Chapter 73: Fierce Battle

A few more minutes passed, and even more people arrived, all members of the Dragon Phoenix Mercenary Corps. First, rows of archers stepped forward, each bow drawn and aimed directly at me. At a command from their leader, arrows rained down like a storm. I dodged ceaselessly, wielding my staff to block the onslaught, barely evading fatal strikes. “Damn it!” The faces of the opposing crowd twisted with malicious intent as volley after volley of arrows flew, relentless and unending. Charging them head-on was simply impossible.

But for me, nothing was truly impossible. As the Gale Wolf King let out a mighty howl, the Spiral Hurricane was unleashed—a powerful tornado swept forth, tearing through everything in its path and sending dust swirling across the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the hurricane crashed into the players’ formation. Those archers who failed to dodge were instantly annihilated, leaving a gap in their ranks. At that moment, I ordered Amaterasu to infiltrate under cover of invisibility. As their forces began to regroup, Amaterasu suddenly appeared, brandishing twin blades, cutting down the players as effortlessly as flowing water. Each strike dealt terrifying damage in the thousands—no one could withstand it.

The once formidable Dragon Phoenix Mercenary Corps was thrown into disarray, their ranks broken by Amaterasu alone. Shields and armor were cast aside, and the players scattered in panic. Before long, the open ground outside the North Gate was littered with corpses and dropped potions and equipment, but none dared approach to loot; no one wished to be entangled in this affair. The remnants of their forces gradually faded away. Then, from the crowd, one person squeezed forward—the female archer of Silver Moon, accompanied by over twenty players.

“Damn it!” A swordsman cursed, gripping a long sword in his right hand. “You bastard! I’ll make you regret ever being born!” He lunged at me, while a male summoner unleashed his own summoned beast to assist.

A ferocious roar echoed as a lion, its fur a vivid blue, materialized before us.

“Blue Lion! Tear him apart!” the summoner bellowed.

Watching this man and beast charge at me from both sides, I murmured to myself.

The summoner himself was cautious, advancing only a few steps, his silver-gray staff gripped tightly. He stood in a defensive stance, waiting for an opportunity to strike unexpectedly.

The Gale Wolf King flashed a savage grin, twisting its body and darting forward, confronting the towering blue lion head-on and pouncing fiercely.

Both summoned beasts roared, their claws clashing, jaws wide and fangs bared, each trying to bite the other.

The swordsman crouched low and shouted, “Die!” He skirted the Gale Wolf King and rushed at me. The summoner circled behind, seeing his chance, and silently launched a crushing strike from behind with his staff.

They attacked from both sides, hoping to catch me off guard. Yet, to their surprise, I neither dodged nor evaded, taking both assaults head-on: -310, -70. The damage numbers floated above my head. Not only were they stunned, but everyone present was shocked—a summoner with the defense of a warrior.

It was utterly inconceivable. The swordsman’s mouth dropped open, unable to utter a sound. I unleashed an energy explosion with my left hand, blasting his right shoulder. Bones cracked audibly, and his shoulder was left with a deep, gruesome wound.

He screamed in agony. I thrust the summoner away with my staff, then followed up with a crushing blow and a fierce assault, sending the swordsman tumbling; his sword slipped from his grasp and flew away.

Immediately, I turned and unleashed a barrage of holy punches at the summoner, launching him into the air and crashing him to the ground.

“Damn it! Kill him together!” The swordsman, his right arm crippled, hurriedly grabbed his weapon with his left and, together with the summoner, consumed potions and charged at me again.

Meanwhile, the Gale Wolf King and the blue lion were locked in combat. Amaterasu appeared behind the lion, slicing down with both blades, severing its arms. In a flash, Amaterasu moved to the lion’s face and dismembered it with another flurry of strikes.

The summoner watched as his beast was defeated, stunned. While he hesitated, my staff struck him directly, a swift cloud attack hitting his face. Then, with a long-lost over-the-shoulder throw, I hurled him away, followed by a blast of flames that left him screaming in torment before he finally dissolved into white light, returning to the city. The swordsman’s spirit was broken; he now understood I was not someone he could contend with.

Seeing me counterattack, the swordsman used his sword to block my staff, but he was so focused on me, he forgot the Gale Wolf King. In less than half a second, the wolf’s claw slammed into his temple.

A howl, a shriek—he was sent flying, landing several meters away, face bloody and motionless, no longer daring to stand.

I cared little for him; he was not the one I sought. All around, people stared in shock, hearts pounding—two elite players defeated in just a few rounds, a truly breathtaking display.

The remaining members of the Dragon Phoenix Mercenary Corps began to stir, itching to tear me apart. More and more gathered, raising their staffs and pointing at Silver Moon from afar, their voices ringing with anger: “Silver Moon, why did you kill my companion? Don’t you know you’ve set off something you never should have?”

“Don’t bluff. You brought this upon yourselves. If you hadn’t ruined my quest, I wouldn’t have fought you,” Silver Moon replied.

“So, because we failed your quest, you killed our companion in retaliation, and now I must avenge them. When will this cycle of vengeance end? I may not wish for it, but since you killed my companion, I must settle the score. Come forth, Dragon War!” a fierce shout rang out.

A towering figure, over twenty meters tall, appeared behind me. A majestic dragon’s roar thundered, “Dragon War, attack!”

“Yes, master,” came the reply, and Dragon War sprang into action. Despite its massive frame, it moved with surprising agility, wielding a black sword to shred the players before it. The defenders fought back desperately, but their attacks were too weak to break through. Suddenly, the ground erupted with blue vines, entangling Shixuan. He swung his arms, sending countless vines whipping about.

Shixuan shouted, summoning his courage, and plunged the Crimson Dragon Spear into the ground. Earthquake! The ground shook violently within several meters, fissures opening wide. He pulled the spear free, breaking the vines to pieces.

He barely had time to rejoice, for more roots surged from the cracked earth, like waves, engulfing Dragon War completely.

Caught off guard, the next moment I too was bound, unable to move a muscle.

Danger!

The Gale Wolf King and Amaterasu sensed their master’s plight and abandoned their attacks on others, rushing toward the attacker—the same female summoner from before, the one who specialized in plant beasts. She had intended to use her summoned creatures to trap me and Dragon War so others could swarm me. The logic was simple: catch the leader, and the summoned beasts would disappear if the summoner fell. Now, I could only watch as the other players charged at me.

But the Gale Wolf King suddenly turned and shielded me, while Amaterasu confronted the summoner. Her face blanched, and she retreated with a cry.

Amaterasu pursued swiftly, unleashing a deadly cross slash that nearly drained her health and tore open her leather armor. Terrified, she turned and tried to escape, healing as she fled, but Amaterasu would not allow it. He seized her by her long hair and raked her back with the Crimson Reaper, leaving bloody claw marks. He spun her around, threw her to the ground, and tore off her armor before the crowd. She struggled, but her strength was no match for Amaterasu’s. Now her fury mingled with shame. Only after she was stripped to the system’s undergarments did he finish her off; her summoned beast vanished, and Dragon War was freed, unleashing its wrath upon the players with a fiery dragon’s breath that set the entire field ablaze.

“Hmph! Impressive!” Suddenly, a cold voice rang out from the crowd as Silver Moon strode forward.

I stepped up as well and said, “You dare come out? You’re no coward, so let’s duel!” As I spoke, Dragon War and the Gale Wolf King withdrew, and Amaterasu faded into stealth, awaiting orders.

“Fine, I’m not afraid. Let’s settle this!” With that, the stage was set for a fierce battle.