Chapter 302 - Doing God's Work (Patreon)

What Viers saw was a battle involving tens of thousands. The intensity of the conflict was similar to major battles in World War II.

Viers wasn't surprised much because of Call of Duty and modern movies. Not to mention, he was the architect of greater battles in the Book World final stage.

The sun was absent but the torches and various other light sources painted a clear enough picture for Viers to know what was going on.

I arrived… halfway through the battle, I suppose?

Viers estimated after seeing the number of dead bodies, most of them were goblins and the like because he looked at the scene from the side of the aggressor.

The monsters were swarming the walls like ants. Vicious, screaming ants. The bulk of the army was made of goblins, which served as cannon fodders. The orcs were bigger and stronger than goblins but fewer in number. Bigger than the orcs still were the trolls.

Goblins as foot soldiers, orcs as elites, trolls as war engines, that was the gist of it. There were other races but they were a minority. Incidentally, they were using primitive equipment such as wooden shields and clubs but they were actually pretty decent because they were not made from ordinary wood.

In a magical world, a metal armory was not necessarily better than shirts and robes. Too many factors were involved. Of course, this didn't mean metal armor was useless and not strong.

The aggressors were climbing the walls using multiple, large makeshift ladders. The goblins and orcs were able to climb but the trolls were too heavy so they tried to break the wall in front of them instead. There was no semblance of order or formation so they were all over the place.

The defenders were humans but much fewer in number. They stayed behind the safety of the wall and rained all manners of attacks on the sea of enemies below. They were not a very high Leveled bunch, mostly Level 1s and 2s Pathseekers. However, Viers saw they could combine their powers to conjure Artes with Level 3 powers. Because of the low vantage point and not remarkable spider eyes, Viers couldn't glean much about the human’s side.

Unlike Viers who focused on individual battles, the army types usually had more techniques and strategies that took advantage of their numbers.

The aggressor side was not without magic on their own. Away from the front line Viers saw goblins and orcs shamans doing things. These individuals wearing beast furs and body paints fit the shaman description to a tee. They straight up made fireballs, lightning, poison mists, and so on, supporting the climbers. Some were dancing and chanting in some kind of ritual. Some were stirring a pot of dubious soup and there were goblins bringing it to the soldiers. They gulped soup and became invigorated. Viers saw them jump the twenty meters tall wall like it was nothing.

Viers didn't yet know where the battle was going but battles had broken out on top of the wall. Viers was quite impressed that goblins and orcs managed to scale the wall considering the fierce resistance of the defenders but then again, the numbers were on their side.

After a few seconds of staring, what went through in Viers’ mind was the usual question.

How should I exploit the hell out of this situation?

Time didn't stop while Viers was thinking so the pieces on the game board moved on their own. A big shot was making his move. It was a two and a half meters tall green-skinned orc. The muscles on his arms were thicker than a woman’s waist. His fangs on the lower jaw were pointed upwards like tusks. He wore the skull of a monster bull as a helmet.

Whoah. That dude right there… He screams ‘Warchief’ just by standing.

The Warchief strode forth with his honor guards. His battle cry was like a war horn and he struck the wall like a battering ram. It was a mighty charge that created a big hole on the defensive wall.

The aggressor side cheered their hearts out after witnessing the heroic battle deed of their leader and stormed the breach with maddening intensity.

Perfect for Viers because he wanted to enter the city.

Lok'tar Ogar, Warchief! Muahahaha!

Spider Viers spurred into action and mixed in with the stream of bodies that entered the gap. Naturally, the defenders were focusing their firepower on the bottleneck. Viers’ starting point was quite far so crossing the distance was not easy. But before he got there, more breaches were created in the wall. Viers couldn't see the perpetrator but he guessed it was the Warchief who did it from the other side

After a total of four breaches, no new ones were created.

It was a golden chance for Viers. He was worried about getting hit by Artes on either side while he was crossing over. With this, the risks were minimized. Some of the orcs rode massive wolves that supported their bigger than man body and there were tamed monsters in the attacking force so Viers’ spider form was not suspicious. A good thing too because there was no way his stealth would work in these circumstances.

Viers smoothly crossed over the breach in the wall. He only got hit by one arrow and three stray Artes. Such a thing was still counted as lucky in a chaotic battlefield. He swiftly scurried away from the breach, from the kill zone the defenders created and went deeper into the city. Practically goblins and orcs that managed to get through were doing the same as him.

While he was running inside, he saw an eye-catching battle. It was the advance party led by the Warchief against a squad of fully armored knights. They wore the insignia of a gray bird on their armor and the banner they carried. Their leader was fighting toe-to-toe with the Warchief.

Their display of power captivated the fighters on both sides and invited awe. However, not all of them.

Just two Level 3 peak… A battle of this scale and the top combatants are only at this level?

Viers researched the region of Carfax Peninsula and knew the rough estimate of the power level in the area but seeing it with his own eyes really hit it home.

Compared to me… Their power is…

Viers was Level 3 mid so they were two small realms higher than him in the Path of Power but he was confident he would not lose to them in straight-up combat.

Winning might be difficult though. Especially when they got that strengthening buff by fighting with their respective armies.

It was just a small thought as Viers scurried away to safety.

“Monster incoming! Fire, fire, fire! Stop shriveling in your boots! Remember what’s behind us. Your families are counting on us! On you!”

Viers evaded the Artes that a squad of city guards launched and passed their flimsy defensive perimeter in an instant. He paid these mooks no mind. Even though he had weak combat ability, his Water Ghost Spider was a Rank 3 monster.

“After it! Don't let it get to the residential area!” The captain shouted.

“Cap! Behind you!”

While the Level 1 captain was turning around at Viers, a Rank 2 kobold approached and slashed him from behind.

“Arrgh!”

“Caaaap!” A guy screamed. After seeing the bloody death of the squad pillar, it became like a rag-tag of loose straw.

“No good, more of them are coming. We can't hold them! Uwaaaa!!”

Viers would have sighed and shaken his head if he saw the spectacle but he wasn't. His priority was losing the pursuers.

The dark alleys in the night were his friend. Viers broke into one of the windows. It was clearly someone else’s home but there was no one there.

Perhaps they have evacuated?

The place was good enough and Viers returned to his human form. He swiftly fastened his katana to his belt and out came the Impersonator Mask, changing his face and look.

Viers died in Valkut and the only one that knew of his survival was Ciel, who had sworn she wouldn't tell anyone. Since she was a member of the righteous brigade, and with the soul oath, Viers was confident she wouldn't blabber his secret.

He had prepared his new face before he set foot in Ebon Wall City. His slightly chubby body was the same but his face was very different. Unlike the Tanael identity who was devilishly handsome, his new face was but a humble seventeen years old youngster. A very average face.

Now that his reverse hero transformation was complete, Viers went out to the street. His next priority was information.

The wall and the breach was at the eastern side of the city. There were too few people in the evacuated area near the intense battle so Viers went west. It didn't take long until he met a group of men, looking like conscripts coming to reinforce the defenders.

Viers went into an alley on the side, waited for most of the group to pass, then snatched the last of the pack.

“Mmmmm!?”

“Shhh,” Viers’ hand tightly shut the man's mouth. “I just need to borrow your head for a minute.”

The Level 0 instantly blacked out from Viers’ soul search. His soul was powerless before the overwhelming might of Viers’ cultivation and soul foundation.

“Hmm, hmm… Got it. Thanks,” Viers left in a hurry. The faster he started, the better.

The man stood absentmindedly for about a minute before his brain rebooted.

“Hah? What am I… Oh shit! Got to reinforce the wall!”

The man had absolutely no recollection of getting his soul rummaged through or getting pulled into an alley by a stranger and began running as before.

The man was a member of the city security forces, usually patrolling a district very close to here. After making sure there were no Level 5 in the city, Viers now made his way to a place that suited his needs.

Along the way, he passed by a lot more people. A couple of goblin and orc warbands had reached quite far inside. The people panicked and went to the streets.

The aggressors' aim was to kill people, so the panic was justified. Most of these people were not Pathseekers and thus prey for the warbands. Bodies were starting to mount on the streets.

“Aaaah! Run away!”

“Hurry! Hurry!”

“Get out of my way!”

“Kyaaaah!! He’s dead! He’s dead!!!”

It was almost a stampede. Seeing the scene, Viers felt great pity for them.

No matter which Fable, the powerless always get the short end of the stick. That is why I must be strong, stronger, then strongest.

“Mama! Mamaaaa!” A boy around five years old was lost and wandering the streets, seeming separated from his mother.

“Aaaaah!” He screamed seeing a goblin grab his arm. Even though their heights weren't so different, the other had a very ugly face and vicious eyes.

“Your eyeballs look so delicious. Gweheheheh!”

The boy screamed again as the goblin was about to drive his rusted knife to the boy’s neck.

But before it happened, the boy saw the goblin cut in three.

“Sorry bud,” the boy heard a man with a sword whisper. “You're too ugly to live.”

The boy was agape and stood silently, the teary eyes were fixed on the sight of the galant visage of a man.

“Get a move on, kid,” Viers said to the boy. “Chop, chop.”

Viers kept going to his destination, it was just a few goblins and an orc were in the way.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!” The goblin said.

“Lowly human!” The orc said while swinging his ax down.

Water blades stabbed each of them once and they died. It happened in the blink of an eye.

“Tim! Timmy!” A woman with black hair that slightly resembled the boy embraced the child in her arms. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Mama!” Tim hugged his mother back. “N, no. Not hurt,” he shook his head. “That person killed the bad goblin first.”

“That person?”

Following the pointed finger, the woman saw Viers from the back seconds before his visage was drowned by the crowd.

“At any rate, we’ve to leave. This place is not safe.”

Mama Tim carried Tim away.

As for Viers, he’d arrived at his destination, a secret storage that the city guard used for supplies. Naturally, Viers would take them all later but it was just a bonus. He only needed a hidden place relatively near the battlefield.

“Now, poor souls, rejoice. For I am your salvation.”

Arte - Subtle Soul Gravity.

Like a soundless, invisible vacuum cleaner, souls, human or otherwise, were absorbed into Viers. At first they came in ones or twos but it soon became hundreds.

This was Viers’ aim. Battlefields were prime locations to harvest fresh souls. He had to go to the city first because he couldn't do so in monster form. If he tried it on the other side of the wall, monsters would detect his human form and disturb him doing God’s work.

Viers didn't think it was blasphemous in any way.

The war didn't happen because of him and it was true he didn't help repel the aggressor but that was because it wasn't his role.

Fighting invaders was the job of a soldier. Saving lives was the job of a doctor.

Viers was doing his job as the Guide to the Afterlife, a funeral service of sorts.

There was just a teeny-tiny bit of fee involved.

Viers and his other self were collecting human souls at an exponential rate. In the Book World, his soul cultivation had reached the Grand Soul stage, which contributed to his victory over the Mary Sue, Anne. After that, he cut his soul foundation in half to breathe life into Futon and Faiya.

His recovery to the Grand Soul stage was close at hand.