Lee Tae-sung managed to catch the tail of the Nameless Blood Cult thanks to his speed.
With the support of the Dragon Knights, he flew through the sky at breakneck speed, and after discovering traces within the basin, he moved with incredible speed using his Lightfoot Technique.
Among the retreating cult members, there were slow mages and spellcasters, and they couldn’t escape Lee Tae-sung’s grasp as he used Flying Flower Explosive Shadow to close short distances at tremendous speed.
“Found you.”
And finally, he pinpointed the location where the cultists were trying to escape through the abandoned mine.
As he caught and eliminated them one by one, the outline became visible by the time he grabbed the last one.
He reported the location to headquarters through Juel, and the Blue Dragon Knights immediately sortied.
It was lightning-fast speed.
This was possible because the entire Allied Forces were focused on this mission.
The Blue Dragon Knights thoroughly scoured the direction and location Lee Tae-sung had indicated, and not long after, they discovered the cult’s branch.
-We found it! It’s their branch!
-It was hidden in such a secret place that we wouldn’t have found it without a detailed search of this area.
-Confirmed an incredibly powerful barrier surrounding the branch! It’s a spherical barrier!
Reports came in one after another, and the Allied command cheered.
“We finally found them!”
“You goddamn moles! This is the end for you!”
Since the key figures of the Allied Forces were gathered in the meeting hall at that moment, the next orders were issued immediately.
Tired of having to wait idly, they moved with swift decisiveness.
An assault team composed of major forces advanced at once, arrived in front of the Nameless Blood Cult branch, and formed battle lines.
Lee Tae-sung joined them around that time.
“You’ve worked hard. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to get this far!”
Samuel, the representative of the Allied Forces, personally came outside to greet Lee Tae-sung.
He deserved it.
After all, all the credit for getting the stagnant Allied Forces moving belonged to Lee Tae-sung.
“I only did what was entrusted to me.”
“Very reassuring. I know well that your reputation of never failing a mission is not unfounded.”
Not only Samuel, but also the leaders of other major factions came out and applauded Lee Tae-sung.
“You’re called Taeseong Gong, right? This was extraordinary.”
“Come visit the Green Magic Tower sometime. I’ll pull out an artifact from the warehouse for you.”
“The same goes for us. We owe you a great debt!”
Even the Branch Manager of Mortu Nocturn praised Lee Tae-sung at this moment.
Of course, the Vice Branch Manager, Luban, glared at him with burning eyes.
-Ding!
[You have completed the Quest]
[You obtain 150 Gold Coins, a large amount of Experience Points, 25 Skill Points, and a large amount of Continental Alliance Contribution Points]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Immediately afterward, notifications appeared before Lee Tae-sung’s eyes.
Quest completion message.
Level-up notifications kept popping up for a while.
*’Skill Points… I won’t be running out for a while.’*
With the Skill Point reward and the points accumulated from leveling up.
When he eventually gains new skills to learn, he’ll be able to learn them without hesitation.
*’And the Contribution Points are enormous too.’*
Since it was an important mission, a huge amount of Contribution Points had piled up.
Lee Tae-sung had come out to the continent and participated in the mission to create a Dimensional Gate leading to the Great Spirit Realm.
He needed a lot of expensive materials, and with this many Contribution Points, he could probably buy a significant portion of them.
“You’ve worked hard. We’re about to start the siege. Will you participate?”
“Hmm…”
“You’ve worked hard on the mission, so you can rest if you want. No one will say anything. You’ve earned the right to rest.”
Samuel patted Lee Tae-sung on the shoulder.
It was too harsh to ask him to join another war right after returning from a mission.
Of course, Lee Tae-sung had little intention of resting.
How could he skip such an important event?
“May I act independently?”
“Independently?”
“Yes.”
“If that’s what you want, go ahead. I’ll permit it under the authority of the commander.”
*’Has he gained confidence from earning so many merits?’*
Samuel thought to himself.
It seemed he wanted to earn merits alone again, but that would likely be difficult.
Reports had already come in that the Nameless Blood Cult’s branch was surrounded by a powerful barrier without any gaps, and predictions indicated it couldn’t be breached through ordinary means.
But Samuel didn’t stop Lee Tae-sung.
He had earned the right to act as he pleased.
“You may rejoin the main force anytime. I’ll keep a good spot open for you.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Time is precious, and the siege must begin soon. See you later.”
With those words, Samuel began moving busily again.
—
Transcendent Realm experts are extremely rare even among major factions.
Since they are all old masters who were active in the previous generation or the generation before that, they rarely engage in external activities.
This remains true even now that the Nameless Blood Cult has appeared.
Unless it’s a moment of all-out war against the Nameless Blood Cult, they haven’t stepped forward since the main headquarters hasn’t even been properly located yet.
But there was exactly one exception.
That’s why the Continental Alliance currently had a Transcendent Realm expert.
“I’ll take the vanguard.”
Blue Dragon Knight Commander Samuel spoke.
The reason he could serve as the temporary representative of the Allied Forces was not only because he had been suffering through reconnaissance missions from the start, but also because he was a Transcendent Realm expert.
Since even the leaders of other factions were at most at the Peak Realm, Samuel naturally became the representative.
“When I attack first, everyone charge accordingly.”
“Understood.”
The leaders of the other major factions nodded, and Samuel rose into the sky riding his dragon.
Standing on the back of the enormous Blue Dragon, he looked down from high in the sky at the Nameless Blood Cult branch with a flourish.
Samuel had already drawn his spear.
“Rodengar. Lend me your strength.”
-Crackle!
Powerful lightning discharged from the Blue Dragon’s horns.
“Hmph!”
At the same time, Samuel leaned his body back heavily and hurled his spear, which was enveloped in lightning, tearing through the air.
It was a strike infused with Samuel’s full power in that instant.
The spear struck the upper center of the barrier precisely.
-BOOOOOM!!
The barrier shook violently with a massive explosion.
-CRACK!
Part of the barrier cracked, on the verge of shattering.
“Hmm. It didn’t break…”
Samuel clicked his tongue.
He had exhausted his Inner Qi in an instant and was drained, but although the barrier had cracked, it was still intact.
“But this much should be enough for the other leaders to handle.”
Without any hesitation, Samuel retreated on his dragon.
Since he had put all his power into that strike, he needed considerable time to recover his Inner Qi.
In the meantime, the other major faction leaders at the Peak Realm would do their part.
The cracked barrier could be broken if they combined their strength.
In Samuel’s eyes looking down from the sky, he could see the Continental Alliance charging forward with Lightfoot Techniques and magic.
“Wooaah! Let’s gooo!!!”
“Wipe out all those fanatics!”
“The barrier is cracked and on the verge of breaking with a single tap! Don’t be afraid!”
The full-scale siege against the Nameless Blood Cult branch had begun.
—
Lee Tae-sung requested independent action because he felt something when he saw the Nameless Blood Cult’s barrier.
*’This. I think I can break through it?’*
It was a powerful barrier, but he felt it could be breached.
Of course, it was just intuition, and it might not be true…
But if it were possible, acting independently would yield more gains.
He could strike the Nameless Blood Cult from behind, and might even be able to access hidden storages or something.
*’Even if I get caught, so what. I can fight to my heart’s content.’*
The pursuit in the abandoned mine was far from the battle Lee Tae-sung had wanted.
He had been disappointed then, so now he wanted to have that kind of experience, even if it was dangerous.
After circling around the vicinity of the branch, Lee Tae-sung found a suitable spot and settled in.
The barrier was spherical, so tight that even digging underground couldn’t allow access, which meant there were no cultists on guard.
Most of the Nameless Blood Cult members were gathered at the front, preparing for the Allied Forces.
That showed how much they trusted the barrier.
-Whoosh!
Lee Tae-sung placed his hand on the barrier and ignited flames.
The flames, heavily infused with the mana of Heavenly Fire Holy Law Art, merely burned on the surface of the barrier without dealing any damage.
Expecting this, Lee Tae-sung calmly proceeded to the next step.
A black lotus bloomed behind his head.
At the same time, the flames he emitted turned pitch black.
The Flame Emperor’s secret technique that explosively increases power by infusing demonic energy. Black Lotus Divine Skill.
-Crackle!
With Black Lotus Divine Skill deployed, the barrier finally began to melt slowly.
It was as Lee Tae-sung had expected.
But the only disappointing thing was…
*’Too slow?’*
Even the flames of Black Lotus Divine Skill were too slow at burning the barrier.
He could feel it gnawing away at the barrier very minutely, but at this rate, it was questionable whether he could make a hole big enough for a person to pass through.
*’I’ll collapse before that.’*
Black Lotus Divine Skill consumed an enormous amount of mana, and more importantly, his mind would slowly be eroded by demonic energy.
If used moderately, it could be purified by Heavenly Fire Holy Law Art, but if sustained, madness would seep into his mind.
That was worse than death.
Unlike simply dying, mental problems could affect reality as well.
And then that moment came.
-BOOOOOM!!
An explosion so loud it nearly burst his eardrums shook the barrier.
The impact was so strong that Lee Tae-sung almost fell from the shaking ground.
Startled, he looked up at the sky and let out a wry laugh.
He saw Samuel throwing a spear from atop the Blue Dragon.
*’Ha. A Transcendent Realm expert is indeed a monster.’*
The barrier that had only been slowly gnawed away by Black Lotus Divine Skill was now cracked all over from a single spear throw.
Even for a Transcendent Realm expert, that kind of power couldn’t be used easily, but it was still incredible.
-Whoosh!
Thanks to the weakened barrier, the flames of Black Lotus Divine Skill began to gnaw through it much faster, and before long, a hole large enough for a person to pass through was made.
*’Thank you. Thanks to you, I can get in.’*
Lee Tae-sung sent a silent thanks to Samuel and entered the barrier.
Immediately after, he crouched behind a nearby rock and hid.
He did it in case someone noticed the breach, but fortunately, no one came this way.
The barrier had problems all over, so they probably couldn’t pay attention to everything.
The full-scale siege seemed to have begun.
While the area was quiet, Lee Tae-sung began to move carefully.
*’Ah, a stealth skill really…’*
He regretted not having a stealth skill at this moment.
He had plenty of Contribution Points, but asking a major faction for a stealth martial art right before a war seemed strange, so he had postponed the opportunity.
But now it was inconvenient.
No help for it.
When you have no teeth, you use your gums.
He just had to hide well!
Lee Tae-sung moved cautiously, and then he spotted a cult member running hard in that direction.
“!”
Judging by his movements, he seemed to be a regular cultist, and seeing him gave Lee Tae-sung a sudden good idea.
*’Come to think of it, how did Baek Woon-ho infiltrate the Nameless Blood Cult?’*
He remembered Baek Woon-ho, who had appeared in a fairly high position in the Nameless Blood Cult before.
If he could disguise himself like that, there would be much more he could do.
Deciding to give it a try since the thought had occurred, Lee Tae-sung quickly approached from behind the regular cultist and ambushed him.
“Ghk!”
The man collapsed without even reacting.
After cleanly disposing of him, Lee Tae-sung dragged the corpse back behind the rock.
Then he stripped off the man’s clothes and put them on himself.
“Not bad?”
Looking down at his own outfit, it was quite convincing.
He didn’t know if this would actually work…
After that, he jogged in the direction the guy had been moving.
“Hey, you!”
“!”
Someone shouted at Lee Tae-sung.
Judging by the slightly better outfit, he seemed to be a manager-level person.
Lee Tae-sung tensed up slightly.
If he was discovered, he planned to quickly take him out before he could spread the information.
He was ready to draw his sword and swing at any moment, but the man glanced at Lee Tae-sung from head to toe and then barked.
“A mere regular cultist, why are you so slow! Every moment is urgent! Move it!”
“…Yes! Understood!”
Hiding a slight smile, Lee Tae-sung quickly moved in the direction he was directed.