You can clear the game with just one life by relying on a useless person!

Chapter 20 Border Fall

The world of Dark Fantasy blends different cultural styles, but the overall story background framework still leans towards traditional fantasy.

Therefore, the classic "Four Heavenly Kings" setting naturally exists in this game.

Those were four powerful individuals born directly from the source of darkness. In the official databook, they were named "those favored by the source of darkness." In the mid-to-late game, NPCs referred to them as "dark darlings" or "dark lords," while players generally just called them the Four Heavenly Kings.

Each of the Four Heavenly Kings corresponds to a kingdom, and the pair of pupils appearing in the sky at this moment belong to Bronya, the "Lord of the West".

Those illusory pupils looked down at everyone below, their cold gaze sweeping over the few remaining survivors. Everyone being looked at felt a chill that seeped into their very souls.

Or rather, whether others are cold or not is unclear, but at least You Che's heart is completely chilled at this moment.

Those are the Four Heavenly Kings! They shouldn't be appearing in this place at this time!

He couldn't help but wonder: was this a self-correction of the timeline? After dealing with the Evil Beast, an even more ruthless one appeared?

Even so, it's illogical to just send out the Four Heavenly Kings!

Is it possible that... plot-driven deaths are unavoidable?

This leaves You Che with only one choice.

After a moment's hesitation, he made his decision.

The only option now is to flee.

They might not even be able to escape, but You Che had no choice but to take the gamble.

Considering that several of his "protagonists" are at the lowest level in the entire game, the possibility of him being targeted by Bronya should be low. He should still have a chance to escape with his people, so let's gamble on the escape route of the original protagonist.

As long as the green hills remain!

However, even though that's what You Che thought, the next moment, those eyes actually fell on him.

You Che was instantly frozen, unable to move, and stood there frozen in place!

Then, from the depths of darkness that shrouded the sky, long, black, luminous ribbons slowly extended out, flowing and stretching in mid-air before gently descending towards the town below.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the black light bands converged in one place, outlining a perfectly sculpted female body in the void from bottom to top.

Some ribbons wrapped around to form a long dress, while others continued to extend, outlining delicate features on the body's face. The final ribbons of light scattered and transformed into a head of long, black hair.

The eyes on that face slowly opened, and the illusory pupils in the sky disappeared, reappearing on the face of that body.

The body, which had resembled a doll, came alive in that instant.

—Bronya, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Dark Race, the Lord of the West, and the Dark Favored One, has descended upon this place.

The exquisite boots echoed clearly as they stepped on the ground. Bronya, a suggestive smile on her face, walked step by step towards Yu Che.

That face, that smile—everything Bronya displayed was breathtakingly beautiful, yet Youche felt a chill run through his body.

It was truly icy cold; Bronya's innate passive skill, [Intimidation], had caused him to completely lose control of his body.

"Little brother, are you the variable in this town?"

As Bronya approached Yuche, her smile widened, and she asked him in an almost whispered manner.

"You're very interesting and good-looking. I like little ones like you."

Bronya continued speaking, even reaching out her finger to lightly trace across Yu Che's face.

"Would you like to come to the Dark Realm with me?"

What seemed like a sensual scene, with whispers that sounded extremely seductive, left You Che with absolutely no romantic thoughts; in fact, he was cursing in his mind:

—Damn it, did I get killed by being handsome?

Of course, he was well aware that Bronya was just being polite.

He was too familiar with the game's mechanics; Bronya's offer wasn't an invitation, but rather a choice between death and a fate worse than death.

Judging from the way it descended, what was in front of them was merely a clone of Bronya, yet it was already able to suppress everyone present, rendering them unable to move.

Most of the lower-ranking dark races are not very intelligent, but the Four Heavenly Kings, as high-ranking beings born from the source of darkness, naturally possess self-awareness and wisdom.

But this doesn't mean they have feelings; rather, the Four Heavenly Kings are the furthest removed from the concept of "living beings."

Strictly speaking, they aren't even alive.

Therefore, Yu Che clearly understands that all of Bronya's outward emotions, including the female-looking clones she creates, are merely the result of her casually imitating humans.

What she said is not to be believed at all.

Just like now, Bronya is asking Yuche for his opinion, but in reality, she is just "informing" him.

The black band of light extending from behind her was already drifting towards You Che.

You Che watched as the scattered black light streaks drifted closer, refracting strange colors in the mixed light around them.

The scene looked almost dreamlike, but hidden beneath the black band of light was an unyielding death.

Yu Che knew he had to get away. Not to mention that his wandering intuition, which he had activated once before, was frantically warning him, Yu Che also recognized this thing based on his knowledge of the game.

That was the manifestation of Bronya's power, pure and sharp, capable of cutting through almost anything tangible.

But Yu Che's body wouldn't obey him. Under the intimidation of one of the Four Heavenly Kings' clones, he, at only LV3, couldn't even move his eyelids.

The four Heavenly Kings' clones all have attributes of at least LV70. Even if they brought out the Baron, the theoretically strongest combat force in the prologue town, they would only be slapped to death.

As the ribbon drew ever closer, You Che's mind raced, frantically trying to find a way out.

But no. He had made the most thorough preparations to break the plot-driven death in the prologue, utilizing every available person and object to the fullest extent, and in the end, he successfully completed the original prologue storyline.

Then came something even more powerful: this time, the Four Heavenly Kings appeared in clones.

He was truly at his wit's end.

"Whoosh—"

A beam of light suddenly flew over and collided with the black light band that was about to reach You Che, and then exploded!

"boom!!"

The impact of the explosion blew You Che more than ten meters away, and he fell heavily into the ruins, losing a lot of health points.

Although he was still not free from the intimidation that Bronya casually exerted, he had at least temporarily created some distance.

Bronya looked in the direction from which the light blade had come with some surprise, and then saw Baron Grammer slowly standing up, holding a longsword that he had clearly just picked up from the ground.

"You're actually able to stand up? That's quite something."

Although Bronya's [Deterrence] was aimed at Yuche, it also had a radiating effect on the others around her. At this moment, all the soldiers were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.

This is not because they lack courage or boldness, but because of the absolute disparity in strength.

But Bronya didn't rush to attack; instead, she seemed to be waiting for the Baron to make his move.

The baron sensed the other party's disdain, but he simply took off his tattered cloak and tossed it aside. Then he raised the ordinary longsword he had just picked up from the ground and poured all his remaining magic into it.

"—The Sword of Judgment!!"

The lightsaber slashed down!

With the Baron's strength, the power of this forced sword strike is even greater than that of the militia leader's Holy Light Sword!

But Bronya just chuckled and waved.

The black light band extended out, collided with the falling lightsaber, and then easily disintegrated it without causing any splash.

Then, a black beam of light suddenly swept out and pierced through the Baron's chest in an instant!

"puff--"

The baron shuddered, coughing up blood, and the sword in his hand fell limply to the ground. The band of light that pierced his body diffused into a deep darkness, staining his flesh and blood.

The baron only had time to glance in You Che's direction one last time, giving him an enigmatic look, before his body was completely swallowed by the darkness.

Bronya feigned a somewhat bored expression: "Is that all?"

As she spoke, she turned to the side and asked, "What are you doing, sneaking around like that?"

Where she was looking, a figure in black was slowly moving. Upon hearing her words, the figure immediately began to run at full speed.

But then the black light streak flew over and pierced through his body as well.

With all his might, the thief threw the cloak he was holding toward You Che, before being swallowed up by the surging darkness.

As it flew through the air, the wrapped cloak unfurled, revealing an exquisitely decorated magic pouch inside, which landed not far from You Che.

"What's inside? Is it your secret weapon? How cute."

As she said this, Bronya was looking at the two people who stood fearlessly in front of her.

The militia leader gripped his sword, while the wandering priest stood behind him to provide support. Knowing full well that they couldn't even withstand a single blow from her, the two still stepped forward without backing down an inch.

Bronya's smile remained unchanged, not even the angle of her upturned lips shifting slightly: "It seems that handsome little brother is really important."

With another gentle wave of his hand, a ribbon of light swirled and pierced through the two.

As the wandering priests collapsed, spitting blood, the hazy glow that had enveloped them vanished.

Bronya sensed something and was slightly surprised: "So the little ones can move around thanks to your help... You seem to be quite interesting too."

She snapped her fingers lightly, and the extended band of light did not engulf the wandering priest as before, but instead transformed into a black curtain of water that submerged him.

Bronya then looked at the bag again. The ribbon fell down as she tried to retrieve it, but the bag vanished like a phantom the moment she touched it.

"Um?"

Bronya was taken aback again; there seemed to be quite a few unexpected events today.

But she immediately realized that it was a magician's illusion.

"Did you think I couldn't see you, little sister?"

The black ribbon spun out and pierced towards You Che, then pierced through the almost transparent figure in front of him!

"puff--"

The mage's figure appeared, blood spilling from her lips. But she did not fall immediately; the remaining light on her body made a final stand against Bronya's darkness.

She seized this last opportunity, took out an exquisite scroll from the magic pocket, and pulled it open with force!

A holy light instantly spread out, enveloping You Che!

The Divine Blessing Return Scroll can create an area where attacks are absolutely ineffective for a short time, and at the same time activate directional teleportation, sending targets within the area to a designated location in the heart of the kingdom.

Simply put, it comes with an invincible recall scroll.

You Che was stunned.

This scroll is also very valuable in the game because it allows you to escape from a main quest that you cannot fail or give up and return to town. I didn't expect the Baron to have one.

In the game, some routes allow you to encounter a few people, besides the protagonist, who have escaped from the town. The official explanation is that this was achieved without prior knowledge.

But why would the magicians...?

The mage forced a smile: "During the preparations for the battle, the Baron spoke with us... He knows you're not a member of the Inquisition, but he still hopes your knowledge can be preserved... That might be everyone's hope."

"We all agree with his idea, so... that's why we did it."

You Che looked at her, speechless for a moment.

The mage then whispered to him, "I'm sorry I declined your invitation to join my party at the very beginning..."

"Have you said everything you wanted to say, little sister?"

"call out--"

A slight whooshing sound rang out, and before You Che could react, the ribbon flashed and precisely swept across the mage's neck, leaving a thin black line that instantly spread and engulfed her body.

Yu Che: "...!!!"

The mage was swallowed by darkness, but the scroll had already been activated, and the holy light protected Yuche, so much so that even Bronya's ribbons could not penetrate it.

Bronya recognized the magic circle at this moment: "So that's how it is, there's still something like this left... But I can't let you get away so easily."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and threw a provocative kiss at You Che. The faint light drifted over, passed through the barrier, and landed on You Che's forehead, turning into a purplish-black lip print.

"Goodbye, little brother, we'll meet again." Bronya waved to Yu Che with captivating charm. "We'll accept this land."

You Che's eyes were bloodshot, but he was completely powerless. The magic array enveloped him, isolating him from all offensive interference from within and without. Moreover, even now, he had not completely shaken off the effects of the intimidation.

However, just before the teleportation was about to complete, Youche noticed the half of the charred staff lying on the ground, with the gem at its tip still shimmering faintly.

In a split second, You Che thought of something and immediately mustered all his strength to reach out and grab the broken staff. Then the magic circle was fully activated, teleporting him away.

After he teleported away, all the expressions on Bronya's face disappeared, as if she had turned into a cold doll.

Her gaze swept around once more, and then her entire body disintegrated into clusters of light that drifted away.

The dark races outside the town surged like a tide, engulfing the last remnants of the town.

……

Half a day later, when the kingdom's reinforcements arrived, Adela Town had been completely shrouded in darkness, becoming a forward fortress and lair for the dark races.

On this day, all the towns, fortresses, and checkpoints along the borders of the four great nations fell simultaneously, shocking the entire nation.

The dark race, dormant for a century, has once again bared its fangs.