"Mr. Haikal, you seem more energetic after your promotion," remarked a man carrying a large hammer, eyeing the old man from the side.
"Hahaha... of course!" Old Man Haikal laughed heartily. "When else can you feel such power at my age?" But as he chuckled, his eyes suddenly narrowed. A massive claw appeared in his vision, rushing toward him with terrifying speed and force.
"A silent attacker?" Old Man Haikal muttered. In an instant, his body was engulfed in black flames—or more accurately, his entire form became black flames. The giant red bear claw swiped at nothing but air, as Haikal reappeared a safe distance away, unscathed.
"Seems like bear meat is good for the bones. How about I roast some?" Old Man Haikal quipped, his tone casual. The silver-haired woman leading the attack stared in shock but quickly refocused, commanding her summoned beasts to resume their relentless assault. She was determined not to give Haikal a moment to cast his powerful spells.
"Troublesome," Haikal muttered. Swiftly, he began chanting incantations, and the surroundings darkened until all light was swallowed by the blackness of his magic.
"Fall back! Retreat to a one-kilometer radius!" Haikal ordered his allies, his voice steady but urgent. The silver-haired woman, although unable to see through the darkness, remained calm. She raised her right hand, summoning a hologram in the shape of a bat.
A massive bat, with a wingspan spanning ten meters, materialized before her. She nimbly leaped onto its back and summoned an owl-shaped creature as well. Clearly, she wasn't foolish enough to summon creatures that were disadvantaged in the dark.
"Annoying..." Haikal muttered again, observing the large number of beasts under her control. His body flared into black flames once more, and he shot forward like a comet, speeding toward the silver-haired woman. The flames surrounding him expanded rapidly, engulfing the area where she and her beasts stood.
Their battle raged on, the outcome uncertain as both combatants fought with fierce determination.
Meanwhile, in a different part of the battlefield, Laras's team found themselves in a completely different situation. A giant cross, standing a hundred meters tall, glowed with radiant light, casting a protective aura over the battlefield for a kilometer around. Within that radius, any team member who was severely wounded found their injuries healing almost instantly.
At the center of attention was a woman wielding two orbs of light. Her figure danced in battle as she unleashed relentless attacks on a towering twenty-meter-tall elephant. This woman was Laras, and she had quickly become the star of the conflict in that region.
"Hey, since when did Fortress #41 receive support from the center?" asked one Faithwarden soldier. "I thought they said no help would arrive for another three hours!"
"Yeah, I heard the same thing," another soldier responded. "But apparently, those are Players. As annoying as they can be, we're all fighting the Crev race now."
The soldiers' murmurs filled the air. At first, they had mistaken Laras for a Faithwarden due to her cross-shaped weapon and her powerful light abilities. But with their lives on the line, their prejudices were momentarily set aside.
"Sister Laras is incredibly strong," said Dion, watching from a distance in awe of her new powers after advancing to Tier-2.
"She is... but think about it—our alliance leader is even more terrifying," remarked Old Man Takulani, standing beside him.
Dion swallowed hard at the thought. "How did the alliance leader manage to get so many Silver Badges? He had them even one day after the event started!" he wondered aloud. If Essim had bought them using contribution points, he'd surely be at the top of the leaderboard. But in reality, Essim wasn't even ranked in the top twenty.
Fueled by curiosity, Dion could only keep wondering, waiting for answers as they continued battling the endless waves of enemies.
Above, high in the void of the skies, a ship drifted peacefully through the clouds. Onboard were Essim, Aisha, and their new companions Grey and Eliane. They had been flying for nearly four hours without encountering any Torvu race enemies, and the idle time had led to casual conversation and games.
Essim and Grey were engrossed in a game of chess—though this version had 144 squares and more pieces than the earthly counterpart. Meanwhile, Aisha and Eliane sat at the front of the ship, engaged in a warm, personal conversation.
"You know," Eliane began softly, her voice tinged with sadness, "I was never allowed to go far without my father's supervision. Even to play with other children, I had to be escorted by guards."
Eliane was the only daughter of a mayor, and though she had been raised with the utmost care and attention, her childhood had been anything but free. Every day, she was under constant watch, the only time to herself being the brief moments she spent asleep.
Aisha felt a pang of sympathy. She remembered the difficult days growing up with her brother, Essim. Hearing Eliane's story made her feel even more grateful for the freedom she had, despite the hardships. The two women continued their light-hearted chat, while Essim and Grey focused on their chess match.
Suddenly, the stillness of the void was shattered by the sound of a magic projectile zipping through the air, crackling with small bolts of lightning. Grey, previously relaxed, shot to his feet, his eyes tracking the projectile as it approached at alarming speed.
"Hold on, Mr. Essim, let me deal with this first," Grey said, his tone turning serious.
He walked to the edge of the ship and raised his hands. Just as the projectile was about to hit their vessel, Grey summoned a massive portal, ten meters high, swallowing the projectile before it could do any damage.
Silence returned, as if nothing had happened. Essim and Aisha exchanged amazed looks.
"Teleportation power?" Essim mused, clearly impressed.
"Amazing... Brother Grey is very powerful," Aisha praised.
Grey smiled modestly at the compliment, though he knew Essim and Aisha were just as formidable as he was.
Far in the distance, a man with his face covered in beast tattoos was watching the scene unfold. His expression twisted with anger.
"Damn it... our hideout has been exposed," he spat. The man had been hiding for three months, but his failure to remain undetected had just cost him everything. "Prepare to attack those bastards..."
He ordered the nine other captains under his command to fire up their ships. After months of inactivity, the ships roared to life, slowly moving toward Essim and the others.
"They'll be here in three minutes," Eliane warned, her voice tense.
"Why wait? We need to prepare," Essim said, reaching into his bag and pulling out several large objects.
The items were enormous black cannons, each about a meter long, with golden-coated muzzles gleaming in the light.
"What are those, Brother Essim?" Grey asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Nothing special—just a few small toys," Essim replied with a grin.
Sensing Essim wasn't going to elaborate, Grey turned to Aisha, hoping for a clearer answer.
"They're cannons normally used for island defense, Brother Grey," Aisha explained simply.
"I figured as much, but... how do you have so many?" Grey asked, his eyes widening as Essim continued pulling out more cannons—over twenty in total. Grey knew these cannons were incredibly expensive, and operating them required vast amounts of energy crystals. But he suppressed his astonishment and helped Essim position the golden cannons along the ship's walls.
Aisha and Eliane joined in, mounting the cannons, as the atmosphere on the ship became increasingly tense. Everyone worked quickly, knowing a battle was imminent.
Inwardly, Grey couldn't help but feel both admiration and a hint of apprehension. This coming fight would test them all.