The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 394: Monarch (2)

Ghost, the leader of the Crimson Dawn, stood at the top of the fortress wall and looked down at the gorge.

Vulcan muttered quietly from beside him, “3 million... Seeing it in person is truly overwhelming.”

Vulcan had joined Siris Fortress along with the Warriors guild members. Rather than defending the southern region where most of their territories were located, they had chosen to block Siris Fortress. If the eastern front fell, the enemy would flood south in an instant. They had judged that it was much better to face the enemy in a narrow path like Siris Fortress than to deal with enemies flooding in from all directions.

Even if we lose here by any chance...

Their respawn point had been set in the southern territory. They could regroup according to the enemy’s advance and aim for a second chance.

“At least they can’t use those ridiculous catapults here.”

The human suicide bombers that the Black Dragon guild boasted about wouldn’t work on Siris Fortress. The height of the fortress, which filled the gorge, was nearly twice that of a normal wall.

“Besides, we’re more advantageous in terms of food supplies,” Minerva added.

Just as Minerva said, defenders had a much easier time securing food than attackers. In short, those defending Siris Fortress just needed to wait and make sure the gate didn’t break.

“The number of allies currently defending the fortress is 230, 000...”

“Only around 70, 000 can enter the gorge at once. That’s not bad.”

Vulcan remained calm even while looking at the Black Dragon army that stretched to the horizon.

In the end, this is a battle of mentality.

It was a fight to see who could hold out longer. Vulcan and the Warriors had confidence in this kind of battle.

“A true warrior should at least be able to choose a battlefield where they can shine.”

Right now, Siris Fortress was that battlefield.

“The situation isn’t all bad thanks to the high-level players from the Kingdom of Rashion joining us,” Minerva assessed the situation objectively.

If Siris Fortress fell, dozens of paths leading to the east and central regions would open. That would be a living hell for normal players. Naturally, many players had voluntarily gathered at Siris Fortress to prevent that disaster.

“Those bastards from the Kingdom of Aldebaran and Black Dragon, who do they think they are coming here?”

“Let’s teach them a lesson for relying only on their numbers!”

The way they boosted their morale among themselves didn’t seem so bad.

“Then we’ll leave the defense to you and we’ll focus on assassinating key figures,” Ghost said as he looked at Vulcan and Minerva.

“If you’re aiming for assassinations, does that mean you’ll leave the fortress?”

“It’s not just a few. It’s a force of 3 million. Even if Xao Lin gives the command, they’ll need people in between to control them precisely. We’ll take them out.”

“Not a bad idea.”

Indeed, communication would inevitably falter if the middle links were cut off.

“The paladins of the Pray guild will handle the tanking, and the clerics will provide solid support from the rear.”

Minerva and the Pray guild were currently away from the Holy Blood Order. The Holy Blood Order had gone to defend Arkan Academy where High Priest Albert was located.

“We’ll leave the rear to you.”

Rivals among the world’s top eight guilds. They were the toughest when enemies, but the most reliable when allies.

With this level of force, it’s worth a shot no matter how many troops the Black Dragon has.

As optimistic thoughts spread through everyone’s minds, the Black Dragon’s siege began.

***

The word often used to describe sieges in MID Online was extravagant. However, even that word began to lose its shine the longer one observed the siege.

Rumble! Crackle!

Hundreds of wizards chanted spells, waves of healing and buffs surged, and archers and warriors launched ranged attacks at each other. Even a party fighting a boss on the field looked spectacular, but this was a war with thousands or even tens of thousands fighting together. Of course, it was dazzling, and just as chaotic.

“Look at them relaxing.”

“Well, they probably didn’t think anyone inside the fortress would come all the way to the outpost.”

The Black Dragon had set up an outpost near the entrance into Siris Gorge. Only around 100, 000 could enter the canyon at most anyway, so the rest of the massive army was leisurely resting there.

Watching them quietly, Ghost said, “We’ll go down now and assassinate the targets. You all know your assignments, right?”

“Of course. But what if a member falls in danger? Just ignore them?”

At Chris’s question, who wore a flashy robe, Ghost fell into thought.

“Leave that to your judgment. If you think it’s too hard to save someone, abandon them without hesitation.”

“You all heard that, right? Don’t complain later and make sure to be good from the start.”

“Can’t believe someone like Chris is giving advice.”

“Calling the top-ranked player ‘someone like’?”

Far from being nervous, the members looked relaxed.

The members didn’t look tense at all. If anything, they seemed relaxed. That meant each of them had strong confidence in their own skills.

“If you’re that confident, how about we bet on who takes out more?”

“Idiot.”

“What, are you scared?”

“Look who’s talking. Fine, let’s do it.”

While the members hyped each other up, Ghost’s eyes shined. “Stop fighting with each other and make sure you all survive.”

Wearing a red mask, Ghost sank straight into the ground. The place where he reappeared was in front of the makeshift barricade that the Black Dragon had set up.

“Hm?”

“What is it?” One of the Black Dragon guild members guarding the barricade asked his comrade.

“I just felt a breeze...”

“Well, of course. It’s a gorge.”

“Ugh, I already want to switch shifts.”

Using the Stealth skill, Ghost naturally passed through the barricade and entered one of the barracks without hesitation.

“Huh?” As the curtain at the entrance suddenly swayed, a player sorting reports inside tilted his head. “Felt like the entrance opened just now...”

Ghost carefully examined the face of the man muttering to himself.

Hank. Level 428. It’s him.

The Crimson Dawn prided themselves on being the best in MID Online when it came to assassinations and intelligence gathering. Naturally, they had full knowledge of the Black Dragon guild’s internal structure.

I’ve got no personal grudge, but...

That’s just how war worked.

Ghost slowly walked behind Hank, who was seated, and drove a dagger into the back of his neck.

“...!”

Not a single scream escaped from Hank’s mouth. To be precise, the scream couldn’t escape. The most important thing in an assassination was avoiding support being called through noise.

A dagger with a Silence skill and a direct stab to the neck.

He wouldn’t be able to make a sound or use any skills. Ghost looked down at Hank, who stared up with wide eyes as the invisibility wore off, with an emotionless gaze. He covered Hank’s mouth with his left hand and gripped another dagger with his right. This time he stabbed into the heart. At the same time, blue veins began to rise on Hank’s skin.

This dagger is coated with Appentus’s thorn venom.

It was a Unique-grade weapon.

He then reversed his grip and made a wide horizontal slash across the neck, and Hank disappeared into polygons without even the smallest resistance or sound.

Only one down. And now it should be about time...

As that thought came to mind, an explosion rang out and the outpost began to grow noisy.

Not all members of the Crimson Dawn were as skilled in assassination as Ghost.

“Chris... Always going wild.”

Especially Chris, who was notorious as a Wizard, specialized in mass killings.

Better move out quickly before I get dragged in.

With each step Ghost took, his body gradually turned transparent.

***

“What’s the commotion? And it seems like not everyone is present.” Xao Lin, who was holding a strategy meeting, asked with a displeased expression.

After hearing a subordinate’s whispered report, Kun Feng replied in an apologetic tone, “It’s a surprise attack. It seems the enemy is operating a guerrilla unit.”

“Guerrilla unit?” Xao Lin scoffed. “Must be those Crimson Dawn bastards.” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“That seems to be the case. Chris, the number one ranked player, is rampaging right now.”

“So the ones who aren’t present all got taken out?”

“Yes, Hank, Makpim, Joo Tae-Ryun, and Simgae are all showing as logged out.”

“I don’t need to step in personally, do I?”

“Of course not.”

At Kun Feng’s signal, hundreds of officers and unit leaders all stood up and headed outside the command tent. As the first and second unit leaders were currently engaged in battle at the front of Siris Fortress, Kun Feng, as the third unit leader, held the highest rank.

“The disturbance will be settled quickly.”

“Well, it should be fine if it’s Chris.”

“Rather, I believe this could be an opportunity. We should use this to uncover the identities of the Crimson Dawn members who have remained hidden until now.”

“Crimson Dawn members... That does sound interesting.”

Xao Lin reached out and picked up a teacup. The teacup filled with clear green tea was transparent enough to see the bottom of the cup.

At that moment, several drops of red liquid fell into the cup with an unsettling sound.

“What the?!”

Startled, Kun Feng raised his hand to summon a magic circle, but the assassin who revealed himself after canceling Stealth was faster.

“Kugh!”

With a dagger lodged in his shoulder, Kun Feng staggered back three steps. In that moment, the assassin pulled out another dagger and drove it straight into Xao Lin’s eye.

“Master!”

Kun Feng yanked the dagger from his shoulder and hurled it, then unleashed a Flame Spear. Seeing this, the assassin stepped back with calm steps and dodged the attack.

“Are you alright?!” Kun Feng instantly rushed over to check Xao Lin’s condition, truly acting like a loyal subject.

“Don’t make such a fuss.”

Xao Lin’s voice as he scolded him was as relaxed as if he had just gone out for a walk. That composure made the assassin, Ghost, furrow his brows.

He’s fine?

It was a combo that instantly eliminated Hank, a level 428 player. Xao Lin, whose estimated level was around 460, shouldn’t have been one-shotted, but at least 70% of his HP should have been gone.

Ghost’s gaze slightly trembled as he looked up to check Xao Lin’s HP. Even though he had used Stealth and struck only vital spots with perfect skill shots, Xao Lin had lost only about 6% of his health.

This is absurd...

Did he have exceptionally high defense? That couldn’t be. Xao Lin’s current outfit looked ridiculous but was actually a dragon robe once worn by ancient Chinese emperors. It was a custom-made piece by a tailor, stylish in appearance but nowhere near the defensive level of standard heavy or plate armor.

“You seem quite surprised. You're frozen.” Xao Lin slowly stood up and pulled out a soft handkerchief to wipe the blood. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen that mask. Almost missed it... Don’t you agree, Ghost?”

“Xao Lin...”

"It’s been almost a year and a half since we clashed a few times in the early days of MID Online and never saw each other again.”

Even though he had been ambushed, Xao Lin showed no sign of panic. Rather, the one who seemed shaken was Ghost, who had carried out the assassination. He had told his guild members not to be greedy and to only target the middle links, but the moment he saw there were only two people in the meeting room, he let greed cloud his judgment.

"How high is your HP stat exactly?"

"Still gathering intel in this situation. That occupational habit of yours is truly frightening." Xao Lin let out a low chuckle and made an expression of slight annoyance. "By the way. I didn’t expect you to aim for me from the start."

He hadn’t planned to reveal information about himself so soon.

I was saving it for a flashier moment on a more important stage.

The anticipation and excitement that had swelled up now felt like they were quickly fading.

“Well, things have come this far, so I guess it can’t be helped.”

Xao Lin pulled a long spear from his inventory and pointed it at Ghost. At the same time, Ghost’s gaze slightly trembled.

This feeling is...

It was almost the same feeling he had when he first saw Kai in the Duel Arena.