Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Chapter 181 | The Masked Entity

As Athena's thoughts deepened, confusion and uncertainty grew like a labyrinth unraveling before her.

“I understand,” Athena replied, her voice unwavering as always. From the very beginning, their stances had diverged.

Was she implying that she understood their untrustworthiness and would remain vigilant? Or that she understood his proposition, regardless of its intent? Either interpretation sufficed.

The old man gave her a long, penetrating look, his brows furrowed deeply like a sagging character. Finally, he shook his head, sighed, and walked away.

Athena was unsurprised by his reaction. It was exactly as expected.

She instinctively opened the battlefield map again, hoping for any new developments. Though she held little hope in her heart, a faint thread of expectation lingered.

Yet, the moment she activated the dynamic map, the displayed scene stunned her.

The map—a kaleidoscope of chaos—showed an area obscured by darkness where the terrain shifted relentlessly. Hills fractured and split open, giving birth to an unending flood of red dots pouring forth from the abyss below.

The sheer scale dwarfed anything they had faced before. This was no ordinary swarm; it numbered not two thousand but possibly three thousand monsters. The figure was staggering—triple their last encounter.

...

[Clash of Peaks]

Difficulty Level: ??

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Final Phase: Clash of Peaks

Mission Reward: All that was lost shall be reclaimed.

Mission Penalty: None.

Description: Victory cannot be achieved through mere defense and retreat. Defeat your foes and press forward. Take the offensive to turn the tide. Seize the mountain buried in darkness to claim victory!

...

Athena stared at her system interface, momentarily speechless.

The system had too much faith in her—a mission with an incalculable difficulty level, dropped squarely in her lap. Conquering a mountain entrenched in darkness?

Even with the vast resources currently concentrated within the stronghold, they were uncertain if they could even hold the city against such monstrous numbers. To think of mounting an offensive?

For the players, venturing into the darkness without specialized tools was tantamount to suicide. Yet, despite the swelling anger coursing through her, Athena swiftly called over a taxi soldier, ordering him to alert all outposts and prepare for combat readiness.

The players scattered throughout the city shared a collective expression of shock and confusion.

...

[Faction Mission]

Faction: White Grand Empire (Defend the Stronghold)

Mission Rewards: Shelter Upgrade Kit x1, High-Quality Weapon x1, Gold Package x1, Silver Package x10, Silver Coins ??? (based on performance)

Mission Penalty: Death

Description: Do everything in your power to protect your faction. Do not desert your post. Follow orders. You are now soldiers, and soldiers obey commands!

...

"Follow orders?" It meant defending the stronghold together. They weren’t fazed by the penalty of death; after all, if the city fell, their chances of survival were slim anyway.

What baffled them most was the unusually generous mission rewards. The rewards were absurdly enticing.

Athena stood atop the city wall. Behind her, the empire’s banner fluttered proudly in the wind. Soldiers moved with precision, each performing their assigned tasks with practiced efficiency.

Though a faint undercurrent of tension lingered, it was largely replaced by calm determination.

Turrets swiveled, aligning their barrels toward the distant horizon. The enemy was yet unseen, but the red dots on the map blotted out half the display.

Beyond the visible 50/50 radius, darkness reigned, impenetrable and absolute.

Despite her growing familiarity with the stark contrast between this world’s daylight and darkness, the dichotomy still unsettled Athena. Two extremes—light and dark—perpetually vying for dominance over the land.

The monsters continued to amass but showed no immediate signs of attack. This lull did not ease their vigilance; instead, it heightened it.

Three days had passed. Surely, someone had already sent word to the Imperial Capital about their plight. By now, the capital should have received the news. But what would their response be?

Perhaps when the first stronghold was assaulted, someone had already set out as a messenger. Was that courier now racing toward them?

The corpses of slain monsters were scavenged for their most valuable components. Anything else was destroyed—reduced to ashes through the simplest, most brutal methods.

Shards of broken armor and stones left behind were strewn across the outer walls, serving as obstacles to hinder enemy movements. Unfortunately, they still hadn’t discovered a suitable replacement for earthworks. Once again, they would have to rely on the turrets’ firepower to erect icy barriers.

Seconds ticked by in an atmosphere so heavy it felt suffocating. Yet outside the walls, everything remained eerily calm, mirroring the previous two days. No new movements appeared on the map.

Despite the system’s issued orders, was it possible these monsters wouldn’t act until the following day?

Just as Athena pondered, her gaze fell upon a small shadow.

It wasn’t a shadow creeping out of the darkness; it had simply appeared. There was no warning, no prelude. It emerged abruptly at the boundary between light and dark.

The area was imperceptible to ordinary eyes. But for Athena, equipped with dark-vision, it stood out starkly.

The map revealed nothing of its presence. The system gave no alerts.

Yet, the moment it appeared, Athena’s instincts screamed!!!

The figure bore a humanoid shape but exuded none of the traits of humanity.

Layers of ragged, ill-fitting clothes covered its body, stained with dark splotches of blood—a patchwork of scavenged remains from countless victims. Black gloves concealed its hands, and its face was hidden behind a grotesque wooden mask.

The mask’s craftsmanship was crude, its features twisted into an unrecognizable caricature. The narrow slits for eyes formed an eerie, perpetual smile, sending shivers down her spine!

The figure took a single step forward, its foot crushing the shards of stone beneath it into dust.

From the moment she saw it, Athena’s sense of unease heightened. This creature wasn’t ordinary. It seemed to be surveying the stronghold—a puppeteer controlling the chaos from behind the scenes.

Though the distance wasn’t far, it wasn’t close either. Yet Athena’s instincts flared with alarm.

Without hesitation, she raised her Moonlight Bow and loosed an arrow straight toward the humanoid figure.

Simultaneously, artillery fire zeroed in on its position. But as soon as the barrage struck, the figure vanished without a trace, as though it had never been there at all.