The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 313

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 313
Chapter 313
The opponent’s Giant Soldiers charged forward.
Since I could withstand the Giant Soldiers’ attacks even if I took them head-on, I parried them methodically and brought them down one by one with the help of my warriors.
Up to this point, there were no problems.
But the real issue came next.
“Cavalry! Charge forth! Smash through the pieces blocking your path! Hahahaha!”
The Pharaoh’s new piece.
A knight.
Or rather, Scarab cavalry mounted on golden beetles came charging forward, living up to their name.
The golden beetles, fluttering their wings rapidly as they galloped, were incredibly fast and menacing.
Crash!
“Ugh!”
The creature immediately collided with one of our warriors.
No special technique—just a straightforward body tackle.
Yet the size and weight of the Scarab exceeded all imagination.
The warrior struck by the Scarab couldn’t mount any proper resistance and was pushed back relentlessly, slamming against the transparent barrier behind and beginning to be crushed.
“Sorcerer!”
“I’ve got it!”
At that moment, the Bishop—the sorcerer, our formation’s most numerous piece—unleashed their magic.
A sand hell erupted from the ground, swallowing the Scarab cavalry that had been pushing back the warrior.
Before this battle could even end.
“Go forth! Cavalry! The path is clear!”
Another Scarab cavalry charged in.
To them, the Giant Soldiers were merely obstacles blocking the way.
Once the Giant Soldiers disappeared, the Scarab cavalry rushed forward without hesitation.
Every time I blocked them, another cavalry inevitably charged in—it was maddening.
Still, so far not a single warrior had been injured, and we managed to hold back the enemy.
But I was acutely aware of a critical problem.
‘The numerical disparity is far too great.’
Our side numbered barely a hundred.
But the opponent’s pieces?
They easily exceeded several hundred.
Moreover, the King and Queen standing in the back, along with the Rooks and Bishops, emanated an entirely different level of pressure.
Once they began to move, the battle would turn against us in an instant.
The only saving grace was.
‘He lacks skill.’
The Pharaoh’s skill at this grand game.
I had thought he was exceptionally skilled, the way he proposed the match and moved his pieces without hesitation.
I had believed he would overwhelm my still-incomplete grasp of the rules in this chess variant.
It was not.
The Pharaoh was simply moving pieces as he pleased.
There was no strategy or tactic visible in his choices.
So I had thought that if things continued this way, I could methodically block all the sand soldiers and scarab cavalry, and then gradually topple the even more formidable pieces that followed.
“Hahahaha! How delightful! Come now, advance! Soldiers! Cavalry! Let us begin this war at once!”
An unexpected turn of events occurred.
At the Pharaoh’s command, the sand soldiers and scarab cavalry began moving simultaneously.
But that was not all.
Four pieces. Six pieces.
No—ten pieces were moving at the same time.
‘I cannot be bound by the conventions of chess.’
The common rule that only one piece could move at a time had been shattered.
So I as well.
“We shall move simultaneously as well!”
“Yes, Mir!”
I moved ten members of the Expedition Party at once.
I wondered if I could move more, but it proved impossible.
The rules of this grand game followed the Pharaoh’s authority absolutely.
If the Pharaoh changed the rules first, I could move accordingly, but I could not break the rules and move first myself.
The enemy soldiers rushing at me all at once were quite threatening, so I attempted to provide supporting fire.
Fzzt!
The spell casting was cancelled.
Click-click.
The bowstring would not draw.
Standing outside the Chess Board, I could not attack the enemy.
This too was surely a rule set by the Pharaoh.
The player could not affect the Chess Board except by moving pieces.
Such was the rule.
“Sand Spirit! Burn them to ash!”
The game grew increasingly difficult.
The sand spirit, a bishop, moved and began unleashing flames.
“Move! Giant Soldier!”
Boom.
The Giant Soldier, a rook of the Pyramid, shifted its massive form.
The rule that only one piece could move at a time had already crumbled.
As the Pharaoh moved pieces haphazardly, the rule that only one command could be given per turn also shattered.
A true war had begun.
The entire Expedition Party fought desperately to hold back the enemy.
“How many Giant Soldiers are there?!”
“Flames! Grand Sorcerer, cast a defensive spell!”
“Understood!”
“The cavalry is returning! Hold the line!”
“Damn it, we’re running out of troops…!”
We were reaching our limits.
Not only were the enemy numbers overwhelming, but the Bishop and Rook who had fully committed to combat were formidable.
The burning sand elemental and the Pyramid’s Giant Soldiers were simply too powerful.
Even without the strongest pieces—the King and Queen—entering the fray, we were in dire straits.
If my cooking hadn’t significantly boosted our stats on Floor 3, we would have already collapsed here.
And I.
– I use the 3rd Circle wind spell ‘Haste’.
– I use the 3rd Circle fire spell ‘Strength’.
– I use the 3rd Circle earth spell ‘Stone Skin’.
“Oh? Mir, thank you!”
Through various experiments, I had discovered that I could cast buff spells on the Expedition Party.
“So as long as it’s not a direct attack, it works?”
I had finally found it.
The strategy for the 4th Floor.
The moment I realized this.
“Luke, pull out the flag for me.”
– Yes, master.
I drew out a single flag.
Naturally, this was no ordinary flag.
[ Flag of Joan of Arc ]
( Non-tradeable )
Type: Flag
Grade: Legendary
Restriction: Level 500 or higher
Description: A sacred flag said to have been bestowed upon Jeanne, the Saint of Ark, by the Archangel.
The flag of the great saint, Joan of Arc.
A sacred flag known to grant faith to the despairing, life to the wounded, and divine judgment upon those who follow evil.
That flag.
Thunk!
The moment I drove it into the ground.
Whoooosh!
Light radiating from the Flag of Joan of Arc illuminated the warriors of the Expedition Party.
– I activate the unique skill of the ‘Flag of Joan of Arc’, ‘Holy Crusade’.
A sacred hymn began to resonate across the battlefield.
* * *
“Hahahaha! How delightful! Absolutely exhilarating!”
The Pharaoh burst into laughter.
How could I not be delighted when dust-covered artifacts stirred to life and wielded spear and sword in my service?
The Giant Soldiers shattered, the Scarab cavalry pierced through—
yet none of it mattered.
My victory was already assured.
“Struggle! Endure longer! So that the Queen may take the field! So that the King may rise!”
Though I had not yet mobilized all my pieces, the humans were already being pushed back.
Still, it was acceptable.
I could win as things stood, but it seemed far more entertaining to move the Sphinx Queen soon and annihilate them all.
I doubted I could move the Mummy King, but even this would suffice.
After all, among all the heroes of the century who had sought me out until now, not a single one had ever managed to move even the Queen, let alone the King.
But then.
Crack!
From where the opponent’s grand master stood—
an inexplicable radiance burst forth.
Along with it came a grating resonance.
And with that—
“Uooooh! Power surges within us!”
“Attack!”
“Mir protects us!”
“Fight!”
Light kindled within the humans’ bodies.
Boom!
The Giant Soldiers blocking the humans crumbled in an instant.
Crack!
The Scarab cavalry that had been driving the humans back began to retreat instead.
Whoosh!
The burning sand spirit that had been consuming the humans was overwhelmed by their sorcery and dissipated.
Crash!
The colossal Giant Soldier of the Pyramid, tall enough to touch the ceiling, crumbled beneath the humans’ hands for the first time.
And this was merely the beginning.
The humans’ grand master.
Each time he produced something new and unleashed its power, the tide of battle shifted dramatically.
The Pharaoh’s pieces—
soldiers who needed no strategy or tactics, who should have delivered overwhelming victory to the Pharaoh—
Boom!
were helplessly driven back.
And as they were, the smile gradually faded from the Pharaoh’s face, which had been laughing so heartily.
“Do you truly believe you can defeat me?”
Is this what it feels like when a toy you were playing with suddenly turns a blade upon you?
My amusement evaporated.
This was not the amusement he had envisioned.
I had hoped for the Pharaoh to take the field, but that was merely to witness him slaughtering his enemies—not to expect a stalemate like this.
“How insolent.”
At this, the Pharaoh commanded:
“Rise, my Queen.”
– Kyaaaaaaaa!
“Rise, my King.”
– Grrrrrrr….
“Ravage these presumptuous fools.”
At the Pharaoh’s command.
The King and Queen, who had been waiting in the rear of the battlefield.
The Mummy King and Sphinx Queen began to move.
* * *
Joan of Arc’s Banner.
The moment I activated its unique skill.
“Uooooo!”
The warriors’ strength visibly increased.
It wasn’t merely a boost to their stats—their courage surged and confidence bloomed, affecting their morale as well.
With this foundation, the Expedition Party pushed back against their enemies.
Just moments ago, even with the Bishop—the Burning Sand Spirit—and the Rook—the Pyramid Giant Soldier—joining the fray, the Expedition Party had been losing ground.
But not anymore.
With the power of Joan of Arc’s Banner alone, we held our ground against them evenly.
And the items I had to deploy were not limited to this.
[ Ancient Battlefield Banner ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form : Banner
Grade : Epic
An Epic-grade banner that, while inferior to Joan of Arc’s Banner, still strengthened our forces in combat.
And.
[ Valkyrie’s Vanguard Banner ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form : Banner
Grade : Mythic
A Mythic-grade vanguard banner once wielded by the shieldmaidens of Valhalla.
I had arranged all three banners in a triangle formation with myself at the center.
While wielding these banners, direct combat became impossible, but as a Grand Master, I was barred from participating in battle anyway.
Instead, behold this.
“Uoooooo!”
“Power, such overwhelming power!”
“Push forward!”
“What a feeling of reclaimed youth! Sand, wind, sun! I beseech you to watch over me!”
With the power of three flags, had the Expedition Party’s combat strength not surged dramatically?
Thanks to that, our Expedition Party had moved beyond merely holding our ground against the enemy pieces—we were pushing them back.
Sand spirits crumbled, and the Pyramid’s Giant Soldiers fell to their knees.
It seemed we could crush all the enemy pieces in mere moments.
But not long after.
“How presumptuous.”
With the Pharaoh’s coldly settled voice.
– Kyaaaaaaa!
– Guuuuuh….
The King and Queen of this Chess Board.
The Mummy King and Sphinx Queen began to move.
Both monsters appeared to be as powerful as or stronger than boss monsters from ordinary dungeons.
As such.
[ Valkyrie’s Horn Pipe ]
( Non-Tradeable )
Form : Pipe
Grade : Mythic
Pwooooooo-!
“Uooooooo!”
I too raised the Expedition Party’s morale by sounding the mythic-grade horn pipe.
And with that.
“Sorcerer.”
“Mir, did you call for me?”
The sorcerer positioned closest to me.
The Desert’s greatest Grand Sorcerer—oldest, wisest, and most skilled in sorcery among the entire Expedition Party.
“I’ve thought of a strategy. Would you hear me out?”
“Of course, Mir. Please give your orders.”
As I relayed my strategy to Azrael.
“I shall now reposition our forces!”
I began to command my pieces in earnest.
The Expedition Party’s warriors under my direction.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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