Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Chapter 198 Battlefield !

"...."

"...."

In the rear of the battlefield, amidst the roaring flames, deafening explosions, and the cries of both monsters and pioneers, Elias and Damian stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before them. They weren't the only ones. Everyone not directly involved in the fighting had fallen silent, utterly speechless at the spectacle before them.

"This... what is this..." Elias muttered, trailing off in disbelief.

It had all started with a massive pillar of blue fire. The pillar had appeared and disappeared in an instant, consuming nearly fifty monsters in its flames. When the fire died down a few seconds later, all that remained were piles of brightly colored ash. The attack had come so suddenly that both the pioneers and the monsters had frozen in place, unable to process what had just happened.

But Justin's assault didn't stop there.

"Kikikikiki!" "Fresh meat! Fresh meat!" "Ah, delicious!"

The ash began to take on various demonic forms, writhing and twisting until they solidified into grotesque shapes. Then, without hesitation, the demons attacked the monsters. Caught off guard, the monsters had no choice but to fight the demons that had appeared right in their midst.

Before the battle could properly begin, another pillar of fire erupted, and moments later, the monsters found themselves fighting against not just demons but a hundred of them.

'Two attacks. With just two attacks...'

Elias's body trembled as he thought about the unbelievable outcome. That maniac had used only two skills, reducing the monster horde by a hundred and increasing their own numbers by the same amount.

And what if those had been pioneers instead of monsters?

The mere thought made Elias's hair stand on end.

Even as Elias lost himself in thought, Justin's attacks continued.

"Double reinforcement, Cursed Lightning."

Crack!

"Kieeeek!"

The third attack came in the form of a massive, violet bolt of lightning that struck the monsters, stunning thirty of them on the spot. The lightning didn't have much destructive power, but it knocked the monsters senseless.

By the end of the fourth attack, sixty more monsters were incapacitated, leaving only three hundred and forty monsters out of the original five hundred able to fight.

In less than a minute, a third of the enemy forces had been wiped out before a proper battle had even begun.

"Now it's manageable. Let's go!" "Yes, sir!"

It was only then that what could actually be called a "battle" began.

Elias still held onto a shred of hope at that point. Surely, this was only possible because of that monster Justin. The pioneers under his command couldn't be that extraordinary. Even if their levels were a bit higher, they couldn't be that different from the rest.

It took less than a minute for those hopes to be completely shattered.

"Look at meee!" "Kruhk!?"

The first to step forward was a female pioneer who had been standing by Justin's side the whole time. With a loud shout, she drew the attention of all the monsters, forcing them to turn their eyes toward her. It was a taunt skill—one that drew the attention of every enemy around her.

'Is she insane!? Does she have a death wish!?'

Elias nearly cursed out loud in shock.

Taunt was undoubtedly a useful skill for managing aggro, drawing attention away from endangered allies or luring enemies into traps. But it also made the user the target of every enemy in range, putting them in great danger.

Using taunt in the middle of a battlefield without any cover or preparation was practically suicide.

'There's no trap, no cover, and she's the vanguard?! She's completely out of her mind!'

As expected, the enraged monsters charged toward the female pioneer. Even though their numbers had been reduced by a third, they were still a terrifying force. Even if the others tried to cover her, there was no way they could block that wave of monsters.

'She's finished.'

Just as Elias shook his head, certain that her fate was sealed...

Finishing his thoughts, Justin glanced behind him. The pioneers' attitudes had completely shifted after the battle. Damian's faction, which had thought they were just 'a little stronger,' was now silent. The cult followers, who had been constantly casting him annoyed glances, were now avoiding eye contact. Meanwhile, Justin's own people walked proudly, their chests puffed out, exuding confidence.

It was clear to everyone who held the power now.

'Maybe I should test this.'

Justin suddenly stopped in his tracks. As if on cue, everyone, including Damian and Elias, halted their steps. With a curious look, Damian approached and asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Justin replied casually.

"...."

Although his answer was vague, Damian didn't press further. For the next thirty seconds, Justin stood still, but not a single complaint arose. After a full minute, he resumed walking, and the rest followed without a word. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

'It's working,' Justin thought, a satisfied smile forming on his face. There were no protests, not even a hint of dissatisfaction from the pioneers. It wasn't just the leaders who had conceded control to him. Almost everyone present had lost any desire to resist after witnessing the earlier battle.

At this point, if Justin declared himself the supreme commander, no one would object.

Watching the situation unfold, Zachary approached and whispered, "My lord, it's fine to play around, but you should be careful. If dissatisfaction builds, it'll cause trouble later."

"I'm not playing. I'm just testing to see if they've truly submitted. Besides, aren't you more worried about your own level than me?"

"...."

Zachary turned his head, speechless. Despite the battle, he still hadn't managed to advance to his second class. Even though he had killed enough monsters, it was likely an issue of contribution. It meant his combat skills were lacking—others had contributed more to killing the monsters than he had.

"This won't do. When we get back, you'll need to train with Derek," Justin said.

"What!? Why Derek ? Can't you assign someone else?"

"Because Derek won't go easy on you. He'll push you hard," Justin replied with a grin.

"Wait, my lord! That's not fair! I'd rather train with Ethan!" Zachary protested.

"Stop!" Nathan suddenly shouted.

Both Justin and Zachary froze instantly, their faces growing serious. If Nathan was telling them to stop, there was only one reason.

"It's a trap. And not just any trap—one that requires a sacrifice," Nathan explained.

Justin turned his gaze forward and carefully examined the path ahead. Sure enough, three tiles were sticking out awkwardly on the ground.

"Those are so obvious. Could they really be traps?" Justin asked.

"They're actually deactivation devices for a trap. If someone steps on them, spikes will shoot out from all directions and kill them instantly," Nathan said.

"So it's not a deactivation device—it's just a trap."

"The problem is that if no one steps on them, other traps will continuously activate right in front of us. And they won't stop after just one activation," Nathan continued.

"What happens if someone steps on it?"

"The traps ahead will completely deactivate. But whoever steps on it will die. Three sacrifices will be required to disarm all of them."

Justin stroked his chin, pondering the situation. 'First, there was the massive horde of monsters, and now this trap. It feels like a replay of old dungeon designs.'

Though the difficulty had increased, the fundamental mechanics were the same as any other dungeon. First, overwhelm the party with sheer numbers, then force them to sacrifice someone to proceed.

'It's as if the system is testing whether we've learned anything from past experiences.'

Still, something felt off. While the difficulty had gone up, the system rarely repeated the same tests in important quests. Major rewards usually came with unique challenges.

'It could just be my imagination, but something about this feels strange.'

Then, Justin muttered aloud, "Sacrifice, huh."

As soon as the word left his mouth, the faces of the pioneers, especially those who weren't under his command, turned pale.