Who designed this underworld dungeon?.

Chapter 683 Battle Festival, Another Battle! (Two Chapters Combined)

"Just arrange these flowers like this, just arrange them like this, to make the scene look more grand!"

"Captain, General Shattered Star's balloon is leaking air and can't fly up!"

"The maintenance department has a problem with the projector here; the magic connection has been lost for some reason!"

In the newly rebuilt capital, thousands of troops are busy running around the city, adding decorations and embellishing every street.

Everywhere, curious onlookers gathered. Why weren't they at work? Because King Bantoub had granted the entire country a three-day holiday!
During this three-day holiday, the citizens of the Warrior Kingdom can only do three things:
Watch the projection, watch the projection, or (warrior nation profanity) watch the projection!
Show all of them to Bontou the projection of the battle festival that will soon begin again!
"Get to work quickly, or you'll be in big trouble if you delay His Majesty's business!"

The troops were divided into dozens of small teams, busily working in various places, with the team leaders acting as supervisors.

Inflatable balloons modeled after Ratan are scattered throughout the city, and there is even a Ratan balloon that is as big as an airship, which is quite eye-catching. It is said that this was suggested by a helpful citizen, Godwin.

The tallest buildings in the capital city are adorned with huge, colorful murals depicting the scenery of various parts of the underground city of Sein. Upon closer inspection, these murals are actually hand-painted, a truly massive undertaking.

Staff dressed as Rataen soldiers were handing out souvenirs for free everywhere. These were small trinkets like badges and keychains printed with various monster images, all made by local toy manufacturers from the Warrior Kingdom. They had recently successfully driven away the ambitious Bed family, who wanted to enter the Warrior Kingdom's toy market, and now distributing these souvenirs was also a way of showing off.

Bards, drawn by the business opportunity, flocked to the streets to sing a plethora of poems about Rataen, written by authors eager to capitalize on the hype following the battle festival. The copper coins they earned today would be enough to cover their expenses for the next month.

However, the authorities forbade them to sing their most famous song—the war song sung by the soldiers in Red Lion City during battle festivals—because they wanted to save it for setting the mood before the battle began.

The capital city is bustling with activity everywhere.

The team leaders were urging everyone on, while the idle people were pointing at the decorations and discussing them. The children would shout with joy when they saw something they recognized, and the adventurers were discussing which of the monsters on the decorations was stronger and which one they could defeat in one go. The discussion eventually turned into showing off.

Even the Dragon's Nest joined in the fun, hanging a banner expressing their determination to win on the huge nest. It was clear that they were forced to hang the banner by Bantou, because the words on it were written very perfunctorily.

It wasn't just the capital city that undertook this kind of decoration; nearby cities, including Blackrock City, were also decorated under Banto's orders.

He even released the news a few days in advance so that people on holiday would have time to gather in these cities where the battle festival would be broadcast live.

The largest projector was set up on the golden tree next to Blackrock City.

Although it is just an ordinary tree that has grown into the appearance of a golden tree, that does not prevent people from calling it a golden tree.

Using the remnants left behind after the rampage in the Sinn Dungeon to livestream the battle in the Sinn Dungeon, this is the perfect place!
"I didn't expect it to be so lively; it's getting me all excited."

On the top floor of the palace, Japar looked at the projection screen that was slowly unfolding and almost covering most of the sky, and couldn't help but marvel at how wealthy Bantou was.

In fact, Ainz III and Princess Serena also sponsored a lot for this event, mainly because everyone wanted to see it. If he were strong enough, Ainz III would definitely have rushed in to participate in the battle.

"Our country is getting better too."

Sitting beside Japar, the abdicated King Fred looked down at the capital, which was now completely different from the one he remembered, and couldn't help but sigh.

"You wouldn't believe it, would you? This country would go to such lengths for a warrior's festival," Japar said with a smile.

"I really didn't expect that I would live to see such a vibrant country."

Fred coughed twice, but the illness couldn't suppress the ever-upturned corners of his mouth, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"You deserve to die, Eunka."

Although Yunka has caused a lot of trouble for the country, the things he has done have instilled fear in people about magic, and even if they are not afraid, they have developed a sense of resistance.

Consequently, a fervor for warriors arose during this period of decline in magic.

“But then again,” Fred said with a conflicted expression, “I seem to remember hearing someone say that Ratahn was also a very powerful mage, not just a pure warrior.”

"Physical and magical cultivation, don't worry about it too much. Where am I going to find a pure warrior as strong as Rataen?"

"That's right, it would be great to have General Shattered Star."

The old king gazed in the direction of the Kingdom of Yanor, lost in thought. After a while, he slowly spoke:

"If only that dungeon had appeared when I was still healthy. It would have been so much fun going in with that old bastard Ainz."

Japal knew he was about to reminisce about the few times he had been free and adventurous in his youth, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "I have to go, the fighting is about to start."

"What's the rush? You're not—"

Before Fred could finish speaking, Japal had already vanished from his side.

"Tch, what a disrespectful person to elders."

He grimaced in annoyance, but when he saw the soldiers below chasing after the deflated Rataen balloon, a satisfied smile appeared on the old man's lips.

"so good"

At this very moment, many things are happening simultaneously.

Banto and the two princes were giving pre-battle speeches to their respective legions, creating a very enthusiastic atmosphere.

Ero was checking on the preparations of his people one by one, testing the quality of the siege spear-shaped helmets that had been custom-made for this battle.

While muttering melancholy, "I'm not a legend yet, I don't want to go," Hidal casually cheered on his people.

Nadi pointed at Erro and Hiddleston and said to the big guy in front of her, "Just fight better than those guys."

Inside the Adventurers' Guild, a lively pre-battle party was being held, with adventurers chugging down cup after cup of flammable oolong tea made with the Water of Life.

Inside the Magic Association, there didn't seem to be any special activities. However, the magicians who were confirmed to participate were all holding sealed bottles and jars, grinning sinisterly. They could finally restart their sealed experiments.

It fits people's stereotypes about magicians.

"Go for it, big sister adventurer whose name I don't know!" A child was cheering on the adventurers who were heading towards the portal.

"Thank you, but your job today is as a photographer."

Luluwo affectionately ruffled the child's hair, then waved to the people behind her carrying large bags of photography equipment, saying, "Let's go in!"

Tammy, Berto, and the rest of the Skyrim strategy team: "Get to work, get to work!"

About an hour passed after the SkyCraft strategy team entered the dungeon.

"Buzzing sound. Hello, hello, can you hear me? How's the video quality?"

Suddenly, the largest projection screen on the Golden Tree lit up, and Luluwo's ​​voice came from it, instantly spreading throughout the city and attracting everyone's attention.

"Is it finally going to start? Look, that's Red Lion City! I saw it in the previous footage!" People excitedly pointed to the screen.

The backdrop is undoubtedly Red Lion City, with its familiar flames and crimson sky. The scent of Galid is palpable, and one can almost smell the blood and gunpowder.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but Red Lion City seems several times bigger than before. The square should be big enough to accommodate all the warriors who came to participate in the battle festival.

The video transmission was flawless, and the latency was even better than before, which surprised Luluwo quite a bit, since there had been audio-visual desynchronization issues during previous tests.

The main reason is that Gong Qiying gave them the green light for their live broadcast this time.

The test went smoothly. Centered on the Golden Tree, the projections in other cities were connected to the screen one after another. Within just a few minutes, the people who were just gathering around had all come together in front of the projection.

One soldier tried to take advantage of the high-end renovations, but his captain punched him on the head, yelling, "What are you still doing? It's already started! Go and see! His Majesty needs popularity!"

Everything went exactly as planned; the crowd was rapidly gathering, and all sides were gradually preparing.

Luluwo counted down five minutes, and when the timer reached zero, she pressed a switch.

The next second, the sounds of the surrounding environment came from the projection.

The Rataen soldiers standing atop Red Lion City had been singing a tune that was hard to define as either a war song or a requiem. At this moment, the music was finally projected and transmitted to the capital and other cities.

Almost at the same time, the largest dragons appeared in the skies above the cities, and with a dragon roar signaling the start, the bands on their backs immediately began to play music!
The tune being played was that of the soldiers of Rataen!

However, after being adapted by a renowned local music master, the original simple melody was enhanced with orchestral elements, and the magnificent music simultaneously covered various cities, transforming the melody into a hymn of praise for the warriors before their departure!
"That sounds great! The arrangement is really good!" "Oh my god, I really want to punch something right now!" "Stop acting crazy here, you jerk!"

The emotions of the large crowd were stirred up, and if there hadn't been guards to maintain order, the scene would have likely descended into chaos.

In the image, Japar's silhouette appears in the center, as he raises his lion emblem high towards the sky, the emblem blazing with light.

As the light shot straight into the sky, a vast army descended from the heavens.

The previously empty square was now filled with people of high morale, and the atmosphere was quickly pushed towards a feverish one.

Meanwhile, the city lord, Jielian, atop the city wall, raised his longsword and shouted in a weathered voice:
"The sky is full of stars, it's time for the festival!"

"General Ratan, the most powerful demigod in the Shattered Wars, awaits you!"

"Warriors, fight! Defeat your mighty foe with honor and claim the Great Rune!"

"The battle festival has begun! The Latan Festival has begun!"

"Ouch————"

The dragons roared in unison, their most deafening roar ever heard.

When the deafening roar that had shocked the audience to the point of covering their ears finally subsided, the projection had shifted from Red Lion City to the weeping sand dunes.

Beneath that crimson sky, Ratahn's figure stood prominently in the distance.

As the challengers appeared, he picked up the heavy Lion Bow, and with a sound of flesh being torn apart, he pulled the giant arrow from his back.

Arrows, like siege spears, were aimed at the crowd.

There was no announcement of "start" or the sound of the referee's gun.

The moment the challengers appeared, the battle festival was declared to have begun!
The massive legion composed of various experts instantly erupted in excitement!
Rataen's aura was still as astonishing, and his towering body exuded a sense of oppression even from a distance.

Even after seeing it so many times in videos, people still can't help but feel their hearts race when they actually stand in front of it.

The steel-like arm drew the bow and nocked the arrow, and the sound of the bowstring being tightened, which was terrifying to hear, rang out as the muscles trembled!

As expected, those siege spear-like arrows will probably burst out at any moment, and the terrifying impact will kill dozens or even hundreds of people!

People must have studied "archery," which has become Rataen's signature offensive move, and the final solution they came up with was—

As the sound of the bowstring tightening rang out, the air was filled with the explosive sound of a sharp blade slicing through it, and the lush green body charged forward to meet the arrows.

It's Hidor! This patriarch, who almost reached legendary status but whose exact difference was unknown, charged forward first!
The method with the least loss is this: just let the dragon take the hit!
"boom!"

The arrow, imbued with gravity magic, collided with Hidal's four-legged behemoth in an instant, slamming him to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured his vision. "I'm alright!" his voice came from within the dust, sounding slightly out of breath but still in good condition.

He wasn't killed instantly by an arrow! That was a very good strategy!

Ratan instantly understood the tactics people were using and was able to change his own fighting methods. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow again, but this time he aimed at the sky.

[Ratal's Rain] is about to be unleashed. This attack, with its barrage of arrows raining down from the sky, is not something a Hidor can withstand. It might turn him into a sieve!
And this change in his move was also part of people's plan.

A golden figure burst through the sandstorm and shot straight at Rataen. It was Erro, the fastest bipedal dragon, who took over and rushed forward.

In an instant, it used its dragon body to strike a pose similar to Iron Mountain Lean, directly crashing into Rataen!
His movements were disrupted by Ero's charge, and the preparation stance for [Ratal's Rain] vanished instantly after being struck by this elbow strike. Success! The plan had succeeded!

The timing of the two patriarchs was incredibly precise. If Hidor had come out a second earlier, Rataen would have seen through his strategy and unleashed Rainstorm instead. If Erro had come out a second later, Rainstorm would have been unleashed instead!

"I'm here!" Hidor, whose scales had been scraped off by arrows, charged forward and, together with Ero, launched an attack on General Shattered Star using the wildest and most primitive methods.

Now, they have not only stopped the release of arrows, but have also successfully initiated close combat!
Ratan drew his two incredibly heavy Starshattering Greatswords and began to fight the two dragons, no longer firing arrows at the legion's main force.

With the help of mages, the other dragons were launched into the air and slammed into Rataen like missiles. The helmets on their heads, designed like siege weapons, were put into use to deliver a heavy blow to the enemy at this moment!
Even if you miss, it doesn't matter. Even if you get cleaved in two by Rataen's blade, it doesn't matter. As long as a dragon hits, it's a huge win!
If most human attacks were seen by Rataen as insects trying to take advantage of him, with a few managing to unleash their poisonous stings and cause a sharp pain, then every dragon's impact was like a menacing sandbag, not particularly painful to be hit, but definitely affecting his movements!

This was, after all, an attack used by dragons that could be described as a suicide attack, so it's reasonable that it could achieve this effect!
Those dragons that crashed into Rataen and were injured but were lucky enough to survive would throw off their deformed helmets and fly around to provide cover for the two chieftains who were the main fighters. Their main role was to take the hits for them!

Whether it's physical or magical attacks, the dragons gathered around Rataen at this moment number over a hundred, each possessing power approaching that of the flying dragon Agil!

The challengers went all out from the start, and even the strongest demigod would be temporarily entangled by such a scale!

All of this happened within just a few minutes.

"Well done, dragons!" "How come I feel like they might just win outright?" "Go, colorful dragons!"

Both inside and outside the dungeon, everyone was excited and overjoyed by the dragons' heroic performance.

People used to be beaten into a panic by various attacks when they faced Ratahn, and their miserable state seems to be right before my eyes.

Now they finally have the strength to fight the other side, and even a temporary entanglement is incredibly exciting!
Morale is rising, as evidenced by the increased spiritual energy Gong Qiying has received. The increase in spiritual energy has also brought a smile to his face!

This battle is estimated to earn enough money to build the Scameron branch city!
"Excellent! The dragons' entanglement tactic has succeeded. Mages, now's the time to prepare! Just like during rehearsals!"

As Temud's voice came from the command center, the mages began to act according to their respective duties. Powerful mages, including magic professors such as Tulsi, retreated further back to prepare for the charging of the forbidden spell.

The remaining mages had different roles: some cast buff spells, some prepared magical attacks, and some slyly opened the bottles and jars that had been confiscated by the association. The mages worked efficiently and precisely.

Temud's voice came again.

"Ground combat units, begin preparations. I will start the timer!"

Temud started the countdown, two minutes to go, and the countdown quickly came to an end!

"five!"

Ratahn activated [Star Summoning], and the brilliant purple gravity magic pulled the dragons who hadn't reacted in time to escape, and in their despair, he slammed his twin swords down!
"Four!"

Ratan withdrew his Shattering Star Greatsword. Before the severed limbs of the dragons, scattered by the blow, had even fallen from the air, he launched a whirlwind-like slash towards the densest area of ​​dragons.

"three!"

The dragon's scales, flesh, and bones crumbled during the whirlwind battle. Erro tore through Rataen's skin with a claw from behind, but Erro himself was severed in the process by a backhand sword strike. He shed blood as he leaped past his enemies and fled into an open space, trying to buy time to recover.

"two!"

General Shattered Star's "little horse" galloped like lightning. He ignored the other dragons that rushed to attack him and focused on wielding his berserk twin swords to chase and slash at Erro, fully demonstrating the supreme truth that the thickest armor can withstand the most vicious blows!

"one!"

The Skyward Strategy Team was scattered across various locations, broadcasting the battle from the best possible angles. People saw the best projections, which led to questions:
"Why is that golden dragon flying towards the main force?!" "Isn't this terrible?!" "The others will be affected!"

Temud's final countdown ended in that instant!

"Zero! Everyone, get ready!"

The ground forces, comprised of the army of the Warrior Kingdom and the legions of Temud and Lanler, simultaneously performed a perfectly synchronized movement:
Various holy symbols appeared in their hands, and they shouted in unison:

"The Golden Vow!!!"

A golden light, just like that of the Golden Tree, instantly appeared on everyone, and they immediately began the next action.

"O flame, grant me strength!!!"

The flames flickered on everyone's bodies; this was only the second buff spell, far from the end!

The mages responsible for casting buff spells also simultaneously cast buff spells on the ground troops in front of them at a 100% success rate, and the ground troops also applied buffs to each other one after another!

When the multicolored light stopped flashing and everyone's body swelled to its limit due to excessive buff magic, Temud's final command came.

"Those who have the Great Rune of Grik, start using it now! Those who don't, charge forward now!"

“Uooohhhh—”

At this moment, the massive ground forces finally revealed their fangs. As Erro was beaten to his knees with his scales shattered, they swept towards Rataen like a tsunami!

Ero successfully completed his task, luring Rataen here.

Although the distance was slightly off from the planned distance, it was still acceptable. At this distance, all the buffs on the ground troops were still active when they rushed to Rata's side.

In other words, every single one of the ground troops will unleash their full power, without reservation, and with their absolute strongest output, upon Ratahn!
Without considering any means of survival afterward, only the most extreme output was considered!
Because in front of the strongest demigod, being hit by a sword means death, being unable to dodge means death, and being grazed by the aftershocks of the battle also means death. Many people die in the northwest without even being able to inflict damage with a single sword strike.

Even the most carefully selected ground troops are nothing more than slightly faster targets to Rataen; a swarm of them would only result in them being overwhelmed.

So rather than being killed without achieving anything, it's better to carry an extreme buff that could cause you to explode at any moment and charge in to wreak havoc.

Unleash your full destructive power!

This is the fighting spirit they displayed when facing demigods!

Each person exuded the most intense fighting spirit of their life, and little by little, they gathered together to become a colossal entity capable of breaking through to the Heavenly Origin realm!

A battle aura even more terrifying than that of the previous dragons!

It was impossible for Ratahn to remain unresponsive when faced with a ground force charging towards him with a do-or-die attitude and a mental state comparable to berserkers.

His face, corrupted by crimson decay, twitched, and he roared at the crowd, as if responding to their unstoppable momentum.

Then, the real collision erupted at that moment.

Lion Slash, Vacuum Slash, Iai Spinning Slash, Prayer Strike. Those who arrived before Rataen poured all their strength into this single combat technique, even if it only resulted in shattering a piece of General Shattering Star's armor, it would still be a huge gain.

Ratan, on the other hand, displayed an even more overwhelming aura than before, as if he had finally come to take the people in front of him seriously.

Gravity magic was wrapped around the Shattering Star Greatsword, and in an instant, the sand dunes shattered, and a massive number of spikes burst forth, mercilessly tearing apart the oncoming challengers. The rising spikes could even form defensive walls.

However, someone fearlessly drank a self-destruct drug, rushed forward, and instantly shattered the gravity spikes, opening a clear path for those who followed!

The moment the road was opened, the challengers' attacks rained down on Ratan, but he, as ferocious as ever, wielded his twin swords and charged headlong into the crowd, using his swords to shatter people's will!
At that moment, the dragons turned around and pounced back, restraining his weapons and helping the people to unleash their attacks on General Shattered Star. The cooperation between the dragons and the people was particularly striking amidst the sounds of battle!

"This scene is definitely going to win the Film Society's Best of the Year award!"

Luluwo was intently photographing the scene before her, her palms sweating from her tightly clenched hands. As if possessed, she took a few steps forward, wanting to get a better shot.

The audience had already erupted in a massive cheer for the battle unfolding before them, their emotions deeply stirred by the live stream. With each step Luluwo took forward, the increasingly clearer the image became, further captivating the viewers.

"Again, again, again!" Fred, who was watching alone, stood up from his wheelchair, panting heavily as he stared intently at the projection in front of him, paying close attention to the changes in the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, things are going very well, victory is within our grasp!" The ministers in the palace hurriedly reported the good news to Bantou, but this act of opening champagne halfway through the game did not bring Bantou any joy.

"Now is the time for the real battle to begin."

Bantou's voice was like a prophecy that came true immediately. As soon as he finished speaking, the image on the projection screen spun around, as if Luluwo had been thrown away by a force.

The camera immediately switched to someone else's recording equipment, and only then could everyone see clearly what had happened inside the dungeon.

The shockwave caused by the gravity magic overturned everything around it, and only Tammy, who was furthest away from Rataen, was able to keep the live stream running.

Ratahn ascended into the sky, his combat technique [Gravity Spin Thrust] transforming his body into a merciless meat grinder as he charged towards the crowd. Everything his spinning swords touched was shredded into dust, and countless challengers perished under this attack!
The battle situation changed in an instant. General Shattered Star charged directly to the back of the crowd, and the gravity surrounding him crushed those who approached him.

He stood there proudly, with countless corpses behind him, their bloodstains deeply seeping into the sand dunes.

The blurred flesh and blood behind him formed a straight line representing slaughter.

Faced with such a terrifying result, even the most spirited soldiers couldn't help but stop their advance. They had now lost half their men, and some even started to run in the opposite direction from Rataen, a tactical retreat.

General Shattered Star, however, was inspired to fight.

The suicide attacks were indeed effective; his body was covered in tiny wounds, a perfect embodiment of the phrase "scarred and battered."

This is the first time that a human has ever inflicted this level of damage; it is a landmark achievement and deserves a toast.

However, the more wounds the general had, the more his strength surged!

Rough rocks clung to the blade, and huge meteorites rose from the ground, soon to become deadly weapons that would crush everyone.

A white light suddenly shone beside him.

This white light is familiar to people; it represents destruction and the madness of magicians—it's a forbidden spell!
The forbidden spell exploded right under Rata's feet—no, Rata doesn't have feet right now.

In other words, no one knows how the magicians planned it, but the forbidden spell is now directly targeting his crippled body and his crotch!
"——————"

The destructive white light gave rise to a mushroom cloud that slowly rose from the spot. The entire Weeping Dunes and even the distant Red Lion City felt the tremor. This was an ultra-forbidden spell that could never be revealed to the outside world, an ultimate bomb belonging exclusively to magicians!
"No matter how many times I see it, the magic is still so spectacular."

Lanler, who was observing the battlefield through his binoculars, muttered to himself, his body remaining motionless amidst the tremors.

He counted down for a few seconds, but just as he reached three, Ratahn's body transformed into a star, broke through the mushroom cloud, and rose directly into the sky.

"My attempt to look cool failed," Lanler said with an awkward laugh, then used his amplification magic to shout:
"Target observed to have taken off; ground troops, quickly board nearby flying dragons and evacuate. Also—"

"Activate meteor interception countermeasures!"

This time, they absolutely must not be wiped out by a meteor again!
(End of this chapter)