shrunk to a size slightly larger than me in my [Giant Form]… (Hanho)
‘Looks like it’s about to end.’ (Hanho)
It stopped gushing out fluid. (Hanho)
Soon, the fluid floating in the air clumped together like thick clay and settled on its skin. (Hanho)
One layer, two, three, four… (Hanho)
The thickly layered fluids soon turned black and began to harden. (Hanho)
As if to protect it from everything coming from the outside. (Hanho)
It was the last pattern of Phase 4. (Hanho)
The final gate to overcome the ordeal known as the Lord of Tears, and the very phase that would make any user who attempted it with even slightly insufficient specs shed tears of blood. (Hanho)
All skills are temporarily sealed. (Hanho)
From now on, [Twisted Patience], [Biased Judgment], [Teardrop], and even [Dark Cloud], which spewed acidic mist, would all be deactivated, and it wouldn't even perform basic attacks. (Hanho)
Of course, [Endless Rain] would stop, and summons would no longer be generated. (Hanho)
But in exchange. (Hanho)
All of Tetrasea’s resistance stats have reached their maximum value. (Hanho)
Its defense skyrockets. (Hanho)
Also, when the skill’s duration ends. (Hanho)
‘No.’ (Hanho)
There was no need to think that far. (Hanho)
I would definitely finish it here. (Hanho)
“Fire!” (Hanho)
I yelled with all my might, signaling the start of the all-out battle to the main force, and at the same time, I thrust my hand into the pocket dimension and pulled it out. (Hanho)
Swoosh.
A small gem, the size of a fingernail, was clenched in my hand. (Hanho)
‘Tear of the Goddess.’ (Hanho)
Back in the days of being a bare-bones Barbarian without a single Essence. (Hanho)
The very item that allowed me to survive against a Vampire, a Rank 5 monster, and a Guardian at that. (Hanho)
‘Later.’ (Hanho)
I shake off the sentimentality and the distracting thoughts, then pour all my strength into the hand holding the gem. (Hanho)
Crack. (Hanho)
As the gem shattered, a fierce light swirled, brightly illuminating the dark canyon. (Hanho)
The Tear of the Goddess has been destroyed.
[Grace] will descend upon the location of destruction.
Something felt very strange. (Hanho)
Heh. (Hanho)
I never thought the day would come when I would use this again, and I certainly never knew that my fate would hang on this item. (Hanho)
By [Grace], all of the Lord of Tears, Tetrasea’s, resistances are temporarily sealed.
Normally, I would have had to chip away at its resistances using the special conditions present in the raid field. (Hanho)
This was not just a simple replacement, but an upgrade. (Hanho)
While the original method was to chip away at it, the ‘Tear of the Goddess’ completely fixed the resistance value at 0. (Hanho)
‘Well, the duration is short in exchange, but…’ (Hanho)
It would be shameless of me to complain here. (Hanho)
In fact, the current situation had fallen into place in an unbelievably perfect way. (Hanho)
KABOOOOM! (Hanho)
As soon as the light burst forth, the barrage from the main force, which had been casting, poured out. (Hanho)
The sound itself was completely different from before. (Hanho)
After all, with no rain and no summons, the main force could now unleash its full firepower. (Hanho)
‘There’s no reason to control the tempo while managing our health, either.’ (Hanho)
Kill or be killed. (Hanho)
An all-out battle where everything was poured out in the face of a grim two-choice question. (Hanho)
A layer of Tetrasea’s pity has been peeled off.
The first shell was broken off by the all-out assault before even a few seconds had passed. (Hanho)
Crack, cr-crack!
The armor, cracking and splitting as if to prove it had exceeded its absorbable shock, fell to the ground. (Hanho)
And at that moment. (Hanho)
“Viscount, fall back!” (Armin)
A loud shout came from Armin in the main force. (Hanho)
There was no reason to hold it anymore, so I had already fallen back after shattering the Tear of the Goddess. (Hanho)
But to be told to fall back even further from here… (Hanho)
‘It must be that.’ (Hanho)
I did not act stubborn and wordlessly increased the distance, and it was almost immediate. (Hanho)
Fwoooooosh~!
A giant magic circle formed in the direction of the main force, and in the instant it burst with light. (Hanho)
Flash!
A pure white gleam flashed briefly. (Hanho)
With my senses focused on strength and endurance, it was impossible for me to visually confirm what was fired. (Hanho)
Well, that didn't mean I didn't know what it was. (Hanho)
Charlotte Emblem has cast the Second-Rank Attack Magic [Spear of Annihilation].
The very same magic I had seen when hunting Hiframazant on the Underground First Floor. (Hanho)
In the midst of the hectic raid, all the mages of the main force had combined their powers to manifest it as a ‘joint spell’… (Hanho)
Puuuuuuush!!
By the time I came to my senses, a giant white spear was embedded deep within the thickly layered armor. (Hanho)
A layer of Tetrasea’s pity has been peeled off.
A layer of Tetrasea’s pity has been peeled off.
A layer of Tetrasea’s pity has been peeled…
Watching the shells being torn off as the spear shattered, its power spent, I held my breath. (Hanho)
‘Four layers at once…’ (Hanho)
The result was much better than I had thought. (Hanho)
Even after shattering the Tear of the Goddess, I had expected at most three layers. (Hanho)
“We’ve determined that any more high-mana-cost attack spells are impossible! The remaining mages will switch to maintaining the existing curses!” (Armin)
Hearing Armin’s report, it seemed they had poured every last drop of their mana into this joint spell… (Hanho)
‘Is it my turn now?’ (Hanho)
In a situation where all the damage had to be crammed in within a limited time, I wasted no time and immediately took out what I had prepared. (Hanho)
The character has used [Aegis Dragon Armor].
Aegis Dragon Armor. (Hanho)
The item that increased damage dealt by the amount of damage taken, a true innovation for a tank. (Hanho)
Reflects the accumulated damage.
At that, a spirit warrior formed behind me and swung a greatsword down with all its might. (Hanho)
CR-CR-CRACK!
The pieces of the shell scattered as if shattering with a single blow. (Hanho)
A layer of Tetrasea’s pity has been peeled off.
However, the spirit warrior, as if unsatisfied, raised its greatsword high once again. (Hanho)
And… (Hanho)
Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.
The use effect will be cast one more time.
One more time. (Hanho)
CR-CRACK! (Hanho)
Another shell peeled off. (Hanho)
Up to this point, it was as I had expected. (Hanho)
Honestly, with all the hits I’d taken, I thought the stack would have built up for at least two hits. (Hanho)
But is this what they call human greed? (Hanho)
I suddenly became curious. (Hanho)
A layer of Tetrasea’s pity has been peeled off.
Although my HP was constantly being restored by divine power, so I never reached a near-death state, I had been hit an incredible amount for hours. (Hanho)
Excluding the fact that it hurt exceptionally because of my Pain Resistance, I wondered if I had ever been hit this much for such a long time… (Hanho)
“…How about this time?” (Hanho)
At that moment, as I turned around with a sliver of hope to check on the spirit warrior. (Hanho)
Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.
Seeing the spirit warrior, which had not disappeared as if its work was not yet done, I grinned. (Hanho)
‘Right, I did get hit a lot this time.’ (Hanho)
There was more. (Hanho)
The next stage, one I had never experienced before. (Hanho)
