As the clock hit the appointed time, flying mounts flew forward like a swarm of locusts. The two forces clashed violently as the sky transformed into a chaotic battlefield.
The cries of countless flying mounts rang out across the City of Sin.
Soaring Angel's silver dragon was like a sharp sword as it pierced through Asskickers United's ranks.
Where Angel Corps had 27 Rank 7 flying mounts, Asskickers United only showed three. This advantage quickly became apparent.
Flying mounts dropped from the sky and crashed into the buildings and players in the City of Sin below.
"Brothers, kill! Show those ants from Asskickers United our strength! Kill them all!" Stone Splitter shouted at the top of his lungs, losing himself in a killing frenzy as his griffon swept through everything in its path.
"Kill!"
The battles cries of the players from Angel Corps shook the air. Half of their Rank 7 flying mounts pounced toward Asskickers United's forces.
"Natural Fiend, we can't hold on! They're too strong!" a Mage cried out.
"What do we do!?"
"Tyrannical, Miracle Dancer, follow me!" Natural Fiend shouted. The three players urged their Rank 7 flying mounts to swoop down.
A Rank 6 Wind Serpent happened to cross their path. Tyrannical had his Gold Crown Griffon latch onto the Wind Serpent's back with its sharp claws.
Natural Fiend's Galewing Storm Hawk and Miracle Dancer's Dark Albatross were only a second behind. PSFHT! PSFHT! Blood sprayed out into the air as the Wind Serpent was ripped to pieces. Leaping down onto its corpse, Tyrannical cracked open its head with his dagger and dug out its Life Core before jumping back onto his griffon. From start to end, no more than a few seconds passed.
"I'll be keeping this Life Core," Tyrannical said with a smirk.
"Sure, you can have it, you little punk. Seems like the boss' teachings weren't all in vain," Natural Fiend chuckled.
"I still have much to learn. If he were here, he could single handedly take down a Rank 7 flying mount." Tyrannical shook his head with a wry smile. He couldn't help but picture Nie Yan's awe-inspiring style in battle.
The Angel Corps players in the vicinity trembled in fear. Even though Rank 6 flying mounts couldn't compare to Rank 7 flying mounts, it wasn't to the extent where they would be one shotted. That Wind Serpent didn't even have a chance to escape. Not to mention the enemy appeared to be quite relaxed, even exchanging light-hearted banter.
Natural Fiend, Miracle Dancer, and Tyrannical killed a Thunder Hawk next in the same fashion. Their teamwork was unsurpassed.
"A flight of Rank 7 flying mounts are coming over in our direction, three Vermillion Garudas among them! Let's go with the original plan!" Natural Fiend shouted.
The trio had their flying mounts dive down into the labyrinth of buildings below.
The battle was in full swing. Its outcome would dictate the course of the entire war. So, neither side held anything back.
Soaring Angel's Silverwing Dragon slaughtered three enemy flying mounts in quick succession. Its scales were dyed crimson with the blood of its victims and glistened under the sunlight.
Soaring Angel aimed his bow at a griffon swooping down towards him and fired three arrows.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The three arrows detonated on impact and sent the griffon reeling back.
Soaring Angel's lips curved in a cold smile. He had his Silverwing Dragon charge forward, its claws tinged in a light green liquid. PFSHT! They ruthlessly dug into the griffon's wings as blood flew everywhere.
"SCREEEEH!" the griffon cried out in agony as the poison quickly spread. Its wings died off as they turned black.
The rider urged his griffon to escape, only to discover it was paralyzed. His eyes widened in alarm. What kind of poison was this, to actually be effective against a griffon!? One had to know, griffons were famous for their high poison resistance. Ordinary poisons were useless on them!
The Silverwing Dragon opened its mouth and blasted the griffon's head with scorching hot flames. BOOM! The griffon writhed in agony within the flames before finally going limp. The Silverwing Dragon released its claws, letting the corpse drop down from the sky.
How ruthless!
Just like that, Soaring Angel had taken another Rank 6 flying mount out.
The griffon's cries alerted the Asskickers United players in the vicinity.
"That's Soaring Angel!"
"Surround him! Let's kill him and get revenge for our fallen brothers!"
A squad of 20 Rank 6 flying mounts pounced toward Soaring Angel.
"You fools have a death wish!" Soaring Angel coldly snorted. "Men, get rid of these pests!"
At his command, two Rank 7 and over 30 Rank 6 flying mounts rushed forward to greet the enemy.
"Boss, Evil Monarch is leading a flight to hunt down Asskickers United's three Rank 7 flying mounts. With those three out of the picture, this battle is ours!"
"B-boss, the flying mount leaderboards!" a Warrior anxiously shouted.
"What?" Soaring Angel knitted his brows. What could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until the end of this most important battle?
"N-nirvana Flame, h-his Darkwing Dragon," the Warrior tried to explain, fear gripping at him.
Soaring Angel swept his eyes over the flying mount leaderboards. The Darkwing Dragon still held the first position, but its rank had changed from eight to nine! He felt a bomb go off in his head. How was this possible? Why was the Darkwing Dragon Rank 9? The Dragon King Fruit? Was it really possible? This was too inconceivable! A thought struck him, his face paling. "Tell Evil Monarch to get out of there right now!"
Too late. An incomparably powerful dragon cry rang out across the firmament, drowning out the sounds of all the other flying mounts in the battlefield.
Looking toward the west, an enormous jet black dragon soared through the sky. It looked like a small mountain with a wingspan of over a dozen meters. Its scales glistened like jewels under the sunlight.
A turbulent draconic might swept out into the surroundings, causing all other flying mounts to tremble in fear. This most frightening ancient aura looked down on all existences. The Rank 7 flying mounts were somewhat better off, but the Rank 6 flying mounts were losing their heads in fear while the Rank 5 and lower flying mounts were practically dropping from the sky.
The Rank 9 Darkwing Dragon's might was on full display!
The players from Asskickers United erupted into cheers!
"It's the boss!"
"The boss is back!"
"My god, his Darkwing Dragon is Rank 9 already!"
…
Morale soared. The players from Asskickers United felt endless confidence as they charged toward the enemies like a surging tide.
The players on the ground couldn't believe their eyes, rubbing them violently after the initial shock wore off.
"Jesus, the Darkwing Dragon broke through! How did Nirvana Flame do it!? I checked the leaderboards just 15 minutes ago, and it was still Rank 8!"
"The leaderboards refresh every 10 minutes. I'm guessing it only broke through just now. But man, its aura is capable of suppressing all the other flying mounts on the battlefield!"
"It must be that Dragon King Fruit from the special dungeon. Asskickers United managed to defeat Fallen Angel Brufut!"
"Fallen Angel Brufut? Wasn't Angel Corps trying over and over to kill that guy? Seems like their chance is gone now!"
The spectators looked at the Rank 9 Darkwing Dragon. It was undoubtedly the ruler of the skies. Its appearance instantly shifted the tide of the battle!
Closer to the ground, Natural Fiend, Tyrannical, and Miracle Dancer were still running from Evil Monarch's flight by weaving through the gaps between the buildings. However, they weren't fast enough. Just as they were about to be surrounded and locked down by the Vermillion Garudas, the Darkwing Dragon came swooping down from the sky like a flash of lightning.
One could imagine the shock of Evil Monarch's flight upon seeing this behemoth of a dragon blotting out the sun above them.
"Shit! It's Rank 9! Retreat, retreat!" Evil Monarch shouted anxiously. Only then did he realize they'd fallen for the enemy's ambush.
Evil Monarch's flight consisted of Rank 7 flying mounts. How could they possibly compete with a Rank 9 Darkwing Dragon in terms of speed?
"Want to run now? Too late! Wash your necks, and prepare to hand over your dog lives!" Smoke Stub shouted. From behind the Darkwing Dragon, 28 flying mounts appeared out of nowhere and moved to surround Evil Monarch's flight.
Evil Monarch looked around. All escape routes were completely sealed off. Flying mounts like the Vermillion Garudas were only useful when they had the numbers advantage. Otherwise, they were pretty ineffective.
Nie Yan stood proudly on the Darkwing Dragon's head. Based on its size, flying speed, and the aura, he could tell it was far stronger than before. Each beat of its mighty wings generated enormous thrust.
Riding on the head of this unrivalled existence, Nie Yan felt like a sovereign overlooking the world. After defeating Angel Corps, any place within the reach of the Darkwing Dragon's wings would become his land!
One of the Vermillion Garudas lost its head in fear. Not even bothering to use its flame net, it threw caution to the wind and tried to flee, only for the Darkwing Dragon's claws to grab onto it with lightning speed.
"SCREEEH!" the Vermillion Garuda cried out in pain. Evil Monarch and the others watched in horror as the Rank 7 flying mount was torn to shreds in the blink of an eye. Blood and entrails rained down from the sky.
A brutal display of strength!