The Final Boss Has Returned 183

Chapter 183

Central Fortress.

Located in the heart of Central Fortress, the largest metropolis in the central region excluding the Holy City of the Holy Kingdom and the Imperial Palace of the Empire, was the headquarters of Troika.

The headquarters of Troika, more grand and splendid than most royal palaces.

A chilling air currently lingered in the grand hall within.

“What are you going to do about this situation?”

The Arcane Guild’s Guild Master, Magic King Rook, spoke.

The situation he referred to was a euphemism for the public opinion spiraling into its worst state, the users who began to pledge allegiance to Eugene and Drakan, and the crumbling foundation of Troika’s power due to the exodus of small and medium-sized guilds.

Rook’s words made Argen’s face contort.

It was because he had no viable countermeasures in mind.

No one believed the explanatory broadcast he had prepared, and Eugene and Drakan, with the overwhelming support of the users on their backs, were each leading their armies and advancing relentlessly into Troika’s territory.

In such a situation, even his trusted right-hand man, Twin Sword King Gale, had already been killed by Drakan.

‘If only the Three Kingdoms Strategy had succeeded!’

If only his scheme had worked, and he had secured time for internal stability!

He wouldn’t have been so rapidly losing ground in the war of public opinion like this.

However, Drakan had brilliantly backstabbed him, shattering his scheme, and in an instant, he was surrounded by enemies on all sides.

‘Damn it!’

Argen barely managed to suppress the torrent of curses directed at Drakan that were rising to his throat.

A desperate situation.

He couldn’t think of any solution.

Then, a cold voice echoed in Argen’s ears.

“If we remain like this, defeat is certain. If there’s no suitable countermeasure, we, Blue Phoenix, will have no choice but to seek other options.”

“Our Arcane Guild is in the same boat.”

Ice Queen Yume and Magic King Rook’s gazes simultaneously focused on Argen.

Troika.

As the name suggested, the unity of this force, formed by the alliance of three giant guilds, was weak.

There was only one reason why the three different guilds had united.

It was to share the spoils of Miracle Entertainment’s management rights, a prize too large to swallow alone.

However, in the current situation where the very existence of Troika was threatened due to Drakan’s machinations, Magic King Rook and Ice Queen Yume had no loyalty to share the same fate as Sword Emperor Argen.

Of course, since all three of them, Argen, Rook, and Yume, were bound by contracts with SI Games, they couldn’t easily secede as they threatened, considering the legal binding force of the contract. However, even hinting at secession was enough to put significant pressure on Argen.

And Rook and Yume were aiming for that, trying to wrest control of Troika from Argen by pressuring him with the mention of secession.

Just as this invisible war of nerves between Rook, Yume, and Argen was unfolding fiercely……

“I have a method.”

A calm voice resonated within the grand hall.

With that, the eyes of all the Over-Rankers inside the hall turned to the owner of the voice.

The owner of the voice was a man with a cunning look, the Chief of Staff of the Breaker Guild, Snake King Python.

A smile played on Argen’s lips upon hearing Python’s voice.

Snake King Python.

He was not only a powerful individual who had earned a seat among the Over-Rankers, but also a user who served as the brains of Troika, as symbolized by his position as Chief of Staff.

“Indeed. Python. You’re still here. That method, it must be a way to definitively resolve this situation, right?”

“Of course, Guild Master.”

Python replied, flicking his tongue like a snake in response to Argen’s words.

His eyes were already filled with conviction.

“What is this scheme?”

It was Magic King Rook who spoke up after Argen.

Upon hearing Rook’s question, Python closed his eyes and opened them again before answering.

“Certainly, the current situation is a crisis. Public opinion has turned against us, and we’re surrounded by enemies on all sides. However, if we utilize this crisis well, it could also become an unparalleled opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“Yes, Guild Master. Although Eugene and Drakan have joined forces, they are each leading their armies and advancing towards this Central Fortress from different directions.”

Python calmly laid out the current situation in words.

Drakan and Eugene.

As Python said, even though the two had officially formed a temporary alliance, it didn’t mean they were advancing together with their combined forces.

Drakan was approaching from the east, Eugene from the west. The two were advancing towards Central Fortress with their respective armies from completely opposite directions.

“How is that related to ‘turning a crisis into an opportunity’?”

This time, the question came from Ice Queen Yume.

Python closed his eyes and opened them again before answering her question.

“It’s very much related. The two are not in the same place. If we reverse that statement, it means we can attack Eugene and Drakan separately, with a time difference, and defeat them individually. There’s no need to stubbornly confront both of them at the same time while sitting in Central Fortress.”

Divide and conquer!

Argen’s eyes lit up upon hearing those words.

It was because Snake King Python’s scheme seemed plausible at first glance.

Confronting Eugene and Drakan simultaneously would lead to certain defeat.

But what if they were dealt with separately?

Perhaps there could be a chance of victory.

However, unlike Argen, who was seeing a glimmer of hope, there was someone who still viewed the situation pessimistically.

It was Saintess Elena, a former member of the Lightwing Guild.

Elena posed a question to Python.

“Theoretically, that sounds quite convincing. However, to defeat them individually with a time difference, we need to delay the advance of one while dealing with the other. How do you plan to achieve that?”

Python’s scheme of divide and conquer was certainly persuasive.

If the scheme succeeded, it could be a brilliant move that would completely overturn the current desperate situation.

However, there was one crucial prerequisite for Python’s scheme to work.

They had to delay the advance of one of the two forces, Eugene and Drakan, who were currently advancing relentlessly.

Python smiled upon hearing the Saintess’s question.

It was a question he had already anticipated.

“Saintess-nim, you can block Eugene’s advance alongside Fist King. Eugene, who clings to camaraderie and compassion, will undoubtedly hesitate to advance when faced with his former comrades, Saintess-nim and Fist King. While Saintess-nim holds Eugene back, Guild Master-nim can board an airship with the elite forces and launch a surprise attack to eliminate Drakan.”

Elena nodded at his words.

Eugene.

More than anyone else, Elena knew that he was fixated on compassion and camaraderie.

Elena bit her lip as she recalled Eugene, who used to call her “little sister.”

The thought of seeing Eugene again made her feel sick to her stomach, but if it meant she could take revenge on him, she was willing to endure even greater pain.

“After eliminating Drakan, if Guild Master-nim uses the Ancient Teleport Scroll to teleport to where Eugene’s forces are stationed and then eliminates Eugene as well……”

“Ard World will be ours.”

Argen chimed in, agreeing with Python’s words.

The Ancient Teleport Scroll.

An ancient artifact that allowed instantaneous teleportation to anywhere in Ard World, which Argen had obtained as a reward during a Mythical grade quest.

If he used that artifact, as Python suggested, it wouldn’t be impossible to eliminate Drakan and then immediately head towards Eugene.

If they managed to kill both Drakan and Eugene, the Mandate of Heaven in Ard World would naturally fall into the hands of Argen, the only remaining EX-Rank user.

Argen smiled.

Drakan and Eugene.

Their skills and abilities were undoubtedly remarkable.

However, Argen believed that the ‘Formless Sword’ skill, which he had finally obtained as a quest reward, would be on par with them, if not superior.

‘With the skills I acquired during the Formless Sword quest, it’s not impossible to face Drakan and Eugene consecutively!’

Argen was that confident.

Hidden within Argen’s confidence was the inferiority complex he felt from being overtaken by Drakan in the contribution rankings during the Broken World incident, but Argen inwardly ignored his own feelings.

‘I’m an EX-Rank user now. Eugene, Drakan. I’m at a level where I won’t be pushed around by those two!’

Argen harbored such baseless confidence as he rose from his seat.

“We’ll proceed according to Python’s scheme.”

Argen’s low voice echoed through the grand hall.

“After dividing and conquering Eugene and Drakan, I will stand at the apex and seize the Mandate of Heaven of Ard World.”

Not long after Argen finished speaking, an airship took flight from Central Fortress.

Sword Emperor Argen.

He had finally begun to move.

▄ ▄ ▄

“Phew.”

I caught my breath and looked around.

Central Fortress.

As we got closer and closer to Troika’s headquarters, the enemy resistance naturally intensified.

Of course, even so, the tide of the war was still in our favor.

Thanks to Eugene’s declaration of war video, the hearts of the users had completely turned, and every time the Dark Alliance army captured a city, the users’ cheers and enthusiastic support followed.

Even now, countless users were flocking endlessly to participate in the war, so if we continued like this, the fall of Central Fortress would only be a matter of time.

“Die! Drakan!”

At that moment.

A user, like a moth drawn to a flame, charged towards me with his sword raised.

Without any emotion, I swung Iron Blood Executor, cutting down the enemy user charging at me in a single stroke.

Fizzle.

The user’s corpse, having met its demise, dissolved into particles of light, leaving behind glittering loot.

I didn’t even bother to pick up the loot, instead furrowing my brows and looking up at the sky.

‘It’s about time, he should be arriving soon.’

Just as I was thinking that……

“Drakan-nim.”

A black figure suddenly emerged from my shadow.

A Dark Elf with pale white hair devoid of light and blood-red eyes.

It was Sharp, the Dark Archer.

“What is it?”

“In the sky, an enemy. I’ll intercept.”

Immediately after uttering those words, Sharp drew the bowstring of the ‘Corrupted World Tree’s Divine Bow’ she held in her hand.

Woooong!

Dark Magic Power gathered, and a black arrow materialized on the previously empty bowstring.

At the same time, a bloody glint flashed in Sharp’s eyes.

Screeeech!!

With a chilling shriek and a terrifying whistling sound, Sharp’s black arrow, trailing an eerie void-piercing aura, soared towards the sky.

The moment Sharp’s signature skill, ‘Evil Spirit Arrow,’ was unleashed after her transformation into a Fallen High Elf……

Boom!

An explosion erupted in the sky.

Simultaneously, the black figure that had been floating in the distance began to rapidly approach.

The identity of the figure floating in the air was a single user.

Standing atop the blade of a giant sword soaring through the sky as if riding a skateboard, with ten swords of various shapes floating around him, I smirked as I observed the user’s bizarre appearance.

Sword Emperor Argen.

As I expected, he had finally moved his heavy backside.

I sneered at Argen and shouted.

“You’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for you, Sword Emperor Argen.”

“Drakan!!”

The moment my words ended.

With Sword Emperor Argen’s roar, the ten swords floating around him, like shooting stars, hurtled towards me with blue tails of Aura trailing behind them.