The Smiling Death-Chapter 379: On The Other Side

Away from those four towers, deep inside the jungle, on a tall, twisted tree, sat a corpse-like figure.

His gray skin clung tightly to his bones, his body unnaturally thin, almost skeletal. Long, dirty black hair hung messily around his face, partially covering his hollow features. His white irises reflected faint light, filled with amusement.

A smile rested on his lips. A creepy one. From his position, he could hear everything. The distant battle cries.

The clashing of weapons. The bursts of mana erupting across the forest as humans and monsters fought for survival.

"Everything is going well..." he said softly, his smile widening.

But then, the smile slowly faded. His expression changed.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "But everything is going too smooth..." he murmured, pausing for a moment before continuing, "...that makes it more unsettling."

He leaned his head back slightly and looked up at the gray sky above.

That endless, dull sky that never changed. He stared at it for a long moment before speaking again in a low, thoughtful voice.

"Are you going to let me go so easily?"

His fingers tapped lightly against the tree branch.

"Not going to stop me... or..." he paused again, "...is this also your plan?"

A faint, unsettling chuckle escaped his lips. "Am I going just as you wanted?"

There was no answer. Only silence.

Even he Vetaal could not understand the mind of the one who had trapped him here.

He wasn’t even sure if everything happening right now was part of her design... or something beyond it.

His gaze slowly shifted. Toward the eastern side. Where Amon was fighting.

"Amon..." he muttered. "That boy is... interesting."

His expression turned thoughtful. "I still can’t understand what he is. Every time I look at him... he just seems like a normal man."

"With a death related class... nothing unusual..."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "...yet I feel something from him."

His voice lowered. "To the point I woke up because of him."

He let out a quiet laugh.

"But at the same time I can’t point it out... hah."

He rubbed his face with his skinny hands. "Well... whatever." His smile slowly returned.

"I can only hope they deactivate everything... hehe~So I can be free once again."

---

At the southern tower.

The battle was already in full force. It was no different from what was happening on Amon’s side.

The ground was torn apart. Trees were broken and scattered.

The air was filled with the sounds of roars, screams, and clashing steel. The rookies were doing their best to hold their ground.

They struggled, but they didn’t fall.

Facing weaker monsters, they fought with everything they had, relying on teamwork and support to survive.

Meanwhile.

The stronger monsters were being handled by the core fighters.

Roland, Jordan and Ria.

They stood at the front, acting as the backbone of the entire group.

Roland led the charge.

A massive battle axe rested in his hands, its blade gleaming with radiant light.

His presence alone felt overwhelming. The moment a group of monsters charged toward him.

He moved. His body surged forward with explosive force. The axe in his hand swung in a wide arc. Light gathered along its edge.

BOOM!

The attack crashed into a cluster of spider monsters.

The impact shattered their bodies instantly, tearing them apart as their black blood exploded outward.

"GRAAAAAHHHH!!"

Another wave rushed toward him.

Winged humanoid monsters descended from the sky, their black wings cutting through the air as they dove down.

Roland didn’t even flinch. He stepped forward again.

His axe rose, then came down with devastating force.

A pillar of light erupted from the impact, blasting through multiple enemies at once.

Their bodies disintegrated mid-air. He was overwhelming and efficient.

Every swing of his axe killed multiple monsters. Within seconds, dozens had already fallen.

On another side. Jordan moved like the wind itself. His long sword danced in his hands, swift and precise.

Green currents of wind wrapped around his blade, enhancing every movement.

A spider lunged at him. Before it could reach

Slash!

A sharp gust followed his blade as he cut through its legs, then its body in a single fluid motion.

Another came from behind. He spun. His blade traced a clean arc through the air.

Two monsters fell at once. His movements were smooth, fast and effortless.

Meanwhile.

Ria stood slightly ahead of the mid-line, right where the pressure was building. Her fists were clenched inside heavy gauntlets that covered her forearms and hands.

Cold air gathered around her. Frost spread from her feet across the ground. Her eyes were sharp.

A group of spider monsters rushed toward her. She didn’t step back.

Instead she stepped forward. Her fist shot out.

CRACK!

The gauntlet slammed into the head of the first spider. At the moment of impact. Ice erupted from it.

The creature’s head froze instantly before shattering into pieces.

"Ghhkkkk—!"

Another lunged from the side.Ria twisted her body and drove her elbow into its torso. A burst of freezing energy spread from the point of contact.

The monster’s body froze solid. Then cracked apart. She moved again.

Her punches weren’t just physical. Each strike carried the force of ice magic.

A flying monster swooped down toward her. She looked up, her expression calm. Then she slammed her foot into the ground.

Frost spread outward instantly. A sharp spike of ice shot upward.

Piercing straight through the creature mid-air.

It let out a screech before collapsing.

"SKREEEE!!"

More came but she didn’t stop. Not far from them. Katherine and Julian fought side by side. Katherine stood at a distance, her bow drawn.

Flames ignited along her arrows. She released one. Then another. Each arrow streaked through the air like a trail of fire.

A flying monster was struck. It burst into flames mid-air before crashing to the ground.

Julian stood ahead of her. Sword held in his hand. Wind gathered around his blade.

A spider rushed toward him He stepped forward and slashed. The wind-enhanced strike cut through the monster cleanly.

Another tried to flank him. He turned instantly. His blade moved again.

He protected Katherine while cutting down anything that came close.

Around them, other villagers or say their group members fought desperately.

Some wielded swords and shields, blocking attacks while striking back. Others used spears to keep distance, thrusting at incoming monsters.

Archers fired continuously into the sky, targeting the flying enemies. Mages cast spells from behind, supporting the front lines.

They weren’t perfect. They struggled a lot. But they held their ground.

"Hold the line!"

"Don’t let them get through!"

"Watch your left!"

Voices echoed across the battlefield. Despite the chaos. They were fighting together.

And at the center of it all. Roland continued to dominate. His axe swung again. Another group of monsters fell.

His presence alone pushed the battlefield forward.

The southern side was holding strong.

But just then Roland looked in another direction. He kicked of the ground and dashed toward that particular direction.

He came in front of one group memeber.

BOOM!

His axe met something strong with loud sound.

"Argh!"

Roland was pushed back slightly. Then his eyes fell on the enemy that just attacked them.

It was a huge black color snake.

"Hisssss!"