When The Cute Godkiller Opens A Tavern [Stubbed]

Chapter 110 - Battle of Attrition

”My people have faced many strong foes before, but this might be the strongest of them yet.” ~Maxims Ya Yobore

The sub-raid had been fighting for an hour. The monsters themselves had been, so far, manageable, as far as Grace was concerned. The problem was the waves as well as the frequency at which they had been pouring in all day.

Fighting alongside her family was a special treat. Initially, she had thought that her parents would be overprotective and disapprove of her position as the wildcard, but they were surprisingly supportive. Apparently, the wildcard position was the most difficult position to fill, given that not many people could assess an entire situation and react accordingly on the spot to find the most impactful outcome that an individual could make happen.

Admittedly, Grace knew she wasn’t yet reliably capable of such a thing. But she relished the freedom that came with the position, even if it also came with a crushing pressure for her to perform her duties accordingly. It was like fighting as a lone wolf, but with extra steps and layers.

With one more monster slain, the sub-raid group finally found a moment’s reprieve. Though, by the looks of the clouds rumbling with thunder and lightning, more monsters were on their way.

Everyone sat exactly where they were, concentrating on resting and recuperating their mana. All except the Shalliesters Party, who all still had plenty to spare.

“Honey, aren’t you tired?” Elesia asked when Grace approached with a vial of mana potion in hand. “Thank you, honey.”

“We saw how you fought,” Schooner added, “you can’t be not tired after all that moving around.”

“I’m fine,” Grace said, pulling a second vial and passing it to the full-fledged orc. “I still have more than half my reserves.”

“Goodness, really?” asked her father. “Thank you. How big are your mana reserves?”

“I have Enhanced Mana Regeneration, remember?” said the half-orc, sitting beside her parents. “Besides, my spells and skills don’t require that much mana in the first place.”

“That’s true,” Elesia agreed. “So, how are you feeling so far? The position, the sub-raid, the whole fighting thing.”

Grace scratched her chin, feeling a little shy. “Well, I’m glad that I’m able to keep up so far. I can definitely see where I still need to improve, but I can at least do my best with what I have right now.”

“That’s good,” Schooner commented. “What about the whole lone wolf idea?”

“I definitely think that the wildcard position suits me best, when it comes to forming raid groups. Until I can definitely handle things on my own, I think I’ll keep applying for this position, whenever I have the opportunity.”

Her parents smiled at that, nodding their approval.

“What about you guys? How are you two holding up?” Grace asked this time. “You haven’t done any fighting since my big brother was born, right?”

“Almost two decades now,” Elesia commented. “We’re pretty rusty, to be honest.”

“I don’t remember how to properly use half of my skills,” Schooner admitted. He turned to his daughter and smiled proudly. “That doesn’t mean we’re pushovers now, though.”

Grace was quick to agree. “Definitely not pushovers.”

Elesia suddenly stiffened. Her attunement to mana as an Elemental Archmage, the way she had developed her class, allowed her to detect surges of mana from amazingly long distances. She turned to the skies, but not towards Thrush’ven Alir.

“What was that?” she asked, causing both father and daughter to follow the mother’s gaze.

Grace saw nothing but the dark skies.

“What is it?” Schooner asked. “I don’t see anything.”

“Huh…” Elesia tilted her head. “I swear I detected something incredibly strong. It didn’t seem hostile, though.”

“What are you guys looking at?” asked a familiar voice from behind the family.

Grace turned in surprise, as well as both her parents. They hadn’t expected for Shallies to just suddenly show up.

“What’s going on?” the half-orc asked, clearly confused. “Is the raid over?”

“Not yet,” Shallies replied. “I had a few quick errands to run for the guild. Since I’m only a support and I’m pretty fast, I volunteered to do the job.”

The Guiding StarChef looked around, observing the resting sub-raid. Her eyes then landed on Grace, before giving a nod of approval.

“Looks like you’ve improved a lot from this sub-raid,” she said. “Just make sure you keep pace and don’t burn yourself out.” She addressed her student’s parents as well. “I noticed the others have also come out of retirement. Is the situation really that bad?”

“Not exactly dire,” Elesia answered. “But it might be if the raid doesn’t end soon.”

“Nah, we can handle it,” Schooner declared proudly, huffing his chest. “We’re slowly getting back into form. These storm monsters got nothing on us.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Grace noticed Shallies run her mana, beckoning both Tayin and Ren over. The two were just as surprised, but after a few words of clarification, they also settled down.

“I’m going back to the raid. Unfortunately, I don’t have any Food Buffs with me, but let me refresh my Guiding Star buffs on you. Apple might also show up during the afternoons now, since the nature should be well protected and settled down at this point. We probably only have a few more floors to deal with, then it’ll all be over.”

“So maybe a week or two?” Tayin guessed. “I think we can handle that.”

“Hopefully not that long,” Shallies said, casting her Guiding Star Buffs to her three students. She then turned to Elesia and Schooner. “I’d like to give everyone here a buff, but everyone else in the raid is currently using everything else that I can provide.”

“Don’t worry about us, lass,” said the orc. “We’ll be fine.”

Shallies smiled. “Alright, time to go back to the raid. I’ll see you guys later!”

Grace and the others waved the Guiding Star goodbye, wishing her and the guild good luck as she Sight Stepped away. Only then did it occur to Grace that no one asked about Shallies’ errand.

“Probably to get some supplies from the headquarters?” Ren ventured a guess. “Who knows?”

Everyone shrugged.

It wasn’t odd for some people to leave the main raid to run errands and other miscellaneous tasks, given that some raids could go gruelingly long. In fact, Grace remembered her big brother returning in the middle of the Decade Battlefield Raid for a few days a couple of years ago, to rest and recuperate. Though, no matter how much the half-orc racked her mind, she couldn’t come up with a reason or errand that Shallies herself would personally attend. In the end, she gave up on trying to guess.

“At least we got our buffs back,” Tayin commented. “The next wave should be easier to deal with now.”

As if to accept the halfling’s challenge, thunder roared from the skies and the next wave of monsters began to pour out.

Ren let out a sigh, looking at the wave of monsters coming their way. “You had to say it…”

Tayin could only smile apologetically as the rest of the sub-raid prepared for another fight.

---

“It’s on its last legs!”

When Guildmaster Maxims declared his assessment, Yoshelle had an inkling that the fight would still last for at least another hour. Such was the challenge against empowered Raid Bosses. But as long as they won in the end, keeping that one final Raid Pillar wouldn’t be a mistake.

She just wished Laika and Shallies would return sooner rather than later.

Yoshelle quickly set the thought aside. If they really ended up on the moon, then they’re technically out of the raid. I need to concentrate.

The battle of attrition was fully in their favor now, though it wouldn’t be obvious at first glance. The Storm Dragon Horror was giving its all just to keep its assault going, summoning lightning elementals and unleashing its dark lightning breath attacks as much as it could.

The guild had gotten used to the pattern. And with Valor’el using his full authority as an Acting Deity, utilizing his World Hero defensive skills, and matched with everyone’s timely defenses, everyone was able to survive each devastating attack.

Yoshelle abandoned any notion of attacking and dedicated everything she had on defense. Her ability to slow down time, even for just a small percentage, allowed her and her teammates to find gaps in the dragon’s relentless assault. It made protecting themselves easier, which in turn also gave them a lot of opportunities to retaliate. During those tiny moments where the guild could attack, the Guild Princess would catch her breath, trying to regain her mana even for just a little bit.

The back and forth repeated again and again. For someone observing from the outside, it would look completely monotonous, if they were to ignore all the spectacle and shaking that joined each impactful clash. But for those involved, every moment felt like it was their last, and each second they survived would bolster their resolve and confidence to unimaginable levels. Every strike they fended off cost the guild injuries, but the healers exerted themselves to keep up. They were losing mana at a rapid rate, but at least they could still fight.

It was a gamble. They knew that the dragon was almost dead. It wouldn’t be recklessly unleashing attack after attack, rushing to exhaust itself, if it wasn’t cornered.

No one backed down. Fear had long since moved past every adventurer. Yoshelle had been staring at death for so long, she thought she was immortal. Blasphemous as it might be, she was riding that high for it was the only way they could succeed at this stage. The moment her concentration slipped, and anyone else for that matter, it would cause a chain reaction that would spell their ultimate defeat.

No one wanted to be the cause of such failure.

Maxims’ orders were absolute. They had to be followed down to the finest detail. It was the only way for them to ensure their survival. Even if he shouted some hasty, last second adjustments, every guildmember needed to quickly adapt to ensure they were followed.

And the first to break the balance was the dragon.

Knowing that none of its attacks were effective, the Storm Dragon Horror employed a different approach.

Whatever it was, Yoshelle didn’t have a chance to see.

Phey’lan had been waiting for the dragon to change tactics.

It was always mesmerizing witnessing an Enlightened Ascendant at work. The female seraph’s speed, as she flew to the air, caused the wind barrier to break. She connected with a blazing kick, creating an explosion that shook the mana in the atmosphere. The impact literally threw away the dragon toward the opposite end of the lair.

And that opening caused everyone’s adrenaline to spike once more.

Yoshelle felt a shiver run down her spine as everyone screamed their feral warcries, chasing down the toppled dragon. Offensive spells and skills rained upon the Raid Boss, its cries and roars drowned out by the attacks.

It was instantaneous.

Yoshelle stared down the lifeless monster, her mana completely drained. Her tension collapsed, forcing her down on her knees, and she was joined by her companions. Everyone was gasping for air, tired, almost unconscious. They were down to their last specks of awareness, as if a gentle wind would push them to slumber upon the cloudy floor.

The Guild Princess thought they deserved just as much. They might even take a day off tomorrow, just to recuperate properly. But that was a decision for the future.

Right now, she looked at everyone’s smiles. Everyone who still could, cheered with all their might. Just like Valor’el had declared, there were no casualties. And that made all their effort so worth it.

Maxims was busy issuing his victory speech. Most, including Yoshelle, were too tired to turn, but they were happy to listen.

So it became a mystery when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

The Guild Princess mustered every ounce of strength she had left, a sudden concern rising. Gasps and cries didn’t make the situation easier.

Then finally, she saw. A spear had stabbed Guildmaster Maxims from behind, emerging out of the right side of his stomach. He was spitting out blood as his knees buckled. Fortunately, Valor’el was there to catch him, before he could fall completely to the ground. Otherwise, his injury might’ve been made even worse by it.

There was no lightning, but thunder clapped. It was so sudden, and so loud, that no one was able to defend themselves against it. A shockwave of visible mana collided with everyone. Yoshelle had no choice but to depend on Phey’lan, who suddenly showed up to defend her.

The sound of screams were muffled by the continuous thunder. Yoshelle could barely hear the sound of armors and people crashing into one another. All she could do was hold on.

When the wave had completely passed. Yoshelle tried to find her father. But what greeted her was something else.

The skies on the ceiling were torn open.

From above, a man brimming with power and authority slowly descended. His face was covered with sparks of lightning dancing down it from underneath his hood. Behind him were an army of storm dragons, giants, and…

“Those are…” Phey’lan began, but she couldn’t finish her words.

Men and women with wings of angels and demons soared, circling above the descending man. Just like him, their faces were covered with sparks of lightning.

“Seraphim…” Yoshelle said. “But there’s something different…”

“Those aren’t seraphim,” Valor’el declared. He had brought Maxims with him, and ordered Phey’lan to quickly administer healing. She was quick to comply. He stood and faced the descending man. His fists clenched so much that they were shaking with intense mana.

“They’re nephilim.”

“Do you know who that is?” Yoshelle asked. She was worried about her guildmates, but she couldn’t find the strength to turn and find out what had happened to them. She could only look at the mysterious man.

“I know who might,” Valor’el said.

Just then, a figure appeared in front of them. A small woman. White hair. And wearing a Manaweave Coat.

Yoshelle couldn’t believe her eyes as she looked at Shallies. And it shocked her more when the Guiding Star was calm and stoic.

“Looks like I just got here in time.”