Chapter 59: Acting

Roche withdrew his gaze. Old White would be safe for the time being under the protection of Sorenson's summon.

According to what he had stated during the mobilization meeting, Sorenson's summon, reinforced by the blessing of more than a hundred Vulture members, would be able to sustain itself for at least an hour.

Moreover, with an ample supply of wraith energy, it could undoubtedly rival the combat prowess of a Tier 4 monster.

Roche's initial rough plan had not accounted for the appearance of the Vultures, nor, of course, the appearance of a third Tier 4 slime.

Plans were inherently subject to change; they could never remain static forever.

He turned his gaze toward the Tier 4 slime opposite him.

After their numerous recent exchanges of blows, he could already gauge the disparity in strength between them. Right now, his entire right arm ached intensely from the high-intensity collisions.

Furthermore, his chest had taken a severe blow earlier due to the difference in speed.

That impact had left Roche feeling as though his internal organs were churning.

A gentle white light flared, and the pain in his body instantly subsided by eighty or ninety percent.

The festering wounds on the back of his hand healed in an instant.

A look of shock and suspicion flickered in the crimson eyes of the black slime. It had never witnessed a human possess a physical constitution of such high intensity while simultaneously wielding healing magic.

And for some reason, it had the lingering sensation that the human before it was growing faster and faster!

At the very beginning, this human had been completely unable to keep up with its speed, yet now he was only slightly slower than itself.

This defied all its comprehension.

The look of scrutiny flickered in Roche's eyes as he checked the black slime's emotional and mental state:

[Emotional State: Shocked, Angry]
[Mental State: Stable]

Seeing that the black slime's emotional state was one of shock and suspicion, Roche smiled.

Thanks to Eklaus and Leila, who had just slain another fifteen Tier 2 slimes, his speed attribute point had now reached 268.

It was just one point shy of breaking through the Tier 4 barrier.

Although the black slime before him should belong to the speed-oriented type among Tier 4 beings, as long as the gap wasn't too wide, Roche could accept it.

The black slime opposite him charged at Roche once more. This time, Roche chose not to meet it head-on; instead, he sprinted toward the dozen or so Tier 3 slimes that Sorenson had battered to the brink of death.

Sensing that Roche intended to eliminate its kin first, the black slime let out an angry roar. It leaped fiercely from the ground, slamming into Roche's back like a gale of black wind.

Roche had no intention of defending himself; he simply lunged forward at full speed, allowing the black slime to smash directly into his back.

Puff!

A mouthful of bright red blood sprayed from his lips.

Roche felt as though he had been struck from behind by an immovable boulder imbued with infinite force.

Yet his speed did not slacken in the slightest; if anything, the impact accelerated him somewhat, propelling him right before the Tier 3 slimes lying on the ground.

Boom, boom, boom!!!

The uninjured group of Tier 3 slimes, which had been firing slime projectiles toward the distant knighthood, hurriedly pivoted to aim at Roche upon seeing this scene.

Eight or nine slime projectiles bombarded Roche.

Once again, Roche did not evade. Casting a healing spell, he took the full brunt of the damage head-on.

At this moment, his eyes held only those dozen or so Tier 3 slimes!

Those massive bodies were nothing more than glowing points of experience in his vision!

Swish, swish, swish!

The dark broadsword swept past one after another, extinguishing the lives of the Tier 3 slimes in succession.

Mucus flowed like a river, and blood pooled into a crimson sea.

[Host has slain a large slime, points +20]
[Host has slain a large slime, points +20]

System notifications chimed one after another. Without hesitation, Roche maxed out his speed attribute to 300.

A wave of profound invigoration coursed through his entire body, and he felt his physical vessel and soul shatter yet another layer of shackles.

All remaining points were poured into strength.

The Tier 4 slime rushed over from behind. Watching its kin fall one by one, it let out a furious, roaring bellow.

These were the elite forces of their Klin Kingdom, yet now they were losing their lives during what should have been an effortless territory annexation.

The anger in its heart had reached its absolute zenith.

The fury contained within its spherical body was on the verge of erupting.

Up until moments ago, it had remained immersed in the belief that this battle was an utterly one-sided rout.

However, as Roche systematically slaughtered those Tier 3 slimes, it finally registered the immense casualties its clan had suffered in this war.

Such an outcome was unprecedented in their conflicts with humanity.

Even the successful completion of the annexed territory might not be enough to fully compensate for these losses.

It loathed the Roche before it to the very marrow of its bones!

It opened its mouth, its tiny maw suddenly widening.

It grew even larger than the mouths of the Tier 3 slimes!!!

Orb after orb of energy condensed within its gaping maw, forming a black, undulating sphere.

This looked remarkably similar to the skill the previous Tier 4 slime had used, with the sole exception that ink-black substances continuously welled up from within its throat, infusing directly into the energy sphere.

Following that, that same substance coated its entire body.

It had unleashed its utmost power; though it could not be sustained indefinitely, it was more than enough to grant it an all-around enhancement for a period of time.

Its speed escalated further, surpassing its previous velocity by a considerable margin. Leaving a trail of afterimages in the air, it crashed into Roche.

Failing to parry in time, Roche was struck dead-on by the black slime right as he finished harvesting another Tier 3 slime.

He coughed up a large mouthful of blood and immediately cast a healing spell.

Then, he resumed his frantic culling of the remaining Tier 3 slimes.

Boom, boom, boom!!!

In the blink of an eye, Roche had been continuously rammed over a dozen times by the Tier 4 slime.

Even with his incessant casting of healing spells, his current condition was far from ideal—he was covered in wounds and looked utterly battered.

Fortunately, however, all the wounded Tier 3 slimes had been successfully harvested.

A total of sixteen Tier 3 slimes yielded 320 points. Combined with the points Leila and the others had harvested during this process,

Roche maxed out his strength attribute, allocating the remaining points to mana and spiritual resistance.

With his strength fully maximized,

Roche could feel the abundant power currently surging through his body, which should now be on par with the Tier 4 slime before him.

This meant that his plan had already succeeded halfway; at the very least, he now possessed a fallback option. Even if this plan ultimately failed, he could rely on Tier 4 strength, speed, and physique to attempt a breakthrough past the Tier 4 blockade outside the town, forcing his way out with his dependents.

Moreover, the final moment had not yet arrived, and the outcome remained unwritten.

Naturally, if possible, he preferred to strive for the best possible ending.

Facing the frantic onslaught of the Tier 4 slime, although Roche now possessed sufficient strength, he chose not to meet it with a direct head-on clash; instead, he simply absorbed the impacts.

Watching Roche continuously cough up blood as he passively endured its onslaught, the Tier 4 slime felt a surge of ecstatic triumph.

This damned human was finally reaching his limit.

Crash, crash, crash!!!

Its figure became a blur, weaving a continuous web of collisions that denied Roche even half a step of advancement.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Roche looked past the Tier 4 slime before him, using his scrutiny skill on the other Tier 4 slime stationed atop the heads of the Tier 3 slimes in the distance.

[Emotional State: Calm]
[Mental State: Stable]

Stable was good.

What Roche was considering right now was not how to disrupt it, but rather how to ensure it kept going.

Otherwise, the moment it canceled its spell and joined the battlefield, Roche would be forced to resort to his ultimate escape route.

The crimson boundary line had already enveloped half of Wheel Town, plunging half the settlement into a red barrier.

This momentum was promising; he had to make the enemy believe that the territory annexation could indeed be successfully completed.

Roche took a deep breath, focusing entirely on enduring the Tier 4 slime's charges while coughing up mouthfuls of blood for dramatic effect.

He was waiting for a single opportunity.

At this moment, the battle had completely descended into a state of white-hot intensity.

On one side, Sorenson was locked in combat with a Tier 4 slime, while Old White continuously absorbed the wraith energy on the battlefield to advance.

On another, the remaining Tier 3 slimes were unleashing a barrage of destruction upon the distant knighthood, while Leila, Eklaus, and the robed woman worked alongside the defenders to fend off the Tier 3 onslaught.

On the final front, Roche was being relentlessly battered by the Tier 4 slime, covered in wounds and swaying precariously, looking as though he might completely collapse at any second.

The situation on the battlefield appeared to have reached a precarious equilibrium.

Yet Roche knew this equilibrium was merely temporary.

First of all, Sorenson's summon had a time limit.

Furthermore, if the stalemate dragged on, the second phase of the territory annexation barrier would soon be complete.

Lastly, there was still another Tier 4 powerhouse waiting outside the town—a true case of facing wolves in front and tigers behind.

Finally, after a dozen or so minutes, a terrifying spiritual storm erupted from Old White's body!!!

A speck of grayish-white light drifted in from afar, gently descending to land upon his chest!

A solemn and abstruse divine chant resonated from within him, grayish-white radiance blooming atop his staff as an overwhelming pressure swept across the entire slime plain.

Old White slowly opened his eyes, within which swarms of grayish-white wraiths danced wildly—mysterious and profound.

Tier 4!

Just as he was preparing to make his move,

Roche collided heavily with that Tier 4 slime, spewing a torrent of blood as he came flying backward toward Old White's position.

As Roche's figure brushed past Old White, he spoke rapidly:

"Stick to the plan we discussed; I'll be right back."

Old White drew a deep breath and nodded.

He retrieved two pre-prepared skill books from his magic pouch, crushing them into dissolving particles of light.

The next second,

he raised the staff in his hand and swept it toward the oncoming slime. Layer upon layer of grayish-white magic circles unfurled and stacked, forming a complex array cluster.

Grayish-white energy converged as two gigantic gray eyes materialized, emanating a dense aura of death to intercept the Tier 4 slime in pursuit of Roche.

Putting on the appearance of a severely injured man, Roche staggered toward the eastern gate of the town.

He was waiting. Waiting for the sound of a dragon's roar.

Even though Old White had advanced to Tier 4, the moment that Tier 4 slime canceled its ritual and joined the combat, their chances of victory remained slim.

Sorenson's summon was temporary; his own strength was roughly equivalent to a Tier 4 slime, and Old White's combat power was presumably on par with a single Tier 4 slime as well.

Therefore, the most probable conclusion would still be flight, though it might now be possible to persuade Old White to flee together, drastically raising the probability of breaking through the blockade.

Though the current trajectory of the territory annexation had already deviated significantly from its original course, offering far more possibilities than at the start,

Roche knew this was still not the optimal ending.

Whether that optimal ending could be achieved depended on the final link—the most crucial link of all.

A dragon's roar.

Roche checked his attribute panel.

With all 69 Tier 2 slimes slain, the quota of 100 Tier 2 slimes was now fully completed.

Supreme Point +1.

A total of 18 Tier 3 slimes had been killed in this battle.

Thus, this battle had yielded a cumulative total of 705 points so far.

[Name: Roche]
[Strength: 300]
[Agility: 300]
[Physique: 300]
[Mana: 185]
[Spiritual Resistance: 77]
[Available Points: 100]
[Skills: Lesser Healing LV. 3 (15/50), Dust Kick LV. 2 (0/10), Scrutiny LV. 3 (0/100), Enslave LV. 3 (0/100)]
[Supreme Points: 1]

Before his eyes, more than half of Wheel Town had been enveloped by the barrier formed by the thick red line. Roche listened with bated breath for the sound he desired.

Whether this territory annexation would culminate in a perfect ending

depended entirely upon that dragon's roar.

He walked toward the rendezvous point he had agreed upon with Tassanya.

Five or six minutes later,

a resounding dragon's roar echoed across the skies above Wheel Town.

Roche clenched his fist. He had waited for it.