?

"Damn it!!

" Jack cursed.

Jack could finally move properly again. It was too late to cast a spell, so he rushed toward Master, but Master was faster. Master entered the dark portal and it vanished before he could touch Master.

"Jeanny!

" David jumped over from the next balcony. David ran over to hug her. Jeanny let him. Serpent Boss followed behind David.

"Sizhad and his guild members have pulled back,

" Serpent Boss informed.

"Master must have called them to retreat,

" Jeanny said.

"The enemies retreated. The hostages are saved, but why do I see you all having long faces?

" Serpent Boss asked.

Jeanny explained the situation to Serpent Boss and David, about how this was Master's plan to lure Jack to the cage. She told them how Master had all the divine treasures and now had the means to become a God.

"This indeed does not bode well…,

" Serpent Boss muttered.

Jack took a deep breath.

"There is no need to dwell on things that have happened. We still have a crisis on hand. We need to win this battle first before we figure out a way to deal with Master. I will go and destroy the throne.

"

"Will the enemy forces submit once the throne is destroyed?

" David asked.

Jack turned to Peniel, who answered,

"No. The country's sovereign is still alive. It will be the same case as when Master conquered Hydrurond when Queen Aldryth was alive. Liguritudum will be considered conquered, but the armies and some settlements loyal to him might choose not to submit.

"

"I doubt he inspired loyalty to this country,

" Jeanny said.

"That might be so, but in any case, the Liguritudum soldiers fighting on the field might not give up the moment the throne is destroyed,

" Peniel answered.

"But their morale will surely take a deep dive. With low enough morale, they are more likely to surrender or flee.

"

"What about Azzarilth?

" Jack asked. He gazed at the three dragons fighting in the sky. Eoranth had arrived but the situation still didn't look good. He understood now why Peniel said Azzarilth was a force to reckon with. Taking her brood into consideration, defeating her would be the key to the victory of this battle.

"I doubt she will stop fighting even if you kill Master and destroy the throne,

" Peniel answered.

"She has a personal beef with Broidrireg. I don't think she cares about this country.

"

Jack nodded,

"In that case, Jeanny, you and the others go and help our forces. I will join you once I destroy the throne.

"

Jeanny nodded. She then said to the others,

"Let's go!

"

They all left except for Red Death, who said to Jack,

"… Thanks for saving me. I will go and aid my guild.

"

She jumped from the balcony. She fell straight down but used her grappling hook to stop her fall when she was close to the ground.

Jack didn't waste time. He headed to the throne room once the others left. He checked his status window while on the way. He had truly lost the Lightning God Blessing and all its abilities. In its place was a new inherent skill.

*

Mark of Lightning

Lightning resistance 20

Every attack 5% lightning damage

*

This skill was like watered-down passive abilities of the Lightning God Blessing. It was probably a residue for someone who used to possess the divine skill. He sighed again. Losing such a powerful ability like the Lightning God Blessing was indeed a heavy loss. Leavemealone and the others were sure to feel the same, but he couldn't let this bring him down. He had others who depended on him. He needed to win this battle before deciding on their next course of action to defeat Master.

The State of Galhana's guild members had left, so Jack didn't encounter any resistance until he entered the throne room. Inside that room were the standard native guards who remained inside to guard the throne. They were not Jack's opponents.

*

Throughout the battlefield, the World Maker's members were retreating. They did it secretly so the defenders who still fought didn't notice they were gone. Master also informed his allied guilds but only those which he was sure to be loyal to him, such as World Ruler, State of Galhana, and Death Associates.

The mobile fortress had resumed operating after Stefan and four other new pilots entered the control room. They were still getting used to the control so the mobile fortress' movements were slightly wobbly at first. The four arms also had trouble targeting correctly. The nearby Allied soldiers moved away after seeing it. They were afraid they got accidentally stepped on by the mobile fortress' legs. That would be a tragedy.

After freeing herself from the mobile fortress, the eldritch beholder at first exacted vengeance by raining spells on the immobile fortress. The fortress' HP was reduced to half as a result, but the eldritch beholder herself didn't have much HP left. So, she couldn't do as she wished. Not while Arlcard and the others kept harassing her.

She stopped attacking the mobile fortress and played defense while retaliating against Arlcard and the others. When she saw the mobile fortress started moving again, she flew higher. She didn't want to be grabbed by the fortress again.

*

Inside the mobile fortress, Speedrun was hiding in the corner. He was waiting for his Infiltrate Barrier to finish its cooldown before he tried entering the remaining two sealed doors. He hoped the next one was the correct one. He didn't want to wait another two hours after his second attempt.

While in hiding, he saw players going back and forth. No doubt they were searching for him. These players moved around in pairs. He was glad now that he had his cloak with the shadow meld ability. Otherwise, he would be found out if he relied on his disguise.

While waiting, he received a message from Master in the guild chat.

"Everyone, pull back. Return to guild headquarters. Pull back secretly. Let the others continue fighting.

"

'The hell is this?' Speedrun thought. What was the point of him infiltrating this mobile fortress? Have they lost the battle?

But he was glad he didn't have to wait longer inside this place. When he was out of here, he was done. He wasn't interested in being in another war. He would send Master a message, say his goodbye, and quit the guild. He would then again be a lone thief free to do whatever the heck he wanted.

As soon as he took one step out of the corner and out of his shadow meld condition, he heard a voice.

"I know you are targeting one of the remaining two sealed doors. Boy, am I glad I guard the correct one.

"