In Nie Yan's team, none of the six members who were still clinging to life had a name that wasn't branded deeply crimson. For them to die here would represent a serious setback to their progression. All of the equipment they had painstakingly collected piece by piece would fall into enemy hands, to say nothing of the several levels they would lose as well. The effort they had expended since starting this game would also go down the drain. Such an outcome would prove an extremely depressing conclusion to this battle.
Nonetheless, it was too late for regrets. Their eyes were already heavily bloodshot as they lost themselves in a murderous frenzy.
Nie Yan had killed six Victorious Return players in quick succession, and then, by relying on his sharp instincts and deadly reflexes, he was able to cut down another five. His name was bright red as if it had been washed in the blood of those he had slain.
Among the six, Nie Yan, Tang Yao, and Dusk were the most terrifying. All of their kill counts were already in the double digits.
「Nirvana Flame, just hold on a little longer. My boss will be arriving soon with backup!」Dusk shouted in the team intercom. He was already giving it his all.
Suddenly, a dozen spells arced through the sky and exploded in the area around him, sending him flying. After crashing to the ground, he struggled to no avail as his health bar finally plummeted to zero before all of the equipment dropped from his body.
Will Holy Empire really be coming? A sudden thought popped up in Nie Yan's head. If Holy Empire really did involve themselves with this matter, then it would be tantamount to them breaking off relations with Victorious Return. Would they truly be willing to wade into these turbulent waters?
At that moment, a shocking rallying cry came from the far ends of the battlefield followed by the emergence of three hundred players, dressed in mediocre equipment, charging forward from every direction.
"Violet Berserk Blade, you said it yourself. When we get back, you definitely have to give us merit points!"
"Watchful Snail, you promised us, so don't go back on your word!"
"Rest assured, I stake my honour as a senior officer of the guild. Today, everyone here will become honorary members of Asskickers United!"
"Long live Violet Berserk Blade! Long live Watchful Snail! Long live Asskickers United! Leave none of those bastards from Victorious Return alive!"
"Charge!"
Nie Yan originally didn't hold high hopes of receiving any reinforcements whatsoever from their newly established Asskickers United. After all, it was full of new recruits who didn't yet feel any sense of belonging to the guild. So why would they suddenly be willing to put their lives on the line just to save a few people? Even if they were, would they really be willing to offend Victorious Return? What if Asskickers United ended up collapsing in the near-future, then what would become of them? Would they be hunted down like dogs, cowering in the shadows? The risk was simply too high.
Nevertheless, even though Nie Yan didn't have much faith, thankfully Tang Yao did, contacting Guo Huai, Hao Cheng, and Zhao Li almost as soon as they were surrounded. After being informed of the situation, worry overtook the trio as they hastily gathered a host of players for a rescue mission, promising honorary membership and a certain amount of merit points in return.
When a portion of the players at the guild headquarters heard the guild leader was in trouble, and that they would be able to earn membership and merit points by joining a rescue mission to save him, they immediately flocked forward to volunteer. They were hot-blooded youths who still felt a sense of romanticism toward the game, and besides, many of them only wished to join the guild because they disliked the tyranny of Victorious Return. Their levels might not be high, with most of them averaging around Level 7 or 8, but they were all full of spirit! Hence, out of the over six thousand players there, Guo Huai and Hao Cheng managed to bring nearly three hundred to their cause. After anxiously rushing over to the battlefield, they charged into battle as soon as they saw Nie Yan and company still barely hanging on.
"Save the guild leader!"
"Victorious Return, you sons of bitches, I'll kill all of you!"
Skinny Dog, Underworld Flame, and the other Victorious Return members sneered when they saw this ragtag band of players with mediocre gear. They slaughtered the oncoming players without breaking a sweat and demolished any semblance of a formation they had.
Truthfully, this result didn't come as a surprise. The Victorious Return members were all at least Level 10 while the reinforcements Guo Huai brought over were only around Level 7. It was practically the same as throwing eggs at a brick wall.
During their first collision, the reinforcements from Asskickers United lost over thirty players, but those who survived kept pushing forward, disturbing the enemy's formations and rhythm as they displayed the zeal of undying cockroaches. With six or seven of them swarming a single player, they were also able to overwhelm quite a few Victorious Return members, most of whom were Mages.
Even though they were trading five, six, seven lives or more to take down a single enemy, it was still well worth it. After all, their foes were the elite members of Victorious Return!
Losing two thousand or so ordinary members might not mean anything to a formidable guild such as Victorious Return, but if over a hundred of their elites died, then they would've truly been dealt a heavy blow.
In fact, this battle illustrated a certain truth in life. Even if someone was a powerful elite, they could still be defeated with numbers.
After the reinforcements arrived, the pressure on Nie Yan's group lessened significantly. With Yu Lan (Blue Feather) at the lead, Nie Yan in the middle, and Yao Yao, Moon Child, and Tang Yao following from behind, they redoubled their efforts to break through the encirclement.
When Skinny Dog and Underworld Flame saw Nie Yan and his group attempting to escape, they anxiously shouted in the team intercom,「Don't let Nirvana Flame and Young Sparrow Hawk escape! Kill them!」
After which Skinny Dog dashed straight for them.
Several spells accompanied by a volley of arrows whizzed past Skinny Dog as they flew in Nie Yan's direction.
Nie Yan would be dead if these arrows struck him! And in such a crowded space, he had no hope of effectively evading. He chugged down a Basic Health Potion and resigned himself to his fate. If he had an Intermediate Health Potion, then perhaps he'd be able to safely endure the damage. Regrettably, however, the Starry Night Potion Shop had yet to produce any.
Yu Lan (Blue Feather) suddenly moved to cover his flank.「Bang! Bang! Bang!」The slew of arrows and spells bombarded her body. As her corpse was sent flying, her equipment fell to the ground.
Nie Yan was surprised. He never expected for Yu Lan to sacrifice herself to protect him.
The group of Warriors from the reinforcements bravely charged into enemy lines. Even though they were like ants that could be easily crushed to these members of Victorious Return, they gritted their teeth and pressed forward.
As a wave of spells fell over them, five of them were instantly turned into rays of light.
Finally, Guo Huai, Hao Cheng, and the other reinforcements managed to make their way to Nie Yan and the surviving members.
"Nirvana Flame, Young Sparrow Hawk, we're here!" Placing himself in front, Hao Cheng's large frame immediately shielded almost all of Nie Yan.
"Protect Nirvana Flame and Young Sparrow Hawk! Help them get out of here!" For the fledging guild, Asskickers United, these two existences were simply too invaluable!
Under the constant barrage of magic, quite a few more of their members fell.
Now, only about eighty out of the nearly three hundred reinforcements remained. They were all simply too weak. Not even a few moments later, their numbers were yet again reduced to about sixty. However, Victorious Return had also suffered disastrous losses with about a hundred fifty or so troops still standing.
Skinny Dog brought a group of a dozen Thieves with him as he rapidly approached Nie Yan and the others in a bid to sneak lethal attacks in from all sides.
"Die!" Skinny Dog swept his dagger across a Warrior's throat, then circled behind and stabbed them in the back with Eviscerate.「Thud!」That Level 7 Warrior collapsed dead on the ground.
These Thieves were exceptionally fierce, capable of finishing off an opponent within seconds of engaging them. The reinforcements around Nie Yan were dropping like flies.
When he and Tang Yao entered the edge of the enemy's encirclement, Yao Yao and Moon Child were able to safely escape while protected by a group of players.
"Stop them! Don't let them escape!" Skinny Dog shouted. A dozen Thieves quickly surrounded Nie Yan and Tang Yao.
Skinny Dog pounced forward with his dagger stabbing toward Nie Yan's face.
Nie Yan tilted his neck to the side and avoided the attack, but Skinny Dog quickly followed up with a backstab.
He was already like a dried up oil lamp. All of his skills were on cooldown, and he only had 120 health remaining. It was impossible for him to match Skinny Dog in this state, so all he could do was dodge to the best of his ability.
Not only had those Thieves launched deadly sneak attacks, they also once again barred the path forward.
Of course, none of that mattered if he was still tangling with Skinny Dog, leaving him incapable of fleeing in the first place.
Tang Yao only had around a little over 60 health left while his Arcane Fairy still had a small sliver. It appeared that at any moment now they would become corpses on the battlefield.
Even though he couldn't bear losing his Arcane Fairy, Tang Yao quickly came to a resolve after seeing how the situation was developing. He brandished his staff and cast Dreadful Howl!
"Nirvana Flame, I'll send you out of here!"
As the ear-ringing screech coming out of Tang Yao entered the ears of the surrounding Victorious Return members, they were inflicted with the fear status and couldn't help but begin to disperse.
"Paladins, Divine Word!"
"Priests, Dispel!"
As Underworld Flame gave out these orders, the Paladins and Priests in the rear quickly removed the fear status caused by Tang Yao's Dreadful Howl.
「Poof!」Nie Yan threw down another pouch of Intermediate Flash Powder. The glaring radiance pierced into the eyes of the surrounding players, causing them to temporarily lose vision. Having just cast Divine Word and Dispel, the Paladins and Priests were temporarily unable to remove the blind status.
Dreadful Howl was ineffective in the faces of so many enemy Paladins and Priests. However, Nie Yan's Intermediate Flash Powder would allow the spell to show its fullest effect. Inflicted with both the fear and blind status, a path outward was immediately opened.
"Young Sparrow Hawk, we have a chance!" Nie Yan shouted upon spotting the opening.
"Nirvana Flame, go without me! I won't be able to escape!" Tang Yao's eyes were completely bloodshot. Even if he made a break for it, the thing near and dear to his heart, his Arcane Fairy, wouldn't be able to make it out alive!
He had given it his best, but in the end, his best just wasn't good enough. As magic rained down from above, he awaited the moment when his Arcane Fairy would meet its irreversible fate!
"Kill!" Tang Yao shouted with a furious expression. As he ordered his Arcane Fairy to self-destruct, it began expanding like a balloon, the energy inside rapidly condensing as it drew in mana from its surroundings. Finally, when it reached a critical mass, the giant blue ball gave a slight tremble...「BOOM!」All of the stored energy was released in an instant, creating an ear-splitting explosion that swiftly engulfed all of the Victorious Return members in the vicinity.
As if a tornado was passing through, the shock wave reached a level of power that could destroy everything in its path!
The Arcane Fairy's self-detonation swept up over thirty Victorious Return players in a flash, disintegrating everything within the explosion's radius.
After the battlefield settled down, the Arcane Fairy vanished into the air and the Arcane Crystal in Tang Yao's bag gradually lost its shimmer, becoming nothing more than a lifeless rock.
Tang Yao brandished his staff with a crazed and murderous glint in his eyes. Seeing his Arcane Fairy die, he felt as if a hole had been carved out of his heart.
"Young Sparrow Hawk, let's go!" Nie Yan anxiously yelled. Even though eight of the Thieves had died, there were still quite a few left and the fear status inflicted upon them was about to wear off. If they didn't escape now, they would no longer have the chance to.
However, lost in grief, Tang Yao didn't listen to Nie Yan's urging. His Arcane Fairy dying had been too big of a blow to his heart. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to murder all of the bastards who caused its death!
The Victorious Return members still standing were badly frightened by the explosion of the Arcane Fairy. In the blink of an eye, over thirty of their members had been wiped out.
Skinny Dog and the rest of the surviving Thieves awakened from their feared state. After which two of them pounced on Tang Yao while the rest dashed toward Nie Yan.
Nie Yan didn't have much health or skills left. He could only use Shadow Waltz to evade. For Tang Yao, after casting Dreadful Howl and ordering his Arcane Fairy to self-destruct, all of his offensive spells were now on cooldown. Even though he had plenty of defensive spells at his disposal, they would be useless in getting him out of this predicament.
The elite battalion of over three hundred Victorious Return players were thrown into complete disarray. Now, barely a third of their troops remained, scattered about across the battlefield.
Suddenly, a massive, dense cloud of fire spread across the sky, creating wisps of flames that rose into the air.
"It's Scorching Meteor!" Underworld Flame cried out in alarm. As he searched around for the caster, his gaze fell on a Mage standing among the piles of rubble in the far distance chanting the magic. The spell truly did live up to its fame. He was able to recognize it instantly as the Templar Magic, Scorching Meteor!
As for the Mage casting it, they seemed a little familiar. If he recalled correctly, this was Cold Maple [1. Cold Maple first appears in Chapter 94.] from Holy Empire! His chest tightened. Why was Holy Empire suddenly entering the fray!?