I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 235 Atonement (Part 4)

Players generally understand that before fighting a boss, they should clear out the smaller monsters around the boss.

Even though those small monsters are very weak in combat, their very existence is a nuisance. They will interfere with the player's strategy for defeating the boss, so they need to be eliminated.

When the players discovered the boss, Araka, they devised a very simple but extremely effective plan: lure the boss onto the city wall and then use the terrain to sever the boss's connection with the jihadist army.

This battle plan was very successful. Without the player needing to entice it too much, Aranka charged up the city wall on his own. When the holy army behind him also rushed up, the player used his life to entangle the boss.

Next, several players bypassed the boss and blocked the stairs where the Holy War Army was located. They used heavy armor to crush light armor and massacred the enemy. At this time, the NPC soldiers who had been "defeated" and fled to both sides of the city wall also returned.

Led by Ye Aonaihe, they launched an attack on the Holy War soldiers who had not yet climbed the steps.

At the same time, the captain, who had infiltrated the city using the underground drainage system, led his hundred or so soldiers in a surprise attack from the rear of the Holy War Army.

Despite being attacked from three directions, the jihadist army did not collapse immediately; they continued to put up a stubborn resistance.

Even when they were divided and surrounded, even when they were attacked from both sides, the ragged soldiers of the Holy War Army still waved their weapons like madmen, their eyes filled with a desire for victory and a fearlessness in the face of death.

However, the resistance of the jihadists was meaningless, because their bodies had already reached their limits... Their hands holding weapons were trembling, their steps were unsteady, and some even fainted on the way due to low blood sugar.

Even when the Holy War Army was at its peak, it couldn't stop the ruthless players.

"For Mother Earth!"

A young man with acne-covered skin raised a blood-stained iron sword and charged at Ye Aonaihe, but he was too slow. Even though Ye Aonaihe could only use his right hand, his military knife pierced the young man's chest faster than the sword.

Before collapsing to the ground, the boy discarded his weapon, spitting blood as he threw himself onto Grandpa Aonaihe's body.

"Kill...kill him...kill..."

The next second, another simply dressed young man pounced from the side, clutching a rusty dagger, trying to use it to cut open Ye Aonaihe's throat.

Unexpectedly, even with his right hand held, Ye Aonai managed to drag his burdens along and deliver a spinning back kick, sending the enemy who was trying to steal the kill flying.

Then, using the centrifugal force from turning around, he threw the enemy who was holding him away.

"You think you can kill me like this? You're so naive!"

Ye Ao Naihe mocked the enemy lying on the ground, vomiting blood, and then swung his knife at the latter's neck, physically silencing him and giving him no chance to refute or curse.

Because of their fanatical faith, the Holy War Army has no shortage of people who are willing to fight to the death and even risk their lives, but such desperate actions don't really scare players, because they understand these things better than the former.

At the top of the city wall steps, five players in full plate armor formed an ironclad defensive line.

Wielding two-handed greatswords and long-handled battle axes, each swing could cut down several jihadists. The narrow staircase limited the jihadists' numerical advantage, allowing these well-equipped players to easily deal with the latter's uphill attacks.

"This is a meat grinder!"

One player shouted excitedly, his battle axe already covered in blood and bits of flesh.

The jihadists charged relentlessly towards this ironclad defense, only to be harvested like wheat. The corpses quickly piled up into small mountains, forcing the jihadists behind to step over the bodies of their fallen comrades to continue their advance.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with the smells of sweat and feces... Many ordinary citizens were so terrified by this desperate environment that they lost control of their bladder and bowels.

Araka sensed something was wrong on the city wall. He turned to go back to help, but was grabbed by three players. "Where do you think you're going, you charlatan?"

A player's rapier pierced Aranka's eye like a venomous snake, forcing him to dodge hastily. A sweeping scepter forced him back, but two other players seized the opportunity to attack from the side. Aranka had to use his divine magic again, and the green light on his scepter surged, sending the two flying.

In the fierce battle, players lost more than twenty lives, and they finally discovered Aranka's weakness... First of all, his invulnerability to swords and spears was not because he was truly immune to harm, but rather because he had turned himself into an agile stone golem.

Arak can also be injured if vulnerable parts of the body, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals, are attacked.

Secondly, after using his majestic and unstoppable divine magic a few times, Alanka's face showed an undisguised fatigue. Clearly, this thing either had a limited number of uses or consumed a huge amount of energy, and could not be used indefinitely.

Players don't believe there are no bosses that can't be defeated, or obstacles that are insurmountable. They firmly believe that with enough patience and strategy, any powerful opponent can be defeated.

Araka, the high priestess of the Earth Mother Goddess, is powerful, but clearly not invincible.

"Look, this guy's health bar has dropped!"

One player, panting heavily, said with delight that the Arak Scepter still bore the marks on his shield.

"He was tired too, and he couldn't just knock me flying with one blow."

At this moment, Aranka had no time to listen to what the enemy was saying. The screams from the corner of the stairs were like steel needles piercing his temples. He hurriedly turned around and was immediately enraged by the sight of blood flowing like a river on the stairs.

He saw three jihadists dressed as civilians being cornered by a player at the edge of the battlements. One of them knelt down and begged for mercy, but was mercilessly kicked down by the latter, falling to the ground with a wail.

"The glory of the Mother Goddess is in the earth!"

Araka's roar caused his scepter to unleash a circular shockwave, repelling several players surrounding him. He then turned and charged towards the steps, towards the holy warriors who, even as they were being slaughtered, had never given up on reaching the city walls to support the high priest.

Meanwhile, the captain's unit, which had launched a surprise attack from the drainage ditch, had already broken through the rear of the Jihad Army. These elite soldiers, well-trained and arranged in a wedge formation, tore through the Jihad Army's defenses like a hot knife through butter.

The captain himself wields a two-handed decapitation sword, capable of severing an enemy's body with each swing.

"Surrender and you will not be killed!"

The captain shouted, but his mercy only earned him the jihadists' furious curses and an even more desperate counterattack.

A gaunt boy... who looked no more than sixteen years old, rushed toward the heavily armored players' defensive line carrying a bundle of burning hay. Before he could take two steps, a lead bullet pierced his chest, leaving him slumped on the ground.

Then, the hay in his arms exploded, flames instantly engulfed the boy, and screams echoed throughout the city walls.

Arlanca witnessed all of this, and tears of blood welled up in his eyes. He suddenly realized that in his attempt to make amends, he had made an even bigger mistake.

He finally realized the urgency of the situation, and Aranka raised his scepter and recited a long prayer to Mother Earth in ancient language.

He had only uttered two words when he was struck by an axe that came crashing down from behind, causing him to stumble and his prayer to be abruptly interrupted.

"Want to call your parents?"

The player wielding a two-handed giant axe grinned maliciously.

"Dream on! No way!"

(End of this chapter)