Board & Conquest: A Godly LitRPG

Beelzebub was one ugly deity.

The entire Glacis Mountains had turned into a B&C board the moment Wepwawet accepted the Godly Battle challenge—something which he did only after transporting enough troops to assault Promesse and putting them into position. Beelzebub had appeared soon after in all of his horrifying glory.

While ugly as sin, Beelzebub didn't intimidate Wepwawet. The aura the enemy deity gave off was no stronger than his own. Not only had his father's past victory robbed the former Assyrian god of much of his strength, but incarnating on Elphion had put him on the same level as Wepwawet himself.

They were evenly matched.

"So, you've decided to show yourself, you bastard's bastard!" Beelzebub taunted him with a droning, buzzy voice so high-pitched Wepwawet struggled to understand his words. "I thought you would never come!"

"Why would I run away from one of my father's villains of the week?" Wepwawet taunted his challenger. He had rehearsed many cunning insults to throw Beelzebub off his game, but decided to begin softly. He would boil this fly like a frog!

"You'd have been wiser to do so, bastard!" Beelzebub waved his dirty hand and summoned his Miracle deck. "I'll send you packing back to the Nexus with your tail between your legs! Duel!"

"Duel!" Wepwawet snarled back as his deck shuffled and cards appeared in his hand. A time counter appeared on the side of the deck, this time showcasing three minutes instead of one. The increased size of the board and the greater number of units probably caused the system to alter the draw time to give players more time to assess situations.

In any case, Wepwawet drew Smite, Sacred Food, Geyser Tribute, Oath of Winter, and Barricade Kit—almost all of which he could use. Oh, how good it felt to start with a good hand for once!

Wepwawet quickly checked the board and assessed the situation. Rickart the werelion and Sagesse led five hundred werelings from Roynimalia in assaulting the main gates. Cynisca's handful of giant mercenaries backed them up, each of them a colossus capable of peeking over the frozen outer walls. A swarm of giant flies fell upon them from the sky to attack them and slow their advance under a hail of arrows.

While the battle ought to be spectacular, this front was little more than a distraction to bog down the enemy army while Victoire's and Goreville's smaller teams infiltrated the city from the west and east respectively. Insupportable, Viviane, and Bernard had stayed at the former's den at the back with the yeti tribe to defend the Altar.

All the enemy units Wepwawet could see were low-ranked giant spirit-flies, barely any stronger than his own spirit-wolves. Their numbers might pose a problem, but Wepwawet's troops had them beat in equipment and quality.

However, the mana surge that generated the region's blizzard continued to hover over Promesse. This greatly bothered Wepwawet. The effect should have stopped once the battle began, had it been the result of a Doctrine Miracle, so the source had to be either an Artifact of some sort or a creature hidden inside the city.

I better reinforce my position and hold onto my better cards for later, Wepwawet thought as he proceeded to draw Dimensional Fortress and immediately used it. "I cast the Dimensional Fortress Doctrine, which blocks any unauthorized dimensional travel or teleportation within my realm of Influence!"

"A useless effort!" Beelzebub replied as he countered with his own play. "I cast a Rank 1 Prophecy face down and the Rank 4 Doctrine Multifly, which lets me summon an additional Rank 3 or below Bug-type creature for free wherever I conjure one. Then…"

Mana surged above Promesse and condensed into a physical object a mile over its outer walls.

"I play the Rank 5 Artifact-Creature, Lunarian Flying Saucer!"

Wepwawet froze in place. "Come again?"

To his absolute astonishment, Beelzebub's Miracle conjured a massive creature in the skies above Promesse; a hundred-foot wide, ring-shaped machine carved from the same strange black metal used to craft the Lunarian Slaverstaff Mistouffe had recovered a few days ago. The device was bulky, almost archaic, with four red crystals of condensed mana glowing below its disc and supporting its flight with anti-gravity magic, while two antenna-shaped towers protruded from the upper parts of the vehicle.

Wepwawet wasn't the only one staring at this giant device in disbelief. Many of his werelings and giant soldiers storming the front gate froze in terror, some of the former even deserting on the spot and running for the mountains. Rickart, unperturbed, let out a roar that shook the battlefield in an attempt to rally his troops and frighten the flies assaulting them.

What the…

What the hell?

"That's right, fool!" Beelzebub's buzzing laughter echoed across the board. "I brought magical sci-fi to a fantasy fight!"

Wepwawet stared at the flying saucer in utter disbelief. He had already heard of Artifact-Creatures—Artifacts that also counted as creature units—but that kind of device went far beyond the average golem! Miss Athena said that Elphion had just entered the Iron Age!

This could only mean one thing.

"You sabotaged our intel," Wepwawet guessed. "You obscured parts of Elphion's history from us!"

Wepwawet thought the presence of steel showing up had already been a bit suspicious, but this giant magitech device could only be produced by a highly advanced civilization beyond Lavaland, Verglane, and any other he had encountered yet.

"You have to thank your own scheming family for that," Beelzebub taunted him. "They left a backdoor open for their own use! I only had to sneak my way in and make a few… adjustments!"

Family? Did he mean the Egyptian Pantheon? Wepwawet wasn't foolish enough to take a Titan agent at his word, especially since it could have been an attempt at disinformation or at throwing him off his game in the middle of battle, but the mere thought that his own kin might have schemed against him unnerved him to his core.

He would get to the bottom of things after winning this battle.

The flying saucer soundlessly glided across the sky at alarming speed. Wepwawet and his troops on the ground both expected the machine to rain fire and death upon the latter, but it instead made a beeline towards the mountain holding Insupportable's Den. A small group of giant flies followed in its wake.

It's aiming straight for the Altar, Wepwawet guessed as he drew Oath of Spring. It was going to only be a matter of minutes before the saucer entered his Influence's range, but he doubted his Smite Miracle would be enough to put it down. He thus projected his voice in Viviane's and Bernard's heads. The two were observing the swarm coming for them from the edge of the cliff alongside the yeti tribe.

"Bernard," Wepwawet said, the yeti leader immediately straightening up upon sensing the god's voice in his head. "That infernal machine will attack the Altar soon. Get your dragon master off his ass to intercept it. Viviane, shoot down any flies trying to crawl in."

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"Y-you can count on me, Your Godliness," Viviane replied as she drew her own bow. "Archers, with me! Don't let a single bug in!"

Meanwhile, Bernard immediately ran into the den. "Your Glorious Majesty! The gold-eating insects are coming for your hoard with reinforcements!"

"Again?!" Insupportable roared and emerged from the den with ungodly fury. "I thought we had exterminated them all!"

Wepwawet had no idea what a 'gold-eating insect' was, but Insupportable took the threat seriously enough to rush at the cliff's edge, expand his wings, and fly up to confront the incoming Lunarian Flying Saucer. Wepwawet cast a Barricade Kit to fortify the den's entrance and provide cover for Viviane's archers the moment he left.

"A dragon?!" Beelzebub choked in disbelief upon seeing Insupportable flying across the sky. "You masochistic fool, you claimed a dragon as your Champion?!"

"Against my will, Beelzecuck!" Wepwawet protested before casting an offensive Miracle the moment the saucer entered his Influence's range. He used his Providence to identify its weakest point and struck. "Smite!"

"W-what did you call m–"

Wepwawet's bolt of divine judgment struck the saucer before Beelzebub could finish his sentence. While his weak blast of mythic power had killed many magmorian soldiers in the past, it only managed to knock off one of the Lunarian machine's antennae towers and inflict superficial damage. But he did make the machine slow down a bit.

Insupportable proved much faster than the slowed saucer and flew straight at it. Some of Beelzebub's flies immediately attempted to intercept him, much to their sorrow.

"Tremble before me, paupers!" Insupportable boasted, his mouth condensing with icy mist. "I am the wealth that haunts your nightmares!"

He fired a breath of ice in a conic line at the flies unlucky enough to face him, freezing them in midair and sending them plummeting to their death miles below. His attack reached all the way to the saucer and froze part of its edge. The machine's remaining antennae shone with power before firing a laser at Insupportable in retaliation. The dragon skillfully dodged the strike by diving to the side and then began to circle the flying saucer like a vulture with its prey.

He's… good! He's actually good! Wepwawet rejoiced at the annoying dragon finally pulling his weight, only to scowl upon seeing the remaining flies splitting off from the saucer to move straight at his Altar's location. Insupportable was too busy dodging lasers to intercept them. Viviane, Bernard, and the others should be able to handle them, and he could always cast Geyser Tribute in a pinch to swat away a few flies.

This engagement also provided him with critical information.

He didn't trigger his Prophecy, or couldn't, Wepwawet thought. If Miss Athena was right about Beelzebub lacking time to replace all of his beginner deck's Miracles, then it was certainly Protect Champion. It only works on Champions as per the name, so it's useless for the saucer and conjured flies… but he wouldn't have wasted mana on it if he didn't have at least one Champion active on the board somewhere.

Wepwawet's soldiers could likely expect a tough fight upon reaching the enemy's Altar. Goreville and co were still traveling undetected through the secret passage for now, while Victoire's troops were bogged down in battle at the western keep with possessed knights and flies. A quick glance through his Champions' eyes informed Wepwawet that the parasites 'riding' the brainwashed Glarmes weren't conjured creatures.

Those were actual monsters native to Elphion.

Beelzebub grunted upon seeing his U.F.O.'s lack of progress, drew a new card, and immediately played it. "I cast the Rank 2 Parasite Miracle Ritual! This adds the card somewhere in your deck at random, and will cost you ten mana points when you draw it!"

"The fight will be long over by then, One Turn Baal!" Wepwawet taunted him back. Hearing the nickname caused Beelzebub's eyes to shine with malice. "For you face Wepwawet, son of–"

"Son of a bitch!"

Wepwawet choked in rage and outrage. "Don't you dare insult my mother!"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hurt your feelings, child…" Beelzebub cackled. "But what else would you call a whore who cheated on her husband with his own brother?"

"They were drunk!"

"More like your father is big everywhere, except where it matters most!" Beelzebub countered before playing a new Miracle. "I cast the Rank 4 Lunarian Hypnosis Ritual! It lets me inflict the Charm Ailment on any Beast creature within my Influence's range!"

Wepwawet's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately focused on the Champion he knew Beelzebub would likely use it on.

Things were about to get ugly.

Her spear missed Kale's head by an inch.

While men and women weren't equal when it came to raw natural strength, Victoire regularly managed to best her old friend during training through superior skill, and now Lord Wepwawet's blessings had only widened the gap. She was now quicker and stronger than Kale by a mile, dancing around his blows without wasting a single breath and sending him reeling with casual blows. Had they been fighting under normal circumstances, she would have ended this engagement in an instant.

The issue was freeing her friend without hurting him.

Victoire attempted to do that by striking the parasite with the tip of her spear, only for the possessed Kale to quickly raise his shield in the path of her attack. Her divinely-enhanced strength let her weapon pierce through the steel, but the slight delay allowed the parasite to move out of the way. Victoire quickly removed her spear before Kale could counterattack with a sword thrust and then put more space between them.

Meanwhile, the rest of the hall had turned into a chaotic melee. Grudu continued to whimper in a corner in spite of Mistouffe's best efforts to have him fight, Filou remained bogged down in a fight with one of the possessed Glarme knights while another helped the giant flies fight their werelings allies, and Wintresse killed bugs left and right with streams of poisonous water summoned from her staff. A few of Victoire's own soldiers had fallen in battle already, whether cut down by the knights, torn apart by sharp claws, or melted to death by the acid shot at them by the flies.

What a mess, Victoire thought as her friend tossed the broken shield aside and then charged at her. We can't afford any more delays.

Victoire tried to keep her possessed friend away by threatening him with her spear, but the parasite controlling Kale showed no regard for its host's safety. Kale wildly swung his sword at her in a flurry of blows. She countered each of them with her spear shaft, then feinted to strike at the parasite.

Kale threw his throat in her weapon's path.

Victoire abruptly stopped herself at the last second, a moment of hesitation which nearly cost her her face when Kale retaliated by slashing at her with his sword. She pulled back and dodged, her teeth grinding in anger.

"Coward!" Victoire cursed the parasite. That creature was acutely aware of her intentions and responded by using its host as a hostage. Such a cruel and craven tactic incensed her to no end.

Quickly realizing she would need to immobilize her friend first before she could attempt to remove the parasite safely, Victoire purposely feinted by letting Kale attempt to slash her throat. Swirling on herself and lowering her spear at the last possible second, she used the shaft to hit his heel. The blow threw her possessed friend off balance and Kale fell onto the ground on his back, unable to dodge.

The parasite holding his head barely had time to screech before Victoire stabbed it between the eyes with her spear. She twisted her weapon as it screeched in agony.

Please, let him live! Victoire prayed to Wepwawet that killing the parasite would free the host without harming them. The monster wriggled and drowned in its own vile green blood, while Kale coughed and spasmed like a man suffering from a seizure. I beg of thee!

Thankfully, it seemed her god had answered her prayers. Kale's eyes slowly regained their blue color while the dead parasite slid off his skull. While confused, he managed to recover enough to speak up.

"Vic… Vicky?" Kale blurted out upon recognizing her. "What…"

"No time to explain," Victoire replied before grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet. She wanted nothing more than to reassure him, but they were in the middle of a battle. "Can you stand?"

"I… think so…" Kale replied while clearly fighting the urge to vomit. "I feel sick…"

"Hold on," Victoire replied as she took a look at the hall. Her soldiers had slain most of the flies, mostly due to Wintresse's contribution, though one of the possessed Glarmes had been killed in the melee alongside their parasite. Wintresse had managed to save Filou's opponent by freezing him in a block of ice, its controller included, so they might find a way to free him later.

All in all, the tide was turning solidly in Victoire's favor… or so she thought until she noticed one of the dead werelings spasming on the ground, followed by more of her allies' corpses trembling on their own too amidst the hall.

What was going on here?

"Everyone, run away from Grudu!" Wepwawet warned Victoire through telepathy before she could think more on the subject, his voice heavy with panic. "Now!"

Grudu?

Vic glanced at the weremammoth, only to find him standing back up. All fear had vanished from Grudu's gaze, alongside pretty much everything else. His absent gaze glowed with yellow light whose shine sent shivers racing down Victoire's spine.

Mistouffe, who was still attached to the weremammoth's back, uneasily gripped his ears. "Big Guy?"

Grudu roared and savagely charged across the hall, trampling dead flies and throwing his own allies out of his path.

Victoire barely had time to push Kale to the side before the weremammoth punched her through a wall.