As the three Armoured Catapults gradually drew closer, Nie Yan became anxious. Siege weapons like these were the nemesis of pets and flying mounts.
The Armoured Catapults posed a great threat to Lil' Gold and his Darkwing Dragon.
Nie Yan completed the incantation and recalled Lil' Gold. The Armoured Catapults steadily continued and were now in range to fire at the Darkwing Dragon.
"Fire!" Crazy Magic shouted. Immediately 15 shells were launched into the air, whizzing towards the Darkwing Dragon.
Nie Yan hurriedly ordered the Darkwing Dragon to evade. With a flap of its wings, it dodged to the side.
A shower of shells rained down from the sky.「Bang! Bang! Bang!」Six shells struck nearby buildings. They erupted into pillars of flames upon impact, transforming the district into ruins. A few others plummeted into the streets, carving man-sized craters out of the ground.
Only three shells struck the Darkwing Dragon and erupted in a fiery blaze. The Darkwing Dragon let out a pained cry as it was sent reeling backwards, chest and shoulders scorched black by the explosions. It had suffered light injuries. Afterwards, it appeared to show some fear toward the Armoured Catapults.
When the Armoured Catapults arrived, the players close to the Darkwing Dragon quickly fled for the nearby alleys to avoid getting caught up in the bombardment. However, many players were still killed by the splash damage.
"Keep advancing! Bury that Darkwing Dragon! Everyone, charge!" Crazy Magic shouted, pumping his fist in the air. The Armoured Catapults were effective against the Darkwing Dragon!
If they managed to kill Nie Yan's Darkwing Dragon, all the suffering would've been worth it!
The Armoured Catapults pressed forward before launching another shower of shells into the air.
Seeing 15 shells whizzing towards the Darkwing Dragon, Nie Yan drew closer to it by leaping onto another roof and issued a command. The Darkwing Dragon flapped its wing and suddenly soared high into the air.
With a loud explosion, 15 shells fell over the Darkwing Dragon's previous location. A giant 30-meter wide crater was carved out of the ground.
This was the frightening destruction power of catapults. If the Darkwing Dragon had been hit by all those shells, even if it didn't die, it would only be barely clinging onto life.
The Darkwing Dragon specialized in aerial combat. If it swooped down from the air, very few players could survive its attacks. Once on the ground, however, it couldn't display its full fighting strength and was especially vulnerable to artillery such as catapults.
"Looks like Alliance of Mages brought out their big guns. I guess it's time to leave…" Nie Yan muttered. It would be a great loss if something happened to his Darkwing Dragon.
As the Darkwing Dragon took to the skies, Nie Yan leaped off the roof and onto its back. He then urged it to fly up even faster.
At this moment, several watchtowers in the vicinity all targeted the Darkwing Dragon. A hail of bolts rained down from the sky. Many of the bolts were knocked away by the Darkwing Dragon's wings.
Several dozen bolts struck the Darkwing Dragon, letting out dinging sounds as they bounced off its scales, like darts striking a metal plate.
The distance was too great. These bolts had already lost all their killing power.
Nie Yan glanced down. Crazy Magic and the rest of the Alliance of Mages players were becoming smaller and smaller. Here, high in the sky, very few things could threaten his Darkwing Dragon.
"I'd love to stay longer, but I've gotta fly!" Nie Yan chuckled. Alliance of Mages had suffered a heavy blow this time around. Once he got what he wanted, he would run off. This was his style.
Seeing the Darkwing Dragon leaving the range of the Armoured Catapults and disappearing into the horizon, Crazy Magic was so infuriated he had the urge to strangle someone to death. Nie Yan still escaped in the end!
「Sun, King of the World, you all can return home,」Nie Yan said. It was about time they retreated from the Edgarton Stronghold.
After killing a few more Alliance of Mages players, Sun, King of the World, One Strike Vow, and Hapless Frog activated their Unknown Transfer Scrolls and teleported away.
They each safely departed, leaving behind their own trails of havoc.
News of Nie Yan, Sun, and the others safely escaping the Edgarton Stronghold was immediately reported in the guild chat. Only then did the players of Asskickers United breathe a sigh of relief.
Before long, word of the massacre in the Edgarton Stronghold as well as the escape of Nie Yan's group spread to every corner of the Viridian Empire. Bolded posts with over the top titles started flooding the forums.
「The God of War Descends - Nirvana Flame's Massacre!」
「Alliance of Mages Absolutely Crushed!」
「Alliance of Mages' Greatest Humiliation - Slaughtered in the Edgarton Stronghold!」
...
Similar posts could be found all over the internet. This was an inerasable disgrace for Alliance of Mages. The videos going viral were difficult for them to bear. They had suffered more than 1,300 casualties, the leader of an allied guild was killed while staying as a guest, and their own guild leader was killed twice! Had this occurred in the wilderness, no one would've batted an eye. However, it had happened within the Edgarton Stronghold! Nie Yan had practically waltzed into their most fortified base like it was his own home. On top of this, after killing so many of their people, he left without so much as a scratch!
The videos were irrefutable evidence. There was nothing Alliance of Mages could do to defend themselves.
Everyone could see the reality of things. Even if Alliance of Mages had the numbers advantage, their players were far too lacking. On the other hand, Asskickers United was filled with 1 in 1,000 talents. Leaving aside players like Bladelight, Smoke Stub, and Undying Scoundrel, focusing on just the five people that showed up today, could Alliance of Mages or Divine Protectors find a single Thief that rivalled any one of them?
This was an intrinsic difference. Any expert could handle a much larger force without issue, like how King of the World assassinated more than 1,000 Bloodlust Blades players back then. No one could estimate the true strength of Asskickers United's 60,000 players. Along the same line, no one could tell how many of the 700,000 players from Alliance of Mages and Divine Protectors were there just to pad the numbers.
Players couldn't help but wonder. A guild's strength couldn't be determined solely on numbers.
Alliance of Mages' reputation was already tainted. The Edgarton Stronghold had become a symbol of reputation that could never be forgotten, to the extent that everyone was starting to doubt their strength. Even their own players were becoming pessimistic. Morale was at an all time low.
Crazy Magic grew fretful after learning about this situation. However, there was nothing he could do to resolve the problem.
Asskickers United seized the opportunity with both hands. A day later, their forces arrived outside the Dannels Stronghold of Alliance of Mages. The 60,000 strong army pressed forward, bombarding the outer walls with the Armoured Ice Catapults. The 100,000 Alliance of Mages players inside adopted a turtle strategy, afraid to take a single step outside. The might of the 15 Armoured Ice Catapults left them trembling in fear. This was undoubtedly enough firepower to level a whole city. They could hear the walls shaking and moaning under the intense barrage.
Alliance of Mages was vexed to no end. All they could do was passively defend while their stronghold was being destroyed. They were allowing the enemy to step all over them.
Asskickers United's forces were led by Paladin of the Elegy. He was a natural at commanding an army. Under his leadership, the Dannels Stronghold's walls finally collapsed after two hours.
Seeing the large breach in the walls, Asskickers United could freely charge in. However, Smoke Stub took his time. He had the Armoured Ice Catapults advance forward bit by bit. A few hours later, both the walls and the arrow towers were flattened to the ground. Only then did Asskickers United's forces marched inside. They completely swept through the stronghold, giving the Alliance of Mages players no chance of fighting back.
This kind of long range artillery bombardment was the most difficult to defend against. Alliance of Mages ate a heavy loss.
Seven hours later, the Dannels Stronghold was razed to the ground, leaving nothing behind but ruins. None of the shops or buildings were spared, and one quarter of the walls were destroyed. When the number of casualties rose past 10,000, the remaining Alliance of Mages players all fled through the stronghold's transfer point.
This was an overwhelming victory for Asskickers United. Apart from a few unlucky fellows who were killed by a stray bolt, their side basically suffered no losses. Their casualties were only in the double digits.
After felling the Dannels Stronghold, Asskickers United's players grew even more emboldened. They escorted the 15 Armoured Catapults to the next stronghold.
Asskickers United's army was like a tsunami, sweeping through everything in its path. The forces of Alliance of Mages and Divine Protectors made repeated attempts to intercept them mid-journey, but they were quickly sent packing by the Armoured Ice Catapults.
Everything was progressing smoothly. Nie Yan closely monitored the situation on that side while also directing the overall war. He mobilized the forces of Holy Empire, the War God Tribe, and the other guilds to put pressure on several of Alliance of Mages' strongholds.
Alliance of Mages had 21 strongholds altogether, five of which were relinquished to Asskickers United. One was destroyed. Another three were currently being besieged. All of Moonlight City was embroiled in war.
Alliance of Mages was gradually losing ground. Despite being greatly outnumbered, Asskickers United were sweeping through everything like a hot knife through butter. In these types of large scale wars, morale was everything.
「Has there been any movement from Alliance of Mages?」Nie Yan asked. Asskickers United's forces had already arrived at their front steps. They couldn't stay on the passive forever. They were definitely planning to retaliate.
「Alliance of Mages are pulling back their forces into the Edgarton Stronghold. It seems like that's where they're planning to make their last stand!」Guo Huai said. Looking over the data, he seemed confident about their chances of victory.