Chapter 860 Ater's Game Plan

Chapter 860 Ater's Game Plan

In chess, there are pieces that exist on the board.

To Ater, his Undead followed a similar concept: he had a Knight, a Rook, and a Bishop.

These were his Knight, Archer, and Mage respectively.

He could use them in a myriad of ways—though limited, based on their specialty. He already had a game plan in his head, and he also knew of the board he would be playing on.

His only challenge... was the opponent.

When playing chess, both sides had equal and identical pieces, with the only thing separating them being skill. However, this game that Ater was involved in greatly differed from the strategic one that offered balance above all else.

There was no such thing as balance here.

Fairness was a foreign concept.

His opponent was neither a Knight, Rook, nor Bishop.

She was a Queen.

No... perhaps even more powerful than one.

As a result of this, he also couldn't be limited by the restrictions placed on his pieces. He had to consider a way to attribute additional characteristics to his three prime pieces—and do so in an unexpected manner.

And what better way to do so than to demote them to the lowest of ranks?

... Mere pawns.

~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~

Ater smiled as he watched everything before him go up in dark purple flames, his crimson eyes enamored by the devastation that faced him.

His three Undead had self-destructed, releasing all the pent-up energy within them at once.

This meant their bodies would never recover, and they were lost to him for good. But, at the same time, it meant the output they sacrificed their lives for would far outscale whatever power they could utilize in their false lifetime.

As she floated in the direction of the Wall of Trees, she suddenly felt a certain hand grip one of her damaged legs.

"Gaahhh!!" Her injuries stung even more thanks to the applied pressure, forcing the desperate Fae to yelp out in pain.

She turned to glare at the cause of her delay... only to find Ater smiling.

"Looks like you're in a bit of a bind." He spoke, straightening the black tie he now had on.

Compared to her disheveled state, he seemed to be completely fine. He had his signature black suit on, with his hair perfectly combed and his face clear as ever.

He radiated pure handsomeness, while she contrasted this with miserable ugliness.

"Y-YOU..." Her voice wavered as she growled, but he pressed even harder on her leg, forcing her to stop speaking and instead wince in pain.

"Now, now... this isn't the time for blame. I also suffered quite a lot as a result of your actions, you know? Why don't we call it even?" "...."

"What do you say? I'll even apologize for insulting your King." He added. "Honestly, I believe we got off on the wrong foot... wouldn't you say?"

Fae could tell that he was being insincere, and he wasn't even hiding that fact.

He simply wanted to waste even more of her time.

Why?

"I mean, it's just like you imagined..." He grinned, giving her another condescending look.

It shook Fae to the core.

"... We have all the time in the world."

As soon as she heard this, her eyes bulged and she gritted her teeth. At the start of the fight, she had thought he was at a disadvantage since she wasn't pressed for time, and now he had turned the whole thing against her.

But... there was something he hadn't factored in.

"You're right." Despite how painful it was to speak, she responded to him and even gave him a spiteful smile.

"Let's have even more fun..." As she muttered those words, bright sparks of energy danced around her, and she uttered the words that would completely alter the tides of the battle.

"... [FairyLand]."