Seeing Black Heaven's solemn expression, Black Hell could empathize.
When Dark Hero was first established, Black Heaven was there. He put his heart and soul into it and watched it grow like a newborn baby. However, he couldn't prevent the destruction of the guild because Black Hell had given up. Just like with Asskickers United right now, if Nie Yan gave up, the guild would collapse. It might not be immediate, but without a main pillar to support the guild, the roof would eventually come down. Especially if those left behind made a mad scramble for power.
To invest his heart in a guild, only to watch on as it fell into ruin—knowing there was nothing you could do to stop it—Black Heaven didn't want to experience this feeling ever again.
"When I left Dark Hero, I was in the wrong. I betrayed your feelings and let you all down. Now, I'll do everything in my power to protect Asskickers United," Black Hell said, coming to a decision.
Black Heaven turned to Black Hell with a look of doubt, wondering what he meant by those words.
"Follow me," Black Hell said. He turned around and headed for the transfer point.
Black Heaven followed behind Black Hell and walked into the transfer point. The two teleported to Calore, then walked over to the central square.
Nie Yan was busy prepping for the battle in the Cripps Stronghold, when he received a message from Black Hell telling him to come to the central square in Calore. He was puzzled. Why would Black Hell want him to go there, especially right before battle? But he handed over his work to Guo Huai and headed to the transfer point anyway.
Black Hell started sending messages to hundreds upon hundreds of players all across the Viridian Empire and Satreen Empire.
...
In a mountain range southeast of Blaze City, several dozen players were levelling together. Their average level was around 110. Their leader was a Guardian called Dark Requiem.
It looked as though they stood in the middle of a Level 160 Blaze Elementals graveyard.
While they were engrossed in levelling, Dark Requiem received a message notification. Seeing the sender was a player called Black Hell, he widened his eyes in surprise. Huh, Black Hell? Isn't that the player from Asskickers United? Do I know him...? After opening up the message, his mind trembled before his face lit up in excitement. He turned to his teammates and exclaimed, "Brothers, Invincible is back! Calore! He told us to meet with him at the central square in Calore!"
"What!? Are you sure? I-is it really the boss!?"
"The boss is back!?" Several members were moved to tears.
Dark Requiem wiped his eyes, then grinned. "What are you all crying for!? The boss is back! Invincible is back! That's something to be happy about!"
"Pack up your things! We're heading to Calore!"
"Old Six, don't bother picking up that garbage on the ground. Let's leave, now!"
They activated their Return Scrolls without throwing a second glance at the pile of loot still to be collected.
...
Okoron, the players of Dark Recital had just finished moving their guild headquarters. They planned to settle down here.
Seeing the furnishing inside the guild headquarters, Netherluna's lips parted into a satisfied smile. They finally had their own little corner to gather around. At this moment, she received a message. Hmm…? Black Hell? Wasn't he with Nirvana Flame the other day? She opened it out of curiosity before her face froze.
「C-CANON! CANON! WHERE ARE YOU!?!? REPLY QUICKLY!!!」Netherluna shouted incoherently in the guild chat.
「What? What? Did something happen?」Canon asked in bewilderment.
「Tell everyone to drop what they're doing. I don't care if they're taking a break or in the middle of a dungeon run. We're setting out for the central square in Calore immediately!」
「H-huh? But the transfer fee to teleport to Calore is 100 gold!」Canon exclaimed. With more than 2,000 players in the guild, that was over 200,000 gold!
「Who cares!? It's just 100 gold, a hundred gold to see the boss again! Invincible is back!」Netherluna replied.
「W-w-what did you just say? Is he back? Invincible is back!?」Canon asked in a trembling voice.
Even though the sender's ID was Black Hell, all of them knew the distinct way Invincible spoke. How could they possibly forget?
...
More and more people received the message from Black Hell. The news spread like wildfire among a special circle. There were combat classes like Warriors and Mages, but there were also crafting professions like Tinkerers and Alchemists. There were those from the Viridian Empire and Satreen Empire, and even the neutral nation of the Irenic Giant Tribe. There were solo players and players from the various large guilds. However, without exception, they all rushed to Calore. Whether they were from Asskickers United, Angel Corps, or God Executioner Sword, none of it mattered. They were Dark Hero. So, with the return of Invincible they withdrew from their guilds and went to meet him again after so many years.
Countless people flocked toward the central square in Calore. Most players had never experienced such a sight before.
The Dark Hero guild was a legend during their prime. Under Invincible's leadership, they had dominated several large virtual reality games over the course of five to six years. They could even be described as an immortal dynasty. They were far more famous than the current Asskickers United. Nowadays, many players would let out deep sighs when Dark Hero was mentioned. Invincible had brought them unparalleled glory. The memories of those long gone days still remained deeply buried in their hearts, something they would never forget.
When they heard Invincible was back, they were overwhelmed with an uncontrollable surge of emotions.
To the central square in Calore! Invincible is back!
As for how strong Dark Hero was at the peak of their glory, even Back Hell couldn't say for sure. He had been gaming for more than 10 years straight. The latter five years were his most splendid. At that time, more than 600 of the gaming organisations in the country were under Dark Hero. Later on, with his disappearance, most of them withdrew their support. As for how many of them were still loyal to him, he had no idea. The people he messaged were all trusted comrades. He was confident many would heed his call.
Nie Yan arrived at the central square in Calore and met up with Black Hell and Black Heaven.
"Don't be too disheartened about failing your class advancement. Luck is also part of the equation. In a couple more weeks, you can try again," Nie Yan comforted Black Heaven.
"Yes! You can place your trust in me. I'll definitely succeed next time, Boss!" Black Heaven said confidently.
Black Hell gazed at Black Heaven with a gratified smile.
"So, what did you call me here for?" Nie Yan turned to Black Hell. He had hurried over here. So, he hadn't seen the commotion on the forums yet.
"With Asskickers United having a final battle with the Monet Financial Group, I decided to call for help from some old friends. I told them all to meet me at the central square in Calore. Since it's been a long time, I don't know how they're doing or how many will come," Black Hell replied. He also wasn't sure how many people would heed his rallying call. After all, he had been gone for so long.
"I see. Thank you. Thank you, Black Hell," Nie Yan said in a grateful tone. He was touched. Black Hell and Black Heaven were fairly reserved people. However, he could sense the genuine care they felt for Asskickers United. Even if no one came, he wouldn't mind.
Nie Yan, Black Hell, and Black Heaven waited several minutes. More and more groups of players started pouring into the central square. Some consisted of only a few people while others were as large as several thousand. In the beginning, they were only trickling in. However, as time passed, the trickle turned into a raging torrent.
"Boss! Invincible! Where are you!?"
"Boss, we're here!"
…
A couple of players frantically shouted in the central square. Their voices contained an indescribable feeling of sadness and longing.
Before long, in the excess of 60,000 players had already gathered and there was still no end in sight. The disturbance caused by this crowd threatened to upturn the entire square.
At this moment, Guo Huai sent a frantic message.「Nie Yan, do you know what the heck is going on? At least 300,000 people are flooding into Calore. Humans, orcs, giants… they're all heading towards the central square!」
「I know. I'm already there. Don't worry. I'll explain everything when I get back,」Nie Yan replied. Right now he was also dumbstruck by the scene playing out before him.
「I see. Alright, then...」Guo Huai reluctantly nodded.
Black Hell and Black Heaven didn't expect so many people to come. They were also deeply moved as a myriad of emotions stirred in their hearts. Witnessing all these old comrades arriving even after such a long time, Black Heaven couldn't hold it back any longer. He burst into tears as the waterworks started pouring. In the past, they had fought alongside each other through thick and thin. Time had flown past in a flash. Brothers, long time no see!
Black Hell's eyes were getting red. He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the chaotic emotions in his heart. He turned to Black Heaven. "Let's go find Requiem and all them. We don't want to make them wait too long."
"Yeah!" Black Heaven vigorously nodded.
Black Hell glanced at Nie Yan. "Come with us."
Nie Yan nodded.
The three walked through the crowd, heading for the center of the square. The entire place was filled with people. Even taking a step was difficult.
More than 20 top rank players had gathered around the center of the square. There were even two Masters among them. They had left an open space which fit around several dozen people in the middle. This spot was reserved for Invincible. However, no one had come yet. They were anxiously waiting.
"The boss is here! It's Invincible! He's really back!"
Someone had recognized Black Hell's ID. The crowd immediately parted ways, opening up a path straight to the center of the square. As the players stared at Black Hell, Black Heaven, and Nie Yan, various emotions could be seen in their eyes, excitement, joy, reminiscence, grief… many Nie Yan couldn't even put into words.
When Black Hell appeared, no one knew who, but somebody had made a post on the forum.
「Invincible Has Returned! Brothers of Dark Hero, Unite!」
This rallying call seemingly pierced through time and space to reach everyone connected to the Dark Hero guild by karma. Because in the blink of an eye the post was bumped up to the top of the forums with 300,000 upvotes.