Descending the mountainside, Nie Yan drew closer and closer to the forces of Bloodlust Blades. He saw their players all over the place, from the plains outside the Cripps Strongholds to the base of the foothills in the far distance. He slowly approached from behind.
Weapons clashing and spells flying everywhere, the fighting at the front was fierce. Meanwhile, the scene at the back resembled an outdoor picnic, with players grouped together in their respective squads sitting on the grass. They were by no means elites, upper middle-tier at best. They were leisurely chatting about the progress of the war while waiting on standby, not the slightest bit wary of an ambush. With the information network of Bloodlust Blades, they would be given ample warning at the first sign of a large enemy force approaching.
Nie Yan surveyed the plains, then headed to the area with the greatest player density.
A group of 20 Bloodlust Blades players were sitting together, conversing with relaxed expressions on their faces.
"Who do you think will win, us or Asskickers United?" a Holy Mage in ashen robes asked. He evidently didn't have much faith in Bloodlust Blades.
"Hard to say. We might have fewer players and be at a disadvantage as the attacking side. But as long as those three Armoured Catapults with their ridiculous 500-meter range aren't destroyed, we stand a pretty good chance of victory. See how Asskickers United keeps turtling inside the Cripps Stronghold? It won't be long before their defenses collapse. I'm not sure exactly how many explosive shells we have stocked up to be bombarding them without reserve like this. But considering we prepared six whole days for this war, I estimate we have enough to last us another three or four more days," a Berserker in a full set of Gold-grade equipment replied. He was the leader of this group, so he knew a bit more.
He had a more optimistic outlook on this war.
The nearby players also felt their hopes rekindled after listening to his view.
Bloodlust Blades winning? Fat chance! Nie Yan sneered. They were completely oblivious to his presence, still happily chattering away as he snuck past them. With their Awareness, they wouldn't sense anything strange unless he was right up to their faces.
Nie Yan quickly made his way toward an area where many Priests were gathered. Priests were important resources during large-scale battles. They would usually be assigned together to form a large healing corps.
Nie Yan counted at least 500 Priests in the vicinity. There were likely similarly-sized Priest teams in other areas as well.
These Priests were also chatting about the siege. They were told that if Bloodlust Blades lost to Asskickers United in this war, the guild would have no choice but to dissolve and they would be absorbed into Alliance of Mages and Divine Protectors. This kind of outcome didn't sit well with them, so they were prepared to go all out.
Nie Yan slowly infiltrated their ranks, keeping at least two meters of distance between him and any of the Priests. He could clearly make out the details of each of their faces. It was very easy to be spotted in a crowded place like this. He activated Disappear, increasing his stealthing capability even further.
Nie Yan suddenly halted his steps when he saw three Priests walking in his direction, getting closer and closer. 5 meters, 4 meters, 3 meters... Unable to prevent the inevitable, he hurriedly contacted Bladelight and the others.「Now! Teleport to my coordinates!」
...
Back at the mountain, Bladelight was observing the battle. The players moving around below looked like ants.
"I wonder how Nirvana Flame is doing. He should be in position by now." Bladelight glanced at the other 29 players behind him. They stood together in the middle of a teleport formation on the ground. Their eyes burned with anticipation. They were itching for battle.
Soon, they were going to give Bloodlust Blades some long overdue payback.
Smoke Stub walked up to Bladelight's side. "Still no word from Nirvana Flame?"
Bladelight was just about to respond. But at this moment, he received Nie Yan's order. His expression changed. "Get ready! We're teleporting now!"
Everyone had excited looks on their faces. Bladelight took out the Group Teleport Scroll from his bag and started chanting. With a flash of light, all 30 players were teleported away.
...
The three Priests continued walking in Nie Yan's direction. When they approached within a meter of him, one of them suddenly sensed something off. "A Thief!"
At this moment, Nie Yan pounced into action and slashed the Priest's neck with Zennarde's Sword.
Cut Throat!
−1637! The Priest collapsed dead to the ground.
After encountering an enemy ambush, panic spread among these Priests.
"It's a Thief!"
"Get him!"
Nie Yan quickly escaped into stealth and dashed away. Among the chaos and confusion, some of the Priests threw up orbs of light into the sky.
Illuminate!
As the brilliant radiance flooded the ground, a shadowy silhouette could be seen dashing through their ranks.
Nie Yan was like a fox let loose in a chicken coop, surrounded by Priests with their weak defenses. All of them were tasty morsels!
A nearby Priest tried to flee, only to meet with a tragic end as Nie Yan's fiery blade slashed down on his back. His cloth armour was no match for the sharpness of Zennarde's Sword. It was an instant kill!
A barrage of Holy Smites whizzed toward Nie Yan, about to blast him into oblivion in the next moment.
Gale Step!
Nie Yan took advantage of Gale Step's first few seconds of invincibility to block the attacks. He dashed toward another Priest and chopped down with Zennarde Sword.
The Priest collapsed to the ground, fear frozen on his face. It was another instant kill!
Nie Yan's attacks were sharp, decisive, and unrivalled!
"It's the Mad Rogue!" one of the Priests cried out in alarm after recognizing Nie Yan's silhouette.
"It's Nirvana Flame, the guild leader of Asskickers United!"
They never imaged Nie Yan would show up here of all places. This was one of the most secure locations in Bloodlust Blades' army. How did he get past so many players unnoticed?
Nothing was impossible for the Mad Rogue!
Nie Yan's terrifying damage shook them to their core!
Some of the Priests fled in panic. Others started retaliating by chanting their spells.
Nie Yan relied on his unrivalled speed to mow through them, a corpse dropping on the ground with every slash!
"Don't run! Everybody, kill him!" a Priest shouted.
More than 50 Priests set their sights on Nie Yan, some casting Illuminate, others chanting offensive spells. No matter how heaven-defying Nie Yan was, it was impossible for him to survive the concentrated barrage from all of them!
As the Priests chanted their spells, 30 players appeared out of nowhere following a flash of light. It was Bladelight and the others!
Greeted by a lively scene, the 30 players quickly adapted to the situation. The Warriors took action first.
Charge!
Charge!
The Warriors rushed at the enemy in all directions, steamrolling through everything in their paths with their hulking armour, swords, and shields.
The Priests in the vicinity were caught off guard. Before they knew what was happening, the Warriors had already arrived in front of them. One could imagine their miserable state, especially after barely collecting themselves from Nie Yan's initial ambush.
At this moment, Smoke Stub leaped high into the air like a rising dragon, soaring six meters over the ground, before slamming down his Mikas Stormsword into a crowd of fleeing Priests. A spinning column of howling wind and lightning engulfed everything within a five-meter radius, transforming the several dozen silhouettes trapped inside into rays of light.
"Holy crap! What's the name of that skill? It's so amazing!" Edgeless couldn't help but ask, stars twinkling from his eyes. He had just happened to glance over in Smoke Stub's direction after cutting down a Priest.
"Descent of the Storm Dragon. Not bad, right?" Smoke Stub chuckled with a satisfied expression on his face. Setting his sights on his next targets, he sent a group of six Priests flying with a Charge.
Black Heaven, Young Seven, Moon Child, and Painted Muslin raised their staffs and cast high-level blessings, bathing all the Asskickers United players in the vicinity in an empowering radiance and greatly bolstering their stats.
Sun, One Strike Vow, and the other Thieves resembled streaks of lightning, leaving only afterimages behind as they dashed after the fleeing Priests.
More than half the Priests were wiped out almost instantly. It all happened too quickly. From the moment Bladelight and the others appeared to now, less than 30 seconds had passed. The surrounding Bloodlust Blades players had no time to react. No one expected such a large group of enemies to teleport right into the middle of their forces.
These 31 players from Asskickers United split up into four groups and started slaughtering a path forward, like four sharp daggers plunging into Bloodlust Blades' heart.
They went on an unbridled rampage, leaving behind piles of corpses in their wake.
In the distant hills, Mad Blade received news of Nie Yan's ambush. He looked toward the location of the Priests and saw a large hole torn open in their ranks. Almost 400 Priests dead in less than a minute.
"What's going on?" Soaring Angel asked. He had also noticed the situation.
"Asskickers United launched an ambush. Nirvana Flame somehow teleported 30 players into the middle of our ranks!" Mad Blade replied in a heavy tone. He was finding it strange that Asskickers United still hadn't made any movements yet. The appearance of Nie Yan and the others was undoubtedly a declaration Asskickers United was beginning their counterattack!
Soaring Angel gazed at the distant plains. Bloodlust Blades had already lost many Priests. He sank into deep thought. Other than reading over a few reports, he was unfamiliar with the Mad Rogue. All he knew was that Nie Yan was an outstanding figure in the Viridian Empire.
Even then, so what?
"We're setting out. Let's see if the Mad Rogue is really deserving of his reputation," Soaring Angel said with a faint smile.
With the Palante Phoenix Longbow strapped to his back, Soaring Angel sprinted off into the plains toward Nie Yan. His lithe figure resembled a blur. Demon Hunters were well-known precisely for their speed. Mad Blade and several dozen others followed behind.