A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

A gust of cold wind swept in, followed by a relentless flurry of snowflakes, threatening to riddle Patriot with holes. At the same time, the ground trembled again, spikes erupting from the earth and forcing Patriot to move. Meanwhile, black blades and fiery meteors rained down from the sky, showing no mercy to Patriot.

Faced with a four-pronged attack, Patriot continued to retreat while raising his shield to defend himself. Because Patriot had charged so far forward, he had ample distance to withdraw. But just then, the shadow behind Patriot suddenly twisted.

"Captain, watch out!" A guerrilla shield guard saw the sudden change in Patriot's figure from behind and called out to warn him.

Unfortunately, by the time the guerrilla shield bearers noticed the disturbance and tried to warn him, it was too late. Suddenly, many tentacle-like things appeared from behind Patriot, binding his limbs and immobilizing him. The last warlock had already made his move, and Patriot, restrained by the warlock's spells, could only passively endure the attacks of the other four warlocks.

No… it’s not just the attack of these four sorcerers. You have to understand that right now on the front lines, Patriots also have to face countless explosions, crossbow bolts, and attacks from other ordinary military sorcerers.

"The escort captain! Cough... Damn it!"

The out-of-place shield guards tried to step forward to shield Patriots from the attacks, but they were also caught in the crossbow fire and were unable to return in time.

However, to think that this would defeat Patriot would be to underestimate his abilities. Patriot was still emanating black gas, seemingly ready to unleash his destructive power to utterly crush everything.

Just when everyone, including Patriot himself, thought he should be the one to take the hit, Patriot suddenly found a blonde figure in front of him.

"boom!"

"Not bad at all, it's quite interesting."

Arcueid suddenly appeared on the scene, punching with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, shattering all the black blades. Then, she swiftly grabbed Meteor and hurled it at the blowing ice spikes, snowflakes, and sharp points attacking from the ground.

A huge explosion and debris flew in all directions. Arcueid crossed his arms and let the energy and debris hit him, but he seemed unaffected, letting the strong wind blow his short hair and make it tremble.

"..." A hint of surprise flashed in Patriot's eyes. He hadn't expected to find another person who could so easily break through magic with physical strength. It seemed this person was one of those brought back by Wang Chong. He was also an unknown yet powerful individual.

“He asked me to come and help you evacuate, and now that our objective has been achieved, you can continue to retreat to the first pass. With the mountains as cover, those magic spells can't harm you.” Arcueid cracked his knuckles, as if he hadn't stretched his muscles in a long time.

"...Thank you for your trouble." Patriot didn't say much. He naturally understood the strategic objectives to be achieved this time: first, to harass the enemy, and second, to probe their strength. Now that the enemy's visible combat forces had all been deployed, all that was needed now was to make proper arrangements and defeat them one by one.

“These gadgets are pretty good, but I still prefer pure power.” Arcueid extended its claws and easily tore apart the shadow bindings on Patriot’s body. After regaining his mobility, Patriot immediately locked his killing intent on the five war sorcerers who had been hiding behind him.

The five sorcerers felt a chill run down their spines, sensing the immense pressure pressing down on them, and dared not make any further rash moves. At that moment, however, a vehicle carrying heavy weapons drove up from the top of the slope. Multi-port launchers on the vehicle slowly tilted, adjusting the launch distance, and then a large number of missiles were launched from the launchers, targeting the Patriots and the Reunion Movement members.

"Line up! Shields up!" The shield guards raised their massive shields to face the incoming fire.

"Well done!" To everyone's surprise, Arcueid leaped up and pounced on the incoming missiles.

"Boom! Boom!!"

A blinding flash of light forced everyone to shield their eyes with their hands or shields. The massive explosive energy poured onto the mountainside, causing it to crack and break open, and landslides began to occur. Patriot, seeing this, said nothing, but instead, maintaining a defensive stance with his shield raised, retreated to his guerrilla group and used sign language to signal everyone to begin the retreat.

As for Arcueid, Patriot wasn't too worried. He knew very well the power of the Imperial grenade launchers; they wouldn't harm this girl who could so easily disrupt a war sorcerer's spells with her physical strength.

Sure enough, after the bright light and the sound of bombing completely disappeared, Arcueid landed on the ground as if nothing had happened.

"Hmm...it seems to be about as powerful as the missiles in our world, except that those dust lumps are a bit uncomfortable." Arcueid cracked his knuckles, roughly experiencing the feeling of breaking the missile with his fist, and muttered to himself.

"Strange...another monster."

"Are we fighting a monster? We can't win... we simply can't win!"

However, what Arcueid found incredibly easy was clearly a different story for the opposing side. In their minds, having one Patriot who could withstand relentless firepower was already beyond their comprehension. Now, with another one appearing, it undoubtedly eroded the soldiers' will to continue fighting.

"Damn it! What are you all standing there for! Do you want to be court-martialed?!" However, the commander at the front had already begun to urge the Ursus soldiers to engage the enemy.

"Charge! Kill them!" Helpless, the soldiers could only grit their teeth and muster their courage to charge forward.

"War... it's as ugly as ever." With Arcueid's keen hearing, she naturally noticed the frontline commander forcing his soldiers to fight. Her previously slightly interested expression turned cold. As a nature spirit, although she quite enjoyed this kind of pure violence, she was surprisingly indifferent and disgusted by wars that caused such devastation.

"Anyone who passes through here shall die!"

Arcueid raised her hand and slammed her fist into the ground. The ground in front of her churned up dramatically, like a floorboard being ripped open, sending the charging Ursus soldiers staggering and falling, some even being swept into the mud and buried alive. The entire vanguard was swiftly wiped out by Arcueid's punch, and without clearing away the rubble and churned earth, they wouldn't be able to advance anytime soon.

Ultimately, the Ursus Third and Fourth Mixed Regiments could only watch helplessly as Patriot and his men retreated, despite their relentless barrage of ranged attacks. Patriot blocked them all with his nearly indestructible giant shield, rendering them ineffective.

"Even the grenade launchers have come up, and the war sorcerers have come to support us—there's no way we can't stop Patriot! Damn it! Where did this freak suddenly come from... Could it be that this band of bandits has more than just Patriot with such fighting power? If so, unless the Imperial Guards come to our aid, is it really possible to wipe them out in this kind of mountainous terrain? No, we have to report this information to the generals immediately."

The commander in charge of the front lines immediately ordered his intelligence officer to report what had happened and his own speculations.

Chapter 188 Stalemate and Waiting

"Gentlemen, what do you think? Let's discuss it."

Back in the camp, everyone learned of the current situation at the front from the intelligence officer, and they all fell silent. One Patriot was already so troublesome, let alone the addition of an unknown, mysterious woman capable of withstanding the attacks of bomb-throwing vehicles and war sorcerer spells.

“What else can we do, General? We can only do our best. We might have to risk lives. We can only try to find a way to give the sorcerers a chance to deliver a fatal blow,” one of the commanders said.

“In that case, we must recreate the one-on-one situation we had before. In addition, we need to target their supplies. We need to find a shortcut up the mountain and locate where they store their supplies. Only by cutting off their food supply can we force them to make a desperate gamble by going down the mountain. That will be the time when our heavy weapons can be put to use,” another commander said.

“General, you previously said you would send your private army to assist us, but all of this takes time to complete. Why don’t we use the time before reinforcements arrive to slowly advance and explore?” another commander said.

"Then we'll have the war sorcerers stationed at the front for a long time. If Patriot launches another attack, we'll prioritize killing those around him... This will not only reduce uncertainties, but might also enrage Patriot, causing him to lose his mind and charge into our encirclement, ultimately leading to our successful encirclement and annihilation."

“You have a pretty good idea, but what makes you think those hidden, powerful beings will let you kill Patriot alone next time?” Ulrich said. “However, your suggestion isn’t without merit. We do need to advance slowly and wait for the aid that will change the situation. But the aid we need is not from my private army, but from His Majesty the Emperor.”

"Your Majesty?" Everyone was startled upon hearing this.

“If there were only one patriot, it wouldn’t be so bad, but if so many powerful individuals wielding Originium Arts have gathered… then the nature of this matter is completely different. The danger these people pose is enough to threaten His Majesty’s rule. I believe His Majesty understands the implications behind this. What we need to do is probe and find out more information about this band of bandits… the more powerful individuals hidden among them, the more attention His Majesty will pay,” Ulrich said in a deep voice.

"Does the general mean... to request support from the Imperial Guard?" a commander asked in a trembling voice.

The Imperial Guard, the Emperor's sharpest blade, are a group that most rulers of Ursus fear. Not only are they directly dispatched by the Emperor, but more importantly, their near-inhuman nature means that a single misstep can lead to a fate worse than death. If they could, none of these people would want to come into contact with them.

“Better safe than sorry. The appearance of that mysterious woman has given me a very uneasy feeling,” Ulrich said slowly. “By the way, how is the southwestern battlefield? Any news?” “The situation in the southwest isn’t good either. The mountain roads are too rugged, and those brats, having learned their lesson, haven’t given our sorcerers a single chance to catch them. Our special forces are preparing to widen the mountain paths, establish positions, and advance slowly. We’ve lost quite a few men in the process, but as long as we can avoid their crossbow bolts, we can at least make our way up the mountain little by little,” said the commander in charge of liaising with the southwestern battlefield.

"Looks like we're going to be locked in a stalemate here..." Ulrich murmured, looking towards the top of the hill, his unease growing stronger. He had thought he had enough information about this band of bandits. But now it seemed there were too many unknown variables hidden within.

……

In the afternoon, the attacking force in Ursus was now the 5th and 6th Regiments, which had barely rested. They had cleared the roads, which were littered with rubble and mud from the recent landslides caused by the fierce fighting, and after rebuilding their defensive fortifications, they finally began their advance again under orders.

However, whether due to a change in strategic policy or the poor condition of the 5th and 6th Regiments, they retreated after a brief engagement with the Reunion Movement soldiers. They suffered approximately 100 casualties while injuring only 3 enemy soldiers, a rather dismal record.

But the Fifth and Sixth Regiments seemed completely unconcerned. After resting for a while, they launched another attack. This continued intermittently for about seven or eight times before finally stopping around evening. The attack was then switched to the Seventh and Eighth Regiments taking turns.

The casualties on both sides reached 600 and 30 respectively. The Sarkaz's black mist had been exhausted over a long period and would need at least several hours to recover. However, Ursus's relentless attrition tactics prevented them from replenishing their forces in time. Consequently, even members of the Sarkaz mercenary group began to suffer casualties.

Such battles are indeed very frustrating for the Sarkaz; they can't charge forward, and when they reach the crucial moment, the enemy retreats.

Wang Chong ceased commanding from the front lines, knowing that W and his two companions were capable of operating according to his strategy. Now, Wang Chong had not only had Patriot probe Ulrich's full strength but had also brought Arcueid to the Ursus army for the first time, making Ulrich realize the uncertainties and thus change his strategy, further slowing the pace of the war and giving the Reunion Movement more time.

"Let's wear them down, let's just wear them down... What the Reunion Movement needs most right now is time and opportunities to train." Wang Chong began to adjust personnel deployment, and started to send some of the Reunion Movement's outstanding new recruits to the front lines to hone their skills.

"It looks like it might not stop until nightfall. But we've made it through the first day," Talulah remarked.

"The fiercest fighting today took place this morning. They initially thought we had been interfering all night and were holding back their anger, so both their morale and the strategic objectives they needed to achieve forced them to fight us fiercely. However, their initial momentum waned, and their strength waned. Not only did they change commanders mid-battle, but they were also severely demoralized by Mr. Patriot's attack. As a result, neither their strategy nor the condition of their soldiers was sufficient to support them in continuing to fight as they had this morning," Wang Chong said slowly.

“Talulah, I suspect that Ulrich, seeing that we have new high-level personnel, is very likely to try to recruit more troops to advance towards us,” Wang Chong said.

"You mean, we'll face even more enemies after this? Far more than these 4?" Talulah asked, her heart sinking.

"Well, don't worry. No matter how many people come, once Ulrich dies, they'll all be scattered. What we need to do now is keep the act going. We need to give the non-combatants of the Reunion Movement time to leave through the dug tunnels and establish new bases, and we also need to help our new recruits adapt to the war environment as quickly as possible."

Wang Chong put his hands behind his back and said, "There will be a lot more blood to be shed in the future. The Integration Movement must continue to strive for self-improvement. Only in this way can we ensure that even if they break away from us one day, they can still thrive in other places and realize the ultimate ideals and vision of our Integration Movement, spreading our ideals to even more distant places."

“I know what you mean, Ah Chong.” Talulah nodded, stood up, and then asked, “Are you going again tonight?”

“Well, but this time I'm not taking W and Faust. The front lines can't do without them. Besides, they learned it last night, so it's time for someone else,” Wang Chong said. “Let me think, who should I take today…”

"Why don't you take me with you?"

"you?"

Chapter 189 The Way of the Man

As night deepened, the sounds of battle continued, with artillery fire and magical bombardment echoing throughout the night. The 9th and 10th Regiments were now engaged in combat with the Reunion Movement. After the first half of the night's fighting, Ursus suffered 427 casualties, while the Reunion Movement had lost 33.

Looking at the changes in the casualty ratio, the proportion of casualties from the Reunification Movement began to increase. However, this was mainly due to the rotation of new recruits to allow veterans to rest. Issues with integration and experience led to a significant increase in casualties.

Even so, their record of winning with fewer troops is still remarkable. It was only during this initial period that they died on the battlefield due to unfamiliarity and lack of experience. But once they adapted to this environment, they could become just as formidable as the veterans, a tough nut to crack for Ursus.

"Both sides are still fighting, how are we supposed to get close? Or are we going to rely on your ability to fly through the clouds?" Talulah asked.

“If we rely on my ability to fly through the clouds, how will you sneak up on those camps when you lead a team alone in the future? So we have to find our own way. The method must be replicable, at least for you,” Wang Chong said.

At this moment, Talulah, Wang Chong, and Albion were all lying on the mountaintop platform, watching as the fighting continued on both the southwest and northwest roads. For the time being, they had no way to reach the camp through these two roads.

"It's almost impossible to cross the battlefield and reach the enemy camp directly. Since we can't leave by flying and we'd have to find a way back after going down, our only option is to use ropes to descend the cliff."

Talulah wasn't one to be rigid in her thinking. After a moment's consideration, she found a suitable path down the mountain based on the terrain of her area, and then continued:

“The length of the hemp rope we wove was not long enough to descend the mountain in one go, and even if we had it, it would be difficult to support us. Therefore, we needed several places to use as footholds, so we climbed down the rope in sections, starting from here and then here. This not only solved the problem of the rope length, but also allowed us to lie down and observe the situation below each time we reached a certain point, so that we wouldn't be spotted by enemy scouts patrolling at the foot of the mountain.”

“That’s good, but this method also means that the number of people cannot be too large. Therefore, in the future, when encountering this situation, it is best to bring people with a similar level to Xiao Lu.” Wang Chong nodded and said, “Then let’s follow your method. While most of the Ursus soldiers’ attention is still on the battlefield, let’s hurry down first.”

The two immediately set to work. Before long, under the cover of night, three figures began to quietly climb down the cliff, holding onto ropes.

"We're here." Talulah finally breathed a sigh of relief after her feet were firmly planted on the ground.

"It's not over yet. Albion, reel in the rope and stay here. Once we get here, lower the rope." Wang Chong communicated with Albion, who remained on the platform above, using the black mist. Albion then reeled in the rope and obediently lay down on the platform, listening to Wang Chong's instructions.

“We can’t let ourselves be discovered by Ursus soldiers on patrol after we leave. We also need to have people guarding this path from now on. Those Ursus special forces soldiers are always trying to find other ways to get up the mountain. Even if very few people can get up this path, we still have to be careful,” Wang Chong said.

Talulah nodded, then followed Wang Chong as they made their way towards the northwest battlefield. Both were dressed in night clothes, using the cover of the forest and their exceptional senses to bypass the heavy defenses and arrive near the main camp.

"Is it the same as before, just a routine harassment and then leaving?" Talulah asked.

“Yes, but it would be best to make a bigger commotion. With your fire power, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Wang Chong said.

“Then I’ll burn a few more heavy weapons and make it seem like I’m leading a spellcasting corps in an attack. This will not only reduce the pressure on the front lines but also free up some of their forces to fight the fire,” Talulah said after a moment’s thought.

The two waited quietly for the first half of the night to pass and the second half to begin. Once the people in the tents began to rest, they launched their raid.

"System, use the villain template card on me now," Wang Chong said to the system while waiting.

"Hmm? Host, are you sure you want to use this villain template card now?" The system was taken aback, then asked.

“Yesterday, both W’s and Faust’s Originium Arts were rather weak. But today, with Talulah by my side, it’s a good time to test Talulah’s Originium Arts. Anyway, I’ll have to use this character card sooner or later, and its combat power during the trial period can’t surpass my own strength, so it can’t be used as a key trump card. Why should I save it? Why not test it out sooner and see if the skills match my expectations?” Wang Chong said.

"Alright, then I'll use it. The host is currently with Talulah, so when using the template card, it will still default to the host's original appearance, just testing the power, right?" the system asked.

"necessary."

"OK, host, you have used the S-rank villain template—Liberator Silas. Congratulations, host, you have acquired the following skills: [Spell Sense Level 1], [Passive - Enemy-Breaking Forbidden Spell Level 1], [Chain Whip Strike Level 1], [Kingslayer Thrust Level 1], [Stealth/Abduction Level 1], and [The Way of Man Level 1]. In trial mode, all your skill levels are temporarily increased to the maximum."

As the system's notifications sounded, Wang Chong instantly felt a surge of immense power erupt from his body. However, the power itself was secondary; what benefited Wang Chong most was the sudden influx of information into his mind related to the trajectories and patterns of magical spells. This greatly enriched Wang Chong's understanding of the essence and operation of energy in all things.

"Tsk tsk, truly wondrous. The entire world, under my current gaze, has become completely different from before." Wang Chong clearly saw the Originium dust in the atmosphere swaying with a wondrous rhythm, and his understanding of Originium Arts deepened. If Wang Chong hadn't deliberately suppressed this impulse, the black crown on his head would probably have reappeared.

"Then let me give it a try—the way of man!" Seeing that the time was almost up, Wang Chong used the ultimate skill of stealing men for the first time, and the target was Talulah next to him.

Two chains suddenly appeared on Wang Chong's arms, and then the other end of the chains suddenly attacked Talulah's hands.

"Huh?" Talulah was startled by the sudden appearance of the chains. Just as she was about to draw her sword, she realized that the chains were extending from Wang Chong's hands. So she asked curiously, "Chong, what are these chains...?"

"I've just developed a new ability, and you'll see it soon enough. Don't be too surprised. But how did you feel after I bound you with my chains?" Wang Chong chuckled as he felt the strange power the chains transmitted to him, then asked about Talulah's condition.

"No... I don't feel anything. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have known my hands were bound by chains." Talulah casually waved her hands, as if nothing had changed, and she didn't appear to be bound by chains at all. It was as if what she saw was just a deceptive illusion.

"If you don't feel anything, that's fine. Alright, let's get ready to make our move." Wang Chong retracted the chains, and a longsword made of Originium crystals inexplicably appeared at his waist.

Talulah nodded, then raised her longsword first, beginning to unleash her Originium Arts. A blazing light, like molten gold, shot from Talulah's eyes as she slammed her foot into the ground, shattering the rock. The sword's edge erupted with crimson flames, like molten lava. In an instant, the entire wasteland was illuminated by scarlet fire; the intense heat distorted the air violently, and countless sparks, like swarms of crimson butterflies, swirled and rose in the gale, finally coalescing into a towering pillar of fire that pierced the heavens.

With such a commotion, any sentry in the Ursus camp who wasn't blind would immediately realize what was happening.

"Burn them! Ursus's minions—Reunion warriors, charge with me! Crush them! Burn their blood-stained banners! Let the so-called imperial elite—turn to ashes in our wrath!!"

The last four words trembled like a dragon's roar, causing the Originium energy of the entire wasteland to resonate and vibrate. At that moment, facing the piercing alarm on the Ursus watchtower and the rain of arrows, Talulah swung her longsword and smashed the pillar of fire down.

Chapter 190 How do you know my Originium Arts?

The scorching wind swept through, cracking the ground with spiderweb-like fissures. Talulah's flames swiftly destroyed the rain of arrows, then swept away the fences with unstoppable force, clearing away all obstacles in her path.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! It's those bandits from the mountain, they've brought them down!"

The piercing alarm and the sound of voices rang out, and a large number of soldiers were awakened by Talulah's sword. Especially after hearing Talulah's impassioned charge and declaration of war, they panicked like startled birds.

"Everyone, follow orders! First and second regiments, extinguish the flames! We cannot allow those flames to burn and destroy any more of our heavy machinery! Third and fourth regiments, engage the enemy! We cannot allow them to break in! If we can hold out until the warlock regiments and war mages return, we can completely wipe out these bandits. The rest of you, hold the camp!"

However, the officers and commanders also began to take action, quickly bringing the situation under control. By this time, mixed regiments had already assembled, ready to meet the enemy.

But at that moment, another pillar of fire shot up from the ground, its power even surpassing the previous pillar. At the same time, various sounds of fighting and shouts echoed throughout the forest:

"Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

"Witness the punishment of heavenly fire, you bastards of Ursus!"

"Today, we will wipe them all out in one fell swoop!!"

"Damn it! It's enemy Originium Arts! Shield Guards, form ranks!" The commander shouted loudly upon seeing this.

"Behold this raging fire! Hear the earth's lament! This is divine punishment!" At that moment, a male voice, like thunder, resounded throughout the entire camp, as if afraid that they would not know that the other side was about to launch an attack.

The enormous fire tornado lashed out, scorching the night sky crimson. Beneath a blazing curtain of countless sparks, it surged like waves of fire, crashing into Ursus's hastily constructed shield defenses.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"