Arknights: I'm Pretty Strong With Minecraft — Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Lord of Fear

Misha stood in the shadow of a crumbling wall, her eyes fixed on the distant flashes of fire and the thick, suffocating smoke rising from the explosions.

W stood beside her, leaning casually against the ruined brickwork. She tilted her head, watching the chaos unfold across the battlefield with mild amusement.

“Don’t worry,” W said, casually gesturing with her thumb toward the intense slaughter happening behind her. “This area is safe for now. The chaos won’t reach here.”

She paused, her posture shifting as if she had suddenly remembered a minor errand. She straightened up, brushing a speck of ash from her jacket.

“I have some small business to attend to, so I won’t be staying with you.”

Before Misha could even process the sudden departure, W reached into her tactical satchel and pulled out a military-grade walkie-talkie. Without even looking, she flicked her wrist and tossed the heavy device through the air.

“Here, this is for you.”

Misha fumbled, barely catching the radio against her chest. She stared at it, still not fully understanding the mercenary’s intentions.

“If you run into any trouble, use this to call me. Of course, it’s best if you don’t,” W added, a faint smirk playing on her lips. “The channel is already set. Just speak, and I should be able to hear you. I have things to do, so I’m leaving now.”

Down in the burning ruins, Ivan leaned heavily on the hilt of his War God’s Blade, his chest heaving violently.

He cursed under his breath, wiping a streak of soot from his forehead. “Damn it, this mob density… it’s a bit ridiculous!”

A short distance away, a battered squad of Reunion Movement soldiers watched the panting combatant. One of them pointed a trembling blade forward. “There’s hope, everyone! He’s running out of stamina!”

Ivan let out a dry scoff. He reached into his inventory, pulled out a handful of Golden Apples, and unceremoniously stuffed them into his mouth.

The crunching sound echoed across the debris. In an instant, a brilliant golden aura washed over his body. The crushing exhaustion was swept away entirely, his depleted stamina and health bars refilling at a speed that defied the very laws of Terra.

The Reunion soldiers, watching their seemingly exhausted nightmare instantly return to peak condition, froze in absolute disbelief.

‘Is this guy for real?’one of the grunts thought, his grip loosening on his weapon.’He’s not even pretending to be tired anymore!’

Fully rejuvenated, Ivan hoisted the massive War God’s Blade onto his shoulder and charged straight back into the Reunion front lines.

However, just as his blade was about to cleave through the vanguard, a massive, dark figure plunged into the battlefield from above.

It was a burly Sarkaz Centurion, two jagged horns protruding from his head. He gripped a wide-bladed greatsword the size of a steel door panel with both hands, using his own massive frame as a living shield. He planted his boots into the dirt, standing directly between Ivan and the fleeing Reunion soldiers, attempting to block the devastating strike head-on.

The two colossal weapons collided. It was not a simple metallic clang, but a deafening roar that tore through the air.

A furious, kinetic shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact, kicking up a massive ring of dust and debris. The ground beneath the Sarkaz warrior’s boots could not withstand the terrifying downward force, instantly fracturing into a spiderweb of deep fissures.

The Centurion grunted in agony. His knees buckled under the sheer weight of Ivan’s inhuman strength, forcing him down onto one knee.

‘I can’t block it…’the Sarkaz thought, a storm of panic raging in his mind.’This power… it’s unstoppable!’

The webbing between the Centurion’s thumb and forefinger split open, dark blood flowing freely down the hilt of his greatsword. “Such… such monstrous strength…”

At that exact moment, an ominous, bubbling energy began to emanate from the cracked earth directly beneath Ivan’s feet. A sickening mixture of red and black light seeped out from the soil.

“There’s more,” Ivan muttered, recognizing the familiar warning signs of an incoming Arts strike. He frowned, glancing around the ruined plaza. “Not just one?”

Without a second thought, Ivan reached into his pocket, pulled out an Ender Pearl, and hurled it toward an empty patch of high ground behind him.

The moment the pearl left his hand, it sailed through the smoke-filled air. A split second later, Ivan vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a faint trail of floating purple particles.

Almost simultaneously with his disappearance, the exact spot where he had been standing was obliterated by a massive, black-and-red Originium Arts pillar descending from the sky, scorching the earth into glass.

Meanwhile, on a quiet mountaintop overlooking the carnage.

“Hey, hey, Doctor, is it really okay for us to just sit here and watch the show?”

Exusiai watched the fierce, explosive battle raging below, finally turning to look at the completely relaxed figure sitting beside her.

“What’s wrong with it?”

The Doctor pulled a massive, striped bucket of popcorn from seemingly nowhere. He grabbed a generous handful, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled through the chewing as he offered the bucket forward.

“Here, popcorn. Want some?”

“Huh? Oh… sure,” Exusiai replied, instinctively taking a handful before her brain caught up with the situation. Her eyes widened in sheer bewilderment. “Wait! Hold on! When did you even get popcorn?!”

“Oh, well,” the Doctor shrugged casually, his gaze still happily fixed on the explosive light show down in the valley. “Actually, I anticipated this exact situation, so I specifically bought it from the Lungmen commercial street on the way here. It tastes good, right?”

Hoshiguma, who had been standing on high alert with her shield ready this entire time, helplessly rubbed her temples.

“Doctor, I mean… no matter how strong Mr. Ivan is, aren’t we being a little too relaxed just spectating like this? What if their long-range Originium Arts hit us up here?”

A sharp, mechanical voice suddenly blared from their tactical comms.

[Warning: High-energy heat source approaching! Warning!]

Exusiai nearly dropped the popcorn out of her mouth. “No way, Hoshiguma?! Is your mouth cursed?!”

Down in the ruins, Ivan, who was still dealing with the bleeding Centurion, keenly caught the fiery trajectory streaking through the sky.

He cupped his hands and shouted toward the distant peak. “Doctor! Watch out for the grenade!”

Before his voice even reached them, a heavy explosive round trailing a thick tail of fiery exhaust was already whistling directly toward the hilltop where the Rhodes Island commanders were sitting.

“Holy crap! A grenade is hitting us in the face!” the Doctor screamed, throwing the entire bucket of popcorn into the air.

But in that critical fraction of a second, the elite defenders reacted.

Hoshiguma and Liskarm stepped forward in perfect synchronization. They slammed their heavy shields down into the dirt, stacking their defensive lines heavily in front of the Doctor.

The grenade impacted the shields and detonated violently, sending a shockwave of heat and shattered rock washing over the peak.

However, before the thick smoke of the explosion could even begin to dissipate, a terrifying figure burst through the ash.

Skullshatterer, wielding his massive grenade launcher-modified melee weapon, charged forward with burning rage. He bypassed the defenders entirely, striking directly at the unprepared Doctor.

Just as the heavy, explosive weapon was about to crush the Doctor’s skull, a deep purple, shadowy figure materialized out of thin air, silently teleporting directly into the gap between Skullshatterer and his target.

It was a towering, skeletal entity clad in tattered, flowing purple robes.

The Dreadlord raised the dark longsword in his hand, casually parrying Skullshatterer’s full-force, rage-fueled strike with zero effort.

“What?!” Skullshatterer gasped, staring in absolute shock at this terrifying, unfamiliar enemy blocking his path.

“You are a nuisance,” the Dreadlord stated, his voice echoing like grinding stones.

Without warning, the Dreadlord raised his leg and delivered a devastating side kick directly into Skullshatterer’s abdomen.

A sickening, dull thud echoed across the mountaintop.

The sheer, overwhelming force of the blow was completely beyond imagination. Skullshatterer did not even have the breath left in his lungs to scream. He was launched backward like a broken ragdoll, flying through the air until he crashed heavily against the jagged mountain rock behind him.

The impact cratered the stone. Skullshatterer remained embedded in the rock face, his weapon clattering to the ground, completely knocked unconscious on the spot.

Down in the valley, Ivan, who had just shaken off the Centurion and was preparing to rush up the mountain to provide support, witnessed the entire sequence. He paused, lowering his blade in sheer confusion.

‘Dreadlord? How did he get here?’

The surrounding Reunion Movement soldiers were equally stunned. The battlefield ground to a halt as a wave of panic broke out among the ranks.

“Skullshatterer… Skullshatterer was taken down?!”

“No, he’s just unconscious!”

“What do we do? They have backup! Monsters!”

“At least… at least we have to get Skullshatterer back!”

Up on the peak, the Dreadlord completely ignored their pathetic commotion and rising fear. He slowly raised his skeletal hand, the tattered purple sleeves fluttering in the wind, and casually waved it forward.

The air temperature plummeted. Countless Wither Skeletons, towering figures of charred black bone armed with heavy stone swords, were summoned out of thin air, their hollow eye sockets burning with dark intent.

The Dreadlord took a single, imposing step forward. When he spoke, his chilling voice swept across the entire valley, piercing directly into the minds of every single Reunion soldier present.

“I am your greatest fear.”