Malphegor
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MoP: Ch. 94
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 17:41:56 +0000 UTC---Third POV---
The moonlight was faint, barely piercing the thick clouds. The ruins of the giant crater, hidden by an illusion, were cloaked in a silvery frost.
Night was the perfect breeding ground for fear. The sacrificial ritual had to be completed before dawn.
Beneath the massive circular plaza at the center of the ruins was an underground space just as vast as the surface. Thirteen stone pillars stood tall, engraved with various magical gemstones. Twisting symbols extended downward to a glowing magic circle etched into the ground.
A goblin shaman, draped in a robe sewn from the pelts of unknown beasts, danced wildly at the forefront of the magic circle. As his chanting grew louder, the magic circle on the ground began to flicker.
A complex pattern, drawn in the blood of captives, started to rotate slowly, emanating waves of ominous energy. The captives bound together in the center could no longer suppress their terror and began sobbing softly.
The nine remaining elite goblins stepped forward and poured blood into the grooves of the stone pillars.
Moments later, a brilliant red light surged from the magic circle!
Then, abruptly, it went dark.
Exhausted, Hassan collapsed into a kneeling position, prostrating himself.
"Praise the Dark Inducer, praise the omnipresent God of Fear!"
All the goblins behind him also knelt, following suit.
Whether they understood or not, they echoed the same syllables.
"Praise the Dark Tempter, praise the omnipresent God of Fear!"
They chanted for several minutes before Hassan wiped the sweat from his brow and looked up. Only one step remained. Before the emissary of the god arrived, they needed to deal with the fresh sacrifices to prove their loyalty.
Just then, a goblin suddenly leapt from the kneeling ranks. Its movements were as swift as lightning, and it clutched a longsword of unknown origin.
Crack!
The sword flashed, and a stone pillar toppled with a resounding crash.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted as the magic circle's stored power detonated violently.
The sudden turn of events caught every goblin off guard. They were hurled to the ground by the backlash from the magic circle's collapse, rolling into a chaotic heap. Fear and confusion instantly filled the chamber.
By the time Hassan struggled to his feet from the debris, the dusty magic circle was completely destroyed. The dozens of captives in its center were gone without a trace.
In their place stood a lone green figure.
Hassan's robe was covered in dust, his face was filled with fury.
"LootGoblin! What are you doing?!"
Facing the enraged red eyes of the surrounding goblins, LootGoblin twirled the sword in his hand and smiled confidently, tilting his chin up.
"I've been undercover long enough. I didn't have a choice before, but now... I want to be a good person!"
Ever since he sabotaged the stone pillars in secret yesterday, he had been waiting for this moment. Expression and movements, perfectly rehearsed.
Before the words had fully left his mouth, a deafening series of explosions erupted from the outskirts of the crater.
His confidence swelled.
It was the players, responding to his signal, launching their attack!
Hassan, of course, had no concept of what it meant to be "undercover." His limited brain capacity churned as his eyes burned with near-physical flames.
"You've betrayed the gods! You will suffer divine punishment!"
Not that divine punishment was even necessary; no traitor could escape the confines of his ritual site. Once the emissary arrived and dealt with the hairless monkeys attacking outside, he would scour the inner sanctum inch by inch to find and execute this traitor in a fury.
But… The explosions outside seemed much closer than two days ago… His peripheral vision caught something, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"You!!! Traitor!!!"
LootGoblin twirled two crimson gemstones in his hand, flashing a brilliant smile.
"These magical gems were tough to pry out. Farewell, Hassan!"
Following the online guidance of "Goddess," he tossed the two fire-attributed gems into the grooves filled with his own blood.
Boom!!
A far more powerful explosion buried the entire ruin in rubble.
"Charge!!!" One player, holding a makeshift megaphone, shouted as they charged forward.
In the smoke and flying debris, they wielded an assortment of weapons and stormed into the inner sanctum without resistance. The weathered stone walls couldn't withstand the repeated bombardment of cannon fodder.
Wherever the players went, towering ruins crumbled one after another.
"LootGoblin said the captives have all been moved, so blow it up to your heart's content!"
"Damn, after all these days of restraint, it's finally time to cut loose!"
The goblins, realizing the danger, armed themselves with sticks and machetes and charged at the players, shouting wildly. But the players had far more information than the goblins!
"There's a spawn point ahead on the left! Two sharpshooters, toss grenades!"
"Leave it to me!"
As soon as the goblins emerged, they were greeted by a bomb. When the goblins charged out of the dust, they were met by players with equally red eyes and villainous grins.
The goblins froze in fear.
Why did this group of humans seem even crazier than before? Even though the numbers were close, the goblins found themselves being chased relentlessly, forced to retreat toward the center.
"Monsters are escaping! Water players, block the way!"
"Who shot that arrow just now? It missed by a mile!"
"Shut up, fire mage! If you're so good, you do it!"
Finally, the goblin trying to escape was swarmed by players, each landing a decisive blow.
Who needed mages? Melee combat reigned supreme!
With over ten days of hard-fought experience, the players weren't exactly special forces yet, but against goblins, their tactics were masterful. They split into small teams, each centered around a light-element healer, and relentlessly harvested goblin lives.
The new healers were just too overpowered.
Blood and chaos filled the air. Once all the goblins were herded into the ruins' center, the players suddenly began retreating.
The goblins, puzzled, hesitated.
Far off, at the crater's edge, a large bamboo-tube mortar was aimed squarely at the ruins' center.
ProGamer_Daddy loaded two explosive coconuts into the mortar. Lighting the fuse, he fired.
"Let's see who dares call me a slacker now!"
Did they think he'd spent the past ten days making just one disposable catapult? Behind him were two more identical disassembled mortars.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three simultaneous explosions lit up the ruins like daylight.
The goblins caught in the blast were instantly obliterated, their screams swallowed by the flames. The fragile ground cracked open, revealing the sacrificial site below, and the high-level goblins hiding within.
"Big targets incoming, guys!"
"Don't stop me! Today's MVP is mine!"
"Lux, heal me! Friendly fire got me!"
"Good luck; I'm saving my energy for the victory feast!"
Freshly healed, the players dove headfirst into the even deadlier battlefield...
---
At the edge of the giant pit, a pale skeletal hand pressed firmly on the distorted patterns of the stone ground.
A dazzling purple gemstone embedded itself flawlessly, and instantly a radiant burst of light erupted from the gemstone.
"These brain-dead players. My previous restrictions must've really driven them up the wall," Viktor muttered.
If it weren't for his earlier limitations on gunpowder usage, would they have stockpiled so much ammunition today? The moment the restriction was lifted, the chaos they unleashed was enough to nearly blow the entire ruin sky-high.
Completely reckless.
The fragile illusion magic array couldn't possibly withstand the players' destructive power. If it were thoroughly broken, the ensuing sound and the scent of blood would undoubtedly attract countless beasts.
"Looks like this faction leader has no choice but to clean up after them yet again."
The blurred night was particularly chilly, with strong winds making his mage robe flutter noisily. He stood quietly at the edge of the giant pit, his gaze deep and unreadable. Dozens of translucent blue screens gradually unfolded, each connecting to a player's perspective.
This full-server operation was a goldmine of cinematic material. As the event planner, Viktor wouldn't miss a single heroic moment. Though… the moments that weren't heroic far outnumbered those worthy of the spotlight.
Swish, swish, swish.
The faint sound of footsteps came from behind. Without turning, he remained focused on mentally cataloging the players' footage.
"Everything taken care of elsewhere?"
Though he couldn't see her, Alyanne still nodded habitually.
"Mm, all medical and ammunition supplies have been distributed. The teleportation array has been moved to the edge of the pit. Transporting both prisoners and the wounded shouldn't be a problem. Is there anything else I can do?"
By now, the players were focused on suppressing the enemy with firepower, collectively watching the fireworks in the pit's center. Dividing his attention, Viktor thought for a moment before replying, "Not for now. Let's just stay here and observe. No need to join the commotion."
Players could revive after death. Alyanne, who couldn't use magic, only had one life to lose.
"Keep me company for a bit. Soon, you'll have tasks just as critical as theirs."
"Keep you company?"
"Let's chat," Viktor clarified. "Tell me your thoughts on the players. What do you think of them?"
A little survey. A chance to see if his management of the players needed tweaking. It would also help prepare for recruiting new NPCs from the locals later. The intense workload over the past half-month had utterly exhausted him. He was eager to shed the lonely life of a one-man operation. And this hardworking ice dragon NPC was the best candidate for an interview.
"Players?"
Alyanne mulled over the word, her expression complex. After a long pause, she managed to give a tentative response.
"They are… as expected of warriors under the Watcher's banner."
At first, she thought they were like herself, subordinates contracted or recruited by Viktor through special means. Naive, straightforward, hardworking, and surprisingly capable… Their magic aptitude wasn't bad either.
Aside from their incomprehensible leisure-time antics, everything seemed normal. Until they began leaving Honeyvale Town, venturing beyond the safety zones Viktor had delineated.
That was when she saw another side of them—madness!
In theory, she had encountered plenty of madmen during her mercenary years. But this kind of recklessness, where they disregarded both the enemy's and their own lives, was a rare sight. Such disdain for life was bound to result in their demise.
Her thoughts spun endlessly, yet she refrained from voicing them all. Instead, she looked up at the undead mage gazing into the void ahead. No matter how bizarre or crazy the players were, it all made sense when she thought about the organization they served. After all, the strangest one was still this infamous undead dark mage.
Viktor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So… they're decent?"
The fact that The Watcher had flourished for a time suggested this approach resonated with many locals.
"In that case, we might try expanding efforts to recruit captives…"
From their vantage point, they had a perfect view of the battle unfolding within the giant pit. The firelight moved toward a ground-level chamber at the center of the pit.
Even from here, the scarlet glow of the array below was visible.
Alyanne belatedly added, "Also, the ideas they come up with are quite… peculiar. That enemy-blind flame—was that derived from the God of Flame, Candelabra, you stole?"
Viktor sighed. "… How many times do I have to tell you not to believe such fabricated stories?"
If the churches' propaganda and wanted posters were to be believed, he had practically stolen the gods' undergarments.
Clack, clack!
Urgent footsteps approached from behind. He turned slightly.
"They're here."
The last person he was waiting for. This individual arrived much sooner than expected.
LootGoblin, half of his face covered in soot, scrambled up the slope, panting heavily.
"Huff, huff—Lord Viktor!"
Staring at the player who had been out of contact for half a month, Viktor's attention was immediately drawn to the other's strikingly advanced game panel.
What the…? Was this guy on an undercover mission or raiding dungeons? How did he vanish for a moment and suddenly hit level 10?
Without betraying his thoughts, Viktor helped him up calmly. "Well done, comrade. What about the prisoners…?"
"Don't worry! All prisoners have been evacuated!" LootGoblin thumped his chest confidently.
"And I've also persuaded an almost-expert-level dwarven blacksmith to join us!"
"Expert-level?"
Viktor froze. After all, with legendary blacksmiths either in hiding or long gone, expert-level blacksmiths were already a rare commodity.
The gap between expert and master levels wasn't merely a difference of one tier—it was far more profound. Finding a soon-to-be expert-level blacksmith in a goblin nest on the outskirts of a monster-infested forest… What kind of nonsensical fairy tale was this?
Seeing Viktor and Alyanne's skeptical expressions, LootGoblin nodded fervently.
"It's true!"
He roughly recounted the conversation he'd had with Hawkes just a few hours earlier. As it turned out, LootGoblin wasn't entirely sure why the dwarf agreed to join.
When the blacksmith heard Viktor's name, he seemed deeply shaken. He muttered to himself for ages, laughing and crying in turns. Once he calmed down, he insisted on joining their faction and even offered to help handle the prisoners.
That was why LootGoblin managed to extract everyone so quickly from the ritual site.
Hawkes, it turned out, was fluent in goblin, common human speech, orcish, and even the continental common tongue of Aeltia.
Effortlessly, he coordinated the entire prisoner transfer.
