CHAPTER 258: THE GREAT LIBERATION BATTLE 3

 

After making our way out of the massive city, we soon arrived at the Calvados coalition’s main camp. The atmosphere was thick with tension and an unmistakable sense of wariness. All around us, people whispered in hushed voices, but even so, we didn’t stop walking.

「Those guys… so that’s Seiha, huh?」

「Surround them with this many people, and we might just have a shot, don’t you think?」

「Don’t even think about it. You know what happened last time. You want to end up with another ‘Lion’s Tower Massacre’? Besides, we’ve been ordered not to make a move from higher up.」

「Tch. Look at them, acting like we’re not even worth their time…」

With every step we took, the perfectly aligned formation grew more disordered. The troops gradually split into two, creating a path as if making way for us.

From their conversations, it was safe to conclude that they’d been strictly forbidden from attacking us here.

When we had advanced roughly halfway through the formation, another ripple spread from the opposite side, parting the sea of people and forming a clear road between the walls of soldiers.

At the end of that path stood a party, blocking the stairway leading to the second level. Most eye-catching among them was the man standing in the center, arms crossed and planted firmly like an immovable pillar.

He wore equipment that was clearly of high rarity, and his massive, well-trained frame was evident even beneath his gear. The closer I got, the more old scars and fine wrinkles came into view—silent witnesses to his long years on the battlefield. And yet, despite his age, he carried an undeniable presence and vigor that made it clear this man was still in his prime.

So this is the Calvados clan master… the one they call the strongest in Wislo—the Tyrant, Garcia.

「You must be Aun of Seiha. You seem like quite the interesting man.」

「And you’re Garcia, right? Heard you’re pretty damn strong yourself.」

「More or less. This is our first time meeting, but let’s get straight to the point. Clan Seiha has no intention of participating in this liberation battle, correct?」

「Yeah. As long as you lot don’t try anything funny… that is.」

「Oh? So if we make a move, you won’t show mercy? Bold words to say in front of this army.」

「Don’t care how many of you swarm me. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to cut your numbers in half. You wanna test that theory?」

「No need for a test. Just standing here and facing you is enough to know you’re not bluffing. That said, you don’t seriously believe you’ll walk away unscathed either, do you? You speak so boldly because you assume we won’t make a move first.」

「Nah, not really. We’re good either way, see? Not like we’ve got any intention of losing to begin with.」

「…Hmph. Well, let’s leave it at that for now. I’d rather not weaken my forces before the real battle begins. Besides, despite the bloodlust radiating from your entire group, it’s oddly well-controlled. To put it simply—you haven’t shown your full hand. Knowing that alone is already valuable for us.」

Even as we spoke, I tried to appraise Garcia’s stats with 【Appraisal】, but no information came through at all.

Garcia smirked. His high-rarity accessories must have completely blocked my appraisal attempt. And judging by his expression, he knew full well that I’d tried to read him. In that sense, it was fair to say neither of us had seen the other’s depths.

「Is that all you had to say? Then I’ll be going ahead.」

「Go ahead and proceed. But be warned—this dungeon will not be so easily conquered.」

「Don’t need you to tell me that.」

We passed right by Garcia’s group and descended the staircase to the second level.

He let us through without issue, but as he said, he likely didn’t want to lose any forces before the main liberation battle.

I didn’t want to think of it as ‘good timing’, but the fact that Calvados was treating the Tekirana Alliance seriously enough to prepare for a full-scale clash spoke volumes of how they assessed their opponent.

And the four people standing behind Garcia… They were most likely members of 【Ambrosia】, Calvados’ top party under his command—and all of them looked like serious heavy hitters.

No signs of arrogance here…

I couldn’t help but wonder how the large-scale liberation battle would unfold, but we had no way of knowing in real time. We could always ask Tekirana or Curu about the results later. For now, we needed to devote everything to conquering the dungeon.

After all, from here on, the danger level was only going to skyrocket.