Depraved Hero's Path

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The ground cracked each time that the Monster took a step, running through the museum's corridors!

The vault in which the King's Game was taking place had two entries. One door was on the wall behind the Black King's Throne, while the other door was on the wall behind the White King's Throne.

The Monster ran, then curled its right arm for a shoulder charge and slammed into one of the vault's doors with all its strength and might.

The force was enough to bring down the door and part of the wall!

Sending pieces of rubble and dust up into the air, the Monster crashes the King's Game.

As luck would have it,

"Fuck…" Gin, the White King, cursed under his breath as he turned around. "Fuck!"

The Monster appeared from behind the White Army's side.

The creature stood on two legs, hunched forward like it was ready to leap at any moment. Its body was large and muscular, covered in a mix of thick black fur and rough, scaly skin.

Its mouth was wide and filled with sharp, uneven fangs. Fur covered its shoulders, arms, thighs, and crotch, while the rest of its body was protected by tough scales.

A long, heavy tail dragged behind it, swaying slightly as it turned from right to left.

Part of the ground rose up. It was Katherine's attempt at slowing down Petra's charge, currently in Berserker mode with the highest Stats of any Participant.

The White Queen simply kicked that part of the ground, breaking it with ease.

'Tsk!' Petra clicked her tongue.

The Black King was right there.

However, a Monster had just appeared a dozen steps behind the White King!

What happens if the Monster kills the White King? The fact that Gin was a friend aside, it would mean the loss of the White Army's side, and the death of every Participant! Can she reach the Black King before the Monster reaches the White one? Judging from the Skills and Items displayed, it was clear that the Black King wouldn't be an easy target. The fact that he couldn't inflict damage wasn't the issue here. Could she defeat him, knowing that Katherine, the Black Queen, was on her back heels and able to use Magic? The pink-haired Rook can also send those black slashes…

"Petra!!" Gin shouted as the Monster scanned the area, its gaze falling on him, the White King!

The shout meant nothing to Petra.

Now was the time to think logically and rationally.

Even if the Monster kills the White King, the person currently closest to it, as long as Petra can kill the Black King before that, then it would be their victory. As a group, they would fight that Monster afterwards… Except if the Monster is part of the Game!

'That's right! With only one minute left, A Monster has appeared to speed things up… That's entirely possible! But for it to appear on our side… Could it be because we had the advantage in numbers?! So in the end, we are getting penalized for-'

"L-Look!" The remaining White Pawn shouted as he pointed at the Monster. "On its head! It's not just any random Monster!"

"That's…!"

"Seriously?" Petra muttered, noticing.

Her gaze moved back towards the Black King.

He smirked at her, causing her to spit on the ground.

The terrifying Monster that had crashed the King's Game had, on its head, the symbol of the Bishop.

Due to its color,

"Is that even legal?!" Gin shouted in Rifna's direction. He was panicking and grasping at straws.

"...♪" Rifna was looking away, whistling.

"Fuck." The White King cursed under his breath. "If I move away from it, I'll be moving towards the Black Fog, towards the Black King! If I leave the Throne… Why would a Monster fight on its side? And why was it outside?!"

'There's no rule against leaving the vault, and there's no rule against entering it. Because Chief is my Slave, I made him part of my Army from the start. I simply kept him away from the battlefield for a bit♪'

While the Monster seemed like a chaotic addition to the battlefield, this changed everything.

'This fucking guy…!' Petra was fuming internally.

Her boots slid on the ground as she halted her momentum, turning in the White King's direction!

'I need to protect Gin!' The White Queen thought as she ran. 'Do I go through the fog? Yes! With my Stats being what they are now, it makes no difference!'

As the White Queen cut into the Black Fog, the Chimera's thumping started once again, aiming for the White King!

With incredible speed, Petra cut through the Black Fog, passing the Black Rook, Marianne, as well as the White Pawn, Bishop, and Rooks!

She left the Black Fog with a leap.

'I'll make it in time!'

A portion of the ground rose once again.

'This is…' She pulled her foot back, ready to kick into bits what was supposed to trip her up! 'Getting repetitive!'

But it didn't shatter into bits.

Instead, it disappeared.

She frowned and,

"Wha-"

The foot she had kicked with regained the ground… And sank into it!

"What the fuck is this…?!"

Off balance because of the unfruitful kicking motion, Petra suddenly found her feet trapped in a pool of gooey black liquid.

'The Trickster's Amulet…' Marianne thought, peering through the Black Fog with an expressionless face.

The White Queen's feet sank deeper and deeper.

"Fuck!" She cursed, about to use her hands to push herself up! "I can still make it in time if-"

ROAAAAAAR!!!!

The Chimera sent reverberations through every Participant's body, and Petra's body was sunk deeper into the gooey liquid as two other Monsters appeared from the sky and pushed her down further, their talons sinking into her arms and thighs.

"ARRRGHHHH!" She shouted while trying to get them off her! Both were holding onto her body, using their weight to make her sink deeper!

The next moment, Petra fell to the ground.

"What the f-"

The pool of gooey liquid had suddenly disappeared.

The Corrupted Harpies, the Black King's Knights, jumped back. One of them was holding something. It was tossed away.

The White Rooks stood between the White King and the Chimera.

The Black Fog had dissipated.

The White King was in utter disbelief.

"What are you… Doing…?" He asked with a shaking voice.

Resting in Elijah's hand was the very thing that the Corrupted Harpy had tossed his way.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm…"

Léa shivered, not having noticed Elijah position himself behind her.

She hadn't expected his voice to echo from so close as well.

[All Stats increase to 45 Stat Points.]

A moment later, Léa felt it be deposited on her head.

"Promoting my Pawn."

The White Queen's Tiara was slowly painted Black!