The battlefield was chaos incarnate, monsters roaring, players shouting commands, and the sharp crackle of spells and arrows tearing through the air.
Among the chaos, Alex opened up his [World Map] and scanned for Aurelia.
-1! -1! -1!
“Hey, this guy’s not losing any health?!”
“Forget about him, aim for the others then!”
The dot labeled “Aurelia” on his map led him to a skirmish where attackers were battling defenders and fending off waves of monsters.
There, in the center of the chaos, was Aurelia, her movements fluid and precise as she wielded her [Free Control Dagger].
The dagger spun in the air as though alive, controlled by the assassin, slicing through monsters with pinpoint accuracy.
As Alex approached, he saw a reckless defender riding a massive beast barreling toward her, a gleaming sword raised high.
The defender’s intention was clear: Aurelia was his target.
“…”
He thought that she would see it, but she was too focused on the monsters to notice the threat.
Reacting instantly, Alex activated [Fury of Thunder].
Three bolts of lightning descended from the sky in rapid succession.
The first struck the defender directly, stunning him mid-charge.
The second hit his beast, sending it crumpling to the ground.
The third bolt struck two other nearby defenders, rendering them temporarily paralyzed.
Alex closed the distance in an instant, his weapon flashing as he finished the job, cutting off all the others nearby.
With a few swift strikes, the stunned players were eliminated.
Their avatars shattered into fragments of light, leaving only Alex and Aurelia standing amidst the fallen.
“Thanks,” Aurelia said with a small smile, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Her tone was calm, but Alex could tell she was grateful.
“Where’s Alice?” she asked, glancing around.
Alex pointed in the distance distance, where Alice was firing a relentless stream of arrows into the fray.
“She’s busy dealing with the rest,” he said.
Even from their position, it was clear Alice was dominating.
Each arrow she loosed took down a player or monster in a single shot.
The problem wasn’t the challenge, it was the sheer number of enemies.
For every defender or monster she killed, there were hundreds more waiting to fill the gap.
With the ten-minute respawn timer for players, the battlefield seemed like a never-ending tide.
“Hm… I mean, shouldn’t you just rush in then, I’m sure you’ll be fine…” Aurelia shrugged.
“Not that easy, and…” Alex sighed, “Never mind.”
Alex didn’t waste time.
As a new group of monsters surged toward them, he raised his hand and unleashed a volley of spells.
Waves of fire and lightning erupted from his position, incinerating the creatures before they could get close.
Crimson Cataclysm!
His spikes pierced the ground underneath 7 players and 6 monsters, killing every single one of them by piercing their heads, which was a weak point.
“It’s not that difficult, as you see,” he grinned.
Aurelia stood beside him, using her dagger to dispatch any that slipped through his onslaught.
Despite their combined strength, the defenders and monsters seemed unending.
Every time they pushed forward, another wave of enemies blocked their path.
As the hours dragged on, the battlefield devolved into a bloody stalemate.
A few monsters managed to breach the city’s walls, smashing through stone and wood with brute force.
But the defenders were quick to respond.
Assassins and high-level players eliminated the invaders almost instantly, while others erected new barriers and reinforced the breaches.
Hundreds of defenders lined up in front of the broken walls, creating an impenetrable shield.
For the attackers, progress was impossible.
And the timer ticked down relentlessly.
“There’s no way we’re getting through this!” a mage shouted, wiping sweat from his brow as he dodged an incoming fireball.
“I knew I should have joined the defenders…” another muttered before retreating from the front lines.
“I’m done! This is pointless!”
Morale was at rock bottom after six grueling hours of nonstop fighting.
Attackers and defenders alike were suffering heavy losses.
The monsters, each stronger and deadlier than the last, tore through players with ease.
Even the most skilled fighters struggled to survive against their unending onslaught.
However, the attackers knew their objective: destroy the altar at the city’s heart, and so that meant that for the defenders, even if every single one of them died, they would still be victorious if their altar survived.
Yet, defenders stationed at every breach and countless monsters ripping through their ranks, the altar remained an impossible dream, shrouded in despair.
Victory felt miles away.
[6:01:47 left until Monster Tide ends.]
Alex, Aurelia, and Alice crouched behind a pile of fallen monsters, temporarily out of sight from the chaos.
The battlefield stretched around them, a sea of death and destruction.
“Alex! Just dash through and kick their asses already!” Alice groaned, her frustration clear. “I’m pretty sure 1 damage isn’t going to do anything to you, even if they send thousands of arrows and spells your way.”
Alex sighed, leaning against a corpse, his breath still and not a single drop of sweat visible on his face.
It was obvious he wasn’t tired.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “But…” His eyes flicked to the timer. “I’m waiting for something.”
Alice frowned but didn’t press him. She knew Alex had a plan, he always did.
Alex would love to destroy Daniel’s hopes and dreams immediately, but he wanted to crush them so that the other families knew they can’t oppose him in the game.
Their only other solution would be to kill FateBreaker in the real world, which would never happen thanks to [Death Call] and also since Alex wasn’t stupid enough to leave the game unprotected.
Aurelia broke the silence, her voice tinged with both frustration and sadness.
“My father and I have been under pressure by the other families to let Daniel do whatever he wants,” she said, her fists clenching. “But I refuse to let that bastard get away with it.”
Alex and Alice exchanged a glance but said nothing, letting her continue.
“I’ve seen it in his eyes,” Aurelia said, her voice trembling with rage, “He’s not just ambitious, he’s dangerous. If it benefits him, he won’t hesitate to turn on us. My father knows it too.”
Alice tilted her head. “Are you saying you’ll… kill MartialMage in real life?”
Aurelia nodded grimly.
“Yes. I don’t want to, but I might not have a choice. There’s something going on, something bigger than this game. We’ve received information that some items can bring game powers into the real world. If Daniel or any of the big families get their hands on one of those items, it’s over. No one can fight against someone who has their in-game abilities in reality.”
Alex’s expression darkened, knowing exactly why she was feeling like this, after all, based on his past life, everything she said was true.
Daniel was the one that killed her.
“That’s true,” he said softly. “But it won’t happen. I won’t let it.”
Aurelia turned to him, her gaze unwavering.
“If you stop him… my father and I will be eternally grateful. I don’t care about my pride, this is about survival.” She bowed slightly, a rare gesture from someone as proud as her.
A loud ding interrupted their conversation.
[6:00:00]
Half the event timer had officially passed.
And so…
[Initiating ‘Boss Monster Spawns.’]
The ground trembled as a new wave of monsters emerged.
These were no ordinary creatures.
In the distance, towering figures began to take shape, each one over ten meters tall, with grotesque, hulking forms.
Their roars echoed across the battlefield as they stomped forward, each one a minimum of level 250.
“The bosses are here,” Alex said, a grin spreading across his face. His eyes gleamed with excitement. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.”
Aurelia raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because,” Alex said, rising to his feet and readying his weapon, “now’s the perfect time to destroy that altar.”
Alice smirked, drawing her bowstring. “Finally. Let’s do this.”
The three of them stepped out from their hiding spot, prepared for the next phase of the battle.
The stakes had just risen, and Alex was ready to turn the tide in his favor.