Chapter 53: The Tunnel Battle! (3 — The End)
---
In Silver-rank combat, time was everything. Every fraction of a second could determine the victor and the vanquished.
In the very moment Laura finished off one of the enemies with a precise arrow, Gilont had exploited that brief window and pounced on her at explosive speed. He shot through the tunnel like a ghost and reached her in the blink of an eye — but before his claws could find her, an earthen wall surged up between them at the last possible instant, stopping the attack cold.
That, of course, was Kaiden's doing.
Since the battle's opening moments, he had kept constant watch on Gilont. He had recognized that this enemy loved ambushes far more than direct confrontations, and after the failed assassination attempt on him, only one target of significance remained: Laura.
So when he sensed the enemy readying to move, he didn't hesitate to raise the wall.
True, Kaiden's reaction speed was no match for Silver-rank fighters — but he compensated for that with observation and analysis. He had studied his opponent carefully and gambled on predicting the next move.
The bet paid off.
Poor Gilont wasn't even granted the chance to retreat.
The instant he slammed into the wall, a steel fist crashed into the side of his head.
BOOM!
His body flipped upside down before slamming into the tunnel's side wall with tremendous force. The surrounding rock shook and dust billowed through the air, while Gilont felt the world spinning around him. A ringing noise tore through his ears as one of his eardrums ruptured, purple blood streamed from his nose, and his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood.
As for the owner of that fist — it was none other than Josh.
The massive warrior reappeared before him before he had any chance to recover from the first blow. Josh had felt constrained since the battle began — his sword simply couldn't handle his full strength, forcing him to hold himself back over and over during the fight. So he had cast it aside.
His Battle Aura now coated both arms and hands, making his punches more lethal than his sword had ever been.
Through his spinning vision, Gilont caught a glimpse of a wide grin spreading across Josh's face. His white teeth through the dust and blood looked like the smile of a predator who had finally found its favorite prey.
Then he felt something like a steel vice close around his leg — and before he could process what was happening, he had been lifted entirely off the ground.
BOOM!
His body was slammed into the tunnel floor with such force the surrounding rock trembled. Josh paused for a fraction of a second as though savoring the sensation, then his smile widened further when he realized his opponent was still alive.
BOOM!
Gilont was driven into the floor again — this time with greater force.
And then Josh had no intention of stopping. He gripped his enemy tight and began swinging him through the air before continuing to smash him into the ground again and again with everything he had. The impacts came in rapid succession until they blurred into a continuous chain of muffled explosions, and the vibrations traveled through the entire tunnel floor.
Even Kaiden felt them beneath his feet.
In the meantime, he and Laura had finished off one of their opponents and only one enemy remained before them — but despite his focus on the fight, he couldn't stop himself from casting a sideways glance toward the source of the noise. There, a black figure was being pulverized into the ground over and over in a fashion that reminded him of a very familiar scene from a certain green character in his old world.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Josh is clearly having the time of his life.
He felt no sympathy for Gilont. This wretch was the one who had dared to tunnel beneath his land and plot an invasion of his territory.
Several seconds later, Kaiden seized a suitable opening and helped Laura finish off their last opponent. The moment the final enemy fell, he issued his orders directly:
"Laura, go support the elite soldiers on the other side."
"At once, my lord!"
Laura immediately set off to reinforce the remaining battle, and Kaiden sent with her the soldiers who had been protecting him — then turned his gaze back to Gilont.
And frankly, it was somewhat astonishing that this creature was still alive.
After everything it had been subjected to, its body had been pulverized to the point where its original features were barely recognizable — yet its mangled chest still rose and fell slowly. That made Kaiden realize once again just how resilient these alien races were compared to humans. The advantage humans had always prided themselves on — intelligence and wisdom — was no longer anything exceptional in Aurandra, while these races possessed far stronger bodies alongside minds no less cunning.
Gilont himself was the perfect example of that.
After a count of strikes too numerous to tally, Josh finally stopped. He leaned down and gripped the back of Gilont's head with his massive hand, then lifted him off the ground, his fingers nearly sinking into the skull. He then carried him toward the tunnel's side wall.
When Kaiden caught a glimpse of the smile on his soldier's face, he had a feeling for some reason that what was coming next was not going to be pleasant.
And in the next instant, Josh used what remained of his Battle Aura and began driving Gilont's face into the wall at terrifying speed. His arm became a blur from the sheer velocity, and the sounds of rapid successive impacts rose so high it sounded as though he was trying to carve a new tunnel using his enemy's head instead of a pickaxe. Even a woodpecker might have felt ashamed by comparison.
He only stopped when his Battle Aura was nearly exhausted — at which point he tossed Gilont aside like a shredded training dummy, patted his hands together with evident satisfaction, and headed off to assist the soldiers on the other front, leaving the stage to the Lord.
---
Kaiden walked slowly toward Gilont.
The latter sat on the ground with his back against the wall. Purple blood seeped from various parts of his body, while most of his facial features had disappeared beneath the marks of the savage beating.
He was barely alive.
He could no longer even move his head, but he was able to see two feet advancing toward him.
He recognized their owner immediately.
Ahh… damn it… so I failed in the end.
Those were his last thoughts.
In the next instant, an earth spike launched from behind his head, pierced through his skull, and emerged from his mouth.
He was dead.
Kaiden killed him without the slightest hesitation.
After all, neither of them understood the other's language — so there was no need for meaningless final words.
Kaiden turned around, preparing to return and oversee the battle that was drawing close to its conclusion on the other front. But before he had taken two steps, a series of golden alerts materialized before him.
He stopped where he stood.
This was the first time he had ever seen this type of golden system notification since his arrival in Aurandra.
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have killed Lord Gilont of the "Liclron" race, Lord of the "Fortune and Prosperity Territory." Rewards have been dispatched to the Lord's inventory: Black Iron Crown Fragment ×1.]
[System Alert: You have defeated another Lord's territory. Displaying victory options…]
[System Alert: Victory options unavailable. Please upgrade the Lord's Crown to at least the Silver rank to view options.]
[System Alert: Automatic selection — destroy the defeated Lord's territory. This includes the Lord's Hall, other buildings, forces, and territory residents of the defeated party. You have received: War Spoils Chest ×1 (Fortune and Prosperity Territory exclusive).]
[System Notification: You have killed another Lord during the Beginner Protection period. Calculating achievement…]
[System Notification: You have received a special title: Beginner Lord Slayer. (Number of Lords who have received this title: 31,564,189.)]
Kaiden froze in place.
His vision flooded with glowing golden interfaces appearing one after another.
And for the first time since his arrival in this world…
He was truly, genuinely stunned.
---
— End of Chapter Fifty-Three —
Author’s note: Hello, we’re back… Don’t forget there are ten advance chapters on Patreon for anyone who’d like to support me so I can carry on. Thank you for reading.