Chapter 229 – Meeting of the Bigshots
Nie Yan and Smoke Stub’s actions plunged the Azure Falling Sky guild into the chaos.
The Charge executed by Smoke Stub just a moment ago was perfect, whether in timing, power, or direction, as it delivered Clear Sky right to Nie Yan, who finished him off with a decisive blow from Cut Throat. The coordination between them was impeccable. If someone posted a video of this battle online, the final moments would inevitably become a classic.
“It was a pleasure fighting together,” Nie Yan said with a light smile before going back into stealth.
Smoke Stub also found battling alongside Nie Yan to be extremely enjoyable. With a wide smile, he exclaimed, “Likewise!”
Both Cold Peak and Wood Grace had sacrificed their lives in order to give them the perfect opportunity to kill Clear Sky. A hint of sorrow emerged in Smoke Stub’s eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. This was a battlefield; he didn’t have any time to be wasting wallowing in grief. He charged back into the fray with his greatsword raised. It was time for Withered Leaf to strike back!
“Brothers of Withered Leaf, slaughter these bastards!” Smoke Stub roared. He was the living embodiment of the reaper’s scythe. Wherever he passed, heads would fall.
Nie Yan’s actions left people breathless as he materialized behind unsuspecting Priests, and killed them with lightning-fast efficiency before disappearing again like a phantom in the battlefield. Quite a few players ended up dying by his hands.
The elites from Asskickers United broke through enemy lines. Azure Falling Sky players dropped like flies while the survivors were slowly forced into retreat.
Undying Scoundrel unleashed a torrent of fire on a crowd of Azure Falling Sky players. As a blanket of damage numbers floated up into the sky, more than half the players were immediately annihilated.
Monochrome, Edgeless, and the others steamrolled through the enemies before joining up with Nie Yan and Smoke Stub’s group.
“Boss, we’ve arrived!” Monochrome greeted. He as well as the others were branded with deep red names. It was evident they had killed many players along the way.
Nie Yan nodded. “How are our losses?”
“Only eight casualties so far, and we’ve retrieved all the equipment they dropped,” Edgeless replied. Such losses in a large-scale battle were very small, negligible even. Before they launched their assault, they had gone through careful preparation. With the protection of the Warriors and Paladins, Summer Bug, Undying Scoundrel, Miracle Dancer, Sunny South, and the other mages swept away the enemy with group magic. The results were extremely good.
As a consequence, the kill counts of Summer Bug and the other Mages skyrocketed upwards.
By now, the guild leader of Azure Falling Sky, Clear Sky, resurrected in Calore. He had actually died to Smoke Stub. This was his greatest disgrace!
「I don’t care what it takes, I want Smoke Stub’s head!」Clear Sky roared. His eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead bulged out.
Clear Sky’s hatred for Smoke Stub was engraved into the core of his very being. Even though he knew the forces of Asskickers United were rushing over, he still chose to take the risk of eliminating Smoke Stub instead of retreating.
Clear Sky’s orders were carried out efficiently as the players under him quickly gathered together. Despite his explosive temper and callous nature, to the extent where every minor grievance had to be paid back manyfold, he was quite competent at commanding others. His forces soon moved to surround Smoke Stub’s group.
There were almost 9,000 players from Azure Falling Sky altogether. Even if every last one of them had to be sacrificed, he would make certain that Smoke Stub died!
「Boss, at least 8,000 Azure Falling Sky players are moving in to surround us!」
「Boss, our Priests and Mages are running low on mana, and we’ve already gone through all of our mana-recovery items.」
Nie Yan listened to a litany of reports from various leaders commanding over the battlefield.
The battle was still going in full swing. The forces from Asskickers United had already mowed down almost 800 players from Azure Falling Sky, but more and more kept pouring in to fill the gaps! When confronted with an enemy that was seemingly endless, no matter how strong these elites of Asskickers United were, they couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of helplessness.
Nie Yan surveyed the surroundings and noted that the forest to the south was denser. If they could hold out there for a while, Tang Yao’s forces would soon arrive to reinforce them.
「We’re moving south!」
Nie Yan led his group southward, cutting down any Azure Falling Sky player who stood in their path. After they arrived, the Warriors hunkered down between the trees, while the Priests and Paladins took turns providing support for them. The Mages separated into groups, alternating between firing spells at the enemy and sitting down to recover their mana.
The Azure Falling Sky players arrived like an unending tide, but Nie Yan’s forces firmly resisted and beat them back.
The flames of war enveloped the battlefield as magic rained down from the sky. Every now and then, a player from Withered Leaf or Asskickers United would collapse to the ground.
The hordes of players around them were all from Azure Falling Sky. They arrived wave after wave.
“I’m sorry for dragging you guys into this mess,” Smoke Stub said in a guilt-ridden tone. Every single member of Nie Yan’s group was branded with a red name, meaning they were barred from returning to Calore and effectively trapped here. If reinforcements didn’t arrive soon, they would be completely overwhelmed.
“Aren’t you treating us a bit too much like outsiders? Ask any of our brothers from Asskickers United. None of them blame you. Even though Withered Leaf hasn’t been a part of the guild for very long, you’re still our brothers through and through! When a brother is in trouble, with how much we value loyalty, how could we just heartlessly leave them to their fate?” Undying Scoundrel turned to Nie Yan and asked, “Isn’t that right, Boss?”
“Mhmm, right.” Nie Yan nodded with approval. Undying Scoundrel’s words were very sensible.
Smoke Stub was visibly moved as he gazed at the Asskickers United players around him. Saying anymore at this point would be meaningless. Withered Leaf wouldn’t fail to reciprocate the sincerity of these brothers.
“Boss Sparrow Hawk has already arrived at Twilight Forest with reinforcements! He’s going to be here very soon!” Summer Bug exclaimed after reading the guild chat.
Tang Yao’s forces were very close.
“Everyone, persevere! Reinforcements will be arriving soon!”
Withered Leaf still had over 200 members remaining while Asskickers United still had over 70. Considering they had been holding off almost 9,000 enemies all this time, this was quite amazing.
“Boss Smoke Stub! We’re all out of mana!” Samsara Lord anxiously called out.
The attacks of from the enemy Mages were too ferocious. For the sake of keeping the Warriors in the frontline alive, the Priests had burnt through all their mana. Because the healing couldn’t keep up, several more Warriors died.
The onslaught of attacks from the Azure Falling Sky players was relentless. If Tang Yao’s reinforcements didn’t arrive within the next few minutes, there would be no one left to save.
At this moment, there was a huge disturbance among the Azure Falling Sky players.
Red clouds converged in the distance, followed immediately by a shower of meteors. With how quickly that magic was cast, likely the only person who could pull such a thing off was Tang Yao.
“Brothers! Kill!”
“Kill!”
Thunderous battle cries shook the air, as Tang Yao’s reinforcements surrounded and attacked the forces from Azure Falling Sky. In terms of individual player ability, no guild could match Asskickers United! Once the two sides clashed, a one-sided massacre began unfolding as Azure Falling Sky players collapsed in droves. Because they were surrounded on all sides, there was nowhere for them to escape.
While Twilight Forest was filled with the sound of battle, things on the outside weren’t so tranquil either. Over 60,000 players from Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame had arrived outside of Twilight Forest. Just as they were about to storm the map, countless players silently emerged from the edge of the forest, ready to obstruct their advance.
It appeared Holy Empire was faster than them by a step at arriving in Twilight Forest.
These players from Holy Empire were well prepared. Groups of Warriors and Paladins blocked the gaps between the trees. Behind them were a great number of Priests and Mages. On top of this, they occupied the high ground. Even though Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return had greater numbers, it wouldn’t be easy for them to break through this blockade.
Sleepy Fox proudly stood atop a large protruding boulder.
As the players behind Sleepy Fox stared at the densely packed crowd of players from Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame, they couldn’t help but feel their scalps turn a little numb.
“Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame have arrived. Those who are afraid can start activating a Return Scroll right now. Holy Empire doesn’t need weaklings. As for the brothers who are willing to stay behind, I’ll reward you with 50 merit points for every bastard you kill from Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return. If you kill more than 10, I’ll allow you to enter the Holy Empire Knight Regiment! Today, we’ll show these Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame mongrels that 20,000 of us are enough to beat them back yelping with their tails tucked behind their legs!” Sleepy Fox declared, full of bravado. He had learned a thing or two from Nie Yan. When trouble arrived on your doorstep, you had to be decisive. It was important not to show any weakness.
Sleepy Fox’s passionate speech stirred the spirits of the players from Holy Empire.
“Boss, these are your words. You can’t go back on them! What luck. I was just considering trying out for the Knight Regiment!” a Holy Empire player shouted.
Sleepy Fox jokingly scolded. “Since when have I failed to keep my word? Brat, I’ve remembered your name. If you can’t kill at least ten players, I’ll send you off on your way so you can repent to God himself!”
“W-w-wait! No, Boss, I was just joking! You might as well just dig a hole and bury me inside. I’d rather repent to you instead!” that player cried out in a panic.
The crowd burst into laughter. The previously heavy atmosphere lightened up quite a bit.
Sleepy Fox looked ahead and spotted two figures walking over to him. He was very familiar with these two individuals. The player in azure robes was Heaven Breaker, while the other player in violet armour was the guild leader of Radiant Sacred Flame, Nightbreak Trickster.
Nightbreak Trickster rarely showed his face to the outside world, so few people ever knew his whereabouts. Because of this, he was a mysterious figure in the eyes of all players. Very little was known about him, aside from what was publically available.
“The guild leaders of Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame have arrived. You guys stay put. I’ll go have a chat with them.” Sleepy Fox leapt off the boulder, then went over to meet Heaven Breaker and Nightbreak Trickster.
Damn! This son of a bitch is already Level 30! Sleepy Fox gloomily cursed after examining Nightbreak Trickster’s level.
This was the first time since Conviction’s release that the guild leaders of three major guilds met.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Heaven Breaker said. When he led his troops, he never would’ve imagined Holy Empire would make a full-out effort to block their path.
“Oh? But I’ve already been waiting quite a while for the two of you to show up,” Sleepy Fox curtly said.
Sleepy Fox could be considered an old rival to Heaven Breaker and Nightbreak Trickster. Both of them were very familiar with his personality, so they were a little surprised when he acted so differently from his usual self. He was normally all smiles, handling all matters with a glib tongue. Even if he was upset, he would never reveal it on the surface.
The swords were already drawn on both sides.