The Support Ate it All-Chapter 543: Fortress (3)

At the same time.

The battle at the temporary storage facility was getting more and more intense.

SCRRRAAPE—

A blade raked across Kang Dae-san’s tower shield.

He immediately tilted the shield aside and swung his mace in a wide arc.

KABOOOM!

At the heavy blow, the Black Blade swordsmen who’d been attacking in tandem fell back for a moment—then surged in again, slashing.

More wounds opened up where he couldn’t block in time, but Kang Dae-san didn’t care. He was too busy whipping his tower shield and mace around.

The other disciplinary committee club members were also holding the line in their own ways.

If this kept up, they could probably endure all night—but there was no way the enemy would allow that.

KABOOOM!

From somewhere, a thick, pillar-like mana arrow came screaming in and smashed into a disciplinary committee club member.

The impact was brutal. Even after he went flying backward, he tumbled over and over—then lost consciousness.

KABOOOM—!

A Ballista bolt dropped down over another disciplinary committee club member’s head.

They managed to block it with inhuman reflexes, but the recoil left their body stiff for a moment.

The Black Blade swordsmen didn’t miss that opening. They stabbed in with their blades.

SLICE—

A relentless barrage kept raining down.

It was so far away he couldn’t even guess the exact location, yet the shots came in with terrifying precision—like they were being fired from right next to them.

Even the timing of the fire was perfect. The disciplinary committee club members couldn’t hold on; one by one, they started to drop.

At this rate, they’d be breached soon and lose the temporary storage facility.

“......”

A female student in a conical hat watched the scene in silence.

Without moving a single step from where she’d been the whole time.

Her gaze slowly lowered. She looked at the green cube in her hand, then tucked it back into her chest.

Hwang Dam-bi and the Archery Club president wouldn’t need to enter the temporary storage facility themselves—so she had been handed the Cube of Life instead.

Soon, she would place the forbidden item inside and bring it out.

And then—

RUMMMMMBLE......

A tree door suddenly rose up in the middle of the battlefield.

Everyone’s attention snapped to it.

Kang Dae-san let out a sigh inside.

Of all places...

Considering the distance between the disciplinary committee clubroom and the bustling district, it was natural for there to be some error—but would it kill them to place it somewhere safer, like «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» further inside the building?

Grumbling even as he moved, he charged for the tree door at full speed.

The other disciplinary committee club members and the Black Blade swordsmen also threw everything else aside and made the tree door their top priority.

“Protect it!”

“Block them!”

“Smash it!”

“Break it!”

In a battlefield turned into pure chaos, Kang Dae-san cut across the churn.

But his eyes weren’t on the tree door.

Far in the distance—somewhere pitch-black—a blue glimmer ignited.

What had been a tiny point swelled in an instant to the thickness of a pillar as it flew in.

The Ballista side had fired too.

A tree door like that would be pulverized the moment it took a hit.

I have to block it.

Kang Dae-san cast every defensive Skill he had, planted his tower shield forward, and braced himself in front of the door.

The next moment, a crushing impact slammed into him.

KABOOOOM—!

“......!”

His entire body went numb and his vision swam, but he still didn’t fall.

He squeezed out what little strength he had left and swung his mace.

The swordsmen lightly avoided it and tried to thrust in—

And then the tree door flung open, and a pitch-black shape burst out.

KABOOOM!

It blasted the swordsmen away.

A gorilla in armor.

And behind it came a male student, connected to it by a shining thread of light.

One of the Beast Tamer Skills.

Kang Dae-san scolded him with a half-joking tone.

“Couldn’t you hurry it up a little?”

“I’m sorry, senior. As you know, there’s just a lot to keep track of.”

The male student answered with a slick grin.

He meant they couldn’t commit force recklessly, because they had to defend the other temporary storage facility too.

In other words—now they could commit it.

Starting with him, disciplinary committee club members poured out of the tree door in a flood and rapidly subdued the Black Blade swordsmen.

A battle that had been tilting against them flipped in an instant.

“......”

For the first time, the female student in the conical hat took a step.

Then she began to approach the battlefield, slowly.

Kang Dae-san and several 3rd-year members turned their eyes to her.

“Finally moving.”

She was joining before the momentum fully turned over.

Even though it was only one more person, a taut tension spread through the disciplinary committee club members.

The female student in front of them didn’t do much public activity, but along with Oh Sehun and Song Cheon-gi, she was considered one of the most troublesome opponents.

As she took one step, then another, a strange illusion struck—like her body was stretching forward.

In the blink of an eye, she reached the gorilla and thrust her sword in.

The thick armored chest caved inward, and the massive body shot backward like it had been launched, crashing into the ground.

KABOOOM—!

Again, her body seemed to stretch—whipping here and there—until she stood motionless in the middle of the battlefield.

She let her sword hang down, and with her empty hand, she gently stroked the air.

A massive pressure swept over the disciplinary committee club members.

KAKAKAKAKA—!

“Urgh.”

“AAAH!”

The female student in the conical hat spun her body at once.

By a hair’s breadth, axe aura grazed past.

Jiokbu, who had been charging in right after it, flinched and hurriedly retreated.

KABOOOM!

Because a thick mana arrow had dropped down.

In the gap where the Ballista interrupted the disciplinary committee club’s flow, the female student’s body stretched again and shot forward.

Peerless footwork and a tyrannical aura—fast, fierce, brutal quick-slashes.

KABOOOM—!

Another disciplinary committee club member went down.

Whenever they tried to coordinate an attack, they were bound to get disrupted by the Ballista.

Kang Dae-san let out a low hum, thinking.

The two of them coordinating is a real pain in the ass.

If they could deal with even one side, it would get easier—at least a little.

*****

Dang Gyu-young and I moved our feet fast as we headed for the destination.

But just as we were about to arrive, Chae Da-bin’s voice came through the communicator.

—The drone got spotted. I’m sending another one now.

“Yeah? Think they’re gonna move soon?”

—From what I can tell, they just settled in, so they might stay longer. Still, just in case, be care—

We didn’t even let them finish. We threw ourselves to either side, and a thick mana arrow slammed into where we’d been standing a moment ago.

KABOOOM—!

Right after, presences stirred from all directions, and swordsmen in black martial uniforms surged in.

So they laid a trap in reverse.

The Ballista teams would’ve been staying in contact too.

They would’ve heard that No.3 got hit.

It would’ve been stranger if they weren’t prepared.

They’re aiming to pick us off one by one.

The search team was spread thin, moving in small numbers across a wide area.

And these guys were moving in tight units.

They must’ve figured it was doable.

SHWEEEEEK!

Swordsmen extended their blades, surrounding me from three directions.

And on top of that, it wasn’t Ballista fire, but several arrows were still flying in—staking out where I was trying to dodge.

This isn’t the time to save Skills.

SSSLIDE......

I slipped out of the assault with Ghostly No-Shadow, clenched my fist, and drew it back past my shoulder.

Then I drove the blazing flames straight forward.

KAKAKAKAKA—!

A surging firestorm.

But like they’d expected it, they moved their bodies away. Only a few got caught in it.

A man in black at the front rapidly closed the distance and brought down a thick greatsword.

I dodged lightly—and when I saw his face, it was unexpectedly familiar.

Mak Dae-ung, a 2nd-year.

He glared at me and said,

“Inferno Fist. I’ve heard the rumors.”

“.......”

“Seeing as you teamed up with the Thieves’ Club, I figured you prioritized profit. What wind blew you into siding with the disciplinary committee club?”

Right now, I was hiding my appearance with the [Mimicry Totem (A)].

If I treated him like a senior, it would only raise the risk of getting found out.

So I answered with a snort.

“What a stupid question. Obviously because it’s profitable.”

“Pick the wrong side to trade with, didn’t you? Whatever it was, we would’ve paid better.”

Already got paid.

From you guys—and from Senior Dam-bi—more than enough.

But I couldn’t bring that up, so I snorted again.

“There are things only the disciplinary committee club can offer.”

“You mean petty values like order and justice? That’s disappointing.”

It’s the Double-Kkyu slots and club leverage.

I kept my face blank and answered in an arrogant tone.

“If nothing comes to mind, don’t strain yourself. That’s the limit of what your brain can handle.”

“......Bastard. That tone’s annoying. Feels like I’ve met you somewhere before.”

Mak Dae-ung frowned as he stared at me.

But it didn’t seem like I was anywhere near the Double-Kkyu cutline—he didn’t look like he’d figured anything out.

Then he bared his fighting spirit.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll suppress you and find out.”

“Confident?”

“I should be the one asking. Did you think you had a chance against us?”

SHWEEEEEK—!

Just like he said, Dang Gyu-young and I were getting pushed back, barely managing to dodge.

Each of us had four or five swordsmen on us, and every so often, support shots came in from the Ballista side.

Should we just bail for now?

One ★Blink★ and we’re gone. These foot-sloggers won’t keep up.

Then we can drag some strong disciplinary committee club seniors over and flip the whole thing.

I was just about to signal Dang Gyu-young with my eyes—

WHIRRRRIP—

Something cut through the night sky as it flew in.

A hammer, shining white.

It dropped straight down into the middle of the Black Blade swordsmen.

KABOOOM!

The ground erupted and a shockwave surged out.

This time, two white hammers flew in.

Dang Gyu-young snatched one and whipped it at the swordsman in front of them.

WHACK!

Then they muttered, almost to themselves.

“......Heavy.”

Just for today, don’t call me “Split-Dang Gyu-young.”

Call me “Hammer Gyu-young.”

Shortened: Ham-Kkyu.

But the Black Blade swordsmen weren’t looking at me or Ham-Kkyu.

Their eyes were locked on the direction the hammer had flown from.

A man in black who looked like a 3rd-year said,

“Hammers....... Oh Sehun?”

“Yeah. It’s me.”

Oh Sehun walked out with a gentle smile.

He swept his gaze over everyone, speaking in a tone that sounded like he was calmly scolding them.

“If you stop here and come with us, I’d appreciate it. The other Ballistas will be dealt with soon, too. There’s no need to waste strength and get hurt for nothing, right?”

“It’s already a desperate situation, senior.”

The one who answered wasn’t the 3rd-year, and it wasn’t Mak Dae-ung either.

It was a man in black who had been standing off to the side like he was watching.

They looked like a 2nd-year, but the presence they gave off was on par with a club president.

And their skill—probably right up to the edge of Namgung Changcheon.

They continued.

“Rather than turning tail midway, it’s better to fail. No matter the result, we intend to go to the end.”

“Is that your idea?”

“It’s everyone’s resolve.”

“I see. I’ll respect it.”

Nodding, Oh Sehun began to raise one glowing hammer after another around them.

The Black Blade swordsmen also shifted, readying themselves for battle.

Then one hammer suddenly WHIRRRRIP’d through the air—

KABOOOM—!

It collided with a mana arrow that had been shooting in.

He’d predicted the Ballista shot exactly and blocked it.

The swordsmen’s faces hardened, but Oh Sehun smiled lightly and spoke with effortless calm.

“Shall we begin?”