MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer-Novel

Chapter 342 Jack VS Ephial Commander! (2/2)

　　He turned toward the few remaining players. Many had died or been thrown off (and died) on the way. 

　　"I need you all to restrain it for an instant. Even healing or buff skills are fine as long as they stop it. Can you all do it?" Jack requested. 

　　They shared uneasy glances before finally nodding. Would this even accomplish anything? They weren't sure, but he had brought them this far. They'd believe. 

　　Centaurs X Players (27) vs. One Badass Ephial 

　　Madman & Minions  vs. Chad Corrupted Knight

　　They had the advantage in numbers…but it did little to this thing. Not only was it super hard to damage, but it could also heal. 

　　A group was utterly useless against a creature that one had to finish in one hit. The Commander realized it had the advantage as it didn't even let the birds help. 

　　It glanced at its prey. This time it was going to grab his head! 

　　— SHRIIIEEKKK! — 

　　"NOW!!!" Magic rained hard, turning the entire area more colorful than a rainbow, all of it centered straight on the Ephial. 

　　It never stood a chance…and became staggered. As for actual damage? It was so pitiful that it wasn't even worth mentioning. 

　　"FELL IT!!!!" Jack suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs….Why was he being so loud?! 

　　A sweaty Centaur hurriedly got to work a distance away, grabbing the Pumpkin Jack had given him, one that he knew could blow his entire face off easily. 

　　He had been told where to find his target and how to activate the thing but couldn't help but feel stressed. It also didn't help that Ephials were everywhere! 

　　Every second he feared his disguise would go off, hoping Jack was right about the Centaur-shape + darkness being enough to fool the enemies temporarily. 

　　But as soon as he heard the shout, all hesitation disappeared: he had a job to do! 

　　Not long afterward… 

　　— Boom! — 

　　A loud explosion echoed! 

　　At first, they were confused, seemingly nothing happening, but they soon stared in disbelief. The little shade from the nearby tower turned into a LOT of shade. 

　　This madman had made a Tower fall?! How?! The Centaurs couldn't even fathom it, and even the players blanked: destroying support beams was no small feat! 

　　Then it all came crashing down…. Right on the Ephial! 

　　— CRASH! — 

　　What kind of crazy killing technique was this?! The only one that kept its cool was Moon Moon, for it had already seen something similar in the Iceland. 

　　"I-insane!" 

　　"T-this is what Infinite means…." 

　　"H-how?! This doesn't make any sense!"

　　They stared at the aftermath, their legs still shaking from the collision. Dust clouds and rubble all over, the roof they were on not collapsing by some miracle. 

　　They still couldn't believe it, glancing at the rubble the Ephial was buried under. But it suddenly started trembling just as they were getting carried away. 

　　"W-what?! No way!" They all cried out in shock, but the shock wouldn't stop the Ephial Commander from getting out alive. 

　　It was already almost done crawling its way out, filling the hearts of the people present with despair. Even a tower crash hadn't been enough?! 

　　Jack saw it happen, not that surprised. The technique that had killed the overlord of the Iceland had barely affected this enemy. 

　　The difference lay in their intelligence. 

　　The Commander had been wary enough to activate a life-saving skill right before impact, an onyx barrier that was now destroyed.

　　"Tch— You guys sure are getting excited over nothing…." Jack casually commented, making their jaws hit the ground. 

　　Nothing?! Nothing?! How the hell was this nothing?! They wanted to scream, outraged, but suddenly stopped as they suddenly realized how odd his composure was. Did he have a plan?! 

　　"Tell me, what do you see right now?" Jack chuckled as he pointed at the tower's remains, the dust floating away. 

　　It was relatively intact even after being toppled, as if a long bridge had just been placed across many rooftops. The tower's durability was impressive…but so what? 

　　Amidst the puzzled faces, the Centaur Chief suddenly beamed as he started laughing. "Hahahaha! Amazing! This is the greatest thing I've seen in my life!" 

　　His laughter was contagious, soon spreading across more and more party members, leaving a few still flabbergasted. 

　　"W-why are you laughing?! This thing's still alive! We should run and—"

　　"Still alive? Not for long." The Chief chuckled, many sharing meaningful looks. 

　　"Silly horses, stop laughing and get to work already!" Jack berated them as they all nodded enthusiastically. 

　　—

　　After struggling for a while, the Ephial Commander finally managed to extirpate itself from the rubble… only to be greeted by a Brilliant Annihilation Charge to the face! 

　　But so what? Would it fear the strike of those pesky creatures? No way! How many of those had it already blocked? Plenty! It casually parried, ready to counterattack! 

　　Except… Regular charge ≠ Brilliant Annihilation Charge!

　　As soon as the two collided, the creature finally realized too late that it had committed an incredible mistake. One does not take a Centaur Charge head-on!

　　Power to fight armies —> All focused on one creature! Needless to say, the impact was unimaginable! 

　　*Censored Murder Scene* 

　　Jack watched the creature's end, addressing a prayer to the fallen. Meanwhile, his party members couldn't help but watch in awe as they pictured his thought process: 

　　1. The ground had too many monsters? Alright, they'd stay on the roofs! 

　　2. The Commander could still reach the roofs, and was OP? They just needed to use their even more OP Charge formation! 

　　3. There wasn't enough room on the roofs to allow such an intricate maneuver? Here's a tower to use as a platform to build momentum! 

　　The Centaurs beat the creature up, but it was all thanks to Jack's scheming!

　　As for the results… 

　　[Your Troops Look at You in Awe!] 

　　[Great Feat! Defeated Ephial Commander!] 

　　[Ephial Commander's Great Soul Available. Collect? Y/N?] 

　　Soul?! Holy shit! What kind of luck did he have?! This could be used to upgrade summons amongst other things! 

　　"Collect, collect! Nice!" Jack hurriedly screamed, the players looking enviously.

　　But just as he was rejoicing…. 

　　— SHRIIIEEKKK! — 

　　— SHRIIIEEKKK! — 

　　— SHRIIIEEKKK! — 

　　Oh Crap! 0_0 

　　How many commanders was that?! 

　　Perhaps he was a bit too "lucky" today. "RUUUUNNNNN!"