Cao Xu couldn't help but envy Nie Yan for recruiting such skilled experts. Bladelight, Smoke Stub, Lei Su, all of them left him feeling a profound sense of helplessness.「Aim the catapults! Blast them to smithereens!」
The Wild Plains and the Abernathy Great Grasslands quaked.
Magic and shells whizzed through the air. Blood and death was everywhere, painting the sight of a bleak and brutal battle.
After a whole day of intense fighting, both sides retreated to their respective encampments in preparation for the server going offline. Asskickers United suffered a total of 30,000 casualties while Angel Corps suffered 50,000.
On the second day, the war continued. The fighting was even more intense than on the first day. Since this was a guild war, those who died couldn't revive. So, they were stuck waiting in the graveyard. The number of players on both sides would only keep decreasing.
「Nie Yan, we're being ambushed by Evil Faction players coming from Judgement Valley!」Guo Huai anxiously cried out.
「How many are there?」Nie Yan frowned.
「We count roughly 300,000. But there might be more coming!」
「Have our flying troops deal with them!」Nie Yan said. The Evil Faction players that came to the surface wouldn't bring siege weapons with them. Nor could Angel Corps or the Century Financial Group supply them with any. So, they were left completely exposed to attacks from the air. They were a distraction, nothing more.
Nie Yan looked over the battlefield, his gaze landing on the enemy siege weapons. If it weren't for those, their aerial troops could support the ground troops.
「Guo Huai, have our catapults advance!」Nie Yan ordered.
「Alright!」Guo Huai passed down the order. Asskickers United's catapult corps advanced forward, gradually entering the range of the enemy catapults. Both sides started exchanging fire as shells whizzed through the sky. One armoured catapult after another was destroyed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The intensity of the battle left the spectators breathless.
More than 90% of Asskickers United's catapults were upgraded Armoured Ice Catapults. The enemy couldn't compare both in quality and number of catapults. They were gradually overwhelmed. A few more hours and their catapults would be completely wiped out.
「Looks like we have the better firepower!」Guo Huai exclaimed.
「Have our tanks charge forward and attract some of the enemy fire. I want a full frontal assault on their catapult corps!」Nie Yan said, not letting the thrill of battle take over his rationale. The situation on the battlefield was liable to change at the drop of a hat. Before the war was actually won, it was better to stay calm and not let the small victories cloud your judgement.
「Got it!」Guo Huai nodded.
At this moment, a dark cloud spread over the horizon. It was a large group of flying mounts. They were escorting something.
Nie Yan's heart trembled. Enemy airships!
Last time, Asskickers United had destroyed all five of the Century Financial Group's airships. Nie Yan wondered how many they would have this time. One airship after another appeared within his vision until he eventually counted over 50 in total. How was this possible?
How could the Century Financial Group produce so many airships in such a short amount of time? Nie Yan recalled the previous battle. If it were another illusion, that would go a long way to explaining it.
The Darkwing Dragon, at Nie Yan's command, flew toward the airships with a powerful beat of its wings.
Eye of Truth!
Nie Yan's eyes flashed with a profound light. Sure enough, there were only five real airships. However, with so many fake ones among them, it would be hard to guide the ground forces manning the catapults to target the real ones.
The formation of the airships continuously changed. With the five real airships mixed among the illusions, it was hard to tell real from fake.
The 50 airships all started firing at once as countless shells blotted out the sky. The megacannons mounted on the airships were already much more powerful than regular cannons. Now, with the added range advantage from their high altitude, their destructive power was even greater. Even though the cannonfire from only five of the airships was real, with a single round of bombardments, more than a dozen catapults were blasted into smithereens.
Some of the catapults adjusted aim to return fire. However, most of their shells went straight through the illusions. Very few actually hit real airships.
The advantage Asskickers United worked so hard to gain was instantly neutralized. Now they were on the backfoot.
「Boss, the firepower from their airships is too powerful. There's nothing we can do!」a commander directing the catapult corps cried out. The sound of continuous explosions rang out in the background, almost completely drowning out his voice.
「Have your catapults focus on the ground troops! Let our aerial troops handle the airships!」Nie Yan ordered. Several thousand flying mounts escorted 50 Kamikaze Drakes toward the airships.
Both the sky and land were engulfed in the flames of war. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A sea of explosions swept through the enemy airships. However, Asskickers United also took heavy losses. All 2,000+ flying mounts and 50 Kamikaze Drakes were gone.
Those watching the battle unfold through a livestream were dumbstruck. What a war! This was their first time seeing a battle of this scale. They wondered what other moves both sides would pull out and who would come out on top in the end.
With the curtains falling on the second day, Asskickers United's casualties totalled 600,000 troops and 1,200 catapults. Meanwhile, Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group lost 900,000 troops and 1,600 catapults.
Neither side showed signs of slowing down. It seemed this war would only conclude when one side was completely annihilated.
「Fallen Angel is making faster progress than we are. They've captured 100 of Pantheon's 130 strongholds. Pantheon are on their death throes. All they can do is turtle behind their remaining defenses,」Guo Huai messaged Nie Yan.
Nie Yan didn't expect Fallen Angel's offensive to be so fierce. This likely put enormous pressure on Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group. If Pantheon fell, there was nothing left that could stop Fallen Angel from interfering in their war against Asskickers United.
The players from Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group were starting to feel demoralized. The results from the past two days weren't looking good for them, with Asskickers United always coming out on top. When they were mentioned on the forums, it was mostly in a pessimistic light. Meanwhile, Asskickers United's morale was sky high. If this trend continued, victory was theirs!
Cao Xu didn't hesitate to make all sorts of promises to build back the morale of the troops. Nothing was decided until the fat lady sang. Who knew, maybe a sudden reverse would happen at the very last moment.
Soaring Angel who had been fighting on the frontlines since the start of this battle was both physically and mentally exhausted. Appeasing so many men was no easy thing. However, if he didn't do anything about the atmosphere, the entire army might collapse. Meanwhile, Asskickers United's morale didn't seem the least bit affected. In fact, they fought with more confidence than ever before.
Both sides unofficially agreed to an armistice on the third day, only occasionally sending out small units to harass the enemy.
From day four to day eight, both sides fought with all they had. That evening, both sides retreated back to their encampments and erected tight defenses. After some rest, it would be the final showdown!
Asskickers United still had 650,000 troops left, 70,000 of which were their main elite force. In addition to that, 10,000 flying mounts, 500 catapults, and 120 trebuchets had also survived until now. Meanwhile, Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group were in much worse shape. Of their 3,500,000 strong army, only 520,000 players were left. Their catapults and trebuchets were reduced to 300 and 80 respectively.
Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group were at the end of their ropes. They could only pull out all their cards for one last fight. Their strength was simply too lacking compared to Asskickers United's.
It was time to deal the finishing blow to Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group. Asskickers United would reveal their true strength and completely crush the enemy.
Over these past several days, the Sage-rank Beast Tamer Hall had lived up to all expectations. He had finished taming a Violet Eye Dragon, which was given to Smoke Stub. When the final battle began, Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group would be in for a nasty surprise.
Nie Yan hopped off the Darkwing Dragon's head and landed on the ground. Summoning his Shadow Demon Wolf, he walked to the front of Asskickers United's army. The Shadow Demon Wolf obediently followed by his side. Wherever he walked, the surrounding players immediately parted ways to let him through.
"The boss is finally going to jump into the battle!" The players stared at the Shadow Demon Wolf. It gave off a stifling pressure, making it hard for them to breathe. Their hearts were filled with shock. Their boss was walking around with a Level 180 Demonified Lord!
When the Asskickers United players saw this scene, they couldn't help but become even more excited. A Level 180 Demonified Lord was a ludicrously powerful existence. Who knew how much manpower Angel Corps and the Century Financial Group would have to spend just to take it out, to say nothing of the fact they were already at an absolute disadvantage.
Smoke Stub stood to the side. He didn't summon his Violet Eye Dragon. The Shadow Demon Wolf was already enough to boost confidence. He would wait until the battle started before summoning his pet.
Nie Yan looked past the players and found Xie Yao smiling at him. Her gentle gaze was brimming with reverence. For him to have gained the undying allegiance of so many people, she couldn't help but be filled with pride. Recalling she still had work to do, she turned around and disappeared behind the crowd. The other Magisters followed closely behind her. Only Nie Yan knew what they were up to. In Xie Yao's hands was the item he'd braved countless dangers in the underworld to obtain, the Occult Talisman of Arachne Empress Finas. This was his most powerful killing move!
What felt like a long time ago already, during the battle at the Cripss Stronghold, he had forced Angel Corps to flee in retreat just by summoning Crypt Lord Bennett. One could imagine what would happen if he summoned Arachne Empress Finas, who was far more powerful.