Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Chapter 170: The City Gates

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Chapter 170: The City Gates

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As the eerie blue flames continued to spread rapidly over her body, Athena swiftly retreated.

Watching her pull back, the harbinger exuded an air of excitement- as if it had already claimed victory.

The battle could not afford to drag on for too long; any delay would only serve to the detriment of the human side, for behind the gate lay an endless horde of monsters.

Athena wished to bypass the troublesome harbinger and seal the city gates, but judging by the harbinger’s posture, it seemed unwilling to let her go.

Though the blue flames could scorch one's soul, they did not cause tangible harm. Yet the pain was real- intensified to a degree several times beyond what one would experience in normal circumstances.

When the flames enveloped one’s body, it was as if the excruciating agony would drown the individual in mere moments, potentially leading to a mental collapse. This, it seemed, was the true nature of the attack- a psychological onslaught.

If one intended to fight, the blue flames would inevitably creep closer, ensuring that their foe's efforts would be in vain.

However, since it failed to inflict permanent physical damage, there was, in some ways, little to fear.

Before the harbinger could fully revel in its perceived victory, Athena charged once more. Unafraid, the harbinger swung its greatsword, the blue flames dancing along its blade with fierce intensity.

[ Tranquility ]

Tranquility Lv10 allowed Athena to rapidly regain composure at any moment. While in battle, it provided resistance to all forms of mental affliction. Outside of combat, it increased various efficiencies by 45%, with a cooldown time of two hours and a duration of two hours.

If avoiding the blue flames and the pain they inflicted was impossible, the solution was simple: ignore it, and press onward.

Athena attacked again. Lifting her black abyss axe, she swung fiercely at the skeletal harbinger.

As the greatsword collided with her black abyss axe, the blue flames, seemingly alive, crept through the gap and began to spread over her.

In an instant, her body was consumed by the same blue flames as the harbinger’s, quickly engulfing her entire form.

The flames, wild and untamed like a burning inferno, surrounded her. A boundless pain surged through her- a mental anguish so intense that it could crush a person within moments. Yet, her gaze remained resolute, unshaken, her grip on the axe unwavering, as though she were untouched by the agony itself.

The harbinger faltered for but a moment. It knew its own powers all too well.

The blue flames that enveloped Athena seemed more like an ornate suit of armor than a source of pain. Strangely, she appeared unaffected- her expression unchanged.

This, for the harbinger, was a shock. A fleeting moment of fear gripped it, for even the briefest lapse in focus on the battlefield could prove fatal.

When Athena’s eyes locked onto the skeletal harbinger, the pain within her transformed into something else.

The black abyss axe arced through the air, a blinding and forceful strike.

A shower of sparks erupted, but this time the blow did not land on the greatsword- it struck the harbinger’s shoulder instead. While the strength of the harbinger’s bones was formidable, it was only so strong. The bones at its shoulder shattered, crumbling into pieces.

The tremendous force of the blow sent shockwaves through the air. On one side stood the eerie, ominous skeletal harbinger; on the other, Athena, both engulfed in roaring blue flames, creating a chilling and bizarre image.

Had the harbinger not reacted in time, stepping aside just slightly, the axe would have struck its neck rather than its shoulder.

As the bones in its shoulder shattered, the blue flames began to weaken, retreating from Athena’s body.

“Agh!”

For the first time, the harbinger felt true fear. Its shoulder shattered, it twisted its body, trying to escape Athena’s grasp, swinging its sword wildly.

The harbinger dared not underestimate its opponent, for Athena’s power was immense, each blow brimming with lethal intent.

However, just as it prepared to face Athena again, it found itself staring at an empty space.

Suddenly, Athena vanished from view, reappearing behind the harbinger.

[ Hunter ]

Hunter Lv10 amplified the strength in its legs, boosting speed by 50%. Every use came with a cooldown of 20 minutes.

With her black abyss axe in hand, she swung horizontally with astonishing speed. The strike carried a chilling force, cutting through the air as if it would tear it apart.

The bones here were tougher than expected. Although fissures appeared in the bone, the axe did not cleave through it.

The harbinger howled in pain once more. At that moment, the monsters around them stirred, abandoning their fight with the humans, eager to converge on the scene.

It seemed that the harbinger sought to use the monsters as a distraction to flee, desperate to escape.

Athena, however, was relentless. She ignored the encroaching monsters, leaping from their backs with such force that some were crushed beneath her feet.

One axe strike after another landed with devastating precision, relentlessly assaulting the harbinger.

The harbinger dodged swiftly, but the black abyss axe moved too fast. In the blink of an eye, it was upon him once again.

Only just able to raise his greatsword in defense, the harbinger’s injuries left him vulnerable. The axe’s force was overwhelming, and a gap opened at his neck.

In that instant, the black abyss axe descended like a streak of black lightning, cutting through the harbinger’s neck.

Bones shattered, and the harbinger screamed in agony, feeling the searing pain spread through its body. Its vision darkened as its body fell uncontrollably. The blue light in its eyes faded.

Athena’s own last remnants of flame also dissipated.

Pain… intense pain. During the battle, she had intentionally suppressed it, but now, with her guard lowered, it was overwhelming. It felt as though she had come face to face with death itself.

Although Tranquility had helped her resist the mental effects of the pain, it could not block the physical sensation entirely.

Without the harbinger, the monsters around her began to stir in a frenzy. They quickly swarmed toward the fallen harbinger’s body, eager to drag it away.

Athena collected the harbinger's remains into her system’s storage bag, unbothered by the chaos around her, and moved steadily towards the city gates.

The monsters posed no real threat as she pushed forward. After dealing with the few that obstructed her path, she reached the control center at the top of the city wall.

There were no soldiers left, nor any command personnel who should have been stationed here. Only empty gun emplacements remained.

Thanks to her previous experience in the Sun City of Sol Kingdom, she knew how to operate the machinery and close the gates.

Unfortunately, the sheer number of monsters gathered at the gates made it impossible to fully shut them. Halfway through, the gates jammed, unable to move further. The people below, not foolish, quickly shifted tactics, launching attacks at the monsters near the gates.