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Chapter 171: Benevolent Lies
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The chaos of the monsters, already in full swing, faltered for a brief mont under the relentless assault of the defenders.
In the re span of that fleeting second, the city gates slamd shut with a resounding boom, effectively sealing off the monstrous horde outside.
Athena couldn't help but feel a surge of relief; she had arrived just in ti. Had she been even a little later, she would have found the city nothing more than a desolate, silent ruin.
The creatures within the city were either dead or had already fled. This left Witty emboldened, firing cannons without restraint, shell after shell ripping through the air.
What surprised Athena, however, were the prisoners who had accompanied her. She had expected them to realize they were being used, perhaps fleeing at the first opportunity, but instead, they fought valiantly on the front lines.
With Athena’s efforts, the gates were firmly closed, and the defensive chanisms re-engaged successfully. Without hesitation, she turned the turrets, aiming every cannon at the throng of monsters surging beneath the gates.
At her command, a torrential barrage of artillery exploded forth, sending countless shells hurtling towards the mass of creatures below.
The sheer power of the blasts stirred up a tempest of blood and gore, as the monsters were torn apart in an instant.
Yet, despite the ferocity of the assault, it was no match for the earlier onslaught. The limits of one person’s strength beca clear. Ultimately, it was the experienced taxi soldiers who would need to take control of the situation. And without the mages in the rear to provide support, there was only so much she could do.
She couldn’t allow the monsters to remain beneath the gates indefinitely, though. A solution had to be found. The fleeing taxi soldiers had to be recalled, and soon.
The creatures struck by the cannonfire let out shrill, agonising cries as their bodies were shredded, their blood and flesh scattering in every direction.
However, more monsters pressed on relentlessly, undeterred, their numbers seemingly endless.
Each shell claid a few lives, but the tide of beasts continued to swell, unyielding.
The bombardnt persisted, unrelenting.
[ System Notification: Congratulations, Player! Mission 2: Eliminate 200 Monsters Complete! ]
[ Challenge Level: Lv. 9 ]
Objective: Defend the City
Penalty: Beco a Wanderer
Reward: None
[ Notice: All remaining missions will take place in a new battle zone. Players are strongly advised not to leave. Failure to comply will result in mission failure! ]
Upon seeing the mission notification, Athena’s heart sank. Though the monsters before the gates were troubleso, they were hardly insurmountable.
The system's transmission of this mission could only signify that sothing far worse was approaching.
She had barely arrived at the frontlines and already faced this chaos. In an attempt to gain a better view of the situation ahead, she used her dark vision goggles.
She had intended to resolve the battle with the monsters quickly, but as she descended to lend her aid, her eyes were drawn to several protective barriers in the distance.
They weren’t large, but they stood out, shining brilliantly, scattered around the area, stretching on without end.
Athena instantly recognized them for what they were- system-provided sanctuary barriers.
Throughout the war zone, there had always been fortified cities belonging to various nations, but she had typically traveled to these locations through teleportation via the World Stone.
Now, with darkness steadily encroaching upon humanity's territories, last bastion of light, the positions of the war zones were constantly shifting. The once-hidden protective barriers around cities had evaporated, like fog clearing away, revealing their true nature for all to see.
Suppressing her unease, Athena descended into the city once more and rejoined the fight. With her efforts, the pressure on many of the defenders was greatly reduced.
Without the continuous stream of incoming monsters, their numbers began to dwindle, though many had still perished in the struggle.
After an extended period of unyielding combat, the fighting eventually ceased. Most had sustained injuries, so of them grave, yet only Athena seed untouched by the bloodshed- though the crimson stains that covered her were not her own.
Imdiately, reconstruction began. Since they had chosen not to flee, it ant they had opted to stand with Athena.
The first priority was to recall all the fleeing taxi soldiers. Simply asking them to return would be futile, so a more forceful approach was adopted. So were captured and brought back by force, before being handed over to Babronflio for interrogation.
They were then told that the Babron family had dispatched them to take control of this city-state. As for the docunts, the trembling individuals did not dare to inspect them closely. However, they could not miss the golden seal stamped upon them.
Given what they had witnessed with their own eyes- Athena’s formidable strength- there was no room for doubt. They knew they had been spared from execution, and this leniency was seen as the greatest rcy.
This small group of prisoners was tasked with finding the next batch of deserters, initiating a cycle that would eventually bring Athena face-to-face with the majority of the fleeing taxi soldiers.
From among them, she selected a few of the more astute-looking individuals to inquire about the situation.
It soon beca clear that this city-state, much smaller than others, had once been an ordinary settlent.
However, in recent days, sothing had changed. The nearby city-state had been obliterated, presumably by an enormous monster.
In the wake of this catastrophe, the city’s leadership and military personnel were dispatched to the front lines, though they were unable to halt the monster’s advance, resulting in the death of all involved.
Adding to their misfortune, several of the remaining leaders had fled, taking what little funds remained for the city’s defense and vanishing to other regions.
So rcenaries, desperate and unpaid, had chosen to open the gates, leading to the chaos now unfolding.
Fortuitously, the monster that had attacked the previous guardian city had refrained from continuing its assault, sparing them- for the mont.
Thus, the scene Athena had arrived at today was set into motion.
According to the tiline, the city had fallen late yesterday afternoon, and the rebellion had erupted early this morning.
This ruled out the possibility that the Babron family had anticipated the event and sent her here beforehand. It could only be described as a fortuitous coincidence.
Everyone had regarded them as the first wave of reinforcents, believing that Athena’s arrival ant salvation. She did not correct them.
For now, her attention was fixed on the protective barrier she had observed in the distance, yet she was careful not to lose focus on her current mission.
She began to direct the defenders, urging them to return to their respective posts. Unexpectedly, the elderly dic was not only skilled in healing; he had once held a similar leadership role. With his help, the weight of responsibility on Athena’s shoulders lightened considerably.
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