Malphegor

MoP: Ch. 168

Added 2025-11-14 01:57:13 +0000 UTC

---Third POV---

Lux hastily closed the game panel and held her breath, watching the situation ahead.

After Josef threw the first punch, the other sirens stood up and joined in, attacking the wall, including Tina, who had just been lying weakly on the ground. Her eyes were still full of fury, but now carried a trace of confident control.

"Knowing the location of the Fallen Siren is enough."

Bang!

She struck the section of wall that had already been damaged by the other sirens. The wall warped even further, a sharp contrast to her pale, delicate fist.

Blood mixed with violet liquid trickled from the corner of Tina's mouth as she spoke with disdain.

"You think bringing in a Magus as backup means you can deal with us?"

Outside, Abel and William were both startled.

Abel turned to question him sharply, "Didn't you say no creature below the rank of Magus could stay conscious?"

"How would I know? Even a young dragon couldn't escape the traps I set."

William was just as panicked. He'd talked big earlier. If the sirens came out now, he'd be the first one they'd come after. He was only passing through. Dying in some remote place was not part of the plan.

He shouted back in anger, "Stop blaming me! Your so-called rare magic artifact can't even hold a few fish out of water!"

Abel grew even more enraged.

"How could any rare artifact possibly contain four adult sirens?"

Boom!

Before they could finish arguing, the wall split open like a twisted tin can, a hole the size of a human head torn through it.

In the next second, several dark figures burst through the gap, forcing it wider.

Abel's eyes widened. With reflexes far quicker than his age suggested, he pressed a switch hidden against his chest. He vanished the moment before the attack struck.

Beside him, William's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "A teleportation array!"

So he had prepared an escape route in advance, fleeing at the first sign of danger. But William barely had time to be angry before four brutal strikes came crashing down on him, gouging three-meter scars into the floor.

The others nearby were sent flying.

Crash!

The magic barrier around William shattered. He stared at the four unharmed sirens in disbelief.

"How could you resist it? I spent forty years developing it to suppress magical species!"

Tina gave a mocking laugh.

"Then in those forty years, you've clearly never met a siren."

Josef said coldly, "Enough talk. Kill him. Burn this place to the ground."

To think they wanted to turn them into slaves. Sirens hadn't set foot on land for too long. Every other race seemed to think they could step on them now.

With that, all four attacked at once.

William's eyes went wide as he stumbled toward the exit.

Shhkk!

A thick iron gate slammed down over the entrance to the third basement floor, sealing the entire space.

His heart froze, his face turning pale.

"Abel!"

From the very beginning, their target hadn't just been the sirens.

As the sirens closed in, he had no choice but to fight back.

"Holy Bind!"

A golden net spread forward.

Nearby, the guards who had been knocked aside quickly launched their own spells to stop the sirens from approaching William.

"Thorns!"

"Fire Missile!"

"Life Shield!"

At this point, escape was impossible.

The sirens were creatures of emotion. There was no chance of negotiating peace now. If anyone wanted to get out alive, their only hope was to protect the strongest among them, the Magus, William.

Maybe there was still a sliver of hope.

---

Brilliant bursts of magical light illuminated the entire chamber, while alternating waves of heat and cold whipped through the air, making NineTails, who was trapped inside as well, shiver.

She quickly relayed intel to those outside:

[NineTails]: They're fighting! The sirens aren't affected by the local gang's incense. They're actually overpowering a level 80+ human Magus!

[The effects look amazing! I'm crouching in the corner, and my HP bar keeps dropping nonstop!]

Players watching the fight live started chiming in:

[Well, sirens have the physical strength of human warriors, so it's totally normal for them to crush a fragile mage.]

[Remember to block your ears. Their voice attacks are the deadliest part!]

[Has the local gang never studied the sirens they caught? They're masters of water manipulation. Ordinary potions don't work on them!]

[Exactly. Neutralizing drugs in their bloodstream is easier for them than eating or drinking!]

[Wait... could White Dove actually win this?]

NineTails glanced at the battlefield ahead.

[NineTails]: Not quite. Four sirens are still pushing it. There are at least seventy advanced mages here, twelve archmages, with an average level over 30. Even White Dove will have a headache dealing with that many.

After all, Abel had been fully prepared from the start to take on the White Dove sirens head-on, mobilizing nearly all of the town's combat strength.

[NineTails]: They're moving fast. This fight won't last long. I don't even know when I'll get disconnected. You guys up top, hurry with your move!

[Hedgehog]: Relax, we're already on it!

"Quickly, our carriage is over here!"

Quill, supported by his attendants, hurried to a stable in the wealthy district.

His servants led out two reddish-brown demon-horned horses and helped him into the carriage.

Right behind him was Grace, who had also been rescued from the underground city.

As soon as she sat down, the carriage jolted forward.

Holding onto the inner wall for balance, she barely had time to admire the overly luxurious interior before peering anxiously outside.

"It's not curfew-lift time yet. Shouldn't we wait? The city gates are still closed."

"Get off if you want to die. I'm not staying behind to deal with four adult sirens!"

Quill kept glancing back, unwilling to explain himself to the socially oblivious alchemist.

His merchant's instinct for reading people told him one thing. Nary Town was in serious trouble. He only wanted to make money. He had no interest in getting dragged into a conflict involving magical species.

"All the town's forces are being drawn to the underground. Getting out now won't be that hard!"

As for curfew?

Even if patrol soldiers were still out, they wouldn't stop people like them.

When he spotted a few familiar faces from the underground city running behind them, his expression grew grim.

"Sirens are deeply emotional creatures. No one can predict how this ends. Staying here means siding with Abel."

"Those sirens clearly belong to the White Dove Ensemble. Do you really want to be on their bad side?"

Grace immediately shook her head vigorously.

"Of course not."

Followers of the Goddess of Love were spread across every major kingdom and magical race.

She'd have to be crazy to pick a fight with them for nothing.

"Then hand over your alchemical gear," Quill said bluntly.

"Got a communicator? Or maybe an alchemical creature that can boost carriage speed? We need to leave the city now!"

His sixth sense was screaming in alarm. Something told him this siren uprising was far from simple. That intuition had saved his life countless times, allowing him to trade safely across kingdoms despite constant danger. He had to get out before Nary Town turned into a muddy, inescapable swamp of chaos.

Grace nodded hurriedly. As she rummaged for the communicator, another question occurred to her.

"Why are we looking for the communicator? Who are we sending a message to? Asking Ironstone City for help?"

No matter what happened next, the battle was still confined to the underground city. There was no need to seek outside assistance.

If things escalated and disturbed the interests of the royal capital, they'd be the ones in trouble instead.

"Of course we're contacting Letscher City!" Quill snapped, furious at her slowness. "Who cares what happens in the underground city?!"

Before the situation became any clearer, the farther they got, the safer they'd be.

The Principality of Elise, long at odds with the Kingdom of Yoan, was the perfect destination.

He found time to ask, "Do you have any alchemical product that can freeze a river?"

"If so, let's not take the main road. We'll cross the river from the northwest instead!"

"I know a path that's not too dangerous!"

Grace forced a strained smile.

"Isn't that... a bit too cautious?"

When she had reached out to the other side for help in the underground city, she had simply meant to cooperate in escaping.

She hadn't planned on actually going all the way back to Elise.

Her belongings were still in town, uncollected.

Quill, who had already prepared for a hasty escape the moment the magic tide began stirring, couldn't understand her hesitation at all.

He snorted coldly.

"Life only comes once. You can never be too..."

Fwoosh!

Several flaming arrows shot precisely toward the carriage.

Neigh!

One of the red-brown demon-horned horses shrieked in pain and bolted the other way.

The carriage jolted violently as the two horses pulled in opposite directions.

Quill grabbed the window frame and looked toward the city gate now coming into view. Firelight blazed there, and figures moved back and forth. But his heart was turning to ice.

"It's over."

They'd left too late after all.

---

At the city gate, the number of players participating in the operation far exceeded expectations, a total of 356 people.

And that was after counting those who were busy or hadn't managed to leave the starter village.

Whoever the game devs were, they'd somehow gathered a horde of hardcore grinders.

At the very least, the player named CowardlySurvivor was thrilled by the prospect of such a large-scale, triple-digit raid battle.

More players also meant that the forged identity-pass system couldn't keep up with the demand. Therefore, the players' first objective was to seize the Nary Town Gate Fortress. They had to open it to rescue the players and refugees trapped outside.

Fortunately, the task turned out to be much easier than expected.

The gate's defenses were mainly designed to repel outside threats, and the conscripted militiamen on duty were not very alert.

With ten players who had each learned two basic skills, he easily subdued the seven guards on duty.

Only opening the massive gate itself took some time.

He stood atop the gatehouse, wind whipping his hair as he looked back from time to time.

"Can you hurry it up? The sirens are already on the second underground level!"

"Almost done," replied two players crouched by the gate's control mechanism, halfheartedly.

"Considering our three-day crash course in Spring Magic, the fact that this contraption is even responding is a miracle!"

"If you'd learned faster, we wouldn't be the only ones doing this!"

CowardlySurvivor gave an awkward cough.

"Didn't I say I was busy learning other spells? I didn't have time..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a luxurious carriage speeding toward them.

He lit up as if seeing salvation.

"Well, if it isn't that fancy three-star carriage that Lux was whining about after splashing mud all over her?"

He glanced at the forum feed.

"The fight hasn't even officially started yet. Why are the NPCs running this fast?"

Questions aside, he didn't hesitate.

With a snap of his fingers, he used Fireball to ignite the flammable coating on his arrowhead.

He aimed and released in one smooth motion.

"No matter why you're running so fast, curfew's not over yet! Get back where you came from!"

Until the players fully captured Nary Town, the gates were one-way only. Entry allowed, no exits.

Several other lookouts followed his lead.

Fwoosh!

The fire-lit arrow streaked across the night like a falling red meteor, striking squarely into the rump of a red-brown horned horse.

The carriage below lurched violently into chaos.

"Perfect! Bullseye!"

CowardlySurvivor clenched his fist in triumph.

"See that? That's the result of all my practice these past few days!"

"Yeah, right. Lucky shot."

The two players behind him responded in perfect unison, faces full of disdain.

But then, after a few jolts, the carriage suddenly seemed to freeze mid-bounce, as if someone had pressed the pause button. The maddened red horse, ignoring the arrow in its flank, charged headlong toward the gate.

His brow furrowed.

"Someone inside's using special magic?"

So, they were determined to get out.

He grabbed another arrow from his quiver and raised his bow again.

"Keep firing!"

"No need!" someone shouted from behind.

Clank!

The enormous gate mechanism groaned as chains rattled and slowly began to rise. The two sweating players working the controls stood up, grinning in excitement.

"The gate's open!"

As the massive gate creaked upward and the carriage hurtled closer, CowardlySurvivor's eyes lit with understanding.

"Right. Once the gate's open, what happens next isn't our responsibility."

He tossed his weapon back into his inventory.

"Let's move! Head straight for the barracks and lend a hand there!"

The ten players quickly withdrew, leaving the heavy gate to continue opening under its own mechanical power, revealing a dense crowd of figures outside.

"Gate's open! It's open!"

"Finally! I'm freezing to death. Anyone got a spare explosive canister for warmth?"

"Screw off! You're gonna heat yourself with gunpowder?"

"Who bought everything out so fast yesterday? The game shop's completely empty! Fifty magicoins for a wooden composite bow!"

"Anyone need a bike ride? Five magicoins per person, gets you to the front faster!"

Over a hundred players chattered noisily, armed with all sorts of bizarre, homemade weapons and tools.

The mood was lively, more like a picnic than a battle. Then, as the gate opened fully, they saw a carriage barreling straight toward them at full speed. The frontmost players couldn't help but swear.

"Holy crap, what the hell is that?!"

"Red-eyed unicorns?!"

"Is that the 'welcome gift,' was CowardlySurvivor talking about this?!"

"It's gonna crash. Stop it!"

One player pulled out a launcher.

A second later, a burst of fire shot forth.

The two demon-horned horses collapsed to the ground.

The carriage skidded another ten meters before grinding to a halt.

When Quill finally crawled out of the battered carriage, what greeted him was a sea of players.

His mind went completely blank.

After a brief struggle, he and his ten bodyguards were swiftly overpowered by sheer numbers.

All twelve were stripped of every piece of clothing and jewelry, left with only a rag for modesty, and tied up against the wall.