"Money is not a problem." Only Nie Yan would dare to utter these words. If anyone else were presented a 120,000,000 gold bill, they would probably pass out from shock.
In about two hours' time, the entire Righteous Faction would descend into an all-out civil war, and the City of Sin would become the first battleground. If Nie Yan and the other elites of Asskickers United could defeat Angel Corps here, it would be a huge boost to the guild's overall morale.
"Alright, let's pick up the pace. It looks like the end is near. Angel Corps is already planning to declare an all-out war. We have to clear this dungeon before then, no matter what!" Nie Yan said.
"Boss, is Angel Corps really planning to declare an all-out war?"
"I'm afraid so, yeah. They've already dispatched 1,800,000 troops toward Calore and the Abernathy Great Grasslands. It will start with the aerial battle above the City of Sin. If we win there, at least in terms of aerial strength, we won't have to fear Angel Corps any longer. If we lose, well, you can probably imagine the consequences," Nie Yan said.
If they lost the aerial battle, it would spell disaster for Asskickers United's aerial force.
"GROAAH!" a Behemoth let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground.
With the first Behemoth death, the team instantly found room to breathe. The rest of the fight became much easier. No five minutes later, the third and final Behemoth fell.
"Revive the fallen," Nie Yan said. They had lost five teammates in this battle.
Painted Muslin, Young Seven, and the other Priests started reviving those who died. After which everyone sat down to recuperate.
"Did those Behemoths drop anything good?"
"Yeah, an Eternal Gem dropped!"
Nie Yan looked over at Mistaken Smile who was holding an egg-sized gem in his hand. It was oval-shaped and completely translucent, sparkling with a seven-coloured radiance.
Eternal Gems were extremely famous because they had more than 600 different kinds of uses, including repairing equipment and reviving pets. They were almost never for sale in the marketplace. This was definitely a priceless treasure.
The official website had a detailed explanation on the uses of the Eternal Gem.
Every monster in Conviction had a chance of dropping an Eternal Gem; the higher the level, the more likely. That said, this was the first time Nie Yan found one, a testament to how ridiculously low its drop rate was. Of the countless monsters killed every day, week, month, or year, maybe one or two would drop every once in a blue moon.
Nie Yan put away the Eternal Gem in his bag. Apart from this, the Behemoths also dropped a Warrior skill book called Wrathful Sundering. This was an incredibly high level and quality skill; it could even send a boss flying.
After some discussion, it was decided the skill book would go to Smoke Stub.
While most were still recuperating, Fallen Angel Brufut descended to the ground. His maniacal and enraged laughter shook the entire shrine.
Bladelight's face paled. "Nie Yan, something is wrong. Normally, he summons one more wave before descending to the ground."
Fallen Angel Brufut was about to engage them. Nie Yan had no time to think. "We were going to fight him anyway. Doesn't matter if it's now or later! Get into battle formation!"
Everyone quickly stood up. Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Lei Su, and the other Warriors took their position in front of the Mages like a human wall. The Thieves disappeared into stealth and lurked within the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Fallen Angel Brufut swept his gaze over Nie Yan's group and coldly chuckled. "Kalenna, you and your rats have truly enraged me. I shall personally send you to the afterlife!"
As these words left his mouth, Fallen Angel Brufut waved his sword. A massive thunderbolt crashed into the ground as a giant dragon appeared before him. It was about the same size as an adult Violet Eye Dragon, and was also a Level 200 Variant Lord!
Thunder Dragon (Variant Lord): Level 200
Health: ???/???
Everyone gulped. Fallen Angel Brufut was already a hard enough opponent. Now they also had to fight a Thunder Dragon! It quickly went from hard to impossible!
"Nie Yan, I don't think we can win this one. Let's quit," Bladelight said. This wasn't him cowering, but rather the difference in strength was simply too great. Sometimes retreat was the better option.
Nie Yan knitted his brows before gritting his teeth. "Let's retreat!"
The Thunder Dragon and Fallen Angel Brufut closed in on the team in a pincer.
Everyone had lost all will to fight back and quickly pulled back.
"It looks like we won't escape this unscathed. Those of you who can escape, escape," Nie Yan said.
When everyone despaired, Kalenna chanted an incantation. Her entire body lit up with a dazzling radiance. A powerful aura swept out, catching everyone off guard.
"... Oh, mighty God of Light, purify all evil, wipe out the unjust … May the light melt away the darkness wherever it passes …"
Kalenna hovered in the air. Even though her stature was tiny, she gave off an unapproachable feeling.
Even though Nie Yan had no idea what kind of spell Kalenna was casting, he could tell it was at least at the level of Forbidden Magic.
"Stop! Let's hold off on the retreat for now. Bladelight, you go hold back the Thunder Dragon. Lofty Shadow, you take on Fallen Angel Brufut! Don't let them approach Kalenna, no matter what!" Nie Yan ordered. Kalenna was completely defenseless mid-chant. If the Thunder Dragon or Brufut were allowed to interrupt her, any chance of victory would go down the drain.
They could all feel the powerful magic fluctuations in the air. It reignited the hope in their hearts.
Kalenna only chanted for a brief few seconds, when a powerful holy aura fell over the entire team. They received 12 blessings, increasing their stats by 300%, giving them shields, and more.
"Damn! I feel like I'm overflowing with power!"
"This is amazing!"
…
The team's confidence rose to all new heights. Perhaps they really could defeat the Thunder Dragon and Fallen Angel Brufut!
"You puny mortals! Even Morphest's Divine Blessings won't save you. Weaklings like you aren't worthy of receiving this power!" Fallen Angel Brufut cursed. As he stepped forward, the shrine trembled violently almost as if the whole place was coming down.
The Thunder Dragon's body crackled with electricity as it bared its fangs and claws.
Bulwark of the War God!
Bladelight transformed into the embodiment of a war god and charged forward.
Lofty Shadow did the same, though his target was Fallen Angel Brufut.
"Separate them! Bladelight, lure the dragon to the left!" Nie Yan anxiously commanded. If the Thunder Dragon and Fallen Angel Brufut were allowed to work together, the situation would be much harder to control.
Bladelight slowly led the Thunder Dragon away.
"Have Bladelight keep the Thunder Dragon busy. We'll focus down Fallen Angel Brufut first!" Nie Yan ordered.
"Luminous Dancer, kill the Thunder Dragon first! Or else Brufut will sacrifice it to obtain eternal life!" Kalenna warned.
Nie Yan was stunned. He quickly corrected his order, "Do as she says, focus down the Thunder Dragon first. Leave Brufut to me, Lofty Shadow, and Young Seven!"
Fallen Angel Brufut was dealing over 70,000 damage to Lofty Shadow with every swing of his blade. Thankfully, Morphest's Divine Blessings gave Lofty Shadow the ability to tank such hits. If it weren't for his new stats, like his 270,000 health, he would've been instantly killed.
On the other side, Bladelight and the others had the Thunder Dragon locked down. The Mages were bombarding it with a shower of spells.
...
After Soaring Angel returned to the City of Sin, he felt a sense of uneasiness. There was only about an hour left until the deadline for the challenge he issued, yet Nie Yan and the other Masters still hadn't appeared. It was almost as if they'd vanished off the face of the earth. Meanwhile, Fallen Angel's troops had arrived on the surface and were quickly making their way over.
"We still haven't located Nirvana Flame?" Soaring Angel frowned.
"No, but we did discover that someone is in the middle of running the Fallen Angel Brufut dungeon," Stone Splitter replied. When their people went to investigate the dungeon again, they discovered someone had entered inside.
Soaring Angel's heart trembled. Did Nie Yan's group really enter that dungeon? He didn't believe Asskickers United could defeat Fallen Angel Brufut. That boss was far stronger than anyone could imagine, especially when his health fell below 30%. His skills would become ridiculously overpowered.
"How long has it been since they entered the dungeon?"
"About half an hour."
"So it shouldn't be long before they get sent out. Pay close attention to the situation over there. Report back immediately if you find out who is running it. Also, have a Shadow Priest monitor the graveyard with Spirit Vision!" Soaring Angel said. Only one team could attempt this dungeon at a time. However, if they used Spirit Vision to observe the graveyard, they could tell how many people died and from that deduce their progress in the dungeon.
"Boss, what do we do if they obtain the Dragon King Fruit?" Stone Splitter asked. Thinking about how they might be facing a Rank 9 Darkwing Dragon, he felt his scalp tingling.
Soaring Angel's heart sunk. Even though he hated to admit it, there was a real possibility that Fallen Angel Brufut would be defeated. After all, the Mad Rogue proved time and time again he could make the impossible possible.
The Shadow Priests from Angel Corps immediately set out for the graveyard. Still, Soaring Angel felt uneasy. The Dragon King Fruit was something to die for! Only after confirming that Nirvana Flame failed to get it would he feel relieved!