Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! Novel - Chapter 233
C233
The sky was engulfed in flames.
The roar of cannons was constant, and the clouds dispersed as the air vibrated.
It wasn’t just dozens of aircraft firing their cannons.
There were at least hundreds. The cannons, forged with high magical technology, were on a completely different level from low-level masters, and they didn’t stop spewing fire.
«Fire!»
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
With that, the second attack from the mages preparing spells in the fleet continued.
The whole sky seemed like a fireworks display, completely dyed in red.
«What an intense welcome. Wouldn’t it be better to use those munitions against the enemies of your world?»
Despite the deafening noise, Laskandar’s murmurs were heard clearly.
And as it seemed the bombardment would never end, Laskandar’s figure began to slowly emerge from the flames.
«… «
Laskandar waved his wolf-skin cloak.
The residual flames in the sky extinguished as if they had never been there.
Of course, he didn’t have a single scratch.
«Those aircraft…!»
Wiryung raised his eyebrows.
Laskandar’s appearance hadn’t changed, but the aircraft he was traveling in had.
What had once seemed like a small boat had now transformed into a gigantic aircraft nearly hundreds of meters long.
It was the size of Niflheim’s flagship airship, with a streamlined hull that gleamed with a soft golden hue and a flag fluttering with a red swirling emblem.
«That emblem… it’s from Dorado.»
The emblem on the flag was that of El Cid, the emblem that had inspired awe in all the masters of the server before I excelled in Pick Me Up.
«This will be my final adventure.»
El Cid unfolded his wolf-skin cloak.
«Let’s begin.»
Kruuum!
From the hem of El Cid’s cloak erupted a violent storm.
The storm enveloped the aircraft he was traveling in and spread backward.
Within the storm, shadows began to emerge slowly.
«The strongest 7-star hero.»
In Pick Me Up, there are fewer than five 7-star level heroes.
Each of them is immensely powerful with abilities close to transcendence. Even Niflheim, boasting being undefeated in PvP, would have to consider defeat against them.
And among them, Laskandar El Cid is the first and strongest of the 7-star heroes.
When I was on Earth, I tried to learn everything I could about his specifications, but ultimately failed.
Even Yurnet’s research could only yield fragmentary results.
«It was said he was a king.»
I remembered Yurnet’s words.
«They say he has an entire world within him.»
And then, the storm dissipated.
El Cid opened his eyes wide.
Behind him, heroes in dazzling armor were lined up.
«Danger!»
[Conquest Army Lv.???] X 1024
[Super Airship ‘Ximena’] X 1
«It contains an entire world within him.»
When I heard Yurnet’s report, I had a suspicion.
If he really was a 7-star hero, he might have that capability.
«It seems I was right.»
I observed the heroes accompanying El Cid, who had conquered all the scenarios of Dorado.
They were all veterans of numerous battles, the elite of the elite.
Hero summoning capability.
It seems El Cid can summon the heroes he has devoured.
Essentially, he himself is an army.
«Once more!»
El Cid opened his eyes wide.
«Once more, for Dorado, forward!»
The heroes of Dorado raised their weapons.
At first glance, it seemed like an army unanimously responding to their commander, but I noticed their eyes were empty.
«They have no will of their own.»
They were just puppets obeying El Cid’s orders.
The fusion process must have stripped them of their personality.
«What a disgusting sight. To use even their own comrades as pawns!»
Wiryung muttered bitterly.
«Does he have other purposes? I don’t think so! Surely, he’s only seeking to satisfy his greed. Lord, allow me to go now and cut off that wretch’s head.»
«Stay put. We haven’t received permission from the master yet.»
«But…»
«If they manage to break through here, Niflheim will take care of him. Haven’t you forgotten the promise?»
With those words, Wiryung fell silent.
After a moment, Wiryung bowed her head and clenched her fists.
«…I’m sorry.»
«Keep your eyes open and watch.»
I crossed my arms.
With El Cid’s cry, the conquest army had appeared.
Undoubtedly, as a single hero, he was the most powerful.
[Dimensional Channel – 15,327 participants]
Haha> Did he just summon his subordinates? Looks like there are around 1000.
lSSSELAM> 😂😂😂 1000? How many of us are there? Adding up the heroes, probably around 100,000, right? 😂
RustyHeart> Still, it’s a decent number compared to the boss of the last monthly event. That time, thousands came out.
The punitive force didn’t panic even though the first artillery bombardment was ineffective and El Cid summoned a thousand guards.
It was expected of a world-level boss. The hunting team was reorganizing its ranks based on the fleet of high-ranking players at the forefront.
«They’re not just one or two.»
15,000 masters had participated.
And that number was rapidly increasing.
Compared to the aircraft and heroes of the hunting team filling the field, El Cid’s army was just a point on the map.
«Remember that time when the horizon was filled with enemies. Doesn’t it bring back memories?»
El Cid looked back as he spoke.
But there was no response from anyone.
[Dimensional Channel (for Advanced Users) – 58 participants]
Iclios> Let’s go! Those seeking the treasure, follow my instructions! I’m Iclios, ranked 16th. If you listen carefully, I assure you the gold. From now on, please limit the chat and follow orders.
Melt> Who are you to give orders? Where is Loki?
Iclios> Loki said he was busy and wouldn’t participate. Among us here, I am the player with the highest rank. Though inexperienced, I’ve been participating since the first monthly event.
I’mSick> Let’s follow what he says first. He’s an ally of mine and he does it well. You can trust him.
The hunting team creaked, but continued to advance slowly.
The forces advancing now were on the Raid to secure the ‘golden treasure chest’ awarded for contribution points. Although more than half of the hunting team was there just to participate symbolically, like Anything, the other half was decidedly focused on the hunting objective.
These forces included thousands of aircraft and tens of thousands of heroes.
Even a super aircraft and a thousand heroes forming the conquest army seemed insignificant in comparison.
«Come on, come.»
El Cid, standing at the bow of his aircraft, Ximena, narrowed his eyes.
A massive fleet filled the skies, approaching the flagship of Dorado, Ximena.
On the sides of the aircraft, thousands of weapon ports opened simultaneously.
The next bombardment began. With a roar, the sky turned red once again.
Though they were elite magical cannons, they had their limits.
An opaque shield deployed in front of Ximena, easily deflecting the projectiles.
‘It’s just a show of force.’
It was a ceremonial act, something that always happened in these raid events.
First, thousands of cannons were used to tie down the enemy.
[Dimensional Channel (for Advanced Users) – 58 participants]
Iclios> If you look up on your screens, you’ll see the map of the enemy ship. I’ve assigned teams to cover each section. Get down there and take control of your assigned area. Our assault team will penetrate from the inside.
Next, the enemy would be surrounded from all sides.
Hundreds of aircraft began to slowly encircle Ximena.
Crack!
The hundred-meter aircraft at the forefront of the hunting team rammed Ximena’s shield with its bow.
It sounded like something tore, and the shield disintegrated into pieces.
[Dimensional Channel (for Advanced Users) – 58 participants]
Iclios> It’s your turn now.
The heroes waiting on the hunting team’s deck jumped in unison.
Like a swarm of flies, they clung to Ximena and drew their weapons.
Clang!
The heroes of Dorado quickly annihilated dozens of the initial attackers.
Agile movements and impressive skills, truly worthy of being called elite. The hunting team was unfazed by the annihilation of their vanguard and continued to send forces ceaselessly.
‘Simple but effective.’
Pushing with an overwhelming amount of resources.
No matter how much a world Raid boss can summon their minions, there’s a limit to their number.
From above, from the sides, from below, at this moment, dozens, hundreds of heroes were infiltrating the Ximena aircraft.
Heroes with long swords, heroes wielding bows and magic, and others with mysterious weapons of unknown identity. Their characteristics were extremely varied.
«……»
El Cid stood at the bow of his ship, watching it turn into a battlefield.
‘But still.’
He wasn’t the number one hero for nothing.
[Dimensional Channel – 16,091 participants]
Kulraid> They’re incredibly strong, aren’t they? Worth a hundred men, aren’t they?”
Puppy19> Well, they’re rank 1 heroes according to the ranking. They definitely seem much stronger than any six-star max-level hero.
YOLO> 😆. 😆 Glad I didn’t get involved.
The heroes who had landed on Ximena were being slaughtered.
With a level of 99 and rank 6 stars, the basic conditions between the two forces might seem similar. However, El Cid’s heroes were pushing the hunting team despite the overwhelming numerical difference.
‘It’s to be expected.’
No matter if they’re at the same level, there’s a difference between heroes who have been carelessly raised and those who have been carefully planned and managed by their masters.
Additionally, El Cid had been recognized for his near-perfect selection and training of heroes even before I rose in the ranks.
His army would be on a completely different level than heroes typically trained by ordinary masters.
[Dimensional Channel (for Advanced Users) – 58 participants]
Iclios> Keep pushing. We still outnumber them.
Even though Ximena’s deck was stained with blood, the hunting team continued to send more heroes.
One group fell, then they sent another. If that group fell, they sent another one.
[Dimensional Channel (for Advanced Users) – 58 participants]
Iclios> We just have to slowly reduce the number of minions. We can attack the boss when necessary.
Slash!
Three heroes who lunged at El Cid were cut in half.
With a fluid motion, El Cid swung his silver sword, splattering drops of blood across the deck. They specifically came to attack him, ignoring the rest of the army.
And finally, casualties began to appear on El Cid’s side.
A man surrounded by eighteen members of the hunting team fell, his body pierced by swords and spears.
Then, a woman with a bow and a young man with a halberd fell dead.
«Asgard, Dazljin, Jeran.»
El Cid lowered his gaze.
At the end of his gaze lay scattered, bleeding bodies.
«This wasn’t where they were meant to die.»
Boom!
El Cid drove his sword into the aircraft’s deck.
In that instant, the holes in the fallen bodies disappeared. The gold armor, which was shattered and torn, restored as if nothing had happened.
«……»
The three, who had been corpses, picked up their fallen weapons and staggered to their feet.
[Dimensional Channel (for Advanced Users) – 58 participants]
Iclios> Huh? Do the minions revive?
It seemed whoever was giving the orders was puzzled.
[Dimensional Channel (for Advanced Users) – 58 participants]
Iclios> This complicates things if they keep reviving.
JuJeon> Isn’t it a loss if we keep attacking?
No.
I shook my head.
One knows, the other doesn’t.
El Cid’s heroes, indeed, revived.
But…
[Danger!]
[The Conqueror of Fate]
[Laskandar El Cid Lv.622]
I observed the tag above his head.
The level shown was 622.
But the level I had initially seen…
‘It was 658.’
The level had decreased.
That moment was after he summoned his heroes.
When he revived the fallen heroes, the figure dropped even further.
‘He’s using his own energy to activate his skills.’
—
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